After leaving the gate of the British Duke's Mansion, Luo Tong got into the sedan chair and immediately frowned.
Even though he looked confident in front of Zhang Shi and others, in fact, he was not very sure about the matter of Knocking Que.
After all, there has been no such precedent since the founding of the People's Republic of China.
However, after pinching the list in his hand, he felt a little more at ease.
At least, with these people, even if I can't convince that person, I finally have the qualifications to fight in the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
The rain is still falling and the road is a little muddy.
Even if the bearers Luo Tong found were good, walking in such weather would inevitably be a bit unstable.
The swaying sedan chair made Luo Tong a little upset. Just as he was about to scold him, the swaying sedan chair suddenly stopped.
Opening the small sedan curtain beside him, Luo Tong's displeased voice came out: "What's wrong?"
The entourage wearing raincoats and bamboo hats immediately came over and said: "Sir, there is a carriage blocking the front. He claims to be from the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion. Please come forward and talk to me."
Renli?
Luo Tong opened the thick sedan curtain in front of him and saw a luxurious carriage parked on the road ahead.
Ning Yuan Hou Renli stood under the umbrella with his hands behind his back and made a gesture of invitation to him.
After only a moment of hesitation, Luo Tong immediately stepped down from the sedan with a smile on his face. Regardless of the rain outside, he quickly stepped forward and cupped his hands.
“Master Lao is waiting here, and Luo is too ashamed to do so.”
The young men of Luo Tong's family quickly held up umbrellas to protect their master.
Ren Li nodded reservedly and said.
"It's getting late, and it's the curfew. If I run into the censor on my way back home, it will be a big trouble. Mr. Luo is in the Metropolitan Procuratorate. I think the censor wouldn't dare to offend me, so he is willing to escort me.
?”
This is telling lies with open eyes. If he is appointed as a prince in the auditorium, no censor who patrols the city without a long-sighted mind would dare to block his way.
However, Luo Tong seemed unaware and politely raised his hand and said: "It is an honor for Luo to go with Ren Hou. How dare you refuse."
Hence, he turned around and gave a few instructions, asking the bearers to carry the sedan back to the mansion first, while he took the servant and followed Ren Li to the carriage of Ningyuan Houfu.
The carriage is so spacious that even if five or six people sit together, they will not feel crowded at all.
Ren Li and Luo Tong were sitting opposite each other in the carriage. The rain was pattering, and Luo Tong was the first to speak.
“Today at the British Government House, I would like to thank Marquis Ren for speaking up for Luo. I just don’t know that Marquis Ren specifically stopped Luo. What’s the matter?”
To be honest, Luo Tong and Ren Li did not have a deep friendship before today, and they were just a nod at most.
But today in the British government, Ren Li's words are indeed biased towards himself.
Even when he and Uncle Ning Yang had a conflict, Ren Li was the first to stand up and stand between them.
Luo Tong has been in the imperial court for so many years, so this gesture of goodwill can still be understood.
It's just that he doesn't quite understand why Ren Li did this, but now it seems that he is obviously going to get the answer.
As expected, Ren Li sighed softly, and spoke as if sighing.
“Master Luo, don’t worry too much. Today at the British Government House, I saw that you were sincere, but you were questioned in this way. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of empathy, so I said a few more words without any other intention.”
Luo Tong raised his eyebrows, became interested, shook his head and said.
“Marquis Ren is joking, you are responsible for the great victory at Zijingguan, you have been promoted to a high rank, and you are in the limelight. Now you are in charge of the Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese Army. Who among the nobles in Beijing can compete with you? How could you feel the same as Luo?”
Ren Li's face became more and more sad, he sighed heavily and said.
“It’s just vain flattery. Who knows about my difficulties?”
As he spoke, Ren Li looked at Luo Tong sincerely and continued.
“Although I have no friendship with Mr. Luo before, I have always heard that Mr. Luo is well-rounded in both civil and military affairs and has great ambitions. When I meet him today, he is truly worthy of his reputation.”
