The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 399 Li Jing teaches his son
"My son-in-law pays respects to his father!"

In the Royal Garden of the Harem of Xingtang Palace, in the Wangyun Pavilion, Li Hongji bowed respectfully and kowtowed.

"Why is the prince free to come to the palace today? Haha, you're welcome. I just made a picture of "Dragon Boat Festival Weaving Cords". It depicts several country women weaving long life threads with five-color silk threads during the Dragon Boat Festival.

The Dragon Boat Festival will be here in a few days, and I will be painting to celebrate the festival. "

Li Jing put down his paintbrush with great interest and asked the two palace attendants to unfold the still-dry painting, twirling his beard and admiring it proudly.

It was a sunny day today, and for some reason Li Jing became more interested in painting. She left mahjong and chess behind and ran to Wangyunting in the imperial garden to paint.

As soon as the painting was finished, Li Hongji went to the palace to ask for an audience.

Li Hongji took the scroll and pretended to appreciate it: "My father's painting skills have improved a lot. The movements and expressions of the women in the painting are so expressive. At first glance, I thought those peasant women weaving long life threads were there." In front of you!"

"Haha~ The prince can also see the essence of my painting!" Li Jing laughed happily.

Even though he was proud, Li Jing did not forget the humility that an emperor should have, and said hypocritically: "Although my painting skills are good, in terms of character creation and overall composition, there is still a gap between the figures and the overall composition of Gu Hongzhong, who is waiting for the imperial edict from the art academy."

Li Hongji closed the scroll and said with a smile: "Gu Hongzhong is immersed in calligraphy and painting all day long, but his father is always busy with everything. To be able to reach this level shows that his talent in painting is far beyond ordinary people!
If my father devoted himself to the study of calligraphy and painting, the entire painting academy would not be as good as my father! "

"Haha~ The prince praises you too much. Gu Hongzhong and Gao Taichong are quite good!"

After a pause, Li Jing continued: "Besides, as the king of a country, I don't have time to concentrate on painting."

Li Hongji held the scroll like a treasure: "Why don't you give it to me, my father's calligraphy treasure, and treat it as a Dragon Boat Festival gift from your father to me?"

"Haha, the prince can take it if he likes." Li Jing waved his hand generously.

Li Hongji handed the scroll to the palace officials and asked them to step back with a wink.

In fact, if you look closely, the quality of Li Jing's "Dragon Boat Festival Braiding Picture" is about the same as the middle-to-low-grade goods sold in several calligraphy and painting shops in Wazili, Sangjia. The value of each painting is about [-] to [-] guan. between.

Strictly speaking, this painting has several fatal flaws.

Regardless of technique and color, in terms of character structure, what I want to express is the simple desire of rural women to weave long life threads to pray for blessings and safety during the Dragon Boat Festival.

But in the picture, a peasant woman is actually wearing a half-arm skirt, with a pearl hairpin in her bun, and holding silk thread in her hand to weave a thread of longevity.

This is not a peasant woman, but an official woman in Jiangning City.

Farm women in the countryside mostly use straw ropes to weave longevity threads during the Dragon Boat Festival. They can use several feet of ramie cloth, and they are considered to be wealthy.

Li Jing's paintings are far from reality.

Perhaps in his imagination, this is how ordinary women in the Tang Dynasty celebrated the Dragon Boat Festival.

Li Jing couldn't think of these details, and Li Hongji didn't care much.

"Is there anything important for the prince to enter the palace?"

Li Jing drank less than half a bowl of iced pear juice and smacked her lips happily.

Li Hongji's complexion changed, and he knelt on the ground, mourning and resentingly said: "Father, please order the execution of Zhu Xiu, the assassin of the Northern Dynasty!"

"Ahem~" Li Jing almost choked and hurriedly put down the bowl and said:

"Why are you talking about this again? Then Zhu Xiunai was the founding lord of the Zhou Dynasty and the deputy commander of the Huai Army. He is definitely not an assassin!"

