Zhao Jiu was stunned again and remained silent for a while, but many important civil and military officials around him became solemn... at least on the surface.
"Your Majesty, this is a flatterer!" But just as Emperor Zhao was hesitating for a moment, someone behind him couldn't help but blurt out the answer. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and found that it was Lv Benzhong, a Hanlin scholar who had just been promoted to a full-time position through the expansion of the Hanlin Academy. Everyone had different expressions on their faces.
"How can you call your colleague a flatterer without authorization?" Zhao Jiu's heart moved slightly when he heard the voice, but his expression remained unchanged.
"Your Majesty!" Lü Benzhong seemed to regret what he said, but since the emperor had already spoken, he could only step out of the stairs and bow to Gou Longruyuan. "Let's not talk about this man changing his surname to avoid taboos. Later, he worked in Quanzhou. It is obvious that as the governor of Quanzhou, he knew your attitude towards foreign merchants before and intended to speculate... Today's behavior is even more direct and flattering. Otherwise, why would he ask your Majesty first and then speak? I think if your Majesty said no, he must have said something else!"
Zhao Jiu's expression remained unchanged. He just looked at Gou Longruyuan who was silently looking at Lu Benzhong.
"Reporting to your majesty." Gou Longruyuan withdrew his gaze from Lü Benzhong and simply bowed his hands in response. "Mr. Lu's argument is clearly a diatribe, without any real evidence. And what I said just now was truly sincere, and I had no intention of flattering you. As for why I must ask your majesty before speaking, there is a reason... As far as I know, your majesty is not the only one who frowns and looks solemnly when distributing military pay and rewards. Zhang Jiedu, the right army of the imperial camp, and Yue Jiedu, the front army of the imperial camp, are also like this, and it is well known. But I don't think that these two are so solemn, they have the same idea in their hearts."
Zhao Jiu finally laughed... and even felt a little proud in his heart.
The rest of the ministers also seemed to be in a state of sudden realization and laughter.
Besides, Yue Fei and Zhang Jun were both important generals in the country and influential figures. Moreover, they had been in office for such a long time that their temperaments were well known to everyone.
Yue Pengju and his troops were mostly exiles from Hebei. From the beginning, they were often attacked by the southern scholars and people. It was said that the court was using the fat and blood of the southern people to support the scoundrels of Hebei... In this regard, Yue Fei, who had gone south to quell the rebellion and witnessed the heavy burden on the people south of the Yangtze River, did not complain. Instead, he acknowledged this and often warned his subordinates that the military pay was increasing day by day, and it was all the fat and blood of the southern people.
Therefore, almost every time the military salaries were distributed, Yue Fei would sit there with a gloomy face. His real intention was probably the same as what Gou Long Ruyuan had just used to flatter Emperor Zhao.
As for Zhang Jun... everyone couldn't mock him openly, but everyone knew in their hearts that he was probably really reluctant to let go.
At this moment, Zhao Jiu was feeling very proud, but in fact, he was slightly different from what everyone else thought… Firstly, Gou Longruyuan could link himself to Yue Fei and praise him in various ways. Although he couldn't say it out loud, he was very happy in his heart; secondly, others didn't know, but he knew that Zhang Jun never personally distributed military pay in the past, and it was always he and his subordinates who intercepted it layer by layer. Now he personally distributed it because the money didn't pass through his hands at all, so he simply pretended to be selfless, but every time he felt heartbroken, he couldn't help but take a look… Knowing all this, how could he not be happy?
Of course, at the same time, Zhao Jiu also believed that Gou Longruyuan was a flatterer.
It's not just because of today's performance, but he had that idea from the beginning, not to mention Lu Benzhong's words... You have to know that Lu Benzhong is good at writing poems, playing chess and being a hanger-on, but he is not so thorough in politics. And this time is different from the last time against Cai Mao. Cai Mao was the son of the prime minister who had been hanging around in the capital for decades in his early years. He and Lu Benzhong probably knew each other for decades. Lu Yanei certainly knew the details, but this Gou Longruyuan was unlikely to have any intersection with Lu Benzhong.
When Lu Dayanei said this, it was most likely that he had heard Lu Haowen's words unintentionally at home and had kept them in mind.
In other words, today it was not Lu Benzhong who thought Gou Longruyuan was a flatterer, but Lu Haowen who thought this person was such a person.
Of course, if Lu Haowen were here, he would never say it. In fact, it is very likely that some of the important ministers present already viewed Gou Longruyuan in this way, but they did not say it... Because they knew very well that flattery or not was not a particularly serious matter for Emperor Zhao. As long as this guy did not make mistakes because of flattery, it did not matter. And if this person could still get things done, it would be even more okay for him to be a little flattering.
In a sense, Zhang Deyuan was also a bootlicker. Moreover, he was terrible at writing poetry and his handwriting was crooked. At first glance, his cultural level was not as good as Qu Dalai's... Instead of going to Guanzhong to revive his career, he came to the river to fish... Zhang Jun definitely could not write such a poem.
But whether it is Zhang Shuxiang or Qu Jiedu, aren't they Shuxiang and Jiedu now? And they are on the Yuetai.
No matter what, Gou Longruyuan's actions are not worth mentioning in the eyes of Emperor Zhao compared with his performance in the Quanzhou Fan Temple case and the overall situation of the central government's need for people.
Sure enough, with Emperor Zhao's casual smile and slight wave of his hand, the small storm passed easily.
Only, Lü Benzhong got bored, but Gou Longruyuan didn't get any benefit either... No other reason, after all, it's not just Emperor Zhao, it's not just Lü Haowen who's not here today, the Manchu prime ministers, the inner court and the outer court, which one is easy to get along with? I had already labeled this person in my heart, and after this incident, there's no need to say more.
Even Zhang Jun, his fellow countryman who had brought him into the court, felt a little regretful... His side already had a bad reputation in the court, and if he brought in a person like this, wouldn't it make it seem that the other side was a gentleman, and his side was a group of villains who had luckily joined?
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