Li Shimin's eyes fell on Xue Rengui.
"Sure enough... he is a talented person!"
He only glanced at it twice and then praised it.
I have to say that this boy Xue Rengui excels in his aesthetics.
He has a square appearance and a burly figure. He looks very decent at first glance, and he is definitely not a sycophant!
Hmm... Li Er does have a bit of an appearance association.
This may be due to his mother, who always has some filters for handsome guys with good looks.
"That's natural."
Xu Fenglei smiled and said,
"At that time, I felt that this boy was extraordinary at first sight. Even among those workers, looking so gray and gray, I felt that he was not an ordinary person!"
"Perhaps, this is in accordance with the saying - gold always shines!"
Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction.
"Get up, young man."
Li Er raised his hand and said,
"Come closer and let me take a good look at you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xue Rengui stood up, the tension in his heart dissipated a bit.
Listening to the conversation between eldest brother and His Majesty... my first impression should be pretty good, right?
After thinking about it, when he raised his head, his mind was shocked.
It turns out... His Majesty the Emperor looks like this!
It was pretty much what he expected!
The emperor must look like this to be worthy of his status!
"Ting Ming is your eldest brother. I have a close friendship with Ting Ming. If we line up like this, you can be considered my younger brother."
Li Shimin said with a smile,
"I, let me call you Rengui!"
"Rengui, I heard from your elder brother what you did in Tuyuhun. You did a good job. It was really good!"
Xue Rengui: "!!!"
His Majesty actually called himself Rengui! So kind!
He knew that this was mainly because of his elder brother, but even so, he was still very excited...
There are not many people in the entire Tang Dynasty who can be called so affectionately by His Majesty!
"Your Majesty is so complimentary!"
Xue Rengui once again handed over his hand and said with great humility,
"The grassroots just did what they had to do and barely completed the task."
"Actually...there are many aspects that ordinary people can do better."
Li Shimin nodded slightly.
"You are able to win without being arrogant at a young age. You have already surpassed many people!"
He praised,
"When I was your age, I wasn't as calm as you!"
This character has become a plus point for Li Er.
He likes calm ones, such as Li Jing, Li Ji, and Xu Fenglei. They are very safe to use and often do not need to worry. When you wake up, it is a victory.
And Xue Rengui also has such potential!
The key is...he is still so young and has such potential! This made Li Er feel a little happy.
"Perhaps it's because of the child's difficult experiences in the past that he developed this temperament."
Xu Fenglei interjected,
"He has already tempered a lot in the human world, so he doesn't need to polish anymore. What he lacks now is nothing more than experience."
Li Shimin deeply believed it.
Children from poor families become parents early.
People who come from a difficult background are often more perseverant and calm than their peers.
"Listen Ming, your discernment has selected a general for the Tang Dynasty!"
Li Er gestured his thumb towards Xu Fenglei and said,
"very nice!"
"Go out for a walk more often and pick up a few more before you come back!"
Xu Fenglei: "..."
Are you a cabbage on the street?
You can pick it up just by walking around...
Generals like Xue Rengui are rare to find!
Of course, he still has some people in his talent pool.
For example, Di Renjie was still a child, and Wu Erya was always ranked first in grade in the academy.
He had formed a bond with these children early on.
In the future, they will inevitably transform into human dragons and phoenixes!
"Rengui, where are you from?"
Li Shimin began to check his household registration.
This is also the last step to enable people to interact with each other.
You have to fully understand a person before you can use it with confidence.
"Back to Your Majesty, Cao Min was born in the Xue family in Hedong, but it was just a side branch. By Cao Min's father's generation, it had declined."
Xue Rengui's expression did not change and he said respectfully,
"My father died young again, which made the already poor family even worse."
"My mother worked hard to raise me up all by herself, but my appetite was too big. It was very difficult for her to support me, and she eventually fell ill."
"The ordinary people can only go to Chang'an to work. They are lucky to be able to earn a wage on the construction site of the Academy."
Li Shimin suddenly realized.
"The Xue family in Hedong is indeed a famous family."
He sighed,
"Although it is not as good as Five Surnames and Qi Wang, it can be considered as a profound foundation."
"You come from a distinguished family, but you end up in such poverty. It's really sad..."
"Is mother okay now?"
