"The storm is raging outside, but the eldest brother is living in a humble house, cultivating his moral character, which is really enviable... Does the eldest brother have the heart to hide from the world?"
Pei Ji finally broke the tranquility of the room, whether it was out of impatience, because he had not received much help from the Pei family since coming to Hedong, or because he was jealous of the eldest brother's charm... Anyway, what he said was
There was an obvious sense of sarcasm in it.
It was definitely different from the first time he came. The first time he wanted to return home in fine clothes, but it almost ended up being a night trip in fine clothes. The second time he came, he became tougher.
There is nothing strange about this change, there are reasons for it.
Pei Shiqing gently put down the tea bowl and smiled slightly. The so-called gentleman is majestic but not fierce, angry but not angry, worried but not afraid, and happy but not happy. This Pei family leader has learned these three flavors.
That kind of extremely restrained majesty and firmness, wrapped in gentleness, was like a resilient wall, standing in front of Pei Ji. Pei Ji was suffocated before he even opened his mouth. This kind of character and cultivation cannot be imitated by anyone.
Got it.
But his voice was very deep and powerful.
"The wind and waves have already risen in the sky, and it is not a temporary result? What? Is Shiro trying to bring the wind and waves into his home?"
The edge of his words is as sharp as a sword, but it is unbecoming of a gentleman, but this may be the reason why he can ascend to the position of leader of the Pei family. How can a real gentleman control a powerful Hedong family like the Pei family?
Pei Ji, one of the Pei family's libertines, was average in both talent and learning, and he had no writings, which meant that he was not outstanding among the Pei family.
He is able to occupy a prominent position in this troubled world only because he has made a friend. The so-called fateful encounter is nothing more than this.
He did not become an immortal even in the chaotic Chang'an court.
Pei Ji raised his head and looked directly at his cousin, anger already showing in his eyes, "Eldest brother, why did you say this? Ji is a descendant of the Pei family, and he has never forgotten..."
Pei Shiqing's smile remained unchanged, and he nodded as if he agreed very much, but immediately interrupted Pei Ji's words.
"That's good... When the Sui Dynasty was not established, the ministers persuaded the emperor to join. Emperor Wen once said, now my Yang family wants to be rich and noble, but I will not have any descendants."
"The nearby ministers were shocked and asked. Emperor Wen said, if I were not the emperor, the Yang family would have a long line of descendants, just like other clans. Now that I am the emperor, there will be an abyss behind me. You guys recommend me to the Yang family.
It’s a cliff.”
Pei Ji felt very uncomfortable from being held back, and his mind was still full of confusion. He had no idea what this cousin was talking about. Could it be that Mr. Pei also wanted to fight for the position of the ninth-five-year-old? What a joke...
Pei Shiqing glanced at him and did not ridicule Pei Ji for being uneducated and the city was not deep enough. In his opinion, it was not a good thing for Pei Ji to suddenly rise to a high position. His talents were not enough to take on such an important task.
Once you fall out of favor with Mr. Li, you will naturally fall as high as you climb.
But now, it was not the time to show off his talents, he wanted to explain the truth clearly to his eager cousin.
"Emperor Wen was a man of great talent and strategy, with a long-term vision. Looking at it today, isn't that exactly what it is? The descendants of the Yang family are scattered, and there are many victims... But what if the people who are remembered by my brother are not the descendants of the Yang family..."
"My Pei family lives in the east of Hedong. It has the hope of being a famous family and has lasted for thousands of years. Where did it come from? If you don't live in a desperate place..."
Hearing this, Pei Ji had already understood some of the smell, and couldn't help being shocked. He moved his body and suppressed the panic in his heart, so he didn't stand up and shout loudly to scold him.
He gritted his teeth and said: "Eldest brother, do you want to imitate the Wang family of Jinyang? How did you know that the Wang family did not live in the desert? Since he came to the throne, he has revised the law, made light of the corvee and paid little tax, and has been praised by the world. He is a wise man.
