Zhurou

Chapter 228 Tea

Lu Xianzhang is not Pei Yong, and this thought only flashed through his mind, but he is not a fool after all. After hesitating, he saw that both of them were looking at him, and suddenly he felt something was wrong.

Sure enough, he didn't need to say anything at all, Zhang Yi opposite him said meaningfully: "Zhiyou, you are a loyal minister of the emperor, and you are highly trusted by His Highness. You can't just stand by and watch the situation today."

"What do you mean by this, Privy Councilor?" Although Lu Xianzhang had no hope of getting lucky, he still felt a little dizzy and asked carefully.

"Zhiyou, marriage is the ancient way to win over the vassal states. The previous dynasty also married princesses to the vassal states, which made the two countries stable for nearly a hundred years. When our Great Jin Dynasty was founded, there were also many noble ladies who married. This method does not waste money and manpower, and does not harm the overall situation." Zhang Yi's words were very righteous. "It's a pity that the emperor is young and cannot make a clear judgment. He only has one sister, so he will definitely not agree. But which is more important, the country or the world?"

"Your Majesty is the Emperor. Although I am lucky enough to have my current position, I am actually just a newcomer. My words and actions are not as important as those of you superiors..." Lu Xianzhang felt bitter in his heart, but he responded reluctantly.

He had been really busy these days and had to hold on for dear life to avoid collapsing. His brain wasn't working as fast as usual, but even when he was most clear-headed and alert, he could never match these old officials who had been in the officialdom for many years. Only when he had said this did he vaguely realize the plan of the old fox opposite him.

  ——What is the emperor’s loyal minister?

When did he become a loyal minister of the emperor?

Could it be that he was asked to persuade the Emperor to agree to allow the princess to marry?

The current emperor and the princess are siblings and have a deep relationship. If he were to take the initiative, no matter if he succeeds or not, once the emperor holds a grudge against him, where would he find a place to stand in the future?

Moreover, from his heart, he really didn't want the princess to marry a foreign prince, and he didn't think it had really come to that.

I avoided them one by one. Did they take advantage of me because I was inexperienced? They even didn't give me any benefit at all.

He felt embarrassed, and for a moment he didn't know whether he was pathetic or the princess was pathetic. He really didn't have the energy to beat around the bush with the two of them. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, but his throat was still stuck. He had to turn his head away rudely, cleared his throat, and turned back again, saying, "If you want me to make suggestions, my words are of little importance. It would be better for you to make suggestions together during the imperial lecture..."

Yang Ting shook his head and said with a smile: "Zhiyou, we don't have such intention."

Zhang Yi also laughed and said, "Zhiyou, you and I are in two different governments. The court is like this, and the national situation is like this. We should work together and not worry too much."

Having said this, he picked up the teacup again and took a sip.

Lu Xianzhang hesitated, feeling that something was wrong. He looked up at the people opposite him, waiting for them to speak.

Yang Ting did not respond, but looked at Zhang Yi.

The latter frowned, put down the teacup, and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief beside him. He didn't know whether it was because the court was in trouble and the tea had not been replaced for a long time, and it had been raining for several days, and the clerk in charge of storage in the warehouse was careless, causing the old tea leaves from last year to lose their fragrance, or it was because this cup of tea had been left for too long and had become cold, so it tasted bitter without even a hint of sweetness.

At this time, everyone was discussing important matters, so naturally they couldn't ask anyone to come in to serve. He hesitated for a moment, then put it aside for the time being. He slowly raised his head and said to Lu Xianzhang: "Zhiyou, your Majesty is still young, but your Highness has always been very understanding of righteousness. As long as you and I can explain this matter, he will know the priorities without anyone else saying much."

"After returning to the capital via Caizhou, His Majesty has some grievances against us. If I continue to make suggestions, or even show any sign of persuasion, it will only do harm and no good. If the victim takes the initiative to bring up this matter, and we do more to comfort and appease him - with the princess's ability, it should be no problem for her to convince the emperor."

Yang Ting nodded and said, "Yes."

Zhang Yi finished speaking in one breath, stretched out his hand out of habit, and was about to take the tea, but then he thought of what he had just experienced. The astringent taste in his mouth had not yet dissipated. He couldn't help but feel annoyed in his heart, and he couldn't help but hum twice through his nose.

As for Lu Xianzhang on the opposite side, he was really stunned by what he heard, and he felt his hands and feet were a little cold.

——Let the victim take the initiative to propose... This approach, although the princess always puts the overall situation first and never shirks or gives in when encountering problems, this approach...

