After Wu's words, Li Zhi finally did not calm down, and his expression was a little flustered.

has finally come to this day, only one step away from the position of the crown prince, and Li Zhi's heart for the gains and losses of this position has become more and more serious, and he no longer holds a conservative idea of "I am fortunate to have it, but I will not be killed" as he did at the beginning.

People change, and so do honest and kind children.

At the beginning, Li Zhi didn't have much expectations for the position of the crown prince, because that position was too far away for him, as far away as a star, and picking stars with his bare hands was a dream, don't take it too seriously. However, after Li Su's overt and covert operation, Li Zhi was raised step by step to the special status of today's prince and the country, and Li Zhi suddenly found that he was close to the position of the crown prince, and seeing that the power of the Ninety-Five Supreme was about to belong to him in a few years, the country was in hand, and there was only one person in the world, and Li Zhi's mentality had changed unconsciously.

The closer you get to that location, the more you value it, and the more you feel like you're walking on thin ice, fearing that you will make a mistake and lose everything. Li Zhi's move to promote the new rice seed was to make meritorious service in front of his father, so that his father could feel more at ease with him, so as to consolidate his position.

However, at this moment, Wu rejected all his good thoughts with a single word, like a basin of cold water pouring from head to toe, Li Zhi was terrified, and his heart was also half cold.

"His Royal Highness's intentions are good, the implementation of rice seeds is a move to benefit the country and benefit the people, if it is successful, it will be recorded in history and left a name for eternity, but His Royal Highness only saw the benefits of this matter, and did not see the disadvantages of this matter." Wu said calmly.

Li Zhi's brows furrowed deeper and deeper: "Since it is beneficial to the country and the people, it is a fair and righteous achievement, what are the disadvantages?" ”

The corners of Wu's mouth hooked up a charming smile, and no one knew whether her smile was a welcome or a mockery.

"From ancient times to the present, the establishment and abolition of national law have a reason to follow, and everything decided by the court has a purpose. No matter how great and bright the intentions are, after turning around from the court, what thing is not dirty from the inside out? The so-called 'above board' is nothing more than the nonsense of the powerful to the people......"

Li Zhi raised his eyebrows and looked at her quietly.

Wu Shi touched his gaze, couldn't help but be surprised, and then immediately realized that he had lost his words, several years of ups and downs, years of forbearance and camping, her temperament has become more and more extreme and cynical, and for a while she accidentally revealed her true nature in front of Li Zhi, Wu suddenly felt extremely annoyed.

"The slave and maid lost their words, and Your Highness forgives your sins." Wu lowered his head and said.

Li Zhi was silent for a moment and said, "You go on." ”

Wu Shi was uneasy in her heart, she knew that Li Zhi's impression of her was not good, and after saying these words just now, I was afraid that her character would have to be deducted a few points in Li Zhi's heart.

Wu Shi fixed his mind, and then said: "The abolition of the law has nothing to do with affection, just because of the envoys, His Highness promotes rice seeds for the benefit of the people, but has His Highness ever thought about how huge and complicated this thing you have to do, first of all, agriculture must have enough rice seeds for the implementation of the state government in the world, secondly, the local government must implement it layer by layer, meticulously implement the orders of the court, and third, although the rice seeds are good, the farmers in the world are not clear, let them give up the seeds they have cultivated before, Will the people agree to change these new rice varieties that no one knows the effect and no one understands the benefits? How much trust does this need to make all the farmers in Datang abandon the old and take the new? His Royal Highness asked himself, is there such a great trust in the peasant households in the imperial court and the government? Do they trust the court enough to make them willing to gamble with an entire year's harvest? ”

"Fourth, the imperial court implemented new rice seeds, even if the farmers in the world agreed, did His Royal Highness think about the attitude of the family? In recent years, His Majesty has secretly co-opted the Shandong Shi clan to suppress the Guanlongmen valve, and various measures have made the Guanlongmen valve quite dissatisfied, the significance of the imperial court's implementation of new rice seeds, the Guanlongmen valve is very clear in his heart, will they allow His Majesty to use new rice seeds to consolidate the hearts of the people in the world? The rice seeds are promoted to various places, and His Royal Highness thinks that the family gate valve will make a stumbling block behind his back, and disobey the decrees of the imperial court? And something more important......"

Wu Shi said in a tone, Li Zhi's mind was completely attracted by Wu's words at this time, and seeing her pause, Li Zhi couldn't help but glance at her curiously.

Wu's voice was suddenly very low, staring at Li Zhi's eyes, and said slowly, word by word: "More importantly, His Highness's promotion of new rice seeds is out of benevolence and righteousness, which is originally a good thing for the common people, but have you considered Your Majesty's feelings?" ”

Li Zhi was stunned, although he was not very old, after all, he had been in prison for more than half a year, and he had slowly developed some sensitive political consciousness, although this consciousness was still very ignorant and young, but he could at least understand the meaning of Wu's words.

