In the evening, the lights in the Tai Chi Hall flickered, and Li Yuan and his ministers looked at each other in silence. The atmosphere was so solemn that even the attendants and guards outside the hall held their breath, fearing that if they made louder noises, they would suffer disaster.
It was still a bit cold in early spring. Li Yuan was old and could not bear the cold. But at this moment, he could no longer care about the harsh spring cold. He only felt as if there was a flame burning in his chest, which was getting stronger and stronger.
His majestic and sharp eyes kept wandering around the palace, as if he was looking for an outlet to vent his anger.
There were actually not many people in the palace. The leaders were Zhongshu Ling, Duke of Song Dynasty, Xiao Yu, who had just returned to Beijing and was immediately reinstated to his post, as well as Minister Youpushe and Duke of Wei State, Pei Ji.
The others were the Minister of Internal Affairs, Tang Jian, Duke of Ju, Feng Deyi, Minister of Internal History, Yin Kaishan, Minister of War, Prince Zhan Shi who had just resigned from the post of Zuopushe of Yizhou Xingtai, Dou Gui, Duke of Yan State, and his younger brother.
, General Zuo Tunwei Dou Cong, General Zuo Wuwei Jiang Baoyi, General Zuo Xiaowei, and Xue Guogong Chief Sun Shunde.
Of course, it can also be seen from the backgrounds of these people that it is an undeniable fact that King Qin's power in the court has greatly increased in recent years.
Several people came in a hurry, such as Xiao Yu, the internal historian, whose clothes were often disheveled, and Dou Cong, the general of Zuotunwei, who smelled of alcohol.
There were not many people, most of them were relatives of the Li family, and the rest were close ministers who held important positions. They had just learned of the invasion of a powerful enemy.
Li Po, the king of Han, has become an unavoidable topic in the Li and Tang Dynasties. The two families fought repeatedly. After the Tang army was defeated one after another, he saw that Li Ding'an, the king of Han, became a powerful man and had the qualifications to compete with other princes for the world.
.
The battle at Fengling Ferry not long ago completely gave up some people's idea of going east, so the government and the public first calmed down the troubles in Shu, and then made other noises louder.
Due to the strong support of King Li Shimin of Qin, Emperor Li Yuan did not agree, but he hesitated and issued successive edicts to mobilize the people and horses along the river to go west. In other words, Emperor Li Yuan acquiesced to the change in general strategy.
But in the early spring, King Li Po of Han led his army to the west and crossed the natural dangers of the Yellow River in one battle. Most of the people in the palace were people who knew how to fight. The first feeling after hearing the battle report can only be summed up in two words: dangerous.
Feng Yi was the first to bear the brunt, followed by Hancheng and Tongguan, and reluctantly added Yongfengcang, which was surrounded by several important passes along the river.
When Li Yuan led his army southward, he followed the same old path. At that time, Sun Hua, the great bandit in Guanzhong, sacrificed Feng Yi to allow Li Yuan to cross the Yellow River in one fell swoop. Li Xiuning responded, and the Sui army led by Qu Tutong was routed.
Li Po and Li Yuan were incomparable. The people of Kansai did not wait eagerly for the King of Han to save everyone from the fire. Although the ground in Kansai was already showing signs of food shortage at this time, it was still stable and peaceful, at least there were not as many people as before.
Bandits and hungry people.
These situations will naturally appear in everyone's mind, and based on their experience, even if they are worried, they will not show panic. Most of the nobles in Kansai are ambitious and not as timid as juniors.
At this time, everyone in the palace was actually digesting the news that had just been sent and preparing to answer the emperor's questions. Li Yuan, including Li Yuan, looked at the palace door from time to time, obviously waiting for something.
And the one who deserves the attention of these people is naturally the current second son of the emperor, Shangshu Ling, General Tiance, and King of Qin Li Shimin.
Everyone knows that King Qin Li Shimin is seriously ill, but the military situation is so fierce, but they don't care so much. Most of the people here are thinking that King Qin can save this crisis. At least... showing his face can make people feel more at ease.
no?
Even Li Yuan, probably at this time, seems like everyone else, hoping that his second son will appear in front of him soon, right?
It can be seen that although King Qin Li Shimin has not left the capital in recent years, he has become more and more important. No matter the emperor or the prince, there is not much that can be done against King Qin. Look at the people in the palace now, except for Pei Ji and Yin Kaishan.
, who has nothing to do with the King of Qin?
Li Yuan's slender eyes were half-squinted. Fatigue slowly came over him, making him a little dizzy. However, he was trying hard to cheer up, trying to show the majesty and stability befitting his status as usual.
And he was more aware of the current danger than his ministers, because the Chang'an garrison was no longer enough to assist Feng Yi. After several years of fighting, the country was exhausted, and the military strength was gradually becoming tight.
The term emphasizing the external and imagining the internal is not a new phenomenon. As a member of the top clan in Guanzhong, and a relative of the former Sui Dynasty, he has a natural advantage since entering Chang'an, and he can drive the disciples of Guanxi and worry less about other things.
In other words, except for some people in Chang'an who are not very smart, no one would stab the Li family in Kansai in the back during such a war-torn time.
In view of this, it is natural for soldiers to be deployed outside.
As a result, disadvantages will follow. Once something happens by the river, Chang'an will have few ways to deal with it.
