His Majesty the Emperor likes jewelry and treasures, an obsession. When he learned that Xuzi was looking for vacancies everywhere, he once said personally: Instead of bribing others, you might as well bribe me. Xuzi hoped that this was just a joke, but

One of the reasons why Yuwenshu was favored despite repeated defeats was that he always sent the best and most valuable things he collected to the palace.

Although the truth is not pleasant, Xuzi is no longer surprised by it. In recent days, he suddenly understood many things. In the past, he was superstitious about the words in the book, firmly believed in eternal friendship, firmly believed in the preciousness of family affection, and firmly believed that the emperor is

My sage, the reason why there is so much suffering among the people is because the ministers with bad conduct have deceived the sages.

But now, many personal experiences have overturned those unrealistic fantasies. Today, Xuzi believes more in what he has seen and heard with his own eyes. Although Master Yang once taught that sometimes what people see with their own eyes may not be the truth.

.

When you are between clarity and haziness, you are always the most confused. Xuzi doesn't know whether what he is doing now is right or wrong. According to the requirements of life in the book, it is basically all wrong. But if you don't do this, it is wrong.

Even more powerful.

"In the past two years, the treasury has been tight. I have heard about this before. If you are not a householder, you don't know how expensive firewood and rice are. It embarrasses the emperor. We ministers really feel guilty!" The same thing came from Mr. Pei's mouth.

It's always so high-sounding when you say it.

"When we wiped out the bandits in Beihai last time, there was a pearl, emerald, and glass lamp hidden among the thieves. No one has been able to afford it for several months. Why don't we present it to His Majesty? One way, the court will know the loyalty and bravery of my county's children. Two.

Then, as General Li said, it would be a big expense for Your Majesty to reward the victorious soldiers!" After listening to Pei Caozhi's words, Zhang Xutuo took the initiative to suggest.

"I'm afraid that just a pearl-glazed lamp is too thin. There are millions of troops accompanying your majesty in triumph. We local officials cannot serve in the army, so we should collect some military pay. Beihai County was robbed by bandits this year. I heard that the new appointee

The county guard also collected 100,000 guan of military pay. Our Qi County has always been known as rich..." Pei Caozhi smiled and shook his head.

Before Li Xu arrived, he was still a little undecided. Since even His Majesty the Emperor's most trusted general, General Li, proved that His Majesty's hobby is gold, silver and jewelry, the old eunuch knew how to make it beautiful.

"We just collected a levy donation at the beginning of spring!" Xuzi did not dare to interfere openly with local political affairs, so he muttered a reminder in a low voice. He remembered that in the spring, several colleagues in the prefecture were scratching their heads about this year's people's livelihood. How come it was only summer?

, Mr. Pei suddenly became generous.

"I will send people to tell the big families that this is the last time. Goguryeo is at peace, and your majesty will never conquer Liao again." Pei Caozhi thought about it and found a very reasonable excuse for his behavior.

"Your Majesty will not conquer Liao again?" Xuzi was not sure. If Your Majesty raises troops again next year, wouldn't the old prefect have to break his promise to the people? He looked at Zhang Xutuo again, but saw Master Tongshou gently

He shook his head, his eyes full of hints.

Xuzi knew that Zhang Xutuo was an honest official, and he also knew that Pei Caozhi was not a corrupt official without conscience. Judging from the actions of the two superiors who would rather risk being blamed by the court than protect the local people during the expedition to Liao at the beginning of the year, Xuzi knew that Zhang Xutuo was an honest official.

Their characters are all upright. However, this does not prevent them from sitting together to discuss how to bribe the emperor.

From the look in Zhang Xutuo's eyes, Xu Zi knew that he should not say anything disappointing. The old prefect was willing to call him over to discuss the matter, making it clear that he did not regard him as an outsider. If he was too ignorant of praise, I am afraid that he would be ordered to do so in the future.

Many people find it difficult.

If you want to make a difference, you must first adapt to the environment around you.

Xuzi took a deep breath and decided to compromise with the old prefect. Suddenly, he remembered Xie Yingdeng's words: In this world, the so-called officials and thieves are just that one takes a big seal when robbing, and the other takes a big seal when robbing.

Just swords and guns!

"Then what does the emperor mean? Does he just sit on the ground and divide the spoils?" Xuzi was startled by the sudden thought in his mind. He looked around and tried hard to make his expression less weird.

"Well, the local government has provided 100,000, and another 50,000 have been transferred from the treasury. 150,000 guan of money, a pearl emerald glass lamp, and the summer grain is about to be put into the warehouse. I will move another 100,000 from the county's press warehouse in the spring.

