Li Kuo's face froze, and the smile on his face instantly turned to stone.
Zhang Yanji's tone was very cold, like the cold rain in late autumn, with a refreshing chill in it.
Looking at his friend with a solemn expression in front of him, Li Kuo felt a little strange for a moment.
He was dressed in white, but with a hint of solemnity wrapped in his plain white, he attacked Li Kuo.
No, it's not. His friend was supposed to be a handsome young man who was free from disputes, outgoing and free-spirited. Why is he now tainted with such a strong aura of depression? Ever since the battle at the suburban drugstore, he seemed to have changed.
, I always have some scruples when talking to others, and I am much more stubborn in doing things than before.
Seeing Li Kuo's pale face, Zhang Yanji said anxiously: "Brother Kuo'er, what's wrong with you? If what I say is wrong, you just don't listen. Anyway, it's you who makes the decision from the beginning to the end, so I'll give this life to you."
Accompany the general in, and I recognize you as a brother!"
Li Kuo's face gradually softened, and a wry smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Look at what you said. If I have annoyed you just because of this, am I worthy of you calling me 'Brother Kuo' all day and night?"
"You have a conscience!" Zhang Yanji beamed with joy and immediately gave Li Kuo a hug on the neck. Du Jingtian was so frightened that he ducked to his side and scolded him hurriedly.
Waving to show that he was fine, Li Kuo sighed and said softly, "Since ancient times, kings have hated forming cliques for personal gain, and those courtiers who have frequent friendships with princes rarely have a happy ending. No matter how powerful the Eastern Dynasty is, it is not as good as for His Majesty.
As a minister, the world still belongs to His Majesty. Besides, nowadays, the saints are heroic, and His Highness is cautious, walking on thin ice, and most avoid forming cliques. My young master often told me that as a minister, you must "never stick together, never stick together, never cling to each other"
"Take it off." When you get closer, your Majesty will feel depressed and disgusted; when you are far away, Your Majesty will feel lost and disgusted. Only by being neither hasty nor lazy can you satisfy Your Majesty."
Zhang Yanji scratched his head and said suspiciously: "But Fatty An is like an armyworm, calling for godfather and godmother all day long, but look at who in the entire Tang Dynasty is more honored and favored than the right minister."
.”
Li Kuo was stunned for a long time, and then he burst into laughter. The Fatty An mentioned by Zhang Yanji was undoubtedly An Lushan, the prince of Dongping County, Fanyang, Pinglu, and Hedong towns. It was funny to say that An Lushan was a Hu man. Damn it.
With military merit, he was promoted from a soldier to the governor of the Three Towns. He was already a very popular minister, but he was still not satisfied, so he worshiped the imperial concubine and became an adopted son. In this way, his seniority is equal to that of the Prince of Dongping County.
It's a match for the title. It's just funny to think about asking a man in his forties to call a woman who is ten years younger than him mother.
"Hu'er is honest and straightforward, and behaves casually. Why would you compare him to him? Nowadays, the saints have more trust in Hu'er. If they act like this, the saints will feel that they are more loyal. If you are like this, there is no guarantee that you will be
There is no charge of individual conspiracy."
Zhang Yanji curled his lips and said: "Sage, you are partial. General Wang Zhongsi repeatedly defeated the Turks and made great achievements in the Tang Dynasty. Just because he had a banquet with His Royal Highness, he was fabricated by a traitor to pay a private visit to the Crown Prince.
He was dismissed from his post and imprisoned for the crime. He, Fatty An, is just a bastard, but the saint has great trust in him."
Li Kuo tapped his friend's eyebrows lightly and said: "Your Majesty, you and I can't criticize you at will. As ministers, you must be careful in your words and deeds. If someone with a heart listens to you, you will definitely suffer."
Zhang Yanji shrugged and said, "It doesn't matter. I, a little fish and shrimp, can't get into the eyes of those gods, but you have a bright future. I'm afraid you won't be able to be carefree in the future."
"Now that things have come to this, we can only let nature take its course. It's up to people to plan things, and it's up to God to make things happen. Do your job well, and let him take care of the rest."
"Hey, hey, hey, I said you two were talking and laughing, singing and chatting so happily. You actually left me aside, you are really asking for a beating." Du Jingtian jumped over and knocked Zhang Yanji on the forehead.
superior.
"Hey, my aunt, can you please be gentle? You think my head is an iron pot, are you the one who knocks it like this?" Zhang Yanji rubbed his forehead and huddled back.
"It's you who's being beaten. Your head is still a lump anyway, and it won't be resuscitated unless you beat it!"
"Did I offend you..."
Li Kuo walked up to Du Jingtian and said, "Okay, Ah Tian, please stop saying a few words." After a slight pause, Li Kuo turned around and winked at Zhang Yanji: "You came all the way here not only to give me
Can I tell you the good news?"
