Before dawn, the cry of a baby could be heard in the main room. Afterwards, Li Heng got up and went out of the house, summoning Li Fuguo.
"Go and find the wet nurse."
"Here." Li Fuguo hurriedly ran through the corridor.
Li Heng did not go back to the house immediately. He stood under the eaves and looked at the snowflakes. He sighed and puffed out a puff of white air.
The wind blew very cold, but he was not afraid of the severe cold and would rather be free.
To put it bluntly, Zhang Ting was still just Liang Di, but now she lived in the same house with him like his real wife and jointly took care of their newborn son.
Of course she has this qualification, but it is inevitable that there will be bumps and bumps in the relationship between husband and wife. As the prince, he has to endure it like ordinary people.
After standing alone like this for a while, the baby in the room cried louder, Zhang Ting was already urging the maid, and Li Fuguo brought the wet nurse back, two at a time, which shows that he was very considerate.
"Your Highness, there is a message from the palace."
After inviting the wet nurse into the room, Li Fuguo looked around nervously, took out a wax pill from his sleeve, and put it in Li Heng's hand.
Even though there was no one around, he still used his body to cover the small movements of the two of them. Because he was still not used to doing these things, and he was not as good as Li Jingzhong, the chamberlain who used to accompany Li Heng.
Li Heng entered the room, crushed the wax pills, unfolded the small note and read it for a while, then went over and pulled Zhang Ting aside.
Zhang Ting was at her most haggard at the moment. Her grandfather had just lost her husband and had just given birth. Her body had not recovered and her temper was very bad. She complained before even reading the note: "Does the nanny need to be checked even when entering and exiting Shaoyang Hospital?"
Ichiban?!”
"No."
If there was really an interrogation, this note would not be delivered. It must be said that this new baby has brought a great change to Li Heng's situation.
The news was sent by Yu Chaoen, saying that a group of officials had been appointed in the court. The right prime minister and the left prime minister had different opinions, and the saint accepted half of their opinions.
Although the content is simple, the information revealed is by no means simple. In the past, only the right prime minister’s opinions were available, but now the left prime minister can also give his opinions, and half of them are accepted?
Zhang Ting first asked the maid to take good care of her son, then Fang stood up and took Li Heng into the inner room, saying in a low voice: "It can be seen that once Wang Fei died, Ge Nu began to lose control of the court. Anyone who breaks an arm will have to lose his strength."
Hurt, I'm afraid the saint is also starting to be a little dissatisfied with Ge Nu."
Li Heng whispered: "I heard from my eighth sister that Zhang Bian plans to join forces with Yang Guozhong and Chen Xilie to remove Li Linfu from his position."
"If Zhang Bian can serve as prime minister, it will be of great benefit to us."
Zhang Ting believes that the best thing about this matter lies in the choice of Zhang Bian. Zhang Bian is the prince's brother-in-law and has the trust of the saint. Recommending him as prime minister can maximize the alliance of officials against Ge Nu.
"This is a wonderful plan, who came up with it?"
"Xue Bai and Li Mi are in tandem."
"Xue Bai?" Zhang Ting said: "He came back from a trip abroad, and he knows a lot about people. If he is willing to recommend Zhang Bian as the prime minister, it will be regarded as a favor to the East Palace. Your Highness can try to make friends with him."
Li Heng's eyes flashed as he thought about the rumors he had heard, but he still said: "I have this kind of magnanimity, and I'm afraid that young people will retaliate."
"Even if we don't win over each other, we can join forces for the time being. If he wants to fight Li Linfu, we can help him. This is why he is willing to find a cat for Yue Tu. It's all to express his stance."
"How to talk about it?"
Li Heng couldn't help but sigh and looked out the window, feeling that the Shaoyang Courtyard was like a cage.
I wonder if any important minister will die this winter so that he can go to the funeral banquet and have a brief chat with some officials.
"Full Moon Banquet." Zhang Ting said.
Li Heng's eyes lit up and asked: "Is it okay?"
"Our son hasn't been bathed since three days. He can't even have a full moon party."
There was only so much news, and there was nothing else to say. After agreeing on this, Zhang Ting went to take care of the children.
She took her son from the wet nurse's hands, patted him gently, and whispered: "Son, everything I do is for you."
