The sky and earth in Luoyang are covered with snow. Standing tall pines and cypresses are swaying in the wind and snow. On the gray sky, goose-feather snowflakes are flying one after another. The biting cold wind rolled and danced between the sky and the earth, falling on the glazed tiles on the eaves.
The news that the Li family's residences were surrounded by the army, and that all Li Liang and Li Zhang's people were arrested, was like a cold snow falling in the capital, breaking the strange calm that had been caused by the assassination in the past two days. The imperial court punished the Li family severely, causing the high-ranking officials in the capital to remain silent and take it as a warning.
At the end of the afternoon, the continuous buildings and terraces of Li Mansion in Huixunfang looked particularly cold, desolate and quiet.
Li Yuan's mother, Dugu, was holding a cane and sitting on the main seat in the lobby. She was surrounded by Li Jiancheng, Li Shuliang, Li Shuliang, Li Youliang, Li Xiaogong, Li Yuan and other children of the Li family, as well as some female relatives.
Dugu's body and bones were not good to begin with. After these two days of torment and watching her clan members being taken away one by one by soldiers, the old face under her gray hair was filled with worry, her eyes were bloodshot, and her whole person was filled with a kind of feeling. The smell of decay.
Li Jiancheng's daughter-in-law Wang came to Dugu with a bowl of steaming rice porridge and advised: "Grandma, you haven't eaten a grain of rice since yesterday. Eat some porridge to nourish your stomach."
Li Jiancheng also advised: "Grandma's body and bones are very important, so she should eat some."
Dugu's anger had long been calmed down and her rationality had returned. She sighed with a sad face and said, "Oh, how can I eat it? I don't know how Shude is doing in Shuofang. With the heavy snow closing the mountains and roads, we I don’t know when the messenger will arrive at Shuofang.”
Li Jiancheng said: "There is no obstacle that cannot be overcome. As long as my great-uncles and uncles are still there, our Li family will have a chance to rescue them."
"The crime has been convicted, how can we be rescued so easily? Shu De can't count on us. The queen didn't see us just now, so she obviously won't help us. But we should always come up with a way ourselves, and we can't just watch the clan members The head fell to the ground." When Dugu said this, she couldn't help but feel angry. She looked at Li Dou with a bruised nose and swollen face, and her heart became more and more resentful.
This damn stupid woman is full of scheming and scheming, and she prides herself on being a hero among women. She used to be fine and did things very appropriately. However, the wife who had been working as an official with Shu De for a long time may have been flattered by others, so she became self-righteous, arrogant and extremely powerful. She actually thought that the capital was the same as the place and she could do whatever she wanted.
As soon as she got home, she didn't like this thing or that thing. She felt that this was out of line and that was a crime. She single-handedly broke the happy situation and peace that had lasted for decades in the Li family, and made the whole family miserable. Flying dogs are jumping around, chickens and dogs are restless, and there are complaints. If she had followed Shude to Shuofang to take office as usual, she would not have caused such a disaster that was close to annihilation.
It's okay now!
Li Xiaogong, who was next to him, thought for a while and said to Dugu: "I can't count on the queen, but King Wei is the number one person in the dynasty, and his words are very important. How about your grandson going to the palace of King Wei?"
"Don't mention that boy and Prince Wei's Mansion. I get angry whenever you mention it!" Dugu paused the crutch in his hand and said angrily: "It's all the fault of that boy from the Yang family! If he hadn't taken the lead in impeaching Shude, how could he be satisfied? Chao responded? And Dugu Min, that wild girl, is not a good thing either."
The female relatives in the hall were anxious, frightened and frightened. With an outlet to vent their anger, they began to curse along with Dugu.
At this moment, the lobby looked darker due to the dark clouds and snowflakes flying in the sky. The faces of a group of female family members with green buns covered with clouds looked terrifying because of the expressions of anger and resentment.
The Dugu family cursed a few times, looked at Li Shuliang, and asked, "What did the Dugu family, the Dou family, the Wang family, the Changsun family, the Yuwen family, and Princess Li Hun and Princess Leping say?"
Li Shuliang shook his head and sighed: "These people all said that the guilt was too great, and there was nothing they could do. But the head of the Dugu family was more humane. He said that the whole city was paying attention to this matter, and the saints and the civil and military officials of the entire court were angry. No matter what you say, it will be useless. If you plead for mercy, it will only add fuel to the fire. After a few days, the news has passed, and the Dugu family will come forward to plead for us again. "
Within these few hours, the Li family's children quickly dispersed throughout the city and went to various mansions to ask for intercession. They visited all the powerful families who were related to them. However, the Li family brought it upon themselves and caused public grievances, and the case has been settled. Who is willing to help a group of murderers who are destined to die?
