The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 394 Sophistry is unparalleled, celebrities are romantic

"My son-in-law pays respects to his father!"

"Foreign Minister Zhu Xiu, see your Majesty!"

In the Zhaoqing Hall of the harem, Zhu Xiu met Li Jing.

A fair, fat middle-aged man, except that he does not have rabbit teeth and double pupils, he is probably exactly the same as Li Congjia 30 years later.

Wearing a bright yellow round collar robe, a jade belt around the waist, a late Tang Dynasty-style hard-footed headdress, and a three-inch short beard under the chin.

Well, if it weren't for the emperor's robe, he would be totally inconspicuous on the street, and he would just be an ordinary fat official.

Li Congjia paid homage meticulously, but Zhu Xiu did not kneel down, but only bowed his head.

Li Jing sat on the imperial throne, looked at him, and said displeasedly: "Don't foreign ministers not understand etiquette?"

Zhu Xiugong cupped his hands and said with a smile: "Only the foreign ministers of the vassal vassal need to kneel down when they meet the emperor of the clan. The foreign ministers are ministers of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Our Lord has decreed that officials do not need to kneel down on days other than the day of the imperial meeting.

There is nothing wrong with foreign ministers meeting His Majesty in accordance with the etiquette of the Zhou Dynasty! "

Li Jing thought about it and felt that it made some sense. For a moment, he couldn't find any reason to argue. He waved his hand and said, "That's it. Foreign ministers are exempt from courtesy."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Xiu smiled slightly, stood up straight, hung his hands in front of him, and looked calm.

Although the people above the Great Zhou Dynasty never recognized Li Jing's status as emperor, and only regarded the Tang State as a Jiangnan separatist force equivalent to Meng Shu, but now that he was in his territory, there was no need to offend Li Jing with verbal titles.

It's not a disadvantage to address him as "Your Majesty", but he won't be able to wear the title of emperor for long anyway.

Li Congjia was a little nervous. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and winked at Zhu Xiu, fearing that his deception would not work and would anger Li Jing.

Li Jing cleared her throat, said in a low voice, pretending to be dignified: "Foreign ministers sneaked into Jiangning City without passing on credentials or reporting. What is their intention? And they are so bold as to kidnap the prince? Do you know your guilt?"

Li Congjia swallowed his saliva and looked at Zhu Xiu worriedly.

Zhu Xiu knew it in his heart, his expression didn't change, he said with a smile: "Your Majesty, the foreign minister is from Haozhou. He was separated from his family when he was young, and after all kinds of inquiries, he found out that his family was exiled to Jiangning.

The foreign minister missed his relatives so much that he entered Jiangning City in disguise, just to find his relatives, with no other intention!

It is indeed the fault of the foreign minister for not informing your country in advance and causing His Majesty to misunderstand!
As for kidnapping the prince, it is completely false. Your Majesty must not listen to the slander! "

Li Jing slapped the armrest of the throne angrily: "You still dare to quibble? You led the warriors to sneak into Jiangning City disguised as Jiangyang thieves, brazenly attacked the forbidden garden, and kidnapped the prince. Isn't it true? Are these things ordered by the Emperor of Zhou?"

Zhu Xiu's face became solemn, and he cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, the foreign minister's private entry into Jiangning City was entirely a personal act and has nothing to do with our court officials! The foreign minister cares about his relatives, so he does not hesitate to take risks. I dare to ask your majesty, what happened? What's wrong?

Filial piety comes first among all good deeds. In order to save his mother, brother and sister-in-law, a foreign minister went south under a pseudonym and inquired in many places. Isn't this not fulfilling the filial piety of a son of man?

The foreign minister made a mistake. His mistake was that he should not have concealed the truth from our officials. His mistake was that he did not contact your court in advance, which caused misunderstanding between the two countries. "

"Hmph!~ You are clearly trying to avoid the important and take the easy. How dare you speak so eloquently in front of me?" Li Jing scolded angrily.

Zhu Xiu suddenly asked: "May I ask your Majesty, do you want me to admit that I was assigned by the Emperor of Zhou to sneak into Jiangning City and lead the dead men to assassinate the crown prince of your country?

