Xiao Yu was obviously dissatisfied with the prince's answer. He kept his expression calm and said thoughtfully: "Guan Long has been entrenched in Chang'an for many years. It has been at the center since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. It has been deeply rooted over the years. Although it has fallen for a while, its foundation has not been damaged. . After this battle, the central government focused on reconstruction, which required the cooperation of all parties inside and outside the government. Government orders were smooth and prohibited. However, Guan Long suddenly lost power. How could he be willing to hide in the mansion? And reconstruction matters will basically involve Guan Long. In order to achieve their own interests, they will inevitably interfere with it, making it difficult for the imperial government to implement its decrees. Your Highness, please think twice."
His intention is very obvious, but these words are not unreasonable. In fact, this possibility does exist, and it will even definitely happen.
Guanlong's power is intertwined, and his interests are everywhere. When the Jiangnan gentry descendants enter the court in large numbers to help the prince control the government and start reconstruction, the interests of Guanlong's clan will inevitably be touched. Don't look at the current Guanlong clan begging for mercy. It seems that they are willing to give up anything as long as they have one life. However, once they have overcome the current life and death crisis, they will still turn against them if they try to touch their interests.
On the surface, you may not dare to disobey the prince's decree, but with the Guanlong clan's deep roots in Guanzhong, it is not easy to obstruct it secretly...
And this will bring great obstacles to the children of the Jiangnan gentry.
Li Chengqian frowned, knowing that if he insisted on forgiving Changsun Wuji and others, he would offend the interests of Xiao Yu and the Jiangnan nobles behind him. Xiao Yu and the Jiangnan nobles have always stood unswervingly behind him during this mutiny. Now that the crisis has been overcome and the situation is excellent, it is the time to reward the merits. As a result, he failed to reward the merits, but instead harmed them. The benefits they are about to receive...
After pondering for a long time, Li Chengqian slowly nodded and said, "This is a serious matter. Let Gu Haosheng consider it before making a decision."
Xiao Yu did not dare to push too hard and said respectfully: "Your Highness is wise."
…
After Xiao Yu left, Li Chengqian sat in the hall with a frown on his face.
He stood up and stood in front of the window with his hands behind his hands, looking at the beautiful scenery outside the window that had become dilapidated and muddy in the rain. The newly built walls were all mixed with old and new, which was particularly eye-catching. If the Taiji Palace is so ruined and in ruins, what does Chang'an City look like? What about Guanzhong, which was harassed by Guanlong troops?
The mood became heavier and heavier.
"Go to the Xuanwu Gate to inform the Duke of Yue. If you have anything to do, summon him." Li Chengqian returned to the desk, sat down, and picked up the brush.
"Here."
The chamberlain serving on the side bowed to accept the order, hurriedly exited, and went straight to the Xuanwu Gate.
Less than half an hour later, Fang Jun came over in a hurry. After entering the door and saluting, he asked, "Why have you summoned Your Highness?"
Li Chengqian put down his writing brush, stood up and walked out from behind the desk. He waved to Fang Jun. The monarch and his ministers came to sit opposite each other on the mat in front of the window. After the waiter served him some tea, he was dismissed by Li Chengqian with a wave of his hand.
Fang Jun holds a pot and pours tea.
Li Chengqian picked up the teacup and took a sip, exhaled heavily, put down the teacup and sighed: "In the past, the teachers from the East Palace taught me that the way to be a king is to be complex and simple, and the purpose is the word 'balance'. Heaven is above, Yuan The sun shines on all things, the earth is below, and the wind moves in the universe and cleanses the four directions, which is balance; all things have yin and yang, and the heaven and earth have four qi, which is balance. If it is correct, it is balanced and powerful... It seems easy to understand, but if you know It is easy to do but difficult to do, but now that I am sitting alone in this position, I know how difficult it is for my father, and I also know that among the emperors of ancient and modern times, the wise ones are naturally talented, and the mediocre ones are not necessarily stupid."
The truth is there, it's easy to understand, but it's hard to do it. Those wise and heroic heroes are naturally the most outstanding people in the world, and there is no one among them. Those who are ignorant are not necessarily incompetent people, because it is really difficult to achieve "balance".
As the emperor, wanting to control the court, "balance" is the top priority. "Weighing the affairs of the country to make them balanced" can only be as stable as Mount Tai.
But now, after a mutiny, Guanlong has involved the entire Guanzhong in the flames of war. Not only did the East Palace almost collapse, but the people in Guanzhong were also plunged into dire straits. It can be said that the crime was serious and unforgivable. According to the law, the three tribes should be annihilated as a warning to others.
However, after Guanlong was destroyed, there still needed to be someone in the court to maintain the operation of the organization. When the rich men from Jiangnan and Shandong entered the court, would they really do better than Guanlong, serve the country wholeheartedly, and be loyal?
Only a fool would believe it...
Therefore, how to clarify the context and weigh the priorities among the various forces such as Guanlong, Jiangnan, Shandong, etc., so as to achieve a balance in the court situation, made Li Chengqian exhausted mentally and physically, and felt quite helpless.
Under Fang Jun's probing eyes, he explained what Xiao Yu meant just now, and finally couldn't help but uttered another curse word: "Mother! One or two, the family is not a good thing!"
Fang Jun said with a smile: "Everyone in the world covets the emperor to have the power to kill and seize the common people in the world, holding the sun and moon in his hand and holding the constitution of heaven in his mouth, but few can understand how cautious and cautious the supreme position is, walking on thin ice. The humble ministers are not like those who are well-read in poetry and books. Hongru can quote the classics to guide the prince, but he knows that it is better to block the situation and make the best use of the situation. Everyone in the government and the public has their own interests. As long as all parties understand what they need and then allocate the interests, it will probably be easy. safe and sound."
