Chapter 5185 Reluctant
Chapter 5185 Reluctant
"How does your majesty plan to place the Prince of Jin?"
Should we treat everyone equally or differently?
If they are colleagues, what if the King of Jin reverts to his old ways?
If we treat them differently, will people regard it as killing our brothers and sisters and fratricide?
Although the Prince of Jin had committed a serious mistake before, he was after all the youngest legitimate son of Emperor Taizong. Because of Emperor Taizong's favor, there were countless people in the court and the public who sympathized with him. Some people did not necessarily sympathize with the Prince of Jin but were willing to take the opportunity to attack Li Chengqian...
It's very difficult.
Li Chengqian had thought about this for a long time, and sighed, "Although Zhinu was wrong, as his elder brother, how can I not give him a chance to reform? To be honest, every time I want to punish him severely, I think of the happy scenes when my father and mother were here... and my heart softens. This time, I will give him another chance and let him go out to divide the land and become a king. If he really reforms, with his ability and talent, he will definitely be able to create a new situation. It won't be difficult for him to earn a family business for his descendants, and it will be worth it for me, his elder brother, to protect him once."
Fang Jun said: "What if he doesn't repent and relapses into his old ways, or even gets worse?"
Li Chengqian gritted his teeth and said fiercely: "Then don't blame me, your brother, for being ruthless!"
Fang Jun shook his head and said, "But your majesty is not only the brother of the Prince of Jin, but also the emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the monarch of all people. Allowing a prince who once committed treason to split the land and take on huge risks is not fair to the empire and all people?"
If the Prince of Jin rebels again, war will break out and disaster will ensue. It will be the imperial soldiers who will die and the innocent people who will suffer.
You are willing to give King Jin another chance out of consideration for our brotherhood, but how unfair is that to the people who have to take huge risks as a result?
Li Chengqian was always indecisive, but this time he made up his mind: "Erlang, please don't try to persuade me anymore. I have made up my mind."
Fang Jun said no more.
He knew Li Chengqian's character. This man might have some shortcomings and was not very qualified to be an emperor, but he was kind and sincere to others without any pretense. It was precisely because of this that he was a little weak in character, extremely sensitive to details, and lacked the ability to withstand pressure.
It is easy to lose your balance under great pressure...
Since Li Chengqian wants to give Prince Jin another chance to preserve their brotherhood, then let him go.
At worst, when the time comes to divide the fiefdoms, I will advise the King of Jin to find a barren land full of smoke and miasma, and let him lead those barbarians who eat raw meat and drink blood to establish a country, to cultivate the wilderness with slash-and-burn farming...
……
Li Chengqian returned to the bedroom and sat for a while. After taking a bath and changing clothes, he went out to Concubine Shen's residence.
The wet nurse had just coaxed the little prince to sleep, and Concubine Shen was relieved. The child had been very noisy recently. Every time he was asleep, he would suddenly wake up and cry loudly, causing the entire palace to be in a state of panic...
The eunuch reported that the emperor had arrived, and Concubine Shen hurried to the door to greet him with her wet nurse and palace maids.
Li Chengqian waved his hand and dismissed the wet nurse and palace maids. Then he came to the bed and leaned over to look at the sleeping little prince. Seeing that the little prince was pouting and smacking his lips in his sleep, which was very cute, he couldn't help but smile warmly.
Later, when Li Chengqian arrived at the outer room, he sat on a chair. Concubine Shen prepared some tea and brought it to him. He sat down and asked worriedly, "Is the Grand Commandant still unwilling to come to see the little prince?"
Li Chengqian frowned and said, "You don't need to ask about the affairs of the court."
Concubine Shen carefully defended herself, "How dare I meddle in the affairs of the court? It's just that I'm concerned about the little prince. The Grand Marshal is an important official of the court. Now that he has returned victorious and his reputation is growing, the little prince may have to worship under the Grand Marshal like the Crown Prince in the future. If the Grand Marshal doesn't like the little prince, what should I do?"
Li Chengqian drank his tea in silence.
Concubine Shen knelt at Li Chengqian's feet, kneading his legs with her soft hands. She lowered her head slightly, her figure was slender and gentle, and she said softly, "The Crown Prince is your Majesty's son, and the little prince is also your Majesty's son. It can't be that the Crown Prince can study poetry and songs under the Grand Commandant, but the little prince can't? The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne and has a noble status, but he shouldn't show the difference between the noble and the humble in his studies, right? I don't know what's wrong with the Grand Commandant. Even if he is loyal to the Crown Prince, he doesn't have to treat the little prince like a worn-out shoe."
"What do you know? Don't interfere in this matter!"
Li Chengqian had a cold face and scolded, but his tone was not harsh.
He was a sentimental man. Since Concubine Shen had given birth to a prince for him, she would naturally be his lifelong lover. Moreover, Concubine Shen was 28 years old, young and beautiful. Although her appearance was slightly inferior to that of the empress, she was passionate and tender, and more interesting than the empress. Therefore, he could not bear to be too harsh on her even if she occasionally made inappropriate remarks.
After all, women are weak, but they are strong as mothers. For the sake of their own children, it is understandable...
