Chapter 201 Zhuge Liang's Analysis, Li Gan's Identity
Li Qian thought for a moment and jotted down a few goals for the coming year on the paper, and then remembered another thing.
The concubines in his harem were all of low grade. This was Li Qian's strategy of putting stability first, after all.
But we can't let them continue like this.
Li Qian decided to take advantage of the Chinese New Year to seal it once again.
Recalling the concubines in the harem, those who had close communication with each other and those who had not... After working for a long time, Li Qian finally came up with a general plan.
In this way, most of the affairs of the Great Court Meeting have been completed.
Li Qian only needed to give these things to Qin Hui, and then the two of them would discuss it and draft an imperial edict.
He sorted out the things he had written, and then handed them to the eunuchs on the side for them to send to the Right Prime Minister's Mansion.
As soon as the eunuch who delivered the message left, the old eunuch walked in from outside.
"Your Majesty, that Zhuge Jun is here!"
"Huh?" Li Qian frowned: "Are they in trouble?"
"No." The old eunuch shook his head hurriedly: "He said that his brother, that Zhuge Liang, is back."
"real?!"
Li Qian stood up subconsciously: "Let's go out of the palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The old eunuch also knew that Li Qian attached great importance to this matter, and hurriedly walked out to prepare...
When Li Qian brought the old eunuch and Lu Bu to the lamp stall, Zhuge Jun was already waiting there.
"Brother Ling is back?" This was the first thing Li Qian said when they met.
Zhuge Jun laughed dryly: "I'm back. I'm at home now."
"After Brother Kong Ming learned the news about Brother Li, he specially asked me to come down and invite Brother Li to be my guest."
However, Li Qian was not dazzled by the surprise. He took half a step back and looked at Zhuge Jun, with a bit of suspicion on his face.
The longest road in the world is Zhuge Liang's routine, which must be guarded against.
"You won't wait until I arrive. Your brother will go on a study tour to visit friends again, right?"
Zhuge Jun waved his hands hurriedly and said: "Brother Li, why do you think so? Who has nothing to do to visit friends during the Chinese New Year?"
"Even if Brother Kong Ming goes, he still has to be blasted out."
Li Qian nodded thoughtfully, and what he said made sense.
But then he asked another question: "He won't wait until I arrive. Is he still taking a nap?"
It snowed just yesterday. If it were to pass now, wouldn't it be a snowstorm in Gemenli?
Although we have to respect talents, there is no need to suffer in vain, right?
Zhuge Jun sweated profusely: "Brother Li, it's already dark now. Whoever wants to take a nap can't take a nap now!"
Li Qian turned his head and looked at the sky outside the window, and suddenly realized: "I see, then let's go."
He had known Zhuge Jun's residence for a long time, but Li Qian did not announce it. Instead, he waited for Zhuge Jun to show the way. The group arrived at a small courtyard near Yanping Gate in the southwest of the capital.
There are three gates in the west of the capital, from south to north they are Yanping Gate, Jinguang Gate and Kaiyuan Gate.
The two gates in the north are the entrance and exit of the Silk Road, which are extremely prosperous.
But on the Yanpingmen side to the south, there is no such situation.
Only during the Qingming Festival every year, there will be huge crowds here.
The reason is very simple. When you leave the capital from Yanping Gate, there are cemeteries outside. Most people only go here when they visit the graves. Li Qian did not expect that Zhuge Liang would choose such a place to stay.
"It's the door in front."
Zhuge Jun pointed far ahead in the car. It was a small alley that the carriage could barely drive into.
In front of the door is a pair of Spring Festival couplets with black characters on a red background. It seems that they were written by Zhuge Jun. They are particularly festive.
The first line is "People follow the spring mood and peace", and the second line is "The new year dawns and the light is new".
Li Gan and others came to the door. Zhuge Jun led the way, opened the door and took them in.
This is a small, ordinary courtyard. There is still a layer of unmelted snow under the south corner of the courtyard. The rest of the courtyard is dusty and ordinary.
It may be related to Li Qian's psychological effect. In his eyes, even such an ordinary small courtyard is extraordinary. This may be because mountains are not high, and immortals are famous.
In front of the main hall, a middle-aged man stood with a smile on his face, looking at himself and others.
Li Qian originally thought that his appearance was one of the most beautiful men in a million, but he didn't expect that he would meet his opponent today...or rather, he was no match at all.
As the saying goes, he is eight feet tall, has a face like a crown jade, wears a silk scarf on his head, and wears a crane cloak, and he looks like a god. These words are not exaggerated at all. All the charm that a middle-aged handsome man should have has been taken over by this man in front of him.
Li Qian had mistaken Zhuge Jun for Zhuge Liang before in front of the lamp stall, but now it seems... Zhuge Jun is not even half as good as Zhuge Liang.
