In the second year of Zhongping, July 18, the first quarter of the afternoon Shen hour.

Liu Cun led a hundred-man guard to the north of Kaiyang City, the royal city, through Ju County, and saw the chariot battle of Liu Xi, the king of Langya, from a distance, and hurriedly stepped forward for a moment of astonishment.

A hundred steps away from Liu Xi and hundreds of officials who greeted him, Liu Cun turned over and dismounted, trotted to the smiling Liu Xi and knelt down, and shouted excitedly: "How can Weichen be virtuous, and the king of labor will welcome him in vain?" Wechen is sincerely frightened and guilty! ”

Liu Xi laughed, stepped forward to help Liu Cun up, carefully looked at Liu Cun, who was dark and thin, raised his hand and stroked a knife mark on Liu Cun's left breastplate, and expressed his condolences quite emotionally: "Aiqing has worked hard!" Aiqing is not only full of strategy, but also brave and loyal! ”

"Wechen can't afford to be so praised by the king, if it weren't for the king's decision and wisdom, all the adults in the country worked together with one heart and one mind, and gave Wechen great support and trust, how could Wechen have some achievements today? Please bow down to your ministers! Liu Cun once again prostrate respectfully on the ground.

Liu Cun's performance won the favor of all the civil and military forces, Cheng Bing and several friends with Liu Cun immediately praised Liu Cun's character and mind, the monarch Liu Xi was very happy, helped Liu Cun again, shouted to take a car into the city, and accepted the cheers and congratulations of all the people.

Liu Cun said that he didn't dare to do this, Liu Xi's book business was angry, and there was no way to discuss.

Liu Cun was so anxious that he knelt down and pleaded to take back his life, but fortunately, the old minister Yinde on crutches came out to explain, and suggested that the roof of the monarch's chariot be uncovered, so that all subjects could see the heroism and mind of the monarch, and the hero Liu Cun rode a horse to follow the right side of the monarch's chariot, and then surrounded by Liu Cun's young generals, which can not only let the people see the praise and respect of the monarch for the meritorious ministers, but also complete the courtesy of the monarch and the ministers that Liu Cun adhered to.

Everyone agreed repeatedly, Liu Xi regretted for a moment, accepted the suggestion of the prime minister, and the chariot was immediately mobilized.

Liu Cun and a hundred fully armored guards under his command slowly entered the city surrounded Liu Xi's chariot, in front of which was the majestic guard of honor of the monarch, and behind was the three hundred guards led by the central guard and dozens of special cars of civil and military officials.

For more than a year, the Kaiyang Wangcheng has also been under heavy pressure from tens of thousands of displaced people, talking about the threat of war brought by the Yellow Turban Army two hundred miles to the north, and suffering from the fear of war coming at any time.

Now that Langya, who is well-known and deeply supported by the people, Liu Cun has eliminated nearly 10,000 yellow turban thieves, recovered Dong'an and Dongguan counties occupied by thieves in one fell swoop, and lifted the huge threat brought by tens of thousands of yellow turbans.

The convoy circled around and entered the front gate of the palace in bursts of cheers, Liu Cun still rode a horse to accompany the monarch in the car, followed by Xu Sheng, Qin Yi and others were full of excitement and red faces, so that in the next grand celebration banquet, the clumsy actions of the two young generals who frequently made mistakes caused bursts of laughter from the monarch and the ministers.

The wine is the Langya wine that has been famous all over the world, and the dishes are taken from the delicacies of the mountains and seas of Mengshan and the East China Sea, and the monarchs and ministers who have rarely been so luxurious once in the past few years are very excited, and even the old minister Yin De, who has been on the table three times, has made an exception, and under Liu Cun's congratulations, he happily drank a glass of wine, and then took Liu Cun's hand and talked happily for a long time.

When night fell, Liu Cun, who bathed and changed into civil official clothes, walked out of the Wangcheng Guest House, and boarded the carriage under the guidance of the palace attendants, followed by Qin Yi and Xu Shengze, who were still dressed in military uniforms.

On the way to the palace, the old attendant who accompanied Liu Cun to meet was full of emotion, pointed to the comfortable carriage and many luxurious ornaments in the carriage, and thanked Liu Cun again and again, and bluntly said that he had entered the palace to serve the monarch since he was a child, and had never seen a courtier who respected the monarch so much as Liu Cun in the past 20 years, and finally told Liu Cun with relief:

"Jun Shang has been laughing a lot lately, and his complexion has improved, and every night he will drink two cups of Langya jade liquid, and spread out the white paper that Lord Zijian worships and splash ink. After meeting a few ministers yesterday afternoon, the king asked again about the progress of the construction of Langya Academy, and learned that it could be completed before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and Liu Ye, the imperial prince who served as the director of the academy, had returned to his hometown in Shou County to pick up his family. ”

Liu Cun thanked him again and again, and politely asked about the recent news of Wangcheng in the service.

