Chapter 4098 The Last Edict (Part 1)
Just like last time, the news of His Majesty Li Er's fainting spread throughout Chang'an City in a very short period of time, and everyone in the government and the public knew about it. In addition, the Zuowu guards guarding the city and several troops outside the city were fully armed, and they were everywhere at the city gates. It was closed tightly and pedestrians were strictly prohibited from entering and exiting. A panic spread rapidly in the city.
Since he ascended the throne to the present day, His Majesty Li Er has always shown himself as "enlightened" and "wise" in front of others. He accepted advice with an open mind and was diligent in government affairs. He was no less than the wise emperor of ancient times, which helped the Tang Dynasty quickly recover from the quagmire of war in the late Sui Dynasty. After being freed from poverty, all industries will prosper and prosper, so they are deeply loved by the people.
Countless people set up incense burners in their halls and prayed devoutly to the gods to bless their kings with endless happiness and longevity...
……
In the side hall, the lights are as bright as day.
Li Xiaogong, Li Ji, Fang Jun, and Xiao Yu sat down separately. After the waiter served them some tea, they were dismissed by Li Xiaogong with a wave of his hand.
A cool breeze blew in from the open window. The night sky was covered with dark clouds at some point, the stars and moon were gone, and little bits of rain fell from the sky.
Li Ji took a sip of tea, glanced out the window, and sighed: "This year has been really eventful."
The other three were silent.
For example, there has been abundant rain since spring, and in the summer there have been continuous heavy rains, and floods have ravaged Guanzhong. When they returned from the Eastern Expedition, the Longmen clan raised up troops and remonstrated with the use of weapons, and war swept across the Qinchuan River for 800 miles. The combination of natural and man-made disasters caused the foundation of the empire to be in turmoil.
What's more, His Majesty suddenly fainted twice in a row after returning to Beijing, and his life was in danger. As a result, the matter of Yi Chu has not been finalized for a long time, causing people to panic...
Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it has experienced two emperors, and the political power has been stable and the society has been stable. Although His Majesty Li Er died suddenly, the court system has been operating stably and the transition of power has been smooth.
However, the Crown Prince has not been deposed, but the King of Jin and his family have obtained His Majesty's approval and are willing to expand their power. If His Majesty dies, how will the King of Jin be willing to give up the supreme imperial power that is only one step away from being obtained?
But before the edict to abolish the crown prince was issued, the prince was still the legitimate crown prince, and it was even more impossible for him to give up the throne...
It can be foreseen that if anything happens to His Majesty, a civil war sweeping through the Tang Dynasty is almost inevitable.
As the head of the Prime Minister and the most courteous officials, his stance not only determines the ownership of the throne, but also leaves a mark in history, whether it is praise or criticism, right or wrong, whether it will be immortalized forever, or whether Infamy for eternity...
Li Xiaogong glanced at Li Ji, then turned back to Fang Jun and said: "When the Guanlong soldiers were admonishing, Zan Po led his troops to help the East Palace. I don't know what happened. Can Erlang see him for advice?"
In these years, the Tang Dynasty conquered the south and the north, and the surrounding barbarian enemy countries were almost wiped out and countless countries were destroyed. However, the Tibetans, who were entrenched on the plateau with strong troops and horses, were always the Tang Dynasty's henchman.
Once the DPRK encounters great changes, and the prince's fight for the throne triggers a civil war, he will inevitably recruit all the forces that can be attracted to try to win the final victory.
If the East Palace asks Tubo for help at that time, it will be tantamount to inviting a wolf into the house.
You can't ask the prince directly about this kind of thing, otherwise wouldn't you suspect that the prince has connections with foreign countries? I can only ask Fang Jun...
