The Moon Over Tang Dynasty

Chapter 196 Don’t be murderous

In the huge hall, the four walls were simply coated with fine white mud. Only the wall behind the desk hung a banner, "If you take advantage of the fourth level of meditation, you will forever overcome the suffering of the three realms." There were two rows of regular script. The large characters are just right, just like the plain and square ebony desk under the banner, and the man behind the desk who is always slow and smiling.

Since the fourth year of the reign of Yonghui, this main hall of the Duhu Mansion has been one of the quietest places in the Anxi Duhu Mansion. Except when documents need to be finally sealed, almost no one will find it here on weekdays. In the past two years, the staff and government officials would go to the side hall to see Prince Qu when they had something to do, but in the past month, they had gone to the back room to ask Pei Changshi. Everyone seems to have forgotten that the owner of this room is the highest official of the Anxi Protectorate, and the owner himself has never thought of reminding everyone of this incident.

Therefore, when Qu Chongyu lifted the door curtain and saw the face raised from the table with a very solemn expression, he couldn't help but pause slightly, and then walked over quickly, with a bit more solemnity in his tone, "See you Chongyu." I don’t know if my father is calling me. What’s the hurry?”

 Qu Zhizhan's face and facial features are too round, and his face looks very blurry when he smiles. At this time, his brows are slightly wrinkled, but the lines of his entire face are obviously sharper. "I heard that you invited Pei Changshi Yongzhai today?"

Qu Chongyu nodded, "Exactly." But there was a cloud of doubt in his heart. Is this why his father came to him? Father won't want to...

Qu Zhizhan looked solemn, "You haven't changed your mind yet?"

Qu Chongyu suddenly became impatient. He suppressed his anger before saying, "Father, you are worrying too much. Today Chongyu was just entrusted by Master Juexuan to ask Pei Changshi to review the dispute between the monks at Lida Buddhist Temple and not to let anyone wait. Watch!”

Qu Zhizhan took a closer look at his son, who was standing in front of him like a jade tree in the wind, and his tone softened, "Yulang, has your father ever told you that among the doctors of your generation, you are the most similar to your grandfather?"

Qu Chongyu's face couldn't help but change, and his voice was a little louder, "Father, don't worry, Chongyu is different from his grandfather. He has no ambitions in his heart. His only wish in his life is not to have to return to Chang'an again in this life!"

Qu Zhizhan was silent for a moment, then sighed longly, "Yulang, father knows the injustice you suffered in Chang'an. My body can probably last for a few years now, but just in case, you still have three years of filial piety." "You will be old when you return to Chang'an. As long as you are careful, why worry about living in peace?"

Qu Chongyu raised his eyebrows, and there was a bit of irrepressible sharpness in his voice, "Living in peace? Just like what my father and uncle did in Chang'an, where they couldn't even save their wives, children, nephews, and nephews?"

Qu Zhizhan stood up in a hurry, and his already pale face suddenly turned three points whiter. After saying "You..." he couldn't say any more, and his face gradually turned gloomy.

Qu Chongyu blurted out these words and felt a little regretful in his heart. Seeing Qu Zhizhan's face, he hurriedly walked around the table and helped Qu Zhizhan sit down, "Father, forgive me. My son has no resentment. If it weren't for If you and your two uncles endured the humiliation, the Qu family would not be where they are today. But my father should also know that life is much easier for my uncles and brothers in Chang'an now, just because we are here. If one day, we no longer need to stay in the West. Zhou, what hope does our Qu family have?"

Qu Zhizhan's expression slowly softened, and he patted the back of Qu Chongyu's hand gently, "My father has thought about what you said, so although I don't agree with what you have done in the past few months, I still agree with it. It's up to you. But things in this world cannot be forced. It would be fine if Pei Changshi was just a casual person. But in the past two months, do you think he has made any move before he made a decision? It is dignified and upright. This kind of method reminds me of the days and nights when the Tang army came to Gaochang City more than ten years ago. You were still young at that time, so naturally you didn't know the momentum of the scorching sun shining on the ice and snow..."

