The favor given to Li Su almost formed the first confrontation between the new king and the old minister. Perhaps this kind of confrontation is inevitable and unavoidable, but Li Su is absolutely unwilling to see such a thing happen, at least in recent years, he does not want the contradiction between the two to become too acute. Since we must be committed to civil affairs and people's livelihood, there must be no chaos in the court. Even if we cannot be united, at least we must not violate it. Li Su has too many things to do in the next few years, and only the stability of the court can ensure the smooth implementation of government orders. After the Jia En Dynasty meeting ended, Li Su ordered people to prepare generous gifts and personally visited Changsun Wuji. As the prime minister of the three dynasties, Changsun Wuji is quite magnanimous. He went out to greet the guests in person, and his attitude was very cordial and courteous between host and guest. During the dinner, Li Su apologized to Changsun Wuji, and Changsun Wuji repeatedly said that he was right about the incident and not the person. Both of their reasons were very legitimate and sufficient. In the end, the two looked at each other in confusion, which was the Tang Dynasty version of the reconciliation between generals and prime ministers. After leaving Changsun Mansion, Li Su's expression was a little gloomy. Changsun Wuji's dissatisfaction with him has gradually turned into hatred. There are many reasons. One of them is the struggle for the crown prince back then. Nowadays, the transition between the old and the new in the court is one of the reasons. The rise of the new faction and the persistence of the old faction are one of them. Perhaps there is also the opposition between the noble family and the representative of a poor boy like Li Su. The hostility is also one of them. In short, unknowingly, the positions of Li Su and Changsun Wuji have become more and more distant. ¡¡¡¡¡ Back to Taiping Village, the door of the house was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and everyone from the housekeeper to Bu Qu was beaming with joy. Seeing the arrival of Li Su and his entourage, all the tribes lined up in front of the house and drank together with their swords drawn. "Congratulations to the head of the family for being crowned a Duke, and for the family business to last forever!" Butler Xue, with a big belly, stepped forward to lead Li Su's horse, and muttered in his mouth. "Congratulations to the Duke on his promotion to the title of Duke. God's grace is so great that the Duke has been promoted again. Haha, it is a great joy for our family. In a few years, the Duke may be granted the title of a county prince. At that time, our family will be the palace of the prince. "" Li Su was surrounded by his subordinates and servants and walked forward. He smiled bitterly and said, "Don't talk nonsense like this to others in the future. I'm already a big tree, so why don't you think I don't have many enemies?" After saying that, he waved his hand and Li Su ordered: "Uncle Xue asked people to prepare a banquet. Brother Buqu and the servants in the mansion are coming. If you don't get drunk, you won't go home. No foreigners will be entertained today." Steward Xue happily agreed. The Li family's dinner lasted until late at night. The servants were sensible enough to leave consciously after eating and drinking. In the front yard of the Li family, the people were drinking to their heart's content. Li Su was particularly open-minded in front of the tribesmen, and simply lost his etiquette. He rolled up his sleeves and started drinking with the tribesmen. Bowls of strong liquor went down his throat, earning warm cheers from the tribesmen, and then Li Su fell drunk. The next day Li Su woke up with a splitting headache and struggled to get up. Xu Mingzhu dressed and washed him with an angry look on his face. "Although your husband's promotion is a happy event, you should not drink too much. You will be the only one who feels uncomfortable when you wake up." Li Su rubbed her temples and frowned: "I suspect that I drank fake wine last night. I sent someone to check. Who dares to make a mistake? You even sell fake wine to my house, that¡¯s too much!