Chapter 632: Banquet for Two
Who is Lu Ping?
Lü Song's nephew. Lü Song was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, a high position with great power, and many people came to him for help. In order to avoid trouble, Lü Song usually asked Lü Ping to do things on his behalf. Therefore, many people knew him.
"It's Lu Ping!"
Someone exclaimed, "Lu Song invited Jiang Qingzhi to a banquet. Is this... is this a bet..."
Many people in the circle of power and influence knew about the bet between Lu Song and Jiang Qingzhi. When they saw Lu Ping inviting Jiang Qingzhi to a banquet, they were stunned for a moment.
Jiang Qingzhi smiled and said, "Do you have wine?"
"Yes, my uncle has prepared some good wine."
Lu Ping thought of what his uncle had said at that time.
After returning to the Ministry of Revenue from the Armoury Bureau, Lu Song was silent in the duty room for a long time, then called him over and said, "What Jiang Qingzhi did in the Armoury Bureau was probably the secret technique of the Mohist school back then. He had a plan in mind from the beginning, but he kept it to himself. This shows that he has big plans..."
Lu Ping found that his uncle's words were becoming increasingly difficult, and in the end he even mocked himself and said, "Why am I saying all this? It's obvious that I'm unwilling to give up. Go and invite Jiang Qingzhi to the banquet. Remember, don't be resentful."
Lu Ping was indignant. "Uncle, Jiang Qingzhi only relied on the Mohist tradition to get to where he is today. But I, your uncle, relied on myself to get to where I am today..."
"Fool!" Lu Song sighed at the time: "Do you really think that the Mohist tradition has so many?"
"Uncle's intention..."
"Give you ten thousand books, covering everything from astronomy to geography. If you read for thirty years, you will be able to do anything."
Lu Ping has read a lot, but if he asks himself, the distance between him and omnipotence is probably the distance from the ground to the moon. He shook his head.
“That’s a gift, and even more so a talent!”
Thinking of this, Lu Ping glanced at Jiang Qingzhi.
Jiang Qingzhi put down his wine glass and slowly looked around.
There was actually confusion in his eyes. Just when Lu Ping was puzzled, Jiang Qingzhi sighed, "What a bunch of idiots!"
In an instant, those people's faces turned red. Some wanted to refute, but when they thought about how they had mocked Jiang Qingzhi before and were slapped in the face by Lu Ping, they had to hold back their anger.
For a moment, only the sound of breathing could be heard.
This person is not afraid of offending so many people!
Lu Ping led Jiang Qingzhi around and finally turned into a small alley.
A drizzle of rain fell from the sky, blurring my vision. Moss grew green on the stone walls on both sides. In the drizzle, a few trees poked their heads out from the walls of the houses on both sides, and the tender buds on the branches swayed in the wind, as if children were shaking their heads...
There was an attendant in front. After seeing Jiang Qing, he bowed and said, "Greetings, Lord Wei. The master asked me to wait here. Please follow me, Lord Wei."
As the alley turned right, the road ahead became a cobblestone road. Behind him, Sun Bu Tong was leading a horse, and the horse's hooves tapped gently on the cobblestones, making a crisp sound.
A sign suddenly appeared on the left with the word "wine" written on it.
Lu Song was standing outside the tavern, looking at Jiang Qingzhi with his hands behind his back, "What do you think of this place, Lord Chang Wei?"
"The winding path leads to a secluded place with a different world." Jiang Qingzhi thinks this is a good place for leisure.
"I only got to know this place by chance. The wine here is light, and the dishes are home-cooked, mostly with traditional flavors. I'm old now, and I don't like strong flavors. I wonder if Long Wilbur can get used to it."
"There's nothing to get used to." Jiang Qingzhi said, "When you live, you have to experience joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. You have to taste all kinds of flavors in the world. Sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty... After trying everything, the original flavor is still the best."
Lu Song smiled, "Please."
The tavern was very quiet, with long tables and benches. The light was not very good on a rainy day, and it looked dim, but the air seemed to be filled with countless elements that could calm people down.
Jiang Qingzhi sat down, and Lu Song sat opposite him, and then someone served wine and food.
