Cheng Yaojin looked at the man for a while, then reached out to take the letter, and checked the seal first. He saw that although it was sealed with paraffin, there was no seal. After a slight hesitation, he finally opened the seal, took out the letter, and read it carefully.
The man stood aside and heard a slight snoring. He followed the sound and found a person lying on the bed behind Cheng Yaojin. He was suddenly shocked. When he looked at Cheng Yaojin, his eyes were a bit incredible.
Who would have thought that the dignified Lu Guogong Cheng Yaojin would actually hide a male favorite within the Chinese army...
Cheng Yaojin didn't pay attention to the man's expression. He read the letter carefully, then took out the fire paper from his arms and blew it. He held the corner of the letter and put it to the flames, watching the letter burn under the licks of the flames. Curled and turned into fly ash.
Only then did he put away the fire certificate, looked at the man expressionlessly, and said in a deep voice: "Just pretend you haven't been here. I haven't read this letter either. Go ahead."
The man was obviously confused. No matter what was written in the letter, whether you agreed or refused, you had to give an answer, right?
"I'm stupid, please let me know, Commander-in-Chief."
"Explicitly?" Cheng Yaojin was furious: "I am the Duke of the Tang Dynasty, loyal to the emperor and patriotic. If I hadn't been thinking about the friendship with your master in the past, I should have captured you at this moment and escorted you to Chang'an before your majesty for treason." Punishment! If you don’t get out, don’t blame me for changing my mind.”
"Here!"
The man didn't dare to say anything and quickly turned around and walked out.
"Commander, why are you so angry?"
Behind him, Niu Jinda, who was sleeping soundly, was awakened by his roar. He turned over and sat up with a puzzled look on his face.
Cheng Yaojin didn't answer, he just sat there with his old face as gloomy as water.
Those people are so brave, they even dare to do that kind of thing...
Where should I go?
If we follow what the letter says, the entire Hexi region and the Western Regions will be separated from the empire in a short time, and Chang'an will not receive any support from the west...
Maybe it can work?
But the risk was too high, and Cheng Yaojin, who had just suffered a major blow due to a team mistake, was hesitant to make a decision.
Instead of answering Niu Jinda's question, Cheng Yaojin asked: "Old Niu, do you think we can still go back to Chang'an?"
His current title is Duke of Liang, but he doesn't know what His Majesty is thinking. Is he just using this to seize the power of An Yuanshou and shake the foundation of the An family in Liangzhou, or is he really trying to take advantage of this opportunity to conquer An Yuanshou from afar? He was sent away and took root in Liangzhou for generations.
Niu Jinda disagreed, got up and purred: "How can you not go back? You were the Duke of Lu before, and I didn't see you staying in the fiefdom. Once An Yuanshou is solved, His Majesty's decree will definitely arrive soon."
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When he came to the table, he poured a glass of water, drank it down, let out a comfortable breath, and sat down next to Cheng Yaojin: "Have you had breakfast? If not, please have it delivered quickly."
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Cheng Yaojin was in a state of confusion and was in a dilemma. Hearing this, he cursed angrily: "Eat, eat, eat, you know how to eat. Are you going to starve to death and be reincarnated?"
Niu Jinda scratched his messy hair, not as knowledgeable as Cheng Yaojin.
The two had fought side by side for half a lifetime and knew each other well. He naturally understood that Cheng Yaojin was unwilling to stay away from the center, so he worried about gains and losses and made trade-offs. However, sometimes people are not as good as God, and all he needs to do is to do things well. Leave the rest to God's will.
"What the commander-in-chief has to do now is not to complain, but to reorganize the army with force and strength. When spring comes, he and other armies will force An Yuanshou to resign as General of the Right Xiaowei and go to Chang'an to be imprisoned. By the way, just now Who is that person? ”
"...an old friend passed through Liangzhou on his way to the Western Regions. He wanted to have a drink and reminisce about the past, but I refused."
After much thought, he did not reveal the true content of the letter to Niu Jinda.