So Li Zhi's color suddenly changed, and his face turned pale.

When Wu saw his appearance, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but hook slightly, revealing an appreciative gaze.

"The implementation of new rice seeds is a risky thing, if this matter fails, the consequences are very serious, it can be described as the four grievances of the people, a big disappointment, because you have damaged the most important interests of the people's food and clothing, based on this, Your Majesty must come forward to calm the people's grievances, how to calm the people's grievances? Naturally, your Highness will push you out, all the crimes are done by Your Highness alone, Your Majesty in order to protect the reputation and prestige of the Heavenly Family, sacrificing a King of Jin is not too difficult to decide, although Your Majesty is unlikely to punish you too severely, but it is certain that the position of the crown prince will not be related to you from now on! ”

"What if the implementation of new rice seeds was made under the planning of His Highness? Hehe, the slave maid thought that even if this matter was successful, it would not necessarily be a good thing for His Royal Highness, when Grandpa Li found this rice seed, His Majesty was very happy, so he made an exception to promote Grandpa Li to the county prince, and even did not hesitate to turn against the strong enemy Tubo, but also married the daughter of the king of Jiangxia to the prince of Zhenla, which shows that Your Majesty values this new rice seed, and why does Your Majesty value it? Because if the rice seed is successfully implemented, the harvest of the world's farmland will increase a lot, and the surplus grain of the farmers and the people will also increase, as long as the political situation in the Tang Dynasty has been stable, the people will no longer have the worry of famine, Your Highness, this is a great good deed of the Buddha of ten thousand families, and it can be recorded in the history of the great merit that will be respected by future generations, this matter can only be done by His Majesty, because His Majesty wants this merit, and only His Majesty the Great Heavenly Khan is qualified to do this. If Your Majesty returns from the Eastern Expedition and finds that this matter has been done by you, and you haven't even said hello beforehand, Your Highness, imagine what kind of mood Your Majesty will be like? ”

Li Zhi was shocked, and his face became more and more pale.

Yes, the implementation of new rice seeds is a good thing, but if it rises to a political point of view, I am afraid it will be a big disaster for him, this is undoubtedly a robbery with his father, if he really does this, he Li Zhi will completely lose his holy favor in the future, and the position of prince is not even thought about.

No wonder when he mentioned this matter to the two prime ministers in the past few days, the eldest grandson Wuji and Fang Xuanling invariably vetoed it, and their attitude was extremely firm, it turned out that what they didn't expect, the two prime ministers had already thought of it, the consequences were too serious, they didn't want to get involved at all, and they didn't even bother to remind them, so he jumped up and down to brush his sense of existence.

Thinking that he had almost fallen into the abyss from which he could not recover, Li Zhi couldn't help but be afraid for a while, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

At this moment, Li Zhi finally changed his indifferent attitude towards the Wu clan, glanced at her gratefully, his lips twitched a few times, and the words of thanks were not said after all. I have to admit that tonight, Wu's words woke him up and allowed him to avoid a catastrophe, no matter how disgusted Li Zhi was with her, Wu still made a great contribution in front of him, this is an undeniable fact.

With a smile on Wu's face, Li Zhi's expression was completely in her eyes, and the little man's expression told her that his perception of her was slowly changing because of tonight's incident, and perhaps, the long harsh winter of her life was almost over.

The position that you have earned with your own hands is the most solid, if you ...... It would be better if you could live without dependence on others in this life.

After years of painstaking training and countless scheming, isn't what the Wu family is trying to grow into a towering tree, rather than a vine that survigates the tree?

"You...... It's hard work, it's late at night, you can retreat and rest. Li Zhi's gaze moved back to the song in front of him, and he didn't raise his head to speak, and his tone was flat.

Wu curtsied at Li Zhi with a witty bow, answered with a "yes" dutifully, and then withdrew.

…………

Walking out of the gate of the side hall, Wu walked alone under the cold and unmanned corridor, her steps were very light, very slow, each step was just the right standard, quite amorous but not frivolous, obviously well-educated in court etiquette.

The footsteps did not stop, but Wu's face was like a peach blossom slowly blooming, and the corners of his mouth hooked a charming and beautiful arc.

The Wu family is the steward of the Jin Palace, although Li Zhi was indifferent to her before, but he never treated her slowly, the Wu family's treatment was excellent, and she was assigned a separate courtyard in the vestibule of the palace. Wu felt lonely after living for a few days, so he called Xing'er, who had been with her through the court, to live with her.

