Amidst the sound of bells and cauldrons playing all around, Li Hong, who had taken some decoction and his face softened a little, was lying on the couch with his eyes closed and concentrating as if sleeping, wearing only a white gauze singlet and a brocade quilt. The fluffy black tabby cat appeared on the tent roof and slowly opened its eyes.
"Gu has told me that the inner class will play "Da Shao" all night long. At least at this moment, there is no chance of anyone eavesdropping." Li Hong slowly said: "This time I invite Li Sheng to come, it is still the same. I have a few questions that I would like to ask again and again; is Shangguan's daughter still okay?"
Although the two saints were far away in the Eastern Capital at the moment, Li Hong, as the prince, just left the palace privately and stayed in Sherenyuan for several hours. Someone actually came to inquire on behalf of the middle palace overnight; what does this mean? It means that there is also no shortage of eyes and ears from the queen in the East Palace.
Obviously, the other party didn't even bother to cover up and hide such obvious details. Therefore, Li Hong simply used this method of performing music on the spot to avoid the possible existence of walls with ears; it was ingenious and well-intentioned, but it was relatively effective.
"Fortunately, if it hadn't been for the prince's secret help, we wouldn't have had the chance to meet each other." Jiang Tian smiled and said: "Of course, from the moment I informed the prince of the future, the entanglement of cause and effect in this body has already begun. It happened quietly. So I will continue as before, please, Your Highness, just say it doesn’t matter.”
Next, Li Hong slowly talked about some of the things he tried to do during this period, as if he were meeting an old friend for many years. Some of them have been basically realized, but some of them encountered invisible resistance during the implementation process. and potential obstacles; and even the many confusions caused by it;
"Your Highness, you are forcing yourself too much." Jiang Tian listened quietly and said: "Even if it is extremely urgent, you cannot achieve certain goals at the expense of your remaining life in the future; not to mention that some things are not beneficial if you are eager for quick success. It can be achieved gradually through subtle efforts.”
"Why don't I know it?" Prince Li Hong sighed: "But since I know that the future things Li Sheng said are being fulfilled one by one, I can't help but toss and turn, have trouble sleeping and eating, and it's even more difficult for me to live longer. We don’t have much left, so we can only seize the day!”
"Your Highness's mentality is very wrong; it's because I leaked the secret and almost fell into a devil's trap." Jiang Wei shook his head and said: "But if you worry too much about it, it will affect your body, and it will To shorten the remaining life span is to rush for quick success and gain more than the gain is worth."
"What Li Sheng said is very true..." Li Hong smiled bitterly again: "Gu Ye has never thought about it. The concubines and servants around him have been admonishing him again and again. However, when he thinks of the unbearable things in the future, Gu Ye has never thought about it. I just can’t help it, I can’t help but want to change it, even if it’s a little lenient!”
"Your Highness, you are too ambitious." Jiang Tian shook his head and said: "To change one person, one thing, or even the fate of a family, with the ability of His Highness, maybe you can turn around with a little effort; but if you want to change things, it is complicated. The future process of this seems to be wishful thinking.”
"Even if you can save a moment, can you still save a whole life? Not to mention other things, do you really think that Empress Wu will be able to arbitrarily determine the direction of the government in the future, hold great power, and even reach a step that no one can achieve or predict? Just Does it rely on personal will and determination?”
"How could a son-in-law not notice the empress's great talents and strategies?" Li Hong sighed with a complex expression on his face: "But even if Empress Lu took charge of the country, there is at least a precedent; it's just that it's hard to imagine and speculate that she actually did it. Able to surpass others and reach the unique position of honor throughout the ages.”
"Of course it's because of the general trend of the world and the popularity of the people." Jiang Tian looked at Li Hong, whose expression changed slightly, and continued: "In other words, after the Holy Emperor ascended the throne, why did he go to great lengths to demote the eldest grandson Taiwei to death despite all the opinions of the people? Or even get rid of his many influences in the court?"
"Is it possible that Taiwei Changsun did not contribute much to the Tang Dynasty, or that he lacked talents and reputation? The root cause is that he did not know how to advance or retreat. His selfishness for the country and the desire to maintain family power outweighed the abilities of his ministers/relatives. division and responsibilities; it also threatens the foundation of imperial power."
"And the reason why the Queen of Heaven can rise is to unite with the Holy One and take on all the blame and infamy to promote this matter. Therefore, the root cause of all these causes and effects is actually in the Holy One; as long as the Holy One can live long and healthy, the Queen of Heaven will How is there any chance of getting to that point?”
"..." Li Hong didn't speak when he heard this, but he nodded secretly, which was considered to be confirmation of this statement in his heart. However, Jiang Tian said again: "This also involves maintaining the foundation of imperial power, as well as the game and changes surrounding the power of the former dynasty and the harem."
