Kou Ji sat in the private room and tasted Fan Lou's stir-fry. Although the stir-fry in Fan Lou was not bad in taste, it was still a little worse than the stir-fry in Kou's house.
Kou Ji reluctantly ate some.
Not long after Kou Ji sat in the private room, Gao Shanggong, like an old farmer, put his hands into his sleeves and bent down to enter the private room.
Kou Ji looked up and down at Gao Chuanggong and found that Gao Chuanggong didn't have the usual nobility and arrogance, but only the aura of twilight that his youth had passed away.
Gao Shangjing didn't wait for Kou Ji's invitation, so he sat down opposite Kou Ji and picked up the chopsticks on the table. He didn't mind the leftovers that Kou Ji had eaten, so he picked them up with his chopsticks and ate them.
Kou Ji looked at Gao Chong Gong's devouring food and sighed slightly. He picked up the jug, poured a glass of wine for Gao Chong Gong, and said, "Why are you doing this?"
Gao Chugong said vaguely without raising his head: "The Gao family is not what it used to be. Fan Lou is no longer a place that members of the Gao family can set foot in. Someone invites me to eat and drink in Fan Lou, so naturally I will eat more."
Kou Ji put down the wine pot, sat upright and said: "A skinny camel is bigger than a horse, not to mention that the Gao family is not skinny to death. Although the two prime ministers of the official family and the inner court have deposed your official title,
The Gao family's money was not confiscated.
The Gao family has been operating in and outside Bianjing for decades, and has accumulated a fortune of tens of millions, which is not comparable to that of Fan Lou.
If you are willing, you can build several restaurants around Fan Tower that are bigger or taller than Fan Tower."
"Bang..."
Gao Chugong threw down his chopsticks, looked up at Kou Ji, and said calmly: "How many restaurants can we build that are higher than Fan Tower? Any higher, it will be higher than the palace. My Gao family can't stand up to the officials and the inner court.
The two evil thieves are at war again."
Kou Ji said with some surprise: "You don't complain?"
Gao Shanggong said calmly: "What's there to complain about? It's only my fault that I, Gao Shanggong, don't have a wink. I can't blame others. If I had a slight wink, I shouldn't get involved with the members of Yizijiaozipu.
Learn from your Kou family and Cao family.
The three families of Mu, Qian, and Meng collapsed, and it seemed that the official family had gained the greatest benefit.
But in fact, your Kou family and Cao family are also eating too much.
The Cao family took over the Mu, Qian, and Meng family's fields and real estate in Bianjing City, as well as members of the forging steel workshop.
Your Kou family has eaten up the cloth business of the Mu, Qian, and Meng families, and eaten up the countless embroidery buildings and mulberry fields left by the three families.
Your Kou family and Cao family have gained tens of millions of dollars from this change.
If I had seen the situation clearly as soon as possible and learned from you, I would not have ended up like today."
Kou Ji laughed and said, "You finally figured it out?"
Gao Chugong curled his lips, "What's the use of thinking about it? Can our Gao family go back to the past?"
Kou Ji smiled and said, "Maybe."
Gao Chugong laughed and said calmly: "It's better not to go back. After this battle, I finally understand. No matter how powerful you are and how much money you have, you can't stand the words of some people.
What you have worked hard to accumulate for three or four generations can be taken away by others with just one word.
Then why are you saving things?
The Gao family is pretty good now, rich and powerful.
But there is not enough money and not enough power.
No one will care about you either.
As long as you don't mess around, it's easy to stay rich and prosperous."
Kou Ji stared at Gao Zhanggong and said quietly: "You have already guessed my purpose of coming, so you spoke in advance to block what I want to say back into my belly?"
After hearing this, Gong Gao finally had a different emotion on his face.
A sarcastic smile appeared on his face, and he said: "My Gao family has lost power. You, a popular figure around the official family, have come to my Gao family. Isn't it obvious what is going on?"
Kou Ji nodded and asked, "So...you plan to refuse?"
Gao Chugong gritted his teeth and shouted in a deep voice: "You are so majestic that you have dealt with all the people who opposed you in the court. Now there is no one to use, and I think of those of us who were removed from the court by you." .
But why should we be used by you?
You can use it if you want and throw it away if you want.
What are we, chamber pots?"
Kou Ji laughed and said, "It seems you still have some resentment in your heart?"
Gao Chugong stopped pretending. He gritted his teeth and said: "As a member of Yizijiaozipu, you can take away all the great wealth and honor you want. If you want to take away my official title, you can depose me as soon as you want."
But have you ever thought that neither being a member of Yizijiaozipu nor the official title I have come from my Gao family for nothing.
