.

Although Pei Ju is far away in Zhangye, she is deeply trusted by Yang Guang.

He and Pei Mingcui are trusted by Yang Guang. Pei Mingcui is valued by Yang Guang because of Chen Xuanhua. Pei Ju did not honor her father as a daughter, but because she knew Yang Guang's heart well.

His own achievements are closely linked to the great cause of Emperor Yang of Sui. He pacified the Chen battle, quelled the rebellion in Lingnan, split the Turks in the north, and made the Sui rituals by Pei Ju in the prosperous era. After that, most of Pei Ju managed the exchanges between the Western Regions, formulated border strategies, made maps of the Western Regions, marked the dangerous points of various places, successfully defeated Tuyuhun and expanded the border for the Great Sui thousands of miles, and was closely related to this person's geography. Even if he attacked Goryeo, he had a lot to do with this person. It was this person's formulation of external strategies that made Yang Guang make the decision to attack Goryeo. In Pei Ju's eyes, Liaodong was already an agricultural area, and the national civilization was much easier to incorporate into the territory of the Sui Empire than the Turks, but it was because of his suggestion to conquer Liaodong that the Great Sui Dynasty pushed the Great Sui to a disaster.

Since the failure of the Liaodong expedition, Pei Ju went to Zhangye, focusing on economic and trade exchanges with the Western Regions and less political affairs. Li Jing did not expect that he would come to Mayi to find him, and he brought Yang Guang's secret decree as soon as he came.

As for Pei Ju's attempt to lead Ju to the Western Regions, in Li Jing's eyes, the responsibility cannot be completely plagued by Pei Ju. Pei Ju's theory is reasonable, and the plan is detailed, but he met the arrogant Yang Guang. Li Jing has the talent to command troops, but Pei Ju has the ability to compete with the country, but the two of them actually did not participate in the Liaodong war. The plan is of course not as fast as the change. In addition, Yang Guang killed Gao Ying, the most capable minister of the Sui Dynasty early. The state administration led to the loss of control and the defeat of Liaodong. He never recovered from then on. In the final analysis, the root cause of the defeat of the Sui Dynasty lies in Yang Guang alone.

Li Jing was over forty years old and was still the governor of Mayi because of Xiao Buyi. But this is not to say that he is incompetent, but because he is too capable.

Most capable people are arrogant. Li Jing has been depressed and unsuccessful because of his arrogance and integrity and bad luck in playing games. Pei Ju is also very capable, but he has reached his current status because of his smooth personality.

Pei Ju led the blame to Zhangye. He rarely returned to the court, did not seek credit, and did not suppress bandits. He seemed to be low-key, but it was the best way to protect himself. Li Jing's respect for such a person was not because of his official rank, but because of his ability.

Li Jing was not surprised when he heard Pei Ju say that the emperor wanted Li Jing to monitor Li Yuan.

Li Yuan was not exposed in the East last time because of Li Xuanba, but Yang Guang has always been very suspicious. Apart from Zhang Xutuo, it is difficult for him to have someone whom he absolutely trusts. Li Xuanba's loyal effect has been so long that it is almost over.

Since Xiao Buyi set out from Taiyuan, Li Yuan, the remaining defender in Taiyuan, has finally done smoothly, and his talent has gradually been revealed. Shanxi bandit Li Shanfei was defeated by Xiao Buyi first and turned back to Hebei. There were a few remaining bandits. For example, Wu Duaner, Jing Pantuo, Liu Miaowang and others were defeated by him one after another. These are all local thieves, and they are still much worse than the giant thieves. However, Li Yuan's management was well organized and he has shown his management talent.

But doing things for Yang Guang is indeed a dilemma. If you lose, you have the responsibility, and if you win, you must be more careful about Yang Guang's suspicion.

The important area of ​​the border of Shanxi, near the eastern capital Xijing, Yang Guang went south, but he still felt uneasy, so he activated Li Jing. He gradually became uneasy about Li Yuan's arrival, so he was ready to use Li Jing to curb Li Yuan when necessary, and even decided to get rid of it. Although he is deceived by himself now, he still doesn't want to let go of his own country. He has only one word for those who threaten his throne, kill! No matter whether the other party has made contributions or not, even if the other party is involved in kinship.

