Long live Emperor Wu!

Chapter 171: Don’t mention it again.

"Who?" Li Shan asked curiously.

"Pei Xingjian, Magistrate of Chang'an County. Although he comes from a noble family, he got his official career through the imperial examination. He is young, in his early thirties, and has friends with children from both famous and poor families.

I had a conversation with him two years ago and he was a very talented person and he had a great eye for people. "

Li Shan was a little disappointed when he heard that it was Pei Xingjian. He lowered his eyes and remembered that when he went to the Drum Tower to see folk customs, Pei Xingjian organized a polo match for him.

"He..."

Seeing that the young emperor was obviously dissatisfied, Liu Hongji asked curiously:

"what happened?"

Li Shan raised his eyes, briefly recounted what had happened, and finally concluded:
"I believe that the Duke's statement that he has many friends and knows people must be true. However, this person prefers to be courteous and lacks publicity. If he is asked to recommend him, will he be based on the depth of his friendship with others? The position is purely personal."

After hearing this, Duke Kui thought about it carefully and said:

"Probably not... Since he became the magistrate of Chang'an County, there have been less incidents of those playboys taking to the streets to fight in Chang'an City.

People in the public opinion also think highly of him, and he should be a person who has the ability to solve problems.He doesn't look like someone who would use his power for personal gain and ruin the affairs of the court.Your Majesty can send someone to check it out. "

When Li Shan heard this, he raised his chin slightly, thought for a moment, and said:
"Listening to what you said, I remembered it. It seems that no major incident has happened in Chang'an City for a long time, and it has been brought before my case."

Liu Hongji smiled, with sincere relief between his broad eyebrows, and said:
"Your Majesty is diligent and caring for the people, which is a blessing to the people,"

They chatted for a while, and Wu Rou followed suit, wishing him good health soon.

When it was time to leave, Wu Rou suddenly couldn't help but ask him:
"Mr. Kui, we have been chatting for so long, why didn't you ask a question, how can I stay with His Majesty?"

Duke Kui glanced at the young emperor next to him, then looked at Wu Rou, smiling lovingly and asking:
"You want me to ask?...I see that His Majesty doesn't want me to ask anyway."

Li Shan lowered his head slightly and looked to the side, still seeming a little uncomfortable and did not say a word.

Wu Rou was very generous. She glanced at Li Shan and said:
"Your Majesty is so shy that I'm sorry to mention it. I don't think it's a big deal. I'm just curious. If it were anyone else, I would definitely be surprised and have a few questions, but Duke Kui behaves very normally."

Liu Hongji sighed and said:

"Young people have their own decisions to make. They are responsible for both the good and the bad. They don't have to worry about the old. I've always been like this."

He looked at the void and paused, then said:
"If one day I die, I will give each of my sons a few acres of land and ten slaves, and the rest of the family property will be distributed to other relatives and friends in need."

Wu Rou and Li Shan looked at each other, a little surprised, and asked:
"Why?"

Liu Hongji laughed heartily and said:
"I am doing this for their own good. If they have the ability to succeed, they will naturally not need my inheritance and will have it themselves.

If they are really not good materials, they can't keep the things they give them, and they might even cause trouble, so why bother? "

……

On the way back, Wu Rou and Li Shan were amazed at Duke Kui's free and generous mind.

A year later, Duke Kui passed away. True to his words, he dispersed all his family wealth. His eldest son, Liu Renshi, inherited his title. Later, he became an official through the influence of his family. His official position was not large, but his life was stable.

Of course, this is a story.

……

……

In a restaurant in Chang'an City, Pei Xingjian raised his wine glass and gathered around with more than a dozen people, clinking glasses enthusiastically.

This is a separate private room. The window faces the street outside, and people are coming and going. A few rich and wealthy men have been drinking. The atmosphere is warm and they feel depressed, so they open all the windows facing the street.The sound of horse hooves and noisy voices from outside flooded in.

The people in the room were drinking happily and didn't realize it at all, but their voices gradually became louder.

One of them, a man with a foreign face, suddenly stood up again, raised his wine glass above his head, and said inarticulately:
"Hey! We were born too late, there is no place for heroes!"

Pei Xingjian was in his early thirties, with double eyelids, thick lips, and bright eyes. His smile was a little silly. He held a wine glass and said:

"You can do it now! No need to be discouraged!"

The man rolled his eyes at him and said:
"It's OK. You said the same thing last time. As a result, you were scolded by His Majesty."

Pei Xingjian stood up excitedly after hearing this. He held a wine glass in one hand and pointed at him with the other hand and said:

"What you said is wrong. I had good intentions. I wanted to make His Majesty happy and give you a chance to show your face.

Who knew His Majesty didn't like to see it, and you didn't gain face? I also gave Your Majesty the impression of being a villain, which didn't benefit anyone! "

He looked around and said with great regret:
"Oh! I can handle this. I regret it so much that my intestines are blue. Don't even mention it again."

He looked at the man with a foreign face and said:
"Third brother, I've already bought you drinks three times. Don't mention it again! If you mention it again, I'll suspect that you deliberately drank from me!"

There was a burst of laughter from the crowd.

Another said:

"He is also worried about his future and is very depressed. It's not your fault. Don't be like him, Erlang."

The Hu man who was called Third Brother sat down and said:

"Erlang is righteous, but we are unlucky. If I had been born a few years earlier, maybe I could have my portrait hung in the Lingyan Pavilion of Tai Chi Palace now?"

Someone laughed at him:

"Quickly pull him down. Your ancestor was nothing. He was just a soldier at that time. How could you enter Lingyan Pavilion? You couldn't even get close to His Highness King Qin at that time."

Several people echoed enthusiastically, saying:

"that is……"

"Don't even look at the 24 heroes. Several of them came from truly poor backgrounds. They were either descendants of famous families or former Sui officials."

The barbarian became anxious, stood up again, and said:

"You look down on people! With my ability, why don't I go to Wagang Village first? There are several in Wagang Village, aren't they all from Cao Mang? Who are they like, Wei Zheng, Cheng Yaojin, Zhang Liang... who else is there."

When Pei Xingjian heard this, he saw that the atmosphere was a little tense again, so he stood up quickly and said:
"Hey, hey, hey... Let's be honest, those 24 heroes are rare, and even in the history books, they are quite powerful characters.

Although it is said that heroes emerge in troubled times and heroes are created through practical actions, but troubled times also kill heroes... Maybe at that time, if we were a bit unlucky, we would be dead, right? "

He raised his wine glass, saluted everyone around him, and said:
"There is no need to envy those who came before us. As long as we are capable and have our own destiny, there is no need to be discouraged. There is no need to lose heart."

After hearing this, everyone raised their glasses one after another and followed him to drink it down, and the atmosphere became lively again.

Suddenly, a small official from downstairs hurried in. Pei Xingjian was so happy that he didn't even see him.

The clerk was so anxious that he stood beside him and said:

"County Magistrate, the palace has sent an order for you to enter the palace. Hurry up and leave!"

(End of this chapter)