Chapter 569: You Can Be Safe

Although the rebellion in the world has not been as tragic as before since the eleventh year of the Great Cause, and the anti-kings from all walks of life no longer carried out destructive plundering in order to win the hearts of the people and consolidate their position, but instead changed to tuntian to support the people, so the areas controlled by each regime have basically restored a relatively stable social order, but there is no doubt that there are still many places where the people have withered and the fields are barren due to years of war.

Within hundreds of miles around Liyang is the land of the four wars, and the people would rather drag their families and families to flee thousands of miles to Taiyuan, Hedong, or flee farther to the south of the Yangtze River, and very few people are willing to stay in their hometowns, their homes are gone, and their townships are gone, so they have no attachment.

You can't walk far on both sides of the official road to see an abandoned village, which village next to the official road eight years ago is not prosperous? But after a catastrophe, the more the village was destroyed by the official road. The thieves marched along the official road, plundering by the way, and the people who could escape did not know where to flee for a long time.

Standing on the high slope and looking around in the silent night, I can see flashing ghost fires from time to time, those places that glow faintly, and I don't know how many white bones are buried under the soil. Occasionally, you can see an ownerless wild dog that eats dead human flesh and survives, and when you see a living person, you will show your fangs and pounce on it unscrupulously, because human flesh is too much, and these wild dogs are more ferocious than wolves. The wild wolves did not dare to approach the men and horses of the brigade, but the wild dogs did not care about them, and when they smelled the smell of human flesh, they would pounce on them fiercely, and even if they were cut off and their legs were pierced through their stomachs, they still screamed and crawled forward.

I don't know which team passed by, put a fire on both sides of the official road, and the waist-deep withered grass burned for a few days, and the fire was sent out by the wind for hundreds of miles, but there was no need to worry about burning people. But I don't know how many fat rabbits that can't run will be burned to death, and there are long worms hiding in the wild grass waiting for an opportunity to hunt.

In the middle of a deserted village, there was a faint glimmer of fire coming from the well-preserved house, but it was not visible from a distance through the broken wall.

Li Shimin, who was dressed in mink wool, was roasting by the fire, holding a wooden stick in his hand, and a hare that had been stripped of his skin was worn on the stick, because it was too barren, the rabbit was fat and oily, and as Li Shimin turned back and forth, from time to time the oil dripped down and fell on the burning charcoal, making a sizzling sound.

While roasting rabbits, Li Shimin listened to it and then smiled at the corner of his mouth: "The wind has finally stopped, why is the wind so strong in this part of Henan, when I was alone in my hometown in Longxi, I already felt that the winter there was extremely cold, but I didn't expect this place to be colder than Longxi before winter." ”

"In fact, it's not as cold as Longxi, it's just that the surroundings are too desolate so it looks colder, the woods are burned down, and there is nothing to stop the knife-like wind, which also makes the weather seem colder."

Han Shi'e hung his head and said.

"General Han should be familiar with this area."

Li Shimin asked with a smile.

Han Shi'e's face changed slightly, and then nodded and said: "It's not very familiar, but I have been here, when the minister led the army to attack Liyang, he once passed by here, and when he went, he was ambitious, thinking that the world's famous generals were just vain names, and the ministers had 100,000 troops in their hands, so don't say that Liyang is the eastern capital is also at your fingertips." Arrogant people will always be slapped in the face, that war minister was defeated by Yu Wenshi and Chen Ling, 100,000 troops were melted by people boiling soup and pouring snow, the minister only led a few hundred people out of the encirclement, and finally was caught up by Chen Ling's army, if it wasn't for the old subordinates of his father in his army, then the minister was hanged by Chen Ling. ”

"Lone has no intention of letting you bring up sad things."

Li Shimin said apologetically.

"This is not a sad thing, shame can be brave, since I fell once in Liyang, if I have another chance to fight, I will not be frivolous in the past, and naturally I will not be allowed to lose again."

"Well said!"

Wei Chigong, who was standing behind Li Shimin, clapped his hands and said: "The eldest husband should be like this, what if you lose once?" As long as there is still this body of fat, there will naturally be a time to win it back! ”

"You're a gambler!"

