At this moment, Li Junxian commanded a hundred cavalrymen to capture Cheng Chumo and the other prisoners.
Needless to say, the accomplices Cheng Chumo and the others couldn't run away even if they wanted to, until Baiqi gave the order to prepare to capture Xiao Shiyun.
Yang Fan clasped his fist at Li Junxian and said: "General Li, this happened because of something. Brother Cheng and the others were just brothers who obeyed orders out of loyalty, and it has nothing to do with them. Furthermore, Miss Shishi is a female prostitute and was not involved in it.
, so there’s no need to work hard.”
Li Junxian really didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He was really a master of emotions, otherwise how could he say such a thing.
In this era, domestic servants were also regarded as personal property, so there was a saying that everyone would be prosperous and everyone would suffer losses. This Shishi girl was the cause of the dispute.
However, this guy is very popular with His Majesty, so there is nothing wrong with selling him to save face.
Li Junxian immediately decided that Xiao Shiyun could not be arrested for the time being, but Cheng Chumo and several other people involved in the case who were present could not.
Seeing Li Junxian's refusal, Yang Fan was helpless and looked at Cheng Chumo and the others with a hint of apology.
After all, I am implicated, and I don’t know what kind of punishment I will receive.
****
The drums and drums on the Sixth Street are quiet and there are no pedestrians. There is a moon in the vast sky on the Nineth Street.
This poem vividly describes the situation after the night curfew in the Tang Dynasty. The prosperous Chang'an City, with no pedestrians and nine vast thoroughfares.
Because it is winter, the daylight is short. Although it is only a quarter of an hour at this time, the night has already swallowed up the entire city of Chang'an.
Normally the curfew in Chang'an City starts at 2:00 am. Because the weather is relatively cold and the curfew is approaching, Chang'an City, the prosperous imperial capital during the day, looks cold and gloomy at this time.
The time when the keys are dropped in the palace is the same as the curfew time in Chang'an City. The maids and chamberlains of each palace are checking whether there are any valuables left behind or whether there are unextinguished candles.
The most feared thing in the palace is candles. Most of the criss-crossed palaces are made of wood. Now is the winter when the north wind is raging. A leak of water can easily cause a raging fire, which will lead to extremely serious consequences.
Therefore, the palace door will be closed only after everyone has checked everything.
Of course, the concubines and ladies in the harem slept later because they had to wait for the emperor's permission to sleep with them.
However, they can only move around in their respective residences and are strictly prohibited from running around.
If you need to enter the palace for urgent matters after the keys are locked, you can only use a hanging basket to lower it from the wall of the imperial city and pull it up, and then use the hanging basket to go out after the work is done.
The eunuch on duty today is already standing guard at Chengtian Gate, waiting for the curfew bell to ring before ordering the door to be closed and the keys to be locked.
A rush of footsteps attracted the attention of the eunuch on duty, who curiously looked outside Chengtian Gate.
However, they saw a group of Baiqi rushing straight towards Chengtian Gate as if they were escorting someone. The leader was none other than Li Junxian, the leader of Baiqi.
The eunuch did not dare to neglect, and shouted respectfully: "General Li, this servant is polite. It seems that the general is not on duty today. I wonder if there is any urgent matter to enter the palace?"
Li Junxian said to the eunuch: "Excuse me, my father-in-law, please hurry up and inform your majesty that I have something urgent to ask for from your highness the King of Wei..."
Hearing Li Junxian's words, he saw an eager look on his face, so he didn't say much and turned to give a few instructions to a young eunuch beside him.
The little eunuch nodded and trotted towards the palace.
At this moment, the curfew bell rang.
The eunuch on duty smiled apologetically at Li Junxian and said, "General Li, the time has come for the key to be handed down. Look..."
As a close confidant of Li Shimin, the rules in the palace are naturally very clear.
When the curfew bell rings, only those on duty can enter with the permission of the emperor.
Nodding, Li Junxian waved his hand and exited Chengtianmen.
The eunuch on duty ordered the soldiers guarding the city to close the city gate and lock it.
From Chengtianmen to Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin's residence, you have to pass through Taiji Hall, Liangyi Hall, and then through Ganlu Gate. This trip takes at least half an hour.
But Li Junxian had no choice but to stand straight and wait outside Chengtian Gate, as if the cold wind had no effect on him at all.
However, Wei King Li Tai, who was standing behind Li Junxian, glared fiercely at Yang Fan and the others who were surrounded by Baiqi, and secretly decided to make them look good after entering the palace.
****
Taiji Palace is actually the collective name of Taiji Palace, East Palace, and Yeting Palace, located in the northernmost part of the center of Chang'an City.
The East Palace is in the east and is the residence of the prince. The Yeting Palace is in the west and is a study and labor center for the children of criminal bureaucrats or palace maids, which is equivalent to a juvenile labor camp.
The entire Taiji Palace is huge in scale, with a width of 1,285 meters from east to west and a length of 1,492 meters from north to south, which is three times the size of the Forbidden City in later generations.
