The next morning, it was a rare warm and sunny day. After breakfast, Li Yuan took Peng Qingying and went out in casual clothes accompanied by several personal guards. Li Yuan was going to take Peng Qingying to see the scenery of the capital.
Walking all the way from the west to the east, Peng Qingying was not interested in the tall palaces or wealthy families in the city. Just like when she was in Dongxi, this "princess" who was close to the people was more interested in some ordinary courtyards and ordinary people. When she heard from Li Yuan that most ordinary people liked to visit Qingxifang in Dongcheng, Peng Qingying immediately asked to go to Qingxifang.
Li Yuan couldn't resist her and agreed with a smile. Although he would definitely pass by Qingxifang every time he visited Zhou Mansion before, he had never really taken a good stroll there, and he really wanted to take a look around.
Although Qingxifang gave him the impression of teahouses, wine shops and warblers and swallows, Li Yuan actually didn’t have any special preferences for these things, but he somehow left behind in these spacious streets. So many footprints brought back what was considered a beautiful memory. At that time, after going to work at the government office every day, he would habitually ride his horse all the way to the front of the Zhou Mansion, knock on the door and ask to see Emperor Zhou E, and then ask Qiu'er's little hand to reach out. Submit those love poems that you carefully "created" (dictated)...
Entering Qingxifang, he saw the familiar gate. Li Yuan touched the thick gate a few times. Then he walked along the wide street inside. Li Yuan whispered and continued to point to Peng Qingying who was walking next to him. The surrounding shops and buildings were introduced to Peng Qingying one by one with the colorful plaques.
On the side of the road leading from Qingxifang to Jinling Mansion Office, Li Yuan saw a lively crowd of countless onlookers gathered in front of him. His curiosity was immediately aroused, and he pulled Peng Qingying closer. I saw a long table in front of the tall government office. Two officials in green robes were sitting at the back. One kept raising his head and asking the men in front of him one by one, while the other listened carefully and then wrote vigorously. Ji Shu.
Dozens of soldiers in full armor were maintaining order with serious faces. There was a large notice posted on the stone board beside them. After a slight glance, it turned out that the Dianzhi Army where he had been was recruiting soldiers.
Li Yuan watched with interest for a while and found that the salary of the direct army was still about the same as before. The salary was far less than the generous salary of six cents of silver per month for the Sixth Army of the Forbidden Army. It was still three cents of silver per month. It's not a lot, but the function of this army is to guard the imperial city and rarely go out to fight. It is considered decent and safe. No wonder there are so many people flocking to it.
Before leaving, Li Yuan turned around and looked around. A young man in a shabby shirt inexplicably attracted his attention. He saw this man far away from the crowd and leaning alone against the tree trunk next to the fork in the road. This man His face was withered and yellow, his expression was lonely, his eyes were full of dissatisfaction and confusion, and a pair of cloth shoes with several holes under his feet were already yellow and wrinkled.
Li Yuan stopped. He seemed to see his own shadow in the man in front of him.
This memory in my mind should originally belong to Li Yuan himself who was not possessed by time travel, but it also moved me. Once upon a time, he was just like this young man, full of passion but suffering from a poor background. His only strength was some boxing skills. , felt that the future was bleak and life was boring, and finally, with the encouragement of Liu Jiangsheng, they bid farewell to the Liu family and left the village, gritted their teeth and joined the army to conquer Chu.
"Qingying, I was just like that person back then, wearing such shabby clothes, standing in front of the recruitment notice and hesitating, not knowing where the future was." Li Yuan said softly.
Peng Qingying said with a smile: "Haha, it's really hard to imagine. It's really hard for me to imagine you, Lang Jun, wearing such clothes, standing in this neighborhood in a daze and dejection. But Lang Jun, you are really not a thing in the pool. You are born in a poor family and you can achieve this." I’m really proud of you for today’s achievement.”
Li Yuan chuckled and said, "You come from a wealthy family, won't you look down on me because of this?"
Peng Qingying opened her big eyes and asked strangely: "Why do I look down on you? What age is it now? The world is in chaos and there are many countries. Since you are a hero, you can ride a horse and draw a sword. Why bother to ask where it came from? There is still a chicken flying out of the chicken coop. Where’s the Golden Phoenix, hehe.”
Li Yuan smiled and said: "Yes, but do you know that many people in the Tang Dynasty still look at people based on their birth status, and those who come from poor and lowly backgrounds are looked down upon. People like me are rare by chance, but even
Even though I am now a governor with a lot of troops, there will always be people who look down on my background. "
Peng Qingying smiled and said, "If you let them look down on you, who cares?"
