Li Shimin didn't know why, but the relationship between the two monarchs and ministers who once had a tacit understanding has reached this point.
Since he ascended the throne, there are so many old subordinates who have followed him through a bloody journey. Because Liu Wenjing's family was unjustly killed because of Pei Ji's trick, Li Shimin never dared to easily believe others' lies that his subordinates had disloyal intentions.
However, why is it that no one says that others have a disloyal heart, but it is him, Hou Junji, who is mentioned time and time again as having a disloyal heart?
Li Shimin considered himself not a person like King Gou Jian of Yue, who could only share the poor and lowly but not the rich and the high. After ascending the throne, Li Shimin could pat his chest and say that he had never treated his subordinates badly!
At that time, Hou Junji filed a complaint against Li Jing, saying that Li Jing was unwilling to give him all his abilities. Li Jing explained that Hou Junji's abilities were sufficient, and he was disobedient if he was greedy for too much. He could defend him, saying that he had a heart.
Datang wanted to contribute more to the stability of Datang, so that's why I wanted to learn more.
Back then, Hou Junji ignored his own explicit hints and pushed Fang Yiai in front of the Tubo army one after another. Some people said that he was avenging his personal revenge, while others said that he was disloyal and ignored the emperor's orders. I can explain for him, saying that he is
In supporting Fang Yiai, I want everyone to understand that Fang Yiai's becoming the top scholar in martial arts was not achieved by Qin Qiong and others.
But after he sent troops to destroy Gaochang, Ashina Sheerdu had been ordered to return to Chang'an with most of the Western Expeditionary Army to deliver the order. However, he still caused Gaochang to become a bloody storm, making people angry, looting property everywhere, and killing and bullying.
The common people completely ruined the plan they had discussed with their courtiers to use the Anxi Protectorate to comb the northwest and peacefully expand territory.
I have an explanation for what happened before, but this is, when the treasury is abundant and the rewards I have given him are generous, why does he want to collect so much property so wantonly? With so much property, he is prepared to
What is it used for?
Li Shimin forced himself not to think too much or to think wrongly. He was cruel and imprisoned Hou Junji in the prison of the Ministry of Justice for a month and a half without saying a word. He tried hard to persuade the ministers and made them agree to wait until Hou Junji handed over all his belongings.
, be given a light sentence.
In order to silence the censors, I punished Hou Junji with three years' salary. However, despite the opposition of the officials, he rewarded him according to his military merits, which was no less valuable than his six or seven years' salary!
A caring heart, haha, he misunderstood Ruosi!
Li Shimin felt sad and disappointed when he thought of the secret words reported by Zhao Yi. He thought that those rumors were slandered by others, but when he heard Zhao Yi say that the investigation results showed that those secret words were indeed from Cong Hou.
It came from the house! It came from the Hou family’s own people!
When he first heard it, Li Shimin found it funny. After asking Zhao Yi repeatedly, he was sure that it was someone from the Hou Mansion who spread the news! And it was someone around Hou Junji who accidentally spread the news while drunk!
Li Shimin didn't remember what his expression was at that time. He only knew that Zhao Yi and Li Anyang were almost unable to breathe at that time.
In the end, he was still a little unwilling to give up, and ordered Zhao Yi to send people to investigate secretly to see if someone was playing tricks on him, or if it was really the case, and it was really someone close to Hou Junji who spread the news.
Once again, from an upright person like Chu Suiliang, he learned that the Fang family's affairs were actually caused by Hou Junji's instructions. Li Shimin was indescribably disappointed with Hou Junji's conduct.
He didn't believe it. Hou Jun's assembly didn't know that the reason why Hou Zanjun and Yuchi Baolin established themselves as quickly as possible in the Jiangnan navy was that they could join forces with General Zuo Yichen of Wuwei to reorganize the navy and successfully advance.
In the Three Kingdoms naval campaign, which has won a great victory over Baekje, Fusang, and Japan in the past few days, will there be no help from Fang Yiai?
Although he did not know every letter that Fang Yiai, Hou Zanjun, and Yuchi Baolin had exchanged over the years in detail, due to the common sense that the relationship between Beijing officials and foreign ministers had to be guarded against, some of the contents of the letters between them, Li Shimin
The emperor still knew.
In addition to the things around them that the three people described in their letters, many of them discussed things related to naval construction and shipbuilding, and many more related to maritime climate and navigation methods. These things,
For Hou Zanjun, Yuchi Baolin, and even the entire Tang Navy, it was extremely precious!
This is also one of the reasons why Li Shimin has always been doting on Fang Yiai!
As for why Fang Yiai, who has never been to the beach or been in the water, knows so much and can provide many pertinent opinions on the training and construction of the navy, Li Shimin does not want to explore. As long as he knows that Fang Yiai is
When he was devoted to the Tang Dynasty, this reason alone was enough for him to tolerate and even condone Fang Yiai.
Hou Junji did not consider that at least half of his son's military exploits were due to Fang Yiai. Instead, he was petty and kept looking for trouble for Fang Yiai. Li Shimin was very unhappy.
Li Shimin also heard reports from Li Anyang and Zhao Yi that many people said privately that Hou Junji was unhappy because he was taking out his anger on Fang Yiai. Fang Yiai took the blame for himself and the prince! The most obvious thing is that
One thing is the street battle between the Fang family and the Hou family that caused a sensation in Chang'an last year!
Li Shimin looked at the desolate scene in front of him and let out a breath slowly. It seemed that he cared too much about the friendship between the monarch and his subjects, and let the years of indulgence and upbringing get into Hou Junji's heart, making him unable to distinguish between the monarch and his subjects.
