Speaking of which, Li Kai also has some reputation among the children of the aristocratic family, but this reputation is not very good.
As a younger brother of the Danyang family of the Li family in Longxi, Li Kai accompanied the Qin King Li Shimin in the expedition against Liu Heitai in the early fifth year of Wude. He was highly praised by the generals and was the more outstanding among the Qin Prince's children. However, it was Xingyang with whom he was engaged during the campaign in Shandong. Zheng's daughter died of illness.
And this is not the first time, or even the second time, this kind of misfortune has happened.
Six years ago, Li Kai got engaged to Lanling Xiao, but the nine-year-old girl died the next year.
Five years ago, Li Kai got engaged to the Bohai Gao family. The 11-year-old woman died of illness the next year.
Well, women conquer men, which has a bad reputation.
Men conquer women...this reputation is not good.
Changsun frowned, waved the maid to leave, and looked at Li Kai, who didn't seem to be affected, with a grimace, "Sanlang..."
"Don't worry, mother." Li Kai smiled lightly, "It doesn't matter if Si Lang is in front."
There were a few who were interested, but without exception, they all aimed at Li Qi, the fourth son of the Changsun family, and avoided Li Kai.
At this time, Master Li came back, asked a few questions casually, and couldn't help but frown.
"The Shen family of Wuxing and the Gu family of Wujun are interested..." The Changsun family obviously doesn't like these two families very much. Although they were also popular surnames back then, they have fallen into decline now.
In the early Tang Dynasty, there were more aristocratic families in the world, but generally speaking, the north was the most valuable. The top aristocratic families were basically located north of the Yellow River, mainly in Shandong, Hedong, and Guanzhong. Among the seven families with five surnames, only the Zheng family in Xingyang Around the Yellow River.
Even those aristocratic families who moved to the south of the Yangtze River hundreds of years ago, and whose ancestral homes were around the Yellow River and in the north, can still maintain their popularity, such as the Lanling Xiao family and the Langya Wang family. However, the power of the Jiangnan noble families has been greatly reduced.
The Zhu family of Wujun, the Zhang family of Wujun, the Gu family of Wujun, the Lu family of Wujun, the Zhou family of Yixing, and the Shen family of Wuxing are all Jiangnan gentry. Their rise basically happened after Yiguan moved south, and they naturally had a strong influence on power. He has the instinct to cling, and now that the world has been unified, there is an urgent need to marry into the Northland family.
Master Li thought about it and scratched his head a little. Now the Li family in Longxi can be called the best family in the world, but if you don't look down, there are not many choices for marriage.
After pondering for a moment, Master Li looked at his son, "What do you think, Sanlang?"
Li Kai smiled and said, "It all depends on my father and mother, but... Huairen mentioned it once during the dinner today."
"Huairen entered the city today?"
"Sending a letter..." Li Kai tilted his head, "It's for Zhi Gui."
After hearing what her husband and son said, Changsun suddenly became interested, "Is this Zhang Wenguan from the Zhang family in Wucheng?"
"Yes, Zhigui arrived in Chang'an yesterday, and Huairen sent a letter today."
"Meet?"
"yes."
Changsun clicked his tongue twice, "I'm afraid it will become a poem!"
Master Li asked curiously: "Why do you say that?"
Mrs. Changsun recounted everything that happened yesterday, and specifically named Mrs. Cui. Before leaving, she solemnly saluted Mrs. Zhu, "Zhang Zhigui is the cousin of Miss Cui, and his mother is Mrs. Cui's aunt. It should be It was sent there by his mother..."
"Don't you want to scrutinize it?" Master Li couldn't help but laugh, "Does Mrs. Cui still have benevolence?"
"Anyway, Miss Cui..." Changsun coughed twice, then thought for a while and said, "Sanlang, since Huairen has become a poem..."
Li Kai smiled and nodded, "I will definitely ask my mother in detail."
Keshi Li was a little speechless. He also knew that his wife was usually very dignified, but her temper was actually very out-of-touch.
But the key is... is it already crooked?
"Sanlang continued...what did Huairen say?"
