Li Ji's position has always been extremely ambiguous. At first he was wandering between the Crown Prince and the King of Wei, and now he is still swinging between the Crown Prince and the King of Jin. He seemed to support the Crown Prince, but he never made it clear from the beginning to the end.
This is inseparable from the Shandong family behind him.
Perhaps it was simply because he was not optimistic that the prince could successfully inherit the throne, or perhaps it was because the Shandong family had been suppressed too hard in recent years, and he was afraid that being on the wrong team would bring more serious consequences. In short, Li Chengqian could not feel the slightest bit about the Shandong family's stance.
sense of security.
But if he wants to defeat the King of Jin and keep his throne, he has to rely on the Shandong family at this stage.
Compared with the Jiangnan nobles who have more financial resources, the Shandong aristocratic family has a profound heritage. Even though they have been suppressed by the Guanlong nobles for decades, and even though the turmoil in the late Sui Dynasty left Shandong full of desolation, Confucian culture has been left to the Shandong aristocratic family.
wealth, but still unparalleled in the world.
In terms of political energy alone, there is no comparison between the Jiangnan gentry and the Shandong aristocratic families. They are not on the same level at all.
It is precisely because of this that the Shandong aristocratic family seems to have the same spirit, but it is extremely difficult to unify internally.
Fang Xuanling can stand behind him on behalf of some Shandong aristocratic families, but compared to Kong Yingda and Li Ji, Fang Xuanling is the weakest.
Li Chengqian was extremely insecure. At such a critical moment when he was competing for the heirloom, he would not allow the Shandong family to continue to vacillate between snakes and mice as in the past. He had to let them clearly state their stance, otherwise he would rather exclude them from his side.
outside the system.
A powerful enemy is certainly scary, but a teammate who is not strong-willed enough and always thinks of getting his way is even more terrifying.
Because you not only have to face strong enemies, but you also have to be careful of teammates around you stabbing you in the back anytime and anywhere...
Li Chengqian picked up the tea cup again, thought about it, and said: "I think there is no more suitable candidate for this matter than the British Duke."
After saying that, "Fu Liu" started to drink tea.
Li Ji could only smile bitterly.
How could he not understand what the prince meant?
It seems that my cautious character not only made His Majesty Li Er dissatisfied with me, but also the Prince was very unhappy...
He is not only proficient in military strategy, but also familiar with history books. He knows that in the past dynasties, when it is about the ownership of the crown prince, it can test the political vision of the powerful officials in the court. Sometimes, it is not just your great ability that will make everything go smoothly.
, success is imminent, destiny is actually a very important thing, it seems mysterious and mysterious, but there is God's will in the dark, no matter how many calculations and preparations you make, it is difficult to resist the destiny.
But who is destined to be the prince or the king of Jin?
Only God knows…
It can be seen that the prince must ask him to express his attitude today, and once he expresses his attitude, he must go to His Majesty Li Er to persuade the prince to take charge of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
In fact, it doesn't matter whether he can join the Ministry of Civil Affairs. With his own assistance and Fang Jun's advice behind his back, any yamen can give the prince enough confidence to compete with the King of Jin. As long as he makes a clear statement to His Majesty Li Er,
It is enough to present one's position in front of His Majesty Li Er and the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty.
Once you stand in line, there will be no room for change from now on. You can only follow the prince all the way to the dark side. Either soar into the sky and bring the Shandong family back to its roots, or fall into the deep valley. In the next tens or hundreds of years,
Still being suppressed by the Guanlong nobles, there is no hope of resurrecting.
This was very difficult, but after all, Li Ji was not an ordinary person. He had his own decision in his heart. He made up his mind in just a moment and said with emotion: "Your Highness has an order, how dare I disobey you? Tomorrow morning, I will enter the palace."
I have an audience with Your Majesty and I will advise you to take charge of the Ministry of Civil Affairs."
With a "clang" sound, Li Chengqian put the tea cup on the coffee table. The tea cup and the tea tray touched lightly, making a crisp sound.
He was not a deep-minded person to begin with. Now that he had received Li Jizhi's promise, he could not hide his ecstasy. At least he still had some dignity as a prince. He tried hard to keep the muscles on his face from spasming out of control, stroking his hands and saying with a smile: "
Then it’s the British Lord’s fault!”
Li Ji looked at Li Chengqian's efforts to restrain his facial expression, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "This move is pressing harder and harder. I'm afraid it was Fang Shaobao's idea for His Highness, right?"
Li Chengqian laughed, calmed down, and denied: "The British public made a mistake and blamed the house for the lack of insurance. Gu Ye knows that doing so will inevitably lose the gentlemanly style, but the current situation of Gu is like facing an abyss and walking on thin ice. He is really trembling and at a loss.
