Later generations commented that Lin Fu was good at nurturing the emperor's desires. Since the emperor lived in Yanshi, he was addicted to Gu and Fen seats, and his virtues declined.
Facing such a person, Zhou Jun mustered up all his energy and spoke carefully.
I heard Li Linfu say with a smile: "Since Hengcai entered Beili, he has done things effectively and made no mistakes, which is really rare."
Zhou Jun sat up straight, quickly cupped his hands and said, "I don't dare to be greedy for merit. I just rely on the help of noble people."
Li Linfu looked Zhou Jun up and down, and said with interest: "Although Hengcai is from a slave family, there is no philistine in his words and deeds, which is also interesting."
Zhou Jun said sternly again: "I dare to teach Mr. Li to know that my father always despises being a slave, so he hired many private schools to teach me and my brother. I only hope that the Zhou family will become successful as soon as possible, so that they will no longer be looked down upon by others."
"The boy was very naughty when he was young, but later he changed his ways and became what he is today."
Hearing this, Li Linfu nodded slightly, feeling that Zhou Jun was somewhat similar to himself.
Although Li Linfu was born in the royal clan of the Tang Dynasty, he had been idle since childhood, fighting cocks and running dogs, and was not recognized by the clan.
Even though he later joined the Ministry of Civil Affairs as an official, he was looked down upon by his colleagues and superior officials because of the "Zhang Du Nong Deer" incident.
Thinking of this, Li Linfu said to Zhou Jun: "When Pang Zuojian talks about Hengcai to me, he always praises him very much. He is a small person but he has great talent."
When Li Linfu said this, his original intention was just to praise, and he had no other thoughts.
But Zhou Jun's mind was filled with comments about Li Linfu's honey-belly sword in his previous life.
Hearing Li Linfu's words, Zhou Jun's first reaction was to straighten his body and bow his hands in humility: "You are so virtuous and capable, Mr. Pang is indeed over-praised."
Li Linfu just said that he was being cautious, and then changed the subject with a smile: "Hengcai is not young anymore, and he is not engaged yet?"
Zhou Jun: "Brother is studying hard and has not married yet. It is not easy for me to overstep my bounds. Moreover..."
Seeing Zhou Jun's hesitation in speaking, Li Linfu asked, "And what?"
Zhou Jun: "Besides, a certain person is from a slave family, so when it comes to marriage, I'm afraid it's just a matter of high or low."
After hearing this, Li Linfu burst into laughter and said to Zhou Jun, "Is it possible that Heng Cai is talking about the Xiao family's affairs?"
The latter was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head and nodded in agreement.
The smile on Li Linfu's face did not diminish, and he continued: "Not only that, when you entered Beili, you had a lot of contacts with the two people in Zhongqu. I'm afraid this is one of the reasons why you have no intention of marrying."
Zhou Jun was shocked when he heard this.
It is said in the history books that Li Linfu's eyes and ears were all over Chang'an. No matter whether it was the imperial city, the three provinces or the streets and towns, there were hidden details of his support.
The Ministry of War is in charge of the Xiao family and Beili Sanqu, so naturally the same is true.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jun put on a look of shame on his face, lowered his head and sighed: "The boy has no virtue, and he can't hide it from Prime Minister Li's eyes."
Li Linfu said with a smile: "Food, sex, and sex. Gentlemen love beauty. This has been true since ancient times, so why should we sigh?"
Zhou Jun lowered his head again and remained silent.
Li Linfu looked at Zhou Jun, slowly stopped smiling, and said, "Pang Zuojian has known Mr. and Mrs. for a long time. When Queen Zhenshun was still alive, Mr. Li had inherited a lot of kindness from him."
"Pang Zuojian said that I should help you."
"Hengcai is young and promising, and he is open-minded about his work. His future prospects are boundless."
Zhou Jun and Li Linfu chatted for a few more words, then excused themselves and left.
After exiting the door of the Zen room, Zhou Jun let out a long breath.
A gust of breeze blew by, and Zhou Jun felt a chill on his back, but he broke into a cold sweat.
Hua Yue, who was standing aside, saw Zhou Jun and hurriedly came over and asked, "Are you okay?"
Zhou Jun shook his head and looked back at the direction of the meditation room, still feeling a little apprehensive.
After a conversation with Mr. Li, it was clear that he was friendly and pleasant from the beginning to the end, but Zhou Jun felt like there was a thorn in his back. He was in a state of high tension and could not relax for a moment.