It's not that we don't trust it, but that this is a big matter involving life and death. The less people know about it, the less dangerous it will be.
Moreover, he has not made a decision...
*****
Entering the twelfth lunar month, the northern land is raging with wind and snow, and the weather is freezing cold. More than half of the Yellow River has been frozen. The Yongji Canal from the south of Sizhou is still rippling and has constant shipping, but since then it has been ice-covered to the north. Even on warm days, there is ice floating on the river, making it inconvenient for ships to pass, and navigation is frequently interrupted.
The Fang family's fleet reached the vicinity of Banzhu with great difficulty, and when it was difficult to move forward again, they disembarked, boarded a car, switched from water to land, and headed for Chang'an.
When they arrived near Xingyang, Zheng Xuanguo was already waiting for a group of elders from the Zheng family in Xingyang to greet him thirty miles outside the city.
Fang Xuanling had no intention of going to the city. After all, the New Year was approaching. If he delayed his trip, he might not have time to worship his ancestors. However, the Zheng family in Xingyang was full of hospitality, but it was not easy to treat them indifferently and coldly.
After a short stay outside Xingyang City, Fang Xuanling met with Zheng Xuanguo.
This leader of the next generation of the Zheng family in Xingyang, who used to be arrogant and domineering in Xingyang and Luo, now faced Fang Xuanling with respect and trepidation. Aged to accept.
Fang Xuanling pondered for a moment, then reluctantly accepted it.
He knew that this was because Liu Rengui led the navy to defeat the Zheng family in Xingyang before, and now Zheng Rentai's future was controlled by Fang Jun, causing the entire Zheng family in Xingyang to be frightened. If he refuses to accept this gift, everyone in the Xingyang Zheng family will be uneasy, thinking that Fang Jun or the emperor is still dissatisfied with the Xingyang Zheng family, which might lead to the Xingyang Zheng family switching sides in fear.
As the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty for more than ten years, Fang Xuanling was well aware of all matters in the court. Fang Xuanling was well aware that many factions within the Tang Dynasty were attacking and subverting each other. There had never been a day of stability since the founding of the country by Emperor Gaozu.
Now His Majesty has defeated two mutinies in a row, and the noble families in Guanzhong, Hedong, and Shandong have suffered heavy losses. From the top of the court, it seems that the heroes are dormant, but in fact, the turmoil behind the scenes will never subside.
The internal strife within the Li Tang royal family alone cannot be eliminated by the death of Li Yuanjing...
The Zheng family in Xingyang is a large family in Henan, and is close to Luoyang. It has a great influence on Luoyang. If they can support your majesty wholeheartedly, the land of Henan will be stable. On the contrary, once the central situation is slightly turbulent, the entire Henan area will be in turmoil.
Fang Xuanling accepted the gift and smiled at Zheng Xuanguo: "Your Majesty is the founding hero of the country and a noble figure of Zhenguan. You should have had a lovely son. I see that you are a noble person and a capable spirit. I want to recommend you to an official position when I come to Beijing. I don't know. What do you think?”
Zheng Xuanguo was both happy and worried, and said frankly: "I am overjoyed to be favored by my husband. I should have gladly agreed and repaid you wholeheartedly. However, the Zheng family in Xingyang had committed a serious crime before, and thanks to your majesty, he would not pursue it. But the family members There is chaos and heavy losses. My father cannot take care of it in Guanzhong, so I can only reluctantly deal with it. It is really inseparable. ”
Even now, the Jin King's rebellion has disappeared, but there are still endless debates within the Zheng family in Xingyang about the family's future. Some people think that His Majesty is already firmly established and should rely on Jiwei, while others think that the ownership of the imperial power has not yet been decided, and it is not easy to be tied to Your Majesty. On my body...
If Zheng Rentai, Zheng Xuanguo and his son were not in Xingyang at this time, I am afraid there would be uproar within the family and a complete rupture.
Fang Xuanling smiled slightly: "How about Shaoyin of Henan Prefecture?"
