You Yan, Yi Jing
In the study of Gu Mansion, father and son Gu Zhongshi and Gu Shouting were talking about the transportation of grain and grass. Suddenly, a servant hurried over and reported to Gu Zhongshi:
"Sir, Mr. Zhang Chengzhong is here. I have something urgent to ask you to see..."
Gu Zhongshi was a little surprised when he said this, but he still nodded and said:
"Invite him in!"
"yes!"
A moment later, a middle-aged scholar with a slender figure and an elegant face hurried in and greeted Gu Zhongshi and Gu Shouting.
"teacher!"
"Shouting!"
This middle-aged scholar is Zhang Chengzhong, one of Gu Zhongshi's students. He once served as the prefect of Yuyang under the guidance of Gu Zhongshi. Now he follows Gu Zhongshi to join the Fengwu Army and serves as the deputy inspector of Liaoyang. job.
Looking at Zhang Chengzhong who was still respectful to him, Gu Zhongshi nodded slightly in his heart. Although Zhang Chengzhong, who served as deputy chief inspector in terms of official position, was no longer under him, the current deputy chief minister of Youyan, Zhang Chengzhong did not Being dazzled by power, you are still polite to yourself and obey your orders. This is very commendable.
After all, although Zhang Chengzhong called him his teacher, Gu Zhongshi was not actually his mentor, nor did he teach Zhang Chengzhong any knowledge. When Zhang Chengzhong became his disciple, he was already in his thirties, and he was very knowledgeable. They are already very mature!
There is only one reason why Zhang Chengzhong still insists on being a disciple of Gu Zhongshi, and that is that Zhang Chengzhong back then was just a petty official with no background, no money, and an insignificant position in the Youyan Chasi.
Gu Zhongshi is the deputy prosecutor of the Ministry of Justice. Although he is a deputy, because Zhao Fuqu, who was the governor of Youyan at the time, did not appoint the deputy prosecutor, Gu Zhongshi, the nominal deputy prosecutor, is actually the deputy prosecutor. The power of envoys is the top leader of the Ancha Division...
So why Zhang Chengzhong insisted on being under Gu Zhongshi’s sect, the reason is well known to everyone, and it has to be said that Zhang Chengzhong did make the right move, which greatly changed his destiny. Gu Zhongshi Although he did not impart any knowledge to him, he could be said to have devoted himself to his official career. Before he retired and returned to his hometown, he promoted Zhang Chengzhong to the sixth rank of the Ministry of Justice.
A few years after Zhang Chengzhong became the chief minister of the sixth rank, Gu Zhongshi relied on his old connections to help Zhang Chengzhong move further to the position of Yuyang prefect from the fifth rank.
Naturally, Zhang Chengzhong reciprocated the support of the teacher Gu Zhongshi. When he was serving in the Ministry of Justice, he quietly suppressed some of the Gu family's violations of discipline, bullying of men and women, and as the prefect of Yuyang. At this time, the Gu family was able to cover the sky in Yuyang with one hand!
After the three people in the study saw the ceremony, Gu Zhongshi looked at the anxious look on Zhang Chengzhong's face and asked curiously:
"Chengzhong, what happened to make you so angry?"
Hearing Gu Zhongshi ask this, Zhang Chengzhong quickly said:
"Teacher, I got a message from the Fengwu Army, saying that Governor Ye intends to transfer Cui Shao to serve as the chief envoy of Youyan... "
As soon as these words came out, Gu Zhongshi, who was originally calm and calm, suddenly stiffened. Noticing the change in his expression, Zhang Chengzhong also looked a little uneasy, hesitating whether to continue speaking, and the atmosphere in the study changed. Time has become somewhat frozen.
After a long silence, Gu Zhongshi squeezed out a few words and asked:
"Where did you get this news?"
Facing Gu Zhongshi's inquiry, Zhang Chengzhong did not dare to neglect and said quickly:
"Teacher, I got the news from someone close to Cui Desheng, the deputy general of the third division. The news that he is Cui Shao's nephew is very reliable. It is said that Governor Ye has given orders that Cui Shao will arrive in Yijing soon!"
Originally, Gu Zhongshi's face was just a little stiff and not too ugly, but after listening to Zhang Chengzhong's words, his old face suddenly darkened as if he was in mourning!
For Gu Zhongshi, he actively joined the Fengwu Army this time. Although the Fengwu Army showed great strength, his son Gu Shouting spared no effort to persuade him, and his vision for the future development of the family and other factors, this did not mean that On behalf of Gu Zhongshi, he has no selfish motives...