On the other side, Li Linfu sent Zhou Jun away, but he was sitting on the Zen mat, eyes closed, and fell into deep thought.
She Hongzhi opened the curtain and walked in. She came to the Zen table and bowed.
Li Linfu still closed his eyes and whispered to himself: "Zhou Jun, Zhou Hengcai..."
When She Hongzhi heard this name, she didn't dare to say anything for fear of disturbing the other party.
Li Linfu opened his eyes, thought for a moment, looked at She Hongzhi and asked, "You also looked at the Zhou family's household register, is it just Nu Yalang?"
She Hongzhi didn't know why Prime Minister Li asked such a question, but she still replied: "I have looked carefully and found that the Zhou family has been slaves for nearly a hundred years, and there is no other livelihood in between."
Li Linfu frowned and said: "That Zhou Hengcai said he was a Nu Yalang, but he certainly didn't look like him; but according to what he said, he didn't look like a scholar either."
She Hongzhi was stunned when she heard this and asked carefully: "That is...?"
Li Linfu said doubtfully: "Looking at his words and deeds, it seems a bit like he came from the military, but not exactly. It's really strange."
After thinking about it carefully, Li Linfu simply stopped guessing, and just said to She Hongzhi: "If Zhou Hengcai comes to Beili again, be more careful, but be careful not to cause trouble."
She Hongzhi lowered her head and responded.
Zhou Jun left Chang'an with Hua Yue and walked on the way to Bachuan.
Hua Yue saw that Zhou Jun's face was solemn, as if he had something on his mind, so he didn't ask any questions. He just sat quietly on the horse and moved forward.
The two returned to Bachuan Villa.
Zhou Jun first sent Huayue back to the wing, and then went to Zhongyuan to find Pang Gong.
When he arrived at the courtyard, Zhou Jun was told that Pang Gong still had not returned.
Lao Buqu, who was guarding the courtyard, heard Zhou Jun say that he had something important to report, so he told the latter that before Pang Gong left, he said that he would be able to return home tonight at most.
After receiving the news, Zhou Jun did not rush back to Chang'an, but just stayed in Bachuan Villa.
In the evening, after dinner, Zhou Jun lay on the folding bed in the courtyard, looking at the sunset on the horizon, with a myriad of thoughts in his mind.
I met Li Linfu today.
The other party held great power, blocked his opinions, and rejected talented people, leading to disorder of discipline. He also suggested re-employing Hu generals, which made An Lushan bigger. It can be said that he was one of the key figures in the transition from prosperity to decline in the Tang Dynasty.
The question is, if we make good friends with them and hint to them about the interests in the future political situation, is it possible to change the other party's views and turn the tide?
Zhou Jun thought about it for a long time and finally came to a conclusion.
It’s difficult, but it’s worth a try, provided of course that you and your family and friends are safe.
While Zhou Jun was waiting for him to finish thinking about this, the sun had already set and the moon was hidden in the clouds, with only half of his face exposed.
Zhou Jun looked around and saw Hua Yue sitting on the crescent moon stool, holding a needle in his right hand and thread in his left hand, looking up at the starry sky.
Out of curiosity, Zhou Jun asked Huayue: "What are you doing...?"
Huayue still looked at the starry sky, first shushed, and then whispered: "Don't talk yet."
Zhou Jun was stunned and remained silent.
Seeing that the moon was completely exposed from the clouds, I drew the moon and hurriedly threaded the thread through the small hole in the needle.
Threading needles and threads, his hands were busy non-stop. When the work was done, Hua Yue raised his head again, glanced at the sky, and shouted happily: "I did it!"
Zhou Jun asked in confusion: "What did you do?"
Hua Yue held up the needle and showed off to Zhou Jun: "Have you forgotten? During this Chinese Valentine's Day, when the moon rises from the clouds, you must pass a colorful thread through this needle with holes, and then quickly make a wish, three times in a row.
Years later, your wish will come true.”
Zhou Jun looked carefully and saw that the needle in Hua Yue's hand was a nine-hole needle, and what passed through the holes was a colorful thread.
Zhou Jun smiled and said: "It's really difficult for you, but I don't know how many times I tried."
Hua Yue said proudly: "No matter how many times I tried, it will be done this year. If you want your wish to come true, there are still two years left."
Zhou Jun asked: "What wish did you make?"
Huayue put away her needle and thread and smiled: "I won't tell you."
