Yang Fan woke up not long after sleeping. It was not that Yang Fan was not sleepy, nor did he wake up naturally, but because he woke up from the cold.
There is no fire pit in the Taoist temple, so a charcoal basin is lit in the room to keep warm at night.
Because of the fear of carbon monoxide poisoning, Yang Fan could only open the windows and could not keep warm at all.
He raised his head and looked out the window. The morning light had already appeared in the eastern sky. Although he yawned continuously, Yang Fan still put on his clothes and got up.
Opening the door and taking a breath of fresh air, I felt refreshed.
He waved to Xi Junmai, who was standing guard not far away, and whispered a few words in his ear.
Soon, Xi Junmai left in a hurry with two guards.
Yang Fan did not go down the mountain, but stretched his muscles in the courtyard of the Taoist temple, and then returned to the room to wash up.
Not sure if he could persuade His Majesty Li Er, Yang Fan could only prepare for the worst and ask Xi Jun to go ahead and call for help.
While Yang Fan was waiting, he didn't know that an undercurrent was surging in Chang'an City.
As the New Year was approaching, His Majesty Li Er actually put down all the complicated matters and went to the Lishan Palace to rest and recuperate. Rumors spread for a while.
You know, in the more than ten years since His Majesty Li Er came to the throne, he has never been so unruly.
In the palace of the Han Dynasty in Chang'an City, Li Yuanchang, the seventh son of Emperor Gaozu, and Hou Junji sat opposite each other. Both of them had heavy expressions on their faces, but they remained silent.
Yuanchang, the king of Han Dynasty, was young and eager to learn, good at official script, and had martial virtue for three years, so he was granted the title of King of Lu.
In the fifth year of Zhenguan, he was appointed governor of Huazhou and transferred to the governor of Liangzhou. In the tenth year of Zhenguan, he was granted the title of King of Han.
When Li Yuanchang was the governor of the fiefdom of Liangzhou, he violated the law many times and was punished by Li Shimin. He did not blame himself, but was quite resentful of Li Er.
He knew that the prince Li Chengqian was jealous of Wei King Li Tai's favor, so he became friends with the prince and tried to plot something against him.
Therefore, he often communicated with Hou Junji, the confidant of Prince Li Chengqian.
Hou Junji put down the teacup in his hand, glanced at Li Yuanchang, and couldn't help but ask: "Your Highness, do you think great things can be expected when His Majesty goes to the Lishan Palace this time?"
Li Yuanchang stared at Hou Junji for a long time before he said: "According to secret reports, the emperor has been taking pills paid tribute by monks for more than a year. Now he must be suffering from physical problems, so he is going to the Lishan Palace.
, obviously under the guise of being on patrol, so that the civil and military officials could not see that there was something wrong with his body."
"Is this true?" Hou Junji was overjoyed, but couldn't help but confirm.
Having said that, Hou Junji actually believed 90% of it in his heart.
Because he knew that the monk who made elixirs for His Majesty Li Er was deliberately retrieved by Li Yuanchang from outside the territory, and the purpose was of course to deal with His Majesty Li Er.
Of course, these monks were not given directly by Li Yuanchang to His Majesty Li Er, but were discovered by Li Er accidentally.
This is also the reason why Li Er still believed it even after being fooled by Danshi once.
Hou Junji was also a little curious about this kind of elixir, and humbly asked for advice: "Your Highness, it stands to reason that no matter what kind of elixir it is, as long as it is poisonous, it will definitely not escape the detection of the imperial doctor. Why has your majesty not noticed it after taking it for more than a year?
,Is the toxicity of this elixir so secretive?"
Li Yuanchang chuckled and said firmly: "Don't worry, General Hou. This kind of medicine is not available in our Central Plains. It was brought back from overseas by businessmen from the Western Regions. No one in the Tang Dynasty should know about it."
"This elixir is not harmful at first. On the contrary, it makes people very excited and gives people the illusion that their body has been improved because of the elixir."
"But an illusion is an illusion. Not only is this medicine not beneficial, it will overdraw one's energy and energy. In addition, the emperor favors newly selected beautiful women every day. It can be said that the emperor's health is in danger."
"This time he went to the Lishan Palace to recuperate. In fact, he secretly asked Monk Fan to continue refining the elixir. As long as the dosage is increased, he will definitely destroy all the emperor's hopes in one fell swoop."
