Although Li Tai looked stern and angry, Yang Fan was not afraid at all. Instead, he looked at him like an idiot and said leisurely: "The position of crown prince is an important weapon of the country. Does your highness think that you can abolish it at will?"
If you think so, then you are too naive! Even if His Majesty is wise and powerful, the position of Crown Prince cannot be determined with just one word, what do you think?"
Li Tai was stunned for a moment, not knowing how to refute.
Although the emperor is the co-owner of the world, theoretically everything in the Tang Dynasty belongs to the emperor, and he can give it to whomever he wants.
But the position of the crown prince is different. It involves a game between various forces. It is really not something that the emperor can just open his mouth and make everyone dare not disobey.
What's more, His Majesty Li Er has the best reputation and face, let alone making any remarks!
Although the court seemed peaceful at this time, in fact the forces in the mainland were entangled and the interests were intertwined.
Especially those aristocratic families, if their interests are touched, even the emperor would dare to touch them.
Although Li Chengqian has been unpopular with His Majesty Li Er in recent years, there are many aristocratic families who support Prince Li Chengqian.
Because the weaker Li Chengqian is, the more incompetent he is. Once he ascends to the throne of God, the gains for these aristocratic families will be huge.
If there is no evidence to prove that Li Chengqian participated in the rebellion, once His Majesty Li Er is deposed, he will definitely receive backlash from these people, unless His Majesty Li Er provides corresponding compensation.
After all, how could such a big thing as waste storage and easy storage not involve the interests of those aristocratic families?
But will His Majesty Li Er give in?
the answer is negative!
Li Tai is not a fool, but is very smart and very sensitive to politics, so he naturally understands what Yang Fan means.
However, he admired his father to the extreme, so he sneered and retorted: "Those aristocratic families are difficult to deal with, but do you think my father is a vegetarian?"
Of course Li Tai had thought about similar problems before, but he firmly believed that as long as it was something Li Er wanted to do, no one could stop him.
As long as Li Er wanted to make him the crown prince, even if all the noble families jumped out to stop him, it would be of no use.
As an emperor who broke out from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, if he dared not do something because of the opposition of others, then Li Er would not be able to become the Khan of Heaven that all nations would surrender to!
In Li Tai's view, as long as His Majesty Li Er really has his heart set on Yi Chu, who would dare to stand in front of him?
If someone stands in the way of a person, he will kill someone; if someone stands in the way of a Buddha, he will kill the Buddha!
Back then, his uncle and third uncle did not stop his father's footsteps!
Yang Fan smiled and said nothing, poured himself another cup of tea, and drank it slowly.
The reason why Yang Fan discussed this issue with Li Tai today was not because he was afraid that Li Tai could really do something to him.
But he doesn’t want to see the human tragedy of fratricide happen around him.
Regarding His Majesty Li Er, Yang Fan's mood is actually very complicated.
Judging from the original historical records, Li Er's first half of his life can be said to be an emperor who has a long history and a bright future. There is no doubt about this!
Although he killed his brother and his brother to force his father to abdicate, no matter what his character was, no one could deny his achievements.
It is precisely because he single-handedly created the powerful Tang Empire, which allowed the country to conquer all kinds of wilderness, and allowed the nation to straighten its backbone, and the Tang style remains the same thousands of years later.
From this aspect, His Majesty Li Er is an emperor who can be said to be one emperor throughout the ages.
But for such an emperor, who was rare in history, he undoubtedly failed in cultivating his successor.
Of course, this does not mean that His Majesty Li Er's successors are not outstanding, but that these people are too outstanding, and His Majesty Li Er does not stop their competition.
Even Li Chengqian, the most cowardly person in the eyes of the world, gave up on himself in the face of pressure after his leg became disabled.
Even so, according to the original history, he dared to rebel against Li Er, which shows that Li Chengqian was not as idiot as he appeared.
In Yang Fan's view, Li Chengqian's rebellion was not just to overthrow Li Er and become emperor himself.
As a prince, there is no need to do such a thing.
He can take over the throne as long as he keeps his peace, so why bother to rebel?
