Fang Xuanling deliberately amplified his voice so that Mrs. Lu in the ancestral hall could hear. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Mrs. Lu moving, so he quickened his pace and hurried away with the housekeeper.
Mrs. Lu came to the door, looked at Fang Xuanling's hurried steps, raised her hand and called to the servants who were cleaning the yard, and asked: "What did you say just now? Who is here?"
No one in the Duke's mansion knew that the Lu family was in charge. The servants did not dare not answer and said: "The steward came to report that Marquis Zhulu was visiting. The Duke said that he could not be neglected and would open the middle door to welcome him."
"What?!" Mrs. Lu immediately became furious and said: "Who is worthy of opening the middle door to welcome him? It's really becoming more and more disrespectful! Come on, take my order and obey me! I want it
Look, what kind of monster is this Li Mu! If you don’t take the road to heaven, you will have to throw yourself into hell without any door. Today I will avenge Fan Yanglu’s great humiliation!”
When Fang Yiai heard this, she didn't even care about kneeling down as punishment. She got up and ran over to stop him, saying, "Mom, you can't do it! This Li Mu is not an ordinary person. You will suffer a loss if you do this!"
"Did I tell you to get up?" Mrs. Lu raised the ruler in her hand, and Fang Yiai had no choice but to kneel down, but she still said: "Mom, in the house, dad lets you go and we respect you. You can do whatever you want.
But outside, not everything can follow your heart. Li Mu is not a simple person. He must be capable if he can defeat his uncle. You..."
"Don't talk nonsense. Are you trying to say that your mother is a prostitute and useless? She really has no etiquette at all! No matter how powerful Li Mu is, can he be compared to the emperor? Kneel down in front of your ancestors and repent.
It’s not your turn to take care of my affairs!”
Mrs. Lu once had a direct conflict with Li Shimin because Li Shimin wanted to reward a concubine to Fang Xuanling. Li Shimin gave her vinegar as poisonous wine and asked her to drink it. She raised her head and drank it. Li Shimin was so frightened that she did not dare to care anymore.
Mr. Lu thought that he had defeated the emperor, but in fact it was a woman's opinion. As an emperor, how could Li Shimin be afraid of a woman? He saw Fang Xuanling's affection for Mr. Lu and could not bear to force his important minister to death.
The wife just left a bad name.
Lu was short-sighted and used this as a basis to show off his power. Li Shimin also heard about it, but he didn't say anything. Quan thought it was for Fang Xuanling's sake.
Under the service of the maid, Mrs. Lu changed into her official clothes, and with a strong breath, she came to the front lobby. When she walked to the door and was about to push the door open, she heard the conversation inside, and Mrs. Lu frowned slightly.
Mei, stopped at the door and did not go in.
"... Prime Minister, the greetings have already been exchanged. In order to save time, I will be honest. This time I am here to ask, in addition to New Year greetings, there is one more thing I want to talk to the Prime Minister. Recently, the Prime Minister must have also
I heard about the recent increase in food prices. As the prime minister, Fang Xiang naturally understands that food is the first priority for the people, and food prices are related to the country. If it is a natural or man-made disaster, that is fine. There was no major disaster last year, but food prices were
It goes up in vain, there must be someone behind this!"
Fang Xuanling nodded and said, "This is indeed abnormal."
"Your Majesty is furious!" Li Mu stood up and said angrily: "Prime Minister, why do you think someone could ignore the law so much? Although Mu is young, he still understands the basic truth. The common people must not be bullied, and the common people must not be bullied.
What a shame!"
Fang Xuanling looked at Li Mu and thought to herself, what is talent? This is talent! If he hadn't known in advance that this was a show for his wife, Fang Xuanling would have thought that Li Mu was telling the truth.
Li Mu was already caught up in the drama, who knew what he was thinking, and continued to follow the script in his mind, saying: "Your Majesty has entrusted this matter to me, so I naturally tried my best to relieve Your Majesty's worries. I sent the Jin Yiwei to investigate the matter.
The matter was not difficult to investigate, and within half a day, the context was clear. The troublemakers behind this incident were the Shandong nobles headed by the Lu family of Fan Yang and the Zheng family of Xingyang. They were unwilling to be punished by Your Majesty and tried to control food prices.
Threaten His Majesty, threaten the imperial court. How is it any different from rebellion if you are so bold?"
Lu was hiding outside the door. When she heard the word "rebellion", her heart suddenly rose to her throat!
It is well known that the Shandong gentry were dissatisfied with Li Shimin, but they did not reach the level of rebellion. The reason was simple: they did not dare.
