Chapter 104: First meeting with Li Longji (II)

Let’s talk about Li Qing finding an inn to first place Wang Changling, and accompanied Cui Liuliu to stroll along Zhuque Street all the way. Seeing that it was Zhuque Gate in front of him, Gao Zhandao escorted her back. He walked towards the imperial city and approached Zhuque Gate, he suddenly heard someone calling him, as if it was Yang Huahua’s voice. He searched for a long time, but he didn’t know where the sound came from.

At this moment, a team of Yulin Army rushed down from the city wall and blocked his way. The leader general looked at him and said, "Are you Li Qing, Yibin County?"

Li Qing was stunned, "I am exactly, what's the matter with you?"

"Come with us!" Without waiting for Li Qing to ask again, a group of Yulin soldiers rushed him to the city tower.

"What the hell is there for you?"

Li Qing had asked this question no less than ten times, but the Yulin Army ignored him, searched his body, changed his clothes, and checked his luggage, and moved extremely quickly. In the end, an old eunuch walked over, shook the whisk, and shouted in a sharp voice: "Transfer to the emperor's oral order, Li Qing, the chief clerk of Xuanyibin County, meets him!"

Li Qing was stunned, and then he realized that he was thinking that Li Longji wanted to see him today.

The eldest son is the general rule of inheriting the throne, but since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, no one has been able to ascend to the throne as the eldest son of the emperor. It seems to be a fate. The third son of Ruizong Li Longji also went through this cycle of reincarnation, killing the Wei family to interfere in politics, killing Princess Taiping to seize power, forcing his father to abdicate, forcing his elder brother to give way, and paving his imperial path with rain of blood and cold means.

However, those who entered the throne with great chaos were often people with great governance. After he ascended the throne, he carried out drastic reforms, internal affairs, military, officials, personnel selection, legal system, admonition and restriction of foreign relatives, and targeted the bad policies of the previous dynasties. Yao Chong and Song Jing successively became prime ministers, and Lu Huaishen, Han Xiu, Pei Yaoqing, Zhang Shuo, Zhang Jiuling and others were prime ministers, either for being cautious, for being talented, for being honest, or for literature.

It was Li Longji, who was born in distress and the ministers and prime ministers who were diligent in political affairs who finally made the world a great rule, "taxes and equitable labor, light punishments, and prosperous people", which created the most brilliant and glorious Kaiyuan prosperous era in Chinese history. The cycle of time has been rotating. It has been thirty-three years since then, and Li Longji has entered his sixties.

Li Qing, the little butterfly flying into the Tang Dynasty, shook its wings and moved with the flow in the storm of fate. Just as he was about to break out of another storm of fate, he suddenly saw the highest mountain of this era.

"Li Qing, the chief clerk of Yibin County, bowed to His Majesty the Emperor, wishing you a long life!" Although Li Qing had been promoted twice, he had not received official approval from the Ministry of Personnel. He was still the chief clerk of Yibin County on official occasions.

As early as when Li Qing was brought over by the Yulin Army, Li Longji looked at him carefully and saw that he was tall and had ordinary eyebrows and eyes, but his nose was tall and confident, and he was proud when walking, without any cumbersomeness. Although he was not wearing a military uniform, he was more energetic than the Yulin Army around him.

Li Longji valued the appearance of officials the most. Li Qing's temperament different from ordinary people made him nod secretly. He remembered his words and deeds recorded in the Prince's Inner Palace Daily Record. His affection for him increased greatly, and then he smiled gently and said, "Did you invent the snow mud?"

"It was Wei Chen who invented it."

"Yeah! You stand up and talk."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Tell me first where you are from and what books you have read."

Just as Li Longji was asking about Li Qing's life experience, Li Jingyan hid behind and looked at him silently. This was the first time she had seen Li Qing since she met him. Under the attention of hundreds of Tang royal families, she could still maintain a peaceful mindset, strode to meteors, straighten her back in front of the emperor, and look straight without squinting. Her eyes were shining with a light of confidence. This calmness and calmness, this neither humble nor arrogant, made Li Jingyan think of the new top scorer Zhao Yue and the second-level top scorer.

