Xu Jingzong lowered his voice,
"Zhang Shangshu, it is difficult for me to be a lower-ranking official. The recent days have been really hard."
"You said that I have been sitting in the position of Minister of Rites for three years. I often wonder who will take over." Zhang Yang said tangledly with his hands in his hands.
Xu Jingzong came closer and lowered his head.
"The lower official thinks that Brother Xiangxiang can take on a big responsibility by taking charge of the overall situation, and he is also an upright person."
"Old Xu." Zhang Yang put his arm around his shoulders.
"My teacher said that Brother Elephant is too upright."
"Zhou Zhaozhao, he is a very stable man." Zhang Yang said sadly: "Old Xu, you know that a good man cannot hold the position of Minister of the Ministry of Rites." Hearing this, Xu Jingzong frowned and hesitated to speak, remaining silent. After a while, he whispered: "Is there any other candidate for Zhang Shangshu?" The two discussed in low voices for a while, Zhang Yang turned around and looked at Pei Xingjian and Xue Rengui with a smile,
"Have you made it clear to me, Lao Xu, that we are going to the Western Regions?" Xu Jingzong nodded and said, "Don't worry, Minister Zhang, my subordinates have given instructions." Zhang Yang nodded,
"I always feel at ease when Lao Xu does things." Pei Xingjian looked at him and saw that the Minister of Rites' words were a bit frivolous, which was far different from those of the ministers in the court. He was wearing the clothes of a country villager, his hair was messy, and he had a green beard. The scum is also very eye-catching.
I thought that for such an enigmatic person, he should at least have a fairy-like spirit and an unconventional temperament.
At this moment, the original image of the fluttering white clothes with his back to the common people in his heart was shattered, and what was left was a person who was simply dressed, talked frivolously, and was unkempt.
He had all sorts of doubts in his heart that he wanted to ask, but seeing such a minister of rites, he couldn't say the words in his heart.
Zhang Yang put his hands behind his back,
"Do you still have any doubts about going to the Western Regions this time? Just tell me." Xu Jingzong took over the words and said: "The Diplomatic Academy is paying attention to all the troubles in the Western Regions. If the DPRK needs help, it will provide assistance as soon as possible." Pei Xingjian Still frozen in place, he really couldn't understand how the person who was rumored to be able to pacify the Western Regions and regain the Hexi Corridor in Chang'an City could be like this... He looked so ordinary, as if he would not be found if he was thrown into the crowd.
After a while of silence, Xue Rengui suddenly slapped his forehead. Zhang Yang looked around in surprise.
"Eh? Are there any mosquitoes?" The originally serious and heavy atmosphere was broken by Zhang Yang's words, and the soldiers standing at Wang Xuance couldn't help laughing.
Xue Rengui bowed and said: "I am disrespectful of my humble position. Please forgive Zhang Shangshu. I just remembered that we had a chance meeting outside Chang'an two years ago. At that time, Zhang Shangshu asked me what my plans were after I failed the imperial examination." A cold wind blew by. Zhang Yang tightened his patched old clothes,
"The weather hasn't gotten warm yet, so there won't be any mosquitoes. That's right! I did ask you outside Chang'an City what your plans were after you were defeated. You said you would go back to your hometown to farm. If your attitude hadn't been so resolute, I would have I'll keep you here." Xue Rengui still hesitated and said, "Zhang Shangshu really knows my father?" Zhang Yang nodded slowly,
"The Xue family and the Pei family in Hedong are both famous families. We had a conversation when we passed by each other." Xue Rengui sighed. If he really wanted to ask, his father had also passed away, so there was no evidence of his death.
Zhang Yang smiled and said: "I did have contact with Xue Gui for a period of time. When I was in Xiangcheng, I persuaded him to leave a share of the family business, but he refused to listen." There was no way that Xue Gui was the guard of Xiangcheng. , to say that he had been in contact for a period of time, it was when he had just arrived in the Tang Dynasty that he was captured as a bandit and fell into the hands of his father.
After saying this, Pei Xingjian became more and more shocked and wondered whether Brother Xue and Zhang Shangshu were still related? Why have I never heard Brother Xue talk about it?
After saying this, Xue Rengui felt confused.
"Shilang Xu ordered to collect the troops and horses that were originally scattered in the four towns of Anxi. May I ask how many troops and horses are needed? Will there be food and grass with the troops and horses?" So many soldiers and horses rushed to the Western Regions, and there was no food, grass and baggage. They went to the Anxi Protectorate It's not easy for the government to settle itself, but also to rectify the soldiers and horses of the Western Regions?
Xu Jingzong explained: "Don't worry, there is a lot of food in the Western Region, and there are many grain reserves in the Hexi Corridor. The more soldiers and horses, the better." Millions of stones of grain are enough to feed the entire four towns of Anxi, and the Western Region The population is not large, and it is difficult to sell out food all at once. It is indeed good to build an Anxi Army to consume food and grass.
