Chapter 247: Keeping Silent (X)

Today, after the morning court retired, His Majesty the Emperor, unlike in the past to convene a small court meeting politics, only let the Secretary Secretary of the seal eunuch Song Tanglu called out the left scattered ride standing minister Chen Wang, when Chen Wang was just about to walk down the alabaster steps with Huan Wen, the chief official of the province under the door, and as a result, had to stand in the same place.

Because the left loose riding standing minister is ranked in the center of the important ministers, in the common people so-called golden palace, the position is quite forward, so every time out of the dynasty, wait until Chen Wang cross out of the main hall, outside the main hall of the civil and military officials tend to have long since the tide of the retreat clean.

But because of this morning dynasty is too many strange faces, Yan Guo Gong Gao Shi of Huaiyang Marquis Song Dao Ning, a large number of honored ministers and nobles are gathered to the scene, so that the original very open hall seems crowded, so Chen Wang stops, there are still people and this deservedly “xiangfu the first minister” rubbed shoulders, and even to the capital! Even Song Daoning, who gave the impression that the officialdom did not ask about world affairs, also took the initiative to exchange a few pleasantries.

A few once with the old western chu master, the last Liyang left servant Sun Xiji together with the team of old ministers, is more warm as if treating their son-in-law, if not the eyes of the eunuch in charge of the seal Song Tanglu signals, this group of old ministers at home have to be careful to help people get up and live, as if they can stand here and Chen adults to talk freely for half an hour.

Chen Wang and wearing a big red python robe Song Tanglu stood together, inside and outside the hall gradually gone clean, Chen Wang did not rely on the current son of heaven and far beyond the civil and military friendship between the ruler and ministers of the same dynasty, open the mouth to ask the cause of the eunuch in charge of the head of the eunuchs of the Liyang, and always shut up and did not say anything. On the contrary, it was Song Tanglu who, after a long period of silence, took the initiative to softly say, “I still have to trouble Lord Chen to wait for a moment.”

Chen Wang gave a hmmm.

In the face of Lord Chen’s nonchalant response, the python robed eunuch who had made the entire court as fearful as a tiger did not have the slightest bit of dissatisfaction in his heart. After Song Tanglu had taken over the Secretary’s Office from the human cat Han Shengxuan, catching up with the new and old succession of officials in Liyang, he had seldom paid respect to a certain official, and to name a few, in Song Tanglu’s mind, Chen Wang Chen Shaobao’s ranking was only after the three of Qi Yanglong, Gu Jiantang, and Huan Wen, and also before Zhao Ruiling Yin Maochun. Chen Wang of humble origins, and there is an old man is too similar, whether it is personal integrity or career history, as the same, and even let life not too much red-eyed cynicism.

Chen Wang wandering in the world, so that the shoulder to give someone a tap before he was startled back to God, turned his head to look at, helpless smile, gently bowed.

The young emperor did not wear a dragon robe, changed into an unseemly civilian clothes, and Chen Wang stood side by side at the top of the steps. Song Tanglu had already catapulted himself backwards, his tiny footsteps silent, making way for this pair of Xiangfu monarchs and ministers destined to go down in history.

Chen Wang saw several eunuchs in the distance working together to move a long ladder, and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “What is Your Majesty doing?”

The emperor smiled and said, “Wait with me for someone first.”

When Chen Wang saw that the ladder was carefully set up on the eaves of the Golden Palace, Chen Shaobao, who had a few moments of understanding, burst into tears and wanted to speak. The young emperor for Chen Wang reached out and pointed to the distance two people, a vermilion python robes, obviously a status is not inferior to the Song Tanglu too much big eunuchs, and one dressed in the clothing of ordinary Confucian students. The closer he traveled, Chen Wang finally clearly saw the appearance of those two people, the Secretary of the Pen Eunuch, a seniority extremely old aged eunuch, at this time walking beside the young man slightly in front of the position, slightly bowed, one palm forward, the other hand to hold the cuffs, as if in the person to lead the way. The latter’s eyes were closed and his steps were not large.

As the Eunuch of the Pen took the first step up the steps, Chen Wang vaguely heard the old eunuch say, “Mr. Lu, be careful with the soles of your feet, we are about to ascend the steps here.”

The Emperor turned his head and laughed, “Can you guess who it is?”

Chen Wang nodded and said, “Qingzhou Lu Deng Lu, Mr. Lu, the end of the Yong Hui by the King of Jing’an presented the two sparse thirteen strategies, the capital knowingly in fact, is from the hands of this Mr. Lu, who lives behind the scenes.”