There are a few plum trees planted in the courtyard, in the cold winter, the plum blossoms bloom, the pale pink petals are blown off by the cold wind, but the plum blossoms on the tree stand proudly in the wind, indomitable, just like the life of the Wu family.

There was a light in the room, Wu Shi entered the door, put his backhand on the latch, leaned his back against the door panel, and suddenly covered his mouth and chuckled, the laughter was indescribably happy and proud, and then the laughter became louder and louder, more and more wanton, and finally the laughter gradually slowed down, and turned into a suppressed choke.

Xing'er sat cross-legged on the soft mat in the room, looking at Wu's changing expressions and emotions in a daze, and a trace of uneasiness flashed on her delicate little face.

"Miss Wu, you ...... What's wrong? Xing'er asked timidly, "But His Royal Highness the King of Jin reprimanded you?" ”

Wu shook his head, raised his sleeve to wipe the tears on his face, sniffed, and forced a smile: "Don't guess, Your Highness is a gentle gentleman, how can you reprimand me." ”

"Then you are ......"

Wu didn't answer, approached Xing'er, knelt in front of her, suddenly raised his hand and stroked Xing'er's slightly messy sideburns, his eyes were full of softness, and he said softly: "Xing'er, do you believe in cause and effect?" ”

Apricot shook her head in confusion and nodded again.

Wu didn't need her answer, and said to himself: "Buddha Yun, all people in the world are born to suffer, and the world has its own good and evil retribution, the cycle of cause and effect, and it is endless, but I have never done any evil things, why should I be born to suffer?" If I have committed sins in my previous life, and the Buddha can find out the cause and effect of my past life, why should I sin in this life? ”

Xing'er's gaze became more and more flustered, and she looked at the somewhat crazy Wu clan worriedly.

Wu slowly closed his eyes, and two lines of tears slipped down his cheeks.

"After 20 years of suffering, I realized a truth, I can't believe in fate, let alone accept fate! Even if God punishes me to suffer, I won't accept it! I will end this day of suffering with my own hands, at any cost! Xing'er, our hard days are almost over, in this life, you and I will do whatever we want one day, I swear! ”

Xing'er lowered her head and said softly: "Miss Wu, I don't have such lofty ambitions as you, I just want to live this life safely, I ...... I still miss the days when we lived in my grandfather's mansion, Grandpa Li...... The person is very good, the master and mother are good, even though Steward Xue is a little strict, but he also cares about me, although the grandfather's mansion is busy, it makes me feel peaceful and tranquil, Miss Wu, after you finish what you want to do, let's go back to the grandfather's mansion, okay? This royal mansion ...... It's too big, it's too cold, I, don't like ......"

Xing'er looked up at Wu expectantly, but Wu's body suddenly trembled.

The thin but tall figure flashed through her mind, the clear eyes that seemed to be able to penetrate the fog and see through the heart, like a sharp sword out of the sheath, piercing through her heart, making all the darkness in her heart unobtrusive.

Wu bit his lower lip fiercely, and a complex light appeared in his wonderful eyes. After leaving the county mansion for so long, she thought that she had completely gotten rid of that shadow, however, the shadow was always there, and the appendage was like a shadow, like a nightmare that could not be broken for a lifetime, popping up at every moment of surprise, devouring the little confidence she had built up with great difficulty.

************************************************************

Gyeongju City.

The purge after the destruction of the city finally passed, and notices were posted all over the city.

Although Li Ji and Li Su both felt that there was no need to slaughter the city, after all, this city was full of people from enemy countries, and strict high-pressure management was necessary, otherwise the people of enemy countries would easily rebel and bring more or less trouble to the Tang army defending the city.

Therefore, the notice posted said that it was "Anmin", but in fact, the terms and conditions in it were extremely strict, stipulating the curfew system in the city, if the people were caught committing a night crime, it was not like Chang'an City to beat a board and finish the matter, but cut it without saying a word, and the rest such as the people were forbidden to visit each other, and it was forbidden for friends to visit each other, and the gathering of more than three people who were not relatives was regarded as rebellion, and even the time when the shops in the city opened and closed were strictly stipulated to death, and the violators were beheaded, not only beheaded, but also relatives and neighbors were all seated.

Li Su looked at these regulations in the notice and couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.

What kind of "Anmin notice" is this, it is clearly a talisman of the king of Hades.

It is an unavoidable fact that the people of the occupied cities have no human rights. Therefore, Li Su had no objection to this notice, and he did not want to cause trouble to the soldiers and soldiers because of negligent management, and pay unnecessary life and death costs.

At this moment, he was sitting on the city tower, staring into the distance, with a lupine scarf, looking like a demon......

