Amidst several thunderstorms, summer has entered the capital.
The weather suddenly became hot, making people uncomfortable and angry.
There were two heated arguments in the Jinluan Palace.
He insists on making a big splash and investing a lot of manpower and material resources. No matter what, he wants to see the person alive and the body after death, and he will not give up until Li Du is found.
Some people also think that it is time to slow down, not to be too involved for Li Du, and to re-prioritise.
"If you are not afraid of thieves stealing, you are afraid that thieves will miss you. If you can't find Li Du, who can have peace of mind?"
"He has no shortage of money. Give him enough time to recruit troops and recharge his batteries. This is called letting the tiger return to the mountain! He must press forward step by step. It will be difficult for him to do anything."
"Well, finding someone is easy at first but hard at the end. No trace was found in the first ten days, and now it's like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"I think he is hiding. He escaped from the capital. Even if there are still some people around him, he can't cause a big storm. I'm afraid he just wants to stay anonymous and survive, and he may not have the intention to fight again."
"If you can find it, of course it's the best. If you can't find it, it's a waste of energy."
"Yes, be it the capital city or the lower state capitals. Each government office has countless things to do. Rather than arresting Li Du, who doesn't know when he will show up, we should step up internal affairs. Promote agriculture when it's time to promote agriculture, and promote business when it's time.
of vibration quotient.”
"Old minister, it's not that I won't look for Li Du anymore, but that everything must be advanced steadily and we can't lose sight of one thing or the other."
"If we delay people's livelihood just to find him, won't that give Li Du a chance to laugh at us behind his back?"
You say something, I say something.
Each has its own position and each has its own reasons.
Xu Jian did not speak, but stood in the queue with a serious look.
Li Shao listened very impatiently.
He was not one to soften his temper, and he was full of complaints about Li Du's escape.
In the past few days, I have been talking about this topic over and over again in the morning, but the progress has been very small, so that it is all nonsense, and not much new truth can be said.
A large group of people were standing in the main hall, and it didn't take long for the heat to become unbearable. There were also mosquitoes buzzing and flying around, making it even more annoying.
The imperial court pays great attention to posture and appearance. Even if Li Shao wanted to swat mosquitoes, he couldn't do it easily. If he didn't pay attention, he would find another bag on the back of his hand.
Li Shao quietly pinched the mosquitoes with his fingernails and muttered: "If I had known this, I should have hung Li Rong on the city wall and then done whatever I had to do!"
There were courtiers talking at length, but Li Shao's voice did not spread. Only a few people around him heard it.
Li Yan glanced at Li Shao and then looked away.
Prince Ping turned around, looked at Li Shao for a while, and shook his head slightly.
Li Shao noticed it and followed his gaze. When he saw it was Prince Ping, he could only lower his head for the time being.
There are differences in seniority.
Even his father was polite and courteous to Prince Shangping, but Li Shao was only looked at twice, and he did not dare to show off his great uncle in the Jinluan Palace.
In the morning, the final result was still not discussed.
The Holy Emperor withdrew from the court and asked Xu Jian to go to the imperial study.
Li Shaoyuan also wanted to go over, but when he saw Prince Ping coming with a cane, he backed away.
It's better not to get into trouble.
If my uncle files a complaint with his father and says that he speaks without restraint, he will have to receive a few words of reprimand.
Prince Ping also wants to go to the Imperial Study Room.
Xu Jian helped him walk together.
Since falling ill in the previous visit, Prince Ping rested for a while and just returned to the throne these two days.
"I'm old," Prince Ping sighed as he walked away unhappily. "I'm very useless. I want to do more for the Holy One, but my body can't bear it."
Xu Jian said: "The imperial doctor said you should rest more."
"I want to support him too, but how can I calm down in this situation?" Prince Ping sighed, "Li Jun was poisoned and Li Du escaped from the capital. I get a headache just thinking about it.
Before the late Emperor left, he entrusted his Majesty to me. Since I accepted the errand of assistant government, I also want to do a good job.
The first few years went smoothly, and I thought I would be able to live a long life, but something suddenly happened."
Having said this, Prince Ping looked around to make sure that no irrelevant people would listen, and then he asked Xu Jian in a low voice: "The Lord and you both have other considerations that you didn't discuss in the morning, right?"
"Yes," Xu Jian nodded, "I do have some ideas. If I think too little, I'm afraid of being caught off guard. If I think too much, I'm afraid of making people panic. That's why I didn't talk about it."
Prince Ping knew what was going on.
Just ask your Majesty later, there is no need to make it difficult for Xu Jian to say this.
The two of them went to the imperial study room together.
