In the Wude Hall, Li Chengqian, who had taken a shower and changed clothes after a tiring day, had lunch and was sitting and talking with Queen Su when he heard the chamberlain coming to announce that Li Xiaogong, the king of Hejian County, and Li Yuanjia, the king of Han, were jointly present.
Li Chengqian knew that it must be a matter of concern to the clan, and hurriedly asked the servants to lead the people into the palace.
Queen Su placed the tea and cakes on the table, then excused herself.
Looking at the queen's back, which was still slender and graceful even after giving birth to children, Li Chengqian swayed his chin in thought. The queen seemed to only come out to receive Fang Jun when he entered the palace, and the rest were not seen at all, even the kings of the clan. So...
The waiter served the tea. Li Chengqian, Li Xiaogong and Li Yuanjia sat opposite each other on the floor by the window and asked with a smile: "I am entering the palace at this time. What important matters do the two uncles have?"
Like Emperor Taizong, Li Chengqian did not like to act like an emperor. Most of his courtiers sat facing each other and talked like this when they met in private, let alone two uncles who were high in power and could be called the pillars of the clan.
Li Xiaogong and Li Yuanjia looked at each other, and the latter said respectfully: "Your Majesty, there has been some instability in the clan recently, but it is only a slight disturbance and cannot be confirmed. It is not appropriate for the 'Hundred Qisi' to intervene, otherwise it will inevitably lead to It is in a state of decay, and the foundation of the imperial power is unstable. We should carefully screen and verify it together with the 'Hundred Cavalry Division', but Your Majesty must also be prepared to prevent rebellious thieves from taking advantage of it."
Li Chengqian also understood that it was probably someone within the clan who was secretly doing something, but Zongzheng Temple only noticed clues. Not only was there no evidence, but he couldn't even figure out who it was. If he rashly asked "Baiqisi" to intervene in the investigation, it would not be possible. It may also be deeply involved and shake the foundation of imperial power.
Understandably, he still felt resentful and puzzled in his heart: "Since the clan is so involved with Guan Long and King Jin, is the clan still the cornerstone of imperial power?"
Looking at it now, the clan, which should have been the most solid force to maintain the imperial power, has become a constraint on the imperial power and the biggest hidden danger...
Li Xiaogong and Li Yuanjia were frightened when they heard this. The latter hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, please calm down. After all, there is no evidence for this matter. Once a large-scale investigation is carried out, not only will the conspirator not be found out, but he will be aware of it early and hide it even more." deep."
Li Chengqian looked ugly and said angrily: "Am I just here in Tai Chi Palace to guard against the murders of the traitors at all times, so that every tree and plant is surrounded by soldiers, and I become the laughingstock of the world?"
Li Xiaogong was greatly troubled by the emperor's reaction. He pressed his palms down and whispered: "Your Majesty, please be patient! There are certainly some risks, but after all, the most important thing at the moment is to ensure political stability. First, Emperor Taizong poured out the whole country's support. The strength of the Eastern Expedition, followed by a series of battles, the vitality of the empire was almost exhausted, and the clans all over the world were severely damaged. Although the strength was weakened, in fact, everyone was in trouble, and at the slightest sign of trouble, it was easy to be deceived and went to extremes. If anything happened, Anyone who raises a flag of rebellion without hesitation will most likely lead to wars and chaos in China."
Li Chengqian naturally understood this truth, but he still couldn't get rid of his anger. He said coldly: "So I have to take care of the overall situation, but put myself in danger?"
Li Xiaogong was silent.
Li Yuanjia didn't know how to persuade him, so he could only say earnestly: "As long as the 'Baiqisi' is responsible for your majesty's food and sleep, there won't be any big problem."
Again, the royal family of Li and Tang Dynasty is one of the Guanlong clans. It has a deep connection with the other Guanlong clans. The entanglements between them can even be traced back to a hundred years ago. It can be said that "you have me, and I have you." "You", it is difficult to tell who is who. Behind anyone, there may be several or even multiple interests involved.
Under such circumstances, even if all the palace servants, chamberlains, and guards in the Tai Chi Palace were purged, the people who would be replaced might not be completely loyal to the emperor.
You can't recruit people from all over the world to fill the Tai Chi Palace, right?
That's more dangerous...
Li Chengqian's face was as solid as iron, and he was full of resentment. He waved his hands and said: "In this case, why do you need to ask me what I want? Just do as you say."
"...here."
The two resigned.
Outside the Wude Hall, the cold wind howled as the two of them walked out of the Taiji Palace from Chengtianmen one after another. Before boarding the car, Li Yuanjia whispered: "Your Majesty's temperament... seems to be a bit irritable."
Li Xiaogong glanced at him and said slowly: "The Nine-Five Lord, the Lord of the world, yet he still has to risk being assassinated and poisoned at any time. I am afraid that anyone will be angry, frightened and uneasy, but he is also a human being." It’s normal.”
Li Yuanjia nodded: "I hope so, Brother Wang, please."
Li Xiaogong didn't say much, got into the car and left first.
Li Yuanjia looked back at the Chengtian Gate, which had been built in a hurry but still had traces of the war. He felt deeply worried, sighed, turned around and boarded the car.
*****
Hibiscus Garden.
After the rebels invaded Chang'an, although they caused harm to many lanes, most of them were in the more prosperous lanes near Zhuque Street. Places such as Furong Garden, which had beautiful scenery and continuous palaces but lacked merchants and mansions, were ignored by the rebels. , so it never suffered military disasters.
The fluttering snowflakes fell, passing through the halo of the palace lanterns under the corridor, giving a sense of chaos and sadness.
