Cornus officinalis, Sichuan peppercorns, dried ginger, dried chilies, star anise, cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon, cinnamon bark, tangerine peel, cumin, anise... were rolled in a clay pot. Su Ce cut the mutton into slices with a knife and placed it in the boiling pot.
In the pot, place the ground pepper powder in the bottom of a small bowl.
The charcoal was glowing with red and blue flames. Neither Su Ce nor Wei Xian spoke. They just ate meat and drank minced fruit stuffing.
After eating and drinking, the two sat on bamboo chairs facing each other. Zhou Kang packed out a small table and placed it between them.
Putting pine cones on the small stove and burning them, the copper kettle soon made a beeping sound. Su Ce pinched a handful of tea leaves and put them in the purple clay pot.
"Country wild tea, let Mr. Wei taste it!" Su Ce said and served himself a cup.
The two of them didn't drink much, they were just tipsy, which didn't affect their conversation in the evening.
"Bitter and astringent, it leaves a lingering taste in the mouth. It's quite tasty!" Wei Xian finished a sip of tea and put down the cup.
Su Ce put the empty tea cup on the table and sat upright: "Wei Gong is not actually here to support the idea of opposing the abolition of government soldiers, right?"
"That's right!" There was no one else around at this time. Zhou Kang was also washing the dishes in the distance.
"You and I have never interacted. Do you know why I want to catch you?" Wei Xian closed his eyes slightly and held his beard.
"I don't know!" Su Ce felt that there was a vague hand controlling everything in Chang'an City, and now this feeling was clearer!
"Su Ce was guarding the border in the seventeenth year of his life. During the battle at Xiaohe Beacon Fort, he went through four rounds of training and received a seventh-grade military honors officer. In the first battle in the northern expedition, he led a hundred cavalry to cross the enemy's army and scattered the enemy's formation. This was the first battle in the northern expedition.
After his second meritorious service in the war, he was awarded the title of Bo of Jingyang County, and later served as the right guard leader of the East Palace, leading Tiance's bodyguard." Wei Xian opened his eyes and told Su Ce's experience one by one.
Su Ce's face was rosy due to drinking and his expression was as usual. He had nothing to hide about his experiences.
Wei Xian chuckled: "This Suzhuang is well built and the people in it are living a good life. But if you lose power, can you hold on?"
The respect on Su Ce's face disappeared in an instant, the fingers of his right hand trembled, and a smile appeared on his face: "Wei Gong, Ce doesn't like to beat around the bush. This time Wei Gong comes, I'm afraid what he wants is just a pawn. If I choose Ce, I'm afraid Su Ce won't be tolerated.
Decline, it’s just that Ce wants to know what kind of soldier Ce is!”
Su Ce tried his best to suppress his anger, but Wei Xian didn't care about Su Ce's anger at all: "You serve as a general in the Ministry of War, and there are many dirty things done by others. The prince wants to get things done, and the method is indeed disgraceful, but if you leave with a seal, you will be a minister."
It's what you should do, aren't you afraid of offending the prince?"
Su Ce laughed: "Mr. Wei underestimates the prince!"
Who is the Crown Prince Zhao Zaicheng? He is the crown prince of a country, and all means are used for his favor. Su Ce does not believe that the Crown Prince will hold grudges because of his departure, and he may not be happy about it. But when dealing with Su Ce, killing a chicken with a sledgehammer, Prince Zhao Zaicheng
You wouldn't be stupid enough to do this.
He once served as the prince's personal general, and at the age of twenty-four, the prince was able to take over the power of supervising the country, with nine temples and five eunuchs serving him, so he would not be so small-minded.
"Oh, how dare I underestimate the prince? The three ministers control the six ministries, and the Holy Order does not leave Chang'an. Now the prince leads the five eunuchs of the nine temples, so Ziwei can be in office. The three ministers have gone too far this time!" Wei Xian sneered and said to himself
Pour yourself a cup of tea and drink it.
"Three phases? Wei Gong explained in detail, Ce is all ears." Su Ce frowned. The things here were too complicated and he had no clue.
