Liang Xiao knows that whether to fight or not to fight is not only related to his own life and death, honor and disgrace, but also involves many people. He is no longer the lonely soul who has traveled through thousands of years alone, but a champion Hou who has family, friends, and subordinates. Once he fails, he is not the only one who will be ruined, but dozens of members of the family, as well as those friends and subordinates who entrust their lives to him.

Therefore, this matter is not something that can be decided by patting the chest pocket or chest, it must be carefully planned.

The reason why he handed over the Maoling industry so happily and left Chang'an was because of this consideration. Money is something outside the body, if you lose it, you can come back, but you can't come back to life when you die, he must move his family out of the dangerous place of Chang'an first, solve his worries, and then he can deal with the Son of Heaven with peace of mind.

He is not the Son of Heaven, and he can't do anything like killing his own children for the sake of power. His family is his weakness, and as long as they are still under the control of the Son of Heaven, he cannot make any rash moves.

"Write a letter to your father, and ask for the ships in your name to come back. Also, ask him how the cave in Yizhou is being prepared. If he can't keep busy, you should be a pioneer and prepare the back road first. ”

Liu Ling nodded, his eyebrows raised.

——

The ceremony of worshipping the god Taiyi was held in Ganquan Palace.

For this ceremony, the officials of more than 2,000 stone in Beijing, the princes and kings, and the envoys of the subject countries all rushed to the Ganquan Palace, and the palace courtyard of Ganquan Mountain was full of people, and the grade was too low, and the people who were not qualified to live in the palace had to temporarily set up tents at the foot of the mountain. Up and down the mountain, it's almost two worlds. The dignitaries and nobles were still in groups of slaves, hugging each other from front to back, while ordinary officials were exhausted from food and clothing.

Dong Zhongshu is one of these ordinary officials. He is a doctor, and he is low. And there was no attaché waiting, only two disciples by his side. The disciples could help him with some chores, but when the ceremony was held, he had to go there himself, huddle with a group of young people, and be ready for the Son of Heaven to consult. For a scholar like him, who is nearly fifty years old. It's a chore.

In the solemn sacrificial procession in the station, Dong Zhongshu's eyes were lonely.

What made him lonely was not only physical suffering, but also psychological loss.

The theoretical basis for the Son of Heaven to hold the sacrificial ceremony was the induction of heaven and man proposed by him, and it stands to reason that he should be an indispensable participant, even if not as the presiding officer. But now, he is no different from an ordinary doctor, and the Son of Heaven seems to have forgotten him, and he didn't even ask him a word of advice. Opposite. The one who was taken seriously was Li Xianweng, who claimed to be hundreds of years old.

Immortals? How many hundred years old? Dong Zhongshu didn't know how many times he expressed his suspicions behind his back, but on the surface, he didn't dare to do anything disrespectful. Regardless of whether this Li Xianweng is real or fake, the Son of Heaven and the Prime Minister believe him, he can't just say it or not, in case this ceremony is disturbed, the Son of Heaven is furious, who knows what will happen.

Just pacified the two crosses. Hou Liangxiao, the champion who made great contributions, was driven out of Chang'an by the Son of Heaven because of his disrespectful words. even had to give Maoling's property to the newly favored Wang Meiren, what is he. He didn't have the money to give gifts, so if he really wanted to make a mistake, he could only resign himself to fate.

Regarding Liang Xiao's encounter, Dong Zhongshu was happy and worried. Liang Xiao left Chang'an. allowed him to temporarily escape the predicament of being humiliated by Liang Xiao, but Liang Xiao's encounter showed that his hope of explaining the Mandate of Heaven had been disappointed. When he is needed, the Son of Heaven will send an edict to inquire. When he wanted to speak, he couldn't even see the face of the Son of Heaven. Liang Xiao wanted to admonish, but he didn't even have a chance to come to Ganquan Palace to see him. He, Dong Zhongshu, went to Ganquan Palace. He was only a hundred steps away from the Son of Heaven, but he could only watch Li Xianweng claim to be a god.