Li Chengqian thought for a while and said dissatisfied: "You are so cunning. You make broad and general remarks, which sounds reasonable, but in fact you don't have any constructive opinions at all."
Fang Jun poured tea for him and said with a wry smile: "Your Highness has been taught by a master since childhood and was trained as a prince. How can I know about things that you can't even understand? Since you are in a different position, you can't empathize with him. , it can’t be said to be giving advice.”
He would only teach the prince how to do things if he is stupid...
However, Li Chengqian was obviously dissatisfied with such perfunctory words. He frowned and said: "Erlang, you are the most responsible for this mutiny, and you are the person Gu trusts the most. You will naturally be entrusted with important responsibilities in the future... Quan Dangdang, you are now in that position." Regarding the position, I have to share my worries with you, right? Let’s talk about it, whether it’s feasible or not, let’s discuss it.”
These words can be regarded as a clear promise: when I sit on the throne of the emperor, I will definitely accept you as the prime minister and assistant. As the prime minister and assistant, I have a beautiful heart and a plan for the world. How can I shirk my responsibility?
It's just that as a prince, you must pay attention to your dignity. Before you reach that stage, you must not say such words...
Fang Jun could only say: "Your Highness hopes for balance. In fact, everything in the world is not in balance for a moment. There are profit and loss in the moon, the ebb and flow of the tide, and the trend is changing from one trend to another every moment. It seems to be balanced, but in fact it is always in balance." It is changing, but the purpose of the change is to reach a balance, but there will never be a true balance... The same is true for the court situation. His Highness wants to use Guanlong to fight against Jiangnan and Shandong, but once Guanlong stabilizes his position, and How could they be willing to become His Highness's pawns to charge into the battle and fight to the death? They are just retreating to advance. One day, they can really resist Jiangnan and Shandong's attempts to control the court, and Guanlong will be revived and make a comeback. Why not agree to Xiao Yu's offer? My advice is to let Shandong, Jiangnan, and Guanlong check each other and constantly struggle to achieve balance?"
He had something to say: Your Highness, you don’t have to worry, because it won’t be long before you find that the worries you have now are not worries at all…
He was also a little depressed. There were some things he couldn't tell Li Chengqian openly, because there were few people around Li Chengqian who were completely trustworthy. Once leaked, he would be in big trouble. But he had hinted it several times, but Li Chengqian was completely Didn't understand...
Li Chengqian felt that it made some sense: "This is an expedient measure. Let's first let the Jiangnan nobles and the Guanlong clan go head-to-head, adjust in isolation, and hoe the strong and support the weak."
If someone is weak, give him a hand, and if he is strong, hit him...
The center of the court gathers the greatest interests in the world, and it is difficult for anyone to be pure in heart and desire. Their different backgrounds, identities, and positions also mean that they pursue different interests. Once the interests pursued by each other conflict with each other, fights will occur.
Therefore, one should never expect harmony in the court. It is common for people to form cliques and isolate themselves against each other. What the king has to do is for one of the others to completely knock down the other...
Fang Jun reminded again: "Your Highness must also be careful of the Shandong aristocratic family. Their foundation and heritage are stronger than those of the Jiangnan gentry. How can they be willing to control the army only through the British Duke? They must enter the court to mix it up, so they also I will never sit back and watch the Jiangnan nobles expel Guan Long and monopolize the court."
In terms of background, the Shandong aristocratic families headed by the Boling Cui family, the Qinghe Cui family, the Fanyang Lu family, and the Xingyang Zheng family are far superior to the Jiangnan gentry. However, due to the frequent wars and wars in the Central Plains and Shandong since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, these The clan had suffered too much trauma, so they had been suppressed by the Guanlong clan since entering the Tang Dynasty, and their strength seemed to be weak.
But after so many years of rest and recuperation, his strength has already grown stronger. Naturally, he is not willing to stay away from the center, and vows to advance bravely and enter the court.
Li Chengqian rubbed his face in annoyance and sighed: "There are forces from all sides, and a slight mistake will cause an uproar. It is really rare for this prince to be alone."
As long as you think about the overt and covert fights between various forces in the DPRK, and all kinds of conspiracies and tricks, he has to be in the middle to help the weak, suppress the strong, and strive to maintain a balanced situation, one is the leader and the other is the leader.
Fang Jun was relaxed and said with a smile: "There will be a road for the car to reach the mountain, and it will be straight for the boat to the bridge. Your Highness does not need to worry."
Even if you want this trouble, it won't be your turn for a while...
Li Chengqian felt that he was almost dying of worry, but Fang Jun still looked disapproving. He felt unhappy and grunted: "You can't even think about being at ease. Now that the government is becoming more and more stable, there are many people who are jealous of your achievements. In the end, It’s best not to collude with Changle, otherwise someone will catch you and impeach you, and I won’t be able to protect you."
Speaking of this, Fang Jun not only did not feel embarrassed at all, but instead rubbed his hands excitedly and whispered: "Your Highness is wise, but I still have something to ask for advice. If Changle gives birth to an heir, what identity should he show to others? "
Li Chengqian was dumbfounded and said in surprise: "You, you, you... are so brave?"
He always thought that the two of them were just in love, one of them could not sleep alone, and the other coveted beauty. Anyway, due to their status, they could not stay together for a long time. As time went by, it would slowly fade away... But if Princess Changle is pregnant, , that is a huge scandal for the royal family!
What happened? !
The prince glared angrily, and said angrily with his halberd finger: "I can tolerate anything from you, but this is the only thing you must never do! Don't dare to do anything arbitrarily just relying on military merit!"
