Han Zuo Gaomen

Chapter 745
In the imperial garden of Jiande Palace, Shi Le, the Lord of Zhao, was wearing a toga of fashionable clothes, and was sitting on a bamboo couch, surrounded by several beauties, each offering food and drink utensils.Shi Le's spirit is not very good, his gray beard and hair remain somewhat messy after sleeping, the bags under his eyes are more enlarged, his eyes are also cloudy, and his face is sickly pale.

The night before last, he was lucky enough to be located in Lishui Palace, another palace outside the city of Xiangguo. The night wind and cloudy tide made him feel a little chilly. He didn't need to worry about such minor ailments. When he was fighting north and south in his early years, he could still fight fiercely even though he suffered huge injuries. , But now he has to obey his old age after all. At this age, a cold will make him mentally exhausted and sick.It was originally a summer vacation, but it turned out that he could only return to the garden to recuperate.

Two feet away from Shi Le's couch, a tall, white-faced, young man was kneeling and taking orders.This person is Yan Zhen, Zhongchang's attendant. Because of his knowledge, intelligence and courage, he has been trusted by Master Zhao in recent years. He often stands by his side and is ready to ask questions.

After drinking a dose of medicinal soup, Shi Le's spirit improved slightly, so he simply sat up and said with emotion: "In the past, when we were young, we couldn't be favored by others, and we often harmed each other. Now it's very obvious, and the group seems to be loyal and good. Whether it is noble or humble, it is always hard to find people with sincerity. Is there any place for human desires? In the past, two meals were not available, and day and night were hard to guarantee. Naturally, the situation was dangerous, and we had to force ourselves to fight for it. Changle Wuyou, why do you still have frequent desires?"

The deep meaning contained in the Lord's emotion can be described as great, Yan Zhen did not dare to respond casually, and after careful consideration, he said: "Those who only ask for two meals, work in the wild. Those who only ask for survival are humble. Those who make progress should be driven by great desires, but the destiny is uniquely respected, and the Lord is crowned in this world, and the destiny is inherited, and the heroes are entrusted, so that there is a revolutionary atmosphere in the world, and chaos is established in China. Self-sufficiency like ministers fears death and mediocrity Human beings, fortunately under the shelter, all the wishes of life have been fulfilled, and the rest of the year only has loyalty to offer."

"Self-sufficiency is a rare thing. It is a pity that there are few self-sufficient and stable people in this world, but most of them rely on their talents and courage. They always set themselves up as heroes, and use small things to seek big things. It is a disaster for themselves and the world."

Hearing Yan Zhen's words, Shi Le was more moved. At this time, the servant came to report that Cheng Xia had been attracted here, so he signaled Yan Zhen to step back, and asked a little about Cheng Xia's experience in the Queen's Palace. But there was ridicule, and he ordered: "Lead him to the side hall for a while, and see you later."

Shi Le knew that the queen summoned Cheng Xia, and he even instructed Yan Zhen to hint that the queen would do this.Although the queen is not from a famous family, Shi Le is satisfied with both knowledge and women's morality.Without his instruction, no matter how dissatisfied the queen was with Cheng Xia, she would not have humiliated the minister like this.

And the reason why he did this was because Shi Le was dissatisfied with Cheng Xia's recent overactivity, and wanted to warn him to restrain himself and stop forming cliques for personal gain unscrupulously.

Cheng Xia is a talented person, but his shortcomings are also huge. He is self-reliant and ignorant of his relatives.In the early years, Shi Le treated him coldly. He thought he would learn some lessons, but he didn't expect that he would revert to his old ways after a little indulgence, which also made Shi Le feel dissatisfied from the bottom of his heart.

However, there is a little emptiness in the country at the moment, and many etiquette and order need to be rebuilt, so it is not appropriate to make any more disturbances in the country.In addition, Cheng Xia is the prince's uncle, if Shi Le came forward to strike, it would inevitably have some adverse effects on the prince, so the empress was appointed to come forward.

After another hour, Shi Le sent someone to introduce Cheng Ya.

Resting in the side hall and taking care of her appearance, her energy gradually dissipated. Although her cheeks were still red and swollen, Cheng Ya didn't look distressed.After walking into this place, he hurriedly knelt down on the ground, before opening his mouth, he was already choking and crying.

