The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 417 This friend is not in vain
Jiangning.

The news from Kaifeng and Changsha had not yet been sent back, so Zhu Xiu first waited for Li Jing's marriage decree and reward.

Looking at the handwriting, the imperial edict seemed to be written by Li Jing himself. It was a long and eloquent article. First, he praised him lavishly, praising him as the only one in heaven and earth, and then awarded him a rank from the fifth rank with a stroke of his pen. The imperial court invited the official title of the official, and finally stated the intention of granting marriage, and ordered him to marry the Taifu's daughter Zhou Niang on July 25th.

It is said that this date was decided by Si Tiantai's newly appointed Tai Zheng.

Zhu Xiu suddenly transformed into a serious fifth-rank official in the Tang court.

Although he is currently only receiving a salary and not receiving errands, it is just a false appointment, but he can be regarded as an official. As long as he gets married, the emperor Li Jing of the Tang Dynasty will grant him a real position.

Zhu Xiu swaggered into the palace to express his gratitude, then packed up his belongings and moved his family into the Taifu's Mansion. He pretended to stay drunk that night, and the whole family settled in justifiably.

There was a joke in Jiangning city, saying that the old lady gave away her daughter and also gave her a house, and also contracted to provide food, drink and toilette for her mother-in-law and son-in-law's family. It was really unfair.

Zhu Xiu disagreed and felt at ease living in the Taifu Mansion.

However, to put on a show, Zhu Xiu pretended to ask people around to find out whose house was going to be resold. He planned to buy it and renovate it, pretending that he wanted to settle down in Jiangning.

After hearing this, Li Jing asked Li Congjia to take the lead, saying that after Zhu Xiu got married and received the actual work assignment, according to the arrangement, those who should be rewarded with official residences would be rewarded with gold and silver.

From that tone, Li Jing had already made arrangements for his appointment and was waiting to announce it.

Zhu Xiu made a special trip to the palace to thank him, and coyly said that he wanted to stay in Jiangning, and even if he wanted to be sent to other prefectures, he hoped that the emperor would show mercy until he was married two months later.

Li Jing laughed and did not think it was disobedient, but was very happy. This showed that Zhu Xiu really wanted to stay in Jiangning and would not think about returning to Kaifeng.

Xue Juzheng still lives in Honglu Temple, living in seclusion and refusing all visits, even Zhu Xiulai's visit.

Li Jing received news that Zhu Xiu and Xue Ju had a big quarrel at Honglu Temple and broke up. Zhu Xiu never set foot in Honglu Temple again.

The next few times when Zhu Xiu entered the palace, when he mentioned the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty Guo Wei, he only referred to him as Lord Zhou.

There are various signs that Zhu Xiu seems to have given up the idea of ​​returning to Kaifeng, and is ready to stay in Jiangning peacefully and become the old master's son-in-law.

Taifu's Mansion is the old residence of the Zhou family and occupies a large area. Zhou Min and Zhou Yan each have their own mansions. They usually live separately with their wives and children, and come back every now and then.

The huge Taifu Mansion was very lively because of the arrival of Zhu Xiu's family.

In the afternoon of this day, Zhu Xiu and his family were sitting in the pavilion in the back garden chatting. They put on a small plate of fried and dried cold melon seeds and a vat of sour plum soup. If they wanted to eat cold, they took ice cubes from the ice cooker.

Zhu Xiu and Zhu Wu were playing chess, while Yang Qiaolian was holding a brand new illustrated version of "Journey to the West of the Tang Dynasty" and explaining the stories in the book to Zhu Liang and Zhu Fang with some difficulty.

Yang Qiaolian has limited literacy, so it is not easy to tell a story about monsters, gods and demons vividly.

As soon as he talked about the white-boned female corpse on Baihuling, Zhu Liang protested loudly, saying that the story told by Yang Qiaolian was dry and boring, and it was not as good as his uncle's, and strongly urged him to tell it.

Zhu Xiu pretended not to hear, but Yang Qiaolian's throat was filled with anger. On the contrary, she was not welcomed by her son. She was very angry and slapped Zhu Liang's tile head unceremoniously several times.

Zhu Liang was so angry that he could only sit down and listen to the book angrily under the pressure of his mother.

The little guy secretly made up his mind that he must learn to read more and be able to read on his own as soon as possible without having to listen to the old lady's nagging.

