When everyone came to the restaurant, Mi Wei asked the owner for a quiet and elegant room and ordered fruits and vegetables to be served.
After the arrangements were made, Mi Wei led the way and led everyone up to the second floor.
In the private room, Li Shimin was sitting on his knees as the chief, and the rest of the people were sitting on the left and right.
After everything arrived, Mi Wei told the store owner not to wait on him, but to go down and let him know if there was anything he needed. If there were customers named Huang or Fan who came looking for them, just ask them to come up.
The store owner was also a lively person and didn't ask many questions. After closing the door, he returned to the first floor.
After the store owner left, Huo Ge took out a silver hairpin about half a foot long from his arms and carefully tested everyone's food and drinks one by one.
"Well, there's nothing suspicious about it, everyone can enjoy it."
Seeing that everyone had finished their busy work, Li Shimin picked up the wine in the cup and said with a smile: "You are all my direct descendants. This is not a court, so you don't need to be restrained. Come and drink this cup first, thank you for your hard work and help!"
After saying this, Li Shimin clinked glasses with everyone else from a distance, and then drank all the wine in the glass.
Seeing that everyone had put down their glasses, Li Shimin continued:
"The original intention of today is to work with you to find hermits and talents. Since you all highly respect Xiaoyao Gong, why don't you introduce a few things to me here so that I can make a decision in my mind."
Everyone saw that His Majesty was very interested in Fan Ji, so they were all eager to tell His Majesty what they knew.
Mi Wei and Zhang Shao were older and had wider knowledge, so Mi Wei spoke first:
"In the past, when the late emperor was here, he heard that there was a Taoist master in Yizhou who was as famous as Zuo Ci and Yu Ji. He also knew that this person was a direct descendant of a large family in Bajun and was famous for his talent and learning at a young age. Therefore, the late emperor wanted to follow the example of the man who visited the thatched cottage three times. However, this person only loves the way of 'cultivation of one's body and health' and does not care about worldly affairs. The late emperor invited him many times but failed, and finally had no choice but to make him 'Xiaoyao Gong' and gave him a temple in Qingcheng Mountain to practice Taoism there."
Zhang Shao saw Mi Wei pause and couldn't wait to pick up the conversation:
"To talk about this person's ability, it can be seen just by looking at the late emperor's willingness to pay three respects. Furthermore, this person is not like Zhang Lu, Zuo Ci, Yu Ji, Zhang Jiao and others, who either seek power through 'Tao' or do evil things. The Dharma pretends to be a god and a ghost. Xiaoyao Gong is good at astronomy, is proficient in numerology, has a pure heart and few desires, lives in seclusion in the mountains all year round, and devotes himself to practice. He is really a rare great sage!"
Huo Ge saw that Zhang Shao was catching his breath and quickly interjected:
"This man was also from a wealthy family in Ba County and was highly supported. When the late emperor first entered Chengdu, he called on all the people to come to Chengdu to enrich the capital, so Fan Ji moved to Chengdu with his family. Many people in Chengdu were enlightened by him, Always respect him.”
Everyone praised Fan Ji in every detail, including his family background and reputation.
Li Shimin felt great kindness in his heart when he saw that everyone respected Fan Ji so much.
It seems I have found someone who can answer my questions. These are all my humerus. They can praise this person so much in front of me. It seems that this person is definitely not a mediocre person.
After the introductions were completed, Li Shimin smiled and said:
"Since you all respect this person so much, when Fan Jiruo comes here later, you should help me get more advice from him on how to govern the country and secure the country!"
Zhang Yan pulled out her sword and pointed at the door and said:
"Brother Adou, don't worry. If he doesn't want to come, my little sister will tie him up. If he doesn't want to tell me, then my little sister will put this sword on his neck and force him to tell him!"
Everyone laughed when they saw Zhang Yan being so domineering and cute. After laughing, everyone missed General Yide again. The second lady in this picture really has the same temperament as General Yide...
Just as everyone was talking about getting excited, Huang Hao's voice sounded outside the door:
"Sir, Mr. Xiaoyao has arrived."
Li Shimin stretched out his hand to stop Huo Ge who was about to open the door. He stood up from the table, straightened his clothes, and went to the door to open the door himself.
"We are greatly honored by the arrival of Immortal Xiaoyao. Please take a seat at the banquet."
After saying that, Li Shimin asked Zhang Yan to pack the first seat.
"Your Majesty, how can a monarch lower his rank and sit down and respect his ministers? Your Majesty, please sit at the head of the table. I can only sit at the bottom of the head."
Li Shimin was already very polite. Seeing Fan Ji also giving reasons and giving steps, Li Shimin nodded with a smile and helped Fan Ji up to answer.
"Since Mr. Xiaoyao is humble, I would rather be respectful than obey your orders."
After that, he went back to the chief room and sat down.
Only then did Li Shimin have the opportunity to take a closer look at the highly regarded Xiaoyao Gong.
This person is wearing a crane cloak and a pure Yang scarf. He has a ruddy complexion, a strong and square body, bright eyes and white teeth, and his age cannot be seen.
Li Shimin felt awe in his heart. Such a majestic righteousness and ethereal appearance are what an expert hermit should look like!
Those guys who tricked me into taking the "Eternal Life Pill" in my previous life were as ridiculous as fireflies compared to the bright moon!
Thinking of this, Li Shimin stood up and bowed his head to Fan Ji again, saying with full respect:
"In the past, the late emperor wanted to do the courtesy of three visits and invited the Taoist priest. Unexpectedly, the Taoist priest's ambition was as high as that of a swan and was extraordinary. Now that the late emperor has been dead for many years, I want to imitate the late emperor and invite the Taoist priest again. I hope that the Taoist priest will always be by my side. I often give you advice, but I don’t know what the long-term implications are?”