"..."
"Can Zhang Shangshu take a step to speak?" Xue Rengui wanted to say something more, but Pei Xingjian suddenly interrupted. After hesitating for a long time, he finally plucked up the courage to say this.
Food, soldiers and horses... Pei Xingjian didn't pay attention to these issues at all. He was more concerned about Zhang Shangshu in front of him.
This is a doubt that I had before coming to Chang'an City, and now this doubt will be solved. He followed Pei Xingjian into the village and kept some distance from Xue Rengui and the others.
Zhang Yang smiled and said, "You can say anything you want now."
"Here." Pei Xingjian bowed first and then said: "Three years ago, Zhang Shangshu invited Pei, the wife of Duke Zheng, to come to Hedong to inquire about me." Zhang Yang nodded without denying.
Pei Xingjian added: "After I participated in the imperial examination, Xu Jingzong came to meet me and asked me to write a strategy for the Western Regions and hand it over to the court so that I could enter the Foreign Affairs Academy. Is this also Zhang Shangshu's arrangement?"
"I want to put you into the Diplomatic Academy, but the process is all arranged by Xu Jingzong himself and has nothing to do with me." Pei Xingjian, who is fifteen years old, is very young, and he is one of the few people under the age of sixteen who has entered the officialdom since the imperial examination. , even if you choose ordinary people to join the army, you must be over twenty years old.
With such talent and learning at such a young age, how could he not make Changsun Wuji and others jealous? Even if he is not a prime minister, he is still a capable official.
"Why is it arranged like this?" Pei Xingjian finally expressed his doubts. He had been confused for three years. Zhang Yang simply sat down on the stone at the entrance of the village.
"The Pei family in Hedong has been a prominent family since the Northern Zhou Dynasty, originally a general's family. You have read more than Six Taoist Strategies and Three Strategies, and love military books. I heard about you when I passed by Hedong with General Xue Gui, so I remembered it in my heart."
"As for you being able to take the imperial examination and become an official, I noticed that you are a talented person, but you are a little young. If you want to become an official in the three provinces and six ministries of the imperial court, there is no place for you. At most, you can be a literary student in the Hongwen Hall and work hard for three years. There may be an opportunity in five years.”
"I..." Zhang Yang interrupted what he was going to say next.
"Maybe you want to write an article to attract the attention of the court. It's not difficult with your talent and learning. If you can't join the three provinces and six ministries, you can still be a clerk writing documents in the Wei Mansion." Pei Xingjian lowered his head and became more and more surprised. What's surprising is that I had actually thought about these situations before, but it just felt uncomfortable to be told about them.
It was always uncomfortable to be arranged after taking the imperial examination in Chang'an City and becoming an official. His expression was a little more stubborn,
"Zhang Shangshu's words are wrong. The reason why I agreed to Xu Jingzong's stay in the Diplomatic Academy is because of Brother Xue." Zhang Yang scratched his head and didn't know how it was recorded in the history books. In short, it was all based on blind imagination. .
He smiled awkwardly, looked at Pei Xingjian and said, "Do you have any doubts about going to the Western Regions?"
"Shilang Zhang, I have considered that although there is civil strife in Tubo, the Foreign Affairs Council has not taken many measures to deal with it. On the contrary, everyone is very concerned about the war between Dashi and Persia. The purpose of going to the Anxi Protectorate is to pacify the Western Turks, but the actual purpose is Persia. , are your concerns correct?"
"I didn't think so much. You are so knowledgeable and you must have a strategy in mind." He just gave such a casual statement. Maybe he didn't fully gain the trust of the minister?
I won't tell myself too much. After thinking about it, I looked up at Zhang Shangshu's expression and followed my gaze. In the distance, there was a bear half a man tall plowing the field, and a fat man. , lazily holding the rope.
Zhang Yang sighed: "It's not in vain to raise this bear to be so big." This is a seemingly quiet village. The roads in the village are very clean, and there are no pedestrians between the houses, not even children.
Occasionally, three or two village dogs walked lazily.
"Zhang Shangshu is different from those ministers in the court." Pei Xingjian expressed his feelings.
"Why is it different?" Pei Xingjian said hesitantly: "Whether it's the people from Hongwen Hall or the officials of the Six Ministries, everyone talks about the country, and they dress and talk appropriately, but Zhang Shangshu is like..."
"Rural outlaw?"
"I'm just curious." Pei Xingjian looked ashamed and suddenly felt that these words were inappropriate.
Zhang Shangshu, on the other hand, was smiling. Zhang Yang shook the cattail leaf fan in his hand,
"I am from a rural background. I am neither a famous nor a distinguished family. Do you know the difference between a rural person and a noble family?" Pei Xingjian remained silent and did not answer.