¡± Xu Mingzhu pushed him and said with a smile, ¡°How can anyone in the world make fake wine? Every family makes it themselves, even if they have surplus grain. Let¡¯s have a taste of the fermented glutinous rice. Who is the real one and who is the fake? The wine you drink is your own secret recipe. We brewed it at home." As the couple were talking, the maid came to report something. Li Su dressed neatly and came to the front yard with a headache. Fang Laowu paced back and forth in the yard with an anxious look on his face. When he saw Li Su approaching, Fang Laowu hurriedly greeted him and lowered his voice and said, "My lord, that Japanese monk has made some noise again" Li Su glanced at him. Liang: "Did he meet Wu again?" Fang Laowu nodded: "Yesterday afternoon, Dao Zhao left Huichang Temple and met Miss Wu in a wine shop in Chang'an City. The two met alone and chatted for half an hour. Then they left. " "Can we find out what they talked about?" Fang Laowu scratched his head, wondering: "Master, our brothers are all fighting men in the battle, this kind of tracking and spying work. , It was really a bad job. The people who were watching just stared from a distance, for fear of startling them, the brothers did not dare to get closer" Li Su smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, what they said is not important, it is related to improved rice seeds anyway. Fang Laowu added: "But brother saw Dao Zhao take out a cloth bag from his arms and hand it to Miss Wu. The bag was the size of a palm, probably a bribe or something" Li Su raised his eyebrows: "Is it the size of a hand?" Two more Dongzhu? "The last time Dao Zhao came to see Li Su, he also gave him two Dongzhu, and Li Su couldn't help but feel a little bit puzzled.I'm so bored, how dare I hold back? It seems that my heart has gradually softened after becoming a father, and I can no longer bear the knife. "I take out Dongzhu one by one and give it away to everyone I meet. Is this guy the reincarnation of the clam shell spirit?" Li Su said with a shy and annoyed expression. Fang Laowu laughed with him. Li Su pondered for a moment and then said slowly: "Fifth Uncle, you personally go to Xu Jingzong, the young agricultural supervisor, and spread the news that the improved rice seeds were suddenly stolen. After the news ferments overnight, ask him to suppress it immediately and declare that nothing happened. " Fang Laowu nodded in agreement. Li Su's eyes suddenly flashed with murderous intent: "After Xu Jingzong is finished, ask Zheng Xiaolou to get rid of the Japanese monk. Remember, create the illusion of accidental death." Fang Laowu took the order and left. The next day and night, a gong suddenly sounded in the Agricultural School located in the eastern suburbs of Chang'an. The rapid sound of the gong startled the officials and guards on duty in the Agricultural School. Shocking news spread quickly within the Agricultural School. More than 200 kilograms of improved rice seeds introduced from the Zhenla Kingdom, nearly two stones, were lost. No one knows how it was lost, whether there was a connection between inside and outside, or who stole it. At dawn the next day, an angry Xu Jingzong hurried into the Agricultural School, and immediately announced that the Agricultural School had not lost any rice seeds, but that someone was spreading rumors to cause chaos. He also issued a gag order. If there are still people who spread rumors, they will be Go to jail to question the crime. In just one night, the rumors that were about to spread were suppressed by Xu Jingzong with thunderbolt means. However, after all, this matter could not be completely concealed. Soon the censors in the court heard about it, so they went to the imperial court to impeach Xu Jingzong. More than a dozen censors talked about the same thing, which finally caused a stir. Li Zhi's attention. Li Zhi is not a fatuous emperor. He will not express his attitude before thoroughly investigating the matter. A group of mysterious people soon ushered in Agricultural Science. The predecessors of this group were Chang Tu's subordinates and the forces that were recruited from Li Su. Now they are combined into one and are completely in the hands of Li Zhi himself. Of course, the rice seeds were not lost at all, not even a tael. The people sent by Li Zhi checked for several days and found nothing, so they concluded that it was indeed a rumor. As for the source of the rumor, it has become an unsolved case. Everyone only heard a gong sound that night, and someone in the yard shouted "The rice seeds are lost." With no clues, the case had to be hastily closed. The case had just ended when something happened again at Huichang Temple. A Japanese envoy named Daozhao sent to the Tang Dynasty lost his footing on the way down the mountain and fell off the cliff and died. The Tang Dynasty still attaches great importance to the envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty. After all, it feels good to be sought after and studied by the vassal country. If anything happens to the envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty in the Tang Dynasty, they must be investigated. Yongzhou Governor's Office sent people to inspect