"Once the emperor becomes bedridden or dies, he needs an upright person to clean up the mess, and Prince Li Chengqian is the best candidate."
"It's a pity that my nephew is cowardly by nature and will not attack in advance. I am afraid of long nights and many dreams, so I asked General Hou to come to discuss it and asked you to go and persuade the prince."
After hearing this, Hou Junji pondered for a moment, and then said: "Your Highness, please rest assured. I will go to the Prince to advise you. What other preparations need to be made?"
Li Yuanchang nodded and said: "Now the Zuo Wei Army is under the control of General Hou. Just in case, I hope you will transfer the Zuo Wei soldiers to Lishan Mountain in the name of garrison."
"If anything happens, or the emperor still has to struggle needlessly, we might as well force him into the palace, and finally put all the blame on these monks."
"Okay, please send a message to His Highness when the time comes. We should cooperate with each other and do something big." Hou Junji was surprised.
In his opinion, this is double insurance, absolutely foolproof.
After Chang Sun Chong was sent to the army, the Zuo Wei Army returned to Hou Junji's control. This was his confidence.
The two chatted for a while, and after discussing some details, Hou Junji left in a hurry.
After Hou Junji went out, a man with eagle eyes and a hooked nose came out from behind the screen. At first glance, he could tell that this man was good at calculation and was a ruthless person.
This person was none other than Li Yuanchang's aide Lin Feicong, who belonged to the Lin family of the Jiangnan gentry and was also a staunch supporter of Han King Li Yuanchang.
Arriving in front of Li Yuanchang, Lin Feicong asked: "Your Highness, you have been planning for so long and you are willing to give it up. Why don't you replace it?"
Li Yuanchang no longer looked as gentle and elegant as before. He stood up and said leisurely: "When the mantis stalks the cicada and the oriole is behind, who can know who the final winner will be?"
"Besides, we still need Hou Junji's left guard to take the lead. When the emperor really dies, we can use Qingjun's excuse to charge them with treason, and I will naturally... haha...
…!”
"Your Highness is wise!" Lin Feicong immediately flattered him, which made Li Yuanchang even more proud.
And Hou Junji came out of the Han Palace and rushed to the East Palace without stopping.
In his opinion, this matter is foolproof. As long as Prince Li Chengqian ascends to the throne, Hou Junji will be able to rely on his merits to become a powerful minister inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people. This is what he has always pursued!
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Hou Junji soon arrived at the East Palace, not even feeling cold in the cold wind.
In the East Palace Hall, a carbon stove is placed in each of the four corners, completely insulating the entire hall from the cold outside.
However, Li Chengqian's heart suddenly tightened, and a chill swept through his whole body from the bottom of his heart. He couldn't help but shudder, and shouted in a somewhat uneasy voice: "Hou Junji, what do you mean? This is to punish the Nine Clan.
What a sin!"
Hou Junji disagreed and continued to persuade: "Your Highness, I remember that you were appointed as the crown prince by His Majesty in the ninth year of Wude. What did the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty say at that time?"
"They say that you are beautiful, benevolent, filial and virtuous, and almost all the praises in the world are praised for you!"
"If it were you at that time, I would not have to do anything. I would just wait quietly for His Highness to ascend to the throne of God, because at that time you were the proud son of heaven, the crown prince above ten thousand people.
Your Highness."
At this point, Hou Junji's voice changed, he stared into Li Chengqian's eyes tightly, gritted his teeth and said:
"But since you broke your leg while riding a horse in the third year of Zhenguan, everything has changed!"
"Your Majesty sees that you have a disability, which may damage the image of the royal family. The minister thinks that you have bad conduct and are not a sage..."
"Wei Chen doesn't want to say anything about the etiquette of a monarch and his ministers, but your majesty is too partial. Now the King of Wei has received your majesty's favor. If you don't fight for it, there will be no chance at all!"
"I, Hou Junji, am a rough man and don't understand any big principles, but in my opinion, foot problems are just excuses. Damn my royal image, it's just nonsense."
"If you break your leg, it will damage your image. Those soldiers who fought for the country with broken legs and hands, shouldn't they commit suicide by committing suicide?"
"Besides, although Your Highness has leg problems, he is extremely benevolent and has unparalleled talent and learning. However, it is precisely because of your benevolence that you have been criticized and questioned all over the world."
"It's fine if it's just other people's accusations. Your Majesty is your father, and even he..."