There are ten gates around the palace:
The fifth in the south is Chengtianmen in the middle, Changlemen and Yongqingmen in the east, Guangyunmen and Yonganmen in the west;
The first one in the east is Tongxun Gate; the second one in the west is Tongming Gate and Jiayou Gate; the second one in the north is Xuanwu Gate and Anli Gate.
Now, Li Junxian and the others are in front of Chengtian Gate.
The buildings in the palace are customized with front facing and back sleeping. Its three main halls are Taiji Hall, Liangyi Hall and Ganlu Hall, all on the central axis.
There are many palaces on both sides, including Daji Hall, Baifu Hall, Wude Hall, Chengqing Hall, Wanchun Hall, Lizheng Hall, Qianqiu Hall, Shenlong Hall, Heroes Hall, Guizhen Hall, Wangyun Hall and so on.
In short, there are so many palaces and pavilions that they are too numerous to mention.
There are also rock pools and gardens in the palace, which are both luxurious and magnificent.
The main building in the palace adopts the principle of "front dynasty" and "inner court", with Zhumingmen, Suzhangmen, Qianhuamen and other palace wall gates as boundaries, dividing the palace into two parts: "front dynasty" and "inner court".
part.
The areas outside Zhumingmen and Qianhuamen belong to the "former dynasty" part, while the inside belongs to the "inner court" part.
In addition to the Liangyi Hall, which was used for the emperor and ministers to discuss court affairs, the rest of the palace was used for the emperor's study, daily life, and residence as well as the residence of the queen and concubines.
Among these temples, two are the most important:
One is the Queen's residence, the Lizheng Palace, which has the power of a mother nurturing the world.
The other building is the Ganlu Hall, the emperor's residence, where Li Shimin sometimes reviewed memorials, read books, ate meals, and invited concubines to sleep with him.
In the palace, His Majesty Li Er was soaking in hot water with his bare feet and sipping fragrant tea comfortably.
The indoor furniture is all made of finely carved huanghuali wood, and the floor mats are covered with yellow silkworm brocade.
There are all kinds of decorative ceramics, hanging paintings, screens and other items on the side, some of which are inlaid with gold edges. The candlelight shines, giving the furnishings in the hall a light golden color.
The light tea fragrance spreads with the water vapor in the tea cup, floating in the indoor space and refreshing the heart and lungs.
Picking up the tea cup, he took a gentle sip of the hot tea, letting the hot tea slide down his throat, savoring the wonderful taste of the fragrant tea that conquered his taste buds, making him calm and free from worries, completely forgetting his worries.
All the work of the imperial court was carried out in an orderly manner, and now there was sufficient money in the internal treasury, which made Li Shimin, who had been extremely poor before, smile proudly.
No longer have to be in the embarrassing situation like before, with a bald head and still unable to get a few coins, all thanks to that boy.
Today is the boy's first day working in the Ministry of Etiquette, and I don't know if he will be qualified.
That guy is not only good at making money but also talented. He should be able to handle it easily. I hope he won't live up to his expectations.
However, Na Bangchui is also a bit too impulsive and is quite capable of causing trouble. I hope he can restrain himself after entering the officialdom.
hehe……
Li Shimin looked complacent. No matter what, no matter how talented that kid is, he is still not of use to me now.
But I don't have much tea left in my hand, so it seems I have to ask that boy for some more.
Refreshed, Li Shimin was in a good mood. Suddenly he heard that Li Junxian and Li Tai asked to see him, so he casually put on a robe and sat down in the main hall to wait.
Then he asked the eunuch to brew a cup of hot tea. He watched the tea leaves gradually unfold and took a sip, savoring all the flavors of life.
Li Shimin closed his eyes slightly, feeling the fresh and natural taste coming from the tip of his tongue, and felt very beautiful in his heart.
Li Junxian and Li Tai walked into the hall quietly, and saw His Majesty Li Er closing his eyes slightly, holding a white porcelain tea cup in his hand, and sipping tea with a comfortable expression.
Before Li Junxian could speak, with a pop, Li Tai knelt down in front of Li Shimin and cried heartbreakingly: "Father, you have to make the decision for your son!"
"hiss……"
Just as he was indulging in the wonderful taste of tea, he was suddenly frightened by Li Tai's cry and his hands shook. The tea cup in his hand trembled, and some hot tea spilled onto his hand, causing him to grin in pain.
"Tail, what happened?"
Although I felt a little angry, I didn't blame my son for this.
I have some doubts in my heart, as Li Taigui is a prince, what kind of big event can make him lose his composure?
After all, he is a very proud son and rarely calls his parents out to settle things.
At this time, Li Tai said with a sad face: "The child was beaten!"
Li Tai raised his head at this time, and Li Shimin discovered that one of Li Tai's eyes had turned black and blue, which made him unbelievable.
How dare anyone in this world dare to hit the prince?