Chapter 3972: An exposition of the pros and cons
Li Junxian's face tightened: "The consequences are serious?"
Since Fang Jun took the trouble and warned repeatedly, it is obvious that even the prince may not be able to deal with the consequences of this matter...
Fang Jun solemnly nodded: "It's far more serious than you think, so you must pay attention and try your best to abandon your stance on this matter. As long as you act in accordance with orders, no one can use it to criticize or suppress you."
Li Junxian nodded, but there was unavoidable doubt in his heart.
Although the situation is not stable at the moment, Guanlong is on the verge of death, and the pattern of wealthy families from Shandong and Jiangnan entering the court to assist the prince has been established. The competition for power among each other cannot affect the overall situation. The prince's ascension to the throne is unstoppable. Under such circumstances, if Prince Lian and Fang Jun cannot control the development trend of this case, one can imagine how powerful the force that was once loyal to His Majesty Li Er is.
But how is this possible?
Seeing his expression, Fang Jun knew what he was thinking. He sighed and said, "Don't think so much, remember what I said, and go do things quickly."
"Here!"
Li Junxian didn't ask any more questions, stood up and said goodbye, rode back to the "Baiqisi" camp, mobilized his troops and generals, and began to thoroughly investigate the disappearance of Princess Fangling's son-in-law.
……
Just after noon, Fang Jun dressed neatly, led his soldiers to the Xuanwu Gate, and asked the city gate to be opened to enter the Taiji Palace.
After entering the house, they saw Zhang Shigui, dressed in regular clothes, standing by the roadside with his hands behind his hands. He said with a smile: "Erlang is entering the palace this time. Do you have something important to do? If it's not urgent, come and have a drink with me."
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Fang Jun looked at the sky, got off his horse, and walked towards Zhang Shigui: "I haven't had lunch yet, so I'm going to give you a meal, Duke Guo."
Since Zhang Shigui specially waited here, he must have something to say...
The two of them entered the inner city to check in. The soldiers had already brought wine and food. The food was not many, but it was very exquisite. There were two bottles of fine wine. After washing their hands, they sat down separately and chatted while eating.
Zhang Shigui raised his glass and toasted Fang Jun, drank it all in one gulp, put down the glass, poured wine for Fang Jun, and said, "You have to be careful about Cheng Yaojin, the Shandong family has been isolated from the center for decades. , was suppressed, and had deep resentment in his heart. The obsession with power is far beyond your imagination. If they ignore it, they will most likely order Cheng Yaojin to prevent the prince from leaving the city, or even launch an attack. A war is inevitable, so you must be fully prepared and make no mistakes. .”
Now that he is completely on the side of the East Palace, he naturally does not want anything to happen to the prince. However, the greed for power of the powerful families in Shandong and Jiangnan is probably beyond the imagination of the prince, Fang Jun, and even Li Jingzhi. If he is careless, he will be in trouble. .
Fang Jun took a bite of food, returned the toast, and nodded: "I know, I know. Thank you Duke Guo for reminding me. There is one more thing I need to tell Duke Guo..."
Then he briefly told what happened last night.
Zhang Shigui drank without saying a word. He only drank three glasses of wine without taking a bite...
Fang Junshang wanted to attack the prince, but after only two drinks, he put down his chopsticks. Zhang Shigui had the food and wine removed, made two cups of tea, and sat down by the desk to drink it slowly.
After a long time, Fang Jun asked: "What does Duke Guo think of this matter?"
In terms of meritorious service, Zhang Shigui was not ranked among the top five in the government and the public, but when it came to His Majesty Li Er's trust, Zhang Shigui was ranked first. Even in the early years of Zhenguan, he was far ahead of Changsun Wuji, otherwise he would definitely not be recognized. He was entrusted with the post of Su Wei Gong Jin.
Therefore, the person who knows the most about the mysterious force around His Majesty must be Zhang Shigui...
Zhang Shigui held the tea cup, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Something is wrong. Wang Shoushi is naturally infinitely loyal to His Majesty, but judging from his various behaviors, his intention to obstruct the crown prince's ascension to the throne is unswerving, even at any cost... Seriously, it's just Because of His Majesty's 'edict'? And does this edict exist? I also have doubts. If Your Majesty is here, it is reasonable for Yi Chu to be free, because His Majesty can easily clean up the mess after Yi Chu. But if Your Majesty is not here, do you really want to leave a legacy and order people loyal to him regardless of the collapse of the center and the chaos in the world? It makes no sense for the minister to carry out Yi Chu to the end.”
The prince is the future king of the country. In order to take over the throne smoothly in the future, the East Palace team will be formed according to the structure of the central court from the day of his registration. For the sake of their own interests, the government and the public naturally competed to attach themselves to the East Palace, so that it could continue or even go further after the new king took the throne in the future, making the East Palace's foundation solid and its strength greatly increased.
Therefore, at any time, Yi Chu will harm the interests of countless people. Even the emperor with great talent and great strategy will be unable to eliminate the violent turmoil caused by Yi Chu. Therefore, it will not be easily put on the agenda unless it is absolutely necessary, let alone Are you going to leave a legacy of Yi Chu after your death?
Could it be that with His Majesty Li Er's wisdom and prowess, he really would rather have the Tang Dynasty fall into disintegration or even collapse than replace the son he doesn't like?
Then, Zhang Shigui said in a deep voice: "You should report to Prince Ming to investigate this matter clearly. Maybe Wang Shoushi and others used His Majesty's 'edict' as a cover, but actually have other conspiracy."
