In just over a year, this place explains the rise and fall of honor and disgrace, and the ups and downs of officialdom.
From a crowded place, to a deserted place, and back to a crowded place...
Tonight, the front of the house was full of horses and horses, and the servants greeted the guests with great honor.
In the main hall, Li Jingxuan, who had white hair and beard, stood in front of the door, without any pretense, personally welcoming the guests.
When the guests all arrived, he sat back at the main seat, raised his wine glass high, and said loudly: "Everyone has come here to pay homage to me tonight. I am a commoner, so I am very frightened, so I will drink first as a token of respect!"
He called himself a commoner, but there were a few visitors who dared to regard him as a real commoner. Except for a few who sat upright and returned the courtesy, the others stood up in a hurry, drank all the wine in their glasses, and shouted in unison: "Mr. Li
So generous!”
Li Jingxuan laughed, and the old and deep wrinkles on his face relaxed, and he seemed to be really bold. He waved his hand: "Today I will only talk about romance, nothing else, please feel free to do as you please!"
One by one, the beautiful concubines walked into the hall and began to dance, which attracted the attention of some guests.
However, some people still stared closely at the main seat, watching the interaction of several purple-robed officials, looking forward to whether they could go up and show their faces and be valued by the nobles.
Among this group of purple-robed officials, the one with the highest status is undoubtedly the popular figure in front of Empress Wu, Wei Chengqing, the Minister of Household Affairs.
This old man, who was promoted from the local governor to the Minister of the Sixth Ministry, has a glowing face and is full of energy. He looks several years younger. It is obvious that he has lived a very comfortable life during this period.
At this time, he admired the graceful figure of his concubine in the middle and said with a smile: "It's still Beijing-style, more pleasing to the eye, and it suits my eyes!"
Li Jingxuan had an idea in mind, and with a little wave of his hand, a servant immediately went to arrange a carriage to send the beautiful concubine to the Wei Mansion.
Wei Zhenxuan sat under Wei Chengqing, taking in everything. He whispered a few words, and Wei Chengqing's smile became more obvious: "Mr. Li, you are too polite."
Li Jingxuan waited and waited, but did not get the words he deserved. It seemed that the matter was revealed in just five words. He could only take the initiative to say: "Wei Shilang has been working hard in disaster relief recently. It is my pleasure to have Mei Ji accompany me."
I feel a little better."
Wei Chengqing's eyelids twitched slightly: "I thought Li Gongqing was relaxing, but now it seems that although he is in the country, his heart is in the government. Do you still care about disaster relief?"
Li Jingxuan complimented him and said: "Although I have no official position, I live in Chang'an and I owe Shilang Wei's contribution to bringing peace to the people. How can I not be grateful?"
Wei Chengqing waved his hand casually: "It's just a matter of duty, so there's no need to say such words."
Li Jingxuan said in a low voice: "If Minister Wei is not busy with official duties, he would also like to have a pleasant banquet with Minister Wei."
This is talking about Wei Yuanzhong, the minister of the Ministry of Rites. When Li Jingxuan was in charge of Zhongshu Province, Wei Yuanzhong was his confidant. As the iron man who was single-handedly promoted, the relationship between the two parties is close to this day.
Wei Chengqing finally turned around: "I understand Mr. Li's righteousness, but if you have any requests, you might as well speak up."
Li Jingxuan hurriedly said: "I hope that Wei Shilang can say a few kind words for me in front of the queen."
Wei Chengqing frowned: "What do you call Queen of Heaven?"
Li Jingxuan was startled, and immediately said: "Please Sir Wei, please say a few kind words for me in front of the Queen of Heaven!"
Wei Chengqing nodded and suddenly said loudly: "The two saints are coming to the court and are in harmony with God's will. The Queen of Heaven is destined to be the Queen of Heaven. You must not be wrong!"
There was a sudden silence in the hall.
Even the dancing concubine's steps were slightly disordered, and many of the guests' expressions changed greatly, but no one dared to come forward to argue.
In both the government and the public, the voices for the Queen are getting louder and louder, and naturally there are many people who are dissatisfied.
Especially for the Censor's Office, I don't know how many memorials were submitted, but there was no news, and just a few days later, the supervisory censor was found guilty and imprisoned.
