There is no businessman who does not speculate. Big officials and businessmen like the Zheng family actually care more about politics than politicians. The direction of the court is not only related to their profits and wealth, but sometimes life and death. Although they are extremely wealthy, they are on the wrong team when it comes to major court matters, and the outcome is likely to be shattered to pieces without any suspense.
Politicians may be able to retreat bravely or stay neutral and wise to protect themselves, but the Zheng family is a family that depends entirely on the direction of the court to make a living. It is a bit like farmers who eagerly hope for good weather. For other people, a strong wind or heavy rain may blow off a few tiles on the house. At most, it will cause flooding and collapse of the house. These can be rebuilt without them; for a farmer, it may mean a sudden loss of life. There was no harvest and the whole family starved to death.
Zheng Anshun is a very smart and cautious person, but no matter how hard he hides it, Qin Mubai can clearly feel his urgency - the clouds above the court are treacherous and the direction of the wind is unpredictable, and the Zheng family is confused and doesn't know where to stand. This feeling of burning your buttocks is something that no one else can feel.
Therefore, he rashly stayed in Xiangyang and waited to meet Qin Mubai. He even invited his whole family to the villa without avoiding suspicion, and he didn't even bother to avoid Wu Meiniang.
A person like Zheng Anshun would never do something that makes no sense. To put it bluntly, he wanted to get some "internal reference" from Qin Mubai, or ask for some information. After all, Qin Mubai is now a famous person in front of the emperor and a member of the royal family.
At the same time, Qin Mubai thought deeper than Zheng Anshun. To be honest, Qin Mubai really didn't take the survival of the Zheng family seriously compared to the major events in the court. Without the Zheng family as the richest man, there will be a second rich man to take over.
Looking at it from another perspective, the Zheng family has a deep connection with me. Couldn't the wealth in their hands be used for their own use
Today's banquet seemed to be calm and peaceful, but there seemed to be an undercurrent between the two men who were the protagonists, each with their own thoughts.
Qin Mubai did not discuss anything related to politics with Zheng Anshun in public. In front of these women, they acted more relaxed and indifferent. Silk and bamboo music, wine, food and fruit plate, enjoy yourself without any grudges.
It's just that Wu Meiniang, who is attentive, has long noticed the subtle changes in feelings between the two men. At first, she thought that the two of them were secretly competing because of jealousy. After they made the distinction, she was secretly frightened. She thought to herself that today's meal was an unusual meal, and it was probably related to the rise and fall of several wealthy families.
After the meal, Qin Mubai asked Pang Fei to take Baiqi and accompany Princess Gaoyang and Shuang'er, who were very interested, to go hunting for birds in the bamboo forest of Houshan. Mother was a little tired from climbing all the way, and under the service of several maids Take a rest. Qin Mubai was invited by Zheng Anshun to admire an ancient chessboard in his private bamboo pavilion. He said it was the only chessboard that Zheng Anshun had collected in his life.
Qin Mubai didn't have the slightest interest in appreciating antiques. After the two sat down, they immediately got to the point in less than a minute.
Zheng Anshun stopped pretending and said: "Brother Qin, you don't tell lies in front of real people. Now you and I are talking, and it will go out of the king's mouth and into someone's ears. It won't reach the world or the earth, but there is no harm in speaking frankly. Zheng admitted frankly I hope Brother Qin will trust me with my life.”
"I believe it." Qin Mubai smiled and nodded, "Thanks to Brother Zheng for your respect, there is no harm in speaking out if you want to say anything."
"Actually, Brother Qin must know what Zheng wants to say." Zheng Anshun's expression was rare and solemn as he said, "Zheng just wants to know who will inherit the power of the Tang Dynasty in the future?"
After hearing this, Qin Mubai frowned and raised his lips in a weird arc. He maintained this expression for more than a minute, and shook his head helplessly, "To be honest, I'm not too sure."
Zheng Anshun seemed not surprised by this answer. Today, I am afraid no one can give an accurate answer. Including the emperor, maybe not.
He asked: "If we narrow the scope a little, Zheng thinks there are only four people. Prince Chengqian, Wei Wangtai, Jin Wangzhi, and Wu Wangke."
"Yeah." Qin Mubai nodded gently. What Zheng Anshun said was pure nonsense known to the world, but it was indispensable in the current language environment.
"Who does Brother Qin think is more likely?"
"What do you think?" Qin Mubai asked. It was not to offload the burden, but to listen to the opinions of Zheng Anshun, a bystander.
Zheng Anshun smiled to himself, as if he expected Qin Mubai to ask this question, and said: "If the scope is narrowed down a little more, Zheng thinks that Prince Chengqian and Wei Wangtai can be excluded."
