Of course, Pei Ju didn't want to show himself, but asked his distant nephew Chen Yingliang to come forward to encourage the second-year-old nurse to speak out to persuade Emperor Sui Yang not to make another southern tour. Delay it for a few days until Pei Ju forgets about it, or wait until Emperor Yang of Sui confirms his southern tour of Jiangdu, and then he can make an excuse that he didn't have time to contact Lai Huer.
However, the plan did not change quickly, and it was only one day later. At noon one day later, when there was no morning court that day, Pei Ju, who was always busy with everything, suddenly took the initiative to send someone to the General Youwuwei's mansion to spread the word, asking Chen Yingliang to go to Shangshutai to meet him immediately , there are important matters to discuss. Chen Sangliang, who had a strong sixth sense, had a premonition that the situation was not good, but he didn't dare to refuse, so he hurriedly followed the messenger to the Shangshutai to meet Pei Ju, and as expected, he waved away the people in the signing room. After everyone was gone, Pei Ju asked in the first sentence, "How is the matter of contacting Lai Nuer going?"
"Reporting to Uncle, time is running short, and my nephew has not had time to contact Lai Zhuguo." Chen Sangliang replied with a guilty conscience.
"Hurry up, within today, you must find out the attitude of Laizhu Kingdom!" Pei Ju rarely used a stern tone to Chen Yingliang, and said firmly: "Come forward early tomorrow morning and tell me Laizhu Kingdom's answer! error!"
"Uncle, what happened?" Chen Yingliang felt that the situation was even worse, and hurriedly asked: "Could it be that His Majesty has already revealed his intention of making a southern tour?"
Pei Ju nodded, with a serious expression on his face, and said in a low voice: "I heard from the palace, when His Majesty visited the Xiyuan today and admired the flowers and plants in the garden, he was suddenly filled with emotion, saying that although the flowers in Luoyang are good, none of them can match them." He picked up his favorite viburnum, looked southeast, and said that the viburnum in Jiangdu must be in full bloom. From this, I can conclude that His Majesty already has the idea of visiting Jiangdu three times."
"Your Majesty likes Qionghua, this is known to all officials." Chen Yingliang said with some doubts: "Even so, why does uncle want my nephew to find out the intention of coming to Zhu Kingdom within today?"
"Are you really ignorant, or are you pretending not to know?" Pei Ju gave Chen Yingliang an angry look, and said in a low voice, "Among all the officials, am I the only one who secretly exchanged news with the servants next to His Majesty? When His Majesty visited the garden, said How can it be possible that the words of the old man can reach my ears and not reach the ears of other officials? Uncle, I do not want His Majesty to make another southern tour, but who can guarantee that other officials will not intentionally flatter His Majesty? And in order to please His Majesty, these sycophants will definitely persuade His Majesty to make a southern tour as soon as possible! I bet that in the morning court tomorrow, some officials will come forward to persuade His Majesty to make another southern tour of Jiangdu!"
Hearing this, Chen Yingliang finally understood why Pei Ju became the boss of civil servants while he was just a small captain of the criminal police. He nodded his head and thanked Pei Ju for his guidance, and Pei Ju urged: "Just understand, within today, you must Find out the attitude of Laizhu Kingdom, and you can also tell him what Majesty said when he went to Xiyuan. As long as Laizhu Kingdom dares to be the first bird and persuades His Majesty a little, I can secretly contact all the officials and try to persuade His Majesty to give up Nanning. patrol."
"Old cunning, I don't have the guts to persuade you, and you still want to force me to instigate Lai Huer, what if Lai Huer drags me into the water?" Chen Sangliang groaned in his heart, and he didn't dare to say it out. Neng Shi bit the bullet and replied: "Uncle, don't worry, my nephew will do his best."
Seeing the sad face of the distant nephew, Pei Ju said again: "Nephew, don't say that uncle didn't warn you. If His Majesty really decides to tour the south, there is a 90% chance that you will appear on the list of the parade! Don't forget, Your Majesty will always go through the Tongji Canal when visiting the south of the river. Thieves are rampant along the Tongji Canal, and you have been in charge of ensuring the smooth flow of the Tongji Canal for a long time. Your Majesty will probably take you with you for the safety of Luanjia! At that time, The excuse that your wife is about to give birth makes sense in front of me, but if it makes sense to His Majesty, uncle dare not vouch for it!"
Hearing Pei Ju's threatening words in disguise, Chen Yingliang naturally became even more frowning, but Pei Ju couldn't help but waved his hand and ordered: "Go, I still have business to do, you decide what to do."
