After talking a lot about what should be said and what should not be said, seeing that it was getting late, Xue Jingxian said goodbye to Aunt Yun and dragged his tired body towards his temporary residence.
Did the other party understand his hint? Xue Jingxian was actually not sure at all. After all, Aunt Yun was a woman and had never been in the officialdom. She might not be aware of the current tense situation in the capital. And Wang Xun was far away from Chang'an City.
It is too far away, and it is extremely inconvenient to send him a letter to warn him. The only thing that can comfort himself is that Mr.
The ultimate limit for doing things is also the final limit for being a human being.
The sky is still gloomy, with scattered snow particles floating in it. The cold wind blows, which makes people's faces numb and painful. Of course, there are not many pedestrians on the road in such an evening. Occasionally, a few or two patrol the city.
The police officers passed by in a row, with their heads tucked into their collars, hands on their sleeves, and walking in a hurry.
"At this time next year, I wonder if the Tang Dynasty will still be there?" Looking at the desolate surroundings, Xue Jingxian's mood became more and more depressed. He couldn't help but think about the worst of the situation. The rebels were almost knocking on the door of Tongguan.
, several factions in the imperial court are still busy fighting against each other. His Majesty the Emperor, who has been wise for half a lifetime, is old and confused. Except for a few eunuchs headed by Gao Lishi, no one wants to believe it anymore. And those eunuchs...
To those who are superior, they are flattering and flattering. To those who are inferior, they are bullying and suppressing, with evil intentions and cruel hands. From the pre-Qin Dynasty to the Han Dynasty, are there few examples of emperors’ foundations being destroyed in the hands of eunuchs? With Xue Jingxian’s knowledge, he simply does not believe a person with mutilated limbs.
Men have normal thinking. The Cavalry General Gao Lishi may be a special case, but the Cavalry General Gao Lishi personally taught and trained a bunch of cronies who are absolutely no exception. These people include Bian Lingcheng and Cheng Yuanzhen.
Forget it, there are Yu Chaoen and Li Fuguo who are now deeply trusted by the prince. Whoever is brought out and handed over to a judicial judge has committed enough crimes to be quartered several times. However, the status of these guys is extremely stable. Even the traitor Yang Guozhong of the generation,
I don't even dare to have a direct conflict with them.
If not from a factional standpoint, it is fair to say that Xue Jingxian still sympathizes with Yang Guozhong. Although the methods used by the latter during his rise were a little dirty, and his talent and vision were not very good. But after this son ascended to the position of prime minister,
Indeed, they are conscientiously performing their duties as prime minister. In the past two years, the number of scholars and Jinshi who have been stranded in the capital, waiting hard to enter the official career, has been significantly reduced. After the expiration of local officials, as long as the evaluation is not too bad, most of them can
A transfer at the same level is no longer like when Li Linfu was in power, he had to run up and down the capital. Even if he spent his last penny savings, it may not be able to make up for the real shortcomings. When dealing with political opponents, Yang Guozhong usually kicked them out of the court.
After all, they rarely pursued them all the way to the end. Even if these people were dissatisfied later and wrote articles to criticize them. After Yang Guozhong saw it, he also tried hard to hold back his anger and behaved like a prime minister.
It's a pity that Yang Guozhong didn't have the talent to mend the sky. After more than ten years of Li Linfu's struggle, the Tang Empire remained prosperous on the surface, but in fact it was riddled with holes. What was needed at this time was a capable minister like Yao Chong and Song Jing.
, rather than a tinker like Yang Guozhong. Frankly speaking, almost everything Yang did after taking office was to tinker for his predecessor. Including the current Anshi Rebellion, if Li Linfu hadn't blindly protected and connived at that time, Anlu would have been
Shan's power will not become overwhelming. Yang Guozhong cannot see its potential dangers, so naturally he will not rush to "cut down the vassal".
