Looking at Li Yuangui, who was crying and stumbling into the imperial study, Li Chengqian was speechless: After all, your family has done something wrong, but now it seems like you are the victim?
Fang Jun then came in, bowed and saluted: "I have an audience with Your Majesty."
Li Chengqian waved his hand: "When we meet in private, there is no need to be so careful about etiquette. Just be more casual. Uncle Wang, please take a seat. Erlang will also take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
The two spoke in unison, then looked at each other and sat on either side of the desk.
The waiter served him some fragrant tea and left.
Li Chengqian took a sip of tea, glanced at Li Yuangui who looked aggrieved, and sighed to Fang Jun: "Uncle Wang delivered a letter to the palace last night, telling you about your visit... I have already dealt with this matter before you came back.
, Uncle Wang was also wrongly accused, and Li Yi and Li Sixun’s small punishments and large admonishments did not lead to bad consequences after all, so let’s end it here.”
Li Yuangui on the side was secretly shocked. He knew that Fang Jun was highly valued and trusted by His Majesty, but at this moment, His Majesty's words and attitude were almost "begging", begging Fang Jun to let go...Does the emperor also want to be so humble to his ministers?
Fang Juncheng was horrified: "What did your Majesty say? You are the king of a country, and you speak of the Constitution of Heaven. Since you have said that this matter will end here, it must end here. I will never dare to have any objections. The reason why last night
I came to the gate of Prince Huo's Mansion just because I was depressed, so I came to the door to make some nonsense, and said a few harsh words to vent my anger, that's all."
Li Chengqian said happily: "Everyone will be angry if this matter happens to them. It is reasonable for Erlang to have a fit."
Turning to Li Yuangui, he said warmly: "Since Erlang has said that, there is no need for Uncle Wang to hold on to him. After all, it is Li Yi's fault. Uncle Wang should be more generous."
If it was just last night, Li Yuangui would naturally no longer pursue Fang Jun's threats at home. But just now Fang Jun threatened all his sons again. This guy kept his word. What if he got hit hard?
He wiped away his tears and said with a choked voice: "I am getting older and have no interest in government affairs. Now I just play with my grandchildren every day to enjoy the happiness of family. I am an incompetent person, and the most important among Gaozu's disciples."
I am useless. Fortunately, I was born into an emperor's family. I will live a life full of glory and wealth. If I can have more prosperous descendants, I will die in peace. But just now, the Duke of Yue Kingdom said that he might cause trouble for those evil sons of mine, so I have to ask your Majesty to do something.
Zhongren, to eliminate this disaster, as long as the Yue State openly proposes conditions, I will not shirk them."
These words are full of deep love for his children and grandchildren, quite like an old and frail old father who is worried because his children and grandchildren have provoked a bully in the countryside and is worried about the bully's revenge. It really makes the listener sad and sheds tears.
Li Chengqian was stunned and looked at Fang Jun.
Fang Jun didn't wait for him to speak before he spoke: "Your Majesty clearly knows that the minister is not threatening His Royal Highness King Huo, but telling the truth. This time Li Yi knew about Princess Changle but still dared to play tricks. This shows that the whole family of King Huo is not only interested in
I have evil intentions and have no respect for the royal family. I can promise your majesty that this matter will end here, but if everyone in Prince Huo's palace does it again in the future, will I still tolerate it?"
Li Yuangui hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, I promise you, this is just this time, and it won't be the same in the future!"
Fang Jun sneered: "What's the difference between saying this nonsense and not saying it? In front of His Majesty, you swear on your children and grandchildren that if you do it again, no matter who is involved, you will be punished immediately!"
Li Yuangui was speechless.
How dare he make such a poisonous oath?
Li Yi was able to deceive Li Sixun yesterday, how could he know that Fang Jun would not be able to deceive his own son that day? By then, his children and grandchildren would accidentally be deceived, and I am afraid that even His Majesty would not be willing to intercede for him...
He could only look at Li Chengqian helplessly.
Li Chengqian's eyebrows were furrowed, he was quite troubled, and he was very dissatisfied in his heart: The dignified prince is so humble, but you are still not finished, do I, the emperor, have no face at all?
He felt that he should declare his authority as the emperor, so he said with a stern face: "I said that this matter should end here, so let's end it here."
After a pause, he felt that he was too tough, fearing that Fang Junyi would be offended, so he said: "As for the future...Uncle Wang still has to discipline the children in the family and not cause trouble. The Tang Dynasty has its own laws. If you offend, I will
We can’t protect them either.”
Li Yuangui smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, it is clear that the evil son of my family also fell into the trap of others without knowing it. It was definitely not intentional."
Fang Jun was extremely dissatisfied with these words: "Your Majesty said it would stop here, so of course it ends here. But now, instead of showing any guilt or repentance, His Majesty just shirks his responsibility, which is irresponsible. This time
That's all, if next time someone from Prince Huo's palace is transferred into someone else's group and does something similar, will it still only require His Highness to say 'I was cheated', and I have to forget about it and call it a day?"
Li Chengqian knew that Fang Jun was not just messing around. He cared about his loved ones the most and would never allow the slightest offense, let alone any potential danger, so he glanced at Li Yuangui.
Since someone wants a guarantee from you, then you should give a guarantee.
Li Yuangui understood the meaning of His Majesty's look, but he was full of bitterness and did not dare to give such a guarantee.
