Although he was distressed and had donated a lot of money, Li Xian prepared several reasons to comfort himself.
First of all, since you are in a high position, you must work hard to benefit the public and contribute to society. It’s not that you have to live your life naked to show your saintly heart, but it’s still appropriate to put in some effort when you can.
Second, although he has presided over disaster relief this time, he did so on the basis of deceiving the people and some fools. Anyone with insight can't see that the small East Palace is not qualified to participate in disaster relief on this scale?
Pretending is one thing, but actually doing it is another. Li Xian knew very well that as long as there was money on his books to support disaster relief, in the future, even if he did not take the initiative to mention it, someone would naturally make this known to the public. In this way, his reputation among "people of insight" also increased.
Taking a long breath, Li Xian began to prepare for receiving Zheng Shuo tomorrow.
Now that I know that this is a difficult person to deal with, I must be fully prepared for tomorrow.
This time for disaster relief, the emperor agreed to use the power of the five surnames and six families, which was a manifestation of his powerlessness. After all, with this year's treasury, even if the relief is barely completed, it will definitely lead to voices of dissatisfaction in many parts of Guannai Road.
As for his plan, it somewhat provided a fig leaf for the court.
Snakes are not the most dangerous thing, the most dangerous thing is dancing with snakes.
Now that we have made this plan, there is no reason to be frightened by Qiwang with the fifth surname.
When Li Yun came back and gave him some instructions, Li Xian went back to the bedroom.
There is no need to worry about Fang Furong. Judging from the information sent back by the Alliance of Despicables, the Queen has no other intentions and really treats her as the Supreme Emperor. Even when he vomited it in front of her during the meal, he didn't feel dissatisfied. Instead, he used his sleeve to wipe her sweat regardless of his manners.
It seemed that she was really worried that this hard-won first wife would not be able to sit still.
The eldest wife has no problem, and the younger wives have nothing to worry about.
I don’t know how the three of them discussed it, but it vaguely became a four-day round.
Because Qi Lan and Kong Xinyu spent a lot of time together, they gave Xiao Xiao an extra day so that she would not be left out.
The person who came to keep me company today was still Xiao Xiao.
Seeing how she was holding up her skirt and blushing even before she got closer, Li Xian didn't know what was happening to her.
Relatives are coming....
It is estimated that Fang Furong told them that they don't need to care about these things in front of their husbands, but the habits they have developed over the years still make it hard for her to believe it.
Standing up, reaching out and patting Xiao Xiao's head, Li Xian smiled and said: "The musicians of Taichang Temple and the master craftsman who will be the supervisor have studied for such a long time since they got Gu's drawings, and finally made a musical instrument. It’s out, come on, just in time for you to see it.”
When it comes to musical instruments, Xiao Xiao's shyness suddenly disappears.
Her husband was not very interested in the piano before, and she was secretly sad, thinking that her husband was good at painting, loved martial arts, and was proficient in pharmacology, but he was not very interested in music.
Who knew that my husband would have a custom-made musical instrument, but he didn’t know what it was.
If it's Se...
She would be very surprised. To be honest, she still felt that Qin belonged to men. If she and her husband Qin Se were in harmony...
Thinking about it, I feel...
Xiao Xiao's sweet dream did not last long. When she saw the musical instrument customized by her husband, everyone was stunned.
Several drums of different sizes? And what is that iron plate on top of the iron rod?
The materials of the drums are also very strange. There are iron drums and cowhide drums, arranged in an arc, which looks very messy.
Unlike the messy Xiao Xiao, when Li Xian saw this set of drums, he felt an itchy feeling that he hadn't seen in a long time.
I never learned any serious musical instrument in my previous life. I can play the guitar twice, but I am not proficient in it. I have almost forgotten "The Painter" on the recorder.
Although he has a great longing for percussion, the reality has meant that he has never had the opportunity to really get into contact with it.
Things are different now. It’s not easy to get a drum set. As for the time to study, you’ll find it if you squeeze in it. It's a long night. Before going to bed, you can't go exploring in caves all the time. Playing percussion music is good for your physical and mental health!
Sitting on the seat impatiently, picking up the drumsticks, Li Xian couldn't wait to start playing and listen to the sounds of various drums.
The charm of percussion may be that it has a framework, but it is not restricted by this framework. What allows a person to perform well is the melody, not the accuracy of the scale.
