The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 405 The conversation that determined the rise and fall of the Zhou family

Half an hour later, Zhu Xiu was sitting in the front hall of the Taifu Mansion.

The person who welcomed him into the mansion was Zhou Min.

"Second Son"

"Call me second brother!" Zhou Min feigned anger.

Zhu Xiu's lips twitched slightly. She woke up with a hangover, but she was still as enthusiastic as ever.

"Hey, your brother has such a good capacity for drinking! Last night at the banquet, my brother and I drank till our glasses were dry. It was a joy to drink!
To be fair, Brother Yu has not encountered such a large number of people for a long time! "

Zhou Min's face was full of sighs, and he felt like he had met his opponent and felt sympathy for each other.

"Haha~" Zhu Xiu laughed dryly.

Zhu Wu said that Zhou Min was making a lot of noise at the wine table this time. In fact, his drinking capacity was very bad, and Yang Qiaolian could drink him down if he was in the battle.

But this guy still feels good about himself.

Zhou Min still wanted to pester Zhu Xiu to talk, but Zhou Zong slowly came in with his hands behind his back, his eyes widened and he shouted: "What are you doing here? Get off!"

Zhou Min bravely muttered: "My child is very close to my future brother-in-law."

"Get out!" Zhou Zong scolded angrily, Zhou Min shrank his neck and didn't dare to be verbose, bowed and ran out of the hall.

"Alas, my family is unlucky, and I don't know how to teach my children!" Zhou Zong sat down and sighed.

Zhu Xiu consoled him: "The second young master is quite good, but his temper is a bit out of control."

Zhou Zong said angrily: "This rebellious son is already forty years old, but his temperament is still so unpredictable. He really makes me angry!"

Zhu Xiu said vaguely: "Fortunately, my uncle has three sons. I heard from Emperor E that the eldest son is a stable man and will definitely be able to help my uncle manage the family well in the future."

The implication is that you have many sons anyway, and you can always get one or two generals among the short boys. Zhou Min will just let him go.
You are already 40 years old, how can you still teach?
Zhou Zong stared, not knowing whether to be happy or angry.

"Cough cough~"

The two of them reached a tacit understanding and did not continue the topic. Zhou Zong took a sip of tea and moistened his voice and said: "My dear nephew, I think you can see what I mean, so there is no need to keep beating around the bush.

To put it bluntly, as long as you are willing to stay in Jiangning and serve me, the Tang Dynasty, I will take Ehuang Xu Qian as my wife!You can choose from positions below the rank of Minister of the Sixth Ministry. If you want to leave Beijing, I can recommend you to serve as a military officer in the Guangde Army.
After all, you have just arrived and are still young. There are still many people in Jiangnan who have not heard of your reputation. Granting you a high position rashly will easily make people jealous.

After a few years, when you become familiar with Jiangnan's customs and customs, I will adjust your position for you."

Zhu Xiu thought for a while: "Uncle, do you want to plant trees first, then enjoy the shade, support me to establish a foothold in the south of the Yangtze River, and then use me to protect Zhou's family?"

Zhou Zong twisted his beard and smiled, acquiescing.

Zhu Xiugong held up his hands and said: "My nephew is so good and capable that my uncle values ​​me so much. I feel ashamed! My uncle is kind and my nephew appreciates it~"

Zhou Zong's hand trembled and he cut off a beard. He held back the pain and said angrily, "You don't want to?"

He never expected that Zhu Xiu would refuse so decisively.

Zhu Xiu said seriously: "Uncle, don't be anxious, just listen to me.

Dare I ask my uncle, did he report this matter to the Lord of Tang Dynasty? "

"You are a minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If I want you to stay and serve our court, naturally you must ask for my Lord's permission!" Zhou Zongdao.

"What does His Majesty, the Emperor of your country, say?"

Zhou Zong said in a deep voice: "With my recommendation and your past achievements and reputation, Your Majesty will naturally agree!"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "Uncle, have you ever thought that my nephew was the murderer who almost killed the prince? Although the Tang Lord no longer pursues the matter, he must know the truth about Jujingyuan.

To put it bluntly, is the Lord of the Tang Dynasty really so magnanimous that he can even let go of the murderer who kidnapped the prince? "

Zhou Zong's complexion changed slightly: "Then why do you think His Majesty forgave you?"

