Wang Gui looked at the little girl next to Zhang Yang, her eyes were lively, and he was looking around curiously.
"Is this the daughter of the warrior Yu?"
Zhang Yang replied: "Warrior Yu lives in Lishan now."
Wang Gui asked with a smile: "How old are you?"
Xiao Wu bowed slightly and said, "I'm thirteen years old."
"Your Highness the Princess is very talented. Even Li Chunfeng can't give in to her in numerology. She can also establish her own sect and accept disciples. There are not many such extraordinary women in the world."
The servants in the mansion delivered some pastries for the guests.
Sitting down in the yard first, Xiao Wu burped. After eating all the dried meat, he could no longer eat anything else.
Wang Gui sat upright, straightening his clothes and putting his sleeves away.
For people of the older generation like Wang Gui, talking to guests at home is a very formal matter, and the degree of formality is related to the identity of the guest.
Xiao Wu remained silent. She observed the courtyard carefully. It was not very big and looked dilapidated. There were three or two servants and many potted plants. Except for the plum blossoms, the rest were all dead branches.
Wang Gui finally spoke, "A young man like you should have great ambitions. Why did I hear that you plan to retire when you are thirty?"
"May I ask who Prince Yongning heard this from?"
"It's just some idle talk, it can't be taken seriously. I think your heart's ambition should lead to a big career."
"I do have a big career to do." Zhang Yang nodded again.
"Tell me about your ambitions."
It was very uncomfortable to sit on his knees like this. Zhang Yang adjusted his position to make his knees more comfortable. Seeing that Wang Gui was sitting upright, it was not good to change his sitting position at this time.
It would be more comfortable if you could sit cross-legged.
This old man made the atmosphere so serious again.
Zhang Yang cupped his hands and said, "What I want in my heart is nothing but the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty."
Wang Gui looked a little more disappointed, "I didn't expect that you are also an exaggerated person, rich and powerful? Anyone can have this as an ambition. Those who act covertly and only talk about their family, country and world without talking about their personal goals are not gentlemen. "
"Zhang Gongjin said that you are a down-to-earth person. If you think about it carefully, I can listen to you again."
I almost didn’t say I’d give you another chance.
Zhang Yang cleared his throat, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Fairness is the word in my heart."
"fair?"
"Aristocratic families are entrenched in a place and can even control the local government. The selection of officials depends solely on their words. A person's value only depends on his personal origin and family background. Is this fair?"
Wang Gui whispered: "Born is inherently unfair, and there is no absolute fairness in this world. Your ambition is still not good, think again."
"Since the beginning of the imperial examinations in the Sui Dynasty and the founding of the Tang Dynasty, people have had a clear understanding of the evil of the aristocratic families. If the general trend of the world is to overthrow the aristocratic families, both your majesty and the court should follow the trend. We can no longer look at them. On the evil side.”
"The purpose of setting up imperial examinations and establishing academies is to fight against aristocratic families. Missing the opportunity will make the world's scholars feel cold. Once people's hearts stop talking, it is useless. At this moment, scholars all over the world need the attitude of the court. It is already difficult for poor students. We can't Back off when they feel hopeful.”
Wang Gui sighed: "Now I'm right. If you want to deal with the aristocratic family, just speak up. Why did you talk about so many empty and big ideals before?"
"I thought you liked hearing it."
"Those who seek fame and reputation like to hear it, but I don't like it."
"I wonder what the teacher said in the letter to you?"
Wang Gui took a sip of tea and said, "I have said everything that needs to be said. When it came to Liaodong, I also said that you wanted to deal with the aristocratic family. Of course, I burned the letter after reading it, so naturally I will not tell it."
The servants in the yard all lowered their heads, and Zhang Yang glanced at them.
Wang Gui smiled and said, "Don't worry, these servants can be trusted."
"How does the Duke plan to arrange it?"
Wang Gui sat facing the wind, observing the young man with his cloudy eyes, "In a few days, I will go to see Your Majesty, and then rush to Liaodong to find a place closest to my hometown to get seriously ill."
Zhang Yang bowed slightly and said, "Thank you so much, Duke."
Wang Gui waved his sleeves and said, "I am old and useless. You young people are the ones I need to rely on. You can also return a favor to Zhang Gongjin."
"I have a question and I don't know whether I should talk about it."
Seeing Zhang Yang's hesitant expression, Wang Gui snorted coldly: "You ask, I dislike people who are hesitant when things happen."
Zhang Yang whispered: "When the hidden prince Li Jiancheng was still in power, you were Li Jiancheng's subordinate, and the teacher worked as a counselor in the Qin Palace. Everyone has their own opinions because of their different positions. How did you owe the teacher a favor, and what kind of favor it was. "
Wang Gui smiled coldly, "Come, let's see you off!"