Li Yuan nodded and said, "Yes, that's exactly what you said. Wait a minute, I'll go have a few words with the man."
Peng Qingying smiled and said, "What are you talking about?"
Li Yuan didn't answer, walked slowly to the confused man, and coughed lightly. The man was in a daze when he suddenly realized that a man and a woman were standing in front of him. The man had a handsome face and a majestic temperament, while the woman was as beautiful as a flower and as cute as a pair. There were several powerful entourage guards behind her. Feeling ashamed for a moment, he stood up straight and spoke stammeringly.
"Two gentlemen, how can I help you? Do you need to ask for directions?"
Li Yuan smiled and shook his head: "Are you from Jinling?"
The man was suspicious for a moment, but he quickly lowered his head and said, "I am from Jurong County, and I can be considered from Jiangning Prefecture."
Li Yuan nodded and said, "Are you here to join the army today too?"
The man responded weakly: "Fang, just now he has applied."
"Oh? Now that you have completed your recruitment, why don't you go home? Why are you wandering here?"
The man bowed his head in response, and Li Yuan smiled again and asked, "But do you think this job is not satisfactory?"
The man hesitated for a moment and said: "It's... quite good. It's a good job to guard the imperial city and serve as a soldier without having to go out to fight. But you can only get it if you ask for it. I think, I think. This is a good job."
Li Yuan shook his head and smiled and said: "Don't lie to me. It can be seen from your hesitation that you are actually not willing. To put it bluntly, what's the good thing about this job? You have to get up early to work late, and you have to be scolded. The income is still small, and the most important thing is that we cannot go out to fight, which means that it is difficult to kill the enemy and make meritorious deeds, and it is difficult to get promoted. There is actually no future for ordinary people."
The man suddenly became a little alert, frowned and said, "Does this noble man need my help? If not, don't waste my time."
Li Yuan smiled and said, "I've spoken to your heart, right? You also think this job has no future and is extremely boring. Are you confused about your future?"
The man blushed, waved his hands hurriedly, and muttered: "Keep your voice down, what, what's going on? Are you teasing me on purpose and trying to make me lose my job? This job is pretty good, don't come and chat with me. , I am here to criticize the imperial conscription matter, and it will be bad if others hear it."
Li Yuandao: "If it's bad, it's bad. What's the benefit of being a soldier in the imperial army? Do you want to have a good future? I can help you."
The man raised his feet and walked away, muttering in his mouth: "What are you doing? I didn't provoke you. Why do you want to make me lose the hard-earned job? From now on, the young and old in my family will rely on these three cents of silver every month." , are you going to compensate me if I lose it? Hey, if you don’t leave, I will leave..."
As he spoke, the man quickly walked away and disappeared into the crowd. Li Yuan stood there blankly and sighed, muttering in his mouth: "How can three cents of silver support a family these days? No. Speaking of other things, if you come to my Wu Ping Army, you will have enough money every month..."
Peng Qingying smiled and said, "Why, Lang Jun, are you disappointed?"
Li Yuan said helplessly: "How do you know I'm disappointed?"
Peng Qingying stuck out her tongue and said, "You want to help him because you see a shadow of yourself before, but this person is not you. But you are serious. Can you not scare people away by speaking so directly?"
Li Yuan shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I didn't want to scare him."
Peng Qingying said softly: "Lang Jun, the reason why you have been able to rise from a poor white man to the governor and governor today is because you are not only unwilling to accept the status quo, but also dare to take the initiative to seize opportunities.
And this man, from his expression, seems not to be content with the status quo, but he lacks the courage to fight and just wants to live in peace, so he is willing to be a soldier who does not have to go to the battlefield for a mere three cents of silver, and accept a job A job with no future, and finally accepting the status quo of living a mediocre life.
Many people are so confused and self-pitying that they end up feeling miserable.
Damn it, what they lack is this desperate courage. This is the reason why Lang Jun became the Lang Jun he is today and why they are still them. Everyone has their own ambitions, and no matter how determined you are, you can't help those who are content with the status quo. "
Li Yuan looked sideways at Peng Qingying, her eyes as bright as the sun were extremely clear. She held Li Yuan's arms tightly and smiled sweetly: "Oh, what are you looking at me for? Did I say something wrong? Come on! Just take me to continue shopping."
Li Yuan smiled and said: "You are right, you are the wife who understands my heart deeply. Well, you understand me."
