After the ceremony has been completed, it is already the time. When all the officials return to the city and return to their respective offices, it is already three quarters past noon, and it is time for dinner.
There was no court today and no banquet was given, so the officials all brought food. Some were colleagues or friends, most of them gathered in groups of three or five, or five or six in one room.
Li Shixian joined the army from the Taiwei Mansion. Although he was only a fifth-rank official, he couldn't bear to have a good son who was already the Duke of the country. What's more, he was directly related to Gao Zhao, the newly promoted Taiwei, by marriage, so he was very popular.
Therefore, as soon as he returned to the government office, his colleagues offered him help. Li Shixian readily agreed. Just as he was about to take his assistant to the appointment, he heard a sound of "Taiwei" being called "Taiwei" from outside the government office, and he knew that it was Gao Zhao who was looking for him.
When you treat others with courtesy, you must ask for something. Thinking of Li Chengzhi who is about to set off, Li Chengzhixian sighed secretly.
What is supposed to come will eventually come, and he has been waiting for this day for a long time.
In just a few breaths, Gao Zhao stepped through the threshold. Li Shixian called Taiwei and bowed in a leisurely manner.
Gao Zhao helped him up with a smile: "Why do we need to be polite between you and me? There are no outsiders at the moment, so just use courtesy!"
There are indeed no outsiders.
Gao Zhao only brought Gao Yun with him, and Li Shixian's assistants had been dismissed. At this time, there were only three people in the hall.
The two of them sat facing each other on the table. Gao Yun placed a copper pot on the table and placed several meat and vegetables in the food box one by one.
"Thanks to Chengzhi's unique ingenuity, he developed this product, which is most suitable for dieting in winter and spring. I can be regarded as having the blessing of Huaide..."
"The Taiwei's words are serious, but this is a trivial matter and cannot be mentioned!"
Li Shixian responded in a neither humble nor overbearing manner and was about to get the food box, but Gao Yun dared not and hurriedly stopped him.
Gao Zhao narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the food Gao Yun took out from the food box.
A plate of cold-cut mutton and a plate of crystal pork knuckles. There are also plates of soy sauce and green alfalfa sprouts.
The meat slices are cut as thin as paper pages. They are all stacked one on top of the other, but one plate is shaped like a pagoda, and the other is shaped like a lotus. Even the pickles are rolled up next to each other, and they are all confusing just by looking at them.
It feels pleasing to the eye.
When the aroma entered his nose, Gao Zhao moved his index finger.
They all say that they never tire of fine food and fine food, but when it comes to the art of making a tripod, who in the world can surpass Li Chengzhi?
And if you are plowing the fields in Xixi today, how can you be so knowledgeable if you don't know it from birth?
But why don’t you want to use such a talented person for me?
Feeling regretful in his heart, Gao Zhao was not polite. He picked up his chopsticks and took two slices into his mouth. He sincerely praised: "Huaide is a blessing!"
"Prince Lieutenant!"
Li Shixian, a humble person, raised the porcelain urn again, and the wine cup in front of Zhao Gao was filled with wine.
"This is made from the osmanthus fragrant flowers picked from Huaiyang by Chengzhi in the mid-autumn season last year. It has a strong aroma, and it doesn't burn your throat like strong wine. Let's have a try!"
Gao Zhao paused for a moment, and just now he felt that the delicacies in the world were nothing more than this, but now it felt like chewing meat.
Seeing those plates of food, Gao Zhao made some guesses. Seeing the osmanthus wine, he was already convinced.
If Li Chengzhi is already exhausted and restless, how can Li Shixian be so elegant?
Then why is Li Chengzhi not in a hurry?
Or is it true, as he said, that the so-called Hexi Relics were wiped out by Rouran when he invaded the Six Towns, so he is not afraid of the imperial court inspecting the West Sea at all?
Even so, Li Chengzhi should rely on him, the Gao family.
Or maybe he has already predicted that if the Gao family rebels, they will definitely be defeated?
Gao Zhao's intuition is not the reason.
Even if the Hexi Remaining Tribe could easily wipe out the Du Lun Tribe, which had tens of thousands of elite cavalry, within ten days, how could they be destroyed by Rouran silently?
But no matter how few there are, there are at least tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians. If not hiding in Hexi, where can they be hidden?
Therefore, there is no guarantee that it is not Li Chengzhi's bluff, so he sits calmly. Maybe on the way out of Beijing to Pingzhou, he will secretly rush to the West Sea...
Thinking about this, Gao Zhao felt a lot more relaxed. He took the wine cup from Li Shixian and took a shallow sip.
"In five or six days, Chengzhi will set off for Pingzhou, right?"
Gao Zhao put down his wine cup and said with concern, "I haven't talked to him in detail this day, and I don't know how he arranges his family. Do you need my help?"
Discuss in detail?
Which year is Gao Zhao talking about?
The two of them were not only ministers in the same palace, but also military attachés. Gao Zhao had moved to the rank of Taiwei and became the head of the military generals. Li Chengzhi had also become General Pingdong, and all four towns were leading troops. Therefore, whenever they participated in the dynasty, the two of them were not only
In the same class, Li Chengzhi stood behind Gao Zhao.