Zhu Xiu smiled, "The reason why the Lord of the Tang Dynasty spared my life is that firstly, he didn't want to have an enmity with Da Zhou because of me; secondly, I am a somewhat interesting person. The Lord of the Tang Dynasty raised me as a jester and would amuse him from time to time. Thirdly, It was my uncle who came forward to intercede, or maybe my uncle praised me in front of Lord Tang, but Lord Tang just acted a little more magnanimously for uncle's sake."

Zhou Zong was silent for a long time: "What do you mean, His Majesty will not really trust you, and even if you are willing to stay and serve the court, he will not entrust you with important tasks?"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "In the eyes of Lord Tang, my biggest personal use is to maintain contact with Zhou Dynasty, ensure the stability of the border between the two countries, and ensure the peace between the two countries in a short period of time.

Once I lose my status as a minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, your Majesty may not think highly of me again! "

Zhou Zong's eyes flickered, and his old face looked a little ugly.

Zhu Xiu's words reminded him that the reason why the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty agreed to keep Zhu Xiu and was happy to see the marriage between the two families come to fruition was because he had other intentions.

Zhu Xiu said sincerely: "My nephew believes that my uncle will not harm me, and I am willing to talk to my uncle today. This matter involves the lives of the Zhou family and my nephew, so be careful!"

Zhou Zong had a sullen face, stared at Zhu Xiu closely, and nodded slowly: "Follow me."

Zhou Zong stood up and took Zhu Xiu to the study room in the back house.

"This is my study. Even Ehuang is not allowed to enter without permission. There is no risk of leakage if you speak here."

Zhu Xiu couldn't care less about admiring the furnishings in the study, and sat down with Zhou Zong across a bamboo table.

"Uncle, have you ever thought about why the Lord of the Tang Dynasty strongly supported the marriage between the Zhou family and me?" Zhu Xiu asked.

Zhou Zong furrowed his brows and thought for a moment: "You have no roots in Jiangnan. If the Zhou family is married to you, the strength of the Zhou family will not be strengthened in a short period of time.

Instead of trying every possible means to prevent the marriage between the Zhou family and the Jiangnan family, it is better to go with the flow and agree to my request! "Uncle hit the nail on the head!" "Zhu Xiu sighed in praise.

"It's not difficult to guess what Lord Tang is thinking. All you need to know is that his heart is always towards the prince!

This was not because the prince had outstanding abilities, but because the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty needed him to complete the inheritance of the throne and ensure the smooth transition of imperial power.

No matter how deep the brotherhood between the Lord of Tang and the King of Jin and the King of Qi is, the position of Crown Prince can only be inherited by the direct blood of the Lord of Tang!
This is related to the continuation of the royal family, and the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty will not allow the imperial power to fall aside.

The so-called brotherhood is just a joke and cannot be taken seriously. If anyone takes it seriously, death is not far away!

Therefore, the Lord of the Tang Dynasty would not allow the princelings to decline too much. Even if there were occasional threats to squeeze out the imperial power, the Lord of the Tang Dynasty would only suppress them but not eliminate them!
On the contrary, the King of Jin's party was only used by the Emperor of Tang Dynasty to fight against the forces of the East Palace, creating a situation in which the two parties in the DPRK and China were in conflict, making it easier for him to control the government.

Once you understand this, you will know that the fate of King Jin's faction has already been doomed. When the prince succeeds to the throne, it will be difficult for all the old ministers around King Jin to die well! "

Zhou Zong's old face was already a bit pale, his hands tightly grasped the armrests of the chair, and his whole body was trembling slightly.

"Your Majesty, does your Majesty really have such thoughts?"

Zhou Zong's voice was hoarse and somewhat unbelievable.

As a member of King Jin's party, he always believed that King Jin might succeed to the throne.

The worst outcome is that after the death of the Tang Lord, he will become a powerful minister of the clan.

After all, it was Li Jing who made the King of Jin the crown prince against all opinions.

He also vowed to shout out the slogan "brothers will last until brothers" before the death of the late emperor.

It can be inferred that Li Jing's original behavior was just to win over people's hearts and temporarily appease the King of Jin and other important officials.

For so many years, he has been ambiguous about the position of crown prince, sometimes favoring the prince, and sometimes favoring the king. The purpose is to put pressure on the prince, force the officials to take sides, and form a party struggle under his control!

Zhou Zong sighed, and his expression became much older in an instant: "Is this the so-called emperor's art? Your Majesty's thoughts are so profound that I can't match them!"

