The crescent moon hung high in the sky, and the willows fluttered in the wind.
In Shangshan Lane, there was a magnificent mansion located directly outside the lane wall. Suddenly, the middle door opened wide. Two rows of Gaoli servant girls carrying lanterns walked out leisurely. The Kunlun slaves led the horses in and knelt on one knee, waiting for their masters to step on their knees and mount the horses.
King Liang and Wu Sansi had drunk so much that their faces were red. They were already sixty to seventy percent drunk. Supported by two enchanting beauties, they cupped their fists and bid farewell to the guests.
Those who could make King Liang personally come out to welcome them were naturally not ordinary people. Under the lanterns, a pair of beautiful women stood out. They were Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi, who were as pretty as lotus flowers.
Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi, who were secretly called the 'Empress' and 'Imperial Concubine' by the common people, were also attending King Liang's banquet today. The three brothers Zhang Tongxiu, Zhang Changqi, and Zhang Changyi, as well as the Cui brothers, Zhang Shuo, Gao Jian, and a few other young talents.
As for Cui Di, he still lost Princess Taiping's favor in the end and did not receive her recommendation. However, Cui Shi suddenly had an idea and promptly summoned Cui Ye and Cui Chi to the capital.
Now, Cui Shi, Cui Ye, Cui Chi, and their cousin Cui Chi, who had stayed in the capital for a long time, received the joint recommendation of Princess Taiping and Shanghai Wan'er. After spending some money in the palace and bribing the Zhang brothers, they finally persuaded Wu Zetian to personally summon them. After a series of memorials, Wu Zetian was very satisfied with their talent and appearance. As a result, the four Cui brothers were all promoted to officials.
Now, Cui Shi had risen to the heavens in a single step, becoming the Assistant Counsellor of the Ministry of Appointments. Cui Ye, Cui Chi, and the three Cui brothers were also appointed Hanlin scholars. Although they did not have much real power, their status was extremely noble.
The four Cui brothers were young and proud, and became famous in one fell swoop. Rumors of their romantic affairs with Princess Taiping became more and more popular among the common people. However, everyone had to admit that the four Cui brothers were indeed talented, or else they would not have been able to handle the imperial memorials alone.
Wu Sansi personally escorted Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yi Zhi out of the King's Mansion. Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yi Zhi bid farewell to their friends and returned to the Imperial Palace. The Empress was very infatuated with them now, so they couldn't be separated from them for too long.
The rest of the crowd took advantage of the alcohol to wander about. On the periphery, there were servants carrying lanterns and torches. They strolled along the long embankment of the Luo River, very carefree.
Today's banquet was single-handedly organized by Cui Shi. Now that both the guests and the host were enjoying themselves, the first step of the plan that Princess Taiping had instructed Cui Shi to carry out had been carried out smoothly. He could not help but feel proud of himself. Taking advantage of the wine, he leisurely recited, "A small boat on a quay, fishing for the evening stream in front. The goose flips the cattail leaf, the fish swam in the flower. A pomelo hung with gold, and a pomegranate was broken in a pearl room. Sigh, the clear moon is half in the west tower … "
Not only was his poem written without thinking, it was also beautifully worded. Zhang Shuo, who was also invited to the banquet, heard it and stroked his beard with a sigh. He said to Gao Jian in admiration, "With this kind of literary talent and status, Zhang might be able to catch up to him. But to have such achievements at his age, Zhang would be hard-pressed to catch up."
Gao Jian smiled and said, "The Cui family is a rich and powerful family with generations of high-ranking officials. That's why they have such a foundation. It's only natural that you and I are inferior to them!"
Zhang Shuo pointed at him and said with a smile, "Brother Gao's breadth of mind is something that even Zhang is inferior to."
Cui Shi rode his horse in front and could vaguely hear the conversation between the two. He could not help but laugh. Outsiders only saw the glory, but did not know that the status of the four brothers today was not only obtained by relying on their family background.
The four brothers of the Cui family entered officialdom at the same time. For a period of time, they were unparalleled. This was not just because of their knowledge. There were many people who had knowledge but could not enter the sect. The joint recommendation of Princess Taiping and Shangguan Wan'er was an important reason why they were able to enter officialdom. But for Princess Taiping to agree to the recommendation and to help them persuade Shangguan Wan'er to agree, there was a price to pay.
