Last night, because I was reading Shu Zhi, I laughed at Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei. I exhausted all my organs and worked hard in vain, and I could only get three parts of the world. I thought about it carefully and argued with each other. Liu Ling got drunk.
No one is a hundred years old in this world. Young people are demented, old people are haggard. Only in the middle, there are some young people who can't bear to be associated with false fame. If you have a good grade and a thousand gold, you ask how to avoid gray hair.
——"Taking Silver Lamps and Partial Topics at Mr. Ouyang's Banquet" by Fan Zhongyan
…
At the end of the day's court meeting, Xuanzong left Prime Minister Li alone. After talking about military and state affairs, the topic naturally turned to the matter of changing the prince that had been rumored in the past few days.
Xuanzong said: "The crown prince is the foundation of the country. We must not be careless. Unless it is necessary, I do not want to shake the foundation of the country. Unfortunately, this prince makes me heartbroken. If I have to go to this step, Ai Qing will think that other princes
Among them, who is worthy of such a great responsibility?"
Li Linfu bowed and said: "This is a saint's family matter, I dare not speak nonsense."
Xuanzong pretended to be displeased and rebuked: "Establishing a prince is not only a family matter, but also a state matter. Ai Qing is the chief minister of the country, how can you deliberately shirk it?"
Li Linfu groaned for a long time and said: "Reporting to the sage, I believe that if there is no great meritorious service to Zongji, then it is the Yuanzi."
The king was raised as a legitimate son since he was a child. After Emperor Ruizhong ascended the throne, Prince Qing was named Prince of Xuchang as the grandson of the emperor. If Prince Qing is established as the crown prince, both the royal family members and the officials of the court will all
There is no reason to object.”
Xuanzong thought for a long time and said to Li Linfu: "Prince Qing has a facial disability and is unfit to be a king."
Li Linfu pointed out something and responded: "Although King Qing has some minor flaws on his face, the governance of the country depends not on the king's appearance, but on the king's character and talent. Our Tang Dynasty has a vast territory, richness from all over the world, and people coming from all directions to come to court.
Only an emperor like you, the saint, who has great talent and broad strategy, knows the world, has a kind heart, and is virtuous, can control it. If you sacrifice talents because of appearance, the court will be in turmoil and the country will be in danger, it is not the way to maintain profitability and maintain peace."
After hearing this, Xuanzong showed hesitation. He waved his hands feebly and said, "Please step aside, my dear, and let me think about it carefully."
Not long after Li Xiang left, Xuanzong looked at the portrait of Emperor Xuanzong in the palace and had a lot of thoughts. Back then, "Killing Three Kings in One Day" was an eternal pain in his heart. Now that he is old and his heart is soft, he likes family reunion and harmony.
, I don’t want this kind of fratricide to happen again.
Xuanzong thought about it and remembered that he had not seen the prince for a long time, so he immediately announced that Prince Li Heng had come to the palace to see him.
After a short time, Li Heng came to the inner hall. When he saw Xuanzong, he paid homage and said loudly, "I wish my father long live, long live, long live!"
When Li Heng was saluting, Xuanzong suddenly discovered that some of his son's hair had fallen out and his temples were gray. Calculating his age, the prince had not yet reached middle age, but he was so vicissitudes of life that he seemed to be in his twilight years.
Xuanzong couldn't help but feel compassion. Although over the years, Xuanzong tolerated Li Linfu's actions to protect his position and attack dissidents to the maximum extent, he was always sober when it came to deposing the prince and was never deceived by Li Linfu.
Xuanzong was very clear about what happened to the prince in recent years. Through Gao Lishi, he learned a lot about the inside story of the struggles in the court.
Xuanzong admired the prince's benevolence, filial piety and meekness. When the prince suffered hardships and grievances, he could always endure the humiliation and never seek protection from his father. He could either endure it silently and wait for the truth to come to light;
Xuanzong was quite pleased with the fact that the test was deliberately set up. Xuanzong felt that the prince knew the general situation well and could be entrusted with the foundation of Qianqiu.
However, the prince's overly cautious and obedient performance made Xuanzong a little more worried and hesitant.
For Xuanzong, it is not necessarily a bad thing for the prime minister and the prince to be at odds with each other. If Li Linfu and Li Heng were allies and looked after each other, once the situation changed, the prince could rely on the orthodoxy of blood and legal principles to use the prime minister to blackmail the civil and military officials and force him to ascend the throne.
Xuanzong relied on the "Shenlong Coup" to overthrow Emperor Zetian and install his father, Emperor Ruizhong, on the throne. As an emperor who came to power through a coup, Xuanzong had rich experience and could not allow the prime minister and the East Palace to become members of the same boat.
Only when the two political forces of the prime minister and the East Palace restrain each other and maximize the constraints, can he be able to secure his position. Only if they are constantly at war with each other, can Xuanzong keep himself high and keep the veil of power mysterious. Just like the one in the distant horizon.
The Sphinx represents power and the human face represents mercy. Only by combining grace and power can a fatal restraint and deterrent be formed on both sides, and the balance and stability of the imperial power be achieved.
This is Xuanzong's imperial art.
In other words, Xuanzong will never let Li Linfu defeat the prince. Once the power of the prime minister is too great, enough to overthrow the prince and establish a new prince, the power of the prime minister is no longer the power of the prime minister, but the power of the king. Once the boundaries of this kind of power are breached, it will
Such as floods bursting embankments, ferocious beasts coming out of their cages, gentlemen changing their faces, villains changing their faces, and conquering evil. Xuanzong would never allow a situation in which the power of the prime minister overrides the power of the emperor.
This kind of arbitrariness in the world, shifting stars and fighting, and the power of life and death can only be firmly controlled by one's own hands.
…
When it was time to eat, Li Heng was about to leave. Xuanzong said: "Heng'er, come and eat with me. We, father and son, haven't eaten alone for a while."
Li Heng felt a chill in his heart and thought to himself, "Is it possible that my father is going to tell me right now?" He ate this meal with anxiety.
The food bureau in charge of catering in the palace quickly brought out the dishes. Among them was a freshly roasted leg of lamb.
Xuanzong asked the serving eunuch to bring the leg of lamb to the prince and said: "Heng'er, this is the latest new dish from Shangshi Bureau. You can try it."
After Li Heng thanked him, he cut it with a sharp knife and ate it. The mutton was tender and fragrant with cumin, but Li Heng ate it tastelessly. His thoughts were all about Xuanzong. While eating, he answered his father's questions.
After Li Heng cut the leg of lamb, his hands were all stained with oil, but there was no silk cloth or basin to clean his hands. Li Heng grabbed the pancake on the side and wiped his hands clean. When he raised his eyes, he caught a glimpse of anger on Xuanzong's face.
And passed.
Li Heng felt shocked and hurriedly made calculations. In desperation, an idea suddenly occurred to him. Li Heng pretended not to see Xuanzong's expression. After wiping his hands, he slowly took the oil-stained pancake to his mouth and took a big mouthful.
Eat up.
Xuanzong was unhappy at first, but he held back his temper and did not lose his temper. Li Heng's move was beyond Xuanzong's expectation, and he couldn't help but feel happy. Xuanzong put down the bowl and chopsticks in his hands, smiled and said to Li Heng, "Fu should be cherished like this."
During this meal, the father and son talked happily, without the formality of a monarch and his ministers, and more like a family.
After the dinner, Li Henggong sent his father into the palace, and then returned to the East Palace.
After entering the East Palace's bedchamber, Li Heng collapsed on the couch. After taking off his brocade robe, he discovered that the inner three layers and the outer three layers were completely wet.