"What kind of virtue can I have to monitor Lord Li's actions?" Li Jing's face felt helpless.

Pei Ju smiled and said, "The Yuanwailang has always been a talented person. I have always known him. It's a pity that the old lady said lightly and could not persuade the emperor to use the Yuanwailang. This is a pity in her life. I thought that after conquering Liaodong, I would recommend the Yuanwailang to the emperor, but I didn't expect that I would be unable to protect myself later. However, the jade and jade will eventually come to life. Now is a great opportunity for the Yuanwailang."

He reached out and took out a secret decree from his arms and handed it to Li Jing. Pei Ju smiled and said, "The Yuanwailang has this secret decree. He can be executed first and then report to Li Yuan, and there is no need to ask the emperor for instructions."

Li Jing opened his eyes, closed the secret decree, frowned and said, "Since the emperor is not at ease with Duke Tang, why don't he issue an order to get rid of him?"

Pei Ju sighed, "At present, he just suspects that Li Yuan has a rebellious intention, but there is no conclusive evidence. If the emperor rashly eliminates the meritorious ministers, he is afraid that the ministers will be disappointed."

"Then the emperor can rashly remove General Xiao?" Li Jing asked without changing his face.

Pei Ju's eyes flashed, and she looked at Li Jing with an interesting look, but Li Jing did not avoid it, her eyes were burning.

The hall was quiet, and breathing was audible, and it seemed a little solemn.

"I know that Yuanwailang and Xiao Buyi have a good relationship, but I don't think Yuanwailang is a person who acts irritably." Pei Ju suddenly smiled, "In fact, Xiao Buyi has a good relationship with his little girl. He was recommended by Pei's family. The emperor suddenly issued an order, and I was also worried. But even if the little girl and Yuanwailang mostly don't know, he was originally a secret of heaven, so he turned bad luck into good fortune. But he wouldn't tell you this matter, he didn't seem as simple and sincere as we imagined."

Li Jing frowned slightly, "Tianji, does Mr. Pei also believe this nonsense?"

Pei Ju smiled, but his eyes were sharp, "The official and the waiter were knowledgeable and talented. I believe he could tell right from wrong by himself. Why do I need to ramble on this? In fact, there is something that I don't know whether to talk about or not?"

Li Jing said respectfully: "Mr. Pei is too polite. What are you asking for? Lin Lei?"

Pei Ju smiled and said, "Actually, Yuanwailang has never been promoted, and it has a lot to do with Li Yuan. I remember Li Yuan asked Yuanwailang for horses back then, but Yuanwailang handled the matter impartially, and did not favoritism and refused flatly, which made Li Yuan remember it in his heart. When he was holding the flag, he said to the emperor that Yuanwailang had a backbone behind his head, which made Yuanwailang not be reused in these years. In fact, many of the ministers knew about these old things. But it was not passed on to Yuanwailang."

Li Jing let out a sigh, stood up long and said with a tribute: "So that's it. Thank you Lord Pei for your advice. Li Jing knows how to do it."

"This is the best." Pei Ju also stood up with a smile and patted Li Jing's shoulder, "Menwailang should take care of himself, don't miss this opportunity." It was a bit shabby. It was very inconsistent with the identity of the left-behind Taiyuan.

Li Yuan sat next to the bed, dressed in disheveled clothes, but his shoes were worn overturned, holding a man's hands tightly, and smiling.

The man's hands were white and tender, very similar to the hands of a young girl, but he looked upwards along his hands. He realized that he was an old man with a long beard and a rosy complexion.

Li Yuan’s face is a grandmother’s face that complements the old man. If he doesn’t know, he thinks that the old couple is missing the past.

"Brother Kaishan, I have been together for many years and I didn't expect to see you today." Li Yuan sighed and said, "You and I are old."

