When Guo Xu entered the garden of the prime minister's back house, Lu Zhongtian was teasing a canary hanging on the corridor with a bamboo stick next to a small pavilion on the corridor. A steward was bending beside him and holding a tray with a tray in it.
There are more than a dozen things on display. They are all special tools used to raise birds. Some are for feeding, some for watering, some for grooming the birds, some for cleaning the bird droppings, and some for the birds to grind their beaks. Big
For more than 100 years, Zhou Shengping has reached a peak in all aspects, and naturally there are also some strange aspects. For example, raising birds and pets, wealthy families have developed a set of training methods and outfits, and they practice them endlessly to show themselves.
Identity, status and so-called taste are actually derivatives of boredom, extravagance and lust.
Guo Xu walked alone along the corridor. The winter sun shone on his face, which was very dazzling. But at the same time, he was also warm. The garden of the back house of the Prime Minister's Mansion was obviously specially designed. There was no cold wind in such a cold winter.
It's very warm when you enter. In comparison, the palaces in your own palace are chilly, which makes people feel cold to the core.
Lu Zhongtian saw Guo Xu, but he did not stop holding the food picks in his hands and was still teasing the bird in the cage. Guo Xu was furious in his heart. As the emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, he came to see his ministers in person. As a result, not only did Lu Zhongtian not
He greeted himself, and even turned a blind eye to him. He didn't see himself as the emperor at all. He didn't care about etiquette at all, and he didn't even want to act.
But Guo Xu could only endure this breath, because the purpose of his coming here today was to ask for help and apologize. Small impatience will mess up the big plan. He can't get angry because of these things, it will not do him any good.
"Grandfather, I'm here to see you. I heard that my grandfather is ill, and I'm really concerned about him. So today I came to visit my grandfather in person. I wonder if my grandfather is feeling better?" Guo Xu said softly.
Lu Zhongtian turned his head, put the food picks into the tray in the steward's hand, picked up a cloth and wiped his hands, then bowed and saluted Guo Xu, and said in a deep voice: "I have seen the emperor. Thank you for your concern. I just made a mistake.
It's just an old problem with asthma. It's an old disease that will occur in winter. It's good that it won't get better, but it won't die."
Guo Xu stepped forward slowly and said: "That's good. Old diseases are difficult to cure, so we should focus on conditioning. But now the situation is critical. We have to make an idea whether my grandfather can go to court to participate in the discussion. Both the Jurchens and the Liao people said
Coming to your door."
Lu Zhongtian smiled slightly and turned to look at the canary in the cage on the corridor. The canary had just eaten and drank enough water, and now it was jumping up and down on the horizontal bar in the cage, making a sweet cry.
Voice.
"Your Majesty!" Lu Zhongtian said hoarsely: "Your Majesty saw how happy the bird was in the cage. I like its cry, it's so nice. You see, I raise this bird and give it to it carefully.
Feed it water, feed it, comb its feathers, and cut its claws and nails. If it gets sick, I will personally make medicine for it. I spend a lot of time and effort on it, and for what? Just because
I can hear it singing in front of me, letting me know its gratitude. This way it will be happy, and my efforts will not be in vain, and I will also feel happy."
Guo Xu was silent. He didn't know why Lu Zhongtian brought up the topic of this bird. Guo Xu could not wait to go up and pull down the cage and put it on the ground.
He stomped his feet and trampled the noisy bird till its intestines were broken to relieve his hatred, but he obviously couldn't do this. He just remained silent.
"But if I serve it with all my heart, and it doesn't sing to me or please me at all, what do you think I'm trying to do? It's just a bird, and I don't have to please a bird. Will I?
If you give it food but don't give it something to drink, it will die. Even if it escapes from the cage, it will still die. Because after all, it is a caged bird and is used to being fed by people. The wind, frost, rain, snow, cold, and heat outside make it unable to
It can't stand it, and it can't resist the enemies outside. It can't even find food for itself. It has only one way to die. I can give it freedom, but if it flies out of the cage, it will die. Your Majesty, tell me, this golden
Is it better for the canary to stay peacefully in the cage and enjoy my service, or to annoy me and force me to let it out and let it die outside?" Lu Zhongtian turned his head and looked at Guo Xudao quietly.
.
Guo Xu understood that Lu Zhongtian seemed to compare himself to this caged bird. He hinted to himself that everything he had today was given by him, but if he tried to break free from his grasp, it would be a dead end. He was
He warned himself, with a hint of threat. In fact, there was not much to hide, the words were made very clear.
Guo Xu was so angry that he wanted to get angry, point his finger in Lu Zhongtian's face and scold him for being disloyal, scolding him as a powerful minister and an ambitious man. However, the villain in his mind told him not to act rashly, and he must not fall out with his grandfather now. The world.
There was already chaos and the situation was already dangerous. If Lu Zhongtian was offended at this time, he might not even be able to save his own life.