"Brother Xiu, Mrs. Zhou has been here to say hello in the morning and evening these past few days. Other than that, she has not seen anyone the whole day. Does she think we are disturbing the peace by living in the house?"

Wu Youdi said worriedly.

Zhu Xiu twirled the cold melon seeds and put them between the front teeth familiarly, cracked them open, spit out the melon husk, and said with a smile: "Mother, don't think too much, the new daughter-in-law is naturally shy."

Wu Youdi sighed and said: "Ms. Zhou is handsome, has a good family background, and is a virtuous person. She can't fault her. If she can marry you, it will be a blessing that our Zhu family has cultivated for eight lifetimes.

But, but our whole family is living in someone else’s house. This is not like marrying a wife, it’s just like marrying into a wife. In the future, you will be shorter than others.”

Yang Qiaolian interjected: "I haven't seen any family bring their mother-in-law and brother-in-law with them."

"Who says it's not~" Wu Youdi looked sad, "Mother is both happy and ashamed~"

Zhu Xiu's soldier crossed the river with his head held high and glanced at Zhu Wu who was concentrating on it: "Brother, do you feel embarrassed too?"

Zhu Wu grabbed a few cold melon seeds, threw them into his mouth, chewed them, and said vaguely: "What's wrong with you? The old lady is so polite. I don't have to worry about food and drink in the house. It's a good life!"

"Hey! Brother and brother want to go together!" Zhu Xiu laughed.

Yang Qiaolian spat and scolded with a smile: "You two brothers are both good and don't want this face. When Brother You asked for marriage, he stayed at home and refused to leave. In the end, he even had a big drink with my father."

Zhu Wu said proudly: "As long as I can marry a wife, I don't need any shame."

Yang Qiaolian rolled her eyes at him.

Zhu Xiu watched her brother and sister-in-law flirting with each other with great interest. This time, the couple's hardships were finally over.

Wu Youdi smiled bitterly and said, "Mother has no idea how to deal with the marriage granted by the emperor. In short, from now on, you must not let Mrs. Zhou down."

Zhu Wu chewed the cold melon seeds and said casually: "Mom, don't worry so much. Brother Xiu and Mrs. Zhou are not really going to get married."

Before he finished speaking, Zhu Xiu kicked him. Zhu Wu knew he had made a mistake, scratched his head and laughed.

Wu Youdi was shocked: "What does this mean?"

Zhu Xiu thought for a moment and said, "Mom, there is no need to worry. Children will take care of these matters. Mom and sister-in-law only need to remember that on July 25, I will get married to Mrs. Zhou. No matter who asks you, you will know nothing about other things."

Wu Youdi and Yang Qiaolian looked at each other.

Zhu Xiu was worried that things would suddenly change and frighten them, so he had to lower his voice and said: "Remember, we will eventually return to Kaifeng, but before that, not a word can be revealed to the outside world, otherwise, our whole family will die. Worry!

If something happens this time, no one can save us. "

The serious tone shocked the two women, and Zhu Xiu could only comfort them with kind words.

The escape plan has not yet been decided, so they should be vaccinated first to avoid being overly frightened.

Just as he was talking, the steward of Taifu's Mansion led the way, and Li Congjia and Xu Xuan came to visit hand in hand.

Zhu Xiu stood up in a hurry to greet him.

The two of them paid homage to Wu Youdi and pulled Zhu Xiu aside.

"Brother Zhu, we have something to tell you." Li Congjia's fat face was serious.

Xu Xuan stared at him closely: "Can Wen Cai lend me a step to speak?"

"Who are you?" Zhu Xiu was surprised, "Let's walk and chat in the old lady's flower garden."

Zhou Zong loves rose, and most of the flower gardens are this flower.

It's the flowering season, and the garden is full of bright, full flowers, mostly rose and bright red, with a few pots of pink and white and light yellow. They were regarded as treasures by Zhou Zong and placed in the middle of the flower garden.

Xu Xuan and Li Congjia said nothing and frowned. On the contrary, Zhu Xiu leisurely walked forward with his hands behind his hands. When he saw a bee surrounding a flower, he stepped forward to take a closer look.The two of them didn't talk, but Zhu Xiu wasn't in a hurry.

Li Congjia couldn't hold back his anger and asked with a stern face: "Brother Zhu, why did you deceive my father?"