Your country wants to take this opportunity to find an excuse to use troops against me, the Great Zhou Dynasty?

Or does His Majesty think that our borders are unstable not long after the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and he wants to take the opportunity to send his troops north to provoke a war and capture the land of Huaibei? "

Li Congjia's eyes widened, he smiled bitterly and quickly gestured secretly, telling Zhu Xiu not to talk nonsense.

Zhu Xiu pretended not to see it and looked at Li Jing with burning eyes.

Instead, Li Jing was startled and shouted angrily: "Don't, don't talk nonsense! When did I, when did I intend to provoke a war in Huaibei? I have always pursued the policy of resting the army to support the people, and am willing to coexist peacefully with the Zhou Dynasty, and the two countries will be in peace. Nature is the best."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "Your Majesty is really a benevolent king! In this case, why would your Majesty doubt the motives of the foreign minister's trip south?

The foreign minister solemnly declares that this trip to the south of the Yangtze River was completely made by the foreign minister without authorization. He did not obtain my master’s permission in advance, and my master was completely unaware of it! "

Li Jing said angrily: "So when you kidnapped the prince in Jujingyuan, it was not under the instructions of Lord Zhou, but because of personal grudges?"

"Haha, the foreign minister just said that the incident in the Forbidden Garden was purely a misunderstanding. The foreign minister had no intention of kidnapping the prince!" Zhu Xiudao.

Li Jing felt that his IQ was insulted and shouted: "You led the men to kill and injure the guards of the East Palace, kidnapped the prince and fled to Fangshan for a day. This is the truth. How dare you deny it?"

Zhu Xiu spread her hands and said: "Your Majesty, please calm down. This matter is really a misunderstanding. Strictly speaking, I did not enter the forbidden garden for the sake of the prince, but for a lady."

Li Jing was stunned, "Mother, mother?"

Li Congjia smiled bitterly. He admired Zhu Xiuzhen so much that he dared to lie in front of his father in such a situation.

Zhu Xiu smiled shyly: "Yes, just for a beautiful lady. I went into the Forbidden Garden just for her. Because I was worried that she would be frightened, I entered the Forbidden Garden privately in desperation and wanted to take her away.
Therefore, what happened at the Jujingyuan could at best be regarded as a misunderstanding and a romantic affair between the foreign minister and His Highness the Crown Prince over the competition for a beautiful lady! "

Li Jing murmured: "Is she the daughter of Mrs. Zhou?"

"That's right! It's Madam Zhou!" Zhu Xiu admitted openly, "When the foreign minister saw Madam Zhou for the first time in Jiangning City, he was astonished and fell in love at first sight!

Knowing that Mrs. Zhou was invited by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to be a guest at Jujingyuan, she couldn't help but follow her.
The foreign minister was less than twenty this year, at the age when he was in full swing. He secretly saw that Mrs. Zhou seemed to be having a dispute with the prince, and broke into the palace in desperation.
Later, I was worried that the guards of the East Palace would kill foreign ministers indiscriminately, so I felt sorry for His Highness and took a trip to Fangshan with us."

Li Jing listened with great interest, nodded unconsciously, suddenly woke up, slapped the armrest of the throne and said angrily: "What's the difference between this and kidnapping the prince?"

Zhu Xiu said seriously: "Of course there is an essential difference! First, the foreign ministers were never disrespectful to the prince, and they never thought of endangering the prince's life. There was no subjective malice!

Second, the foreign minister invited the prince to travel with Fangshan, the whole purpose was not to take the prince's life, but to protect him!
Because the Forbidden Garden was in chaos at that time, and the foreign ministers were worried that they would make mistakes while busy, which would lead to the loss of the prince, so they asked His Highness the prince to leave with us to avoid the chaos temporarily.

Thirdly, Your Majesty was once young, and he also loved a beautiful lady when he was young. He should know that it is common for young people to be jealous of Bo Jiaren because of her smile.

So in essence, this matter is just a misunderstanding between two young people over a little lady! "

Li Congjia listened blankly, his whole body frozen.

