On the twenty-sixth day of the first month, a grand palace banquet will be held in the Luoyang Imperial Palace, and the princes and nobles and the ministers of the court and the central government are invited, and it is expected that more than 100 dignitaries will be present at the banquet.

Li Mao and Princess Xianyi will also attend the banquet.

In the afternoon of the same day, the brother and sister entered the palace to prepare, and after paying homage to Concubine Wu Hui, Li Mao went to see Li Longji again, and then met with the brothers in the Lugong Courtyard, waiting to attend the banquet in the evening.

Princess Xianyi, as a frequent visitor to Luoyang Palace, was not too formal, and did not want to get along with the brothers and sisters at all, but stayed in the inner curtain to chat with Concubine Wu Hui.

“…… In the past, you didn't like to attend this kind of banquet, your father has so many princesses, you say that you are fed up with this kind of occasion and don't want to participate anymore, while it is difficult for others to get a chance to attend...... You took the initiative to attend the banquet this time, but what is the purpose? ”

Concubine Wu Hui is well-connected and calculating, and when she found her daughter unusual, she asked directly.

Princess Xianyi smiled: "It's just a palace banquet, what's so strange?" I heard that Aunt Gongsun will perform this time, but it's a pity not to see it...... In addition, my daughter has not been drinking with her father for a long time, so this time I specially prepared some good wine, and I am going to taste it with many princes and ministers at the palace banquet......"

Concubine Wu Hui glanced at her daughter: "Someone told me that you have been waiting for some idle people very closely, which will damage the royal face." ”

Princess Xianyi's face changed, and she immediately said unhappily: "It must be Yang Wei chewing the root of his tongue in front of you." ”

"He just has one thing to say."

Concubine Wu Hui said this, which is equivalent to admitting that Yang Hui reported the news and quietly hit Princess Xianyi's small report, which confirmed her despicable character.

Princess Xianyi was disdainful: "That day in Wan'anguan, he brought a group of scholars to run to say that he wanted to chant poems against me, in front of me, trampling on the flower field wantonly, I am not used to seeing a few cold words to him, he must be unwilling, and ran to the mother concubine to tell the right and wrong...... This person has no strength at all, and he can't do great things. ”

"I think he's very good, his family is widely influential in both capitals, and it's a great help to your brother's great cause." Concubine Wu Hui was blunt.

likes Yang Huan, not because I think Yang Hui is decent and how good he is at learning, but because Yang Huan's family is powerful, which is helpful for her and Li Mao to take power.

The more she said this, the stronger Princess Xianyi's rebellious mentality became.

Why should my marriage serve your needs?

"Mother, will Prime Minister Zhang Cheng come to the palace to attend the banquet today, right?" Princess Xianyi didn't want to discuss things about Yang Wei with Concubine Wu Hui, so she deliberately diverted the topic.

Concubine Wu Hui stared at her daughter and asked suspiciously, "I always feel that you are unusual today, why do you want to ask about that old horseman?" He has always been very critical of your brother, and he has never been kind to you. ”

Princess Xianyi said with a smile: "In the past, at the palace banquets, he always learned by virtue of his strength, and used poetry as a metaphor to entertain people and make people call him good...... Today I also wrote a poem, I want to make a good joke about him, and my mother will say a few good words for me in front of my father and the emperor at that time, so that I can come out and compose a poem. ”

"Nonsense."

Concubine Wu Hui didn't think that her daughter had the ability to make Zhang Jiuling, who was full of economic wealth, make a fool of herself.

You must know that Zhang Jiuling has been gifted and intelligent since he was a child, and he can recite poems at the age of five or six, and he is called a prodigy at the time. After becoming an adult, his literary name became more prosperous, Zhang said that he was "the crown of the last lyricist", and "The moon is born on the sea, and the end of the world is at this time" in "Looking at the Moon and Huaiyuan" can be said to be sung through the ages.

Such a poetry bigwig, his daughter actually said that she wanted to slap the other party's face with poetry, Concubine Wu Hui didn't believe it.

At this moment, a female officer came in at the door to explain the matter.

Concubine Wu Hui looked at Princess Xianyi, beckoned, and motioned for the female official to come closer.

The female official whispered a few words to Concubine Wu Hui, and Princess Xianyi's ears were very sharp, and she listened to a rough idea, but her face was silent.