"Oh, Huairen asked Madam Zhu yesterday which young lady he disliked the most." Li Kai said seriously: "As long as you don't like it, there is a 90% chance, but a 50% or 60% certainty."
Master Li and Changsun were stunned. First they frowned and thought hard, and then they couldn't help but laugh.
Master Li nodded repeatedly, "It's true, it's true!"
The relationship between the eldest son and his eldest daughter-in-law and his second daughter-in-law... Well, anyway, it is a normal relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, a family, but they are always disliked and picky about this and that.
Changsun said angrily: "Did my mother-in-law dislike me back then?"
Master Li didn't speak but just smiled.
Is it acceptable for a strange woman to compete with him for his son?
After laughing for a while, Mrs. Changsun snorted, "It will be easy in the future. In a few days, I only need to ask the Zhu family sisters which young ladies they dislike the most..."
Li Keshi smiled and said: "You should pay more attention to Huairen's marriage, but there is no need to rush. The situation in the court is like this...you need to be cautious, and..."
"And the Pei family from Hedong." Changsun nodded and said, "If you are really interested, you must explain... Although Huairen is famous now, he has no foundation."
Li Kai sighed, it was true, it was impossible for Li Shan to marry a poor woman, but there were not many people in the family who were not afraid of hearing about the Pei family, so there was not much room for choice.
The most important thing is actually the King of Qin. If the King of Qin ascends the throne, the Hedong Pei family attached to the East Palace will inevitably decline. Li Shancai will have enough qualifications to marry aristocratic families, and even top-notch families...such as Miss Cui, who should have received the letter by now.
Therefore, for other people, whether the King of Qin can seize the direct descendant is related to his official career and has little impact on himself.
For example, for the Danyang House of the Li family in Longxi, if the prince ascends the throne, Li Keshi's career will inevitably be affected. However, with Li Jing and Li Qianyou here, Li Keshi himself will not be treated harshly, and even the career of his sons will be affected. will not be affected.
For Li Shan, whether King Qin can seize the legitimate son or not affects so many aspects of him...even his marriage will be affected.
Li Kai was thinking in his mind, how long would it take for the King of Qin and the Crown Prince to decide the winner?
If it continues...for ten or eight years, tsk tsk, Huairen will have to be almost thirty before they get married!
A family of three was chatting. A servant girl came to report outside, and the King of Qin summoned him.
Keshi Li is a little strange. Although he is from the Li family in Longxi, his status in Tiance Mansion is not high. His relationship with King Qin is not as close as that of Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong, and Yuchi Gong. He rarely visits Chengqian Hall... ...much less than his wife’s eldest son.
After galloping all the way into the imperial city and entering the Chengqian Hall, Li Keshi had just been introduced into the side hall when he heard Li Shimin's angry scolding.
"The Imperial Medical Office is full of people who are just trying to make up for their mistakes!"
"If Third Sister is not cured, she must be held accountable!"
Keshi Li's heart tightened, knowing that he was talking about Princess Pingyang who had just returned to Beijing. After hearing this, the Imperial Medical Office was powerless.
"Brother Ke is here." Fang Xuanling came up to greet him.
Li Keshi returned the salute and glanced around. There were only four people in the side hall: King Qin, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Changsun Wuji. The latter three were all close advisers of King Qin.
Li Shimin forced a smile and nodded in greeting, "I have some small questions to ask about today."
"I will tell you the truth and please ask Your Highness for further information."
Li Keshi glanced out of the corner of his eye. Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji looked as usual, while Du Ruhui looked ashen.
Li Shimin took a deep breath, "De Mou and Li Huairen are the best friends. Chang'an ordered Li Qianyou to be worthy of his uncle and nephew. Is this possible?"
Why did you ask about Li Shan... Li Keshi was even more surprised, "That's true."
"Did Li Qianyou not say a word when Yu Huchun was locked down?" Li Shimin asked: "I heard that Li Qianyou's son Li Zhaode also had a good relationship with Li Huairen?"
Master Li Ke was confused when he was asked, and Changsun Wuji on the side said softly: "Brother Ke, who was the person behind the scenes that ordered Chang'an to seal Yu Huchun?"
