"Enter the palace with a sword? Protect Wang Wenzuo? Is there such a thing?" King Luo Bin was stunned: "Is this true?"
"It's absolutely true, do you understand the relationship between the prince and Wang Wenzuo now?" Li Jingye sneered: "So you know why I value this person so much, right? You all think that the emperor is seriously ill, the prince is cowardly, and the queen can do it You act arbitrarily, but you forget that there are people around the prince! So this time the queen asked Wang Wenzuo to return to Chang'an, but she shot herself in the foot!"
"Not bad!" King Luo Bin said with a smile: "It turns out that Brother Li has this back-up trick, but my younger brother is really not as good as him!"
"When Li met this person, he was just a slightly outstanding general. How could he have imagined that he would be where he is today?" Li Jingye said with a smile: "This is a gift from heaven, not a matter of human affairs. Why should Brother Luo belittle himself? "
"Yes!" King Luo Bin sighed: "When Wang Wenzuo was transferred out of Liaodong first, and then left Chengdu to come to Chang'an, I thought that he could only curl up his claws and hide in spite of his great ability. He was patient, but he didn’t expect that he could let the prince do so much for him and create such a situation in Chang’an!”
"Now it seems that what happened today happened for a reason!" Li Jingye said with a smile.
"Oh? Why do you say that?" King Luo Bin asked.
"Since the fifth year of Xianqing (660), the emperor often suffered from headaches and dizziness. In severe cases, he could not see anything and was unable to handle state affairs. So the queen intervened in government affairs. As time went by, she became accustomed to it, and the outside world often regarded it as The two saints are called together. His Royal Highness the Prince was born in the third year of Yonghui, and he is already nineteen. When the late emperor was nineteen, he had already recruited heroes and was planning for great things. In the past two years, his health has been getting worse, and he has to worry about his death. More planning and planning!”
"The daughter-in-law is the palm of the hand, the son is the back of the hand, and the palm of the hand and the back of the hand are all flesh?" King Luo Bin said with a smile.
"What you said is wrong!" Li Jingye said with a smile: "Although a daughter-in-law is close to her, she still can't be close to her son, especially the eldest son, Ying Rui, how can he not even understand this truth?"
"That's right!" King Luo Bin held up his palm and said with a smile: "After all, as soon as Wang Wenzuo returned to Chang'an City, Wu Minzhi died, and Empress Wu felt like she had lost an arm. These two princes have done a great service, and the prince naturally wants to protect him!"
For Li Jingye and King Luo Bin, although they did not know the truth of what happened that night, with years of experience in political struggle, they also came to an answer that was closer to the truth in a sense: As Li Zhi's illness progressed, As the prince grew older and his reputation increased, Li Zhi began to gradually consider handing over part of his power to the prince and letting him act as an agent in state affairs. This weakened the power of Queen Wu and harmed the interests of the political group under Queen Wu. Although from a personal relationship point of view, Li Hong and Empress Wu have a direct mother-son relationship, which can be regarded as a loving mother and a filial son, but now that they have entered the political stage, they are no longer just a simple mother-son relationship. people. Empress Wu asked her nephew to change his surname to Wu, edit books in Hongwen Hall, accumulate prestige, and become her agent in the outer court. For Li Hong, he recruited Wang Wenzuo, a border general with rich military experience, to join the court and command the ten commanders in the East Palace. , it is very natural to organize the soldiers in Guanzhong and kill the queen mother's agents in the outer court.
"Brother Li!" King Luo Bin said with a smile: "In your opinion, are we on the side of the prince or the queen?"
"Who is the prince or the queen?" Li Jingye smiled and said, "Can't we stand on our own side?"
"On your side?" King Luo Bin's face changed slightly: "Brother Li, what do you mean?"
"Brother Luo, haven't you seen it clearly?" Li Jingye sneered: "No matter which side wins, the Queen or the Prince, it's not our turn to take advantage. Have you ever thought about why Wang Wenzuo can rise to the top? Queen The prince also values him, and the prince values him too? Is it just because he has the ability?"
"Does Jin Renwen recommend him?"
"Then what does Jin Ren ask himself? Aren't I also a hostage of a foreign vassal? I am the eldest grandson of the British Duke. I have been watched by the Holy Father since I was a child. Why am I not as good as him?" Li Jingye sighed: "In the final analysis, even if it is Wang Wenzuo, Jin Ren No matter how you ask, they are all outsiders with no foundation. If you want to use them, if you don't want to use them, just reject them. There won't be any trouble. But they won't reuse people like me! Brother Luo, don't you understand this? understandable!"
