The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 146 There is no excuse for going with the flow

 In the thick slightly white bone soup, there are finely cut snow-white soup cakes, paired with green chopped green onions and golden egg drops, which look particularly attractive.

Pei Xingjian glanced at the four-petal crabapple celadon bowl in front of him, and looked at Liuli with a smile, "Today, the food served at the Chief Food Officer's office in the corridor is soup cakes. I don't know why I remembered the soup you made. I didn't care about it. I just felt That bowl of lukewarm soup cake was tasteless.”

Liuli smiled and said, "I think you ate two more gourd heads before going out in the morning. Didn't you have an appetite at that time?"

Pei Xingjian thought for a while and laughed.

Liuli started to serve Pei Xingjian a small bowl of meat soup, "Hurry up and try this Buhu beef soup while it's hot. It's made from the spine of Feng Yi sheep. It tastes different from the usual. It's rare that they bought authentic Feng Yi sheep yesterday, otherwise they wouldn't have it this morning." I won't prepare gourd heads for you." On weekdays, she asked the kitchen to prepare snacks for Pei Xingjian in the morning, which were small steamed cakes or jade noodles that were easier to digest.

Pei Xingjian lowered his head to take a sip, nodded with a smile, and saw that in addition to the homely dishes, there was also a grilled carp and a plate of bear and deer on the table. He couldn't help but wonder, "Why is it still so rich today?"

Liu Li thought to herself, this stable meal is now one meal less than one meal. How can I wait for it if I don't squander it now? After thinking about it for a while, he sighed, "It's not like I let a beauty go in vain. Looking back, I feel it's such a pity, so I just have to make a few more delicious things to comfort myself."

Pei Xingjian looked suddenly enlightened and said, "Well," "In that case, I need to use more!"

Liuli wanted to roll her eyes at him, but when she saw his serious look, she couldn't help but laugh.

The two of them had finished eating. After A Ni and others had packed up their cups and plates and left, Liuli wanted to get up, but Pei Xingjian reached out and gently took her away, causing her to fall into his lap. Liuli smiled and stretched out her hand to push him, "Don't make trouble. I've been busy all day today. I'm greasy. The hot water in the clean room is ready. I'll go back." Today she used the storage room to pretend that In the name of the 220,000 yuan that would never come, I took a good inventory of the family's warehouse and roughly figured out how much gold and silverware could be taken away in addition to money and silk. I was so busy that I was sweating profusely...

Pei Xingjian grabbed Liuli's hands and smiled without saying a word, but looked at Liuli with an unusually deep look. Liuli couldn't help but think, "What's wrong? But what happened in the court?"

Pei Xingjian slowly shook his head and suddenly said, "Liuli, I have said before that I don't want to stay in Chang'an. If I have the opportunity to go abroad, have you ever thought about where to go?"

Liuli looked at him and sighed, "Do you want to go to Xijiang?"

Pei Xingjian was silent for a moment and nodded, "My mentor has been appointed as the commander-in-chief of the front army on Congshan Road this time. However, the Holy One has been reluctant to send troops because of tight military expenditures. I am indeed a little worried."

Liuli smiled and said, "Since you want to go to Western Xinjiang, then naturally I want to go to Western Xinjiang too."

Pei Xingjian's eyes suddenly froze. After a while, he closed his eyes slightly and sighed, "Liu Li..." Liu Li also wanted to sigh, but finally just raised her head and looked at him seriously, "What happened today?"

Pei Xingjian's eyes became a little distant, but his tone was very calm, "It's nothing, it's just that when I went to Menxia Provincial Political Affairs Hall to return the volume of Zhang Boying's copybooks to Prime Minister Chu, thanks to the respect of the eldest grandson Taiwei and Prime Minister Chu, they specially called me into the inner room. Talk a little more.”

 Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang? Liuli was secretly shocked and asked quickly, "What did you say to them?"