What's more, no prince would be stupid enough to rebel under the eyes of His Majesty Li Er.
After all, His Majesty Li Er is not only a wise and wise emperor, but also an invincible commander-in-chief!
But Li Chengqian rebelled unexpectedly. Is he too stupid?
Absolutely not!
This is just a way for Li Chengqian to attract Li Er's attention. He is just expressing an attitude to His Majesty Li Er.
As a prince, even if he dies, he must die vigorously, and he will not be manipulated like a puppet on strings by others, not even the emperor.
Whether you call Li Chengqian stupid or headstrong, in short, in Yang Fan's view, Li Chengqian is also a character!
What's more, this is the least promising of His Majesty Li Er's most likely successors to the throne.
And for example, Li Ke, Li Tai, etc., which one is not an outstanding person?
But the tragedy is that none of these outstanding people ended well.
His Majesty Li Er can indeed give birth to sons, and each one he gives birth to is better than the last. It is a pity that he does not know how to teach, and he has given up all his sons to the throne.
Although Li Zhi is not bad either, because of his young age and weak health, not many people support him.
After becoming emperor, he was controlled by powerful ministers. When Li Zhi took back the power, his body could no longer survive, which also led to the chaos in the Tang Dynasty.
In fact, it was inconsistent with the relationship between Yang Fan and Li Tai to discuss the position of crown prince.
Since ancient times, when it comes to the succession of the throne, it has actually been very sensitive.
As long as they are smart, they will stay far away and will not rush into this muddy water.
But Yang Fan is different. Because of the influence of past life thoughts, he will always inadvertently have a sense of compassion for others.
Of course, more importantly, his own woman was also involved, which forced him to do something.
So Yang Fan sighed softly and explained: "Your Highness, the second reason why I think your Highness cannot get this reserve is because of Your Majesty."
"As a prince, His Highness should be very aware of His Majesty's character. As His Highness said, if His Majesty really wants to depose him, he will never give up because of other people's opinions. Don't deny it, right?"
Li Tai nodded silently.
Yang Fan continued to ask: "If His Majesty has really decided to make you the Crown Prince, then with just a few words I can change His Majesty's mind. Doesn't His Highness think it's ridiculous?"
Li Tai was completely silent!
Yes, although Yang Fan is very favored by his father, he can never change his father's mind.
The reason why Li Tai admires His Majesty Li Er is because of Li Er's decisiveness and firm will.
This time Yang Fan went to plead for mercy, but Li Er immediately agreed with him, which was indeed a bit surprising.
Seeing that Li Tai was deep in thought, Yang Fan paused and said in a deep voice: "Of course, the reason why the minister said that he was trying to protect the crown prince was for His Highness the King of Wei. In fact, there is a more important reason, that is, the failure of all dynasties.
The prince will not end well, and I do not want His Highness to bear the reputation of fratricide."
At this time, Li Taiwan caught Yang Fan's loophole, laughed, and said with disdain: "You are really unfounded. Who said that the deposed prince will not have a good ending. As long as I become the emperor, I will ensure that the prince is safe and sound."
"Furthermore, as long as the prince gives up his position as crown prince, I can..."
Before Li Tai could finish speaking, Yang Fan interrupted with a wave of his hand: "Your Highness, do you want to say that the Crown Prince is weak? Once His Majesty gives up the position of Crown Prince to Your Highness, Your Highness is willing to kill his own son and wait until the Crown Prince's son grows up.
You will pass the position to the prince's son, right?"
Hearing Yang Fan's words, Li Tai was shocked.
He really didn't know whether Yang Fan was a human or a ghost, but he could actually know his inner thoughts.
Of course, if Li Tai knew the original history and he missed the throne because of what he said, I wonder if he would regret it and bleed.
In the end, Li Tai could only say: "You...how do you know what I am thinking in my heart?"
Yang Fan took a deep look at the panicked Li Tai and said, "It's not important how I guessed it. What's important is that as long as Your Highness says this, you will never be able to be crown prince."
"Besides, your highness, you know, if the prince inherits the throne, what do you think will happen to you, your highness? What will happen to your other brothers?"
