After Chang Sheng finished speaking, Ni Chenyi nodded slowly. She had long known that Chang Sheng was a person who valued love and justice. This was the main reason why she admired and favored Chang Sheng. However, everything has pros and cons. It was precisely because Chang Sheng valued love and justice that she He has been staying on the big ship of the Tang Dynasty that is about to capsize, trying his best to turn the tide and support the building before it collapses.
"If it weren't for us, you wouldn't owe the emperor such a favor," Ni Chenyi said. "Back then, Eunuch Zhou told us privately that the emperor had decided to operate on our Ni family. If you hadn't personally escorted us, we would never have been able to leave Chang'an. You I also know that the emperor only let us leave because of your face. We have benefited from this, but you have to repay the favor."
Without waiting for Chang Sheng to answer, Ni Chenyi said again, "Your senior brothers have also caused you a lot of trouble. They not only assassinated relatives of the emperor and important officials of the imperial court, but also launched an army to rebel. These are all serious crimes against the nine tribes. It is also fine for the emperor to pardon them." For your sake, you have to return this favor."
"you…..."
Ni Chenyi waved his hand and interrupted Chang Sheng's words, "I also know what happened in Ge Zao Mountain back then. If it weren't for sending elixirs to your dead master, you wouldn't have almost died there. At the critical moment, it was your uncle who helped you You have upheld justice and washed away your grievances. You have also owed the favor of Longhu Mountain since then. Afterwards, the Heavenly Master made an exception and restored your master's Taoist status. In order to repay the favor, you worshiped in Longhu Mountain, and then there was In order to represent Longhu Mountain in the imperial martial arts competition, you have been busy repaying the favors owed by others over the years, and you have never lived for yourself."
"What you say is biased," Changsheng shook his head and said, "The favor is actually owed to me. If I hadn't met Master and Senior Brother back then, I would have been beaten to death by those villagers. Some favors need to last a lifetime. To repay.”
"We will return it together with you," Ni Chenyi said. "We will work hard to raise rice and grain to support the imperial court, even if we lose all our wealth, but you remember what you promised us. If one day we are really unable to save the day, we will also Although you try your best, you must not sacrifice your life to repay your kindness and bury him."
After Ni Chenyi finished speaking, Changsheng nodded slowly. The Ni family was forced to leave by the imperial court. It was impossible for everyone in the Ni family not to hate the imperial court. The purpose of raising food to transport eastward was not for the imperial court, nor to rescue the victims, but to help him. To repay the favor owed to the court, to put it bluntly, he would exchange these 80 million loads of grain for his life.
At this time, Datou and others have taken down the curtains, and a group of maids and servants are serving food and preparing the banquet. During this trip, Ni Chenyi not only brought a large amount of fruits and vegetables, but also brought many cooks. The roasted lamb in the Western Regions is very special. For the ensuing lunch, three roasted lambs were prepared, as well as fish, meat, vegetables, and countless seasonal fruits. Everyone was busy, and the whole camp was filled with joy.
Seeing that the banquet was about to begin, Chang Sheng and Ni Chenyi did not go far away, but only walked and talked in the camp.
"Now that you have obtained the magic talisman, what are your plans next?" Ni Chenyi asked casually.
"I haven't thought about it yet," Chang Sheng shook his head and said, "Although there are only eighteen magic talismans, they have a huge impact on the situation of the war. Let's not talk about it from afar. Let's just talk about Zhang Zhenren, who leads the army in Luoyang. He does not have a golden talisman. If Li Huanchen secretly assassinated, and it was difficult to guarantee Zhang Zhenren's safety. In order to capture Luoyang, Zhang Zhenren had no choice but to go against the will of heaven. He has already lost a century of his life. We can no longer let him take risks. I am considering whether to replace him. I will replace Zhang Zhenren, but if I replace Zhang Zhenren, I am afraid that I will play into the hands of those high-ranking officials. They already instigated the emperor to move the capital to Luoyang. If I command the troops in Luoyang again, the emperor will definitely think too much."