…
He bid farewell to Pei Ju with a sad face, and returned to the residence of General Youwuwei with an even more sad face. Chen Yingliang, who was helpless and in a dilemma, could only quickly find his adviser Fang Xuanling, and gave Fang Xuanling a general introduction of what happened. Then he said: "Brother, I'm in serious trouble now, Uncle Pei Ju's hint is very clear, if I still want to stay out of it, he won't help me stay in Dongdu, let alone help me find a position to stay in Dongdu. But if I get involved in this matter, not only will Dongdu stay behind but there is no hope, and maybe I will be dragged into the water by Laizhu Kingdom, which will anger His Majesty and put me in a dilemma, I really have no choice."
This time even the resourceful Fang Xuanling frowned a little. He would be forced to stand in line if he listened to Pei Ju's words, which would anger Emperor Sui Yang. If he didn't listen to Pei Ju's words, he might have to drive south with him. There is almost no hope of staying on this throne. It is indeed a dilemma, with no way out. So after hesitating for a long time, Fang Xuanling said slowly: "My dear brother, you can't listen to Prime Minister Pei's orders. You have already offended the Guanlongmen Clan, and you are in a high position at a young age, so you are extremely hated , if we lose the support of Pei Zuoxiang and the Wenxi Pei family behind him, the consequences will be disastrous."
"Of course I understand this, and it's not that I don't want to do things for Zuoxiang Pei." Chen Sangliang said with a dejected expression, "But the problem is, I'm going to encourage Laizhu Kingdom to persuade His Majesty to make a southern tour on his behalf. Why don't I become this villain? Then I will definitely be dragged to persuade me, and then my troubles will be even greater."
"Yes." Fang Xuanling nodded and sighed, and frowned even tighter, and said: "If Lai Zhuguo is some kind of flattering and flattering young man, then things are not easy to handle. If he doesn't show his head and you don't, everyone Just make two episodes. It's a pity..., it's a pity...."
"It's a pity that Lai Zhuguo happens to be not such a person." Chen Sangliang took over the conversation with a wry smile, and said: "He is famous for his daring, and dared to break into the wedding hall of his enemy's house when he was only a teenager. The master of the blade avenged his uncle, Erzheng Goguryeo dared to retreat without the imperial decree, and he will not accept the order of the foreign emperor. He is the only one in the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty. Maybe the answer is yes, and it will definitely drag me into the water."
"Laizhu Kingdom is a hero who stands above heaven and earth." Fang Xuanling nodded, and said casually: "Among the civil and military courts of the Manchu Dynasty, there are only a handful of courtiers who are truly loyal to the country, and Laizhu Kingdom is one of them. I also know that , not only is he good at running the army, he's also... huh?"
Speaking of this, Fang Xuanling suddenly gasped and asked in surprise, "What did I just say?"
"Brother Qiao Song, why do you have the same problem as me? You can forget what you said immediately." Chen Sangliang smiled wryly, and repeated casually: "You just said that the kingdom of Zhu will stand up to the heavens and the earth, and the civil and military affairs of the Manchu Dynasty, There are not many ministers who are truly loyal to the country, and he is one of them... huh?"
As he said that, Chen Sangliang also stopped abruptly. First, he and Fang Xuanling had big eyes and small eyes, then smiled together, and said in unison: "Could it be that we both thought of the same thing?"
…
After the agreement was made, it was still relatively early, so Chen Yingliang went directly to the nearby General Youyiwei's mansion to meet Lai Hu'er. Fortunately, Lai Huer happened to be working in the yamen at the moment, and his most capable son, Lai Zheng, came to see Lai Hu'er in person. He greeted Chen Yingliang at the door, and very respectfully invited Chen Yingliang into the custody room where the nurse came. After meeting, Lai Hu'er joked with Chen Yingliang, saying: "Chen Xiongqu, a rare guest, what brought you here? Could it be that you are going to live in another house, come and invite this old man to your house Going to the banquet?"
"Come to Zhuguo, just spare this junior." Chen Sangliang took the topic, pretending to be pitiful, and said: "This junior has tender arms and legs, and a regular wife and a partial house can't stand it anymore." Now, if you accept another side room, this junior will have to show up to His Majesty and ask His Majesty to reward you with Shiquan Dabu Tang."
Lai Nuer laughed loudly, stood up politely and invited Chen Sangliang to sit down, and immediately asked why Chen Yingliang came, Chen Yingliang looked around mysteriously, hesitated to speak, Lai Nuer understood, and immediately waved his hand to let him go. All the servants went out, leaving only the son to wait in the room, and then said: "There is no outsider, so if you have something to say, please speak up."
"To tell you the truth, this junior is here today to ask for something." Chen Yingliang cupped his hands and said, "This matter is very difficult. If senior Zhuguo thinks it's not feasible, you can refuse it directly. This junior will never mind. If this junior doesn't say anything, through these words."