~~
After Zhang Queyi's funeral banquet, his son's full moon banquet has become Li Heng's biggest expectation these days.
Finally, as the twelfth lunar month approached, the saint gave the emperor's grandson the name "Li Yi" and allowed Li Heng to hold a full-moon banquet in the ceremonial courtyard.
On the third day of December, the ceremonial courtyard was slightly decorated and some dignitaries were welcomed.
There were not many guests at Li Heng's banquet. They were mostly relatives, and there were almost no powerful officials above the fifth rank. Only Zhang Bian was invited as his brother-in-law.
In addition, Li Mi was invited as a friend of Wangnian, and Xue Bai was invited as a benefactor of the Zhang family.
Zhang Bian and his wife arrived before the banquet started. When Princess Ning went to pick up the baby and left him alone, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Standing on the porch, even looking at the snow felt beautiful.
Li Heng personally came over with a wine jug and poured Zhang Bian a glass of wine.
"How long has it been since we had a chat like this?"
"It's so rare." Zhang Bian clinked glasses with Li Heng and said with a wry smile: "I've been in a cage for a long time."
"You're slightly better than me."
Zhang Bian looked at Princess Ning Qin and Zhang Ting in the distance and said lightly: "Not necessarily."
"I heard that Jingzhao Shaoyin Zhang Heng was sent to be the governor, and Du Youlin was moved to Jingzhao Shaoyin?"
"I helped push this matter forward." Zhang Bian admitted without hesitation, "In the case of Wang Fei, the Beijing officials made more than 80 quotas. Forty of them were decided by me and them, among which
There are more than ten people who were my students back then."
Li Heng glanced to the side and saw Li Fuguo guarding the corridor, guarding against anyone seeing their whispers.
He had just digested the news with peace of mind, which meant that Chen Xilie, Yang Guozhong, and Zhang Bian had joined forces to fight against Li Linfu.
"How did you do it?"
"The saint was impatient and wanted to finalize all the official positions before the end of the year. At this time, Ge Nu's candidate was impeached by Yan Zhenqing, Xue Bai and others, and the evidence of the crime was detailed. Yan Zhenqing is now very prestigious." Zhang Bian said, "Ge Nu can only
Compromise and end this matter as soon as possible, otherwise when the saint's patience is exhausted and you vent your anger on him, you can really shake his foundation as prime minister."
"Then what?"
Zhang Bian seemed to smile and said in a calm tone: "The sage used to think highly of Ge Nu and Wang Zhi the most, but now he asks me for my opinion on many political matters."
The sage likes to leave everything to his ministers, and among his ministers, he is now the smartest.
In this way, Li Heng had a clearer understanding of the situation and asked: "What should I do?"
"Your Highness doesn't need to do anything. Xue Bai will come soon. Just convey your goodwill to him. He is the mastermind of the Yang Party. If you have his support, you will have the support of the Yang Party. But you don't need to be too forceful, otherwise the saint will not be happy. Young people can
Once we get together and let Changyuan and Princess Hezheng interact with him, the situation will become more and more favorable."
"good."
Li Heng felt much more relaxed, knowing that the future always belonged to him.
However, Xue Bai didn't come even after the banquet started and when it was halfway through.
The capture of Zhou had already begun. Zhang Ting called her confidant maid and asked her to bring a wooden box and opened it. Inside was a set of red gold walking dragons used for rituals.
Zhang Ting took out one of them and put it among Zhuzhou's items.
The guests were all stunned, secretly exclaiming that Zhang Liangdi was bold.
However, after careful consideration, this matter may not offend the saint, and the prince obviously will not be angry. So someone looked at Guangping King Li Chu, and saw that Li Chu's face was as usual, and the city could still withstand the test.
After a while, seeing that the one-month-old child still didn't know how to catch anything, Zhang Ting simply put the shiny red gold walking dragon into his son's little hand.
Li Heng did not look at Li Chu, but only smiled at his newborn son, and then glanced outside the hall again, thinking that Xue Bai would not come, but he really refused to give him this at all.
The prince is not afraid of offending him to death.
In addition, Li Mi didn't come either.
Li Mi once reminded him not to have a son with Zhang Liangdi, so as not to cause trouble later, which was probably the reason why he didn't come. But Li Heng believed that without Zhang Liangdi's support, he would not be able to make it to the future.
