Although the Hedong matter has been slightly dealt with, Li Chengqian did not feel that it was appropriate in his heart. Not only was he angry because the Hedong family was so outrageous and dared to threaten all employees to go on strike and close the salt works, but also because Fang Jun was violent and ignorant of the general situation.
And dissatisfied...
The purpose of rectifying the salt affairs of the Hedong salt field is to suppress the Hedong family, and then intimidate Luoyang and even the entire Henan County, and completely bring the "land of three rivers" under the control of the court, rather than provoke the Hedong family to rebel and change the situation.
Pushed into an unpredictable and dangerous situation.
There is a fire brewing within the clan. Once induced by external factors, it will explode and cause a huge turmoil. How could Fang Jun not know?
Even though he knew this, he still didn't know how to restrain himself in Hedong. Did he ever take the safety of his emperor into consideration?
Returning to the palace with a gloomy expression, Queen Su took the maids to wash up, changed into a set of regular clothes and drank tea in the study.
Seeing that the emperor was unhappy, the queen asked curiously: "What trouble has your majesty encountered?"
Li Chengqian put down his tea cup and briefly described what happened in Hedong. At the end, he sounded dissatisfied: "Erlang has always acted arbitrarily, and I have never restrained him because I trust his ability and loyalty, but what he did in Hedong this time was too violent."
, without considering the consequences at all, putting me in danger."
The Queen thought for a while and said softly: "In the final analysis, Your Majesty still lacks trust in the Duke of Yue. Everyone in the world says that the Duke of Yue is willful and willful. We can count all his past events. Has there ever been a time when a major event failed to happen due to his willfulness?
Since he dares to ignore the strike of the Hedong Family and the suspension of production in the Hedong Saltworks, there must be a way to solve it."
Although she is a member of the female class, she is not as wise and wise as the nobles in the court, but she also knows the principle of "do not use people who are suspicious, and do not trust people when they are employed". At the moment, it is just the counterattack of the Hedong family, whether it is a strike or a suspension of production.
, it only caused public opinion and had no substantial negative consequences.
Is it wise to deny Fang Jun's actions just because someone is worried about bad results?
At the very least, it is not too late to wait until the consequences begin to show.
Moreover, Fang Jun is not just someone else, he is recognized by everyone as the number one meritorious deed of "benevolence and harmony". For such a meritorious minister, the emperor must fully trust and affirm him. Even if the final result is extremely bad, he must find ways to turn around and eliminate the disadvantages.
Influence.
Otherwise, I am afraid it will be difficult to escape the reputation of "harsh treatment of meritorious service"...
Li Chengqian frowned and said displeasedly: "It's not that I don't trust Erlang, it's just that this matter has caused an uproar and is very likely to trigger reactions from all parties and lead to unexpected consequences. The risk is too great."
There is a difference between risk and exposure. Some risks can ultimately lead to consequences that can be borne, so it doesn't matter if the risk is larger. However, some risks can ultimately lead to consequences that cannot be borne, so even a slight risk cannot be accepted.
"The purpose of rectifying the salt affairs is to subdue the Hedong family. As long as Hedong is peaceful, Henan will be peaceful, and the entire Guandong region is not in chaos, then Guanzhong will be under control... But now Erlang's actions have angered the Hedong family. Once Hedong
If the aristocratic family is ruined, the entire Guandong region will become a mess, the country will be in turmoil, and the country will be shaken. When the turmoil comes from the outside in and spreads to Guanzhong, it will inevitably lead to a catastrophe!"
He also knew that Fang Jun's intention was to completely cut off the financial resources of the Hedong family, and then to intimidate the families in the entire Henan region, causing them to take action, causing a huge loss of financial resources, and solving the problem once and for all.
But at this critical moment when the clan is not stable, why are you so eager for success?
It is not considerate enough for him as an emperor.
This is also in line with Fang Jun's consistent political philosophy. He is loyal to the empire, but not necessarily loyal to a certain emperor.
The original Emperor Taizong couldn't make Fang Jun loyal to him, let alone Li Chengqian?
The husband and wife were of the same mind, and the queen had already seen some dissatisfaction and even complaints from her husband's expression and words. She pursed her lips, but did not speak to persuade him.
The emperor rules over the world, and his authority is unshakable. Anyone who sits in this position will inevitably have a change of mentality under the absolute authority. The term "I am the only one" does not sound good, but it is the best portrayal of the emperor.
Even if a couple blindly accuses the emperor of making mistakes and refutes his words, estrangement and suspicion will arise.
It may not be a good thing for Fang Jun.
After Li Chengqian drank tea and reviewed the memorial alone in the study, the queen took the two maids out of Wude Hall and went to Shujing Hall to visit Princess Changle.
*****
Liang Guogong Mansion.
A secret letter was placed on the desk in the study. Fang Xuanling was sitting behind the desk, drinking tea slowly. Princess Gao Yang and Wu Meiniang were sitting by the window, both of them looking solemn.
Princess Gao Chang frowned and said in an unhappy tone: "What are these people doing? The Hedong Salt Farm has been in the hands of the Hedong Family for hundreds of years. Anyone who wants to open a gap in it will have to face a crazy counterattack. Now it's just
It’s just a strike and a production stoppage, why is it necessary to be so arrogant?”