Let's approve it and ship it to Dongdu!" Seeing that Zhang Xutuo and Li Xu had no objections, Pei Caozhi waved his hands grandly and decided.

"Your Excellency, you have thought carefully!" Li Xu smiled and nodded, flattering.

"Will it be safe on the road this time?" At the same time, another strange idea came to his mind. He remembered that in the spring, Qijun once defaulted on the taxes that should be sent to the court on the grounds that the road was not safe. The same thing happened this time

It was sent to Luoyang, the eastern capital, and passed through so many areas where bandits were rampant along the way. "The prefect will not dispatch county soldiers to escort the congratulatory gifts to the emperor!" Xuzi smiled bitterly secretly. If that were the case, he might have to meet Xu Maogong again.

He suddenly realized that he was somewhat looking forward to this.

When Xu Zi and Zhang Xutuo said goodbye to the two prefects' offices, the sun had already set below the mountain. The streets were very lively in the evening, and people who had been busy for a day took advantage of this rare opportunity to relax before darkness came.

Most people here keep the good habit of going to bed after dark, or in other words, most of them don't have money to buy lamp oil. Therefore, the period from sunset to before dark becomes the most important time of the day.

Good times worth cherishing

Someone is holding a wine bowl and singing on the roadside. This is one of the ways for Qijun people to express their happiness. Their happiness is always very simple. It is good to earn an extra piece of meat, or their son's intelligence is praised a few times, which makes him very happy.

Satisfied. Someone was loudly telling some heroic stories that had been passed down for a long time. To the ears of generals like Xu Zi and Zhang Xutuo who had actually led armies, every sentence was absurd, but they always won the admiration of many listeners.

Xuzi knew that he had been so satisfied before, but now he felt very empty. Compared with ordinary people who didn't know whether the rice would be enough for next month, he had gained a lot. But people's desires seemed to have no end.

The more you get, the greater your expectations.

Especially recently, he seems to have everything, including titles, mansions, restaurants, and women, but he feels like he can't catch anything. Sometimes he really wants to get drunk, but Qijun's wine is far worse than his uncle's private brew.

There is so much that drinking a whole jar will still make one’s eyes bright.

"Is Zhong Jian unhappy recently?" Zhang Xutuo, who was walking slowly alongside Li Xu, asked with a smile when he saw that his beloved general was not in a good mood.

"Maybe it's because of the weather. It's much hotter and more humid here than in my hometown!" Li Xu thought for a while and replied. No one in my position would be too happy. The elders I respect the most are thieves.

Boss, the best friend is the enemy. His Majesty, who he once relied on as a supporter, is a guy who does not keep his word, does things casually and is greedy. He thought so in his heart, but his eyes were as calm as water.

"Boy, you are very good!" Zhang Xutuo patted Xuzi with his thick palm. Both his man and his horse were shorter than Li Xu, so it was very difficult to do this encouraging gesture. "Why don't you go to the roadside and have a drink? Here

It looks a little dirty, but the food is very authentic!" After retracting his arm, he suggested loudly, and then, not allowing the other party to refuse, he directly drove the horse to the roadside.

The boy at the roadside hotel did not expect that two uninvited guests would suddenly fall from the sky. He was so shocked that even his welcome speech changed his tone, "Two gentlemen, two gentlemen, please invite me upstairs. The seats are upstairs."

Please come in! Xiao Qi, quickly find someone to clear a seat by the window and come out, Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang has come to our restaurant to have a drink!"

"No, no, just go downstairs to the lobby. I love the bustle downstairs!" Zhang Xutuo was very easy-going and gave instructions casually. Then he threw the horse's reins to the waiter, pulled up a bench and looked at it.

He sat down without looking at them. Several guards who followed the two people into the store tried to come forward to help clear the tables, but Zhang Xutuo pulled them away with a big hand and rushed them to the other side of the street.

"You go find a place to eat on your own, and don't follow us wherever we go. This is the city, not a battlefield between the two armies!" the old general pointed to another tavern opposite and ordered carelessly.

Li Xu was a little surprised. Although he often helped his uncle's shop before joining the army, since he became an officer, he rarely invited people to drink in the lobby on the ground floor. First, it was too noisy here, and he had to shout loudly to speak clearly. Second,

, the waiter in the waiter didn’t respect the people at the bottom enough, and always had to ask for more dishes. Another point was Asahi’s own vanity. After having money, he instinctively hoped that he would live more comfortably and more happily.

Be respected a little.

But since Zhang Xutuo sat down, he had to sit down too. Seeing this, the two soldiers around Xuzi took the initiative to sit down with Zhang Xutuo's soldiers without waiting for instructions from their superiors. They tried their best to choose

There are tables near the entrance. Two taverns with seven or eight tables each are facing each other across a street. If there is any danger here, Zhang Xutuo and Li Xu can rush over to protect them at any time.

