Su Buwei knew that the emperor wanted to talk to Fang Jie alone, so he leaned slightly and asked Chen Bo to come. They went out to wait for Huai Qiugong, the Minister of Rites. Several foreign ministers, who came to Chang'an City for the first time and entered the palace to meet His Majesty, walked out of Dongnuan Pavilion timidly, as if they were in a dream, and didn't even know how they came out.
"Okay, don't be a good boy."
The emperor pointed to a stool not far away and said: "You pretended to be like this in front of Chen Bolai and the others. Did they offend you? I didn't expose you because you have been locked up in a secret prison for these days. I know You have resentment in your heart. Sit down and talk I have something to ask you."
Fang Jie bowed his head and responded, thinking that the emperor could actually see everything. From the first time he saw the emperor, Fang Jie knew that this man had the ability to see through everything. Many of the ministers in the imperial court were famous for their intelligence, but compared with the emperor, they seemed not to be smart at all. Or perhaps, the emperor was not the kind of person who was born very smart, but had accumulated enough experience and wisdom the day after tomorrow.
Fang Jie did not sit down, but leaned forward and said, "In front of Your Majesty, it is better for me to stand and speak."
The emperor hummed, picked up his ink pen and reviewed a memorial while saying calmly: "The secret prison of the imperial guard's office is not far from my Dongnuan Pavilion. If you walk faster, it is only a stick of incense. I know. What kind of behavior did you have in prison? If Mr. Zhuo and Professor Qiu of the Yanwu Academy hadn't persuaded you later, would you have really given up on yourself like that? If so, what's the point of keeping you?"
Fang Jie didn¡¯t answer. He knew he didn¡¯t need to answer.
The emperor paused for a moment and continued: "Do you think you have been wronged?"
Fang Jie was silent for a while and replied: "Not unjust, but aggrieved."
The emperor stopped writing, pondered for a while and said: "Not unjust but aggrieved, that's right. If you really don't have any resentment in your heart, I really should have someone imprison you again for a thorough investigation. The Buddha Sect is the enemy of the Sui Dynasty. , is the most powerful enemy Relatively speaking, the threat of Meng Yuan to the Great Sui Dynasty is nothing compared with that of the Buddha. I set you up as a model for the children of the poor family, and give you glory and wealth. This is what I want. It¡¯s a good thing that inspires people to work hard, so I don¡¯t want such a good thing to become a source of ridicule for future generations.¡±
He raised his head, glanced at Fang Jie, smiled and said, "Fortunately, you finally have nothing to do with people from the Buddha Sect."
"Fortunately"
Fang Jie repeated it, and there seemed to be some injustice in his tone.
The emperor ignored his petty temper, pointed to the memorial on the table and said: "These things were all brought in early this morning. The war in the northwest has just started, and it's just a little bit unsatisfactory. There are many civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty. People are trying to persuade us to withdraw our troops and negotiate a peace A bunch of pig-headed things. I transferred 700,000 troops to the northwest and negotiated a peace after a battle. Do they think this is just playing tricks?"
Fang Jie knew that the topic was coming, so he listened to the emperor's words attentively.
"I have been planning to invade the northwest since I first came to the throne. In the past twelve years, I have been preparing for this matter all the time. Opening up the territory is certainly one of the reasons, but there is also a deeper meaning in it. Did you know ?¡±
"I am stupid."
Fang Jie bowed his head and said.
The emperor put down his ink brush, sat up straight and said, "Twelve years ago, your master, my seventh brother, and the loyal prince of Sui Dynasty went west to kill thieves. Do you know about this?"
"I heard something about it. Luo Weiran, the commander of the Imperial Guards Department, told me."
"Well, I guess he won't hide it from you."