Furthermore, the Yuan family hates the Li family deeply. The entire Yuan family hopes more than anyone else that the court's decision will be implemented as soon as possible to relieve their hatred. If you plead for the Li family at this time, it will be equivalent to fighting against the Yuan family. faction as the enemy.
Who dares to do this?
What Dugu Zheng, the head of the Dugu family, said sounded nice, but after a few days, Li Liang, Li Shenfu, etc. were already dead, so it would be useless to talk about it then.
After listening to Li Shuliang's words, Dugu Shi's face turned blue and red. She understood that her brother was doing the "drag" trick. She thought about it and gasped: "That's it, that's it! I'll go to Prince Wei's Mansion and ask for help from Dugu Min." .”
. . . . . . . .
At this time, in the garden of the middle hall of Prince Wei's palace, a maid had already prepared a charcoal stove and tea sets in a semi-enclosed pavilion, and lowered the bamboo curtains with gaps in them from above. The coldness in the pavilion was much lessened.
Dugumin and her daughters-in-law were sitting in the pavilion, sipping tea and talking. Looking through the gaps in the bamboo curtains about two fingers wide, they could see three little boys in short coats walking slowly in the snow, having a snowball fight. Bursts of clear and melodious laughter came from time to time.
Xian Yufang walked from the front hall and stopped when she saw three little guys rolling and playing in the snow. But when she saw the maid walking past, she ignored them and walked quickly to In front of the pavilion, he took off the hanger of his hooded cloak hanging under the rain eaves, and then opened the curtain and entered.
After bowing, Xian Yufang sat in his seat, told the news in detail, and finally said the punishment Yang Guang had done: "The saint was punished at the request of the ministers. Purpose: Li Xiaoji beheaded a murderer in broad daylight, and he should be punished for his crime. Together with the assassin, his head was displayed in public, and his wife and children were exiled to Jiaozhi. His brother Li Shao was implicated and demoted to a commoner, and his family was exiled to Zangke County. Li Shenfu was the main criminal. , all members of Li Liang's lineage were beheaded. Li Yuan and his wife were not strict in running the family, and the saint deprived his husband of all his duties and his wife's imperial edict, demoting her to a commoner. The title of Tang Guogong was reduced to county prince, and Li Shuliang inherited it. In addition, He was fined heavily."
Xiao Ying, Liu Rumei, Pei Shuying, Zhang Chuchen, Murong Xianyue, and Liu Xu were well-informed and didn't have many feelings; however, they knew that the mastermind behind the scenes was Li Dou, not Li Yuan. The only feeling in my heart is that I should follow this warning, be careful in my words and actions, and never act recklessly.
Hou Qiaowen was officially accepted as a member of the house by Yang Ji a few days ago. He has not yet learned the essence of the Yang family's strength, but he can't help but show a bit of pity on his face. However, Hou Qiaowen has been in the Yang family for nearly a year and has also been exposed to some politics.
She knew that the Li family had reached its peak in the hands of the unparalleled Li Hu. Li Hu had eight sons. His eldest son, Li Yanbo, and his second son, Li Zhen, died without issue. The main lineage of the third eldest son, Li Bing, and Li Yuan's line have been abolished. Li Zhan died early, leaving Li Boyi and Li Fengci useless. Li Shao was implicated and was basically finished; the fifth son, Li Hui, only had one son, Li Zhi, and Li Zhi only had a two-year-old son, Li Daoxuan, who could not support the Li family; the youngest, Li Liang, was all killed, and it was completely finished.
Calculated in this way, only the sixth son, Li Yi, is stronger. He had Li Shuliang, Li Deliang, and Li Youliang. The eldest son inherited the title left by Li Hu. In a sense, he has become the main line of the Li family; if the three brothers If someone has great achievements in official career, he may be able to lead the Li family.
As for Li Qi Li Weimai, where Li Xiaogong lived, Li Weisheng had two sons; the eldest son Li An died in Beizhou weekend, leaving nothing to his four sons including Li Xiaogong; the second son Li Zhe died in the early Sui Dynasty, leaving nothing. The only son Li Yuan was not left. Among the five brothers, only Li Xiaogong is now in the army, and the rest seem to be casual officials.
