The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 160 Who knows the truth of life
"The edict appoints him as the Recruiting Envoy of the Camp in the north of Yanmen, the Observation Envoy of Xindai, Weishuo and other states, the Jiedushi of Hedong Road, the Yin of Taiyuan, the Governor of Beijing, the Shangzhuguo, the Guardian of the Imperial Tutor, the Inspector of the Imperial Preceptor, the Minister of the Court, the Chief of the Imperial Household, the General of the Cavalry, the King of Longxi with a fief of 7,000 households and a real fief of 200 households—" The eunuch's voice suddenly stopped, and he looked at the saint stiffly. The saint snorted coldly and stared at him: "Read." The eunuch gritted his teeth and added the name: "Li Keyong, come in!"

Another one - one does not need to bow when entering the court, wears sword and shoes when entering the palace, does not use his name when reporting matters, is the chief minister, and is the commander-in-chief of all military forces at home and abroad. That's what it feels like.

Ta-ta-ta. There was a sound of hurried footsteps. Li Keyong pushed open the door and walked into the dining hall barefoot. A dozen officers with stern expressions followed him in. Wow, Zhao Chong and Mo Zangqiqi knelt with their swords drawn. After the uncle's personal soldiers came in, they automatically stood on the other side and looked at the guards who were gathered around the emperor.

Li Keyong lifted his clothes and bowed down. When he bent down a little, his back was like a tiger drinking water. He was not good-looking, with one eye slightly narrowed. The fiery red military uniform on his body was a bit ostentatious, and with the jet-black cloak outside, he looked like a monster king.

"General, please sit down." The saint straightened his back and looked down at the wine glass in front of him.

The emperor was even reluctant to call him his uncle! General, a formal and unfamiliar title. Moreover, he was a general and a minister, and the father of the virtuous concubine. According to convention, after paying homage, the emperor should return the greeting. But the saint forgot or something. Seeing this, Li Keyong also changed his title and said indifferently: "Thank you, Your Majesty." Then he sat down, bowed his head to look at the table, and said nothing.

"Your Majesty and I worked together to kill Zhu Wen. I fought in Hebei and Long fought in Henan, and we were able to drive Bian away. Today we will have a banquet to celebrate our success..." The awkward smile on Concubine Xian's face became more and more unbearable, and she could not continue with her prepared speech, so she shouted to the door: "Luoluo, Cunxu, come here!"

"Your Majesty, the Virtuous Consort, and My Lord." A smart and wise young man dressed as a warrior came over and saluted everyone one by one.

"This is the eldest son of the great general. He was born at a time when everything was ripe, so he got this name." The virtuous concubine introduced.

The saint looked up and sized up his brother-in-law.

He looked quite masculine, and looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old. He stood in the aisle with a calm look, and was stared at by a group of people from Zhaofu, but he was not afraid of the stage. It is said that when he was just eleven years old, he was appointed as the Jinyang magistrate by Li Keyong to learn how to deal with the people. Unexpectedly, he performed very well, so he was promoted to the deputy envoy of the Jiedushi, and handled military affairs with Li Keyong. Later, he successively took charge of the Tielin Army and served as the internal and external guards. These positions are not something that can be given to a young man in the current chaotic world.

At the age of 12, he learned archery; at the age of 13, he joined the army; at the age of 15, he entered the battlefield; at the age of 20, he became famous. This is also the tradition of Zhuxie tribe. If he had not died, Li Cunxu would have no chance. The only advantage of the composer is his birth. The eldest son Luoluo and the second daughter Miaowei were the products of Li Keyong's youthful debauchery and "drunk with prostitutes", and their mothers were unknown. The eldest daughter Wusi, the second son Cunmei, and the youngest son Cunxu were born to the concubine Cao.

But this relatively good background is basically useless.

It was impossible for Li Keyong to choose his successor based on his sons' status and age.

"My uncle is the champion of the Flying Tigers, and the general is blessed." The saint praised him. In comparison, Li Jingshen was almost ten years old. Han Wei finished reading Zuo Zhuan for a century, and only remembered one sentence: "If you do too much evil, you will die by yourself." His martial arts training was a mess, and he couldn't even ride a horse steadily.

He looked at Li Cunxu twice again, but then looked away without much interest.

If you pretend to be a patriarch and enter Bianliang, you will be finished with me.

