Chapter 4677 Helpless
Because he rejected Fang Jun's advice, did the two major military factions join forces to "force the palace" in front of everyone?
This is simply unreasonable!
Do these proud soldiers still see him as the emperor in their eyes?
Li Chengqian was furious, frightened and frightened.
The servants and maids serving around him were all leaning against the wall with their heads lowered, trembling like quails, not daring to make any sound.
After a long while, Li Chengqian slowly exhaled and said to the chamberlain on the side: "Xuanzhong writes the order to enter the palace."
"Here."
The chamberlain bowed to accept the order, walked out in fear, and took two young eunuchs directly out of the palace...
Less than half an hour later, Liu Ji came in a hurry, gasped a few times, and then asked: "Your Majesty summoned the ministers to come, what are your orders?"
Li Chengqian pointed to the chair beside him: "Zhongshu ordered you to sit down first."
He also asked people to serve fragrant tea, and then drove everyone out, leaving only the monarch and his ministers sitting opposite each other.
Liu Ji took a sip of tea, thought for a while, and asked: "Is your Majesty because of the rumors spreading outside?"
Apart from this, he couldn't think of anything else that would make the emperor so eager to declare him into the palace, because usually at this time, people would call Fang Jun to discuss...
"Rumors?" Li Chengqian snorted coldly: "It would be better if it was really a rumor."
Just think about the two major military factions merging into one, and all the imperial troops are under the control of those two people. In Guanzhong, outside Guanzhong, in Beijing, and in the palace, all the armies are unified and obey the orders of those two people. Li Chengqian shuddered.
In such a situation, where can I sleep at night?
However, he quickly calmed down and asked calmly: "What does Zhongshu Ling think of this?"
Liu Ji was a little happy. Now that there is a gap between His Majesty and Fang Jun, he obviously trusts him more. This is a good thing.
However, he could not accuse Fang Jun too much in front of His Majesty, let alone add insult to injury. After all, it was Fang Jun who single-handedly raised His Majesty to the throne. The relationship between monarchs and ministers is different from others. What if a few days later? If he resolves his past grievances and reunites, wouldn't he be a villain in vain?
"Your Majesty clearly knows that the establishment of the Privy Council is of great importance and involves the interests of many parties. It is possible that someone will release the news to deliberately anger Your Majesty."
Li Chengqian glanced at him in surprise and said with a smile: "You and Erlang are usually at odds with each other, but you still defend him?"
Liu Ji had a serious look on his face: "We should say whatever we think about matters and not people."
Li Chengqian motioned for him to drink tea, then sighed and asked, "What do you think of the establishment of the Privy Council?"
Liu Ji thought for a moment, then sighed, and said helplessly: "Even if Duke Yue did not leak the news, it has become an established fact now. If your Majesty does not allow it, it will be a public statement of distrust of the British Duke and Yue Duke. It is inevitable that There are people with ulterior motives who take advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble, and the consequences will be disastrous.”
The military is the cornerstone of imperial power. When the two major military factions are jealous of the emperor, it means that the imperial power is in turmoil and weakness, and those who want to take action will probably do so immediately.
This is also the reason for "forcing the uterus".
Regardless of whether it is true or false, when "forced uterus" has become a fact, it can only be treated as "forced uterus"...
Li Chengqian was noncommittal: "I'm asking for your opinion on this."
Liu Jie said: "In the moment, it is not good for Your Majesty, but in the long run, it is good for the country."
Li Chengqian was puzzled: "How do you say this?"
Liu Jie said: "The reason why it is unfavorable to Your Majesty is that once the Privy Council is established, there will be a Privy Council envoy between Your Majesty and the army. The emperor's orders cannot be issued directly to the army. Even if the army listens to the emperor's orders privately, it is against the rules. It is against the imperial power." Obstructive. It is beneficial to the country because no one can guarantee that all the emperors of the Tang Dynasty will be as wise and kind as Emperor Gaozu, Taizong, and His Majesty. If one day the emperor becomes foolish, it will naturally be beneficial and harmless to restrict his power to mobilize the army. "
To be fair, Liu Jie felt that the advantages of establishing the Privy Council outweighed the disadvantages.
He sounded very nice, but in fact he didn't have much confidence in His Majesty. How could an emperor who was skilled in the hands of women in the palace, had never seen the suffering of the people, and had never personally been to a battle, how could he command the army properly?
The greater the power of such an emperor, the greater the harm to the country.
What's more, the probability that the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty will not be as good as Li Chengqian is also extremely high. If there are no restrictions, the country will be destroyed sooner or later.
On the contrary, if the military power is controlled by the prime minister or the so-called privy envoy, the harm caused by the emperor's ignorance can be minimized - of course, there is also a huge hidden danger of rebellion.
Li Chengqian was very angry and said angrily: "I am the Son of Heaven. My father and ancestors have cleansed the world and unified the world. I should sit in Chang'an and rule China. How can I surrender my military power to others and be controlled by others? What do I have to do with a puppet? Different? ”
There is a difference between being forced to be a puppet and being a puppet voluntarily.
The emperor could be controlled by ministers due to his fledgling years and other reasons, but he could not be controlled by ministers in name.
Where is the majesty of the king?