"It’s not surprising if you don’t know. The prince asked the saint to allow the princess to return to the palace at the end of last month. The three ministers refused, saying that the blood of the guilty ministers should not mess with the blood of the emperor. The prince drew his sword, but was stopped by the saint. After that, the three ministers wanted to reduce the number of troops. The saint He refused, but the prince's personal expedition was unfavorable to the three provinces and forced the saint to abolish the throne. The saint had no choice but to allow the three provinces to disarm. Now the saint has left the palace in Chang'an and the prince is in charge of the country." Wei Xian looked solemn.
Su Ce suddenly felt a chill in his back, stood up, raised his hands and saluted: "Mr. Wei, can you work for the saint and the prince?"
Wei Xian nodded: "He is a smart man. He used force to build the country. The prince's personal expedition was unsuccessful. The generals were ineffective. He had different intentions with the prince. The three conspirators. He wielded his sword to dismantle the army. The government was in turmoil. I ran around shouting. The saint wanted me to look for you. , I have something important for you to do."
"The saint has a token!" Su Ce is not a fool. The water in Chang'an City is too deep. The three prime ministers in the past dynasties have spared no effort to fight for power, hoping to compete with the saint. They also used the unfavorable excuse of the prince's personal expedition to abolish the government troops.
In order to protect the prince, the sage took a step back, in order to prevent the three prime ministers from seizing the prince and making an unfavorable campaign.
It was only in March that he left the Li Palace, leaving the prince in Chang'an and the three ministers. The prince did not supervise the country, and the nine temples and five eunuchs were controlled by the three provinces. The saint went to the palace, and the prince supervised the country. The nine temples and five eunuchs were controlled by the prince. Only the three provinces were left. Six parts.
In this way, the Three Prime Ministers have lost the support of the Nine Temples and Five Supervisors. With only six ministries, the prince is enough to block the Three Prime Ministers' methods. It doesn't matter if the saint leaves Chang'an and lives in the palace. If the saint is away, the prince supervises the country and leads the Nine Temples and Five Supervisors. The Three Prime Ministers should also have something to do. Converged.
It's also strange that no one could have imagined that Sanxiang's methods were so despicable, otherwise saints and nobles would have been prepared.
The last time Jiuhu was dealt with, it happened suddenly. In the end, the Duke of the Six Kingdoms had no choice but to kill one of his ministers. The noble man was missing a Duke's palace. Now this trick can no longer be used.
"The sage has decreed that the uncle of Jingyang County has a back problem. He will return to the East Palace for duty after he recovers in April!" After speaking, Wei Xian stood up and handed a gold tiger talisman to Su Ce.
Su Ce's pupils shrank when he saw the golden tiger talisman. The big dry tiger talisman is divided into three grades: gold, silver and bronze. Gold is the top, silver is the middle and copper is the bottom.
The golden talisman of the saint, the silver talisman of the prince, and the bronze talisman of the general.
The former East Palace Tiger Talisman was made of copper, and the silver tiger talisman was in the hands of the prince, and the tiger talisman in front of him was exactly the same shape as the East Palace Tiger Talisman.
The golden tiger talisman of the East Palace controls all the soldiers of the East Palace. Su Ce knows what it means to take over the golden tiger talisman.
This is to take away the prince’s military power!
Su Ce did not reach out to take it. The prince was the crown prince of Daqian and the next emperor of Daqian. Taking the Golden Tiger Talisman meant that Su Ce had completely offended the prince.
When I left office before, at most it was because I had different ideas and ways from the prince, so we didn't agree with each other and each followed his own ambitions.
The prince will not deal with Su Ce. As his Jingyang County uncle, Su Ce will live a safe life. If there is a war, it is not a bad idea for Su Ce to go with the army.
But after taking over the Golden Tiger Talisman, he took away the prince's military power for nothing. Although he was respected by the saint, he offended the prince.
Now or in the future?
To answer or not to answer?
"If you are not in your position, you will not seek your own government. If you are in your position, you cannot control yourself. There are things that saints can do but princes cannot do. Don't let the prince do stupid things." Wei Xian saw Su Ce hesitate and put his hand in front of Su Ce. One hand.
"Thank you, saint!" Su Ce bravely caught the tiger talisman.
"I'll leave tomorrow. The secretary has too much to worry about. It's dark at night, so I'll go ahead." Wei Xian withdrew his hand and waved to Zhou Kang after speaking.
