Xu Fenglei shook his head.
"Where in the world is there Penglai Immortal Island or elixir of death? Those are just cakes drawn by alchemists for Qin Shihuang in order to defraud funds."
He responded,
"But there are indeed treasures overseas."
"For example, there is a small island thousands of miles south of the Tang Dynasty. The island is densely covered with spices. One year's output is enough to supply the Tang Dynasty's spice consumption for three years!"
"Another example is that tens of thousands of miles east of the Tang Sea, there is a large continent with various high-yielding crops. If the seeds can be brought back, the yield per mu can reach thousands of kilograms!"
"For example..."
The more Xu Fenglei spoke, the brighter Li Shimin's eyes became!
"Hey... Spice Island? Agate Island? There are thousands of kilograms of crops per acre in a continent tens of thousands of miles away from the Tang Dynasty?"
He rubbed his hands and exclaimed,
"How do I feel... are you telling a nursery rhyme story?"
"This doesn't seem to be much different from the big cakes painted by those alchemists! Haha..."
When Xu Fenglei heard this, he couldn't help but rolled his eyes.
"Everything I said is true, and there is absolutely no lie."
He spread his hands and said,
"If your Majesty doesn't believe it, you can first ask the navigator to go south along the coastline to find the Spice Island, and see if he can return with a full load."
Li Er stroked his beard gently.
"hehe……"
He pondered for a moment, then smiled lightly and said,
"I said I would reward you, and I will not break my promise. I promised you! If you need any cooperation, just tell the people below!"
"Whether this is true or not, it should be regarded as an experiment. If it succeeds, the benefits will be endless! It is equivalent to opening up the Silk Road on the sea!"
After a pause, Li Shimin added:
"Oh, by the way, I've said it before. Don't even think about financial support. There won't be a penny."
"Now I am thinking about preparing for war with the Turks, and I am tightening my belt and living my life."
As the saying goes, once the cannon goes off, there is ten thousand taels of gold.
The first step in fighting the Turks is to raise money and food!
"Your Majesty, don't worry."
Xu Fenglei grinned and said,
"I will never ask you for money. If I can successfully open up a maritime trade route, I will give you some money! After all, it is only with your strong support that I can have this opportunity."
Li Shimin looked at him, and the corners of his mouth slowly rose.
The two looked at each other and laughed.
"You always make me feel comfortable!"
He patted Xu Fenglei on the back and said with a smile,
"Let's go to the political hall!"
"I forgot to tell you. Today I had a conversation with Fang Xuanling and the others. The matter of changing the laws must be discussed without delay! It must be discussed!"
…
Tai Chi Palace, Political Affairs Hall.
This time Li Shimin held a general meeting, and there were many more ministers than before. Not only did he summon various officials, but even Pei Ji, who was not usually summoned to discuss politics, was prominently included.
In terms of scale, it is comparable to the imperial meeting.
At this moment, the emperor has not yet arrived, so the ministers seem a bit casual, each sitting in a circle in small or small groups, chatting and drinking tea.
Their respective factions can be seen from their positions.
The old ministers of Wude, headed by Pei Ji, are almost all a group of old people with no real power, but they have the title of casual official and their status is not low.
The heroes of Tiance gather together in twos and threes. No one is the leader, or in other words, they are all big bosses, holding real power and holding high positions. While talking and laughing, the world was shocked.
There is another group, the gentry, most of whom are the fresh blood added after the reform of Yuan Zhenguan. Most of them are children of wealthy families. Every gesture and gesture shows the nobility and vigor of the young masters of the family. They are obviously well protected by their families. , have not received much beating from the officialdom, and have to practice for more than ten years before they can become a veteran like their fathers.
The ministers of the three sects do not interfere with each other. On the surface, they appear to be in harmony.
"Your Majesty is coming soon. Please be ready and take your seats."
A high-pitched voice came, which made all the ministers in the hall startled and looked at the two rows of seats.
There are so many people, and there are only two rows of seats.
Who sits?
The young officials from the gentry faction all looked calm.
It would be great if they could attend a meeting of this level! Still want a spot?
Dreaming!
Just stand and listen. If you're lucky, the emperor is kind and you might even get a small bench...
However, the heroes of Conglong such as Yu Chigong and Cheng Yaojin were full of confidence and stepped forward to sit down without a care in the world.
"Hey, Prime Minister Fang, Prime Minister Du, what are you doing in such a daze?"
Cheng Yaojin waved and said,
"And Grand Secretary Changsun, sit down, sit down!"
"Come on, Jun Ji, Li Jing, Li Ji, you all have a seat! There are not many seats. If you don't sit down now, there won't be any seats!"