He gave birth to six sons, including two legitimate sons and four common sons, all of whom grew up. The youngest legitimate son, Li Yi, was already twenty years old and had already married a wife and had children. Six sons plus more than a dozen grandsons can be said to be a small population.
Prosperous and luxuriant, it is impossible for these children to stay in the house all day long. Some have already served as officials in various government offices, and some are wandering around watching flowers.
As long as someone seduce, frame or frame you, you can easily do something wrong.
It is easy for me to make a promise today, but if someone else’s children or grandchildren make mistakes again, how can I plead for mercy?
Li Yuangui knew he was in trouble. Fang Jun was chasing after him in an aggressive manner. He obviously didn't intend to "stop here", so he could only look to Li Chengqian for help.
Li Chengqian was also angry. For what others are saying, you only need to lower your head and make a promise. Why do you refuse to say a word?
When Li Yuangui saw Li Chengqian lowering his head to drink tea, he sighed in his heart. Knowing that he could not count on his majesty, he had to give Fang Jun a guarantee: "This matter is over here. If there is another incident like this in the future, it will be dealt with according to the national law."
Fang Jun nodded: "I hope your highness will remember what you said today."
Then he turned to Li Chengqian and said: "Your Majesty, I still have many affairs to deal with, so I will leave for now."
"Well, you go and do your work first. I have done the most great work for you during this trip to Luoyang. I will hold a banquet in the palace tomorrow to welcome you and wash away the dust."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will take my leave."
Seemingly feeling that it was inappropriate for him to be alone with Li Yuangui in private after Fang Jun left, and that he could easily be misunderstood, Li Chengqian said to Li Yuangui: "Uncle Wang, if you have nothing else to do, please step aside for the time being."
Li Yuangui did have something to say, but His Majesty kicked out the guest, so he had no choice but to respond: "I obey the order."
Watching the two people leave the imperial study one after another, Li Chengqian sat there for a long time with a gloomy expression before getting up and going back to the palace behind.
…
Queen Su served Li Chengqian to bathe and change clothes, and then had lunch together. Seeing that he was taciturn and looked gloomy, she couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, is there something on your mind?"
Li Chengqian sighed, simply put down the bowl and chopsticks, and complained: "I have already trusted Fang Jun in my humble position, relied on him so much, and almost obeyed his words. For this, the government and the public criticized me for being cowardly and without independent opinions, and they almost called me a puppet.
But look at how he repaid me. Although Li Yi was wrong, it had no negative consequences after all. King Huo came to me crying, and I asked Fang Jun to let him go. In the end, this guy was unwilling.
It seems that he has agreed, but in fact he is prevaricating in every possible way and trying every possible means to leave a lead so that he can cause trouble for King Huo in the future... It is simply unreasonable."
The queen was a little puzzled: "But isn't this matter the fault of Prince Huo's Palace? Since there is a mistake, there must be punishment. If such a big thing is reduced to a trivial matter, how can we punish past mistakes and avoid future ones? If Prince Huo's Palace cannot learn a lesson,
If it happens again in the future, where will His Majesty's majesty be placed?"
Li Chengqian looked at the queen in surprise and asked: "Why do you always speak for Fang Jun?"
The queen was even stranger than him: "Who are you speaking to, my concubine? That's the truth. The most important thing your majesty should do is to make rewards and punishments clear. Why does Fang Jun feel dissatisfied? Don't you understand?"
With Fang Jun's past achievements and current status, how can he allow his family to be threatened by the outside world?
King Huo is the son of Emperor Gaozu, so he only needs to admit his mistakes sincerely. No matter how unwilling Fang Jun is, he still has to give face to the clan. But now you are using imperial power to suppress people, forcing Fang Jun to bow his head and let go of the thieves who threaten and scheme against his family.
Is it possible that we still hope that Fang Jun will be grateful?
Li Chengqian seemed to understand this truth, but there was a fire burning in his heart: "But I am the emperor after all, how can I not even have this face? Huh, if Emperor Taizong is still here, how can he dare to do this!"
Isn't it just relying on the power of Conglong and bullying him for his soft temper and unstable foundation?
Queen Su sighed: "If Emperor Taizong is still here, why does he need to do this?"
This sentence stung Li Chengqian's sensitive heart like a needle. His self-esteem was severely hit, and he immediately glared: "In the eyes of the queen, I, the emperor, am not as good as Fang Junduo, right?"
The queen frowned, knowing that she had said the wrong thing and hurt the man's dignity, but why did the emperor's words contain an inexplicable sense of jealousy?
His heart moved slightly, and he said calmly: "A ruler is short, and an inch is long. When has there ever been a perfect person in the world? Your Majesty is the most respected person in the world. You only need to know and employ people to rule the prosperous world. Why do you need to do everything?
Do it yourself, do it yourself? The so-called talent is not important to Your Majesty."
She was admonishing tactfully.
The most important thing for an emperor is to be able to accommodate the world and be humble and accept advice. As for whether he is talented and has outstanding abilities, what is the use? There are many examples of emperors with outstanding talents who ended up doing bad things. On the contrary, even if the emperor's qualifications are mediocre,
, but as long as the country has a good foundation and a group of smart and capable ministers, why worry about the world being unhappy?
An emperor does not need to know astronomy or geography from above, nor does he need to recite poems and compose poems. He is good at calligraphy and painting. As long as he restrains his own desires and accepts advice with an open mind, he is qualified.