"Wang Bo over there is a bad boy!" Cui Hongdu said with a smile: "He has been expelled from Chang'an by the emperor. Who else dares to recruit him except you, Sanlang?"
"You're wrong. Even I don't dare to recruit him now!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "Let's go, it's windy outside, let's go back to the tent to talk!"
Cui Hongdu was stunned when he heard this. He knew Wang Wenzuo's courage very well. Even the other party admitted that he did not dare to recruit him. Who was this Wang Bo? He followed Wang Wenzuo back to the tent. Wang Wenzuo took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "It's a pity that the road to Shu is difficult, otherwise it would be a pleasure to drive the carriages and horses slowly to Chang'an like this!"
"Yes!" Cui Hongdu sighed: "When I first passed through the Sword Gate, I thought about such a majestic pass. How could the Kingdom of Shu be destroyed by Zhong Hui and Deng Ai?"
"Actually, it doesn't matter if you tell me the truth. If the people are not united, they will naturally break up without a fight!" Wang Wenzuo stroked his beard: "Hongdu, I asked you to follow me to Chang'an again this time, which makes you suffer!"
"What did Sanlang say?" Cui Hongdu became anxious when he heard this: "I am your subordinate, this is my duty!"
"Shen Faseng, He Bayong, Yuan Aolie, Gu Cihang, some of them are in Baekje, some are in the Japanese country, they have all become local emperors, and they can dominate and bring blessings. Compared with them, you have really endured hardships. !" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "But do you know why I arranged it like this?"
Cui Hongdu shook his head in confusion.
"Because your surname is Cui!" Wang Wenzuo said, "This is why I recruited Lu Zhaolin but not Wang Bo."
"Because his surname is Lu?" Cui Hongdu asked.
"Yes, the crown belt of Hebei is none other than Qinghe Cui and Fan Yanglu!" Wang Wenzuo smiled: "Then Wang Bo must have some talent and knowledge, but it's a pity that I can't use it now, and I don't dare to use it."
"You can't use it, and you don't dare to use it? Why do you say that?" Cui Yunying asked at the side.
Wang Wenzuo rolled his eyes and asked: "His specialty is to issue edicts to punish thieves. Who is a thief? Who is not a thief? Can I decide?"
Cui Hongdu and Cui Yunying exchanged glances and immediately understood. In a sense, Wang Bo and Wang Wenzuo had similar statuses in the political structure of the Tang Dynasty. They were both top tool men. The difference was that Wang Wenzuo was a military leader. The emperor sent Wang Wenzuo to kill anyone he saw was displeased; Wang Bo was a top-notch penman, the kind who killed people and punished people with heart-wrenching intentions. The characteristic of this kind of top-level tool man is that it is really easy to use, but it will hurt a lot if he turns around and cuts himself. Therefore, since ancient times, emperors have loved and guarded against this kind of talent, and only let it be used for themselves. If there is any I would rather destroy the signs that are being used by others than keep them. Wang Wenzuo had a good relationship with the prince, and Wang Bo was sent to serve as a literary attendant to King Pei Li Xian. This was because Li Zhi himself was in poor health and left talents for his son. If Li Zhi was in good health, at his age, as a general in charge of the army, Wang Wenzuo did not dare to have such a deep relationship with the prince.
"Sanlang, according to Master Shen's recent letter, the situation in Liaodong is also very bad!" Cui Hongdu whispered: "With the current situation, why does the emperor want to transfer you back to Chang'an? Will the emperor -" said At this point, Cui Hongdu stopped.
"You mean the emperor no longer trusts me?" Wang Wenzuo asked.
The air in the tent seemed to freeze. Cui Yunying looked at her husband in fear. This was the first time she heard such terrible words from him.
"That's not enough!" Wang Wenzuo asked himself and answered: "Most likely, I will be transferred back to the capital to work hard. After all, I have now become one with the prince. As long as the prince is not deposed, even if I am dismissed, it will be time for me to be reinstated. question!"
"Prince, yes there is a prince!" Cui Hongdu breathed a sigh of relief. He patted his head and said with a smile: "Look at my brain, I didn't even think of this!"
"Yes, with the prince on the throne, the prince will have a mountain of support!"
People who know nothing are always happier! Looking at the bright smiles on Cui Hongdu and Cui Yunying's faces, Wang Wenzuo said nothing. If he remembered correctly, Prince Li Hong did not live until the day he ascended the throne. He could not remember the cause and time of his death. But obviously, this was not good news for those who bet on His Highness.
"I'm a little tired!" Wang Wenzuo yawned: "You all should go out first! Let me take a nap!"