“In this case, I would like to speak to Mr. Luo from my heart. You and I are now considered our own people and work together for the Supreme Emperor. However, Mr. Luo should understand that people like you and me are actually in a very awkward position.”
Luo Tong's eyes flashed, but immediately he looked like he didn't understand and asked, "Why did the Marquis say this?"
Hearing this, Ren Li hesitated a little and was not sure what Luo Tong meant. After thinking for a moment, he continued to ask.
"Now that you and I are our own people, Lord Luo shouldn't be so different from each other. How old I am to Lord Luo, so I will ask him to call Lord Luo to learn from the ancient times. In private, Lord Luo does not need to call me Lord
For Mr. Hou, is this a good thing?"
Xuegu is the character of Luo Tong.
In official circles, people are generally addressed by their positions, indicating that they only have official business dealings. If they are addressed by title, either one party is the elder of the other party, or the two have a close relationship.
Hearing Ren Li's question, Luo Tong realized that his attitude just now was too ambiguous, so he immediately said.
“Then Luo was so high up on the Marquis that he pretended to be a sworn brother.”
Ren Li nodded and said with a sincere expression.
"In this case, I will not mince words as a brother. The so-called prosperity in the world is for profit; the hustle and bustle in the world is for profit. Of course, you and I gathered in the British Palace to express gratitude to the Supreme Emperor for his kindness, but in the final analysis, it is also for the sake of profit.
For the sake of our career, we hope to have a cold start in advance, don’t we?”
Speaking, Ren Li stared at Luo Tong closely, not missing any changes on his face.
Luo Tong remained silent, his expression a little complicated.
Ren Li’s words were not blunt. They pretended to be grateful for the kindness of the Supreme Emperor, but in fact, they were just a group of frustrated people who were not reused in the officialdom and were just speculating.
The so-called emperor and his courtiers in one dynasty, as far as the British government is concerned, they are the old people of the emperor, and they are destined not to be reused by the emperor today.
This point can be seen from this transfer. The emperor promoted either border generals, such as Yang Hong and Fan Guang, or relatives who had not been reused in the past, such as Li Xian, Yang Rong and others.
As for the British Duke's Mansion and the Dingxi Marquis Mansion, the old relatives who had been highly used by the Supreme Emperor were completely ignored.
As for the civil servants, none of them, including Yang Shan, Xu Bin and others, were officials with real power among the six ministries. They were either from Honglu Temple or Taichang Temple, and they were not in the important category in the court.
Luo Tong’s own situation is relatively special. Although he is in the Metropolitan Procuratorate, he has a criminal record.
Had it not been for this War of Oara and the border was in urgent need of people, he would not have been promoted back.
But even so, his future career will be very difficult. Although the case in the early years of Zhengtong was ultimately determined to be corruption and prostitution, it was enough to ruin his reputation in the court.
If nothing else happens, his official career will at most end at serving as censor of Youdu and governor of various places. As for the real Qingqing, he will not even think about it.
Just the public opinion between the government and the opposition is enough to stifle him.
This is also the reason why Luo Tong worked hard to encourage the government. For civil servants, nothing can restore their reputation more than speaking out against them.
If he succeeds this time, then he can boast that his personal ethics are slightly flawed, but that he has no faults in major matters, and it may be able to turn a corner for his future career.
Of course, Luo Tong knew how difficult it was to knock on the que, so he didn’t plan to do it himself, but just followed behind to get some credit.
So, he also prepared another escape route, which is what Ren Li said, burning the cold stove.
Outsiders may not understand, what is there to be flattered by an emperor who is hunting in the north? Even if he comes back, can the throne change hands again?
An emperor who has lost power cannot be called a cold stove. A real cold stove must be able to be heated up in the future.
So, these people, who are unlikely to be reused by the emperor today, seem to be planning for the emperor.
But in fact, the real opportunity to invest is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the East Palace!