After all, people without desires are rarer than giant pandas in later generations, and such people rarely stay in official circles.
Therefore, the vast majority of officials who stay in the officialdom have certain needs.
As long as Li Shimin wants something, he can do whatever he wants and buy him off.
For Li Shimin, whose power was second only to Li Yuan and three points more powerful than Li Jiancheng, it was too easy for him to bribe some people in a certain yamen.
Because his authority and the resources he can mobilize have reached the point where he can satisfy a person's desires as wishes.
Therefore, Li Yuanji can completely understand that someone in Dali Temple has been bribed, or has secretly turned to Li Shimin.
What Li Yuanji couldn't understand was that there were people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs who were bribed by Li Shimin, or who secretly turned to Li Shimin.
The people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs are dedicated to serving Li Yuan, and those who can be named among them are almost all Li Yuan's personal servants. They cannot betray Li Yuan even to death.
Even when facing Li Yuan's son, his biological son, he cannot be biased, let alone being bribed or secretly seeking refuge.
So how on earth did that person from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or those people, dare to fall to Li Shimin under Li Yuan's nose when Li Yuan was in his prime?
Have they served Li Yuan for a long time and lost their respect for him, or do they feel that Li Yuan is old and confused and can no longer see what they are doing in private?
"Your Highness, what are you thinking about?"
Ling Jing saw Li Yuanji sitting there silently for a long time, and couldn't help but ask.
Li Yuanji didn't hide anything, and said with emotion: "I'm wondering if the people in the Ministry of Internal Affairs have been serving my father for a long time and have lost their respect for my father.
Otherwise, how dare they hide it from my father and help the people behind the scenes."
Ling Jing shook his head and said, "I feel that the people in the Internal Affairs Ministry have been serving the saint for a long time and have lost their respect for the saint."
Li Yuanji asked: "What is that?"
Ling Jing pondered and said: "They should think that the people they help can accomplish things quickly, and they are full of confidence in this."
Li Yuanji glanced at Ling Jing unexpectedly, and said with pretense of confusion: "You are saying that the reason why the concubines in the palace died is because my eldest brother or second brother was behind it to achieve a certain purpose.
And the reason why people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs helped them was because they expected that after their goal was achieved, the overall situation would be established?"
Ling Jing smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, do you still want to hide this from me now?"
Li Yuanji felt a little embarrassed, but still refused to admit it, "What did I hide from you?"
Ling Jing said dumbfounded: "I don't believe you don't know why people died in the palace, and I don't believe you don't know who the people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Dali Temple are helping."
Li Yuanji pretended to be ignorant and shouted: "I know what I know. Everything I know now is what you told me."
Ling Jing seemed to have not heard this, and said with a faint look, "Is it His Highness the King of Qin?"
Li Yuanji was stunned and said calmly: "What do you mean by this? Are you saying that the person behind this is my second brother?"
Ling Jing opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.
Finally, he simply cupped his hands and said with a helpless smile: "Since Your Highness is unwilling to tell me the truth, I guess there is a reason not to tell me the truth, so I won't ask.
I believe that one day His Highness will tell me the truth."
When Li Yuanji saw that Ling Jing really knew something, he might have guessed it from the fact that he had been paying attention to the dead people in the palace, or he might have known it through some secret channels in the palace, he immediately stopped pretending.
However, he didn’t tell Ling Jing the truth. He just said angrily: “Since you know that I won’t tell you, why are you still chasing me to get to the bottom of it?”
Li Yuanji didn't mean to hide it from Ling Jing, but he just couldn't tell Ling Jing what happened.
After all, what is happening in the palace now and what will happen in the future is what he learned from history books.
How did he tell Ling Jing?
Did you tell Ling Jing that he has the ability to predict the future?
This kind of excuse is fine for Ma Zhou, a novice in officialdom who has just entered the officialdom and has not yet been polished into a delicate heart.
It is simply impossible to deceive a politician like Ling Jing, who has worked with two emperors, experienced the rise and fall of nations, and has been traveling in the officialdom for many years.
Moreover, what is happening in the palace now will eventually affect Li Yuan's reputation and the reputation of the royal family.
As the cheap son of Li Yuan and a member of the royal family of Li Tang, it was not easy for him to publicize this matter everywhere.
Otherwise, when Li Yuan settles the accounts afterwards, he will definitely be blamed.
Li Shimin saw this, so he asked others to uncover the matter instead of ending it himself.
"Forehead……"
Ling Jing had a look of astonishment on his face. After he came to his senses, he raised his teacup with a wry smile and said, "It's your servant, Meng Lang. I will punish myself with a cup."
Li Yuanji glared at Ling Jing and continued to say angrily, "I've never seen anyone punish him with tea."
Ling Jing smiled bitterly and hurriedly called the maid guarding the far side of the pavilion to bring him wine.
When the maid brought the wine, he drank three glasses in a row.
Only then can this matter be revealed.
"Since His Highness knows what is happening in the palace, he must have guessed their purpose. So how should we deal with it next?"