Fang Jun immediately understood what Li Xiaogong meant, his heart sank, and he said slowly: "There were internal disputes in Tubo, and some tribes headed by Lu Dongzan were excluded from the core. In order to completely eliminate the threat of Lu Dongzan, Songtsan Gampo even The Gar family was demoted to their hometown in Tuguhun, suppressed in every possible way, and strictly guarded against it, causing the Gar family to collapse. In order to seek a chance of survival, they could only secretly connect with the Tang Dynasty, otherwise they would be at odds with each other and would never survive. The last time I led an army from the Western Regions to help Chang'an to assess the Guanlong rebellion, it was Lu Dongzan who took the initiative to contact him and sent his son Zan Po to lead it. The elite members of the clan will help me, and the promise I made is only to allow them to go to Hexi for trade. ”
Now that Li Xiaogong and Li Ji have begun to try their best to prevent outsiders from taking advantage of the situation, it proves that His Majesty is really in trouble this time. As the leaders of the imperial court and the clan, the two of them must eliminate all adverse possibilities.
You can fight for the throne, but whoever leads the wolf into the house will be the enemy of the empire...
But is His Majesty Li Er really going to die like this?
Historically, His Majesty Li Er's death was full of suspense, and it didn't look like he died at all. However, Fang Jun never expected that he would die suddenly due to an overdose of mercury.
Regardless of His Majesty Li Er's heroic appearance, talents and strategies, or his paternal pampering and care for him, it was really difficult for Fang Jun to accept...
He raised his head and looked at the beams, his eyes sour.
Hearing this, Li Xiaogong looked at Li Ji and the latter nodded and said, "In this case, it will be an opportunity to suppress and divide Tubo in the future. We should also maintain contact and meet the requirements of the Gar family as appropriate. Can we nail down the internal stranglehold of Tubo?" Setting a nail is extremely difficult.”
Li Xiaogong also said: "Tubo is really a serious threat to the empire, and it should indeed be dealt with as soon as possible."
But how can things in the world be as they wish?
The Central Plains dynasty was prosperous in culture and martial arts. As long as there was no internal fighting, it would be able to attack the outside world with all its strength. Various strategies and long-term plans were enough to crush the surrounding foreign races. But the problem was that internal fighting was a Chinese tradition. Looking through the history books , throughout the ages, how many years have we not been trapped in internal strife, resulting in the loss of national power and being unable to take care of others?
This is the case now. It seems that a prosperous age has arrived and swept across the world, but as long as His Majesty Li Er is buried, a civil war that is huge and sweeping will be inevitable. All parties in the world will be beaten and bloody due to the change of imperial power. , what else can be used to organize Tubo?
Sure enough, as soon as Li Xiaogong finished speaking, Xiao Yu on the side said slowly: "Colluding with foreign enemies and invading the capital is an unpardonable crime. Previously, Guanlong rebelled, and Guanzhong was in ruins. His Majesty just returned from the Eastern Expedition and could not care about it for a while. The culprits must be held accountable, but we must not be so unscrupulous as to abandon the safety of the country. If there is another incident that leads the Tibetan barbarians to the capital, they will be regarded as treason with foreign countries and collusion with other ethnic groups, and they will be severely punished.”
As soon as these words came out, there was a sudden silence in the side hall, and the patter of raindrops outside the window was particularly clear.
The cause of the civil war has been deeply rooted. As long as His Majesty Li Er is ill and cannot afford it, a war will be inevitable...
Fang Jun was not polite and said to Li Xiaogong and Li Ji: "Such official scoundrels have drifted with the tide throughout their lives and changed their masters several times. Not only do they have no character at all, but they also ignore the overall situation and put family interests and personal honor and disgrace above the interests of the country. If If he is allowed to gain power, he will inevitably replicate the past events of the Sui Dynasty, and it will be easy to control the government and bring chaos to the country. "
How could Li Xiaogong and Li Ji fail to understand that Fang Jun's words implicitly asked about their positions?
But the two of them had a tacit understanding and remained silent.
Xiao Yu was furious, his beard spread out, he slapped the coffee table next to him with his palm, and shouted angrily: "How outrageous! I have been through the two emperors of the Tang Dynasty. I dare not say how much credit I have, but I am also working hard and working tirelessly. How can I allow it?" You sycophants wantonly slander me? No matter how unbearable I am, I have never colluded with foreign enemies to kill our compatriots. This is so shameless and unforgivable.”