Cui Hongdu and Cui Yunying stood up obediently, bowed to Wang Wenzuo, and then exited the tent. Wang Wenzuo lay down on the brocade couch, put his hands on his chest, and soon fell asleep.
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Chang'an, Tai Chi Palace.
The afternoon sun shines through the window and onto the desks in front of the prince. Li Hong's thin body is almost buried in the mountain of piles of memorials. He has been working for more than an hour and is already a little sleepy. He covered his mouth with his right hand and yawned.
"Your Highness, would you like to rest for a while first?" Zhang Wenguan asked.
"No need!" Li Hong quickly put down his hand, his face a little red: "I ate too much for lunch, and I'm a little angry!"
"Then let's take a walk outside first!" Zhang Wenguan said with a smile: "The prince's body has not fully grown yet, so it is not good to work too hard!"
"Then these memorials -" Li Hong pointed to the memorials on several cases and hesitated.
"I will ask someone to write down the important points in abbreviations and read them to you when you come back!" Zhang Wenguan paused for a moment: "Actually, His Majesty also did this. Otherwise, if there were more than 400 states in the Tang Dynasty, all of them would have to be done personally. , even if your majesties have a hundred pairs of hands, it won’t be enough!”
Hearing that his father Li Zhi was doing the same, Li Hong breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "In that case, let me go out for a walk first, and I will bother Zhang Qing here!"
"I obey the decree!" Zhang Wenguan responded quickly.
After all, Li Hong was still a young man under twenty. He had no intention of having fun. However, his sense of responsibility as he was appointed to supervise the country made him stay in the palace every day, reading these memorials that he would never finish. When he thought about what his father had done, For twenty years, he had been filled with admiration and a bit of guilt. As the crown prince of the country, he was lazy.
Li Hong slipped around twice outside the palace and took a breath before returning to the palace. Zhang Wenguan took out a copied abbreviation and handed it to Li Hong: "Your Highness, the news from Chengdu is to impeach Wang Wenzuo?"
"Impeach Wang Wenzuo?" Li Hong quickly took the abbreviation and read it carefully. As he read, his brows became more and more tense. He originally wanted to scold loudly, but the lesson he learned not long ago made him suppress the anger in his heart. Angry: "Mr. Zhang, what do you think?"
"I think Wei Zhaosheng may have impeached Wang Wenzuo for being domineering, but it is completely false to say that he has rebellious intentions and has evil intentions!"
"Oh?" Li Hong was refreshed and asked quickly: "Mr. Zhang, please elaborate!"
"There is actually only one reason why Wei Zhaosheng impeached Wang Wenzuo, and that is that when he left Chengdu, he dismissed a group of soldiers and generals he had originally recruited. Whether this approach is right or wrong is not mentioned for the time being, but if there is no one in the world who wants to rebel What is the reason for a person to dismiss his soldiers first?"
"That's right!" Li Hong was overjoyed: "Xianggong Zhang is right. If Wang Wenzuo really wants to rebel, he will never send away the troops he personally recruited!"
"Secondly, after Wang Wenzuo dismissed his troops, he was ordered to come to Chang'an. It doesn't seem like he intended to rebel!" Zhang Wenguan said: "According to Wei Chen, Wang Wenzuo must have his reasons for doing this. I only listened to Wei Zhaosheng's words. I'm afraid it's not appropriate. It would be better to wait until he comes to Chang'an and then let him meet with your majesties and let him explain in person!"
"That's what Mr. Zhang said!" Li Hong nodded with satisfaction. Since Li Zhi returned to Chang'an last time, his physical condition has not been very good, so he handed over a considerable part of the government affairs to Li Hong and asked him to learn how to handle the government affairs. In the eyes of many courtiers, His Highness the Crown Prince's position has been firmly established, and it is only a matter of time before he takes over.
Li Hong dealt with the government affairs for a while, and when dinner was about to come, a chamberlain from the Daming Palace came and said that His Majesty would let everyone go with him tonight to have dinner together. Li Hong complied with the order, got on the chariot and went to the Daming Palace.
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Daming Palace, Guande Hall.
"Hong'er is here too!" Mrs. Wu said with a smile: "Okay, okay, everyone is here. Today we won't follow the usual etiquette. Everyone, please sit down!"
Li Hong's three brothers, King Pei Li Xian, King Ying Li Xian, and King Xiang Li Dan, have all arrived. The youngest daughter Li Dingyue (Princess Taiping) is only five years old. She is sitting between Wu and Li Zhi. When she sees Li Hong coming in, she He jumped down to the ground with a smile, staggered and ran up to greet him, shouting in a milky voice: "Brother, brother!"
Li Hong quickly reached out and picked him up. Li Dingyue put her arms around Li Hong's neck, leaned into his brother's ear and said, "Today is Yueyue's birthday. What gift did you bring?"
