"After Helan Yan, there were no outstanding figures in the Helan tribe. In addition, its foundation was damaged and its power was no longer there. It has long been reduced to the bottom. It may be somewhat possible to learn that someone is colluding with the Longjiu tribe, but if there is really someone who secretly gathers the armor , bow and crossbow, there is absolutely no way Helan Chushi can know about it. Now Helan Chushi is on the verge of death, and he hopes to be punished and make meritorious service, and what he said is unlikely to lie, so the only explanation is that someone deliberately let him know these secret things, but Helan Chushi He himself has no talent, and the Helan tribe is not what it used to be, so what is there for others to win over him or even tell him the core secret?"
Cen Changqian is articulate and clear, and she directly expresses the doubts in her heart.
Xuanzang drank tea in silence and turned a deaf ear.
Fang Jun thought for a while, nodded and said: "This speculation is not unreasonable. Is Helan Chushi someone who can connect with the old Guanlong tribe and gather the armor, bows and crossbows?"
"I have sent Helan Chushi to the 'Hundred Qisi'. If this matter is true, it involves a major treason case, which is not within the scope of your authority, Commander-in-Chief. Why do you need to get involved in it and cause trouble? And in my case See, this matter may not be aimed at the commander-in-chief. Since the commander-in-chief is going to the salt pond to rectify the salt affairs, why not take a step early and stay out of the matter?"
Now Fang Jun has not only lost the military power of Jinwu Guards, but also does not even have a formal position. The official position of "Shang Shu You Pu She" is more like a false title. He himself has never gone to Shangshu Province to take up his post. Li Chengqian also I don't care about this, I am happy to see it happen...
The location is very awkward. It is better to go to the salt pond early and escape from the huge whirlpool of Chang'an.
If he took one step at night, he might not be able to leave even if he wanted to, so Cen Changqian rushed over to inform Fang Jun so that Fang Jun could make an early decision.
Fang Jun approved of this: "Then let's do it. I will go to the palace to see His Majesty in the afternoon, and I will leave Chang'an for Yanchi tomorrow."
Cen Changqian was very excited to see that Fang Jun recognized and trusted her.
Fang Jun then said goodbye to Xuanzang: "Ordinary people who have fallen into the world of mortals are always burdened with such tedious things and feel uncomfortable. If they get tired of living like this one day, they will have to shave their heads and convert to Buddhism. They will listen to the master's lectures and listen to the scriptures every day. The drums in the evening and the bells in the morning do not necessarily make you unhappy."
Xuanzang smiled and said: "If one day, the poor monk personally ordains the Duke of Yue and becomes his disciple, you will inherit the mantle of the poor monk in the future. Naturally, you will have nothing to inherit in terms of money and silk, but at least No one else can take away the abbot of the Great Ci'en Temple."
Cen Changqian laughed when she heard what Xuanzang said was interesting. She thought that if one day, her commander-in-chief could become the leader of Buddhism in the world...
…
The two of them said goodbye to Da Ci'en Temple and rode their horses to the south. Cen Changqian looked back at the spire of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda exposed above the mountain gate and sighed: "I have always heard of Master Xuanzang's perseverance and perseverance, so I thought he was an unkind person." The eminent monk, who speaks in a pedantic and rigid manner, never expected to be so approachable and humorous."
Such an image is really inconsistent with Xuanzang's identity.
Fang Jun rode his horse and said: "This is the master who truly sees through the world. He does not dwell on things or emotions. How can he be compared with those so-called masters who pretend to be benevolent, righteous and moral? When anything reaches its peak, it will return to its original nature and go straight to its true heart. , things are like this, and people are like this.”
Cen Changqian thought about it carefully, nodded and said, "That's true. The commander-in-chief also has such grace now."
"Get out!"
Fang Jun laughed and scolded: "You have grown up, you have been trying to flatter people at a young age, be careful of going astray."
Cen Changqian said hurriedly: "I said this from my heart, and I have no intention of flattery! The admiration for the commander in my heart is as high as the mountains, and the scenery stops..."
"Well said, keep going and don't stop, from here to the Chengtian Sect. If you dare to stop, military law will serve you!"
"Ah this..."
Cen Changqian was so embarrassed.
*****
In the imperial study, Li Chengqian drank tea and listened to Li Junxian's report. He pondered for a moment and asked, "How much truth or falsehood do you think this matter has?"
Li Junxian was very cautious, shook his head and said: "It's useless for Wei Chen to speculate. This matter is very important and must be investigated carefully."
No matter how you guess this kind of thing, it is wrong...
Li Chengqian nodded and sighed: "It has been two years since I took over, and large-scale rebellions have occurred twice. However, there are still some people who are not willing to accept me sitting on the throne, and will not hesitate to shake the country and the country and shed blood. If I overturn it...do I really think that I am angry and resentful, and that I am not like a human king?"
He is a very sensitive person at heart, and he is extremely concerned about all evaluations about himself. Comments such as "doing what he wants" and "having his own way" have never been relevant to him.
And the clan that should support him most in ascending to the throne repeatedly launched rebellions and remonstrances, which seriously affected his self-confidence and caused him to have serious doubts about himself. Otherwise, how could he explain that everyone was trying to overthrow him? Oust him from power and replace him?
