After returning to Jinling, Li Yuan's large courtyard finally became "popular".
As Li Yuan's adoptive mother, Mrs. Liu was greeted respectfully into the already cleaned inner courtyard by a group of smart maids and servants as soon as she entered the house. She was so happy that she couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. As for Liu Jiangsheng, Luo Erhu and Xu Kuangheng, who newly joined the team, they were placed in the front yard by Li Yuan. Because there was a large open space in the mansion, they could be used as miniature school grounds, which was convenient for soldiers to gather and practice. , and it is also convenient for the brothers to come in and out to discuss important matters.
As for the Wang siblings, everyone has known it since they left Yangzhou. But after all, Wang Jingyao had not officially married yet, so in order to avoid suspicion, Liu took the initiative and asked her to accompany him in the inner courtyard. Li Yuan was happy to do so. As for Wang Jingguo, perhaps he had been taught a lot by Li Yuan in Chuzhou, but now he was fighting fiercely with Liu Jiangsheng and Luo Erhu. Li Yuan also happened to let go and instruct Xu Kuangheng to do more for him when he was free. Educate your rebellious brother-in-law.
There are many signs that Li Yuan's arrangements are extremely correct. Now, as the only elder in the house, Mrs. Liu has been taking care of housework for a lifetime, and she is even more reliable in handling the big and small matters of the house. First, she selected a few maids and servants who could write and calculate, and established a warehouse. , and gathered everyone to establish family rules, and within half a month, the Li Mansion was managed in an orderly manner. With this backbone in the house, Li Yuan and others' lives have become much more stable.
Time soon came to the end of December, and Emperor Li Jing suddenly ordered the rectification of the Forbidden Army. Li Yuan deliberately got up early, dressed up and had breakfast, and then hurried to the guards and military divisions.
Today is the day when the generals of the Forbidden Army click their swords. Li Yuan was already familiar with the so-called "Dianmao". It was nothing more than gathering at various military offices, and then the officials would follow the rosters to check attendance, which was not much different from the roll call check of later generations. In the past, when he was in command of the army in the palace, he was the Marquis of Duyu after all. Except for Peng Shigao, the commander of the army, there was no one with higher military rank than him present, so he usually did things perfunctorily. Li Yuan and Peng Shigao were sitting there. Bragging over tea.
But this time he was ordered to guard the army at Dianmao, so Li Yuan did not dare to be so casual. In short, as a "deputy commander", do you dare to indulge yourself in the "Military Committee"?
Sure enough, when Li Yuan stepped into the yamen of the military divisions with his left foot, he saw the chief and deputy commander-in-chief of each army and the Du Yuhou. These men who were usually carefree and shouting were like primary school students at this time, honest and honest. They sat down in sequence and remained silent. Li Yuan only thought it was funny in his heart. Sure enough, the rank of a senior official can suppress people to death, even your temper will be suppressed to death.
"Shuai Liu, your Majesty's intention is to teach us to mobilize the elite guards of the army to prepare for the war after the new year. Now that you can't do one on the left and one on the right, how long will this reorganization matter be delayed? If it delays His Majesty's plan , if I am blamed, how can I be spared?"
"Your Majesty, this is not my commander's deliberate delay. It is not easy to reorganize the armies! Just like the Heiyun and Konghe armies in Jiangbei, most of these sergeants are father and son in the same army. How can they be forced to dismantle them in a short time?" Prime Minister, as there are so-called specializations in the arts, you might as well sit high in the court and leave these miscellaneous military affairs to my own discretion. Please don’t make things difficult for me, Prime Minister!"
"Hey Liu Yanzhen, are you saying that you don't know your true colors?!..."
Although the generals in the lobby are in charge of their own armies, they are still not high enough to enter the inner hall to discuss matters. They can only hold their breath and listen to the fierce quarrels coming from the inner hall, but they dare not leave without permission. Which one Not restless. Li Yuan closed his eyes and listened carefully. It was a rare visit to the military commanders. There was no shortage of good generals in the Southern Tang Dynasty. Gaining more military experience would be of some benefit in future battles. When he heard the voices of Chen Jue and Liu Yanzhen After that, I was speechless for a while. The two of them seemed to be singing in a drama. One had only a little knowledge and the other was just talking nonsense, but they both spoke clearly and logically.
After suffering for half an hour, Chen Jue walked out first. His face was already gloomy, but he stopped when he passed by Li Yuan.
Li Yuan quickly stood up and said: "The general will pay homage to the envoy!"
Opening his eyes and taking a closer look, Chen Jue was a little thinner than when he was in Chu State two months ago. Whether it was due to busy government affairs or depression, others didn't know.
Chen Jue glanced at Li Yuan expressionlessly, and then said: "Li Yuhou, come with me."