He wanted to ask more questions, but when he saw that the other party's servant was already coming, Zhang Yang took Xiao Wu away.
The generals in the Tang Dynasty are now acting very ruthlessly.
Civil officials are also free and easy in the court. When the civil and military parties have different opinions, everyone will argue.
Fights in front of the emperor in the Taiji Hall also happened from time to time. This was considered a very distinctive scenery of the Tang Dynasty.
Most of the people who are favored in the court now were those who had followed heroes from all walks of life in battle.
Everyone has a murderous spirit in their bodies.
Just like Wang Gui now, as soon as he feels like he has a good conversation with him, he always sees him off.
He didn't talk much about anything, but he didn't look like he was a fellow-minded person.
"Master, this Wang Gui is so unreasonable."
"Yeah, I always see guests off."
"Are all stubborn old men like this?" Xiao Wu followed along holding the box.
"It's not always like this. I had some disagreements with him in the court, mostly because of grudges."
"Yeah." Xiao Wu nodded, with a serious look on his face.
It’s the New Year, and the curfew is lifted every major holiday.
When Zhang Yang walked through the city wall, he saw the edict issued in the ninth year of Zhenguan.
Before I knew it, this year had arrived. This year, a Central Asian man named Aroben came to Chang'an along the Silk Road.
This year, the Dashi will also undergo huge changes. After the death of Muhammad, the four caliphs of the Dashi should also take action.
East Asia and even Eastern Europe will also undergo drastic changes. With the expansion of the Great Eclipse, the war between Byzantium and Persia will come to an end.
This war in Eastern Europe will cross the Strait of Gibraltar, and will even affect the border of the Tang Dynasty to the east.
A major event that will change the structure of the three major sectors of Asia, Africa and Europe is about to happen.
Li Shimin's New Year's edict seemed to be very devoid of new ideas. It was nothing more than continuing to do frivolous corvee and underpaying taxes. He also promised that as an emperor, he would continue to receive advice and open up new avenues of speech. He would also give a vision for the next few years and pay tribute to his ancestors and God.
There were no real words. If the Foreign Affairs Commission had not kept a low profile, Zhang Yang would have wanted to tell the world that Liaodong would be built in three years, Goguryeo would be recovered in two years, and by the way, the entire East China Sea would be captured in half a year.
After saying all these words, the envoys from various countries would not be impatient. Li Shimin would probably be impatient and burn down the Foreign Affairs University.
Expanding the territory is of course the dream of Tian Khan, but when Tian Khan announced to the outside world that I will conquer you, the envoys from various countries present went back to cut ties with the Tang Dynasty.
This also goes against Li Shimin's desire to be a wise emperor.
After taking Xiao Wu for a walk around the East Market, the uncle at the meat stall stared at Xiao Wu and said, "Xiao Zhang, is your daughter already this old?"
Zhang Yang explained: "This is my wife's disciple."
The aunt on the side couldn't stand it and murmured to the uncle of the meat stall, "I only know how to butcher meat. What's the use of a pair of tricks?"
Xiao Wu is still a little shy here, and Zhang Yang doesn't dare to be in front of others when he sees him hiding behind his back.
What a wonderful market. There are meat stalls with bloody thorns and fish stalls with fishy smells. All kinds of smells are mixed together. This is the smoke of human beings.
Zhang Yang walked to the city gate carrying a basket of meat and vegetables, fetched the carriage that was left at the groom's place, handed over three pennies and asked: "Where is the brother who was doing the carriage rental business here?"
The groom explained: "He said he went to find another job elsewhere. I thought he could manage it well, but he didn't expect to end up like this."
After listening to his words, Zhang Yang helped Xiao Wu get into the carriage and asked again: "Who is running this business now?"
The groom smiled bitterly, "Who else could it be? The current young master of Xu Guogong's family."
Zhang Yang didn't say anything more and drove the carriage to Lishan Mountain.
Xiao Wu was sitting in the carriage. She opened the box and looked distressed at the few dried meats. After careful counting, there were only seven pieces left.
After another burp, she closed the lid again.
On the way back, the carriage went much faster, but the official road was still muddy. At night, the moisture on the ground would condense into ice. Even on a sunny day, the temperature was still very low, and the puddles on the bumpy road would not dry up.
He put Xiao Wu down at the entrance of the village and asked her to go back first. Zhang Yang drove the carriage to the Weishui River and gave the horse a good wash.
The horse is all black except for the hoofs, which are white.
Zhang Yang rolled up his trouser legs and led the cat into the river, and then let it wander around the village on its own. Villagers would take it away.
After meeting Wang Gui, I felt somewhat confident.
