Datang New Giants

Chapter 186

"Sister Zhi, I'm doing embroidery." Zheng Zihan walked over and said with a smile on her face.

Zheng Yanzhi put down the embroidery in her hand and said with a smile, "Sister Han, what wind brought you here."

"There's no wind, so why can't you come and see my ice-snow-smart, naturally beautiful sister?" Zheng Zihan picked up the embroidered cloth that Zheng Yanzhi had just put down, took a look, and said with surprise: "You two are so cute. Feiyan, Zhimei, your embroidery skills are really good."

Zheng Yanzhi's pretty face twitched slightly, she glared at Hong Ling who wanted to laugh but didn't dare to laugh, and quickly said nonchalantly: "I'm just idle and embroidering and playing, let Sister Han joke."

Damn it, what this lady embroiders is a pair of mandarin ducks, what kind of fat geese are they?

Zheng Zihan giggled, looked around, and pretended to say casually: "I remember that Zhimei likes Mingsuan very much, why did she change her embroidery recently?"

"Recently, my mind is a bit messy, so let's embroider and relax." At this point, Zheng Yanzhi immediately said: "I didn't know it at first, I can ask Mr. Lu for advice, but King Qin gave a piece of land to Wuyitang. Mr. Lu is Wuyi. The hall master has been busy receiving matters, and he ran outside the city all day long, but he couldn't find anyone, and he hasn't said anything about the introduction he promised to Sister Han."

The two of them can be said to have played together since childhood. As soon as Zheng Zihan came, Zheng Yanzhi guessed what she was thinking and offered to take the initiative.

This rascal, chasing after a man every day, is really shameless.

Zheng Zihan showed a smile: "I thought Zhimei was busy with people, but I forgot, so I kept memorizing."

"How can it be, the matter of sister Han is the matter of little sister, so don't forget it."

Zheng Zihan took Zheng Yanzhi's hand and said: "It's better for sister Zhi to be nice to my sister. By the way, a batch of high-quality rouge came from Xuancai Shop. They were all sent by Dashi. I brought two boxes for my sister. Let's try it." .”

"Okay." Zheng Yanzhi said happily: "The people from Ayeto got some pearl powder made from Haidongzhu. After applying it, the skin is white and smooth. Sister Han, you should try it too."

As a result, the two sisters began to happily exchange questions about grooming and beauty.

When Zheng Zihan left, it was already half an hour later.

Unlike Zheng Yanzhi, who likes to be quiet, Zheng Zihan is an active member. She has joined several associations established by the rich and famous ladies in Chang'an. They either go to incense and listen to Buddhist scriptures together, or go on outings. There are different things every day. Staying in Zheng's mansion After half an hour, they had to rush to the venue again, and it was said that they were going to play and have a drink together later.

As soon as Zheng Zihan left, the smile on Zheng Yanzhi's face disappeared immediately, and she sat quietly, frowning slightly, as if she was thinking about something very important, and Hong Ling who was beside her didn't dare to disturb her.

"Hong Ling, you said that if I don't recommend it again, will Xiao Lang's hoof stick upside down?" Zheng Yanzhi asked suddenly.

"With Miss Tang's character, even if Miss doesn't recommend, she will take the initiative to create opportunities." Hong Ling said cautiously.

Zheng Yanzhi fell silent for a while, and said after a while, "Hong Ling, tell me, if Lu Ting knew my real identity, would she be... angry?"

This is a question that Zheng Yanzhi struggles with.

I didn't want to reveal my true identity, so I used the name of a maid to the outside world. I found it interesting at first, but I gradually got tired of it, but I had to cover up for the front, and I started to feel a little uneasy.

Will you be angry after lying to him for so long?

If it's okay in Suzhou, there are not many people who know me, and it's easy to keep secrets. Chang'an is different. Lu Ting and Aye are from the Qin Palace, and Lu Ting is also close to those dignitaries in Chang'an. Maybe someday he will visit Not sure.

In other words, it is only a matter of time before one's identity is exposed.

Hong Ling felt that this question was a bit difficult to answer. After thinking about it, she said cautiously: "Master Lu is not a stingy person, he probably wouldn't, he didn't hide it on purpose, and he never hurt Mr. Lu. Besides, Miss helped him many times, so Mr. Lu must have understand."

It's great to be a lady, noble and respectable, my own lady is weird, I put the majestic Zheng's eldest lady in Xingyang, and pretended to be a servant.

It's not going well now.

Zheng Yanzhi nodded and said, "Paper can't cover fire, it seems that's the only way to go."

Just when Zheng Yanzhi secretly made a decision, Lu Ting escorted the carriage to Prince Qin's Mansion.