He came here and was very kind to me, Mr. Pei. If I betray the sage, I might hurt my reputation in the future..."
"Furthermore, there has been a small setback recently, but now the army is gathered in Jiangzhou, the soldiers are strong, the food and grass are abundant, and it means that the sun will be peaceful. On this occasion, the eldest brother does not want to help me suppress the rebellion, but wants to retreat.
, are you trapping me, Mr. Pei, into injustice?"
Pei Shiqing laughed, shook his head slightly and said: "Silang misunderstood, as a brother, I have no intention of betraying the Tang Dynasty... It's just that I, the Pei family, live in Wenxi, where the ancestral hall of my ancestors is, so I have to be careful... just like Mr. Li wants to be my brother in the marching Sima.
The position is for the sake of the family, so I will refuse it as a brother, and I will ask Shiro to take over."
After hearing the first half of the sentence, Pei Ji breathed a sigh of relief, but the second half of the sentence surprised him. This was one of the purposes of his visit.
It's not surprising that the information is so well-informed. After all, this is where the Pei family's ancestral home is. How can the trouble be hidden from the Pei family leader?
Before he could give his last words of advice, Pei Shiqing had already continued: "Silang, don't say any more. There are many descendants of my Pei family who are unable to restrain a chicken. When the soldiers arrive, if they have no intention of destroying their family and relocating their clan, they will all bow down."
As for people, the disaster of war now hits home again..."
"Now that I am a minister of the Tang Dynasty, I have to help the army to quell the chaos, but I have no intention of dying with you. If Shiro continues to force me..."
Having said this, Pei Shiqing smiled and said, "I don't regret my brother's life. It's just a death."
Her smile was light and gentle, but her words were extremely decisive, and her meaning was very clear. Mrs. Pei will not hang herself on a tree. If you want to tie Ms. Pei to a boat without letting her escape into the water, that is simply not possible.
possible.
This is the authentic thinking of a wealthy family. They are not real idlers. They look at the current situation and think about the long term. No matter how many books they read, they lack loyalty. In essence, they are no different from the Jinyang Wang family.
Preserving the family comes first, and everything else comes second.
And in such a period of time, it is almost inevitable for Pei to be vacillating.
Pei Ji's face gradually turned pale, and then turned rosy. His anger was understandable, because this cousin was almost telling him openly that he was not optimistic about the outcome of this battle, so don't drag everyone in the family with you.
People are together.
If there were any onlookers here at this moment, they would definitely think that Pei Shiqing, the leader of the Pei clan, was very competent in his role.
But as far as Pei Ji is concerned, as he serves as Shangshu Zuopushe, he very much hopes that Pei will help him to reach higher levels and build a legacy that will not be surpassed by his predecessors.
He stared into his cousin's eyes, and after a while he realized that he was dejected. Yes, he had no choice but to give up lobbying. If he really forced the leader of the Pei family to death, the consequences would be unimaginable and he couldn't afford it.
The result is not surprising. In the competition between family and individuals, no matter how powerful you are, you must be restrained in front of the family you are from.
Walking out of Pei's mansion, Pei Ji sighed repeatedly. Was he angry? He was definitely angry, but more importantly, he felt sorry for his clansmen's lack of progress.
In his opinion, Li Yuan was a wise and powerful man, and he was in a prominent position. It was a good time for the Pei family to take advantage of the situation, quote each other, and join the government to participate in politics.
However, it was a tribesman like Pei Shiqing who occupied the position of clan leader and blocked the God-given opportunity of the Pei family's resurgence.
Just like now, if the Pei family can fully help him to pacify the dynasty, when he returns to the court with great reputation, it will be a matter of course that he will raise the lintel of the Pei family and introduce his children to the court as officials.
But Mr. Pei was unwilling to help, and kept him thousands of miles away. He was short-sighted, so why not hesitate?