Xiao Xiao sat aside and saw her husband beating back and forth on the drum, but still couldn't hit a rhythm. She knew that her husband himself probably didn't know how to play this strange thing.
However, this is not a problem.
She is not stupid either. Her husband, who had never played a musical instrument before, now plays an instrument. It must be to take care of her interests.
When she thought of the words of her sister, she suddenly realized that His Royal Highness was indeed the best place for a woman to end up.
After listening to the sound for a while, Li Xian began to tap randomly, trying to find a nice rhythm.
And Xiao Xiao didn't feel bored either. She just listened to her husband's chaotic drumming and felt it was as beautiful as fairy music...
My eldest wife is not here, so I can’t explore the caves halfway up the mountain, but there is still no problem in exploring the caves on the top of the mountain.
After enjoying it for a long time, when Li Xian got up the next day, he felt physically and mentally exhausted.
Although he really wanted to stay in this state and stay in bed for a while, thinking that Zheng Shuo would visit the East Palace today, he could only get up and do his daily routine.
After getting ready, Li Xian came to Mingde Hall and discussed with Kong Xinyu the medicinal materials suitable for making tea while waiting for Zheng Shuo's visit.
Just after Chen hour, the guard guarding the gate sent someone to report that it was Zheng Shuo, the new head of the Zheng family, who came to visit with a large number of gifts.
After all, he came to the door with a gift. Li Xian also felt that he needed to be polite, so he was going to greet him at the entrance of the palace. As for Kong Xinyu, he quickly left with his maid. She, Liangdi, could not participate in such a formal occasion. Forcing her to show up would only be considered a humiliation by the guests.
There will be no discrepancy between the contents recorded on the gift and the gift list. Therefore, the gifts were handed over at the entrance of the palace. Zheng Shuo only brought two young tribesmen into the palace, approaching the Mingde Hall, and asked the two tribesmen to stay alone and climb the stairs.
When he arrived at the entrance of the palace, he saw that the prince was waiting here. Zheng Shuo was flattered and saluted: "I didn't expect that your highness would wait again. It's rude of me."
Li Xian smiled, not intending to dwell on this issue, and turned around and entered the hall.
After sitting down and sharing the tea, Zheng Shuo took a sip of tea and praised: "I have long heard that making tea with pure water is the first method of drinking tea created by His Royal Highness, especially the artistic conception of suffering first and then sweetness, which is really addictive. "
A rainbow fart was released at the beginning. Li Xian had already prepared for this. He was not overjoyed, but said calmly: "Actually, there are many ordinary people who just make crude tea without adding any seasonings. It would be unreasonable to say that it is an independent creation. . However, the artistic conception of suffering first and then sweetness is indeed attractive. Even in life, isn’t it true that many times it is bitter first and then sweetness?”
Zheng Shuo was stunned for a moment. He knew very well what the prince meant by "first suffering, then sweetness".
There is no doubt that his gift was not in vain.
Standing up straight, Zheng Shuo cupped his hands and said: "Your Highness, Zheng Wen of the Zheng family has offended you a lot before. Now, he has been deprived of his power as the head of the family, and he died of anger. They say that death is like a lamp going out. Please, Your Highness, please don’t resent him anymore.”
resentment?
Li Xian wanted to scratch his head and ask him why he came up with such a word.
To be honest, it’s not surprising that losers resent the winners. When did the winners still resent the losers?
Especially when losers accomplish nothing.
What's more, Li Xian really knows why Zheng Wen was deprived of his power as the head of the family.
If the family hadn't suffered losses due to Zheng Wen's coquettish manipulation, even if he had a fight with the prime minister, the Zheng family would not blame him.
Li Xian had already made some guesses about the methods used by the aristocratic family to secretly change concepts, so he didn't bother to talk about it.
After taking a sip of tea, Li Xian said with a smile: "Mr. Zheng Wen, it's just for a moment. Gu is busy with disaster relief work, so I'm afraid he won't be able to attend his funeral. When Brother Zheng goes back, he might as well take his place." Give him a stick of incense."
Zheng Shuo nodded. There was no sign of emotional instability in the prince's words. This shows that he is not surprised at all by Zheng Wen's fate. This is true, Zheng Wen is not regarded as an opponent.
He breathed a long sigh of relief and saw the prince drinking tea leisurely. Zheng Shuo knew that the prince would never mention today's topic if he didn't start it.