Coincidentally, Li Er took his eldest grandson Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Cheng Yaojin and others just after the court meeting, and was about to go back to Qin Palace to discuss important matters, and happened to run into each other at the gate.

Seeing this, Lu Ting and Cheng Chuliang jumped off their horses and trotted forward to salute.

Before Li Er could speak, Cheng Yaojin scolded with a smile: "You two bastards, how come you have time to run to Prince Qin's mansion, do you have nothing to do?"

Seeing his son listening to him and being with Lu Ting, Cheng Yaojin was in a good mood.

It is said that those who are close to vermilion are red, and those who are close to ink are black.

If some of Lu Ting's peach blossoms are far away, and a girl with five surnames is brought back to the old Cheng's family, it will be smoke from the old Cheng's ancestral grave.

Lu Ting said with a smile: "Wuyitang brewed a batch of new wine, and specially sent it to the prince to taste."

New wine out?
Li Er was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "It happens that everyone is here, let's have a taste."

This registered disciple is sensible. If you have something to bring over to honor him first, the most rare thing is that Lu Ting specially brought Wuyitang with him, which means that the wine is counted in Wuyitang. Clothes hall accounted for the bulk.

Wuyitang occupies the majority, that is to say, he occupies the majority.

Qin Shubao said with great interest: "New wine, what new wine, Mr. Lu, you can't fool us old guys with bad wine."

"Don't dare," Lu Ting said quickly, "Boss Zhang and Brother Ren have both tasted it, and they think it's good, so I sent it here for the prince to taste and give some advice."

Du Ruhui nodded and said, "Director Zhang and Lao Ren also agreed on wine, so it's definitely not far behind. I'm looking forward to it."

Zhang Heng is well-informed and Ren Zhenhai is an alcoholic, so both of them agree that this wine is really good.

For Lu Ting, Du Ruhui is still very confident.

Cheng Yaojin went straight up, picked up a jug of wine, looked at it, opened the lid casually, sniffed it closely, his face became pale, he turned his head away suddenly, and sneezed loudly.

The smell of alcohol was too strong, and it made my nose itch, and I felt uncomfortable if I didn't blow it out.

"Old Cheng, are you okay?" Changsun Wuji asked quickly.

There will be no problem with the wine. Seeing Cheng Yaojin's sudden change of expression just now, Changsun Wuji was startled.

Cheng Yaojin shook his head: "I'm fine, nephew Lu Xian, what kind of wine is this, this wine smells so good, the wine worms are about to come out."

"It's rich and mellow, I can smell it too." Yuchi Jingde leaned over, took a deep breath, and said in disbelief, "Just smelling it makes me want to get drunk."

As soon as the wine jar was opened, everyone could smell the strong aroma of wine, and all of them gathered together for a while.

Li Er waved his hand and said, "Stop standing here, just go in and have a taste."

After Li Er spoke, he didn't even need to use his hands. Several generals carried an altar in their arms and carried it in.

Some are impatient to taste the new wine.

The kitchen of Prince Qin's Mansion was very efficient, and the dishes for the second table were quickly prepared. Lu Ting was named by Li Er and was fortunate to sit at the last table.

This is not the case with Cheng Chuliang, he is not qualified to attend the table.

Because there was something to discuss, Li Er ordered that the wine be reserved for the last.

To avoid drinking mistakes.

After the food was served, everyone chatted while eating, mainly discussing what happened just now, and then discussing the next strategy.

Lu Ting didn't speak, but listened very carefully. His status was too low, he was not qualified to participate in the court meeting, and his seniority was also low. Being able to attend such an important meeting was already a joke. Listening more and talking less is the best way.

Being able to sit at the table shows that Li Er's recent actions have been recognized by Li Er, and it is a huge improvement to treat him like his own.

Most of the discussions at the meeting were about major affairs in the court and China, which can be regarded as brainstorming, and some secret things will not be mentioned here.

Just when everyone thought that the discussion was almost over and they were waiting to taste the new wine brought by Lu Ting, Li Er suddenly stood up, motioned everyone to stop, and said sincerely: "Recently, the situation is not very favorable for Qin Palace. This king has also made a lot of stupid tricks. The sage said well that no one has made mistakes, and mistakes can be corrected. There is nothing good about it. But sometimes the authorities are confused and bystanders are clear. Sometimes this king does not notice when he makes mistakes. You can point out the shortcomings of this king, so that we can improve."

Point out Li Er's shortcomings?
Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, what does this mean? Is the prince holding a judging meeting for himself?
Li Er is the king of Qin, the most powerful prince in the Tang Dynasty, who dares to say that he is not?

I don't know why Li Er did this, and I don't know if he was testing or from the heart. If he really said it, what if Li Er became angry from embarrassment?
The civil servants and military generals in the hall stared at each other with big eyes, and asked their colleagues with winks what happened.