"The saint gave him his name and sealed his door for half a month. He is definitely not an ordinary person... Ordinary people can't influence the children of the Li family in Longxi."
Li Shimin nodded slightly and stared at Li Keshi. He had known for a long time that Yu Huchun had been blocked. At that time, he thought it was the inconvenient Li Dewu who did it, but it was not until yesterday that he realized that there was another mystery behind it.
If you want to verify these things, the easiest way is to bring Li Qianyou and Li Dewu to ask what happened, but the former is the chief clerk of Prince Qi's palace, and the latter is the prince Qianniu Beishen of the East Palace... Although Li Shimin doesn't take it seriously, he doesn't take it seriously either. Willing to be provocative in such trivial matters.
What's more, if what Fang Xuanling reported yesterday was true, he would need to deal with it more carefully.
Therefore, Li Shimin summoned Li Keshi. Li Qianyou was Li Keshi's cousin. The two had a close relationship and they were both uncles and nephews of Li Huairen.
Theoretically, since Yuhuchun Restaurant has been closed for so long, Master Li would still have reason to ask even if he didn't come forward in person.
Under the gaze of these four people, Li Keshi said frankly, "The first was Wang Renyou, a descendant of the Wang family in Qixian County, Taiyuan, and then Wei Qingsi, a descendant of the Wei family in Jingzhao... Because he was the prince's family order, it was inconvenient for Qianyou to return. Protect.”
Fang Xuanling sighed softly, it turned out to be true, it was really Wei Qingsi, the prince's family commander.
Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji both remained silent.
It seemed that the atmosphere was a bit solemn, so Li Keshi thought he should say a few words... Then he smiled and said to Du Ruhui: "I would like to thank Keming even more. If it hadn't been for Jingzhao Du's intervention, Yuhuchun Winery would still be closed. .”
Speaking of which, Wei Qingsi was a son of the Jingzhao Wei family and served as the crown prince's family commander, but he took action behind the scenes... Very few people knew the inside story. Li Dewu was hit by an arrow in the knee, Li Qianyou was an official of the King of Qi and was powerless, and Li Although the guest master was from the Li family in Longxi, he had no legitimate excuse to take action.
Only the Du family in Jingzhao could do it. On the one hand, the two families had known each other for generations, and on the other hand, Du Ruhui was a close aide to the King of Qin. He could check and balance and even suppress Wei Qingsi, whether in private or public opinion.
That's why Li Keshi, who regarded Li Shan as his nephew and descendant, thanked him... But Du Ruhui's face was green and white, his chest heaved violently, his mouth moved, and finally there was a violent cough.
Keshi Li was confused, but he also knew that...he probably said the wrong thing.
"This matter must not be leaked." Li Shimin said a few words and asked Master Li to leave. He said with a sullen face: "What on earth does the East Palace want to do?!"
Changsun Wuji raised his voice and said: "Donggong tried to seize the Shaanxi Road but failed. Now he is using his old tricks again. This matter cannot be ignored!"
Fang Xuanling nodded lightly. The night before yesterday, the Secretary of the Ministry of Public Affairs and the Sima Fenglun of Tiance Mansion suddenly found him and mentioned that Du Yan had entrusted Wei Qingsi, the prince's family minister in the East Palace, with personal affairs.
From the perspective of personal relationships, this is nothing. After all, Du Yan and Jingzhao Weishi had been friends in their early years, but this incident reminded Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling and other advisers... Was this an accident? Or is it intentional?
After all, Wei Qingsi's status was too special, and no one other than Li Jiancheng's confidant could be the prince's family leader... Why did Du Yan go to Wei Qingsi for such a private matter?
Li Shimin and Fang Xuanling had to think of a possibility. Did Du Yan switch to the East Palace?
Whatever you do, I'm not afraid that you'll think too much, but I'm afraid that you won't use your brain... So Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling and others became vigilant.
Speaking of which, the possibility of Du Yan switching to Dong Palace is really quite high.