Prince Ping asked about the situation, and the Holy Emperor nodded. Xu Jian briefly mentioned Gu Yue's situation and some subsequent thoughts.
The more he listened, the uglier Prince Ping's face became, and his dissatisfaction with Li Du was clearly written on his face.
"Those things he did before, I can barely say that he has his own ambitions and goals," Prince Ping said coldly, "As a prince, he wants to be the emperor, even if he fails, he will not be reconciled. Who gave him the last name?
Where is Li?
He has reason to be unwilling!
But just because his surname is Li, he should never make any internal and external alliances with Gu Yue. If he involves Xiliang again, it will be even worse.
Throughout the ages, those who want to borrow someone else's hand to sit on the dragon's throne will never end well!
Not only will I lose everything, but my ancestors’ inheritance will also be ruined!”
The Holy Sage said: "Then according to the emperor's opinion, how should we make a decision now?"
"I have been listening to it for the past two days, and I am also thinking that all the arguments have their own truths," Prince Ping said matter-of-factly, "The Holy Spirit's thoughts should be consistent with mine."
If it is so wrong that it is untenable, just refute it directly and it is not worthy of discussion at all.
Just like what he heard Li Shao say before, "hang Li Rong on the city wall" just to vent his anger.
What can be discussed over and over again naturally has pros and cons that can be discussed.
Prince Ping thought for a while, considering and analyzing.
"Li Du rarely acted in a high-profile manner. Even when thieves attacked Baoping Town and burned down Dingguo Temple, he hid himself very well, not to mention the grudges between him and Concubine Dong."
"He is very alert. The more you guard against him, the tighter he becomes."
"It wasn't like we didn't conduct a detailed investigation back then? Wasn't it all due to insufficient evidence? In the end, the late emperor only punished Li Jun and Li Mi. Li Du escaped unscathed, which is considered a kind of skill."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "We have to keep the secret of finding him and catching him. I dare say he can hide it better than anyone else."
"Looking at it this way, we should still let all government affairs go as usual and proceed step by step. We can't let Li Du neglect his business for his sake."
"At the same time, we must also be vigilant. We will not take the initiative to look for him with great fanfare, but we must be on guard against his sudden cold arrows."
"On this point, I agree with Xu Jian's opinion and lead the snake out of its hole."
"It's not that we really expose the capital for Li Du to target, but we should leave some room for Li Du to turn around. If he moves, there will be ripples on the water surface, and he will be exposed wherever he is."
"But then again, this is all based on the premise of Yumen fighting."
"When Li Du is weak, it's up to two people to say whether Su Yi is still willing to join forces with him."
"If Your Majesty doesn't want to be completely passive, you can also consider instigating a rebellion against Su Yi and strengthening the connection with Gu Yue. We, Dashun and Gu Yue, can do business well, join forces to defend Xiliang, and cut off Li Du's foreign aid."
In the imperial study room, the three of them had been discussing for more than half an hour.
When Prince Ping exited, his face looked exhausted.
The Holy One was worried about his health, so he prepared a small chariot, and Xu Jian accompanied him to the Jingxin Hall.
Because Prince Ping wanted to meet Li Rong.
In the meditation hall.
Li Rong rested for many days and became much healthier.
After getting permission from the imperial doctor, he walked around the yard to stretch his muscles and bask in the sun during the day.
Therefore, mother and son have more contact opportunities than before.
This was also with the tacit approval of the Empress Dowager.
Since Princess Jin is going to stare at Li Rong and judge Li Rong, how can she not be given the opportunity to listen and feel at close range?
After coming out of the side hall, Li Rong walked across the courtyard in a few steps, stood at the foot of the steps, and looked up at Princess Jin in the corridor.
Princess Jin was lost in thought and did not notice him.
"Concubine," Li Rong called softly, "the wrinkles between your eyebrows are deep. I see that you have always been worried."
Hearing the sound, Princess Jin came back to her senses and smiled at Li Rong.
Li Rong asked: "Are you worried about your father?"
Princess Jin couldn't help but squeeze the handkerchief tightly. She looked deeply at her son and nodded for a long time: "I'm worried, I'm very worried."
Li Rong asked again: "Are you worried about him coming back, or are you worried about him not coming back?"
"I'm all worried," Princess Jin reached out to touch her son's head, "I just hope this will end soon."
No matter what Li Du wants to do, as long as it doesn't hurt her and her family, Princess Jin doesn't care.
What she was really worried about was that Li Du's plan was too deep and involved Rong'er.
At Rong'er's age, she can't participate in big things, but she can't do small things. Being coaxed and persuaded by Li Du to do something irreversible is really a knife in her heart!