Li Er took the initiative to correct his mistakes, establish a glorious image of himself, and then see if he can save the current decline. It is best to pull down the prince Li Jiancheng. One speaks out.

"Bite the gold, you talk first." Li Er directly ordered the general if the invitation failed.

Others have scruples, this bastard Cheng Yaojin dares to say anything, so let him make a sample first.

Cheng Yaojin was a little dumbfounded, he didn't expect Li Er to point him.

Please, it is said to point out the shortcomings, but in fact it is to criticize Li Er. It is too difficult to ask Cheng Yaojin to charge forward without frowning, but it is too difficult for him to criticize Li Er.

It's too late to flatter, so why criticize.

Being called by name, he had to answer, Cheng Yaojin stood up and thought about it, and soon said sincerely: "Your Majesty counts everything, and my subordinates are so impressed."

Li Er said with some dissatisfaction: "This is not good, the king must listen to the deficiencies."

"If you go back to the prince, in the hearts of the subordinates, the prince is like the god of war."

"Stop" Li Er interrupted: "There is no gold, no man is perfect, and this king is also a human being, how can he have no shortcomings, please don't flatter me, you must tell your shortcomings, otherwise you will not be spared. "

Cheng Yaojin scratched his head in embarrassment, rolled his eyeballs, and said with a simple and honest face: "My lord, my brain is not clear, I can't think of it for a while, I think about it now, I think about it now."

If you want to say bad things about yourself, it is absolutely impossible, no matter what, let's delay talking first.

Li Er glared at Cheng Yaojin, for a moment he really had no choice but to wave his hand to let him sit down and think slowly.

Forget it, let this shameless guy go first, and let others talk first, when Li Er casts his eyes on other people, they all dodge, either bowing their heads to eat or pretending to look for things on the ground, even Changsun Wuji is no exception , turned his head and made gestures with a maidservant.

No one is willing to take the lead in saying Li Er's fault.

Li Er opened his mouth to say something, but finally swallowed the words back into his mouth.

You can't force your subordinates to say that you are wrong, right? Now is the troubled time, and it is the time for the Qin Palace to unite, which may make people feel distracted.

Doesn't anyone below dare to tell the truth?

In ancient times, strict rules were imposed. Offending the superiors was not only a violation of the rules, but also a taboo in the officialdom. It is normal for Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and others to avoid this issue.

I don't mind now, what if I settle accounts after the fall?
Throughout the ages, there have been too many examples of incumbents turning back on their promises.

Just when Li Er was depressed, Lu Ting suddenly stood up and saluted: "My lord, although my subordinates have only been in Qin Palace for a short time, I found four things that my lord did very badly. I don't know if I should say .”

Others dare not say it, but it does not represent Lu Ting.

What?If Lu Ting wants to say that the prince is wrong, how about four points?
All the people present were stunned, and many people looked at Lu Ting with strange eyes.

Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers, Mr. Xiao Lang is still too young to know the following taboos?
It's fine now, if the prince keeps it in mind, who knows what he will do when rewarding or assigning tasks for his meritorious deeds in the future.

Zheng Yuanxuan shook his head secretly, this kid is very clever, he even taught his daughter to count, and his poems are also excellent, but unfortunately the officialdom experience is too little, it's okay, if he falls out of favor and is demoted, I don't have to worry about Zhi'er being influenced by him;

Du Ruhui was a little anxious, and kept winking at Lu Ting, trying to remind Lu Ting not to be impulsive;
Cheng Yaojin coughed anxiously, wanting to remind Lu Ting not to be stupid and ruin his future, but Li Er gave him a hard stare, so he didn't dare to cough anymore.

After staring at Cheng Yaojin, Li Er said with a smile: "Okay, Lu Ting, I have shortcomings, just say it, no matter what I say, I will forgive you for your innocence, and if you are right, you will be rewarded."

Lu Ting didn't seem to notice everyone's expressions and hints. After thanking him, he said loudly: "My lord has four things that I didn't do well. First, I was too soft-hearted and handled things unfairly. ; third, not caring enough for the people around me; the last point is to ignore the overall situation."

Dare to say it.

Du Ru shook his head darkly, showing a look of pity.

Cheng Yaojin covered his face with a big slap, unable to look.

A trace of unconfidence flashed in Li Er's eyes, but he still smiled and said, "I'll just say it, no one is perfect, well said, Lu Ting, go ahead and talk in more detail."

A person who has just entered Qin Palace can find so many shortcomings in himself, how difficult is it really that unbearable?
Lu Ting said with a serious face: "The first point is that the prince is too kind to his subordinates. He will help his subordinates when they are in trouble. Wuyitang is the best example. He can't bear to leave those retired veterans homeless, regardless of the tight account of the Qin Palace. , I would rather cut down on food and clothing to support them. Some subordinates who made mistakes should have been punished, but the prince gave them opportunities again and again, because they were too soft-hearted and handled things unfairly."

