Changshoufang, Li Jing's residence.
It's not really a mansion, it's just the place where Li Jing settled down after returning to Chang'an from Mayi. The place is not big, it's as big as Yuen Long's residence, but there are far fewer people living there than in Yuen Long, including Li Jing.
There are only eight people in the couple.
After his son-in-law and daughter entered the city, many people came to persuade him to move to the imperial city, but Li Jing declined them all.
Others don't quite understand it, but they say that Li Jing and Li Yaoshi lived in poverty and enjoyed the Taoism. He was one of the highly respected hermits in this era who could see through the world.
But everyone who knows Li Jing knows that although this person has been wasting his time for a long time, his ambitions are still unfulfilled and he is not such a peaceful person.
"Brother, we lost again."
In the study, Wei Jie and Li Jing were sitting across from each other. As usual, they would play chess whenever they got together. Neither of them had high chess skills and little desire to win, so they always won equally.
Today, Wei Jie and Shanshan came to visit again. The two of them were drinking tea and "fighting" together. At this time, Wei Jie had won three games in a row. Although he was getting older, he still had a handsome face.
Smiling cheerfully.
Li Jing casually threw the chess piece and accepted defeat. He didn't care about the outcome, so he wasn't too frustrated. While picking the chess pieces, he said: "There are so many people busy nowadays, how can my dear brother have time to come here for recreation?"
Wei Jie replied: "Although the King of Han has entered the imperial palace, he has not yet been crowned emperor, so I, the Huangmen Minister, will not be of much use. Besides, the city is not stable now, so we should wait..."
Huangmen Shilang is a foreign official who can enter and exit the palace freely, but now is an emergency, Wei Jie naturally has to avoid it, otherwise it will be difficult to get into trouble.
And this is also a microcosm of Chang'an City today. Wei Jie is a fourth-rank official, but he is still too timid to do anything, let alone others.
In other words, the capital is easy to settle, but the hearts of the people are difficult to accept? The King of Han will not easily trust these surrendered ministers. Similarly, the officials of the capital will not accept the new master so easily and serve him easily.
July is hot? The weather is still a bit hot.
Li Jing stood up and pushed open the window. The wind outside brought in the chirping of birds and insects. Li Jing narrowed his eyes in contentment... It's a pity that the yard outside is a little smaller. It's too close to the wall and his vision is not wide enough.
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He turned around and smiled, "You are being cautious, but there is no need to do so? My good brother has a great official reputation? And I never attach myself to others. If you can't keep your official position, what's the use of Xijing?"
Wei Jiexiao was gentle and elegant, "I'm not worried about official position, but my position connects the inside and outside? Checking secrets is the first priority? When the King of Han first came, he must appoint reliable people to such positions? This is common sense and understandable.
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As for where the old people will go? But there is no need for the King of Han to worry about it? I am just thinking about it? There are some positions in the Ministry of Rites that are quite suitable, so it would be a good idea to go there."
Li Jing frowned. He really didn't have many friends in Chang'an, especially since Wei Jie had repeatedly helped him when he was in danger, and he had regarded him as a confidant.
His son-in-law was in power, but his confidant was about to lose his official position. He felt very embarrassed.
"If you ask me, you can do whatever you have to do even if you are a good brother. It's very easy to just say something for your brother."
After hearing this, Wei Jie waved his hands repeatedly, "Brother, I have misunderstood, but there is no need to go and plead for me. The younger brother has been Huangmen's servant for nearly ten years, and has had three masters before and after him. They all have great trust in me. I can't help him, otherwise I will change."
I have been appointed Zhongshu and Shangshu, so I might be able to take the position of prime minister now."
When he said this, Wei Jie himself laughed, "I had attended a funeral in the Ministry of Rites before and read out the memorial service. I felt that the post of the young master was very leisurely and noble... I am not young anymore, and I don't want to work hard with the new emperor.
If you want to make great achievements, you can only abdicate your position and make way for talents, don’t you think so, brother?”
In fact, Wei Jie has always been like this. He has no ambitions and just lives his life. To be able to reach the position of Huangmen's Minister, one is his family background and the other is his appearance. These two factors account for the majority. As for talents, learning, abilities, etc., Wei Jie is very good.
Self-knowledge can only be described as unsatisfactory.
Li Jing and Wei Jie are completely different people. He is a typical Kansai aristocrat, highly motivated and indomitable. Even though he is now in his early fifties and his hair is turning gray, he still cannot let go of his achievements.
It's just that Wei Jie has been stable over the years and has always been in a high position, but Li Jing has suffered setbacks and almost smashed his head on the ground many times.
Therefore, he looked down upon Wei Jie, who regarded his fame as a cloud, and glared at him with hatred, "How old are you that you come to talk to me about your elders?"
Wei Jie has always been well-educated, "I am neither old nor old. The eldest brother and I are in the prime of life, so why are we old? Well, let alone what happened to the little brother, does the eldest brother already have a place to go? But the little brother has heard a lot of rumors.
"
Li Jingzhong sat down again, "Oh? There are a lot of rumors in the city these days. They are spread around. It's hard to know whether they are true or false. I don't even know where to go, but others know about it?"