The news in Taiji Palace came out through a secret letter sent by Princess Changle. Naturally, everyone in the Fang family had to deal with it with caution. Fang Xuanling did not choose to act like a "big patriarch" and go his own way. Instead, he called his two daughters-in-law to brainstorm.
.
I am old, and although my body is still strong, the family business will be handed over to the second wife sooner or later. It is a good thing to let my daughters-in-law experience it earlier and gain more experience, so as not to be panicked when things happen in the future when supporting the family business.
As for the big families, let them inherit their titles and teach and educate people in a leisurely way. It is better not to get involved in political matters...
Fang Xuanling put down the teacup and looked at Wu Meiniang: "What does Meiniang think?"
Princess Gao Yang knew that her talent in this area was far inferior to the latter, so she also looked sideways.
Wu Meiniang thought about it carefully and said crisply: "Your Highness's words are very reasonable. Since Your Majesty sent Lang Jun to the Hedong Salt Fields, as long as Lang Jun makes any move, he will inevitably suffer a counterattack from the Hedong family. This kind of thing should be foreseen.
.As for whether it will expand and cause turmoil in Guandong, Guanzhong and other places, it still depends on whether the salt works can be resumed as soon as possible... It is impossible for Lang Jun to think of the current situation. Since he thought of it but still did it, he must be confident. "
Fang Xuanling reminded: "The key lies in what your Majesty thinks."
Wu Meiniang blinked and was a little surprised: "How could your Majesty have other ideas? Since he sent Lang Jun to rectify the salt affairs, he should be prepared for the possible counterattack of the Hedong family. The situation is still under control, so there is nothing to worry about.
?”
The Hedong family has controlled the Hedong salt field for hundreds of years. Since the Three Kingdoms, it has experienced dynasty changes and regime changes. It still firmly controls the salt field today, which shows how powerful it is. If they want to share in other people's interests, they may even
Since the salt farm is nationalized, the Hedong family must be prepared for an all-out counterattack.
You can't hold a knife to cut people's flesh, and then let them just happily let themselves be slaughtered, right?
Fang Xuanling shook his head and said warmly: "In matters in this world, the difference between success and failure depends not only on whether the preparations are careful, whether the weather is favorable, whether the location is suitable, but also on the people. When different people handle the same thing, there will often be completely different consequences.
Different consequences... People have different abilities, different perspectives, and different personalities, so the results will naturally be very different."
Wu Meiniang frowned: "Father, do you mean that His Majesty will be shaken?"
If Li Chengqian cannot withstand the pressure and even doubts his previous decisions, wouldn't Lang Jun's actions in Hedong be in vain?
Fang Xuanling said: "How can the Nine-Five Supreme Being, the Lord of the World, go back on his word? On the face of it, he will naturally not make a decision that he regrets, and he has to withstand the pressure from all sides. But just because he is stubborn,
You will feel depressed and aggrieved in your heart, thinking that Erlang is not prudent enough in his work and cannot understand the situation he, the emperor, faces... This kind of mentality is the most likely to cause estrangement."
After a pause, he taught earnestly: "Kings are the masters of the world. It's not that they don't want to treat others with sincerity, but the interests involved are too many, too broad, and too confusing. It's impossible to trust a certain person consistently, no matter in your heart."
No matter how unwilling they are, they will bow to the interests after weighing the trade-offs, because they have the world on their shoulders and the world in mind."
Wu Meiniang understood, nodded and said: "I originally planned to stay in Chang'an for a few more days to sort out the trivial matters. In this case, I will leave for Luoyang tomorrow to meet with Lang Jun and ask him to cut the mess quickly and clear up the Hedong Saltworks as soon as possible.
It’s time to wrap things up, don’t delay.”
If this incident causes a estrangement between Lang Jun and Your Majesty, it will definitely cause greater turmoil and cause more losses to Your Majesty. But if Lang Jun can handle the matter as soon as possible and the salt farm resumes production quickly, not only
There will be no so-called estrangement, and he will perfectly complete His Majesty's assignment to solve the problems of the Hedong family and make great contributions.
The saltworks have resumed production, and there will be no chaos in Hedong. Now the noisy public opinion in various places in Guanzhong has naturally subsided, and no one has an excuse to cause trouble.
Fang Xuanling was very pleased: "There is no need to be too anxious. Since Erlang dares to use his brains on the ownership of the salt field, he must be successful. All we need to do is to warn him to act more safely, to finish things more neatly, and to slow things down. Don't do it."
Just go to war."
He knows his son better than his father. How can he not know the character of his second son? He is a stick that "has no reason to disturb three points". Once he gets the reason, he will chase and beat him without mercy. If the Hedong family is tough to the end, it will only
I'm afraid nothing good will happen.
However, we have just taken the first step to suppress the family. We only need to achieve the goal of cutting off the financial resources of the Hedong family. It is not appropriate to pursue and attack them so hard that they will suffer heavy losses. Otherwise, everyone in the world will be in danger and the rabbit will die and the fox will be sad. Think about it later.
Suppressing other clans will inevitably lead to their desperate counterattack, and the price the court will have to pay will greatly increase, and the gains outweigh the losses.
Wu Meiniang nodded happily: "Thank you very much, father, for your teaching. I will certainly advise you."