Xiaozhu!
Gu Jiu and his daughter Princess Ruyang are having a "serious" conversation.
"You shouldn't hit someone in the face, but you did it, and it was your cousin. What do you have to say about this?"
Princess Ruyang is young but has a strong aura.
But at this moment, she felt very aggrieved and guilty. She lowered her head, her eyes red.
She still had some stubbornness left in her, "My daughter is a princess. When a princess of the Liu royal family punishes someone, she always slaps him in the face."
puff!
Gu Jiu suppressed his laughter and deliberately kept a straight face. "You think you are quite right, right? Then is it also right for you to hit your elders? Although Princess Anyang is not older than you, she is your aunt in terms of seniority. You dare to hit your aunt? How dare you!"
Princess Anyang was the daughter of Emperor Chengzong Wende who expanded his harem.
Half a year younger than Ruyang.
Princess Ruyang lowered her head and pleaded guilty, "Capture the leader first. That group of people is led by Princess Anyang. If we have to fight, of course we should attack her first."
Gu Jiu's mouth twitched and he was speechless.
"How outrageous!"
The attitude must be shown and Ruyang must learn a lesson.
Princess Ruyang trembled all over and tears fell at Gu Jiu's scolding.
All the palace maids and eunuchs present were heartbroken.
But he didn't dare to speak up to plead for Ruyang.
Everyone looked confused.
"You still have the nerve to cry! You feel wronged after beating someone. Last time at the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet, you asked me to borrow someone to play a prank. I warned you that time not to do it again. But I didn't expect that this time you would go even further and even bring a palace maid to beat someone up. It's ridiculous!"
Ruyang sobbed silently, feeling extremely aggrieved and sad.
Except for the palace maids and eunuchs, her brothers and sisters were all sent away, and her father was not at home. There was no one to plead for her.
So pitiful!
"Wow……"
Thinking of the sad things, Princess Ruyang could no longer control herself and burst into tears.
Gu Jiu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
This kid Ruyang is so funny that he can kill people.
After hitting someone, she felt aggrieved.
Definitely a dramatic actor.
Gu Jiu had a stern face and absolutely could not smile.
Once she started laughing, all her efforts would be wasted. This girl became even more confident.
So, she kept a cold face, said nothing, and watched Ruyang cry with cold eyes.
Ruyang cried for a few minutes, and when he saw that his mother did not respond, his voice gradually became softer.
She covered her face and observed her mother's expression through her fingers.
Seems really angry.
what to do?
Still scared!
I'm about to cry again!
She sobbed and cried for nearly an incense stick of time, and then a handkerchief fell in front of her.
"Have you cried enough? Wipe your tears. You're already a grown woman, and you're still crying like a cat. If someone sees you, they'll laugh at your three-year-old temper."
Gu Jiu was scolding Ruyang, but his tone was very gentle.
Ruyang wiped away his tears, but still couldn't help sobbing a few times.
"My daughter is wronged!"
"You hit someone and you're still feeling wronged?"
"They were the ones who provoked me first, and my daughter took action later. Even if my daughter was wrong, they are also responsible. My mother should arrange for someone to discipline them."
Gu Jiu couldn't help laughing, and said with a straight face: "They have their own parents to discipline them. It's not my turn to discipline them, and I don't have the time to discipline them."
Princess Ruyang sighed, "That's true. Mother is so busy with all sorts of affairs that she really doesn't have time to deal with these trivial matters. So I took care of them for her."
The corners of Gu Jiu's eyes kept twitching, and she was almost laughing because of Ruyang.
"So what you mean by handling it for me is beating someone up?"
Ruyang felt guilty.
Gu Jiu continued to lecture her: "When have you ever seen me order someone to be beaten? Why use force when things can be solved with words?"
Ruyang blinked, and her long eyelashes covered her eyes like a fan.
She argued, "Why would my daughter waste her time arguing with them when she can just use her hands to solve the problem?"
This reason is very good and powerful.
Gu Jiu has a headache.
"Do you think hitting someone is right?"
"They didn't listen, so my daughter had to resort to violence."
"Ridiculous! I've said so much, but it seems you haven't listened at all."
Ruyang admitted his mistake with a low voice.
Whether he admits his mistake in his heart is not certain.
