In fact, Changsheng already had the answer in his heart. The reason why he asked the four people for their opinions was just to hear how they viewed the matter. After Shi Xuanming finished speaking, Changsheng nodded and said, "What you said makes sense. Your Majesty will make me king." There are multiple reasons, including eliminating the eunuchs, rectifying the officialdom, and filling the national treasury. These are all secondary reasons. The main reason is that we went south to kill the Japanese pirates this time. The Japanese pirates came for the Dragon Vein of China this time. Using the Dragon Vein is equivalent to ruining the national destiny of the Tang Dynasty. Cutting off the golden dragon energy is something that the emperor will never tolerate. The emperor named me the king. This is not only a reward for us risking our lives to protect the dragon veins and raiding alone, but also a hope that we can continue our efforts in the future. In addition, there are other things. A reason."
Changsheng pretended to pause when he said this, and turned to look at the four people with a smile.
The four of them knew that Changsheng was testing them, and Datou took the lead in answering, "In order for us to do our best in protecting the Earthly Branches and the Golden Dragon."
Changsheng shook his head, "No, I have already said what you are talking about just now. Your Majesty hopes that we will continue our efforts."
Yu Yi spoke up and said, "Your Excellency is currently a very powerful minister and holds great power. The Emperor is worried that Your Excellency may feel disappointed if he suddenly resigns and leaves the court."
Changsheng nodded, "The emperor should have this consideration, but this is not the key to the problem."
Seeing Changsheng looking at him, Shi Xuanming waved his hand and said, "I can't think of any other reasons. If I had to tell you, I still feel that the emperor is very jealous of us. We have established our merits in going to Jianghuai this time, and the emperor is worried that we will not be dissatisfied with the rewards. , so I’d better be generous and send one letter to the top.”
"We are going to Jianghuai this time, and will go straight into the hinterland of Sun Ru to kill the Japanese pirates. We can come and go freely. The three armies are about to start a battle. The court will definitely publicize this matter to boost the morale of the army," Changsheng said, changing the topic here. "But that's still not the main reason."
After Changsheng finished speaking, Datou said again, "Sir, let me guess again. I feel that what the real man said makes sense. Our trip to Jianghuai this time may really scare the emperor. The emperor knows that we have the ability to rebel, but he didn't In order to completely dispel our thoughts of rebellion, I will directly make you a prince. In this way, he will be completely benevolent and righteous, and even if the emperor does something inappropriate in the future, you will not feel resentful."
Changsheng nodded, "I just said that the emperor has many reasons for making me king, and the reason you mentioned should be one of them."
Hearing what Chang Sheng said, Da Tou knew that he had missed the point, so he touched Yang Kai beside him and said, "It's your turn, you should talk about it too."
Yang Kai said, "The Tang Dynasty belongs to the Li family. Both the civil and military officials and the common people are subordinates to Li Tang, but the prince is different. Both the prince and the emperor are the masters of the Tang Dynasty."
"Very close." Changsheng nodded in approval. Yang Kai was just gloomy and didn't like to talk. It didn't mean that he was stupid and stupid. In fact, Yang Kai was careful and resourceful, and he was very smart.
Changsheng immediately said, "The dragon vein will not affect the civil and military officials and the people of Li, but the dragon vein will affect the entire royal family, including the prince."
Hearing Changsheng's words, Datou suddenly realized, "Yes, yes, yes, how could I have forgotten this? He made you king. From now on, the Earthly Branches and the Golden Dragon will not only be his own business, but also closely related to you."
Yu Yi entered the official position relatively early and had been working as an errand at Dali Temple before. He was very cautious. When Da Tou called him "Emperor", he frowned and reminded, "Keep your voice down. Be careful that there are ears through the wall."
After getting down to business, everyone continued to eat.
Changsheng had just finished eating and was about to bring tea to rinse his mouth when he heard loud gongs and drums outside. Not long after, the Yamen servant came to report that the Minister of Rites and a group of officials from the Ministry of Rites came to see him from outside.
Changsheng picked up the tea cup and drank a few sips of tea, then left his seat and stood up, going to meet him.
When they arrived at the gate, officials from the Ministry of Rites, headed by the Minister of Rites, immediately knelt down and congratulated him. The Ministry of Rites was in charge of the national etiquette system. Now that they had received the decree that Changsheng be crowned king, they came here to take Changsheng to the palace in accordance with the court etiquette system. bit.
All the prince's attire and accessories were brought, and the carriages and horses for the trip also came with him.
The official uniforms of the Tang Dynasty have different colors. Purple is for the third rank and above, scarlet for the fifth rank and above, green is for the seventh rank and above, and blue is for the ninth rank and above. However, the prince's dress is vermilion, which is pure red with five tattoos on it. There are five dragons and pythons with claws, the crown is also red, and there are seven jade beads on the top.