First, Du Yan has not yet held a position in Tiance Mansion. He is only a bachelor in Hongwen Hall, and he has not been included in the eighteen bachelors. He is not allowed to be promoted, which makes Du Yan quite angry.
Especially before, Fang Xuanling had privately hinted that Du Yan would appoint Cao Cao, a soldier in Tiance's palace, to join the military, but Ling Jing suddenly appeared. How could this not make Du Yan angry?
Secondly, although Du Yan and Du Ruhui are uncles and nephews, they have been enemies for a long time.
The enmity between uncle and nephew was not the reason for Du Yan to switch sides, but it was the reason for Du Yan to switch sides.
A wealthy family never puts their eggs in the same basket. For example, Jingzhao Wei Clan, Wei Ting and Wei Qingsi are Li Jiancheng's confidants, but there are also Wei Ting's children who have entered Tiance Mansion, and Wei Ting's younger brother is in Tiance Mansion. The government appointed Cao Cao to participate in the military affairs.
Thirdly, Feng Lun, as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, is responsible for selecting officials. If he hadn't noticed the clues, I'm afraid it wouldn't be so conclusive.
Therefore, let alone Li Shimin, even Fang Xuanling, who had always been gentle and elegant, looked gloomy.
"I'm determined not to do it!" Fang Xuanling lowered his voice, but said firmly: "This is the foundation of His Highness!"
Changsun Wuji and Du Ruhui both nodded in agreement. Last year, Prince Li Jiancheng wanted to personally conquer Hebei and temporarily control Shaanxi Province. He might recruit many generals. This was within the scope of Li Shimin's permission... After all, his prestige in the army was too high.
But this time the nature is different.
Although Du Yan does not work in Tiance Mansion, he is a bachelor of Hongwen Hall. This status determines that he must not be attracted by the East Palace.
In the fourth year of Wude, Li Shimin swept through the Central Plains and captured two kings in one battle, laying the foundation for Li Tang to dominate the world. Later, he returned to the court and was granted the title of General Tiance and established the Tiance Mansion. But at the same time, his most important thing was to found Went to Hongwen Pavilion.
The emergence of Hongwen Hall was a sign that Li Shimin changed from an invincible commander to a civilized ruler, and it was a sign that Li Shimin was the prelude to the battle for the right to inherit the throne.
All the eighteen bachelors in Hongwen Hall work in Tiance Mansion, and many of the bachelors below are all dependent on Li Shimin.
If Du Yan rebels and goes to the East Palace, it will greatly damage Li Shimin's reputation... From martial arts to civil rule, Li Shimin has no advantage over Li Jiancheng in this aspect.
Du Ruhui felt furious, wondering why he didn't ask clearly that day. If he had known that a close confidant of the prince was involved, he would not be in the situation he is in today.
After a long silence, Fang Xuanling suddenly stood up, walked to Li Shimin, and straightened his clothes.
"Brother Xuanling..." Du Ruhui was startled and then stood up suddenly, "Someone..."
"Keming is Wang Zuo's talent, His Highness cannot leave him for a moment." Fang Xuanling said with a smile and bowed solemnly.
Li Shimin sighed softly, stood up and helped Fang Xuanling himself, "Keming is the left arm and Xuanling is the right arm. How can I abandon him?"
Fang Xuanling nodded and said, "It's just a temporary measure."
After Li Shimin was silent for a while, he nodded slightly.
In fact, the way to solve this matter is very simple. The four people present knew that it was enough to give Du Yan an official position in the Tiance Mansion. As long as he entered the Tiance Mansion, Du Yan would not be able to switch to the East Palace no matter what.
But Tiance Mansion is not like the Prince of Qin's Mansion. There are fixed official positions. From Tiance General to the next, they are chief historian, Sima, Zhonglang, wine sacrificer, bookkeeper, etc.
Basically there are no vacancies. At present, there is only a vacancy in charge of recording and conveying affairs. He is a ninth-grade Weimo official... while Du Ruhui is engaged in Zhonglang and a fourth-grade official.
This was unacceptable to Du Yan.
But Fang Xuanling stood up. He was a secretary of Tiance Mansion and joined the army, a fifth-rank official... but Du Yan could accept it.
