Traveling?
Go to Luoyang?
If it were normal circumstances, to be honest, Li Xian would still like to try traveling at public expense. No, even if he pays for it himself, after all, for a prince like him, there are not many opportunities to go out.
However, time is also scored.
Thinking about the big-bellied woman in the East Palace, and then thinking about his plan to practice martial arts, Li Xian thought about it for a while, but still refused: "Hao Xiang, there is no need to travel to various construction sites alone. You only need to go out of Chang'an and visit a few construction sites, and the news will be there." It can be spread. What's more, as a prince, I am also qualified to issue the prince's religion. As long as the prince's religion is announced and orders are sent to various construction sites, wouldn't it be good?"
Hearing Li Xian's answer, Hao Chujun couldn't help but froze.
Why didn't the prince hear the underlying message?
That's not the case, doesn't the prince know that he has a rare chance to go out?
This time, ordinary people were used as a cover and they could easily leave the capital. Why didn't they know how to cherish it?
but....
Seeing the apologetic expression on the prince's face, Hao Chujun knew that the prince knew what he meant, but he really didn't want to go out.
That's fine....just convey your thoughts.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants to publish the Crown Prince Religion. It is naturally possible. At this time, it is better sooner rather than later. How about I draft a Crown Prince Religion for His Highness and send it out as soon as possible?"
Having Hao Chujun as a ghostwriter was naturally a good thing, so Li Xian could only return the favor.
Seeing that the prince and Hao Chujun had settled the matter, Li Zhi said nothing more.
In fact, not to mention the Prince Cult, even the Queen of Heaven's imperial edicts and his imperial edicts cannot be issued casually.
Each of these three items can only be legal after being verified by Zhongshu's disciples. Although the emperor can also force the release, such times are rare after all.
After the evolution of Wude Zhenguan, more than half of the emperor's power was suppressed by officials. ; Li Zhi knew very well what the emperor and the late emperor thought. In fact, he also supported this.
Although the emperor will be restrained by his ministers, this can also limit the emperor's desires to the greatest extent.
If the leader is weak and the minister is strong, the imperial power will change. If the leader is strong and the minister is weak, the emperor's willful behavior will lead to the collapse of the dynasty. How to find an obvious degree between the two is really a difficult problem.
After pondering for a long time, Li Zhi said: "In that case, let the prince be allowed to promulgate the prince's religion. Queen of Heaven, tell your story and then withdraw from the court."
The queen has something to say?
Hearing this sentence, Hao Chujun and others couldn't help but frown.
Although the Queen has not actually shown her desire for power, various signs indicate that she does have this intention. In addition, today's saints are very defenseless against the Queen of Heaven. As ministers, it is necessary for them to be vigilant against the Queen of Heaven.
Hearing Li Zhi's words, Li Xian couldn't help but frown.
The queen has something to say?
While everyone was waiting with curiosity and vigilance, the Queen finally spoke slowly:
"My dear gentlemen, I have something to announce today."
"The Crown Princess is already pregnant. According to the imperial doctor's diagnosis, there is an 80% chance that she is a boy."
"this...."
"this...."
"ah?"
Among the surprises of all the courtiers, Li Xian's surprise was two levels higher.
No, you have to talk about this kind of thing in court?
How long have you been pregnant now? Do you dare to say that there is an 80% chance that you are pregnant with a boy?
But....
The reaction of the officials in the court was different from what he expected.
It was obviously Dong Gong's private matter, and it was his wife who was obviously pregnant.
how....
Are the courtiers so excited?
It is said that the Tian family is selfless, but to this extent...
It’s still a bit much!
"My congratulations to His Majesty the Crown Prince! Congratulations to Your Majesty and the Empress!"
Amidst the congratulations one after another, Li Xian could only bite the bullet and return the favor.
As for the emperor and empress on the throne, she couldn't smile from ear to ear.
Today's court meeting ended with congratulations.
Li Xian returned to the back hall and wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling frightened for a while.
Seeing him like this, Li Zhi and Tianhou both laughed.
Sitting on the chair, Li Zhi said while drinking tea: "You must know your mother's good intentions. The purpose of telling this matter in the court today is also to stabilize your position as the prince. They say that the mother is more valuable than the son, you The same goes for this prince’s father.”