At this time, the palace maid reported that the Duke of Zhuguo had arrived.
Gu Jiu said, "Ask the Duke of Zhuguo to wait in the flower hall for a while. I will be there soon."
Then she said to her daughter, "I've said so many things, but it's clear you're not listening. I'm too lazy to waste my breath on you. I'll copy the clan rules fifty times. When you've finished, we'll have the next conversation."
"oh!"
Princess Ruyang did not resist and obeyed the order obediently, "My daughter will go down and copy the clan rules."
"Go ahead! You are not allowed to take your younger brother, Brother Xun, to play wildly in the mountains."
"My daughter is not a child." Ruyang pouted, still unconvinced.
Gu Jiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Look at what you did, if not just a child, what is it?"
Ruyang was not convinced, and Gu Jiu waved her away.
This girl's ideas are becoming more and more correct.
He even dared to argue with her confidently.
A dozen young ladies from the royal family were beaten up by Ruyang and the palace maids.
My goodness, the princess led a group fight and specifically hit the other party in the face.
The person who was beaten was Ruyang's aunt in terms of seniority.
Fortunately, Gu Jiu made a prompt decision and brought Ruyang to Xiaozhu.
Otherwise, Ruyang would have been scolded to death by those imperial censors.
As for Princess Anyang, let Empress Dowager Pei come forward to appease and reprimand her.
Empress Dowager Pei was nominally the biological mother of Princess Anyang. When the biological mother scolded her concubine's daughter, no one could say "no".
The group of imperial censors who were eager to create chaos in the world could not accuse Empress Dowager Pei of doing anything wrong.
…
Gu Jiu was so angry at Ruyang that he was depressed for a long time before he put away his chaotic thoughts and went to the flower hall to meet the Duke of Zhuguo.
Duke Zhuguo is quite old, with gray hair and beard, and he seems to be bald.
Why did Gu Jiu know that Duke Zhuguo was bald?
Because Zhuguogong was not wearing a hat, the hair on his head was obviously sparser.
Even if you try to distribute your hair evenly, it is difficult to hide the fact that you are bald.
Although the Duke of Zhuguo is old, he is still in good spirits.
Today I visited the construction site and climbed the mountain, but I didn't feel tired at all.
"How's the Duke these days? What's been up to you?"
After meeting, Gu Jiu started to exchange greetings with the Duke of Zhuguo.
The Duke of Zhuguo sat at the head of the group and bowed slightly. "Thanks to the Queen, I'm in good health and free from all illness and disaster. But I'm getting old, and my energy isn't as good as it was when I was young, when I could stay up for three days and three nights and still be full of energy."
Gu Jiu laughed. "I haven't experienced the Duke's most glorious era, but I have heard many legends about him. Among all the military commanders, the Duke is undoubtedly the best."
"Your Majesty, you are too kind! If twenty years ago, I was still worthy of being number one, now I should step down and let others take over. Today, the King of Anxi is the true number one military commander. Compared to him, I am far inferior."
"Your Excellency is too modest! In my eyes, Your Excellency and the Prince of Anxi each have their own strengths. For the imperial court, Your Excellency is the most trustworthy and influential official."
"Your Majesty, are you implying that Prince Anxi is untrustworthy?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "In front of the Duke, I am speaking the truth. Prince Anxi is indeed not worthy of the court's trust. He can be sent to attack Xiliang, but he cannot be allowed to serve as the president of the Military Academy. The position of president of the Military Academy belongs only to the Duke."
The Duke of Zhuguo remained unmoved. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your esteem for me! But I am too old to be of such a high rank. I am afraid that I will delay Your Majesty's important work, so I beg you to find someone else who can do it."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows, not smiling.
"The Duke seems to be dissatisfied with me."
"I dare not! I am truly not qualified to be the president of the Military Academy."
Gu Jiu didn't believe a single word of these words.
She didn't believe that the Duke of Zhuguo was not moved.
The other party has been holding his attitude the whole time, and it seems that he is quite resentful.
"Let me guess. The Marquis of Lu was a traitor, yet he was granted the title of king. You, the old ministers, were loyal, yet you received nothing, even worse than the ambitious Marquis of Lu. You feel wronged, unworthy, and even doubt whether your loyalty to the court is the right thing to do. You are all filled with resentment. Am I right?"