Raising his hand to pick off a dead leaf still hanging on the branch, Li Shimin walked slowly to the lakeside, let go of his hand, and let the dead leaf flutter on the water with the cold wind, and then let the wind blow it.
Drifting randomly on the water with no direction.
"Your Majesty." Li Anyang stepped forward carefully, looked at the fallen leaves drifting in the water, glanced at Li Shimin's expression, and called out in a low voice.
Li Shimin hummed, patted the dust on the dead leaves on his hands, and did not turn around.
"Go back to the emperor and ask for an audience with Commander Zhao." Li Anyang said in a low voice.
Li Shimin paused briefly and was silent for a while, then he hummed and said, "Let him come over and talk." After speaking, he sighed silently, put his hands back under the cloak, and followed him from afar.
Looking at the dead leaf spinning in the middle of the lake.
Zhao Yi took long strides calmly, came behind Li Shimin, and saluted on one knee. After Li Shimin made him flat, he stood upright beside and behind Li Shimin, with a zombie face that had not changed for thousands of years, still without a trace of expression, and with smooth eyes.
Li Shimin looked at the dead leaves swirling in the center of the lake, and reported in a steady voice what Li Shimin asked him to investigate.
I heard Zhao Yi confirm again that the secret rumors about Hou Junji did come from the Hou Mansion, and they came from one of Hou Junji's long followers who had been with him all year round and followed him in and out of the military camp.
Li Shimin was silent. He couldn't tell what he was feeling.
Feeling the faint anger missing from Li Shimin, Zhao Yi retracted his gaze towards the center of the lake and lowered his eyes to the lake in front of him.
Through the water wrinkled by the wind, it was difficult for Zhao Yi to see the expression on Li Shimin's face clearly, but with difficulty in the turbulence of the water waves, he accidentally saw Li Shimin's calm eyes reflected in the water, which were three points cooler than before.
!
Although he has known Hou Junji for many years and worked together, Zhao Yi has always looked down upon Hou Junji as a person. Although he obviously has no great talent, he is very arrogant. He looks down on this and that.
For Hou Junji, who was petty and unyielding, and who blatantly and arrogantly oppressed those who were less powerful than him, and who used tricks and vengeance on powerful people, Zhao Yi had long been disgusted and wanted to teach him a lesson.
Last year, Fang Yiai dared not give Hou Junji face, fought with Hou Junji's people on the long street, and directly let Hou Junji's people be destroyed one by one, and dragged him around Chang'an Avenue, and then threw them into Jingzhao Mansion
In prison, Zhao Yi just felt refreshed from the inside out because of his behavior of not going to treat Helan Chushi no matter what.
Therefore, Zhao Yi could only applaud Li Shimin's plan to deal with Hou Junji, but had no reason to intercede for Hou Junji.
"You go down and have a rest." After a long silence, Li Shimin turned to Zhao Yi and said.
Zhao Yi responded. After thanking Li Shimin, he took a few steps back, turned around and disappeared behind the arch.
"Let's go to the Li Zheng Palace." Looking at Zhao Yi's disappearing figure in the sunset, Li Shimin glanced at the setting sun, looked back, and said to Li Anyang, who came forward to listen to the instructions.
"Show up at the Zhengdian Palace!"
Following Li Anyang's singing and shouting, the group of people followed Li Shimin through the imperial garden and walked calmly towards the Li Zheng Hall of Empress Changsun.
After Li Shimin and his entourage walked out, two luxurious ladies walked out of a corner of the imperial garden. Judging from their overall attire, they were obviously Li Shimin's concubines.
"Risetsuden Hall! It's Risetsuden Hall again!" One of them wrung the handkerchief in his hand and said angrily with a sour tone, wishing that Risetsuden Hall was the handkerchief in his hand and could be shredded directly.
"The Queen is gentle and virtuous, and she is generous and considerate. She is also the mother of the country. What's wrong with the Emperor going to her often?" Another person said with the same sourness.
"In the past, my sister was also the one who was dear to the Emperor's heart. Since Princess Jinyang turned one year old, the Emperor would stay in other places besides the Lizheng Hall and the Tai Chi Hall for a few days every month? Isn't Sister Yang Fei feeling sad?
?" The lady from before, Yuan Dai, raised her beautiful eyebrows, looked at Concubine Yang who was talking about her with a half-smile, and asked.
Concubine Yang chuckled lightly and said, "So what if I feel uncomfortable? I am a queen, and she is also the biological mother of the prince. After a hundred years as emperor, she will still be promoted to queen mother, and she will still be the most noble woman in the Tang Dynasty. What do I have to do?
Are you qualified to feel uncomfortable because of her? Sister Yin Fei, it’s better not to laugh at my sister.”
"Queen Mother?" Concubine Yin snorted softly, and the envy, jealousy and hatred in her were self-evident.
"Yes, my son is the eldest son and has been appointed as the crown prince by the emperor. If there is no accident, a hundred years after the emperor ascends the throne, she will be the empress dowager." Concubine Yang raised the corner of her mouth and glanced at Concubine Yin.
His expression and tone did not hide the envy in his heart.
I don’t know if Concubine Yin heard it correctly. She just felt that the word "accident" seemed to be bitten hard by Concubine Yang. However, after thinking about it carefully, she felt that there was no difference in tone from other words.
But the word "accident" was engraved in Concubine Yin's heart!
Seeing Concubine Yin's slightly absent-minded look, Concubine Yang sneered in her heart and pretended to be uncomfortable before saying goodbye and returning to the palace, leaving Concubine Yin with endless room for daydreams.