Chapter 239: Sacrifice a prime minister first to warm up the scene
"Yuanfang, after Li Jingxuan's fall, I have considered who you will target next time. After all, there are not many people who can go up."
"I didn't expect that you would really dare to be a queen..."
"Don't let a big victory get to your head!"
It took Li Derjian a while to regain his composure and persuaded him bitterly.
Li Yan said in a calm tone: "My lord, please rest assured, Empress Wu is not Li Jingxuan. She once ruled the court with His Majesty, and is also the biological mother of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and three princes. The position of the Queen is unshakable. I know this very well..."
Li Derjian was puzzled: "Since you know what's good and bad, you still dare to say that you want to deal with the queen?"
Li Yan described what he saw and heard along the way: "Now the pass is full of mourning. Many people are eating each other, and the dead are lying on the road!"
Even though he had tried to simplify it as much as possible, Li Derjian still changed his mind when he heard it: "How could the disaster in Guan Guan be so serious?"
Li Yan asked: "What is the current price of food in Chang'an?"
Li Derjian said without hesitation: "Thirty cents per dou, I just asked yesterday, it's already very high."
Li Yan said coldly: "Thirty cents is very high? The price of rice in Lanzhou, Longyou, has soared to a hundred cents per dou, let alone in Guan Nei!"
"I saw people selling their children and daughters everywhere along the way. But even if they were sold, the food they got in exchange was only enough for ten days, and later it wasn't even enough for three days!"
"The further I go to Guanzhong, I see that the people who were originally well-off have begun to sell off their land and become bankrupt, but they have no rice to buy at all!"
"The houses of aristocratic families who had stocked up on food early were locked up, and the doors of Buddhist temples were closed. Outside the high walls, there were people dying of hunger all over the place, a purgatory on earth!"
"If the disaster continues for a few more months, the population in the pass will drop by more than half!"
Li Derjian was furious and stood up suddenly: "So, the price of rice in Chang'an was so stable this time, which made the courtiers think that the disaster this time was as usual. Someone was deliberately limiting the price of food to create the illusion that the disaster was not serious.
?”
Li Yan asked: "Who is responsible for this disaster relief?"
Li Derjian said: "Wei Chengqing, the newly appointed Minister of Household Affairs, was originally the governor of Qizhou... It shouldn't be the case. The customs are the foundation of Weishi. The counties and counties are really in that situation, and Weishi can't please him. Why doesn't he try his best?"
Disaster relief?”
A cold light flashed in Li Yan's eyes: "Under normal circumstances, it is true that when the disaster reaches this level, the Guan Nei family will also suffer heavy losses, but these people have a great cause and can endure it without breaking their bones. They can take this opportunity to change
The top political structure is Webster’s top priority right now!”
Li Derjian understood the meaning and looked very solemn: "Yuanfang, this matter is not trivial. Do you have any proof of the connection between Wei Shi and the Queen?"
Li Yandao: "When the envoy passed through Fufeng County, we had dealings with Wei Chengqing and Wei Zhenxuan due to auspicious events..."
Li Derjian's eyes narrowed: "Auspicious?"
Li Yan explained the matter: "Wei Zhenxuan, the magistrate of Fufeng County, found a piece of jade from Qishan Mountain. It has the shape of a dragon and a phoenix surrounded by it, which indicates that the two saints are coming to the court and will be in harmony with the emperor."
Li Derjian thought about it carefully: "Half a year ago, Qizhou did offer auspiciousness, and Wei Chengqing joined the household department. However, he had served as the governor of Qizhou for many years and had merit, so no one objected. However, the auspiciousness did not create many waves...
According to your opinion, this matter was arranged by Jingzhao Weishi and the Queen?"
Li Yan said: "Yes, using auspiciousness to build momentum for Empress Wu, Jingzhao Weishi's attitude has been very obvious. Doulu Qinwang, the leader of the Internal Guard Pavilion, also played a role in it. They are all Empress Wu's party members now."
Li Derjian's chest heaved violently, and his voice gradually became stern: "But how can your majesty allow it? Yes, your majesty rarely holds morning court meetings recently, and all major decisions are made in the Zichen Palace. It seems that the queen is taking advantage of his ailing body to train her.
power!"