"Oh?" Qin Mubai couldn't help but smile in surprise, "This is strange. Now, the one who has the loudest voice is King Wei, but you are so smart that King Wei can rule it out. Tell me your reason? "
"It's very simple." Zheng Anshun said, "The bright ones are easy to be stained, and the Yao Yao are easy to break. The King of Wei was too eager to gain immediate benefits and wanted too much. He overcorrected and had the opposite effect. This is the same as doing business. The more you want the thing, the more you want it. The more you pretend to be uninterested in the goods, otherwise the seller will think that the goods are rare and will raise the price for you. "
"It's a bit interesting." Qin Mubai couldn't help but smile, "The King of Wei is indeed very hard-working and attentive in his management. It can even be described as racking his brains and doing everything he can. After the founding of the country, His Majesty listened to the opinions of Wei Zheng and others, and hid his soldiers. He governed the school and governed the world with literature. So the King of Wei worked hard to cultivate literature and gathered bachelors to compile anthologies. Daci'en Temple specializes in paying homage to the Empress Changsun. Your Majesty loves calligraphy, and the King of Wei practices it day and night. His Majesty advocates frugality, so the King of Wei puts on his old clothes and goes to the Wude Hall to see the emperor. "
Zheng Anshun smiled and said: "But His Majesty the current emperor is not a foolish king who executes the world based solely on his own likes and dislikes. Although he likes King Wei very much, he will not make him his heir because of King Wei's favor. As the saying goes, if things go awry, there must be evil. The King of Wei acted one way in front of the emperor and did the other on the emperor's back. His speculative management and hypocritical characteristics would eventually fall into the eyes and ears of the emperor. He is even worse than the prince."
"Jingwei." Qin Mubai nodded in approval and said, "So, I am very unfavorable to King Wei. If the prince is a real villain when he is immoral, then he, King Wei, is a hypocrite. Sometimes, I would rather be with a real villain Colleagues don’t want to get too close to hypocrites. Real villains are hateful, but also pitiful; hypocrites are hateful, but terrible.”
"Brother Qin really hit the nail on the head." Zheng Anshun took a long breath, exhaled slowly, nodded and smiled sincerely, "It's rare that Brother Qin said such heartfelt words to me, Zheng is really grateful!"
"It's nothing." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Actually, everyone knows what we just said, but few people are willing to say it out. Maybe the emperor also knows something, but he thinks more than us, and he thinks more than us. Comprehensive. It would be an absolute lie to say that the emperor did not want to establish Li Tai as his crown prince. Even though he had flaws in his character, from a comprehensive perspective, Li Tai did meet the standards of a steadfast king. "Human, the emperor must be aware of this, but he may be thinking more about another thing."
"What's the matter?" Zheng Anshun asked softly, but his mind tightened.
What follows may be the golden rule that he, Zheng Anshun, is willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to redeem!
Qin Mubai smiled, picked up a cup of tea, drank it slowly, and said, "Brother Zheng, you'd better go downstairs and take a look first!"
Zheng Anshun stood up obediently and hurried to the stairs like a servant. He was suddenly stunned: "Meiniang..."
Qin Mubai smiled: "Forget it, let her come up."
Wu Meiniang came upstairs, her face was a little red, but she didn't mean to be ashamed. Instead, she smiled calmly and said: "I know you are talking about national affairs, so I shouldn't eavesdrop. But..."
"No need to explain. Explanation is just a cover-up." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "You should be concerned about this kind of thing. Come and sit down."
Zheng Anshun shook his head and smiled, then simply went downstairs, ordered everyone in the building out, and then sealed the stairs with bamboo mats before sitting down safely.
"Now the walls won't have ears."
Wu Meiniang gave a startled smile and said, "You should have known that I was down there for a long time, right? You told me on purpose."
"I really don't know." Zheng Anshun said with a smile, "Zheng doesn't have the strength to tie a chicken, and of course he is not as sharp-sighted and as sharp as Brother Qin, a martial artist."
Qin Mubai smiled slightly and said: "It doesn't matter. Even if Mei Niang doesn't ask, I will tell her these things. After all, we are a family, and you are still my good wife and advisor. If I don't tell you, I Who to tell?"
"Hehe..." Wu Meiniang chuckled slightly proudly, and glanced at Zheng Anshun casually. Seeing his calm expression, she gradually felt relieved. She placed her hand under the table and unconsciously placed it on Qin Mubai's knee. Caress gently.
Qin Mubai said in a relaxed manner as if nothing was wrong: "In fact, when His Majesty the Emperor wants to appoint a Crown Prince, he only considers these few things. The first is the Crown Prince's ability. This seems to be the most important on the surface, but in fact it is not. Emperor The country has been conquered and restored, the Zhenguan Dynasty's military, political and civil affairs systems have been perfected, and there are a large number of loyal and pure ministers who are committed to serving. Whoever leaves such a team and family wealth will not have a big problem, even if it is mediocre. As long as he doesn't mess around, the Tang Dynasty will not be damaged for a while. In other words, the emperor does not have high expectations for his successor, as long as he can be a conservative king. "
"It's really a word that wakes up the person in the dream, and it's a real insight!" Zheng Anshun exclaimed, "This is really the first time Zheng has heard of such an insight!"
"But it's not just Qin who knows. It's just that no emperor's ministers or court officials would say such heart-wrenching and beheading words to Brother Zheng." Qin Mubai smiled calmly.
Zheng Anshun's expression changed, and he immediately bowed his hands in a serious manner: "Brother Qin thinks so highly of me, Zheng is deeply moved!"