Fan Ji saw His Majesty getting up to bow his head, and quickly got up to return the salute. When His Majesty finished speaking, Fan Ji held his beard and smiled:
"The late emperor and your majesty, two generations of wise kings, have shown great courtesy and love to Pindao. Pindao is extremely honored. But Pindao is just an outsider after all. He is used to being idle, so I am afraid it will be difficult to satisfy Your Majesty."
As Fan Ji spoke, he walked to His Majesty's side and helped His Majesty to sit down.
"However, His Majesty the late Emperor's courtesy to Pindao has been kept in mind. Although he has no chance to become His Majesty's minister, he may become His Majesty's friend. Isn't Pindao's view of immortality a gift from His Majesty?"
Li Shimin was a little disappointed at first, but when he heard that Fan Ji intended to become friends with him, his mood improved a lot.
Fan Ji also smiled with satisfaction when he saw that His Majesty was not too entangled in his appointment in the imperial court.
"It will still take some time for Pindao to preach in Chengdu. Your Majesty, if you need it, you can come to Pindao at any time. Even if Pindao returns to Qingcheng Mountain, it is only a day or two away from Chengdu. Your Majesty has the urge. Pindao You can come to Chengdu to see His Majesty."
Li Shimin saw that this man was free and uninhibited, so he gave up the idea of inviting him to serve as an official.
"This is good, as it will save you from suppressing the Taoist Priest's otherworldly temperament after entering the palace."
After Li Shimin gave an affirmative answer, he asked another question:
"I have been talking about the country's affairs with the princes in the court all day long. However, they all have many concerns and their words have little enlightenment for me. I hope to find knowledgeable people everywhere and develop new ideas to govern the country. I don't know. What do you think, sir, about the governance of the country?”
Fan Ji felt happy to see His Majesty's humble attitude and thirst for knowledge. So he bowed his head during the dinner and said:
"In my humble opinion, Your Majesty can just treat it as a conversation piece after dinner. All major events in the world ultimately depend on Your Majesty."
Li Shimin nodded in agreement and motioned for Fan Ji to continue.
"Since Your Majesty wants to ask, I will use the late Emperor's affairs to try to explain."
After saying that, Fan Ji bowed to the sky, said "offended" in his mouth, turned to face His Majesty and said seriously:
"The late emperor started his army from Zhuo County, wandered for half his life, suffered repeated defeats and fought many battles, and finally established his foundation in Shu. He spent most of his life walking on thin ice, but the late emperor was benevolent and loyal to his ministers, and he never gave up.
Although the late emperor's life was difficult, he never neglected those who followed him. Even though Mi Fang, Huang Quan and others rebelled, the late emperor still treated his family well.
In the past, when the late emperor was here, all the ministers in the court were happy and happy, and they were all willing to die for the late emperor. The people of Yizhou were also grateful for the late emperor's kindness and would do their best to help in every war..."
Fan Ji saw that His Majesty was calm and listened attentively. He smiled and nodded, then continued:
"If your majesty inherits the ambition of the late emperor, you can be diligent and wait for the right time, and you can extend your kindness to Shu. When encountering setbacks, you can persevere and accumulate strength secretly. When the world changes, you can lead the people in Shu to compete in the Central Plains, or It can fulfill the late emperor’s legacy of reviving the Han Dynasty!”
Fan Ji gradually became excited, and when he got to the emotional point, he stood up and walked around and said:
"If the king of a country has pearls in his belly and great ambitions. If he is able to support virtuous ministers in the court from near, to drive thousands of troops in front of the battle array from afar, to respond to the decree of heaven above, and to calm the will of the people below, then great things can be accomplished! "
Walking up to His Majesty, Fan Ji asked softly: "How many percent of the above do you think Your Majesty can achieve?"
After saying this, without waiting for anyone to reply, Fan Ji dressed up and bowed his head and said:
"This is all I have to say today. If Your Majesty has any questions, you can come to see me on the streets of Chengdu at any time in the near future. Today I have not meditated and practiced Taoism, so I will leave. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Li Shimin had just woken up from the artistic conception of Fan Ji's words. When he saw that Fan Ji was about to leave, he subconsciously wanted to stay as a guest, but after thinking about it, he politely sent Fan Ji away.
After Fan Ji left, everyone could not calm down for a long time, and everyone remained silent, pondering Fan Ji's words.
Not long after, it was getting dark. After Huang Hao reminded His Majesty, everyone returned to normal and walked out of the restaurant talking and laughing.
"I really miss the time when the late Emperor and Prime Minister were here."
"Yes, I heard that your Majesty is not as strict in laws and lenient in punishments as the late emperor and prime minister, but he is no different from Liu Yan and his son. He allows foreign nobles to oppress our people in Yizhou. He is really a tyrannical king!"
"I also heard that His Majesty not only committed mass killings in the court hall, but also wanted to use force to conquer Nanzhong and enslave the barbarians in Nanzhong who had surrendered..."
As soon as they arrived at the restaurant lobby, they heard many remarks about His Majesty.
When Zhang Yan heard that the people were spreading rumors that His Majesty was a "tyrannical king," she was so angry that her veins bulged, and she wanted to draw a sword and kill the person who spread the rumors.
Li Shimin had already seen the clues. He first stopped Zhang Yan, and then ordered Ma Cheng and other three people to stand by at the Jinxiu Inn, while he led the rest back to the palace.
Unexpectedly, in just a few days, the Yizhou nobles would spread rumors in Chengdu, and Li Shimin was even more resentful of the Yizhou nobles.
These people, in order to cover up the counterinsurgency and assassination, actually did such an insidious thing!