The emperor seemed to be satisfied with Fang Jie's frankness. He paused and continued: "Twelve years ago, Lao Qi took hundreds of Jianghu travelers to the west and killed the Meng Yuan barbarians outside the country. But too many people died. There has been no news about Lao Qi since then. I once thought that he also died in the wilderness of the northwest From then on, I became more determined to raise my troops to attack Mongolia to avenge Lao Qi and the dead Sui Dynasty. Revenge of the righteous. I later signed an alliance with the Great Khan of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, just to better prepare for the northwest battle. "
"you understood?"
The emperor asked.
Fang Jie nodded: "I understand your Majesty's painstaking efforts"
¡°Not many people can understand.¡±
The emperor sighed and said: "How can we allow others to snore and sleep on the side of the bed? The Meng Yuan is too strong, and the Buddha Sect is even stronger. I don't want to wait until the Meng Yuan people attack to fight this battle again. If we wait until then, the poisonous people will be It¡¯s my people in the Sui Dynasty. If I want to destroy the country, it¡¯s better to destroy others.¡±
"Butsome people just don't understand this truth."
The emperor looked at Fang Jie and asked: "The first battle in the northwest was so unsatisfactory,What do you think? After all, you have served as a soldier under Li Xiaozong for three years, and it is said that you have a good relationship with him in private. "
Fang Jie wanted to avoid this problem, but what was supposed to happen eventually came. Fang Jie knew that His Majesty was not simply asking him what he thought. It would be extremely difficult to deal with some ambiguous situations. And Luo Weiran's instructions were still ringing in his ears. He knew that if he said something wrong, it would be fatal if word got out.
"My lord"
Fang Jie opened his mouth and swallowed back the rest of the words.
The emperor glanced at him, and then waved his hand to let the people waiting in the room go out. Except for Su Buwei, all the maids and eunuchs retreated outside the door.
"You are still young, very young."
The emperor said calmly: "It will be five or ten years before you have a seat in the imperial court. So now is not the time for you to be timid and hesitant. Young people should have the determination of young people. Say whatever you want and say whatever you need to say. What. Since I said this, don¡¯t you understand what I mean?¡±
Fang Jie breathed a long sigh of relief, raised his head and said seriously: "I know how much your Majesty loves me, but I am not only worried about my future. In comparison, my personal honor and disgrace are nothing Northwest I have limited knowledge of the war in the northwest, but I can also see some dirty things in it. Your Majesty has a keen eye and can naturally see it more clearly. There are people in the court who do not want the war in the northwest to go smoothly at the beginning. I dare not speculate."
Hearing this, Su Buwei glanced at Fang Jie subconsciously. This eunuch who was always silent and low-key looked worried in Fang Jie's eyes.
"That's why I came to you."
The emperor was silent for a while and said: "After much thought, there is something that only you are the most suitable to do. Since you just said that your personal honor and disgrace are nothing, then I will leave this job to you. I am originally I planned to entrust you with important tasks after you come out of the Martial Arts Academy, but since this has already happened, I will simply let you come out to meet people in advance. "
This is the worst possibility that Fang Jie could have imagined before entering the palace, and it happened after all.
He seemed to struggle for a moment, then looked at the emperor and said sincerely: "I am willing to share your worries for your majesty, but please give me a decree. I don't want to be regarded as a traitor when this matter is completed."
"You can't trust me?"
The emperor said slightly displeased.
"I can't trust people's words, but people's words should be feared."
Fang Jie bowed his head.
"Su Buwei"
The emperor pointed at Fang Jie and said: "From today on, Fang Jie will be handed over to you. This matter must be kept secret, so it is inevitable that someone will misunderstand something As for the will, Fang Jie, I will give it to you, but you must remember "The war in the northwest has no time to waste on such dirty things, and my determination to launch troops in the northwest will not waver."
"I'll do it as soon as possible"
Fang Jie leaned over and said, "I will not disgrace His Majesty's trust."
¡¡
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Only three people knew what the emperor asked Fang Jie to do. The emperor himself, Fang Jie himself, and Su Buwei who stood behind the emperor at all times. This was a serious matter, and Fang Jie didn't want to be involved in such a thing. In his opinion, he was not qualified to dip into this deep water. And with his temperament, he was deeply afraid that this pool of water would swallow him up and he would never recover.