Zhang Yanji pouted and said: "Of course not. If you didn't tell me, I would have almost forgotten. I got the news through the Ministry of Internal Affairs that you were given the position of guest of the crown prince, so I sent me to inform you. Although this is a casual job,
You don’t have to pray every day, but you need to go to the East Palace to see His Highness as usual. His Highness knew that you were injured, so he asked the saint for a favor, eliminating the need for complicated regulations such as the edict of the eunuch. However, the etiquette should not be taken lightly, so you should hurry up and follow
I will go to the East Palace to see His Highness."
"Going now? I haven't prepared anything yet. I'd better take a shower and change clothes first..."
Zhang Yanji rolled his eyes at Li Kuo and said, "Is there any reason to bargain when Your Highness summons you? Don't worry, His Highness is very easy-going and never pays attention to these red tapes." After saying that, he couldn't help but pull Li Kuo out of the house.
Li Kuo stumbled.
"Ah Tian, you go back to the teahouse first. I will go to Tongji Square to find you later..." Li Kuo turned his neck and shouted into the back room.
"Damn Xiao Qi! Come back early and I'll prepare fried eggs for you~~~"
"good..."
In the blink of an eye, the two of them got on Zhang's carriage and headed straight towards the imperial city.
The East Palace is in the far north of Chang'an City, far away from Andefang. Even though the horses assigned by Zhang Mansion are strong, it took half an hour before they arrived at Anshang's gate. When they arrived at the gate of the city, the Jinwu guards who were on duty ordered the carriage to stop for inspection.
Zhang Yanji jumped down, walked closer in a few steps, and handed the waist badge of the Vice Minister to Jinwu's guard for inspection. After checking and confirming that it was correct, the guard waved his hand to indicate that the two of them could pass. Li Kuo jumped down lightly.
The carriage entered the Imperial City of the Tang Dynasty together with Zhang Yanji.
Chang'an City is a magnificent building, consisting of an outer city and an inner city. The inner city contains the imperial city, and the imperial city houses the palace city. Except for a few official yamen such as Jingzhao Mansion and Imperial College, many yamen in the center of the Tang Dynasty are located in the imperial city.
Therefore, the security in the city is very important. Every few dozen steps, you can see the Jinwu guards holding swords on duty. Li Kuo and Zhang Yanji walked slowly on the wide bluestone road, looking around at the towering city walls sandwiching the city on both sides.
, while sighing at the majesty of the imperial city, a sense of pride arose spontaneously. This was the pride that belonged to the people of the Tang Dynasty, and it entrusted the young talents with their little hopes for the future.
The laws of the Tang Dynasty stipulate that horse racing is not allowed in the imperial city, so even the prime minister of the dynasty had to dismount his horse and walk when entering the imperial city. From time to time, green-robed officials returning from the imperial court came along the two streets of the city. When they saw the two young men, they all sighed.
He took a breath, shook his head and left.
Zhang Yanji snorted lightly and pulled Li Kuo forward at a faster pace.
The palace city is located due north of Chang'an City, with Yeting Palace on the left and East Palace on the right. The two of them walked in a hurry and arrived in front of the Yanxi Gate of the East Palace, sweating profusely.
A waiting Xiaohuangmen at the gate of the city saw the two approaching and hurriedly came forward and said: "Hey, you two are so worried about the Zajia family. His Highness personally ordered the Zajia family to bring the two young men into the palace before Shen Shi. This
It's only been three hours, and if you two don't come, I'm afraid you won't be able to enter the palace today."
Zhang Yanji asked doubtfully: "Eunuch Wang, isn't it true that the palace gates are locked only during the You period? Why is the East Palace so special?"
Xiao Huangmen, whose surname is Wang, said with a confused look on his face: "Zhang Xiaolangjun, look at what you said, why is our East Palace so special? Your Majesty has a rule that His Highness cannot receive foreign ministers for more than two hours a day. Your Highness usually spends breakfast and afternoon.
He is a scholar, so the daily meetings with foreign ministers are placed before Shen Shi..."
Zhang Yanji shrugged and said, "That's it. I'd like to help you, Your Majesty Wang, to lead the way." After saying that, he took out a piece of silver from his sleeve and gave it to the eunuch named Wang.
The chamberlain surnamed Wang immediately burst into laughter and said harmoniously: "Why are the young man and the Za family so polite? If His Highness knows..."
Zhang Yanji coughed lightly: "This is a gift that Zhang gave to his friends because he admired my father-in-law as a person. It is different from others."
"Hey, you two gentlemen will go with the Za family."
The two of them followed the footsteps of Xiaohuang Gate and entered Yanxi Gate one after another. They walked along the palace wall, turned from a side gate, and arrived in front of a side hall.
The little Huangmen turned around and smiled at the two of them and said, "You two young gentlemen, please wait for a moment until the Za family goes to report." After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the palace.
The two stood in front of the palace gate with their hands hanging, looking at each other silently. After about half a cup of tea, the little yellow gate trotted out of the side hall. When they got closer, they lightly wiped the sweat on their foreheads and said: "Your Highness
I have just finished practicing calligraphy and asked the Za family to ask the two gentlemen to wait in the outer room for a while. After His Highness washes his hands, he will come to receive you two."
Zhang Yanji nodded to him and said softly: "Thank you, father-in-law." Then he and Li Kuo walked towards the side hall.