The rain fell continuously in Luoyang, and the sky and the earth were desolate; just after Shenshi, the sky became dark. Prime Minister Li Ziquan's horse carriage drove into Shangshanfang and stopped in front of the Su Mansion; Su Wei, who had just returned from the imperial city, received the report and waited under the rain eaves.
Li Ziquan got off the carriage and walked quickly towards Su Wei who was welcoming him. As he walked, he held up his hands and apologized: "I didn't make an appointment beforehand, so I disturbed Mr. Su. I apologize for being so presumptuous."
Li Ziquan was the prime minister who represented the interests of the Shandong gentry, and his actual position was the minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Although he is nearly sixty years old, he is well-maintained and looks like he is in his early forties. He has a slender but slim figure, a rich spirit like jade, an extraordinary aura, and a rather immortal charm.
Su Wei didn't know why he came, but he was very considerate. When he saw him wearing regular clothes, he pretended to be angry and said: "My dear brother finally came to visit, but it's too late to be happy for him! How can you call me a bother?" What my dear brother said made me very unhappy. If I don’t get my dear brother drunk today, I won’t be called Su Wei.”
"Brother, if you don't get this little brother drunk, you can call him Su Wuwei from now on." Su Wei's name is Wuwei. Li Ziquan said this to leave a step for Su Wei to avoid looking ugly.
"It seems that my dear brother is here well prepared." Su Wei laughed loudly and extended his hand to signal: "The banquet is ready. It depends on whether my dear brother is fully prepared. Please!"
"Brother, please!" Li Ziquan followed Su Wei into the Su Mansion and came to a small living room next to the main hall.
Not long after the two sat down, maids came in one after another, holding gold and silver vessels filled with melons, fruits, wine, and treasures of land and water. Su Wei knew that Li Ziquan's visit at this time was definitely not about talking about romance, poetry and poetry. He asked all the maids to step aside, picked up the wine bottle and poured Li Ziquan a drink: "We are not outsiders, so we won't sing and dance."
After saying that, he filled up the wine glass in front of him, raised the glass with a smile and said: "Xian brother, please!"
"Please!" Li Ziquan drank the wine in one gulp and took the initiative to take the wine bottle and fill it up for the elder Su Wei.
After drinking a few more glasses of wine, the two of them brought the topic to what happened today.
"Brother, do you think King Wei's hand is stretched too far?" Li Ziquan did not show off, looked at Su Wei opposite, and said in a deep voice: "Military, political, economic, construction, culture, education, laws, There is nothing that King Wei does not interfere with in governing officials, making diplomatic relations, etc. In the long run, it may not be a blessing to the country!"
"This has always been the case since the saint ascended the throne. What's so strange?" Su Wei was noncommittal. He glanced at Li Ziquan, took the wine bottle and slowly filled it for the two of them. During this short period, his mind was also Turning rapidly; when he thought that Li Ziquan and Yang Ji seemed to have no grudges, and his wine glass was full, he slowly put down the wine bottle and asked Li Ziquan: "Brother Xian said this, I was really caught off guard. But I don’t know why my dear brother suddenly felt this way?”
After a few words, he silently pushed the problem to Li Ziquan.
Li Ziquan knew very well that Su Wei was a scheming and articulate old fox. If he was secretive and didn't express his position at all, he could go on for a whole day and night without getting to the point, and he could also make himself feel that he was not perfunctory.
He sighed and said: "King Wei is both civil and military, and he is also knowledgeable in military affairs. He is even better than his father, King Wei Zhao. It is not an exaggeration to say that he was conceived by hundreds of years of luck."
Su Wei looked at Li Zixiong and said with some surprise: "Xiandi's words are a bit unexpected!"
"The merits of King Wei are there, and no one can deny them! I am no exception." Li Ziquan was silent for a moment, and then said: "But if this momentum continues, King Wei is bound to become powerful officials such as Dong Zhuo, Cao Cao, and Jinghou; Seeing his hostility towards the noble family, I am really worried that he will be of no use to the country and the noble family."
Su Wei disapproved in his heart, but a worried look appeared on his face "at the right time", and he guided the topic with a solemn look: "Recently, I have been dealing with the follow-up of the Li family case in Longxi, and I don't have the energy to pay attention to other things, but I don't know what King Wei has done recently. What big thing is not beneficial to the country?"
