"Oh my, Liu Zhongshu is now in a prosperous official career, he is in charge of the Wen Zong of the world, and he is also a minister of His Majesty. He is a high-ranking official and is very proud of himself. Why do you condescend to come to this vulgar place like ours? You are so radiant, haha!"
Cheng Yaojin welcomed him out of the tent, grabbed Liu Zi's arm with a big hand, pulled him into the tent with "enthusiasm", and seated him. Liu Zi quickly got out of the way. Among the troops, he was respected as the commander-in-chief.
How dare you steal the high position? But Cheng Yaojin couldn't help but press him down on the seat, and then stood beside him to accompany him. Among the other generals, only Niu Jinda sat behind Cheng Yaojin to accompany him, and the rest stood at attention on both sides...
Liu Zi was flattered and said repeatedly: "Although I have come here under the emperor's order, the commander is the most respected person in the army. Duke Lu is treating me like this. I am terrified."
He was indeed frightened. Who didn't know Cheng Yaojin's temper? Among the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, it was recognized that the most difficult people to deal with were Cheng Yaojin and Fang Jun.
Being a "bangchui" means taking advantage of the soft but not the hard, and the one thing these two have in common is that turning over each other is like turning over a book. The more they smile at you, the more unkind they will be when they turn against you...
With Cheng Yaojin's usual style, let alone him as the new Zhongshu Ling, even if Xiao Yu came in person, he would not be treated so kindly. How could it not make him wary?
Cheng Yaojin laughed loudly, and while serving tea, he said: "Why should Liu Zhongshu be humble? Now that the Duke of Song is old, he should have abdicated in favor of someone more worthy. The British Duke has a weak temperament and does not pay much attention to the affairs of the DPRK and China. You, the Zhongshu
I am the first person in the court to carry out your majesty’s edicts and carry out government affairs for hundreds of officials. I, Old Cheng, can count on your care in the future, haha.”
As soon as he said this, Liu Zi didn't care whether the other party was hiding a treacherous plot in such flattery. His eyes were bright, his voice was sonorous and powerful, and his expression was solemn and solemn: "Gong Lu, these words are very kind! We who eat the emperor's salary should be loyal to the emperor.
The truth is, Your Majesty is the seat of the empire's uprightness. He is entrusted with the destiny of Heaven and rules over the world. Even if you try to covet the great treasure through petty evil, you will never be able to defeat Your Majesty's destiny and the will of the people!"
As long as Cheng Yaojin regards His Majesty as an upright person in his heart, he will be biased even if he sells at a price, then the matter will be easy to negotiate.
Unexpectedly, Cheng Yaojin revealed a word of affirmation for the emperor, whether intentionally or unintentionally, but now faced Liu Zi's temptation, he did not express his position. He laughed and put the tea handed over by his soldiers on Liu Zi's face.
In front of me: "In the mountains and wild places, where we march, the conditions are really rough and crude. Liu Zhongshu is usually well-educated and well-educated. Don't despise our mountain spring wild tea."
Liu Zi smiled and said: "The taste of tea lies in nature. It is inspired by the sky and comes into being at the right time. Even if it is born on a wild rock, it still contains the essence of the sun and the moon. It opens the way to the charm of tea. If you pursue those famous mountain producing areas
, I want to be metaphysical, but I fall into the inferior realm.”
Some things must be believed in the destiny. Even if the destiny is born in the mountains and wild places where no one has seen, it will still be fragrant, mellow and natural. On the contrary, if the will of heaven is not yours, even if you grow up in a famous mountain, you will still be unable to find the God of nature.
marrow.
A pun, easy to understand...
Cheng Yaojin picked up the tea cup and took a sip. His copper bell-like eyes narrowed slightly. He smacked his lips and tasted the sweet aftertaste. He sighed: "Tea is just leaves and grass clippings. I don't know where it came from."
People give it various flavors. In the past, it was cooked with mutton oil and spices. Everyone praised it, and the sages in the mountains and the famous temples regarded it as an extraordinary thing. When Fang Er came up with a new method of frying tea, he found a unique way to return to his original nature, and he healed.
It has a natural and authentic taste... Everyone in the world can’t agree on which one is better and which one is worse, so who can tell which one is better?”
Don't talk about whether it is Zhengshuo or not. The essence of the past is now regarded as dross. How can we know that the dross of today cannot become the essence in the future? Times have changed, and right and wrong are not so absolute, so we should put aside the right and wrong of things themselves and talk about it.
Discuss its essence.
What is essence?
In the past, the art of making tea was regarded as an elegant thing, and was not allowed to be enjoyed by traffickers and lackeys, which represented status and power; now tea has entered thousands of households, and even the lowest porters can drink a bowl of low-grade inferior tea in their spare time.
Tea, tea is no longer a symbol of status, but it has earned Fang Jun and tea merchants all over the world a mountain of wealth, and created countless taxes for the empire.
In the final analysis, it is still profit...
Liu Zi took a sip of tea, raised his eyebrows, and said simply: "Mr. Lu, too much is too little, please listen to your subordinates and say enough is enough."
You're not going to be popular with your arbitrariness, and even if you have to agree to some outrageous conditions due to circumstances, it may not end well in the future.
Cheng Yaojin chuckled and disagreed: "When something rare is available, it is natural to ask a high price. Many people will never get such an opportunity in their lifetime, so how can they do it casually?"
Liu Zi frowned: "I came here today on the order of the emperor. The situation is urgent and I need to go back and report to His Majesty as soon as possible. I dare to ask Duke Lu. If you have any requests, please feel free to make them. Your Majesty will consider it yourself."