Pei Ji was greatly disappointed and left in dismay.
But there was one more person here in Pei Shiqing's place. He was a middle-aged man with clear eyes, smooth robes, and stood in front of Pei Ji with his hands tied.
Pei Shiqing took his cousin away, sipped his tea, and said calmly after a while: "You have heard it all, do you have your own opinion?"
The middle-aged man is actually not much older than Pei Shiqing, but from the etiquette, it can be seen that he is Pei Shiqing's nephew.
His name is Pei Xu, and he is the grandson of Pei Zheng.
Pei Zheng was one of the main revisers of the founding emperor's laws. He was later demoted for deposing the crown prince. Like many people of the Pei family, he had few flaws in his moral character. He was not a famous official of the founding emperor, but he was conscientious and quite distinguished.
Make achievements and leave a legacy for future generations.
The two brothers Pei Shiqing and Pei Ji were talking in front, and Pei Shiqing stayed behind to listen. Needless to say, he valued them.
Of course, there is a reason for this.
At this time, Pei Xu pondered for a moment and said: "What my uncle said is reasonable, but what my fourth uncle said is also reasonable. Now that the army is approaching, the fighting spirit is very strong. My uncle does not want to put the Pei family in danger, but my fourth uncle is doing it for the Tang Dynasty."
Since public trust is important, it is difficult for each person to hold his own opinions and agree with each other."
"In my nephew's opinion... At this time when we are using force, we should help our fourth uncle to achieve his goal. Otherwise, how will I, Mr. Pei, deal with myself after this victory? My fourth uncle left in anger, and in the future..."
Pei Shiqing listened quietly and did not refute.
Instead, he said calmly: "Your second aunt has written."
Pei Xu was stunned for a moment, and then his face became slightly happy. His second aunt married the Wang family of Jinyang. She was the closest to him before she got married, and they kept exchanging letters after they got married.
But then Pei Xu's face turned serious. At this time, what did the second aunt say in the letter?
Jinyang Wang family has voted for Li Ding'an...
Pei Shiqing's voice came up again, "My second mother lives in Jinyang, so I need to see it more clearly. I sent you a letter earlier to ask, and I finally got a reply a few days ago. Li Ding'an... shouldn't be underestimated..."
"Your uncle never praises others easily. After Li Ding'an entered Jinyang, he said that he has a majestic appearance. He will not give way to Cao Liu, and he is even more formidable. His ability to lead troops is astonishing and his talent is outstanding."
At this point, Pei Shiqing sighed, "It's really hard to predict whether the victory will be won or not. Your fourth uncle is eager to do his best, but he still doesn't know the strength of the enemy. If you win, that's it. If you lose... Hedong will be turned upside down. At this time,
, I, Mrs. Pei, should be walking on thin ice, so why should we care about others?"
Pei Xu was startled and said: "Except for the fortified city of Jinyang in the Bing Dynasty, there is only a small one. Now we have an army of 100,000. How can we be in danger of defeat?"
As soon as he heard it, he knew that this was another literati who was not familiar with military affairs. Of course, his talents were indeed not here.
Pei Shiqing waved his hand slightly, "I heard that the Wang family of Jinyang is revising the Sui Dynasty code under the order of Li Ding'an... Only you can study my uncle's studies quietly. If you are willing... go back today and prepare to pack up and go north. There is no need to come to see me again.
Xiangci, Tang Gong repeatedly proposed you as Cao's aid, but I rejected them all because you are upright by nature, and when Chang'an is in chaos, someone may do something bad for you."
"Today's matter is urgent, so I allow you to go north. Remember, this trip is for the safety of the whole family... If you are afraid of the difficulty, you don't need to pay attention to it. If you have far-reaching ambitions, you can go as far as you can. There will be unforeseen events in the future. It's just because of my uncle's cruel heart.
"
(Monthly ticket, monthly ticket, writing this chapter was extremely difficult, Ah Cao tried his best.)