"During this period, the calls for the Queen to be crowned Queen of Heaven are getting louder and louder. It is also a rare opportunity. She must first decide on the position of Queen of Heaven and put the disaster aside. Webster is also trying her best to cooperate!"
"When the two saints come to court, wouldn't it be a repeat of what happened to Si Chen in the previous Sui Dynasty? The Dugu family was good at pampering and transferring their direct descendants, and that's why Sui Yang's disaster happened. How can we repeat the same mistake?"
Li Yandao: "Yang Guang was able to become the crown prince because he was humble, frugal and good at disguise before he ascended the throne. It is not entirely the fault of Queen Wenwen Dugu. Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty and Queen Wenwen ruled the court together, which was beneficial to the country and the country. We can learn from the past."
, Your Majesty only has the plan for the two saints to come to court, you can’t start from this point!"
Li Derjian said: "Then what do you think?"
Li Yan asked: "Since when did His Majesty become so ill that he cannot even host normal court meetings?"
Li Derjian immediately said: "Three months ago, His Majesty fainted directly on the throne, and the court meeting was in chaos. From then on, ministers from the three provinces and six ministries went to the Zichen Palace to discuss matters."
Li Yanning said: "After His Majesty fainted, what did the imperial doctor say?"
Li Derjian said: "According to the words of the imperial doctor, your majesty is sick from overwork and needs to rest peacefully. As far as I know, your majesty has been feeling groggy all day long recently, and it is difficult to wake up. Political affairs are almost all handled by the queen."
Although Li Yan knew the answer, he still wanted to make sure: "Where is the prince?"
Li Derjian smiled bitterly: "Dai Pushe and Hao Chujun asked the prince to supervise the country, but they were both severely punished. Now they are shut up in the house to think about their mistakes and are not allowed to go out."
Li Yan said: "Is it His Majesty's order? Or is it the Queen's will?"
Li Derjian said: "It is an edict issued by His Majesty himself, there is no doubt about it."
Li Yan nodded: "Sure enough, the more this time comes, the less likely your Majesty will let the prince take power..."
Dai Zhide was Shangshu's right servant, a guest of the prince, and a staunch princeling among the prime ministers. He proposed that the prince supervise the country, which was completely normal.
Hao Chujun was a minister and a prime minister who firmly opposed Empress Wu's interference in politics. He proposed that the prince supervise the country in order to prevent Empress Wu from monopolizing power.
In fact, the prince's supervision of the country should have played its role at this time.
As a result, when Li Zhi was still in good health, he asked the prince to supervise the country six times, creating a sense of trust that the father was kind and the son was filial.
When trust was really needed, the prince went away, and the prime minister who supported the prince was also locked up at home.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! If you are a minister who has hopes for a saint, it may be difficult to accept it, but Li Yan knows the emperor's cold-blooded selfishness very well, so it is really not surprising at all.
But this just shows that Li Zhi is really seriously ill this time.
"Sick...?"
Li Yan's eyes turned cold, and he stood up and said, "Sir, I'm going out for a while, and I want to ask you to come forward this time!"
Li Derjian said sternly: "Okay! This matter is related to the foundation of the country and cannot be shaken. I have lived in the pass for most of my life, and I cannot just watch the devastation of the people here without being indifferent. It is worth giving up my old face at this time. Don't worry, and
Look at my father bringing in strong support for you!"
Li Yan thanked him without any courtesy this time, bowed and strode out.
He did not go to defend the imperial city, but went directly out of Pingkangfang and came to Xuandu Temple.
The Taoist boy in the temple naturally recognized him. After serving tea, he asked, "Li Shanxin is back. Do you want me to invite Taoist Master Ming to come?"
Li Yan said: "Where is Master Ming now?"
The Taoist boy replied: "In the Prime Minister's Mansion, the Prime Minister has been calling frequently recently, and Taoist Master Ming is not in the temple most of the time."
Li Yan's eyes moved slightly: "Then there's no need to notify him, I'll just wait here."
Not long after, Ming Chongyan walked into the temple with a haggard look.
After seeing Li Yan, he was almost overjoyed and rushed over: "Liu Lang, you are finally back!"
Li Yan said: "Chongyan, please take a seat. What is the situation in Beijing now?"