The wine was stored in a rough jar, and the bowl was an open shallow bowl, dark at the bottom and grayish yellow at the top. After the wine was poured in, it looked a little turbid.
"Please." Lu Song raised the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
Jiang Qingzhi took a sip first. The wine was very light, which reminded him of the local Maotai in the southwest in later generations.
After drinking it all, Jiang Qingzhi picked up a piece of chicken and tasted it slowly, saying, "The seasoning is only ginger and salt, but the flavor is rich."
The shopkeeper came over and handed over a plate of dried broad beans, saying with a smile, "Your Excellency knows how to eat. This chicken is boiled over high heat, then simmered over low heat for a long time, with a lot of ginger added. Finally, the sauce is reduced, and the taste... Please enjoy it slowly."
Lu Song ate a piece of chicken and nodded, "Chang Wei Bo is indeed a gourmet."
"When it comes to food, I'd say I'm second to none in the capital. No one dares to say they're first."
In his previous life, after Jiang Qingzhi returned from South America, he spent half a year eating all major cuisines and tasting all kinds of delicacies.
Lu Song put down his chopsticks. "When I started my career, I was also ambitious. At that time, the king and his subjects were in harmony, the king was wise, and his subjects assisted him wholeheartedly..."
That was during the Hongzhi period!
Jiang Qingzhi said: "Emperor Xiaozong is humble."
Lu Song smiled and said, "That's right. The emperor and his subjects discussed and negotiated with each other. This is the root cause of the great prosperity during the Hongzhi years."
"Then I would like to ask, what were the ministers fighting for during the great etiquette dispute back then?" Jiang Qingzhi asked.
Lu Song said slowly: "The dispute over the great ceremony back then seemed to be for the emperor's status, but in fact... it was a struggle for power." "Where is the harmony?" Jiang Qingzhi asked again.
"Harmonious..." Lu Song poured himself a glass of wine. Lu Ping wanted to come over to help, but after being looked at by Lu Song, he stepped aside.
The wine fell into the bowl, splashing wine foam. Lu Song sighed, "I know that if I respond perfunctorily, I will definitely be despised by Lord Changwei."
"That's right." Jiang Qingzhi said, "If I have the time, I might as well go home and think about how to coax the child."
"Rumor has it that ever since his wife got pregnant, Long Wilbur hasn't left the house. He's only thinking about his wife and children. I don't believe it. Hahahaha!"
Lu Song laughed, took a sip from the bowl, pursed his lips, and ate a piece of smoked pork. Jiang Qingzhi, however, had a special liking for the chicken and kept picking up his chopsticks, "Old Lu, don't interrupt."
"Chang Wei Bo is really unforgiving!" Lü Song laughed, "Back then, Lord Yang was almost a regent, and he and the late Queen Mother Zhang jointly selected Your Majesty to succeed the throne. When people reach such a situation, they will naturally have some complacent thoughts."
Seeing the sarcasm in Jiang Qingzhi's eyes, Lu Song knew that this answer would not satisfy him. "Yang Tinghe wants to fight for power, but the various policies implemented by your majesty after ascending the throne are all a bit eager for quick success. After all, he is a young emperor and has never been taught the way of the emperor..."
"So Yang Tinghe wants to be the master of your majesty and the master of the Ming Dynasty?" Jiang Qingzhi suddenly sighed: "Which of your majesty's policies back then was wrong?"
"Of course I'm wrong. But I was a little hasty." Lu Song took a sip of the wine and found it a little sweet.
"Minister Lu, do you think that the Ming Dynasty at that time could reform slowly and steadily?" Jiang Qingzhi put down the wine bowl, took the wine jar handed to him by Lu Song, and slowly poured the wine.
"Why not?"
"In the eyes of Yang Tinghe and his subjects, the Ming Dynasty is just a tool. A tool for them to realize their ambitions. After ten years of studying hard, they are finally recognized by the world when they pass the imperial examination. They are so proud of themselves that they just want to apply all the ideas in their minds to the world. This is their motive. Do you agree with me, Minister Lu?"
