Clear rewards and punishments are also one of the characteristics of the early Tang Dynasty, and the Tang army's ability to achieve an invincible reputation in the world is directly related to the reward and punishment system in the army.

As a general who has led the army for many years, Cheng Yanjin is naturally very familiar with the military system, and Li Shimin did not reward Li Su on the spot today, he felt that it was very abnormal.

"Meaning? What does Your Majesty mean? Li Su scratched his head and guessed with some apprehension, did Li Shimin have an opinion about himself? What's the opinion? After introspection, Li Su felt that he should have offended him in no other way than sleeping with his daughter, and the matter of sleeping with his daughter was purely out of affection, but he forgot to stop being polite......

Cheng Yanjin also fell into deep thought, he was thinking about Li Shimin's deep meaning.

The old hooligan has been in the court for many years with a very unreasonable attitude, but he has been mixed with the wind and water, if others think that he is a status mixed up by his fists, it is a big mistake, in fact, Cheng Biting Jin also often thinks, often speculates about the holy will, he is very clear about his position, unreasonable is just a disguised appearance, smart is his essence, a stupid person in the court where the old fox is gathered, it is impossible to mix with the wind and water, the stupid person has basically been eliminated, and some even the grass on the grave has grown tall.

"How long have you been in the palace when you entered the palace?" Cheng Yanjin suddenly asked.

Li Su thought for a while and said, "About half an hour, it seems to be ...... soon."

Cheng Yanjin stared at his face: "Before the Eastern Expedition, you entered the palace to meet Your Majesty, how long do you usually stay?" ”

Li Su recalled for a moment and said: "At least for an hour, if you have a good conversation, you will enter the palace early in the morning and come out in the evening." ”

"How did Your Majesty look when he spoke to you today?" Cheng Yanjin then asked.

Li Su sighed, turned his head to look at Li Zhi, and said, "Your Majesty is not in good spirits, the reason why you came out quickly today is because Your Majesty was chatting with me, and suddenly fell asleep......"

Cheng Yanjin's face showed a sad look, he was silent for a long time, and sighed: "Your Majesty, he ...... is no longer the high-spirited and heroic King of Qin. The hero is in the twilight, the beauty is white-headed, and the pain is even ......"

Li Zhi also showed a gloomy and sad look, and his eyes gradually turned red.

Li Su frowned and said, "Why did Uncle Cheng ask about this? ”

Cheng Yanjin was sad alone for a long time before he said, "The old man should understand why His Majesty didn't reward you." ”

Although he didn't care about the official, Li Su still cared about the answer to this matter, and hurriedly said, "Why? ”

Cheng Biting Jin said leisurely: "Your Majesty since the Eastern Crusade, the illness has become more and more serious, I am afraid that there will be unforeseen misfortune, if it is not unexpected, within a month, Your Majesty will announce the candidate for the prince of the East Palace, and this future prince, nine times out of ten, is His Royal Highness the King of Jin." ”

Saying that, Cheng Biting Jin arched his hand to Li Zhi, and then said: "The prince is established, the country has a prince, Your Majesty has no worries, but there is a regret that the ambition has not been rewarded, under the depression, Your Majesty must pave the way for the next emperor in advance, the old man speculated, I am afraid that many of our Tang Dynasty's policies and decrees will change during this period, especially the courtiers of the three provinces and six departments, there will also be changes, when the former prince Chengqian failed in his conspiracy, Wei Wangtai took the opportunity to install countless henchmen into the court, this force His Majesty will inevitably pull out, and there are young and capable courtiers, In the future, the courtiers who can faithfully assist the new monarch will also be left behind for the next emperor and make proper arrangements, and you are the important minister of your majesty who will assist the new monarch......"

Li Su gradually understood: "So, the reason why Your Majesty didn't reward me is because you want to leave it to the next emperor to reward me?" In this way, I, a courtier, will inevitably be grateful to the new king, and from then on I will become more and more loyal to the king, and will not have two ambitions......"

Cheng Biting Jin nodded approvingly: "It is indeed a smart baby, a little bit is thorough, that's right, with the old man's speculation, Your Majesty should mean this, such a great achievement as breaking the enemy's capital is not something that can be obtained casually, especially since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the sworn enemy, breaking their capital is even more arrogant, not to mention that you also single-handedly concocted the civil strife of the enemy country, it is said that with such a great contribution, Your Majesty should at least promote your title to one level, and now you are also in your twenties, and the DPRK has accumulated a certain amount of contacts and good fate, It is not an exaggeration to make you the prince of the county, but His Majesty does not have any reward for you, which means that he wants to leave the imperial favor of rewarding you to the next emperor......"