Pei Xingjian looked down at Liuli, with a bit of self-mockery in his smile, "If I told you, they first asked me to comment on the length of all the ink books of all my colleagues in the court, and then they praised me in public for my sharp eyesight and my mind for the world. You Don’t you believe it?”

Liuli looked at him with wide eyes, her mind a little confused for a moment: How could this happen? Then he woke up: So this is it! Although she had been secretly preparing these days, she had always been a little puzzled. Even if Pei Xingjian was wary of Wu Zhaoyi and wanted to go to the Western Regions to help his teacher Su Dingfang, how could he find Changsun Wuji, who he had never known before, to say "If If the Wu family is established as the queen, the country will be in trouble?"? Once such words came out, not only did Wu Zetian completely offend him, but he also completely betrayed Gaozong. And if she remembered correctly, in the last years of Yonghui, anyone who opposed Wu Zetian would end up extremely miserable. He, the one who was the first to publicly express his stance and the most violent one, became the only exception... It turns out, that's it!

Changsun Wuji is a famous minister after all, but he didn’t expect to resort to such unsavory methods! So, he just goes along with the flow? Liuli felt relieved in her heart and simply smiled and said, "What's the point? You have a sharp vision, so it's normal for them to praise you like this."

Pei Xingjian glanced at her in surprise, then smiled, lowered his head and kissed her gently on the forehead, "Silly Liuli, you are the only one in this world who thinks that everything about me is good, and that others should think that I am good."

Liuli raised her face with a smile, "Of course you are the best. Those who think you are not good now just don't have the eyesight!" He is Pei Xingjian!

Pei Xingjian looked at her blankly, then sighed for a long time and put Liuli into his arms.

Liuli buried her head in his arms, feeling peaceful. After hearing him sigh again, she had no choice but to raise her head and sigh, "Have you gone to burn incense today? The smell of incense on your clothes is better than the smell of dust on my body. Why do we need to be bigger? Are we like each other? "

Pei Xingjian couldn't help but laugh, "I've never seen a little guy who loves talking nonsense more than you!"

Liuli nodded seriously, "Exactly, who doesn't know that you have countless women in Pei Ming's house..."

Pei Xingjian couldn't bear it any longer, and flicked Liuli's forehead with his finger, "That's getting more and more nonsense!" Seeing Liuli complaining while covering her forehead with a sly smile hidden in her eyes, he immediately understood what she was thinking and felt a surge in his chest. He reached out and rubbed her hair, gently pressed her head on her chest, half-smiled and half-sighed and whispered, "What's Liuli Liuli Nairuo like?"

What is this nonsense! Does he think he is Xiang Yu? Liuli cursed in her heart and replied in a muffled voice, "What can I do if I keep my promise?" Pei Xingjian laughed above his head. The dullness finally disappeared from his laughter, and he couldn't help but smile.

　　…………

A full moon gradually rose into the sky, and the moonlight filtered in from the half-opened south window of the upper room, casting a silvery light in front of the bed. Pei Xingjian listened to Liuli's long breathing, sat up gently, and turned around After another glance, her outline was not clear in the shadow of the tent, but Pei Xingjian still looked at her for a long time, then put on his clothes and shoes, **** his hair casually, and quietly walked out the door.

The yard was quiet, and the low hum of autumn insects in the corner was particularly clear. Pei Xingjian lifted the corner of his robe, sat down on the steps, looked up at the flawless moon on the treetops, and his mood became... It became much quieter, and I gradually drifted away from the world. It wasn't until he heard rapid footsteps in the distance that he suddenly stood up and walked to the entrance of the courtyard in a few steps.

Under the moonlight, a small black figure stumbled over. Suddenly he looked up and saw Pei Xingjian standing at the door of the courtyard. He screamed in fright. Pei Xingjian said in a deep voice, "But someone from the palace is calling?"

