If two powers benefit each other, choose the greater one; if two powers harm each other, choose the lesser one.
Xiao Yun had a life of ups and downs in the officialdom, so he naturally knew how to choose, but doing so would be equivalent to ruining his eldest son's future.
The nobles of Guanlong are all descendants of Barbarians, and their actions have always been violent and harsh. This is why all the civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty are deeply afraid of them. It is conceivable that when he rejected the Guanlong nobles and fell to the emperor's side, those people would definitely take revenge.
After returning, they must quickly send people to Mobei. On the one hand, they warn Xiao Rui to take strict precautions against harm, and on the other hand, they must increase the number of guards around Xiao Rui...
Ma Zhou said nothing and gently pushed a cup of tea in front of Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu reached out to take it, sighed softly, and said with a wry smile: "Erlang is really posing a problem for me."
Fang Jun did not take it seriously and said calmly: "Your Majesty is at the peak of his power in the Spring and Autumn Period, and he has great literary and military skills. As ministers, we should be loyal and courageous, even if we are broken into pieces. How can we forget our duties as ministers for the sake of immediate interests? Furthermore, let's talk about it. , after all, this world still belongs to your Majesty, how can your Majesty treat his ministers who have followed him through life and death? The Duke of Song is worried too much."
Xiao Yu's face looked a little ugly.
What's the word? Even if you, Fang Jun, are favored and you are the Holy Family, do you still dare to speak to me in such a lecturing tone?
That is Fang Jun. If it had been anyone else, Xiao Yu would have thrown the teacup in his face.
Li Daozong glanced at Xiao Yu and said in a deep voice: "As a minister, it is natural for you to dedicate yourself to everything. If you care about the pros and cons half-heartedly, you will inevitably be jealous of your Majesty. Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and the candle shines thousands of miles away. Everything in the world can be seen in your eyes. , keep it in mind, if you lose His Majesty’s trust and importance for the sake of temporary gain, then it is a loss outweighing the gain.”
Xiao Yu's face was almost dripping with water.
If someone else had been accompanying Fang Jun, after Fang Jun said those almost unceremonious words, he would have softened his words to eliminate the awkward atmosphere.
As a result, both Ma Zhou and Li Daozong were known for their uprightness. Instead of easing the atmosphere, they felt that Fang Junzhi's words were reasonable and made them more aggressive.
It made Xiao Yu almost unable to get off stage...
I think that when you followed Emperor Gaozu's cavalry to fight against the Sui Dynasty, all of you were still hairy, and now you are teaching me a lesson with righteousness and dignity?
Of course, even if he was furious, he could only endure it.
Among the three people in front of him, although Fang Jun is not firmly on the side of the prince, both Ma Zhou and Li Daozong are His Majesty's most trusted ministers. As long as Your Majesty does not have the desire to be easy to save, then in the future when the prince ascends the throne, these three people will definitely be important ministers in the court and the mainstay of power.
The Xiao family still needs a lot of support, so how can they be offended?
Probably seeing Xiao Yu's anger, Fang Jun laughed and calmed down the atmosphere: "Song Guogong is old and seeking for the country. How can he not see through such things and do stupid things? Having said that, this Ten additional salt fields were set up, and His Majesty was determined not to trust the prefects and governors of the various states and counties, and the officials protected each other. In the end, they were afraid that the quotas for these salt fields would be allocated to their cronies, and they would end up filling their own pockets. And looking at the court, you can let Don't worry, Your Majesty, there are only a handful of ministers who can suppress those states and counties."
The implication is very clear.
As long as you, Xiao Yu, personally apply to His Majesty to take on the job of setting up an additional salt farm this time, you will be sure of success.
Xiao Yu nodded slowly.
At present, it seems that the power of the imperial court is still in the hands of the veterans who followed His Majesty from the Xuanwu Gate Revolution, but the rise of the younger generation is already unstoppable. Just talking about the three people in front of them, their power may not reach the level of overwhelming the sky with one hand, but their influence on the emperor is far greater than that of these veterans.
The most important thing is that these three people are qualified to "participate in Henan political affairs" and can sit in every political hall meeting.
This is already equivalent to half a prime minister.
Coupled with myself, and Cen Wenwen, who has never been too meddlesome or asking too many questions, and is loyal to His Majesty...
The Political Affairs Hall, the administrative center of the Tang Empire, had quietly become the emperor's official voice.
All the previous so-called "returning power to the court" and "restricting imperial power" have become a formality. As long as the emperor is willing, the entire political hall will only have the emperor's will.
