"Minister Cui You, kowtow to meet the lord!"
Cui You, who seemed to have gray hair, was as excited as an old man. He rushed out of the yard tremblingly, and fell to the ground and kowtowed his head as soon as he went out. He didn't even look up, his forehead was pressed against the hard bluestone pavement, and his shoulders were shaking violently.
"How can my minister, He De, be able to work for the lord to visit me?"
He knelt on the ground with both hands on the ground, and his head was extremely low.
The people watching all around immediately let out a burst of exclamation.
Fang Jie hurried over and helped Cui You up with both hands: "When I went to Chang'an from Fan Gu, if I hadn't been taken care of on the way, I would not have achieved what I am today. Brother Ziheng and I always talk about that time, and my heart is full of tears. Very grateful."
"The minister is terrified."
Cui You looked flushed, and his excited lips were trembling: "It was just a little effort back then, but I am so grateful to the lord, I am ashamed. I know that the lord values love and righteousness, so I have repeatedly warned him not to use it like this." The old love is proud and self-satisfied, and the lord trusts and entrusts him with a heavy responsibility, and he should repay it with his life."
Fang Jie supported him and walked into the yard: "How old is Zhong Zhen older than me, according to reason, I should call him elder brother, and you are naturally my elder, so it is reasonable to call you uncle."
"How dare."
Cui You held Fang Jie's hand tightly, crying: "I wanted to retire in Longyou, but Ziheng was filial, and sent someone to come all the way to pick me up from the northwest, saying that I wanted to spend my old age in Chang'an. .I only went to Beijing once in the first year of Tianyou, and I have never been to Chang'an since then. To have the enjoyment I have today is all thanks to my lord's gift."
Seeing his sincere expression, how can he not be moved
"Uncle is serious."
Fang Jie said with a smile: "I left Fan Gu that day, but I was just a pawn in the army. My uncle never gave up and asked Ziheng to be my friend. At that time, I thought that if I achieve something in the future, I will never let you down." Father and son."
The two walked and talked, arm in arm.
After entering the living room, Cui Zhongzhen hurriedly served tea: "I heard that my lord has been working hard in the Tai Chi Hall for the past few days. After working so hard, I have to make a special trip to visit my father. I am very grateful."
"Don't be so polite, you and I still need to talk about this?"
Fang Jie helped Cui You to sit down, and then sat down with a smile: "Although there are a lot of things, I just came back from Dongjiang and everything has not been straightened out, so these few days are really busy. The first day back to Beijing I knew my uncle was coming at that time, and I should have come to visit immediately. It's just that I was so entangled in those trivial things that I couldn't be free."
"The state's affairs are the most important, the state's affairs are the most important."
Cui You said hurriedly beside him.
Fang Jie looked around and said, "I chose this house at random when I first came to Beijing. Now that my uncle has arrived, I can't live here any longer. Later, I will ask someone to choose a good place in the city. The household department allocates money to build a new house."
"I dare not accept it."
Cui Zhongzhen quickly stood up and leaned over and said: "The general of the country is safe, and a thousand wastes are waiting to be rebuilt. The treasury is not sufficient. How can we allocate funds to build houses for the minister? The minister absolutely cannot accept it."
"Then from my own account."
Fang Jiedao: "Over the years, without your great help, I would not have achieved what I am today. I have always helped my relatives and ignored them. If those guys at Yushitai say something nonsense, I will directly ask Chen Xiaoru to send someone to help me." Just check their details. Most of those self-proclaimed censors are really clean."
"Uncle, did the family bring it this time?"
Fang asked.
Cui You nodded quickly: "There is no one in the family anymore. I asked them when I went to Beijing, and those who were willing to follow followed, and those who did not want to follow were given a sum of money and sent away."
Fang Jie turned his head and told Chen Xiaoru who was following: "Ask how many people have come, and give each person a red envelope of one hundred taels of silver. It’s a bit scarce. It’s the money that goes all over the world, and it’s not in circulation now.”
"Thank you my lord!"
Cui You and Cui Zhongzhen bowed their heads in thanks at the same time.
"Originally, Xiang Qingniu wanted to come together. Back then, we traveled all the way from the northwest to Chang'an. We were companions on the road, and we lived a very happy life."
Fang Jie said with a smile: "But recently he is busy preparing for the big wedding, so I didn't call him."
"I heard that when my uncle came to Beijing, there were only three carriages, and only one of the three carriages was loaded with daily necessities. Unexpectedly, my uncle was so poor, and I felt uncomfortable. So I plan to let someone Get some more lucrative deals from Hutong Tianxia, and count them as some bonuses for you. Don’t publicize this matter... After all, people’s words are scary.”
Cui Zhongzhen quickly thanked him again, looking at his father with puzzled eyes from time to time. Cui You, on the other hand, didn't look unusual. Just inadvertently, something intriguing in his eyes flashed away.
…
…
Fang Jie ate dinner at Cui Zhongzhen's house, and he didn't let them waste it. He simply copied a few dishes, and then went to Liu Ji's shop on Dongshiliutiao Street to buy almost aged wine. Originally, Liu Ji's shop was not well-known in Chang'an City. Who would have thought that the military chaos in the past few years, the business is not good, and the wine he has stored in the wine cellar is quite old. Now Chang'an City has returned to calm, and the business of his shop is getting more and more prosperous.