After the female official left, Concubine Wu Hui got up and said, "I still have something to do, let the palace people take you to dinner...... At the palace banquet in the evening, you should pay attention to your conversation and behavior, follow the rules, and do not do anything out of the ordinary. ”

"Mother, is it Li Linfu, the waiter of the Yellow Gate? What does he want you to do? As the master of the harem, you shouldn't meet with the ministers. Princess Xianyi got up and anxiously admonished.

Concubine Wu Hui scolded angrily: "He is not very old, but his leisure is not small, Li Xilang is virtuous and talented, your father praised him, and he can be recruited as a helper...... As long as it's good for us, why don't we see it? ”

She didn't explain too much to her daughter, and left straight away with the palace people.

……

……

Concubine Wu Hui met Li Linfu in Taoguang Garden.

When Li Linfu took advantage of entering the palace to attend the banquet, he came to express his gratitude to Concubine Wu Hui for helping him serve as the squire of the Yellow Gate.

The Huangmen squire official is not high in rank from the fourth rank, but he is the adjutant of the province under the door.

Menxia Province is one of the three provinces and six provinces, and the governor calls it Shizhong, who is in charge of the same important affairs as the Zhongshu Province, discusses national affairs, and is responsible for reviewing edicts, signing seals, and has the right to refute them.

In the first year of Kaiyuan, Menxia Province was renamed Huangmen Province, and Shizhong was renamed Huangmen Supervisor, and the old name was restored in the fifth year of Kaiyuan.

Li Linfu, as the prime minister of the government and the opposition in the next ten years, is also an important figure in the transition from Kaiyuan to Tianbao, he is fifty years old, just made his career, and it is the time to be high-spirited, but when he saw Concubine Wu Hui, he was very respectful, and knelt down and bowed from afar, and then Concubine Wu Hui sat in the pavilion, and Li Linfu hunched his waist and spoke outside the pavilion.

"The minister is grateful for the kindness of Concubine Hui, and specially brought some local products from his hometown, which have been sent to the house, and then given the house, servants and maids and cars to the mother."

Li Linfu explained his intentions.

I'm here to give a gift, and the gift has been delivered to your martial artist.

But it is said that in the twenty-first year of Kaiyuan, Pei Guangting, the provincial servant of the prime minister, died of illness, Pei Guangting's wife is the daughter of Wu Sansi, this Wu family does not guard women's ways, and Li Linfu has a personal relationship, the great eunuch Gao Lishi was born in Wu Sansi's house, and Wu and Gao Lishi have a master-servant relationship.

After Pei Guangting's death, when Wu went to visit Gao Lishi, he proposed to Gao Lishi to let his old friend Li Linfu replace Pei Guangting as prime minister, but Gao Lishi did not dare to accept it casually.

Later, Han Xiu was recommended by Xiao Song to serve as the right minister, and Gao Lishi informed the Wu family of the news in advance, and the Wu family conveyed it to Li Linfu, and then Li Linfu informed Han Xiu, so that Han Xiu accepted Li Linfu's feelings.

After Han Xiu ascended to the stage, his performance was mediocre, but he constantly praised Li Linfu for his ability to be a prime minister in front of Tang Xuanzong, and then Concubine Wu Hui secretly helped in the palace, so that Li Linfu finally had the opportunity to serve as the Huangmen squire.

Now Li Linfu came to give a gift to Concubine Wu Hui, in fact, he wanted Concubine Wu Hui to continue to blow the pillow wind in Xuanzong's ears, so that he could go further.

In history, Li Linfu also benefited from this, and with the help of Concubine Wu Hui, he ascended to the position of prime minister step by step, and the power leaned towards the government and the opposition for 19 years, and he was also the longest-reigning prime minister of the Xuanzong Dynasty.

Not counting Yang Yun, Li Linfu is absolutely invincible in the world in terms of management power.

Concubine Wu Hui got the gift list that Li Linfu asked the palace people to forward, and found that what Li Linfu sent was not a "local specialty", and every gift was priceless, and the specifications were far beyond imagination.

"Why did Li Xilang spend so much?"

Concubine Wu Hui put down the gift list, and was very satisfied with Li Linfu's deference and generosity...... It is a great thing for Concubine Wu Hui to have a high-ranking official of the court for her own use, so that she has support in the court and can help her abolish the crown prince.