Li Hongji said bitterly: "My son suffered all kinds of humiliation in Fangshan, all because of Zhu Xiu! I will not give up until I kill this man!"

Li Jing said angrily and helplessly: "I have made my own decision about Zhu Xiu, and there is no need to say anything more. You must not act rashly. I will give you an explanation after a while."

Li Hongji said: "My father is worried about killing Zhu Xiu and angering Zhou Lord Guo Wei? Father, there is no need to worry. I have received news that Liu Chong from Hedong is entangled with the Khitan people and intends to invade Hebei and Guanzhong!"
It is clear that Murong Yanchao of Yanzhou is rebellious. War is about to break out in the Great Zhou Dynasty. Guo Wei is too busy to take care of himself. He will never start a war between Zhu Xiu and me, the Tang Dynasty? "

Li Jing was stunned for a moment, frowned and said: "I'm not sure about this information yet, how do you know it? These words were also said by Song Qiqiu?"

Li Hongji hurriedly said: "The source of these information is absolutely reliable. I spent a lot of money to buy it from Kaifeng! Song Xianggong naturally did not dare to speculate on Tian's heart. He just told his officials not to be deceived by Zhu Xiu's rhetoric, let alone Guo Wei's sent The little envoy was frightened.

Da Zhou is nothing to be afraid of! "

"Hmph~ And what else Song Qiqiu dare not do?"

Li Jing said casually, his tone obviously dissatisfied.

Li Hongji was about to speak, but Li Jing waved his hand and said: "I spared Zhu Xiu, not because I was afraid of the Zhou Dynasty, but because our government was deploying troops in Jingxiang, there should be no chaos in Huainan.

The Zhou soldiers were unable to go south, and our Tang army was also unable to go north. I believe Guo Wei knew this well.

What I want is to maintain peace on the surface with the Great Zhou Dynasty, at least for three to five years. When Jingxiang is annexed and the national power is consolidated, the decisive victory between the Tang Dynasty and the Great Zhou Dynasty will come! "

Li Jing's tone was sonorous, with the aura of a king planning to rule the world.

"Father, you are really far-sighted!" Li Hongji exclaimed in admiration.

"Father, do you want to keep Zhu Xiu to form an alliance with Zhou?"

Li Jing twisted his beard and smiled: "That's true. But Zhu Xiu is quite interesting. The mahjong and chess he presented to me are all new things, and his poems and articles are also very suitable to my taste. Even if it is not an alliance, I can't do it for a while. I really can't bear to kill him right now.

In addition, Zhu Xiu has also made great achievements in military affairs, and his vision is far-reaching. I am afraid there is no second person among his peers!
This person has great talent, I want to use it for myself! "

Li Jing told Li Hongji what the old master Zhou Zong said that day when he came to the palace. He also praised Zhou Zong's plan to use his daughter to recruit talents for the country.

Li Hongji was shocked and angry. What was shocking was that Zhu Xiu's status in Li Jing's heart was once again elevated. From the beginning, he was a northern bandit and assassin, to a foreign minister of the Zhou Dynasty, a visitor from an allied country, and now he has become a highly praised national talent, and even He planned to use a beauty trap to make him stay in Jiangning and serve!

What makes Li Hongji angry is that this is Zhou Zong's attempt to save Zhu Xiu's life.

Old man Zhou did this just to go against himself!
Li Hongji's face was a little ugly: "Zhu Xiu once bullied his son and minister in Fangshan, so the emperor is willing to let the son and minister be humiliated forever?"

Li Jing comforted him: "Prince, don't worry, let's see if Zhu Xiu understands military strategy. If he is talented, you might as well make good use of him.

If he is just a talker, even if he is married to Zhou Zong, he will still be a subject of my Li family. Can we just find any excuse to execute him in the future? "

Li Hongji hesitated: "What about Zhou Zong?"

