This was the first time Li Qinzai met Zhang Xiangxiang. Although the two lived in Chang'an together, they were probably of different ages and were in different circles.
What puzzled Li Qinzai was that Zhang Xiangxiang and Zhang Daan were obviously brothers, but their temperaments were completely different.
Zhang Xiangxiang has a gentle and elegant temperament, and a kind and friendly smile. Regardless of his conversation or behavior, he can tell that he is well-educated. No matter who he talks to, he has a calm temperament that is neither humble nor overbearing.
And Zhang Daan...
Li Qinzai was familiar with that man. He looked like a bastard at first glance, and he had quite the charm of his past.
"My Majesty the Duke of Tan, I am Li Qinzai. I have taken the liberty to visit you today. Please forgive me." Li Qinzai said with a smile.
Zhang Xiangxiang smiled gently and said: "Jungong Li is the hero of our Tang Dynasty. The Li family is a double-gong family. Both his ancestors and his grandchildren have made great achievements for the Tang Dynasty. It is an honor for my Zhang family that Jungong Li is here today. How can I say that I am presumptuous?" Woolen cloth."
As he spoke, Zhang Elephant stepped aside and asked Li Qin to enter the hall.
The wheelchair was pushed into the front hall of Zhang's mansion. As soon as Li Qinzai sat down, he heard a commotion outside the door of the mansion. When he turned around, he saw Zhang Da'an rushing back angrily.
When Zhang Da'an saw Zhang Da'an, Zhang Da'an's expression suddenly turned cold, and he frowned and said: "There are distinguished guests at home, why are you so disrespectful and why don't you quickly retreat to the backyard!"
Zhang Daan seemed to be a little in awe of his elder brother, and when he looked at Li Qinzai sitting upright in the front hall, his expression suddenly became more ugly.
Li Qinzai smiled and said: "Tan Gong, don't rush to reject your brother. I'm here today just for him."
Zhang Elephant looked at Zhang Daan unexpectedly, as if he understood something, his expression suddenly became uneasy, and he said cautiously: "Could it be that my ignorant brother has offended Duke Li?"
Li Qinzai stared at Zhang Daan with a half-smile but said, "How about I ask my brother to tell me in person?"
Zhang Elephant turned around and stared at Zhang Daan, his tone already a little angry: "What kind of trouble have you caused to our family? Tell me quickly!"
Zhang Daan's shoulders trembled slightly, and there was a bit of fear in his eyes.
The smile on Li Qinzai's face deepened.
When he first appeared, he had sinister eyes, arrogance, and was a complete villain. But when he was in front of his brother, he was as scared as a child in trouble. There is such a big contrast between a person's temperament before and after. It seems that the trick of calling the parents if something goes wrong is really effective. .
Seeing that Zhang Daan did not dare to speak for a long time, Zhang Xiangxiang became more angry and said through gritted teeth: "It seems that you have forgotten the family motto before my father passed away. Although my father is dead, my brother is not dead yet. You If you don’t tell the truth, today I will practice family law on my father’s behalf!”
Zhang Daan then whispered: "There was just a small misunderstanding between Duke Li and I. My carriage accidentally blocked his way, and the driver bumped into his nobles..."
Zhang Elephant said angrily: "If it's just this little misunderstanding, people will come to you in person to ask for an explanation? You still haven't told the truth, right?"
Li Qinzai said hurriedly: "Mr. Tan's words are serious. I'm not here to ask for explanation today. I'm really just visiting you. You and I are ministers in the same palace, colleagues in each other's palace, and we are both heroes of Lingyan Pavilion. The two families should have good relations." friendship."
Zhang Xiang's face was livid, and he forced a smile towards Li Qinzai, which was uglier than crying.
Li Qinzai's words are theoretically correct. Everyone is a hero of Lingyan Pavilion.
But in fact, Lingyan Pavilion's heroes are also divided into high and low. This "high or low" does not depend on the ranking, but on the current situation.
It has been more than 20 years since Lingyan Pavilion painted a picture of heroes. During these more than 20 years, some of Lingyan Pavilion's heroes have died, some are still alive, some have been promoted to high positions, and some have even rebelled.