Li Ziquan had no choice but to say: "The Yicang case in Youzhou and Jizhou has passed, and the saints have reached a tacit understanding with the gentry. However, Prince Mu Teng of Jizhou, Youzhou Governor Shi Xiaoyu, and Youzhou Sima Xue Shixiong and others refused to give up and deliberately They made things difficult for the Fanyang Lu family, the Boling Cui family, the Qinghe Cui family, and the Zhaojun Li family. Because the Zhaojun Li family had the same roots as the Longxi Li family, they received special attention from them."
"The King of Teng only obeys the orders of the King of Wei, and Xiao Yu, Xue Shixiong, Liu Quan, Wang Wei, Liang Mo, Li Qiong, and Liu Wujian are the core members of the King of Wei family. What they do has nothing to do with the King of Wei. Liangzhou's actions are exactly the same, if they say they are not acting under the orders of King Wei, no one will believe it."
"Of course, if someone does evil, takes bribes, bends the law, or commits a serious crime, I have nothing to say. No matter what fate they end up with, it is their own fault and they deserve it. The key is that Prince Teng and others actually dragged several big noble families into it. Now, people in Youzhou and Jizhou are panicking. As important officials of the Sui Dynasty, I think we should do something for the people of the Sui Dynasty and for the stability of the country."
Li Ziquan glanced at Su Wei, who looked calm, and continued: "I am a member of the Li family of Zhao County, and my position represents the Shandong noble family. I should avoid suspicion and should not come forward to defend myself. If my brother upholds justice and upholds justice for innocent people, Justice, no matter what the outcome is, I, the Li family of Zhaojun, the Lu family of Fanyang, the Cui family of Boling, and the Cui family of Qinghe will definitely be grateful!"
Speaking of this, Su Wei fully understood that Li Ziquan asked him to intercede on behalf of the Shandong nobles, and that he was interceding for "innocent people", not guilty people. This eased the difficulty and did not embarrass him.
However, although the gratitude and favor of the Zhaojun Li family, Fanyang Lu family, Boling Cui family, and Qinghe Cui family were heart-warming, Su Wei didn't know whether Li Ziquan's target was Yang Ji or "persecuting innocent people." "Yang Lun et al. Therefore, he did not rush to promise anything, but expressed his position and attitude in another way: "Xian brother, King Wei seems to have a hand in everything, but in fact he does not have a hand in everything."
Li Ziquan was stunned for a moment and asked, "Brother, what do you mean by this?"
"Actually, it's easy to understand!" Su Wei sighed and said with some bitterness: "For example, now, King Wei is obviously the prime minister, Shangshu Ling, General Zuo Yiwei, General Youyiwei, and Liangzhou Mu, but he insists on These high-ranking and important positions were regarded as idle positions. The saint saw that he was capable, accomplished, and dared to do things, but he did not love or be greedy for power, so he trusted King Wei without reservation. When the saint saw all the courtiers If you are dedicated to yourself, you will naturally feel that King Wei’s character is noble and valuable.”
Su Wei was self-centered and maliciously slandered the "high-quality" Yang Ji. Therefore, when Yang Ji himself did not know that Su Wei was plotting against him, Yang Guang included Su Wei in the scope that must be "annihilated". Yes, and the dispute over the imperial wine ceremony was just a medley.
Maybe Yang Ji still doesn't know why, but Su Wei himself understands that the root cause of his severe injury is his conspiracy to slander Yang Ji.
Thinking back at this moment, Su Wei was so regretful that his intestines were green. Fortunately, he was still valuable, otherwise there would be no chance of comeback?
"Brother, you're right!" Li Ziquan saw Su Wei's vaguely frightened look. Not only did he not find it funny, but he felt extremely bitter because he knew that Su Wei deliberately used frightened body language to tell him, "What if you It means that Yang Ji and I are enemies, so there is no need to discuss anything."
The reason why he did not refuse was mainly to let him make an offer; if the Shandong nobles were sincere enough and offered a price that was far greater than Yang Ji's deterrent power, then they could talk. On the contrary, there is no need to say more, lest it be difficult to meet in the future.
