Chapter 614 That’s My Brother
"Master, wake up!"
In the early morning, Xin'an Lane woke up to this cry.
Jiang Qingzhi touched his wife's belly. "Did you feel anything last night?"
Li Tian shook his head. "It was just a dream."
"What did you dream about?" Jiang Qingzhi rubbed his eyes.
"I dreamed that the child was carrying a knife and riding a horse, and he said to me, 'Mother, I will go a thousand miles to earn a title for you.'"
Li Tian touched her belly happily. "My son is a filial son."
Your son hasn't even shown up yet... Jiang Qingzhi sighed, "You're already a county lady, what title can be greater than a county lady?"
This county lord was specially conferred a title by Emperor Jiajing. Not only was she unique among the ministers, but she also had a respected status.
What's the matter with a lady who has to bow her head in front of the county lady?
In terms of rank, the county princess belongs to the royal family, while the lady belongs to the ministerial level.
It would spoil the fun… a pregnant woman muttered and then fell asleep again.
Since she got pregnant, Li Tian has been sleepier. But when Chang came to visit her, she said that she might not be able to sleep well at night for a while, for example, she would have to get up more often.
Jiang Qingzhi thought that it was caused by the growing fetus pressing on the bladder.
After breakfast, Sun Chonglou actually took out a letter and proudly said that he had received greetings from the Dazong Temple in the Western Regions. He also said that there would be a Dharma Assembly in May with many great masters gathering, and asked the young abbot if he was interested in going to see it.
"Of course I don't want to." Sun Chonglou said irresponsibly, "Last time I saw them debating in Huguo Temple, their mouths were spitting and their faces were red. I couldn't help but ask, why are you arguing like this? Those monks said they were debating. I said, I heard the monks say that everything is empty, if everything is empty, then what is the point of debating?"
"Silly boy, the purpose of debating scriptures is to prevent erroneous scriptures from misleading practice." Fu Cheng said with a smile.
"Master, this is not right." Sun Chonglou shook his head. "I said, since monks are empty, then believers are also empty. They all say to follow fate, so why not just follow fate? Why argue?"
Fucheng: “…”
"And I saw that they were arguing just like people in the market quarreling, so I asked, is your argument in vain?"
Debating until one’s face turns red…isn’t this just being attached to appearances?
Isn't this a slap in the face?
Jiang Qingzhi couldn't help asking, "Didn't those monks punish you?"
"They were so fierce. I ran away as soon as I saw something was wrong." Sun Chonglou said proudly, "A group of monks couldn't catch up with me. I ran away and said, 'You haven't cultivated to the fullest. Since everything is empty, just take it easy. If you take it easy, how can you be so red in the face?'"
Jiang Qingzhi remained silent.
Fucheng was silent.
Xu Wei sighed: "Shitou's understanding...I'm afraid he really has innate wisdom."
The so-called innate wisdom is the wisdom and insight brought from the previous life.
Hu Zongxian coughed dryly, and Xu Wei realized that something was wrong with Fucheng.
Ever since Cheng Xing came, Fu Cheng would tell Sun Chong Lou all the bad things about being a monk, such as not being able to pass on the family line and not being able to eat meat...
When Sun Chonglou heard that he couldn't eat meat, he got anxious and said that he would never become a monk. Then Fu Cheng looked relieved.
"Fucheng regards stones as treasures as his eyeballs. What you said... makes him feel uncomfortable." Hu Zongxian raised his glass and took a sip of wine.
Outside the back door of Bo's house, the two drinking buddies met again.
Xu Wei picked up a piece of braised beef and chewed it slowly. He stroked his beard and said, "Old Hu, do you know that a famous general needs a strong general to escort him?"
Hu Zongxian narrowed his eyes and said, "You mean... Li Jing and the like?"
Xu Wei nodded, picked up the wine glass with his right thumb and middle finger, and took a sip. "If it weren't for Su Dingfang and others, do you think Li Jing could have achieved the reputation of a great general? If it weren't for those brave generals charging into battle, how could the Tang Dynasty be called prosperous?"
Hu Zongxian chewed a bean and said, "That's what you said, but Shitou... I know what you mean. The war between Confucianism and Mohism has begun. The Confucians will definitely do everything they can to deal with Master Bo. Master Bo is the number one general of the Ming Dynasty. Once the war breaks out in the north, he will definitely lead his troops to fight. If one of his generals suddenly trips him up..."
Hu Zongxian washed down the pickled broad beans with a sip of wine and sighed contentedly, but his eyes were grim. "Those people are capable of doing such a thing. If there are no brave generals and generals you can trust around you, you will be in danger!"
"That's why Lord Bo accepted Du He and Ma Fang as his disciples." Xu Wei said admiringly: "This truth is probably known by few people, except you and me."
"Don't underestimate the heroes of the world." Hu Zongxian said calmly. Xu Wei pointed at him, "But you are so proud. Do you know why I don't like your temper?"
"Hmm?" Hu Zongxian sneered, "Go ahead."
"Laugh out loud if you like it, and shout angrily if you don't like it. People only live for a few decades, and time flies by in a flash. If that's the case, don't hold yourself back. What do you mean by being patient for a while, but in Xu's opinion, being patient for a while will only make you feel depressed."
Xu Wei raised his eyebrows, "Is that right?"
"You! Too mean!" This was Hu Zongxian's personality. Otherwise, he would not have been introduced to Yan Song by his own 'mentor' Zhao Wenhua in history.