Gu Zhongshi is sixty-six this year and has passed his sixtieth year. It has been six years since he retired from the position of deputy governor. However, because he is very healthy and has a rich family, he has no worries about food and clothing, and he has taken good care of himself. Okay, so he looks very young.
Not only is he young in appearance, Gu Zhongshi is also very young in mind. Not long ago, he took in a girl who was just twenty-eight years old to be his seventh concubine. In addition to continuing to work hard in incense, In addition, Gu Zhongshi is also full of desire for power!
Six years ago, when he had just turned sixty, he was full of ambition and ready to continue working hard in the post of Inspector-General, strive to get rid of this subtitle, and become an upright Inspector-General of Youyan. If possible, he could become the Chief Minister. Addiction, even when he was satisfied in this life, one of Zhao Fuqu's conversations made him very aggrieved, leaving him full of regrets and forced him to retire and return home.
At that time, Gu Zhongshi, who felt that his career was hopeless, also specially trained his son Gu Shouting and his student Zhang Chengzhong to realize his desire for power. However, because of his son Gu Shouting's misfortune, Gu Zhongshi could only settle for the next best thing. The favor and face resources accumulated in the political arena for decades were used on student Zhang Chengzhong, who used Zhang Chengzhong's hand to control the entire Yuyang.
At that time, Zhang Chengzhong was just thinking about preserving the status quo and consolidating the family's hundreds of years of foundation in Yuyang. He never thought that in a few years, the entire Youyan, and even the entire northern Zhou Dynasty would undergo such a big change because of Ye Mingsheng's sudden rise. The land of Yanzhao has changed its owner...
Seeing that the Fengwu Army captured Yi Jing and was about to swallow Youyan up, Gu Zhongshi also began to really think about the option of the Fengwu Army. After decades of ups and downs in the political arena, he knew what the Fengwu Army needed, and he and the Gu family What? After making up his mind to join the Fengwu Army, Gu Zhongshi gradually became more active.
Although he retired from old age and returned to his hometown and stayed at home with his grandchildren for six years, that was when Zhao Fuqu was in power, and now the Fengwu Army has come, Ye Mingsheng has come, and the land of Youyan has welcomed a new master. , Gu Zhongshi naturally had new hope.
Although he is already sixty-six years old, which is considered very old in this era when the average age is no more than sixty years old, Gu Zhongshi thinks that he is in good health and has enough energy to be qualified for important positions!
Therefore, during the face-to-face meeting with Ye Mingsheng, Gu Zhongshi also took the initiative to hint to Ye Mingsheng that he wanted to add fuel to the cause of Fengwu Army. However, in the face of Gu Zhongshi's request, although Ye Mingsheng was somewhat He was confused as to whether Gu Zhongshi had the energy anymore, but considering the money donated by the Gu family and the sincerity of his surrender, Ye Mingsheng still satisfied Gu Zhongshi's request and invited Gu Zhongshi to resume his official career as deputy chief envoy. Job!
Regarding Ye Mingsheng's invitation, Gu Zhongshi did not play any tricks of rejecting three invitations and simply accepted Ye Mingsheng's invitation. Although he accepted Ye Mingsheng's invitation, in fact, he was not interested in the position of deputy chief minister. , Gu Zhongshi is still very uncomfortable.
After all, he has been a deputy prosecutor for many years and is very sensitive to the word "deputy". When he was a deputy prosecutor, if anyone dared to call him a deputy prosecutor, he would be put in the shoes of him at best, or assigned directly to him at worst. Sitting in a cold kiln in a remote area of a poor country·······················
Although I am disgusted with the word "deputy", I think that Ye Mingsheng is likely to serve as the chief envoy of Youyan, and Ye Mingsheng is busy with military affairs and has no time to deal with political affairs, so the power of the chief envoy is likely to be the same as that of the Chief Envoy. Likewise, he, the deputy chief envoy, will act on his behalf.
Whenever he thinks of this possibility, Gu Zhongshi is very excited. As a native of Youyan, he has always had a dream in his heart, that is, to become the chief envoy of Youyan. He has worked hard for this goal for many years. In ten years, becoming the chief envoy has become an obsession in his heart!
It is the existence of this obsession that makes Gu Zhongshi so impatient to return to work. He is already sixty-six years old, and his life is already counting down. No one knows how long he can live, and if he can't Being a nominal chief envoy, the power of an executive chief envoy is enough to comfort him for a lifetime!
But now Cheng Yaojin appears halfway, and Ye Mingsheng wants Cui Shao to be the chief envoy of Youyan. This is a major blow to Gu Zhongshi!