Unexpectedly, Li Keyong drank a glass of wine, slapped the table and sighed: "Among all the scholars, Luo Luo is a versatile person, but he is irritable and easily angered, just like me. I think Meihui is a wise man, but he is not a man. Miaowei follows her mother, and Cunmei is weak and sickly, so I won't mention her. Only this youngest son uses his wisdom and courage incorrectly, does not read classics and history, and only loves music. When the army is defeated and in danger in the future, who will be able to take on the responsibility?"

“It is difficult to educate children, harder than ascending to heaven.” The sage felt this.

The issue of children's education also worries Li. The sons of Zhu Wen, Li Keyong, Li Cunxu, Li Siyuan, Yang Xingmi, Qian Liu, Wang Jian, Ma Yin, Liu Yin, and Liu Zhiyuan in later generations were all worse than pigs and dogs. According to this ratio, the possibility that his son would be a humorous comedian like Zhu Hanlin, Li Zuoqu, Shi Liuxue, and Liu Chongzhen is not too high.

Talking about this topic, the sage realized that he had underestimated Li Keyong before. Although the old thief had this and that, he was very helpful in educating his children. And... I have to admit that his attitude and mind are much better than mine. Daughters and sons are equal in my heart. Whether they are born out of wedlock, prostitutes or adopted children, they are all treated equally.

"I think Cunxu is very talented, so there's no need to worry too much." Even a saint could not agree with the uncle who said his son was useless.

However, Li Keyong said, "I defeated Pang Xun at the age of fifteen, defeated Cao Xiang at the age of twenty, and captured Chang'an at the age of twenty-seven. I presented Your Majesty with a crown of Tongtian and a white jade pendant. I have been through life and death, and have had more than a hundred arrows pulled out of my body. I have been deceived by countless people. Luoluo and Cunxu are indeed gifted and can learn things quickly, but they are not the type to take on great responsibilities. If you put the future of the family on these two sons, you will be lucky if the three Shatuo tribes can be preserved for another twenty years."

"What? The Shatuo are going to be finished?" Li Cunxu poked his head out from behind Li Keyong's shoulder, surprise flashing in his little eyes.

Li Keyong: …

Luo Luo scolded: "Don't interrupt when adults are talking."

"Oh."

Li Keyong looked at the guards brought by the emperor. From Zhao Fu to Zhao Chong, from Zang Qiqi to Yin Shouzhi, from He Chuyu to Amonan, he scanned more than a dozen people one by one, with some admiration, some disgust, and some disdain. The one-eyed man then observed the emperor. The emperor looked rough and haggard, with unshaven beard and peeling hands. His overall condition was not good. It was obvious that it was not easy to manage the food, drink, defecation and urination of tens of thousands of soldiers.

"If Zhang Jun had such elite soldiers and generals, how could he reach Taiyuan? Even if the Shen Ce Army had a million people, what use would it have?" Li Keyong's words were shocking, and he suddenly remembered something. He drank a glass of wine and said angrily, "My father and son have served four dynasties for three generations. How have we failed Your Majesty? If it weren't for me, I don't know who would be the ruler of the world today. In times of crisis, I represented Yi and Huo. After peace, I was blamed for Rong and Jie. Listening to the slanderous words of Zhang Jun and launching a reckless attack is not a way to revive the country. If the sage wants to revive the country, then Zhang Jun, don't let him be the prime minister again. Otherwise, Jun will enter Yanying in the morning and I will go to Hezhong in the evening."

The saint's face suddenly felt hot, and the corners of his mouth twitched again and again, and he resisted the urge to spit out a sweet fragrance. Mo Zang Qiqi and Zhao Chong stood up suddenly, but were stopped by the saint. So they turned around abruptly and pretended to pour wine for the saint.

The virtuous concubine suddenly became angry and glared at Li Keyong. She reached out her hand from under the table to pull Li, but Li hung his hands and did not respond.

Fortunately, Li Siyuan had some quick wit. Seeing that his father could not shut up and began to "talk quite offensively", he quickly brought up the wine jar, poured wine for the emperor and his ministers, and said with a smile: "As a sage, how can you blame him? When Mr. Zhang led the army to attack Zhu Wen, it was because Zhu was forced to do so. This thief is treacherous and vicious. Everyone knows it. It was not Mr. Zhang who instigated it, nor was it the sage's fault. Things change as time goes by, and we should unite to fight against Zhu Wen."

"I am tired, let's stop here if there is nothing else to do!" the sage said impatiently. Li Keyong looked like he deserved a beating, and he was afraid that if he sat down any longer, he would lose control and start cursing. The virtuous concubine tightly held her husband's hand and looked at him apologetically.