The little maid in charge of communicating at the screen door was stunned with fright. She could only nod her head but couldn't say a word. Pei Xingjian ignored her and strode out. In the bright moonlight, you can see from a distance that the door of Pei Mansion has been opened, and there are bright torches flashing outside the door. Pei Xingjian stepped out of the gate and heard a familiar voice: "Pei Ming Mansion, Your Majesty has urgently summoned you to the palace to meet the driver. Hurry up and mount your horse!"

Pei Xingjian hugged Wang Fusheng, who looked anxious, and quickly grabbed an empty horse and got on the horse. The two guards hurriedly turned the horse to the north, each holding a torch to lead the way. Pei Xingjian urged the horse to follow. Go up. It wasn't until he left Yongningfang that Wang Fusheng came forward and said, "Pei Ming's house came so quickly!" He looked back and forth again and lowered his voice, "Mrs. Yang suddenly entered the palace just now, looking extremely worried. I don’t know what I said to the Holy One, but the Holy One is also very angry. Mingfu will be more careful later.”

Pei Xingjian smiled at Wang Fusheng and said in a low voice, "I know it in my heart. Thank you to the king's chamberlain for your advice." Wang Fusheng looked at Pei Xingjian's neat clothes and suddenly felt a little clear in his heart. He couldn't help but secretly sigh. He has been with His Majesty for many years, but he has never seen His Majesty get so angry a few times. Even Wu Zhaoyi couldn't stop him. I hope this Pei Mingfu is really well prepared!

There was no one on the road late at night. A few fast horses galloped all the way. In less than a quarter of an hour, they arrived at the Taiji Palace. They drove straight in from the Changle Gate and arrived in front of the Ganlu Palace.

The imperial study room in the east hall of Ganlu Hall was brightly lit with candles. Emperor Gaozong was wearing a crimson robe and pacing back and forth in front of the desk. He copied a silk book on the desk and flipped through a few pages. He suddenly recognized that it was Pei Xingjian who had copied it. "Selected Works" was immediately thrown away as if it was a scalding hand. When I turned around and saw the handwriting of the late emperor hanging high on the wall, my teeth couldn't help but clench together.

Outside the imperial study, a burst of chaotic footsteps hurriedly sounded, approaching from far away. Gaozong suddenly turned around and stared at the door with gloomy eyes.

Wang Fusheng's cautious voice came from outside the curtain, "Your Majesty, Pei Ming's Mansion has arrived."

Gaozong snorted coldly, "What? Do you still want me to invite him in?"

The door curtain was raised, and Pei Xingjian strode in. When he saw Gaozong, he paused in his steps and bowed, "I have seen your Majesty." His expression was calm, as usual.

Gaozong stared at his face and sneered, "Do you know why I called you late at night?"

Pei Xingjian was silent for a moment and then replied, "I don't know."

Wang Fusheng outside the door curtain suddenly felt anxious and couldn't help but stamp his feet - Pei Ming's mansion had been prepared for it early in the morning, so why was he being so careless with His Majesty at this moment? Doesn't this add fuel to the fire?

The young **** Adou who was standing next to Wang Fusheng couldn't help but look at his immediate boss in a strange way. Just as he was about to ask in a low voice, he heard His Majesty's angry shout coming from behind the curtain, "How dare you still do it now?" "I don't know! Do you really think I'm easy to bully?" Adou was so frightened that he didn't even dare to speak out.

Pei Xingjian's response was still unhurried, "Your Majesty, I only know that your Majesty's announcement late at night may have something to do with my visit to the Political Affairs Hall today. I am also a little confused about this matter. Prime Minister Chu visited me a few days ago. I found Wei Chen and asked him to copy a copybook for him. After the morning session, I asked him to go to the political hall to return the copy in the afternoon. When I left, it was the time when the prime minister was having a dinner. However, Taiwei Changsun and Prime Minister Chu made an exception to see me in the inner room. I reviewed the merits and demerits of my colleagues in the court before letting me go. I cannot know what happened after that, so I really don’t know what your majesty asked.”

