Ten years later

At this time in Yanying Hall, Li Yuan looked at Zhao Nuo who stepped into the hall again, and said to him rather rudely: "Zhao Sheren is here again."

Zhao Nuo saluted him politely: "The Holy Order is in me, I dare not not come."

Li Yuan said straight to him: "I persuaded Li Lian to go back, are you still not giving up?"

When Zhao Nuo heard that name, he frowned indistinctly.I thought it was because you persuaded him to go back that I had to come.He sat on the seat in front of the couch, smiled, and said: "In ancient times, there were seven captures and seven strikes, and three visits to the thatched cottage. This is the second time for the lower official to come, and it is still far away."

"Seven captures and seven strikes, three visits to the thatched cottage..." Li Yuan repeated in a low voice, "The allusion of Sheren is not very appropriate."

Zhuge captured seven times and Zhao Lie visited the thatched cottage three times. Those who did these things were all high-ranking people.Li Yuan sneered and looked at him provocatively: "It's up to you to recruit me. It's not enough."

Zhao Nuo was not annoyed at all: "If the Duke is still the governor of Lingzhou with military power in his hands, he is naturally not qualified to be a low-level official. But now, huh." Zhao Nuo deliberately omitted the second half of the sentence.

Li Yuan naturally understood what he meant, it was nothing more than that he appeared in the palace inexplicably now, and even others didn't know about it, so he didn't have the slightest bargaining chip in his hand.If the emperor wanted to kill him, it would be as easy as pie.

Li Yuan turned and said: "I have been greatly honored by the great Zhou's kindness."

"Didn't Brother Ling mention to you how the court of the previous Zhou Dynasty treated you?" Zhao Nuo's mouth twitched, "What's more, my lord received the throne of Zen. Since you were a minister of the previous Zhou Dynasty, it is only natural for you to transfer to the new court. It should be, there are many of your former colleagues in this court."

"It's a matter of course," Li Yuan narrowed his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "I really think I'm an ignorant and childish child!" It was not like this when the dynasty and generation founded the country.

Zhao Nuo was also unconvinced and said: "Of course the lower officials don't dare to underestimate you. But how could you not know that Zhou Liguo received an artifact from the Northern Qin Dynasty."

Just a joke, you know that this is true in every dynasty, and naturally the previous week was no exception.

Li Yuan said again: "My Li family inherits the Duke of Great Zhou Cheng."

Zhao Nuo chuckled: "The founding father of Longxi County in Xiliang, and the Duke Cheng of Northern Qin."

Li Yuan's great-grandfather was an important minister of Xiliang, who was named Taiwei, General of the Zhu Kingdom, Longyou Xingtai, and Founder of Longxi County. He was one of the "Eight Pillar Kingdoms" at that time.When he mentioned this matter, he just wanted to say, since your Li family received favors from Xiliang and Beiqin at that time, and they were still able to turn around from the previous week, why can't they be involved in the new dynasty now.What's more, at least the masters of Xiliang and Beiqin haven't done anything to your Li family.

Li Yuan was silent for a while, and Zhao Nuo continued to persuade him while the iron was hot: "Your younger brother is now in full swing, the Duke should think about him."

...He almost said that your brother is the new emperor you have been wanting to scold.

"Why, if I insist, will you still implicate your relatives?" Li Yuan asked back.

"That's not true." Zhao Nuo was a little surprised, as if he didn't understand why he would ask this question.

Starting from Xiliang, in the past few dynasties among the nobles, they have always only dealt with a certain person, and they will not connect with relatives.As for the Zhu Jiu Clan, it is even more impossible, after all, there are in-laws between each family.Just like the founders of Northern Qin and Zhou, plus Li Yuan's great-grandfathers were all from the "Eight Pillar Kingdom" in Xiliang, the clans of Northern Qin are still holding important positions in the court.The grandfather of Li Lian and Li Yuan was the No. 17 son of Emperor Wen of the previous Zhou Dynasty. Speaking of it, Li Lian and Emperor Gong of the previous Zhou Dynasty were still cousins.

Li Yuan nodded indifferently: "That's it. He is powerful and powerful because he is devoted to the new dynasty. What does it have to do with whether I surrender or not?"

Li Yuan continued to ask: "If in the end, I still refuse to serve the new dynasty, what will you do?"

How else?Take good care of him, and Li Lian has to stay low until you can forgive him.However, Zhao Nuo absolutely didn't dare to say these words, he just said: "I dare not guess the holy will, but my younger brother is extremely filial to you, and it is absolutely impossible to sit back and watch you have an accident."

Li Yuan nodded, seeming to understand.Then he asked again: "I'm already a duke in Dazhou, with ten thousand households to live in, and thousands of households to be sealed off. If you want to recruit surrender, there must be some advantages."

It seems that Li Yuan has loosened up a bit, Zhao Nuo breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled at him: "It's natural. The Duke doesn't have to worry about this matter, what the lord means is that you will only be better than you were last week. "

"I will think about it carefully, but I have to see Li Lian again." Li Yuan glanced at the people standing around, and said slowly, "When the time comes, let these people go down."

"This," Zhao Nuo feigned embarrassment, gritted his teeth after pondering for a moment, "it is as the Duke wishes."

"Thank you, Zhao Sheren," Li Yuan smiled politely, and half-jokingly said, "I think Sheren's way of talking is not like Ziweilang, but more like the director of Dali Temple."

Zhao Nuo clasped his hands and said, "Master of the State is wise, I was once the head of Dali Temple."

Li Yuan seemed to casually say: "Sheren is from Tianshui County?"

"No." Zhao Nuo shook his head, "This official came from a poor family in Hejian, so he dare not attach himself to the Tianshui Zhao family."

