Seeing Lin Jue's somewhat nervous look, Guo Xu smiled and said, "Lin Jue, don't think about it too much, I'm just chatting with you casually." You are the best among the new generation of officials. I'm a person who likes to make friends with great people. On that day in the second uncle's mansion, I had already expressed such a will. Although you have some concerns, it does not affect my good opinion of you. ”

Lin Jue hurriedly said: "Your Highness raises love, but I really don't dare to do it." Lin Jue is just an ordinary person. ”

Guo Xu smiled: "Ordinary is not ordinary, and it is not up to you to have the final say." If you don't have the ability, you won't be able to blow it all the way. Personal word-of-mouth and evaluation are the most important. Don't be surprised, I have checked some of your things, I don't need to say it explicitly, whether you have the ability or not, I naturally know in my heart. ”

Lin Jue muttered a little in his heart, this Guo Xu seemed to be really interested in himself, and actually investigated himself secretly. But I wonder what he knows? It's okay to know some inconsequential things, if you know that you are involved with the cottage in Funiu Mountain, then you will be unlucky. What should he do if he uses this as a threat?

When Lin Jue was thinking about himself, Guo Xu spoke softly: "Lin Jue, I heard that you and Yan Zhengsu and your husband Fang Zhongcheng had a little unpleasant quarrel over the new law?" ”

Lin Jue was startled and cheered up. Guo Xu asked about changing the law, and he had to be more careful to speak.

"I don't know where Your Highness heard such rumors, I did have an argument with Lord Yan and my teacher, but it was an argument over the terms of the new law, and it was not something unpleasant. That's for business. Lin Jue said.

"Hehe, is it just an argument? I heard that I have to ask to be transferred out of the school text office.,It's angry to pick a son.,I'm afraid it's not a simple argument.。 Guo Xu looked at Lin Juedao with a smile.

Lin Jue was extremely surprised in his heart, how could that incident reach Guo Xu's ears that time. At that time, few people knew about it. In addition to the four people who inspected the school's text office, they were Yan Zhengsu and Fang Dunru, and maybe some of the attendants heard it, but I don't know who said it.

"Actually, I agree with you. I agree with the new law, after all, I need to carry out a change now, otherwise there will be signs of decay. However, some of the contents of the "Changping New Law" are indeed somewhat inadequate. Lord Yan, I respect, my father often said that no one in the world who works hard is the right of strict and solemn. Lord Yan has a sincere heart for the country, and no one can question it. But Lord Yan has a shortcoming, that is, he is too rigid and self-serving, and his methods are not tough. Forcibly implementing the policy of borrowing money will indeed have many drawbacks, and it is suspected of benefiting the people. Your suggestion to cut the interest rate on borrowing and to reduce the number of times you borrow is right, it is a compromise, and it is a way to adapt to the current situation. ”

Three words popped up in Lin Jue's mind: There are internal ghosts! That's for sure. The argument that day may have come out because someone saw the argument, after all, there was a flow of people in the backyard house, and there was no guarantee that some people would see the quarrel. But to say that the specific proposed measures are known, it must be that someone knows the ins and outs of the whole thing and deliberately reveals it. And there are very few people who know the content of the terms discussed before, and the whole yamen is those few, and the inner ghosts must be among those people.

"Your Highness, please forgive me for being rude, it is really not appropriate to talk about the change of the law in private. Lord Yan and Fang Zhongcheng have a strict order, and the people of the Ordinance Department are never allowed to privately evaluate the change of the law on any occasion and under any circumstances. Lin Jue, as an official in the Ordinance Division, cannot break this rule. Therefore, I ask Your Highness to forgive me, I cannot give any explanation or reply to what His Highness said. I hope Your Highness will forgive me. Lin Jue decided to put an end to the topic, he didn't want to reveal anything about the new law. Because every word you say may become a handle. Keeping your mouth shut is the only option.

Guo Xu didn't have the slightest anger, but smiled: "Okay, since that's the case, let's not talk about changing the law." Let me say one more thing: I support the change, and I have reached the point where it will not change, and I am in favor of this with both hands. I even asked the Department of Ordinances to participate in the change of the law, but unfortunately my father did not agree. ”

Lin Juexin said: "Can you agree?" Why are you coming to the Ordinance Division? Lord Yan and Mr. Fang are still in charge? ”

"Lin Jue, the current situation of my Da Zhou is very bad. More than 100 years after the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, people say that everything has prosperity and defeat. The former dynasty Li Tang was defeated in 289. The Western Han Dynasty was defeated in 210 years, and the Eastern Han Dynasty was defeated in 240 years. It can be seen that more than half of the national honor is the beginning of defeat. It's been more than 140 years since I was in Da Zhou, can't I really get rid of this downhill fate? ”

Lin Jue was taken aback, even a person of Guo Xu's identity can't say this, this is a big rebellion, and it must not be said nonsense. When it comes to the continuation of the national ancestor, no one dares to say that the Great Zhou is going downhill, and it is the law that more than half of the national zuo is the beginning of the defeat. Isn't this a curse for the Great Zhou Dynasty to fall into the country?

"Your Highness, such things cannot be generalized. How can we deduce the length of a country in a simple time? If properly governed, the prosperity can be extended, and the national honor can also be extended. It is not known for thousands of lifetimes. Lin Jue said busily.

"It's okay for you to talk to others outside, so you don't need to say it here. I assure you that not half of the conversation here today will slip out. If I leak the contents of today's conversation, I will not die well. Of course, you must not divulge it, or the king will not spare you. You and I don't have to hide in this box, out of this box, everything disappears, leaving no trace. Guo Xu said lightly.