Dong Zhongshu stood in the crowd, depressed. He was like a puppet, listening to instructions and acting, without any autonomy.

After standing for a day, my back hurts and my legs are weak. Back at the residence, Dong Zhongshu fell on the bed, his face pale. He was so tired that he didn't even want to attend. He felt it humiliating to sit down with his colleagues, who were young and ignorant, or old and weak-minded.

He should sit beside the Son of Heaven and use Taoism as the emperor's teacher, and the way of the holy king.

"Sir?" Lu Bushu pushed the door in, saw that Dong Zhongshu was motionless, startled, hurriedly stepped forward, stretched out two fingers, and tested Dong Zhongshu's nose. Seeing that Dong Zhongshu's breath was normal, Lu Bushu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sir, wake up."

Dong Zhongshu opened his hazy eyes, the sky was dark, and his eyes were dim. After a long while, he recognized the disciple in front of him, and asked weakly, "What's the matter?" ”

"Your Majesty summoned Mr. to meet him."

"Your Majesty summoned me?" Dong Zhongshu instantly became energetic and jumped up. "Hurry up and change my clothes. Bu Shu, what do you know? ”

Lu Bushu smiled. "Sir, you wear your official uniform on your body, you don't need to change it. It's just that I'm a little wrinkled in my sleep, and I have to smooth it out. As he spoke, he turned behind Dong Zhongshu and stroked the folds of the back hem of his clothes with his hand. Dong Zhongshu lowered his head, only to find that he had fallen asleep without even taking off his official uniform, and he couldn't help but be surprised, his old face was hot.

After a while, Dong Zhongshu walked out of the door with his head held high, and walked into Ganquan Palace with the small yellow door that came to pass the edict. When passing by those splendid newly built pavilions, Dong Zhongshu couldn't help but think of the floods in Shandong. Zheng Shi and Ji Huang have been blocked for several months, but the breach has still not been resolved, and the people affected by the disaster have fled in all directions, and some people have come to Chang'an.

I don't know if this is providence.

Dong Zhongshu came to the main hall, the Son of Heaven was wearing a gorgeous civilian clothes, leaning on the table, his face was red, and it seemed that he had just drunk a lot of wine. A group of beauties surrounded, warblers and swallows, chirping. The strong smell of rouge filled the hall and made it impossible to breathe.

Dong Zhongshu suddenly sank his face, stopped, arched his hands, and his body was like a chime.

When the Son of Heaven saw it, he laughed. He waved his wide sleeves and said in a rambling voice, "Okay, you all stand down." Master Dong is here, and he must not be rude. ”

"Yui!" The beauties responded with a smile and got up and exited in turn. The hall was empty, but the greasy sweet fragrance was still there, Dong Zhongshu couldn't help but sneeze, and the solemnity of the strong support was suddenly swept away.

The Son of Heaven waved his hand and motioned for Dong Zhongshu to step forward. Although Dong Zhongshu was displeased, he had no choice but to step forward and bow down. The Son of Heaven bestows the throne. After looking at Dong Zhongshu for a long time, he said, "Dong Gong, did you participate in today's sacrifice?" ”

"The minister is lucky, and he is the tail."

The Son of Heaven coughed lightly, and then said, "Taisheng Shui." The big water in Shandong has been blocked repeatedly. The people are in the midst of the waters, and my heart aches. You once said that it was the Son of Heaven who failed to govern, and this is the reason for the disaster warning. Now I worship the Taiyi God and ask for the lives of the people, I don't know if God is willing to forgive and solve the flood in Shandong? ”

Dong Zhongshu said: "Your Majesty asks for the life of the people, the heart of the fist." Honesty is precious. However, the minister thought that it was not enough to solve the flood in Shandong. ”

The Son of Heaven lifted his eyelids and rolled his eyes. "Why?"