Fortunately, he knew that Su Wei was not easy to talk to, so he came prepared, and said something that seemed to have nothing to do with the conversation: "When the Tongji Canal was being dug, King Wei and King Ande built many warehouses, restaurants, and A town that integrates living, playing and gambling. I heard that in order to facilitate sailors, helmsmen and merchants to rest, the 'Xian Nephew' plans to build a similar town at the intersection of Yongji Canal and Zhangshui in Lucheng County, Hejian. However, things don't seem to be the same. Taishun, I wonder if this is the case? If it is true, we are willing to come forward to speak out and facilitate this beautiful thing."
The nature of buying a shop or renting a shop is completely different from buying land to build a town. The former means a temporary stop; the latter means a long-term establishment and reproduction from generation to generation. If the person who buys the land to build the village is a small family or businessman with no backing, the local big family can easily kill the other party, so there is not much concern and vigilance; if it is a big family or a powerful force from a different place, it is equivalent. If so, it would be tantamount to invading one's own territory. The Su family's purpose of buying land and building a town was not only to make money, but also to launch an attack on the Shandong gentry. As for the Shandong gentry's arbitrary constraints, it was naturally to resist foreign forces.
Now, in order to gain Su Wei's support, Li Ziquan had to make concessions on behalf of the Shandong gentry, saying that the Shandong gentry would accept the Su family and allow the Su family to enter their sphere of influence. But Su Wei was a very ambitious man, and now he had taken the initiative. How could he only want that piece of land?
Su Wei sighed and said with a look of embarrassment: "It's really not going well! But today's young people are different from us. They are ambitious but not talented, and they are unwilling to do things down-to-earth. After his setback in Lucheng County, not only did he fail to overcome the difficulties, He retreated, but instead focused on the intersection of Yongji Canal and Huanshui River in Yaocheng County, Wei County, and the Yongji Canal Pier in Qinghe Qingquan County. He also said that he wanted all three sites, and each site must buy at least more than a thousand acres."
Li Ziquan almost cursed when he heard this. The three areas that "Suwei Xiao'er" was interested in were the golden areas of the already navigable Yongji Canal. Once a town is built, it will make a fortune every day; more importantly, every place is The fringe area of several major aristocratic families; after occupying that area, you can easily develop towards the weak areas of several major aristocratic families.
Su Wei glanced at Li Ziquan, whose expression changed, and sighed: "I really can't do anything when I encounter such a traitor who doesn't know the heights of heaven and earth, but after all, he ended his career because of my fault. Dear brother, what do you think of me? What should we do?”
"It's a good thing for 'young people' to have ambitions. We, the elders, should support them." Li Ziquan forced a smile and said: "We are all nobles, and we should be united. When the time comes, I will have someone come forward to support us." The wise nephew negotiates with the local 'people'."
"Then thank you, dear brother!" Su Wei bowed his hands with satisfaction and said with a smile: "I feel very sorry for letting my dear brother run around like this. I happen to have a big thing to do."
Li Ziquan asked in confusion: "I wonder what it is?"
"When I was handling the case, I collected a large amount of evidence of the crimes of the children of the Guanlong nobles. If dealt with according to law, many people from each Guanlong family would be beheaded!" Su Wei looked at Li Ziquan and continued: "We nobles and Guanlong The nobles have been fighting from the Western Wei Dynasty to the present, but the nobles have always been at a disadvantage, and all the important military and political positions were plundered by them. However, the Guanlong nobles were also too strong, so they made the saint very unhappy. My dear brother also knows why he is unhappy, so I will No need to say more.”
Li Ziquan's heart was pounding and he asked in a solemn voice: "Is there really a lot of evidence of crime?"
"It's true!" Su Wei nodded and said: "I am a little unable to do it alone, and I want to do it together with my virtuous brother; once this matter is done properly, the saint will be rewarded heavily, and we nobles will also take back some Positions that were ours.”
Hearing what Su Wei said with such certainty, Li Ziquan could not refuse. At the same time, he also knew that Su Wei would not lie to others about such a big matter. He pondered for a moment and said, "This matter is of great importance. Brother, can you allow me to discuss it with others?" One or two?”