Because of the Yizijiaozipu people, I, the Gao family, lost nearly 60% of the people in the court.
For the sake of my official title, nearly sixteen sons and daughters of my Gao family died in three generations.
Two of them are still my sons, and I personally sent them to the battlefield and returned their corpses with my own hands."
Kou Ji frowned slightly.
Gao Chugong stared at Kou Ji and shouted in a low voice: "I'm not telling you this to show pity. I'm telling you that every thing my Gao family gets contains the flesh and blood of my Gao family. .
Why do you take all the things that I, the son of the Gao family, have fought with my own blood and flesh without paying any price?"
Kou Ji's brows furrowed into the Chinese character "Chuan". He stared at the height and said solemnly: "A country has a family. In your eyes, there is only a family, not a country. If the country is uneasy, if the country is not peaceful, even if your family's wealth is What can Wan Guan do?
You are also someone who has witnessed troubled times with your own eyes. You should understand that without a stable dynasty, no matter how powerful you are and how much money you have, you are nothing more than duckweed on the water.
One day, the family will be destroyed.
When General Cao overthrew the Southern Tang Dynasty, you also served as the herald in front of his tent.
You should clearly see what happened to the civil and military ministers and wealthy businessmen of the Southern Tang Dynasty after Jinling was conquered."
Gao Guang Gongyin's face was sullen and looked very ugly.
Kou Ji continued: "Although our Song Dynasty has no internal enemies, we do have external enemies. And they are very powerful. If the external enemies are not eliminated, why do you enjoy wealth? You don't want to help our Song Dynasty eliminate foreign enemies. You just want to lie down." Are you still justified in drinking blood from me, Da Song?
If one day, the Song Dynasty is drained of blood by you people, and when the enemy marches southward, what will you do to counter it?
Didn’t the blood you drank from Da Song eventually become the enemy’s treasure?”
Gao Chugong gritted his teeth and said: "If such a day comes, my members of the Gao family will naturally lead troops to go out and defeat foreign enemies."
Kou Ji sneered and said: "What fun is it to deceive yourself? Since the death of General Gao, who in your Gao family can command the three armies? Although the court has asked you to command the three armies several times, you know very well how much you have.
Based on your talents, leading an army will be enough for you.
When Taizu founded the country in the past, he had countless talented generals, and any one of them could carry a banner.
But after they pass away, what about you as the descendants?
Dozens of families and hundreds of people only produced one Li Batu and one Cao Baochen.
Others either bully men and dominate women all day long, or try their best to make money.
It is better to expect you to resist a powerful enemy than to expect the knees of civil servants to bend faster.
The enemy might let us live a few more years for the sake of our obedience."
Kou Ji's words made Gao Chugong feel extremely humiliated. Gao Chugong shouted angrily without any hesitation: "It's the imperial court that is guarding us warriors, it's the imperial court that doesn't use us warriors."
Kou Ji sneered and said: "The imperial court is on guard against warriors, to prevent them from causing rebellion, not to guard against you making achievements. If the imperial court really didn't give you any chance, how did Li Jilong and Cao Wei get up?
Does it mean that several generations of the Ori family died on the battlefield?
In the final analysis, it is because you are incompetent, not because the court does not use you.
Please note that the military commanders in various places all come from your families."
When Gao Chugong heard this, he could no longer say a word to refute.
Kou Ji hummed coldly and continued: "You are no longer the pillars of the country that the imperial court can trust. You have become a cancer for the imperial court, a cancer that only knows how to drink blood from the imperial court.
Not only does your existence not bring any benefit to the court, but it is also a great harm to the court.
If the imperial court does not know you well, sooner or later you will corrode the imperial court's soldiers and horses, and sooner or later you will drink up the imperial court's blood.
Since you are of no use to the imperial court, why should the imperial court support you?
Will raising you bring harm to the country?"
Gao Gao was trembling with respect, "Emperor Taizu promised us... that we should rest with the country..."
Kou Ji sneered and said, "So you are just going to do your best to cause harm to the country and prepare to destroy it together with the Song Dynasty?"
Gao Chugong stared at Kou Ji angrily.
Kou Ji said with a stern expression: "You deserve it when the imperial court takes action against you. It's because you are greedy. When the imperial court uses you, it is to give you a chance.
Don't be shameless, you always feel that the court owes you.
It is true that your ancestors jointly helped the Zhao family to conquer the country.
It is not only the Zhao family who can enjoy the blessing, but also you.
Maintaining the stability of the country and the country and bringing benefits to the country is not only the responsibility of Zhao, but also your responsibility.