"Your Majesty, the natural disasters are to warn Your Majesty to cultivate virtue and cultivate government, not inside and outside. Although His Majesty sacrificed Taiyi, he did not correct the mistakes of the court, and the cause of the disaster was not removed. Can God be satisfied? ”

The face of the Son of Heaven became even more gloomy. Dong Zhongshu's reply ran counter to his expectations.

"What's wrong with me?"

Dong Zhongshu's scalp was a little numb. No matter how broad he is, he also knows that the Son of Heaven is in a bad mood now. But. He knew better that he had too few opportunities to meet the Son of Heaven, and if he didn't seize this opportunity, he didn't know when he would have the opportunity to admonish him in person.

"Your Majesty, the water is yin. The flood is a sign of excessive yin energy. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has taken care of the old and orphaned. Virtuous and virtuous, countless virtues and politics, and they are admired by the world. Those who are slightly flawed in white jade use too often and consume too much people's resources. Since the founding of the Yuan Dynasty. Conquer Fujian and Yue, attack the Huns, and now conquer Liangyue, no year without war. The shape of the soldier is like water, which is in line with the meaning of the breaking of the river. ”

The more Tianzi listened, the more annoyed he became, and he snorted and interrupted Dong Zhongshu. "However, I heard that the flood has nothing to do with the use of soldiers, but with the displaced people, I wonder what Dong Gong thinks about this?"

Dong Zhongshu was speechless. Hearing this, he already understood what the Son of Heaven meant. The Son of Heaven did not want to listen to him talk about the use of soldiers, but wanted to connect the flood with the displaced people. But isn't it because of the floods that the displacement is caused? How can this cause and effect be reversed?

Seeing that Dong Zhongshu didn't speak, the Son of Heaven was helpless, so he had to remind again: "Agriculture is the foundation of the country, the people are the foundation of the country, and they should concentrate on farming, but now they abandon the land and flow all over the world, isn't it a sign of floods?" ”

Dong Zhongshu was angry for a while, and protested: "Your Majesty, people's hearts are important and the land is settled, if you can live and work in peace and contentment, who wants to leave your hometown and wander around?" There are only two homeless people that the minister has seen, one is that the land has been annexed by wealthy families, and they have no food and clothing, so they can only live in other places. First, the imperial court levied and issued, entered the guard and went out to fight, and traveled thousands of miles back and forth. They did not do so voluntarily, it was the result of the improper administration of the imperial court. When the heavens send a disaster, it is His Majesty, not the people, who should warn. ”

The Son of Heaven's eyes became cold, he squinted at Dong Zhongshu, crooked his mouth, was silent for a long time, and waved his hand. "Dong Gong is tired, let's go back and rest first."

Seeing this, Dong Zhongshu sighed secretly, and had the heart to persuade again, but he didn't have the courage, so he had to retreat. Out of the palace, Lu Bushu greeted him, helped Dong Zhongshu, and asked as he walked: "Sir, Your Majesty summoned you, what is the matter?" ”

Dong Zhongshu told what happened just now, and Lu Bushu listened to it and sighed. "How can you say that, sir?"

Dong Zhongshu was stunned for a moment. "Why can't you say that?"

"Sir, think about it, what is Your Majesty's greatest concern now? In a big way, after the Liu family is not a nobleman, in a small way, His Majesty is not a descendant or a long, and what he is most worried about is naturally whether the throne is reasonable or not, and whether it can be recognized by the clan. The large-scale expedition is in line with the righteousness of revenge in the Spring and Autumn Period, one is to show the righteousness of his step-ancestors, and the other is to show force and deter the princes. You say that he uses troops too often, isn't it counterproductive? ”

Dong Zhongshu stopped, turned around, and stared at Lu Bushu's eyes. "What then, in your opinion, should it be, where should this flood be?"

Lu Bushu said energetically, didn't look at Dong Zhongshu's anger, and talked eloquently. "Sir, the homeless people that Your Majesty is talking about are not really homeless, but wandering people, one refers to the doormen who are attached to the door of the powerful, and the other refers to the rangers who have nothing to do. Your Majesty is going to attack them, why don't you go along with it, and ......"