After being stunned for a moment, Li Qian came to his senses and hurriedly walked up with a smile: "Is this Mr. Wolong? I, Li Hua, have long admired your name and came to visit rashly. I hope you won't be blamed."
The old eunuch and Lu Bu at the rear looked at each other, inexplicably sensing a hint of crisis.
I have never seen an emperor be so enthusiastic towards others before.
Only the old eunuch knew that a man named Fan Li had also received such treatment, but it was slightly worse than now.
In front of the hall, Zhuge Liang held up Li Qian's hand and said with a smile: "We have a distinguished guest coming to visit, and the humble house will be full of glory. Please come in quickly."
Li Qian followed him in and sat down. Lu Bu and the old eunuch also followed him in with low eyebrows.
The courtyard is simple, but the room is unique. Li Qian took a look. There was an elegant ancient painting hanging on the wall. On it was a large, calm lake. Fishermen were boating on it. Only a few birds were wandering back and forth. Watching the order People feel calm. A pot of charcoal fire burns brightly in the room, releasing warmth.
"Mr. Wolong is such a wonderful man. Although he is in a busy city, he has such a quiet and indifferent elegance."
"It's all thanks to my brother-in-law."
Zhuge Liang smiled and shook his head: "I have been traveling around all the time, and this small courtyard was decorated by my younger brother."
A scholar slowly walked out from the back of the hall and served tea to Li Qian and others.
After he left, Li Qiancai smiled and asked Zhuge Liang: "I met Wang Jieyuan of Yuyao before. I heard from Wang Jieyuan that Mr. Wolong was coming to the capital, so I came here to visit. I was overjoyed when I saw my brother before, so I was a little rude. , I hope you don’t mind, sir.”
Zhuge Liang smiled and shook his head: "It's just a misunderstanding. It's his blessing to be entertained by an outstanding person like Mr. Li."
Li Qian raised his eyebrows: "Mr. Wolong already knows who I am before I even say it clearly?"
Li Qian was not surprised that Cai You could guess his identity, because he knew Lu Bu and knew the relationship between the emperor and Lu Bu.
But Zhuge Liang came to the capital so rarely, how could he guess it?
Lu Bu and the old eunuch sitting in the back were also stunned, looking at Zhuge Liang curiously, or perhaps expecting him to be embarrassed.
Zhuge Liang smiled softly, looked at Li Qian and said slowly: "Yesterday, Liang heard what his younger brother said. I originally thought that Mr. Sir was the son of the Kou family, or a descendant of the General's Mansion or the Marshal's Mansion. But when I saw him today, I felt Not so."
Li Qian asked with a smile: "Why not?"
Zhuge Liang smiled and shook his head: "It's just magnanimity. Mr. Cai's magnanimity can't be found in the Cai Mansion, and it can't be cultivated in the General's Mansion or the Marshal's Mansion."
"Besides, since Mr. Li claims his surname, he must have some relationship with Daqian's clan."
Li Qian smiled and nodded: "Sir, you are really good at predicting things."
This confirms that Zhuge Liang is right.
Zhuge Jun, who had been listening in, straightened his eyes and looked at Li Qian stupidly.
He had guessed Li Qian's identity before, thinking that he could be the heir of some high-ranking official, but he still didn't expect that Li Qian could be related to the clan.
The smile on Zhuge Liang's face gradually disappeared, and he became more solemn: "Is that gentleman a member of the Duke's mansion?"
"I have heard that the Duke of Tang Dynasty has a Qilin son. He is already the best among his peers at a young age. He has a majestic head and will definitely have an extraordinary future. I must be sir?"
The old eunuch and Lu Bu in the back looked at each other and said nothing, but the meaning in their eyes was very clear.
So this is it?
Li Qian sighed: "How can I have a relationship with Tang Guogong?"
Unexpectedly, Zhuge Liang was startled when he heard this. He no longer hesitated and immediately stood up and bowed down and said: "Zhuge Liang, a common man, comes to see your majesty."
Everyone in the room was shocked by his actions.
The old eunuch and Lu Bu didn't even think about it. They were fine just now. Why did he suddenly guess it?
Zhuge Jun also looked at his second brother stupidly, not knowing what was going on.
Didn’t you return to the clan just now? Why do you directly become His Majesty now?
"Second...Second brother..."
The concept of His Majesty the Emperor was still too far away for him, so Zhuge Jun was unable to react for a while.
However, his greatest advantage is that he listened to Zhuge Liang's words, and after reacting, he hurriedly followed Zhuge Liang and saluted: "Zhuge Jun, a common man, comes to see your majesty."