The few people whose names were called looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then took their seats.
Suddenly, except for the main seat, there were not many seats left.
The faces of Pei Ji and the other veteran military officials suddenly became ugly.
"What the hell! We haven't even choked yet, but they are dividing it up one by one like fruits."
"That's right, Mr. Pei Ge hasn't left yet, but they are taking matters into their own hands. They really don't understand any etiquette!"
"Tsk... After all, they are heroes. Haha, they are proud of being favored. Fortunately, their heads are still clear and they know how to give up their first position."
"..."
A few old guys were whispering and venting their dissatisfaction.
"Old Prime Minister Pei, please take a seat."
One person bowed and said,
"The imperial court pays attention to etiquette. If you don't sit down, we won't dare to move."
He said this a bit loudly, no doubt for Cheng Yaojin and others to listen, insinuating that they were rude.
However, rough guys like Cheng Yaojin and Yu Chigong are very thick-skinned, how can they be offended?
Continue drinking tea and chewing fruit without even looking at them.
"Haha...Okay, okay."
Pei Ji glanced at the ministers around him, waved his hand and said,
"Sit down, all of you."
"Your Majesty is still nostalgic for his old friendship. It's rare for us old men to be invited to discuss politics. You should do your best to share His Majesty's worries..."
"Sit down, sit down."
After that, he walked to the first seat under the main seat and pulled out the chair.
The other ministers also took advantage of every opportunity to seize the few seats in the hall.
Click.
The chair was pulled halfway, but a big hand suddenly pressed down on the back of the chair, preventing it from moving at all.
Pei Ji's expression changed and he raised his head slightly.
"Mr. Pei Ge, is this your seat? Just pull out the chair?"
Yuchi Gong looked at Pei Ji and asked with a sneer.
Pei Ji: "!!!"
"Yu Chigong, what do you mean?!"
His expression became a little unkind, and he said coldly,
"You mean, this isn't where I should sit? I can't sit here?"
When Yuchi Gong heard this, he nodded as usual.
Wow!
He pushed the chair back.
"Yes, yes, you are right."
Yuchi Gong said firmly,
"This is no place for you to sit!"
"Choose another position! Or it's not impossible for you to stand."
Pei Ji: "!!!"
At this moment, Pei Ji's face suddenly turned red, and he felt humiliated like never before!
"Yu Chigong! You!!!"
He pointed at the strong man in front of him and said angrily,
"How dare you humiliate me!!"
If this macho man wasn't really too strong, he would have gone up to fight even if he had to fight with all his strength!
"Ha! Is this humiliation?"
Yuchi Gong sneered and said,
"It's obvious that someone couldn't hold it straight, so I asked him to wake up."
"Only the current Crown Prince and Grand Master Xu Guogong Xu Fenglei can sit in this position. You, Pei Ji, are not worthy!"
"Not worthy! Do you understand? Do you need me to repeat it to you again?"
Pei Ji's face turned from red to green!
He pointed at Yu Chigong's hand, which began to tremble violently!
"you you……"
You have been waiting for a long time, but you can't hold back a single word. You are so angry that your heart and liver are trembling, and your courage is gone!
"Yu Chigong, don't go too far!"
There was a minister on the side who couldn't see it and couldn't help but spoke uprightly,
"In any case, Prime Minister Pei is a veteran of both dynasties, an important minister of the Supreme Emperor, and a meritorious official of His Majesty. He is the Duke of Wei with a fiefdom of 1,500 households!"
"Why can't he sit in that position?"
"You humiliate Xiangguo Pei in public like this, aren't you afraid that your Majesty will convict you?!"
These words made all the old ministers of martial arts look at him angrily. They gathered around and stared angrily at Yuchi Gong.
"What are you doing? You want to use force!"
Cheng Yaojin slammed the table and ordered,
"Back off!"
"Don't blame me for not reminding you. If you use force with Yuchi Laohei and end up lying on the ground like a dead dog, it must be you, not him."
All the old ministers: "..."
The words contained a threatening tone, but they also made them retreat silently.
"Bah! A veteran of two dynasties? A hero of your majesty?"
Yuchi Gong spat on the ground and sprayed directly,
"The hero is a piece of shit! The traitor is just the same!"
"How dare you call me a hero for a loser who leads troops on expeditions and only loses every battle? Every time he fights, he kills tens of thousands of Tang troops and can only run away in despair?"
"A minister whose governance is so messed up that even the tax collection and disaster relief assessment officials can't understand, a mediocre person who makes the people complain, dare to be called an important minister?"
