Chapter 469 Noble Concubine

Imperial City, Shangshu Province, and Hubu.

The spring sunshine shines through the window paper on the table, and a box of peach cakes is placed there, looking very delicious.

Yuan Zai stretched out his hand, picked up one, put it in his mouth and chewed it. He closed his eyes and savored the taste that melted in his mouth. As for the hard biscuits on the side, he had not yet taken a bite.

He is not greedy, but Chang'an City is short of food now, and food can demonstrate power more than anything else. Just this small box of peach cakes, which I might not be able to buy for ten thousand guan, but he can get it Being filial to others is power.

Yuan Zai has always been accommodating, and his relationship with Yang Guozhong and Xue Bai is sometimes distant and sometimes close, and they have never been at odds with each other. Last time Li Cong's palace changed, he secretly cooperated and was one of the first officials to support Li Cong. Now, He has been appointed as a doctor to manage the money and food in Chang'an City.

He is very good at doing this, and he is determined to rule the whole world. He can naturally handle the affairs of a small corner of Chang'an very appropriately. The strange thing is that Xue Bai is always on guard against him and never relaxes in his inspection. While Yuan Zai was dissatisfied, he also thought with disdain that if he really wanted to be greedy, who could see it?

There was a knock on the door, and Yuan Zai picked up a stack of official documents as if nothing had happened, casually covered it on the box of peach cakes, and said, "Come in."

An official in blue robe walked in and said: "Mr. Yuan, this is the military ration book you want."

"Leave it alone." Yuan Zai responded calmly.

The green-robed official was about to turn around and go out when a "gurgling" sound suddenly came from his stomach. Yuan Zai then raised his head and glanced at him and said, "You look strange, you just arrived at the Ministry of Finance?"

"Hui Yuan Langzhong, yes."

Yuan Zai thought to himself that Xue Bai had transferred a group of officials to the Ministry of Household Affairs just a few days ago to pay for food. This person should be Xue Bai's person. When he was asked, he did not take the initiative to give his name. He did not know whether it was because he was stupid or because he did not want to attract attention. .

"What's your name?"

"Xiaguan Ye Ping, a native of Raozhou, Jiangnan West Road."

"Ye Ping?" Yuan Zai thought for a while and murmured: "I seem to have heard your name before, 'White jade is not a treasure, I don't need a thousand gold pieces. Remembering a thousand pieces of paper, holding thousands of books in the heart', this poem is Did you write it?"

"Does Mr. Yuan actually know?"

"Sure enough, Wang Changling personally selected your poems for the first issue of "Tianbao Wenxiu"." Yuan Zai said with a smile, "That's right."

Ye Ping's stomach rumbled again, and he was a little surprised. He responded: "I am a low-ranking official with a humble talent. I am ashamed to have such an opportunity."

Yuan Zai picked up the biscuits on the table and handed them over. Ye Ping was stunned for a moment, and when he raised his eyes, he saw that the powerful doctor Du Zhi had a friendly look on his face, full of the charm of a man of power.

"Eat, my quota is larger than yours. Sit down, eat, and drink some water... Since you have such an opportunity, you must be very popular with Xue Lang, right?"

Ye Ping sat down carefully, took two mouthfuls of the biscuit, and responded: "In recent years, countless students from poor families have stood out because of public newspapers and literary newspapers. How can I be so virtuous and capable?"

Yuan Zai didn't believe it and asked, "Have you seen Xue Lang?"

Ye Ping's eyes couldn't help but light up, and he replied: "I've seen it before. First, when Xue Lang was demoted, he went with Chang Gun to see him off outside the city. Later, the Hanmen Poetry Society was established, and Du Fu also brought him here several times. Now he is at the top of the city. I can see him more often."

Yuan Zai just wanted to know if Xue Bai had appointed a new person to keep an eye on him, so he asked like a casual chat: "The Humble Poetry Club?"

Ye Ping said: "It is a society formed by those of us who come from humble backgrounds. We have cultural meetings every month, as well as our newspapers and schools."

After Yuan Zai heard this, he was a little puzzled and said: "Why didn't you invite me to join the society? Not to mention that I also come from a poor family. At that time, bamboo and paper were becoming popular, and I was publishing classics and history books under Yang Zhang's family."

"When Dr. Yuan Zhong was invited, it must be that Dr. Yuan Zhong was not around when we came to the door, so the concierge wouldn't let us in..."

