Chapter 4973 Mud Beach

When great virtue prevails, the world becomes common to all!

When Fang Jun expressed his ideals and beliefs, even a great man of the time like Li Ji was willing to follow him.

People always have something to pursue in life, so why not devote our limited life to such noble pursuits?
After calming down, Li Ji clicked his tongue, thinking that his previous petty intrigues and power struggles were really too low-level and somewhat shameful.

Of course, the game with the monarchy is destined to be an extremely long process. It must be done step by step and gradually eroded. It is best not to be impatient for quick success and achieve results overnight.

Perhaps he still failed to achieve this goal at the end of his life, but what could he do?
If one devotes his life to such a grand aspiration instead of wasting it in the struggle for power and petty intrigues, even hundreds or thousands of years later, there will surely be people who remember that he made his efforts.

Not all plans in life have to get appropriate results, the process is equally important.

This is enough.

*****
The sun was shining brightly today, but Liu Li, who was sitting in the duty room of the Secretariat, was filled with gloom.

The Secretariat had enormous power, but it was not a specialized supervisory agency, and was incapable of solving cases. However, His Majesty had entrusted him with the important task of trying a major case of treason, and he could not refuse. He was really overwhelmed and did not know where to start.

The most difficult part is to grasp the scale.

The involvement is too deep and the punishment is too severe, which has caused great losses to the royal family and everyone is in danger. Will Your Majesty be dissatisfied with this?

His Majesty is only talking about the issue once and responding in a perfunctory manner. Your Majesty cannot vent all the anger in your heart. Does he think that he is colluding with the royal family and profiting from it?
It's not good if it's too deep, and it's not good if it's too shallow either. It's really difficult.

After sitting there for a long time, his beard was almost ripped off. He had no choice but to get up and leave the Secretariat, and took a carriage to the Prince of Hejian's Mansion...

……

"You are personally appointed by His Majesty to take charge of this case. How can I interfere? Absolutely not!"

When Li Xiaogong heard Liu Li's intention, he immediately shook his head. He had gradually faded out of the court, and his position as "Minister of Personnel" was just a formality. Most affairs were handled by the two vice ministers of the Ministry of Personnel. He was just waiting to retire and enjoy his grandchildren. How could he be willing to be involved in this major case of treason?
He even stayed out of the "Zhaoling case" before, let alone this one. He didn't need these achievements. If he did well, there would be no benefit. If he did badly, his reputation would be ruined...

Liu Li naturally knew what Li Dao Zong was thinking, and said earnestly: "Although the prince is not a minister of the imperial clan, he is the first among the imperial clan in terms of military merit and seniority. Only if you come forward to preside over this case can the case be limited to a reasonable range, and everyone will be satisfied, and the inside and outside will be stable. After all, according to my preliminary investigation, there are too many imperial clan members involved in this case of treason, and the vines are involved. If things go wrong, the entire imperial clan will be wiped out... Can the prince really watch such a tragedy happen? The imperial clan is the cornerstone of the empire. If the imperial clan is broken and the bloodline withers, it will not be a good thing."

Li Xiaogong stroked his beard, looked worried, stared at Liu Li for a long while, and then sighed dejectedly.

Just as Liu Li said, the previous "Zhaoling Case" and now the "Treason Case", once these two major cases are severely punished, it will be a disaster for the royal family. Only a handful of people can remain unscathed, and the vast majority of the royal family will be involved.

But if this happens, the royal family will be severely weakened. Without the stability of the royal family, how can the Li Tang dynasty remain stable?
It should be noted that although the aristocratic families have suffered a serious blow and suffered great losses, they are still alive. If one or two talented people appear and rise up, the Li Tang Dynasty will be in turmoil...

Being “the first in the royal family” is a great honor and power, but also a great pressure.

"What are the rules for the Zhongshu Ling?"

"Only the main culprit should be punished, and the rest should be given lighter punishments. This should both deter the people of the world and control the impact within a certain range."

Li Xiaogong nodded in approval and said, "It is not appropriate for me to be involved in this matter. Please follow me to the Zongzheng Temple."

"This is exactly what I mean."

Although Li Xiaogong is the "first person in the royal family" with great prestige and rich experience, if this case is to be tried, it would be more legitimate for him to be the Minister of the Imperial Clan.

I just don't know if the King of Han is willing to wade into this muddy water...

……

Zongzheng Temple.

King Han Li Yuanjia was also worried. He was the Minister of the Imperial Clan, nominally the "number one member of the imperial clan". The "Zhaoling Case" and the "Rebellion Case" broke out one after another, and countless members of the imperial clan were involved. After these two blows, the strength of the imperial clan would drop drastically, and he, as the Minister of the Imperial Clan, could not escape the blame.

Being punished by His Majesty would be fine, at worst he would lose his position as "Zong Zheng Qing", but how could he feel at ease when the royal family suffered such a heavy blow during his tenure?
How to explain to Gaozu and Taizong?
Opposite him, Li Xiaoyi, the Junior Secretary of the Imperial Clan, was also sighing and looking very depressed.

Li Shenfu was his uncle. The entire Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion was wiped out in this rebellion. Although His Majesty promised Li Shenfu to leave the children under the age of five in his mansion, and only demoted them to commoners and did not pursue their lives, Li Shenfu had seven sons in total, and except for the eldest son who died early, the other six sons survived. He had more than 20 grandchildren, but only three boys under the age of five...