At this moment, the decline of the Li family is almost a foregone conclusion.
Dugumin became a grandmother and was no longer as tough as before. After hearing the news, she felt deeply sad.
Since Yu Wentai came to power, most of the remaining noble families are related to each other. There are several kinship relationships between the monarch and his ministers, and between his ministers. Although various factions had conflicts due to different interests and political opinions, they had old friendships for many years after all, so except for the bloodbath of the direct lineage of the Northern Zhou royal family when the late emperor changed dynasties, there was room for other times. As long as he survives the political struggle, he basically has a chance to come back; even if he dies, his descendants may inherit his title.
At present, in the Li family, the title that was downgraded in the hands of Li Yuan has been inherited by Li Shuliang, a collateral branch. In the future, the direct line headed by Li Yuan will have almost nothing to do with Li Hu's achievements. In addition, with this notoriety, Li Yuan will not come back at all. Hopefully, his son will even be implicated by him and will have no chance to become an official.
She sighed secretly and asked Xian Yufang: "What about the old lady of the Li family? Is her imperial decree cancelled?"
Xian Yufang replied: "If you haven't listened to the lecture, it should not be punished."
"Maybe so!" Dugu Min nodded and didn't take it to heart anymore. If the Li family suffered this fate, it can only be said that they brought it upon themselves.
Xiao Ying also thought that grandma was worried about the Li family, so she said: "Grandma, if Li Dou did not let Li Shenfu take the blame for the assassination the day before yesterday, but directly took the blame and said it was to avenge his second son, even if the saint was angry, how much would he do? I will sympathize with her pain of losing her son, and at most punish her severely, it shouldn’t be so serious, right?”
"Li Shimin's matter is over, and it was a case that the Li family took the initiative to close. It is not a problem to retract the confession at this time, but this method should not be used." Dugumin shook his head and said: "Assassinating an imperial official is a capital crime. In addition, the people killed are still important officials. If the court does not impose the death penalty, how can it convince the public? How can it serve as a warning to others? If Li Dou admits it, it will be Li Yuan's lineage who died, not Li Liang's lineage."
"The head of the family is still Li Yuan, and the Dugu family and the Dou family will help and support the Li family from now on. If Li Yuan dies, why should the Dugu family and the Dou family support the Li family? So for the Li family , this is the best ending at the moment.”
Speaking of this, Dugu Min suddenly thought of something: "Despite this, Li Yuan will die and will not end well."
Xiao Ying pondered for a while and asked, "Is it the Yuan family's revenge after the incident?"
"The revenge of the Yuan family is certain, but Li Yuan probably did not die at the hands of the Yuan family." Dugu Min showed a meaningful smile and said in a very determined tone: "The Vajra slave is extremely skilled in the art of fortune-telling and divination. Needless to say, you know the art of fortune-telling. As for the fortune-telling skills, he calculated a long time ago that Li Yuan and Li Shimin met with misfortunes and did not end well. Li Shimin indeed did not end well. Since he said that Li Yuan also did not end well, then There must be nothing wrong with it, I absolutely believe this.”
Xiao Ying, Liu Rumei, Pei Shuying and others were all shocked. They had known Yang Ji for so long, and they knew that Yang Ji was indeed very good at fortune-telling. All the talents he picked were outstanding. But the fortune-telling technique has never been heard of or seen demonstrated by him.
Xiao Ying was dubious and asked: "Auntie, does Mr. Lang really know how to tell fortunes?"
"Not only does he know it, but he is also very smart. All the people he approved were successful." Dugu Min gave a very positive answer and said proudly: "For example, he said that I am beautiful, generous, and unparalleled in the world. , Isn’t it right to have a house full of grandchildren?”
Although everyone knew it was flattery, she was well-maintained and had a good attitude. She still looks like a beautiful woman in her early thirties. To say that she is beautiful, generous and unparalleled in the world is indeed not an exaggeration.
"A Lang is absolutely right. A Niang is indeed beautiful and generous, unparalleled in the world, and has a family full of grandchildren." Pei Shuying suddenly became interested and asked curiously: "Apart from A Niang, who else did Lang Jun approve?"