Li Tai looked disdainful and said disapprovingly: "Even if the prince becomes the emperor, with his indecisive character, of course he would not dare to do anything to me and my brothers!"
This is true. Even if Li Chengqian becomes emperor in the future, even if he is afraid of his brother Li Tai, King of Wei, he will not kill him.
The biggest possibility is to let Li Tai and other brothers be idle kings without power.
"Then that's right. That's why His Majesty doesn't want to depose him."
Saying that, Yang Fan continued:
"I would like to ask again, if His Highness and the Crown Prince continue to fight, causing both sides to lose, who will get the advantage in the end?"
Li Tai frowned and looked at Yang Fan in confusion.
Even the closest relatives and loved ones dare not talk about this kind of topic.
Now Yang Fan actually brought it up nakedly. This guy is not afraid of having his head chopped off. Such words are taboo in the royal family.
However, Yang Fan is a fast-talking person and his acting style is different from ordinary people, so it is not surprising that he would ask such a question.
Having said this, of course Li Tai would not stop there. He thought for a while and said:
"If both the king and the prince suffer losses, the most likely person to inherit the throne is King Wu."
Yang Fan shook his head and asked, "Why isn't he His Highness King Jin?"
Li Tai glared at Yang Fan displeasedly, as if he thought this question was too stupid, and sneered: "How old is King Jin? How could your father give him the position of prince? You think too much!"
Yang Fan sighed softly: "Wei Chen remembers that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince became the Crown Prince at the age of 9. Now His Royal Highness the King of Jin is 11 years old. Why can't he become the Crown Prince? Besides, if one can establish a direct descendant or not a concubine, the King of Jin and the King of Wei are both
He is the legitimate son, so why can’t the King of Jin become the crown prince?”
"Of course, Wei Chen is just reminding His Highness that you are not the only one who will inherit the throne."
The original history is that the few people vying for the throne were too confident, which led to neglecting the young Li Zhi, and instead let this guy pick up the slack.
Seeing that Li Tai was deep in thought, Yang Fan thought for a while and said again: "Whether it is the King of Jin or another prince, assuming that he is really appointed as the crown prince and becomes the emperor one day, what will happen to the crown prince and His Highness the King of Wei?"
"Uh!" Li Tai suddenly woke up and looked at Yang Fan in horror, not daring to think about it any more.
Yang Fan took a sip of tea to moisten his lips and said, "Has your Highness imagined the outcome?"
At this time, Li Tai was completely stunned!
There was no trace of blood on his originally fair face, and his whole body was trembling a little, looking dumbfounded.
Now Li Tai only has this sentence in his mind: "If the King of Jin becomes the crown prince, what if the crown prince is deposed, what if His Highness the King of Wei..."
Li Tai's lips moved twice, but no sound came out.
Yang Fan chuckled and said with a smile: "Of course, this is just a hypothesis. The final outcome is not decided by the ministers, nor by what His Highness said, but by His Majesty!"
"But I can tell you for sure that if Li Chengqian is not deposed as the crown prince, the fight between His Highness and the crown prince will only be between brothers, and only King Jin will be able to ascend the throne in the end."
Li Tai was speechless.
If the King of Jin is the emperor...
The prince Li Chengqian must not be retained. This prince has been the prince for more than ten years, and many important officials in the court are loyal to him.
As long as the original prince is still there, no matter who becomes emperor two hundred years later, he will raise the butcher's knife.
Moreover, as his legitimate son, he will also become a huge threat to the future emperor. Who dares to leave such a big problem?
Since I want to take the throne from the crown prince, why can't King Jin take the throne away?
They are all legitimate princes from the same mother, so everyone has a chance to compete for the throne.
When the time comes, King Jin dares to keep himself and the prince?
It's not that he, Li Tai, thinks too badly of Li Zhi.
But once that day comes, either you die or I die.
Thinking of this, Li Tai trembled all over, and his clothes were already soaked with cold sweat.
He felt as if a big stone was pressing down on his heart, making him unable to breathe.
