"There are no eternal friends, no eternal enemies, only eternal national interests …"
Even Lu Zhi sucked in a breath of cold air when he heard Xiao Wen clearly explain the relationship between countries.
Although logically speaking, the relationship between a country and a country should only talk about benefits, not feelings. As long as the country could reap the benefits, they would not hesitate to cooperate with their enemies that they had once been enemies with.
Upon hearing these naked words, Lu Zhi was instantly stupefied.
If this sentence came from an old official who had been immersed in the sea of eunuchs for many years and had also cast his gaze abroad, Lu Zhi might not be surprised.
However, Xiao Wen was just a young scholar. He had relied on a short period of time to advance from being a commoner with a flat head to a good fortune.
However, whether it was knowledge or experience, in the eyes of Lu Zhi, he was still very immature.
However, when he heard Xiao Wen say this in a very natural and matter-of-fact tone, Lu Zhi immediately believed that this scholar in front of him was a capable ruler of a country.
However, after a moment of surprise, Lu Zhi regained his composure.
She no longer doubted Xiao Wen's talent.
In fact, based on his previous achievements in the Cloud County, he was a rare talent.
However, Lu Zhi had been the empress for so many years and had helped Liu Bang deal with countless matters. She was also very clear on the fact that the more talented people were, the more arrogant they would be.
She had to suppress it.
Therefore, she narrowed her phoenix eyes and said: "Good, Xiao Wen, you actually dared to say such shameless words! If these words of yours were to be worn today, it would damage the image of my Darkhan Kingdom. "
Hearing this, Xiao Wen smiled.
He knew that Lu Zhi was trying to suppress him.
If it was some wily old fox who understood the ways of the world, perhaps he really would beg for mercy along with the empress's intentions, giving both parties a chance to walk down the stairs.
In fact, in Xiao Wen's eyes, doing so was understandable.
After all, if he continued to argue with Lu Zhi, his efforts and gains would be much lower than before.
Compromise had already allowed some conservative people to reap enough benefits. Many people felt that there was no need to go against Lu Zhi.
But was Xiao Wen such a person?
In fact, not long after Xiao Wen completed the Cloud Battle, he had already gone north to the Huns. It was enough to emphasize his character.
He was swift and decisive. Moreover, he wouldn't give up on something as fake as humility or dignity just to get what he wanted.
It could be said that compared to many old politicians who were immersed in their own business, he was already an existence that ate people without spitting out their bones.
Thus, he stared at Lu Zhi, and asked firmly, "Empress, if Zhao Kuangyin or Zhu Yuanzhang were to stand in front of you, would you sacrifice what you have just to preserve the dignity of the Imperial Family?"
"This …" Upon hearing these words, Lu Zhi was instantly speechless.
Indeed! She, Lu Zhi, was a very selfish person. This was not to say that she was not good. After all, a personality like selfishness could be considered an advantage if it was given to a ruler.
However, because of this, Lu Zhi found it difficult to refute Xiao Wen.
To be honest, no matter what, she didn't expect Xiao Wen to be someone who wouldn't give up an inch. Although she gave Xiao Wen a way out, she still wanted to suppress him a little.
However, Xiao Wen was still a young man, so it was only natural for Lu Zhi to suppress his arrogance.
If it was a sensible young man, he would have probably bowed in respect to him long ago.
However, from the looks of it, Xiao Wen was not convinced.
Lu Zhi felt that since Xiao Wen wasn't convinced, then he would go all the way until he was convinced!
So Lu Zhi went on: "The dignity of the royal family is not the realm of righteousness. Xiao Wen, you are making a ruckus without reason! I can't believe you're so presumptuous in front of me, how …
However, before he could finish saying "what crime", Xiao Wen bluntly replied.
He said, "These are differences in understanding between the Empress and this person, Xiao. There is no such thing as unreasonable causing trouble. The reason why I treat the honor of the royal family as a kind of righteousness is because Teacher Kong once said that the father, son, and son of a monarch's subject emphasize the subservience of high and low. Although I don't fully agree with Confucius, I know that there are some people in this world who would take it for granted. Does Esteemed Empress think Teacher Kong is causing trouble for no reason? "
"Moreover, what my master has said is not nonsense. Would the empress be willing to sacrifice the lives of her citizens for the sake of her reputation as a foreigner? "Could it be that the empress wants to give up all the counties in the north for the sake of her illusory reputation?"
"This …"
Upon hearing these words, Lu Zhi choked again.
He didn't expect Xiao Wen, a common scholar, to use Confucius as an example.
Although Lu Zhi had always advocated the doctrine of Taoism in the Han Dynasty, as long as the other guilds didn't go too far, she would not suppress them.
Confucius' theory was not even as extreme as Mo Zhai's or Yang Zhu's. Therefore, taking Confucius's words to suppress Lu Zhi was indeed useful.
Furthermore, to give up on people and land for the sake of their reputation, even if it was in the most corrupt and incompetent Qing Dynasty, they would still have their spine pierced.
If Lu Zhi dares to say so …
"Do you dare to refute me? To refute me is to refute Confucius. Although I don't like Confucius either, if you, Lu Zhi, dare to refute me today, I'm afraid you will be criticized by the whole world. Needless to say, in this world, there are quite a few emperors who believe in Confucianism and take the Imperial examinations. "
"If you, Lu Zhi, dare to take revenge on me, I'm afraid the Confucianism scholars from other countries will call you the Demon Empress!"
Looking at Lu Zhi, Xiao Wen was looking forward to her reaction.
On the one hand, Lu Zhi had been managing it for many years. On the other hand, she respected the enlightened image of freedom of speech and learning.
Xiao Wen was curious, just which one would she give up.
Not long after that, Lu Zhi sighed.
As a mature politician, she finally chose to follow her heart.
"Looks like I'm not experienced enough. Hearing your words, it's better than ten years of study! " Lu Zhi looked at Xiao Wen and said helplessly.
"I am just not willing to bully Master to exterminate my ancestors. "Empress, please forgive me." The face of Lu Zhi was definitely not good to be torn apart.
Thus, Xiao Wen said some good words to comfort her.
However, Lu Zhi still felt that he was facing the contempt and disdain from the young people. The current her already valued Xiao Wen.
Lu Zhi, on the other hand, clearly knew that Xiao Wen was a fierce horse. With ordinary techniques, it was difficult to control.
Therefore, she decided to consider things from a long-term perspective and use other methods to control it.
Therefore, she also laughed and said, "Honoring your master's teachings is a common occurrence for humans. If you forget yourself because of your power, then I will look down on you. Just now, I was only testing out a little bit of good fortune. "Now that I have seen it, there is indeed a true talent to good deeds!"
Hearing these words, Xiao Wen knew that Lu Zhi was really afraid this time.
Thus, he was a little polite as well and said, "Many thanks to esteemed empress for your forgiveness."
This also allowed the negotiations between the two sides to enter the final phase — the liquidation of the benefits.
Thinking of this, Lu Zhi said, "Great good fortune has helped my big man a lot. However, there was no official position. Now, I wish to ask for Your Majesty's sake.