"Of course, since the Shangguan clan was destroyed, the inversion of power between the emperor and the empress has become inevitable. What's more, the most critical crux is that the emperor is unable to see things because of his headwind, so he has no choice but to rely more and more on the queen. ; And besides the Queen of Heaven, there is only the Prince."
"So, no matter what His Highness thinks personally, or how he respects filial piety and maintains family relationships, it cannot change the natural suspicion, alienation and estrangement in the face of the authority of the Heavenly Family. In other words, as long as the Crown Prince has the title of Supervisor of the Kingdom and If you want to do something, you have to face the Queen of Heaven."
"Although His Majesty may not want mother and son to be alienated and create a rift, there is no doubt that someone needs to take the lead to maintain the balance and constraints within the imperial power structure. Even if there is no His Highness, there are still princes, ministers, and relatives. , clan. This is the fate of being born in the Heavenly Family."
"..." Li Hong still didn't speak, but his brows became more and more furrowed and his face became as dark as water. Even if he wanted to speak, he didn't know where to start with his argument. Instead, it was as if memories were flooding in his mind, and he spontaneously remembered the gradual changes in attitudes between his father and his mother since childhood.
"So, if the prince wants to make a change, he must understand one thing; who is the opponent and who is the helper in the court and between the government and the public. In other words, what is the foundation and team that the prince can rely on now? It is not clear. These people will only die without a burial place in the future without realizing it.”
"So having said that, what kind of foundation do you think the queen can rely on? What kind of group or groups can support and push her to the highest position amidst the fierce opposition and resistance? I think , this is what the prince needs to carefully structure."
"Li Sheng, I didn't expect you to know so many emperor's arts. If you weren't in the form of this Li Slave, I would almost think that you are the incarnation of some ancient sage and ruler of the world." Li Hong smiled bitterly again. Get up: Jiang Tian smiled and said: "I have seen too many in the long river of time."
"In contrast, His Highness, out of filial piety, managed to keep His Majesty in good health. Even if he lived a few years longer than his original lifespan, he could delay the arrival of that moment and create more opportunities and possibilities. After all, , As long as the Holy One is alive, the Queen of Heaven can only be the Queen of Heaven."
"After the death of the Holy Emperor, the Queen of Heaven also spent twenty years supervising the affairs of the country and abolishing the emperor's means and power several times. Only then did she eliminate the voices of dissidents in the court, test the popular trend of the world, and complete the process. To grasp the general situation; is this also an accidental achievement?"
"Is Li Tang too unpopular in the world, or is the branch of the royal family not prosperous enough, so that after three generations they will be ruled by different surnames? In the final analysis, under the rule of the Queen of Heaven, the situation of most people in the world is different from that under the rule of Li Tang There’s no difference, it’s even improved.”
"Therefore, in her later years, when her energy was low and she became more and more dim-witted and entrusted to unreasonable people, naturally some of her subordinates quickly changed their minds and supported the Li clan's restoration of the Tang Dynasty. And these people who participated in the restoration of the Tang Dynasty were also supported by her. A great pillar of the country and a capable minister in this world."
"On the contrary, do those who support and support His Highness inside and outside the court really respect and obey His Highness? Not just for their own wealth and future, or simply to use the Crown Prince as their banner, Is there a realistic need to compete with the Queen of Heaven?"
"Why did Taizong create the imperial examination so that all the heroes in the world could be admitted? It was just for the long-term stability of the Li family's imperial power. So, has the prince figured out where he can start? In other words, I think the prince can take precautions from these aspects. to test the waters first.”
"Another example is to open up additional avenues for martial arts, provide a way out for those who practice martial arts in the world, and win the hearts and minds of the vast number of middle and low-level officers in the army. We do not consider the merits of one's family background, but promote the talents of the poor and common people, thinking of weighing and restricting them. The influence of the noble clans and relatives of the past dynasties."
"Learning and practicing martial arts all require dedicated off-the-job support, which is at worst the foundation of a small and wealthy family. What's more, there is only so much power and resource output in the world. Under the ebb and flow of one another, it is impossible to satisfy those high-ranking people. Is it easier to come from a wealthy family, or is it easier to win over the vast number of common people from a poor family?"
Having said this, Jiang Tian paused and said:
"Therefore, even if the prince is determined to do something, there is no need to force yourself. Let's start to change the situation bit by bit from what we can do in front of us! At least you have the title of heir apparent and the ability to supervise the country; moreover, you are weak and sick. Even the Queen cannot be overly pressurized."
"This is your disadvantage, but it is also your potential advantage; it depends on how you use it properly, and grasp the sense of proportion and balance. While not over-stimulating the Second Saint and arousing suspicion, you can maximize your potential as the prince overseeing the country. It’s my duty to try to save some people and things.”
"Therefore, don't try to cover everything. If you want everything, you can't do anything well; manpower is eventually exhausted, and you can only make choices. Among them, the relatively important key is to give up some side effects that have nothing to do with the overall situation. The little things; unite everything that can be united.”
(End of chapter)