I just want to enjoy happiness, not do anything.
How can such a good thing happen?
The Zhao royal family can't hide peacefully in the palace and enjoy wealth, so why do you want to hide peacefully in Bianjing city and enjoy wealth?"
At this point, Kou Ji didn't care about Gao Zhanggong's face and cursed loudly: "Fellow the country? You deserve it too! What you eat, drink and have fun with is the people's fat and the people's anointing. Have you asked the people in the world if they are willing to do so?"
I don’t want you to rest with the country.”
"Enough!"
Gao Zhanggong became angry and slapped the table, shouting loudly.
Kou Ji sneered: "Why... are you so angry now? I haven't said the worse words yet."
Gao Gao Gong was trembling all over and wanted to pull away.
Seeing that the heat was almost over, Kou Ji took out Zhao Zhen's handwriting from his sleeve. Still in front of Gao Shanggong, he said in a cold voice: "The official is kind and willing to give you a chance to atone for your sins, and also gave you generous terms."
, you decide it yourself.”
Gao Chugong glared at Kou Ji fiercely, quickly picked up the oracle from the table, read it at a glance, then lowered his hand, stared at Kou Ji, and said disdainfully: "After talking so much, I still don't want to use it.
Me? Since you want to use me, then return my Gao family’s things."
Kou Ji was stunned and stared at Gao Chuanggong for a long time. Then he walked to Gao Chuanggong and reached out to pull Zhao Zhen's oracle out of Gao Chuanggong's hand.
"Gao Chugong, you really don't know how to live or die."
Kou Ji accepted the letter, stared at the height and said respectfully: "If I had known you were so reckless, I should have stopped the officials from giving you a chance."
Gao Chugong snorted coldly, gritted his teeth, raised his head, and said nothing.
Kou Ji asked: "Before we sent troops to the Western Regions, if the imperial court wanted to use you, you would threaten the imperial court. The imperial court had no choice but to send me and Li Zhaoliang to lead the army.
Now that the imperial court wants to use you again, you are still threatening the imperial court.
Do you really think that the imperial court must be yours?
Or, do you think the imperial court is really that easy to blackmail?
You threaten the imperial court over and over again, who can tolerate you?
Throughout the ages, whoever threatened the king had a good end?
It is true that the Gao family contributed to the Song Dynasty, but it does not mean that everyone in the Song Dynasty must do things according to the Gao family's wishes.
After all, your surname is Gao, not Zhao."
After Kou Ji said this, he stopped talking to Gao Chugong and walked out with his hands behind his back.
When he reached the door of the private room, Kou Ji paused and said respectfully with his back to the high place: "You threaten the court like this, and the civil and military officials of the court, who will help you? The Li family and the Cao family have left you, and you haven't woken up yet.
If you don’t die in three days, then help the Gao family prepare coffins."
Kou Ji sneered and said: "Retiring with the country? The Fu family also retired with the country. Where is the Fu family now?"
Kou Ji shook his head and left the private room, leaving Gao Chugong alone inside.
He had already given Gao Chugong the opportunity.
If Gao Chugong is stubborn, then there really is no need for the Gao family to exist.
Kou Ji left Fan Tower and strolled all the way back into the palace.
After meeting Zhao Zhen, before Zhao Zhen could speak, Kou Ji placed the handwritten edict written by Zhao Zhen in front of Zhao Zhen.
Zhao Zhen said with a very ugly face: "Gao Shang Gong didn't agree?"
Kou Ji said calmly: "Yes, I agree, but I will not accept the terms you proposed."
Zhao Zhen frowned and said, "What does he want?"
Kou Ji said frankly: "The members of Yizijiaozipu...and his officials..."
"presumptuous!"
Zhao Zhen roared angrily.
Zhao Zhen pointed to the outside of the palace and shouted angrily: "Is he Gao Zhanggong still a true minister? Are you negotiating terms with me and threatening me? He is more like an emperor than me!"
Kou Ji advised: "The officials should calm down. I have given Gao Chugong three days to think clearly."
Zhao Zhen said angrily: "I don't want to give you even a day. You are threatening me over and over again, do you think I am a fool?"
"Official..."
"Chen Lin?!"
Kou Ji intended to give some advice, but Zhao Zhen ignored it and started calling Chen Lin loudly.
Chen Lin trotted into the hall amidst Zhao Zhen's shouts.
Zhao Zhen saw Chen Lin and said angrily: "Where did you die and why did you show up?"
Seeing that Zhao Zhen was angry, Chen Lin said without any hesitation: "This slave is guilty, please punish me."