Li Hong was stunned, and then he remembered that today was the birthday of his youngest half-sister. He had been busy in the political hall these days, so he could not remember this. He smiled bitterly and said: "I'm so sorry, Brother Yu is so busy these days. Forgot it, I’ll make it up later!”
"That can't be done!" Li Dingyue pointed to the other three brothers: "Brother Xian, Brother Xian, Brother Dan, they all have gifts, Aye and Grandma also have them, but Brother Prince doesn't have any! He must be punished!" Her last words But he said it towards Li Zhi.
"Yes, we really need to be punished!" Li Zhi's face was full of doting, and he smiled: "Hong'er, what happened today is indeed your fault. You shouldn't forget Yue'er's birthday!"
"Yes, yes, I accept my punishment!" Li Hong said with a bitter smile. He carefully put Li Dingyue down on the ground: "Tell me about it! What do you want?"
"After my father has lived forever, the crown prince and brother will be the masters of this world!" Li Dingyue said, "Then give half of it to Yueyue!"
"How is this possible?" Li Hong quickly shook his head.
"Is half too much? Is that half of half?"
"That won't work!" Li Hong smiled bitterly and said, "It's not because I'm stingy for my brother. This world is inherited by our ancestors. Not to mention you, even the three younger brothers can't get so much!"
"Really?" Li Dingyue looked at the three brothers next to him and hesitated: "If that's the case, then let's be the same as them, right? Give me whatever they get!"
"This -" Li Hong was still a little embarrassed: "It's not because I'm stingy. After all, you are a daughter's family, so you are different from the three of them!"
"What's going on at my daughter's house?" Li Dingyue's lips immediately curled up: "Brother Xian, brother Xian, brother Dan, all three of you, please let me go. There are four of us brothers and sisters, right?"
Li Hong turned his eyes to Li Zhi and Wu who were sitting there. Their parents' faces were full of doting. He could only nod his head: "Okay!"
Hearing that his brother had agreed, Li Dingyue jumped for joy. Li Hong breathed a sigh of relief and bowed to Li Zhi and the warrior before taking his seat. Li Zhi picked up the wine glass: "Hong'er, what happened in the court today?"
"It's nothing! By the way!" Li Hong told the story of Wang Wenzuo's impeachment: "I thought it was better to keep him in prison!"
"Well, you didn't scold Wei Zhaosheng, so you've made progress!" Li Zhi nodded: "Wang Wenzuo should be coming to Chang'an in a few days. You ask him to come to your private house and comfort him with a few words!"
"yes!"
"What about the military affairs in the northwest?"
"There is not much movement among the Tubo people, but there is some instability on the Turkic side. The Ministry of War has written a letter suggesting sending troops to conquer after the spring!"
"Yeah! What else?"
"Then there's the matter of cleaning up the Guanzhong Prefecture soldiers. There was a lot of commotion everywhere, and many voices were -" Li Hong's voice became smaller and smaller, and by the end it was gone!
"Voice? It can reach your ears. It's not the voice of ordinary people, right?" Li Zhi snorted coldly: "Short-sighted!"
"My son is incompetent, which worries my father!" Li Hong stood up quickly. Although his three brothers didn't know what was going on, they also stood up quickly. Only Li Dingyue sat on the chair and looked curiously. Looking at his brothers and parents, his eyes were full of curiosity.
"That's all, sit down!" Li Zhi waved his hand and motioned for his sons to sit down: "The battle has reached Chang'an City, and there are only thousands of Hebei rebels. There is nothing we can do. They are all majestic on weekdays. , riding tall horses, wearing Mingguang armor, but the real fight depends on hundreds of He people as the vanguard. Where is the face of the Tang Dynasty? Where is the majesty of the Tang Dynasty? It has reached this point, and there is still no rectification? No rise? Or the Great Tang Tang? This is Gao Wei! This is Yang Guang!"
Li Hong's forehead was already covered with sweat, so he still dared to speak. After a while, he heard Li Zhi's voice: "Do you know why I removed Wang Wenzuo from his official post and transferred him back to Chang'an?"
"The child doesn't know!"
"On the outside, it is said that he is punished, but in fact, he is used to rectify the military affairs in Chang'an and Guanzhong!" Li Zhi said coldly: "Some people say that he acts domineering. According to others, being domineering is good, so I am afraid of him. If he is not domineering, he will not dare to do this or that, and he will not be able to do anything in an amiable manner. Wang Wenzuo has the advantage that he dares to do and can do things that others dare not do or cannot do. Wait until he returns to Chang'an Well, I’ll let him go for three months, and then I’ll let him do this offending job!”
