His Majesty Li Er held the tea cup in his hand, looked at the prince in front of him playfully, and chuckled: "Why, this question is difficult to answer?"
Li Chengqian gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "Father, the emperor clearly knows that this matter is the result of discussions between my son, Fang Jun, and Yu Zhining."
It's definitely not possible to lie. I can only be vague and hope that my father will not pursue it.
The earth dragon in the royal study was very hot, and the air was a little stagnant, making people very uncomfortable. Fortunately, snow powder was flying outside the window, and snowflakes as big as reed flowers fluttered and fell, covering the rockeries and railings in the courtyard.
, the corridors are slowly being paved, making people feel cool when looking at them.
His Majesty Li Er was silent for a long time, and then asked quietly: "You want to strengthen the military force of the East Palace and take it under your command, like an arm and a finger...Prince, what is your intention with this move?"
Li Chengqian felt that he had to strengthen his physical fitness in the future. He was too fat and his heart was overloaded. He would have difficulty breathing when he was not frightened or nervous, which was really uncomfortable.
Beads of sweat broke out on his fat and white forehead. He carefully considered his words and answered slowly: "Since I have been appointed as the prince by my father, I should have the crown and ceremonial guard that matches the prince's status. I don't care much about this myself, but the outside world will inevitably think of it."
There are many speculations and further slandering the emperor's intentions, which will even endanger the stability of the country."
To be honest, this was probably the first time in his life that Li Chengqian spoke so boldly in front of his father, and he said such things with hidden resentment.
Since you have made me the crown prince, you must give me the status and respect that a prince deserves, otherwise you will simply depose me. You cannot show the hesitation and concern in your heart on your face all day long, like this
, how do the outside world view me, the prince?
It is precisely because of your repeated hesitations that both Qingque and Zhinu thought there was an opportunity and wanted to get involved in the position of crown prince.
I am asking you for the command of the Sixth Prince of the East Palace because I want to consolidate my status as the crown prince. If you don’t agree today, then tomorrow there will definitely be rumors of "Yi Chu" spreading, or even "deposing the crown prince".
Rumors may not be possible.
If the prince is unstable, the country will be uneasy. What kind of trouble do you want to cause?
…
His Majesty Li Er's face sank like water. After a long while, he suddenly smiled and said in a relaxed tone: "You child, you are always so helpless and trembling in front of your father. My father has already promised you, how can you change your words and regret it?"
?It's just a little unexpected, so I just asked. That's all. Now that you are the prince, you should be in charge of the Sixth Palace of the East Palace. As a father, I won't interfere anymore. Just let yourself do whatever you want. Come on, come on, let's try this together.
The crabs from the East China Sea are so fat and delicious."
Several waiters outside had already brought the meals and placed them on the dining table.
Li Chengqian quickly said: "Here."
I got up and sat down in front of the table. On the carved lacquer table, there were several large steamed crabs on large white porcelain glazed plates. The crab shells were steamed until they were red, and there were several exquisite vegetarian dishes.
There is a pot of boiled rice wine.
The father and son sat across from each other, enjoying the fat and delicious East China Sea crabs, and occasionally took a sip of rice wine. His Majesty Li Er also talked about interesting stories about the prince's childhood from time to time. His usual stern appearance was not seen at all, but he looked more like an ordinary rich man.
The atmosphere is very relaxed and pleasant.
The meal lasted less than half an hour. After the meal, His Majesty Li Er yawned and was obviously a little tired, so Li Chengqian hurriedly left.
After leaving Chengtian Gate, we stood on the long and spacious street. The ground was completely white, and the dark sky was covered with falling snowflakes. The pavilions, palaces, and city walls in the distance were all covered with white snow, and there were dim reflections in the dark night.
, but can’t see it clearly.
Snowflakes fell from the sky and fell on my face, melting immediately and becoming cold.
Li Chengqian only felt that his life had never been as enjoyable as it was now. He was neither lazy nor absurd. He was also willing to study hard and do things just to get a compliment from his father. However, things went against his expectations, perhaps because he was not talented enough.
, maybe it’s wrong. In short, since I became an adult, it seems that everything I do will only achieve the opposite effect. Not to mention the praise from my father, I will always get only admonishment and disappointment.
His self-confidence was shattered bit by bit amid the warnings and disappointments again and again.
In the end, facing his father's indifference and neglect, he was almost on the verge of collapse. At one point, he even wanted to attract his father's attention with some absurd and rebellious behavior, and even wanted to use this behavior to retaliate against his father.
Aren't you very disappointed in me?