He didn't have much time to make detours with Cheng Yaojin here. His previous attempts to persuade Cheng Yaojin to enhance his status, voice, and compete with the military had almost died down. Cheng Yaojin was too slippery to get started.
Cheng Yaojin seemed to know that the situation was urgent and could not continue to play both sides. He paused and said slowly: "I don't ask for high-ranking officials or fiefdoms. I only ask for a promise from your majesty."
Liu Zi raised his eyebrows: "The Holy Emperor is on the throne, guarding the world on behalf of the Cang Mu. He is the Supreme Lord and the common master of the world. Thunder, rain, and dew are all your grace."
In the world, only the emperor can show favor. How can any minister ever ask for a promise from the emperor?
This is disrespectful.
Cheng Yaojin waved his hand and said impatiently: "Why bother mentioning such nonsense in front of me when you are just going to fool those rotten scholars in the lake? Back then, Emperor Taizong led us to change our fate and fight out of the siege from a dead end. He never thought that
What kind of supreme being, what kind of son of heaven? Everything depends on man, and my fate is up to me. Since I am about to contribute to your majesty's great cause of the throne, isn't it reasonable to ask for something? Don't always take some illusory things that are loyal to the emperor and patriotic. Confucius also said
'If you take the gold, you will not harm your deeds; if you don't take the gold, you will not be able to redeem anyone'."
Emperor Taizong is a holy master who is rare to meet in the ages, but even so, who would fight for Emperor Taizong for the sake of the welfare of the common people and for the sake of loyalty and patriotism? Even if there is such a person, Emperor Taizong will still reward him with high-ranking officials and noble titles.
Only then will there be people who go on and on, living towards death.
If you want people to work for you, then talk more about benefits and less about ideals...
Liu Zi was helpless and said: "Then let's talk about it. What promise do you want from Your Majesty?"
Cheng Yaojin said: "Let's forget about the past."
Liu Zi was stunned: "That's it?"
"That's it."
Liu Zi was a little curious and said: "Gong Lu, you have a lot of troops and you are a Zhenguan minister. You are still in power in the court today. There are not many Zhenguan ministers in charge of the army. You can't be touched by anyone who wants to."
Furthermore, His Majesty's generosity is well known to the world. Although you are disrespectful to His Majesty, you have never done anything treacherous from the beginning to the end. How can Your Majesty hate you and settle the score in the future?
In my opinion, you are a bit unnecessary."
If you don't mention this request, His Majesty's generosity and the situation dictate that he won't do anything to you; but with this request, it shows that you don't trust His Majesty and question His character, which are two different things.
No matter how generous or weak your Majesty is, he is still the lord of the empire. How can he be allowed to be slandered and questioned by his ministers?
The dragon has reverse scales, do you have to poke them up?
Furthermore, even if His Majesty agrees now, who knows whether he will regret it in the future? Even if His Majesty does not regret it, what about the future emperor?
It is tantamount to laying a hidden danger, which is extremely unwise...
Cheng Yaojin shook his head: "Your Majesty's generosity and benevolence are known to the world, and I deeply admire him. I absolutely believe in your Majesty's principles. It's just..."
He pointed at the group of generals in the tent: "My honor and disgrace are so small that I dare not negotiate terms with His Majesty. However, this matter involves the lives and futures of these brothers and sisters who have followed me for many years. How can I ignore it?"
?Just because Your Majesty does not pursue what I have done does not mean that others will not use our heads to flatter us. Only His Majesty’s public promise to let things go by this way can the safety and future of these people be ensured.”
All the generals in the tent were moved and said one after another: "Commander..."
Cheng Yaojin glared: "Shut up, I! This is such a big matter, how can you have any room to talk?"
Liu Zi was stunned.
With your Majesty's temperament, as long as Cheng Yaojin loyally surrenders today, it is indeed impossible to care about all the past events. But others don't know what your Majesty is thinking, and they will inevitably use the move to suppress Zuowuwei General to please your Majesty. By then, everyone in the court will be enemies.
Not to mention that the future for these people is uncertain, even if they want to save their lives, it will be difficult.
The struggle in the court was extremely cruel...
And if His Majesty openly declares that he will forget the blame, then others will have no reason to suppress the Zuowu Guard officers. Otherwise, His Majesty's credibility will be discarded. Not only will His Majesty not be happy, but he will also be very angry.
He stood up and said: "I understand, I will go back to Chang'an to report to your Majesty, and I will definitely work hard to facilitate this matter."
Cheng Yaojin didn't try to hold him back, he held up his hands and said, "Then I'll leave it to Liu Zhongshu. If it comes to pass, I, the Zuowu Guards, will remember you as a favor."
Liu Zi's heart skipped a beat. He naturally knew the weight of Cheng Yaojin's promise. Now he was fighting endlessly with the military headed by Fang Jun, which was becoming a fire and water. However, he was repeatedly humiliated because of the strength of the military. If he could get Cheng Yaojin's
With Jin's support, the situation will definitely change.
So he said with emotion: "I have always admired Duke Lu as a man who is magnanimous, selfless, mellow and simple. He is really a model for us. Today's matter is not only a crisis for the country, but also a crisis for Duke Lu. I will definitely try my best to persuade your majesty to make it happen."
This matter has nothing to do with anything but to demonstrate loyalty and fulfill one's duties! Duke Lu, please stay and I will go ahead. You can wait for the good news."
After saying this, he bowed his head to the ground, stood up again, turned around and strode away.