novelAbuy Chapter 57 Secret Talks with Noble Families
Chapter 57 Secret Talks with Noble Families
It's fun to argue with people for a while, and it's even more fun to keep arguing with people.
Shen Ce stood in the hall, imitating Wei Zheng, and looked at the group of talented young men from the Cui family in Qinghui Hall.
Seeing that a certain gentleman couldn't hold back any longer, Shen Ce stepped forward and asked if he had participated in this year's imperial examination.
Ah, you didn't pass the exam? That's alright, you can still get a government job through connections.
Your father has never held an official position either?
Shen Ce stroked his bald chin and laughed, "Then you'd better hurry up and study, otherwise you won't have many years left to be an official."
"My Cui family never competes with others for momentary gains or losses," Cui Caijun slammed his hand on the table and stood up, snorting coldly, but said, "The saying goes, 'Flowing water does not compete for the lead, but for its endless flow.'"
"What a eloquent fellow! Well then, Brother Cui, you can slowly delve into your studies in your residence and wait for the next generation or the generation after that to rise to prominence."
The Cui family name is one they are very proud of. If any other official heard it, they would all bow down and be extremely respectful. But this man in front of them has no sense of awe whatsoever. He is truly a boorish fellow and not worth worrying about.
Shen Ce had been showing off his power in the hall, but seeing that no one else was going to confront him in court, he calmed down and sat down at the back.
Seeing that Shen Ce had stood up for him, Wei Zheng nodded repeatedly and quickly cupped his hands to Cui Shousu, who was standing to the side, saying, "This envoy is a little drunk today, please forgive him, Lord Cui."
"Since Lord Wei is drunk, can't you restrain him? How can you act so recklessly in my Cui family? Isn't this Qinghui Hall a place for child's play?" Cui Shousu slammed the wine cup in his hand on the table and said angrily.
Wei Zheng shook his head and waved his hand, saying, "This man is a confidant of the Crown Prince. He was specially sent by the Crown Prince to monitor my words and actions along the way. I have absolutely no reason to expel him."
At this point, Wei Zheng's expression changed, and he said in a low voice, "He also needs to be present for the private meeting later. Lord Cui cannot refuse this. If he is not present, the private meeting may fall through."
"This..." Cui Shousu's words caught in his throat, feeling as if he had a fishbone stuck in his throat. He had just finished showing off his power in the hall, and if he were to do something like this again during the private meeting, where would the Cui family's reputation be?
Now that the new dynasty has just been established, it is crucial to get ahead of the other four families and secure a firm foothold in key positions across the country.
They belonged to a prominent family in Shandong and did not have much interaction with Li Yuan, who had raised an army in Jinyang. At present, the only officials under the new crown prince were Cui Dunli and Cui Mingan.
Not enough, absolutely not enough. This is absolutely not worthy of the reputation of the Cui clan. They need to restore the Cui clan's prestige among the people in a short period of time.
He had planned to capture these three people at the banquet. If he could get them to back down now, he could gain the upper hand in the negotiations later. But who would have thought... a troublemaker would appear.
In Cui's eyes, Shen Ce was just a troublemaker, but he felt that Shen Ce was at least a Cheng Yaojin who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
He imagined the negotiations would take place in a secluded room, amidst ornate buildings and Persian carpets, with a golden goblet in hand and a smiling face, though his tone concealed deadly intent. One wrong move and he would be led by the nose.
The retainers and guards behind him were fully armed, as if they were about to start a fight at the slightest provocation.
In reality, after the banquet ended, two servants in blue robes led the way, exiting from the back of Qinghui Hall, passing through a connecting corridor, and not far away was Chengde Hall.
Choi Hong-do, the head of the Choi family, sat quietly in the hall, waiting for the angel to arrive.
Wei Zheng and Shen Ce were standing in the same row at this moment.
The Cui family consisted of the head of the family, Cui Hongdu, the clan elder Cui Shousu, Cui Dunli, and Cui Mingan.
After everyone exchanged greetings, Wei Zheng spoke first.