Observing his father's extremely gloomy expression, Gu Shouting, as his son, was also able to realize what Gu Zhongshi was thinking. He shook his head slightly and persuaded:
"Dad, I am in charge of the 6th Division with more than 25,000 troops..."
After listening to his son's persuasion, Gu Zhongshi was stunned for a moment, and then became thoughtful. After a cup of tea, he sighed and understood the key.
Gu Shouting is now the general of the Sixth Division of the Fengwu Army. He has more than 25,000 soldiers and horses under his command. He is one of the most powerful generals in the Fengwu Army. And if he is now the chief secretary, he has become a de facto As the chief envoy, father and son were both civil and military, so was this Youyan from Ye Mingsheng or from their Gu family?
Therefore, as long as Ye Mingsheng does not lose his head, Gu Zhongshi will never be allowed to become the Chief Secretary of Liaoyang, or actually control the Chief Secretary of Liaoyang!
Realizing this, Gu Zhongshi shook his head, his eyes full of pain and laughed bitterly at himself:
"God did not allow me to be the chief envoy. I should have thought of this a long time ago. At this young age, I am really living like a dog!"
Feeling his father's helplessness, Gu Shouting consoled him:
"Dad, you are confused by the authorities. After a while, Zhuoxian County was conquered, Zhao Fuqu's son was annihilated, and the military power was returned to Governor Ye. I believe Governor Ye will also let you be the chief envoy at that time, ending your years of this What a wish!"
Gu Zhongshi waved his hand after hearing this and said:
"Shouting, you managed to seize the military power with great difficulty, but you can't hand it back easily. The war is chaotic these days. I can see it clearly. Now food, soldiers and horses are the hardest, and land and money are not easy to use." ···················”
"At my age, what can I do if I become the chief envoy of Youyan? You are the future of our Gu family. You must not do such stupid things. It is not worth it!"
Gu Zhongshi's voice fell, and Zhang Chengzhong on the side comforted him and said:
"Teacher, Cui Shao is the cousin of Governor Ye's mother. He has a reputation for being resourceful in Liaoyang. I heard that he has always supported Ye Mingsheng's reforms in Liaoyang. Now that Ye Mingsheng has transferred him, it will be enough. Seeing Ye Mingsheng's trust in him,
"However, this person has no foundation in Youyan, and the Fengwu Army has tightened supervision on so many industries and promoted public-private partnerships. The people there have long been complaining and ready to move, so Cui Shao wants to secure the position of chief minister. It’s not an easy thing, I’m afraid it won’t be long before he has to go back to where he came from!”
Zhang Chengzhong's words seemed to remind Gu Zhongshi, and Gu Zhongshi seemed to have thought of something, and a glint flashed in his eyes.
Feeling the change in his father's expression, Gu Shouting seemed to have noticed something and said worriedly:
"Dad, Zhao Fuqu is still entrenched in Zhuoxian, waiting for an opportunity. Gao Zongchang and Cao Changping both intend to support him. Although the Fengwu Army has the advantage, they still cannot be careless..."
After saying that, Gu Shouting looked at his father Gu Zhongshi, hesitant to speak, hoping that he could understand what he meant. Although the Fengwu Army was in great power at the moment, it was possible to swallow Youyan and become the strongest vassal town in the north of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Shadow, but an external anti-Fengwu alliance against the Fengwu Army was quickly formed under Zhao Fuqu's strong promotion and other princes' fear of the Fengwu Army.
Therefore, at this time, the Fengwu Army fell into internal strife due to internal struggles for power, so all the Fengwu Army's current efforts are likely to be in vain!
Seeing his father lowering his head and saying nothing, Gu Shouting could only use his trump card and warned him very seriously:
"Dad, Fengwu's army has a way out! If they fail, they will have to retreat outside the pass. As long as Fengwu's army retreats, Zhao Fuqu and the others will not be able to pursue and kill them, but we can't! Our Gu family is rooted in Yuyang, we can abandon our homes and careers and follow Will the Fengwu Army withdraw to Liaoyang?"
"Dad, think about it, if Zhao Fuqu comes back, will he let our family go? I'm afraid all the family property will be confiscated and the Yi clan will be the lightest!"
"So for our Gu family, the Fengwu Army can only win, not lose!"
Gu Shouting's categorical words sounded like an alarm bell in Gu Zhongshi's mind, which was thought-provoking. Gu Zhongshi nodded slightly and agreed:
Shouting, don’t worry! Your father and I are not old enough to do things that please both relatives and enemies..."
(Do a little research, Ye Jingren or Ye Yongren?)
