Liu Ji came out of Wude Palace and went directly to the residence of Zhang Liang, the Minister of Punishment, without returning home.
In the flower hall, Zhang Liang heard Liu Jie describe the decision made in Wude Hall just now, and couldn't help but smile bitterly and said: "I am deeply moved by Liu Zhongshu's caring heart, but he was too hasty."
Did you leave Taiji Palace and come to me to tell the world that I have surrendered to you and become your wing, so as to demonstrate the authority of your Zhongshu Ling?
But in His Majesty’s eyes, am I not equal to a traitor?
Liu Jie disagreed: "Your Majesty is generous, how can you be blamed for this? The Duke does not need to care about small details. He only needs to maintain his strength in Luoyang and don't be coerced by Liu Xiangdao and others. He will move forward without any opinion. The position of General Youjin Wuwei must be unreasonable."
The thing in it.”
The situation in Luoyang is an extension of the politics of Chang'an. Chang'an, which seems to be a backwater, will soon be reflected in the ups and downs of Luoyang.
Therefore, Liu Ji was suppressed in Chang'an and hoped that he could turn defeat into victory in Luoyang. When Pei Huaijie's letter was delivered to him just one step later than King Wei's secret letter, he was overjoyed and tried to protect Pei Huaijie no matter what.
Sit in the Henan Yin position for a few more days.
He doesn't care whether His Majesty's strategy of "suppressing the clan" can be implemented smoothly, he only cares about his own power and whether it can grow and be stable.
Even if Pei Huaijie cannot be saved in the end, it doesn't matter. Such an ally with a deep political foundation is what he wants in Chang'an...
But the premise is that Pei Huaijie must be given strong support so that he can realize the weight of his Zhongshu Order, so that he will not change his family.
Zhang Liang had no choice but to nod in agreement: "Don't worry Liu Zhongshu, I know what to do."
Although he is not good at political struggles, his trip to Luoyang is very worry-free. For no other reason, as long as Liu Xiangdao wants to do it, he can just oppose it...
Then he sighed: "The tree wants to be still but the wind doesn't stop. My original intention was to give up politics and join the army, return to the army, and not cause these troubles in the court. As a result, not only could I not retreat even if I wanted to, but I was pushed to the forefront.
No matter what."
He was sincerely tired of these political struggles. He lacked wisdom and strategy. Every time he was pushed to the ground and rubbed by his opponents. He couldn't even defeat a junior like Fang Jun. He had long been discouraged. Now there is a man who has returned to the army but...
Naturally, he seized the opportunity to take charge of Youjin Wuwei and did not hesitate to kowtow to Liu Jie, a civil servant whom he usually did not like very much.
I just hope that this time it will be smoother, that I can return to Chang'an safely, and never cause the whole intrigue thing again...
…
After Liu Xiangdao left, Li Chengqian was sitting alone in the imperial study, thinking. Outside the door, Li Junxian quickly walked in and whispered: "Your Majesty, after Zhongshu Ling left Taiji Palace, he went directly to the residence of Duke Yu.
, retreated and discussed for about an hour before leaving."
Li Chengqian paused slightly while holding the teacup, took a sip of tea, nodded and said, "I understand, please step back."
"Here."
Li Chengqian sat for a while and drank a cup of tea, then got up and returned to the palace.
The queen came forward and took several maids to help Li Chengqian bathe and change clothes, and then the couple had a meal together.
After the meal was finished, Li Chengqian suddenly asked: "There was a monk from Tianzhu in my father's palace, but I don't know what happened to him in the end?"
The queen was stunned for a moment, then shook her head and said: "That day, Monk Zhu was first in the Taiji Palace. Many ministers, including the Duke of Yue, advised his father to stay away, so his father arranged for him to go to Jinbiaomen in Jiucheng Palace to refine elixirs.
It seems that ever since the death of Emperor Father, Monk Zhu Fan has disappeared that day."
Li Chengqian was silent.
The Queen was frightened and asked in a low voice: "Why did Your Majesty suddenly think of this person?"
Li Chengqian said in a deep voice: "That monk won my father's trust and allowed him to spend a lot of manpower and material resources to refine the elixir. However, I looked through my father's daily life records during his lifetime in the past two days and found that within half a year before my father's death, he did not find anyone at all.
There is no record of Fan Seng and the elixir...this matter is a bit unusual."
Emperor Taizong was plagued by illness in his early years, and the palace doctors could not cure him for a long time. He gradually began to rely on folk remedies and elixirs to treat serious illnesses. During this period, due to the strong advice of the ministers, he had to stop taking the elixirs and drove the monks to Jiucheng Palace. However, the situation remained the same.
Secret alchemy...
It can be seen from this that Emperor Taizong had such trust in Fan Monk and the elixirs that he could stop taking the elixirs after the imperial commander went on a personal expedition and returned to Chang'an.
The queen thought for a while and hesitated: "Chu Suiliang has always been responsible for the daily records of my father, and the cause of my father's death was also taking the elixir presented by Changsun Wuji... Is there something that Chu Suiliang still failed to tell your majesty?
"
When I said this, I was shocked.
Although Chu Suiliang almost suffered the death penalty for this, he later relied on the King of Jin to escape, but he remained loyal to His Majesty after the King of Jin's defeat...
According to common sense, a minister like Chu Suiliang was extremely disgusted with the title of "Second Minister". Even if he was forced to betray his master and seek glory once, how could he do it again and again?
