Jiuxi

Chapter 989 987 [Twenty Years of Storms Like Yesterday]

Xu Zuo could fully understand Xue Nanting's feelings, and could even say that he felt the same way.

They all experienced the despair of the fall of Heluo and the loss of half of the country in one day, and they also faced together the difficulties of the complicated and powerful Jiangnan clans. Fortunately, they met a wise leader with a broad mind and strong will, and they worked together to persevere through those ten years.

By the time Lu Chen joined the army and made his mark, Li Duan had actually already gained a considerable amount of power. Coupled with Li Daoyan's concessions for the sake of the overall situation, the Jiangnan families appeared so weak.

But for Xue Nanting, Xu Zuo and Qin Zheng, from the first year of Jianwu to the eleventh year of Jianwu, they were often unable to help Li Duan share much pressure. On the contrary, it was Li Duan who protected them through concessions and compromises, and promoted them through exchanges of various interests, allowing them to gain a firm foothold in the court.

If those ten years had not been so difficult, Li Duan would not have become ill from overwork, and he would not have neglected the teaching of the three princes.

This is the greatest regret for Xue Nanting and the other three.

Therefore, they all have a hurdle in their hearts. This is the reason why Xu Zuo, who witnessed Lu Chen's grand plan with his own eyes, still could not make up his mind directly; the reason why Qin Zheng, knowing that he would be in a dilemma when he came back, still accepted the summons to return to Beijing to take charge of the Weaving Bureau again; and the reason why Xue Nanting, who had experienced ups and downs in the officialdom for decades and reached the pinnacle of officialdom, still acted like a fool and lost his composure.

They were the loyal ministers whom Li Duan solemnly entrusted to him before his death.

How can we give up the kindness of knowing and meeting, the love of protecting and protecting, and the loyalty between the ruler and his subjects? How can we forget?
Xue Nanting's words were like sharp arrows shooting into Xu Zuo's heart, causing the past twenty years to reappear in his mind again and again, until he was bleeding and heartbroken.

Xue Nanting would rather die than be a traitor to his master. Could it be that Xu Zuo is a person who is greedy for power, fame and fortune?

During the fourteen years he served in the Censorate, Xu Zuo offended countless high-ranking officials and dignitaries, and suffered innumerable plots against him, including more than thirty poisonings, frame-ups, and assassinations. If Li Duan had not arranged enough secret guards around him, and if Qin Zheng had not specially organized a group of people to protect him, he would have turned into a pile of bones long ago.

But has he ever retreated or shown fear?
How could someone who didn't care about life and death care about wealth and glory? Not to mention that he was now the right prime minister and leader of all officials, so what could Lu Chen give him?

Even though his heart was broken at the moment, Xu Zuo still didn't want to add fuel to the fire. Doing so would only make the situation worse rapidly.

Xu Zuo calmed his emotions with an extremely strong will, but his slightly trembling hands holding the teacup still revealed a bit of grief.

After drinking half a cup of tea, he slowly put down the teacup, stared into Xue Nanting's eyes and asked, "Just now you asked me what is the way of an emperor, and I also want to ask you what is the way of a minister?"

Xue Nanting was not unaware of Xu Zuo's difficulties, so he did not want to force him too much. After trying to calm himself down, he said, "It is the job of the lower class to concentrate on one thing and do one's job without working too hard."

Xu Zuo nodded and said, "As an official, one should only deal with the affairs of the government and not talk about anything outside of it."

Xue Nanting couldn't help but frown slightly.

In his opinion, Xu Zuo's words were somewhat sophistry. Of course, the duty of an official was to perform his duties conscientiously and not think that it was too much work. It was best not to interfere in matters beyond their duties. However, loyalty to the emperor was also the duty of an official. As prime ministers, were they only responsible for handling government affairs and completely ignored the safety of the imperial power?
For Xue Nanting, who has been adhering to the doctrine of loyalty to the emperor for decades, such an idea can be regarded as completely heretical. If the person sitting opposite him at this moment is a young junior, he will definitely be severely reprimanded.

Only when facing Xu Zuo would he force himself to hold back, but he also said in a cold voice: "If a minister is too devoted to his superior, the ruler will lose his prestige."

This sentence was obviously directed at Lu Chen, indicating that this young prince was already trying to seize the power of the emperor.

Xu Zuo shook his head and said, "So far, Lu Chen has not crossed the line. Whether it is the military power given to him by the Queen Mother or his temporary management of various places in Jiangbei, this has been authorized and recognized by the court. You can't say that he is seizing power just because he did a good job."

Xue Nanting finally showed a trace of disappointment on his face, and sighed, "Brother Yanbi, do you think Lu Chen will not interfere in government affairs after the capital is moved? On the 13th of last month, he recommended Zhan Hui as the governor of Dingzhou in his memorial. Wasn't it to let people like Ding Hui enter the central government again? What is his purpose? It's nothing more than that Ding Hui is thick-skinned and black-hearted, so that he can stir up the situation in the court. He doesn't need to do it himself, as long as he relies on people like Ding Hui to work hard, he can continue to eliminate dissidents. Don't tell me that you can't see the cruelty of this move with your vision."

To some extent, Ding Hui and Li Jingda are extremely similar. They are both characters with strong personal foundations, extensive connections in the court, plenty of money, and the ability to humble themselves. They are both good at muddying the waters.