Li Yuan swallowed his saliva. This time, Chen Jue fell out with him as soon as he said he had fallen out with him. He had previously claimed that he was one of his family members in Chu State, but this time he behaved like this in front of everyone. So he hugged his fists at the sympathetic colleagues around him, and then left with Chen Jue.
Chen Jue didn't go too far. Li Yuan followed him and made a few detours in the guards' offices. In a blink of an eye, they came to an empty public room. There was only a long desk and two opposite weapons. Placed seats.
Li Yuan thought to himself, is Minister Chen going to interrogate me here? After closing the door, Chen Jue sat down first and then asked Li Yuan to sit down. Then there was an awkward silence, as everyone seemed to be waiting for the other party to speak first. It has to be said that in this claustrophobic environment and a cold-eyed boss, invisible pressure comes.
After being silent for a while, Li Yuan stared at Chen Jue's stern face and decided to speak first: "Mr. Minister, I will report something at the end!"
Chen Jue crossed his arms, leaned gently on the back of the chair, and said coldly: "Speak."
Looking at each other, Li Yuan lowered his head subconsciously. After all, the person in front of him was the Privy Councilor and his immediate boss. Since both sides looked ugly today, it meant that this was a conversation between superiors and subordinates, and they could not be talked in the so-called way. In terms of friendship.
Li Yuan's face suddenly turned red, and then he curled his lips and said: "Your Majesty, General Mo went to Chuzhou to pick up my mother last month. On the way, he suppressed a group of bandits. The leader of the bandits, Ma Liu, was the main culprit in a salt smuggling case... ..."
Chen Jue interrupted impatiently: "This matter has already been reported to the Yushitai."
Li Yuan then said hesitantly: "Envoy, Prime Minister, there is actually something hidden in this case."
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Chen Jue started playing a small drum in his heart. Someone in the court has already impeached you, Li Yuan, saying that rescuing officials is a lie, and mobilizing troops privately is true. Let's see how you can tell the difference.
"Xiang Xiang, the last general happened to meet a judge from Chuzhou at that time. I didn't ask his name. Seeing that he was besieged by bandits, he rescued him. The last general took the bandit leader to the government office for trial, hoping to receive merit. However, He Jingzhu, the governor of Chuzhou, did not appreciate the favor. Instead, he tried to obstruct him in every possible way, and even made excuses, saying that he wanted to re-trial the bandit leader at a later date. Seeing that the credit was taken away, the general was so angry that he resorted to some tricks. The bandit leader was actually frightened. The truth must be told!”
"What did you say?"
Li Yuan looked back, and then whispered in a mysterious manner: "He said that his boss, the mastermind behind the illegal salt trafficking, is Zhang Shilang of the Ministry of Industry..."
Chen Jue shook his head helplessly and said: "I have heard the truth about this matter. The case has been closed in Dali Temple. Those are slanderous words and should not be believed easily." In fact, he secretly cursed in his heart. If this piece of Yi is not the imperial concubine and Feng Feng in the palace, With his brothers taking care of him, how could this huge deal fall on him! It’s so enviable! hateful!
Li Yuan stood up quickly, took a few steps back, and said with a sincere and mournful face: "No, Prime Minister, regardless of whether it is true or false, the general has unintentionally offended Zhang Shilang! Who is that Zhang Shilang? Relatives of Prime Minister Feng! Alas, so I was in fear all day long, and I heard that the Prime Minister was on good terms with Feng. But I was kind to Prime Minister Feng, in order to avoid any rift between you and Prime Minister Feng, so I never returned to Beijing. Dare to visit me! Please forgive me for the reason!"
For a moment, Chen Jue's face was quite exciting, sometimes gloomy and sometimes doubtful. After a moment, he sighed, seeming to have relaxed a lot, and then said calmly: "So that's it! If you hadn't told the truth today, I would have thought it was true. You, Li Yuhou, have climbed onto the high branch of Zhou Zong, and then you have completely forgotten your true identity!"
Li Yuan replied very sincerely: "I don't dare! Your Majesty, I married the young lady of the Zhou family just for love. As for my father-in-law, he is already in his late teens and has retired from the court for many years. He has not been involved in political affairs for a long time." The general has already gained a high position in the Zhou family, so how dare he disturb his father-in-law's peace with these political affairs? The high branches mentioned by the envoy, in the eyes of the general, are just the great cause of the Zhou family. As the saying goes, a gentleman loves money—— "
Chen Jue hurriedly raised his hand to stop him. Looking at Li Yuan, his face was inexplicably filled with the aura of a money man, and he laughed out loud: "Okay, okay! After all, isn't it just the money? Li Yuhou, As long as you treat the truth sincerely and serve His Majesty in a down-to-earth manner, why worry about mere money?" After saying that, he shook his head and thought to himself, as expected, a common man in the village, lustful and greedy for money, is the same as Liu Yanzhen! However, this kind of person is easy to deal with, which makes people feel more at ease.