Zheng Xuanguo was shocked, swallowed, and suddenly felt excited.
At present, the news of the imperial court's construction of the Eastern Capital has not yet been released, so the highest official position in Luoyang is "Dongdu Mu", which is led by the prince. Since the prince was not in office, the de facto highest official was Henan Yin, who was in charge of the affairs of the Henan Prefecture, and the administrative seat was set up in Luoyang City.
The Fu Yin is from the third rank. When the post of Dongdu Mu is temporarily vacant, he will take over the duties of Dongdu Mu. His two subordinates, Shaoyin, are from the fourth rank and serve as Fu Yin's deputy. There are several people each, including those who join the army and record affairs, Liucao who join the military, those who take part in the military, hold swords, wardens, ask questions, Bai Zhi, doctors of economics and teaching assistants, doctors of medicine and teaching assistants.
Their rank, number of people, etc. are all regarded as the same as Jingzhao Mansion.
The Shaoyin of Henan Prefecture is a high-ranking official from the fourth rank. He has great power in one house, with one person under him and ten thousand people above him.
Moreover, Xingyang and Luoyang are adjacent to each other and not far from each other. It is completely possible to take care of the family while receiving an official position...
How can you refuse such a good thing?
Zheng Xuanguo didn't even have time to ask for instructions from his father Zheng Rentai, who was far away in Chang'an. He was afraid that if he missed it, he would never get it again. He immediately bowed his arms to the ground and said respectfully: "Thank you very much for promoting and cultivating me. Such kindness will be unforgettable by me and the Zheng family in Xingyang. From now on." But if there is a destiny, there is nothing you can’t do.”
Although Fang Xuanling is no longer the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, he has served as an official in the East Palace since the day Li Chengqian was crowned prince. He has always supported Li Chengqian. He has deep roots and wide connections in the court, not to mention that Fang Jun is now in front of His Majesty. He is a popular man, but he has something to say and nothing is wrong, so as long as Fang Xuanling agrees to recommend him as the Shaoyin of Henan Prefecture, then there are basically no variables in the matter. All he has to do is wait for Fang Xuanling to report to His Majesty after he comes to Beijing. Then the appointment documents can be sent to the Zheng family.
I came here out of fear to give gifts, but who would have expected that pie would fall from the sky?
Overjoyed.
Of course, Zheng Xuanguo also understood that Fang Xuanling's move was to win over the Zheng family in Xingyang to fully support His Majesty in stabilizing Henan. But being able to win over someone like Fang Xuanling at any cost is a good thing to prove his worth, not to mention Fang Xuanling is generous and sincere?
The families of the aristocratic families do not have a clear position. Most of the time, they pursue profit. Whichever side provides more benefits, they will lean towards that side. When the other half provides more, there will not be too many betrayals. moral burden.
The right to speak is in their hands. What they say is black is black, and what they say is white is white. Even if they betray their faith or even betray their country for glory, they can still call a deer a horse and confuse right and wrong. How can ordinary people understand so much?
There is no need to worry about moral constraints, just act freely and go your own way.
"Haha, I recommend talents to the country, are you just seeking rewards? I hope you can do a good job and don't let the reputation and prestige of the Zheng family in Xingyang fall."
"Here! Please follow Fang Xiang's instructions."
"Okay, I'm going to Beijing now. I can't delay, so I'll say goodbye."
"I would like to send you my best wishes."
Watching the Fang family's motorcade gradually disappear under the gloomy sky, Zheng Xuanguo summoned his confidants and ordered: "Go to Chang'an immediately and tell my father that the Prime Minister recommended me to be the Shaoyin of Henan Prefecture, and ask him to make a decision."
Although he still had to wait for Zheng Rentai's reply, Zheng Xuanguo knew that his father could not actually make other choices, and he would definitely refuse those secret solicitation methods. The Zheng family in Xingyang has already made a mistake in choosing a team before, and suffered extremely severe punishment, which almost endangered the survival of the family. This time there is another chance, so this time we must stand in a good team and never make a mistake again...
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