"Of course!" Su Wei did not forget Li Ziquan's request and took the initiative to ask: "I can talk to the saint about the Shandong nobles, but I don't know when do you want me to enter the palace?"
Li Ziquan said quickly: "The situation is quite urgent, so naturally the sooner the better!"
"It's already dark today, so it's not appropriate to disturb the saint, and I also want to be prepared." After explaining his reasons, Su Wei asked, "Brother, what do you think of tomorrow?"
"Of course you can, thank you brother!"
"Haha, brother Xian is also helping Xiao'er. We are all our own people, so there is no need to see anyone outside. Please drink!"
"Drink please!"
The two of them finished talking about business and each had something to explain, so they ended the small banquet hastily.
After sending Li Ziquan away, Su Wei summoned his cousins Su Che and Su Su, and told him the process and content of the secret battle between him and Li Ziquan, and then said to Su Che: "Brother Che, Xindu Wuyi The first family in the county is the Su family. Although the Su family served in the Northern Qi Dynasty, their ancestors were not important officials, and times have changed, so no one will care about it anymore. The current head of the family seems to be named Su Yong. You can go to Xinjiang immediately tomorrow. Du, consider the Su family as a clan and compile a flawless family tree."
Su Che hesitated for a moment, frowned and said, "Brother, this is equivalent to asking them to change their ancestors. Do you think Su Yong is willing to do it?"
"The Su family in Wuyi is just a small family. They are nothing if they leave Wuyi County!" Su Wei smiled disdainfully and said arrogantly: "After all, I am also the prime minister of the Sui Dynasty and the minister of the Ministry of punishment. If they want to cooperate with me, Having good connections and saying less can save three generations of struggling time. I don’t believe they can refuse.”
Su Che thought for a while and said with a smile: "What brother said is absolutely true. Among the more than 50 million people in the Sui Dynasty, at least 99% of them dreamed that one day they would get help from nobles. Now that nobles come to their door, as long as they Su Yong is not a fool, so he will not refuse. And there are no such fools in this world."
"There really are such fools in the world, and they happened to King Wei." Su Wei laughed and said: "It is said that King Wei saved several descendants of Northern Qi officials who did not know whether to live or die. King Wei saw that they were extremely brave. , took pity on his talents, and solicited his court many times, but these people clearly had nobles to help them, but they repeatedly rejected King Wei's good intentions."
"These people may be young people who are ignorant of the world and are pretentious!" Su Che said with a smile: "Young people don't know the darkness of the world. If they think they can make a great career with their own abilities, they are generally unwilling to rely on others. .”
"What you said is true!" Su Wei was in a good mood at the moment and said it as a joke: "If they have always been so courageous, I also think they have noble character and will find ways to win over them. However, they regretted it after a while. , actually took advantage of King Wei’s expedition and came to deceive the princess again and again, hoping that the princess, whom they thought was ignorant, could help arrange some tasks!”
Su Che and Su Su were dumbfounded. If Xiao Ying was stupid, could she be a princess?
Suche laughed and said, "King Wei is famous for his hospitality, but normal people don't dare to cheat. These people are brave."
"So after they were driven away by the angry Concubine Pei and Concubine Liu, their 'good name' spread throughout Luoyang City!" Su Wei shook his head with a smile and returned to the topic: "Such a villain who pretends to be noble but has no bottom line. There are very few. I heard that Su Yong is a smart man with both civil and military skills and considerable ambition. What he lacks is just opportunity. If someone gives him a hand, he will definitely achieve a lot. I believe that such a person will not do such stupid things. .”
Su Che said solemnly: "Brother, I will set off tomorrow to meet this smart man for a while."
"Let's talk about it privately!" Su Wei warned: "But talents are hard to find, so you must be polite and don't act like a gift that is offensive and worthless! After this is done, you will wait for me there. As long as Li Ziquan hands over the land deed to me, I will send someone to deliver it."
"Yes!" Suche responded.
"Brother Su, you understand the matter; meet Li Shuliang for me tomorrow." Su Wei looked at Su Su and ordered in a deep voice: "By the way, the person you are focusing on is Li Jiancheng, not Li Shuliang. That child is very amazing."
"Here!"