The servant told Liu Cun about the imminent retirement of the prime minister, the adjustment of the positions of several old ministers and several major civil and military officials, and finally hinted to Liu Cun with a smile: "You can recommend a few diligent and pragmatic talents to the monarch, not as long as you are stuck in a family, as long as you have real talent and real learning." ”

Liu Cunxin comprehended, immediately reciprocated the peach, and whispered to invite the old waiter to go to the "Langya Trading Company" that had not been opened long after the opening of Chengnan Street, and if there was any order, just tell the shopkeeper of the trading company.

The old waiter immediately thanked Liu Cun, and the smile on his face was even more sincere and bright.

When the monarch's attendants who were waiting outside the gate of the side hall saw Liu Cun, they immediately smiled, greeted him politely, and led Liu Cun to the palace.

Liu Cun glanced at the monarch Liu Xi who was sitting in the center and Cheng Bing, Xu Ci and others on both sides, and hurriedly stepped forward to bow respectfully.

The monarch Liu Xi was in good spirits, and he was not polite after giving Liu Cun a seat, telling Liu Cun that he had reported the merits of exterminating the Yellow Turban thieves to the imperial court, and then discussed with everyone the personnel appointments and dismissals in Dong'an and Dongguan counties.

Liu Cun didn't have any suggestions except thanks, he knew his identity very well, not to mention that he had written to Cheng Bing to tell him his thoughts before, so he was not very anxious, but he found that there was no military attache in the hall, and he didn't know what the lieutenant Xiao Jian, who had repeatedly disappointed Liu Xi, was doing, and he kept thinking about Liu Xi's thoughts.

Under Liu Xi's inquiry, Xu Ci took the lead in recommending Xu Yi, a 32-year-old Dongguan native of Xu Yi and a friend who studied in Kaiyang City, as the magistrate of Dong'an County, and gave Xu Yi the evaluation of "noble and vigorous, honest and self-controlled, proficient in agricultural affairs, and sensitive to words and deeds".

Liu Xi patted his head: "I almost forgot Xu Jicai, a great talent who writes well, the widow has seen him at the spring literary meeting, and knows that he is a talent who abides by etiquette and works hard, although he comes from a poor family, but he is constantly striving for self-improvement, and his hometown Dongguan is dozens of miles north of Dong'an, he must be familiar with the local landscape and customs, let him serve as the magistrate of Dong'an County, Dong'an once fell to thieves, and now it is a barren place, and there is a need for talents who are familiar with agricultural affairs. ”

Neishi Cangci, who arrived half a year ago, nodded slightly, arched his hand and said loudly: "Xu Ji is a rare talent, diligent and focused, following the rules, although advocating magic is strict, but the flaws are not concealed, and the minister seconded it. ”

"The minister seconded the proposal!"

Cheng Bing and Xu Ci agreed in unison.

Liu Xi saw that Liu Cun didn't speak, so he asked with a smile: "What does Liu Aiqing think?" ”

Everyone looked at Liu Cun together, knowing that his opinion was crucial, after all, although the Yellow Turbans of Dong'an and Dongguan counties were defeated, they were still entrenched in the mountains west of the two counties, and they urgently needed Liu Cun's strong army to garrison the two counties to ensure safety, and Liu Cun completely established his pivotal position in the Langya Kingdom after this beautiful battle of defeating the strong with the weak.

Liu Cun hurriedly replied: "Wechen has never seen Xu Jicai, and Wechen is also the head of a county, so I don't dare to speak in front of you and your lords, but please rest assured that no matter who serves as the magistrate of Dong'an, Liu Cun will give full support. ”

Everyone praised Liu Cun's humble character and mind to take the overall situation into account, Liu Xi was very satisfied, and asked everyone to recommend candidates to continue the Dongguan County Order.

But the next scene surprised Liu Xi, everyone in the hall looked hesitant and did not propose any candidates.

"Why are you so hesitant?" Liu Xi asked puzzled.

Xu Ci replied loudly: "Your Majesty, Dongguan is located in the mountains, it is a strategic point connecting Qing and Yan, and it is also the primary barrier to resist the Yellow Turban thief Kou Dong, and is always under the threat of thieves, therefore, if it is not a talent who is resolute and unrelenting, he cannot defend Dongguan, this is the fundamental reason why the ministers cannot make a decision, if it is not for the monarch's heart for the imperial court, and he does not want to leave a dilapidated and incomplete city to increase the burden of the imperial court, the micro-ministers will definitely advise the monarch to maintain the status quo and leave it to the imperial court to make its own decisions." ”

Liu Xi suddenly realized, thought about it for a long time, and shook his head again: "No, you can't throw an incomplete Dongguan County to the imperial court, and the secretaries will discuss it again to see who else can take on this important task." ”

Everyone was silent for a while, Cheng Bing quietly looked at Liu Cun opposite, saw Liu Cun bowed his head slightly, secretly took a breath and said loudly:

"Since there is no candidate for a while, the minister recommended a person, the former Jizhou Pavilion Tao County Ya Peng official, now Langya County clerk Zhao Rong Zhao Yande, this person is forty this year, born in a family, proficient in government affairs, familiar with the military, strict self-discipline, generous to others, for several months, to assist Langya County Ya resettlement tens of thousands of displaced people, this time Liu Zijian led the army to conquer, Zhao Rong as the whole army to supervise the grain officer, the general leader of the whole army grain and grass supply, and personally led 5,000 people Zhuang as the rear team, for the defeat of tens of thousands of thieves to recover Dong'an made great contributions, so the minister thought, Zhao Rongzhi can be qualified for the post of Dongguan county commander, and he is from Langya, known as prestige in the Langya military and civilians, and Langya soldiers who stayed in Dongguan are familiar with each other. ”

Everyone was quite surprised, Xu Ci had a good relationship with Cheng Bing, and his relationship with Liu Cun was also very good, and he had also seen Zhao Rong who came to Wangcheng twice to do business, so he did not hesitate to support him:

"The minister agrees with the recommendation of the master bookkeeper, Zhao Rong is a dignified person, full of talent, his ancestor once served as the commander of Yiling County, Jingzhou, can be described as a scholarly family in the past dynasties, the Yellow Turban Rebellion swept half of the world, the Zhao clan of the Pavilion Tao rose up to resist, resisted ten times the enemy, the whole clan did not exist one, the seriously injured Zhao Rong was finally spared under the desperate rescue of several loyal servants, and had to follow a large number of victims to live in my Langya territory, if not, Lord Zijian may not get such a talent."

Everyone suddenly realized and smiled, and Liu Xi immediately asked for Liu Cun's opinion with a smile.

Liu Cun is very frank: "Your Majesty, to tell the truth, Wechen's military ability is far stronger than the administration, don't look at Wechen in Langya to make a little achievements, in fact, Wechen just talked, all affairs rely on Zhao Rong and Yamen colleagues to do, Wechen spends less than five days a month on government affairs, the rest of the time is basically training soldiers, and there is to inspect the farms and workshops in various townships in the territory, compared with Mr. Zhao Rong's governance ability, Wechen is deeply ashamed. ”

Everyone was stunned, looking at Liu Cun who was full of shame and self-esteem, and immediately understood that this was probably Liu Cun's heartfelt words, and felt that Liu Cun was as rumored in the outside world, broad-minded and honest.

Only Cheng Bing knew in his heart that Liu Cun, who was honest and upright in appearance, was just modest, and Liu Cun was far more shrewd and profound than anyone imagined.

Liu Xi listened to it interestingly, and when he saw Liu Cun's embarrassed appearance again, he couldn't help laughing: "Aiqing is really interesting, haha!" Let this matter be settled, and the widow will approve it! ”

After the selection of the two small counties that were not fat was decided, the topics of discussion finally touched on the core interests of the entire kingdom.

Liu Xi first reviewed his mistake of ignoring the armament, and was helpless about the aging of the prime minister in his words, and was quite dissatisfied with the lieutenant Xiao Jian, who had limited ability and cherished his life but came from a famous family, and finally hoped that everyone would discuss how to improve the armament of the county and how to adjust the school, and I implore everyone to contribute ideas and speak freely.

As soon as Liu Xi's words fell, Neishi Cangci stood up and loudly recommended Liu Cun as the lieutenant of the kingdom, for a very good reason: "Lord Xiao has already made a strong decision, and it is rumored that his family has said that he has moved the important ministers of the court, and has been approved by the Holy Lord, and he will be appointed as the captain of the Northern Army, and he will leave the royal city and rush to Luoyang in the near future." ”

Cang Ci's words greatly surprised everyone, Liu Cun hurriedly looked at Liu Xi on the main seat, and saw Liu Xi looking at him with a smile, and immediately understood that it must be something that Cang Ci and Liu Xi had discussed, and he couldn't help but secretly complain in his heart.

Seeing that everyone with different expressions was staring at him, Liu Cun could only stand up stubbornly: "Your Excellency, Weichen has some things in his heart that he wants to confide in you, these words have been hidden in Weichen's heart for a long time, and he has never had a chance to say it, today...... Today, Wechen really can't think of this proposal from Lord Neishi, Wechen is very grateful for the trust of Lord Neishi, but Wechen hopes that the monarch can listen to Wechen's heart, if he listens to it, the monarch hopes that Wechen will lead the troops, and Wechen will go all out and serve the Lord diligently! ”

Everyone was taken aback, and they didn't understand why Liu Cun gave up such a high position as the lieutenant of the county, if he agreed, the monarch only needed to order the minister who was about to sign his name on the chapter, and then report to the imperial court for the record, Liu Cun was a high-ranking official with a rank of two thousand stones.

Liu Xi was also surprised, looked at the restless Liu Cun, and nodded slightly after thinking about it for a long time: "Since this is the case, please ask Liu Aiqing to go to the back study with the widow to have a cup of tea, the widow wants to hear what Aiqing has to say." ”

Liu Cun hurriedly thanked him, glanced at Cheng Bing, who knew the roots, arched his hand to all the adults, and followed Liu Xi to the study at the back of the palace.

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