"Do you want me to conform to the will of the Son of Heaven and explain the will of Heaven indiscriminately?"

Only then did Lu Bushu realize that Dong Zhongshu's face was not good, so he quickly closed his mouth and forced a smile: "Sir, I ......"

"As a Confucian, you can't supplement the Son of Heaven with the right way, but you figure out the will and flatter with all your heart, is it the way to be a minister?"

Lu Bushu was embarrassed.

"You are a gentleman, not a villain." Dong Zhongshu snorted, shook off Lu Bushu, turned around and left. "Clever words make the color fresh. People are not kind, such as courtesy, such as happiness? ”

Lu Bushu's face was red and his ears were red. Dong Zhongshu's comment was too heavy, and it was harsher than slapping him twice.

——

A few days after the sacrificial ceremony, the Son of Heaven convened the court of ministers to evaluate the merits of pacifying the two Yue.

Prime Minister Tian Wei, Imperial Historian Han Anguo and others took out a list of heroes and corresponding rewards, and the Son of Heaven approved them one by one. Wei Qingce counter-conquered the military, pacified Minyue, and defeated Yu Shan, as the first merit, increasing the number of households by 2,300, a total of 6,100 households before the total. Lang Zhonghan said that he killed Yu Shan in battle, and he had the merit of the case, sealed the case and the Taohou, and ate 800 households. Each of them gives a thousand gold. Han Anguo, Cao Shi, Wu Quilt and others all have merits, and the gifts vary from one to the other.

The most surprising thing is the reward for the champion Hou Liangxiao.

Tian Wei said that Liang Xiao was originally an envoy, and it was not his duty to lead the army to fight, and the commander of the South Vietnamese army would be Zhao Yingqi, the prince of South Vietnam. Although Han Anguo, Dou Ying and others felt sorry, they had no reason to oppose it. Unexpectedly, the Son of Heaven thought that although Liang Xiao was not polite to unify the troops of Nanyue as an envoy, from the perspective of the entire battle situation, he dragged the main force of Minyue, created a fighter plane for Wei Qing to pacify Minyue, and finally killed Yu Shan, so he increased the number of households by 1,200, and a total of 5,000 households before the merger, as a reward.

Hearing the news, Tian Wei was very disappointed, but Han Anguo, Dou Ying and others were very excited. The Son of Heaven's move is not only a reward for Liang Xiao, but also a good treatment for the soldiers. It is undoubtedly a great encouragement for them.

After the reward, Prime Minister Tian Wei made another suggestion: migrate those who have more than 3 million family wealth from various counties to Maoling.

As soon as these words came out, the ministers were in an uproar, and Dou Ying even raised objections on the spot. The flood in Shandong has not yet subsided, and at this time, the migrants are guarding the mausoleum, I am afraid that there is a suspicion of disturbing the world.

Tian Wei retorted that it was precisely because of the unscrupulous annexation of land by the powerful in various places that a large number of people lost their survival and wandered around, and the yin qi was excessive, which led to the breaking of the river and repeated blockades to no avail. Moving Haoqiang to Maoling and returning the land they annexed to the government and redistributing it was the fundamental solution to the problem of displaced people. Do you oppose such a suggestion because you want to show off your tycoon, or are you worried that your land in Maoling will be affected?

Dou Ying was furious and immediately accused Tian Wei that he was afraid that after the powerful people moved out, those lands would not be redistributed to the people by the government, but would be annexed by some people. Shandong Dashui, the reason why you Tian Wei strongly advocated letting it go is because your fiefdom was not affected by the flood, but instead got a large number of homeless poor people as vassals? You are hindering the court's love for the people and becoming a desire for selfish interests. What is your heart?

The court discussion immediately turned into mutual accusations between the two, and the two sides refused to give in to each other, and finally broke up unhappily-

(To be continued.) )

PS: Xie Shuyou, Daming Houde, Xiaoming Zaiwu will be rewarded with 10,000 points on May 17th!