In winter, the flowers and trees of Tai Chi Palace are withered, and only the red palace walls and golden glazed tiles add a warm color on a sunny day.
Li Jingxuan, the servant of Huangmen, walked quickly to the Imperial Study Room. He was breathing rapidly due to walking in a hurry, and the white breath he exhaled was looming in the cold air. He walked to the palace door, passed inward and then entered.
In the imperial study room, Li Chengqian was wearing ordinary clothes and sitting behind the desk with his head buried in his papers. There was a charcoal fire burning in the animal stove in the corner, and a wisp of sandalwood was floating in the air. It was as warm as spring and the sandalwood fragrance was refreshing.
"Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from Luoyang."
"Oh? What's the matter?"
Li Chengqian put down his brush and stood up. He walked out from behind the desk. The waiter on the side quickly handed over a warm handkerchief. Li Chengqian took it and wiped his hands. Then he knelt down on the mat by the window and held a cup of tea. Take a sip.
Li Jingxuan took two steps forward, bowed his hands and presented the emergency report to His Majesty, and said in a low voice: "It is said that King Wei was assassinated before arriving in Luoyang, but His Highness the King of Wei was so blessed that he only suffered some skin injuries from falling off his horse. There is fear for one’s life.”
Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment, and then he placed the tea cup heavily on the coffee table. The tea poured out in a surging voice, and he cursed: "Asshole! Do these people still have the king's laws and regulations in their eyes? Do they have any respect for the imperial power? They are so wanton. ! ”
Li Jingxuan lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes. He did not dare to echo these words. Nothing he said was right, so he could only remain silent.
Li Chengqian cursed, his face was as dark as water, he took the emergency report and read it carefully, then threw it aside and asked coldly: "The King of Wei actually refused to admit that he was assassinated, haha... In your opinion, the assassin is Who? ”
Li Jingxuan bowed slightly and said cautiously: "I have little knowledge and low status, so I dare not make random guesses."
Who is the assassin?
It could be anyone, it could be the clan, it could be Fang Jun, it could even be His Majesty in front of me...
Which one can he afford to offend?
More than a hundred cavalry launched an attack. If you really want to investigate, it is not difficult. If the order is given to the "Hundred Cavalry Division", it may not take two days for Li Junxian to get the evidence in front of His Majesty, but the problem is that even if So what if we find out who the murderer is?
Not only will it not help the matter, it may even make His Majesty passive. Since the evidence is conclusive, should such a serious crime as assassinating the prince be severely punished?
Obviously, there is a great possibility that it cannot be punished and the matter will be left alone.
In the final analysis, His Majesty has only been on the throne for a short period of time, and his strength and prestige are insufficient. He is far from what he wanted when Emperor Taizong was in power.
Even after the King of Wei narrowly escaped death, he completely denied being assassinated. Isn't it because he realized that the danger involved was greater than the swords and guns of the pursuing soldiers?
You can only close your mouth tightly to prevent trouble from coming out of your mouth.
Moreover, although His Majesty is kind-hearted and his political talent is not as good as that of Emperor Taizong, his mind is extremely sharp and intelligent. He does not necessarily need others to tell him who assassinated the King of Wei. He must have known in his heart.
Sure enough, Li Chengqian didn't seem to expect an answer from Li Jingxuan. After a short moment of silence, he sighed quietly: "I don't even have to worry about it."
Li Jingxuan's eyes moved slightly. The word "du" in His Majesty's mouth was quite meaningful...
Li Chengqian picked up the tea cup and took another sip of tea, and asked: "What do you think of Pei Huaijie's suggestion that King Wei move into Ziwei Palace?"
When Your Majesty asks a question, you can say I don't know once, but you can't do the same the second time. You have to give some opinions.
Li Jingxuan thought for a while and said: "I'm afraid that the Luoyang family may not welcome His Highness King Wei to go. After all, the position of Luoyang Remainer has too much power, and it is even higher than that of Henan Yin. No matter what His Highness King Wei does, it will be damaged." The Luoyang family even had interests with the Nanyang clan. Pei Huaijie's move was not necessarily an attempt to frame the King of Wei, but more like a warning."
Li Chengqian nodded slowly and approved.
Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Nanyang family has been extremely powerful. During this period, it assisted Cao Cao in his struggle for world hegemony and became famous for a while. Even though he later lost the competition with the Hebei gentry, his foundation was not lost. Even after he moved south, he quickly recovered his strength.
Even though the Nanyang family does not have a powerful family like the seven sects and five surnames, they have already formed a whole through marriages and branches, and their power is extremely powerful. If they all fight against Li Tai, I am afraid it will be difficult for Li Tai to open up a situation in Luoyang.
Especially the matter of measuring acres will definitely encounter resistance.
Li Jingxuan said: "Should we give Pei Huaijie some warning and beat the Nanyang family?"
Measuring acres of land is the most important national policy of His Majesty after he ascended the throne. It is related to the political structure and development direction of the empire and cannot be ignored. If the Nanyang family is allowed to form a unity and resist it, it may cause the entire world's aristocratic families to watch the wind. , the consequences are extremely serious.
Li Chengqian shook his head and said calmly: "Don't pay attention to it. Don't underestimate King Wei's methods. As long as he thinks about it, he will find a way to live up to his mission."
