Knowing that Li Demao's coming would not be a good thing, Li Ji could not turn him away, so he had to lead his brothers and nephews to open the middle door and welcome him into the mansion.
Several large carts entered the mansion and were led to the warehouse by the stewards of the British government. Li Demao entered the main hall under the respectful welcome of brother Li Ji.
Li Demao is about forty years old. He has a thick and shiny beard on his chin, which is neatly groomed. He has an elegant face and a slender figure. He is a very gentle man. His speech and behavior are also elegant and easy-going, and his smile is warm.
"Oops, because I was out of Beijing on business a few days ago, I couldn't come to my house in time to send New Year's gifts. I have been feeling uneasy, so I know that today is not the right time to send gifts but I have to come. I hope you will forgive me for my disrespect. Na."
Li Demao has a gentle smile and sincere words.
Everyone in the Li family complained from the bottom of their hearts: You also know that today is not a good time to give gifts?
From ancient times to the present, there is no one who goes to other people’s homes to give gifts on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month...
However, this kind of thing is a bit taboo for those who give gifts, but it is not inappropriate for those who receive gifts. Therefore, when people come with New Year gifts, the British government cannot turn them away.
Li Ji smiled and said: "The Duke's fists are so heart-felt that the ministers are inexplicably grateful. All the men in the mansion are fighting in battles. They don't know so many etiquettes and don't have any taboos. The Duke can come, and the whole mansion is full of glory." "
Li Bi on the side also said: "Since the Duke is here, let's have a few drinks."
Li Demao hurriedly waved his hand and shook his head: "No, no, today's visit to give gifts is too abrupt, how can we stay for a meal? Thank you for your kindness, I will leave right away."
Li Ji held the pot and made tea with his own hands: "Your Majesty, please have tea."
No one has ever given a New Year's gift on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month. Since Li Demao did, the whole city of Chang'an must have spread the news by now, and they are extremely curious about this new thing.
Obviously this is Li Demao's purpose.
But is that all?
Not necessarily visible.
Li Ji concluded that something must be wrong with Li Demao.
Sure enough, Li Demao took a sip of tea and put down the cup, looked at Li Ji and said: "I'm very happy to hear that Your Majesty has appointed Duke Ying to inspect the left and right Jinwu Guards. These two armies will be the most important guard forces in Chang'an City in the future. Duke Ying If we can hold it in our hands, the capital will be fortified, and your majesty will have peace of mind from now on."
Li Jidao: "Your Majesty has your trust, and I will not hesitate to do anything to you. However, this matter involves a lot, and I am not involved in it at the moment."
Li Demao said: "Young Master is not only the first person in the court, but also the first person in the army. He is the flag of millions of soldiers in the Tang Dynasty. Now that your Majesty is reorganizing military affairs and increasing the defense of the capital, Ying Gong should stand up and do his duty. How can we belittle ourselves?" , causing the military rectification to be entrusted to non-human beings?”
This is a bit unpleasant to say. Li Ji is indeed still the number one in the army. Fang Jun has great military exploits, but his qualifications are incomparable and cannot be replaced. But Li Ji is by no means the only one in the army. If these words spread, the only As a result, Li Ji became the target of public criticism, causing jealousy and estrangement among various factions in the army.
Li Bi smiled and gave Li Demao a refill of water: "The Duke is so concerned about the reorganization of the Jinwu Guards, but there is a nephew who wants to be involved?"
It’s time to have New Year’s Eve dinner in a while. Are you tired of going around in circles?
Let’s get straight to the point and explain it clearly...
Li Demao was stunned for a moment, looked at Li Bi, and thought to himself, isn't this the process of asking for help? They always have to compliment each other politely, and then take advantage of the situation to say what they want. How can they be so forthright from the beginning?
Doing things this way is really rough and difficult to achieve elegance.
However, he also knew that Li Ji had always had great trust in Li Bi, and his younger brother was almost always in charge of the affairs of the clan, even his eldest son Li Zhen was a little inferior.
So he smiled slightly awkwardly and said: "Haha, I'm being hypocritical..."
Then he turned to Li Ji and said, "I'll be honest here. Although Xiuzinian is weak, he has accomplished nothing. The many official positions assigned to him are not satisfactory. He only wants to join the army and make contributions. I heard that Yinggong inspected the left and right Jinwu guards. In order to reorganize him, he took the liberty to come to the door and beg the British Duke to grant him a half-official position to serve the country. I wonder what the British Duke would like? "
It stands to reason that with Li Demao's status as a member of the clan, coupled with the seniority and seniority of his father Li Shenfu, anyone with such a request would have to give some face.
It's just a position in the military, and it can be high or low. Why should you reject people thousands of miles away and offend them for nothing?
Li Ji took a sip of tea and said calmly: "I'm afraid that I will disappoint the county prince. Unless the lower official shirks it, I really have no intention of interfering in the reorganization of Jinwu Guard, so naturally I have to arrange personnel."
Li Demao was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, I have sent all the gifts for this year, and they have all been unloaded into your warehouse at this moment, so why can't I just ask you for such a small thing?
He said hurriedly: "Why is this? His Majesty officially appointed the Duke of Ying in the Political Hall, and it is known to both the government and the public. How can the Duke refuse and not accept the appointment?"
Li Ji shook his head: "The disputes are quite deep. It's difficult to explain them in detail. I hope the Duke can forgive me."
If you come to your house on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month to give you gifts, it will definitely make the whole city known, and then you ask An to take care of your nephew. What are you worried about?
If he agrees today, others will inevitably suspect that he has something to do with Li Shenfu...
As for the clan, he avoided it for fear of not getting close to him, so how could he stick to it?