The emperor suddenly some melancholy, while the two sides are still some distance, lowered his voice and said: “Lu Deng chess power is extremely thick, I estimate that the two of us together are going to be chopped up and cleaned up with our hands.”

Chen Wang couldn’t help but laugh, softly snickered: “Or pull on the ten-dan chess saint Fan Chang Hou? If not, doesn’t His Majesty still have the small supervisor of the Qin Tian Supervisor to back him up? The four of us together, are we still afraid that we can’t win against a single Lu Dan? If that’s not possible, there’s still Wu Congxian, who claims to have only lost to Fan. If it still can’t work, let’s wheel battle, each deliberately long test, see how long Lu boast can hold out, not afraid of him not come out of the faint move.”

The young emperor gently elbowed Chen Wang on the waist, laughing and scolding: “Bullying Mr. Lu eyes are not good, looking for Fan Chang Hou to us as a dog-headed military advisor, even if it is not enough, even the wheel battle is also used? Can’t we have some face?”

Chen Wang played a rogue and said, “The face of a humble minister is not worth a few dollars anyway.”

The emperor raised his elbow to strike again, Chen Wang hurriedly moved away a few steps.

The eunuch in charge of the Imperial Palace led Lu Dan to approach the Emperor and Lord Chen, and when he was about ten steps away, His Majesty the Emperor quickly walked down the steps, took Lu Dan’s hand, and smiled, “Mr. Lu, this time I hastily invited you into the palace, so I’m being abrupt.”

Lu Dang did not show any semblance of sincere trepidation and said frankly, “It is a pity that Lu Dang is blind and cannot see the spectacular view of the palace.”

The Eunuch of the Brush, who was bending over and lowering his eyebrows, saw this scene and his eyes trembled for a moment.

After the young emperor and the still-white Lu Ting ascended to the top of the steps together, Chen Wang greeted Lu Ting with a smile and said, “Chen Wang from the province under the door, I am honored to meet Mr. Lu.”

Lu Fang made a bow and said, “Lu Fang pays his respects to Lord Chen.”

Chen Wang accepted it openly.

That bow was the first and last time Lu Fang saluted a certain Liyang official after he entered the capital until the end of his life.

Many years later, Lu Dangliao quietly died of illness, and Chief Counselor Chen Wang stood in the cold hearth where only a white-haired crone was located and returned today’s bow.

The emperor said in a deep voice to Song Tanglu and the eunuchs who held the pen, “I am going to ascend the ladder with the two gentlemen, one of you will hold back everyone in the vicinity, and one of you will stand guard, remember! Within an incense stick, I want to be within view of the roof and not see a single person in the palace!”

The aged eunuch with the pen left quickly, he naturally did not dare to compete with Song Tanglu to grab the position of guarding the ladder.

Under the emperor’s unrefusable authorization, Chen Wang had no choice but to ascend the ladder first, followed by Lu Danglu, with the young emperor and Song Tanglu holding the ladder for the two of them on the left and the right.

Song Tanglu did not look up, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the young emperor who was tilting his head.

An emperor with an excellent reputation in the imperial court was holding the ladder for a young courtier and a white-clothed cold warrior. On top of the emperor’s head, there were two pairs of boots.

Song Tanglu suddenly had some redness in his eyes.

By the time all three of them had gone up to the roof of the lofty hall, and the head of the head of the Minister of Ceremonial Supervision’s Seal Eunuch had completely disappeared, Song Tanglu didn’t dare to let go of the ladder with both his hands, but he slightly raised his sleeve and wiped his eyes.

Chen Wang assisted Lu Danglu to sit down near the ridge of the roof, leaving the center seat for the young emperor.

When Zhao Zhuan sat down, he laughed and asked, “First time looking at the capital’s scenery from here, right? Haha.”

Me.

Intentionally or unintentionally, he stopped using the word “I”.

Zhao Zhuan placed his hands on his knees and sat upright, looking out over the north and south imperial streets, and slowly said, “When I was still the fourth prince, I heard in the capital that there were two tallest buildings in the world, even the Tongtian Terrace of the Chintian Supervisor in Tai’an City couldn’t compare to it, one is the Lack of Moon Building in the Daxue Ping of Hui Mountain, and the other one is the Listening to the Tide Pavilion of Beilang, of which I’ve been to the Daxue Ping, and it’s very tall. Xuanyuan Qingfeng this woman is not good, froze to not let me into the building, at that time Chen Wang you are on my side, we are together to eat the closed door, so I am so own shortcomings, the heart to feel much better. Under this sky no matter what things, there are two people to carry, always is much easier.”