After Ling Jing finished drinking, he spoke again.
Li Yuanji drank two drinks with Ling Jing, and said in a neutral tone: "They are not here for us, what should we do?"
Ling Jing said blankly: "Didn't His Highness say before that a heavy rain was coming? Doesn't this matter have anything to do with the heavy rain?"
Li Yuanji glanced at Ling Jing and said frankly: "It is related, but it has nothing to do with us. We just sit quietly and watch, that's enough."
"this……"
Ling Jing was a little speechless.
Li Yuanji didn't want to talk to Ling Jing any more about this issue, so he immediately changed the topic, "How are the preparations at Hangu Pass?"
Ling Jing came back to his senses and said with a wry smile: "I only know that three hundred people were secretly transferred to Hangu Pass, and I don't know about the others."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Li Yuanji opened his mouth, but did not speak.
Ling Jing continued: "Marquis Yuwen is only willing to listen to you and only report to you the current situation of Hangu Pass, so I don't know much about the situation of Hangu Pass."
Li Yuanji sighed with a headache: "He only reported to me, but he hasn't sent me a few letters so far, so I don't know the situation at Hangu Pass clearly yet."
Ling Jing couldn't help but said: "Has he been slacking off since he hasn't been with His Highness for a long time?"
Li Yuanji thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "Probably not..."
Ling Jing said in confusion: "Then he is..."
Li Yuanji said thoughtfully: "I must have tripped over some trivial matter, otherwise it would have been impossible not to write to me."
Ling Jing hesitated and said: "Then send someone over to take a look. If you encounter any trouble, let him help solve it smoothly?"
Li Yuanji nodded and said, "That's what I have in mind. Who do you think is appropriate to send?"
Ling Jing smiled and said, "Thank you, Duke Guo."
Li Yuanji smiled and said, "Why Xie Shufang?"
Ling Jing smiled and poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, and said cheerfully: "Because Duke Xie is the Duke of the country, anyone with a lower title than him will have to give him three points of thin noodles.
And because Duke Xie was the first Duke to step out of His Highness's residence, his appearance was tantamount to His Highness's appearance.
Those who make things difficult for Marquis Yuwen, even if they don't give him face, still have to give His Highness some face.
And because Xie Guogong is the son-in-law of the Prince of Huai'an County, his appearance is equivalent to the appearance of the Prince of Huai'an County.
Therefore, even if those who make things difficult for Marquis Yuwen do not give His Highness some noodles, they will still give some noodles to the Prince of Huai'an."
Li Yuanji laughed and said, "So, my face is not as valuable as the face of my magical uncle Wang."
Ling Jing shook his head and smiled: "No.
It means that His Highness’s face is not as good as that of the Prince of Huai’an, but in front of some people, His Highness’s face is far less useful than that of the Prince of Huai’an.”
Li Yuanji nodded and said: "It seems that you have accepted the statement that Yu Wenbao was tripped, and you also guessed who tripped Yu Wenbao."
Ling Jing smiled and said, "On your side are His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the King of Qin. Only His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the King of Qin will not show any disdain to those around you and even give them troubles."
Li Yuanji nodded in agreement.
This is pretty much what he guessed.
He even guessed who was stumbling upon Yu Wenbao.
"It should be my eldest brother, that is, the guard at Hangu Pass. He once guarded Yongfengcang with my eldest brother in his early years. He should be my eldest brother's disciple at that time.
Those who have kept quiet these years must have been hiding under the orders of my eldest brother.
Now I don’t know if I can’t hide it anymore or if I don’t want to hide it anymore?”
Li Yuanji sighed with emotion.
Ling Jing pinched his beard and smiled: "It's also possible that His Highness the Crown Prince wanted to take revenge on you, but couldn't find a chance, so he took it out on Yu Wenbao first."
Li Yuanji was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said, "My eldest brother won't be so mean, right?"
Bullying the small ones when they can't help the big ones is not something a prince of a country can do.
It's too low-key and too damaging to the image.
Ling Jing said with a smile: "That's not certain, after all, the one your Highness the Crown Prince favors now is not a gentleman."
Li Yuanji thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "I still don't believe that my elder brother would do such a thing."
Although Li Jiancheng made many foolish moves after losing Wang Gui and did a few Hu Tu things, he still had Pei Ju, Wei Zheng and other talented people around him who were relatively good in virtue.
Even if Li Jiancheng wanted to do such despicable things that would harm the prince's face, Pei Ju and Wei Zheng would stop him.
Therefore, Li Yuanji is more inclined to believe that Li Jiancheng did this for some purpose.
For example, he controlled a portal into Chang'an City and quietly let Li Yi's soldiers enter Chang'an City in preparation for killing Li Shimin again.
Although there was no leakage of Li Shimin's plan, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin had been rivals for so long, so he should have been able to smell something amiss through some anomalies in the palace.
Even if he couldn't smell it himself, some of his advisers should be able to smell it.
So when he sensed the danger but didn't know what the danger was, it was very possible that he would do something to deal with it, or simply prepare to lift the table with his hands.