That woman's revenge came quickly and cruelly, and the two groups of supporters and opponents were already at war with each other.
Li Jingxuan pursed his lips. In fact, he was not very fond of Empress Wu, and he felt that this woman was greedy for power and might become a disaster in the future.
But he was deeply hated by Li Zhi, and his reputation as a scholar was ruined. He was reputed as a licentious son who committed evil and abused his wife. If he wanted to regain his position, the prince would not be able to accept him, so he would have to seek refuge with Empress Wu, who had no taboos.
So, Li Jingxuan stood up resolutely, came to the center, and bowed in the direction of the Daming Palace: "The Queen's hope lies in the world, and her success lies in the country. She assists the country in governing, and is the pillar of the country. Let us respect the Queen from a distance!"
The faces of all the guests were slightly embarrassed, but they still raised their wine glasses: "To the Queen of Heaven!"
Wei Zhenxuan naturally made a toast, but he couldn't help but say with some contempt, "Uncle, I, Wei, don't lack the support of officials at all, why do I need to associate with the notorious Li Jingxuan?"
Wei Chengqing has a different view: "This person should not be underestimated. His remaining power is not trivial. If he is willing to build momentum for the Queen of Heaven, why should we refuse?"
Seeing Li Jingxuan bowing down again and again, Wei Chengqing looked even more solemn: "He is capable of bending and stretching. There is no guarantee that this person will not bow to the Prime Minister again. I was a little negligent just now..."
"Wei Chengqing insulted me too much!!"
When the song was over and everyone had sent the guests away one by one, Li Ji returned to the central hall, his features suddenly became ferocious and his face was livid with anger. He immediately took out a roll of roster and wrote down Wei Chengqing's name on it.
The servant remained silent and did not dare to come forward, otherwise he would see a row of names.
The first person is empty, the second is Wang, the wife who reconciled with Li Jingxuan, and the third is Li Yuanfang.
Yes, Li Jingxuan's second hatred was the divorce of his wife Wang, which was a huge blow and directly turned against the Shandong nobles.
The most embarrassing thing is that after he was demoted to a commoner, he wanted to retire and return to his hometown, but found that he could not go back.
Li Jingxuan's original ancestral home was Qiao County, Bozhou. Later, he joined the Li clan in Zhao County, and the genealogy was merged. If he retires now, where will he return?
It is impossible to go to the Li family in Zhaojun, but when you return to your hometown, it is inevitable that you will be looked down upon by your fellow villagers. Don’t you dislike this place and want to climb high? Why are you coming back?
Li Jingxuan could only stay in Chang'an, but he was waiting for a turning point, and he immediately grasped it firmly.
This small chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! After my wife Wang, there are officials from various ministries, and even scholars. I remember it clearly in the small book, stroke by stroke.
Li Jingxuan looked at the rows of names, showing deep hatred: "Just wait! Just wait! It won't take long for me to regain my position and take revenge!"
He grinded his teeth, waited until the ink was dry, and put the name list close to his body: "Come here!"
Seven or eight sons who were waiting outside walked into the hall and all knelt down to give the most solemn salute: "Greetings to your father!"
Li Jingxuan looked at the sons born from his concubines, with no joy in his brows, but a bit of disgust.
His legitimate son, Li Sichong, was beheaded in a busy city, which was his biggest pain. The remaining sons were all sons of concubines. Not to mention their low status in the family, it would be difficult for them to take over the family after they left. Except for his friends, no serious people would recognize him.
But now Li Jingxuan has to use these sons who were born from concubines. After all, they are related by blood and can share weal and woe: "During this period of time, you must publicize and build momentum for the Queen of Heaven everywhere. If there is opposition to the Queen of Heaven, as long as you can suppress it, you must spare no effort."
,do you understand?"
A group of concubines suddenly became excited, gearing up, and full of expectations: "I will obey my father's orders!"
Li Jingxuan warned: "My father has not yet recovered his status. There are some people who should not be provoked. You must also learn to choose your targets. For example, those who come from poor families will be dealt with severely if they have no backers. If they are from high-ranking noble families, they will fight with each other at most."
That’s it…”
The concubines looked at each other, their excitement subsided.