Li Shimin smiled and said, "Since you have already arrived here, you naturally want to go to Liyang to have a look." The men and horses of the two regiments of the Split Tiger Battalion have not yet turned back, and they are not at ease. If things go well, I have to make a show for my father to see. By the way, I went to Liyang to visit Li Xian, the king of Yan, and asked him to be a personal witness. It is said that the eldest grandson Wuji brother and sister came back from Liyang and encountered Wang Shichong's ambush, and Lone got the news to save him personally, but he met Wang Shichong's team, and after a fight, the eldest grandson Shunde also died fearlessly in order to cover Lone's withdrawal, and their eldest grandson's family was three heroic martyrs, and it is expected that the reward of the father will not be low. ”

"Your Highness"

Han Shi'e shook his head and said, "That person Li Xian is wavering, and he doesn't have the heart to surrender to the Tang Dynasty, why should His Highness take risks?" If Your Highness is not at ease, the minister is willing to take a trip to see it on your behalf. ”

"Don't worry, Li Xian will never move the idea of loneliness...... The eldest grandson, Shunde, was finally by Lone's side in vain, and let Gu know the secret of that day...... Haven't you always wondered why Li Xianyan Yunzhai didn't call the emperor like Dou Jiande and Wang Shichong with the strength of Yunzhai, it was precisely because of that secret that was to the extreme...... Otherwise, with his strength, why would he want to be a vassal to my Tang Dynasty? It's interesting...... It's so interesting. ”

"So you can rest assured, before the secret is made public, everyone who knows will pretend not to know anything, including Li Xian himself. He led the troops outside, but he just wanted to ask for a higher status from his father. As for the taller ones, he didn't have a chance to fight anymore. ”

His words were very vague, and Han Shi'e and Wei Chigong didn't understand. But Li Shimin will never explain anything, because now he must also pretend that he does not know anything.

……

……

The Imperial Study is a place of reverence and mystery, and I don't know how many decisions that affect the world come from here. Those who are fortunate enough to walk into the imperial study and sit down to talk seriously with the emperor for a while are undoubtedly the best favored ministers in the court, and they are also important ministers. Wu Yinghai, the chief eunuch of Liupin's inner chamberlain, looked at the court official who had just walked into the imperial study, thinking in his heart that he didn't know what important things His Majesty had summoned him at such a late hour. It's just that including the one who arrived earlier, these two people are not important ministers of the court, and they have been summoned into the imperial study by His Majesty at night, so they are a little weird.

The lights in the study were bright, and the stove was lit in the room. The wind outside was blowing bitterly cold, but the room was warm and made people feel a little lazy, but Fang Xuanling didn't dare to be a little lazy, his body was straight, and he subconsciously looked at Wei Zheng, who had arrived a little earlier than him, who was also sitting with a solemn expression, and kept speculating in his heart about what His Majesty had to do to recruit the two of them today.

The people who could enter the imperial study before were all important ministers of the imperial court, which made Fang Xuanling have to be a little frightened. He is now just a member of the Ministry of Rites, a small official from the fifth grade. Wei Zheng is Shi Cheng in the East Palace, and he can't even be regarded as a serious official in the court. He glanced at it as he lowered his head, and could see that Wei Zheng's hand on his knee was trembling slightly. Fang Xuanling smiled in his heart, and said in his heart that it was not only he who would be afraid when he saw the emperor.

"Bringing you two here so late is actually nothing particularly important. It's just that I've been listening to the prince talk about the two of you, and I suddenly remembered after I finished handling the government affairs, so I summoned you into the palace to talk casually, and the prince admired the two of you very much, and he said that if you two use it well, you will be the pillar of the future of the Tang Dynasty. ”

"Panic!"

Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng hurriedly lowered their heads.

"Don't be so restrained, this is not a hall, nor is it a court meeting, it's just that I am chatting with you, there is no need to endure so hard."