While talking, there was a sudden noise outside.

Yuan Zai heard that something was wrong and went out of Shangshu Province in person. He saw an old man sitting on a carriage talking in the middle of the long cross street of the imperial city, with many officials standing around him.

He pushed through the crowd and squeezed forward, and soon heard the old man's slow but powerful words.

"You and the younger generation may not recognize me anymore. I am Cui Yuxi, whose courtesy name is Hongfan. I was named Viscount Qinghe and became an official in Zhongshushe. He was born in Wushuifang, the southern ancestor of Cui family in Qinghe. My father's name is "Rong". .”

As soon as these words came out, everyone was in awe. Cui Rong was a famous official in the Wu Zhou Dynasty. His articles were elegant and well-known. Together with Su Weiwei, Li Qiao, and Du Shenyan, they were collectively known as the "Four Friends of Articles". One of the founders of meter. This shows his reputation among officials and literati.

Cui Yuxi added: "Today, I want to confess my sins to the saint. In the spring of the seventh year of Tianbao, my seventh brother Cui Qiao was the Minister of Rites. You must all remember that the number one scholar that year was Xue Bai. Cui Qiao At that time, he told me that 'Xue Bai had evil intentions', and the reason why he refused to nominate Xue Bai as the number one scholar was because he believed that when serving as an official, character is more important than talent."

Hearing this, Yuan Zai smiled slightly, seemingly disapproving.

More and more officials arrived. When they heard the word "Xue Bai", they knew that today's matter was not simple.

"However, Xue Bai coerced public opinion, encouraged the scholars to cause trouble, and confused right and wrong. He said that Cui Qiao's failure to rank him on the list was because of his sinful and lowly status, which made people angry. At that time, even I didn't notice it. Right and wrong, I came forward to ask the Right Prime Minister to demote Cui Qiao, thinking that I was being impartial. But many years have passed, and it is only today that I can see that Xue Bai has a bad character and a wolfish ambition!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Ye Ping was shocked. He shouted and was about to step forward, but was quickly blocked by someone.

Cui Yuxi ignored those who questioned him, and continued in an old and powerful voice: "Do you know, gentlemen? An Qingxu is ready to surrender and has told the truth about the rebellion - you think that Xue Bai, the famous loyal minister who conquered the rebellion and Dingxing, It is the main culprit that caused the rebellion!"

Many years ago, it was here that Du Wulang incited a group of poor men to besiege Cui Qiao. At that time, he understood that the most important thing in creating a storm of public opinion was not to be justified or unreasonable, but to heighten the atmosphere and Emotions ignite.

Today is Cui Yuxi's turn. He doesn't need any evidence at all. The most fundamental reason for the whole thing is that Xue Bai's attitude towards the family's food payment aroused their anger. Then, when the angry person spreads rumors, the uninformed people will naturally act like they are innocent.

They swarmed like flies on their heads.

"You guys think Xue Bai welcomed the saint back? You're wrong, he was the one who forced the saint out of Chang'an. Do you still remember the fireworks that suddenly exploded above Xingqing Palace that night?!"

"Let me tell you, Xue Bai kidnapped the saint and took away the remaining grain reserves in Chang'an City, not to defend the city at all, but to rebel!"

"Fortunately, His Highness the Crown Prince has sent an envoy to appease An Qingxu. An Qingxu has only one request, to kill Xue Bai. However, His Highness is benevolent and righteous, but he still has scruples. We will go to Taiji Palace and ask the saint to issue an edict to punish the traitors and pacify the rebellion.

, restore stability to the Tang Dynasty!"

"..."

Words like this were not only spoken by Cui Yuxi, but had spread to the ears of all the officials in Chang'an City in a very short period of time.

They didn't think they could kill Xue Bai just by talking. Instead, they had sent people to contact Chen Xuanli, Wang Sili, Li Chengguang and other generals earlier. What they were doing at this time was just to build momentum and force them to

These generals just made up their minds.

Especially Chen Xuanli, who holds the imperial army and has the highest prestige. He has always been loyal to the saint. As long as Chen Xuanli expresses his stance, the overall situation will be decided.

Therefore, they encouraged more and more officials to rush to Tai Chi Palace.

