Xue Rengui took the lead, and the veterans beside him also woke up from a dream and hurriedly agreed.
Only Li Ji was calm and stroking his beard without saying a word, as if he was asleep.
This is understandable. It would be too shameless to help your grandson ask for a reward from the emperor.
Other veteran generals did not shy away from this. They all asked the emperor for merit and asked him to reward Li Qinzai.
Amidst the calls for merit, Li Zhi looked at Li Qinzai with a smile, and Empress Wu also looked approvingly.
"Your Majesty, talents are rare. Li Qinzai presented the god with a bow in front and horseshoes in the back. Both of them have made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty. It is unjustifiable not to reward him." Empress Wu glanced at Li Qinzai and said with a genuine smile.<
/p>
Li Zhi nodded and said with a smile: "What the Queen said is true. Not rewarding meritorious service is not the behavior of a wise king."
Li Qinzai frowned secretly.
Being an official is not his original intention.
The family is already prominent enough. As long as the Li family does not seek death in the future, Li Qinzai can lie under the big tree and enjoy the cool air. There is no need to get an official position for himself, and there will be a lot of officialdom constraints for no reason.
It's obviously a free dog running freely on the grassland, why do you need to put a rein on yourself? Wouldn't it be nice to be a wild dog that runs free?
Moreover, becoming an official means entering the officialdom, which will inevitably be involved in all kinds of disputes, big and small. Li Qinzai does not think that his IQ can be compared with those old foxes whose names are written in history books.
In general, being an official does more harm than good, so I must refuse.
While he was secretly worried, Li Ji suddenly said: "Your Majesty, my grandson is incompetent and behaves absurdly. It is his duty to occasionally do legitimate things. It can only be said that he has made small contributions to offset his past bad deeds. This son should not be rewarded."
”
From Li Ji's position, it is appropriate to say this, and at this moment, he can only say this.
Li Qinzai immediately glanced at him gratefully and said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, what grandpa said is reasonable. I have been ridiculous and full of misdeeds for many years. The city of Chang'an is notorious, so I cannot be entrusted with an official position. It will ruin the reputation of the Tian family and damage the royal dignity." As soon as he finished speaking, there was laughter all around.
Su Dingfang laughed so hard: "The boy is a real person. It is rare for him to understand himself so clearly, and what he said is the truth."
Li Ji was so angry that his face turned green, and he couldn't help but kicked him away.
You can be self-effacing as long as you are self-effacing, but you don’t have to be so self-deprecating.
The Tian family couple also laughed uncontrollably. Empress Wu held Li Zhi's arm and laughed until tears came out.
After Li Zhi laughed, he shook his head and sighed: "Even if Li Qing refuses to be an official, there is no need to talk about herself in such a bad light."
Li Ji was ashamed and said: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, my family is unfortunate..."
Li Zhi pondered for a moment and said: "It can be seen that Li Qing does not want to be an official. His temperament needs to be tempered. However, merit must be rewarded. He can be appointed as the captain of Zhiguo. It can be regarded as leaving a name in the court."
/p>
Li Qinzai blinked, not knowing what kind of official this "Zhiguo Xiaowei" was.
Li Ji suddenly slapped him and said angrily: "Don't thank me yet!"
Li Qinzai had no choice but to bow and thank him: "Thank you for your kindness."
Empress Wu looked at Li Qinzai with a smile and said: "The Qilin of the Li family is indeed extraordinary. I have seen it with my own eyes today. If you have any new ideas or things in the future, you must bring it out and don't cover it up. The Tian family will not treat you badly."<
/p>
Li Qinzai responded awkwardly.
…………
The emperor's command of troops was just a formality. After the soldiers of the Peking Camp went through the process, Li Zhi and Empress Wu left with satisfaction.
On the carriage back to the city, Li Qinzai finally couldn't help but ask: "Grandpa, what does Captain Zhiguo do? Do you have to answer questions every day?"
Li Ji snorted and said: "Those who are ignorant and incompetent can't even understand the official system of the court."
"Zhiguo Xiaowei is a seventh-grade military attache, and he is a military casualty officer. He does not have to join the army. He just gives you the false title of a seventh-grade military officer. Your Majesty has said that he will first leave a name for you in the court.