"Your Majesty has fought Zhu Ni twice. What do you think of his strength?"

"Strong enemy."

"Zhu Ni has appointed Zhang Cunjing to take charge of Jin and Jiang, and continue to attack Pu. Now that the rebellion in Cixi has been quelled, I want to station troops in the two states to divide their forces." Li Keyong's face turned red from drinking, and his true intentions were exposed. To be honest, he wanted Ci and Xi states.

But why?
Zhu Wen retreated, and Li Keyong fought the tough battles of Shouyang Mountain and Hedong City by himself, and he was the one who bore the main pressure. Sima Le was indeed defeated by Li Keyong. But it's not because he is not a saint, it's because he was not as fast as Li Keyong. Moreover, Wang Ke has been appointed as the governor of the National Defense Army, and Hezhong is still Wang Ke's territory in name, right? The imperial court didn't take it back, how can you have the nerve to do that? Just because you praised Sima Le who was entrenched in Cixi and helped to fight Zhu Wen, these two states should be given to you?
"Hezhong is the place that King Langya left for Chong'er to live. I'm afraid the city's army will be unhappy if I give you Ci and Xi." The sage declined. No one actually controls Hezhong, so it becomes a military isolation zone between Qin and Jin to avoid border contiguousness and deepen the other side's sense of insecurity.

This is good for both.

Li Keyong did not want to see the royal flag planted on the border of Fenzhou, as the royal army could reach the city of Taiyuan in two days; the sage also did not want the people of Jin to face him across the river in Hancheng.

"If there is no me stationed in Ci and Xi, the Bian bandits will break into the pass one day and I will be unable to cope with them. I don't know where the troops will come from to support the king!" Li Keyong's tone suddenly became serious.

The saint shook off the virtuous concubine's hand and blurted out: "Without Wang the Butcher, would I still eat the pig with the hair on it?"

"Li Keyong!" The virtuous concubine scolded, and then pulled the saint's arm and pushed him back into his seat.

"Marshal..." Li Siyuan, Li Cunzhen, Zhou Dewei, Gai Yu and Li Xiji were extremely anxious and came to the Marshal to whisper.

Li Keyong remained silent, drinking one glass of wine after another, his expression changing from gloomy to bright.

The virtuous concubine was observing the situation from the side, so she stood up and interrupted, "Generals Chongrong and Chongying have made great contributions to the restoration of the country, and Chong'er is Chongrong's only son. Since the invasion of Bian, this prefecture and four states only include Ci, Xi, and Hezhong. If two more states are taken away, let alone whether Liu Xun, Tao Jianzhao, and Chen Xiong will rebel, my father is a powerful vassal, feared by the northern border, and has a deep friendship with the Wang family. Now he is competing with an orphan for two states, which will ruin his reputation. Moreover, if my father goes straight to the Yellow River, who in the Three Prefectures will dare to sleep peacefully? What will the ministers and common people say to me? But Zhu Wen has troops stationed in Jin and Jiang, watching day and night, which is enough to alert us. Let Hedong defend Xizhou, support Shangjun, and deter the Dangxiang. Why can't Li Lang say that? Let's each take a step back and don't hurt the relationship between father-in-law and son-in-law." Li Keyong supported his head, feeling unhappy.

I thought marrying my daughter would make the saint my vassal...

If I had married Wang Ke as I originally thought...

Failed!
I have also given up my thoughts, how painful.

However, if you gain something in one place, you lose something in another. In addition to working together to defeat Zhu Wen, his son-in-law actually helped him a lot. He sent two crops of grain during the spring ploughing. People should be righteous and know how to be grateful. In addition, the woman already has a son. If there is no hope of competing for the throne, he must manage this line well.

"Forget it!" Li Keyong raised his head.

"As for the salt pond, 2800 carts are transported to Taiyuan every year, which is just enough for the 2800 soldiers when the virtuous concubine comes. In years of famine or war, I will not stand idly by if my uncle asks." The sage said. The court must take back the ownership of the salt pond, and Li Keyong must also give blood transfusions, after all, the main force against Zhu Wen is these two families.

Hearing the reluctant call of uncle, Li Keyong did not show it on his face, but he was still a little proud in his heart.

Weren't you very tough just now?

Don’t you still want to call?
In addition, the amount of two thousand eight hundred shows that this thief son-in-law still remembered his kindness.

Reciprocating a favor is in line with his aesthetic of making friends.