With a look of pathos on his face again, Cheng Yanjin sighed and said, "Your Majesty...... This is after the arrangement. ”

Li Zhi and Li Su were startled at the same time, Li Zhi suddenly burst into tears, and choked up: "Uncle Cheng, is it true that Father Emperor is ...... Seeing that his father is not in good spirits, he doesn't seem to be in a big deal, why ......"

Cheng Yanjin glanced at him lovingly, and said: "Your Royal Highness the King of Jin in the battle of the Eastern Expedition did not participate, the old man and Zizheng experienced it personally, when the six cavalry of the Yan Dynasty attacked our rear army and burned our army's grain and grass, the Eastern Expedition had to be stopped immediately, and the whole army must withdraw to the territory in order to protect itself, Your Majesty's life's ambition was in vain, and he vomited blood on the spot, judging from the old man, His Majesty lost his life because of this battle......"

Li Zhi burst into tears when he heard this, and his sad cries echoed in the hall.

Cheng Yanjin and Li Su looked at each other speechlessly, shook their heads silently, and the hall fell into a silent and sad atmosphere.

I don't know how long it took for Li Zhi to regain his composure a little, hanging his head and crying silently.

Cheng Yanjin continued: "Your Majesty will not reward Zizheng, but for the smooth transition of the next emperor, Your Majesty will definitely make a new adjustment to the court officials, Zizheng's title will not be promoted for the time being, but the official position will inevitably change in the near future......

Li Su was stunned and said, "What official position will Your Majesty give me?" ”

Cheng Biting Jin said: "The old man doesn't know what official position His Majesty will give you, after all, the sacred heart is unpredictable, but it is certain that Zi is the core courtier who assists the new monarch in His Majesty's heart, and Zizheng's ability is great, and he has made too many contributions over the years, and the errands that His Majesty has given you have always been done beautifully, Your Majesty has high hopes for you, especially if you have the ability, but you have no ambition, the emperors of the past and present have liked and reassured the most, that is, a courtier like you, so Your Majesty will definitely arrange you in a very important position, This position may be very close to the four words "a great minister", in today's Tang Dynasty hall, the left and right servants, the servants and the book order, etc., are all extremely ministers, commonly known as the "prime minister", Zizheng your official position is probably not too far from them, if the future emperor trusts you, under a holy decree, you only need to be promoted by one level, you are the prime minister under one person, above ten thousand people......"

Cheng Yanjin sighed: "The old man has followed His Majesty for many years, and he has been thinking about His Majesty for many years, if the old man does not expect it, His Majesty's will should not be much different from the old man's expectations, Zizheng is waiting for the holy decree in the palace at home these days." ”

By the end of the banquet, the atmosphere was already a little heavy, and Li Shimin's illness made the three of them have no intention of drinking.

After chatting with the absent-minded Li Zhi for a while, Li Su and Cheng Yanjin said goodbye and left the house.

Li Zhi sent the two to the door, and after the two left, Li Zhi ordered the carriage to be prepared and hurriedly entered the Taiji Palace.

Li Su and Cheng Yanjin walked on Suzaku Street, walking very slowly, both of them had a lot on their minds, but they didn't know where to start.

After walking for a long time, Li Su suddenly said: "Since Uncle Cheng knows that His Royal Highness King Jin will become the crown prince nine times out of ten, why did he slander him so many things yesterday?" Isn't Uncle Cheng afraid of offending him? ”

Cheng Yanjin said with a smile: "You only saw the old man slandering him, but you didn't see the benefits that the old man gave him, the old man is the first military general to officially visit him, but he has a lot to do with it, with the old man taking the lead, the other old horsemen in the army will naturally understand the meaning, in the next few days, they will come to visit one by one, to this day, the king of Wei is no longer worried, the candidate for the prince of the East Palace is about to settle, now it is different from the past, the candidate for the prince of the East Palace is doubtful, we generals dare not act rashly, I am afraid that if I am not careful, it will be a catastrophe, but now it is different, the King of Jin is the future prince, and our generals will visit him according to the number of courtesies, which can be regarded as standing in line in advance. ”

"Since Your Majesty has begun to arrange the aftermath, these days will inevitably be officially canonized immediately, the King of Jin has been ordered to supervise the country for most of the year, I heard that it is doing a very good job, Your Majesty received the recital of Chang'an City when he was in Liaodong, and the courtiers who stayed behind praised the King of Jin, and His Majesty has praised him more than once, on the contrary, compared to the performance of the King of Jin, the King of Wei has gone out with the army for most of the year but there is nothing eye-catching, but he has done some villain moves to sow discord, His Majesty has become more and more disappointed in him, if nothing else, the prince candidate must be the King of Jin."

