The 38th Grand Morning Assembly (2)

  Su Ning always thought that there were two kinds of people who were the most annoying. One kind was the arrogant type, with a constant expression of being the second in command under heaven, and at first glance, they looked like short-lived ghosts. The other kind of person was the sly and cunning old fox who pretended to be muddle-headed but actually had a deep understanding of things. This kind of old fox often had a stout physique that could confuse opponents and powerful enemies, and it was rare for one to appear even after several hundred years. Once one appeared, they were sure to be legendary!

  Obviously, the owner of that loud and hoarse voice, with a sturdy build and rough features, was Cheng Zhi Jie, who looked like a pig. He was one of those rare old foxes who appeared only once every few hundred years - a legendary Mixed World Demon King! Cheng Yao Jin!

  Cheng Yaojin had long heard of Su Ning's great name, which was during his time in the Northern Army. As a seasoned general, Cheng Yaojin had no reason not to participate in this large-scale counterattack by the Tang Dynasty. He led a contingent of troops into battle, but did not encounter the main forces of the Turks, only winning a few small victories here and there. After hearing about Su Ning's conquest of Dingxiang, he hastened his army to Dingxiang, only to arrive just as news came that Su Ning had defeated the main Turkish force by burning down Yingshan...

  As a freak fox that looks like a pig, Cheng Yaojin deeply understands this truth: only those who are clever inside and muddle-headed outside can ensure the safety of themselves and their families in the treacherous imperial court and on the battlefield where lives are lost every minute. Although the Cheng family is not a renowned aristocratic clan, it has been a large family for several generations. Born into a big family, having gone through the baptism of the late Sui Dynasty's chaotic era, participating in the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Cheng Yaojin had long become cunning and clever.

  He has always been the most typical representative of pretending to be confused, in the military he is strict with himself and others, a fair and stern old general; In the imperial court, he is an old rascal who does not follow the rules, often rolling up his sleeves to fight against famous scholars, his face is thicker than the Great Wall, and he has military achievements and a high position, so all the dignitaries in the Tang Dynasty do not want to quarrel with Cheng Yaojin, because once they quarrel, they will definitely lose!

  Cheng Yaojin doesn't care about rules or political principles. He doesn't consider himself a politician, but rather a ruffian who resorts to violence whenever he's bullied. He shows up at people's homes, armed and ready for a fight, looking to settle scores with book-smart folks who are no match for him. Even when his antics reach the ears of Emperor Li, all he gets is a scolding, never any real punishment. As a result, nobody dares to mess with Cheng Yaojin, treating him like a demon king, giving him a wide berth.

  Cheng Yaojin's cleverness was fully demonstrated at this time. If others didn't bother him, he wouldn't bother them either. Once his reputation for being ruthless spread, it would be deeply ingrained in people's minds. The rule of not offending others unless they offended him could now be put out, and everyone understood that it was better to avoid trouble with Cheng Yaojin rather than provoke him and get into a mess. It was better to give in to this thick-skinned old rascal and let things go smoothly, making big things small and small things nothing. This was one of the principles of doing things in the heavenly dynasty, with a long history...

  Along with these big family nobles, a feeling of disdain for Cheng Yaojin was also born. Unconsciously, everything Cheng Yaojin did was thought to be the actions of an old fool without brains, at most taking advantage of small benefits, unable to stir up great waves, and thus was taken advantage of by Cheng Yaojin. The Cheng family unknowingly grew into a big family, and Cheng Yaojin lived a carefree life until his old age, passing away peacefully, a rare occurrence throughout the ages.

  Dealing with such an old fox is undoubtedly very depressing. He understands everything you say and do, and he also understands everything you mean to him. However, as long as he thinks you are unstable and a threat to him, he becomes someone who doesn't understand anything. No matter what you say, he pretends not to have heard it. Even if you see through him, everyone else hasn't, so you still can't do anything about him...

  So when Su Ning was picked up and weighed like a little rabbit by Cheng Yaojin, Su Ning's heart was filled with helplessness! Cheng Yaojin weighed Su Ning like weighing pork, looking him up and down, even touching him several times, then handed Su Ning over to an even more robust and burly black figure: "Old dog, take a look at this kid, he doesn't have anything special about him, so why is he so fierce?"

  The big and powerful black object, who was called "old dog" by Cheng Yaojin, also learned from Cheng Yaojin's mannerisms and weighed in a few times before opening its mouth in a deep voice: "Old Cheng, this little guy doesn't have any weight to him, no matter how you look at it he doesn't seem like someone who can take down the enemy general, and yet he's stolen all of our credit, is this really that little guy?"