"Secondly, the prince often arrives on duty earlier and leaves later. Even on holidays, he refuses to relax and takes the lead in violating the vacation system."

"Thirdly, according to what I saw and heard from my subordinates, the prince is often obsessed with work, puts the Tang Dynasty first, and doesn't care enough for the concubine and the princes. According to Uncle Cheng, the little prince dare not recognize the prince anymore. , obviously not caring enough for the people around him.”

"Finally, the lord is the most important person in Prince Qin's mansion, but the lord often concentrates on work, often forgets to eat and sleep, and does not pay attention to rest. The body is the greatest capital of a person. If we are exhausted, what should we do as subordinates? It's too inconsiderate. The overall situation is over, for Prince Qin's mansion, the prince's health is the top priority, please pay attention to the health of the prince, and put the overall situation first."

As soon as the voice fell, the audience fell silent, and everyone present was stunned.

Oh my god, pointing out the shortcomings of the prince, how can it be said that?
For a while, people looked at Lu Ting differently.

Du Ruhui and Zheng Yuanxuan looked at Lu Ting, as if they wanted to get to know him again. They thought he was a newborn calf who was not afraid of tigers, but they didn't expect him to be a little fox, and they praised him openly and secretly.

Cheng Yaojin looked at Lu Ting, both relieved and jealous, this kid is smarter than he imagined.

God, such a good flattering skill, why didn't I think of it, and missed another great opportunity.

Cheng Yaojin rolled his eyes, stood up and said with a straight face: "My lord, what I wanted to say just now is the same as what Lu Ting said, but I was stupid and didn't say it for a while."

Everyone rolled their eyes at him in unison, this bastard is not stingy, he plays tricks in front of him, insists not to be the first bird, as soon as he sees the benefits, he immediately rubs his hands again, shameless.

Even Li Er had a dumbfounding expression on his face.

I don't know how to say it.

Du Ruhui nodded and said: "The subordinates feel that the prince's handling of things is a bit unfair. He is too strict with himself, but he is too loose with his subordinates."

"The lord is very kind to his subordinates. If there is any good thing, he will reward his subordinates. This will make his subordinates easy to be proud and not enterprising." Changsun Wuji's mind turned quickly, and he immediately added a sentence.

Not to be outdone, Fang Xuanling said: "My lord often takes the lead in the charge on the battlefield. I don't care about my body. Please think again."

None of the people who were able to attend the table was a simple person. They all imitated Lu Ting's way of pointing out mistakes, and pointed out more than a dozen "deficiencies" to Li Er at once.

Hearing the back, Li Er couldn't help but surrender, waved his hands and said, "Okay, I will reflect on the shortcomings you pointed out."

Having said that, he turned to Lu Ting and said, "Lu Ting, didn't you bring new wine? As for the wine, I have a taste and see how it goes."

The first thing Lu Ting asked for himself was a wine-making license, which he took very seriously. The wine smelled good just now, but you have to taste it to know.

I wanted to give myself a "reflection", let Lu Ting, a stinky brat, get mixed up and become a eulogist in disguise, so how can I reflect.

More on that later.

Lu Ting didn't dare to be negligent, and quickly asked someone to bring the wine up.

With Zhang Heng's lesson, before pouring wine, Lu Ting first told everyone the precautions, and then poured wine for everyone.

The reactions of Cheng Yaojin and others were similar to those of Zhang Heng and Duan Xiaoliu. They were shocked at first, then they boasted, and then they started fighting for wine. Lu Ting said that the wine was too strong and advised everyone to drink less. They got more and more energetic, and when the banquet was over, they had three jars of wine, a full three buckets of wine, and they drank not a single drop.

There are a total of 20 people in the two seats, and one person is less than a second-hand catty of wine. It doesn't seem like a lot, but civil servants like Lu Deming, Kong Yingda, and Yao Silian usually drink three to five liang to the top, and the one who drinks the most is Cheng Yaojin Both Yuchi Jingde and Yuchi Jingde refused to admit defeat, each made eight bowls of wine in half a catty, and the last two threw up all over the floor and poured them all down.

After the banquet was over, five people had to be carried out, and six or seven people were obviously drunk, either talking to themselves or dancing with their hands and feet. Li Er couldn't laugh or cry, so he had to cancel the meeting and reschedule it to the next day.

Drunk, drunk, falling down, the rest of the people, their eyes are a little blurred, they are obviously out of shape, and they are still discussing something.

Lu Ting didn't drink much and was not drunk, so he was called into the study by Li Er.

　Too lazy to score, Dazhang!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)