The two horses headed straight towards Yangguan. Shopkeeper Bai looked at the scene in front of him but suddenly didn't feel at all uncomfortable. They, the merchants of the Tang Dynasty, felt too deeply. Over the years, they had been bullied and manipulated by these horse thieves in the Western Regions many times. There are too many, and the Black Mountain Bandit is the most ruthless one among them. Maybe the Black Mountain Bandit himself has forgotten it a long time ago, or maybe only Shopkeeper Bai knows about it.
Although he knew the Black Bandits, one of his nephews died at the hands of the Black Bandits, and he has never forgotten this hatred.
Taking out the wine bag from his horse, Shopkeeper Bai dismounted, walked to the writing stone, faced the Tang army flag, opened the wine bag, and paid homage to His Highness, King Qin of the Tang Dynasty.
After doing this, Shopkeeper Bai got back on the horse, turned around and rode towards the road he came from. He was in a good mood when he went back, because Shopkeeper Bai knew that from today on, the sky in the Western Region would change. Got it!
When Li Zhang got the news, it was already the next day. If shopkeeper Bai hadn't asked someone to pass the news back, Li Zhang wouldn't have known it so quickly. He was considered a local snake here, so he knew it very well.
In border areas like this, the power and influence of powerful families far exceeds that of Chang'an City. For example, the garrison near Dunhuang County actually depends on Li Zhang's face. Although Li Zhang has never done that, in fact The garrison generals and the like were very polite to him.
Li Zhang almost left Chang'an with Li Ke. When he came back this time, he naturally wanted to get closer to Li Ke.
"Contact General An Ren Shouan, tell him what happened here, and ask him to send craftsmen outside Yangguan to find a new huge stone to engrave the above words on it and pass it on to the future." Li Zhang pondered for a moment. He directly ordered his eldest son Li Lin to speak.
"Yes, Father. But... wouldn't it be bad for us to interfere in this? And this is what His Highness King Qin did. If we get too close, will His Highness the Crown Prince..." Li Lin hesitated and said.
"Stupid!" Li Zhang directly scolded Li Lin.
"Father?" Li Lin was stunned for a moment. Didn't Aye really like that he could analyze this with him? This is…….
"When did the prince's affairs have anything to do with you? Let me tell you, it doesn't matter that the five surnames, Qi Wang, and other sects in the world want to get close to the prince, but it has nothing to do with our Longxi Li family, at least it has nothing to do with our Dunhuang house." Li Zhang He stared and said, "Also, please do not mention this in front of others in the future."
"Father...why is this?" Li Lin was a little surprised. The meaning of his father's words...
"Let me ask you, my family, the Li family in Longxi, is a member of the royal family. To a certain extent, as long as we don't make mistakes, there will be no problems in the family, right?" Li Zhang asked with a cold face.
"Yes." Li Lin nodded.
"That's true, but the Li family in Longxi is too big. The Zheng family in Xingyang is the best example. The houses of the Li family in Longxi are different from the Zheng family in Xingyang. Each of our houses has its own characteristics. The territory of the Zheng family in Xingyang is almost concentrated in Xingyang, but our Longxi Li family benefits from the royal family. Each of our houses has its own territory, and for our Dunhuang house, you must remember one thing." Li Zhang looked at it. Look at Li Lin.
"Keep your own one-third of an acre of land, and there will never be any problems. Chang'an is not something we can interfere with." Li Zhang's expression was very calm, "Do you know why my father suddenly applied for a shopping mall when he went to Chang'an this time? Gold member?”
"You are stupid." Li Lin bent down and said.
"Because during my stay in Chang'an, I discovered that there was an undercurrent in Chang'an. First, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and King Li Tai of Yue (not a typo) competed for favor. Although the ministers in the court were all ministers who followed His Highness and did not seem to have any changes in their ranks, they In fact, the eldest sons of the courtiers have secretly contacted each other with these princes, and Li Tai is the only one who is favored."