Li Jing's fat face smiled, but what he said made Li Hongji shudder:

"The old master is getting older, and the talents of the younger generations of the Zhou family are withering. The old master naturally wants to find a new pillar for the Zhou family. This is human nature!

But when the old master goes to Hexi, how many former disciples of the Zhou family will still care about the kindness of the Zhou family?
Until then, if the Zhou family wants to survive, they can only rely on me and the Li family!

The rise and fall of the Zhou family is not determined by your words! "Li Hongji took a deep breath and discovered for the first time that the father in front of him, with his face glowing red and smiling like a fat Maitreya, was so elusive!

As a son, he doesn’t understand me at all!
Li Jing twirled the porcelain bowl filled with iced pear juice and said with a smile: "Zhu Xiu stayed in Jiangning without a foundation, relying entirely on Zhou Zong's support.

For us, it is better for the Zhou family to marry Zhu Xiu than to marry a wealthy family from Jiangnan or the King of Jin.

Does the prince understand the beauty of it? "

Li Hongji lifted up his robe and knelt down, sincerely convinced: "My son, please be taught! My father's thoughts and plans are far-reaching, and I, my son, can't catch up to the unexpected!"

"Haha, I'm just out of excitement today, so I'm telling you so much. Keep these words in your heart, and don't tell anyone else, not even Song Qiqiu!" Li Jing warned lightly.

"My son understands!" Li Hongji raised his head and asked tentatively: "Father, it seems that he is also wary of Xianggong Song?"

Li Jing said: "As an emperor, you must not trust anyone without reservation! It is the hardest thing to control the changes in people's hearts. Some people can only show their true colors after pampering them and pampering them. Over time, they will show their true colors."

Li Jing's cold voice stopped abruptly.

Li Hongji's heart beat hard and some sweat broke out on his forehead.

"I have decreed that Han Xizai will be conferred the title of Bachelor of Qinzheng Palace and the right concubine of the Crown Prince. Haha, Crown Prince, your East Palace will be very lively in the future~"

Li Jing said something coldly again. Li Hongji froze on the spot and looked up, only to see Li Jing looking at him with a smile.

Li Hongji understood that his father wanted to let Han Xizai serve as an official in the East Palace, and he and Song Qiqiu would fight more fiercely in the arena of the East Palace.

When Li Jing just came to the throne, Han Xizai served as the imperial edict, responsible for drafting edicts, and also held the title of censor. He often criticized the shortcomings of the government and criticized the emperor, which made Li Jing unable to come to Taiwan and indulged him in anger. Song Qiqiu suppressed him and found an excuse to demote him to Hezhou Sima.

Recently, Qiqiu of the Song Dynasty has become a powerful prime minister, and perhaps something has angered Li Jing. This talented Han Xizai returned to the capital. He first served as the official of Zhongshushe and the coin miner. Now he directly awarded the title of bachelor and stuffed it into the East Palace. It was obviously aimed at Song Qiqiu.

These two old enemies are like dolls in Li Jing's hands. He pulls one and beats the other, and beats whoever disobeys.

Li Hongji was filled with emotion. He used to think that his father was too kind and weak, but now he realized that he was the stupid one.

After the death of the late emperor, although Li Jing became the crown prince and inherited the throne as the eldest son, he was not favored among the outstanding princes of the late emperor.

There are too many people who can threaten him. King Li Jingsui of Jin and King Li Jingda of Qi are both outstanding princes, and they are followed by a large number of officials and nobles.

But Li Jing managed to secure the throne in this seemingly dangerous situation. Li Jingsui and Li Jingda surrendered and respected him, and Li Jingsui even cried and begged not to become the emperor's younger brother.

The reason is staggering when you think about it carefully.
"Haha, Prince, would you like to stay and play a few rounds of mahjong with me?" Li Jing said with a casual smile.