Shen, Zhao Yue was also answering the emperor's question, but his waist was as soft as noodles. Finally, when the emperor patted his shoulder, he fainted with excitement; Cen Shen, on the contrary, was arrogant and talented, and he admired him quite a lot, but compared with Li Qing, he exposed his useless side. When encountering difficult and setbacks, he would only drown his sorrows and escape from the world, but could not find a way to solve the difficulties. Compared with Li Qing's smooth and mature nature, he seemed much childish in dealing with people.

Seeing that Li Longji did not make things difficult for Li Qing, Yang Yuhuan felt relieved. She remembered the marriage again, so she turned to look at Li Jingyan, but saw that she was staring at Li Qing in a daze. The coldness in her eyes disappeared without a trace. She was secretly amused in her heart. She stretched out her hand and swayed up and down in front of Li Jingyan. Li Jingyan woke up and smiled embarrassedly, "Princess, what's the matter?"

Yang Yuhuan leaned close to her ear, looked at Li Qing squintly and chuckled, "He treats you so well! Do you want me to be a matchmaker for you?"

"Princess, what are you talking about?" Li Jingyan blushed with cheeks and a delicate and incompetent appearance. The famous Princess Leng suddenly turned into a slutty little girl. She suddenly realized, "Princess, is it you?"

Seeing that she guessed, Yang Yuhuan stopped denying it and whispered: "He has been kind to my Yang family, so I repay him, but he doesn't want a high-ranking official or a gift. As long as I help cancel your affairs with the Khitan, Jingyan, this man is really good, values ​​love and friendship, and he can see his character at critical moments. I can help you this time, but may not be able to help you next time. You have to seize the opportunity yourself!"

Yang Yuhuan's words caused a huge wave in Li Jingyan's heart. She never expected that it was Yang Yuhuan's efforts behind her back. She never owe everyone a favor, but Li Qing's kindness made her unable to repay her. She was confused at this moment and didn't know what to do, so she had to bow her head and keep silent.

On the other side, Li Longji's question to Li Qing gradually came to an end. Li Longji looked at Yang Yuhuan meaningfully and smiled gently at Li Qing: "You are still young, so please practice in the Eastern Palace for a few years. The prince has appointed you as the captain of Zhaowu. I will also give you the prince's servant and assist the prince with your heart!"

The Zhaowu School Captain and the Crown Prince's Shepherd were both the sixth ranks, but the Zhaowu School Captain was only a dispersed official and had no actual position. Therefore, Li Longji appointed him as the Crown Prince's Shepherd and re-incorporated him into the formal bureaucratic system of the Tang Dynasty. He was promoted twice within three days, which was rare among the Jinshi who were from a professional class. Everyone looked at Li Qing in surprise. What kind of talent does this person have? Can the crown prince and the emperor be favored by just a silt?

There was a hatred mixed in many surprised eyes. This hatred gaze already existed when Li Qing appeared. He was Tan King Li Cong, the backstage of the Hai family. After the news of the accident in the Hai family reached Chang'an, Li Cong immediately poisoned Hailan's daughter to death, destroyed all documents with the Hai family, and sent people to Chengdu to threaten Zhang Qiu Jianqiong, not allowing him to reveal evidence that was unfavorable to him.

Although the smuggling of the Hai family cannot hurt his muscles and bones, tens of thousands of yuan in every year are gone, especially the matter of the Hai family is very likely to make the prince regain the situation. This is what he hates deeply. Li Cong is the eldest son of Li Longji. Because of his ugly appearance, he is not favored by Li Longji. First, he was taken away from the position of crown prince by his second son Li Ying. After Li Ying fell, he made his third son Li Heng. However, Li Cong was silent. Li Longji felt guilty for this and once said to him, "How can the country be abandoned because of his appearance?"

It was this sentence that inspired Li Cong's ambition to compete for the throne. On the one hand, he kept a low profile in front of Li Longji and won Li Longji's guilt; on the other hand, he did a lot of good deeds, helped down-and-out literati, and won virtue and reputation. Then, he worked closely with Li Linfu to defeat the prince. Just when Li Heng was hopeless, a Hai family smuggling case suddenly broke out, which made the prince get out of trouble. The culprit of this case was Li Qing, a little man standing in front of the emperor and talking.

‘How can such a cheap thing be in the world!’

Li Cong secretly gave his brother, Zhen Wang Li Wan, a wink. Li Wan understood and stood up to salute Li Longji and said, "Father, my son still has a little doubt. I wonder if I can ask Li Sheren?"