Born in the royal family of Nanliang, she was kidnapped by the Sui Dynasty and put under house arrest in Daxing City after the fall of the country. Although she relied on her sister, Empress Xiao, to escape from imprisonment and served as an official in the Sui Dynasty, in the final analysis, she was living an ignoble life regardless of the hatred of the country and her family, which was a lifelong shame. .
Even though he later rebelled against the Sui Dynasty and entered the Tang Dynasty, no one said that he was setting things right and seeking revenge. Instead, they ridiculed him for his lack of character and his pursuit of fame and fortune...
It's just that most of this kind of thing is mentioned by others in private chats. How has anyone ever humiliated him face to face?
Fang Jun ignored him, looked at Li Xiaogong, leaned forward slightly, and asked with scorching eyes: "May I ask you two, has your Majesty prepared any edict in advance?"
Xiao Yu, who was so angry that he suddenly stopped talking, first looked at Fang Jun in shock, and then looked at Li Xiaogong with him, feeling waves and uneasiness in his heart.
While the emperor is still alive, it is really disrespectful for a minister to ask about the imperial edict.
But at this time, the emperor was critically ill, and whether the imperial edict existed or not was related to the change of imperial power. It was the core of all issues and was extremely important...
If there is a posthumous edict, it must have some explanation for the inheritance of the throne. No matter whether the crown prince is retained as a reserve, or a new king is chosen, no one in the government or the public would dare to disobey it. Furthermore, given His Majesty's disappointment in the Crown Prince and his love for the Prince of Jin, there is a high probability that the Prince of Jin will be crowned Crown Prince.
If there is no posthumous edict, the prince will still be the legitimate crown prince. After his death, it is natural for him to ascend the throne and become emperor. All the plans of King Jin will come to nothing...
However, the Jin Palace now has a strong army and numerous dependents. Are they really willing to honor the crown prince as he ascends the throne, wait for the crown prince to secure the throne, and then calmly deal with Prince Jin who once posed a huge threat to the throne?
There is a huge difference between whether there is an imperial edict or not.
As for whether there is a posthumous edict, only Li Xiaogong, who is most trusted by His Majesty Li Er, may know at the moment...
Even Li Ji looked at Li Xiaogong.
Li Xiaogong's expression remained unchanged, but he fluttered the robe on his legs with his palms, paused, and said: "Your Majesty is just sleeping. He has not yet reached the point where he can't bear to speak. As human ministers, we discuss the imperial edict here. It is really unfaithful and unfilial." , The crime is so heinous that there is no need to mention it again.”
Fang Jun laughed angrily: "Is the prince pretending to be confused? Is there any posthumous edict that is related to the inheritance of the throne?" He pointed at Xiao Yu: "It seems that such ambitious people covet the throne and would rather destroy the empire in one day." Execute He holds great power to make profits for his family. If His Majesty had not left a legacy and something unexpected happened, do you believe that this old thief would rebel and completely destroy the foundation of Zhenguan for more than ten years? "
Xiao Yu was extremely angry and was about to speak, but Fang Jun interrupted him with his hand and continued to Li Xiaogong: "If there is a legacy edict, take it out now to make these ambitious people give up. If there is no legacy edict, then take it down immediately." ”
Xiao Yu was so angry that he grabbed the tea cup and threw it at Fang Jun, cursing: "My daughter of the Xiao family actually married a bastard like you. I am really the sinner of the Xiao family!"
However, although his face was angry, he was squinting at Li Xiaogong to see his reaction.
After all, if there is a posthumous edict, the King of Jin will be enthroned as the crown prince, and his enthronement as emperor will be a matter of course; if there is no posthumous edict, the crown prince's name is justified. If the King of Jin wants to be the emperor, he will inevitably violate the superiors and go against the trend, which is not easy... (End of this chapter)< br>