Lu Song nodded, pointed out the world, and wrote inspiring articles, which was exactly the dream of a scholar.
"But you have forgotten that in the eyes of His Majesty, the Ming Dynasty is not a tool, but his roots! His home!"
Lu Song was startled. "Home?"
"In your eyes, the Ming Dynasty is just a tool at all times. Even if it is riddled with holes, it is still just a tool. It's like a lazy craftsman who sees that there is something wrong with his tool but doesn't rush to fix it. He just uses it as long as it can be used."
"Lazy craftsman, this metaphor is a bit harsh," said Lu Song.
Jiang Qingzhi put down the wine jar and said, "If there are so many problems in Lu Shangshu's family that they can barely make ends meet, I would like to ask Lu Shangshu, can you still put all these problems aside slowly and calmly?"
Lu Song was stunned.
"Home! Tools, drawbacks..."
In a flash, Lu Song blurted out, "Different views on the country and the people are the source of the conflict between your majesty and Yang Tinghe."
Jiang Qingzhi nodded, "Your Majesty's family has a big problem, and he can't wait to solve it, but in Yang Tinghe's eyes, this tool has some minor problems, why is he so anxious? One is anxious, the other is not.
So the old man thought that the young man was not steady enough and that the tool should be controlled by the old man. The young man thought that the house was full of leaks and if they didn’t fix it, once it rained or blew, the whole family would be frozen to death or starved to death.”
"Your statement..." Lu Song put down his chopsticks and said with a wry smile: "I can't refute it."
Jiang Qingzhi picked up the chicken leg, took a bite of the meat, and enjoyed the food contentedly.
Lu Song held the wine bowl and drank slowly, but in the eyes of Lu Ping, who was familiar with him, his uncle was actually a little embarrassed at this moment.
Jiang Qingzhi's words also shocked Lu Ping a little, but that was all.
Uncle, what is this embarrassment for?
Lu Song drank the wine in the bowl and asked, "What do you think of this family now, Long Wei Bo?"
"It's leaky everywhere. To be honest, it's just a shabby house. Someone from outside can kick it over with one kick." Jiang Qingzhi was not lying. In history, when Altan Khan went south, he was able to reach the capital directly, and the nine frontiers were useless...
"Then, if it can be repaired...can it be done slower?" Lu Song stared at Jiang Qingzhi.
"During the pre-Song Dynasty, those people also said the same thing." Jiang Qingzhi put down his chopsticks and filled his glass with wine. "They said, why are we so anxious? Isn't it better to take it slow?
Yes! It is better to take it slow. But the people are wailing in hunger, foreign enemies are eyeing them covetously... The country is shaking and on the verge of collapse. When they say to take it slow, they actually just don't want their own interests to be affected. "
Jiang Qingzhi said sarcastically: "Whenever their own interests are involved, those people will abandon the public and only care about their own families. They also keep saying that Your Majesty is competing with the people for profit, and denounce those innovative methods as evil ways.
I would like to ask Lu Gong, are the reforms of Fan Wenzheng and Wang Jinggong of the Former Song Dynasty really evil? If they had not reformed, could the Former Song Dynasty have lasted longer?"
Lu Ping only saw his uncle smiling bitterly, pointing at Jiang Qingzhi and saying, "How aggressive! How aggressive!"
"I just ask, can we or can't we?" Jiang Qingzhi's eyes were sharp.
Lu Ping thought that the two reforms of the previous Song Dynasty had ruined the atmosphere in the court and triggered factional struggles, which was the source of the country's demise!
"The former Song Dynasty seemed to have fallen due to the factional struggles caused by the reforms. In fact, the factional struggles only gave it a push. The fall of the former Song Dynasty... was..."
When Lu Ping saw his uncle hesitating, he was horrified...When his uncle was framed and was about to be dismissed from office and even convicted, he remained calm.
At this moment, my uncle actually looked...in agony.
"If I say something against my will, I think you will laugh at me." Lu Song raised his head and nodded, "Yes. The fall of the former Song Dynasty was due to... the failure of the new policy!"
boom!
Lu Ping felt as if lightning flashed before his eyes...
(End of this chapter)