Since ancient times, how many people have drowned in the power of officialdom?
So even though Fang Jie's face looked calm when he walked out of Dongnuan Pavilion, how could he calm down in his heart? Yesterday when Hong Xiuzhao and Luo Weiran were drinking, Fang Jie guessed something from Luo Weiran's words. Today's meeting with the emperor confirmed this suspicion.
The war in the northwest was far from being as simple as it seemed. The emperor wanted to use this war to open up new territories for the Sui Dynasty, and he also wanted his own name to be immortalized throughout the ages. There are also many people who are eyeing this war and trying to profit from it, and these people are definitely not just thinking about the Sui Dynasty. These people are not something Fang Jie can afford to offend now.
And the errand assigned to him by the emperor was like sending him into a tiger's den.
Looking at the sky that turned gloomy again, Fang Jie couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly. Originally, I came to Chang'an to avoid disaster and survive safely. At least during the three years in the Yanwu Academy, I could live a down-to-earth and unsuspecting life, sleep peacefully and boldly, and not have to be wary of the murderous intent that might come at any time.
But where can we make reservations in life?
Every day is changing, every second is changing. If someone can make life proceed exactly according to his settings, then he has already broken away from the category of human beings. He is God, and anyone who easily controls his own destiny isgod. Of course, Fang Jie didn't see anyone do this.
It¡¯s so troublesome!
He let out a long sigh, then smiled again.
Let¡¯s fight, whose glory is not earned through hard work?
The emperor sat on the Tukang and glanced at the young man walking away outside the window. He seemed to be talking to himself: "I have known from the beginning that the most difficult thing to do in this world is to be an emperor, and I also know that The most unfree person in the world is the emperor. But now that I am sitting in this position, I have already made things difficult for myself, so why would I allow others to make things difficult for me?"
"Your Majesty, maybe you justwant to get a share of the pie."
Su Buwei made a rare interjection, and the emperor couldn't help but smile and said: "You rarely speak, but you can see the root of every word. I'm not afraid that someone wants to share the pie, I'm worried that someone is thinking about it. Of course, I have other reasons for letting Fang Jie meet people so early Fang Jie is a good youngster, I will train him now. When Cheng Qian grows up, Fang Jie will be useful. "
"Your Majesty is in great prosperity"
Before Su Buwei could finish his words, he was interrupted by the emperor with a wave of his hand: "It is true that the Spring and Autumn Period was prosperous, but everyone will die. I am not taboo about this. Arrangements should be made in advance. I will not inherit the throne until I am almost forty years old. , even if he lives longer, how many years will he have left? I hope that what Chengqian will take over from me is a peaceful and prosperous era. I have done everything I should do when I was in power, and he only needs to sit down and sit down. Just get the throne."
The emperor coughed a few times, his throat felt dry and sore.
"Your Majesty, you have not rested for two days and one night."
Su Buwei reminded.
"Get some sleepI understand."
The emperor lay down on the earthen bed with his clothes on and closed his eyes. Things are not difficult. The difficult part is can he withstand the temptation? Sometimes, empty promises are beautiful and tempting. Su Buwei keep an eye on this matter and don't let Fang Jie be tricked to death. In this gamebut if he deserves to die, you just have to do it yourself."
"Here"
Su Buwei responded softly and covered the emperor with a quilt.
The emperor seemed to fall asleep quickly, but his brows were still furrowed. Su Buwei sighed softly, the worry between his brows getting stronger.
He walked out of Dongnuang Pavilion with very light steps and closed the door. When he raised his head and looked up, he found that the snow had drifted down silently. Soon, there was a layer of white on the ground, covering the footprints of the young man's departure. But Su Buwei knew that Fang Jie did not leave the Tai Chi Palace, but entered a life and death situation.