Seeing Cheng Ya's attitude, although Shi Le was agitated, he still held his temper and asked someone to help Cheng Ya into his seat. Then he said: "The empress strictly abides by etiquette. The older I am, the more cautious I am. Even I , Every time we meet, we must be cautious, and we are afraid that we will be displeased by being rude."

No matter how upset Cheng Xia felt, he didn't dare to say anything wrong about the queen in front of the lord at this time. After hearing the words, he just held back his tears and said: "This minister is not the gate of the world. Since I have been engaged in it, I have only been loyal and righteous. It is a sacrifice of talent, or if there is something wrong with etiquette, you don’t realize it. Today, after being taught by the queen, you know that you have made mistakes and become a crime, and you will be alarmed. In the future, you will be vigilant and self-examination, and you will never dare to repeat the same mistakes.”

Shi Le was quite satisfied with Cheng Xia's statement, and after the beating, he naturally wanted to encourage him.After all, there are frequent military and political affairs in the middle of the country right now, so we need to rely more on his own strength.In addition to affirming Cheng Xia's recent achievements with less gentle words, he even allowed him to handle government affairs at home in the near future, so as to avoid the appearance of going in and out and attracting criticism.

Hearing that the lord thought of him so much, and didn't leave him idle because of the queen's attitude, Cheng Xia couldn't help being more touched, and even slightly dispelled his resentment towards the queen.In the final analysis, that vile woman was born in the countryside. Although she is honored as the mother of the country, she is still short-sighted and short-sighted. If she cares too much, she will lose the physique of a minister, and will also ruin her close relationship with the Lord. The harmonious relationship between the monarch and his subjects was finally harmonious.

After the appeasement process, Shi Le again hinted at Han Shi San.Although the empress took this as a challenge, Shi Le knew that his illness this time was not due to the medicine, but a common condition of old age and aging, and the doctor in charge of his diagnosis also made a statement.Moreover, he didn't take it directly after being scattered, but the doctor appraised and tested the medicine on others, and only swallowed it after confirming that it was harmless.

When he was young, he was born in poverty and suffered from the sufferings of the world. After he became an adult, he fought for many years. Now he is sitting in China. Although Shi Le is not obsessed with pleasure, he does not restrain his needs in this regard and strictly adheres to simplicity.Moreover, the cold food powder presented by Cheng Xia is remarkable for enhancing physical strength and energy, and even the doctors who serve the medicine have praised it, and the monk Buddha Tucheng who he valued also praised it as a rare medicine in the world .

So Shi Le didn't reject this, and because he stopped taking the powder, his illness became heavier instead, so he couldn't help mentioning this to Cheng Xia right now.

Cheng Xia had just been taught a lesson by the empress, and she had lingering fears in her heart, how dare she respond when she heard the Lord mentioning this matter again, so she just assumed that she couldn't hear the hint in the Lord's words, and never dared to give up in secret again.Seeing his attitude, Shi Le couldn't put down his face and ask for it directly, so he sent Cheng Xia back to the mansion with regret.

Although he suffered such humiliation in the queen's palace after entering the court this time, it was not an unprecedented humiliation for Cheng Xia. You must know that even his wife and daughter were bullied and tortured by Zhongshan Wang Shihu in the early years.As long as the lord keeps his trust in him, these humiliations can be endured for the time being. Given time, when the crown prince inherits Guozuo and his power rises a step further, how can there be no chance of hearty revenge!

This time, the incident happened in the garden, and Shi Le banned it from spreading. After Cheng Xia returned home, he stayed sick and did not go out. Even if there were visitors, he would receive them behind a curtain.Therefore, there were no rumors spreading outside, and even Cheng Xia's close ally Xu Guang didn't know much about it.

Although recuperating in the mansion, Cheng Xia's situation has not been affected much, on the contrary, it is even better than before.After all, in the eyes of the outside world, although Cheng Xia was sick at home, he did not suffer cold treatment and was silent in the current situation. Whenever there were major decisions in the country, the Lord would send envoys to inquire about them, and many of them had great influence on the current situation. Profound government orders are also frequently decided in Cheng Xia's residence.

As a result, Cheng Xia's house was not deserted because of his illness, but it was even more crowded, and the people who asked for help were like crucian carp crossing the river.

This year, the country of Jie has taken great actions. Apart from many military measures, it has also made frequent actions in the establishment of etiquette and political governance.For example, in the early years, although Shi Le had instructed the general leader of Youhou Zhang Bin to re-clear the Nine Ranks, but because the foreign troubles were not eliminated at that time, the border was troubled, people's hearts were not attached, and the etiquette system was rough, so it was not implemented.