Li Yuan, who was wearing a bright yellow suit, smiled, pointed at Fang Xuanling and said, "You sit on that stool and owe most of your ass, but the stool is crooked by you, is it so comfortable?" ”

He pointed at Wei Zheng again and said, "You look like you're sitting firmly, but your legs are trembling, which means that you are supporting your body on your legs, and your ass doesn't dare to sit down at all, is it so happy?" ”

Li Yuan motioned to the chamberlain to serve tea to the two of them, and said with a smile, "It's all for me to sit down, I was born in the army, and the most unsightly thing is whether I sit or not, and I don't stand up." ”

"Obey the Order"

The two of them quickly moved their buttocks and sat down on the stool, subconsciously glanced at each other, and saw the uneasiness and embarrassment in each other's eyes.

"The prince said that you are all talented in governing the country, and I still believe in his vision. It's just that you haven't been an official for a long time after all, and I remember that Fang Xuanling, you are just a member of the Ministry of Rites, and Wei Zheng, you haven't really entered the court...... So even if I want to promote the two of you, I can't go too far, after all, there are so many pairs of eyes in the court, I can't do things fairly...... Besides, those broken mouths of Yushitai can't even be provoked by me. ”

"But I can't bury you, like this...... Fang Xuanling, first promote you to the waiter of the Ministry of Rites. Wei Zheng, you will still stay by the prince's side to do things, and I will let him promote you to be the squire of the inner history, after all, you are from the East Palace, or is it good for the prince to directly promote you...... He's just too cautious and obedient, and that's really not as good as the people. ”

Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng were both thoughtful, and when they heard the word Shimin, their eyes changed at the same time, and then they sighed in their hearts almost at the same time: The main topic is coming.

But the next words of the Tang Emperor made the two of them immediately breathe a sigh of relief.

"My world, sooner or later, will be inherited by the prince. Since the two of you are talents valued by the prince, then I will leave the two of you to the prince. The affairs of the Ministry of Rites are cumbersome but do not take too much thought, and the affairs of the East Palace are not a headache now. As for how big an official you two can be in the future, and how high a knight you will be, I will reward you after the crown prince ascends the throne. ”

"Do things well."

Li Yuan said a long sentence for no reason, and then waved his hand casually and said, "I'm tired, you can go back." ”

The two of them hurriedly got up and saluted, and then exited the imperial study, and the emperor didn't give the two of them a chance to talk from beginning to end, and this matter really seemed weird today. As soon as Fang Xuanling came out of the imperial study, he couldn't help but glance at Wei Zheng, but found that Wei Zheng was also looking at him in the same surprise. Then the two of them smiled relatively self-deprecatingly, and they couldn't help but think in their hearts, it was ridiculous that His Majesty was going to ask him who would succeed him! I'm just a big little official, how could Your Majesty say this? I overestimate myself too much, I'm ashamed.

"Lord Wei returning to the East Palace?"

"Exactly"

"Just by the way, you and I are walking?"

"Good!"

The two looked at each other and smiled, and walked out of the palace together.

It was these two short sentences of conversation, and their figures reached Li Yuan's ears before they disappeared into the darkness.

When he heard Fang Xuanling say that he was on the way, Li Yuan couldn't help laughing: "He lives in Minhua Alley, and he said such a thing as a way by even though he was contrary to Wei Zheng...... These two overly cautious guys don't know what the prince values about them. ”

He waved his hand to let Wu Yinghai go out, leaned back in his chair and picked up a book and looked at it a few times.

It's just that his mind can't get in at all, and he throws the book aside, Li Yuan looked at the candle flame and suddenly sighed: "An Zhi...... That's a great word...... I had no choice but to do that back then, Yang Jian was too jealous, if I didn't abandon you, our family would be implicated. Li Hun's fate, you must have heard of it. ”

"Jiancheng is an old and serious person, and the people of the world are too radical and biased, but it is rumored that you are cautious and determined, and you are in line with my mind...... But I can't give it to you, let the people know that I lost my own son in order to save my life, what else can I do as an emperor? It's better not to tell this secret, but sooner or later I will let you know that you are my son! ”

"If I have lost you, I will make up for you more. If you want to lead the troops outside, I will let you lead the troops, Datang needs a military leader who is solemn and no one dares to provoke, you want to be free...... I'll give you as much as I can. It's just that you must not get involved in the matter between Jiancheng and the people, the crown prince was built, and the throne was naturally built, and the people of the world did lose him, so I can find a way to compensate for it......"

"As long as you don't rebel and rebel...... Ann ...... Be at peace."