"You haven't said it yet, how do I know if it will work?" Lai Hu'er had a kind attitude towards Chen Yingliang, and said with a smile: "Speak, let's listen first."
"Senior, my nephew heard the news that His Majesty is planning to tour the Jiangdu south again."
Chen Yingliang made his expression very solemn, and lowered his voice, and carefully introduced to Lai Huer what happened when Emperor Sui Yang visited Xiyuan today. As a result, Lai Huer's expression quickly became very serious. After Chen Yingliang finished speaking, he immediately asked, "Is the news reliable?"
"Absolutely reliable." Chen Yingliang nodded, and then said in a low voice: "The younger generation is still worried that maybe tomorrow morning, someone will come forward to remonstrate. Your Majesty, please visit Jiangdu three times."
Lai Huer's expression became more serious, and he was silent for a long while, and then Lai Huer suddenly said: "My nephew told the old man this news, and said that I have something to ask for, could it be that my nephew wants to ask the old man to join you in admonishing His Majesty?" , don’t patrol Jiangdu south again? If so, I can promise you.”
"Father!" The person next to him was anxious, and hurriedly said: "Father, you can't persuade me, your majesty's temper..."
"Don't say too much, state affairs are the most important thing." Lai Huer waved his hand to stop his son's persuasion, and said solemnly: "Nowadays, the world is in chaos and thieves are swarming. Your Majesty is staying in the Eastern Capital to direct the counter-rebellion. How can he go on a southern tour again?" Damaging state affairs? Nephew Yingliang, don’t worry, joint advice is fine, you can speak first and I’ll help you, as ministers, it’s our duty to be loyal and admonish, I’ll help you with this!”
"I didn't mean that!" Chen Sangliang, who was dumbfounded, almost didn't shout out, and quickly waved his hands and said, "Senior, you misunderstood, this junior didn't mean that, this junior didn't want to ask you to co-sign and advise, nor did I want you to help this junior .”
"Nephew, what do you want to ask me for?" Lai Hu'er asked strangely.
"This..." Disturbed by the incident just now, Chen Sangliang's long-planned words became a little difficult to say, and his expression became very awkward, and he murmured: "Junior, junior, junior, I want to ask senior to come forward Advise, do your best to persuade His Majesty to give up the plan of the southern tour."
"Ask me to come forward?" Lai Nuer was stunned, then misunderstood what Chen Yingliang meant, and asked, "Yingliang, do you want the old man to start, and you will help later?"
"That's what it means." Chen Yingliang rarely blushed a little, and said, "This junior has the guts to ask the senior to come forward and persuade me, and then I will play it by ear."
Lai Hu'er was so angry that he was speechless, and Lai Zheng's face turned blue, and he said angrily, "Chen Xiongqu, did I hear wrong? You want to persuade His Majesty to give up the southern tour, and you don't want to challenge yourself." , I also want to ask my father to take the lead, you hide behind and watch the wind and play by ear, let you monopolize the cheap, let my father bear all the risks, is there such a good thing in the world?"
"Come general, please calm down and listen to me." Chen Sangliang sighed, and then said to Lai Huer: "Come uncle, my nephew is ashamed, I really want you to come forward and stop His Majesty On the southern tour, let me hide behind and watch the scenery, but I also have my reasons for doing so."
"What are your difficulties?" Lai Hu'er asked with a sneer.
"My nephew can't bear His Majesty's thunderous wrath." Chen Yingliang said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty's temper, uncle, you know better than my nephew. If you get angry, even Su Youxiang can be demoted directly to the people. My nephew is young and talented." Qian, if you rush to remonstrate and anger His Majesty, you will end up worse than Su Youxiang."
"If you can't afford it, then the old man can afford it?" Lai Hu'er sneered even more.
"Senior, you can afford it." Chen Yingliang said solemnly: "Your Majesty personally conquered Goguryeo three times, and even Yuwenzhu Kingdom had to obey orders in front of His Majesty. Only you, Senior, commanded the navy three times and became a whole body, which is enough to prove His Majesty's trust in you." The favor is still higher than that of the Yuwenzhu Kingdom, so even if you fail to appeal, senior, His Majesty will at most just refuse to accept it, and will not impose any heavy punishment on you."
"My nephew is different." Chen Yingliang said with a wry smile: "My nephew's foundation is too shallow. If he fails to appeal and annoys His Majesty, let alone dismissed from office, he may be beheaded and ransacked."