Zhu Xiu glanced back at him and said with a smile, "Why do you say that?"

Li Congjia was anxious, "Brother Zhu cares about Kaifeng and will never stay in Jiangning. Why did he declare his surrender in front of my father and promise to stay?"

Zhu Xiu sighed with feigned melancholy: "I have already made an appointment with Mrs. Zhou, and I will settle down in Jiangning as soon as we get married. From then on, I will be devoted to my Tang Dynasty wholeheartedly."

The two looked at each other, and Xu Xuan said angrily: "You still won't tell the truth when the matter comes to pass? You and the prince have enmity. Even if you are favored by his majesty now, who can protect you when the prince ascends the throne in the future?"
You have no roots in Jiangnan, so how can you abandon all the noble status you gained in the Great Zhou Dynasty and join the Tang Dynasty?
Based on your personality and behavior, these reasons simply don't make sense.

Are you, Zhu Xiu, a person whose mind is blinded by mere beauty? "

Zhu Xiu coughed dryly and really wanted to say that I really am this kind of person.
Zhu Xiu was silent and smiled sadly: "If I don't pretend to surrender, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave Jiangning in this life."

Li Congjia's eyes widened: "So, Brother Zhu admitted to marrying Mrs. Zhou, and pretending to surrender is all a delaying tactic?"

Xu Xuan looked at him closely.

Zhu Xiu sighed and said with a wry smile: "You two have seen it, so I won't hide it anymore.

Yes, I did commit the crime of deceiving the emperor, but you know my current situation, these are all actions I have to do.

The little prince is my close friend, and Mr. Xu and I are both teachers and friends. But I also know that one of you is the prince of the Tang Dynasty, and the other is an important minister of the Tang Dynasty. I don’t want to impair the two of you from the Tang Dynasty because of me. The Lord is angry.

So I can only choose to hide it from you. "

Zhu Xiuchang bowed and said: "You two have guessed my intention. In order to prevent you from being implicated, take me to the palace now, expose it in front of the Lord of the Tang Dynasty, draw a clear line with me in time, and distance yourself from this matter. ."

Li Congjia's face turned red: "Brother Zhu, Brother Zhu's words are too hurtful! How can I be that kind of unjust person? Mr. Xu is not the same!"

Xu Xuan sighed: "This matter is important. Literary talents should not hide it from us. They should tell us their true thoughts in time, and we should be allowed to discuss it carefully and come up with a complete plan."

Zhu Xiu blinked: "You two really won't report me?"

Li Congjia said angrily: "Brother Zhu, please don't underestimate me. I, Li Congjia, will never betray my friends!"

Xu Xuan smiled bitterly and said: "We know that if you stay, you will be in a bad situation and you will always be threatened by the crown prince. Even if you really want to stay, we will try our best to persuade you."

"You two have great righteousness, Zhu Xiu will keep it in mind!" Zhu Xiu's eyes were red and her voice was choked with sobs. She bent her upper body at ninety degrees and saluted.

Li Congjia also held his hand with a face full of emotion: "I just hope that Brother Zhu will return north safely. From now on, you and I will be our own masters, and we can still live up to the friendship of friends!"

Xu Xuan twisted his beard and smiled: "The most important thing about making friends is knowing each other, and it has nothing to do with one's position."

"Little Prince, Mr. Xu" Zhu Xiu was moved and his eyes were a little moist.

This is not just pretending to gouge your eyes secretly, but a real feeling.

Originally, the three of them met and made friends in Jingzhou, which was all the result of Zhu Xiu's design, not to mention that Zhu Xiu also swindled 30 yuan from the Xu family.

Unexpectedly, these two honest people really regarded him as a close friend, and they spared no effort to help him after coming to Jiangning.

Zhu Xiu looked at them and grinned: "If friends don't say thank you, they will be rewarded in the future!"

Li Congjia shook his head: "If there is a chance in the future, I would also like to visit Kaifeng, but then I will have to trouble Brother Zhu."

"Haha~ That's easy to say! Let alone Kaifeng City, even if you want to visit the palace, you can come and see our Lord!"

Li Congjia was excited, shook his head vigorously and said: "Forget it, Lord Zhou is a general who leads the army. He is fierce in killing and his temper is not as gentle as that of my father. If I accidentally say the wrong thing, I will be afraid of my life." It’s time to explain.”

