Chapter 4453 Crisis of King Wei
Xiao Yu didn't know what the plans of His Majesty and Fang Jun were, and subconsciously felt that a huge crisis was coming...
But now that the King of Jin has been defeated, and he and the Jiangnan nobles are being choked by the navy, there is no room for rejection. As long as the heirs of the Jiangnan gentry are not cut off, anything else can be tolerated.
At worst, Li Chengqian, a "benevolent man", would grovel and linger for a while, and wait until the next emperor ascends the throne to try to revive...
Then he nodded and said in a sincere tone: "I made a mistake before, and I felt extremely regretful. Now that your Majesty forgives me, I should do my best to serve the king. No matter who punishes me, I and the Jiangnan nobles will never complain."
Fang Jun once said something before, "Stand at attention when you are beaten." It may seem crude, but it is actually very correct. Since you have lost, you must have the consciousness of defeat. The important thing is how to recover huge losses and avoid unpredictable risks, and It's not about holding one's neck to show one's uprightness and preferring to bend rather than bend, and then be beheaded to death.
The green hills are preserved and there is no need to worry about running out of firewood. The situation cannot always be difficult and the harsh winter cannot last forever. As long as we can endure it, we can eventually wait until spring comes when the flowers bloom and the sun shines...
Fang Jun glanced at Xiao Yu meaningfully, nodded and said: "I hope Song Guogong can remember what he said... Okay, the matters in Chang'an City will be handled by the Yinghui together with Xu Jingzong and Ma Yiyi. All troops must withdraw from the city, but they must not be negligent and be prepared to enter the city at any time.”
"Here!"
Xue Wanche and Liu Rengui responded in unison.
Fang Jun then stood up, saluted and left...
Chu Suiliang, who had been sitting silently next to him, let out a long breath and finally let go of his hanging heart.
This time the King of Jin was defeated. Although he was held hostage by Xiao Yu, he could not escape the blame, especially since Xiao Yu still had the "confession" signed by him in his hand. Once Xiao Yu was severely punished by His Majesty, he would not be able to resist it. Under such circumstances, it is very likely that the "confession" will be thrown out to reduce the culpability, and he will be pushed out to take the main responsibility.
Who can bear that responsibility?
They often ransacked their homes, destroyed their families, and brought disaster to their entire clan...
But now it seems that His Majesty is indeed a benevolent king. Even when faced with the "rebels" who raised troops to support the King of Jin's military remonstrances, he was able to give in to the "rebels". As long as Xiao Yu was not punished severely, Xiao Yu would not add any unnecessary extravagance to the "confession". Making it public will only cause trouble.
The most important thing is that he and Fang Jun have a long-standing grudge. Now that Fang Jun has annihilated the rebels and protected Qingtian, he is famous and powerful. If he remembers the past feud and insists on killing him, he will have no power to resist...
……
Fang Jun climbed up to the Chengtian Gate Tower and looked far away. Under the heavy rain, the city of Chang'an was shrouded in misty mist. It was quite misty and misty and could not be seen clearly. However, it is conceivable that after the rebels ravaged the city, everywhere must be full of darkness. It was razed and severely damaged, and the Taiji Palace behind it was almost razed to the ground. There is still a long way to go to completely restore it to its former glory.
Not only the city of Chang'an, but also the entire Guanzhong was in dire straits and unsustainable due to two consecutive military disasters. This extended to Hedong, Shandong, and Jiangnan... The consequences of the mutiny were extremely serious and had far-reaching impacts.
Of course, it is not just a bad thing. From the beginning of Emperor Taizong's Eastern Expedition to the end of the Jin Dynasty's mutiny, all the clans in the world have suffered unprecedented heavy losses. Almost all of them are injured. clan politics has reached the limit after the Han Dynasty, and even Compared with Yiguan Nandu and the chaotic times at the end of the Sui Dynasty, it was still better.
It is difficult for the weak clan forces to contain the unprecedentedly powerful centralized power, and the Tang Dynasty is about to undergo earth-shaking changes...
*****
Fang Jun returned to the Wude Hall. On the way, a chamberlain came and said that His Royal Highness the King of Wei had something to see him... He had to enter through Daji Gate to meet the King of Wei, Li Tai, who was temporarily living here.
In the side hall of Daji Hall, Li Tai looked slightly nervous. Regardless of the rain on Fang Jun's armor, he stepped forward and held Fang Jun's hand tightly: "Erlang, save me!"
Fang Jun: "..."
He quickly took out his hand, took the handkerchief handed over by the chamberlain and wiped the rain on his face and body, then called Li Tai to sit down and asked curiously: "I am stupid, I don't know what your highness means?"
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Li Tai sat next to him, stared at him and said, "Don't pretend to be confused. How could you not know?"
Fang Jun was confused: "What is going on? The rebellion has just been put down, and I have no time to discuss many affairs with His Highness. If you have anything to say, please speak up, otherwise I will resign."
Li Tai looked around and drove away all the servants in the house. When there was no one around, he leaned closer to Fang Jun and said urgently: "Although the pheasant slave is defeated, everyone in the palace is loyal to his father." There are countless emperors. If someone sees that there is no hope for the pheasant slaves, and simply assassinates your majesty and supports my king to ascend the throne, will my death be imminent? "
Fang Jun was stunned for a moment, then fell silent.