Li Hongji bowed respectfully and showed a rare hint of embarrassment: "My son, I'd rather be respectful than obey my orders! I'm just unfamiliar with my poker skills, please give me some advice from my father!"

"Haha, you'll get better if you play more. Come on, go to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and call the two slaves Xie Guocai and Chen Ji!"

~~~
During the Dragon Boat Festival, Jiangning city is full of joy and excitement.

Wu Youdi obviously regarded Honglu Temple as his own residence, and he happily went shopping with his daughter-in-law Yang Qiaolian and Zhu Liang and Zhu Fang on the street.

They went out to hang out for half a day, leisurely and leisurely, but Pan Mei and Hu Guangyue were exhausted.

Every protruding place on the body that can be hung is covered with hanging objects, like a human-shaped mobile hanger. Large sacks and small cloth pockets are hung all over the body.

Finally, they found a cart from Honglu Temple and brought back the goods purchased by Wu Youdi and Yang Qiaolian.

Zhu Xiu was far-sighted and avoided early on. He only gave Wu Youdi and Yang Qiaolian some silver coins, and asked Hu Guangyue to carry a bag of money, about a dozen coins.

There wasn't much money, so the two women couldn't afford it and bought a lot of things here and there.

"Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. It's the first festival that our family will celebrate when Brother Xiu returns home. We must celebrate it well."

Wu Youdi muttered as she moved the scattered items she bought into the house.

Zhu Xiu happily helped, regardless of whether these worthless gadgets were useful or not, as long as they were happy.

"Brother-in-law, this is the silver drum that grandma bought for me!" Zhu Liang ran over like a treasure, holding up the shining silver rattle in his hand.

"Uncle, this is the flower fan that grandma bought for me!" Da Ya also stood on tiptoes and raised the flower fan in her little hand.

It's a pity that she is a little girl, young, with a weak voice and short stature, so she can't win over Zhu Liang.

"Haha, this is a fan embroidered with flowers. Tomorrow, my uncle will give us a fan embroidered with flying birds!"

Zhu Xiu picked up Zhu Fang, making the little girl giggle.

"Why spend that unjust money?" Yang Qiaolian said with a smile, wearing a green silk jacket and a light crimson tube top. When she put on this outfit worth six thousand dollars, she was so excited, and then she felt A little awkward.

The satin material of the clothes was so good that she was afraid of wearing and tearing, which made her look weird when carrying things. She stretched her arms forward and bent slightly, as if she could not even walk.

Zhu Xiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and couldn't say much.

Zhu Wu came over with a big knife and said excitedly: "Brother, what do you think of the knife I bought? I heard it is from a famous blacksmith shop in Jiangning City."

Zhu Wu bought a Koupu knife. Judging from the marks left by the quenching on the edge, the quality was not bad, but it was incomparable with the Yanling knife.

Zhu Xiu naturally didn't show off his interest and said with a smile: "What a knife! Brother, you have a good eye!"

Zhu Wu smiled happily.

"When I return to Kaifeng, I will give my brother a good knife. It is made of real hundred-forged steel!"

Zhu Wu's eyes widened: "That will cost a lot of money, right?"

"Haha, it doesn't cost any money. It was forged in my own workshop." Zhu Xiu said with a smile.

Zhu Wu said happily: "My brother is still running a blacksmith shop in Kaifeng? Haha~ That's great. From now on, when forging hoes, shovels, etc., I will use the materials in my own shop!"

Pan Mei burst out laughing and slapped Zhu Wu's thick shoulder, but Zhu Wu was puzzled by his laughter.

Zhu Xiu also smiled, but it was more bitter.

In Zhu Wu's understanding, the so-called industry and business are a shop and a few clerks, which can support the family's food and clothing, and make the hard days have a head start.

It was unimaginable in Zhu Wu's previous life for a rich man to live in a vast area, with tens of millions of assets, and thousands of servants, who came and went and were surrounded by people.

(End of this chapter)