This is the first time that Li Longji has called Xiao Jiangyuan "general", although his tone is not quite right, Xiao Jiangyuan is very comfortable to listen to, and his mood is much better. She arched her hand at Li Longji very obediently: "Everything in the minister is given by everyone, the so-called official authority, but the fox and the tiger are just a fox and a tiger." ”

That's pretty much it. Li Longji snorted lightly while slandering: "Then the general thinks that how to deal with Lu Xianggong's matter?" ”

Xiao Jiangyuan said: "The minister thinks that instead of taking the initiative to find Lu Xianggong to clarify their thoughts, and there are traces of the suddenness, it is better to respond to all changes with the same for the time being, since Lu Xianggong was able to come to inquire before, he will naturally be able to do it later." It's just that...... Don't you really mean that? ”

Li Longji was a little more serious: "Didn't you just ask, why should I?" ”

"That ......"

"Do you think that the election of officials is only based on appearance and ability? Lu Xianggong's ability and value have never been in general affairs. ”

So what else do the electors look at? Xiao Jiangyuan still didn't understand, but he didn't dare to continue asking, so as not to be scolded.

More than half a month later, Yao Chong returned to the political hall. Seeing the case files piled up on the table, he was neither surprised nor angry, as if he had known that this would happen, which made Lu Huaishen even more embarrassed and ashamed.

Yao Chong smiled comfortingly at Lu Huaishen, and then asked him to rest, while he left Qi Huan alone to handle political affairs in an orderly manner. Seeing that Lu Huaishen had not left, Yao Chong asked Lu Huaishen to sit beside him, and handed over each of his completed case files to Lu Huaishen for review.

Lu Huaishen felt that his mind had been seen through by Yao Chong. He refused to leave because he wanted to see how strong Yao Chong's ability was, and he really felt that it was difficult to handle so many case files left over from this period of time, and he wanted to know if it was just as difficult for Yao Chong.

Unexpectedly, in less than an hour, Yao Chong had arranged all the case files. Because after reading each volume, Lu Huaishen could take a look, and he knew that Yao Chong was definitely not dealing with it indiscriminately for the sake of quantity. Shocked by Yao Chong's ability, Lu Huaishen was ashamed of himself, so he went to Zichen Hall to find Li Longji.

Qi Huanwei said: "Lu Xianggong, what's wrong?" ”

"No matter how old you are and how good your temperament is, there will be times when you are unwilling. Lu Lao didn't want to just be a 'companion prime minister', but he didn't grasp the time when I was away to behave well, so I just let him know that he could only blame himself for everything. Looking at his achievements today, Yao Chong was quite proud, "Qi Langjun, I have something I want to ask you." ”

"Xianggong just asked directly, what are you doing so politely?" Hearing Yao Chong suddenly call himself "Lang Jun", Qi Huan had an ominous premonition.

Yao Chong smiled slightly, his eyes shining like starlight: "I am the prime minister, how about Guan Zhong and Yan Ying?" ”

Qi Huan was silent, shook his head and said, "It's not good." ”

Yao Chong's smile collapsed instantly. He stood up tremblingly, pointed to the outside of the political affairs hall, and then pointed to the case files piled up like a hill on the ground, and said in disbelief: "Why? ”

Qi Huan said lightly: "Guan Zhong and Yan Ying are the sages of the ancients, although the policies they have implemented have not been passed on to future generations, but during their tenure, they can always be consistent, and I think it is a perfect strategy once and for all; Although the laws formulated by the Xianggong are good, they are always changed with the changes of time, probably because of congenital deficiencies. Xianggong's law is not as clever as the national policy of Guan Yan and the others, and Xianggong himself is naturally even more incomparable to them. ”

Yao Chong agreed with Qi Huan's statement, but he was still a little unconvinced: "Then I'm pretty good, right?" ”

Seeing Qi Huan shaking his head stiffly, Yao Chong said, "Then what kind of prime minister am I?" ”

Qi Huan thought about it carefully, and had to admit: "Yao Gong is the face of saving time. ”

Yao Chong raised his eyebrows and smiled: "That's it." Saving the appearance of the time is not something that anyone can do. ”

Yao Chongzheng was excited and happy for Qi Huan's rare compliment, while Lu Huaishen knelt down in front of Li Longji and solemnly asked for Zhishi.

For Yao Chong's return, Li Longji was happy for most of the day, and before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he caught up with Lu Huaishen's resignation. He and Xiao Jiangyuan glanced at each other, and both felt that the time had come. If he doesn't take this opportunity to clarify the misunderstanding, I'm afraid he will hurt the old minister's heart.

Li Longji did not respond immediately, but first helped Lu Huaishen up with both hands, asked him to sit with him, and personally cooked tea for him. When Lu Huaishen took a sip and the atmosphere eased a lot, Li Longji said with a smile: "Why did Lu Gong say this?" ”

Lu Huaishen held the small tea bowl in both hands, lowered his head and sighed: "The old minister is incompetent, he has made mistakes in state affairs for many days, and he does not dare to continue to hold the high position of prime minister. ”

Li Longji said gently: "What does Duke Lu think, what is the prime minister? ”

Lu Huaishen said: "The prime minister, the head of the hundred officials, must be capable in order to be an example for the ministers." ”

"Like Yao Gong?"

"Exactly."