In particular, the King of Jin knew that the death of Emperor Taizong was closely related to Chu Suiliang, but still took him into his service to clear his name, regardless of his filial piety.
Thinking of getting rid of King Jin's control.
There may be some earth-shattering secret in this...
Li Chengqian pondered for a long time and sighed: "Now that the matter has come to this, what's the use of pursuing the truth? My father cannot be resurrected, his brothers have fallen into betrayal, and the country's affairs are in a mess..."
He wanted to find out the truth about his father's death, but subconsciously he didn't dare to search.
just in case……
Can you really bear to raise the butcher knife?
The queen was thinking from another angle: "If there really was an unknown secret behind the death of my father, it means that there is an invisible black hand lurking in the palace, and it can even be hidden under the wisdom of my father."
Deep... if this black hand is still there, wouldn't His Majesty be in grave danger?"
Even a wise and mighty emperor like Emperor Taizong was brutally murdered, so how could Li Chengqian escape?
Li Chengqian was not afraid: "It is precisely because my father was wise and wise that he was overconfident in the past, which gave the thieves an opportunity to take advantage of. I pride myself on being far inferior to my father and will never try to be smart. Besides, we are already on guard now. How can I do that?"
Can the thieves succeed again?"
The queen's lips parted slightly, but she hesitated to speak. A look of worry appeared on her dignified and beautiful face... Isn't being so steadfast and fearless another kind of self-confidence?
It is not a good thing to be modest and gain, but to be full of losses.
However, the two of them were not only husband and wife, but also monarch and minister. Some things could be said before, but after Li Chengqian ascended the throne, he had to say them selectively.
You can only be more careful in your heart.
Li Chengqian didn't think so deeply, stretched his body, and said with longing in his tone: "The situation in Luoyang is undercurrent. Qingque and Erlang are burdened with arduous tasks, and the situation is extremely tense. But as long as they each complete my entrustment, the situation will be better."
With a new era, the empire's stubborn diseases have been wiped out. Although I cannot compare to my father in initiating great achievements and single-handedly creating the prosperous age of Zhenguan, I can still continue the prosperous age, and I am worthy of my father and the world."
The Queen forced a smile and said: "Your Majesty's kindness is rare throughout the ages. He also does more damage to the aristocratic families than makes up for the deficiencies. This is the way of heaven. The way of heaven is brilliant, and those who follow it will prosper, and your majesty's achievements will be remembered forever."
She naturally knows where her husband's heart is.
Just like Emperor Taizong's "rebellion and usurpation" back then. Although he has made great achievements and is an emperor throughout the ages, killing his brothers and forcing his father to abdicate is like a curse for his whole life. He is always trying his best to be an emperor and let the world
People know that only by inheriting the throne can he bring peace and order to the world.
The same is true for Li Chengqian. Emperor Taizong wanted to change the throne several times, which caused great doubts about the "legitimacy" of Li Chengqian's accession to the throne. Therefore, he also tried hard to make some achievements and let the world see that Emperor Taizong was "ignorant". The only way
He, Li Chengqian, is the most suitable one to ascend the throne.
This mentality of urgent need for recognition will create huge pressure and will most likely lead to huge psychological changes...
*****
Hedong, Hanoi, and Henan are collectively called the "Three Rivers". Hedong and Hanoi are bounded by the Taihang Mountains, and Hanoi and Henan are bounded by the Yellow River. "Historical Records·Biography of Huozhi" once said that "in the past, the people of the Tang Dynasty were in Hedong, the people of the Yin Dynasty were in Hanoi, and the people of the Zhou Dynasty were all in Hedong.
Henan. The three rivers in the world are like a tripod, where kings often live, and the founding of the country is hundreds of thousands of years old."
This is the birthplace of Chinese culture.
China is so vast and rich in resources, why did it originate from the "Land of Three Rivers" alone?
In addition to the abundant water flow of the Yellow River nourishing crops and the fertile riverbanks suitable for farming, it is also because there is a Hedong salt pond-Jiechi that has been rich in salt since ancient times.
The history of human civilization is inseparable from salt, and it was indeed difficult to obtain salt in the ancient inland areas. Therefore, wherever there are salt ponds, brilliant civilizations can be born. And controlled salt ponds can control a larger population, and more
It is the most important source of wealth.
This is the case in Jiechi. Yu Shun once played and sang "The Poems of the South Wind" with his homemade five-stringed qin, singing that the south wind brought wealth to Jiechi: "The south wind blows three times, which can relieve the warmth of our people! When the south wind blows,
You can enrich our people’s wealth!”
Therefore, the existence of Jiechi not only enabled the birth and inheritance of Chinese civilization, but to this day, its strategic position is also second to none. Any regime that wants to stabilize in the "Land of Three Rivers" must have it in its hands.
For Li Chengqian, mastering the Jiechi salt tax is equivalent to mastering the entire "land of three rivers". The imperial authority dominates the "three rivers" and overlooks the world; similarly, for the Hedong family, mastering Jiechi keeps their family in imperial politics.
at the forefront, taking the initiative no matter how the situation changes.
Previously, the nobles in Hedong, Luoyang and other places supported the King of Jin and sent troops into the pass. After the King of Jin was defeated, he only wrote a letter to plead guilty, and Li Chengqian let it go...why? It was precisely because the central government could not accept the consequences of the collapse of the Jiechi Salt Tax.
Therefore, after Li Chengqian stabilized the situation, he immediately sent his trusted generals to Jiechi, hoping to completely solve the salt tax problem.
Imperial power and powerful families regard it as a battleground...