"Having a child means you have a successor. Don't think this issue is unimportant. There is a big difference between a prince with a son and a prince without any offspring."
Li Xian nodded clearly. Although he was prepared for this, the reaction of the courtiers was really beyond his expectation.
Crossing his legs, Li Zhi thought for a while and said: "You are the prince now. You not only have to study and prove to others that you are qualified to be a prince, but you also need to benefit the royal family and prove to me, including the entire royal family, that you are qualified. Be the emperor's heir. Don't tell me about today's two books, you don't know the secret."
Self-respect for supporting books is almost the same as supporting self-respect for soldiers. Li Xian still knows it very well.
Sitting on the chair brought by the eunuch, he glanced around. Seeing the prince's actions, Li Zhi waved his hand without hesitation. All the irrelevant palace maids and eunuchs left, leaving only the real confidants who dispersed to the window door.
Seeing that there were no outsiders, Li Xiancai said: "Ah Ye, ever since I was tricked by the Zheng family, I have been thinking about how to defeat them. To be honest, the five surnames have a profound background, and even our royal family cannot be justified. Kill them. But there is no doubt that their existence is a provocation to the imperial power, and it also affects the promotion path of the poor men."
Hearing this, Li Zhi frowned and said: "You want to influence the status of the Five Surnames by spreading these two books? Isn't this just a drop in the bucket? Besides, the Five Surnames and various aristocratic families account for 90% of the world's scholars. Above. 90%. If you want the remaining 10% to shake the status of 90%, it is tantamount to wishful thinking."
Li Xian sighed: "Of course I know this, but we can't stop doing it just because the results are little. You should be clear about the principle of Foolish Old Man moving mountains. Although two books can't change anything, twenty What about the two hundred copies? One day, when scholars are no longer a scarce commodity, can the five surnames and other aristocratic families still be able to rely on this to stand high?"
"You mean to open up people's wisdom?"
Hearing Li Xian's words, Li Zhi frowned even more tightly.
The strategy of fooling the people is the most important point in the imperial doctrine.
Isn't it contrary to the doctrine of emperors to enlighten the people's wisdom? not to mention....
"Not to mention that enlightening the people's wisdom is contrary to the strategy of dumbing down the people. Even if you invest in it, it is unimaginable. Prince, if you want to use this method to deal with the aristocratic family, what is the difference between tearing down the east wall and repairing the west wall? In the end, your approach will be effective. It’s very small, and it might even cause bigger troubles, so it’s better not to do anything.”
After saying that, Li Zhi stared at Li Xian. He understood the prince's desire to do things, but he never wanted the prince to rush forward without thinking about anything just because he wanted to achieve success.
Seeing the look in Li Zhi's eyes, Li Xian smiled, stood up and cupped his hands and said: "Taizong once said that the king is like water and the people are like boats. Even you, Aye, have gone to great lengths to place those stewards. You do all this because you want to." Let your ministers gain the support of the people. Although it is only part of the people, but even if there is only one village, the effect is immeasurable."
"There are various signs that both Emperor Taizong and you know clearly that only the people are the cornerstone of the dynasty. As long as the emperor has the support of the people, then the royal family will be able to secure its position of supremacy without fear of being overthrown by anyone. "
"In this case, why don't we try to stand on the side of the people? You have supported the emerging generals and nobles over the years, and you want them to combine with the inherited nobles to jointly contain the power of the family. Perhaps you yourself also know that doing this will It can only restrain aristocratic families for a while, but it cannot always work. After all, whether the five surnames directly participate in the court or marry their daughters to win over their sons-in-law, they all have ways to use your power to restrain them for their own use. "
"In this case, if my son inherits your position, I am afraid that he will have to establish a new noble to compete with the aristocratic family. At the same time, he will also have to suppress the inherited nobles and control the number of nobles. If you do this, you will have entered a world. It’s a strange circle. Emperors in the future will always do this to maintain their status. It’s okay for one generation or two, but who knows what kind of disadvantages will arise in the future.”