A full moon banquet was a huge disappointment. Returning to Shaoyang Courtyard, Li Heng held Li Fuguo's hand with emotion.
"After all, you servants are still worthy of trust."
~~
Xue Bai didn't even give Li Heng a reason not to go to the full moon banquet.
Even if he gave it, it would only make Li Heng even more unhappy, because he went to see his brother Shu Han and went with Yan Zhenqing.
"Teacher has a relationship with General Geshu?"
"The last time General Ge Shu returned to Beijing, he was taken to the Chang'an County Government Office." Yan Zhenqing said, "I handled this case in an official manner and imprisoned him. He was not angry. Instead, he took care of me when I was supervising Longyou. Many cases,
It was only possible because of his support."
Talking as they walked, the master and the apprentice gradually arrived at Kaimingfang.
Turning into the alley, in front of you is a small and simple house, which is obviously a civilian residence.
Xue Bai had been here before and knew that it was not the residence of Ge Shuhan, but the home of a brother and sister named Cao. Oh, the last time Ge Shuhan was taken to the Chang'an County Yamen, it was because of that rather shrewd woman.
His name is Cao Buzha.
Arriving at the door, Yan Zhenqing was about to knock on the door, but when he pushed it, the door opened.
In the small courtyard, three people were drinking. They were Cao Buzhe, Cao Buzheng, his brother and sister, and a young general under Ge Shuhan.
"Yan Yushi is here. Unfortunately, the general has just left the house for some official business."
"It doesn't matter, we'll wait for him."
Yan Zhenqing then introduced the general to Xue Bai. His name was Qian'er Dafu, who was from Qinghai. The Qian'er clan used to be Qiang people, but now they are no different from Han people.
Qian'er Dafu was a carefree man and said: "Xue Lang can call me 'Wang Dafu'. My ancestor also used to have the surname Wang."
"It's better to call him General Qian'er."
"Okay, let me look more impressive and drink some wine?"
Cao Buzhe immediately stood up, stepped on the wine jar, and said, "This is my wine. If you want to drink it, you have to pay for it."
Qian'er Dafu said: "Madam of the Cao family, don't be stingy. You are the general's wife, but it seems that the general is reluctant to even invite people to drink a few jars of wine."
"Who is Ge Shuhan's woman?" Cao Buzhe asked, "I haven't agreed to enter his house yet, so if I want to drink, I have to pay for it."
Qianer Dafu was helpless and was about to pay, but Yan Zhenqing waved his hand and said he would not drink. He also said that his student Xue Bai could only drink one glass, and he could not drink it.
Seeing that he could not sell the wine, Cao Buzhe muttered: "Teacher and student looked so well-dressed and didn't pay any money."
She was using idioms so randomly and no one dared to say anything, so Xue Baisui and Yan Zhenqing sat and waited.
They waited for a long time, until the sky was getting dark and Chang'an was about to go under curfew. If Xue Bai had attended the full moon banquet in the East Palace, it would be too late to come back.
Finally, before the curfew, Ge Shuhan finally drove his horse back, and the soldier behind him was holding a food box in his hand.
As soon as he entered the door and saw Yan Zhenqing and Xue Bai there, he laughed and apologized, but his expression was cheerful and he didn't take this little thing to heart. He handed the food box to Cao Buzhe's hand and said: "Here it is.
You bought the stir-fried dishes from Fengweilou."
"Don't bother me, the food at Fengwei Restaurant only tastes good if you eat it in the hall. How delicious can you bring it back?"
Ge Shuhan then turned to Cao Buzheng and said, "Your sister doesn't want to eat it. You put it in the hall, and I, Mr. Yan, and Mr. Xue will drink and chat."
Cao Buzheng thought he was going to give it to him, so he couldn't help but look helpless when he heard this.
Ge Shuhan laughed loudly and called Yan Zhenqing, and Xue Bai came to sit in the hall.
Xue Bai noticed that this general, who was as tall as a mountain, actually walked unsteadily. When he walked, his left foot was dragging and his body was swaying slightly.
"Mr. Yan laughed. I like Mrs. Cao because she treats me with sincerity and knows how to care for others."
Ge Shuhan said, sat down, looked at Xue Bai without waiting for an answer, and said: "I was just summoned by You Xiang. I heard that you have been having sex with You Xiang recently?"
