Not counting the eunuchs of the inner court such as Yu Xinghai and Jiang Hao, both of them came alone.
The dignified ministers and ministers came to the palace to visit. It wouldn't look good if they left with big and small bags, wouldn't they?
Therefore, whether it was the prince's offering or the tribute promised to them, Li Xian arranged for the palace guards to deliver it in the afternoon.
As for lunch, there was nothing to eat. Now is the period of the prince's funeral, and officials and nobles have banned all banquets and entertainment. As for what counts as banquets and entertainment, the Ministry of Etiquette has not come up with a standard, so everyone would rather implement the strictest standards rather than violate the prohibitions.
Both the guest and the host knew this, so neither party mentioned it. After receiving the reward, or gift, Zhang Wenguan and Hao Chujun stood up and left.
Just like when they were greeted, Li Xian sent the two of them outside the palace gate.
As the saying goes, everyone will get drunk unless they are drunk. Although they drank tea, it did not affect the good mood of Zhang Wenguan and Hao Chujun at all. The two of them walked back happily, as if they were drunk.
As for the guards, Li Xian had no arrangements.
It's a joke, if it were another city, it would still be necessary to arrange some guards. However, it is completely redundant and even a bit contrived for Changlefang to do this.
Changlefang is across the street from Daming Palace. Although it is a city, it is located within the defensive circle of the imperial palace. The people who live here are either expensive or expensive, so security is naturally at the extreme. Not counting the Imperial Guards and Wuhou patrolling the streets, each family's own bodyguards are not vegetarians either.
What's more, in a place like this where senior officials live together, there are more or less unwritten rules. The prohibition of fighting, although not put into a written contract, is something everyone must abide by.
If someone causes trouble here, it will really affect the whole body, and it will directly cause a group to attack. In other words, maybe this is a safer place than the palace.
Standing in front of the palace, Li Xian suddenly discovered that his palace was arranged by the emperor in Changlefang. It seemed that there were more than just one or two intentions.
After rubbing his sore arms and seeing Hao Chujun arriving in front of his residence, Li Xiancai turned around and returned to the palace. Instead of analyzing these mind-consuming things, he would like to observe a moment of silence for the afternoon's martial arts practice.
Regardless of whether it was Li Yun or Xu Ze, they were groveling before taking over their orders, but after they officially took over their orders, they were as stern as a real teacher.
Li Xian turned around and returned to the palace, but on Hao Chujun's side, the two of them entered Hao's mansion together.
After returning home, Hao Chujun invited Zhang Wenguan into his study and ordered everyone to retreat. Even his retainers and generals were included in the eviction.
There are some things that even close friends cannot believe.
Hao Chujun's study room, apart from the shelves filled with various books, bamboo slips, and files, is just a single tea table by the window.
He has all kinds of tea-making tools here, and he really likes tea soup.
In a custom-made small brazier, Hao Chujun lit the pine cones and began to boil water.
Zhang Wenguan had long been accustomed to such scenes, so he pulled up a cushion and sat across from the case.
Watching Hao Chujun clean the tea set, Zhang Wenguan said: "Old Hao, tell me what you think of King Yong."
Hao Chujun said while cleaning the tea set: "Based on my many years of experience in dealing with people, although what King Yong said was artificial, it was not obvious. Combined with the test, it is obvious that King Yong did not care about the position of the prince. It can be said that he is determined to win.”
Zhang Wenguan smiled and said: "What's wrong with this? Just imagine, if the two of us were in this position, we could turn a blind eye to the position of the prince? In fact, in my opinion, it is a good thing for King Yong to do this. The prince is doing well , now the only ones who are qualified to be crown princes are King Yong and King Ying. I heard that unlike King Yong, King Ying’s journey back to Beijing for funerals can be said to be extremely absurd. On a sunny day, I walked in an inn. Staying here for three days, what are you doing!”
Hearing Zhang Wenguan's tone slowly turn from peaceful to angry, Hao Chujun smiled helplessly.
Unlike him, Zhang Wenguan was originally from Donggong. Although he had the status of Zhang Liang's grandson, in this era, he was no different from a commoner. The reason why he was able to join the ranks of prime ministers was mainly because he was in the East Palace system and helped the prince to assist the government many times, showing his ability.
There are many awls put in the bag, but only a few can pierce the bag and get out. Because of this, Zhang Wenguan was grateful to the prince. Now that the prince passed away suddenly, it is strange that he did not pay attention to the issues related to the prince.
The water in the small pot was already bubbling, and Hao Chujun began to make tea. While making tea, he said: "Zhigui, to put it bluntly, the prince is actually not suitable to be an emperor. His majesty is not in good health today. You have seen the result. Not to mention that government affairs were often handed over to the prince, but some government affairs that should not belong to the inner court were handed over to the Queen of Heaven.
Although the Queen of Heaven always handles government affairs very safely, sometimes she even handles it better than His Majesty. However, it is an ancient saying that women should not interfere in politics. In ancient times, Empress Dowager Xuan, Empress Lu and others of the Qin Dynasty served as a warning. "
Although Hao Chujun had already cleared away the people around the study, Zhang Wenguan still looked at the window and the beam unconsciously.
There was no way, since Taizong organized the Baiqisi and sent spies to supervise the officials, the officials of the Tang Dynasty did not dare to talk nonsense in private. Although the current emperor has announced that he has disbanded Baiqisi, who can guarantee that it will not change its name and still engage in such work?
Seeing Zhang Wenguan's look, Hao Chujun smiled, but ignored him.
He knew very well that it was not taboo for officials to say something in private. The emperor's spies are best at collecting evidence, but they won't accuse someone just because of a trivial matter of words. It is the secret agent who is hiding in the dark. If he is exposed, I am afraid that the emperor's face will not look good.
The small pot with the tea leaves was also opened. Hao Chujun opened the small pots one by one, added salt, onions, ginger, garlic, etc. into the pot, covered the lid and simmered.
In order to maximize the flavor of the ingredients, this simmering process needs to continue for a period of time.
Zhang Wenguan, who had passed the frightened stage, smiled awkwardly, and then continued: "Old Hao, you are right, today's interference in government affairs is indeed excessive. But, what can we do?
Shangguan Yi initially suggested that His Majesty depose the Queen, but later he was involved in the case of the deposed Prince Li Zhong's rebellion. Nowadays, there are not many old officials left in the previous dynasty, and they have all left the court. It is very difficult for us backward officials to influence the holy will.