Seeing Su Ce holding the tiger talisman in a daze, Wei Xian sighed. He also knew that this was embarrassment for Su Ce, but people, when are you not in trouble, he couldn't help but say a few more words: "If there is no capacity for others, there will be no use for others."
Being clear and unclear is immoral. Don’t underestimate the prince. The sage once said that among the princes in the past, the prince has always been the first. It’s just the matter of the prince’s concubine that has hindered the prince. Now the prince has been humiliated. Hear the public and listen to it.
He was so angry that he vomited blood, and said that the three provinces would cause chaos in the country. He wrote in handwriting to the prince, saying that he would be on his side. The saint was afraid that the prince would be impulsive, so it was a foregone conclusion that he would reduce the number of troops. The saint would make his own decision about the future. After the storm, the Qinghe River will come!"
Wei Xian patted Su Ce on the shoulder. Zhou Kang had already walked over. Wei Xian withdrew his hand and said, "Send me back to the village and leave your master alone."
Su Ce put the Golden Tiger Talisman into his sleeve pocket and saluted Wei Xian's back.
Seeing Wei Xian's back disappear into the night, Su Ce took a deep breath, sat on the bamboo chair, and took out the Golden Tiger Talisman from his sleeve.
Wei Xian's last words awakened Su Ce. It was okay to accept the tiger talisman in this way. The prince's position was stable, otherwise the saint would not have said that the prince was the first among all the princes in the past.
Su Ce touched the tiger talisman. The saint wanted to take away the military power of the East Palace. It was just an appearance. He was afraid that the prince would be impulsive and use troops against the three provinces. If this was true, the saint could only abolish the reserve.
When I go back this time, I will not only control the military power of the East Palace. The prince has lost authority in the court, and I am afraid that the establishment of authority will also require the efforts of the East Palace Brigade.
Su Ce needs to think carefully about how to grasp the scale.
If the power of the prime minister is strong, the party will unite and defeat those who are different.
If the imperial power is strong, its rise and fall will be uncertain.
The prince made many attempts to get the princess to return to the East Palace, but his personal expedition failed and the biggest opportunity was lost.
What the court needs is balance. The saint allows himself to control the military power of the East Palace because he is afraid that the prince's soldiers will make dangerous moves.
The Zheng family harmed the country, and it was the nobles who attacked, and the civil servants who yelled the most fiercely. The Crown Princess could not return to the palace, but it was still the civil servants who blocked her. The three prime ministers first undermined the prince's power, and then cut off the roots of the nobles. The saint
It was difficult to do, so we could only temporarily leave the palace and let the prince supervise the country as a buffer to stabilize the court.
What the civil servants want is the power to control military power. They are afraid that the three prime ministers will not be able to have this power and the crown prince will not be able to return to the palace.
It's just about controlling military power. That's the power of a saint. Dragons have reverse scales and will die if they touch them.
Su Ce looked at the tiger charm in his hand, which shone with dazzling golden light under the firelight. He recalled Wei Xian's last few words and the sage's oral instructions, and sighed: "Chang'an in April will be stained with blood!"
Pouring a cup of hot tea into his mouth, Su Ce thought about his past over the years.
At first, I was glad that I was alive again, thinking that I would have parents in this life, and finally be able to feel the taste of home. Later, when I was four or five years old, I discovered that my body was different from ordinary people, and my heart became uneasy. I practiced martial arts, entered Zhechong Mansion, and guarded the border...
The past few years have been confusing, and Su Ce has never found what he wants in life. Until Wei Xian mentioned Su Zhuang just now, Su Ce couldn't help but want to kill someone. Su Zhuang has his own family, and Su Ce found himself
All I want is a home.
The prince returned to the palace for the sake of the princess, but was insulted by the three ministers. The saint tolerated the disarmament of the three ministers for the sake of the prince.
And in order to protect this family, there is no harm in offending the civil servants!
Even if the whole world is your enemy!
"Bang!" With a sound, the purple clay tea cup in his hand was crushed by Su Ce.
Su Ce threw the fragments into the Wei River. People lived for the rest of their lives, but most people were confused and didn't know why they lived.
If the sage and prince lose power, nobles and nobles will follow closely behind. As a noble, they have already been tied to the sage and prince. They will suffer both the glory and the loss. How can it be so easy to live alone!