Faced with Li Jingye's complaints, King Luo Bin had no sense of identity. Although he was also from a noble family, his father died early and he was from the south. Although he was famous for his literary talent when he was young, his official career was bumpy. Li Jingye felt that he was nearly forty years old. Not being able to become a general of the Sixteenth Guards, not being able to control the Hongwen Pavilion, being a regular servant of the Disciplined Cavalry, or being the general manager of the march means that he has suffered a lot of grievances. Naturally, King Luo Bin could not understand the bitterness of it. Li Jingye seemed to realize that what he said was inappropriate, so he smiled and said: "Actually, it doesn't matter. When the queen and the prince are fighting, there will definitely be opportunities to take advantage of it. We just need to wait and see what happens!"
"What Brother Li said is true!" King Luo Bin nodded: "This is the best policy!"
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Guangdefang, Jingzhaofu Prison.
"Okay, Mr. Lu, you're fine now, go out!"
Hearing the jailer's voice, Lu Zhaolin felt as if he was hearing fairy music. He stepped across the threshold of the cell door, but tripped on his foot and almost fell to the ground.
"Mr. Lu, do you still remember me?" A tall young man came up to the door and stretched out his hand to support Lu Zhaolin. Lu Zhaolin looked familiar, but couldn't remember it for a while, and started to hesitate. The young man was not annoyed when he saw this, and said with a smile: "That day, an arrow pierced the rabbit eagle outside Chengdu. Mr. Lu forgot so quickly?"
"Oh, oh! You, you are that A-Acton!" After the other party reminded him, Lu Zhaolin suddenly remembered that he had just been released from prison, and even if he was an old friend, he was extremely friendly: " Why are you waiting for me here?"
"Of course it's the Lord's order!" Acton said with a smile: "The Lord learned that Mr. Lu was released from prison today, so he asked me to wait here to help Mr. Lu wash away his troubles!"
Lu Zhaolin was also a smart man. He immediately knew that his smooth escape must be related to Wang Wenzuo, and he was extremely grateful. He knew that there were many people here and it was not appropriate to say too much, so he whispered: "I can't thank you enough for your kindness, Wang Wenzuo." Where is the general now?"
"The Lord is serving the prince in the East Palace and cannot get away for a while!" Acton asked Lu Zhaolin to get on the horse and said with a smile: "Mr. Lu, please take a bath and rest first, and just wait patiently!"
"East Palace? Prince?" Lu Zhaolin was surprised and asked quickly: "May I ask, what position does General Wang hold now?"
"The Lord Shangguan resides in the East Palace's right guard, and in fact all ten of the East Palace's commanders are under his control!" Actun said proudly.
"All the ten commanders of the East Palace are under his control?" Lu Zhaolin took a breath. He had originally heard from Acton that Wang Wenzuo was serving the prince in the East Palace. He couldn't get away from it for a while and thought that the other party was putting money on his master's face. , but if it is true that the ten commanders of the East Palace are under the control of Wang Wenzuo, then I am afraid that they will not be unable to get away for a while, but they will eat, drink and have sex next to the prince, and they will have to ask for leave from the prince every time they go home.
"Mom, how can I serve the prince? It is clearly the prince's right hand, the one holding the sword. He will directly command the Beiya Imperial Army immediately after he ascends the throne! I have tried my best to think as high as possible, and it seems that I still think so. Too low!" Lu Zhaolin thought to himself, but said, "It doesn't matter, how dare the next scholar dare to trouble General Wang to look after him? With just a piece of paper, Lu will do his job like a dog or horse!"
When he arrived at the arranged residence, Lu Zhaolin took a hot bath, combed his hair, and wiped away the fleas and bad luck brought by the prison. Then he had another hearty meal and slept well in a comfortable bed. When he woke up again, he felt that his whole person had become completely new, as if he had become the same person who was in his early twenties and left Fan Yang to study abroad.
Wang Wenzuo arrived much earlier than Lu Zhaolin expected. On the second night after he was released from prison, Wang Wenzuo suddenly appeared. Compared with the first time, this time Wang Wenzuo could be said to be more accommodating. His entourage in total did not exceed There were twenty people, and he himself only wore a brown round-necked brocade robe, a purple scarf on his head, and a short knife hanging from a silver belt around his waist. He looked like a well-to-do wealthy man on the streets of Chang'an.
"The king leads the army!" Lu Zhaolin knelt down and stammered: "I don't know how to repay Lu for saving my life! It's such an honor!"
"I am also honored to meet you, one of the 'Four Elites'!" Wang Wenzuo smiled and helped Lu Zhaolin up: "Now maybe people in the world will think it is an honor for you to meet Wang. People thousands of years later I’m afraid it will turn upside down, so let’s make it even between the two of us!”