He had always wanted to seize the throne from the prince, believing that he was the only better successor to make the Tang Dynasty more powerful.
However, now I suddenly realized that I had taken it for granted, and the world would be nothing without it!
In the same way, even if you ascend to the position of prince, you will not let the deposed prince and Li Zhi pose a threat to you.
But this situation is not what Li Er wants to see.
His father won this kingdom in a battle at Xuanwu Gate, but killing his brothers and forcing his father to abdicate was a life-long pain for him.
This pain was a wound in my father's heart that would never heal. It was like a tarsal poisonous insect that gnawed at his mind day and night, making him miserable!
Will Li Er sit back and watch his sons repeat the scene of fratricide again?
Therefore, unless the prince really participated in the rebellion, Li Er would never be deposed.
In a daze, Yang Fan's voice came to Li Tai's ear:
"So, as long as there is no evidence that the prince participated in the rebellion, His Majesty will never depose Li Chengqian as the prince. Otherwise, it will be out of control. Naturally, His Majesty will never be able to ascend to the position of crown prince. This is the reality."
Li Tai was dumbfounded!
Do I have to be subservient to others forever? This is my life, it has been destined and cannot be changed?
For a time, Li Tai became extremely decadent and had no intention of causing trouble to Yang Fan anymore.
And under the eaves of the palace in the distance, His Majesty Li Er was wearing a wool felt and quietly looking at the heavy snow in the sky.
At this time, there was a thick layer of snow around Li Er's feet, and he had obviously been standing there for a long time.
The palace maid and the chamberlain stood nervously a foot away behind him, looking trembling.
Since punishing Yang Fan, the emperor has been standing here, and even the old eunuch Wang Huangui did not dare to step forward to dissuade him.
His Majesty Li Er stood there quietly without saying a word. His majestic figure was no longer as strong as when he was charging into battle.
At this time, his mind was already far away...
His biggest worry now is who will inherit this great empire.
If it were up to Prince Li Chengqian, would this son really be qualified?
If Wei Wang Li Tai is allowed to do so, it will not only be inconsistent with the ancestral system, but also inconsistent with the ethics of the court.
Once the elder is abolished and the younger is established, this Pandora's box may be opened, and every subsequent change in the throne will be bloody. This is definitely not what Li Er wants to see.
Sometimes he even thought that it would be great if the prince's legs were not sluggish, and he could at least be a steadfast king.
Due to his physical condition, His Majesty Li Er did not dare to imagine that once he traveled to the west, this weak prince would really be able to control the government and get rid of the control of the aristocratic family and clan?
Even Li Er had to admit that Li Tai's ability was definitely superior to that of Li Chengqian. If he succeeded to his throne, he would definitely be able to weaken the power of the clan and the family, but this would be unfair.
Is it really possible for such a talented son to become a prosperous and idle king?
Li Tai, his son, was considered by Li Er to be the most talented among all the disciples.
He has been fond of literature since he was a child, and he is talented and intelligent. When he was a little older, he had collected tens of thousands of books, which was praised by the great scholars of the time.
After the prince suffered a foot injury, he really thought about passing the throne to Qingque.
With this child's intelligence and wisdom, why can't he take the glorious Tang Dynasty he left behind to a further level?
Regardless of whether the prince has foot problems or not, his weak temperament is not suitable for being an emperor.
But Li Er was afraid that he had made a bad start and that future generations would follow suit.
This time Hou Junji rebelled, which gave His Majesty Li Er a sense of urgency.
As Yang Fan said, once the prince is deposed, will Li Tai be able to let the deposed prince go a hundred years later?
the answer is negative.
Li Er really didn't want the scene at Xuanwu Gate to happen again to his sons.
His Majesty Li Er stood under the eaves in a daze, thinking a lot in his mind, and finally made a decision...
Although the King of Wei is a good man, it is a pity that he is not the eldest son. If he really abolishes the eldest son and establishes a younger son, I am afraid that the royal family will never have peace in the future.
Alas, as long as the prince does not rebel, he cannot be deposed easily!
It seems that I can only take one step at a time, and I have completely acquiesced in my one-year agreement with Yang Fan.