It's just that Li Chengzhi was too lazy to lie to him. When he met Gao Zhao, being able to give him up was already his greatest limit, let alone talk in detail?
Li Shixian secretly slandered, but his face didn't show a trace of it: "He only got married for a few days, so all his wives and concubines went to Pingzhou with him. Other than that, everything is as before!"
Li Chengzhi had all reported this to Gao Ying, how could Gao Zhao not know about it?
He said oh, "If you want to be virtuous, there is no harm in moving the whole family to Pingzhou."
Hmm?
Li Shixian was stunned for a moment, with countless thoughts running through his mind: "If I had no official position, I would be fine. But now that my father and son are all officials in the capital, how can this be done?"
Gao Zhao laughed and said, "This is the same time as that. I came today to inform Huaide that in the near future, the imperial court will send envoys to the north to transport grain to the northern states for disaster relief. I want Huaide to lead the army to escort the transportation, and then
Let Chenghong and Chenghong accompany you. Firstly, I can take care of you, and secondly, I can share some of the military merits.
By then, there will be no more men in your house, and there will be many inconveniences. Therefore, it is better to ask Chengzhi to invite the Queen Mother before departure, and take them to Pingzhou, so as to save your father and son from worries..."<
/p>
To save my father and son from worries, how can Gao Zhao be so kind?
There is no better son than a father!
Although Li Shixian was very puzzled as to why Li Chengzhi hated Gao Zhao, who saved his life, more than Yuan Ying, who plotted to assassinate him, he at least knew that his son regarded Gao Zhao as his life-and-death enemy and did not hide it at all.<
/p>
In this case, how could Gao Zhao repay evil with kindness?
He had a gut feeling that Gao Zhao most likely wanted to harm Li Chengzhi again, but he couldn't figure it out for a while, so he could only fight.
"I will discuss it with him after I return home. I would like to thank Taiwei in advance..."
Li Shixian was smiling all over his face. Gao Zhao only glanced at him, then lowered his eyelids and urged Li Shixian to eat.
But Gao Yun, who was standing on one side, had eyes like lights, and his gaze seemed to be fixed on Li Shixian's face.
But Li Shixian was as steady as an old dog. He ate when he needed to, drank when he needed to, and laughed when he needed to laugh. Gao Yun's eyes were sore, but he still didn't see any abnormalities on Li Shixian's face.
The drinking lasted until Shenshi. When he heard that the officials in the government offices on the left and right were getting ready to go off duty, Gao Zhaocai stood up and said goodbye to Li Shixian with lingering thoughts.
Before leaving, Li Shixian also asked Li Chengzhi to tell Li Chengzhi that if he had time, he could let Li Chengzhi take Gao Wenjun to Gaofu. He said that it was time to part ways, and he didn't know when he would see Gao Wenjun again in the future, so Princess Gaoping shed tears every day.
.
Li Shixian wholeheartedly agreed, saying that he would definitely tell the story, and respectfully sent Gao Zhao out of the government office.
Seeing this scene, colleagues were even more envious. They all thought that Li Shixian would rise to the top. Only these two brothers knew it well...
……
Both parties returned to their mansions. When they got off the car, Gao Zhao's face was still full of warmth, making people feel like a spring breeze. But as soon as Fang stepped into the study, his face fell suddenly, and he was so gloomy that he seemed to be dripping with water.
As the saying goes, a city is like a mountain, calm and composed. There are people whose face does not change when the mountain collapses in front of them. There are also people who do not show any water when talking and keep their mouths tight.
But knowing that I want to harm you, you still smile happily, treat me like a close relative, and don't show even a trace of your composure for several hours. There are absolutely few people like the morning star.
At least Gao Zhaozong has been in the officialdom for decades, and I have never seen it.
If Li Shixian was so capable, why would he have been trapped in Jingzhou for decades and wasted half his life?
He already had a conclusion in his mind, but Gao Zhao refused to give up: "What do you think?"
Gao Yun quickly got down and said, "As a servant, Li Shixian doesn't know anything about it!"
Not knowing, really not knowing?
Gao Zhao sighed, as if his bones had been taken away, and he leaned back softly.
Gao Yun was shocked and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that although Gao Zhao's face was ugly, his eyes were still open.
Just because he was afraid, the head of the family couldn't bear the bad news and passed away.
Gao Yun bit Ya and persuaded in a low voice: "Li Chengzhi uses his talents and has a heroic appearance, so he may not be able to do extraordinary things. If the servant is bold, there is no guarantee that he will not cut off his tail to save life..."
"Haha..." Gao Zhao suddenly sneered, "Gao Yun, do you believe this? Why do I need your comfort? Go down!"
Gao Yun was so impressed that he respectfully stepped back. Gao Zhao let out a sigh of relief.
Li Chengzhi, Li Chengzhi, what do you want?
Doing an extraordinary act and cutting off the tail to save life?