Li Junxian said respectfully: "Your Majesty is a benevolent monarch who has never been seen in history. He treats people with sincerity and treats things with truth. Perhaps because of this, some people think that a gentleman can be bullied. This is really common."
This is a good thing, but it may not be true. The real situation is that as long as the throne is at stake and as long as there is a slight chance to covet the throne, there will be people who are willing to take risks and make desperate efforts to win such a possible opportunity.
This has nothing to do with whether the emperor is benevolent or not. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was violent and domineering, and how did the Yang Sui clan and the Guanlong clan ever calm down? Emperor Taizong was wise, mighty, talented and strategic, but since the day of the "Xuanwumen Incident", there have been fewer people in the clan who are secretly ambitious and plotting to replace him?
The original intention and motivation of doing anything is not whether you dare or not, but whether it is worth it. After weighing the pros and cons and thinking that the rewards may be far greater than the effort, then you dare to do anything. The benefits of successfully competing for the throne are unparalleled by anything in the world. Naturally, some people are willing to fight for a one percent or even one ten thousandth chance.
After all, as long as you can succeed, any sacrifice and effort will be worth it.
Li Chengqian agreed with Li Junxian's remarks. After all, it is tradition to bully honest people. Who would bully a bully?
"Can you confirm it's him?"
"Further investigation is needed, but it's probably close to the mark."
"Let's investigate secretly. Don't make the city full of chaos and people panic. After the Yuan Dynasty, we will implement the New Deal and measure the acres. This is a top priority. Everything must make way for this to ensure that the measurement of the acres is carried out smoothly."
"You will finally understand."
Li Chengqian gave some instructions, but before he finished speaking, the chamberlain came to report, and Fang Jun asked for an audience outside the palace door...
"Xuan."
"Here."
When the chamberlain went to summon Fang Jun, Li Chengqian sighed and said: "Erlang is probably aware that the matter is very involved and does not want to be involved. He is going to stay away from the place of right and wrong."
Li Junxian didn't want to answer, so he remained silent.
I thought to myself, Your Majesty, didn't you ask Fang Jun to go to the salt pond to rectify the salt affairs? With such a method that is tantamount to relegation, is it possible to still want people to be grateful?
Since you are the one who pushed Fang Jun out of this whirlpool, and you don’t want the other party to have too much influence on your throne, and you want to use this to appease the clan and strive for stability, then naturally you can’t blame Fang Jun for staying out of the matter and protecting yourself...
In a daze, Li Junxian suddenly remembered what Fang Jun once said in the past: "Seek unity through unity, and unity will perish; seek unity through struggle, and unity will survive." It was like His Majesty being so tolerant to the clan and trying to stabilize the hearts of the clan. Perhaps his approach was wrong. Not only did it not allow those people to put down their ambitions and assist the emperor, it actually made them mistakenly think that His Majesty was weak and could be bullied, and they became more and more unscrupulous.
But he was just thinking about it, and could not say even half a sentence. He believed that he was just a knife or a dog for His Majesty. He only needed to carry out orders and protect the imperial power. He did not need to have his own opinions and opinions. Thought.
Otherwise, it is a way to die...
After a moment, Fang Jun quickly walked in and said with great courtesy: "I have an audience with Your Majesty."
Li Chengqian smiled and said: "Without courtesy, please take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Junxian on one side said: "The general will see the Duke of Yue at the end."
"Haha, no gift, no gift."
When Fang Jun took his seat, Li Chengqian asked someone to serve tea, and then asked: "Erlang is here, but what is the important matter?"
Fang Jun got straight to the point: "The New Year has passed, the cold has weakened, the spring has increased, the floating ice on the Yellow River has begun to melt, and preparations for spring plowing have begun in various places in Guanzhong. The funds required by all parties are almost astronomical, and the national treasury is under great pressure. Wei Chen thought The salt-producing season of the salt pond is not far away, so we should move in as soon as possible and organize our affairs so that the salt tax will be increased this year to alleviate the shortage of the national treasury and help the smooth implementation of His Majesty's new policy."
Li Chengqian took a sip of tea and thought that this was indeed the case.
"Not long ago, the Jinwu Guards sent a man who was embezzling military resources and asked the 'Baiqisi' to conduct a thorough investigation of his behavior. Did Erlang know about it?"
"Uh...is there such a thing?"
Fang Jun looked surprised and denied: "Weichen doesn't know about this. Besides, it is the British public who is responsible for the reorganization of Jinwu Guard, and the specific implementation is Gao Kan, Cheng Wuting, Sun Renshi and others. Weichen has already made it clear, so it is not the case." I don’t know what’s going on inside Jinwu Guard.”
Li Chengqian sighed: "Erlang is still angry at me for canceling your reorganization of the Jinwu Guards? You also know the scene at that time. The civil servants were aggressive and well-founded. I couldn't suppress it by force. Besides, I had to worry about the British." My father-in-law’s face... But don’t worry, as long as you get past the limelight, you will still be responsible for this job. It seems that the British father-in-law doesn’t want to get involved.”
These are words of comfort. After all, the reorganization of the left and right Jinwu Guards has been going on for some time, and it will be completed in a short time. By then, the left and right Jinwu Guards have formed their own armies. The two generals will be responsible for military affairs, so there is no need for others. Intervene?
However, it is extremely rare for an emperor to comfort him in such a low voice...
(End of chapter)