At that time, the Shandong nobles, for their own selfish interests, supported the local powerful and tried to support their own troops. How many heroes were born in one time, and what happened in the end? Were they all wiped out? And the one who wiped them out was not the invincible General Tiance.
Li Shimin was not good at force, and Li Jiancheng did not have many good generals at his disposal.
If it were Li Shimin who went there in person, given Li Shimin's fighting style at the time, it's open to question whether the Shandong gentry could exist now.
Therefore, to this day, the Shandong gentry's opposition to Li Shimin is always limited to words rather than actual actions. Because they know clearly in their hearts that without the leadership of a person who has everyone's support like Li Shimin, no matter how strong the Shandong gentry is, they will never take action.
It's just a plate of loose sand.
Li Shimin also understood this truth, so he never really took the Shandong gentry seriously, he just found them annoying.
But if Li Shimin really thought that the Shandong gentry would rebel, then things would be serious. Li Shimin was the emperor, and the early Tang Dynasty was an era of many generals. He had just won a great victory over the Turks, and his morale was high. He could be said to have millions of soldiers and fierce generals.
Thousands of people. On the other hand, the Shandong nobles had food but no soldiers. The hundreds of country warriors who guarded Zhuangzi were of little use in front of the Tang cavalry. They were like a group of fat sheep facing hungry wolves, with no resistance at all.
.
It was about Fan Yang's family, how could Mrs. Lu not be nervous? She wanted to open the door and go in, but she was worried that if she went in, Li Mu would stop talking because she was nearby, so she had to continue waiting at the door, waiting to hear what Li Mu would say next.
.
"I reported the ins and outs of the incident to His Majesty. After hearing this, His Majesty was very angry. He immediately ordered to arrest and behead all the more than 30 grain sellers involved as a warning to others!"
Fang Xuanling was watching in amazement. As the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, if such a big thing happened and more than thirty people had to be beheaded at one time, he couldn't possibly not know about it. There is definitely no such thing, but
The most amazing thing is that Li Mu can make things that don't exist seem to be true. It's really amazing!
Suddenly, Fang Xuanling saw the look in Li Mu's hand, and hurriedly put away his theatrical expression, sighed, and said: "Although these grain sellers are guilty, killing so many people at once is really a bit... His Majesty once
I am determined to be a wise king, but I am afraid that this move will damage His Majesty’s reputation!”
"Yes, yes!" Li Mu stamped his feet and said, "I think so too. Fang Xiang and I have similar views!"
Fang Xuanling almost couldn't hold his breath. He was well-read in poems and books. How could he not have read "The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms"? The heroes have the same views. The words "The Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms and the Book of Pang Tongzhuan" are the same. All the wise men in the world have the same views.
Er. This is a saying about heroes cherishing heroes. There is nothing wrong with it, but when Li Mu said it, there was always a feeling that it brought the two of them to the same level.
Fang Xuanling felt very uncomfortable when he heard this, but at this time he was asking for help from Li Mu and could not say anything. He could only apologize and blurt it out.
"...I told Your Majesty at that time. Your Majesty, you are confused! You have ruined your reputation for the sake of the Zheng family in Xingyang and the Lu family in Fanyang. Why bother? The Lu family in Fanyang and the Zheng family in Xingyang, then
What the hell are they? They are country folk, scoundrels, especially that bullshit scholar, who has read the scriptures of saints into his stomach! They are all unfaithful, unfilial, benevolent and unjust people. Your Majesty, you and these people
, Is it really necessary to be serious? This is like playing the piano to a cow, you have lost your identity!"
This scolding was so good that not only the Lu family outside the door couldn't stand it, but even Fang Xuanling couldn't stand it. The Fan Yang Lu family and the Xingyang Zheng family were one of the five surnames and seven looks, and they had been in the family for thousands of years. Early
Before the Three Dynasties, people had famous names. Anyone mentioned by our ancestors was a contemporary celebrity.
How come Li Mu turned him into a cow, a villager, and a scoundrel?
Fang Xuanling was worried that his wife would explode, so she quickly went back to make up for it and said: "You can't say that. Since you are called a great Confucian, you must be capable. You can't speak nonsense, you can't speak nonsense."
"Nonsense?" Li Mu sneered and said: "The sage taught them to be loyal to the emperor, are they loyal? The sage taught them to love the people, do they? If they loved the people, they would not raise the price of food so that the people could not afford rice! I scolded
What's wrong with them? I scolded them and they still had to thank me. If I hadn't stopped them, their heads would have fallen to the ground by now!"
Fang Xuanling had seen Li Mu's sharp tongue, and was worried about provoking more words, so she could only agree: "Yes, you are right, they have to thank you."