Chen Wang smiled.

Zhao Zhuan stretched a lazy waist, shook his neck, “Unfortunately listen to the tide of the pavilion has not been, in fact, would like to go there one day to climb the stairs, after all, my daughter-in-law is the north of the Liang people, the woman, no matter who she married, as long as the marriage is good, how to think of being able to return to his mother’s home, which is the same as our men think of the rich and powerful not to return to their hometowns such as the brocade clothes at night is the reasoning that although my daughter-in-law did not say, but Although my daughter-in-law does not say it, I will inevitably be loaded with this matter in my heart. But now the court and northern Liang have a stalemate, not to mention the old man was northern Liang peer literati in the private letter scolded bloody head, even incidentally with Xu Fengyen is a good brother brother-in-law, last time to Qingliang Mountain northern Liang Wangfu, but also failed to see Xu Fengyen’s face, this time Xu Fengyen into the capital, the same is in order to avoid suspicion, my brother-in-law did not go down to the Mawei stagecoach. In fact, ah, see the face, I will not mind at all. Where would I mind, I have guilt towards their Yan family.”

Zhao Zhuan rested his elbows on his legs, his hands resting on his chin, looking at the imperial road that stretched all the way to the south, as if it could reach the shores of the South Sea, “The way to be a minister is to follow the rules. The way of a son is to be filial. But in my opinion, for the human minister or for the human son, can not escape the bottom line of the human way, remembering the old, remembering the good, remembering the grace. Tai’an City, especially under our ass this folk so-called Golden Palace, what is the most? The most officials! A lot of officials, when the official skills are great, everywhere around, everything is watertight, can do people’s ability to well, I see hanging. But many times, know that inside and outside the hall of those who harbor what selfishness, generally speaking, as long as not harmful to the gods and goddesses, I and the first emperor of these sitting in the dragon chair, will turn a blind eye, the water to the clear is no fish Well, and even some times have to personally for them to push the waves, but this does not mean that we do not get tired of the head, day in and day out, year in and year out, listen to the shouting of hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail hail, listen to the singing of praise, it is a very boring time.”

Zhao Zhuan suddenly couldn’t help but laugh out loud, helplessly saying, “I’m not afraid of you two laughing when I say it, several times I sleep and say dream words, all of them are the four words “All Ministers, please rise up”, for this reason being his own daughter-in-law flirting with this when she has something to do with it.”

Blind Lu Dang tilted his head up, the sun is not yet high, the breeze is very pleasant.

Chen Wang suddenly said, “Every day to a mountain of zhangzhi folding, is a very tired thing.”

Zhao Zhuan sighed and lamented, “As long as I want to be a good emperor, I can’t stop for a single day, and that’s the most mentally exhausting thing. When I was young, I often complained to my mother about not being able to see my father, wondering if a man who is an emperor must only meet his son a few times a year. At that time I swore to the mother said, after I grow up, do not be the emperor, must be all day with their own children play, little by little to see them grow up to adulthood, and then their respective marriages …….”

Chen Wang sighed.

Zhao Zhuan smiled brightly, pointing to the south, “I know that there is a jianghu outside the temple, especially in the past hundred years, it is very exciting, earlier there was Li Chungang of the Green Mountain Battle of the Sword, there was also the Thirteen Armors of the Spring and Autumn Period, and later Wang Xianzhi claimed to be invincible to the world in the City of the Emperor of the Wudi, and after the Yellow Dragons dispersed the remnants of the qi from the eight countries of the Spring and Autumn Period into the jianghu, there were even more top masters like the rain, and in the previous few years, occasionally, I also wondered. If I am not a prince, but a young man in the Jianghu sect, is it possible to ascend the martial arts evaluation? Even if there is no first-rate master, it is not difficult to become a small master who can reign supreme in the state and county, right? Without mentioning anything else, just based on my uncommon stamina of not frowning even when I am reviewing zhengfu every day, how can I make a name for myself?”

Lu Dang smiled, “For an ordinary master to make a name for himself in the martial arts, it is not as simple and easy as climbing the ranks of the government.”

Zhao Zhuan nodded, “So, if I am just Zhao Zhuan, then I actually envy Xu Fengnian.”

The young emperor paused for a long time, “I also admire Xu Fengnian.”

Lu Dang softly said, “In a small place called Yongzi Alley in Qingzhou, I gambled with the King of Beiliang in chess and won a lot of money from him. So I roughly know that it’s hard to say that it’s hard to get into the eyes of the Northern Liang King, and there are only a handful of them in this full dynasty. But at the same time, it’s also very simple, may be peddlers, and he is right in the eyes, willing to treat him as a friend.”