After Ming Chongyan asked the Taoist boy to retreat, he couldn't wait to say: "Your Majesty is seriously ill, the Meihua Internal Guard is in chaos, the Shang Palace is wavering, and there is a possibility of seeking refuge with the Queen!"
Li Yan looked at him and smiled: "You have been going to the Prime Minister's Mansion more recently. Are you working for His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Ming Chongyan said without hesitation: "If you support His Highness the Crown Prince, the poor man will naturally support His Highness the Crown Prince too!"
Li Yan nodded: "Thank you very much!"
Ming Chongyan frowned and said: "But Pindao entered the Meihua Internal Guard later, and his power is far less deep-rooted than that of Shang Gong. His Royal Highness is benevolent and righteous, and the old man Shang Gong is ruthless, so he must have some scruples. I am afraid that in the end she will
I will really take refuge in the queen!"
Li Yan asked: "What happened to Your Majesty?"
Ming Chongyan sighed: "Your Majesty's dragon body is ailing. He spends many days in drowsiness and few waking hours. Sometimes he cannot speak a complete sentence throughout the day. When Pindao entered the palace to refine the Five Cloud Pills these few times,
I won’t be summoned either. If this continues, I’m afraid… I’m afraid… Alas!”
Li Yan looked solemnly: "In your opinion, is it possible that His Majesty has been poisoned?"
Since Li Zhi had always been ill and in poor health, and the life span of people in this era was already short, living in his forties was not considered a short life. Therefore, not many people found it strange that Li Zhi fell.
.
Only Li Yan knew something was wrong, because Li Zhi in history would not die for more than ten years.
Of course, due to his arrival, many things in Datang changed.
But Li Zhi enjoys the highest level of enjoyment in the world. The famous doctors of Tai Hospital take good care of him. Now he has not gone to Luoyang for a bumpy road. He was diagnosed by Sun Simiao before. The toxicity of Wuyundan has also been reduced a lot. Logically speaking, his body
It should be better than the original history.
So he asked this question.
"Poisoned?"
Ming Chongyan was moved, but after thinking about it carefully, he thought it was impossible: "Then why didn't the Taiyuan Hospital notice it? Intrauterine drug testing is so strict. If poison is poisoned in meals or medicines, then the eunuchs in the palace and the doctors at the Taiyuan Hospital would
Zuo Xian must die!"
Li Yan said: "I am just guessing. Nothing is absolute, especially illness. It is indeed possible to suddenly fall seriously ill, but we must also prevent traitors from assassinating us."
Ming Chongyan's expression was changing: "But if His Majesty was poisoned and was now lethargic, this matter would be shocking. And if His Majesty's health is still good, if he rashly participates in it, I'm afraid it will affect the whole clan!"
"
Li Yan knew that this man's sense of justice was very low, so he and Qiu Shenji, who were close friends, briefly mentioned the misery of the disaster outside and asked, "How is Li Jingxuan?"
As expected, Ming Chongyan didn't have deep feelings about the disaster. When he heard Li Jingxuan, his eyes darkened: "After His Majesty became seriously ill, the old thief suddenly became restless. He had obviously collapsed in bed before. During this period of time,
We actually had a banquet with guests at our house!”
Li Yan said: "After all, he has been the prime minister with real power for many years, and he is also the minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. He has many disciples. If His Majesty is safe, there is absolutely no possibility of his coming back. But now that Empress Wu is in power, everything is unknown."
Ming Chongyan changed his expression: "Does the Queen dare to go against His Majesty's will and re-employ this old traitor?"
Li Yan said calmly: "If I don't come back, it's hard to say. If I come back, I will never allow this to happen."
Ming Chongyan's breath was stagnant, and he was in awe and joy: "Liu Lang, when you go to Tubo, your majesty is even greater!"
Li Yan stood up and came to the window. He looked at Chang'an City, which seemed to have remained unchanged, with his hands behind his back and his eyes cold and solemn:
"I've always been kind to others and kept a line in everything, but this time is an exception!"
"We are out on military expeditions, protecting our home and country, while the thieves are behind us, causing trouble for the government and causing misfortune to all living beings!"
"Then don't blame me for killing them all. First use Li Jingxuan to sacrifice the victims who died in vain outside!"