  Li Shimin was both angry and amused, and with a swift motion, he snatched the letter back from Su Ning, placed it on the ground, and even dusted it off for him. With a smile, he scolded: "Cheng Zhijie! Wei Chi, you old dog! You two old rascals shouldn't speak nonsense. Can you falsely claim military achievements? Unless we don't want our heads anymore! Who do you think the Emperor is?"

  The black object slowly opened its two copper bell-like eyes, then actually smiled, revealing a mouthful of big white teeth. Suddenly, Su Ning's whole body was covered in goosebumps. This black object was really something, from head to toe, except for the eyeballs and that mouthful of white teeth, there wasn't any white spot on him. It is said that he has two wives, one black and one white, but it's unknown how these two women could look up to this black object that was black from inside out...

  Cheng Yaojin stared at Su Ning for a long time: "This kid looks quite handsome, but his build is too thin, isn't it? Ox nose, you say this kid snatched the first achievement from me, how can I swallow this breath? Kid, you quietly snatched the first achievement from me, I'm not feeling good about it, what should you do?"

  Wei Zhong is a real black-hearted killer, but Cheng Yaojin is not someone to be trifled with. If you offend him, even if Li Shimin protects you, it's hard to escape his clutches. So, rather than being timid and inviting contempt, why not take the initiative: "This time we have more than ten generals going into battle, aside from General Cheng, there are still over a dozen famous and veteran generals. What makes General Cheng so confident that he will definitely be the first to achieve merit?"

  Cheng Yaojin looked at Su Ning with a seemingly smiling yet not quite smiling expression, saying: "Good little fellow, bringing other generals to pressure me? I'll tell you, my relationship with the other generals is far better than yours, don't try to stir up trouble between me and the other generals!"

  Old fox! Suning had to force himself to say: "Uncle, this statement is not correct. I was just explaining a principle. Even if I didn't exist, General Li Jing and General Li Shimin could have defeated the enemy before General Cheng. Other generals also had the possibility of arriving at Mount Yin before General Cheng. What makes General Cheng think he can definitely get the first achievement? Moreover, this time I got the first achievement was also relying on the bravery of our soldiers, with the help of my brothers and Longsun brothers in battle. This merit is ours together, not just mine alone. General Cheng's words are wrong."

  Cheng Yaojin's face momentarily froze, then burst into loud laughter: "Niu Bi Zi, this little guy is so cunning, I'm no match for him. Kid, how's your martial arts skills? We're both generals, we should settle this on horseback! After the court session, let's have a duel, what do you say?" Su Ning was shocked, this Cheng Yaojin wasn't like the one in the legend who used three broad axes, but a great general with unparalleled martial arts skills, wielding a powerful spear, extremely strong in battle. Fighting him? Isn't that seeking death?

  Li Shimin stepped forward: "You're such a shameless old man! What's your position? What's Sanming's position? You're the great general, and Sanming is the army's chief historian. If you go find those old guys, I won't say anything about you! But if you go find that little kid, do you want to keep your face? If not, tear it off and give it to my family to use as window paper, it can also ward off evil spirits!"

  Li Shijie's words are really to the point, this is a great saying! If Cheng Yaojin's face were to be peeled off, it would truly be able to ward off evil spirits! Growing into that shape! This is indeed making the best use of things, it's extremely good!

  At this time, a fat man wearing a purple robe walked over, with a meaty face but a smiling and harmless appearance, with a hint of Maitreya Buddha's demeanor. However, his bright and piercing small eyes revealed his extremely clever side; beside him was Longsun Chong, dressed in military uniform, who smiled and winked at Suning without saying a word. Suning immediately realized that this fat man, who looked like Maitreya Buddha, was Li Er's most favored minister, Changsun Wuji.

  "General Cheng, I completely agree with what Sanming said just now. This achievement was obtained by the joint efforts of their 500 iron cavalry, and there is also a credit for Xiaochong's bravery. Are you going to take away even Xiaochong's credit?" Changsun Wujie directly fired at Cheng Yaojin as soon as he came. Changsun Wujie had been serving in the Longyou army a few years ago and only transferred to a civil position this year, so he still had some old feelings with Cheng Yaojin, and his words were also more direct. This remark was obviously also meant to thank Su Ning for bringing Changsun Chong together to make achievements.

  Cheng Yaojin remained expressionless and unflappable as he received Li Shimin's fierce attack, continuing to fight against Longsun Wuji without any impact. Cheng Yaojin was also one of the few people who dared to confront Longsun Wuji head-on, but it was all just a show, everyone knew what was going on in each other's minds like a mirror. The two had never actually come to blows despite their verbal sparring.