Cheng Yanjin grinned at him: "You have always been good friends with the King of Jin, and his position as the prince is what you helped him up with. ”

Li Su was not happy, but said lightly: "The higher you stand, the more dangerous it is, if the king of Jin is in power in the future, he will give me a high-ranking official and a lord, but if the power of the minister is too great, on the one hand, it is the trust of the emperor, on the other hand, it has also become the target of the public, the king of Jin is a few years older, and he has seen the hearts of the people in the court and the cold of the world, and no one knows whether my holy family is the same, so the higher he goes, the more he must have a sober head, know what he should do, know what others are thinking, know when to advance, when to retreat......"

Spreading his hand with a wry smile, Li Su said: "Being in the court, there are too many things to worry about, which is also the fundamental reason why I have been avoiding the court, I don't want to live in the calculation and being calculated all my life, my ideal is just to live rich and comfortable, not to be disturbed by the world, not to grudge with others, but for some reason, I have come to this point in a daze, and I have gone farther and farther, the original ideal has become a castle in the air that can not be realized in a lifetime, Zhongding mountains and forests, each has its own nature, I took this road, It is completely contrary to my original intention, should I be happy in the future? ”

Cheng Yanjin was a little surprised by Li Su's words, was silent for a moment, and said softly: "You don't trust King Jin?" ”

Li Su smiled: "Of course I trust, he was helped to the position of the prince by me, how can I not believe him?" It's just that people have a lot of roles to play in this life, their identities are different, and their minds are naturally different, King Jin is my friend, no matter what trouble I or he has, we are willing to do our best to solve each other's problems, the prince is also my friend, if he has a difficult crisis, I am also willing to contribute to him, and he is also willing to solve various crises for me, but one day in the future, he will become the emperor? What he has in his eyes is the whole world, hundreds of courtiers in the court, and I am just one of his courtiers. I have made so many contributions in my life, when he grows up and matures, will he be suspicious of me? ”

Cheng Yanjin's eyes widened, and he was speechless.

Li Su sighed: "There is always a price to pay for growth, especially the emperor, I don't want to see him grow up, first take the original friend to the knife, this is the most painful thing in the world, the person who is killed is painful, and the person who holds the knife is also painful, so what I have to do now is not how big an official will be in the future, how high the knight will be, but to avoid this ......situation in the future."

Cheng Yanjin said curiously: "Do you have a way to avoid it?" ”

Li Su smiled: "I can't think of a way for the time being, but there must be a way, many people say that it is not easy to maintain a lifetime of husband and wife love, in fact, in my opinion, it is not easy to maintain a lifetime of friendship, the gap between husband and wife is just a trivial matter in life, the quarrel is fierce, and it is easy to reconcile, but if there is a gap between friends, it must be because of interests, it is much more difficult to reconcile this contradiction, King Jin is still young, maybe he doesn't realize these problems that he must face in the future, so leave it to me, I will do my best, Maintain my friendship with him, start and finish, and remain the same for the rest of my life. ”

Cheng Yanjin was silent for a long time, and sighed: "You are a good baby, the old man has seen your affectionate and righteous side today, and it is the greatest blessing in his life for the King of Jin to know you, to have your assistance, and to make friends with you." ”

Li Su shook his head: "I'm just a mortal, I still have greed, hatred, joy and anger, in fact, I should be glad that I am grateful to God for letting me come to this era, allowing me to experience the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty with my own eyes, and personally participate in it, come to this prosperous world, I live up to this life." ”

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

After saying goodbye to Cheng Yanjin, Li Su then visited several elders.

As expected, every elder praised his performance in Goguryeo, and Li Su took a hard time to swear that all his actions were arranged by His Majesty today, and I would not carry this pot......

The elders are all old foxes, and they understand in an instant, when Li Su was poured into a stomach and staggered away, public opinion in Chang'an City was almost created.

Everything is the credit of His Majesty today, and Li Ji and Li Su are just doing what they are ordered.

After the failure of the Eastern Crusade, Li Shimin's face that fell to the ground was picked up by Li Su, dusted off, and returned it to Li Shimin with respect.