This attitude of bullying the weak and fearing the strong is too obvious. In the past, the Li family was the toughest, and even the Shandong nobles wanted to fawn over them. How prominent they were, but now they are too lazy!
Li Jingxuan sneered: "What? Can't bear the warmth and coldness of this favor? If the queen cannot gain power this time, you will always be like this for the rest of your life, acting based on other people's faces!"
The concubine nodded immediately: "Father, don't worry, I will definitely do it!"
The sons retreated, but only the last person stepped forward and whispered: "Father, Twelve Lang is still in Chang'an Prison, can you rescue him?"
Li Jingxuan was stunned: "Twelve Lang? Oh, it's Shouyi!"
When Li Sichong's case occurred, Li Shouyi was still taking the imperial examination. Later, he was also thrown into the Chang'an County Yamen for trial and prosecution by the sage.
However, Li Jingxuan didn't care about this son. If he didn't mention it, he would have almost forgotten it. He nodded at this time: "Don't worry, when I recover, let's see who dares to interrogate my son!"
…
Chang'an County Government.
In prison.
In an ordinary cell, Li Shouyi was catching lice.
After catching for a long time, no one was caught. When he was first imprisoned, he would have been shouting and furious, but now he was just leaning against the cold wall, staring blankly ahead, silently in a daze.
At this moment, the prison opened and Ming Chongyan walked in.
The specially waiting jailer stepped forward to greet him, rolled up his forearm, and revealed the plum blossom mark.
After the two sides exchanged tacit glances, the jailer led Ming Chongyan to the cell.
Ming Chongyan looked at Li Shouyi, raised a cheerful smile on his lips, and waved his hand.
The jailer carried the food box, opened the cell door, and walked in: "Prisoner Li Shouyi, eat!"
Although the exquisite diners haven't opened it yet, the aroma inside has already made Li Shouyi swallow his saliva involuntarily, and said in a hoarse voice: "Zui Jinchao's roast tail banquet?"
Ming Chongyan waved the jailer away and smiled in a low voice: "As expected of the young master of the Li Mansion, you have good taste. These are the most delicious dishes in the Shao Tai Banquet. Eat them while they are hot."
Li Shouyi looked at him fearfully, then slowly walked over and opened the food box.
When the steaming dishes in the food box came into view, Li Shouyi couldn't help it any longer, grabbed it with both hands, and ate it hungrily.
If he hadn't had porridge to drink during this period, he might have choked to death.
Ming Chongyan watched silently from the side, waiting for all the good food and wine to be eaten, and then he said slowly: "My poor master has a close relationship with your father and brother. If I had known that the young man was imprisoned here, I would have been a long time ago."
I’m here to take care of you!”
It was unusual for a wealthy family to have a relationship with a Taoist monk. Li Shouyi was in high spirits and was almost ecstatic: "Can Taoist Master save me? My father will definitely repay you!"
Ming Chongyan shook his head: "Don't you know, young man, that your brother has been beheaded in the downtown area and your father has been dismissed from the prime minister?"
As soon as Li Shou had eaten enough and gained strength, he simply cursed: "That old man only has eyes for his legitimate son, and now he doesn't even have his legitimate son, and he obviously doesn't care about the life and death of me and other concubines!"
Ming Chongyan said sincerely: "Your Majesty is a good tutor. In fact, your imprisonment was ordered by His Majesty himself. He couldn't save you even if he wanted to."
Li Shouyi said angrily: "After all, I still want to be here. Why are you here?"
Ming Chongyan said sincerely: "I can give you a good meal so that you can go on your journey with peace of mind."
Li Shouyi trembled all over: "You want to kill me...are you really going to kill me?"
Ming Chongyan waited for him to sigh: "If Xiao Langjun is really unwilling, there is actually another chance. I wonder if you can seize it?"
Li Shouyi was stunned, then suddenly knelt down, kowtowed as hard as he could, and wailed: "Master Taoist, save me! As long as Taoist Master can save me, I will do anything! I haven't reached the crown yet, and I haven't married yet."
, I really don’t want to die!!”
Ming Chongyan looked down at him with disdain. When Li Shouyi burst into tears, he bent down to his ear and said quietly: "I heard that Li Sichong once hid armor secretly, and Li Jingxuan also tacitly approved it."