Recently, this matter has been brought up again, to determine the level of Zhongzhou's gates, and to impose virtue on each gate. The strength is much stronger than before, and it has strengthened the win over the Central Plains Jin people Wang Zong. good.

Cheng Xia led the Ministry of Officials to select officials under the leadership of Dr. Guanglu, and doctors were selected by general elections to revise the scriptures and distribute them in the counties and states, so as to serve as the ethical canon for scholars all over the world to study and seek official positions.

There is also an order to persuade farmers, not only limited to the original Jin people in the county, but also many Hu tribes have to verify their household registration. Because Ding obtained the land, the chiefs, Qu Shuai, etc. who were originally granted privately and passed on from family to family , All of them were awarded seals and donated posts, thinking that they were custom-made.

Many decrees, some of which have been promulgated before, have been incompletely implemented due to various reasons and are useless, and now they are being strengthened.Some of them quoted the system of the previous dynasty, and then modified it slightly and then used it at that time.At the same time, there is no shortage of pioneering measures, which are submitted to internal and external public discussions to determine whether they are feasible.

Because of the simultaneous implementation of these measures, many Jin people have gradually developed a good impression of the Jie Kingdom court. Although there are many military hardships, there is not much turmoil in the country.

During this process, Cheng Xia took on several positions, and even many tasks were beyond his ability, but in order not to disappoint the Lord's favor, he also hoped to lay a better foundation for the prince's governance. Of course, the most important thing is to ensure that He was able to maintain his own position at the critical moment of the handover of power, so he has been working hard lately, negotiating with people all night, to ensure that any suggestions will eliminate the disadvantages and benefits.

Although caught in such a busy schedule, it seems that he has forgotten the empress Liu's humiliation to him, but Cheng Xia has not neglected the management of his own power.Although Cheng Xia also had doubts afterwards, the empress dared to humiliate the ministers in such a way, probably because of the order of the Lord.Although this caused a little haze in Cheng Xia's heart, since his own power and position had not been affected, he could only endure it and stop being entangled in it.

However, Cheng Xia also realized the importance of his own strength. If he doesn't have enough strength, no matter how much the Lord trusts him, he is just a close servant who can be used today but can be discarded tomorrow. Its rise and fall depends on the thoughts of others.

What's more, Zhongshan Wang Shihu, a confidant, led the army to fight abroad. When he returned home triumphantly, it would be a dream for Cheng Xia to think of such a calm situation.So he also needs to strive to gain enough power before King Zhongshan returns to the country.

So while focusing on government affairs, Cheng Xia is also trying his best to develop military allies.Shi Lang, who was sent back to Xiangguo by the captured army since Luoyang, is undoubtedly a good choice.

Shi Lang was taken down so easily by Zhongshan King, the Lord was also furious about this, and even wanted to directly kill Shi Lang, an unusable person.However, in order not to give King Zhongshan another boost, and because Cheng Xia and other courtiers begged for mercy, Shi Lang saved his life.

Although Shi Lang didn't care much about Cheng Xia earlier, but now he and the King of Zhongshan are life-and-death enemies, and the resentment is no less than that of Cheng Xia, and there is already a basis for cooperation between them.In addition to Shi Lang's heinous crime, he still had to rely on Cheng Xia's help to save his life, and it was impossible for him to take revenge on King Zhongshan on his own.Therefore, the two hit it off, Shi Lang relied on Cheng Xia, and gained a foothold in the imperial army, and Cheng Xia, with the help of Shi Lang, finally had some military strength that could be dispatched and controlled.

A similar situation continued until mid-July. After nearly ten days of recuperating behind closed doors, the redness and swelling on Cheng Xia's face gradually subsided, and she regained her upright appearance.In addition to handling government affairs these days, he is also planning some military strategies.Although this is not his only specialty, but recently there are many people who have contributed to the introduction, and there is no shortage of such talents around him. In addition, he and Shi Lang Hongyan, who has already gone to Yecheng, passed letters and exchanged heartfelt feelings, and gradually determined what to do next. do what.

Before the middle school sent troops, although it seemed that there were hundreds of thousands of soldiers, the powerful soldiers were powerful inside and outside, but in fact, it also exposed a lot of hidden dangers.Of these hundreds of thousands of soldiers, a considerable part of them are Yi Congs who can't exert too much control, and some of them are the private soldiers of a group of generals, plus scattered soldiers assembled by many counties and states. However, there are not many troops that can be trusted and used without hidden dangers.