Li Chengqian suddenly changed his expression and shouted angrily: "That's enough. You dare to criticize my father. You are so tired of living. You want to die, but you don't want to die!"
Hou Junji was unmoved and continued to talk to himself: "Your Highness, although His Majesty has not deposed you as the crown prince, think about your situation and how much neglect and glare you have received.
, how much grievance have you swallowed?"
"Now King Li Tai of Wei is just a prince, but your majesty's favor towards him is far greater than that of you, the prince."
"You are the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty and the rightful heir to the throne. Since His Majesty is partial, why can't you fight for it yourself? He will not care about your life or death!"
"boom!"
Li Chengqian slammed the tea cup to the ground. The delicate tea cup shattered on the ground and the warm tea splashed everywhere.
He suddenly stood up, glared at Hou Junji, and said unwillingly: "Junji, it's in vain that I have always treated you like a confidant, but you have harmed me like this. If I, the prince, just watched my father... wouldn't it be wrong?
Are they worse than pigs or dogs?”
"You so tempted me to commit such a treasonous act. Even if I really become the emperor, how can I feel at ease? Do you want me to bear the infamy for all eternity?"
Unexpectedly, the weak Li Chengqian also had such momentum, and Hou Junji felt a little frightened.
Of course he knew what he was talking about just now. Although he did not dare to tell Li Yuanchang's plan in full, he just said that Li Er was in bad health after taking Fan Seng's medicine and asked Li Chengqian to prepare in advance.
I didn't expect his reaction to be so big, but I had no chance to turn back when I opened my bow, so I could only go all the way to darkness.
So Hou Junji stiffened his neck and looked at Li Chengqian, and persuaded him again: "Your Highness, you are benevolent, filial and virtuous. Everyone in the civil and military circles of the dynasty knows this, but your Majesty turns a blind eye."
"Since His Majesty is so unkind, why should His Majesty put his hot face into a cold butt? Besides, if you don't seize this opportunity, it may be too late!"
"Shut up!" Li Chengqian was extremely angry, pointed at Hou Junji angrily, and yelled:
"Get out of here right now. For the sake of our long-standing friendship, what I said today will be treated as a slip of the tongue. I have never heard of it. If you say such treasonous words again in the future, I will never have any ties with you until we die."
!”
Hou Junji was very anxious and quickly advised: "Your Highness, I am doing this for your own good. You should think twice!"
"Now His Majesty is in danger. If you do nothing, if something happens to His Majesty, and someone with ulterior motives issues a delicate edict to allow King Wei to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor, it will be too late by then!"
"Your Highness, have you ever thought about whether King Wei will tolerate your continued existence if His Majesty passes the throne to Li Tai?"
"Taking a step back, if you are not prepared, once King Wei gains power, the entire empire will fall apart. Do you want to see this happen?"
"As the ancients say, be prepared before any danger arises. I am not asking His Highness to rebel, I just want His Highness to be prepared."
"Of course, there is no need for His Highness to come forward before the major event is completed. Everything can be arranged by Wei Chen. If it succeeds, His Highness will ascend the throne. If it fails, Wei Chen will bear the responsibility alone."
"What's more, your Majesty was able to kill his brothers back then, so why can't he do it if His Majesty just waited for His Majesty to die?"
Every word of heart-wrenching words is like an awl constantly poking into Li Chengqian's heart!
Li Chengqian opened his mouth wide, not knowing how to refute, and his rapid breathing showed his inner uneasiness.
He was a little panicked and didn't know what to do.
Yes, if he cannot ascend to the throne of God, the only way to meet him is death.
As long as he is not the emperor, no matter who takes the throne, Li Chengqian cannot be allowed to live. After all, he is too great a threat!
It would be easy if he died, but what should he do with his wife and son?
It’s just that he can’t hold on to his position as the prince. Do he have to drag his wife and children’s souls back to the underworld?
Of course, the most important thing is a sentence from Hou Junji.
Your Majesty did it well back then, why can't His Highness do it?
Thinking back to the time when my father killed his brothers from the Xuanwu Sect and directly inherited the great treasure and created this prosperous age of Zhenguan, why can't I, Li Chengqian?
Thousands of years later, history books will only brag about his father's unparalleled achievements, and who will care about how he got the throne?
Thinking of this, Li Chengqian's heart was filled with excitement, but the thought of Li Er's majesty made him suddenly wake up.