"But if you stand on the side of the people, there is nothing to worry about. Generally speaking, it is difficult for a dynasty to collapse due to mutiny, and if the people rise up, then the collapse of the dynasty will only happen overnight."
"If you want to stand on the side of the people, you must seek welfare for the people. The strategy of fooling the people naturally has its reasons, but if it is used to the extreme, it is not safe. If the people's wisdom is opened up, the advantages of the aristocratic family will certainly be within a period of time. It will not decay, but over time, they will not be able to maintain their transcendent status."
"You are one of the rare martial emperors in history. You expanded the territory without weakening Taizong, and you worked hard in internal governance. Now that you are powerful in the world, although the family can resist, they are still afraid of your majesty and dare not really resist. If you are no longer here, if I do this, I will most likely be disturbed by the family."
"Aye, this is my opinion. What do you think?"
After finishing speaking, Li Xian sat down.
After all, this idea still needs the emperor's approval.
Enlightening the people's wisdom runs counter to the emperor's strategy of fooling the people. Not all emperors have the courage to cut off their own shacks.
If it were a fatuous or stubborn emperor, Li Xian would never say such a thing. He would rather fight hard after taking office than raise it now.
But Li Zhi was different. Like Taizong Li Shimin, he was also an extremely conceited emperor, determined to bring peace to all generations. He may not be able to accept this kind of proposal that is obviously beneficial to future generations in the short term, but after he understands the pros and cons, he will definitely not be able to help but try it.
Sure enough, Li Zhi maintained his frown and began to think. If there were a different emperor at this time, he would probably curse loudly.
Li Xian was not in a hurry. He waved to Jiang Hao and asked him to get him a cup of tea and wait quietly.
After a while, perhaps because his body sent warning signs, Li Zhi stopped thinking, raised his head and asked: "What you said, I will think about it after I go back. However, I have one last question. It is not just about opening up people's wisdom. It’s as simple as sending a few books, what are you going to do?”
Seeing that Li Zhi really had the intention to adopt it, Li Xian smiled and said: "Opening the people's wisdom is not something that happens overnight. I am already ready to dedicate my life to it. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. We just need to wait." When the state treasury is abundant, it will spend money to build some schools. Of course, starting from the vicinity of Chang'an, some scholars will be recruited and let them teach the children of the people. As for the tuition fees, there are naturally parents of these children who are willing to pay."
"Because it is to broaden the people's wisdom, there is no need to avoid suspicion or anything. A teacher can teach a dozen or even dozens of students. In this way, the teacher can live well just with the students' tuition fees, and even... We need to hand over part of it to the court. Of course, these are just my thoughts. We won’t know the specific situation until we do it.”
"this...."
After listening to the prince's words, although Li Zhi felt his head started to hurt again, he couldn't help but think about this problem.
If it's really possible...
After presiding over the court all morning, and now thinking about too many issues, Li Zhi felt that his headache was coming again.
"never mind...."
With a sigh, Li Zhi stood up, waved his hand and said, "I need to think about these things carefully and will give you an answer after a while. Go ahead and do your thing first."
Looking at Li Zhi's face, Li Xian knew what was going on.
In the final analysis, the emperor has not really recovered much. Now he is just strong on the outside and weak on the inside, and cannot last too long.
However, even so, it is much better than him lingering on the sickbed with his power on the sidelines.
In history, it was during this period that Wu Zetian really extended her power to the court. The Beimen bachelor dispersed the power of the prime minister, and the addition of Wu Chengsi and other confidants became her real help.
As for Prince Zhang Huai, under her arrangement, he could do nothing but show his excellence as much as possible.
However, perhaps because he acted inappropriately, he did not directly gain the support of the court officials. Although he later showed his talents in supervising the country and other matters, he was alone and ultimately unable to withstand the coming storm.
After sending Li Zhi out of the back hall, Li Xiancai turned around and left.
Different from the original history, as the prince, the abilities he displayed were definitely more than those of Prince Zhang Huai.
Right now, what he needs most urgently is to show his ability.
Since you have chosen to be meticulous, you can only gain the respect of everyone by fully demonstrating your abilities. Only with enough support can you successfully become emperor. As for what happens...
Even if an excellent prince does something not so good, he probably won't attract too much criticism from others, because they have no choice.