Creating an atmosphere to the world that the Zhang brothers took the initiative to make friends with Wu Sansi was part of the price.
…
The four brothers of the Cui family were distinguished and elegant. They were the people that the Zhang brothers liked to make friends with. Now that the Zhang brothers were recruiting soldiers and buying horses to expand their power, they valued these noble, talented, and young people of similar age. The two sides could be said to hit it off.
Under the intentional pandering of the four Cui brothers, they very quickly became honored guests of Zhang Tongxiu, Zhang Changsi, and the other two brothers.
One day, the four Cui brothers invited the three brothers of Zhang Tongxiu and his brother to drink wine by the side of the Luo River and chat. The three Zhang brothers happily attended the banquet.
During the banquet, Cui Ye seemed to incidentally mention the matter of Li Zhaode's imprisonment. Cui Chi immediately said, "The Emperor bypassed the Three Law Divisions and handed this case to Lai Junchen. It looks like it won't be long before Lai Junchen can be transferred back to the Three Law Divisions and regain control over the officials."
When Zhang Changqi heard this, he could not help but worry. "That day at the Dragon's Gate, Lai Junchen and us three brothers had a very unpleasant quarrel. We have long heard that Lai Junchen harbors hatred in his heart and is waiting for an opportunity to retaliate. If we allow him to regain control of the Three Law Divisions, I'm afraid it will be disadvantageous to our Zhang family. "
Zhang Tongxiu sneered and said disdainfully, "Who does Lai Junchen think he is? Why should we be afraid of him? Looking at the entire court, who has the qualifications to be enemies with our Zhang family? "
Cui Chi advised, "Tongxiu, we cannot be careless in this matter. The major figures that Lai Junchen has toppled over these years are not just one or two. Which one of these people did not hold great power and play an important role in the court? It is not a good thing to be stared at by this kind of person who is like a poisonous snake. "
Zhang Tongxiu was still unconcerned. "Soldiers come with arms, water comes with an earth weir. Why should we be afraid of him?"
Cui Chi smiled slightly and said in a low voice, "One can be a thief for a thousand days, but one cannot guard against a thief for a thousand days! If Tongxiu is this careless, it is hard to guarantee that one day he will not seize the opportunity to bite you. "
Zhang Tongxiu frowned and said, "What else can we do?"
Cui Chi moved closer and said in a low voice, "To deal with someone like Lai Junchen, we should strike first to gain the upper hand!"
Zhang Tongxiu said, "Brother Cui, do you think I do not want to punish that savage villain? It is just that the Empress values this lackey very much and relies on him as an arm. Although my Wulang and Wulang are doted on by the Empress, without a sufficient reason, it is impossible to make the Empress cripple her own arm with just a few words! "
Cui Chi laughed coldly and said, "Why not let him be blinded by greed and seek his own death?"
Zhang Tongxiu's eyes lit up and he hurriedly asked, "If that is the case, could it be that Brother Cui has a brilliant plan?"
Cui Chi moved closer to his ear and whispered a few words. After listening to Cui Chi's words, Zhang Tongxiu thought carefully for a while and said hesitantly, "Will this plan work? What if … … Lai Junchen succeeds instead … … "
Cui Chi smiled and said, "So what if he succeeds? If Lai Junchen succeeds, then he will be borrowing Lai Junchen's hand to get rid of another big obstacle for us. Wei Wang has long been dissatisfied with Brother Zhang planting more and more arms and legs in the court and suppressing his power! "
Zhang Tongxiu said hale and hearty, "That is right! Whether this plan succeeds or fails, we will still be able to profit! Ha ha ha, brilliant plan, it really is a flawless brilliant plan. I will enter the palace now and discuss it with Yi Zhi and Changzong! "
Cui Chi pulled him back and said, "Tongxiu, this matter is not urgent. Now is the time of spring, let us drink to our heart's content first!"
Zhang Tongxiu had something on his mind, how could he still be in the mood to drink? After a while, he left Zhang Changqi and Zhang Changyi to accompany the four Cui brothers and excitedly entered the palace.