Li Longji nodded: "Then Lu Gong thinks, why does Ah Pu have to be Lu Gong to be this other prime minister?" ”

This is also what the minister has been thinking about for a long time and can't understand. Compared with Lao Chen and Yao Gong, the difference in ability is really huge. As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Huaishen remembered the conversation between the Son of Heaven and General Xiao that he heard outside the Zichen Hall not long ago, "Could it be ...... Does the saint really just need the old minister to be a prime minister who does nothing? ”

Finally asked. Li Longji felt a little calmer, sat upright, and said sincerely: "As Lu Gong said, the prime minister is the head of the hundred officials and the example of the ministers. The head of a hundred officials is the position of power, and I can give this, but the example of the ministers is not for me to say yes. In addition to being an official, in addition to having appearance and talent, the most important thing is to be virtuous. ”

Seeing that Lu Huaishen realized his deep meaning and sat upright, Li Longji continued to say slowly: "Therefore, Lu Gong doesn't have to ask himself to be as capable as Yao Gong, because Lu Gong is not Yao Gong in the first place, and I worship Lu Gong as a minister, not for ability, but for Lu Gong to be honest and upright." I have entrusted the power of Yao Gong to the court, and the subjects of this world still need the virtue of Qing to set an example! I just want them to know that the highest level of being an official is the power of Yao Gong and the great virtue of Aiqing! ”

Hearing that the young emperor had such an evaluation and intention for himself, Lu Huaishen was moved to tears, and he was afraid that it was a dream, and asked worriedly: "So, the old minister is not a useless person to the country, to the saints, to his colleagues and to the people?" ”

It turns out that Lu Huaishen is most worried about this? It seems that he really didn't choose the wrong person, Li Longji sighed with admiration in his heart, and added a little respect to Lu Huaishen: "Of course not." Ah Pu still needs Aiqing to calm down the atmosphere of the court in the future! ”

In this way, Lu Huaishen was relieved. Li Longji only thought that the incident of Zhishi had not happened, so Lu Huaishen went home with peace of mind, and then sat down on the circle chair: "It's time to live in peace for a while, right?" ”

Xiao Jiangyuan looked through the window at the clear sky outside that had not shed a drop of water since last winter, and felt that her family's wish would not come true.

As Xiao Jiangyuan expected, there was another drought this year. If it was just a big drought, because there have always been droughts in the past few years, and after the big drought, there are always big locusts, and last year Li Longji and his ministers were trembling, and as a result, nothing happened except for strong winds. They thought that the catastrophe was over, but they did not want the locust plague, which had been backlogged for several years, suddenly broke out in full force when the drought came that year.

Starting from Shandong, the locusts cross the border like dark clouds pressing down on the city, its shape covers the sky and the sun, and its sound is like wind and rain. Everywhere he went, nothing became a disaster, and the crops and rice crops suffered a lot. The people take food as the sky, if there is no harvest this year, the people will not even have the least food, but they are afraid that the people's hearts will be unstable and there will be a bigger mess!

For the sake of the drought, Li Longji has already asked people to check the prison prison to put an end to unjust, false and wrongly decided cases, and he has also avoided the main hall and reduced his diet, but the disaster has not improved because of this, and it has also caused an even greater disaster. Li Longji had lost a lot of vigor at this time, and his exhaustion and frustration made him depressed a lot, and even before going to bed late at night, he asked Xiao Jiangyuan a question:

"Since I ascended the throne, there have been many natural disasters, is it ...... Is it because I am not in the right position, that Heaven is warning me, or is it punishing me? ”

Xiao Jiangyuan has never seen such a frustrated Li Longji. She once thought that she would dislike him because she admired him too much, but when she saw it with her own eyes, there was only softness left in her heart. She knelt on the edge of Li Longji's couch and said gently: "Didn't Xianggong Yao give advice today, in the face of this kind of disaster, it is useless to worship the heavens and worship the gods, and the best way is to hunt and kill quickly." ”

"Didn't you see that as soon as Yao Gong opened his mouth, he was met with opposition?"

Recalling the unprecedentedly unified opposition of the permanent staffers, Xiao Jiangyuan disagreed: "Even if there really are gods between heaven and earth, and the locust plague is really a certain kind of heavenly curse, it does not mean that we can only bear it. Now there is still room for them to say this, if it really comes to the point where there is no harvest and they are so hungry that they can't even save their lives, they must be in a different tone, but by then it will be too late—are you against it? ”

Li Longji did not answer. Emperor, Son of Heaven also. The Son of Heaven, the Son of Heaven, is commanded by Heaven. Even if Li Longji doesn't believe in anything else, he believes this. He was so difficult at first, but in the end he was able to succeed in inheriting the throne and becoming the Son of Heaven, so he thought that he must be destined for heaven, but now, he is not so sure.

The locust plague had already spread from Shandong to Henan, and there was no way to delay, so before dawn the next day, Li Longji got up and summoned Yao Chong, who had been on duty in Zhongshu Province last night, to come alone.

Yao Chongdao: "The peasants in Shandong only dare to set up altars to burn incense, pray for blessings and worship, and dare not kill a locust, what is the result?" Now that the scope of the locust plague is getting bigger and bigger, I also asked the sage to order a hundred officials, and send the imperial historian to the local area, supervise the history of the assassins in various places, and join hands with the people to fight the locust plague! ”