"Of course, my nephew is not afraid of dying. I just want to leave a useful body and do more things for your majesty, the court, and the world." Chen Yingliang added: "My nephew knows that because of your majesty's irascibility With a stubborn temper, even if it is your uncle who comes forward to advise you, His Majesty may not necessarily listen to it. If that time really comes, the little nephew must continue to stay in the Eastern Capital, the heart of the world, to defend the Eastern Capital for His Majesty, and to The imperial court put down the rebellion in all directions, but if my nephew encounters accidents because of admonishing His Majesty, I will never have the chance to do these things for Your Majesty and the imperial court.”
Although it was a shameless sophistry, Chen Sangliang's words still moved Lai Huer a little bit, and made Lai Huer fall into deep thought and calculation, but Laizheng next to him became more and more angry as he listened, and said angrily: "Chen Xiongqu, you Want to leave a useful body to quell the rebellion in all directions for the court? Then why not let my father leave a useful body to quell the rebellion in all directions for the court and His Majesty?"
"Brother Laizheng, because His Majesty brings Uncle Lai with him every time he goes on tour." Chen Yingliang replied softly, "Uncle Lai is from Jiangdu again, and His Majesty is going to patrol Jiangdu again, Uncle Lai is almost destined to follow His Majesty on the southern tour. I am different, I have the opportunity to stay in Dongdu."
Speaking of this, Chen Yingliang paused for a moment, and then said softly: "Uncle, brother, let me say one more brazen and arrogant word. In the current eastern capital Luoyang, there are not many people who can assist His Majesty King Yue to ensure the safety of the eastern capital Luoyang. I'm one of them. You don't want to let a small rebellion that can be extinguished at a fingertip directly threaten the safety of the Eastern Capital like last time, right?"
Laizheng finally shut his mouth, and he agreed with Chen Yingliang's arrogant words in his heart. There are really not many people in the Eastern Capital who can help Yang Yu guard the Eastern Capital without accidents, and Chen Yingliang is indeed one of them. But I agree with it. After a little calculation, Laizheng turned to Lai Huer again, and persuaded: "Father, you can't take risks. Although you are deeply favored, your majesty's temper is still too violent, and you can't listen to me at all." Harsh advice, even if it is your persuasion, you still have to take a lot of risks."
Chen Yingliang came to persuade Lai Huer to be the first bird, originally to give Pei Ju an explanation, and it would be easier for Lai Huer not to agree to Chen Yingliang, so Chen Yingliang immediately cupped his hands and said: "Uncle, my nephew knows that this matter is very risky, you It doesn't matter if you don't agree, just treat it as my little nephew never said these things. My little nephew just wants to say, if His Majesty decides to make a southern tour, then please ask your uncle to speak to His Majesty, and let your little nephew assist His Highness the King of Yue... "
"There is no need to say more." Lai Hu'er, who had been thinking silently, suddenly spoke up, interrupting Chen Yingliang's words that he wanted to stay in the Eastern Capital, and then Lai Huer said: "I promise you, I will come forward to persuade Your Majesty not to tour the south again. "
"Agreed?" Chen Sangliang, who didn't want Lai Nuer to agree, was suddenly dumbfounded.
"Father!" Laizheng also exclaimed.
"You don't need to say too much." Lai Huer waved his son to shut up, with an unusually solemn expression, and said calmly: "Even if you don't respond to the persuasion of Liangxian nephew, if your majesty decides to make a southern tour, I will try my best to persuade you. You and my father and son As a minister, when the Lord is worried about the national crisis, if you don’t fulfill your responsibilities as a minister, how can you be worthy of your kindness like Hai Jun, Da Sui Jiangshan Sheji? I have made up my mind, so I don’t need to persuade you anymore.”
Laizheng, who was always obedient, shut up obediently, and Lai Huer turned to Chen Yingliang and said, "Yingliang, although you didn't say anything, I can still guess that you are not representing yourself today, and you don't have the ability and courage to set up a court in the palace. Eyes and ears—go back and tell Zuoxiang Pei, I will take the risk, and I will take the risk, but as long as I persuade His Majesty a little, I will ask them to lend a helping hand as soon as possible, and help me persuade His Majesty to give up the southern tour."
"It's troublesome. It seems that Hu'er's appearance seems to have made up his mind. What if he really brought Pei Ju and they talked to Emperor Yang of Sui?" However, Chen Sangliang felt that it might not be possible for Yangdi's unruly temper. At the same time, Chen Yingliang was a little worried about the safety of his son, so he hurriedly reminded him: "Uncle, then you must be very careful. If your majesty is really a dragon Yan Zhennu, when it's time to give up, you have to give up."
"Of course I understand this." Lai Hu'er gave a bitter smile, and said casually: "If His Majesty is really angered, and when His Majesty commits crimes against me, I hope my nephew will plead for mercy."