"I even suspect that your special mother is a spy sent by the Turks, specifically to mess up our Tang Dynasty!"
"You are not good at literature or martial arts, but you still have a shy face and dare to sit in the front seat? Why don't you take a picture without taking a piss? What kind of virtue do you have!"
Da da da!
Da da da!
It has to be said that this old boy Yu Chigong is really fierce at trolling, which brings a lot of fun to the old brothers around him.
Changsun Wuji secretly gave a thumbs up——
What a black guy, really unambiguous.
These words are so irritating, they are really a relief!
"Yuchi...Yuchi Gong...you, you..."
Pei Ji's heart began to twitch after being sprayed. His face turned from green to white. He covered his heart and said intermittently,
"You bully others...you go too far!"
"It's too much to bully others! I, I want to..."
"Well--"
He was so furious that blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
"Mr. Pei Ge, Mr. Pei Ge, are you okay?"
"Old Prime Minister Pei, please calm down, calm down, don't let your anger break your body, it's not worth it!"
"Yu Chigong, you have gone too far! I will impeach you in front of His Majesty, and we will jointly impeach you!"
Several old ministers supported Pei Ji and massaged his chest and back.
The remaining few gritted their teeth and said harsh words to Yuchi Gong, with angry expressions on their faces.
And those young ministers who were standing all had their eyes opened now.
Fighting to this point for a chair...
Cow wow cow wow.
"As you wish."
Yuchi Gong rolled up his sleeves and said with a meaningless expression,
"I'm telling the truth. Why, you don't like to hear the truth?"
"Sure enough, the Grand Master is right. Lies won't hurt anyone. Uh... what's the last sentence?"
He looked at Du Ruhui.
"The truth is the sharpest knife." Du Ruhui said silently.
"Yes, the truth is the sharpest knife."
Yuchi Gong grinned and said,
"I'm so angry at the truth, hahahaha..."
At this moment, he looked extremely arrogant.
The old ministers of Wude all looked filled with jealousy, and started to curse one after another.
But the more they broke through the defense, the more wanton and proud Yuchi Gong laughed.
I just like to see you looking so frustrated that you can't stand me and can't kill me!
At this moment, the entire political hall was noisy, more lively than the vegetable market.
Until two figures crossed the threshold and walked into the hall.
"Your Majesty is here!"
A high-pitched voice came, suffocating the noise inside.
The war of words between the two sides also ended abruptly.
"Your Majesty..."
When Pei Ji saw Li Shimin, it was like seeing a savior, and he said hoarsely with runny nose and tears,
"Old minister, old minister is dead!"
"Woooooooo..."
Li Shimin stood with his hands behind his hands, his face gloomy.
"I heard from afar that there is some unrest inside. Can anyone tell me what's going on?"
He ignored old man Pei Ji's grievance, but looked at Wei Zheng and ordered,
"Wei Zheng, tell me!"
Xu Fenglei beside him also looked surprised.
He glanced at Pei Ji, who had a miserable face, and then at Yuchi Gong, who was majestic and red-faced.
What's wrong with this?
Are these two fighting?
"Your Majesty, this is it."
Wei Zheng picked up the small notebook in his hand and said,
"Yu Chigong and Pei Ji were arguing about the seat. Pei Ji wanted to sit in the lower seat, but Yuchi Gong refused, thinking that the seat should be the seat of Grand Master Xu Fenglei, and Pei Ji was not worthy."
"The two got into an argument, and it turned into insults between the two parties. Fortunately, His Majesty arrived, otherwise it would have escalated into a fight."
Pei Ji: "???"
Insulting each other?
It was obviously him who insulted me unilaterally! He insulted me!
You are so blind...
"Insulting each other?"
Li Shimin frowned and said,
"I'm not surprised that Yuchi Gong has such a temper, but Mr. Pei Ge has always been very well-educated. How can he quarrel with Yuchi Gong?"
When Pei Ji heard this, tears filled his eyes.
It's better for Your Majesty, Your Majesty can distinguish right from wrong...
"Your Majesty, Pei Ji did not scold Yuchi Gong, but the ministers around him did scold him in return."
Wei Zheng looked as usual and said in a deep voice,
"So, I said it was 'both sides' insulting each other, rather than one-on-one individuals insulting each other."
"I believe that my wording is accurate and there is nothing wrong with it. I ask for your Majesty's clarification."
Li Shimin: "..."
Xu Fenglei: "..."
The two of them looked at the blushing ministers and looked at each other, both seeing the helpless look in each other's eyes.
Can this day-to-day life save people some worries? ah?
(End of chapter)