Li Demao's face darkened. He really didn't dare to get angry in front of Li Ji, but he still wanted to show his dissatisfaction: "I personally came to give gifts, but Yinggong didn't even give me such a little face? Is it possible that my father has to come? Did you just get a military position?"
Li Bi and Li Gan both looked at their elder brother worriedly. Although Li Shenfu had no power, he was very senior and was a major faction in the clan. Now that Li Shenfu had been hiding for many years and suddenly appeared in front of others, he must have some conspiracy. It would be unwise to have a grudge against him at this time.
But how nurturing is Li Ji? The more aggressive Li Demao is, the more he knows that he cannot be tainted.
Immediately said in a cold voice: "It is a matter of authority, and more importantly, the safety of the capital. Even if your Majesty the Prince of Xiangyi County comes here in person, I will not violate the principle. If you want to join the Jinwu Guards, you can submit an application to the Ministry of War and Gao Kan , as long as you pass the review, you can naturally join the Left and Right Jinwu Guards."
Li Demao's face was ashen and he could no longer sit still. He stood up suddenly, cupped his fists and said, "Goodbye!"
Without saying a word, he strode outside.
Everyone in the Li family followed closely behind him and sent him out of the door...
Seeing Li Demao angrily boarding the car and leaving, Li Bi worriedly said: "Brother, why would you offend someone like this? Li Shenfu has been hiding for many years and suddenly jumps up and down. He must have a big intention. If he offends him now, he is afraid of being plotted by him."
People at their level are most directly aware of the turmoil within the clan. Everyone knows that Li Shenfu will definitely rely on his seniority to cause trouble. Since Li Ji stood by and stayed out of the two rebellions before, shouldn't he do it now? So?
If Li Demao comes to ask for help, then give him a face. Outsiders can't say anything, so why offend him?
Li Ji ignored him, turned around and said to the steward of the mansion: "Put the New Year's gift that Li Demao just sent to him into the car and send it back. The car will drive around the city a little longer so that more people can see it."
Li Bi: "..."
Well, I might as well not persuade him. If I just offended Li Demao by rejecting him, then returning his annual gift to him in the same way would be a clear distinction and a grudge would be established from now on.
"Here."
The manager agreed and quickly took people to load the New Year gifts into the car.
Several people returned to the hall and took their seats. Li Bi wanted to say more, but Li Ji raised his hand to stop him: "This matter ends here, don't talk about it anymore. You should also pay attention to draw a clear line with the clan from today on, no matter what Everyone must stay far away. The Li family is His Majesty's ministers, not the clan's. The Li family's children are only loyal to Your Majesty, and they must keep this in mind no matter where they are."
Although he initially stayed out of the mutiny, he stayed by Li Chengqian's side. This was done to leave some room for him, and he was not willing to achieve great success and shock the leader, but it did not mean that he would fall to the side of the rebels.
But it is obvious that the children of the Li family cannot understand this truth now, which makes him very worried. If the situation changes in the future and he is no longer around, will some of his children get confused and do stupid things for the so-called "loyalty"? ?
The Li family can only be loyal to the emperor.
Whoever is the emperor will be loyal to him.
If he was not the emperor, why should hundreds of members of the Li family be loyal?
*****
Li Demao was humiliated by Li Ji's face-to-face rejection and angrily returned to the Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion. After entering the main hall, he saw his father and his younger brother were there. He sat down on a chair and drank a sip of tea first to calm down his anger. Unexpectedly, instead He became more and more angry, struck the case several times, and cursed: "Li Ji, a common man, has gone too far in bullying others!"
Li Shenfu was sitting at the top. He had lost both energy and blood as he got older, and winter was the hardest. So even though he was sitting in the hall, he was still wearing a thick brocade robe and a snow-white fox fur around his neck, holding a tea cup. After taking a sip, he glanced at Li Demao, his eyelids drooped again, and he sighed slightly.
His eldest son died of illness in the first two years, and his second son Li Demao is the eldest among his legitimate sons, but now he can't even handle such a little thing. If he is the head of the household and inherits the title in the future, this Xiangyi County I am afraid that the palace will not be passed down for several generations...
The youngest son Li Wenqian hurriedly asked: "What's going on?"
Li Demao said angrily: "That man refused in person and showed no mercy at all. It's simply abominable!"
Li Wenzhen complained: "I just said you can't mention this matter just today when you go to give New Year's gifts. It's so eye-catching. How can Li Ji not take more precautions?"
He did not agree with Li Demao's approach. If it had been anyone else, going to the door like this today would have forced the other party to compromise and have to agree to Li Demao's plea. Otherwise, he would have completely offended the Prince of Xiangyi County.
But who is Li Ji?
How could he be afraid of offending the Prince of Xiangyi County?
Not to mention the mere king of Xiangyi County, even the princes such as the King of Wei and the King of Shu are not taken seriously by others!
Li Demao was also a little aggrieved: "Isn't this what my father asked me to do?"
Li Wenjian also looked at Li Shenfu, but hesitated to speak.
Li Shenfu knocked on the table and cursed: "You two idiots, what does it matter if Li Ji agrees or not? As long as our family goes there today, the goal has been achieved. Is it possible that we really want to put our children in the right and left?" Jin Wuwei?”
Li Demao and Li Wenqian were confused and puzzled.
The steward of the mansion suddenly came in from outside and reported: "Li Ji sent someone to deliver back the New Year's gift he had just sent. Moreover, the gift-delivery vehicle circled around Chang'an City for a long time. Now many people know that the mansion is going there today. A gift to Li Ji."
Li Demao and Li Wenjian were furious: "How can it be so? They are so arrogant and arrogant?"
Li Shenfu breathed a sigh of relief.
It's Li Ji after all, he's really thoughtful...
There is never any so-called truth in the world, there are only fists and cannons. If you want to be reasonable, you must make your fists harder and harder and the cannons hit farther and farther.