"Yes." Xue Bai said: "After being the prime minister for more than ten years, it is time for him to retire after his success."
"I am the one who supports the right minister." Ge Shuhan said: "Today there is a full moon banquet in the East Palace, but you didn't go. Instead, you came to me. Where do you stand?"
"I stand on the side of the Tang Dynasty and only interact with loyal ministers who take state affairs as the top priority, regardless of whether they are from the Eastern Palace or the Right Prime Minister."
Xue Bai neither cares about the East Palace nor is he afraid of the right prime minister, so he appears to be extraordinarily magnanimous.
Ge Shuhan looked at him deeply for a while and said: "You should serve in my shogunate. If you want to defeat Tubo, you should have this kind of unscrupulous spirit."
After saying that, he raised a glass of wine and drank it down, feeling very happy.
Xue Bai said: "I have just been promoted to the position of censor, so I have no choice but to decline the general's kindness."
"Speaking of the censor, the right minister plans to appoint me as the censor." Ge Shuhan said, "Although I am just an official with a salary, in name, you are all officials under me."
"yes."
"I will tell you what I have to say. Stop your impeachment. Don't blame me for being ruthless if you dare to oppose the right wing again."
When he said the last sentence, although his tone did not change at all, there was an inexplicable murderous intent in his voice.
Xue Bai said: "How can it be that you are going against your right counterpart and putting national affairs first?"
Yan Zhenqing said: "The general also knows that when I impeached officials in Longyou, I had no selfish motives. Now it is the same in Chang'an. The officials I impeach are all important matters for the people's livelihood."
"But I was mixed with selfish motives." Ge Shuhan admitted frankly: "The Prime Minister has been kind to me. I must repay my kindness and pay my debts. This time I return to Chang'an, I must deal with his troubles."
With that said, he pointed at Xue Bai and said: "You are the trouble for the right prime minister."
Xue Bai shook his head and said: "The trouble with the Right Prime Minister is not with me, but with the fact that he has been jealous of talents and talents and excluded dissidents since he took office. He failed to solve the problems of the Tang Dynasty. Instead, he planted more hidden dangers and made people all over the world complain. Now he is old.
, showing weakness, how can there be no trouble?"
"I don't care about this." Ge Shuhan said, "I just follow what the right minister said. If you don't understand, others can't deal with you, but I can."
Of course he can. He has made great achievements on the border this year and made the saint Long Yan very happy. Even if he sends people to kill Xue Bai, the punishment he will receive is much lighter than others.
Although this imperial censor held a false position, he was able to return the censor's stage to Li Linfu's control before leaving the capital with just his coercion.
Even if Yan Zhenqing and Xue Bai are not afraid of him, other censors including Yang Guozhong must give Ge Shuhan face.
"The matter is settled like this." Ge Shuhan was quite domineering. He picked up the wine glass to toast with the dignity of a minister, drank it all in one gulp, and said: "Whoever troubles the right minister again, I will trouble anyone.
"
~~
At the same time, the Right Prime Minister's Mansion.
After meeting Ge Shuhan, Li Linfu finally relaxed a little.
Over the years, he has suppressed many confidants due to jealousy and jealousy. Fortunately, those Hu people in Bianzhen who cannot threaten his position have not been affected. And the connections and status he has accumulated during his sixteen years as prime minister are still unmatched by anyone in the court.
Compared with him.
"Do you understand?" he asked Li Xiu slowly.
"My child understands today that my grandfather recommended Ge Shu Han as the imperial censor because of his careful consideration and far-sightedness." Li Xiu said, "The sage likes Ge Shu's merits and intends to make him a high minister. Therefore, no one can stop this. And
The censor's platform is the throat, which is very important. Although Ge Shu is a warrior, he can calm the censors for me, and the situation can be saved."
Li Linfu didn't show any joy after hearing this. Instead, he said: "If you step forward for your father, you can easily solve the problem. But what about you? Do you want to huddle under your father's wings for the rest of your life?"
"My child... I'm ashamed." Li Xiu said: "My child will learn from my grandfather and look for loyal and capable junior officials like Geshuhan, Absi, and An Lushan to show favor and support. When they are full-fledged, they can protect the family.