Brother Zhu is too good at fooling around, too good at sophistry, when it comes to turning black and white, no one in the world can match it!
Li Jing's face was a little dull, and he felt that his mind was in a state of confusion, confused by Zhu Xiu's words.

After a moment, he pointed at him angrily, his voice trembling: "Sophistry! It's really sophistry!"

Zhu Xiu smiled calmly, saluted and said: "Your Majesty, everything the foreign minister said is true, and there is absolutely no deception!
However, the foreign minister wants to remind His Majesty that if the Jujingyuan incident is to be classified as an assassination case, it will definitely cause disturbances in the ruling and opposition parties.

The foreign minister was a minister of Zhou Dynasty. If he sneaked into Jiangning to assassinate the Tang prince and said that there was no order from the Lord of Zhou behind him, no one would believe him.

In this case, how should His Majesty explain to the people of Jiangnan?

Was it to cut off the heads of the foreign ministers as a sacrifice to the flag and arouse the common hatred among the Jiangnan subjects to fight to the death with the Great Zhou Dynasty?Or should he swallow his anger and never mention it, pretending that it never happened?But if this happens, the people of your country will definitely feel resentful and think that Your Majesty is too weak and surrendered to the Great Zhou Dynasty! "

Zhu Xiu paused briefly and noticed that Li Jing's expression had completely changed. He breathed a sigh of relief and suddenly raised his voice:
“Therefore, we cannot treat this incident as if it never happened, but we cannot let the public opinions of the government and the opposition go unchecked. Reasonable explanations must be given to the government and the opposition in a targeted and selective manner.

And the foreign minister’s suggestion just now is the best explanation for the subjects of your country! "

Li Jing took a deep breath and looked at the young man standing tall and smiling in the hall, feeling a little admiration in his heart.

He understood that Zhu Xiu was teaching him how to perfectly control a storm of public opinion and prevent the Jujingyuan incident from becoming the fuse that ignited the war between the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty!
It is certainly true that Zhu Xiu broke into the Forbidden Garden and kidnapped the prince, but it cannot be truthfully announced to the government and the public.

Otherwise, it would be him, the emperor, and the entire Tang court who would be left passive.

A minister of the Zhou Dynasty sneaked into Jiangning to assassinate the prince. The Tang Dynasty caught the assassin. Should he kill him?

Should the Tang State send troops to Zhou Dynasty for this?

If the assassin is killed to declare war on the Great Zhou, and the war in Huaibei is provoked, will Tang be able to win?

If the court did not take any action, how would the people view him as the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty?
Assassins from the Northern Dynasty have come knocking on your door. Are you still going to swallow your anger?

Until then, Li Jing and the Tang court will be in a dilemma.

What Zhu Xiu taught him was a conspiracy that he had to leave!

Only by firmly denying the existence of the Jujingyuan assassination can the two countries avoid hostilities or even the outbreak of war!
In contrast, Zhu Xiu was not an assassin from the Northern Dynasties, but a filial son who concealed his identity and secretly entered Jiangning City just to find his long-lost relatives!
The conflict with Prince Li Hongji was entirely a romance between young people.

It cannot be put on the table, let alone affect the overall situation of diplomatic relations between the two countries!

Li Jing was silent, feeling extremely complicated.

To be fair, he admired the quick wit and eloquence of the young man in front of him.

In the Jiangnan court, which paid great attention to manners and manners, Zhu Xiu's handsome image also perfectly fit the aesthetics of the Tang monarchs and ministers.

But in order to appease the prince, Li Jing could kill him and ordered Zhu Xiu to be executed.

But doing so would inevitably lead to the complete breakdown of the relationship between Tang and Zhou Dynasty.

Li Jing's attitude towards Da Zhou was very subtle, fearful and jealous, mixed with a little dissatisfaction.

The Li family has claimed to be descendants of the Li family of the Tang Dynasty for so long that even they themselves believed it.

In Li Jing's eyes, Liu Zhiyuan and Guo Wei were essentially a group of rebellious feudal town leaders who dared to steal the throne and occupy the country that originally belonged to the Li family of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Jing was determined to make the Northern Expedition and even dreamed of returning the capital to Chang'an.