"Lord Cui, His Majesty ascended the throne on the ninth day of the eighth month of this year, and immediately issued a general amnesty edict. Since the first year of the Wude era, all the scholars who had been exiled or imprisoned for various reasons have returned by imperial decree. I wonder if any of your Cui family members have returned?"
Cui Hongdu, the patriarch of the Cui clan, stroked his beard and replied with a smile, "There are indeed a few unworthy members in my Cui clan, but they have been fortunate enough to receive His Majesty's favor and return home. We thank him for that."
"May I ask, besides bestowing honors upon the unworthy sons of my people, what other blessings have the angels brought to us today?"
Shen Ce saw that this clan chief was completely different from the previous Cui Shousu. He was not only gentle and refined, but also had an indescribable sense of closeness in his tone.
After receiving Wei Zheng's signal, he said to the Cui family, "Now that we are here, let's get straight to the point."
"My Emperor is preparing to marry a woman from the Cui clan. May I ask what the Cui clan chief thinks about this?"
Now that they need the Cui family's help, they must offer them a sweet deal at the very beginning of the formal negotiations. Let's see if they accept it.
Cui Hongdu seemed to have anticipated their request, and without the slightest hesitation, immediately replied, "Lord Wei, Vice Envoy, His Majesty's kindness is deeply appreciated by the Cui family."
"I know that His Majesty has just ascended the throne and needs to win over the Shandong gentry. But if my Cui family were to offer our clan's daughters to His Majesty immediately, how would the gentry of the world view my Cui family?"
"To put it bluntly, others will only laugh at the Cui family of Boling for fearing imperial power and lacking the integrity of scholars."
Shen Ce sneered inwardly, thinking that Chief Cui probably didn't know that he had already destroyed half of the Cui family's dignity in the front hall.
He said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "If we also include the qualifications for eight members of the Cui family to enter officialdom, do you think this price is reasonable?"
Cui Hongdu felt quite uncomfortable with such a mercenary way of describing entering officialdom, and shook his head, saying, "Isn't exchanging a court official position a bit too much... haha."
Shen Ce was good at arguing, but when it came to matters involving the face of a scholar, he was somewhat powerless and turned to look at Wei Zheng beside him.
Wei Zheng instantly understood Shen Ce's meaning and continued, "The Shandong gentry are the foundation of the nation. If the Tang Dynasty wishes to become a towering tree, how can it not first cultivate its roots?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Ce thought it was very skillful. Scholars were indeed much more refined in their flattery than a half-baked amateur like himself.
As expected, after changing the way it was expressed, the Cui family members immediately accepted it and nodded in agreement.
Bang, bang bang
The door opened, and a young man from the Cui family crouched down and entered, whispering in Cui Hongdu's ear.
The table wasn't wide, perhaps intentionally so that the two of them could hear.
"A disciple from the clan came on horseback to report that the Turkic leader Jieli led 100,000 cavalry to invade Gaoling on August 22. On August 24, Yuchi Jingde encountered his vanguard in Jingyang and defeated them, but failed to stop the main force."
"On August 26th, the Turkic army approached the Wei River!"
Wei Zheng looked surprised and turned to look at Shen Ce, who remained calm and smiled in response. At that moment, he wanted to say, "Don't be afraid. Li Er's six cavalrymen have already repelled the enemy. There's no need to worry about this."
Choi Hong-do's expression changed drastically, and he stared intently at the two people in front of him.
Shen Ce rose before Wei Zheng, his face contorted with rage, and shouted, "Gentlemen, the Turks are invading the south at this time, and the court is certainly in dire need of capable men. His Majesty sent us here because he believes the Cui family is the head of all the gentry in the land and can stabilize the people's hearts. If the Cui family of Boling hesitates at this moment, how will His Majesty view you?"
"Please give us your answer today, at this very moment, Mr. Cui!"
The clan elder Cui Shousu, standing to the side, said grimly, "What if His Majesty can't stop it?"
"Two years ago in Binzhou, the Turkic army invaded, and Your Majesty repelled them with a hundred cavalry. Now... it's just repeating the same old story, hahaha!" Shen Ce's laughter echoed throughout Chengde Hall.