Chapter 4755: Casting stones to ask for directions

Chapter 4755: Casting stones to ask for directions
Seeing that Li Shenfu was silent and obviously had some intention, Li Daoli quickly added fuel to the fire: "Uncle King, I just said something wrong, but the truth is right. Throughout history, if you want to accomplish great things, you must not only have many supporters, but also have sufficient money and food to support it. Without money and food, nothing can be done!"

This statement triggered many people to agree, and they all urged Li Shenfu to take measures. Like Li Daoli, they were not necessarily considering the "great cause", but they did not want their own property to be confiscated by the court.

The more distant benefits have not yet been seen, but the immediate interests have already been damaged. How can this be possible?
Li Shenfu's gray eyebrows trembled slightly, and the corners of his eyes drooped. He was silent for a long time, then he sighed slowly and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Li Daoli said quickly: "Why not besiege the Jingzhao government office? Ma Zhou misinterpreted your majesty's decree to confiscate our legal property. This is really irritating God and people. Let's force him to give up this idea!"

Li Shenfu shook his head: "Who is Ma Zhou? How could he not give in under the pressure of you?"

"If it were in the past, Ma Zhou would naturally not give in, but now Buddhism and Taoism are gathered together, and the capital is unstable, especially the court took the opportunity to increase taxes on Buddhism and Taoism. Although the two factions expressed obedience on the surface, how can they not feel resentment in reality? Moreover, Buddhism and Taoism seem to be strong, but in fact there are many factions and mountains inside, and they may not agree with the decisions made by their leaders. We will besiege Jingzhao Prefecture and cause disturbances while contacting Buddhism and Taoism. Someone will definitely follow up. By then, the situation will be established. At worst, we can force Ma Zhou to cancel the confiscation. If we are lucky and operate properly, we may even be able to completely confuse the situation, and we will have an opportunity..."

When talking about "opportunities to take advantage of", Li Daoli couldn't contain his excitement and clapped his hands vigorously.

Although Your Majesty lacks talent, Li Ji and Fang Jun are both outstanding in ability and prestige. The two of them control the army and the situation firmly without the slightest flaw. If we want to accomplish anything here, we must have a chaotic environment. Isn't this a godsend opportunity?

Li Chongxu stood up, indignant: "I'll go with you!"

Li Daoli nodded approvingly: "With everyone united as one, why worry about not accomplishing the great cause?"

Li Shenfu did not shake his head this time, but hesitated and said, "The risk is too great, too great. I don't think it's possible. Ma Zhou is His Majesty's favorite minister. Now there are Li Ji and Fang Jun in the city and outside the city. They are both strong people who will not tolerate any injustice. If something goes wrong, I can't protect you..."

"Why do we need Uncle Wang to come forward to protect us? We are members of the royal family. As long as we are not plotting treason, what can His Majesty do to us? Only when the royal family is stable can the whole country be stable. His Majesty is not a fool. Although he re-evaluated Fang Er, Ma Zhou and others, he should also know who is the cornerstone of the Tang Dynasty!"

"That's right. It's not that we can't be patient, but instead of waiting, why not take the initiative? Even if we can't disrupt the situation and have a chance to start a rebellion, at the very least we have to get back the confiscated land, otherwise we'll starve to death before the opportunity comes!"

Li Shenfu remained noncommittal. After all, these people were not necessarily willing to take risks for great causes, but Ma Zhou's confiscation of the land donated to temples and Taoist temples had cut off the roots of these royal family members and hurt them so much that they gathered together and intended to cause trouble in Jingzhao Prefecture and take back the land from Ma Zhou.

They cherish their lives when doing great things, and they pursue justice when they see small gains. If they were asked to charge in the front during the uprising, there would be no way they would do so. But now they are jumping up and down and talking about taking the initiative to attack for great things...

In the final analysis, isn't it just for me to endorse them and protect them as the leader of the royal family if serious consequences arise?
These boys are not worthy of being consulted. In that case, just let them be.

"I don't agree with this matter. After all, His Majesty's orders must not be disobeyed. But I am old and cannot restrain you. You can do whatever you want."

Li Shenfu finally expressed his position, but it was not a guarantee as Li Daoli and others had expected. What he meant was that he would do his best if something happened, but the final outcome was uncertain.

Li Daoli hesitated. Without Li Shenfu's support, he would not dare to show off in front of Ma Zhou even if he had eight guts...

However, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. Although Li Chongxu is thirty years old, he is still hot-blooded and has a bad temper. He was dissatisfied when he heard this and said, "Since the uncle king doesn't care about us, we should fight for it ourselves. We can't be afraid of this and that and just sit there and let others bully us, right? This world belongs to Li Tang. I don't believe that Ma Zhou can turn the world upside down!"

Then he squinted at Li Daoli and asked, "Are you going or not?"

Li Daoli was in a dilemma. He was afraid of the consequences, but he was reluctant to give up the confiscated land. The previous blackmail by Fang Jun had already caused the loss of most of the wealth of the Prince's Mansion. If he lost these good lands, how would the Prince's Mansion survive in the future?
I think there is some truth in what Li Chongxu said. Besides, Li Chongxu is Li Xiaogong's nephew, and Li Xiaogong has always been on good terms with Fang Jun and others. Fang Jun has a great influence on Ma Zhou. Even if the situation is bad, Fang Jun has to give Li Xiaogong some face, right?
If you think about it this way, it’s not a big problem.