When Zhang Gongjin, the Duke of Tan, was alive, he was indeed highly regarded by Li Shimin, but Zhang Gongjin died too early, in the sixth year of Zhenguan.
The people in the court and official circles have taken a rest, and now the power of Duke Tan is not as powerful as it used to be.
Zhang Xiangxiang, who inherited the title, was only the Minister of Household Affairs in terms of official position. From this, it can be seen that the only person who can maintain the dignity of the Zhang family now is the title of Tan Guogong.
As for the British government, Li Ji was still alive and had just accomplished the task of destroying the country for the Tang Dynasty. He was the most trusted official of Li Zhi and relied on him to become the mainstay of the country.
His grandson is also up to par. Over the years, he has made many contributions to the Tang Dynasty, both large and small. At the age of just over 20 years old, he has already been awarded the title of Duke. He and the emperor are not only emperors and ministers, but also friends and brothers in private.
Both families are from the Duke's Palace, but their power and status are really not at the same level, and the Tan Guogong Palace is far behind.
Today, Li Qinzai came to visit. Zhang Xiangxiang was originally happy, thinking that he could establish a relationship with the grandson of Ying Gong. The two families would interact with each other, which would be a good thing for the Duke of Tan's government.
He never expected that Li Qinzai came to visit him today to ask questions. Zhang Xiangxiang was a little panicked at the moment, and he wanted to cut his brother who had caused trouble into pieces with a thousand knives.
Are you obsessed with eating too much lard? You dare to offend Li Qinzai. Do you really think that you are still the queen of the powerful Duke of Tan?
Under the pressure of Zhang Xiangxiang's increasingly stern eyes, Zhang Daan seemed increasingly at a loss. Cold sweat seeped from his forehead and he did not dare to wipe it away.
The brothers were silent for a long time, and then Li Qinzai suddenly laughed.
"Since your brother said it was a small misunderstanding, I will treat it as a small misunderstanding. Mr. Tan, please forgive me. I had a little conflict with your brother on the street just now. As for me, I was also a little angry and impulsively interrupted your carriage driver. Hands and feet, and even ordered the killing of your mansion’s horse, this matter can be regarded as neither default nor debt.”
Zhang Xiangxiang said solemnly: "Mr. Li made a serious statement. Even if it is a misunderstanding, we should distinguish right from wrong. Mr. Li came to the door in person. It was obviously my unsatisfactory brother who started the provocation. Everyone in the Duke of Tan's government should apologize to Mr. Li." .”
"Although the Zhang family is in dire straits, they do not shirk their duties and must bear what they should bear. Zhang Daan, please apologize to Duke Li immediately!"
Zhang Daan gritted his teeth and bowed to Li Qinzai unwillingly.
Just as he bent down, Li Qinzai suddenly stopped him.
"Wait a minute, today's conflict is just a minor matter, but I have a question, and I hope you can enlighten me."
Zhang Daan quickly looked at his brother's face and said, "Ask."
Li Qinzai looked him over and said, "You and I are strangers to each other, but you obviously came well prepared for what happened today. Whether you stopped the car or started a provocation, you were all purposeful. I just want to know. What is your purpose?"
"If I hit you in the street today, what would you do next?"
Zhang Daan tightened his lips and said nothing.
Li Qinzai was very patient and looked at him with a smile.
Zhang Da'an, who was standing next to him, seemed to have heard something about it. After waiting for a long time, he finally couldn't help but slap Zhang Da'an hard on the back of the head.
"If Duke Li asks you, why don't you say it quickly!" Zhang Elephant said sternly: "What kind of medicine did you take wrongly? How dare you pick a fight with Duke Li in the street? Has he ever offended you?"
Under the suppression of his brother's bloodline, Zhang Daan couldn't bear it any longer, so he had to whisper: "Brother, you should know that I am the adviser of His Highness King Pei..."
As soon as these words came out, Zhang Xiangxiang was still a little confused, but Li Qinzai showed a look of surprise.
It's come full circle, and it's really a fight for reserves!
(End of chapter)