Of course, it was impossible for the emperor to seriously turn the Zhengshi Hall into his own back garden. This would not only violate the emperor's original intention of establishing the Zhengshi Hall, but would also force the Guanlong nobles to take another path.
But even if the emperor still acquiesces to the process of the Political Hall, how could Changsun Wuji not know about the actual changes?
This situation of targeting the Guanlong nobles will definitely make the Guanlong nobles worried and unable to sleep well at night.
That's why Changsun Wuji had the idea of breaking his face and lowering his body, even if it was through coercion and inducement, to win over the Jiangnan nobles.
Because at least for now, the imperial power and the Guanlong nobles have reached an irreconcilable situation. Both sides are trying their best to maintain restraint, knowing that once a fierce conflict occurs, the entire court will be turbulent, leading to the upcoming The initial Eastern Expedition was a complete failure.
This is something no one wants to happen.
His Majesty Li Er, who regarded the victory of the Eastern Expedition as the foundation of his grand hegemony, would never be able to sit back and watch the failure of the Eastern Expedition. At that time, what kind of revenge would the furious Majesty Li Er take on the Guanlong nobles who destabilized the Eastern Expedition and caused its failure? The action is unimaginable.
How could the Guanlong nobles just surrender and let His Majesty Li Er do whatever he wanted?
A conflict that could sweep through the entire Tang Dynasty and completely bury all the good situations since Zhenguan is very likely to occur.
However, what worries Xiao Yu even more is that even if everyone exercised restraint before the Eastern Expedition and nothing happened, what happened after the Eastern Expedition?
All barbarians surrendered, and the world was at peace.
If you enter, you will be helpless, and if you leave, you will be invincible to foreign patients, and the country will perish...
If you only want to cultivate a successor for the eldest son's future, then joining forces with the Guanlong nobles is the best result. But once he made such a decision, it would mean that the Lanling Xiao family would go against the emperor from now on. Thinking about the life-and-death struggle between the imperial power and the Guanlong nobles that was almost destined to take place in the future, Xiao Yu couldn't help but trembling.
Today's Majesty is not only talented and strategizing, but also has grand plans and strategies. He is definitely not a reckless person like Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty who loves success without caring about the foundation of the empire. Even though this battle is far from being staged, Xiao Yu has almost foreseen the victory or defeat of both sides.
As long as there are three to five years, the Guanlong nobles will be kept in submission by His Majesty.
Even if something unexpected happens to His Majesty who is in the prime of the Spring and Autumn Period, the succeeding prince, with the support of young men such as Fang Jun, Li Daozong, and Ma Zhou, will definitely continue to implement His Majesty's strategy and continue to suppress the Guanlong nobles.
The fate of the Guanlong nobles seems to be doomed.
Either hand over most of the power and endure and survive, or resist to the death and would rather be shattered than destroyed.
unless……
Thinking of the only chance for the Guanlong nobles to make a comeback, Xiao Yu was excited and then shook his head. Such a treasonous thing would never happen.
…
No one spoke in the side hall for a while. Xiao Yu sat there with a tea cup in his hand, and the expression on his face kept changing.
After a long while, he finally said: "As long as His Majesty agrees to set up salt farms in the coastal states of Henan Province and Huainan Province, I will submit a letter requesting that this matter be handled."
Saying these words is tantamount to accepting the benefits offered by Fang Jun, and since then he has drawn a clear line and differentiated his position from the Guanlong nobles.
Fang Jun laughed, poured tea for Xiao Yu himself, and said warmly: "Why is Song Guogong so entangled? The Tang Dynasty will only become more and more powerful and prosperous, and there are endless benefits everywhere. Why do you need to give charity to others?" Does that violate the duty of a minister?"
Xiao Yu finished the tea, sighed softly, and said distressedly: "It is precisely because the situation is changing rapidly and the empire is becoming more and more prosperous that we have to make plans for our children and grandchildren. Even if the Xiao family is rich, if I pass away in the future, my nephew will be But there is no one who can take on the big responsibility, and sitting on the mountain with nothing to show for it is a long-term solution?"
Fang Jun was stunned at first, not understanding why Xiao Yu suddenly mentioned future generations, but after thinking about it for a moment and thinking of Xiao Rui, who is now serving as the chief guardian of the Hanhai Protectorate in Mobei, he understood.
It turns out that Changsun Wuji, the old Yin man, used this point to negotiate with Xiao Yu, trying to drag the Xiao family to the Guanlong noble ship, and also form an alliance with the entire Jiangnan noble clan, so as to resist His Majesty's suppression.