Then he stood up and said, "My Gaoping County Prince's Mansion is now short of money and it is difficult to continue. There are dozens of people in my family and only this little land is left. If I don't come back, I don't know what to eat and spend. Even though it is dangerous, I have to bite the bullet and go to the Jingzhao Prefecture. If something happens, I hope that my uncle will take care of the Dongping County Prince's Mansion for my filial piety and respect in the past. I will be grateful."

Li Shenfu sighed helplessly, "I am already old and frail, the earth has buried me up to my neck. I can't even protect myself, so who can I take care of? I am too old and useless. I can only say that I will do my best, but I dare not make any promises to you."

"It is enough to have your uncle say this. Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are in the hands of God. I am leaving now!"

……

Everyone left, only Li Xiaoxie and Li Deliang stayed.

Li Xiaoxie was a little uneasy: "Why didn't the uncle stop them? Ma Zhou was too straightforward and too tough. You have to know that those fields belong not only to the royal family, but also to the nobles. His actions would definitely anger the royal family and nobles, and cause a disturbance. It is reasonable not to cause trouble at this time, so it is inevitable that he is suspected of doing it on purpose."

The emperor was not a fool, how could he not know that someone in the royal family was plotting something bad? As the emperor's confidant, Ma Zhou would rather trigger unrest and give the "disloyal people" the opportunity to take advantage of the chaos, but he still insisted on doing it regardless, which made it hard not to suspect that there was something fishy going on.

Li Shenfu sighed, sitting in a chair with a listless look, and said helplessly: "If Ma Zhou is just stubborn and conceited, then Li Daoli and others may really be able to stir up a storm, and we do have an opportunity. If this is a trap, then Ma Zhou and others will not rest assured until they see the prey take the bait."

In other words, as long as the prey fell into the trap and destroyed itself, it meant that the "rebellious person" who was plotting evil in secret had suffered a severe blow, and the emperor would let down his guard.

This is a real good opportunity.

Li Xiaoxie opened his mouth but no words came out, his face full of shock.

Li Daoli had always been a staunch supporter of Li Shenfu, but now he was thrown out by this old fox and sacrificed as bait...

Li Xiaoxie shuddered and shuddered.

Li Deliang looked excited and whispered, "Should we contact all parties to prepare ourselves and go all out as soon as the situation turns in our favor?"

Li Shenfu thought about it and shook his head: "I still feel something is not right. It is better to be safe than sorry. We cannot make any unusual moves."

When wild animals face hunters' traps or snares, hunters will arrange various environments to make the animals feel absolutely safe.

Throwing out a bait to make His Majesty feel that there is no need to worry about the royal family is the goal achieved. As for more, I dare not think about it.

Li Deliang sighed: "What a good opportunity, I may not be able to encounter it again in the future."

Li Shenfu has always been calm and patient, and he was unmoved: "The better the opportunity, the greater the danger. How do you know it's not a trap set by hunters using food? Things in the world are like this. When it seems that everything is going smoothly, there are often huge dangers hidden."

"But if this is the case, wouldn't Uncle Gaoping be in danger?"

"There is danger, but it's not fatal. It's just a test. It's okay for the King of Gaoping, but Li Chongxu is the nephew of the King of Jiangxia. If something happens to him, how can the King of Jiangxia just sit back and do nothing? There is no reason why Li Chongxu is safe and sound while the King of Gaoping is in trouble."

Li Xiaoxie and Li Deliang looked at each other and felt that there was some truth in it, and their worries were relieved.

It seems that although this old guy is a little cold-blooded, he is not as cruel as a poisonous snake. There is still room for maneuver behind his brutal means. Otherwise, if he really pushes Li Daoli out to die, it would be too horrifying.

……

Li Daoli, Li Chongxu and others left the Prince of Xiangyi's Mansion and looked back at the dozen or so clan members who followed them. They were all those whose land donated to temples and Taoist temples was confiscated. Although the Tang Dynasty was not established long ago and the clan members had survived hundreds of battles and made great contributions, they were not worthless as they were in the last years of the dynasty. However, their bloodlines were close and distant, their contributions were great and small, so naturally their titles were high and low, and their properties were large and small. The branch of Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan was naturally extremely wealthy and extravagant, but the circumstances of the other descendants of Emperor Taizu were very different.

It was already difficult to support the family's extravagant lifestyle with such a small amount of assets, and the land that was donated to temples and Taoist temples in an attempt to evade taxes was confiscated, which was simply adding insult to injury. The dissatisfaction that these people had accumulated for a long time was almost unbearable.

Li Daoli said to Li Chongxu, "We are not very impressive when we go to Jingzhao Prefecture. You send people to contact the other clans whose lands have been confiscated, and I will send people to contact the nobles. We need more people to make the matter bigger so that we can put enough pressure on Ma Zhou. To avoid more trouble, let's go to Jingzhao Prefecture now."

"This is easy to handle!"

Li Chongxu agreed immediately, and then asked his servants to take his business card to contact the royal family. Li Daoli then delivered business cards to the homes of nobles with whom he was on good terms. They agreed to gather at the Jingzhao Prefecture government office tonight to ask Ma Zhou for justice.

For a moment, countless houses of royal families and nobles in Chang'an City were brightly lit. Many people walked out of their homes with their servants and headed straight for the Jingzhao Prefecture government office. Lights were constantly flowing on the streets and alleys, and the destination was all Jingzhao Prefecture.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.