Xu Fenglei responded:
"I have sent people for treatment before, and there is no serious problem. The main reason is to save money and not eat enough meat."
"As long as you rest at home and have decent food, you can recover. I guess by now... the old lady should be quite handy."
"It just so happens that Rengui has returned from successfully completing his mission. I think it's time to bring the old lady to Chang'an to enjoy her happiness."
Li Shimin nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. It is not easy for her to cultivate kindness. She deserves to be blessed."
Li Er ordered,
"I'll do what you want! Get the old lady over here!"
Plop!
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Xue Rengui said excitedly.
"Okay, what does this mean? Get up."
Li Shimin waved his hand and said with a smile,
"Rengui, you have really made a great contribution this time!"
"Let me do the math for you. First of all, you killed Songtsen Gampo and completed the task assigned to you by me and your elder brother. This is a great achievement!"
"Obtaining information allowed Tang Dynasty to take the lead in the civil strife and disputes in Tubo. This is another achievement!"
"Thinking carefully before doing the mission saved the brothers and an elite team for the Tang Dynasty. This is also a great achievement!"
"Three achievements like these are enough for a knighthood!"
Don't even say it.
As far as Xue Rengui's record is concerned, it can cause a worldwide sensation!
In terms of rewards for meritorious service, it is not too much to be directly granted the title of marquis!
It's a pity that this matter cannot be brought to the surface.
"but--"
Sure enough, Li Shimin's turning point came,
"You also know that this strategy is carried out in secret."
"Except for a few people who know about it, no one in the imperial court or even the whole world knows about this matter, nor can they know that it was the work of the Tang Dynasty!"
"So... I can only wrong you for the time being. I hope you can understand me."
Xue Rengui knelt on the ground, his mind shaken.
"What did your Majesty say? Common people never dare to be greedy for credit!"
He said hurriedly,
"The civilians just want to complete the mission and go out, and they are satisfied!"
"Don't dare to dream about anything else!"
Xue Rengui had never imagined that he would be given a title or a title. It was all nonsense.
He is a down-to-earth person, and random fantasies never appear in his mind.
"Well... I'm very relieved that you think so."
Li Shimin looked at Xue Rengui and became more and more satisfied at this moment, and said,
"Don't worry, I will never treat meritorious ministers badly!"
"You have made meritorious service, so you must be rewarded! I can't give you a title for the time being, but with your ability, it will be a matter of time, so don't worry."
"I have decided to satisfy your other needs first! Tell me what you want!"
"As long as you mention it, I will definitely promise you!"
Li Er wrote a blank check.
Fill it in however you like!
Of course, if you fill it in casually, there will be problems.
Xu Fenglei also taught Xue Rengui that when the emperor said, "No matter what the conditions are," he had probably already thought about what he would give you.
At this time, just say some nice words, make some insignificant requests, and then just follow the arrangements. Unless it is something you are particularly eager for, you must not mention it.
If you mention it, you have lost your Sacred Heart!
For an old guy like Xu Fenglei, it would be fine if he spoke casually, but since it was the first time for Xue Rengui to meet the emperor, he naturally had to speak in a precise manner and give Li Shimin a perfect impression.
"The grassroots have no needs."
Xue Rengui said sincerely,
"I only hope that Your Majesty will give ordinary people a chance to join the military camp and serve the country!"
"Your Majesty, please do it!"
Xu Fenglei nodded slightly and raised the corners of his mouth slightly.
This kid is still smart.
Now, Li Er's impression of him is probably going to rise again!
"Okay, good boy! Really good!"
Li Shimin praised highly,
"Since you have such a heart and have the ability, how can I not be satisfied?"
"I will first grant you the rank of Sixth Rank Zhaowu Colonel! As long as you accumulate some military merit in the army, I will immediately promote you to General Dingyuan and take charge of the army! From now on, as long as you have military merit, I will promote you, and I will never look down upon you! "
"Are you willing?"
Zhaowu Xiaowei is the upper level of the sixth rank, which is the pinnacle of Xiaowei. One step further up is the general level!
Therefore, he is also called the 'half-step general'!
Many noble disciples did not have such a high starting point at the beginning. They all started as seventh-grade Yi command captains and slowly rose up.
Not to mention, Li Shimin also promised to be promoted to general!