Yin Kaishan smiled and said, "Duke Tang is as handsome as before, how can he call him old? But I am old. I heard that Duke Tang is promoted to Taiyuan and stayed at the back of the country. I have always wanted to visit him, but I always happened to Duke Tang to attack bandits. Taigu County has a lot of affairs and can't be seen at first sight. I am extremely pleased to meet him today."

Li Yuan also smiled and said, "Actually, I have always wanted to visit Kaishan Brother, but I missed it every time. Until today, I met you, which is destined."

"I am just a small county magistrate. Every time I think about meeting the left-behind adults, I can't help but be intimidated. I didn't expect to meet them today. The left-behind adults are indeed as the people said, treating others with virtue and being honest and generous is a blessing for us." Yin Kaishan was clenched with his hands and was not idle. He could not stroke his beard. He lacked a lot of vivid expressions.

Li Yuan shook his head repeatedly, "I am ashamed of the love of the local elders."

He was very enthusiastic. Although he was left behind in Taiyuan, he had no airs at all. The two of them talked about nothing more than family matters. When Yin Kaishan saw the topic almost unfolding, he finally said: "I think this Taiyuan was originally a fief of the ancient Tang Dynasty in the Western Zhou Dynasty. Lord Li was also the current Duke of Tang Dynasty. It was a great benefit to come here to guard the old land of the ancient Tang Dynasty."

Li Yuan's face changed slightly. Although he knew that the servants were not beside him, he lowered his voice and said, "Brother Kaishan, you and I are not apart. I will say this. I feel that you are very interested. Don't say it to others."

Yin Kaishan smiled and said, "This should be the case. Duke of Tang can rest assured that Kaishan will never talk nonsense."

The Duke of Tang was originally a false title of the Sui Dynasty. Yin Kaishan said that the Duke of Tang was guarding the land of Tang, which was very good and good. It was far-fetched, but the inner meaning was somewhat of a rebellion. Li Yuan was frightened on the surface, but in fact he was full of happiness. He thought that he would finally have the hardships and be happy. If these people all thought so, they would come to surrender and they should be able to seek their own land in the troubled times.

Li Yuan, who is actually not familiar with Yin Kaishan, was not familiar with him, but he had exchanges when he was in Chang'an. Now, as the county magistrate of Taigu County, Taigu is not far from Taiyuan.

Yin Kaishan's family originated in Changping, Chen County, Henan Province. The Yin clan was a prominent family in the north. However, during the turmoil of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Yin family went to Jiangnan again, which was also considered a famous cultural scholar in the Jiangnan Chinese. Later, when the Northern Zhou Dynasty destroyed Qi, they moved these celebrities to Guanzhong and lived in Chang'an, which was also considered to be a desire to integrate the cultures of the north and south and eliminate local hostility. Li Yuan knew Yin Kaishan at that time in Chang'an, but they were not successful at the time. Li Yuan did not expect that the Sui Dynasty would be in chaos, so he did not take Yin Kaishan to heart. Even when he was a left-behind land in Taiyuan, he was thinking about suppressing bandits and accumulating strength to win over capable people, but he did not think of this person. He said that he wanted to visit Yin Kaishan, which was nothing more than to win people's hearts.

However, when Yin Kaishan visited him and had some casual conversation, Li Yuan discovered that Yin Kaishan had a clear idea and good academic performance. After all, this person is a Chinese child and may not be able to fight, but governing the country is quite useful. Li Yuan knew this, and knowing that such talents came to surrender, which means that he had already had prestige and couldn't help but feel happy.

While the two were having a tacit understanding, the servant rushed to the scene and whispered: "Mr. Li, the imperial edict has arrived."

When Li Yuan heard the arrival of the imperial edict, he was shocked and almost jumped up. He hurriedly apologized to Yin Kaishan, put his shoes on straight and his clothes were just right. He deliberately wore shoes and his clothes were not well dressed. He just showed Yin Kaishan thirsty and eager to seek talents, but he knew that he was going to receive the imperial edict in this way. When someone told the emperor, he was charged with disrespect and could even beheaded.