Lu Xianzhang didn't even need to put himself in the other person's shoes to feel the chill down his spine.

"Husband." His voice could not help but rise by two degrees. "Xingqing Prefecture is a remote and desolate place. The diet and habits are completely different from those in the Central Plains. The winter is very cold, and it is difficult to adapt to the climate and soil. Your Highness, a princess, may not be able to endure such hardships. If she is angry..."

"Zhiyou!" Zhang Yi interrupted him, "You are from a scholarly family, unlike me, who was born in a small county on the border and came from a poor family..."

He began to teach the truth: "There is an old saying in my hometown, 'A tree that is moved will die, but a person who is moved will live'. Your Highness moved from the vassal state to Caizhou, and then from Caizhou back to the capital. Isn't it a journey of displacement? But I have never heard any complaints from you..."

"Xingqing Prefecture is the capital of a country after all. The emperor has lived there for a long time. There are also many ministers, noble ladies, etc. Although life is difficult, it is not completely intolerable..."

"Besides, you and I are only making suggestions and persuading you. As for whether to follow your advice or not, it is up to Your Highness to decide. With her broad mind, knowing that you are acting out of public interest, will she still argue with me?"

Yang Ting also said: "Zhiyou, rest assured. When the Di people's envoys arrive in Beijing, you just make suggestions. If it doesn't work, we will not ignore it..."

Lu Xianzhang was speechless.

All the powerful officials in this room toasted him. If he turned against them in front of them, he would have to drink a penalty drink.

With his current abilities and background, he could not afford the so-called "penalty drink".

Thinking of this, Lu Xianzhang couldn't tell what he felt in his heart. He was really angry and annoyed, and blamed himself for being incompetent. He also knew that if he made a suggestion, the princess might really consider it. If...

He stood there, not knowing what he had said. He walked out of the house in a daze. He didn't feel anything was wrong with him, but he didn't know how far he had walked. Suddenly, he heard someone calling from behind, "Lü Canzheng! Lü Canzheng!"

Lu Xianzhang looked closely and saw that it was a clerk holding an umbrella.

The man ran over with an umbrella in hand, held it over Lu Xianzhang's head, and said with a smile, "It's raining now, be careful not to catch a cold..."

When Lu Xianzhang looked down, he found that half of his body was wet. Although the rain was not pouring down like a bucket, it was like a curtain and could not be ignored at all - it was raining as expected.

He reacted suddenly, cheered up immediately, and without further delay, went back to his office to sort out the memorials.

The prices in the city are falling day by day, the Kyoto government should report to the palace as soon as possible!

  ——He didn't have to, shouldn't, and couldn't wait until the Di people entered the capital before mentioning this matter to Her Highness. Although it might not have any effect, he should ask her to make preparations early for the future. ***

After Lu Xianzhang left, the few people left in the room did not leave immediately.

Seeing the man about to leave the door, Zhang Yi smiled and shook his head, "He is a young man after all..."

"Zhiyou is kind and gentle to women." Yang Ting nodded, "But after all, the country is the most important thing - if there is a better way, wouldn't you and I be unwilling to be kind and gentle to women, the elderly and the weak?"

"However, this man has more wisdom than strategy - although you asked him to wait for the Di envoy to arrive in Beijing before making suggestions, with the way he behaves, I'm afraid he won't be able to wait until that day, so he has to go and report first." Yang Ting said.

"It would be better if he informed them first. Otherwise, if there is no preparation when the Di envoy arrives, the emperor might lose his temper right away." Zhang Yi sighed, "If he had mentioned it earlier, the princess would have persuaded him, so he wouldn't have lost his manners."

As he was about to reach out his hand, he subconsciously glanced at the teacup on the table and retracted his hand. "If the princess goes to Xingqing Mansion, there will be many benefits. I just decided to stay here. It is not convenient for you and I to say more. Your Majesty is a monarch after all, and it is not appropriate for him to stay in the hands of a woman for a long time. I think he has been acting only according to his own selfish desires recently. If this continues, it is really hard to predict..."

In fact, the word "frivolous" was on the tip of his tongue, but he acted cautiously, firstly to prevent ears from the other side of the wall, and secondly to be wary of the person in front of him, so he swallowed it back in the end.

Yang Ting glanced at Zhang Yi and said nothing.

