In the imperial study room.
Li Chengqian, who was dressed in regular clothes, was a little surprised when he received Li Junxian's report. Li Sixun also knew that the second son of the Duke of Xi was usually low-key, diligent and studious, and his painting skills were even surpassed by the two brothers Yan Lide and Yan Liben. He was praised as a rare "talent" among the Li royal family, so he naturally paid attention to him and had some idea of his nature.
No matter how you look at it, this person will not be involved in the clan’s conspiracy...
When he heard about the name "Li Yi" and the involvement of Prince Huo's Mansion, Li Chengqian was immediately furious: "Are these people crazy?"
After reading the interrogation transcript carefully, he threw it on the desk in anger.
Li Junxian lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes, saying nothing.
Li Chengqian felt sulky for a while and asked, "In your opinion, is Huo Wangshen involved in this matter?"
Li Junxian thought for a while and said cautiously: "It is indeed possible to confuse Li Sixun into hunting close to the Taoist temple and disturb His Highness Changle... but it is only possible. In fact, Li Sixun has no idea what is going on, even if there is no one guarding the Taoist temple. It’s not like they can force their way into the Taoist temple, not to mention the Fang family’s soldiers and His Royal Highness’s imperial guards. With Li Sixun alone, it’s basically impossible to disturb His Highness Changle.”
Unless it was intentional, how could an uninformed person attack a princess living in a Taoist temple?
Therefore, the crime of "Li Yi seduced Li Sixun and disturbed Princess Changle" is difficult to establish.
Li Chengqian said angrily: "Do you think they have ulterior motives? I don't think so. Li Yi calculated it correctly because he had a grudge about the fact that the clan had been extorted a large sum of money by Fang Jun, and deliberately led Li Sixun to the Taoist temple. . If Li Sixun is angry, maybe he can It was enough to make Fang Jun regret his life. On the other hand, Li Sixun must have been arrested for "hunting in the mountains." Since Changle was not disturbed, how could he be arrested and imprisoned? "< br>
These people may not be dealing with Fang Jun this time, but want to borrow Fang Jun's sword. The real target may be Li Xiaoxie, the Duke of Xi, or a small clan group headed by Li Shenfu.
Li Junxian didn't answer, but felt that it was possible.
His Majesty sometimes reacts very sharply, but he is soft-hearted and has poor resilience. He does not have the qualities of an excellent emperor. It is no wonder that Emperor Taizong wanted to Yi Chu several times. It was not the fault of Emperor Taizong's death. If he had waited a few more years, this would have happened. It’s hard to say who will own the throne.
Moreover, the death of Emperor Taizong was somewhat inexplicable...
Thinking of this, Li Junxian's heart skipped a beat, and his head dropped even lower...
After Li Chengqian sat back at the writing desk, he frowned and looked sad, and sighed: "The great ancestors, King Huai of Wei, King Ai of Chu, King Feng Ai, and King Zhou all died early. Prince Yin and King Chaoci were defeated and died. The kings of Jing and Han rebelled and were executed. King Peng was in poor health and suffered from chronic illness... I counted carefully and there were not many left."
Now it is the "Renhe" dynasty, and Emperor Gaozu's disciples can no longer pose a threat to the throne. For example, King Jing Li Yuanjing was obsessed with things at the beginning. Even if he cooperated with Changsun Wuji to successfully rebel, the emperor could only choose from among Taizong's disciples, or The King of Wei, or the King of Jin, or even the King of Shu, or the King of Qi, would not be able to turn to Li Yuanjing anyway.
Therefore, Li Chengqian hoped that Emperor Gaozu and his sons would live well. Even if they could not rule the world, it would be good to stay in Chang'an and enjoy wealth and wealth, giving outsiders a feeling of "clan harmony and blood love".
Unexpectedly, one or two of them refused to stop...
If this matter involves King Huo Li Yuangui, how should I deal with it?
He was killed but could not be killed. He was demoted to the local government for fear that he would take advantage of the situation to cause chaos. He ignored him and could not explain it to Changle and Fang Jun. It was really a dilemma.
His mood was extremely tangled and confused, and his anger was rising. He couldn't help but complain: "It's all Fang Jun's fault! It's just a secret affair with Chang Le. I wanted to turn a blind eye to his achievements, but why did I have to create a child?" Even so, I will not pursue you After all, Chang Le was allowed to have the baby in the palace, but he still refused to give up and had to leave the palace to go to Zhongnan Mountain to wait for the birth... Are you worried that I, the emperor, would kill me? If not, I wouldn't have caused this incident! ”
All kinds of resentment had been accumulated in my heart for a long time, but as soon as I said the words, I realized that something was wrong, and hurriedly said: "But the two of us are in love with each other, and I will not interfere."
Li Junxian looked at his nose with his eyes, his nose at his heart, and remained silent.
Li Chengqian glanced at him and felt that compared to Fang Jun, he should be the more loyal to him, so he said: "It's just a few complaints. General, don't worry about it. I already know the matter. I will make a decision after considering it."< br>
"Well, I will take my leave first."
After Li Junxian saluted, he bowed and exited.
Walking out of the imperial study room, the spring light outside was bright. Li Junxian squinted his eyes, and a question arose in his mind: When did His Majesty become dissatisfied with the Duke of Yue?
……
In the imperial study room, Li Chengqian was sitting behind the imperial desk, feeling annoyed that he had just made a mistake. If such words reached Fang Jun's ears, it would definitely create a gap between the emperor and his ministers. Although he and Fang Jun are monarchs and ministers, he relies on Fang Jun more than Fang Jun relies on himself.
Apart from anything else, without Fang Jun's full support, no one in the military would take his imperial decree seriously. Without the support of the military, what kind of emperor would he be?