"Grandfather, how can this bird not know how blessed it is despite being blessed? It definitely doesn't want to go out. It should be grateful for your care. If it has other ideas, it will definitely die without a burial place. Although I
I don’t understand the language of birds and beasts, so I don’t know what it is thinking, but I can guess that it will definitely understand this truth. It’s just that people are confused sometimes, let alone a caged bird. If it sometimes refuses to sing,
I'm afraid it's just a tantrum. Grandpa loves it so much that he won't ignore it just because of this, right?" Guo Xu said softly.
Lu Zhongtian looked at Guo Xu with a smile on his lips: "Haha, your Majesty is right. Your Majesty doesn't understand bird language. He seems to understand it very well. It is true that it sometimes disobeys, but I haven't given up on it either.
.”
Guo Xu said softly: "This bird will definitely be very grateful. Grandpa, I can see it."
Lu Zhongtian nodded and said: "I hope so, I hope so. Let's not talk about the bird, let's talk about business. Isn't the emperor here to talk about business? Why is our topic all about this bird? Hahaha, really
The two left the corridor and entered the large study room to sit down. The servant made tea. The sun shone in from outside the window lattice, and the heat in the tea cup rose in the sunlight. The fragrance of tea filled their noses and the atmosphere was quiet. If it weren't for state affairs.
Emergency, this is just a comfortable and leisurely conversation, but obviously, the current situation does not allow such a relaxed mood.
"Your Majesty, regarding the current situation, Your Majesty
What are you thinking in your heart? Do you... regret not listening to the old minister?" Lu Zhongtian sat in the shadow of the light and said in a deep voice.
Guo Xu said: "I do regret it. I ask my grandfather to forgive me for my ignorance. I should have considered this matter carefully before. The current situation is like this, and I still need my grandfather's guidance."
As Guo Xu said this, he thought of what Lin Jueguo said in his treatise on Qin: "The land matters Qin, as long as you hold on to the fire to put out the fire." He felt helpless and angry in his heart. He obviously did not do anything wrong, but now he has to admit it.
.
Lu Zhongtian sighed: "It's a pity. There is no regret medicine in the world. You listened to me at the beginning, how could you be today? Alas, the matter has come to this, regret is useless, I can only support it with all my strength. Does the emperor have any concerns in his heart? You might as well say it clearly."
Guo Xudao: "The current situation is irreconcilable. I have nothing to do, so I came to see my grandfather. Please give me some advice. My grandfather must have a countermeasure in mind, and I am all ears."
Lu Zhongtian was very satisfied with Guo Xu's attitude. In the past, Guo Xu would have put forward some of his ideas first and said them clearly. But today, he is no longer self-righteous.
"I'm afraid that if I tell you a countermeasure, it won't be in line with the emperor's wishes, so what's the use of saying it?" Lu Zhongtian said in a deep voice.
Guo Xu cursed in his heart, but said in his mouth: "I just listen to my grandfather. I will not make my own decisions anymore. Grandpa, don't worry."
Lu Zhongtian nodded and said: "In that case, the old minister has made it clear. Your Majesty, in the current situation, if you want to overcome this difficulty, you must make a choice. The old minister got the news that the Jurchens and Liao soldiers were heading straight towards Bianliang.
.Their purpose is very obvious, which is to seize our capital as a way to cut out our heart. Therefore, the most urgent task now is to mobilize all soldiers and horses to gather in the capital and defend it to the death. As the saying goes, if the green hills are left, there is no need to worry about them.
Firewood. As long as the capital is defended, their plan will come to nothing. With the strength of the Liao and Jurchens, they cannot sustain it for long. And I, the Zhou Dynasty, have the resources in the south of the Yangtze River and can sustain it for a long time. As long as the capital city
If we don’t lose, our Great Zhou Dynasty will not be destroyed. In the end, the Jurchens and Liao people will understand that it is impossible to destroy our Great Zhou Dynasty and seize our capital. At that time, we can restart the peace talks, and we can naturally reach a peace agreement and calm down the disputes.
.Simply put, the most important thing now is to defend Gyeonggi with all our strength."
Guo Xu frowned and said: "But... if this happens, won't all our roads in the east and west of Hebei, all the roads in Jingdong and even the east of Hedong fall into the hands of the Jurchens and Liao people? Won't half of the country be lost?"
Lu Zhongtian said in a deep voice: "It's the lesser of two evils. The capital cannot afford to lose. As for outside the capital... we can only give up temporarily. The veteran knows that this is indeed painful, but it is also a last resort.
"
Guo Xu smacked his lips and said: "Doing this...wouldn't it destroy the morale of the people? Can't we...can't mobilize the army to fight them to the death? There are still nearly 300,000 troops in the northeastern border town, and we can definitely seek a decisive battle. The Northwest Army
Yuan Zhengqian's 250,000-strong army can also be transferred back and ordered to intercept the Liao army, and there will be no worries. If the northeast is worried that it will not be the opponent of the Jurchens, it can mobilize 100,000 forbidden troops from the capital to support it, and use 400,000 troops to fight against the Jurchens'
With 250,000 soldiers and horses fighting in a decisive battle, we should have a great chance of winning."