If Li Chengzhi hadn't valued love and justice, he would have used Yuan Jia's design to make Gao Wenjun regret his marriage when he returned to the Gao family. Why would he feel sick when he saw his old face, and had to hold back his nausea and call him "uncle"? If Li Chengzhi could do extraordinary things, why would he need to put himself in danger many times to save the late emperor in times of crisis?
It is even less likely that he and Gao Zhao will be at odds with each other because of the lives of several retainers.
You treat your wives, concubines, Yuan Ke, and a few retainers so seriously, not to mention your biological parents?
So Gao Yun himself doesn’t believe this.
Li Shixian would never be able to regard his mortal enemy as a brother and be friendly and cheerful from beginning to end.
So there is only one possibility: Li Shixian doesn’t know anything.
With just a few glimpses, one can conclude that Li Chengzhi will never cause trouble, at least not for the time being.
Otherwise, he would at least discuss with Li Shixian how to escape at the critical moment, and Li Shixian would look confused when he heard that he wanted him to lead troops and protect food to the North.
But now that I have taken the initiative to save him from worries, what should he do?
Gao Zhao thought over and over again, but in the end he had no clue. He fell asleep unknowingly...
……
Li Chengzhi's hand holding the porcelain cup suddenly stiffened: "Gao Zhao will send his father to the north to protect the food supply soon, and will his eldest brother and third brother accompany the army?"
"That's right!"
Seeing the murderous intent in Li Chengzhi's eyes, Li Shixian's heart rang with alarm, "But it's inappropriate?"
More than inappropriate?
This old thief is not only paving the way for the remnants to rebel, but he is also taking his father and two brothers as hostages: If you don’t rebel, then I will force you to rebel!
This is not food shipped to provide disaster relief and rescue the people. It is clearly military food shipped to the North to help the rebels in their uprising.
Regardless of whether Li Shixian obeys or not, as long as this food falls into the hands of traitors, he will be punished by death...
Li Chengzhi felt that the 36,000 pores in his body were full of anger, and he wanted to rush into the city with a knife and chop Gao Zhao.
But after a moment's thought, he suddenly calmed down again.
I am confused myself.
It is true that Gao Zhao is a Taiwei. As an official, his father naturally has to obey his orders. But whether to transport grain to the north is not Gao Zhao's final decision.
Since you are so anxious, I will help you add fuel to the fire...
Li Chengzhi made up his mind and smiled: "The captain has good intentions, what can be wrong? When the imperial court issues an edict, father will leave."
Fart!
If Gao Zhao has good intentions, why are you gritting your teeth?
In just a few breaths, Li Chengzhi's face changed several times, just like a magic trick. Li Shixian was anxious, annoyed and ashamed.
If he hadn't been self-righteous and contacted Li Song without telling Li Chengzhi, why would he have caused all kinds of troubles, and even caused Li Chengzhi to almost be assassinated in the street?
Li Shixian's intestines turned green with regret, and he always warned himself: Even if he couldn't help Li Chengzhi, he would never hold him back again.
So since Li Chengzhi was assassinated, whenever he didn't want to explain, Li Shixian would never ask.
At this moment, he was as anxious as a cat scratching his head, and he was filled with ten thousand doubts, but he gritted his teeth, fearing to embarrass Li Chengzhi.
After enduring it for a while, Li Shixian felt even more sad when he saw that Li Chengzhi had already wandered away from the world. He raised his glass and drank it down in one gulp, and then said in a low voice: "As a father, if Chenghong and Chenghong study in the north, how will the family be settled?"<
/p>
Li Chengzhi woke up from a dream and sighed leisurely: "Father, don't panic. I will go to court tomorrow and consult the Taiwei before I make a decision!"
What if he could ask Gao Zhao for advice? He was just perfunctory with Li Shixian.
If it is true as Gao Zhao said, please ask Gao Ying to bring everyone to the fiefdom. What should Yuan Cheng and others think?
I'm afraid that before I even set off, Xiuyiwei's spies were arranged from the capital to Pingzhou.
Gao Zhao's trick of making a sound in the east, attacking in the west, and causing trouble in the east is getting increasingly slippery...
Li Shixian was fooled away with a few words, and Li Chengzhi wrote quickly, writing in just a moment.
It's still the same as before, even a child studying in school can recognize most of them, but if they are connected together, they are like a book from heaven.
After sealing the letter and covering it with wax, Li Chengzhi called Li Cong in.
"Sent to Xiazhou overnight and ordered the messenger to hand it over to Li Feng. Then he told him that it was my own words: Don't wait any longer, start immediately, the sooner the better..."
"Ah?"
This simple sentence made Li Cong's face turn pale, and after just a few breaths, fine cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Is this rebellion, even if it means forcing others to rebel?
The man is probably not far away either.
But what should the mistress and others who stayed in Beijing do?
Li Chengzhi guessed what Li Cong was thinking at just one glance, and Li Chengzhi's face sank: "Keep your duty and say nothing if it's not your place!"
Li Cong was so frightened that he even said he didn't dare.
Seeing him leave, Li Chengzhi sighed sadly: It seems that he is still too tolerant...