Dugumin recalled it and said: "When Vajra Nu was very young, the prince was still King Fangling. At that time, everyone came to show his kindness, and I also asked him to play with King Fangling's son. He was not happy about life and death, so I beat him. He refused. When he was forced to be anxious, he said that the future emperor would be the saint who was the king of Jin at that time. King Fangling would definitely not die well, and everyone with him would be unlucky. King Fangling really would not die well, and with his Gao Qiao and Yu Qing Then, Wang Shiji and Yun Dingxing will either die or be demoted."
"There is also Yang Liang, King Kong Nu said he will rebel, but he loses quickly and miserably; there is also the Prince, King Kong Nu says he is destined to have three sons; there is King Qi, King Kong Nu says he likes that; and Princess Nanyang, He said that Nanyang would definitely marry Yuwen Shiji; Gao Qiu, whom King Kong Nu said had a chance to come back; and He Ruobi and Liu Shu, King Kong Nu said they would not die well... He was right about all of these people. So Li Yuan must have also There was no miscalculation.”
Everyone's eyes were wide open with expressions of disbelief on their faces. Pei Shuying asked in surprise: "Is this really true?"
Dugu Min nodded: "That's true! What did I lie to you for?"
"Then why doesn't Alang settle it for us?" Pei Shuying pouted her little mouth and asked unhappily what everyone was thinking.
Dugumin said: "His divination and fortune-telling skills are very challenging. If he is not a dignitary, a talent, a celebrity, or a sudden inspiration, he will not be able to calculate. If the above four conditions are met, he will just listen to the name. He could calculate accurately; later, he said that he had changed his teeth and his calculations were no longer accurate."
Pei Shuying's beautiful eyes narrowed and she said doubtfully: "Auntie, before the husband changed his teeth, there seemed to be no Li Shimin in the world, right?"
"This is why Vajra Nu is far more powerful than other physiognomists." Dugumin said with a smile: "Before Li Shimin, Li Xuanba, and Li Yuanji were born, he knew that Li Yuan had these three sons, and their names matched them. That’s right. In addition, they also said that Li Xuanba is a sick man and Li Yuanji is an ugly guy who will even disgrace his own mother. These are also correct. Do you think any fortune teller can be so accurate? "
Everyone shook their heads together: "Definitely not!"
Liu Rumei thought of all the powerful and magical things about Yang Ji, and couldn't help but said: "Is Mr. Lang the reincarnation of a Vajra slave?"
Pei Shuying nodded fiercely: "It must be so! The reincarnation of the vajra slave has skills without learning."
For a moment, everyone was immersed in surprise.
Xiao Ying didn't think about this. She thought of A Niang's meaningful smile just now, and suddenly she had an idea and found a pattern that shocked her.
Most of the people who were criticized by Yang Ji for not having a good death were related to him. For example, Yang Yong, Liu Shu, He Ruobi, and Li Shimin died either directly or indirectly at the hands of Yang Ji.
The reason why Yang Liang lost so quickly and miserably was because his surprise troops advanced too fast and reached outside Taiyuan County, which shook the hearts and minds of Yang Liang's army and the people. This led to Yang Liang making mistakes step by step, and then he was persuaded to surrender by Yang Ji. He was arrested and brought back; and Gao Jiong was dismissed from office and came back again, all related to him.
Could it be that he went after these people just to prove that his fortune telling was very accurate?
According to this reasoning, Li Yuan must not have a happy ending, and it was Yang Ji who killed him. A Niang was obviously aware of this, so she said, "Li Yuan probably didn't die at the hands of the Yuan family." In this way, Li Yuan's fate is already determined. If Li Yuan really doesn't die well in the future, Yang Ji's calculation is naturally accurate.
But this isn’t right either! Just because Li Shimin, Li Xuanba, and Li Yuanji were not born yet, and Nanyang was still a little girl, Yang Ji calculated their basic situation. This was not intentional.
Thinking about it, Xiao Ying's mind was in a mess.
Could it be that Lang Jun is really the reincarnation of a Vajra slave? Then who am I, the wife of a vajra slave?
"Stop talking about this!" Dugu Min took a sip of tea, looked at the swollen bellies of his three daughters-in-law, and said, "A Ying, you are getting heavier and heavier, so you should stay behind closed doors to thank guests and rest well. I will also do this for the next few days. You pray for blessings and no one will see you.”
"Here!" Xiao Ying nodded in response.
Needless to say, everyone knew that the guests Dugu Min wanted to thank were the Li family. What Xiao Ying is most curious about now is how Li Yuan, now a commoner, will die a happy death.