Fang Jun took a sip of tea and glanced at Zhang Shigui. There was probably no conspiracy or anything like that, but as long as you have this attitude...
"This junior also has this intention, but Wang Shoushi and others are very powerful. Once they are traced, it will easily cause an uproar. The safety of Tai Chi Palace is very important, and Duke Guo needs to pay more attention to it."
"Erlang, don't worry. The day I opened the Xuanwu Gate to let the prince out of the city, I have completely stood by the prince's side. I can never look back. I should take the prince's safety as my top priority and dare not slack off even in public or private matters. If If anyone wants to stir up trouble in this Tai Chi Palace, they have to ask me about the knife in my hand!”
Waiting for Zhang Shigui's words, Fang Jun put down his tea cup, stood up and saluted: "That's very good! I will go to see the prince now and take the first step."
Zhang Shigui sent Fang Jun out and stood at the door, watching Fang Jun's back as he jumped on his horse and ran straight to the inner door, feeling a little heavier in his heart.
……
Fang Jun came to Wude Hall, and the servant went inside to report. After the prince summoned him, he went inside to see him.
Li Chengqian sat at the coffee table by the window, waved Fang Jun away, and then said with concern: "I don't know Erlang is here. I just passed lunch, so I asked someone to prepare the meal."
Fang Jun thanked him hurriedly: "When I entered the palace, I was asked by Duke Guo to eat some. Your Highness is not bothered."
Li Chengqian nodded, motioned for Fang Jun to sit down, and poured him tea himself.
Fang Jun thanked him again...
Drinking tea, Li Chengqian asked: "Er Lang entered the palace, but something happened?"
Fang Jun sat upright and told the details of last night's events. At the end, he said in a deep voice: "I implore Your Highness to issue an edict granting Li Junxian the power to mobilize the Sixth Commander of the East Palace and the Jingzhao Mansion, and order the Sixth Commander of the East Palace and the Jingzhao Mansion to cooperate with him." There is no room for error in solving this case.”
Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment, looking at Fang Jun strangely, then hesitated a little, and then whispered: "Linchuan...really didn't enter the military camp last night?"
Fang Jun smiled bitterly: "How dare I lie in front of Your Highness? I have never had any ill thoughts about Princess Linchuan. Otherwise, I would not have cooperated with His Highness in trying to exonerate Zhou Daowu yesterday. Instead, I would have added insult to injury and held her accountable." It’s true.”
Even Li Chengqian looked at him like this. It is conceivable that once Princess Linchuan entered the military camp last night, he would not be able to escape even if he jumped into the Yellow River...
Li Chengqian touched the short mustache on his lips, and was not convinced. He said quietly: "Maybe I didn't have any wrong thoughts before, but since Linchuan has been sent to my door yesterday, it is obvious that I have made up my mind to make sacrifices to save my husband..."
The words are not finished, but the meaning is clear: Maybe you didn't have any bad intentions before, but if it is delivered to your door, it will be free of charge. Will you not eat it?
Who believes it...
Fang Jun was speechless and could only swear to the sky: "If Princess Linchuan had even stepped into the military camp last night, I would..."
"Okay, okay!"
Li Chengqian quickly stopped him and said with a smile: "Gu is just a joke, why should Erlang take it seriously? Moreover, food and sex are human nature, so how can Gu blame him? It's just that Linchuan is a married woman after all, so he sang with Different, you should be cautious and don’t act recklessly.”
Fang Jun put his hand on his forehead, you still don't believe me?
Is it possible that my bad reputation as a "good princess" can never be shaken off?
Li Chengqian immediately straightened his face, stared at Fang Jun and asked: "Erlang, do you think this move is really necessary?"
Naturally, the three yamen of "Baiqisi", Donggong Liulei, and Jingzhao Mansion jointly investigated the disappearance of Princess Fangling's son-in-law. This case seemed to be an attempt to frame Fang Jun, but the ultimate target was Li Chengqian...< br>
Fang Jun nodded and said: "It is indeed necessary! Your Highness is the crown prince of the country and has the power to supervise the country. As long as your Majesty does not return to Beijing for a day, you alone have the final say in the Tang Dynasty, inside and outside. , you are not the emperor, but your power is equal to that of the emperor. Under such circumstances, how can you ignore someone who conspires to subvert the imperial power. Question? Your Highness not only wants to take charge, but also needs to show your determination and courage with a thunderous force. No matter who is hiding behind it, you will be uprooted! Your Highness, blind tolerance will not win you support and recognition after so many years. Since then, have you been less tolerant? On the contrary, people think you are weak and incompetent.”
Why has His Majesty Li Er always been obsessed with Yi Chu? It is precisely because he believes that the prince is weak and lacks courage to control such a huge empire. After his succession, it is very likely that the imperial power will fall away...
Li Chengqian said nothing, picked up the teacup and drank the tea slowly. After finishing the cup of tea, he placed the teacup on the coffee table and then made up his mind.
"Erlang doesn't need to pay any more attention to this matter. Since those people are here for Gu, let Gu deal with them and see if these people can have another Xuanwu Gate incident without their father! ”
As Fang Jun said, the reason why he has been criticized for so many years and has not been recognized by his father and the brothers are unwilling to think about the position of prince for a moment is because he has never shown strong courage. .
If you are not ruthless, who is afraid of you?
This time, no matter who is behind this matter or how powerful he is, he plans to be tough to the end and never compromise. (End of chapter)