Of course, bribing Zhao Wenhua to please him was the key to Hu Zongxian's success. "What you see as harshness is a pleasure in my heart!" Xu Wei looked down on him. "Du He is just a former military hero. There are at least dozens of such people in the capital. If the Lord really wants to find one of them to be a general, do you think those seemingly reserved military heroes will refuse?"
Hu Zongxian shook his head. “They will flock to it, fearing that they will be left behind.”
"My Lord is the only one who has defeated Altan Khan's cavalry several times. Who wouldn't want to follow him into battle? No one can be granted a title of nobility without military merit! Although the Ming Dynasty has long broken the rules, if one is granted a title of nobility without military merit, then it is just luck."
Xu Wei sneered, "How many people secretly laugh at you for being just an earl, but they don't know that in the eyes of the civil and military officials, their dukes and earls are just monkeys in human form. You, the earl, are more convincing than those so-called dukes."
"Du He is not bad." Hu Zongxian said.
"That's right. But there are always good horses, but where is the good horse trainer?" Xu Wei took a sip of wine and said sarcastically, "Du He is a smart guy. Even though he is a marquis, he is still very respectful in front of the Earl, as if he is the Earl and the Earl is the Marquis."
"Last time in Yunnan, Du He also made a splash." Hu Zongxian said: "Du He can lead the army, and Shitou's side..."
"What do you think is better, a brave general or a wise general?" Xu Wei ate a piece of braised beef with soy sauce. He chewed the tendons and his cheeks bulged. He couldn't bite it for a long time, so he simply swallowed it in one gulp.
"Of course it's better to have both wisdom and courage. But if I have to choose, it's better to have a wise general, at least he can stand on his own. As for Shi Tou, he's not good enough to stand on his own." Hu Zongxian sighed.
Hu Zongxian really likes that boy Sun Chonglou. "If Shitou had more ideas, he would definitely be the number one general under Lord Bo's command."
"If it were someone else, I would definitely say he was as stupid as a pig. Do you believe it?"
Xu Wei sneered, but Hu Zongxian sighed, "What do you mean by that? Do you really think I can't see what you're thinking?"
"What am I thinking?" Xu Wei asked back.
Hu Zongxian poured himself a glass of wine. "Du He is not as brave as a stone, but he is not bad in strategy and can handle things on his own. However, he has an ordinary relationship with us. Zhang Da of Datong is good at maintaining the status quo but not aggressive enough. And the Lord will definitely focus on aggressiveness from now on, so Zhang Da is of little use."
Hu Zongxian picked up a broad bean and said, "Ma Fang is brave and has received military training from Master Bo. His future is limitless. But he needs time to accumulate experience."
Xu Wei smiled, "Continue."
Hu Zongxian laughed, "As counselors, the two of us seem to have a high status in the Bo's Mansion, but the Bo is both wise and brave, and he is almost arbitrary in major matters. We are embarrassed instead.
As a counselor, if I am of no use to the host, then I am just a figurehead. I know you are proud and arrogant, how can you do this? But how can you find a way out..."
Xu Wei raised the corners of his mouth slightly and poured wine for Hu Zongxian.
"It's rare." Hu Zongxian teased, and then said: "If you want to stand out, the best way is to be independent. But we are not military generals, how can we be independent? The only way is... to assist."
Xu Wei narrowed his eyes, "I'm listening!"
"Du He and I don't have much friendship. If we assist him, we can't open our hearts to him, so naturally we can't put our knowledge to good use."
Hu Zongxian put a broad bean on the steps, then picked up another broad bean and said, "Zhang Da is not ambitious enough. If I ask you to assist him, you will probably sneer at me."
Holding the third broad bean in his hand, Hu Zongxian said, "It will take some time for Ma Fang to take charge of the government alone, and if he does, he certainly won't need our help. You, Xu, won't do anything that would just add icing on the cake. What you have to do is to turn the tide and shine. Am I right?"
Xu Wei nodded, and the smile in his eyes deepened.
"Then the best candidate is Shitou." Hu Zongxian picked up the fourth bean. "Shitou is friendly to us, and he is the one that Master trusts the most."
If the Confucians wanted to persuade Sun Chonglou to rebel, there is a high probability that the lobbyists who went there would become corpses.
"But Shitou is reckless. Without a reliable adviser to assist him, how can the Lord trust him to take charge? This is our chance."
Hu Zongxian said with a smile: "I bet that if Cheng Xing comes to the capital again and wants to take the stone away, you, Xu Wei, will definitely find a way to kill him!"
Xu Wei smiled and took a sip of his drink, "Anything else?"
"What else?" Hu Zongxian was stunned. "You said today that Shitou might have wisdom. Aren't you trying to force Fucheng to persuade Shitou to stay away from those people in Dazong Temple? What else?"
Xu Wei sighed, "Old Hu, you have become quite smart under my influence, but being smart alone is not enough."
Hu Zongxian was about to hit him, but Xu Wei raised his glass and said, "You are only half right about this."
"Half...what does the other half mean?" Hu Zongxian really couldn't guess, "Don't even mention you have other plans."
Although Hu Zongxian was not good at planning details, his overall view and ability to control the overall situation were better than Xu Wei.
Xu Wei tilted his head back and drank the wine.
He looked at Hu Zongxian and asked, "What do you think the stone is in my heart?"
“……”Hu Zongxian.
"tool?"
"No!"
Xu Wei said seriously: "That's my brother!"
(End of this chapter)