Li Longji looked back at him, glanced at Li Cong again, and sneered in his heart. This must be Li Cong instructing him to stand up. How could Li Longji not know about his sons? They all looked benevolent, righteous and moral, but acted nonsense behind their backs, thinking that they could hide the truth. Don’t you know that he himself was the throne he had seized by his father and brother, so how could he not be prepared?

"You ask!"

Li Wan took two steps forward, circled Li Qing, looked at him back and forth, and laughed and said, "I just sat far away and didn't hear Li Sheren's life experience clearly. So I would like to ask again, what year is Li Sheren's Jinshi? Why don't I have any impression of it?"

He stepped forward and called Li Qing Li Sheren, to show his father that he was not opposed to his father's appointment as an official, but just a little bit of his "question".

When all the princes saw Li Wan asking incisively, they were very interested. They all stretched their necks, and their eyes showed excitement. They stared at Li Qing to see how he was acting ugly. Even Li Longji became interested in it, wanting to see how Li Qing resolved this embarrassing situation.

Li Qing naturally understood that he was deliberately making himself foolish. Without fame and fortune, this was his biggest weakness, just like he did not have a university degree in state organs in later generations. If he couldn't pass this level, he would not have any major development in the future. So it seemed like a small problem, but it determined his future destiny. He suddenly remembered what Zhang Qiu Jianqiong said to him that day, "Accumulate the reputation of the people, and climb up in the future will have capital and officials will sit steadily."

It was only now that Li Qing finally understood the profound intention of Zhang Qiu Jianqiong's words. He had known that he would be today, so he arranged countermeasures for himself very early.

Thinking of this, Li Qing smiled slightly, "Li Qing was born in a poor family and had never studied hard in order to make a living. Later, he gradually became famous. Lord Meng Zhangqiu recommended him to be the chief clerk of Yibin County."

Li Wan said long, "Oh!", "Since Li Zhengwei has no fame, he must be a skilled archer and horse, a man with high martial arts skills, and is determined to make achievements for our Tang Dynasty in martial arts. This is not bad."

"I disappointed the prince, and Li Qing didn't know much about martial arts."

Li Wan frowned and said to Li Longji in surprise: "This is what Chen'er is confused about. Just now, King Sining and the emperor's brother said that Li Sheren is extraordinary, but he has no fame and no martial arts skills. So what kind of extraordinary abilities does he have that can be favored by Zhang Qiu Jianqiong and His Royal Highness of the Crown Prince? Chen'er is really curious, please forgive me for being rude."

At this time, the Zhuque City Tower was silent, and only the wind roared through the cracks of the city tower, and the noise of the people watching the lights under the city. All eyes were staring at Li Qing, Li Longji's indifference, Li Heng's gloom, Li Cong's pride, Li Jingyan's sadness, Yang Yuhuan's anger, and the contempt of the princes and princesses.

"Haha! I'm so sorry for making Li Sheren embarrassed! Sorry!" Li Wan couldn't hide the smug look on her face. Just as she was about to take a break, Li Qing stopped him with a smile, "Prince, please stay!"

"Your Majesty, can you let the guards take their luggage?"

Li Longji nodded. The Yulin Army had already taken Li Qing's luggage and monitored him closely. Li Qing smiled faintly and took out the book of Wanmin brought by Wang Changling, and placed it word by word on the city wall, straightening it ten feet straight.

He pointed to the dense signatures and handprints on it and said to Li Longjilang: "I have no fame and no martial arts. I have only one advantage, that is, I remember the emperor's kindness and treat the emperor's people well. This is the letter of the people that the parents and villagers of Yibin County petitioned for me when I stepped down from Yibin County as the acting magistrate."

He suddenly turned around, stared at Li Wan tightly, and said word by word: "Then, can you ask the prince, is this a kind of ability?"

The city tower was even quieter, so quiet that everyone's heartbeat could be heard. Li Longji suddenly laughed, "Okay! OK! OK!" He said three good things in a row, stood up and looked back and forth and said, "Did you all hear or see, fame are just the way to be an official, but doing things for the people and being supported by the people is the duty of an official."

He walked down the steps, patted Li Qing's shoulder with admiration, pointed at Wanmin Shu on the ground and smiled: "Can you give this Wanmin Shu to me?"
Chapter completed!