What's worse, due to Li Shenfu's enticement and instigation, many people from their branch, that is, Li Shentong's lineage, also got involved.

In other words, the line of King Xiao of Zheng suffered a heavy blow this time...

Li Xiaoyi glanced at Li Yuanjia, who had a gloomy face, and whispered, "Your Highness, waiting like this is not a solution. Although those who have committed serious crimes deserve death, we cannot allow those ministers to implicate them, otherwise the royal family will suffer a heavy blow and the foundation of the country will be shaken!"

Li Yuanjia said helplessly: "Do you think I am willing? I am helpless! The Zhaoling case was tried by the Three Judicial Departments. Our Zongzheng Temple was just assisting and had no say! This time, Liu Li is presiding over the treason case. Your Majesty has ignored me. Even if I am extremely worried, what can I do?"

He is the Minister of the Imperial Clan, and no one cares about the imperial clan more than he does. The imperial clan has suffered a severe blow and its strength has been weakened, and he, as the Minister of the Imperial Clan, has been the first to bear the brunt of the damage. He might even be angered by His Majesty for "mismanagement and incompetence". How could he intervene in these two major cases?
If you can't intervene and have no say, you naturally won't be able to protect more people.

Li Xiaoyi also knew that Li Yuanjia was in trouble. After thinking for a while, he suggested: "How about we mobilize the royal family members to write a letter to His Majesty, begging His Majesty to show some leniency?"

Although the two major cases involved a wide range of people, in fact, more people were only implicated, not necessarily deeply involved. However, the nature of these two major cases was extremely bad, whether it was tampering with the mausoleums of Emperor Taizong and Empress Wende, or gathering the royal family to launch a mutiny, which was intolerable to Your Majesty.

I am afraid that in your rage, you will punish all those involved severely, and most of the royal family will suffer a catastrophic disaster...

Li Yuanjia was startled and waved his hands, "Are you crazy? Do you want to put His Majesty against the entire royal family?"

Li Xiaoyi also realized that he had come up with a bad idea, smiled awkwardly, and said no more.

Both the "Zhaoling Case" and the "Treason Case" are unforgivable crimes, and any severe punishment is justified. However, you want to gather the royal family to ask Your Majesty to show leniency. This is not just a matter of touching the dignity of the imperial power. Are you trying to tell the whole world that "Your Majesty's actions are unacceptable to the royal family"?

The anger of an ordinary man can cause blood to splatter five steps away. Are you forcing Your Majesty to wield the butcher knife against the royal family?
"Your Highness, the Prince of Hejian and the Minister of the Central Secretariat are here."

"Oh? Please!"

Li Yuanjia quickly stood up, stopped after taking a step, looked at Li Xiaoyi, and whispered: "Be a little miserable for a while, you must impress the prince. Your little shoulders can't bear big things, but the prince can."

Li Xiaoyi understood and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I know what to do!"

With Li Xiaogong as a big tree to shelter us from the wind and rain, we can solve many problems...

The two men came to the door and welcomed Li Xiaogong and Liu Li into the inner hall. After the clerk served tea, Li Yuanjia drove him away. Only four people sat opposite each other in the hall. Li Yuanjia gestured for tea and then asked, "I wonder if Uncle Wang and the Minister of the Central Secretariat came together. What's the important matter?"

Li Yuanjia got straight to the point, and Li Xiaogong didn't beat around the bush and said, "Your Majesty has ordered the Secretary of State to be in charge of the trial of the conspiracy case. What do you two think?"

Li Yuanjia and Li Xiaoyi looked at each other, the latter stood up and left the table, then knelt on the ground with a plop, begging: "Uncle, please save my nephew!"

"Hey, what are you doing? Get up and talk!"

Li Xiaogong did not expect Li Xiaoyi to do this, and quickly reached out to help.

Li Xiaoyi refused to get up. Tears welled up in his eyes as he choked up and said, "Not only did my uncle's family bear the heavy guilt for this treason, but my brothers were also implicated. Under strict interrogation, I can't escape the blame either! Although the crime of treason is punishable by death, if the entire clan is implicated, I will be in trouble. I beg you to help me out for the sake of my father and the past!"

"This... ugh!"

Li Xiaogong sighed. Liu Li had just asked him to stand up for himself. This was his taboo. The bloodline of the entire clan continued and the interests were intertwined. Li Shenfu had been very active in recent years. Relying on his high seniority and sufficient qualifications, he often interacted with other branches. Now that Li Shenfu had committed a serious crime of treason, it was difficult for those who had contact with him to tell who was innocent, who was innocent, who was an accomplice, and who was an accomplice.

But Li Xiaoyi was now kneeling in front of him and begging, what could he do?
Although Huai'an King Li Shentong was defeated in many battles and had a disastrous record, he was a rough and loyal person. He supported and encouraged the young men of his clan with all his might. Many of the clan members benefited from him and he had an extremely good relationship with people. In this respect, Li Shenfu could not even compare to his brother.

The fledgling Li Xiaogong was also supported and encouraged by him, so Li Xiaogong could not care about the life and death of Li Shenfu's group, but he could not watch Li Shentong's group suffer a devastating disaster.

This is a quagmire. Once you step in, it will be hard to get out cleanly...