, so I hope the British public will be considerate and not blame others."
Li Ji solemnly said: "Your Highness is too worried. As the prime minister and assistant, I should fulfill my duties loyally. Your Highness is the crown prince appointed by His Majesty. Naturally, I will do my best to be loyal to you, but I will never dare to resign if I have my destiny!"
Li Chengqian was in a happy mood. He held Li Ji's hand and said sincerely: "You are the senior Gu, the humerus of my father and the pillar of the empire. Even if I am the crown prince, how can I dare to push you? You
I also know Gu’s temperament. Sometimes women can be benevolent and honest and pedantic. I hope you can point out right and wrong and teach me something. Gu will definitely listen attentively and be taught with an open mind.”
These words immediately revealed his attitude towards Li Ji, which was equivalent to directly placing Li Ji in the position of "strategist". In the future, Li Ji would be the first to succeed in the unification.
Li Ji stood up and left the table, raised his hands to straighten his clothes, then bowed his hands to the ground and said loudly: "It is an honor for me to trust and rely on you, your highness. How dare you not go through fire and water, and live in ruins?"
Li Chengqian stood up, held hands to support each other, and said gratefully: "With the help of the British minister, why worry about the big thing failing? Please get up quickly, please get up quickly!"
Li Ji stood up and the two looked at each other and smiled.
*****
There were noisy people in Chongren Square, firecrackers were blasting, and the pungent smell of gunpowder smoke had not yet dissipated. The middle door of Liang Guogong's mansion was opened, headed by Fang Xuanling, Fang Yizhi, Fang Jun, Fang Yize, and Fang Yiyi.
Waiting for a group of men in front, Mrs. Lu with her eldest daughter-in-law Du Shi, Princess Gaoyang, Wu Meiniang, Xiao Shuer, Kinderman and other female family members behind them, all stood solemnly on both sides of the main entrance, welcoming Wang De, the chambermaid in charge of announcing the edict, into the mansion.
The entire Chongrenfang was mostly occupied by the Changsun family and the Fang family, but there were also other families who came to see the excitement after hearing the sound of firecrackers. They saw the guards standing in front of the door. They didn't know the reason for a while, so they started to inquire.
In particular, the servants of the eldest grandson's family are even more concerned about the movements of their "old enemy".
"What happy event is this?"
"Who knows! But even the middle door is open. Looking at the scene, it must be a big event!"
"Could it be that the second roommate took another concubine?"
"Tsk tsk! Maybe it's true, this second wife is so awesome, all the concubines have beautiful faces. A few days ago, Madam Xiao went out, and we saw her from a distance. Mom, she was like a fairy!
"
"Are you a fool? Taking a concubine can open the door to you? There are no such rules! Do you think everyone is that Silla princess?"
At this time, Wang De had already announced the decree in the courtyard. The Fang family's general and concierge stood at the door and heard clearly. Suddenly, one or two of them were beaming with joy and looked proud.
Then someone came up and asked in a low voice: "Tell me, what's the happy event in this house?"
The concierge puffed up his chest and his nostrils almost turned to the sky: "Our second son has been named Duke of Yue by His Majesty!"
This matter is a happy event for the world, but it is not a secret. The entire city of Chang'an will know about it in a short time, so there is no need to hide it.
"Ouch!"
"Is this serious?"
"Mother! It's a double-kingdom!"
"In the whole world, there is no one more honored than the Fang family!"
Although the Fang family father and son had different reputations in the court, with praise and criticism, they were equally respected among the people. When they heard that Fang Jun had been promoted to the title of Duke, they naturally clapped their hands and applauded.
"Don't you all know this? The reason why Your Majesty made Erlang the Duke of the Kingdom this time is because Erlang sent the navy to go to sea and obtained exotic exotic seeds. Now he has successfully cultivated them and the yield is extremely high. His Majesty regards it as auspicious and auspicious, and even thinks Erlang
His meritorious deeds are comparable to those of Hou Ji, so he was promoted to the rank of noble due to his merits and gained the position of Duke of the country!"
An unknown servant in the crowd shouted something. He probably knew what happened at Lishan Farm and told the cause and effect. Everyone immediately exclaimed that this kind of golden harvest auspiciousness can bring more benefits to ordinary people and feel better than opening up new territories.
Deeper too!
The housekeepers and concierges on the steps held their chests and heads high, looking proud.
The servants of Changsun's family looked at each other with sullen eyebrows and drooped eyes.
Look at the Fang family now, it is a raging fire, with flowers and brocades, a family with two kingdoms, and a family that has never been famous in history. However, the Changsun family is declining day by day. Now it can only rely on the head of the family to support it hard, and the husband in the family is not alone.
The next one either went into exile or died a violent death. Comparing the two families, they are simply incomparable.