Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 435: Based on his strength and status, Pei Qianhu deserves such respect
It was just a change of thought, and Li Shishi couldn't help but feel worried and then happy.

What worries him is that he, an old comrade, is going to be ambushed again.

The good news was that the person who attacked him was not Pei Yuan, Captain Pei.

Just now, when Li Shishi saw Pei Yuan crying and saying sorry to him, his heart almost jumped out.

He was not afraid of others letting him down, he was just afraid that Pei Yuan would let him down.

This person has a dirty heart.

Now that he heard that it was not Pei Yuan who was against him, even Li Shishi, who was very cunning, could not help but burst into laughter and blurted out, "This is a good thing!"

???

Pei Yuan, who always thought he was at ease when facing the Dadu Xian, was simply defeated.

No, brother, you...

Fortunately, Li Shishi also realized that there was something illogical in his thinking.

He then urged, "Brother, tell me quickly, what is going on? Who wants to harm me?"

Pei Yuan glanced at Li Shishi, and after a while he said, "Let me eat some food and wait."

Li Shishi also wanted to drink to calm down. After the two of them had a few drinks, Pei Yuan sighed and said, "Don't speak in secret in front of others. The reason why my younger brother is close to Dadu Xian should be known by Dadu Xian himself."

"The current emperor has no son, and Emperor Xiaozong only has one son, Your Majesty. If Your Majesty were to make a mistake, the court would probably have to choose another wise king."

They even collaborated to hide the leader of the Bazhou bandits, so there was nothing they couldn't discuss openly.

Li Shishi knew the meaning of the music. He looked around and saw that only Chen Xinjian was standing beside him. He simply said, "I have already mentioned your name to King Ning many times in my letters."

"Prince Ning is eager to seek talents, and he is also yearning for you, my brother."

"If you have time, you may as well go to Nanchang. If the distinction between the monarch and the ministers can be determined early, you will definitely have a place in the court in the future."

In fact, Li Shishi highly praised the harmfulness of Captain Pei in his secret memorial to Prince Ning.

He also proposed from a high-level perspective, "If Prince Ning wants to obtain the Ming Dynasty, he must first obtain the thousand-householder Pei Yuan. If Pei Yuan is not at peace, then the country cannot be at peace."

However, Pei Yuan obviously had no interest in going to Nanchang to meet King Ning.

He already has the Monkey King Sun Wukong as his backup, so why would he care about Prince Ning?
However, when the topic came to this, Pei Yuan remembered something.

After sorting out the political situation, it is time to return to Shandong to deal with the two major vassal king lines, the Dewang lineage and the Luwang lineage.

As the elder of the Zhu family, Prince Ning’s voice at critical moments is very important.

In history, it seems that Prince Ning did put on some pretense, and came out as the elder of the Zhu family to restrain the royal family, which also earned him a considerable amount of reputation.

What was that about?

Pei Yuan thought for a while, but had no idea.

He said to Li Shishi, "I have done nothing, how can I face the King of Ning?"

Li Shishi said sincerely, "It's enough for you to be here, why worry about other things?"

According to Li Shishi's point of view, as long as Pei Yuan, this bastard, does not cause trouble in Prince Ning's conquest of the world, he is worth an Earl.

Pei Yuan simply hinted, "I am in Shandong suppressing the evil cult, and I am quite worried about the affairs of Prince De and Prince Lu. If I have the chance, I will definitely repay you."

Li Shishi was overjoyed when he heard this.

Prince De and Prince Lu are both more powerful vassals than Prince Ning.

Relying on the favor of his brother Emperor Xianzong, Prince De obtained a large tract of land and population in Shandong.

The King of Lu relied on intermarriage with the Kong family for many generations to indirectly become related by marriage to many civil servant families, and his political appeal should not be underestimated.

These two powerful vassal states were very close to the capital, and they posed two major hidden dangers for Prince Ning when he went to the capital.

If we can seriously injure one or two of them, it will definitely be a great achievement.

Li Shishi immediately promised, "If you can really do something, King Ning will reward you generously."

Pei Yuan also made it clearer, "After all, these things involve two powerful vassal states. If there are some disputes among the royal family, Prince Ning will have to come out as the elder of the Zhu family to calm the discussion."

Li Shishi said without hesitation, "As long as you don't give others a handle, even if they are from the royal family, they shouldn't make trouble unreasonably."

Prince Ning still has the responsibility to deal with the aftermath.

Pei Yuan felt more confident.

He immediately made a big promise, "Once this is accomplished and I feel confident, I will go to Nanchang to pay homage to Prince Ning."

Li Shishi was overjoyed and said yes repeatedly.

The two drank a few more glasses, and Li Shishi suddenly came to his senses.

No.

Weren’t we just talking about someone trying to plot against me? Why did the topic turn to this?
Li Shishi asked quickly, "Brother, just now you said someone wanted to harm me, what's going on?"

Pei Yuan sighed, "Actually, it has something to do with what I just said."

