Li Guang was stunned for a moment, but then he shook his head: "It's not just to explain to Prime Minister Li, it's mainly because I'm worried. Let alone other things, what will the Supreme Yuansheng Emperor say? After all, he is also the Son of Heaven who has been kind to you and me..."
"Again, if we talk about the grace of recognition, then the current emperor is not being kind to you?" Chen Gongfu seemed to have expected this question. "Besides, how shallow is the grace of the Supreme Emperor Yuansheng to you? You had the merit of supporting him at the beginning, and he also wanted to use people who advocated war to win people's hearts, so he promoted you to the position of Imperial Censor, but when he wanted to negotiate peace, he demoted you to the position of Tingzhou Liquor Tax... Such indecision, using talents as bargaining chips, is this the demeanor of a monarch? On the contrary, the current emperor promoted you again and again, and in two or three years, you became the director of the Imperial Censorate, and you enjoyed the honor of half prime minister for many years. He even did not forget to retain you during the White Horse Incident. On the contrary, it is not considered a grace of recognition?"
Li Guang was silent again.
"Do you know why I came to see you today?" Chen Gongfu pursued relentlessly.
Li Guang shook his head with all his strength: "Aren't you here for these five things about Prime Minister Zhang Shu in the court newspaper?"
"Yes and no." Chen Gongfu finally sighed. "Taifa, I came here for this matter, but what I really want to say is not about these things, but I am worried about you..."
Li Guang was finally stunned.
"If you ask me, you have a profound knowledge, high talent, and great reputation. You are a famous official, but you have two big flaws in your character." Chen Gongfu said sternly, directly exposing Li Guang's shortcomings in front of his three adult sons. "First, you are angry and want fame. You know the general right and wrong of things, and the good and bad of people, but you always argue and fight over small details for a little reputation, doing meaningless things!"
"I know this problem too." Li Guang raised his tea bowl awkwardly to cover it up. "You're not the only one who said this. I'll try my best to change it..."
"That's fine." Chen Gongfu ignored the embarrassment of Li's father and son and continued to speak coldly. "The key is that you don't know the big picture! It's fine to be angry for fame in small matters, but you still want to be angry for fame in big matters. You don't know that you will ruin the overall situation for a little fame. You may end up being a clown in the history books in the future, but you are still complacent."
Li Guang finally couldn't bear it anymore: "Brother Guozuo, please don't slander me... When have I ever done anything to ruin the overall situation?"
"Let me ask you, is the Northern Expedition right or wrong?" Chen Gongfu was not afraid.
Li Guang opened his mouth to speak, but unexpectedly the other party asked directly: "Is it the overall situation?!"
Li Guang wanted to say more, but Chen Gongfu had already asked again: "The court newspaper reported the original text. The emperor said that after the matter is published in the newspaper, we will see who has something to say... Have you already written the relevant memorials these days, and revised them countless times, and are ready to go and say tomorrow that there is something wrong with Zhang Shuxiang's third and fourth things?"
Li Guang's face finally changed drastically, and below him and Chen Gongfu, his eldest son Li Mengbo also changed his face... Others didn't know, but Li Mengbo knew very well that his father had such a memorial, and it was indeed revised many times. After all, it was he, the eldest son, who helped to polish and copy it every time.
"What's wrong with that? Don't you think that if you don't speak up, you will be criticized by your former colleagues in Jiangnan, and then lose the support of public opinion?" Chen Gongfu sat still and threw the teacup in his hand to the ground, smashing it to pieces. "In the final analysis, it's still about seeking fame and reputation, or trying to please both sides! Li Taifa! Do you think that in this situation, you can still be a bright person?!"
Li Guang's three sons were already speechless with shock, and Li Guang looked at the broken pieces of the porcelain cup on the ground. Although he was also pale, he still tried to argue: "Brother Guozuo, why are you so serious? Since the emperor compares Zhao and Zhang to Fang and Du, can't he allow me to be a Wei Zheng?"
"Did Wei Zheng gain his reputation by speaking well of Li Jiancheng every day, or by persuading Emperor Taizong not to fight the Turks?" Chen Gongfu joked. "Let me make it clear to you today, Li Taifa, your actions this time may seem straightforward, but in my eyes, you are trying to please both sides, which is despicable!"
"Brother Guozuo!" Li Guang was furious. "We have been friends for decades, and it must be true that we knew each other when we were young, right? Why do you keep saying such bad things today?"
"It's good that you still know that our decades-long friendship is genuine." Chen Gongfu sighed as he twisted his gray beard. "Li Taifa, tomorrow at the court, you'd better not submit that memorial for the sake of our decades-long friendship, otherwise I will naturally follow up with a memorial impeaching your personal morality, and then a letter of breaking off the friendship, which I will submit to Lu Benzhong's tabloid..."
At this point, Chen Gongfu stood up, picked up the newspaper on the table, and put it behind his back. He turned his head and said the last words to his old friend who was already dumbfounded: "Taifa, if it weren't for our friendship of several decades, why would I rush here today and say such bad words? I hope you will think about it carefully."
After saying this, the Minister of Personnel left with his hands behind his back, holding the official newspaper.
“Daddy!”
After Chen Gongfu left, Li Guang was stunned on the spot, but his eldest son reacted quickly and still saw him off in person, then hurried back to the back hall to face his own father. "Uncle Chen is gone."
Li Guang finally came to his senses and looked at his son in a daze: "What does he mean? Why does he want to break up with him?"
Li Mengbo lowered his head and thought for a while, then answered carefully: "My son roughly guessed that Chen Shibo's intentions were severalfold... One is that Prime Minister Li in the southeast has been idle for many years and has long been ineffective; the other is that Chen Shibo was persuaded by Prime Minister Zhang Shu that it was time to stabilize the country and make alliances with the outside world, and he was determined to launch a northern expedition. He really believed that my father's advice at this time was somewhat contrary to the overall situation... Otherwise, why would he say that he would break off the friendship?"
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