In the bedroom on the second floor, on the bed, a man and a woman were wrapped in thick quilts and lying in each other's arms.
When the passion subsides, it is when we hug each other and whisper to each other that we can best communicate with each other and communicate honestly...
"It's destiny to go against it. Who can blame Jin Jinmin for digging his own grave? You Silla people all say that he is a great man of his generation, and he himself takes it seriously, thinking that he will be able to make some shocking and unparalleled achievements. Little does he know that he is just a Silla man. In a corner of the country, what does the so-called outstanding person mean in a huge country like the Tang Dynasty? Even if he is not obliterated by everyone, he is just a middle-aged man, but he hopes to assassinate His Majesty in exchange for the support of the King of Jin. He returns to the country... As everyone knows, even if he succeeds by chance, the first thing King Jin will do after he ascends the throne is to avenge Li Chengqian, and no one in the Jin family will survive, and you will be implicated."
Holding Queen Seondeok in his arms, feeling the Queen's much thinner body, Fang Jun whispered relief.
Jin Jinfa Min tried to assassinate the king in the Mudeok Palace, but was killed on the spot. All three thousand Hwarang under his command were killed and no one survived. This incident dealt a huge blow to Queen Seondeok. Hwarang was selected from the Silla nobles, each with pure blood, noble status, intelligence and bravery. This was the last bloodline of Silla, but was buried in the Taiji Palace.
Although Queen Seondeok had never wanted to restore her country, she did not want to see the last bloodline of Silla dissipate before her eyes. The reason why she abandoned her ancestors and was willing to annex the Tang Dynasty was to come to Chang'an with the queen's honor as a pledge. , isn’t it just to preserve the last bit of flesh and blood of Silla and the Jin family?
However, now all hopes have been ruined, and it can be described as disheartened, despairing and collapsed.
This can be seen from the cold reaction despite the violent impact just now...
Hearing Fang Jun's soft words of comfort in her ear, Queen Seonde leaned sideways on the man's broad chest, wrapped her snow-white arms around the man's neck, sighed quietly, and said in a tearful voice: "Why is that child so... Are you stupid? I have warned him many times that it is impossible for Silla to return to the country. It is better to integrate into the Tang Dynasty and live a good life, always leaving a line of blood for the Jin royal family, but he refused to follow it and finally reached a dead end. …”
Two drops of clear tears fell on Fang Jun's chest, feeling slightly cold.
Fang Jun passed a hand under her neck through her rounded shoulders, and said with a smile: "Why is the bloodline cut off? If I work harder, Your Majesty, and you cooperate, I can always give birth to an heir. Maybe he can inherit the blood of the Jin family." maybe."
Queen Seondeok's voice was choked: "You can't do it."
Fang Jun raised his eyebrows, feeling offended: "What can't I do? Isn't it your Majesty who is the first to beg for mercy every time?"
"That's not what I meant, it's not that it won't work...but you are not from the royal family of Silla. Even if we have children, they are not sacred bones and cannot be regarded as the blood inheritance of Silla..."
The rulers of Silla are the royal family with three surnames and the nobles with six surnames. The king always circulates within these three surnames, and the intermarriage between these three surnames is the de jure ruler of Silla - the Holy Bone. If the royal family and the nobles intermarry If the blood is mixed, it will be reduced to the next level as true bones. For the rulers of Silla, the blood is no longer pure.
Even the nobles with six surnames are of mixed blood, let alone Fang Jun, who is from the Tang Dynasty?
Throughout the ages, at home and abroad, "mixed blood" is not a good word...
Fang Jun disagreed and said, "What a place. I can't even trace back my ancestors, and I don't know where so many rules come from? The world is so big, and the virtuous people live there, there is always something special about blood." Use? People who always marry within these surnames will become close relatives for a long time, and the children they give birth to will all be stupid and stupid. Are they waiting for the country to be destroyed and usurped by outsiders? "
In terms of pure bloodline alone, who can be as pure as the Japanese emperor who is "one lineage for eternity"? People would simply marry the elder brother to the younger sister, and the niece to marry the uncle, and the whole thing would become mentally retarded. Then at a certain period, the mental retardation would disappear, and a few smart ones would pop up, but they don’t even think about how they would be born if they were always of pure blood. Savvy?
The Japanese also know that they have to secretly exchange blood after a long time, but some idiots don't know...
These words have already touched upon the blood inheritance of Silla. Even now that Silla has been destroyed and the blood of the royal family of the Jin family has been cut off, it still touched the bottom line in Queen Seondeok's heart. She snorted, broke free from Fang Jun's arms and turned over. Go away, the brocade quilt was folded, leaving him with a snow-white and beautiful back.
Fang Jun swallowed his saliva, bullied him from behind, suppressed Her Majesty the Queen's fierce resistance, and began to attack...
…
The next morning, Fang Jun got up refreshed, put on his clothes under the service of Her Majesty the Queen, who looked cold and angry, washed up, had breakfast, opened the door and walked out.
The heavy snowfall that night had not stopped, and the usually beautiful Furong Garden was covered in silver and made of ice sculptures and snow, which added a bit of coldness and purity. The soldiers had already gathered outside the door. Fang Jun got on his horse and was surrounded by dozens of soldiers. The horse galloped down, running through most of Chang'an City from south to north, leaving the city through Fanglin Gate, then turning around and arriving at Xuanwu Gate.
Although the sky is covered with snow, and even the Xuanwu Gate not far away is covered with a layer of snow, the huge military camp is still filled with drums and horns, and groups of soldiers are practicing battle formations in the wind and rain, with high morale and murderous intent.