Li Yuan's brows twisted up unconsciously, showing several deep marks.
How long have you been waiting? Is the little beast really so sick that he can't even go out? Thinking of this, his anxious heart suddenly became colder. After all, at this time of year, his own son can still be relied on.
In fact, not long after, King Li Yuanji of Qi strode in amid the sound of footsteps. He didn't bother to greet the important ministers in the palace, so he hurried to Li Yuan's side and whispered in his father's ear: "I can't see my second brother.
The people in the mansion only said that they were ill... I dare not act recklessly in Prince Qin's mansion, so I could only return without success."
King Qin was nowhere to be seen, and Li Yuanji was showing off. Even Pei Ji glanced sideways, wondering how long it had been, and yet he was still making trouble. It was really more than success and more than failure.
Li Yuan was also furious and frightened. What made him angry was that King Qin dared to refuse the edict, or that the servants in the palace sent King Qi away. How arrogant this must be...
But after thinking about it more, the anger subsided immediately. King Qin still saw no outsiders in the palace. Could it be that he was really seriously ill?
"When you went to declare the edict, did you say what I wanted? Why did you come back without even seeing the King of Qin? If you can't even handle this little thing, and you are so incompetent, what's the use of you?"
Li Yuan's eyebrows slightly widened, and the more he spoke, the angrier he became. He had to worry about losing royal dignity in front of everyone. He really wanted to kick this little beast in front of him to the ground and teach him a lesson.
King Li Yuanji of Qi also felt aggrieved and immediately cried out: "How dare I misinterpret the holy will? The palace of King Qin is really heavily guarded. The sick Duke only had one breath left, so he blocked me.
How dare I dare to break in from the front? Once that guy dies, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave Prince Qin's palace."
Li Yuan almost didn't come up with a breath, and said to himself, a few years ago you dared to lead troops to break into the Qin Prince's Palace, forcing Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling and others to escape over the wall. How proud and majestic you were, but now you are like this.
Damn, is he worthy of being my son, Li Yuan?
Li Yuan worked hard and swallowed the breath, waving his hand like a fly, "Okay, go and guard outside the palace, don't let anyone in."
Li Yuanji resigned quietly and came to the Tai Chi Hall. He took a few deep breaths of the cold spring breeze and felt as if he was about to explode.
At this time, Li Yuan's voice was faintly heard in the hall. Soon, everyone in the hall began to express their opinions one after another, and the voices of the arguments gradually became louder, but they were farther away and could not hear clearly what they were saying.
As the emperor's legitimate son, he could not even stand in the palace to listen to the secrets. He could only stay here to guard the door. For Li Yuanji, who had a high self-esteem, this seemed to be even more uncomfortable than killing him.
Li Yuanji walked back and forth in front of the hall for several times. Although he was getting more and more angry, he didn't dare to act recklessly in front of the Tai Chi Hall even if he had some courage, so he became more and more aggrieved.
The guards and eunuchs standing outside could tell that His Highness King Qi was in a bad mood, so everyone held their breath and concentrated more and more, never giving the nobleman a chance to vent his anger.
The lights flickered in the distance, and not long after, a young eunuch hurried over with a lantern. When he arrived in front of the palace, he only looked around for a moment, and saw King Li Yuanji of Qi at a glance. His legs went weak and he knelt down.
"Reporting to Your Highness, Princess Pingyang was ordered to return to Beijing and has now entered the palace..."
Li Yuanji regained his energy at once. The third wife of the old Li family, his biological sister, Princess Pingyang Li Xiuning, should be taking care of food and grass in Yongfengcang, right? I haven't heard of him being ordered to return to the capital?
Li Yuanji's eyes were wandering. According to his usual habit, he must be thinking about whether he could do something in it. But now, when he thought that Li Thief had led his troops across the river, the prince was stationed at Tongguan, and King Qin was ill.
Seriously, my father is very angry, so it’s better not to get into trouble with this.
Of course, his sister was not someone to be trifled with. Li Yuanji couldn't help but grit his teeth when he thought of the scene where he asked for help in front of Princess Pingyang's mansion, only to return in embarrassment...
As his mind was spinning, Li Yuanji waved his hand, turned away the person, turned around and sluggishly went inside to report.
………………………………
This night was quiet and quiet, as if it was similar to the previous days. However, as the administrative hub of Li Tang, some people stayed up all night, thinking so hard that they lost a lot of hair.
Even though Emperor Li Yuan strictly ordered everyone not to spread the news, many people still knew the inside story at the first time, and then the news gradually spread, and within a few days, the whole city was in trouble.
In fact, the so-called military situation was on fire, and the war on the river had already entered another stage on the second day of the battle across the river. Qin King Li Shimin, who was dormant in Chang'an County, was also quietly watching the situation and firmly believed that
, everything is expected, maybe he will be able to taste the sweet taste of victory again soon.
But what he didn't know was that on this day, Shi Du Ruhui, the chief of Qin's palace who stayed in Chang'an, had reached the last moment of his life.
On this day, Du Ruhui died of illness in the back house of the Prince of Qin's Mansion. He did not cause much trouble, nor did he leave any reputation for being a scheming and decisive person. His ambitions and talents were all followed by his frail body.
Gone with the wind.
This chapter has been completed!