In the past few days, Princess Jin kowtows in front of the Buddha, praying for Li Du to be defeated like a mountain, to be defeated quickly, and to die early!
As long as Li Du dies and Li Rong doesn't do anything inappropriate, then the two of them can live a good life.
The Empress Dowager promised her.
She knows that placing your future on others is not foolproof.
But in such a situation, Princess Jin had no other option besides trusting the Empress Dowager.
Princess Jin reached out to hold her son in her arms and gently stroked his back.
If she just wanted peace for herself and her family, she was not at a loss now. She could just leave Li Rong behind. Everything Li Rong did had nothing to do with her. She was kept in the dark from the beginning to the end.
But how could she let it go?
Rong'er is her biological son!
How could she turn a blind eye whenever there was an opportunity to save Rong'er?
"Concubine," Li Rong lowered his eyes and asked, "Don't think about anything, don't do anything, we just wait slowly. Anyway, we can only wait."
Princess Jin's eyes turned red.
yes.
Can only wait.
Waiting for Li Du's ending, waiting for their mother's ending.
The caring grandmother came over and said, "Prince Ping and Duke Fu are here."
Princess Jin hurriedly let go of Li Rong and wiped the corners of her eyes to make herself look less embarrassed.
Li Rong looked at the door and greeted the two people who came in: "Uncle Ping, Duke Fu."
Facing the younger generation, Prince Ping is very generous.
Someone brought a chair to sit down, and he took Li Rong's hand and asked many questions in detail.
What was the situation like on the day I left the city, how was I in Zhuangzi, how did I escape, how much hardship did I endure in the mountains...
Xu Jian stayed with him and listened to Li Rong's answers one by one.
The more I listened, the more strange I felt.
There is nothing wrong with Li Rong's answer.
The eleven-year-old boy is also very smart and speaks like an adult. He is clear and organized, and speaks smoothly from beginning to end.
But it's just, it's so smooth.
It was so smooth that it was almost the same as when Xu Jian came to ask questions a few days ago.
This "little" refers not only to the content, but also to the rhetoric.
Xu Jian couldn't help but look at Li Rong a few more times.
Having stayed in Shuntian Mansion for a long time and accumulated a lot of experience, Xu Jian had some experience in "confession".
There are bound to be some differences between a confession today and tomorrow, between a small official and a governor.
This is an extremely common thing.
Oral narration has always been a supplementary process.
If everything is the same every time...
In the words of Mr. Shan, "Is your kid endorsing me?"
Now, Li Rong gave Xu Jian the feeling of reciting.
Obviously many days have passed, and the identity of the person asking the question is obviously completely different.
When he asked Xu Jian, he was investigating a case. When Prince Ping came to ask, it was like an elder chatting with a younger person, with very different tones and tones.
With such an obvious difference, Li Rong's replies were very similar. How could he not be a "weird"?
Of course, just using this to judge that Li Rong has problems is not sufficient.
First of all, nephews and great uncles are relatives, but it is not necessarily how close they are. It is not surprising that the elders want to talk about family affairs and the younger ones respond in a rigid manner.
Furthermore, Li Rong did prepare a complete set of rhetoric.
The matter was serious and he had escaped, so it was reasonable for him to be suspected.
In order to prove his innocence, he must summarize everything, remember it clearly, and ensure that no matter who asks, he will not make mistakes.
As a young boy, if you have the heart, you can naturally do this.
If you want to seek peace and completeness, endorsement is also a method.
Prince Ping asked a lot of questions, and finally patted Li Rong on the arm: "You've endured hardship, please take a good rest during this time.
Your father is your father, and you are you. Since you don’t want to follow him in rebellion, you should draw a clear line with him in the future.
My uncle dare not say anything else, but he can only promise you one thing.
You should be filial to your mother and concubine and have nothing to do with your father and the king. My uncle can protect you and your mother and concubine and live a good life."
Li Rong bit his lip and nodded.
On the side, Princess Jin thanked her with tears in her eyes.
After Prince Ping finished speaking, he stood up and left.
Xu Jian sent him out all the way.
On the small chariot, Prince Ping closed his eyes and opened them again, and whispered to Xu Jian: "Eleven years old, he is not young anymore. He understands everything he should know. As for whether he can have a transparent heart after understanding it, it depends on himself.
.”
Xu Jian watched Prince Ping leave, turned around and took another look at the Jingxin Hall.
At this moment, he was thinking of the advice the old prince gave to the Holy Emperor in the royal study.
"incite defection".
Prince Ping suggested instigating rebellion against Su Yi.
He came to Jingxin Hall with the intention of inciting rebellion against Li Rong.
He clearly showed it because Prince Ping also believed that Li Rong's return was not innocent.