Liu Ji remained silent. They had different interests and naturally different positions. For the prime ministers, it was their responsibility to limit the imperial power. If they were subservient and flattering to the emperor, that would be a real dereliction of duty. Not only would they be ridiculed by officials from both the government and the opposition, but they would also It will leave a lasting infamy.
His desire to get close to the emperor does not mean that he will please the emperor unprincipled. As a leader of civil servants in the court, he must have his own bottom line and character.
Li Chengqian said a few words and took a breath. Seeing Liu Ji's expression, he could guess what he was thinking. Without saying much, he asked directly: "How should we deal with the current situation?"
Liu Ji thought for a while and suddenly realized that perhaps Fang Jun's intention was not to establish the Privy Council at this time, but to create a sense of "imperative" urgency to make His Majesty nervous and at a loss. Then Fang Jun took a step back. When it was suggested that the Ministry of War should set up another agency to implement the reform of the military system, not only did others sigh in relief, but even His Majesty secretly rejoiced and quickly agreed.
If this is really the case, it is a very clever strategy, accurately grasping the thoughts and bottom line of His Majesty and the ministers...
In this way, the situation will not be as serious as His Majesty worried. Everything is an illusion. Fang Jun and Li Ji have not become one. Naturally, there is no "forced palace". Fang Jun's real intention is just to start the military. It's just public opinion about institutional reform.
Thinking of this, Liu Ji couldn't help but admire Fang Jun deeply, despite his different positions.
Reforming the military system must be Fang Jun's ambition and must be achieved, but even so, he can calm down and patiently plan step by step, first arousing public opinion, then issuing feasible documents and regulations at the policy level, and finally Will choose a suitable time to launch it.
By that time, all preliminary preparations will be completed, and everything will come naturally with strong implementation...
He is determined before taking action, forbearing and smart. He is truly a difficult opponent.
However, Liu Jie is not willing to completely lean towards His Majesty because of the power struggle between the military and the government...
"Since Duke Yue has agreed to take a step back and temporarily set up another organization within the Ministry of War to discuss the feasibility of military reform and formulate corresponding rules and regulations, your Majesty may wish to take a look and pay close attention. If the situation really deviates, then It’s never too late to make plans.”
The implication is that since Fang Jun has not gone too far, you, the emperor, have to endure it, because once Fang Jun really joins forces with Li Ji to "force the palace", the ministers will not be able to save you...
Li Chengqian looked at Liu Ji speechlessly, you have been fighting with Fang Jun all day long, why are you so cowardly?
Liu's eyelids drooped. If you fight with Fang Jun within the rules, he won't do anything extraordinary. But if he crosses the opponent's bottom line, no one can stop the stick from going crazy...
Li Chengqian felt that Liu Ji was good at fighting for power but poor at practice, so he suggested: "Don't think about those conflicts of interest all day long. Xu Jingzong is now in full swing in Henan to measure land, and it will soon be promoted to the whole country. , Although you are not responsible for this matter, you can't just raise your hands and ignore everything. Select some smart and capable officials to fill the survey team and keep abreast of the specific situation there. "
It is even more important to share Xu Jingzong’s contributions and political achievements.
As long as the land measurement is completed and a solid foundation is laid for the New Deal reforms, it is a great achievement. Now Xu Jingzong is already the Minister of Rites, nominally the first among the six departments, and any further step can only leverage the position of the three senior officials.
The official positions of Shangshu Pushe, Zhongshuling, and Shizhong were all within the scope that Xu Jingzong could hold after he progressed.
Even if you take a step back and become only the second-in-command, and such an official with qualifications, reputation, and political achievements serves as the Minister of Zhongshu, can this Zhongshu Ling still completely control the Zhongshu Province?
Liu Jie also felt helpless about this: "But the entire Zhongshu Province is full of children of aristocratic families. We can't let the children of aristocratic families supervise Xu Shangshu's measurement of the acres of the aristocratic family, right?"
This is the drawback of his lack of experience in grassroots governance. He seems to have countless lackeys, but when it comes to actually doing things, he can't find anyone available.
At least no one agreed with him on the matter of measuring the land.
If he rashly sends people to participate in measuring the land, if something goes wrong, all the blame will be thrown on Xu Jingzong's head. When the time comes, there will be a lot of public opinion and accusations, and he, the Zhongshu Ling, will have to step down...
Seeing this, Li Chengqian became even more depressed.
He originally thought that by raising up Liu Ji's family members, he could play gongs and drums with Fang Jun in the ring, so as to relieve the pressure Fang Jun put on him. Who would have thought that Liu Ji was just tough on the surface, but in reality he was strong on the outside and inept on the inside. , and more importantly, he is not willing to completely side with him as the emperor for the sake of the Holy Family.
Is it the character of a civil servant?
Or do you simply look down on me, the emperor?
Li Chengqian, who was sensitive and had low self-esteem, fell into deep thought and was in an extremely bad mood...
After a long while, he slowly exhaled and said in a deep voice: "The reform of the military system is a big matter and involves too many things. Since you are the Zhongshu Ling, you should always pay attention to it and keep abreast of the developments."
If you are asked to send people to compete with Xu Jingzong and you can't do it, then you can send a few people to the agency set up by the Ministry of War to control the trends at any time. This can always be done, right?
Liu Ji quickly agreed: "Your Majesty, don't worry, no matter what is done over there, I will definitely know everything." (End of Chapter)