Seeing that Concubine Shen was aggrieved and dared not speak, Li Chengqian's heart softened. He reached out and stroked her smooth face, and said in a gentle voice: "Don't worry, Concubine Shen, I will let Erlang accept this disciple and teach him as carefully as I would treat the crown prince."
In his opinion, the reason why Concubine Shen was so eager to have the little prince take Fang Jun as his teacher was not only because Fang Jun was talented and a master of poetry, but more importantly, his power and status could protect the little prince from all difficulties. Moreover, he was from the same school as the crown prince, so there would be no rift between the brothers in the future.
As for the idea of changing the crown prince, he did not reveal it to Concubine Shen...
Concubine Shen gently massaged Li Chengqian's legs. After a while, she raised her pretty face and said gently, "The Queen has been staying in the East Palace for a long time. There are also rumors circulating in the palace, none of which are very good... It is probably because of me that the Queen is unhappy. Why don't I go to the East Palace to apologize to the Queen, accept the punishment, and then invite the Queen back. After all, the East Palace cannot be without a master for a day. The Queen has been away from the palace for a long time, and the palace affairs have been in a lot of chaos."
Li Chengqian felt relieved, but sighed helplessly: "The Queen is a little bit petty, how can you persuade her back? If she was as sensible as you, I wouldn't be so worried and distressed."
Concubine Shen was horrified and said hurriedly, "How dare I compare myself with the Queen? If this gets out and the Queen gets angry, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself!"
Li Chengqian frowned, "How can there be so many suspicions and slanders in my harem? Don't think about those nonsense, just stay in the palace and raise the prince honestly. You will get what you deserve sooner or later, and don't have any extravagant hopes for what you shouldn't get."
I felt increasingly irritated.
These should have been the responsibilities of the queen, but he, the emperor, had to worry about them. Many national affairs in the outer court were waiting for him to weigh and deal with, which had already exhausted him mentally and physically. When he returned to the harem, he still had to face these trivial matters and had no moment of leisure.
He became increasingly dissatisfied with the Queen.
So he pushed Concubine Shen away, stood up and walked out.
"I am a little tired. I will go back to the palace to rest. Please stay, Concubine."
"Here."
Concubine Shen looked disappointed, but she dared not show it and she tenderly and respectfully saw the emperor off.
*****
British government.
There was a low table, some side dishes, some plates of desserts, and a jar of rice wine placed in the pavilion in the back garden. Li Ji, Cheng Yaojin, and Liang Jianfang were sitting on the ground. Outside the pavilion, there was an evening breeze in the pond and the lotus leaves were swaying, which was quite pleasant.
Cheng Yaojin took a sip of wine and sighed, "Fang Er is really amazing. In this battle in the Western Region, no matter the strategy formulation, deployment or command, he made no mistakes. Not only did he defeat the enemy with fewer troops, but he also chased the enemy north. I can't help but admire him."
They were all famous generals and veterans who had fought in battles all their lives, so they naturally understood the difficulties of the war in the Western Regions.
It was easy to defeat the Arab army, but it was extremely difficult to inflict heavy damage on the enemy in a place so far away from the Tang Dynasty with such little consumption. Not to mention that after a great victory, it was even more difficult to chase the retreating enemy troops in two directions and chase them one after another.
This battle not only established the Anxi Army's status as a powerful army in the world, but also made Fang Jun's achievements unparalleled and his reputation soar.
Looking at the millions of soldiers in the Tang Dynasty, no one can compare with Fang Jun, whether they are the veteran ministers of the Zhenguan period or the young generals of the Mesozoic era.
Liang Jianfang said muffledly, "You admire Fang Er, but I admire His Majesty even more. With Fang Er's current prestige, power and status, you still allow him to control the left and right Jinwu Guards without any guard or suspicion. It is incredible that the monarch and his subjects have such mutual trust throughout history."
Why was the emperor called a "lonely man"?
It is because everyone covets the supreme imperial power. Faced with the temptation of imperial power, they will take it if they have the chance, and they will create opportunities if they don’t have any. Therefore, "balance" has always been the most basic and brilliant imperial technique. Any emperor will put "checks and balances" first and will never put himself in danger because of trust.
No one can be absolutely trusted.
However, Li Chengqian's trust in Fang Jun broke these established rules. Although there were occasional rumors of conflicts and cold relations between the emperor and his ministers in the court, and even various scandals about Fang Er and the queen in the market, Li Chengqian never gave up his trust in Fang Jun.
This is something that is impossible to happen, but it happened right before my eyes...
Cheng Yaojin also said: "Perhaps your majesty has other plans. I don't believe that there is no foul play between these two people and their friendship is stronger than gold."
Li Ji drank the wine and ate the food leisurely with a calm expression.
Cheng Yaojin was a little annoyed, knocking on the table in dissatisfaction: "Can you not always look so lifeless and indifferent? Fang Er'er has made great contributions, but when it comes to contributions to Emperor Taizong, contributions to the Tang Dynasty, and influence on the military, which one can compare to you? It is precisely because you are afraid of this and that and dare not fight or compete that we, the meritorious officials of the Zhenguan period, are suppressed!"
Li Ji put down his wine glass, glanced at Cheng Yaojin, and said, "Isn't it because of your strategic mistakes that you are in this situation? You actually blame me for it. It's really strange."