Wei Jie chuckled, "It doesn't matter what others say, it still depends on what the eldest brother wants to do. Now there is no one to restrain him. If you want to show off your talents, it's the right time."
As a confidant, Wei Jie certainly knew what Li Jing wanted, which was nothing more than becoming a general and becoming a general. According to this theory, Li Yaoshi must be happy, but there were some things that Wei Jie did not mention.
He felt that the chance of Li Jing leaving the capital to lead troops was not too great. His son-in-law was about to proclaim himself emperor. He couldn't just drive his father-in-law out to lead troops as soon as the King of Han proclaimed himself emperor, right? That would be too ruthless...
Therefore, he felt that Li Jing should find a position in the three provinces. This was easy. The King of Han seemed to have few relatives, unlike Li Yuan, who had a large family, so he highlighted his wife's family.
But he knew that Li Jing really wanted to go out and lead the army. This brother had always been proud of his strategy. He once tried his best in Shuzhong and achieved seven victories in one day. It was really unambiguous. Compared with his ability as an official, there was a big gap.
Li Jing also understood this truth and sighed: "It's easier said than done..."
Many people have extended an olive branch to him these days, and all kinds of friends and relatives have come forward. Everyone understands that Li Jing's rise to success only lasts for a short period of time, and now they will hug their thighs or send favors, which will bring many benefits in the future.
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The comings and goings of people almost broke the threshold of Li Jing's house, and the two little beasts in the house were also uneasy and almost had their heads chopped off by Li Yuan. Over the years, he often complained about his sister's involvement and his unsatisfactory career.
But now, Li Jing is so annoyed that he comes to his father's place every three days to ask his sister for an official position. Li Jing is so annoyed that he wants to stuff these two bastards back into his mother's womb.
Out of frustration, Li Jing closed the door to thank guests in recent days and no one came. Otherwise, there would be no time to play chess with Wei Jie here.
The only thing that satisfied Li Jing may be the performance of his wife Chen. Not only did she not agree to the requests of some people in her natal family, she was also worried about the family being too prosperous. She complained to Li Jing several times, saying that she missed the leisurely days of the past few years.
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He also encouraged him to go and see Princess Pingyang. Without the protection of the princess these years, his family would definitely not be safe. Now that his father and brother have died one after another, we have been so deeply indebted, so we should express it.
Li Jing lamented that his wife's heart was much stronger than those who claimed to be heroes, but she was also a little embarrassed... Well, he didn't think that going to see the princess would bring disaster to him, he just felt embarrassed.
If a man has a good wife at home, he will not suffer any misfortune. This saying actually makes sense. The reason why Li Jing has been able to stay at Princess Pingyang's house peacefully in these years is partly because of Mrs. Chen's control over him.
Wei Jie blinked his eyes and looked at Li Jing. He didn't think Li Jing was being pretentious, but it was just a bit funny. He was the father-in-law of a prince in the area. He was in a very dangerous situation. He must have been worried all day long with no whereabouts.
It's great now that he is about to become the emperor's father-in-law. Things happened so fast that he should have felt like he was in a dream. Now that he is faced with so many official positions for him to choose from, it is really not easy to make up his mind.
The two of them talked without too many scruples. Wei Jie helped Li Jing sort out the pros and cons of some positions, as well as the human relationships involved.
Of course, forget about some minor officials, and you won't let the emperor's father-in-law become an inspector of the Ministry of Revenue, right?
This was actually the purpose of Wei Jie's visit. He was afraid that Li Jing would be confused and fall into someone's trap. Well, Wei Jie had already seen Li Jing's fault.
It wasn't until it got dark and it was time to have dinner that Li Jing summed it up, "Brother, do you really think that I can choose official positions? In the end, it's not up to you to look at the King of Han. If you don't get what you want, you can't make fun of me."
.”
Wei Jie smiled as brightly as a spring flower after hearing this, "Brother is too worried. With the power of eldest brother, sooner or later his name will be spread all over the world. If I laugh a few times now, won't I be laughed to death by eldest brother in the future?"
This sentence was so pleasant that Li Jing couldn't help laughing, "Let's go and have a few drinks with my brother."
Wei Jie said nothing. Chen had always prepared Li Jing's family's meals. Compared with the food prepared by the cooks in his house, it had a different flavor. Wei Jie liked it very much.
Before the two of them sat down at the table, someone walked into the back house.
The old man's body is not as strong as before, and his waist is stooped, but his energy is still there. The relationship between him and Li Jingde is that of master and servant, but also close friends. They are almost a family. Naturally, there is no need to report anything when entering or leaving Li Jing's home.
After he came in, he took a look at Wei Jie and disliked him very much. He always felt that this guy looked like a woman and lacked the masculinity of a man, so he was not worthy of being friends with Li Jing.
If Wei Jie didn't still have some sense of loyalty, the elder could rush him every time he met. Of course, whether a fourth-grade Huangmen servant could rush him is another matter.
Wei Jie also glared at the old man. Every time he saw this old man, his eyebrows were not eyebrows and his eyes were not eyes, which annoyed him very much.
The old man came here on business today and didn't want to cause trouble, so he leaned into Li Jing's ear and muttered a few words...
This chapter has been completed!