"Bring a jar of freshly baked beans, a plate of bad beans, and other fresh dishes to go with the wine." Zhang Xutuo was obviously very familiar with the food at the roadside shop. He didn't read the water sign handed over by the waiter.

Oral command.

"A jar of freshly baked beans, a plate of bad beans, let's take the rest of the special ones!" Due to excitement, the young waiter's voice was long and loud, causing the surrounding drinkers to turn around and look at the two men with interest.

There was a nobleman wearing the uniform of a military commander, but he was drinking among them. Soon, someone recognized the names of these two people, and boldly raised the wine bowl to this side. "Master Zhang, come and drink from me.

.The seal has just been opened and has not been touched yet!”

Zhang Xutuo smiled and clasped his fists in return, "Everyone, please be patient, my wine will be here in a minute!"

"Master Zhang, please drink mine first!" The drinkers who received the response became even more excited. They picked up the wine jars in front of them and greeted Zhang Xutuo.

"Everyone, please take care of yourself. I'm treating you today, so I can't borrow other people's wine!" Zhang Xutuo pointed at Li Xu and used the other person as a reason to say goodbye.

"Then please take it easy, sir. We won't force you! If there is a chance in the future, I will definitely offer you a bowl." The drinkers turned their heads and returned to the previous bustle.

A long-lost warmth emerged in Xuzi's heart. He found that he actually liked the comfortable life lived by the drinkers, or in other words, he was still nostalgic for the life at the bottom. The years after joining the army made him live a happy life.

It is wonderful, but it will never be associated with peace and harmony. But Mr. Zhang Xutuo has easily combined the two lives in one place. Looking at his lazy appearance sitting on a greasy stool, any

It is difficult for people to associate him with the all-rounded old general in the officialdom.

"I'm a little disappointed that I missed the last opportunity to conquer Liao, aren't you?" After the food and wine were served, Zhang Xutuo sifted a bowl for himself and asked while drinking.

"A bit!" Li Xu followed Zhang Xutuo's example and poured himself a bowl of wine, took a swig and responded.

"To be honest, last year I heard you said that His Majesty wanted to transfer the two of us to Liaodong, and I was looking forward to it. But later the Emperor had other arrangements." Zhang Xutuo dug up a pod with his hands and threw the green beans into his mouth.

, the words became a little vague, but the meaning was very clear, "I am very unwilling to give in. But it is my practice to say it or not. I have encountered many similar things in my life, so I have become numb.

!,"

"It was the last general who accidentally conveyed the message!" Li Xu put down his wine bowl and apologized. The arrangement that the two of them would be transferred to Liaodong at the same time was revealed to Zhang Xutuo personally. He did not expect that His Majesty the Emperor's memory was so poor.

"It's none of your business." Zhang Xutuo quickly peeled the pods with his thick fingers and ate them with gusto. "I know the tricks in the court much better than you." He sipped another bowl of wine and tasted it like a memory.

A spicy, sweet and mixed taste.

The old general seemed to be very disappointed with the court. Li Xu held the wine bowl and keenly guessed Zhang Xutuo's thoughts. The people in the tavern were very mixed, and this was really not a place suitable for communicating feelings. If someone accidentally listened,

Stab him again afterwards... Asahi knows that he is a little too cautious, but no matter who has suffered so much, I am afraid that he will feel that there are enemies hidden everywhere around him.

"When you are an official in this dynasty, you must first look at your family background. Some people are born as princes, and some people will never get a title in their lifetime!" Zhang Xutuo spit out the breath of alcohol and continued to criticize unscrupulously. "People like you.

Lucky guy, let alone anyone else, I’m jealous just looking at him!"

"I know that I am able to get to where I am today, all thanks to His Majesty's appreciation, and several adults have mentioned it!"

"You are the one who has the ability. Others can talk nonsense, but Shubao and I have witnessed your ability with our own eyes. You can't close your eyes and tell lies!"

"Shu Bao, Shi Xin and several of my colleagues are ten times more talented than me, and the master's abilities are beyond my reach!"

"You don't have to be modest. Shu Bao, Shi Xin and Chong Mu are all on par with you in terms of ability. As for me, I could compete with you when I was young, but now I don't dare to boast!" Zhang Xutuo smiled.

, said. Xinbao rushed hard, and he drank a little hastily, so his face looked faintly red.

But Li Xu knew that what came out of Mr. Zhang's mouth at this moment was by no means drunken talk. "Chongmu was born with a title, so it cannot be counted. Shubao, Shixin, just like you, wants to win with his own skills."
To be continued...