I was still secretly happy just now, but I was shocked at this moment. I wondered why the emperor had already gone south and suddenly had an imperial edict to the border. Do you want to follow me? Thinking of this, Li Yuan complained secretly, his face a little heavy.

When he came out to greet him, the public servant knew Li Yuan. He started to recite the imperial edict and said, "I heard everything about Li Jing..."

Li Yuan coughed, and the people in the public affairs room asked in confusion, "What is Lord Li's order?"

Li Yuan frowned secretly and said with a smile: "The official is called Li Yuan. Li Jing is the governor of Mayi County and is not in Taiyuan now."

"I know this, but the imperial edict is written in this way. I have to read it to Lord Li..." The servant of the Tongshi Sheriff was a little embarrassed, "Or what if I go back and ask the emperor?"

When Li Yuan heard Li Jing's name, he thought that the Master of the Confucian was wrong. When he heard this, he could only say: "The lower-ranking officials dare not. Since the Master wants to read it to the old minister, there must be a reason for the Master." He saw that the Master of the Confucian was not intimate with him and vaguely realized that something was wrong.

"I heard that Li Jing was in charge of the border and blocked the Turkic troops from going south, and had great military achievements. In addition, Yanmen County was given a contribution to rescue the emperor. He was specially appointed as the deputy guard of Taiyuan and was appointed Yinqing Guanglu Dafu. Taiyuan will be appointed as the first day to take office, assist Li Yuan in quelling the bandits against the Turks. He also hoped that Li Yuan and Li Jing would work together to resist the Turks and eliminate the bandits. I respect this!"

Li Yuan's heart skipped a beat and he said respectfully: "The old minister received the order."

The staff of the Tongshi Office left, and Yin Kaishan had already walked out of the inner hall. He frowned and said, "Mr. Li, I don't know what the emperor is doing this time. Isn't this Taiyuan deputy left-behind still Wang Wei?"

There were two deputy left-behind Taiyuan, and Gao Junya was beheaded by Xiao Buyi, but Wang Wei was still there. Now there was another one more. Some people were somewhat indifferent.

Without waiting for the answer, the servant arrived hurriedly again. "Mr. Li, Li Jing is here to visit." Li Yuan had a headache, but he didn't expect that Li Jing would arrive like a death sentence, and said anxiously: "Go and welcome it."

This time, Li Yuan took out the door and saw Li Jing standing there, and he felt enthusiastic. "It turned out that Lord Li was here. I was old and the imperial edict said that Lord Li would come to help. I didn't expect it to be here soon, and I was in a hurry to welcome him."

Although Li Jing is the deputy, Li Yuan dare not neglect. Li Jing squeezed out a smile, "I just received the imperial edict yesterday and came to report Xingye. The uninvited guest is asked to forgive my crime."

The two shouted Lord Li at the same time, not distinguishing each other, but they were all on guard against each other. Li Jing glanced at Yin Kaishan and said in surprise: "Is this the magistrate of Taigu County, Duke Yin?"

Yin Kaishan was quite surprised, "How can Yuanwailang recognize me?"

Li Jing smiled and said, "When I was in Chang'an, I admired Yin Gong's literary talent quite well. I once met Yin Gong, but at that time, Yin Gong was probably the only one in his eyes, so he turned a blind eye to me."

Yin Kaishan's old face turned red, "Zhengwailang, no, it should be said that Lord Li was laughing at him. I am old and can't remember many things."

Li Jing still laughed, "Duke Yin has always forgotten that he was the magistrate of Taigu County, so he ignored the people of the county? I still don't know what Duke Yin has been here?"

Li Jing's words were so sharp that he changed his normal behavior. Yin Kaishan was speechless and could not understand why a deputy left-behind seemed much more powerful than a left-behind.

Li Yuan thought in his heart that Li Jing was originally calm, but now he became his deputy. With such a posture, could it be...

Although according to Li Yuan's reliable news, Xiao Buyi was already desperate and Li Jing had no background. However, Li Jing was not implicated, but was promoted, and there was a lot of mystery in it. Li Yuan was very serious and immediately thought that Li Jing had a secret order to monitor him, and he couldn't help but feel frightened.