"Last year, he was granted the title of General Zuo Wuhou, and was also awarded the post of Yongzhou Mu (Yongzhou is Jingzhao Prefecture in "Old Book of Tang Dynasty: Geography"). However, His Highness the Crown Prince has been uncharacteristically uncharacteristic during this period, and has become increasingly low-key, although the reason is unknown. , but this must be the strategy of His Highness the Crown Prince. After all, while His Majesty only favors Li Tai, if His Highness the Crown Prince insists on fighting, then as an elder brother, he will definitely have a reputation of not being respectful to his superiors and showing mercy to his subordinates. As a Crown Prince, he will To be labeled as someone who does not understand the overall situation and has no tolerance for others, these words will affect the prince's image in the eyes of his majesty."
Li Zhang sighed and gave Li Lin a brief explanation.
"Is it... so difficult to be the prince?" Li Lin was stunned.
Looking at the appearance of his eldest son, Li Zhang felt helpless. You are just lucky. I don't have many sons. Otherwise, do you think our family would be worse than the royal family in competition? Difficult? Needless to say, he is the future king of a country. If he does not have a strong heart, how can he control the court? ! So we can only bear the pressure!
"But, isn't it Shu... His Highness the King of Qin who is most famous in Chang'an recently?" Li Lin couldn't help but ask.
"You know nothing." Li Zhang couldn't help but cursed, "How can His Highness the King of Qin be the same as the two of them? If His Highness the King of Qin makes trouble again, first of all, His Highness the King of Qin has such a temper, and secondly, because of His Highness the identity of the King of Qin, it is impossible for him to become the prince. , so Your Majesty is willing to let His Highness the King of Qin indulge a little more, after all, His Highness feels that he owes His Highness the King of Qin."
"Furthermore, these things His Highness the King of Qin created seem to be seeking fame, but are they not self-protection? The crown prince and the King of Yue are competing for the throne. Although the situation is not obvious, there are already signs of this. His Highness the King of Qin has a reckless character, so the King of Qin If His Highness wants to protect himself, there are only two ways, either like other princes, lowering his sense of existence and directly lining up. Or he can protect himself."
"Self-preservation is nothing more than self-defeat. In the seventh year of Zhenguan, His Majesty appointed Changsun Wuji as Sikong. Why did Changsun Wuji repeatedly shirk it? Your Majesty knew that he would grant him the title of Sikong again in the eighth year of Zhenguan before he agreed? Isn't it just for taboos? His Royal Highness the King of Qin is the prince. These ministers are different, so his best way is to give the Majesty, the ministers, and the prince some leverage."
"Since ancient times, any ambitious prince who is not a prince and dares to build a reputation for himself will be alerted. But His Highness King Qin is like this. Why doesn't His Majesty care? Why doesn't the Crown Prince care?" Li Zhang asked a few questions.
"This... son is stupid." Li Lin felt a little ashamed. He thought he had been very knowledgeable since he was a child, but when his father came back and talked about these things with him for the first time, he felt that he couldn't understand them.
"Several reasons, the first is that although His Highness the King of Qin has gained fame, His Highness the King of Qin has almost offended all the noble families and court ministers, and these people formed the most important power network in the entire Tang Dynasty. In other words, His Highness the King of Qin had himself removed first. If he wanted to ascend to the throne, no minister would support him. If we say that in the past, the ministers of the previous dynasty might support him, but now I am afraid that may not be the case, because His Highness the King of Qin’s behavior affects All wealthy families! You must know that the Hongnong Yang family of His Highness King Qin is also from a wealthy family!"
"It is precisely because of this that it is impossible for His Highness the King of Qin to enter the circle of competition. So in this case, His Highness the King of Qin wants to protect himself and avoid the new emperor coming to the throne in the future. What should he do if those ministers come after him? Li Zhang asked looking at Li Lin.
"Reputation?" Li Lin replied tentatively.
"It's okay, not that stupid. The Quyuanli developed by His Highness, the reform of laws related to non-registered households, and the labor law proposed by His Highness King Qin, giving honorary titles to craftsmen, improving papermaking and printing, etc., one by one. , as time goes by, it will inevitably spread throughout the world, and there are countless people in the world who will set up immortality tablets for His Highness King Qin."
"Under such circumstances, with this kind of prestige, not to mention the powerful family, not even the new emperor can touch His Highness! Anyone who does, let alone the situation in the world, will be infamy for thousands of years!" Li Zhang said lightly.