But I have to let you see that the reason why I am today is all caused by your indifference and ignorance. It is also you who single-handedly destroyed the crown prince who was once praised by the government and the public for his "generous appearance, benevolence, filial piety and deep kindness".
I wonder if you will regret it...
However, at this moment, Li Chengqian was extremely glad that he did not do that, because at the moment when he was closest to collapse, he met Fang Jun.
Life is like this, with ups and downs. When he was crowned the crown prince, he was still ignorant, and later he was ignorant when he fell from the mountain top. But now, he is rising from the abyss step by step, walking along the rugged mountain road step by step again.
As you climb, you can clearly see all the scenery along the way.
In the final analysis, he feels that the world is still friendly to him, otherwise why not let him sink until he is beyond redemption?
*****
The next morning.
It snowed heavily all night, and the whole of Chang'an was covered in snow. It was less bustling and bustling than usual, and more quiet and elegant.
Ministry of War Yamen.
Li Zhi did not dare to neglect his duties, let alone be lazy. Although it was freezing and snowing, he still took a carriage to the Ministry of War Yamen office early in the morning to do his work.
It's just that after the batch of ordnance was transported away, there were not many important things in the entire yamen. Early in the morning, I went into the duty room to warm up the fire, and then I disposed of some backlogged official duties, boiled a pot of hot water, and brewed some.
With a pot of hot tea, I sat in the check-in room and stared at the snow falling outside in a daze.
My heart is filled with anxiety.
It snowed so heavily in Guanzhong. I don’t know if the Yellow River was blocked by ice. I don’t know if Liaodong, which is even more bitter and cold, also snowed as early as Guanzhong. I don’t know where the ordnance was transported. I don’t know if it will be delivered to its respective destinations in time.
In the army, will it delay this winter's war preparations and affect next spring's Eastern Expedition...
Li Zhi regretted it now. Among the three provinces, six ministries and nine temples of the imperial court, which yamen could not accumulate prestige and hone its abilities, so why did it come to the Ministry of War?
This Ministry of War is simply a big quagmire. If you get stuck in it, you can't use your strength to get out, and you can't get out...
…
The streets in front of the gate of the Ministry of War have been cleared. Early in the morning, all the government offices in the imperial city arranged for officials to cooperate with the government officials assigned by Jingzhao Prefecture to start snow removal operations. Although the snow kept falling, there was no snow at all. Unexpectedly, it melted first and then froze.
There was a thick layer of ice, making it difficult for people and carriages to move.
A luxurious carriage stopped at the gate of the Ministry of War. More than twenty soldiers spread out to block the entire street, keeping pedestrians at a distance. Then they opened the door and Changsun Wuji, who was wearing a cotton robe, stepped out of the carriage and walked in.
Enter the gate of the Ministry of War.
When the disciple saw this big boss, he quickly stepped forward to greet him. Changsun Wuji stroked his beard and asked, "Is His Royal Highness the King of Jin here?"
The doorman hurriedly replied: "His Royal Highness came to the Yamen very early in the morning and is handling official business in the duty room."
"Um."
Changsun Wuji didn't wait for anyone to tell him, so he entered the courtyard, walked up the steps, passed through the rain corridor in front of the main hall, and directly entered Li Zhi's duty room.
"Hey, it turns out to be my uncle. Why didn't you inform me so that I could go to the door to greet you?"
Li Zhi was distracted when he saw Changsun Wuji walking in. He hurriedly put down the already lukewarm teacup and stood up to greet him.
Changsun Wuji returned the greeting and said with a smile: "I have nothing to do in the mansion today, so I wanted to walk around. I happened to pass by the imperial city, so I came in to see your highness."
"Uncle is interested, please take a seat."
He invited Changsun Wuji to take a seat, then ordered someone to make a new pot of tea, and then drove the scribes out, leaving only the nephew and uncle sitting opposite each other in front of the window.
Changsun Wuji drank a cup of tea. His weak and dry body was nourished, and he felt warm all over. He took a breath and said with a smile: "A cup of tea, snow falling outside the window, but a quiet scene, which can cultivate your sentiments.
If a talented person is here, I am afraid he will recite a poem and it will become a famous story. Your Highness will be really interested."
Li Zhi smiled bitterly and said: "What kind of character does this king have? I am so worried! There are heavy snowfalls in Guanzhong one after another. I don't know what the climate is like in the states and counties along the Yellow River. I don't know if Liaodong has already closed the mountains with heavy snow.
If the transportation of ordnance is delayed, what will happen?"