"I am a gentleman, how can I be confused with them? I will not accept their thanks." Li Mu said with an arrogant look on his face: "After my persuasion, Your Majesty promised not to kill them. He gave them three days to pay for their food."
Return them and bear all losses. At the same time, each person will be fined 500 guan, which will be used to help orphans and homeless people."
After saying this, Li Mu took a deep breath and praised: "His Majesty has a mind as broad as the world. He is really a model for us to learn from! Prime Minister, as ministers, it is really... true that you and I can be led by such a Majesty."
What a blessing that has been cultivated in several lifetimes!”
Fang Xuanling was too lazy to say anything and nodded her head in agreement.
"But!" Li Mu suddenly gasped for air, which frightened Fang Xuanling. She thought to herself, "Can't you finish it in one breath? Who can bear this sudden shock?"
"Your Majesty loves the people like his own sons, and he can turn a blind eye to these ignorant traders and just fine them with wine. But the moths in the court cannot be ignored so easily. As a minister of the court, but
Their heart is not in the court, but in their own interests. Such people must be found and eliminated!"
Li Mu glanced at the door with his peripheral vision and continued: "Your Majesty means to kill the treacherous officials who cheated on the inside and outside, to kill the chickens to scare the monkeys, and to make certain people's memories improve! This is also the purpose of why I came to see the Fang Xiang today. This matter has nothing to do with the Fang Xiang.
It has something to do with it."
When Fang Xuanling heard what Li Mu said, she was a little confused and couldn't tell whether it was true or not. She couldn't help but be cautious and said, "What does it have to do with me?"
"Is Lu Zhaoling related to Fang Xiang?"
Fang Xuanling was a little confused and murmured: "I don't remember the kiss..."
At this time, Mrs. Lu couldn't help it anymore and walked into the lobby and said: "My lord, you are confused. We are related. Although we don't have much contact with each other, Lu Zhaoling and I are from the same Fanyang Lu family, so they are mine."
Cousin."
Fang Xuanling was actually pretending, and none of the officials in the court knew it. Seeing that Mrs. Lu couldn't help but come out, he secretly winked at Li Mu and introduced: "Li Mu, this is my wife
Madam, this is the most talented person in the Tang Dynasty, Li Mu, the Marquis of Zhulu. Let’s see, is he a talented person?”
Madam Lu hated Li Mu to the core, and when she heard this, she became even more angry. However, because she was worried about Madam Fan Yang's safety, she could only squeeze out a smile and said: "How can it be that Marquis Zhulu is entrusted with such an important task by His Majesty?"
Talent? Old woman, I heard that Marquis Zhulu was coming, so I changed into my official clothes to see him, and I didn’t dare to show any slights."
Li Mu cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile: "Young man, I have seen Mrs. Gaoming. Her clothes are really beautiful. What grade of Gaoming is she from?"
"If you are granted a title of first-class Duke, you will naturally receive a first-class imperial edict."
"Oh!" Li Mu suddenly realized and said: "It turns out that I got the glory of the prime minister. How can I be more beautiful than my wife's clothes? That's it. I am not better than the prime minister, I am just a third-rank military prince, so my wife
Ah, it’s just based on the imperial edict of the third grade, speaking of which, I can’t help my wife.”
Lu's face suddenly turned ugly. How could she not hear the ridicule in Li Mu's words? He was saying that all the glory of Lu's came from Fang Xuanling. Without Fang Xuanling, what would she do?
No, even with a first-grade imperial edict, there is nothing to show off.
Fang Xuanling watched fearfully from the side, fearing that his wife would explode and cause chaos. But what worried him did not happen. Lu's face went from ugly to even worse, and then gradually calmed down.
"Just now at the door, I heard Marquis Zhulu talking about the Fanyang Lu family. The Fanyang Lu family is my natal family, so I was a little worried. I hope that the Marquis will give you some advice. How does your Majesty deal with my cousin?"
"kill!"
Li Mu said this word with a smile, which made Lu even more frightened. What she saw in Li Mu's eyes was indifference, as if killing a person was as easy to him as killing a chicken.
Lu said unwillingly: "Just kill him?"
"Your Majesty is so kind that he only punishes the first culprit." Li Mu said with a smile: "Who made him the minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs? He holds the position but does not seek his own government. He can take charge but ignore it. He just sits back and watches the price of food rise. Such a person who is sitting on a plain diet will deserve to die.
Isn't that right? Don't you think he deserves to die?"
Before Lu could speak, Li Mu said again: "If he didn't deserve to die, many people would have died. I believe that Mr. Lu is a man who values righteousness over life. If he knew that if he died, dozens of people could be saved."