the scene. Judging from various traces and clues, the Japanese monk named Daozhao had indeed slipped and fallen. Moreover, he had not made enemies with anyone since he came to Chang'an from Japan not long ago. Soon, Yongzhou Governor's Office The author came to the conclusion that Daozhao's death was accidental. After the matter was reported to the Shangshu Province, the Shangshu Province approved the case and reported the case to the Tang Dynasty mission and submitted it in the form of an official document to the Japanese leader and minister Su Worulu. ¡¡¡¡ Tai Chi Palace. The Wu family¡¯s status in the palace is very delicate now. She has power, and great power. The power is embodied in the memorials. Now Li Zhi largely relies on Wu's guidance or suggestions when reviewing the memorials. Her ability and resourcefulness are gradually valued by Li Zhi and he relies on her as his arm. , what she said in front of Li Zhi became more and more important. But at the same time, she is an invisible person in the palace. "Invisible" means that her presence is not high. In the harem, she has no official position. Her identity is just a palace maid, but the status of this palace maid is very transcendent. , no chores, no washing or cleaning, and she could freely enter and leave any palace every day, including the Anren Palace where Li Zhi reviewed memorials. No one dared to stop her, because this was her exclusive privilege. After such a person existed for a long time, the eunuchs and maids in the palace naturally did not dare to treat her as an ordinary maid anymore. Even the Queen Wang who had just been named a queen heard about her and specially summoned her to meet her. She chatted casually, and her words were quite suggestive of making friends. Wu Shi performed very well. In fact, she already knew why she was demoted to Yeting by Emperor Taizong. So this time she returned to Taiji Palace, she has always behaved very low-key, not showing off, but she can do things. Not only could she get things done, but she could also do everything beautifully. Her sharp edge has never been revealed again. She was very tired every day, but very fulfilling and happy. Almost every sentence that Li Zhi reviewed on the memorial had traces of her. Gradually, she took on the role of Li Zhi, as if she was the one sitting behind the desk reviewing the memorial. That kind of guidance, It feels really good to have the power of the country in your own hands, and??It's addictive. Alone, holding her chin, Wu laughed quietly. She originally thought that she would remain invisible in the palace forever, and would always be just a transparent person hiding behind Li Zhi and scolding Fang Qiu. However, after the last funeral of Taizong, the situation had changed. In the future, she seemed to be able to go there Try harder. The sound of Xing'er's hurried footsteps interrupted her longing. Wu raised his eyes and glanced at her displeasedly. ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? With growing prestige, Wu¡¯s demeanor and eyes have unknowingly become a little more majestic, and even Xing¡¯er, the former sister in need, is a little more afraid of her. Seeing Wu¡¯s displeased look, Xing¡¯er was so frightened that she stopped and stood with her head down in fear. Mrs. Wu suddenly smiled and waved to her cordially. "What are you stupid about? Is something wrong?" Myolie said softly: "Something happened outside the palace" "What happened?" "A few days ago, I heard that the Agricultural School lost a batch of rice seeds. Later, Xu Jingzong, the young supervisor of the Agricultural School He insisted that the rice seeds were not lost, but someone made a rumor. Your Majesty sent someone to check for a few days, and it turned out that the rice seeds were indeed not lost" Myolie said carefully: "The girl once said that she wanted to use the rice seeds from Agricultural Science to do something, so I paid attention to Agricultural Science. The news" Wu's expression changed for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. "Since His Majesty sent someone to check, it is indeed not missing." Xing'er added: "But there is one more thing, I think it is a coincidence" "What's the matter?" Xing'er said slowly: "Last night, the Tang Dynasty sent a Japanese monk to envoy Dao Zhaois dead." Wu was shocked, and his face suddenly turned pale: "Deaddead? Who killed him?" His death on the cliff was an accident. No one killed him." Wu's face was still pale and he murmured: "Accident? How could it be an accident?" Xing'er said, "I also think these two things are a bit coincidental, Nong Xue. The loss of rice seeds and the accidental death of Daozhao happened almost at the same time, and girl, you happened to have contacts with