This possibility is unlikely, but it cannot be said that it is impossible...
Emperor Taizong's prestige was unparalleled, and there were countless people who were loyal to him, both inside and outside the palace, especially ordinary guards, chamberlains, and eunuchs. Now that the King of Jin was defeated and captured, there was no hope of deposing Li Chengqian to fulfill Emperor Taizong's "last wish". It would be reasonable to take the risk to assassinate Li Chengqian and then support Li Tai.
Of course, the reason why Li Tai is afraid is not because he does not want to ascend the throne, but because he is afraid that Li Chengqian will notice him before he ascends the throne. By then, no matter how magnanimous Li Chengqian is, Li Tai will definitely die...
"Your Highness's worries are not unreasonable, but even if someone is plotting secretly, how will I know about it? Let alone how to save Your Highness."
Li Chengqian will definitely take precautions against this kind of thing. How can Fang Jun get involved?
Those who violate taboos...
Li Tai hurriedly said: "It's easy, just ask me to go to your Youtun Guard camp to take shelter for a while!"
He has absolute trust in Fang Jun, so this is the best way he has come up with. Otherwise, even if he returns to his own Palace of Prince Wei, he will not be able to contact this threat.
Fang Jun flatly refused: "What nonsense are you talking about, His Majesty? You are His Majesty's eldest prince, and a compatriot with His Majesty's mother. At this time, a humble general in charge hid you in the military camp... You may live long enough." , but Weichen doesn’t want to die yet!”
Having just experienced a mutiny by the King of Jin, Li Chengqian was at the stage of being wary and suspicious of his brothers. If he sent Li Tai into the military camp, he would probably have trouble sleeping at night and be unwilling to eat...
Li Tai also realized that this was a bad idea, but he was really scared and said with a grimace: "What should we do?"
Fang Jun thought for a while and comforted: "This is only a possibility, it may not happen... Your Highness might as well live here and not return to the Wei Palace for the time being, until Li Junxian takes the 'Baiqisi' to control the inside and outside of the palace. Clean it up carefully, and it’s not too late to worry about it.”
He felt that Li Tai was a bit intimidating, and that in theory this could happen, but the probability was actually extremely low.
Li Tai was panicked and said angrily: "I don't know how many of my father's eyes and ears are hidden in this Tai Chi Palace. Although my father passed away, the loyalty of these people may not have weakened much. Once they have the opportunity to fulfill my father's last wish, they will definitely take risks!" I regard you as a friend and ask for help without hesitation, but you just avoid suspicion and ignore my life and death. You are simply unworthy of a human being!”
Fang Jun was helpless. His Highness, the King of Wei, used to fight for the throne and be rude to the ministers. He seemed to be a ruthless person, but in fact he was unfounded and fearful and as timid as a mouse...
After thinking for a while, he said: "Your Highness might as well move directly to Wude Palace and live next door to His Majesty to show his enlightenment!"
Li Tai's eyes lit up, he thought carefully for a moment, nodded and said, "This is a good idea!"
Let's put myself completely in front of you, Li Chengqian, and let you see every move clearly. Even if something happens, you won't doubt me, right?
"Without further ado, I will go right away!"
Li Tai made up his mind and immediately asked people to pack clothes and other daily necessities. He also sent someone to call Princess Yan of Wei, and then went to Wude Hall with Fang Jun.
Princess Yan of Wei was confused. Although she was extremely powerful in front of Li Tai, she could not refute Li Tai in the Tai Chi Palace at the moment. She could only whisper with an embarrassed look on her face: "Your Highness, go to the Wude Palace to stay temporarily. It’s okay, but if I go with you, it would be unreasonable..."
Among the big family members, moral ethics are the most important. Even if there are no extremely stringent ethical standards such as "preserve the laws of nature and destroy human desires" in this era, as a brother-in-law and brother living under the same roof, no matter what, is inappropriate.
Moreover, the reputation of the Li Tang royal family has been completely ruined by His Majesty Li Er, and the scandal between His Majesty and Princess Wei may spread all over the world...
Li Tai is also in a dilemma. He actually believes that Li Chengqian is not as "true" as his father and will not covet his sister-in-law. But after all, they are involved, and if someone deliberately spreads rumors, it will definitely cause public opinion.
After weighing it up, he said to Fang Jun: "You don't dare to let me go to your military camp. I understand. How about letting the princess stay in your military camp temporarily?"
Fang Jun: "..."
No, Your Highness, have you never heard of my reputation?
Are you so confident in sending the princess to my place, and are you not afraid that I will keep you in custody?
However, this reason obviously cannot be said out loud to reject Li Tai. He can only turn his head and look at Princess Yan of Wei, with a clear look for help: If you go to my place, your reputation will be ruined...
Unexpectedly, Princess Wei lowered her head slightly, bit her red lower lip with her white teeth, and there seemed to be a hint of determination in her tone: "Then please ask the Yue Kingdom PR to take the photo."
Fang Jun: "..."
Mom, looking at your expression and listening to your tone, it seems like you and your wife are hiding some conspiracy?
Could it be that he wanted to take the initiative to "throw himself into his arms", or even create a fait accompli, in order to convince himself that he had to help King Wei to avoid the crisis? (End of chapter)