If two powers benefit each other, whichever is more important will be chosen; if two powers are harmful to each other, whichever is less severe will be chosen.
Xiao Yu, who had been an official for a lifetime, naturally knew how to choose, but doing so would be equivalent to ruining his eldest son's future.
The Guanlong nobles are all descendants of the Barbarians, and they have always been violent and harsh in their actions. This is why all the civil and military officials in the Manchu Dynasty are deeply afraid of them. It is conceivable that when I reject the Guanlong nobles and fall to the emperor's side, those people will inevitably
retaliate.
After returning, they must quickly send people to Mobei. On the one hand, they warn Xiao Rui to take strict precautions against harm, and on the other hand, they must increase the number of guards around Xiao Rui...
Ma Zhou said nothing and gently pushed a cup of tea in front of Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu stretched out his hand to take it, sighed softly, and said with a wry smile: "Erlang is really posing a problem for me."
Fang Jun did not take it seriously and said calmly: "Your Majesty has flourished in the Spring and Autumn Period, and has great literary and military skills. As ministers, we should be loyal and courageous, even if we are broken into pieces. How can we forget our duties as ministers for the sake of immediate interests? Furthermore, let's talk about it.
, this world still belongs to your Majesty after all, how can your Majesty treat the ministers who follow him through life and death harshly? The Duke of Song is worried too much."
Xiao Yu's face looked a little ugly.
What are you talking about? Even if you, Fang Jun, are favored and you are the Holy Family, do you still dare to speak to me in such a lecturing tone?
That is Fang Jun. If it had been anyone else, Xiao Yu would have thrown the teacup in his face.
Li Daozong glanced at Xiao Yu and said in a deep voice: "As a minister, it is natural for you to dedicate yourself to everything. If you care about the pros and cons half-heartedly, you will inevitably be jealous of your majesty. Your majesty is wise and powerful, and the candle shines thousands of miles away. Everything in the world can be seen in your eyes.
, keep it in mind, if you lose His Majesty’s trust and importance for the sake of temporary gain, then it is a loss that outweighs the gain.”
Xiao Yu's face was almost dripping with water.
If someone else had been accompanying Fang Jun, after Fang Jun said those almost rude words, he would have softened his words and eliminated the awkward atmosphere.
As a result, both Ma Zhou and Li Daozong were known for their uprightness. Instead of easing the atmosphere, they felt that Fang Jun's words were reasonable and made them more aggressive.
It made Xiao Yu almost unable to get off stage...
I think that when you followed Emperor Gaozu's cavalry to fight against the Sui Dynasty, all of you were still hairy, but now you are teaching me a lesson with righteousness and dignity?
Of course, even if I feel angry and angry, I can only endure it.
Of the three people in front of you, although Fang Jun does not currently stand firmly on the side of the prince, both Ma Zhou and Li Daozong are your majesty's most trusted ministers. As long as your majesty does not have the heart to be easy to save, then the prince will ascend the throne in the future.
These three people must be important ministers in the court and the mainstays in power.
The Xiao family still needs a lot of support, how can they be offended?
Probably seeing Xiao Yu's faint anger, Fang Jun laughed and calmed down the atmosphere: "Song Guogong is old and seeking for the country. How can he not see through such things and do stupid things? Having said that, this
Ten additional salt fields were set up, and His Majesty was determined not to trust the prefects and governors of the various states and counties, and the officials were protecting each other. In the end, they were afraid that the quotas for these salt fields would be allocated to their cronies, and they would end up lining their own pockets. But looking at the court, you can let
Don't worry, Your Majesty, there are only a handful of ministers who have the ability to suppress those states and counties."
The implication is very clear.
As long as you, Xiao Yu, personally apply to His Majesty to be responsible for setting up an additional salt farm this time, you will be sure of success.
Xiao Yu nodded slowly.
At present, it seems that the power of the imperial court is still in the hands of the old ministers who followed His Majesty from the Xuanwu Gate Incident, but the rise of the younger generation has become unstoppable. Speaking of these three people alone, their power may not have reached the level of covering the sky with one hand, but their influence on the emperor alone
The influence far exceeds that of veterans like them.
The most important thing is that these three people are qualified to "participate in Henan political affairs" and can sit in every political hall meeting.
This is already equivalent to half a prime minister.
Coupled with myself, and Cen Wenwen, who has never been too busy, doesn't ask too many questions, and is loyal to His Majesty...
The Zhengshitang, the administrative center of the Tang Empire, has quietly become the emperor's official voice.
All the previous so-called "returning power to the court" and "restricting imperial power" have become a formality. As long as the emperor is willing, the entire political affairs hall will only have the emperor's will.