Wanting to avoid disaster and not be suspicious of the emperor, Li Su could only choose to do so.

When I got home, it was already evening, and the day was so busy, and the good wishes of lying in the middle of the yard dozing in the sun and wasting the years could only start tomorrow.

After the meal, Li Su and Xu Mingzhu snuggled in the bedroom in the backyard, and the two looked at their infant daughter with happy faces, and her every little expression and small movement caused the couple to laugh.

"My husband gave her daughter a big name, and the word 'Zhen' is so good, and my daughter likes it too, and she always giggles every time she calls her name."

Saying that, Xu Mingzhu suddenly called her daughter.

The daughter really giggled, the laughter was not loud, the smile was very sweet, and Li Su's heart was about to melt.

"Madam, my daughter's smile is very much like yours, and her eyes are crooked into crescent moons, which is very sweet." Li Su put his arm around Xu Mingzhu's shoulder and smiled.

Turning his head to look at Xu Mingzhu, Li Su said: "I heard my father say yesterday that you suffered a big crime when you gave birth to a child, and you almost didn't save your life, what's the matter?" ”

Xu Mingzhu shook his head: "It's okay, Ah Weng is a little exaggerated, it's not that serious." ”

Smiling at Li Su, Xu Mingzhu said, "Isn't it like this when women give birth to children? Giving birth to a child is like breaking through a ghost gate, it has nothing to do with the status of the official, whether humble or noble, you have to pass the ghost gate several times in your life, the concubine is lucky, it seems that she is also a blessed person, God can't bear to let the concubine end this happy day, out of the confinement concubine body will take the child to the Taoist temple of the princess of Dongyang to repay the wish to the old gentleman, Her Royal Highness the princess also recited the blessing scripture for the concubine and the child for 7749 days, she really has a heart......

Li Su sighed: "It's so dangerous to have a child, madam, why don't we give birth in the future?" It's nice to have a daughter......"

Before he finished speaking, Xu Mingzhu immediately changed color: "What nonsense is my husband talking about?" Of course, if you want to give birth, no son will inherit her husband's title and family business, and the concubine will be the eternal sinner of the Li family, and the husband must not be trapped in unfilial piety and injustice. ”

Li Su sighed, he couldn't communicate with the women of this era, and everyone's generation gap was more than a thousand years apart.

"Birth, birth, it's a big deal, when you are born next time, I will invite Sun Lao Immortal to sit in town." Li Su didn't have a good airway.

Xu Mingzhu smiled: "If the old fairy Sun gives birth to the concubine, our child can be regarded as blessed, he was born with immortal energy, and he will definitely be a big man in the country in the future, maybe only a little worse than his husband......"

Li Su sneered: "Immortal? Hehe, that old immortal doesn't know what cave to hide in the alchemy pill now, if our son also learns from him to alchemy for immortality in the future, I will simply smoke him to death, and he doesn't need to eat the elixir, and he will be directly ranked in the immortal class. ”

Xu Mingzhu slapped him: "Tiger poison doesn't eat children, why did the husband say these cruel words?" ”

Li Su lowered her head and looked at her yawning daughter, and her eyes were suddenly full of tenderness: "It's better to be a daughter, my daughter is sensible, well-behaved, and she looks welcome......"

After a pause, Li Su said: "In a few days, I will talk to His Royal Highness the King of Jin, borrow his Qujiang Pond Hibiscus Garden, and our family will hold a lively garden banquet for our daughter, and invite all the elders and relatives and friends in Chang'an City, and everyone who knows each other is invited." ”

Xu Mingzhu hesitated: "I'm afraid it's not appropriate for my husband to arrange it like this, right?" The concubine only heard that a big family would hold a banquet to celebrate when she gave birth to a son, and she had never heard of a banquet for those who gave birth to a daughter, and the husband ...... The concubine thinks, it's better to forget it, right? ”

Li Su said stiffly: "What's the matter? I want to do it, I am happy to give birth to a daughter, I like to throw money to hold a banquet, please visit the garden, let everyone in the world know, I Li Su gave birth to a cute, well-behaved and beautiful daughter! ”

Nodding heavily, Li Su said, "Well, it's such a happy decision!" Set up a banquet and visit the garden! Let Steward Xue send someone to Chang'an City, tell His Royal Highness the King of Jin, borrow his Furong Garden, and the family began to prepare invitations, and everyone he knew was invited. ”