At the end of the dynasty, unlike the previous dynasty, which was shrouded in gloom, all the civil and military officials were smiling when they left the dynasty. The reason is also very simple. The long-overdue salary will soon be repaid. You must know that not all officials are corrupt. Some officials are still counting on their salaries to survive.
Changsheng had other matters that required him to face the emperor alone, so he did not retreat from the court together with the civil and military officials. Instead, he followed the emperor and went to the apse with him.
The emperor is in a good mood today, "Ai Qing is actually a widower and a pillar of the imperial court. His literary skills can rule the country and his military skills can bring stability to the country. With talents like you, there is great hope for the revival of the Tang Dynasty."
"The emperor is ridiculously complimenting me, but I am ashamed of myself," Changsheng said sternly, half a step behind the emperor, "The reason why I am working so hard and doing my best is because the emperor has shown kindness and support to me. I am nothing like this. He is a warrior who was favored by the Holy One and entered the temple. After that, he was successively promoted to the rank of a highly respected minister. With such great prosperity and kindness, how can a humble minister dare not to repay the favor? "
After Chang Sheng finished speaking, the emperor smiled and nodded. He was very satisfied with Chang Sheng's words. Whether a person is worthy of support depends not only on the person's character and ability, but also on whether the person can correctly understand the support of others. and help.
"You are ill and should rest quietly. You should not work so hard," the emperor said. "However, although there are many civil servants and generals in the court, most of them are mediocre people. There are few who are worthy of big responsibilities and no one can do anything for them." I share your worries."
"Your Majesty's words are serious," Chang Sheng said, "In fact, there are many talented people in the civil and military affairs of the court, but they have not received such kindness from Heaven as Wei Chen, so they do not perform their duties as dedicatedly as Wei Chen."
On the surface, Changsheng's words were speaking ill of other officials, but in fact they were expressing gratitude to the emperor again, aiming to let the emperor know that he knew that the treatment he received was something that other civil and military officials did not receive.
The emperor likes Changsheng not only because he can resolve crises and solve problems, but also because he feels very comfortable with him. Changsheng is always respectful and humble to him, but he is not as flattering and servile as other officials.
"A few days ago, I sent the imperial doctor to visit the palace, but was told that you are not in the palace," the emperor said. "You are injured, so you must not work too hard. Except for important matters that must be done by yourself, try to ask the people below to do other trivial matters. Do."
After hearing that the emperor mentioned that he was not in the palace, Changsheng Bianyi briefly and comprehensively explained the matter of helping the Taiping Taoists to overcome the tribulation, including why he wanted to help the Taiping Taoists to overcome the tribulation, and the inspection of epidemics and disasters on the way back. A good minister must not only be able to You have to be able to talk and let your boss know what you have done.
The emperor was very moved when he heard Chang Sheng's words. He knew that Li Zhongyong and Chen Liqiu had been trying to raise money for the court. Li Zhongyong and Chen Liqiu were prisoners of the imperial court. He pardoned them for the sake of Chang Sheng. Now, when the treasury is empty, the two of them are trying every means to raise money for the court. Naturally, they have received Changsheng's instructions. This also indirectly proves that Changsheng knew how much kindness he had felt when he pardoned the two of them.
Chang Sheng was so thin that he could only be described as skinny. He was already so thin, yet he had to travel thousands of miles to help a stranger overcome the calamity, just because he took someone else's turtle treasure. The reason why Chang Sheng took someone else's turtle treasure Treasures are all to raise money for the court.
"This favor is owed by the imperial court, but you have to repay it. How can I feel at ease?" The emperor sighed deeply.
Changsheng shook his head and said, "The imperial court is the emperor's court, and Wei Chen is the Emperor's ministers. The emperor's kindness to Wei Chen can hardly be repaid even if Wei Chen is shattered to pieces."
When the two of them were talking, they entered the back hall. The imperial guards, maids and eunuchs stopped outside the door, and only Eunuch Zhou accompanied them.
The emperor was sitting on the dragon couch. Although the emperor repeatedly ordered Changsheng to sit with him and talk with him, Changsheng declined. The more powerful a minister is, the more he must abide by his duty, because at this time, he has already achieved great achievements. While being relied upon by the emperor, he was also easily jealous of the emperor.
The emperor couldn't resist him, so he could only reward him with a brocade stool. Changsheng then sat sideways and continued talking to the emperor.
"My dear sir, Duke Ji will be traveling for a long time," the emperor said. "Do you know when he will return?"
The emperor's expression was not natural when he said these words. Changsheng also knew why the emperor was unnatural. It was because the emperor was worried that he would join forces with Zhang Shan and Ni Zuo to rebel. In order to weaken his strength, he wanted to punish Ni Zuo. He noticed that It was only in danger that he personally escorted Ni Tuo out of the capital. This time the emperor learned that Ni Tuo had raised rice grains for the court from the Western Regions. He was deeply moved and decided to invite the God of Wealth back.
However, the emperor's question is difficult to answer, because Ni Zhuo never wanted to come back after leaving, and Ni Zhuo has always been pessimistic about the political situation and does not believe that the Tang Dynasty can still be strong and rejuvenate.