Even from the perspective of different factions, Xue Jingxian did not dare to say that the Yang family dealt with An Lushan purely for his own selfish reasons. The latter could even tolerate someone like Chen Xilie who could threaten his position at any time and was once Li Linfu's best friend.
Next, let alone An Lushan, a man with different cultural and military backgrounds?
It’s a pity that God refused to give the Tang Empire more opportunities and time. If Yang Guozhong could continue to rule as prime minister for five years, no matter how incompetent he was, he could calmly adjust the layout of Hebei; if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince could advance the plan
After ascending the throne and appointing a group of truly capable ministers and generals, I am afraid that An Lushan would not have the courage to rebel; if His Majesty the Emperor was willing to trust Feng Changqing as much as he trusted An Lushan, the rebels might not be able to cross the Yellow River at all; if Yang Guozhong and
Can the prince put aside his past grudges and work together to deal with this critical moment...
It's a pity that none of the assumptions are valid. The reality is that the prince is afraid of Yang Guozhong, even more than An Lushan. At the moment, what Yang Guozhong wants to eradicate most is probably the prince Li Heng and his gang members. Including Xue himself, haha, haha...
.... He was thinking uncontrollably, his people and thoughts were aimless. By accident, he wandered from the entrance of Chongrenfang to the East Market.
The East Market, which used to be bustling in the past, seems extremely deserted today. The canal has been completely cut off. Luxury items produced in Yangzhou and Suzhou have to go around Shannan, and the prices have increased several times. And the successive bad news has made the capital
People inside were panic-stricken. Not to mention that the business of various shops and restaurants had plummeted. Even the brothels and casinos, which were usually crowded with people in the evening, were now deserted. Only the boys holding horses for the customers were left, holding their arms and looking at the empty streets.
The streets are looking forward to it.
"Bang!" There was a booming sound in the distance, frightening the horse's front hooves. Fortunately, when Xue Jingxian was in the Western Regions, he had carefully consulted with Wang Xun on how to control the horse, so he reluctantly stopped his horse.
Roll off your back.
"Who is his grandmother so wicked!" After being an official for a long time, he naturally has official authority. After settling down his mount, Xue Jingxian immediately cursed. The four followers who had been silently accompanying him also pulled out their swords and pointed at the blaster.
He glared angrily in the direction of the sound.
What answered him was the sound of more banging rods, one after another. "Papa", "papa", "papa papa..." extended from Daozhengfang to Pingxuanfang, filling half the atmosphere in an instant.
A capital city.
Someone was cheering, but the shouting was chaotic and mixed in with the sound of explosions. It was impossible to hear clearly. Someone was running in front of the shops along the street, speaking in Chang'an Mandarin, fast and urgently. Xue Jingxian, a foreigner
I don't understand it at all. There are still people beating gongs and drums, copper basins, plates, wooden barrels, anything that can make a sound, turning the evening in Chang'an City into a mess. But the officers don't know how crazy they are.
He actually didn't come forward to take care of it.
"Sir, today seems to be the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month!" The entourage looked around for a long time, but couldn't find the culprit. He had an idea and pointed to the window grilles of the shop facing the street and reported back. "Here in Chang'an, it seems to be the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month.
The custom of using explosive sticks to worship the Kitchen God."
"Nonsense!" Xue Jingxian pinched his fingers and scolded in a low voice. "There are still a few days until the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. What kind of explosive rod should I put out now? At the emperor's feet, aren't you afraid that official officials will come and cause trouble?"
In Chang'an City, under the Emperor's feet, the common people certainly cannot make any weird noises. Unless it is on a few special days! But today is obviously not one of the days when "the Emperor and the people have fun together", which has now enveloped the entire city.
The reason for the commotion is hard to guess.
In the midst of surprise and confusion, I saw two dazzling red lights suddenly coming out of the door of a lifeless wine shop on the roadside. Immediately after, all the shops and restaurants facing the street lit up in an instant. Lamp balls, torches, and oil.