Qu Zhizhan seemed to be remembering the situation back then. Qu Zhizhan's expression was a little dazed, and he spoke again after a while, "Yulang, what you have learned in your heart is ten times better than what your father has learned. But after all, your father has lived decades longer than you. There are things that can be done and things that cannot be done. It goes without saying that Pei Changshi is a person today. Once the tax is changed, most of the situation we have laid out in Xizhou has been broken! Could it be that you still can't see the situation clearly? "

Qu Chongyu's voice was slightly muffled, "If his father hadn't obeyed his advice, there would have been room for change."

Qu Zhizhan's face darkened again, "Don't you know about this? The emperor's household tax policy had been decided as early as the second year of Yonghui. Chai Duhu wanted to return to Chang'an that year and had no intention of taking care of it. You and I suppressed it again Over the years, now that Pei Changshi has proposed to obey the Holy Will, what can we do to stop him? Even if he can stop him for a while, he will not submit a letter to ask for an order? After running around in Xizhou for a month, if he dares to burn books in public like that, he will naturally have a back-up plan. How can we really stop him? Not to mention taxes, which one of the strategies he proposed after coming to Xizhou can find fault with me? If you don’t obey the advice, what can you do?”

"Yulang, Pei Changshi is by no means a thing in the pond. As a father, I don't want to be against him. It's you. Rather than antagonizing him every day and finally getting into trouble, why don't you take a step back? Even if you return to Chang'an in the future. , it would be nice to have some help! Don’t forget that his wife has a close relationship with the current queen!”

Qu Chongyu frowned slightly and couldn't help but said, "I'm afraid my father thinks highly of them! If Pei Shouyue was really knowledgeable, why would he be demoted to Xizhou? If the queen really had pity for Kudi, how could she Why not stay in Chang'an? They can't protect themselves now. It's unclear whether they can return to Chang'an, so what's the use of being friendly with them? "

Qu Zhizhan's face turned even colder, "You want to say that you and I are idiots, and that any official from the Tang Dynasty can toy with us in the midst of applause? In this case, you deserve to die for this thought, be a good boy. I’m waiting to return to Chang’an after being a father for a hundred years!”

Qu Chongyu couldn't help but be stunned. He naturally knew that his father was not as mediocre as he seemed on the surface, but in the past ten years, how had he ever said such harsh words to himself?

Qu Zhizhan continued speaking in a deep voice, "This is not the first time I have told you these things. A few days ago, you and Pei Changshi and his wife were making those machines. I thought you had changed your mind. I didn't know you until today." People are still watching Pei Changshi day and night. Do you plan to see how he raises military rations so that you can start with it? I advise you to give up this idea as soon as possible! The Tang army will arrive in Xizhou in less than three months, maybe in one or two days. In a few months, a military supervisor will come to urge for food. If Xizhou really has no money for food, Pei Changshi will certainly not be able to escape his guilt, and the people of Xizhou will also suffer a lot. Now Pei Changshi has decided to be collected by the merchants. The method of delivering food is very comprehensive, and the only thing missing is twenty to thirty thousand coins of silk. I have thought about it, but if it doesn't work, I will pay for it!"

Qu Chongyu suddenly remembered Pei Xingjian's bet just now, and said hurriedly, "Father..." Qu Zhizhan waved his hand and interrupted him, "You don't need to say more, although thirty thousand yuan is a lot, the Qu family can still use it to solve the problem. This favor is worth it to solve Pei Changshi’s urgent need!”

He looked at Qu Chongyu and spoke more and more earnestly, "Yulang, you are no longer young. When you know that big things will happen, you should not act on your impulse. Your two uncles and I have been working together for many years to get to the current situation. Now the Taiwei has already The sun was declining, and the most popular person in the court was the Queen's party. Although Pei Changshi was demoted after offending the Queen, he gave away such a huge amount of property. The Queen's sister also came forward to help the Kudi family. To solve this matter, it can be seen that there is still a way to find a way. Because of this, a poor girl from Kudi can make life worse than death for the eldest princess. If you can find this way, why should you be afraid of returning to Chang'an? "

Qu Chongyu was thinking about what Pei Xingjian had just said - before this autumn, some respected Xizhou people must donate money and silk! It turned out that he had seen his father's plan clearly, but he used this to make a bet with himself. He was really treating himself as an idiot!