The Duke was surprised, but then relieved.
The Queen Mother was very well-planned, so it was no surprise that she guessed his little thoughts.
He remained silent, neither denying nor admitting.
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly, "It seems many people are secretly dissatisfied with me and Your Majesty. I only want to ask, who has a better way to deal with Marquis Lu? Marquis Lu is, after all, an old minister with great military achievements. If he is really forced to rebel and behead him, I am afraid the Duke will feel that he is being abandoned and the dog is being abandoned, and he will feel sympathy for the same suffering."
The Duke of Zhuguo remained unmoved.
"Your Majesty and I have painstakingly devised a solution that achieves the best of both worlds. It not only expands the territory of the Great Zhou, but also provides the Marquis of Lu with a way out. Why then do you, the generals, still harbor dissatisfaction?"
The Duke of Zhuguo shook his head, "I'm not dissatisfied."
Gu Jiu sneered, "I can only say that you are too selfish and too narrow-minded. The vast grasslands outside the Great Wall are larger than three Great Zhous. Enclosing the land and becoming a king, with a sixth-rank official title, why wouldn't the Duke be tempted? Why doesn't he arrange for the men of the clan to go fight outside the Great Wall? And there are also overseas territories as large as dozens or even hundreds of Great Zhous. Why don't you dare to fight and seize them? The Duke of Lu's enthronement was not a fluke. He dared to fight with his children and grandchildren, risking their lives. Let me ask you, would you dare? At your age, do you still have such ambition and ambition?"
Zhuguogong's old face flushed, "Your Majesty, please don't humiliate me."
"Are you angry and embarrassed because I hit you in the sore spot?"
"To be honest, in the past six months, I have been extremely disappointed with the nobles and military commanders. Beyond the Great Wall, overseas, I provide maps, and anyone with the guts can seize territory. Although they are only sixth-rank officials, they are effectively local emperors out there, making all the decisions on their own."
"From private miners to merchants traveling north and south, to aristocratic families and some official families, everyone has taken action, but you, the nobles and military generals, remain completely silent. What's the matter? Do you despise the opportunity I offer you? Or do you lack the courage to fight? You should be the bravest group in the Great Zhou, but you have become the most cowardly. It's truly despicable!"
Gu Jiu's words were harsh and sharp, and the old face of the Duke of Zhuguo turned red. His lifelong dignity was completely thrown away at this moment.
"Your Majesty, I would like to refute a few of your words."
"Feel free to object, I'm all ears."
The Duke of Zhuguo cleared his throat. "Your Majesty's accusations against the military commanders just now are truly biased. Military commanders are different from civil officials. They have been fighting in wars for many years and have seen too much life and death. They may be high-spirited and vigorous today, but may be a corpse tomorrow. They understand the impermanence of life and death, so they cherish their lives more.
On the other hand, civil officials don't have to face life-and-death trials. They always imagine the world beyond the Great Wall and overseas in a romantic and poetic way, filled with the poetic sentiments of scholars. Naturally, they can easily make the decision to send their family members to fight in the foreign lands.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "What the Duke means is that, having seen enough life and death to understand the cruelty of survival, the generals can't bear to send their own men out to fight. They'd rather be a failure than live a peaceful life."
The Duke of Zhuguo nodded, "Exactly!"
Gu Jiu sneered, "Do you know why in every struggle between civil and military officials, the military generals always lose to the civil officials? It's because the actions of you military generals are completely inconsistent with your status. You are originally a group of passionate men, but you are even more steady than the civil officials. On the other hand, the civil officials always do everything in a herd. Especially those censors. Although they are hateful most of the time, you can't deny that they have a passion and the courage to face hardships and life and death. In this respect, you military generals lose!"
The Duke of Zhuguo was unconvinced. "A temporary win or loss doesn't mean anything. Military generals disdain to engage in a quarrel of personal feelings with civil officials."
Gu Jiu scolded him bluntly, "Losing is losing. Making excuses won't change the outcome. Being the first president of the Military Academy is such an honor. If a civil official were to take the position before me today, they wouldn't hesitate and would secure it immediately. Even if they didn't take the position themselves, they would recommend someone they recognized. But what has the Duke done besides trying to hold back? I'm now doubting my decision. Was choosing you the right one?"
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