I probably saw that you didn’t want to be an official, so I didn’t force you.”
Li Qinzai breathed a long sigh of relief.
Wu Sanguan, it’s okay, okay, I can handle it myself.
Li Ji glanced at him and said, "I'm surprised, why don't you want to be an official?"
Li Qinzai smiled bitterly and said: "My grandson has no ambitions and just wants to be a waste..."
Li Ji's eyes widened in anger, and Li Qinzai immediately changed his words: "My grandson's ambition is not in the temple, but in the mountains and rivers. He wants to imitate the elegant scholars of the Wei and Jin Dynasties and hide in the mountains. He will be indifferent all his life and only ask about the way of heaven."
Li Ji coldly said: "Isn't this still a waste?"
"Grandpa, what you said is wrong. My grandson can at least be a more refined trash."
Li Qinzai looked at him curiously and said, "My grandson just noticed that grandpa doesn't seem to want his grandson to be an official. Why?"
Li Ji sighed solemnly and said: "The Li family is already prominent enough. If you want the family to survive for a hundred years, you should know that 'hiding incompetence' and being too prominent may not be a good thing for the Li family or you."
After hesitating for a moment, Li Ji added: "After the beginning of spring this year, I heard that Your Majesty suffered from wind-dizziness. He often couldn't see and couldn't sleep at night. The memorials to the three provinces were often written and reviewed by Empress Wu on his behalf..."
With a deep sigh, Li Ji said worriedly: "It is said to be a 'ghostwriter'. Who knows whether the memorial is the intention of His Majesty or the intention of Empress Wu? If a woman is in power, how can she be so different from Si Chen? If things go on like this, there will be fear in the court.
Something big has happened."
"The merits of the Li family for three dynasties will inevitably attract trouble. In this turbulent juncture, we must be more careful to hide our clumsiness to avoid trouble. Therefore, I really don't want you to be an official and be in the limelight. If Your Majesty has a stubborn illness that cannot be cured, the court may be uneasy.
”
Li Ji looked at him and suddenly smiled with approval: "But it's a good thing that you have the ingenuity to make the divine arm bow and horseshoe. A true man should serve his family and country. I don't mind if you are in the limelight. You can not be an official, but you must
Serve the country, do you understand what I mean?"
"My grandson understands."
Li Qinzai was silent for a while and said: "Grandpa, hiding one's clumsiness and being cautious is not a foolproof strategy. You cannot avoid trouble when it comes."
Li Ji nodded, unconsciously showing a twilight look, and sighed tiredly: "I am old..."
To end the affairs of the king and the world, to gain fame both in life and in death, all misfortune happened in vain.
Li Qinzai looked at Li Ji steadily, feeling sad in his heart.
This famous military general is indeed getting old. He has been carrying the rise and fall of his family on his shoulders for a lifetime, but he can no longer carry it.
What should an old man who is almost seventy years old do?
They should be playing chess, taking care of their grandchildren, doing Tai Chi and walking around, and tasting all the delicious food in the world.
There are many things he can do, but he should no longer be asked to bear the responsibility for the rise and fall of the family. That is what the younger generations should do.
After a long time, Li Qinzai suddenly said: "Grandpa, in addition to the magic arm bow and horseshoe, my grandson is actually more powerful because he has created a few good dishes. Is it okay for my grandson to cook them for grandpa tomorrow?"
Li Ji was stunned for a moment, then smiled: "Okay, okay."
…………
When we returned to the Duke's Mansion, it was time to turn on the lanterns.
As soon as he entered the door, all the housekeepers and servants of the house came to greet him and congratulated Li Qinzai one after another.
Li Qinzai made a big splash in Peking University camp today and made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty. The news had already spread back to the Li family before he even entered the door.
Butler Wu Tong diligently dusted Li Qinzai, and kept talking with joy on his face: "I have said before that the Fifth Young Master is not a human being, and those unpleasant things that happened in the past were all caused by the anger in your body..." p>
This weird butler likes to get involved in everything to get angry, and Li Qinzai can't stand it anymore.