Li Qian also looked at Zhuge Liang thoughtfully. Only now did he realize that the questions Zhuge Liang asked just now were probably all tests to confirm his identity.
"Mr. Wolong, please get up."
Li Qian held up his arm and asked Zhuge Jun to stand up again. Then he looked at Zhuge Liang curiously: "How did you guess it, sir?"
The meaning of his words just now confirmed that he is a member of Daqian's clan. Is it possible that Zhuge Liang really knows how to look at the stars and look for aura? What kind of dragon aura did he see?
The relaxed look on Zhuge Liang's face had disappeared, and his attitude towards Li Qian turned to respect. He cupped his hands and said, "It is difficult for ordinary people to recognize real dragons at first, so they are a little lazy. I hope your majesty will forgive him."
"The common people dare not hide it. I heard my younger brother say that the person who invited him to be a guest was very young. The common people had some guesses in their minds, but they were never sure."
"In the eyes of the common people, there can only be three people who can invite my brother as a guest and say those words."
Li Qian became even more interested: "Who are the three people?"
Zhuge Liang concentrated and said slowly: "One is the son of the Kou family of Cai Si."
"Now that the great minister is in charge of the Ministry of Education, only his sons can be confident enough to consult the Ministry of Etiquette at will and know how to take exams."
Li Qian nodded, what he said made perfect sense.
Now, in the eyes of outsiders, doesn’t Cai Jing just cover up the sky with one hand and control six departments?
Anyone with some information channels would know that Wang Mang, the Minister of Rites, openly supported Cai Jing at the court meeting.
When Zhuge Liang saw Li Qian nodding, he gradually expressed his confidence. He continued: "But this is the least likely, because Cai Si Kou's son does not have the courage to rule the roost in Gu Pan."
"That's why Cao Min mentioned this person first, but after His Majesty denied it, he was eliminated."
Li Qian smiled and nodded, saying the least likely one first, it does make sense.
Seeing him like this, Zhuge Liang continued: "The second most likely person is not one, but three. They are the three sons of Duke Guo of Tang."
He analyzed for Li Qian: "Only royal family members, and very powerful royal family members, have the confidence to say that."
"Among the current royal relatives, only the three young masters in Duke Tang's palace have such ability. However, Duke Tang is not a civil servant after all, so his influence on the Ministry of Rites may not be that great."
Li Qian nodded, and suddenly looked up at Zhuge Liang: "That's why Sir is the second one to talk about them."
Zhuge Liang smiled and nodded: "Yes."
Li Qian's question came again: "But sir, just confirmed that he is the second son of Tang Guogong? What if he is his eldest son?"
Zhuge Liang smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, the common people have never said that he is the second son of the Duke of Tang."
Li Qian was stunned.
"The common people just say that the Duke of Tang Dynasty has a Qilin son, who is already the best among his peers at a young age."
Zhuge Liang smiled like an old fox: "No matter which son of Tang Guogong, as long as he hears these words, he will think that he is the Kirin son."
Such smiling faces were extremely sinister to Lu Bu and the old eunuch, and they both cast contemptuous looks at Zhuge Liang.
Li Qian finally realized the problem. When Zhuge Liang mentioned Qilinzi, he subconsciously assigned this name to Li Shimin.
After all, in Li Qian's opinion, he is the most talented, courageous, and strongest among the three brothers. Who doesn't know about the changes in the Xuanwu Sect... It seems that no one knows.
At present, Li Qian may be the only one who knows.
In the eyes of others, Li Jiancheng, the eldest son of the Duke's Palace, is the most capable and has the greatest advantage.
Zhuge Liang also discovered the problem and looked at Li Qian curiously: "Why did Your Majesty directly think of Tang Guogong's second son?"
"Of course it's because of age."
It was naturally impossible for Li Qian to explain the Xuanwu Gate Incident. He continued: "My brother must have told my husband about my appearance and age. Among my three cousins, only Li Shimin is similar to me in age."
"Moreover, this person is also the most powerful among the three."
Zhuge Liang nodded thoughtfully.
Li Qian didn't want to get too entangled in this matter. He looked at Zhuge Liang and asked directly: "The first two people were rejected. It seems that the third person is me?"
Zhuge Liang nodded and sighed: "Although it is incredible, in the eyes of ordinary people, if it is not the first two, then there is only Your Majesty."
"Only Your Majesty can give orders to the Ministry of Ceremonies and give orders like an arm."
Li Qian looked at him curiously: "Don't you know, sir, that Wang Zongbo supports Cai Jing?"
Zhuge Liang looked at Li Qian with a smile and said: "Before meeting your Majesty today, Liang always felt this way."
"After seeing His Majesty, Liang realized that this was just His Majesty's plan to retreat in order to advance. He was just waiting for the last moment to reverse the situation."