In other words, these nobles and nobles from well-known families and elegant personalities would naturally not come forward in person. But today is different. First, because Xue Bai accepted their rations, which made them feel an unprecedented crisis. Second, Xue Bai

Bai has kidnapped Saint, and today their move is to rescue him.

Wouldn’t it be foolish for the rescuer not to actively strive to appear in front of the saint?

"Let's go to Tai Chi Palace to see the saint!"

The crowd in the imperial city was heading north, as if a great court meeting had been held during the day.

When Yuan Zai turned around, he could no longer find Ye Ping. Nowadays, most of the officials in the court were from the family. Even those who entered the official position through the imperial examination were mostly from famous families. Ye Ping was from a small and humble family.

Mixed in it, like a grain of sand, it has been buried.

"Brother Gongfu."

Suddenly someone shouted. Yuan Zai looked at the person and saw that they were Li Qiyun and Li Jiayou, so he nodded.

These two people were both born in the Li family of Zhao County, and were of the same age as Xue Bai. Not long ago, Yuan Zai saw them working with Xue Bai, looking like they were united.

Talented people from well-known families are born with a calm and confident temperament. Although their official positions are far lower than those of Yuan Zai, they can interact with each other freely and interact with each other as equals.

"You two are also going to the 'Qingjun Side' of Tai Chi Palace?" Yuan Zai asked. He used a very serious word, but there was a smile on his face, which softened the severity.

Li Jiayou said: "The food rations of my clan have also been requisitioned, and there are many uncles and brothers of mine there. But if Xue Bai is killed, the rebels will surrender. I don't believe it."

Li Qijun said: "I am afraid that Ji Sun's worries are not in Zhuan Yu, but within Xiao Qiang."

Yuan Zai nodded, and it could be seen that among the famous noble families, there were still some sober people after all.

"It is useless to argue about right and wrong at the moment." Li Jiayou said, "We want to talk to Xue Bai to see how to calm down the public anger. Does Brother Gongfu know where he is?"

Yuan Zai shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"Then what choice will Brother Gongfu make?"

Yuan Zai would never place a bet rashly. He raised his hands and bowed to the sky, saying: "I will do my duty and fulfill my duty as a minister."

Li Qijun took a deep look at him and seemed to see his wavering. He cupped his hands and continued to look for Xue Bai with Li Jiayou. Yuan Zai watched their backs, hesitated slightly, and followed the crowd towards Tai Chi Palace. go.

They parted ways. On one side were the famous children with five surnames and seven hopes, who did not care about their own interests and were trying to save the situation; on the other side were the common people who were born in poverty and had finally climbed to a high position, thinking about how to protect themselves. Sometimes, looking at Which class a person belongs to may not only depend on their origins, but also where their hearts are. Their origins will not change, but their hearts will.

~~

A sky street passes through Zhuque Gate in the imperial city and leads directly to Chengtian Gate in the palace city.

The Imperial Guards standing guard in front of Chengtian Gate, holding halberds, changed their expressions slightly when they saw the ministers and nobles coming towards them with great force.

"I request to see the saint!"

"Please ask the saint to punish the traitors and pacify the rebels!"

Such a cry fell on Chen Xuanli's ears through the vermilion palace wall. He frowned with two thick eyebrows, thought about it, and went to find Gao Lishi again.

Gao Lishi has been a lot lazy recently and doesn't often accompany the saint. Today he moved a deck chair and sat on the corridor, staring at the clouds in the sky in a daze.

Chen Xuanli walked up to him, looked up at the sky, and listened. He could indeed hear the noise coming from the distance, so he asked doubtfully: "Can't you hear it?"

"I'm getting old." Gao Lishi sighed, "You know, many years ago I asked the saint to ask for help. My legs and waist hurt when I stand for a long time. Others admire me for my majesty, but what I want is the opposite. It’s time to live a leisurely life after becoming an official, so you don’t have to worry so much every day.”

"Don't think I'm stupid." Chen Xuanli said, "I can see something is wrong. Have you ever been so careless before?"

"But you still went back to Chang'an."

Chen Xuanli said: "That means I believe you."

"Since you believe me and just sit back and wait, you and I are old, so let's leave the matter to the young people to solve."

"How can I sit still if you refuse to tell the truth?" Chen Xuanli stared at Gao Lishi for a while, and when he saw that he still closed his eyes and said nothing, he said: "Okay, then I will do it my way!"

Gao Lishi said: "The saint has not issued the decree yet..."
To be continued...