Adhere to the gentleman's principles

In the evening, Zhao Junning paced back and forth in the mansion. Li Ziyan walked to the door of the mansion with his head down. When he saw Zhao Junning, he smiled and walked forward: "How long have you been waiting here?" Zhao Junning said: "Not long, just waited for less than a moment." After the two entered the mansion, Zhao Junning returned to the house and asked: "Why are you so dejected?"

Li Ziyan said, "Do you remember telling me before that you have a friend who is very close to the prince? That friend of yours is Qin Zhuoyuan, right?"

Zhao Junning nodded and asked, "I went to Qin's house today and he wasn't there. Did you see him?"

Li Ziyan nodded: "Yes, I have seen him." Zhao Junning asked: "What do you think of him?"

Li Ziyan sighed heavily: "You are more thoughtful and scheming than I thought. Every word you say to me today is a trap. If you say something wrong, the Marquis' Mansion will be implicated."

Zhao Junning asked, "What did he talk to you about?" Li Ziyan said, "We talked about the king and the king and his subjects. He also deliberately tested me from time to time." Zhao Junning also sighed, "It's still the same."

Li Ziyan smiled and said to Zhao Junning: "But don't worry, I don't think these tricks of his are anything special. On the contrary, he is guarding against me."

Zhao Junning said, "He will indeed be wary of you because you can see through situations and people's hearts better than he can. You may be the biggest threat to him in the future, but not now." Li Ziyan said, "Don't worry, I will always be vigilant. By the way, how did your business talks go today?"

Zhao Junning said, "We sold 300,000 pieces of cloth." Li Ziyan said, "300,000 pieces! That's a good thing!" Zhao Junning said, "I originally thought it was a good thing, but after I learned about the story behind it, I don't think it's that good anymore."

Li Ziyan asked, "Why? What went wrong? Did the princess cause you trouble? I was going to look for you today, but Qin Zhuoyuan stopped me on the way and I went to Xifeng Restaurant with him." Zhao Junning said, "No, I didn't see the princess, but the prince said he wanted to buy 100,000 batches of Yunjin, 100,000 batches of Shujin, and 100,000 batches of linen."

Li Ziyan took a sip of tea after hearing this: "Yunjin and Shujin are used to make quilts and clothes in the palace, but what are we buying linen for? What can this coarse cloth be used for?" Zhao Junning said: "For horses." Li Ziyan heard this: "For horses? Is there so much money in the treasury? Use the cloth used by people for horses? What about the soldiers? Shouldn't they buy the same cloth as Brother Yang and the others for the soldiers? Why only for horses?"

Zhao Junning said, "The King of Qin told me alone today that the treasury is not out of money because the order issued by the crown prince mentioned cloth for military use. Those soldiers can still hold on because the horses belong to their royal relatives."

Li Ziyan snorted coldly, "What an excuse! Their royal family lives a carefree life with plenty of food and clothing, but they give their soldiers the worst clothes when they go to war. They can't even keep out the wind or cold, and the fabrics are the most susceptible to deterioration. The clothes they give to horses are better than those given to humans."

Zhao Junning said, "It's still a while before the beginning of spring. Can the soldiers survive with such poor quality cloth?" Li Ziyan said, "Forget about them. Their masters don't care about their lives, so how can we care?"

The next day, in the lobby of the Marquis's Mansion, Li Yin and Zhao Nian were discussing something. Li Yin said, "I feel a little uneasy about the matter that the prince asked us to discuss today."

Zhao Nian said, "Yes, we are the monarch's sharp blade. We have to do whatever he tells us to do and kill whoever he tells us to kill. Now the prince is temporarily in charge of the government and has issued such an order, asking us to help him with advice on how to manage the court."

"This is a difficult matter. His Majesty's health is sometimes good and sometimes bad. This is the second time that His Majesty has asked His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to temporarily take charge of government affairs." Li Ziyan walked over and said, "Dad, what do you and father-in-law think?"

Li Yin said, "Find an excuse to get away with it. The situation in the court is unstable now." Li Ziyan looked at Zhao Nian and asked, "Where is my father-in-law?"