"Your Highness, Zheng Wen has already paid the price for his actions. As for this disaster relief, all five surnames and six families have obtained the qualifications, and even the Jiangnan nobles have a share of the pie. How can the Zheng family fall behind in such a grand event? .I wonder, Your Highness the Crown Prince, do you still need the Zheng family to contribute?"
Finally waiting for this question, Li Xian snickered in his heart, but the expression on his face was very tangled, and he said helplessly: "Brother Zheng, to be honest, the imperial court and the power of the five surnames and six families are enough to complete the disaster relief. As for Jiangnan, The gentry and the Shandong clan are just the icing on the cake. Under such circumstances, even if the Zheng family wants to join, it will be difficult for the disaster relief project to squeeze out the Zheng family's place."
Seeing the embarrassed look on the prince's face, Zheng Shuo didn't think he was acting.
Since the prince accepted the gift, it shows that he still has the intention of reconciliation. As for this disaster relief, he also sent people to investigate and found that this was indeed the case. The Zheng family finally came to dinner and wanted to eat meat, which was obviously impossible.
Gritting his teeth, he said without hesitation: "Your Highness, I wonder if the Zheng family only donates money and food, without building roads, and simply donates money and food, just for disaster relief?"
Li Xian was shocked when he heard Zheng Shuo's words.
This was the ending he had prepared for the Zheng family today. He had even thought about Zheng Shuo's reaction, but who knew that before he started bargaining, Zheng Shuo gave himself a knife, well, it was still as powerful as a dragon-slaying knife.
Those who want to do something but dare not do it are talented people.
This Zheng Shuo...
Sure enough!
It is not unusual for a gecko to cut off its tail to escape, but if a leopard dares to cut off its tail, it cannot be described as brave.
This requires the person making the decision to have a strong enough heart, and perhaps, enough self-confidence.
Seeing the expression of surprise on the prince's expressionless face, Zheng Shuo could only ask: "Wei minister wants to directly support various projects with money and food. What does your highness think?"
how? Of course the answer is...
I promise you a damn!
Just when the words were about to blurt out, Li Xian swallowed them hard.
Why, in the construction of four roads, the East Palace occupies the most important one, while the six families need two from each, plus the East Palace to mix them up, to occupy one?
In order to limit the strength and quality of the five surnames in winning people's hearts, among other things, the Zheng family supported the fourth group and directly gained eight times more fame than a single family like the Wang family!
A difference of eight times!
This guy looked like he had cut himself off with a knife, but who knew he still had the tip of his tail left.
Slowly breathing out a sigh of relief, Li Xian put on a smile: "The various projects are far apart. If they are supported separately, I'm afraid the Zheng family's transportation team will be exhausted. Since the Zheng family has such knowledge, how about this? , how about the Zheng family’s money and food be used exclusively for the project from Chang’an to Luoyang?”
"All the way from Chang'an to Luoyang?"
Zheng Shuo was confused for just a moment before he understood.
The prince wanted to use the white wolf with nothing, but he thought about the level of using it all night long!
Originally, he was in charge of this project in his own name. Compared to the other three paths, fame spreads earlier. From this point on, even if the Zheng family is a latecomer, it will not be able to catch up to the latecomers, and it will not have much impact on the reputation that the prince should gain.
The joining of the Zheng family enabled the court to save a lot of money and food.
This calculation...
After seeing Zheng Shuo stunned for a moment, he secretly gritted his teeth. Li Xian knew that this guy must understand the stakes.
"Brother Zheng, to be honest, there is nothing I can do to arrange the Zheng family here. You also know that the national treasury has spent too much this year, and disaster relief alone is enough to drain the treasury. However, it is only the middle of the year. In the next six months, the national treasury will be empty. If something happens, wouldn't it be possible to do nothing?"
"If the Zheng family covers the expenses that the court should have, and the national treasury can survive in this way, the Zheng family should be the first to contribute. What is this? This is loyalty to the country! And the people along the way will be grateful to Zheng if they have enough to eat. Due to the kindness of the family, when the time comes, not to mention that the Zheng family will have a good reputation as a Buddha among thousands of families, even an orphan will tell his father to take credit for the Zheng family!"
Seeing the prince's expression of "I'm thinking about the Zheng family", Zheng Shuo couldn't help but bite his tongue secretly.
He could only do this, otherwise, he felt that he would not be able to hold back and curse.