Not only can he serve as an internal support within the family, but he can also stop things happening in Liaodong. We must take advantage of this opportunity to develop Liaodong.
Zhang Yang was walking home when he saw Little Bear fighting with a group of village dogs.
Watch them rolling in the mud, and there are a few dogs standing not far away, barking and seeming to cheer them on.
Finally, the little bear won the battle with one against four, and stood up with great dignity, which scared the dogs and fled.
Seeing it walking towards me, it seems to be showing off its achievements.
Zhang Yang turned a blind eye and continued to walk home. The bear was still rubbing itself hard against him. The bear, which had been fighting in the mud, was still trying to stay close to him, making a grunting sound.
The weather is just showing signs of warming up and it's coming back to life, which is a little too much now.
Zhang Yang lifted the little bear, half a man tall, with one hand and carried it on his shoulders as he walked home.
The surrounding villagers who were still preparing for farming in the coming year had dull eyes, and they saw a very strange scene in front of them.
The county magistrate was carrying a bear with one hand. The bear's limbs were stiff and did not dare to move.
When he walked into the house, Zhang Yang threw it away, put on his own straw sandals, and then changed out of the dirty new clothes.
Li Yue frowned and took the new clothes stained with mud, "I have to wash them on the first day after wearing them."
"The bear kept headbutting me and it was covered in mud."
"That means it is close to its husband."
Li Yue smiled softly, "It doesn't matter, I have enough clothes at home."
Auntie took the meat and vegetables bought from Dongshi to prepare meals.
While Xiao Wu was grooming the little bear, he kept scolding it.
However, Xu Hui had a quiet temperament, so she was still concentrating on doing the questions.
There are still some days before the start of the new year, and Li Yue also needs enough time to rest.
Zhang Yang spent the rest of his time making furniture and made a cradle to put the child in.
When a child cries, Little Bear will bump the cradle with his head. As long as the cradle shakes, the child will stop crying.
The little bear enjoyed this very much.
Li Yue sat beside the cradle, leaning on the table and closing her eyes to relax.
It would also stand lying on the cradle, just staring at the child. If the quilt covering the child was not covered properly, it would also pick up the quilt to cover the child.
In fact, the bear is a very smart animal. He has been raised at home since he was a child and is very understanding of human nature. He quickly accepts his little master.
Zhang Yang was knocking in the yard, planning to make another baby stroller.
Xiao Wu and Xu Hui helped round the wood to make wheels.
Zhang Yang hammered the nails, and after the rough frame was completed, the next step was much simpler.
There are several drawings hanging on the wall, including a wooden horse and a car.
The remaining wood can also be used to make building blocks for children to exercise their imagination.
Half a month after meeting Wang Gui, news came from the court.
This veteran minister of the court went to the palace to see His Majesty, and at first he talked to His Majesty about his resignation.
Zhang Yang was wearing simple clothes that he usually worked for, and he was wearing straw sandals. The shoes were not fully worn and half of his feet were exposed. The straw sandals were hanging on his feet with his legs crossed.
"So, Duke Yongning resigned from office?" Zhang Yang asked doubtfully.
Aunt Wang explained: "It is said that he is resigning. Your Majesty said that it is the right time for the government to employ people. Even if he does not come to the court, he hopes that he can stay in the government for a few more years."
"Did Duke Yongning agree?"
"Not really. Later, Duke Yongning said he wanted to go to Liaodong. His Majesty also understood that Wang Gui did not want to stay in Chang'an and wanted to retire and leave the court. His Majesty had decided to go and no longer blocked him, so he issued a decree to let him go to Liaodong. "
If he wanted to resign, Li Shimin would probably not agree so easily.
Wang Gui is already very old, but the emperor still has to act like a harmonious monarch and his ministers in front of outsiders.
After three speeches and three concessions, the emperor showed his friendship and Wang Gui showed his loyalty.
Everyone is happy, the benevolent Tian Khan is protecting his reputation no matter what he does.
Zhang Yang stood up and asked, "When does Wang Gui plan to leave?"
Wang Gui looked at the sky and said, "I'm already packing up my belongings at home. I probably won't leave the city overnight. Maybe I'll leave early tomorrow morning."
Early the next morning, Wang Gui left Chang'an City with his servants and a carriage's luggage.
Another veteran who had been in the court since the Takeru years left.
After Gao Shilian left the Ministry of Civil Affairs, people in the government and the public had a feeling that there were fewer and fewer old people in the government.
There are also some old people who stay in the court, but they have positions in the court, and they have stayed at home for a long time and no longer interfere in political affairs. Your Majesty also allows them to stay for a long time without going to the court, but still gives them their salaries as usual.