that monk Daozhao recently, and the person you planned was Agricultural Rice Seeds" Mrs. Wu was silent for a long time, shook her head: "This These two things are not a coincidence, there must be a conspiracy, and it is a conspiracy against me! " "But His Majesty sent someone to check and found that Agricultural Science did not lose the rice seeds, and Dao Zhao did fall and died" Wu's tone suddenly became fierce. He stood up and said, "What's the accident? There is nothing out of the blue. Nothing in this world is clean. Two things related to me happened at the same time. Do you think it's such a coincidence?" Xing'er was scared. De's shoulders shrank and he said calmly: "But the girl has never had any grudges with others, who will deal with you behind your back?" Mrs. Wu tried hard to suppress the intense emotions, closed her eyes to calm down, and her handsome face suddenly appeared. comes to mind. With a red eye, Wu murmured: "You saved me, and now you are targeting mewhat exactly do you want to do?" Mrs. Wu shook her head, then gritted her teeth and said, "Myolie, please prepare a carriage and horses, and prepare a generous gift. I'm going to go to Mr. Li's house to congratulate him on his promotion." The Li family hosted a banquet for guests. It is a great joy to be promoted to the title of Duke. Even if Li Su wants to keep a low profile, many dignitaries and veterans in Chang'an City will not let him go. Early in the morning, Li Jicheng, Cheng Yao Jinniu and other veteran generals arrived at the door. Cheng Yaojin felt as if he had returned to his own home when he entered Li's house. Before he could greet the guests, Butler Xue smiled, and Cheng Yaojin's figure transformed into a Black smoke rushed in, and then he began to rummage through boxes and cabinets in various halls and rooms. When he saw something he was satisfied with, he stuffed it into his arms. If the object was too big to carry, he ordered the servants of the Li family to pack it for him. The banditry was frightening. The whole Li family was stunned, and finally Li Ji gave the old guy a hard kick to stop him. Li Su originally wanted to handle the matter of promotion in a low-key manner, but after all, many people in the court were unconvinced by his sudden promotion to the rank of Duke. There were even voices saying that his promotion was a "lucky one". "Xingjin" is a derogatory term, not pleasant to hear, and is interpreted as "progressing by favor." Naturally, those who disliked him were the civil servants of the Zhenguan Dynasty. Many of the old ministers who had the merits of being a dragon were about to end up in the coffin. He only got a county magistrate or something like that, but Li Su, a young man less than thirty years old, actually became the Duke of the country in one fell swoop. Naturally, there was no need to hide the ugly side of human nature, and there was a lot of criticism in the court. Since then, rumors have spread. Under such circumstances, Li Su naturally could not invite guests to celebrate his promotion with great fanfare, so he could only try to make himself transparent and avoid the limelight for the time being. It¡¯s a pity that the veterans don¡¯t think so. Li Su is seriously considered to be a member of the militaryNot only did he have an uncle who was a powerful general, but he himself also had great military exploits. His performance in various battles from Xizhou to Goguryeo proved that he was truly a general. Only among these battle-hardened warriors In the eyes of the old generals, they could see how remarkable Li Su's military exploits had been over the years. To them, Jin Li Su deserved his honor and did his duty to serve the country justly. So the old generals greeted each other and organized a group to celebrate. Of course they couldn't let these old killers go back the way they came. Li Su had no choice but to order a banquet. None of the old generals had good wines. After half a kilogram of strong liquor, the front hall of the Li family was filled with sand and rocks. , the sun and the moon have no light. Seeing that the front hall of her house was in a mess as if it had been trampled by a group of cavalry, with many valuable calligraphy, paintings, and porcelain being reduced to pieces, Li Su endured the heartache and forced a smile. It¡¯s all money, money¡ Why do these drunken murderers want to harm my precious calligraphy and painting porcelain? You go to dance in front of Taizong's mausoleum. Steward Xue tiptoed close to Li Su's ear and whispered: "Master, Miss Wu asked to see you at the door of our house. She also prepared a gift and said she wanted to congratulate you on your promotion." Li Su smiled and then He smiled and said, "Ask Madam to greet her and invite