The room suddenly became silent. In the candlelight, Gaozong paced back and forth a few more times. The anger on his face softened slightly, but his brows were tightly knitted together. After walking straight for more than ten times, he stopped and said coldly, "Did you really only talk about calligraphy?"

Pei Xingjian raised his head and looked at Gaozong, "Your Majesty, I have never had any contact with the Taiwei and Prime Minister Chu. Today I was suddenly treated favorably, and I feel quite uneasy when I think about it afterwards. However, how could I dare to deceive Your Majesty about such matters?"

Gaozong nodded slowly and looked at Pei Xingjian with sharp eyes, "Did you know that after the prime ministers met for dinner today, Chu Suiliang said that you took the initiative to find them today to tell them that if Wu Zhaoyi is appointed as his queen, the country will be in chaos. From now on? What can you say about this matter?"

Pei Xingjian had a look of astonishment on his face, and then he smiled bitterly, "It was my negligence that put the Holy One in a dilemma. I have no excuse."

The autumn wind blowing in through the window lattice was already slightly chilly. In the flickering candlelight, Gaozong's face looked a little uncertain. After a long time, he said, "Before I came to the study, it was Zhaoyi who said, "Don't you, Pei Shouyue, be so ungrateful?" It seems that you are not ungrateful, but you are complacent and ignorant of the importance! Fortunately, I still think that you are prudent!"

Pei Xingjian lowered his eyes and said, "I have failed to show my grace, please punish me."

Looking at Pei Xingjian's still calm face, Emperor Gaozong couldn't help but get angry again and sneered, "Punishment? Tell me how I should punish you!"

Pei Xingjian’s voice was clear and calm, “I would like to go out to Xizhou and serve as an official.”

Gaozong was stunned for a moment, Xizhou, Xizhou, which is more than five thousand miles away from Chang'an and has suffered from continuous wars and disasters? He had just turned around several times in his mind, and more or less understood that this was a trap carefully set up by his uncle, just to put him in a dilemma. With Pei Shouyue's status, it was impossible for him to refuse the call of prime minister, and he was indeed somewhat innocent in this matter. Just looking at the current situation in the DPRK, it is absolutely impossible not to demote him. The question is to where? If he was demoted to Hedong Road or Hebei Road, it seemed too light. Perhaps it would be more suitable to go to Jiangnan Road or Lingnan Road, which were further away. He could propose the best by himself and save himself the trouble... But why did Pei Shouyue say it as soon as he opened his mouth? The word "Xizhou" came out - there had never been a dangerous place in the Tang Dynasty where officials had been demoted to! Is he retreating in order to advance? Gaozong's face suddenly darkened.

Pei Xingjian seemed to be unaware and continued speaking unhurriedly, "First of all, although I didn't say this, people in the world will think that it was made by me. If I don't punish him severely, how can I be a warning? Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, , the kindness of rain and dew has long been given to the world, but the power of thunder has not yet been imposed on the ministers, so the subjects respect your majesty more and fear less. Now that I have committed such a big mistake, I am only willing to bear your majesty's thunder with my small body. "Only by serving as a warning to all officials can we make up for the minister's mistakes."

 Gaozong couldn't help but feel a little moved. Of course he knew that to control his subordinates, he must receive both grace and power, otherwise no matter how many people he promoted, it would be of no use. The reason why uncle Sun Wuji's position in the court has been so unshakable in the past two years is because the blood of the major case in the fourth year of Yonghui paved the way. Why haven't I wanted to kill someone these days to serve as a warning to others? Therefore, Liu Shi was demoted again and again. However, in the end, it only reduced the power of his relatives and could not serve as a warning to the officials. If it is as Pei Shouyue said, after today, everyone will know that those who comply with the emperor's wishes, such as Jiang Xiaozhang of Li Yifu, will be promoted exceptionally, and those who dare to form a party with Changsun Wuji and oppose the emperor, such as Pei Xingjian, even if they have Even if someone is favored, he will be demoted with unprecedented severity. How can the situation of the court not be completely changed?