Looking at the several acres of paddy fields in the distance, Zhang Yang explained: "Why are people unhappy with each other? Because everyone is reading their own books, and the content of the conversations is often large and empty. They talk about the country and some far away things. , it’s difficult for them to be friends, and they always wear a mask.”
"If you want to make friends and treat people sincerely, you can't just talk. Sometimes without such a few people to chat with you about your family and family life, people will be depressed."
"So Zhang Shangshu thinks the court is too hypocritical?"
"No, Chaotang is not hypocritical, Chaotang is very real."
"I have no doubts now." Zhang Yang stood up and took Pei Xingjian back to the crowd.
"Everything is ready, don't waste time, hurry up and set off." Everyone saluted, then rode their horses and left with the team.
Zhang Yang clasped his hands and asked: "Old Xu, how is the situation in the north?" Xu Jingzong said worriedly: "The situation is a bit confusing. We have sent envoys to inquire. There is no reply yet, but the Uighur envoy is on the way. Li General Ji was also recalled."
"After much thought, I still need a bad person to take the position of Minister of Rites. What do you think, Lao Xu?"
"Zhang Shangshu, the officials in the court govern the Qingming Dynasty. Everyone sets an example for the country and the government. They are upright and upright." Xu Jingzong said with a melancholy face: "There are no bad people in this court."
"I'm currently researching new ways to make money, so I won't leave you alone. You can do it yourself."
"This..." Xu Jingzong hesitated when he saw that Zhang Shangshu had already entered the village. He stood there stunned for a while and left with full of confusion and annoyance.
The whole village was very busy, and it was very painful when he was alone. Zhang Yang returned to Lishan Mountain, and Li Yue sat by the Huaqing Pool, soaking his feet in the water.
She was holding a book in her hand and was reading it leisurely, with her skirt closed and her feet dangling in the water. The time when she can read quietly is a very happy thing for her. After having a daughter, her life has become more troubled, but at least she can maintain this kind of leisure and contentment.
Zhang Yang also took off his straw sandals, put his feet in the pool water, and sat next to his wife.
"I just met Pei Xingjian."
"Yeah." Li Yue looked at the book and nodded.
“I don’t know if the colored glaze from the blacksmith’s workshop can be burned.”
"The family is not short of money recently." Li Yue turned over and copied it again. "The Book of Yu tells the story of Yao, Shun and Dayu before the Xia Dynasty.
There have been many changes to these stories in the public. The volume in Li Yue's hands was originally taken from the emperor.
It is a relatively complete and accurate volume. The older the book, the fewer unique copies it has left in the family. Zhang Yang glanced sideways at the contents of the book, and then looked at his wife's face. Her skin was as good as ever, and her translucent skin seemed to be glowing in the morning light.
After a while, Li Yue closed the book in her hand, placed her hands on the shore, and looked down at the water.
"What do you think about us raising some fish in the pond?" Zhang Yang held her shoulders and looked down at the water.
"It's not good." Li Yue raised her eyes and looked at her husband. The two were so close that they could feel each other's breathing.
"Some fish can also be a little more alive."
"Daughter-in-law, our bear likes to eat fish."
"Huh?" She pondered, and the scene of the bear constantly stopping to catch fish and landing them appeared in her mind. The fish that were originally swimming happily in the water could only keep shaking on the shore.
She clicked her tongue and said, "I didn't think it through well and forgot that it likes to eat fish."
"Look at those cubs." Li Yue looked up after hearing this, and saw five cubs wrestling together by the pool.
Zhang Yang said patiently: "This is also vitality." She leaned against a statue with a different look on her back, took her feet up from the pool, and looked at her new home with a smile.
This new home was hard-won and a lot of hard work was put into it. After leaving Chang'an, Li Yue was in a better mood. For the first time, she felt that the sky was vast and she was no longer a weakling living on a high wall.
Now she is the mistress of the entire Lishan Mountain, with such a huge family fortune and a daughter.
"I used to feel that I was weak. I struggled with my father and the pain, year after year..." Her smooth feet stepped on the stone paved ground, her hands hugged her knees, and she looked up at her new home. the eaves,
"I finally got through these years." She smiled happily and narrowed her eyes. No one could understand the joy and satisfaction in her heart at this moment.
She has been tortured by illness since she was a child, and has struggled in pain in the palace since she was a child. From poverty to now, she said proudly: "Husband, Lishan will be richer in the future." Zhang Yang sat cross-legged and said,
"Our assets cannot be limited to money, we must also control actual resources." Li Yue grinned and showed her white teeth. She leaned on her husband's shoulder and looked at her daughter who was doing the puzzle.
"There's still a lot to do."
