Chapter 4302 Intentional Suppression
There was smoke in the mourning hall. Fang Jun took a look at the body covered with a quilt placed behind the coffin. He was invited into the side hall on the other side by Cen Wenwen's eldest son Cen Manqian and Cen Jingqian. There were already many people in the hall. Among the officials who expressed their condolences was Zhongshu Ling Liu Ji, who was sitting on the throne...
Seeing Fang and Li coming in, the officials all stopped talking and stood up to salute. Liu Jie had to stand up, walked a few steps forward to the door, and raised his hand to salute.
Now that Li Xiaogong has resigned as the Protector of Anxi and no longer has military power in his hands, the Prince of Jiangxia County is the first general with military power in the clan. He has gained the trust of His Majesty and sits in the important place of Xuanwu Gate. He has outstanding achievements, strong strength and prominent status.
And Fang Jun is the Minister of Rites who ranks first among the six official ranks. He is also in charge of the Navy and sits in Xuandemen. He straddles the military and political circles. Youlong, the holy family member, is the best in the dynasty.
Even Zhongshu Ling Liu Jie did not dare to trust him. Of course, now that Xiao Yu has defected and Cen Wenwen has died of illness, Liu Jie is the well-deserved number one civil servant in the DPRK. He will not fall behind even when facing Li Ji, not to mention Fang Jun and Fang Jun. Li Daozong?
Therefore, although Liu Jie was not lacking in courtesy, his lower jaw was slightly raised, and he could not hide his pride, or he deliberately did not hide it. After all, his status was now very different, and he had to make decisions when facing the clan and military bosses. The tough look is used as an example to boost the morale of civil servants. At the same time, it can win the hearts of the people and attract Cen Wenwen's party members to unify the civil servants and increase their strength.
Li Daozong cupped his fists in return, while Fang Jun just nodded, then walked around Liu Ji, came to the main seat where Liu Ji was sitting just now, lifted up the hem of his robe, and sat down with a golden sword.
Liu Jie: "..."
Li Daozong: "..."
Everyone: "..."
They were all stunned.
This side hall is probably where the Cen family usually holds family affairs, so the layout is that two main seats are placed side by side in the north, which are the seats of the head of the family and the mistress. The rest are placed in two rows of twenty and handles in the east and west. Chair.
It would be fine if Fang Jun sat in another seat, but he had to sit in Liu Jie's seat just now...
As the masters, Cen Manqian and Cen Jingqian were also stunned. Then they came back to their senses and felt their scalps numb.
It is true that since the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, Fang Jun has been a close minister of the emperor. He is the most favored by the government and the public. Jun single-handedly reorganized the Youtun Guards and the Navy, and even controlled the military power. His reputation was as high as that of Zhenguan's ministers. Today, Li Chengqian ascends the throne, Fang Jun's honor and favor are even greater than those of the Zhenguan Dynasty, and the holy family is unparalleled...
But after all, Liu Ji was also the minister of the dynasty, and he was the rightful prime minister. Now that Cen Wenwen has died of illness, the official position of Shangshu Youpushe will probably fall to Liu Ji soon. He is the second assistant after Li Ji, the chief minister. ah.
Moreover, Li Ji has always been indifferent to things. This change of Jin King's troops was caused by his initial inaction, which made His Majesty unhappy. His influence in the court plummeted. In time, Liu Ji may not be able to replace Li Ji...
Even if you, Fang Jun, are a relative of the emperor and a big shot in the military, is it really appropriate to treat Liu Ji like nothing?
What's more, the current situation is unpredictable, and it is still unclear who will win in the battle for the throne. Offending Liu Ji so harshly may not leave behind disaster...
However, Fang Jun sat down as a matter of course. He even looked at the two Cen brothers and waved his hands: "You go and greet the guests yourself. Don't be disrespectful and disrespectful. Just ask Cen Changqian to come over and serve tea."
As if the Cen brothers were granted amnesty, they were most afraid of a conflict between Fang Jun and Liu Jie here, and the Cen family would suffer an unreasonable disaster. After hearing this, they quickly confessed to everyone, bowed their heads and exited the side hall, not daring to look at Liu who had changed his expression. Yeah.
No matter how well-educated and well-educated Liu Jie is, he can't help but look livid when faced with Fang Jun's disregard and insult at this moment.
Others just stood aside, not even daring to breathe, for fear of harming Chi Yu.
Li Daozong looked at Fang Jun, then at Liu Ji, and came forward to sit under Fang Jun instead of sitting on the main seat with Fang Jun.
He is the king of the county, and he has the rank of Duke who is superior to Fang Jun. Logically speaking, there is no reason to sit at the bottom, but he sat down like that, and Fang Jun did not get up and show humility...
The atmosphere became increasingly weird.
On the contrary, the ugly-looking Liu Ji breathed out a filthy breath and returned to normal without speaking. He went straight to the other main seat alongside Fang Jun and sat down. With a smile on his face, he turned a blind eye to Fang Jun and smiled at Li Daozong. : "The current situation is urgent. The county prince has the important responsibility of guarding Xuanwu Gate. In times of crisis, he can still bring condolences to Duke Jiang Ling. He is indeed a friendly person, and I really admire him."
Li Daozong stroked his short beard under his chin and said calmly: "Liu Zhongshu is the prime minister of the country. Don't follow others' opinions and follow the wind. Although the rebels have crossed the Ba River, Lu Guogong led his elite Zuowuwei in the south and Liang in the north. establish Fang leads the right guard army, and the north and south help each other like horns. How easy is it for the rebels to attack Chang'an? Once all the armies are ready and united, the rebels can be destroyed with just a single blow. "
Liu Ji felt unhappy. This was just a scene, but Li Daozong's tone was not good, which meant that he, the Zhongshu Ling, was reprimanded.