Zhu Xiu sneered: "The art of the emperor is not the way of the emperor! 'Skill' is just a scheming method, and it is far from the real 'king'!

In my nephew's opinion, the Tang emperor's move did more harm than good. The country was depleted internally, and all the officials were focused on party fighting. Who else really thinks about the country, the people, and the country?

Jiangnan seems prosperous and peaceful for many years, concealing many conflicts among the people.

There are factions and factions, and extravagance prevails between the ruling and opposition parties. The rich and powerful families invade the private and official lands, exorbitant levies and miscellaneous taxes, and the common people suffer heavy corvees.

All kinds of shortcomings will eventually cause endless harm. Once the political situation becomes unstable, the resentment among the people will completely explode! "

Zhou Zong looked complicated: "So in this situation of conflict between the north and the south, you are not optimistic about the Tang state at all?"

Zhu Xiu said calmly: "Yes, with the current situation in the Tang Kingdom, it is absolutely impossible to dominate the world! No one in the Li family has the ability to be this generation of heroes who will wipe out the world!"

Zhou Zong smiled bitterly: "Wen Cai thinks that the Guo family and his son are the heroes who will end this troubled world?"

Zhu Xiu smiled but did not answer, bowed slightly and said: "Please help me return to the Northern Dynasty, uncle! Zhu Xiu will never forget the kindness of the Zhou family, and he will definitely repay it in the future!"

After a moment of silence, Zhou Zong sighed: "How are you going to treat Emperor E?

Who in Jiangning City doesn't know that you expressed your love in front of His Majesty and sent you a love poem at Ziyun Tower last night.

A wise daughter is more like a father. Emperor E is not repelled by you.
Besides, Your Majesty has promised that as long as you stay, he will grant you a marriage."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "You can use the trick. I promised to stay on the surface, and my uncle helped me to create the illusion that I was about to become the son-in-law of the Zhou family and join the Tang Dynasty. This confused everyone, and then I waited for an opportunity to escape and return to the Northern Dynasty!"

"What should I do about Emperor E?" Zhou Zong looked a little gloomy, "If this happens, her reputation will be ruined."

Zhu Xiu was silent for a moment: "If uncle can trust me, you can ask Ehuang to follow me back to Kaifeng!
Just say, just say that I pretended to submit, waited for an opportunity to abscond, and kidnapped the Taifu’s beloved daughter!

Put all the blame on me, Zhou Jiaming disowns me on the face of it! "

Zhu Xiu said sincerely: "I came to Jujingyuan just because of Emperor E! When I first met Emperor E in Banqiao Store, I was shocked. I am willing to swear in front of my uncle that I will live up to her in this life!"

Zhou Zong was silent for a while and said in a low voice: "The prince is dissolute and violent. If Emperor E stays in Jiangning, I am afraid that the prince will not let her go. It may be the best way to go back to the Northern Dynasty with you."
As a result, apart from the reputation being damaged, the Zhou family suffered no other losses.

It may be the best choice for you and the Zhou family
But only for Ehuang"

Zhou Zong paused and sighed: "She is only 15 years old. She is not familiar with the world, does not understand the sinister nature of people, and she has a good appearance. For her in this troubled world, once she loses her protection, I can't imagine her fate.
Suddenly she is separated from her father and brother, thousands of miles away, and sets foot in a completely unfamiliar land. As a father, how can I bear it~"

Zhu Xiu was also silent, of course he knew that doing so would be too cruel to Zhou Xian, but the current situation is such that everyone has unavoidable difficulties and needs to learn to give up and let go.

There was silence in the study.

After a long time, Zhou Zong sighed: "Let me think about this matter. Don't let Ehuang know about it yet."

"My nephew, I obey." Zhu Xiu saluted.

This matter is a major matter that requires careful consideration for both Zhou Zong and Zhou Xian.

"Go and see Ehuang, at this time, she likes to play the pipa in the bamboo forest in the garden." Zhou Zong said softly.

Zhu Xiu stood up, bowed deeply, excused himself and left.

With a "squeak" sound, the study door closed, light was projected into the room, and dust floated under the light beam.

Zhou Zong sat where the beam of light could not reach, his eyes lowered in deep thought, his face with deep wrinkles was old and tired, and his whole body exuded a heavy twilight atmosphere.

He had a premonition that the choices made today would determine whether the Zhou family would continue to prosper or decline in the coming decades.
(End of this chapter)