Li Yuan's heart gradually relaxed at this time. When Chen Jue asked about Zhou Zong just now, he was so nervous that he almost didn't react! After thinking about it, I could only choose to taint myself. Fortunately, Chen Jueying believed it and stopped being aggressive.
Now that the relationship between the two parties has warmed up, Chen Jue soon showed his usual meaningful smile: "Marquis Li Yu, have you heard anything about His Majesty's recent decree to reorganize the Forbidden Army?"
"The general is speaking softly, so it's not too clear. But do you want to continue attacking Chu?"
Chen Jue looked ashamed, touched a few strands of white hair on his temples, and said sadly: "Exactly. Alas! I regretted that I listened to my wife and taught the incompetent Li Jingzhi to go to Tanzhou, and ended up being dismissed and exiled. Not to mention it, I was reprimanded by His Majesty for implicating my true identity!"
Li Yuan couldn't help but feel deeply amused, what are you pretending to be here? When I sent my brother-in-law to Tanzhou, wasn't it just to seize wealth for my family? No matter what, in the end, didn't the Ma brothers' family fortune still end up in the pocket of you, Ambassador Chen?
Of course, it was impossible for Li Yuan to speak so bluntly, so he said in a deep voice: "I will never know what happened to Ambassador Li. But Prime Minister, you are an important minister of our court. Your Majesty, don't blame yourself for the faults of others! What's more! Did the envoy give your majesty a plan to stabilize the Chu land before? Your majesty also has great ambitions to unify the world. In the end, your majesty still has to rely on you, the envoy!"
These words made Chen Jue feel quite comfortable. After arranging his purple robe for a while, he twirled his long beard and said, "Your Majesty is so kind to you. I dare not disobey you! Your Majesty intends to send troops to Chu again in the next year. This time The prime minister is determined to lead the army himself! Your Majesty has also approved my request from the Privy Council to mobilize the elite of the imperial army. Will Li Yuhou be willing to go on the expedition with the prime minister?"
Li Yuan was frightened when he heard this. It was a rare opportunity to lead the army in war and establish military merit! But why is Chen Jue, a military black hole, in charge again? If he gives random instructions, he will most likely fail.
But he couldn't refuse. Yu Gong, in history, it was because Bian Hao could not suppress the old Chu generals, and the Southern Tang Dynasty was too lazy to advance. In the end, the Chu land was lost, and the Southern Tang Dynasty was also severely weakened. Indirectly, This led to the situation that when Chai Rong's army went south, the Southern Tang Dynasty was surrounded by enemies.
Now the route of history seems to have slightly shifted due to his own arrival. Guo Wei of the Zhou Kingdom was still on the throne and was busy quelling the sporadic civil strife in the Central Plains. He had no time to look south for the time being. If the Southern Tang Dynasty could seize the opportunity this time and completely conquer the Chu land, the Yangtze River waterway would run through the line from now on, making it possible to advance and retreat freely. The layout will also be much better.
Privately, he, Li Yuanzheng, needs an opportunity. Since he came to this era, he has thought about it more than once, what do he want and what should he do? Now that he has his mother and brothers accompanying him day and night, he will soon marry Emperor Zhou E, and then marry Wang Jingyao. These are the people he needs to protect.
In today's world, the Southern Tang Dynasty seems to be calm, but in fact it is turbulent. If nothing happens to the Zhou Kingdom in the north, it will move south in four years. In another ten or twenty years, the Southern Tang Dynasty will also perish. Everything Li Yuan cherishes may also be trampled into powder by iron hoofs!
You must have soldiers, money and power in your hands! Li Yuan made a strong cry in his heart, vowing to fight for the wheel of fate with his own body. After all, he had died long ago in his previous life, so what if it was just a dream?
Thinking of this, Li Yuan was so excited that he stood up suddenly and raised his hands and said: "Mr. minister! Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world! There are wars in the country. How can the general dare to live in peace and enjoy himself since he has received so much kindness from your majesty? The general will definitely live up to the expectations of the minister. Conquer the Chu land for me, the Tang Dynasty!"
No matter what, in the eyes of Chen Jue, Li Yuan was regarded as a general with good ideas, and he was promoted by himself. Seeing this, Chen Jue nodded with satisfaction: "Okay! Li Yuhou is indeed a good man of the Tang Dynasty. ! I hope Li Yuhou will be well and recuperate in the near future, and he will reveal his true colors after the new year!"
Li Yuan raised his hands seriously and said: "I obey!"