It was already afternoon. Wu Zetian left the court and first went to Wucheng Hall to deal with a few important memorials to the throne. She also asked Shanghai Wan'er about the progress of the transportation of rations, troops and weapons in preparation for quelling the Khitan rebel army. She then returned to Lovely Spring Terrace. After chatting and laughing with Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yi for a while, she felt tired and went to bed.
Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi saw that Wu Zetian was taking a nap, so they went to the garden to play on the swing. Feeling bored, they went fishing again. They had just cast their fishing hooks into the pond when an eunuch came to report that Zhang Tongxiu had arrived. The two brothers were very happy; they quickly put their fishing rods aside and asked someone to invite their older brother over.
Zhang Tongxiu was led to the pond. Zhang Changzong and Zhang Yizhi sat down in front of a stone table with him. The palace maids served fresh fruits and candied fruits before withdrawing. Zhang Changzong said to Zhang Tongxiu, "The two of us are extremely bored in the palace, every day we hope that brothers can come and talk with us. Da Xiong entered the palace today, why didn't you bring Changyi and Changqi?"
Zhang Tongxiu looked around and said in a low voice, "I entered the palace today because I have something important to discuss with you."
"Da Xiong," Zhang Yizhi was surprised, "Did something happen at home?"
Zhang Tongxiu shook his head and said, "Everything is fine at home, nothing happened!"
He then told Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong what Cui Shi had told him. Among the Zhang brothers, Zhang Tongxiu was known for his stratagem, so his prestige was very high. At this time, he naturally would not say that this idea was Cui Shi's suggestion, but shamelessly said that it was his own idea.
Zhang Yizhi listened to Zhang Tongxiu's words, frowned slightly, and said in a low voice, "Lai Junchen is arrogant and domineering, he doesn't even care about our Zhang family, we should have dealt with him long ago. It's just that using this kind of method seems a bit risky … "
Zhang Tongxiu said in a carefree manner, "Yizhi, your courage is small. What risk can there be in this matter? I have already carefully calculated, with the Empress's love for you and Changzong, if this matter is exposed, at most she will reprimand you, other than that, what else can she do?
Think about that time when Lai Junchen framed Di Renjie, Ren Zhigu and the other prime ministers, the matter was exposed, what did she do to him? Lai Junchen falsely claimed Ji Xu's credit, now that the Empress knows, what will she do to him? Could it be that in the Empress's eyes, you are not as important as Lai Junchen?
If this matter is exposed, there will be no future trouble for our Zhang family. If the plan is carried out, then regardless of success or failure, we will still benefit. If the plan succeeds, Lai Junchen will fall, and we will have lost a sworn enemy; if the plan fails, and Lai Junchen succeeds, then the unlucky one will be King Wu Chengsi of Wei!
Yizhi, who is our Zhang family's biggest enemy now? It's the Wu family! If we can overthrow Wu Chengsi, the Empress will definitely not be at ease to hand over all the military power to Wu Sansi. At that time, other than our Zhang family, who else can she rely on? In this way, our Zhang family will not only have people in the imperial court, but also hold military power. This way, we can ensure our Zhang family's prosperity for ten thousand years! "
Zhang Changzong nodded heavily, and said in agreement, "Wulang, I think Eldest Brother is right. No matter what, this plan will only benefit our Zhang family without any harm, we can give it a try."
Seeing that Zhang Changzong also agreed, Zhang Yizhi couldn't help but be moved. He thought for a while, and then said with some worry, "Are you sure that if you spread the news, it will move Lai Junchen? That Wei Suizhong, can you buy over him? "
Zhang Tongxiu said confidently, "Don't worry, Wulang. When has Eldest Brother not done things carefully and seriously? Wei Suizhong, this person, barged into the manor drunk and insulted Madam Wang's family. Madam Wang could not bear the insults and hanged herself in anger. Wei Suizhong was terrified because of this, and stayed in the brothel every day, not even daring to return home. Right now, he is looking for a big backer who can guarantee his safety! "
Zhang Tongxiu smiled proudly, raised his chin, and said, "In today's world, if there is someone who can guarantee his safety in Lai Junchen's hands, other than our Zhang family, is there a second?"
Zhang Yizhi thought for a while, and nodded firmly, saying, "Alright! We'll do as you say. Eldest Brother, you must be careful when you do things! "
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