After being insulted by Fang Jun and scolded by Li Daozong in succession, Liu Ji couldn't help but want to retort. Just as he was about to speak, Cen Changqian led Cui Dunli in at the door. Everyone who had just sat down in the room quickly stood up again and saluted Cui Dunli one after another.
Now that Cui Dunli is in charge of the Ministry of War and is a close minister of His Majesty, he is no longer the Amen of Wu Xia. How can officials from three provinces, six ministries and nine temples dare to be rude?
Cui Dunli also clasped his fists and returned the salute one by one, and finally saluted Li Daozong, Fang Jun, and Liu Jie who were sitting at the top: "I have seen the prince, Duke of Yue, and Liu Zhongshu!"
Liu Jie had no choice but to swallow the words that reached his lips, smiled, and nodded in greeting.
Logically speaking, the seat under Liu Ji's head was vacant at this moment, and Cui Dunli should sit down here, but Cui Dunli walked straight to Li Daozong, lifted up his clothes and sat down.
Liu Ji's face became more and more gloomy...
Cen Changqian rolled his eyes, went out and called some of the Cen family's children, carrying teapots to pour tea for everyone, while he himself held the teapot to serve Li, Fang, Liu and Cui.
Fang Jun took the tea, looked at Cen Changqian's red and swollen eyes from crying, and said warmly: "The dead have passed away, but the living should still be strong. Your uncle regards you as his own son and has high hopes. You should step out of the sadness and work hard." Go up and make some achievements, and you will live up to the cultivation of Jiangling County.”
Among the Cen family members, Cen Changqian was the most talented. Cen Wenwen loved her very much during his lifetime. Even when he was about to retire due to illness, he wanted to pave the way for Cen Changqian and leave a political legacy.
And Fang Jun also has high hopes for this outstanding student of the academy...
A warm current flowed through Cen Changqian's heart. Thinking of Fang Jun's favoritism and love in the academy, she couldn't help but her eyes turned red and she choked up: "Students must follow the teachings of Duke Yue, work hard, strive for the top, and live up to uncle's high expectations. Responsible for the cultivation of the Duke of Yue! ”
Many officials in the hall looked at Cen Changqian with envy in their eyes, wishing they could say, "Children should be like Cen Changqian"...
With the influence of Cen Wenwen, the cultivation of the academy, and the support of Fang Jun, it can be said that Cen Changqian's path to an official career has been smooth. She only needs to show a little bit of personal ability to rise to the top and have a prosperous official career.
With such a promising young man, who wouldn’t want to be his own son?
Liu Ji narrowed his eyes and looked at Fang Jun, then looked at the officials in the hall, and understood why Fang Jun was so rude to him.
This is a show of force!
He warned himself that even if he could become a civil servant leader without Cen Wenwen, he should still keep his integrity. He also showed his strength and prestige to a group of officials, suppressing these officials from starting a fight and disrupting the government after Cen Wenwen's death.
Cen Manqian left and came back again, whispering at the door: "Your Majesty is here!"
Hooray! All the officials in the hall stood up, and headed by Li, Fang, Liu, and Cui, they filed out of the side hall and outside the mourning hall.
I don't know when it started to rain lightly again, and the howling autumn wind made people feel chilly all over. Li Chengqian, dressed in a bright yellow robe, rushed over surrounded by his chamberlains and guards. He had a disabled leg and it was difficult to move, but at this moment he was totally free. Regardless of the lack of etiquette in front of others, he walked in a hurry, and even He didn't care that the rain on the ground had wet his clothes, and he didn't even look at the officials who were bowing in front of the door on both sides. Under the guidance of the Cen family, he walked into the mourning hall, looked at Cen Wenwen's coffin, and first shouted "Love" You can leave me alone." Then he burst into tears.
An atmosphere of sadness instantly filled the entire Cen Mansion. All the Cen family members burst into tears. The guests and officials who came to express their condolences also had sad faces, and they were extremely envious of the courtesy Cen Wenwen received.
If the emperor can come to mourn in person after his death, his grief and honor will be doubled, and his life will be worth it...
Li Chengqian cried for a while, and after the persuasion of the Cen family's children, he put away his tears and walked out of the mourning hall. The officials outside stood in the light rain and all came forward to see him.
Li Chengqian wiped his tears, greeted everyone with a sad face, and then said: "The Duke of Jiangling County is the pillar of the country. Now that he has passed away suddenly, the world and the earth are sad. You should help to make the funeral a success."
Everyone kept saying yes, and some of them who had planned to go home for a while could not leave now...
Li Chengqian looked at Fang Jun and Li Daozong again, with a calm expression, and said: "The situation is urgent, the rebels are close at hand, Chang'an city defense is the top priority, and you are responsible for the safety of the Forbidden Garden. Since you have done your part, Let's go back to guard the palace. The Duke of Jiangling County has always been loyal to the country, so he will not be surprised."
"The humble minister obeys the decree."
Fang and Li both bowed and accepted the order.
Li Chengqian's eyes swept over the faces of the officials from the three provinces, six ministries, and nine temples in the courtyard one by one, and his heart was heavy. With the death of Cen Wenwen and the defection of Xiao Yu, no one can dominate the civil servant system. After all, Liu Jie still lacks some weight.
It is conceivable that in the next period of time, the civil service system will inevitably start a brutal struggle due to the reshaping of the power structure. At a time when the rebels are about to attack the city, it is really not a good thing.
The situation that was originally under control has suddenly become more variable, which is really worrying. (End of chapter)