Changsheng paused for a moment before speaking again, "Qingyang is also a problem. The emperor originally sent Fan Jingming to lead troops to garrison Qingyang, but Fan Jingming was a former imperial guard, not a handsome man. Li Maozhen had previously been with Li Baodong When I entered the palace, I beat him up and fled the city. Now I have regained Qingyang. The second brother and the third brother have 70,000 soldiers and horses. I am determined to let them go south to attack Li Maozhen, and I have asked the emperor to grant my second brother the title of The governor of Qingyang appointed my third senior brother as General of the Southern Conquest, but the emperor did not comment and sent Fan Jingming over. The emperor's intention was also very obvious. He wanted Fan Jingming to take over the military power in Qingyang. In this way, It messed up all my plans."
Ni Chenyi said, "Qingyang is an important border town. Whether it is Li Maozhen from Fengxiang or Long Haotian from Xichuan, if you want to go east to Chang'an, you must pass through Qingyang. Even when we ship rice, we have to pass through Qingyang. The emperor asked Fan When Jing Ming took over the military power in Qingyang, he obviously didn't trust you and was worried that you would one day rebel, so he took precautions and grabbed your throat to transport food."
Changsheng didn't answer. In fact, the emperor was not afraid of him, but of him, Zhang Zhenren, who was leading the troops, and the Ni family, who could provide food and grass. With these three parties joining forces, it would be easy to replace the emperor.
After a brief silence, Changsheng spoke up and said, "The emperor cannot be entirely blamed. The emperor was held hostage by Yang Fugong in his early years, so he could not help but be anxious and suspicious. What's more, people's hearts are fickle. It is impossible to put all the Tang Dynasty and his own wealth and life on the character of a minister. It is indeed too risky. If it were me, I would think too much."
Ni Chenyi knew that he couldn't persuade him to live forever, so he didn't try. Instead, he asked casually, "Then what are you going to do?"
Changsheng shook his head and said, "I don't have a comprehensive plan at the moment. I plan to present the gold talisman first after I see the emperor. He probably won't want it. If he really refuses, then I will give Fan Jingming a talisman. Fan Jingming will Together with Liu Tianlin, we will protect the safety of the emperor. As long as Fan Jingming stays with the emperor, the military power of Qingyang will fall into the hands of my second and third senior brothers. At that time, we can make long-term plans whether we should temporarily recuperate and wait and see what happens, or we can take advantage of the victory and pursue Li Maozhen. .”
Hearing Changsheng's words, Ni Chenyi smiled and said, "You, a loyal minister, are more tired than a traitorous minister."
Changsheng sighed helplessly, "I can't help it. I'm still worried about whether to give Fan Jingming a silver talisman or a bronze talisman. When I offer the gold talisman, I must have two talismans. If I have one gold and one copper in my body, the emperor will He thought I lacked sincerity. Two of his subordinates used silver talismans, but I used bronze talisman myself. It was clear that I did not mean what I said and had no sincerity. If I had one gold and one silver in my body when I offered the gold talisman, after the emperor declined the gold talisman, if I If I don't give Fan Jingming a silver talisman but only a bronze talisman, the emperor will think that I am too selfish and don't care about his safety."
Chang Sheng sighed again when he said this, "Now I have one head and two big heads. I am in trouble everywhere. I have to consider not only the war situation, but also the emperor's feelings. You are right. I am more difficult to be a loyal minister than a traitor." .”
"I really feel sorry for you," Ni Chenyi said softly, "I also know that what I can do for you is very limited. I can only try not to cause you any trouble, regardless of your concerns."
"You have done a good enough job. Time is running out. I will not go back to Khotan to meet with my father-in-law. You must pay attention to safety after I leave," Changsheng said. "Be sure to keep the spiritual tokens I left for you. , notify me immediately if you encounter danger, and I can rush over quickly with Yu Yi here."
There are few sweet words in longevity, and the words "father-in-law" sounded to Ni Chenyi like sweet words of love. She felt happy in her heart and nodded gently.
Changsheng said again, "But I feel that no one should dare to touch you, because they know the consequences of touching you very well. After the dust of the other eighteen spiritual talismans has settled, those who get the spiritual talismans will not act rashly for the time being, and the delicate balance will not be disturbed. Easily broken.”
Before Ni Chenyi could answer, Datou's call came from not far away, saying that the banquet was ready, and asked the two of them to go and sit down...