General Dingyuan is on the fifth rank!
As we all know, there is a gap between the fifth and sixth grades. There is a world of difference between the two in terms of treatment and power!
Only those with fifth rank are qualified to be called high officials!
Being able to fly up is similar to a carp leaping over a dragon's gate.
Many officials are stuck at this step and will never be able to move up in their lives.
At this moment, Xue Rengui only needs to gain some military qualifications to jump several levels and be promoted to General Dingyuan!
It can be said that the emperor’s grace is so great!
"This... Your Majesty, how can ordinary people be so virtuous and capable?"
Xue Rengui was shocked and waved his hands to refuse.
With just one sentence from the emperor, he went from being a common man to becoming a sixth-grade captain of the imperial court and half-step brigadier general?
This... is too dreamy!
"Don't underestimate yourself."
Xu Fenglei hummed softly,
"As far as your merit is concerned, if you put it on the bright side and reward it, you can even be named a third-rank Yunhui general!"
"You are only a sixth-rank Zhaowu Colonel. I have already wronged you. Thank you!"
Li Shimin's reward was similar to what he had expected.
The one who comes up is the brigadier general, who will be trained according to the heir to the general position of the Tang Dynasty!
"Exactly."
Li Shimin said with a smile,
"If it wasn't too eye-catching to make you a general all at once, I would definitely make you a general."
"Now, I can only temporarily wrong you, but don't worry, it's really only temporary."
"As long as the time is right, I will let you experience what it means to rise to the top!"
Xue Rengui: "!!!"
His words already made him feel that his future was... bright!
"Thank you... Your Majesty!"
When Xue Rengui said these three words, tears filled his eyes.
"Don't cry, there's more."
Li Shimin said again,
"After the official title is granted, the next step is the reward."
"This reward won't attract anyone's attention, so I naturally have to be more generous!"
"Listen, the royal family still has many properties in the prosperous areas of Dongxiang City. When Qingquan invested in the construction before, some of them were mine."
"Look at which one is suitable for Rengui to live in, and give it to him as a family home!"
Xu Fenglei grinned.
"Okay, I've been looking for it for a long time."
He said,
"This kid likes to be close to me. Just give him a set near my house."
"Rengui! Why don't you thank your Majesty quickly! The royal properties are worth thousands of gold! Especially the mansions in prosperous areas cannot be bought for even a thousand gold!"
"You've made a fortune!"
Xue Rengui was a little confused.
Li Shimin's face was also a little dark.
This kid... seize the opportunity and kill him! This time, I didn’t collect it for myself, but for others!
This reward will cost thousands, or even tens of thousands of taels of gold!
That's right, the most prime location in Chang'an now is already every inch of land is valuable! With the influx of a large number of people, countless wealthy households from other places chose to settle in Chang'an...
Housing prices will be pushed even higher!
"Thank...thank you, Your Majesty!"
Xue Rengui stuttered a little.
"...Well, your eldest brother is really a good brother, he always thinks about you."
Li Shimin rolled his eyes at Xu Fenglei and said to Xue Rengui,
"Let's live well in Chang'an! Take my mother over and be filial to me!"
"Originally, I wanted to reward you with some more gold and silver, but considering that your eldest brother is so rich, I don't need to reward him."
"Just ask your elder brother to get it! You can get as much as you want, there is no limit, I said so!"
Xu Fenglei: "#￥%...&*@#"
This Li Er is so narrow-minded!
I took advantage of you, and you have to repay it!
"This... common people, oh no, Wei Chen also has some family assets, which is quite enough."
Xue Rengui said honestly,
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will not ask my eldest brother for it."
Li Shimin snorted softly.
"Brothers and friends are respectful to each other, brothers and friends are respectful to each other..."
He said,
"That's fine... You have nothing to do right now. The first priority is to manage your own life well."
"If you have any difficulties, you can tell your elder brother, or you can write me a memorial, and I can solve it for you!"
"Recharge your batteries and adjust yourself well. There will be many places where I will use you in the future!"
When Xue Rengui heard this, his expression immediately straightened!
"According to the order!"
He said loudly, "As long as your Majesty is alive, I will surely die!"
Li Shimin nodded happily, waved his hand and said, "Well, please step back first."
"Your brother and I still have some things to discuss, so go ahead."