Pei Yuan asked Li Shishi seriously, "If the King of Ning is lucky enough to ascend the throne of the emperor in the future, how will he arrange for me?"

Li Shishi said without hesitation, "With your ability, as long as you are willing to serve King Ning, it would be easy for you to be made a Duke. If you have made special achievements, like Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, it is not impossible for you to be made a king with a different surname after your death."

This is a fierce man who was able to suppress the imperial army and the Bazhou rebels for more than 20 days at the same time!

Li Daduxian deeply believed that based on his strength and status, Pei Qianhu should be given such respect.

Pei Yuan nodded, but did not ask further questions. Instead, he continued, "Then what can you expect from the Grand Governor, given his status and prestige?"

Li Shishi smiled and said modestly, "Well, I have always been indifferent to fame and gain. I will just retire to the mountains and forests when the time comes."

Pei Yuan smiled when he heard this, and then said indifferently.

"People like Yang Tinghe, Yang Yiqing, Li Sui, Sun Jiao, and Zhang Zilin also want to be indifferent to fame and gain, and retire to the mountains and forests when the time comes."

Li Shishi's face froze when he heard this.

He took great pains to help Prince Ning rebel. Besides the fact that they were related by marriage and he was only forced to get involved, he was also a person who couldn't stand being alone in his heart.

For such a person, talking about being indifferent to fame and fortune and retiring to the mountains and forests is just nonsense.

But Pei Yuan's casual words just now instantly made Li Shishi realize something he had never thought about before.

Although when those court officials accepted Prince Ning's ambiguity, both sides seemed to be very close.

However, as the signs that Zhu Houzhao would have no heir became increasingly obvious, the ministers had already begun to waver in their decisions.

You have to know that other emperors had few children, either because they died young and could not be raised, or because they were not greedy for women.

But Zhu Houzhao has always had a reputation for being dissolute. He had been sowing seeds for so many years, but not even a single seedling grew. This is very telling.

Then when the ministers began to seriously consider future affairs, they naturally discovered that there was an old man who had surrendered earlier... who was blocking their way.

Pei Yuan deliberately used the same words to classify these people together with Li Shishi, which was a clear reminder to Li Shishi. You all belong to the same ecological niche.

As he thought about it more deeply, Li Shishi's expression became even uglier.

Pei Yuan looked at Li Shishi with a hint of pity and said, "As one of the seven ministers of this dynasty, Dadu Xian has to work hard every day, but he can handle things calmly."

"The main reason is that those people are also fighting for power and profit among themselves, and they simply can't spare the time to specifically target the Daduxian."

"Take the most popular cases of 'Bian Xian and Xiao Chong' and 'Ma Zhongxi' for example. The three people involved are Yang Tinghe, Yang Yiqing, and He Jian. If any one of them attacks Dadu Xian with all his strength, will Dadu Xian still be able to remain calm?"

Li Shishi's face turned ugly.

Yang Tinghe, he can't do it.

Yang Yiqing, he can't do it either.

He Jian, he still couldn't beat him.

Pei Yuan, however, did not sympathize with Li Shishi's feelings at all. "As the first top civil official to serve King Ning, Dadu Xian is blocking everyone's way."

"Not only Yang Tinghe, not only Yang Yiqing, not only He Jian... I don't know how many people want to join you in being indifferent to fame and fortune and retiring to the mountains and forests."

Li Shishi's face turned completely pale.

In the past, as one of the Seven Ministers of the Zhengde Dynasty, Li Shishi could still happily watch other people's fun.

Moreover, as a member of Prince Ning's side, he also has a vague sense of detachment and is considered a special existence in the court.

But as the possibility of Ning Wang taking over became higher and higher, why did those people point their knives at himself while fighting?

How could he, an old bureaucrat who had been working in the government for twenty years, withstand the onslaught of so many strong men?

Suddenly, he felt like a child holding gold, appearing among a crowd of people with bad intentions.

Li Shishi's hands and feet suddenly turned cold. He unconsciously grabbed Pei Yuan's hand and said in a lost voice, "Brother, what should I do?"

Just as he grabbed Pei Yuan's hand, Li Shishi suddenly came to his senses and thought of another horrible possibility.

If the Captain Pei in front of him was going to step over his corpse to pass by, how could he resist such a ferocious beast?
His hand subconsciously shrank and his eyes subconsciously avoided.

Pei Yuan suddenly grabbed him with his backhand.

Perhaps because of the psychological preparation he had just experienced, Li Shishi was almost frightened to death by Pei Yuan's actions. He stood up in panic and said, "Brother, you?!"

But Pei Yuan smiled and said to him, "Did the Grand Commander forget? I am a soldier from a military household. I will be waiting to become a duke or a king of a different surname in the future."

"I don't need to compete with you to be indifferent to fame and fortune and retire to the mountains and forests."

Li Shishi came to his senses and said excitedly, "Yes, yes, yes!"

One of them is a scholar and the other is a warrior. They are not in the same ecological niche, but there is a perfect basis for them to meet at the top.