This is also one of the reasons why the Lord is eager to expand the Forbidden Army. With a more stringent system and a more effective dispatcher, the next step is to gradually eliminate those troops who are in charge of private households. The private rights will be gradually withdrawn.

If not, the lord can intimidate the public with his prestige while he is still alive, but once the crown prince succeeds, the prestige will no longer exist, and the prince himself is better at martial arts than martial arts. branch situation.The Lord has achieved great things because of this, so how could he leave such a situation of being controlled by others to his son.

It was only recently that Cheng Xia realized the master's overall consideration, and he couldn't help feeling that the master was really far-sighted, first sending strong ministers abroad, and then sweeping away all kinds of evils in the country.If this kind of method is used externally but conspires internally, if another monarch does it, there may be a danger of both internal and external setbacks and a complete collapse.But the lord is a hero who founded the country. In the early years, he personally conquered the old enemy of the old Han Dynasty and killed Liu Yao in a battle. His prestige has reached the peak.

Moreover, the remnants of the Jin Dynasty survived the Jiangbiao, which was difficult both internally and externally, and it was difficult to maintain it. Although it has made a little progress in recent years, it is by no means an enemy of the powerful Zhao. Calculated by time, the Zhongshan King Baojie Document is probably already on his way back to the country.

Although Cheng Xia hoped that the people in the south would be more uplifted and drag King Zhongshan in the south for a long time, so as to buy him more time to manage his own power, he did not report any hope for this.So for him, time is running out. Recently, he has sent a letter to discuss with Shi Lang, hoping to ask the Lord to allow the newly formed army of imperial guards to leave Yecheng and visit the prefecture.Of course, it was not to aid in the battle in the south, but to deepen their control over the army. After all, Yecheng was too close to Xiangguo, and they did not dare to be too presumptuous and completely accept the forbidden army entrusted by the Lord as their own soldiers.

Therefore, when his description improved, Cheng Xia prepared to enter the palace to visit the lord, and asked to send guards to patrol the counties in Hebei, so as to deter the border barbarians who were about to move in the north.

But he hasn't left here yet, but there is a report from the door that it is Shi Lang's visit, Cheng Ya can't help being surprised when he heard the words, and hastily asked Shi Lang to be invited into the mansion.Shi Lang came in such a hurry without any notice at all, which made him a little surprised, worried that something might have happened to the imperial army in Yecheng.

Soon Shi Lang walked into the mansion with a slightly haggard expression, and when he saw Cheng Xia, he had a wry smile all over his face.Cheng Xia did not guess wrong, there was a mistake in Yecheng, and Shi Lang came back this time, he was driven out of the army again.

The difference is that this time, although he was down and out, it was better than the last time. Last time, his whole family was imprisoned by the King of Zhongshan, Shihu, into a prison wagon made of iron bars, and it took a lot of energy to get out. But this time the treatment was better, and he even rode in a car specially prepared for him by the other party.

But no matter whether the treatment was good or bad, the result remained the same, that is, the small number of troops he and Cheng Xia had worked so hard to manage in the past two months were once again deprived of everything.

"The king of Pengcheng entered the army the day before yesterday, and the talisman he held was given by the master to take over the forbidden army, and the crown prince was in Ye. I was detained in the camp overnight and was only released yesterday. The king of Pengcheng said that I returned to the capital for another appointment..."

When Shi Lang talked about this, besides grief and indignation, he was even more depressed. It was the first time he was treated like this, and he could still hate Zhongshan King's domineering and rebellious behavior, but in just over a month, old calamity struck him again. It's not a big deal, so much so that I began to wonder if it was my fate.

"Peng, King Pengcheng is back? He, he... How could he... If he returns to the country, what will happen to the frontline battle... This, this, is absolutely impossible! Absolutely nothing..."

Shi Lang's words were like a thunderbolt hitting Cheng Xia on the head, so that he couldn't speak, not even a complete sentence.

Seeing Cheng Xia's astonished expression, Shi Lang's bitterness became even stronger. Not to mention Cheng Xia, even he was dumbfounded when he learned that Shi Kan went north to take over the Imperial Army. so arranged.

"Every man teases me! How dare a man tease me like this..."

