No one can be right all the time, and making mistakes is normal.
In the era when imperial power was concentrated, the emperor spoke with a golden tongue and obeyed the law. The emperor's will was supreme in the whole world. Once the emperor made a mistake, the consequences would be extremely serious.
Therefore, the more wise, powerful, talented and strategic a king is, once he makes a mistake, the extent of the damage will be earth-shattering.
For example, how wise and wise were Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty when they were young? There are few who can rival it, both at home and abroad, in ancient and modern times. However, it is precisely because of his outstanding achievements and high reputation in the past and present when he was young that he increasingly developed a self-centered character. In his later years, his thoughts were stagnant and he did not want to make progress. Due to his own ignorance, the empire went from bad to worse, prosperous and declined, and he planted the seeds of ruin. reason.
For the current Tang Dynasty, there is no need for a prosperous Ming Dynasty or a thousand emperors. As long as the imperial power is stable, there will be prime ministers and assistants to rule the world and work hard every night.
The reason why Fang Jun unswervingly supported Li Chengqian at the beginning was because Li Chengqian was the most suitable candidate to be the emperor of the Tang Dynasty after His Majesty Li Er. The rest, whether Li Tai or Li Zhi, were indeed outstanding, but once they took the throne, they would cause chaos in the court. Violent shocks are of no benefit to the country.
Although Li Zhi is a man of great talent and strategy, he is the best among emperors throughout the ages, but he can also be said to be a "hero created by the times". With the rich family property left by Emperor Taizong and the famous ministers and patriots passed down from the Zhenguan Dynasty, it would be impossible to change him. There is a high probability that we can expand our territory and create a prosperous age...
Fang Jun said sincerely: "Your Majesty, there is no need to belittle yourself. No one is a sage. Who can have no shortcomings? As long as you know how to use your strengths and avoid weaknesses, most people can start a career. As the Supreme Being of the 95th Five-Year Plan, your Majesty does not need to do everything personally. He only needs to be steady. Sitting firmly on the throne, holding the sun and moon in hand, there are capable ministers and officials to handle the affairs of the government. ”
Why did Song Huizong ruin the Northern Song Dynasty?
In addition to many external factors, his "lack of self-awareness" and "reluctance to sit still on Diaoyutai" are also important reasons. The king who is full of artistic cells is versatile and intelligent, but he has never been able to recognize that his political talent is idiotic. The shortcoming is that he still has to get involved in government affairs and direct the country.
The natural result is that the country, which is already riddled with holes, becomes even more angry and resentful. Even if the Jin army does not go south and plunder Bianliang, sooner or later it will be annihilated by the surging peasant uprising...
A counter-example is Song Renzong Zhao Zhen, whose military power was not as good as that of the founding emperor Song Taizu, and whose literary skills were not as good as that of his successor Song Huizong, but he was able to create the most prosperous era in the Song Dynasty and even in the entire imperial power system.
"Being a king must stop at benevolence." This is the highest state of an emperor. It is slightly inferior to expanding territory and dominating the world.
Of course, Song Renzong also had shortcomings. His tolerance for border troubles laid the hidden danger of destroying the country...
Li Chengqian smiled bitterly and said: "Do you want to rule by laying down the arch? But the premise is that you must 'believe in the clear truth and respect the virtues and repay the merits'. Of course I dare not belittle myself, but I cannot be arrogant."
Fang Jun also laughed: "In life, you must have some ideals, right? Governance without doing anything is not doing nothing. It is not easy to be able to hang down the clothes and hand over the government while the government is still running as usual, and the officials in each department perform their duties. If you do it, Your Majesty should encourage yourself.”
Li Chengqian took a sip of tea, and the anger in his chest was slightly relieved, but he was much more relaxed: "The Zhenguan rule seems to be flourishing, but in fact the foundation is unstable. The remnants of the former Sui Dynasty and the traitors of the clan have taken turns to cause chaos. A little relief can lead to catastrophe. Disaster. Not to mention that although Emperor Taizong won a great victory in the Eastern Campaign, this war almost consumed the wealth, money and food accumulated since the founding of the country. If it were not for the large amount of sea trade imported from abroad, I am afraid that it may not be possible to recover food in ten or twenty years. Although the country is large, it will be destroyed if it is warlike. Therefore, it is extremely correct for us to turn our national policy from external to internal and implement new policies. I think I am not as peerless as my father. The king does not seek to expand the territory and threaten the world, but is willing to work hard, work hard and leave a rich family fortune to his successors with sufficient treasury and prosperous industries. ”
Although Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has been glorious throughout the ages and has made great achievements for thousands of years, how could he have accomplished the feats of expelling the Xiongnu from the north and opening up new territories without the accumulation of the two generations of emperors Wen and Jing?
The merits of the two kings Wen and Jing will never be buried in the history of history.
Li Chengqian was self-aware, and as Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he would never have that ability. He also did not have the lofty ambitions of Emperor Taizong to embrace the world. Being able to be a conservative king and guarding this family fortune would be the greatest success.
Fang Jun said with a smile: "If your Majesty's ambition is this, it is not difficult. All you have to do is to restrain land annexation, add frivolous corvee and low taxes, and make a living for the people. As long as you do these two things, your prosperity will last long and your achievements will shine brightly." .”
What is the key to the survival, rise and fall of an empire?
Official administration and taxation, that's all.
How to make the national destiny last long? Then we need to add another one to suppress land annexation.
After two generations of emperors, Gaozu and Taizong, they had made a good start. Now, when the aristocratic families that were the biggest threat to the stability of the empire were at their weakest, it was not as difficult as imagined to achieve these three points.
Of course, there are many people who understand this truth, and it is easy to say it, but it is extremely difficult to actually do it.