This deputy privy councilor wanted to persuade the emperor, so he united many officials and arranged for the Censorate to conceal his mistake. However, man proposes, God disposes, and he failed in the end. He even missed the opportunity to hit his head against the pillar to clear his name and ask the emperor to admit his mistake. Although no one in the two governments mentioned it, everyone laughed about it behind the emperor's back many times.

But what this person just said is correct: Given the current state of our country, we should pool our wisdom and strength as one.

Thinking of the many people far away in Xingqing Prefecture, he couldn't help but sigh and said, "If we can take this opportunity to welcome back the emperor..."

"It's not impossible." Zhang Yi seemed to be encouraged and smiled. "The marriage between the two countries does not allow any detention. Even if it doesn't work for the time being, I can pay some ransom money and the princess can talk about it again..."

As he said this, his smile grew wider and the wrinkles on his face deepened.

"You... maybe you can take this opportunity to return to the capital with the retired emperor..." After saying this implicitly, Zhang Yi stopped talking.

Yang Ting, however, remained calm and shook his head, saying, "The most important thing is the Emperor Emeritus, and we can discuss the rest later."

As he spoke, he stood up and walked out slowly.

Zhang Yi waited until the other party walked far away and he could no longer see his figure before he curled his lips and snorted.

He was still holding a battle report in his hand, which was one of the copies sent by Pei Yong. At the back was a separate document with comments from many people, all of which were about rewards for the front line, and there was also a special reward for Pei Yong.

Zhang Yi saw such a beautiful victory and sent back such good news with great fanfare. He was happy for only a short time before he began to worry about the subsequent rewards and the future division of power in the Privy Council.

——Yang Tingben was not in the Privy Council, so naturally he didn't care. If he hadn't been... still in Xingqing Prefecture, trying to bring people back without success, he might not have been able to gather people over this time.

As for Sun Chong, he had a stable position and was old. He was about to retire. His eldest son and second son both died in the war, leaving only his youngest son who was still serving in an outpost and did not pursue military career. His grandchildren had little experience, so he naturally did not care much about Pei Yong.

Only if you have something to ask for, you will be so exhausted and constrained...

Thinking of this, Zhang Yi's mouth became drier. He reached out to get some tea, but when he saw the cup of cold tea, he frowned and rang the bell hurriedly.

The clerk on duty hurried in and saluted.

"Go and ask who is in charge today why such tea was sent in. It's very astringent. It's fine with me, but when Sun Pingzhang comes back soon, I'll ask him how to make it taste better." As he spoke, Zhang Yi pushed the teacup forward without even raising his head, looking busy.

The clerk hurriedly responded, took the tea and went out. Not long after, he returned with a new cup of tea along with the official in charge that day.

"The morning tea was indeed inferior. It was my fault." The official carefully admitted his mistake. "It's just that... I want to let the Privy Council know that the prices of everything in the city have skyrocketed recently. The roads are different now, so the new tea from the south can't be delivered for the time being. There is only a little old tea left from last year. Unfortunately, due to the heavy rains recently, the oil paper and lime have all been used up..."

He explained it carefully.

Zhang Yi did not put down the pen in his hand, but just raised his head and smiled, saying: "Nothing, right now the court is in great need of everything, the soldiers on the battlefield may not even have food, I am waiting behind, so there is no need to care so much about this little enjoyment."

He looked very talkative and waved his hand to let people leave.

The official and the clerk left the house together. When they were far away, the official cursed the clerk in a low voice, "This gentleman is very picky. He has to look at everything carefully, such as tea and snacks. Is this your first day here? How can you be so careless in doing things?"

The clerk nodded repeatedly, but had to ask again: "It's been a while since I can buy new tea. So, his room..."

"Use what I picked up today. Ask one more question tonight..." The official gritted his teeth and said, "If it doesn't work, I'll send someone to find another way."

  ***

Not to mention that Mr. Zhang, who was "a tree that is moved will die, a person who is moved will live", was struggling for half a day for a cup of tea that he didn't like, and it was not known whether he felt better. On the other hand, Lu Xianzhang, who had finally finished the things at hand, finally found an opportunity to rush into the palace to meet the emperor.

He reported all the important matters of the Kyoto government office and answered many of Zhao Mingzhi's questions in detail. It seemed that there was no time to delay, but the palace was like a sieve. There were many eunuchs, palace maids, and guards in the Chuigong Hall, and other officials waiting for an audience outside. All these made him hesitate.

But this hesitation was finally suppressed.

After courageously taking a look at the table in front of him, Lu Xianzhang took a step forward and said in a muffled voice: "Your Highness... I have something else to report."