Chen Wang laughed, “If it wasn’t for the silver from the King of Beiliang’s purchase of poetry and literature, which allowed me to scrape together the money to go to the capital to catch the exams, I would most likely be working as a private school teacher in Beiliang Road nowadays.”

Zhao Zhuan frankly said, “So, if it wasn’t for him, Xu Fenian, the three of us wouldn’t be sitting here today, maybe I’ll have to wait five years, ten years, or even twenty or thirty years before I can sit here and chat with another person. I want to thank Xu Fenian, and I also want to thank you all.”

Lu Dang said blandly, “If another person was the emperor, I, Lu Dang, and Lord Chen would not be able to sit here for the rest of our lives. So there’s no need to thank the two of us.”

The blind reader’s words were self-explanatory.

Zhao Zhanzhuan was not annoyed and said softly, “The Xu family’s 800 riders drove all the way from the Northern Liang Road to the land of the capital, and I had someone hold the imperial decree to respectfully escort him to the capital, and had the Minister of Rites guard the city gates, because this is what the 300,000 Northern Liang Iron Cavalry, who guarded the gates of the country for the Central Plains, deserved. He Xu Fengnian in the lower Mawei stage pavilion, killing the four directions, attracted countless patriarchs to link up, one after another peak battle, can be called the jianghu masterpiece, I did not pay attention to it, because this is his Xu Fengnian as the Liyang martial arts great master, the treatment that should be given. Before coming here, I heard that he went to the court of the Ministry of Ceremonies wearing the Vassal King’s python robes, not only did he beat up the left minister, Jin Lanting, he even pulled out our Jin Sanlang’s mustache, I still wasn’t angry, because he is the most powerful Vassal King in my Liyang, I, Zhao Zhuan, can take one step back for him again, even if he even cleaned up the old Shangshu, Sima Parkhua, together, I can still tolerate it. The late emperor can tolerate Xu Snapdragon to what extent, I can tolerate Xu Fenian to what extent, even more will not matter. Because I sit in the dragon chair, he guards the kingdom for me.”

Zhao Zhuan clenched his hands into fists and propped them on his knees, narrowed his eyes and said, “But I can’t tolerate it when he wants to go to the Qintian Supervisor, to the place where my Liyang Zhao family’s dragons are prospering, and to destroy the blood and sweat that countless people have saved up! I would rather him come to the palace and point at my Zhao Zhuan’s nose when no one is around.”

Zhao Zhuan stood up, turned his head to look towards the side of the Qin Tian Supervisor, and said in a deep voice, “I, Liyang Cao Transportation, enter the capital with more than eight million stones per year, and excluding the indispensable number from the capital, I originally intended to ban one million stones per year for the Northern Liang Dao! Under this premise, for every 150,000 Beimang people killed in Beiliang or every 50,000 border troops killed in battle, I will give him another 500,000 stones respectively! Since the two Liao Gu Jiantang can’t kill anyone, as long as you Beiliang, who are still within my Liyang territory, can kill, then I’ll be willing to give you the pay and provisions!”

Next Zhao Zhuan said expressionlessly, “Qin Tian Supervision, previously Li Shou Guo Li Chang An father and son one thousand four hundred armored soldiers, one hundred Ministry of Criminal Affairs copper fish bag experts, three hundred imperial forest troops, plus the one thousand two hundred cavalry that have already sailed to Qin Tian Supervision, is a whole three thousand people. According to what was said earlier, the one million stones per year, plus the military merit of killing the enemy and the war death pension, he, Beiliang, now has more than three million stones of transported grain and grass, and when he, Xu Feng, leaves the capital, it will be sent to the Beiliang Road in a continuous stream along the Guangling River. However, in today’s Chintian Supervisor, for every person he kills in my Tai’an City, I’m going to leave 1,000 stone of canal transportation for Liyang for the imperial court!”

The grain of the Central Plains buys the heads of Northern Mang and the lives of Northern Liang.

Lu Dang was impassive.

Chen Wang wanted to speak.

The young man who was on his way to the Qintian Supervisor, the son of Xu Snap, or the son of Wu Su, looked the same, but was very different.

Is it the king of Beiliang who is the co-owner of 300,000 iron horsemen, or is it the jianghu master Xu Fengnian who has practiced martial arts to great success, it looks the same, but it is still very different.

The only young emperor standing calmly said, “So if you, Xu Fengnian, have the ability to finish killing three thousand people, then go ahead.”