Li Linfu replied with a smile: "The old minister is very relieved that the mother can accept the thin gift, there are still many places to rely on the mother in the future, and the old minister will serve his life wholeheartedly and live up to the cultivation of the holy lord and the mother." ”

Concubine Wu Hui couldn't have been happier in her heart.

Originally, Li Linfu's qualifications were very deep, and he had given her a lot of gifts in recent years, and he also said that he would do his best to help Li Mao ascend to the crown prince...... Now that Li Linfu has begun to enter the core of the imperial court's power, it is equivalent to a powerful assistant for her.

"How can you just let Li Xilang break the bank? Someone came, and brought the jade Ruyi rewarded by His Majesty, and it should be given back to Li Xilang by the palace. ”

Concubine Wu Hui borrowed flowers to offer Buddha and gave Li Linfu what Xuanzong had rewarded, reflecting that she was not a person who only sought to repay her kindness and did not know how to give back.

Jade Ruyi looks expensive, but it can't be sold because of the emperor's reward, Concubine Wu Hui kept it just as an ornament, but it was transferred to Li Linfu but it could reflect her importance to Li Linfu.

"Thank you, thank you."

Li Linfu bowed his head, his face was full of emotion, and tears flashed in his eyes, vividly interpreting what it means to be grateful. The more he showed the importance of Concubine Wu Hui's reward, the more Concubine Wu Hui felt that he could be trusted.

……

……

As the sun set, the princes and ministers who participated in the palace banquet entered the palace one after another.

Zhang Jiuling, who had just been promoted to the left minister, became the object of the ministers, and when he entered the palace, many people were interested in moving closer to him, in addition to greetings, and by the way, he discussed the size of the court.

Among them, the person who has the best relationship with Zhang Jiuling is Pei Yaoqing, who was promoted by Zhang Jiuling and has just been promoted to the waiter.

Pei Yaoqing has been in charge of building a granary in Jianghuai, requisitioning money and grain to send to the two capitals, and this time when he returned to Beijing, in addition to reinstating to the emperor, he also had to complete the necessary procedures for being promoted to the middle of the court, and dredge the relationship between the imperial court.

“…… The brother Nu received the Yellow Gate, which was very different from the past. ”

When passing Changle Gate, Pei Yaoqing suddenly said a word to Zhang Jiuling.

Brother Nu is Li Linfu's milk name, Li Linfu made his fortune completely by drilling camps, and the orthodox civil officials in the DPRK and China despise Li Linfu very much, and they don't respect him in private.

"Hmm."

Zhang Jiuling nodded, uncommittal.

Pei Yaoqing sighed: "I heard that the Wu family came forward to plan, and the palace people helped a lot, he had already entered the palace one step earlier today, and spent millions of dollars before and after. ”

Pei Yaoqing has been dealing with money and grain before, and he is very sensitive to money, millions of dollars are equivalent to thousands of yuan, and ordinary officials can't get so much bribes.

"His promotion was completely unruly, harmful and unprofitable to the imperial court."

Pei Yaoqing continued to complain in Zhang Jiuling's ear.

Zhang Jiuling glanced at Pei Yaoqing, which probably means that even if you think that Li Linfu's ascension is harmful, you should come up with practical and effective methods to suppress it, instead of warning me, and there are no constructive suggestions at all.

Zhang Jiuling's expression was grim: "Your Majesty Shengming, you will definitely not appoint treacherous evil, even if Li Gonu is now listed in the Yellow Gate, but he has never been able to take charge of the cardinal, to prevent him from harming the court, you must find his misconduct and impeach, so that Your Majesty can see his despicability and must not be reused." ”

In Zhang Jiuling's opinion, it is a fact that Li Linfu has ascended the throne, and the best way to prevent Li Linfu from becoming prime minister is to find his handle to impeach him, and now only the emperor can decide whether Li Linfu will stay or not, and even as a left minister, he has nothing to do with Li Linfu.

Pei Yaoqing sighed: "As his immediate boss, why don't I want to?" But after failing to participate in the impeachment several times before, he had long been on guard, and now he is acting extremely cautiously, and it is even more difficult to find his mistakes and omissions again. ”