"Don't dare!" Lu Zhaolin laughed: "I only wrote a few acid poems and short essays, how dare you compare with the leader!"
"The article is about the past, knowing the gains and losses!" Wang Wenzuo said casually: "We are still reciting Qu Yuan's Li Sao today, and our descendants will also be reciting it thousands of years later. But who knows where the Afang Palace of King Qin is? If it weren't for Jia Yi, The wonderful writings of Sima Qian and others, I am afraid that we don’t even know that Afang Palace once existed. At least we don’t know the names of the palaces of King Chu, King Qi, and King Han, let alone where they are and what they look like! Being able to build them with your own hands Achievements are good, but being able to record and praise other people's achievements is not a bad thing! Mr. Lu, don't you think so?"
"Articles are ancient, and you know the gains and losses!" Lu Zhaolin recalled Wang Wenzuo's casual poem, and felt that the poem was endlessly memorable. He couldn't help but sigh: "Lingjun Wang is so ambitious and ambitious, Lu can only admire him endlessly. If the general does not give up, We should follow the example of dogs and horses!”
"Common cause and common progress!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Who is Wang? How dare you treat your patriots as dogs and horses? Come on, this room is very suffocating. Go to the yard to get some fresh air!"
Lu Zhaolin followed Wang Wenzuo to the back garden. The half-moon illuminated the leaves of the fruit trees with silver light, which was also reflected on the water surface of the rockery pool, making ripples of light. Wang Wenzuo sat down by the water, and Lu Zhaolin stood aside. Somewhere on the right, a cricket chirped. This scene was really comfortable and comfortable. It's so peaceful, Lu Zhaolin thought, but how long can it last?
"Mr. Lu, do you still want to stay in Chang'an?" Wang Wenzuo asked.
"This -" Lu Zhaolin was stopped by Wang Wenzuo's question. He originally thought that Wang Wenzuo wanted to recruit him to be his literary secretary, responsible for drafting manuscripts, organizing documents, and making suggestions. He was also confident and capable of doing a good job, but Listening to what Wang Wenzuo said, didn't he want him to stay by his side?
"Mr. Lu, do you still want to stay here?" Wang Wenzuo repeated.
"If I talk about my true feelings, after being imprisoned this time, I do have the idea of returning to my hometown and working on my fields!" Lu Zhaolin sighed: "But since I have been greatly favored by the leader, I no longer own this place, so naturally the leader is here. Wherever Lu is!"
"If that's the case, Mr. Lu doesn't have to!" Wang Wenzuo waved his hand and interrupted Lu Zhaolin: "Do you think that you can do great things by staying in Chang'an City?"
"That's not true!" Lu Zhaolin shook his head, but he didn't know what to say. In fact, what the other party said was right. Chang'an was the highest stage of the Tang Dynasty. No matter what he did, even if he was a prostitute or a juggler, he would not be a prostitute or a juggler. Even if you take a trip to Chang'an, it's not top-notch.
"You must have heard about Wu Minzhi, right?" Wang Wenzuo whispered.
"Yeah! He's dead!" Lu Zhaolin nodded.
"Yes, he died, and he died in a very dishonorable way!" Wang Wenzuo shook his head: "And the queen has blamed his death on me. If His Highness hadn't tried his best to protect him, I would have been a prisoner! You understand ?"
Lu Zhaolin took a deep breath. He could feel the turmoil hidden behind Wang Wenzuo's seemingly calm words. The queen wanted this man to die, but not only was he still alive, he was still here talking about it calmly. Just this kind of courage, Very within reach.
"Now I can't leave Chang'an!" Wang Wenzuo sighed rarely: "I originally wanted to look for opportunities to return to Liaodong, Baekje, and Japan. I have a lot of things there, but it is no longer possible now. Your Highness the Crown Prince He has saved my life, and it is no longer possible for me to leave him and leave Chang'an, so I need capable people to do something for me, do you understand?"
"Understood!" Lu Zhaolin nodded: "Then what do you want me to do?"
"Don't worry, you can read more first and then consider what to do after reading it?" Wang Wenzuo smiled.
"Look, what are you looking at?" Lu Zhaolin asked in confusion.
"Look at that land and the people on that land!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "The situation there is very bad. A large-scale war will break out at any time. This war will not only destroy the Anton Guards The government will be reduced to ashes, and it will also threaten Hebei, your hometown. But don’t worry, my people will arrange your journey well, and your personal safety will not be affected!"
"Yes!" Lu Zhaolin nodded. He still didn't quite understand what Wang Wenzuo meant, but he nodded anyway.
(End of chapter)