Qu Zhizhan felt that something was wrong with Qu Chong's expression, and hurriedly said, "Yulang, have you ever listened to me?"

Qu Chongyu took a silent breath, suppressed the rage in his heart, and laughed when his thoughts suddenly changed, "What my father said is true, there is only one thing. Today, Pei Changshi also said to the child that he has already found a way to raise money. "Boy, if we rush to offer help at this time, it seems like an invitation with false promises. It's better to wait and see what he has in store."

Qu Zhizhan was a little surprised, "He has a way to raise money? Could it be that he wants to pay it himself?"

Qu Chongyu smiled and said, "It doesn't sound like the tone, but he said it very firmly." Seeing that Qu Zhizhan wanted to speak, he hurriedly said, "Father, it was the child who offended Pei Changshi before, and he said that he wanted to sell this favor. It is up to the child to step forward. If Pei Changshi can raise money and silk, it is his ability. If it fails, we will take action when the situation is critical. The so-called help in times of need can get twice the result with half the effort. What does father think? "

Qu Zhizhan said in a deep voice, "What you said is not unreasonable, but I have made up my mind on this matter. When the matter comes, we would rather lose some money than let Pei Changshi be held accountable for this!" He looked at it. Qu Chongyu glanced at me, and his face became even more serious, "Money and silk are external things. They can buy you peace in the future, but no matter how much they are, they are not worth anything. Yulang, if you really think that I am your father, you are not allowed to act willfully!"

Qu Chongyu's face darkened slightly and he could only nod his head, "Don't worry, father, the child has his own sense of proportion."

Qu Zhizhan looked slightly relaxed and gave a few more instructions. Qu Chongyu responded respectfully, and when he saw that there was nothing else to do, he left. Just as he reached the door of the side hall, he heard a servant report that Wang Junmeng had been waiting for a long time.

As soon as the curtain of the side hall fell behind him, Qu Chongyu's face completely darkened. Wang Junmeng was originally worried, but when he saw his appearance, his face suddenly turned pale. He wanted to speak but didn't know where to start.

Qu Chongyu sat down behind Gao An with a heavy voice and said in a cold tone, "You don't have to say anything. Although my father usually doesn't care about things, if you really want to know something, you can't hide it from him."

Wang Junmeng immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone knew that Qu Duhu had a temperament like a clay figurine, but they didn’t know how terrifying it would be for this clay figurine to get angry. He just looked at Qu Chongyu’s face and said cautiously, “Duhu is trying to persuade you again. "

Qu Chongyu sneered, "More than trying to persuade me? From today on, those who are staring at Pei Changshi should stop. Father said that if Pei Shouyue cannot raise money and silk when the army arrives, he will be the one to provide it. !”

Wang Junmeng couldn't help but stood up, "Where to start with this? Then shouldn't we..."

Qu Chongyu waved his hand and said, "I have already persuaded my father to put it off for a while. Even if we have to go out, I will do it."

Wang Junmeng was even more stunned. Seeing Qu Chongyu's cold face, he thought for a while and asked, "Are you planning to delay him until he can't get away with the crime before you come forward?"

Qu Chongyu shook his head, "Father will not let me delay until then! You don't know that Pei Xingjian made a bet with me today!" He mentioned the bet again in a few words, "I still wonder why he is so kind. , It turns out that we have clearly seen my father’s temperament, and we are sure that we will have to bear this matter for him!”

Wang Junmeng's eyebrows stood up, "Pei Xingjian has gone too far to deceive others! Could it be that he wants us to give him this money when he wants to win people's hearts?"

Qu Chongyu was silent for a long time, but his tone was strangely calm when he spoke, "The Turks are the best at making surprise attacks. I think many people will die in the Tang army's battle this autumn." He looked at the slightly fluttering door curtain, his eyes indifferent to the extreme, "Since we are out of the way, It’s 30,000 yuan, so what if we have more? How many tens of thousands of yuan do you think Pei Xingjian’s life is worth?”

p.s. "If you take advantage of the four-level view, you will forever escape the suffering of the three realms" comes from Xie Lingyun's "The Rice Monk in the Stone Chamber of Quxi", which is a representative of tasteless metaphysical poetry.

 (End of this chapter)