Fake Zhaozong and Luo Changshi didn't chat for too long in the meeting hall.
After a cup of tea, Luo Changshi hurried down the mountain with his daughter.
Lu Jing felt a little guilty, worried that his plan to kill Li Daitao would be discovered, so he didn't even dare to send the two of them off. It wasn't until the two of them walked away that he found the fake Zhaozong who was busy changing clothes and planning to go back and continue cooking. Ask him about what just happened.
"Well... Luo Changshi probably never doubted my identity," Fake Zhaozong thought for a while, "Although he did vaguely mention that I look good and I don't look like an old man at all."
"What did you say?" Lu Jing asked.
"Mr. Ji taught me this. I said that I survived a catastrophe after falling off a cliff. Instead, I got a blessing in disguise. I found a cave. The owner of the cave was a Taoist, but he had become an immortal more than a hundred years ago. Only I left behind a scroll of heavenly books and an elixir. After I took the elixir, I almost no longer looked old.
"Does he believe this?" Lu Jing was surprised.
Fake Zhaozong showed a sly smile when he heard this, "I also asked Mr. Ji this question. Mr. Ji told me that people are always willing to believe what they want to believe."
"Whether I am the real Zhaozong or the fake Zhaozong is actually not that important. The key lies in whether the existence of Zhaozong is good or bad for different people. For example, the official in Lintian Mansion now, even if I am the real Zhaozong, he He will definitely insist that I am a fake.
"Another example is this Luo Changshi who came all the way to see me and plans to work for me. Even if he thinks that I am not so real, he will still treat me as Zhen Zhaozong because he believes that I am his future successor. Body level.
"What's more, I'm not the kind of Xibei guy you pick up casually on the roadside to make money. My body shape and appearance are exactly the same as Zhaozong's. I have the same dragon pattern birthmark on my left chest as Zhaozong's, and my handwriting can also be imitated. The fake ones look real, and there is also a jade seal of Zhaozong. Although it is only a private seal he used to collect calligraphy and paintings, it is also genuine.
"In Mr. Ji's words, these are enough for those who are willing to believe me."
"That's true." Lu Jing paused and asked again, "Then why did you send Luo Changshi away? According to you, he should have identified you. Why didn't he stay by your side to assist you? ?”
"I don't really want to understand this matter." Fake Zhaozong scratched his head, "After we met, we chatted casually for a few words, talking about the past events of the previous dynasty and the local culture in Beijing.
"Then he changed the topic and talked to me about the situation in the three northwest states. I am quite familiar with this. After all, I went there before because Mr. Ji wanted to recruit troops from those three states. I also did a lot of homework. .
"I don't know what made him happy to talk after that. His eyes lit up when I saw him, and then he stood up and bowed to me, saying that he was willing to use what he had learned throughout his life for me."
"how do you say?"
"I remember your advice, Master Lu, so I naturally declined him at this time."
"What excuse did you use?"
"The time is not yet ripe."
Lu Jing nodded secretly when he heard this. This kind of ambiguous rhetoric was the most suitable to use to reject others. Now the whole world knew that Zhu Zhen had launched an army and planned to take back the country from his nephew.
This is the time to hire people. It is obviously unreasonable to directly drive out the talents who come to the door. In comparison, it is also a rejection, and using an excuse that the time is not yet ripe sounds like a lot of trouble.
As for why the time is not yet ripe and when the time will be ripe, haha... let Luo Changshi guess for himself. And this is the art of leadership.
However, Lu Jing still couldn't figure it out, "Is Luo Changshi so easy to get rid of? He came all the way from Shizhou and traveled a long way to get here."
"When the man named Luo heard what I said, he really didn't ask me any more questions. He bowed solemnly to me and said that officials are wise and I know how to behave. After saying that, I went down the mountain.
"I remembered that you wanted to keep him for New Year's Eve dinner, so I chased him a few steps, but he walked in a hurry and disappeared after a while. I was still thinking about my half-cooked roasted mutton, so I stopped chasing him. Go down."
After Lu Jing listened to Fake Zhaozong talk about his meeting with Luo Changshi, he felt that even if his performance could not be rated 100%, it would be rated 80%. His response from beginning to end was very appropriate.
Although Luo Changshi left in a hurry in the end and the words he left behind were a bit strange, in any case, Lu Jing's goal was achieved and he successfully sent away the father and daughter.
After all, people had helped him a lot in Shizhou before. Now that he was traveling all the way to celebrate the Chinese New Year, Lu Jing felt a little bit guilty.
So he took out a two thousand tael silver note from his arms, thought about it and added another five hundred taels, folded them together and sealed them in an envelope, and then called the smart-looking young man from before to his side. , hand the envelope to him.
Let him catch up with Luo Changshi and his daughter who haven't gone far yet.
After finishing this matter, Lu Jing finally felt a little better and turned his attention back to the New Year.
During this period, he made a lot of money by selling ginseng. Although the debt to Chi has not been completely paid off, he still has to spend the money. After all, what Lu Jing hated most in his previous life was that he kept paying every penny when the company made money. The door boss, he gave everyone in Zhuangzi a red envelope of two taels of silver, and also bought a lot of annual goods from Ju County.
Early in the morning on New Year's Eve, firecrackers were set off on Qinglong Mountain, and guests continued to arrive afterward.
In addition to Xia Huai, who had been with Lu Jing, Lu Jing also asked Gu Jing to bring a letter to Yang Tao and Ye Gongmei, the master of Chihe, who were in the academy.
In addition, Wen Xiaochuan and Yanjun and Lu Jing will certainly not be left behind, but I don’t know if the latter will come.
In addition, Lu Jing hesitated and sent an invitation to Kui.
Because he had heard Wen Xiaochuan mention that Kui seemed to have no family anymore, and since she was now a partner with Wen Xiaochuan, or to be precise, Wen Xiaochuan was the pendant on her thigh, Lu Jing still felt that he should try his best to have a good relationship with her.
As for Gu Caiwei, she was busy with the business of her herbal medicine shop and firewood shop in the capital at the moment. She really couldn't get away, so Lu Jing could only wait until the New Year to go find her alone.
Finally, Lu Jing also brought over Chen Hanqing, who had been working for him and said that I had my own place to go, but in fact no one cared about him.
In addition to Amu and Black Cat, Huo Xingsun and his cousin, and the two newly recruited disciples, we can already gather a large table of people.
Even shopkeeper Zhou Da from Duobao Pavilion in Ju County next door came to Qinglong Mountain to have a meal after hearing about Lu Jing's banquet.
The only regret is that Jia Langzhong and Xixin are still on the way and will probably have to wait another half month to arrive.