Xu Xuan twisted his beard and said: "I also want to get acquainted with a group of heroes from the Northern Dynasties, such as Wei Renpu, the magic strategist in black, Gao Xingzhou with loyalty, filial piety and justice, the famous ministers such as General Ruan and his family, Feng Kedao, the veteran of the Nine Dynasties, who suppressed Linzhou in the world and fought against the Khitans." The general’s deeds are so fascinating!”

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "There is also Wang Jun, the privy envoy with the best voice in the Great Zhou Dynasty. It is said that his singing voice is so melodious that it sounds as beautiful as fairy music. When he sings, it is difficult to distinguish between male and female."

"Uh~" Xu Xuan was stunned, "Wang Jun should forget it, I'm afraid he is a first-rate figure like Song Qiqiu."

Li Congjia joked: "No wonder Brother Zhu always says that Wang Jun doesn't want to see you. Who told you to arrange things behind others' backs all day long?"

Zhu Xiu curled her lips and said, "Even if I flatter you, Wang Jun still won't treat me well."

Wang Jun tried his best to prevent Chai Rong from returning to Beijing, which shows how restless he is.

Zhu Xiu had long been regarded as a party member of Chai Rong, so he was naturally on the opposite side of Wang Jun. He would not see him unless the sun came out in the west.

"In the future, when literary talents return to Kaifeng and serve as officials in the same dynasty as Wang Jun, they should try their best to be kind to others, at least keep the surface friendly, and not to get too tense among colleagues." Xu Xuan warned, this is also the way he upholds the way to be an official.

Zhu Xiu didn't refute, and nodded with a smile.

Xu Xuan came from a noble family and had not experienced much turmoil in his official career, let alone the dangers of dynasty changes. Many of his ideas were actually conservative or even naive in Zhu Xiu's opinion.

But this also shows that Xu Xuan is a gentle and elegant gentleman at heart. Even if he is in a high position in the court, he still has the romance of a scholar.

With his character and talents, if he were born in a peaceful and prosperous age and met an enlightened monarch, he would definitely be a virtuous minister who would be remembered for generations to come.

But in this time of turbulent changes in the world, many of his talents will be destined to be buried, and his passion and beautiful hopes will eventually come to nothing.
Zhu Xiu sighed silently in his heart, hoping that Xu Xuan would be free from illness and disaster, enjoy a long life, and live until the time when the world is unified.

In this way, it is possible to live up to his talent and learning.
"Literary talent, I want to imitate the reform of sending officials to the countryside that you implemented in Anding County, Jingzhou. However, when the plan was laid out, many problems were encountered during the deduction."

Xu Xuan happily took Zhu Xiu to sit at the stone table and asked him about the preparations for the establishment of the township government office.

Zhu Xiu secretly smiled bitterly, not wanting to dampen his enthusiasm and enthusiasm, so she had to patiently discuss it with him.

Since ancient times, imperial power has not been sent to the countryside. The fundamental reason why Anding County can implement the county-township level official office system is that Zhu Xiu has mastered the military power of the Changyi Army. On the one hand, he suppressed it with force, and on the other hand, he used salt profits and tax concessions as attractions. Only through hard and soft tactics did the local clan forces compromise.

Xu Xuan served as the first mayor of the agricultural reclamation area, so he naturally knew the benefits of officials going to the countryside and the government directly controlling the local area.

Now that he has become the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and has the title of Councilor and Political Affairs, and is known as the Deputy Prime Minister, he wants to copy the practices of Anding County and implement reforms in Jiangnan.

This is destined to be impossible.

The various forces of Jiangnan's bureaucratic landlords and aristocratic families are intertwined. If the court wants to compete with them for grassroots power, it will definitely cause a huge backlash.

First of all, it was impossible to gain widespread support in the court.

This kind of fundamental reform of top-level design can only start from the highest power, carry out small-scale, pilot reforms, and then promote it step by step.

But would Li Jing, the leader of the Tang Dynasty, care whether the power of the government could reach the fields directly?

As long as the treasury is full, there is money and food, and the court rule is stable, Li Jing and the upper bureaucrats and nobles of the Tang Kingdom will not care about the lives of the people in the south of the Yangtze River.

Therefore, what Xu Xuan wanted to do was impossible to succeed. As long as the Tang court existed for one day, there would be no solution to this matter.

(End of this chapter)