Lin Jue's scalp was numb, and suddenly, the atmosphere of the whole conversation was set by Guo Xu as the mode of truth or dare. Guo Xu actually swore a poisonous oath to feel at ease, and the poisonous oath he made was actually Lin Jue's poisonous oath. Lin Jue naturally didn't dare to reveal half a word of what he said here.

"When it comes to the matter of Guozuo, if I don't say such a big rebellious remark, the current situation is really not optimistic. Not much to say about internal affairs, but in terms of relations with other countries, they have now reached a dangerous situation. You should know that after the new Liao emperor Yelu Zongyuan ascended the throne, he wanted to tear up the Yanyun alliance between the Liao State and my Great Zhou. The Liao people were shameless and coerced our Great Zhou by force, threatening to tear up the covenant and attack our Great Zhou. forced me to increase the year-end coins and tribute in the Great Zhou, and cut the border city to serve. This is so rude, it's like taking my Da Zhou as a confinement, and you can intimidate as much as you want. It is a shame that I have not suffered in a hundred years. When I learned about this, I was angry for several days without eating, and it was really difficult to let go. Guo Xu said in a deep voice.

Lin Jue said: "Your Highness, I did hear about this matter. However, didn't the imperial court refuse their unreasonable demands, and gave them a harsh lesson north of Youzhou? Aren't the Liao people now dead and obedient? ”

"Do you also believe in the victory of Youzhou? Is that a big victory? It spent three million taels of silver, several times the enemy's soldiers and horses, and finally destroyed less than 3,000 enemies. Afterwards, money and goods were compensated, and all the prisoners were sent back. What kind of victory is this? It's a shame! Guo Xu sneered.

Lin Jue was taken aback, as the prince of the Great Zhou, saying such words was by no means consistent with the caliber of the imperial court. And this kind of thing is very confidential, the follow-up of the imperial court has not been announced to the public, Lin Jue has always thought that as the imperial court declared, the Liao people were defeated and confessed, so they agreed to abide by the Yanyun Alliance, but they didn't know that this was the case inside.

"The nature of the Liao people and the tiger and wolf, how can they easily succumb to softness, and a small defeat will give up coveting my heart of the Great Zhou? That's just wishful thinking. As far as I know, the reason why the Liao people did not gather troops and horses to retaliate, but agreed to continue to abide by the agreement of the Yanyun Alliance with my Great Zhou, is that something happened within them. They had to do it. Guo Xu continued.

When Lin Jue heard such a confidential thing for the first time, he was naturally curious, and he didn't care whether he should know these things or not, and asked in a deep voice, "What happened to them?" ”

Guo Xu glanced at Lin Jue and said, "You should know how the throne of Yelu Zongyuan, the new emperor of the Liao Kingdom, came about." ”

Lin Jue said with a smile: "I've heard a little, but I don't know the specific situation, it's just a rumor on the street, and I'm afraid it may not be the truth." ”

Guo Xu nodded and said: "The Liao people must be all over my eyes in my Great Zhou, listening to the political dynamics of my Great Zhou." That's not the case with my big week. My Great Zhou Imperial City Division has many eyes and ears scattered all over the Liao State, and he is also familiar with the dynamics of his dynasty and politics. Yelu Zongyuan was the uncle of Yelu Hongdao, the first emperor of Liao. He took advantage of Yelu Hongdao to ascend the throne to gain a foothold, raised an army and rebelled, killed his nephew, and became emperor himself. This matter was known to me for the first time. However, although he succeeded in seizing the throne, his methods made the major noble tribes of the Liao State extremely dissatisfied. Yelu Zongyuan killed many opponents in the past two years, in order to consolidate his position as emperor. But he can pacify the nobles of the five capitals of Liao, but he can't control the Jurchens who are far away in the land of white mountains and black waters in eastern Liaodong. In the past two years, when Yelu Zongyuan was busy consolidating the throne, the leader of the Jurchen tribe, Wan Yan Gu, swept away the Jurchen tribes in one fell swoop and unified the Jurchen tribes. This time, Yelu Zongyuan recruited Jurchen soldiers and horses to come when I provoked on the border of Youzhou, but Wanyan refused to give the order, and informed Yelu Zongyuan that his Jurchen tribe would not abide by the jurisdiction of Liao from now on. This is rebellion. Under these circumstances, Yelu Zongyuan was forced to make friends with my Great Zhou and turn back to extinguish the rebellion. It can be said that the situation formed after the Youzhou victory was by no means a Youzhou victory to deter the Liao, but only that the Liao people had to do it, and they had to free up their hands to quell the civil strife first. What kind of nonsense is the victory in Youzhou, doesn't this teach people to laugh off their big teeth? ”

Lin Jue nodded slowly, only today did he realize that this was the reason behind this, and he still felt a little puzzled before. In the Battle of Youzhou, the result announced by the imperial court was to destroy 5,000 enemies, although this was a good result, but the annihilation of 5,000 enemies did not seem to deter the ambitions of the Liao people who coveted the Central Plains. There must be a reason behind such an easy compromise. It's just that Lin Jue is still too busy taking care of his own affairs, where does he have the heart to think carefully about the reason behind this. Listening to Guo Xu say this today, it can be regarded as a sudden and reasonable understanding.

And all this that Guo Xu said seems to be similar to the history of the Song Dynasty, another parallel time and space in Lin Jue's memory. This also seems to confirm what Lin Jue has concluded, although the time and space are different, the dynasties are different. But at the same point in time, the course of history is strikingly similar. It's really kind of wonderful.