"
"I understand now, I hope it's not too late." Li Linfu sighed.
Li Xiu lowered his head with a bitter look on his face.
It's not that he understood it too late. He understood this truth more than three years ago, so he strongly advocated marrying his sister to Xue Bai. If it happened, wouldn't Xue Bai be his elder brother Shu Han or An Lushan?
It's obvious that his grandfather is stubborn and only now is he willing to admit that he is getting older.
Li Linfu probably knew it in his heart, because he then thought of Xue Bai and ordered: "Summon Luo Xishi."
Not long after, Luo Xixi arrived and bowed respectfully.
"Do you have any clues about what the prime minister asked you to do?"
"Yes." Luo Xishi responded: "My official carefully investigated several major cases handled by Yan Zhenqing and found many doubtful points."
He came prepared and took out several files from his sleeves and handed them over.
"The case of Shuofang County Magistrate Zheng Yanzuo not burying his mother for thirty years is very suspicious. How can anyone not bury his mother for thirty years?" Luo Xixi said, "The official sent someone to ask Zheng Yanzuo and found out the truth. It was Yan Zhenqing's fault.
Asking him for a bribe failed, and it was actually an act of harm. Zheng Yanzuo's mother had been lost thirty years ago. He kindly placed an old woman in a monk's house, gave him money, and asked the monks to take care of her. Later, the old woman passed away and spread rumors.
…”
Li Linfu was too lazy to listen and asked, "Is there any evidence?"
"have!"
Luo Xishi responded loudly and readily, saying: "Three brothers Zheng Yanzuo, the old monks in the previous monk's house were all witnesses."
Li Xiu asked: "Is there any physical evidence?"
Luo Xishi said: "The key to this case is not the physical evidence, but General Geshu. I heard that Zheng Yanzuo once wanted to teach Yan Zhenqing a lesson, but there were soldiers under General Geshu who blocked it..."
"I'll ask my brother Shu Han for the truth." Li Linfu said lightly: "That's not enough."
"There is another case that is more suitable for dealing with Yan Zhenqing." Luo Xishi said: "Yan Zhenqing framed Jinwu General Li Yanye, claiming that he entertained Tibetans privately and drove outside the rules. But in this case, Yan Zhenqing had no evidence, and Li Yanye often accompanied the saint.
He was so trusted that the sage did not make a conclusion based on Yan Zhenqing's words and ordered Dali Temple to conduct a detailed investigation."
Li Linfu knows all these things, it just depends on what Luo Xishi has in mind.
"Right Prime Minister, as long as Dali Temple can conclude that Li Yanye was wronged, it will be enough to suppress Yan Zhenqing."
~~
Kaimingfang, Cao Family Courtyard.
Ge Shuhan is still chatting with Yan Zhenqing and Xue Bai.
He didn't bother to talk more about the court affairs. After finalizing the decision, he asked Yan Zhenqing about another matter.
"Did Mr. Yan help keep an eye on those Tubo people?"
"Start." Yan Zhenqing said, "They went to Jinwu General Li Yanye's house several times to discuss privately. I have impeached Li Yanye."
"What he did to impeach him, we should just follow the clues."
"Firstly, the Jinwu Guards are very involved and should not be ignored; secondly, it may not be as good as following the clues to scare the snake."
Ge Shuhan nodded and said: "This is a state matter to deal with foreign enemies. It is more important for us to eat the emperor's salary and have less power to fight internally and worry more about state affairs. What does Xue Lang think?"
"What the general said makes sense."
"How about asking Xue Lang to help buy some Tusu wine?"
Xue Bai took a look and saw that there were still several jars of wine in the hall. He knew that his brother Shuhan and Yan Zhenqing had something to discuss in private, so he got up and went out.
He did not go to buy wine. He stood in the courtyard and looked at the kitchen. Cao Buzhe was boiling medicine, cursing and saying that Ge Shuhan was a scoundrel in Chang'an before, but now that he has become a general, he is still a scoundrel.
As Ge Shuhan said today, Xue Bai was actually mentally prepared. The political property left behind by Wang Xian after his death was almost divided among the spoils, and he did not need Yushitai to play any more role.
There is only one key position left. If Yang Guozhong can be pushed up, then Yang Guozhong will naturally cling to Li Linfu for the next nine years of Tianbao.