"Mr. Li wrongly accused the Magistrate Yin. In fact, I was busy with work and didn't have time to ask Taigu for the matter, so I sent someone to find Magistrate Yin to find out the situation. Besides, County Magistrate Yin and I are old acquaintances, so it is considered a reminiscence. Lord Li would not mind."

Li Yuan felt cowardly, but he had to do so. Li Jing smiled, "Mr. Li is really serious. I am your deputy. How could he mind what he did? Li Jing came to report today. I wonder what Lord Li has to give?"

Li Yuan smiled and said, "The deputy left-behind has just arrived in Taiyuan. You have to rest for a few days. Come here, please call the eldest son."

Li Jiancheng arrived soon, and Li Yuan ordered: "Jiancheng, now Lord Li is the deputy left-behind Taiyuan. You should arrange accommodation for Lord Li as soon as possible, and do not neglect it."

Li Jiancheng obeyed the order and left. Li Jing bowed, and was not polite.

When the two disappeared, Yin Kaishan stomped his feet angrily, "Mr. Li, what kind of morality is this? You are the main job and he is just a deputy. How could he be so rude to you? Only those who are loyal and kind-hearted people like Lord Li would not care about it. If it were me, I would have scolded you long ago."

Li Yuan felt a little more comfortable, "Brother Kaishan, these are all small things, as long as you are fine. There are still many things in Taiyuan now, so I can't accept them..."

Yin Kaishan heard the stringed zither and knew the elegant meaning. He was sad for Li Yuan, so he comforted Li Yuan a few more words and bowed his hand to say goodbye.

Li Yuan returned to the inner hall and walked around, thinking about the intention of the court to let Li Jing come here, and was anxious.

A person suddenly rushed in outside the hall and shouted: "Dad, guess what good news did I bring to you?"

Li Yuan looked up and saw that it was his son Li Shimin. When he saw him, he was full of joy and was irritated. He asked casually: "What good news?" He suddenly thought of something. Li Yuan was a little excited, "Have you found the Guandong horse vendor to show his love?" He had been worried about this matter. Now that the people's hearts are floating and the waves are surging, Li Yuan doesn't want to be an emperor, but he has to consider a way out and strengthen his strength first. Now that the war horses are short, he has always asked Li Shimin to find this path, but now it has little effect.

Li Shimin was somewhat proud. He didn't notice his father's frowning, "The Kanto horse vendor was not found."

Li Yuan was stunned, "Then why are you happy?"

"Even if we can't find the Guandong horse vendor, some people will come to us." Li Shimin smiled and said, "Dad, do you still remember the Jinyang Order Liu Wenjing?"

Li Yuan frowned and said, "It's just that he often drinks and gambles with Pei Ji. What did he do?"

Li Shimin said mysteriously: "Dad. Don't underestimate Liu Wenjing. I only realized that he knew Shibi Khan. A few days ago, when I looked for Pei Jidi, he was there. When he saw that I was worried about my horses, he casually guessed that I was worried about the horses and said that if I had any intention, he could buy horses for us from the Turks. In this way, our horses would be endless, and why would we find Kanto horse vendors to do?"

Li Yuan was stern, "He is not close to us, why should he help us?"

Li Shimin sighed and said, "Dad, you are afraid of wolves in front and tigers in the back. No matter how you say it is, you are still staying in Taiyuan, and many people will depend on you. Even if the old man Yin Kaishan just now comes to praise you, Liu Wenjing probably wants to use the power to get ahead. We will benefit each other and we must not miss the opportunity." Li Yuan hesitated for a while, shook his head flatly, "Not now."

Li Shimin was stunned, "Why?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Jiancheng rushed into the inner hall and frowned and said, "Dad, it is very unfavorable for us to come."

"What's the disadvantage?" Li Shimin asked in confusion. When he knew everything, he was a little dazed and suddenly cursed: "This foolish lord sent Li Jing over, obviously to wear small shoes for his father."
To be continued...