Tung trees, as well as the beeswax that was usually reluctant to use, all appeared in the window. The entire Dongshi instantly revived, like a dying old man who suddenly took an elixir and became a lively young man again.
"Sir, please come in! The drinks in our store are free today, so feel free to drink as much as you want!" The famous hotel waiter saw Xue Jingxian and ran forward excitedly to promote business for his own shop owner.
"My noble man, please move forward. The girls have all dressed up and are waiting for your favor!" Not to be outdone, the brothel boy directly opposite also ran out and stopped in front of Xue Jingxian's horse.
"You're old enough to be here. If you lose the first three games tonight, the money on the cabinet will be counted. If you win, you can take it away!"
"Your Majesty, please come here. Our private room is discounted at 40% off tonight. There are calligraphy works by Xiao Zhang Tanhua and Gao Canjun. Governor Wang, who is now a powerful figure in the Western Regions, was also a frequent customer of our store!"
It was obvious that there were too many monks and not enough rice. Every shop tried its best to grab customers, and Xue Jingxian and his entourage were firmly blocked in the middle of the street. Unable to stand the enthusiasm of everyone, and at the same time attracted by the words of the waiter in the restaurant, Xue Jingxian got off his horse and
He asked one of them: "You just said that Governor Wang is a regular customer of your store? Is this true?"
"If the villain dares to deceive you, you can just arrest me and take me to the government!" Not allowing his reputation to be questioned, the waiter responded with a frown. "If you don't believe me, ask them. When Gao joined the army, Li Banxian and Wang Dudu,
Have you had a drink in our restaurant? Today, on any other day, you would have had to queue up even if you had reserved a seat two months in advance!"
Although the competitors next to him were reluctant, they nodded and testified. Xue Jingxian heard this interestingly, smiled, and followed the waiter to the restaurant while asking: "Is there anything different today from usual? Why today?
Is there any room available?!"
"He's not that guy from An Lushan!" People in the capital are well-informed, and even the waiter in the shop knows some of the world's major events. "He was ungrateful and rebelled, making everyone fearful. Of course, he was not in the mood to eat or drink?! But God has
Eyes, the manager has received retribution this time!"
"Retribution?"
"My lord, didn't you hear it just now?!" The waiter turned around and looked at Xue Jingxian as if he were a monster. "Sir, you didn't even pay attention to the loud banging and shouting just now!"
"The blast was so loud! I couldn't hear any other sounds in my ears!" Although the other party spoke in a somewhat aggressive tone, Xue Jingxian didn't bother to argue with him, smiled and explained in a low voice.
"Then sir, please listen carefully!" The waiter suddenly became energetic and danced, "Just now, a messenger came along the street to report the victory. Yan Gaoqing, the governor of Changshan, captured and killed Li Qin, the general of Anlu Mountain.
Minato, Gaomiao, for thousands of years, liberate the seventeen counties of Hebei!"
"Oh my god!" The sudden good news made Xue Jingxian feel dizzy and his legs became weak. He staggered several steps before he managed to stand firm with the help of his entourage.
God bless the Tang Dynasty! In an instant, all worries and troubles left him, and all that was left in his heart was uncontrollable ecstasy.
"Sir, be careful!" The entourage was also very happy, gathered around and supported Xue Jingxian's arm.
"Great, great. An Lushan's lair is lost, Chang'an is fine, it's fine. Marshal Feng has the opportunity to dispatch troops from the Western Regions, and Brother Wang doesn't have to..." Xue Jingxian pulled his entourage.
He held his hand and spoke incoherently. Two lines of hot tears flowed down the corners of his eyes.
"Sir, you..." The entourage couldn't understand what he was saying at all, and the waiter was so frightened by the guest's strange behavior. It took a while for Xue Jingxian to recover from the excitement, but he didn't bother to wipe his tears.
He grabbed an attendant with one hand and greeted loudly, "Come in, come with me into the private room. I invite you today. We won't go back until we get drunk. We won't go back until we get drunk!"