Cheng Xia's reaction was undoubtedly much quicker than Shi Lang's. He was shocked to hear the news at first, but soon understood Shi Le's intention.This cunning Jie thief didn't trust him from the beginning to the end. All the previous actions were just to appease him and let him do his best. After many affairs were on track, he directly recruited Pengcheng King Shi Kan to the court, and then sent him to the court. Abandon him completely, and never give him the chance to be contaminated with military affairs!
Shi Lang didn't know who the man Cheng Ya was scolding was, just about to ask a question, Cheng Ya rolled his eyelids, and fainted suddenly out of breath.

After all, he still couldn't go out on this schedule, so there was no need to lie anymore, he really couldn't afford it.

At the same time, the news of Pengcheng Wang Shikan's return soon spread to Xiangguo.People at that time were naturally amazed, and after thinking deeply, they all had some insight into Shi Le's plan.Even if it is difficult to expand the thinking to what this move means to Zhongshan Wang Shihu, it can be seen that Shi Le is determined to put an end to the possibility of foreign relatives taking over the army.

And Shi Le's subsequent actions also confirmed the conjectures of the people at that time.Before Chengya was recuperating at home, the Chinese envoy asked questions three times a day.But after Shi Kan took over the Imperial Army, Cheng Ya's condition worsened, but Shi Le didn't care about it, and he never returned to his previous eager attitude.

As a result, Cheng Xia's mansion, which was originally full of people, suddenly became deserted in just a few days, except for Xu Guang and other old friends who came to inquire, Shi Lang, the unlucky man who was twice deprived of his military post, lived in his mansion temporarily.

On this day, Yan Mu, accompanied by Qian Feng, came to visit Cheng Xia.Although it's only been more than ten days since we saw each other, Cheng Xia has long since lost her previous smug appearance, with sunken eye sockets and pale face. After seeing Yan Mu, she became very emotional. She took Yan Mu's hand and said shyly, "It's starting today." Knowing that human affairs are difficult, I don't want to stay in this ugly secular world for a moment. Master Yan, you have a wonderful method, can you take me to Xuanxiang immediately, and ignore all kinds of hardships in this world!"

Yan Mu was naturally full of mysterious words to comfort him, but how could these far-fetched words resolve the depression in Cheng Xia's heart.

Qian Feng looked at Cheng Xia's attitude from the sidelines, held back the ridicule in his heart, and said, "Guanglu's request is really embarrassing for the strict teacher. The wonderful method needs to be done by oneself. Guanglu is melancholy The dense knot is really not something that can be resolved by profound methods."

"You mediocre raccoon slave are mocking me?"

When Cheng Xia was in trouble, it was difficult to maintain the generous attitude of a virtuous corporal before. Hearing what Qian Feng said, his expression changed, and he sternly reprimanded.

Qian Feng was not ashamed when he heard the words, he just said with a smile: "Those who are trapped by Guanglu are nothing more than being kept away by the ruler on the inside, and forced by strong ministers on the outside..."

"There is no need for you to come and tell me. Although I have a moment of difficulty, it is only in front of me. The prince and I are close relatives. As time goes by, the difficulties will be solved by themselves. I will not be like you, Qian Shiyi, who is doomed. Facing a foreign country!"

Cheng Xia snorted again and said, such belittling of Qian Feng has eased his depression a little.

"Tianmu is born every year, and many people starve to death on the way. What is the trap? Time does not wait for me! Guanglu's theory is already in decline. Xiangnian has been in the world, and he can still fight for the time. Now he is famous. Jiuxiang actually entrusted his family to the illusory fortune. Why is it contrary to the original intention? It is really embarrassing."

Qian Feng said with a smile again.

When Cheng Xia heard this, he was about to retort, but after thinking about Qian Feng's words, he seemed inspired.The ups and downs of the fate made him realize that Shi Le was only using him, and it was by no means undeniable, and the previous act of seeking a life was also destroyed by the day. The inside is all hopeless.

However, Qian Feng's words made him look at his past and ask himself what is the meaning of running around for half his life. Why is it that today, what he thinks and is trapped is not as good as when he was in the cold?

"Thank you Shiyi for your warning, for teaching me how to get lost."

After pondering for a while, Cheng Xia no longer spoke harsh words to Qian Feng, but got up from the couch, and bowed to him seriously: "Shi Yi is really a master, please don't blame me for my rude words."

　A big chapter. . .

　　
　
(End of this chapter)