Faintly, he even looked forward to having a few battles with Da Zhou and Xiao to test Da Zhou's military strength.

However, Guo Wei's military exploits and reputation were too great, and he was too frightened to act rashly.

In addition, the Tang army was deploying troops in Jingxiang and was unable to take care of Huaibei. Li Jing still had some self-knowledge and knew that the Tang army could not bear the pressure of fighting on two fronts.

It was under this ambivalence of being in awe and being unconvinced that Li Jing chose to accept Zhu Xiu's suggestion.

He admired Zhu Xiu's calmness in the face of danger at a young age, his ability to see into people's hearts and his superhuman view of the overall situation.

There is also a trace of jealousy and envy. Why is it that none of his sons has such foresight and astuteness?

Why are such talents not in Tang State, but in Zhou Dynasty?
Why is there no such amazing young man among his ministers?
Li Jing was in a trance and a little lost. Could it be that destiny was in the Zhou Dynasty but not in the Tang Dynasty?
"Father, father?"

Li Congjia saw his father's eyes full of confusion. He was so frightened that he took a few steps forward and called softly.

Li Jing came back to her senses and smiled reluctantly, indicating that she was fine.

When he looked at Zhu Xiu again, the anger and murderous intent in Li Jing's eyes had completely faded away, and turned into a look of deep appreciation.

"Zhu Junshi's words made me enlightened!~"

Zhu Xiu saluted with humility and said: "Your Majesty, you are overly complimentary."

Li Congjia blinked, looked at his father, and then at Zhu Xiu, wondering why they suddenly became so harmonious.
Li Jing said: "I know what to do about Jujingyuan. As Zhu Jun said, this matter has nothing to do with the assassination, let alone the so-called kidnapping of the prince.
Haha, Zhu Jun made the young man successful and became a famous man. Some impulsiveness is harmless, so I will not pursue it. "

"Your Majesty is wise! Having such a kind and wise king as your Majesty is truly a blessing to the people of Jiangnan!" Zhu Xiu flattered him at the right time.

Li Jing said cheerfully: "I am curious how the daughter of the old lady's family is so stunningly beautiful that even a handsome man like Zhu Jun could not forget her."

Zhu Xiu said with emotion: "Just as Li Taibai said, 'Hibiscus emerges from clear water, and the carvings are naturally removed', Lady Zhou's beauty is born naturally, her bells are beautiful, her beauty is unparalleled in the country!"

"Hehe, it seems that the envoy Zhu's heart has already been deeply rooted in love." Li Jing stroked his beard with an ambiguous expression, without the slightest hint of ridicule, but like a generous elder.

"I am ashamed to make His Majesty laugh~" Zhu Xiugong held his hand.

His infatuated look made Li Jing feel that this kid really didn't come to Jujingyuan to assassinate the prince, but just to steal the beauty.

Anyway, Li Jing did not intend to delve into the actual purpose. Only Zhu Xiu himself knew the reason.

"The envoys sent by Lord Zhou will arrive in Jiangning soon. Do you know?" Li Jing asked.

Zhu Xiu smiled and said, "I heard Prince Anding mention it."

Li Jing asked again: "In your opinion, what is the purpose of the envoys from the Lord of Zhou?"

Zhu Xiu thought for a while: "Just because the Jiangning incident spread to Kaifeng, my Lord was worried that Your Majesty would be suspicious, so he sent someone to see Your Majesty to explain the matter."

"Oh? Do you think Lord Zhou intends to use troops against Huainan?" Li Jing stared at him closely and asked.

Zhu Xiu secretly laughed. No wonder Li Jing was so nervous. He was worried that Zhou Jun would use an excuse to invade Huainan.

It seems that Li Chongjin wrote a letter to Chen Jue, swearing and threatening, which caused panic in the Tang court, thinking that the Zhou army might take advantage of the opportunity of the Tang army to attack Jingxiang and send troops to Huainan.

This strategy was left by Zhu Xiu to Li Chongjin when he left, asking him to implement it once he received news of Jiang Ning's changes.

At present, it seems that Li Jing is indeed frightened.

The entire Tang state was not ready for a war with Zhou Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)