"To be honest, at the time, I never imagined that Ziheng would be able to achieve what he is today with the lord. At that time, I felt that he was not suitable for an official, so I planned to let him study in the Martial Arts Academy. It would be good if he could join the army. Who would have thought that he would not live up to his expectations and be kicked out for doing such nasty things. Later, the minister spent all his family property, and then he found a way out for him in the Northwest Army. Counting, seven or eight years have passed."
Cui You said with emotion: "Actually, I'm not very old. It's just that I have been terrified all these years, coupled with worrying about the instability of the country, my hair turned gray early."
"It will be fine in the future."
Fang Jie glanced casually, pretending not to see Cui You's hand retracted into his cuff. The finger wrench on that hand is absolutely extraordinary. It must be because I was too anxious to go out and forgot to pick it up. But for a gentry on the ground, it's nothing to have a valuable gadget in his hand. Cui You concealed it like this, but it was inferior.
When Cui You stretched out his hand again, the finger was gone.
"Life is hard, so I should write a letter to brother Ziheng. I have paid him a lot of money."
Fang Jie deliberately made a joke.
"How can you bother him with everything?"
Cui Youdao: "He serves in the lord's army, so naturally he has to do things wholeheartedly. Once he is distracted by family affairs, it may delay the lord's important affairs. Although my life is poor, it is better than ordinary people. Quite a lot, although the property in the northwest doesn't have much food, it's still quite rich. But after Li Yuanshan's rebellion, all the people under my subordinates ran away if they could, so who is willing to farm?"
"At first, the father adopted the son, and later the son adopted the father."
Fang Jie said solemnly: "Father fights to protect his children, so children fight to honor their elders? If people don't have filial piety, they can't do great things, and they can't accomplish great things."
"My lord is wise."
Cui You praised casually.
Fang Jie personally poured a glass of wine for Cui You, and Cui You got up and held the wine glass in both hands to thank him. Fang Jie glanced casually, and found that Cui You's hands were very white, not at all like the hands of an old man. Moreover, this person's palms are very thick, without any callouses, but the palms are heavily textured. Most people judge that this must be someone who has never done any work, but Fang Xie knows that it is the hand of a practitioner.
Fang Jie didn't test Cui You's cultivation, but just pretended not to care about anything.
"I can't drink too much. These years, my body is getting worse day by day. If I drink a little more, I will cough up blood."
Hearing Cui You's words, Fang Jie's heart moved slightly. So he followed Cui You's words and said: "How can it be done? Later, I will send someone to find a few doctors with better means, and then find the imperial doctor from the palace to treat you together."
"No need, this is an old problem."
Cui You declined.
Fang Jie turned his head and told Chen Xiaoru: "Write this matter down, and send someone to handle it later."
Chen Xiaoru responded beside him.
"Uncle, you haven't taken a good walk in Chang'an this time, have you? Although there is no scenery in Chang'an city, but walking for a long time can make people open up. Let brother Ziheng take a good rest in a few days and take I'm watching you wander around Chang'an City. I'm afraid I don't have time to rectify military affairs recently."
"oh?"
Cui You snorted, and quickly said: "Military and national affairs are the most important thing."
Cui Zhongzhen asked: "My lord wants to rectify military affairs?"
Fang Jie nodded, sighed slightly, and said, "The troops brought back from Eastern Xinjiang this time include at least 50,000 recruits. These soldiers are all from the Green Forest Road in Eastern Xinjiang, and they don't know the rules. So we need to reorganize. I am planning to look back and see where to transfer some people and lead these soldiers. In addition, there are tens of thousands of new recruits from the Suzaku Mountain camp that can be used, and they must be organized and assigned to the local maintenance."
Cui Zhongzhen said: "The minister is willing to share the worries of the lord."
"talk later."
Fang Jie didn't respond, looked at the sky and got up and said, "We got together today, and I have something on my mind. There are still many things in the court that have not been dealt with, and I have to go back in a hurry."
Cui You and Cui Zhongzhen hurriedly got up to see them off.
…
…
Fang unlocked the gate of Cui Mansion and got into the carriage.
Chen Xiaoru drove the car himself.
"Do you see anything wrong?"
Fang asked.
After thinking for a while, Chen Xiaoru replied: "I didn't notice anything wrong at first, but I just felt that the atmosphere was a little abnormal. When the lord was at the banquet, I was thinking carefully about where the abnormality was. After I left the gate, I just felt that the atmosphere was a little abnormal. Suddenly... General Cui is too reserved today."
Fang Jie smiled, noncommittal.
Chen Xiaoru continued: "According to the logic, there are no outsiders today. General Cui and the lord are close friends, and they should be more relaxed in their own home. But General Cui looks a little nervous, far more respectful and polite than usual. It's not normal, absolutely not normal."
"When will there be such a reaction?"
Fang Jie asked again.
Chen Xiaoru smiled: "When speaking ill of others... For example, when Yan Kuang and I were speaking ill of Nie Xiaoju and suddenly found that Nie Xiaoju came... we would be very unnatural and behave more politely than usual. Words of concern that cannot be expressed will be expressed.”
Fang Jie laughed loudly: "Do you often speak ill of Nie Xiaoju behind your back?"
Chen Xiaoru smiled embarrassingly: "It's not a bad word... just to criticize his sewing... Later, after Yan Kuang was beaten by Nie Xiaoju, he didn't dare to talk to me..."