"Ahem, I'm watching the mountain scenery from the city tower, and I can hear the chaos outside the city......"

Li Su shook his head and shook his tail, babbling and singing a piece of Peking Opera that was unheard of in this era.

Zheng Xiaolou, who was standing next to him, couldn't calm down, and glanced at him with a strange expression.

Fang Lao Wu behind him clapped his ass very undisciplinedly: "Grandpa sings well!" Although the villain couldn't understand what he was singing, the tune sung by the grandfather was particularly pleasant, and the babbling sounded strangely comfortable......"

Although he didn't know it, his sincere attitude immediately won Li Su's favor, and Li Su happily patted Fang Lao Wu's shoulder: "Fifth uncle has good taste, life is in the world, bosom friends are hard to find, God treats me well, I will add chicken legs to you when I go back to Chang'an, hmm...... If you add money, you may not be able to reward your ambition in this life, but you can reward your confidant......"

After speaking, Li Su glanced at Zheng Xiaolou, and the meaning in his eyes was clearly expressed.

There is already one who has no discipline, and I don't care about one more, in such a harmonious atmosphere of deep affection between master and servant, don't you express it?

Zheng Xiaolou looked directly at Li Su's expectant gaze, the corners of his mouth twitched, and two words burst out between his teeth: "It's ugly." ”

Well, the atmosphere of deep affection between master and servant was washed clean and traceless by these two words in an instant.

Li Su couldn't help but feel angry in his heart, if it was changed for a thousand years, it would be certain that Zheng Xiaolou was definitely not suitable for mixing officialdom, nor for mixing workplaces, he would be beaten to death, and the most suitable profession for him was probably only crematorium......

"Fifth uncle, after returning to Chang'an, your money will be doubled, and the double money will be deducted from Zheng Xiaolou's money, so happily decided!" Li Su said neatly.

Fang Lao Wu glanced at Zheng Xiaolou in embarrassment: "It's really enjoyable...... Pleasant? ”

"Brother Xiaolou doesn't eat fireworks in the world, what's the use of asking for money? Fifth uncle, if you have a heart, stuff him with a big red envelope on Qingming Festival......"

…………

A government soldier hurriedly walked up to the city tower and came to Li Su with a fist and saluted.

"Grandpa, the general is urgently summoned, there is news from Quangai Suwen."

Li Su was stunned, and hurriedly got up and walked downstairs in the city.

The temporary marshal's tent was set up in the official office in the city, Li Ji was dressed in armor, his gray hair was slightly messy and scattered around his temples, and he stared at the map on the table with a gloomy face.

Li Su hurriedly entered, Li Ji beckoned to him, and said in a deep voice: "The scouts sent to Daxing City have news that Quangai Suwen has made a move. ”

Li Su blurted out: "Could it be that Quangai Suwen doesn't care about the destruction of Gyeongju City at all, and still reorganizes the main force of troops and horses to pursue us?" ”

Li Ji looked at him strangely: "How do you know?" ”

Li Su settled down and smiled bitterly: "I guessed, unfortunately I guessed it...... What is light and what is heavy, Quangai Suwen can distinguish very clearly, the destruction of Gyeongju City is just a gain or loss of a city, and it will hurt and cripple the main force of our Tang Dynasty, but it can keep the peace of Goguryeo for at least 20 years, if I were him, I would also make such a choice......"

Li Ji sighed: "Zizheng expected that the enemy was not bad, Quangai Suwen really didn't care about the gains and losses of Gyeongju City, and after reorganizing the soldiers and horses early this morning, he marched towards the Liao River, obviously intending to pursue His Majesty's main force of soldiers and horses. ”

Li Su stared at the map, his fingers tracing back and forth between the Liao River and Daxing City, and after a long time, Li Su suddenly asked, "Uncle, what about the five thousand soldiers and horses that we sent to attack the Quangai Suwen?" ”

Li Jidao: "News also came in the early morning, the five thousand soldiers and horses launched a total of four raids on the Quangai Suwen headquarters in the middle of the night in the past few days, according to your and my deployment, each time they attacked the enemy in the outskirts of the enemy's camp, and they retreated with one blow, and attacked again. ”

Li Su thought for a while and said: "Uncle, the task given to us by His Majesty is to block the enemy, if Quan Gai Suwen is unmoved, it will be meaningless for us to occupy this Gyeongju City, we are afraid that we will abandon the city and march westward, and stab the rear army of Chaoquan Gai Suwen, he must be beaten, he will turn around and concentrate all his forces against us, calculate the day, Your Majesty should have returned to the territory of Datang at that time, but there is no worry." ”

Li Ji nodded: "The old man thinks the same way, just now he ordered the whole army to pack up and prepare to abandon the city." ”