The key is whether King Wei wants to...
And isn't this a test for King Wei?
Whether to overcome all difficulties to implement national policies, or to unite the Nanyang family to exert pressure against the imperial court, represent two completely different positions of the King of Wei...
Asking the chamberlain to refill a cup of tea, Li Chengqian said: "In these days, I have settled the matters at hand, completed the handover, and brought it to the academy for reopening. Then I went over to serve as the academy's Chancellor and assist the Duke of Yue in running the academy well. This is Many people cannot ask for good things, so we must cherish the opportunity and do things well.”
Li Jingxuan said respectfully: "Here."
The "assistance" is just a way of saying it. In fact, he is His Majesty's "supervising army". He wants to occupy a place in the academy and cannot let the academy become Fang Jun's monologue and pocket...
Seeing that His Majesty had no other instructions, Li Jingxuan took his leave and withdrew.
When he came out of the royal study, the sunlight was a little dazzling. As he walked quickly, Li Jingxuan raised his head and glanced at the glazed roof shining with sunlight in the distance, thinking thoughtfully.
It seems that His Majesty is not worried about the assassination of King Wei, and does not take it to heart except for a few simple inquiries.
Is it because you have a fixed opinion about who the assassin is?
If the murderer is known but is not identified or punished, is it because it will cause greater instability?
Or is the murderer simply His Majesty himself?
A gust of cold wind blew, and Li Jingxuan shivered, and quickly walked back to his official house on the side of Wude Hall.
It is better to quickly settle the affairs at hand, tidy up the loose ends, and take up the duties of the Academy as soon as possible. At least at this stage, it is definitely not a good time to stay in Tai Chi Palace or stay with His Majesty.
The kind of storm caused by excessive competition for power is brewing, and a huge whirlpool is gradually forming, which is already overwhelming people...
*****
Sunlight shines into the room from the window and onto the smooth floor. The rice wine in the copper pot on the small stove on the coffee table is warm and exudes a faint aroma of wine. Li Shenfu is sitting on his knees in front of the coffee table, his eyes rushing up from his hands. He raised his head and looked at Li Daoli who was kneeling opposite him in shock: "Qingque was assassinated?"
Li Daoli waved his hand quickly: "I didn't do it. How can I mobilize more than a hundred cavalry troops to Luoyang to chase the King of Wei? Even if I can mobilize, I don't dare to do such a big thing without permission. I must discuss it with you, uncle. ”
The rice wine in the copper pot squeaked slightly, and he quickly lifted the copper pot. If the rice wine boiled, it would not taste good.
"That would be troublesome."
Li Shenfu put the urgent report aside, watched Li Daoli pour the clear rice wine into the glass bowl, and rubbed his temples: "Could it be that Li Chengqian deliberately frightened the snake?"
Li Tai is now almost the target of public criticism. Everyone wants his life to achieve their own goals. But if Li Chengqian assassinates Li Tai first, then arranges evidence to frame the clan and then takes the opportunity to purge the clan, it is indeed a clever move.
But he immediately overturned his guess, because Li Tai was not dead...
Since Li Tai is not dead, no matter what kind of evidence there is, no one can use weapons against the clan, even if the other party is the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.
But who could it be?
Li Daoli asked: "Could it be Fang Jun?"
Li Shenfu thought for a while and sighed: "It is also possible that stabbing without killing like this will cause shock to all parties, making the already tense situation extremely critical. It is quite suspected that we are deliberately tempting us to take action."
This time Li Tai survived the assassination. Who knows if there will be a next time?
Once Li Tai dies, all arrangements must be launched immediately, otherwise, if you take one step late, you may be framed as the murderer of Li Tai.
Immediately afterwards, I will suffer a thunderous blow from His Majesty...
Li Daoli was a little nervous and a little excited, and lowered his voice and said: "If this is the case, our arrangement is most likely to have been leaked, so we might as well just take action! Strike first, and those who strike later will be controlled by others, and we will break it off!"
"Break it!"
Li Shenfu glared at this stupid nephew angrily and asked: "What if they don't know anything and just deliberately lure us to start in advance? Then we will plunge into their trap, whether we will die or not." .”
That thing must not be done without complete certainty. All the pre-buried chess pieces must sink to the bottom of the water and must not be exposed.
After thinking about it carefully, he became more and more convinced of his conjecture: "Qing Que clearly suffered an assassination, but he denied it. Obviously he has also sensed the danger. Once the assassination is revealed, all parties will not be able to continue to turn a blind eye. They must To track down the murderer, there will be no room for recovery, and Qingque will be involved in the whirlpool, unable to control himself. "
After taking a sip of rice wine, he said depressedly: "How come I have been living in the house for so many years without paying attention to worldly affairs, and yet so many young and talented people emerged as soon as I came out? It's really hard to deal with one or two of these evil spirits!"
Li Daoli was a little confused, so he simply asked without thinking too much: "How should we deal with it next?"
Li Shenfu said flatly: "The situation is unpredictable and there are too many uncertain things. We cannot take risks. If the order is passed, everyone will hide and wait for the opportunity to be launched." Once launched, there will be no retreat. He didn't dare to take risks, so he could only give up his long-planned plan and wait for the opportunity.