Only someone like Lu Chen, who has a ruthless heart and holds military power, can control them. But it is obviously different now. As long as these two people do not hinder the implementation of the new policy, Lu Chen will be their strongest backing.

Xu Zuo said slowly: "Brother Zhang Xian, have you ever thought about a question, why was the land acreage adjustment so smoothly this time? It was very simple in Jiangbei. Lu Chen killed thousands of people in Heluo City at one time. In addition, those aristocratic families were already guilty, so there was not much resistance. But the situation of the Jiangnan aristocratic families is completely different. They did not commit the sin of selling out their country for glory. On the contrary, they have contributed a lot to the Northern Expedition in recent years. They could have resisted the court's policies. Why didn't they cause much trouble from beginning to end?"

Xue Nanting did not lose his mind, and he was not in a position to confuse right and wrong, so he said frankly: "It's because Lu Chen is hanging a knife over their heads."

"This is the question I have been thinking about. If Emperor Gaozong had a helper like Lu Chen by his side when he ascended the throne 20 years ago, how could he have lived such a tormenting and difficult life?"

"This is different!"

"What is the difference?"

"I know what you want to say. With Lu Chen's ability and determination, he can indeed break through the resistance that we find difficult in a very short time, but you should also understand that violence can only destroy and not build! Take the land tax this time as an example. No one can deny that Lu Chen's reputation has intimidated all the wealthy families, but you want him to send 10,000 cavalry to complete the specific matters, okay? Although I am the leader of this matter, you also know the details. Without the hard work of thousands of officials, how can we calculate the accurate figures from those cunning officials and gentry?" Xue Nanting said in a deep voice: "I am not showing off my merits, nor do I have the interest to do so. I just hope you know that the court did not stop Lu Chen's new policy. On the contrary, we will do our best to cooperate with him. In fact, this is not the point at all. With his current power and status, he is enough to protect himself and to smoothly implement the new policy. This is not a contradiction between the royal family and him!"

"Enough to protect yourself?"

Xu Zuo sighed softly, shook his head slightly and said, "Brother Zhang Xian, you are from the Qingyuan Xue family. You have been well versed in the human heart since childhood. You should know that there is no shortage of people who are scheming for personal gain in this world. If it is according to your assumption, Lu Chen's position will not be shaken in the short term, but as time goes on, there will be many people who will regard attacking the Lu family as a stepping stone to advancement! When that time comes, can you stop those people? They dare not attack Lu Chen directly, but so many generals in the army can be upright? Can the Lu family business really be flawless? For example, Ding Hui and Li Jingda, are they really so clean?"

Xue Nanting's brows furrowed more and more.

Xu Zuo said sincerely: "If Mr. Li were still alive, what do you think he would choose?"

"I do not know."

Xue Nanting shook his head woodenly and said in a deep voice: "Your concerns are reasonable. Countless powerful dynasties throughout history have been destroyed by internal strife, but I still don't think Lu Chen can't deal with these disputes. Brother Yanbi, you and I both know that this kind of fighting can never be stopped, but as long as you and I keep our original intentions and give Lu Chen enough support, can't we deal with those villains? We were able to survive such a difficult situation back then, but now we are afraid?"

"It's not that the heart is afraid, but that the human heart cannot stand the temptation."

Xu Zuo said as calmly as possible: "Brother Zhang Xian, the times are different now, and Lu Chen is not someone who is willing to endure. Once the court starts to stir, do you think he will have the patience to be confined to the power struggle? The trip to Gu County showed me how grand his vision for the future is, even to the point of being impatient. Therefore, I conclude that he does not have the leisure to waste time on power struggles. Once a situation he does not want to see arises, I am afraid there will be bloodshed everywhere."

Xue Nanting said softly: "You are encouraging his ambition."

Xu Zuo was silent.

"That's all."

Xue Nanting laughed at himself, raised his teacup and said, "We have had many disputes over the years, and each time we were unable to convince the other party. Back then, Emperor Gaozong gave each of us fifty lashes of the cane. But now, he is gone, and we are left with only two old guys looking at each other in silence."

Xu Zuo was saddened by these words. He forced a smile and said, "Why not put it aside for now and see what happens in the future."

"That's all we have to do."

Xue Nanting sat up straight, holding the teacup in both hands.

Xu Zuo also showed respect to him.

"Brother Yanbi, no matter what the future holds, it is my greatest honor to be able to walk side by side with you for twenty years in this life."

Xue Nanting's old eyes turned red, and he smiled and said, "Please."

Xu Zuo knew the deep meaning of this sentence, and couldn't help but said in a trembling voice: "Brother Zhang Xian, please."

Xue Nanting drank the tea in his cup, stood up and said, "No need to see me off."

He walked out of the pavilion, his back looking lonely and desolate.

Xu Zuo stood in the pavilion, watching his close friend, with whom he had lived and died together, gradually walk away. He tried to speak several times, but only his lips moved.

At this moment, he seemed to have countless words in his chest that wanted to pour out, but his throat was blocked by some inexplicable emotion.

The autumn wind was bleak, and Xue Nanting, led by the old housekeeper of the Xu Mansion, left on the withered yellow leaves.

Xu Zuo stood there for a long time.

Twenty years of wind and rain flashed before his eyes.

I never saw my old friend again.

Only desolation remains.

(End of this chapter)