Chapter 136 Obstruction
It was obvious that His Majesty wanted me to face the criticism of the court officials independently. If I could not convince them, then even if I could become a court official at His Majesty's order, I would inevitably be looked down upon in the future.
But Shen Gongbao was not panicked, but rather excited.
That's fair, isn't it?
Therefore, Shen Gongbao raised the corner of his mouth, turned his head to look at You Ping, and taunted him, saying, "I am honored to be favored by Your Majesty and to enter the court. However, since I was a child, I have read at least eight or nine out of ten books in the world. I know the changes of the four seasons and the twenty-four hours of the day. But old sir, you should understand that if a person's knowledge and insights are only used for rote reading, memorization, and learning, they are just like a human book, a mere record. What is the use of it?"
Having said that, Shen Gongbao was full of vigor and energy. His speech speed was neither fast nor slow, and his voice was neither loud nor soft. Sometimes his voice was like the sound of a huge bell awakening people, and sometimes it was like water flowing in an empty valley. He talked eloquently, and every word he uttered was well thought out, and every word was pleasant to the ears, all of which were from the heart.
What a great talk!
You Ping's face was filled with shock at this moment. He sat there, looking at Shen Gongbao in front of him, listening to his ways of governing the country and how to suppress the enemy, and felt that the knowledge he had acquired over the past ninety years seemed to have been learned in vain!
The other officials also had different expressions, but the amazement in their eyes was the same.
"In this way, in just twenty years, the world will be settled."
After a full stick of incense, Shen Gongbao finally finished speaking. With his final word, the entire court fell into complete silence.
"My dear minister, your great speech! Good!"
Everyone was stunned, but Li Qing was not. He just stood up with a big laugh, clapping his hands as he said, "I would like to appoint you as a senior official, and also as a mentor and advisor to you. What do you think?"
"Your Majesty, thank you for your grace!"
When Shen Gongbao heard this, although his expression did not change, the joy in his eyes could not be stopped. He waved his hands, knelt down on the ground with his whole body prostrated, and received the order loudly.
"Hahaha! Great, I have gained another wise minister."
Seeing this, Li Qing laughed and sat back down, then said, "My dear, please get up quickly."
When Shen Gongbao heard this, he stood up, and then just took a look and found the place where he should stand. He walked over naturally and stood there.
Li Qing pondered for a moment and continued, "I have something else to tell you, my dear ministers."
Everyone was originally looking at Shen Gongbao with friendly, friendly glances, but when they heard what Li Qing said, they quickly turned to look at Li Qing. Could it be that the king had other wise men to be appointed to official positions?
But Li Qing's next words made them stunned.
Li Qing said calmly, "I was traveling to the north when I met two women. One of them fought with me many times, sharing life and death. The other is the Saint of the Snow Clan, and we are also in love. So I plan to take them both as my imperial concubines tomorrow. My dear ministers, do you have any objections?"
"Your Majesty! Why do you want to take a concubine?"
Upon hearing this, the ministers were immediately worried. Daji had been a lesson for them! Now that the king had just regained some of his wisdom, he was taking another beauty into the palace? If he reverted to his debauched ways, the Shang Dynasty would be in danger!
Shang Rong stood up first, frowned and shouted loudly.
"Why? I can't take concubines? Didn't I tell you that those two women are so compatible with me and have saved me from danger many times? They are truly benefactors. Why can't I take them into my harem?"
Li Qing's expression remained unchanged, he just asked calmly.
"If the king takes the two women into the palace, won't he need to build palaces for them? The Shang Dynasty is currently plagued by disasters and the government is in dire straits. Where would he find the money? Furthermore, if the king favors the two women, wouldn't the Shang Dynasty be in danger if the past incidents were to repeat themselves?!"
Shang Rong's straightforward nature suddenly became apparent, so he just kept talking.
Suddenly, the ministers around him all looked solemn and looked at Li Qing cautiously.
Upon hearing this, Li Qing laughed and said, "It seems that the Shang minister is afraid that I will indulge in women again and miss the court for a whole year, right?"
Shang Rong said, "I have no such intention."
Seeing Shang Rong's expression, Li Qing immediately smiled and said, "Don't worry, Shang Xiang, I will never do that. I was a little unruly before, but now the Shang Dynasty is facing internal and external troubles, how could I ignore them? Don't worry."
Shang Rong was moved when he heard the king say this, but he immediately suppressed the hesitation and insisted, "No! Your Majesty already has twenty-seven concubines and a queen in the harem, so why would you need to take in more? Besides, the domestic finances really can't support Your Majesty to build a palace! Please retract this idea, Your Majesty, and let those two women go back to where they came from!"
Upon hearing this, Li Qing frowned and said indifferently, "I have my own plans for building the palace. There's no need to spend the national treasury. What do you think?"
"Your Majesty, what are your plans? Are you planning to use the Imperial Treasury? But the Imperial Treasury is also the blood and sweat of the people. How can Your Majesty treat it as your own?"
When the businessman heard this, he shook his head repeatedly.
"I will not use the inner treasury. Let me be frank with you. Although the two girls are married to me, their dowries are quite generous. Building a palace for them is a piece of cake. So, Shang Xiang does not need to worry about this matter."
Li Qing said calmly with a blank expression.
"Even if you want to build a palace, you still need to recruit civilians. Your Majesty's last practice on the Moon Platform, the Star-Picking Tower, the Snake Pit, and other projects have already caused widespread complaints from the people. Your Majesty cannot use the people's labor anymore."
Shang Rong just shook his head and spoke loudly.
"Alright! In that case, I will only use my own eight hundred divine guards! Does Minister Shang agree with this?"
Li Qing immediately waved his sleeves and said indifferently.
"That won't do! Even if Your Majesty has everything planned out, these two women still can't be accepted into the harem!"
It was obviously Shang Ronggeng's temper that was at work. Even if all his worries were eliminated at this moment, he still did not agree and did not approve of Li Qing taking a concubine.
Are you kidding? What if Li Qing said everything was fine, but as soon as two stunning beauties entered the palace, he started to indulge in alcohol and sex, then who could persuade him?
It would be better to cut off the source of the problem directly and prevent him from taking a concubine. This way, there will be no risk.
But even if Li Qing is not King Zhou, his temper is not that good either. As the saying goes, if someone respects me one foot, I will return it ten feet. But Shang Rong, relying on his status as an old minister, is madly attacking him here, and he is unreasonable.
For a moment, Li Qing's expression turned completely cold. He looked at Shang Rong and said, "Prime Minister Shang, I have explained everything to you clearly, but you still try to stop me. What's your intention?"
"I am doing this for the Great Shang, for Your Majesty!"
Shang Rong stiffened his neck and ignored Li Qing's hidden anger.
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