Suddenly, I found that my clothes were soaked with cold sweat, and my back felt chilly.
What's going on here?
How could you think of such a stupid way to climb Dabao?
Even though my father single-handedly created the prosperous age of Zhenguan, what he did back then will definitely be infamy for eternity.
This is also the reason why His Majesty Li Er never dares to slack off at all. That is because he wants to use his achievements to silence the people of the world and turn mistakes into rights.
No matter how many achievements my father made, that matter cannot be covered up.
What's more, His Majesty Li Er, who is wise and powerful, is not comparable to Li Yuanji and others.
Even though Hou Junji said that His Majesty Li Er was terminally ill.
But a tiger is a tiger. As long as it is not completely dead, who dares to look down upon it?
The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became, so Li Chengqian decided to wait and see what would happen and never act rashly.
So he took a few deep breaths, calmed down his emotions, looked at Hou Junji and said slowly: "General Hou, don't try to persuade him any more. As a prince and the son of his father, he should be loyal and filial.
Two minds."
"If my father leaves the country to Gu, Gu will do his best. If he is willing to hand it over to someone else, Gu will have nothing to say."
"Today's words, God knows and earth knows that you know and I know, this matter ends here!"
After saying this, Li Chengqian flicked his sleeves and turned directly into the back hall.
Hou Junji stood there blankly, with a look of astonishment and some disbelief.
Li Chengqian's heart was clearly moved just now, how could it change so quickly?
After a long while, Hou Junji came back to his senses. He looked at Li Chengqian's disappearing back with some disappointment and sighed: "Does your Highness think that you can get His Majesty's love and care without fighting for it? Your Highness is wrong."
"From ancient times to the present, those who achieve great things will not be indecisive. Women are benevolent. This world is naturally dominated by the weak and the strong, and natural selection. If you don't fight for some things, you will only end up with endless regrets!"
Hou Junji's voice was loud and echoed in the empty hall. After waiting for a long time, there was no reply.
He knew in his heart that it seemed that Li Chengqian would not give him a clear answer today.
However, it seems that Li Chengqian will turn a deaf ear to what he said today because of the long-standing relationship between emperor and minister.
Otherwise, once His Majesty Li Er is informed, although he may not be executed by the Nine Clan, his life will definitely not be saved.
Li Chengqian protected him, which also entailed great risks.
Hou Junji gritted his teeth and decided secretly:
"Since the prince is indecisive, I will make this decision for you. As long as the yellow robe is on me, he will no longer be able to do it!"
Just when all parties are making calculations.
In the Lishan Palace, His Majesty Li Er was reading memorials from various places. His face looked a little pale, but it was far from the time when the oil was exhausted.
It seems that this emperor is also a hidden hunter!
Seeing the emperor nodding frequently, it was obvious that Li Er was very satisfied with the contents of the memorial.
The memorial was submitted by the Minister of Hongnong Temple. According to him, both Quyuan plow and Zhenguan potato have been gradually promoted to various places.
Generally speaking, this year's grain production will increase by about half compared to last year. This is an incredible achievement!
With so much extra food, Datang could feed many more people.
Of course, Li Er has not forgotten that Yang Fan brought all this.
This guy brings some surprises to himself from time to time, he is really a lucky general!
Then His Majesty Li Er felt a little sad again.
In fact, he is very clear about his physical condition.
If he really died, who could suppress Yang Fan's violent temper? It would be a headache!
As his health deteriorated, His Majesty Li Er certainly knew that there was something wrong with the elixir.
This time I hid in the Lishan Palace because I wanted to find out who was behind the scenes.
As for the issue of the elixir, we could only send someone to find Li Chunfeng to ask.
Originally Yang Fan was the most suitable person, but unfortunately Li Er wanted to die on his own and was a little embarrassed to ask Yang Fan to come again.
When Li Chunfeng arrived, His Majesty Li Er was almost startled.
This Taoist master with a celestial spirit had a sallow complexion, his hair was all gray, and his Taoist robes were slovenly, as if he was haggard from not sleeping for days and nights.
As soon as they met, His Majesty Li Er asked worriedly: "Ai Qing is sick?"
Li Chunfeng described himself as haggard, but he was in good spirits. He said warmly: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am not sick. I just made some calculations, so I suffered backlash. And because I was not allowed to see Your Majesty, I waited outside the palace for several days, so