"It doesn't have to be like this." Qin Mubai still smiled calmly and continued, "The second level of consideration for the prince is morality. There is a saying that when establishing a country, anyone with skills can use it; if you maintain it and start a business, then you can use it. It requires both virtue and talent. Therefore, it is more difficult to maintain a state than to found a country. No one understands this better than the emperor. The choice of a prince is probably based on this consideration. Therefore, a prince who has no morals will never live long. Well, it’s hard to say who will eventually take the throne, but I think the emperor’s moral requirements for the new crown prince, among the four items of propriety, justice, benevolence and filial piety, he values filial piety and brotherhood the most!”
Zheng Anshun stared in astonishment, filled with surprise. Qin Mubai didn't say this clearly, and it was impossible for him to say it clearly. Do you want to force him to say that the emperor is afraid of a recurrence of the Xuanwu Sect in the past? -Especially after Dengzhou Li You rebelled, the emperor became even more obvious in this regard! He hated the fact that father and son turned against each other, and worried that in a hundred years, if one of them became emperor and the other sons and nephews were not retained, it would be the biggest disaster for the Li family and the biggest failure of Li Shimin's life!
After all, Li Shimin is also a human being, not a god or a saint. How would he feel if his biological sons killed each other and splashed blood in the palace? In this way, his stain as the original reciter will be infinitely magnified, and his pursuit of life to be a wise king will completely turn into a laughing stock. And... who among the parents in the world would want their children to die unexpectedly? Even if tiger poison doesn't eat its seeds, what's wrong with humans? It is probably Li Shimin's most urgent and intuitive wish to avoid this tragic situation as much as possible while he is still alive and in power!
After Qin Mubai's words of advice, Zheng Anshun woke up from a dream and became cheerful. According to this analysis, the harder Li Tai, a sinister man in the city, worked harder, the farther away he was from the dragon throne he dreamed of. What the emperor wants is not a son who is capable, loyal, and loyal to his father as the crown prince, but a truly filial and loyal lord!
Thinking of this, Zheng Anshun couldn't help but feel startled, and inexplicably thought of Li Ke! - Over the years, Li Ke, with the assistance of Qin Mubai, has always paid attention to filial piety and brotherhood. For example, when he was in Jiangzhou, he would rather be criticized and punished than conceal the prince's affair with Sheng Nanhou. At that time, the emperor was openly belittling and secretly praising him. After completing the Jiangzhou case, he was not rewarded and even scolded him in public. , but later he generously rewarded him with a job as the governor of Xiangzhou; among the many incidents that followed in Xiangzhou, Li Ke rushed back thousands of miles to pay his last respects to the princess, and personally returned the jade seal, which was his father's long-cherished wish, and later He had been entertaining the unfaithful prince enthusiastically for more than a month. Although he was very impatient, he still treated him kindly and did not report a word to the court. This can be considered a shield in legal terms, but it secretly won the emperor's praise of filial piety. Finally, there was Li You's rebellion. This can be considered a heinous crime. In the face of such a major event, Li Ke still put love first and spared no effort to persuade Li You to return to Beijing to admit his mistake to his father, instead of escorting him to happily ask his father for a reward.
All these are impossible to enumerate.
There is no doubt that in terms of filial piety and brotherhood, Li Ke's impression in Li Shimin's mind is definitely thousands of times better than that of the immoral Li Chengqian and Li Tai, who constantly exposed and secretly harmed his brothers.
Moreover, Li Ke is capable, qualified, ambitious, and ambitious...
Zheng Anshun couldn't help but shudder secretly. When he looked at Qin Mubai again, there was a sense of shock and awe in his eyes - could it be that he, Qin Mubai, had been helping Li Ke manage the heirloom from the beginning? !
Qin Mubai remained calm and drank some tea slowly and politely.
As smart and astute as Wu Meiniang, she didn't know what the two men were secretly talking about. She was suspicious in her heart and couldn't ask openly. In the face of such major events, she knows how to remain silent and low-key at the right time. This is why Qin Mubai likes her the most - she knows the current affairs and the general situation.
"There is another most important reason, which accounts for about half of the chips and determines who will eventually take the top position." Qin Mubai smiled and said lightly, "Brother Zheng, if you are as smart as you, you will definitely understand what is wrong. It's like "When you do business with a wealthy family, what do you value most about him?"
"Strength." Zheng Anshun also answered concisely and to the point.
"Yes. A thousand words and ten thousand are actually auxiliary. The core and most important thing is strength." Qin Mubai smiled slightly, and a sharp light in his eyes was as bright as a star in the cold night.
Wu Meiniang raised her eyebrows lightly, and spoke as calmly as Qin Mubai, but she threw out the words that Qin Mubai was thinking but didn't say, and each word was like thunder in the sky -
"What kind of bloodline and concubine are all disguises and deceptive cloaks. Whoever has strong support behind him and whoever represents the side that wins the battle will be able to take the throne in the end. Even if he is just a collateral royal family of the Li family!"
Qin Mubai looked sideways, raised his eyebrows slightly and gave Wu Meiniang an approving look, then took a sip of tea and said, "One force can overwhelm Baiqiao. That's it."