As for Li Ji...
That guy is cunning and cunning. Once the situation is unfavorable, he will give up and find a new master without even batting an eyelid.
When Changsun Wuji rebelled, Li Ji sat back and watched as the crown prince fell to death but remained indifferent and stood by...
However, considering that Li Junxian was a cautious person, and that he believed in him with all his heart, he thought he would not spread those few words.
I feel a little relieved...
After taking two sips of tea and thinking about how to deal with this matter, the chamberlain reported that Liu Jie had arrived.
"I have an audience with Your Majesty."
After Liu Ji entered and saluted him, Li Chengqian asked him to sit down, and then told him about what happened in Zhongnan Mountain, and handed him Li Sixun's transcript to read.
"This matter is huge and involves many things. I have no clue. I wonder if your beloved can teach me?"
Liu Jie was also a little worried and silent.
It stands to reason that such an opportunity to suppress Fang Jun should be seized tightly. His Majesty obviously has complaints about Fang Jun. All he has to do is push in this direction without leaving a trace, causing more and more troubles caused by Fang Jun. The bigger it gets, the more dissatisfied His Majesty will naturally become.
But the problem is that those in the clan have increasingly no bottom line.
Throughout the ages, wherever there are people, there is power, and wherever there is power, there is struggle. This is the main theme of the world, whether it is humans or animals.
But the reason why people are different from animals is that they know etiquette, justice and integrity, and there are some bottom lines that cannot be exceeded.
Liu Ji considers himself a person with a bottom line.
So he pondered for a while and said seriously: "Your Majesty, some people in the clan have become crazy and are actually trying to achieve ulterior motives with such despicable intentions. This trend cannot last! The clan is the foundation of the country. If we cannot trace its origins, It will inevitably disrupt the rules and regulations, reverse the rules and regulations, and cause endless disasters.”
He could represent the civil servants in fighting for power with the military generals, because he believed that once the country was dominated by the army, it would inevitably slide into militarism and warfare. The current Tang Dynasty needed a long period of time to stabilize its internal affairs in order to digest these years. The huge territory gained through conquests from east to west, the huge population brought into the country, and the increasingly prosperous commerce and trade.
Rather than relying on powerful force to continuously use troops in all directions as always, all the financial resources and flattery are consumed in never-ending expansion.
But compared to curbing the expansion of the military, the turmoil in the clan is obviously more important.
The clan is the cornerstone of the empire. The Li and Tang royal family relied on the close blood clan to maintain the stability of the empire. Once the clan was in turmoil, it meant that the world was not at peace, and there was a possibility of a change in imperial power and the fall of the country.
This is absolutely intolerable.
Furthermore, adding insult to injury is the behavior of a villain, and Liu Jie does not want to leave such a small-minded impression in His Majesty's mind...
So he added: "The Duke of Yue did nothing wrong in this matter. It is entirely because some people in the clan have evil intentions. Your Majesty, please do not tolerate it!"
Li Chengqian's face was gloomy. He naturally understood what Liu Ji meant, but he didn't agree with it in his heart. If Fang Jun hadn't been so aggressive, why would the current situation have happened?
Looking at Liu Ji, he sighed and said, "I am really in a dilemma. If this matter is dropped here, Duke Yue will definitely not let it go after he returns to Beijing. I don't know what kind of turmoil it will cause. But if we continue to investigate, we don't know how many people will be implicated. By then How to end? ”
It was Fang Jun's fault that he had no respect for the royal family and seduced Princess Changle to cause the current situation. How could he, the emperor, be in a dilemma?
A minister who is completely out of control, even though he has great achievements and meritorious services, still makes the king feel unhappy.
Furthermore, the queen defended Fang Jun at all times, making him even more jealous...
I couldn't help but sigh in my heart. It is really extremely difficult to be like my father and the old ministers who have conquered the world without any suspicion, to get along with each other, and to start and finish well. This requires not only a broad mind and tolerance from the emperor. , Ministers should also know how to stop being arrogant, instead of being arrogant by being favored.
Liu Jie said: "Even if what Li Sixun said is true, this matter was done by Li Yi alone and may not have anything to do with His Highness King Huo. Your Majesty should call the Duke of Xi, Li Sixun, King Huo, and Li Yi to the front at this moment and let them confront him. The truth of nature is revealed.”
Li Chengqian nodded, meaning that until Li Yi, no matter what the truth was, he would not pursue it any further, so as not to put everyone in the clan in danger.
However, in order to give Fang Jun an explanation, Li Yi must be severely punished.
Li Chengqian approved of this method of handling the situation and ordered Wang De, the chamberlain who was standing on the side: "Send someone to call King Huo, Duke of Xi, Li Yi and others to treat Li Sixun's leg injury, and then bring them all over. ”
"Here."
Wang De accepted the order and bowed out.
Li Chengqian invited Liu Ji to take a seat and served tea. Just as he was about to speak, a servant came in quickly from outside: "Your Majesty, the nun beside His Highness Changle returned to the palace to deliver a message. At three o'clock today, His Highness Changle gave birth to a son. , mother and son are safe, Your Majesty, Changle, please give me your name.”
"Giving you a name?" After hearing that mother and son were safe, Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief, and finally let go of what he had been holding on to.
But when he heard the name was given, his anger rose again, and he said in a calm tone: "Why do you need me to give you a name? Take that nanny to the Duke of Liang's Mansion and ask the Prime Minister to do more."
The chamberlain bowed and responded: "Here."
Exit immediately.
Liu Ji took a sip of tea and was in a good mood. Your Majesty is extremely dissatisfied with Fang Jun...