After waiting for a while, Yan Zhenqing came out and said, "Let's go."
"Curfew."
"Can two Chang'an County lieutenants still be trapped by the curfew?"
Yan Zhenqing said it jokingly, but after leaving the house, he sighed and said, "Did you notice? The curfew in Chang'an City is becoming more and more relaxed."
Xue Bai said: "Jinwu Guards are lazy, and Xue Hui will retire after the New Year."
"The whole court is getting old."
"If the teacher can become the prime minister within two or three years, he will be the youngest prime minister in the Tianbao period."
"What? You incited Chen Xilie, Yang Guozhong, and Zhang Bian, and now you want to incite me too?"
"The students are serious." Xue Bai said, "What the students really hope is to promote the teacher to the throne within two or three years, so that the Tang Dynasty can continue to prosper. As for Chen Xilie, Yang Guozhong, Zhang Bian... they will be embarrassed."
Yan Zhenqing stroked his beard and asked with a smile: "How many drinks have you had?"
"One drink, the student is not drunk."
"Since I'm not drunk, I want to talk to you about something serious." Yan Zhenqing said, "How about setting the wedding date in March of the ninth year of Tianbao?"
Xue Bai kicked away a snow ball on the ground and responded: "Follow the teacher's arrangements."
~~
The sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.
Yushitai, Chaoyuan.
Xue Bai has already secured some official positions and promoted a group of low-level talents he selected. Now he only has to wait until the New Year for these people to take up posts in Beijing, including Du Youlin, and they have to hand over the errands in Luoyang before taking their daughters back to Chang'an.
.
It is Xue Bai's strength that these talents will achieve results in the future.
This can be regarded as his main idea in fighting for power, but there are not many intrigues.
Especially after being "scared" by Ge Shuhan, he finally seemed a little more at ease and honestly acted as his supervisory censor.
Supervising the censor is a "Qing important" position, which is noble and important. In other words, there are many things to do, including correction, inspection, impeachment and recommendation, that is, correcting the etiquette of official meetings; inspecting palaces, imperial cities, inns, prefectures and counties
; Impeach officials who have neglected their duties and committed crimes; push for interrogation.
On this day, he was listening to Mao Ruoxu giving instructions in the capital hall, when he suddenly heard a commotion in the front yard of the Yushitai.
When he faintly heard the words "Yan Zhenqing", Xue Bai walked out without waiting for Mao Ruoxu to speak. He saw a group of Jinwu guards shouting there, surrounding a group of Dali Temple guards, shouting for Yan Zhenqing to come to Dali.
He went to the temple to confront Li Yanye in court.
"You just wronged our general! Now that you have found the evidence, why don't you go and clear the general's name?!"
"..."
It usually doesn't matter if the censor impeaches the wrong person, but if the commotion is too big, it is common for the censor to be demoted to a remote place in order to calm the trouble.
Xue Bai did not rush forward, but stood there and observed everyone's reactions.
Finally, he turned around and saw Luo Xishi standing on the steps of the palace courtyard, watching with cold eyes.
Xue Bai actually didn't quite understand why they attacked Yan Zhenqing in the first place given Yan Zhenqing's reputation, but it was obvious that the counterattack of the Right Prime Minister's Office had begun.
He thought for a moment and did not stop the Dali Temple guards to take Yan Zhenqing to confront him. Instead, he left the Yushitai and went directly to Kaimingfang to find his brother Shuhan...
~~
Until the evening that day, Li Heng, who was in Shaoyang Courtyard, also received incomplete news.
He handed the note to Zhang Ting again.
"Ge Nu has taken action against Yan Zhenqing, I can't figure it out."
"He started to fight back, but why did he find the hardest person first?" Zhang Ting thought for a while and murmured: "If I had to guess, he wants to marry Xue Bai again."
"real?"
Li Heng sneered, feeling that Ge Nu was very ridiculous.
For a moment, his eyes darkened, but he also began to think about it.
The saint had been kind to Dong Gong recently, which gave him some new ideas. Especially when he heard from Zhang Bian that Xue Bai had been very close to Li Mi and Li Yuetu recently.
"Let's help Yan Zhenqing."
"Um?"
"In this case, in the end, it is impossible to say who will be married to this marriage..."