Zhao Nian said, "If you want to give me advice, then find a reason to refuse." Li Ziyan said, "That's a good idea, but Dad, do you remember what I said that day? They came to buy cloth for no reason, but to investigate you and your father-in-law. I think everyone except the King of Qin and his subordinates and the princess knows the purpose of the prince's visit. He wants you two to give him advice because he wants you two to be on his side.

Because of your prestige in the court, all the old ministers will want to join you and hold back when they see you two supporting the prince. When Your Majesty returns to court, it will be much easier to overthrow you two. How many respected old ministers will Your Majesty have by then? The left prime minister has always been on the same boat with the prince. In addition to his uncle, father, father-in-law, General Yuan, and uncle, there are less than 20 old ministers in the court who share the same heart with Your Majesty, so the rest will be easy."

Zhao Nian sighed: "It has finally come to this." Li Yin said: "Yes, the struggle for the throne of the royal family has been endless for generations." Zhao Nian asked: "I wonder if my son-in-law has any good ideas?"

Li Ziyan said, "Didn't the prince ask father and father-in-law to come up with a plan? Then give him one. This plan will not make the prince think that you two are on his side, and it will not make His Majesty's old ministers who believe in you two impeach you in the future."

Li Yin asked: "We can fight, but your uncle Sikong was your military advisor." Li Ziyan thought for a while and said: "Confucius said: When you see a virtuous person, you should think about how to be like him; when you see an unvirtuous person, you should reflect on yourself. Confucius said: A gentleman should be slow to speak but quick to act. Give this sentence to the prince."

Zhao Nian nodded after hearing this: "Yes, it's a good plan." Zhao Nian said: "After listening to my son-in-law's literary talent today, your father and I feel ashamed of ourselves." Li Yin complained: "Thanks to my daughter-in-law, she made him read. Otherwise, it would be the Analects, which is the book that this kid dislikes the most. It's still my daughter-in-law who has a way." Li Ziyan glanced at Li Yin and turned his head: "Tsk."

Walking back to the house. Zhao Junning saw Li Ziyan so happy and asked, "Why are you so happy?" Li Ziyan said, "Your father praised me. Just now, my father-in-law and my father were discussing that the prince asked the two of them to give him advice and teach him how to manage the government. They both saw what the prince meant but tried to get away with it by not coming up with a plan. I went over and heard what they were talking about, so I said a few words. My father-in-law praised me after hearing it."

Zhao Junning asked, "What did you say? Did my father praise you?" Li Ziyan said, "I said Confucius said: When you see a virtuous person, you should think about how to be like him; when you see an unvirtuous person, you should reflect on yourself. Confucius also said: A gentleman should be slow to speak but quick to act. I will give these two sentences to the prince."

Zhao Junning said, "These two sentences are good advice. Are you so happy just because of this compliment? Why are you like a child?"

Li Ziyan sat down next to Zhao Junning and said, "Thanks to your good teaching, I now feel that studying is really useful. After memorizing the Four Books and Five Classics, I feel that my literary talent has surpassed that of Song Ciqiu and Lin Muchen. Don't you think so, my wife? Am I really amazing?"

Zhao Junning smiled and said, "Since it's so effective, why not read it more often? Practice makes perfect!"

Li Ziyan frowned: "I just felt satisfied and you don't even praise me? My mind is already full after memorizing those books."

Zhao Junning said, "Well, you are really amazing. You have mastered the Four Books and Five Classics so well that I have to admit that you are better than me." Li Ziyan said with his hands on his hips, very satisfied, "That's right."

"Master, Madam." Fei Zhou knocked on the door and called out. Li Ziyan opened the door and asked, "What's wrong with Fei Zhou?"

Fei Zhou panted and said, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince asked you and the young lady to go to the shooting range." Li Ziyan asked, "It's okay for me to go, but why did you ask Jun Ning to go?" Fei Zhou said, "I don't know." Zhao Jun Ning said, "Since you asked us to go, let's go."