  "Hey you, Long Sun Bao Zi! Don't think that just because your title is higher than mine, you can look down on me! I dare to take credit for your achievements, let alone those of your son? You think that just because you've accomplished something big, you can go against me? Come on, come on, first let's have a big fight for 300 rounds and then we'll talk! Long Sun Bao Zi, if you want to reason with me, first let's have a big fight for 300 rounds!"

  Cheng Yaojin's shamelessness was renowned throughout the country, and at that moment, he stunned Changsun Chong. However, Changsun Wuji didn't seem to care, nor did he continue with it.

  Su Ning glanced at Li Jing, and found that Li Jing was also looking at him, with a hint of apology in his eyes. Su Ning knew that Li Jing came from an official family of the Sui Dynasty, and was not on the same wavelength as Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong and others who were former bandits. Moreover, his military achievements were too outstanding, which had already made these famous generals very unhappy. Therefore, although Li Jing was currently the number one person in the Tang army, his position was also precarious. Emperor Taizong did not favor him, but instead was closer to Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong and Li Shimin.

  In ordinary times, the well water does not offend the river water. However, Li Jing found it inconvenient to show his face in this situation. Fortunately, there were Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji to help him out. Cheng Yaojin and Yu Zhongwu also didn't want to continue, but they shouted that they wanted to have a final showdown with Li Shimin and the Changsun father-son duo, and then slipped away quietly. How could Cheng Yaojin not see through this?

  Chang Sun Wuji and Cheng Yaojin came before Su Ning after their truce, smiling as they said: "You and Chong'er have a close relationship, you're also good friends in the army. I'm getting old, so I'll take liberties - would it be alright if I called you Sanming?"

  Who dares to say that Su Ning is not good? This is the most favored minister of Emperor Li Er and Empress Changsun: "Xiao Zhong and Xiao Chong are good friends, so it's only natural for Uncle Changsun to call him that."

  Chang Sun Wuji's Maitreya Buddha smiled even more radiantly: "That's good, Sanming! Chong'er and you are of similar age, it's only natural that you become good friends. This time, the great victory was also thanks to your efforts, and Chong'er was able to gain merit because of you. You young people supporting each other will certainly go further, I'm delighted to see all this! You have great talent, Chong'er is not as capable as you, so in the future, you must take good care of him!"

  Su Ning was suddenly delighted, and when he had a good relationship with Changsun Chong, he really didn't think of this layer. He didn't expect such benefits. As the first favored minister, Changsun Wuji's energy is enormous. Although there is no real power, there are connections and prestige. Because Changsun Chong expressed goodwill towards himself, that is to say, Changsun Wuji will speak some good words for himself in the court. Those civil officials who are close to the Changsun family will not have any conflicts with themselves.

  Unbeknownst to him, Su Ning discovered that he had gained so much support! Among the civil officials were Long Sun Wuji and Tang Jian, while among the military generals were Li Jing and Li Shimin, covering all aspects. Although his foundation was still shallow, these supporters wouldn't really take him seriously; they just valued his potential. But this alone was enough; at least they wouldn't oppose him, which was sufficient.

  "That's natural, Uncle Changsun doesn't need to worry." Xun Ning smiled and saluted Changsun Wuji, then secretly winked at Changsun Chong. It seemed that this young man had already won the heart of his beloved cousin, Princess Chang Le. Changsun Chong also winked back at Xun Ning, expressing gratitude. Changsun Wuji's sharp eyes naturally wouldn't miss this scene, and he smiled slightly before leaving for the civil officials' group, abandoning Changsun Chong without a care.

  Changsun Chong is now a military man, Changsun Wuji is a civil official. Even if they are father and son, they must draw a clear line on the court, let alone between civil and military officials?

  La Zongchong came to Li Jing and Li Shimin, paying his respects. Li Shimin quietly gave a thumbs up to Su Ning, who responded with a knowing glance that was not for outsiders to understand. As for Li Jing, he was naturally delighted, as having this relationship with Su Ning added an extra layer of security for his family members. Li Jing had not expected that on his first day at court, Su Ning would be able to provide such excellent assistance; without support in the imperial court, it was difficult to take even a single step.

  Li Jing's interpersonal relationships were not good, his situation was awkward, and his position was precarious. However, his relationship with Su Ning was a kind of latent protective shield. If Su Ning went further away, Li Jing himself would be safer. This point, Li Jing had never doubted, although he was confused about things, but when it came to people...

  Hehe, I'm not so muddled after all...