*****
The snow on the street has been swept to both sides, so although it has stopped snowing today, the weather is polar due to the accumulation of snow all over the city. Fang Jun, wearing a mink hat and a large cloak, rode his horse long surrounded by dozens of soldiers. Walking through the streets, swaggering through the city, rushing into Chongrenfang like wind and lingering clouds, and returned to Liang Guogong's mansion.
When they arrived at the door, they saw a gorgeously decorated four-wheeled carriage parked in the gatehouse, and dozens of guards stood in front of the street holding their horses.
Fang Jun reined in his horse and stood in front of the door. When he turned over and dismounted, he glanced at the carriage. When he saw the mark on the carriage, he knew it was Princess Changle's carriage...
I was a little surprised.
Because Chang Le and I had an affair, I was always a little ashamed in front of Princess Gaoyang. I would try to avoid public occasions, let alone visit in person. Unless there was something important, it would be impossible.
As soon as he mounted his horse, dozens of Changle Princess's guards knelt down on one knee and performed military salutes: "See the Duke of Yue!"
Fang Jun threw the reins to his soldiers, stood there, nodded slightly, and said in a deep voice: "No need to be polite."
"Here!"
Dozens of guards agreed and then stood up.
Fang Jun turned around and said to the soldiers: "Let people prepare hot tea and snacks, and let them enter the concierge in batches to drink hot water and warm themselves up."
"Here."
The soldiers responded quickly.
One of the leaders of the imperial guards thanked him loudly: "Thank you so much, Duke Yue!"
Although Princess Changle has a transcendent status, in the final analysis she is just a powerless princess, and she has already been divorced. It would be nice if they, the imperial guards, did not suffer cynicism when traveling with the princess. How have they ever been treated like this? What's more, it's natural for such a powerful and powerful person to care personally.
Without saying another word, Fang Jun climbed up the steps and entered the house from the side door.
Outside the main hall, a maid came in to announce. Fang Jun stepped into the main hall, casually took off his cloak and handed it to the maid serving beside him. He saw Princess Changle, who was sitting with Princess Gaoyang, stood up.
Fang Jun then smiled and said: "Why should my family be so polite? I don't dare to greet you as your highness."
Unexpectedly, Princess Changle rolled her eyes at him, turned back to Princess Gaoyang and said, "Then I'll leave first. Just make sure you know what's going on."
Princess Gao Yang glanced at Fang Jun first, and then said to Princess Changle with a smile: "Since we are at home, why don't we leave after dinner? Why not just stay? In the evening we sisters will sleep on the same bed and have a long talk."
Hearing her say "sleeping on the same bed", Princess Changle's heart skipped a beat for some reason. She shook her head and said, "Let's talk about it another day when we have free time. It's better to go back to the palace today."
Princess Gaoyang no longer forced herself, nodded and said: "Then let's talk about it another day, I'll see my sister off."
"Yeah."
The two princesses walked to the door hand in hand.
Fang Jun looked at the two of them, one was handsome in Taoist robes and the other was charming in crimson skirt. Naturally, his heart was filled with excitement. When he saw Princess Changle leaving, he was reluctant to leave: "Well, why don't you, Your Highness, sit down again?" A while? ”
Princess Changle's clear eyes glanced at his face, and the corners of her lips curled up into a sneer.
"Ha!"
Without further words, he turned around and walked out accompanied by Princess Gaoyang.
After seeing off Princess Changle's carriage and turning around to sit down in the main hall, Fang Jun asked curiously: "Why did Your Highness Changle come to the door today? She looked a little uncomfortable."
Princess Gaoyang sat upright with a dignified appearance. She held a tureen and took a sip of tea. Her eyes drooped slightly and she said lukewarmly: "What's wrong? Is it not as passionate as before, or is it not gentle enough?"
Fang Jun: "Ahem..."
He almost choked on his tea and decisively changed the subject: "I'm going to the farm tomorrow to take a look. It snowed recently. Many greenhouses failed to clear the snow in time and collapsed. The old steward Lu Cheng became very angry and even Several servants who neglected their duties were killed with a stick, and the whole village was trembling with fear and needed to be appeased. ”
Princess Gaoyang chuckled lightly, stared at her husband with a pair of beautiful eyes, and brought the topic back: "I heard that today in the court, the Yushitai impeached Feng Deyi, and not only removed all his official positions during his lifetime, but also granted him a gift after his death. All deprived, even the posthumous title changed? ”
Fang Jun's heart skipped a beat, and he felt something was wrong, and said in anger: "This Liu Xiangdao simply doesn't know what to say. He knew clearly that this move would stain Emperor Taizong's reputation, and put His Majesty into a situation of 'disloyalty and unfilial piety', yet he still went his own way. Ignorant of repentance, what a stupid person!”
The Feng family suffered a heavy blow this time and was no longer qualified to discuss marriage with Princess Jinyang. Did Princess Gaoyang think that she was obstructing Princess Jinyang's marriage in order to interfere with it?
No wonder Princess Changle came to visit so rarely. She must have told everything about what happened in the Taiji Palace, and then expressed her suspicions about Feng Deyi's impeachment... His Highness is crazy, how can he be thought of as coveting her family like that? What about the sister-in-law who wants to occupy her forever?
How dare you come to complain!
Sure enough, Princess Gaoyang smiled half-heartedly and said softly: "How can Mr. Lang not recognize a good heart? Although Liu Xiangdao has damaged the reputation of Emperor Taizong and brought infamy to His Majesty, he is actually a good person to you, Mr. Lang. I would rather offend His Majesty than fulfill your wishes. You should praise others more."
Fang Jun: "..." What about the most basic trust between people?