Of course, the emperor could not really turn the Zhengshi Hall into his own back garden. This would not only violate the emperor's original intention of establishing the Zhengshi Hall, but would also force the Guanlong nobles to follow another path.
But even if the emperor still acquiesces to the process of the Political Hall, how could Changsun Wuji not know about the actual changes?
This situation of targeting the Guanlong nobles will definitely make the Guanlong nobles worried and unable to sleep well at night.
That's why Changsun Wuji had the idea to show off his face and lower his body, even if it was through coercion and inducement, to win over the Jiangnan nobles.
Because at least for now, the imperial power and the Guanlong nobles have reached an irreconcilable situation. Both sides are trying their best to maintain restraint, knowing that once a fierce conflict occurs, the entire court will be turbulent, leading to the upcoming
The initial Eastern Expedition was a complete failure.
This is something no one wants to happen.
His Majesty Li Er, who regarded the victory of the Eastern Expedition as the foundation of his grand hegemony, would never be able to sit back and watch the failure of the Eastern Expedition. At that time, what kind of revenge would the furious Majesty Li Er take on the Guanlong nobles who destabilized the Eastern Expedition and caused its failure?
The action is unimaginable.
How could the Guanlong nobles just surrender and let His Majesty Li Er do whatever he wanted?
A conflict that may sweep across the entire Tang Dynasty and completely bury all the good things since Zhenguan is very likely to occur.
However, what worries Xiao Yu even more is that even if everyone exercised restraint before the Eastern Expedition and nothing happened, what happened after the Eastern Expedition?
All barbarians surrender, and the world is at peace.
If you enter, you will be helpless, and if you leave, you will be invincible to foreign patients, and the country will perish...
If he only wants to cultivate a successor for the eldest son's future, then joining forces with the Guanlong nobles is the best result. But once he makes such a decision, it means that the Lanling Xiao family will go against the emperor from now on.
Thinking about the life-and-death struggle between the imperial power and the Guanlong nobles that was almost destined to take place in the future, Xiao Yu couldn't help but shudder.
Today's Majesty is not only talented and strategic, but also has grand plans and strategies. He is definitely not a reckless person like Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty who loves success without caring about the foundation of the empire. Even though this battle is far from being staged, Xiao Yu has almost foreseen the victory or defeat of both sides.
As long as it lasts three to five years, the Guanlong nobles will be kept in submission by His Majesty.
Even if something unexpected happens to His Majesty, who was at the peak of the Spring and Autumn Period, the succeeding prince, with the support of young men like Fang Jun, Li Daozong, and Ma Zhou, will definitely continue to implement His Majesty's strategy and continue to suppress the Guanlong nobles.
The fate of the Guanlong nobles seems to be doomed.
Either hand over most of the power and endure and survive, or resist to the death and would rather be shattered than destroyed.
unless……
Thinking of the only chance for the Guanlong nobles to make a comeback, Xiao Yu was excited, and then shook his head. Such a treasonous thing would never happen.
…
No one spoke in the side hall for a while. Xiao Yu sat there with a teacup in his hand, and the expression on his face kept changing.
After a long while, he finally said: "As long as His Majesty agrees to set up salt farms in the coastal states of Henan Province and Huainan Province, I will submit a letter requesting that this matter be handled."
Saying these words is tantamount to accepting the benefits offered by Fang Jun, and since then he has drawn a clear line and differentiated his position from the Guanlong nobles.
Fang Jun laughed, poured tea for Xiao Yu himself, and said warmly: "Why is Song Guogong so entangled? The Tang Dynasty will only become more and more powerful and prosperous, and there are endless benefits everywhere. Why do you need to give charity to others?"
Does that violate the duty of a minister?"
Xiao Yu finished the tea, sighed softly, and said distressedly: "It is precisely because the situation is changing rapidly and the empire is becoming more and more prosperous that we have to make plans for our children and grandchildren. Even if the Xiao family is rich, if I pass away in the future, my nephew will be
But there is no one who can take on the big responsibility, so sitting on the mountain and living in vain, is this a long-term solution?"
Fang Jun was stunned at first and didn't understand why Xiao Yu suddenly mentioned future generations, but after thinking about it for a moment, he thought about Xiao Rui who was now serving as the chief protector of the Hanhai Protectorate in Mobei, and he understood.
It turns out that Changsun Wuji, an old Yin man, used this point to negotiate with Xiao Yu, trying to drag the Xiao family onto the ship of the Guanlong nobles, and also form an alliance with the entire Jiangnan gentry to resist His Majesty's suppression.