Due to the sudden incident, Chang Sheng never came back to his senses. It was not until he put on the python robe and looked at himself in the mirror that he realized that he was now the prince of the Tang Dynasty and the prince of the Tang Dynasty second only to the emperor.
Like the emperor, the prince also had chariots and horses as ceremonial guards when traveling. Although the number of accompanying guards and horses and the standard of the ceremonial guards were slightly lower than those of the emperor, they were still very large.
Every prince has a palace. Changsheng didn't know where his palace was. Only after asking the Minister of Rites did he know that his palace was on the west side of the palace.
Hearing the words of the Minister of Rites, Changsheng frowned slightly. He knew that mansion. It was the palace of Prince Hong. That day, he and Chen Liqiu sneaked into the palace and assassinated Prince Hong.
The emperor chose that place as his palace, which was undoubtedly a reminder to him that Chen Liqiu and Li Zhongyong were still entrenched in the Shenzhou area, and the matter still needed to be properly handled.
On the way to the palace, Changsheng once again felt the attention of everyone, but he didn't like this feeling. It was a bit like parading in the street and being pointed at by others. It was very awkward. He had no choice but to remain expressionless and look straight.
It took nearly an hour just to get to the palace, and it took another hour to go to the palace for handover. The palace was very big, surprisingly big, with its own guards and more than a hundred maids and servants.
Changsheng had been here before, but at that time he sneaked in secretly with Chen Liqiu as an assassin, but this time he entered the main hall. The contrast was so great that being there was like a dream.
The emperor's reward arrived quickly. Not only did it include gold, silver, pearls and jade, but also a lot of food and clothing. There was also an endless stream of officials who came to congratulate and see the emperor. Changsheng was welcomed and delivered, and he was busy until the second watch. a paragraph.
After being free, Changsheng immediately sent people to the Yushitai to invite Datou and Yu Yi, leaving Yang Kai and Shi Xuanming to look after the house in the Yushitai. After the three of them chose their respective residences, they went back to move overnight. Datou and others' things were not there. There were many things, but Changsheng had many things, and in fact they were all available in the palace. There was no need to move the things Ni Chenyi gave him that day, but Changsheng was fond of nostalgia and was unwilling to throw them away, so he ordered everyone to move them to the palace.
Until the fifth watch, Datou and others were still busy moving. Changsheng Liu Yang Kai was busy with everyone in the palace, while he entered the palace under the escort of the guards for the morning.
Most of the civil and military officials came to pay homage yesterday, and there would be few surprises when they see each other today, but etiquette is indispensable. No matter they are fifth-rank idlers or first-rank officials, they will all kneel down and worship.
But etiquette is dead, and people are alive. Changsheng will naturally not let everyone kneel down, and will wave his hands to stop them before they kneel down.
There are two main purposes for Chang Sheng to go to court this time. One is to express gratitude. To be crowned a prince, one must face the emperor to express gratitude. This is the etiquette. The second is to resign. The emperor makes himself a prince. He must respond. He cannot always dominate the household ministers and censors who hold the real power. He must hand over the power to express that he is measured and sensible.
This time at the court, Changsheng directly ranked first among the ministers. After the morning court began, he was the first to express his gratitude. At the same time, he proposed to resign as the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the Imperial Censor.
Naturally, the emperor would not agree immediately and reject it immediately.
However, Changsheng pointed out in public that he was an official through military service and had little knowledge. He only gained the trust of the emperor and held important positions. However, he lacked ability and many errands were done with flaws. If he continued to be in charge of the Household Department and the Yushitai, he might affect the people's livelihood of the society. , and now the Japanese country has selected a large number of Japanese pirates who are proficient in martial arts to infiltrate into the Central Plains in an attempt to corrupt the Dragon Line of the Central Plains. Although I am not proficient in government affairs, I am proficient in martial arts. I cannot stabilize the country internally, but I can fight against foreigners to share the king's worries. Therefore, I request to resign from the Ministry of Household Affairs. The ministers and imperial censors had their hands free to deal with the Japanese bandits.
Although Changsheng spoke modestly, the emperor praised him in public, praising him for his hard work and remarkable achievements in governing the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Yushitai. He then asked him to recommend talents on his own to take over the posts of Minister of the Ministry of Households and Yushitai, so that his successors could Only when you can take charge of your own affairs can you resign and leave Beijing.
Changsheng immediately stated that he had no suitable successor to recommend, and asked the court to appoint a successor. He would lead the process with all his heart, complete the handover, and leave Chang'an in a hundred days.
The emperor repeatedly tried to persuade him to stay, but to no avail, so he could only reluctantly agree.
After the morning dynasty, Chang Sheng returned to the palace. At this time, Datou and others had already settled down, and the horses and eagles had to be properly placed.
Everyone was not surprised to learn that Changsheng resigned from the Ministry of Finance and the Imperial Censor in the early morning, because it was only a matter of time before he left. Expressing his position earlier would not only show his feelings, but also silence the mouths of those with ulterior motives...