He hates those who are scheming and stingy.

With this money every year, the finances will be much more comfortable. He was so happy that he gulped down several cups of horse urine. But the thief's son-in-law is developing so fast, while he is standing still. He needs to think about the strategy when he returns. For now, let's just leave it at that. We will fight each other but not break each other. Whether we will break each other in the future depends on our strength.

"The saint is not strong enough to drink, so he is leaving first." Concubine Xian gave Li Keyong a fierce look and helped her husband out of the dining hall. Let's end it here, otherwise when my father gets drunk and goes crazy, he will quarrel with my husband, and there will be a fight, right?
"Disobedient!" Staring at Zhu Xiewusi's back as she left, Li Keyong was furious. How long have you been married? You've already forgotten.

But the couple has a good relationship, so that's fine. If his daughter lives well, he will have fewer worries.

Bang. Suddenly remembering something, Li Keyong rolled and crawled out of the dining hall.

Now that the son-in-law has arrived, the filial son will most likely also be here...

Thinking this way, he left the Taoist temple and saw the familiar figure beside the saint. He felt a pang in his heart. That person was once his beloved, but...

Do you regret it? To say no is to deceive yourself.

Hate? I have beaten, scolded, quarreled, and hated him, but after that burst of anger, I only remember the warmth. But... but even if time goes back, my stinky mouth will still say those unbearable words at some point...

It would be better if I were a mute.

Li Keyong walked up and, under the gaze of everyone, offered his congratulations in a calm but sarcastic tone.

"I am blessed with your help and am promoted to a higher position."

In response to this the saint smiled and said, "Uncle, you are too polite." He was throwing a tantrum and was determined to drive my brother Siyuan away someday.

But Li Cunxiao was in a panic. He knelt down and bowed in a panic, his melancholy cheeks flushed red: "Father, um, um, I didn't mean to say bad things about you... I went to find Wang Rong at that time... I was so stupid... Come to Chang'an, you are a saint, the saint looks at me um, um... mother..."

Seeing that the son, who could barely even speak a word, was talking incoherently under his father's gaze, and was about to lose consciousness and burst into tears, the saint stepped over and stopped the ugly macho talk show in time.

Li Keyong put his hands behind his back and smiled tolerantly. After hesitating for a long time, he finally couldn't bear to leave. He asked with a straight face: "The New Year is coming soon. Your mother misses you very much. Would you like to go back to Taiyuan to see her?"

Haha, you are too embarrassed to be so stubborn and use your wife as a shield?

"No matter what happens between father and son, they won't fight to the point of shouting and screaming. Many things are just small conflicts at first, and they can be resolved by talking it out." Looking at the funny father and son who were fighting before and now acting out a sad drama, the saint couldn't help but preach. Whether it's father and son, husband and wife, or lovers, disappointment accumulates bit by bit. When it accumulates enough, the heart dies and the person leaves. And a few words are often difficult to resolve between relatives.

Li Keyong heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Humans are not animals, how can they eat their own children? It's just..."

It's just the man's face that's at work.

"Do you want to go back?" The saint looked at Li Cunxiao who was silently wiping away his tears.

Li Cunxiao was stunned.

He looked at the saint, then at Li Keyong's back, with a tormented expression. If he left, he would be betraying the king, and if he didn't leave...

Finally, it was Consort Xian who saw through his intentions and stepped forward to rescue him. She took Li Keyong's hand and dragged him onto the horse: "Cunxiao is tied up in official duties and cannot get away. Father, please leave quickly!"

"Gee!" With a flick of the whip, Li Keyong faced the flying snow and quickly disappeared on the vast white plain. He was so decisive.

You can't see you when you turn around in the mountains, and you stay where you are in the snow.

My uncle is not just a complicated person.

To say he is a good man is not likely, and to say he is a thief seems to be too much.

The wind and snow were blowing, and the Saint pulled the Concubine into the warm carriage with a brazier, and slowly went home. The couple held hands and sat there, looking at the vast and bleak snow scene outside the window, without saying a word. In the autumn of the second year of Dashun and the winter of the second year of Jingfu, after nearly three years of hard work, they were finally safe.

"Let's start from the beginning, clean up the old mountains and rivers, and face the sky..."

　I won't be a eunuch, please don't spread rumors. I've been unwell recently, so the update is slow, but I'll try to make sure there's one every day. From now on, Qidian will not send out leave notices for those who need to take leave within three days, and will notify you in the group. If there's no update before 11pm, go to bed.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)