her into the backyard. I'll be there shortly." After giving the instructions, Li Su was still sitting in the front hall, calmly watching the veteran generals acting like crazy. ¡°Anyway, everything that can be smashed in the front hall has been smashed, so I can only forgive them, otherwise what else can I do? Until the end, Cheng Yaojin, who was very drunk, yelled for his Xuanhua axe. He wanted to dance with it to entertain the old killers. Li Su's face finally changed, and he hurriedly took advantage of people's attention. , quietly slipped out of the front hall. When they came to the backyard, Xu Mingzhu and Wu were holding hands and chatting happily. The two girls giggled from time to time. Li Su stood in front of the wing door for a while, then stepped into the room. Mrs. Wu hurriedly stood up and bowed to Li Su. "My servants congratulate you on your promotion to the rank of Duke. Your fame is world-famous and your history will be remembered." Li Su laughed and said, "Miss Wu, you are too polite. You and I are not outsiders. There is no need to give gifts to celebrate." Xu Mingzhu said to the court. Li Su nodded and then excused himself. Li Su and Wu were the only two people left in the room, and the atmosphere suddenly became silent. After the maid served the tea, Li Suqian took a sip and then said: "How can Miss Wu get used to living in the palace?" Mrs. Wu chuckled and said: "People who are like duckweeds can only take things as they come. No matter what you are not used to, just try to live on." After a pause, Wu's expression gradually became ethereal, and he said softly: "As for habits, this slave is most accustomed to it only during the period when he was in the Duke's house. The people in your house, as well as the atmosphere in the house, are as clean as the father-in-law. There is no need to watch out for anyone's schemes in your house, and there is no intrigue. There is only a strong sense of life. In those days, even the servants They all feel that they are much cleaner. They once had the idea that their whole life would be like this" Li Su said lightly: "We choose how we live our lives. Your ambition is not in Quanlin, but in Zhongding. Since you have chosen , just live well, you are an extraordinary woman, you will definitely walk a different path." Wu's eyes flashed, and she said softly, "Master, don't you mind if this slave takes a different path?" Li Su said with a smile. : "Of course I don't mind. I even said that I am happy to see the results. If one day you need my help, I will help you." Wu's eyes gradually brightened: "Are you telling the truth?" Li Su nodded. : "To be honest, you and I are both the people who advise His Majesty. Our words are very important to His Majesty, so we must communicate, unite, and help each other." Mrs. Wu covered her mouth and smiled and said: "I am a female slave. , But I can¡¯t help you much.¡± Li Su said seriously: ¡°I have many things to do in the next ten years. There were too many foreign campaigns during the Zhenguan Dynasty, which consumed too much of the Tang Dynasty¡¯s national power. Now the people are in poverty everywhere, so I have to do it. What is important is to gradually enrich the people and enrich the national power. This is the most important thing for me in the next ten years. I don¡¯t want to waste my energy on internal fighting in the court, so, Miss Wu, I can help "You, are you willing to help me?" Wu's expression gradually became serious: "Of course I am willing to help you with all my strength, but I still have many questions. If the master can't answer my questions, I will have trouble sleeping and eating." Su smiled: "You tell me." "The first question is, the master said that he wanted to help me, but I don't understand. You are a foreign minister, and I am in the palace. Foreign ministers are not allowed to interfere with palace affairs. How can the master help me? ? What can you do for me?" Li Su pondered for a moment, then answered.? asked: "When I saw Miss Wu for the first time today, I noticed that her eyebrows were different from those in the past. Coincidentally, when I saw Your Majesty a few days ago, his eyebrows were also different from those in the past. Well, that's interesting. ¡¡± Mrs. Wu immediately blushed, as if to hide it, and lowered her head uneasily. Li Su smiled and said: "You and His Majesty get along day and night, whether it's business or private, it's normal for something to happen. We are all upright men. You don't have to be embarrassed." Mrs. Wu tried to calm down her emotions and looked calm. Authentic: "What do you want to say, sir?" Li Su stared into her eyes and said slowly: "I'm afraid the person Miss Wu is planning is not just the staff around your majesty, right?"