After thinking anxiously, Changsheng said, "Back to the emperor, since Duke Ji left the capital for his journey to the west, Wei Chen has not seen him again, and there has never been any correspondence with him. This time Wei Chen's whereabouts are unknown, and Duke Ji appointed him after he got the news. A servant returned to Chang'an to confirm whether Wei Chen was well. It was through this person that Wei Chen conveyed the news to Ji Guo Gong. At present, Ji Guo Gong was raising rice grains in the Western Regions. He must not be able to get away until he can raise enough rice grains. Wei Chen urged him to return early."
"As the ancients said, it is easy to add icing on the cake, but difficult to send charcoal in the snow," the emperor said, "Now that the country is in crisis, Duke Ji has done this righteous act. I intend to reward him heavily, but I don't know what to reward him. What suggestions do you have?"
Chang Sheng pondered for a moment and then said, "Ji Guo Gong was born as a merchant and did not attach much importance to fame. According to the opinion of the minister, the emperor does not need to reward him with an official position. He only needs to instruct the Ministry of Household Affairs to give back some of the remaining products of the Tang Dynasty. In this way As things come and go, we can have peace of mind, and the matter of dispatching and transporting rice can also last for a long time."
"That makes sense. I will issue an order later and order Wu Yusheng to personally supervise this matter." The emperor picked up the tea cup. "In addition, as far as I know, the ancestor of the Duke of Ji State was from Chang'an, and the ancestral graves of the Ni family are all in the east of Chang'an." In the suburbs, I intend to instruct the Ministry of Industry to dispatch craftsmen to repair the cemetery for them, and send officials from the Ministry of Etiquette to worship during the Qingming Festival and Double Ninth Festival. What do you think?"
"The emperor is far-sighted and considers everything carefully. If Duke Ji Guo learns of this, he will definitely be very grateful and deeply grateful." Changsheng said sincerely.
The emperor drank tea to moisten his throat, then put down the teacup and raised his hand to signal Changsheng to drink tea. Changsheng stood up and bent down to express his thanks, and then he picked up the teacup on the table next to him.
After Changsheng finished drinking tea and put down his tea cup, the emperor asked, "The officials below have neglected their duties and slacked off on their duties. Their reports cannot be fully trusted. You have personally inspected the epidemic in Jiangnan and the disasters along the way. How is the situation?"
Changsheng didn't want to tell the truth to the emperor, because even if the emperor knew, it wouldn't help, but he couldn't deceive the emperor, and he had to let the emperor know how serious the disaster was.
After pondering, Changsheng briefly told what he saw along the way. He did not say that the victims had reached the point of exchanging their children for food. He only said that when he met the victims at an abandoned inn, they were desperate and wanted to kill the old dog they had raised for many years.
Although the current emperor lives in seclusion, he is not the Jin Hui Emperor who "why not eat minced meat"? He has also heard the proverbs about starving to death without eating guard dogs, and dying from poverty without selling farmland cattle, especially the immortal talk about the disaster victims not having a stick. After beating the old dog to death and summoning it again, the old dog still ran to its owner. The emperor felt very sad, but the treasury was currently empty. Even if he wanted to provide disaster relief, he could not allocate money or food.
After a moment of silence, the emperor spoke again, "You know a lot about Long Haotian. Will this person go back on his word?"
"What do you mean?" Changsheng asked casually.
"Can the Xichuan taxes he paid in advance arrive in the capital in time?" the emperor asked.
"It should be possible." Changsheng said.
Hearing Changsheng's words, the emperor felt a little relieved, "Mencius said, the people are the most valuable, the country is second, and the king is the least. At present, the people are suffering from disasters, and relief must be provided as soon as possible. If these 66 million taels can be received in time, we will It solves the urgent need, but I don’t know if Long Haotian will deceive the emperor with his false words and regret it temporarily?"
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. He has the heart, but not the courage," Changsheng said seriously. "If he dares to go back on his word midway, I will immediately lead my troops westward to conquer Xichuan after taking Qingyang."
Seeing that Chang Sheng was so confident, the emperor was relieved, but then he thought that the situation in which Long Haotian was supporting his troops and respecting himself was caused by himself, and he suddenly felt ashamed in his heart. He hurriedly changed the topic, "The great victory in Luoyang, the great sacrifice of the real protector of the country. I want to give you a reward, but I don’t have a clue. What suggestions do you have?"
Changsheng thought for a while and said, "Zhenzhen Zhang is a Heavenly Master of the Qing Dynasty. He is indifferent to fame and fortune. What he does is to help the world and save the suffering, and to serve the country with loyalty. There is no need for the emperor to increase the reward. It's just that in this battle, there are two thousand Taoists in Longhu Mountain." If you work together to win, all the Taoist priests who participate in the method will lose three to five years of their life, and more than 200 Taoist priests will die while riding a crane while fighting with each other."
Hearing Changsheng's words, the emperor was shocked and shocked, "Is this happening? Why didn't I see the Protector of the Country mention it..."