"I was being abrupt," Li Yuan smiled apologetically, and then said something polite, "Zhao Sheren held a high position at a young age, and he was indeed a handsome man."

Zhao Nuo saluted in the direction of the Tai Chi Hall, and said: "It's all thanks to His Majesty's grace." He thought to himself, who wouldn't know how to say that.

After Zhao Nuo left, Li Yuan pondered over the information he had received bit by bit, and began to speculate about the new emperor whom he had never met.

At the beginning of the new dynasty, the king of the country was Lai Changjun, the prince should be the eldest son, only about ten years old, so the new emperor should be in his thirties.

Reusing a poor family like Zhao Nuo should not be the Shandong gentry, and besides, those gentry don't seem to be seeking to usurp the throne.

There were still many colleagues in the court in the past, and people who were willing to use the old court should not be from poor families.What's more, with the military power in the hands of the humble family, it is easy to take control of Chang'an, but it is somewhat difficult to pacify the four realms.

Get rid of the humble family and the gentry, and only the honorable ones will be left.And either they have military power in their hands, or they have prestige, and they can recruit enough soldiers in a short period of time, and then train them out.

But among the noble families in Dazhou, no one has ever heard of such an outstanding junior.

Moreover, the price offered by the new emperor is too heavy.

When he was in the Great Zhou Dynasty, he was already considered an extremely human minister!It was better than in Dazhou, and how much better it should be.Such generous treatment, but the new emperor has never shown up, so it is not a way to recruit and surrender.

What surprised him the most was that both Zhao Nuo and Li Lian had talked with him so much, but he still didn't know what the name of the new dynasty was.Rather than saying it was unintentional and forgot to mention it, it was more like deliberately hiding it from him.

This is strange, since I want to surrender, I will know it sooner or later, so why hide it?

Thinking of this, Li Yuan frowned, and had a rather bold idea in his heart.

After having a guess in his mind, Li Yuan simply got off the couch and first sat by the table for a while.He stood up again and walked towards the outside of the screen.Everything in the palace was as usual, and they did not express any objection to his actions.

When he walked to the gate of the palace, the guards guarding the outside froze for a moment, but did not stop him.

——This is not the meaning of imprisoning himself in the Yanying Hall.

Li Yuan knew not to try too much, otherwise it would be counterproductive, so he didn't do anything else, just stayed at the pillar for a while, and then returned to the hall.He was sitting at the desk, and casually unfolded a stack of rice paper neatly arranged on it, and a maid walked aside to grind ink for him.

When Li Lian entered the Hall of Yanying after dinner, what he saw was such a scene of "red sleeves add fragrance".Because Li Yuan had made a request with Zhao Nuo before, the maid retreated knowingly after seeing Li Lian come in.Li Lian's forehead twitched, and he asked his elder brother, "Brother, can you still write?"

Li Yuan put down his pen, nodded and said, "It's not a serious injury. When the medical officer came in the afternoon, I didn't feel much."

Earlier, Li Lian learned from the imperial physician that his brother's injuries were not as serious as he imagined. Although the wounds on the abdomen and arms were described as horrific, they did not hurt the vitals. As long as they are well maintained, there will be no problems.But now it seems that my brother recovered a little fast, which is disturbingly fast.

Li Lian reluctantly waved away the restless thoughts in his mind, leaned close to Li Yuan, and saw that his elder brother was copying "Qin Feng Wuyi" in the Book of Songs.

He smiled and said to Li Yuan: "Brother, give me this word."

"It's not well written, I'll give it to you when I write a good one next time." Li Yuan paused, then joked with a smile, "Don't sell it again."

Li Lian smiled embarrassingly: "How can I, I will definitely frame it and treasure it."

At that time, Li Yuan, the Duke of Cheng, was famous all over the country. Apart from his invincible achievements, he also had poems, calligraphy and paintings that were praised by scholars all over the world. He was so beautiful that he really didn't look like a general.

Li Lian was thrown out by his elder brother to practice for two years. For a while, he really ran out of money, so he had to sell a fan painted by his elder brother.Later, this matter got to Li Yuan's ears somehow, and since then Li Yuan never promised to give him a fan.

Li Yuan looked Li Lian up and down carefully under the lamp, and when he noticed Li Yuan's scrutiny, Li Lian coughed uncomfortably: "Brother, why do you keep staring at me?"

"Why did you enter the palace in casual clothes?" Li Yuan asked softly, pointing to Li Lian as before, "Be careful if someone impeaches you for an imperial faux pas."

... It's not why the court meeting can't wear casual clothes. Li Lian replied: "I heard that brother wants to see me, so I came here after I got off work. It's convenient to take care of brother in this way."

But he forgot that he came to see Li Yuan in the morning in casual clothes.

Li Yuan smiled slightly, without pointing it out, and asked again: "Now I occupy the Yanying Hall to recuperate, but I don't know where the emperor will live?"

Li Lian replied indifferently, "It's in Wude Hall."

He has always dealt with government affairs in the Wude Hall on weekdays, so he sleeps in it by the way.On the contrary, as the orthodox sleeping palace, Yanying Hall has been neglected by him for a long time.

Li Yuan asked casually: "I don't know if I can go out for a walk."

Li Lian agreed without hesitation, and only told him, "Brother, take someone with you, just be careful not to touch the wound."

Li Lian dared not bring up matters related to surrender.Today Zhao Nuo has said enough, and his elder brother also said that he should think carefully.So the two chatted for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, Li Lian bid farewell to his elder brother.

Li Yuan looked at his back as he went away, tapped his fingers on the table slowly, and at the same time showed a silent smile, the palace gate has already been locked, now that he retreats, where will he go?