In other words, only Brother Pei in front of him is the steadfast ally who can walk hand in hand with him to the end.

Only then did Li Shishi feel the strength and warmth of Pei Yuan's big hand, and felt Pei Yuan's silent and firm support for him in this difficult situation.

Li Shishi looked at Pei Yuan and his eyes couldn't help but become moist.

This brother Pei, he really makes me cry to death.

Pei Yuan put Li Shishi in a good mood and introduced the main topic of the day.

"Does Dadu Xian know how those future partners plan for you?"

Li Shishi had already fully trusted Pei Yuan at this point, and hurriedly said, "Brother, please feel free to speak."

Pei Yuan said slowly, "If I remember correctly, the court's arrangement is that Fu Gui will retire, and you will resign as the Left Censor-in-Chief to become the Minister of Rites, and then the meritorious Lu Wan will succeed him as the Left Censor-in-Chief."

Li Shishi replied, "Indeed, there is such a tacit understanding."

"However, since the rebellion was suppressed, it is still difficult to determine the merits and demerits of many people. The Ministry of War hastily came up with a reward proposal last time, but it had to be shelved because the emperor proposed the 'adopted son policy'."

"Affected by this incident, the recommendation and appointment of the Seven Ministers has not yet officially begun."

Pei Yuan thought for a moment and asked, "If it's passed by the court, it can't be changed, right?"

Li Shishi wondered, "What do you mean, brother?"

Pei Yuan said, "What I mean is, if the court approves these appointments, and the Grand Secretary suddenly regrets it after he goes to the Ministry of Rites, then there is no way to reverse it, right?"

Li Shishi was a little confused. "Why should I regret it? Isn't the current political situation moving forward as you predicted?"

Today, the achievements of this great debate have indeed attracted the attention of the whole world, and with the promulgation of the policy of adopted sons and the great split in the power of civil officials, the military men have become the most powerful and the civil officials have become the most frustrated.

Isn’t this what Brother Pei said, the best time to promote the imperial examination and gain fame from all over the world?

In addition, it can also pollute a group of talents and make them an important channel for King Ning's influence to spread to various provinces.

Why are you talking about regret again now?

Pei Yuan sighed, "This is where I was careless before. I was born into a military family and grew up in the market. Although I have some experience with the situation in the court, I lack a deep understanding of the rules."

"These two days, I accidentally learned something from Wang Qiong, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue. It turns out that since the Chenghua, Hongzhi and Zhengde dynasties, all the ministers of the Ministry of Rites came from the Hanlin Academy."

"Even within the Ministry of Rites, there is an unspoken rule that a vice minister cannot be promoted to a minister unless he is a Hanlin."

Pei Yuan looked at Li Shishi and asked softly, "I wonder what kind of achievements did Dadu Xian have in his past?"

Li Shishi's lips moved, and his face first turned red with embarrassment, then the blood color quickly faded and turned terribly pale again.

He, Li Shishi, was ranked 239th among the third class of the Bingxu imperial examination in the second year of Chenghua, and was granted the status of a Jinshi!

In the Bingxu examination in the second year of Chenghua, there were 3 people in the first class, 98 people in the second class, and 252 people in the third class.

He was the fourteenth from the bottom among all the successful candidates in the same examination.

No, he couldn't even use the term "Tongke Jinshi" because he was only "granted the same Jinshi origin."

Not to mention comparing with top scholars like Hanlin and Shujishi, even facing a real Jinshi, he would be inferior.

How could he, a youthful version of a Jinshi, dare to become the Minister of Rites, a position that only Jinshi plus people can hold?
If Li Shishi really went to the Ministry of Rites with a shameless face, wouldn't he become a laughing stock of the world?

Pei Yuan obviously knew the result and did not continue to dwell on the issue of Li Shishi's fame and background.

Instead, he said slowly, "If the Grand Secretary takes over the Ministry of Rites according to the court's arrangement, he will become the first Grand Master of the Imperial Clan who is not a Hanlin in the past three dynasties. In this case, it is not only not glorious for the Grand Secretary, but a shame."

"If Dadu Xian could endure humiliation for the sake of Prince Ning's cause and stay in the position of Minister of Rites, he would surely become infamous and laughed at by the world. Even if Prince Ning takes the throne in the future, with Dadu Xian's reputation and status, if he encounters other important ministers as rivals, I'm afraid... Dadu Xian's situation at that time will be worse than it is now."

Li Shishi gritted his teeth and clenched Pei Yuan's hand with his skinny hand.

Pei Yuan continued, "If the Grand Secretary knows the truth and cannot bear the humiliation, and resigns voluntarily, will Lu Wan, who was promoted to the position of Left Censor-in-Chief for his great achievements, move aside and return the position of Left Censor-in-Chief to the Grand Secretary? Then what will the Grand Secretary do when he has nowhere to go?"

Pei Yuan looked at Li Shishi.

Although his words were slow, they were like heavy hammers hitting Li Shishi, making it impossible for him to escape and making him look miserable.

(End of this chapter)