After only a pause, Pei Xingjian's gentle voice echoed in the imperial study room again, "Secondly, the situation in Western Xinjiang is unstable now. There are frequent rebellions from the Western Turks in the near future, and Tubo is eyeing it in the distance. Although our dynasty has a capital, However, surrendering the vassal king to the head of Xizhou was not a plan for long-term peace and stability. The minister secretly believed that in order to quell the chaos in the Western Turks, the key was to provide food and grass, and the long-term strategy was to unite the people's hearts. I am willing to use my body to punish sinners and fulfill my responsibility to raise food and educate the border people, so that the blessings of the Holy One can be extended to the barbarian lands, and the bright moon of the Tang Dynasty can shine on the territory of the Western Regions."

Gaozong's expression completely softened, and his eyes looking at Pei Xingjian couldn't help but feel a little more admiration. He had indeed seen the wrong person. Although Pei Shouyue fell into his uncle's trap by accident, he could immediately think of a way to make up for his counterattack. Method, and there is no selfishness, always thinking about yourself and the court... "It's just that I feel so wronged for keeping my promise!"

Pei Xingjian bowed slightly and said, "It is the duty of a minister to share the king's worries. Moreover, the border battlefield is the place where athletes have made great achievements. I dare not live up to the grace of the saint, and I dare not live up to the teachings of my teacher. Please forgive me!"

Gaozong nodded, with a pleased smile on his face, "If all the subjects of the Tang Dynasty could be like you, Pei Qing, then what would I have to worry about?"

 Listening to Gaozong's voice, he gradually became gentle and cheerful, talking about the war in Western Xinjiang and the deployment of defenses, starting from the current affairs of the government. Wang Fusheng outside the door curtain couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and secretly praised in his heart. There are very few people with such a big heart in Pei Ming's house. Whoever is framed would not rush to shirk and beg for forgiveness? How could he sincerely consider the court and His Majesty and ask for his own removal! Does this mean that we are not a family and do not enter the same family? It's just that in this way, Painter Kudi saved himself in the Wannian Palace, saved His Majesty and saved her, but he didn't know when he would be able to repay it...

The sound of watch drums was heard in the distance, and it was actually the fourth watch. The chill in the night wind was getting worse, and Adou couldn't help but curled up his neck and stomped his feet gently. Wang Fusheng glanced at him, and just as he was about to speak, he heard Gaozong's slightly sighing voice coming from behind the curtain, "Today I will issue a decree that you must leave Chang'an within three days. Don't worry, after you have made great achievements in Western Xinjiang, I will call you back to Kyoto and let you choose the world's talents for me." That's probably a lot to say! , his voice was slightly hoarse.

Pei Xingjian's voice was still clear and gentle, "Thank you very much, Your Majesty. I will say goodbye to Your Majesty now. I wish Your Majesty good health and long life."

There was a slight sound of clothes rustling in the room. Wang Fusheng and Adou looked at each other and stood up straight. However, they heard Gaozong suddenly laugh and say, "Wait a minute, I almost forgot something. All about today's incident." It's because you have the ability to judge people. You have reviewed many talents with me, but I don't know what Wu Zhaoyi's appearance is like according to your opinion."

As I write today, I finally get to the point - The Bright Moon of the Tang Dynasty is the glory of the culture of that era and the glory of the talents of that era. Only in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty could a Confucian general like Pei Xingjian, who was both civil and military, be born, and a generation of empresses like Wu Zetian be persevering and courageous. Therefore, Alan wanted to use this article to show the style of that era as much as possible. Although his talent and insight may not be as good as his, he still tried his best... Please forgive me for any shortcomings.

 (End of this chapter)