There was already some dawn in the east, and the sky turned white, but there were still lights everywhere in the palace, as bright as day.
In the side hall of Wude Hall, all the important officials of the empire stayed up all night, and finally waited for His Majesty Li Er to summon him again...
When the ministers filed into the inner hall, they saw His Majesty Li Er already sitting on the bed, being served by his concubines, with soft pillows stuffed behind his back. His eyes seemed to be open or closed. The sharp eyes in the past were long gone, and his square face was also
The skin is saggy and gray.
The strange thing is that even though he is completely out of energy, there is still a dark red color on his face...
Fang Jun observed from a distance for a while, and knew that this must be the remaining poison of the "Mercury-Mercury Thing", or even not just the "Mercury-Mercury-Mercury Thing". In order to boost the spirit and strengthen the physical strength, there may be something similar to the "Five Stones"
"Powder" medicine is mixed into it.
In short, "eating" is too big...
Although he has never been exposed to such drugs, he knows a lot about them from various media. He knows that this drug is not only addictive, but also very harmful to the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Long-term consumption will cause irreversible damage to body functions. At present,
It seems that His Majesty Li Er has regained consciousness, but emergencies may occur at any time and medicines are ineffective.
Especially if you continue to take it in the future, the harm will be even worse...
However, he had warned him more than once, but His Majesty Li Er turned a deaf ear and was really helpless.
…
"My dear friends, there is no need to worry. I have just worked too hard recently and damaged my roots. As a result, my energy is low and my body is overwhelmed... I only need to take care of myself for a few days to recover immediately."
His Majesty Li Er spoke softly and slowly, seemingly calm and unhurried, but in fact he was lacking in energy.
Li Chengqian, the leader, looked concerned, with tears in his eyes, and choked up: "Although state affairs are important, my father should also take care of himself and never dare to make any mistakes."
Li Tai also said: "It is all my fault that my son and ministers are incompetent. They cannot share the worries of their father. This is a capital crime."
Li Zhi called out "Father", rushed to His Majesty Li Er's hands, buried his face in His Majesty Li Er's hands, sobbed and cried bitterly...
His Majesty Li Er patted Li Zhi's cheek and said with a smile: "Pheasant slave, you don't have to be like this. It's just a temporary emergency. My father is fine."
His eyes passed over the faces of all the ministers, his smile faded, and his tone was deep: "I am unconscious. I think many people in the government and the public have already had different ideas, and they are just waiting for me to fall asleep. Haha, it makes those people
disappointed."
Li Ji, Xiao Yu, Li Xiaogong, Fang Jun and others hurriedly bowed and responded: "Your Majesty is worried. At present, the world is at peace and the government is stable. Has anyone ever harbored evil intentions and bad intentions? We, who are retiring from the emperor's salary, should fulfill our duties loyally. Your Majesty only
You need to rest peacefully and don’t worry about the rest.”
His Majesty Li Er waved his hands, his eyes were half-opened, and his voice was hoarse: "Okay, I am not that dim master who is as long as the hands of the women in the deep palace. I know the situation in the world well, how can I not know your thoughts? However,
I can understand it, after all, I cannot live without a master for a day, and some thoughts are unavoidable... Since I am fine now, I can put those thoughts away and guard Chang'an City for me, and find out those people with ulterior motives.
The government cannot be in chaos."
"Here! I obey!"
All the ministers agreed in unison.
After talking for a while, His Majesty Li Er obviously lacked energy and could not continue. He gasped a few times and said tiredly: "I have nothing to do. You can leave first and go back to your homes. After you have eaten and slept well, you will take up the duties of the government."
, don’t let me worry about it.”
"Here!"
The ministers agreed and then filed out.
The three legitimate sons wanted to stay as servants, but His Majesty Li Er waved them away.
He looked as if he had recovered from his illness and was completely fine, without even a word of advice...
…
Outside the Chengtian Gate, the ministers came out one after another and looked at each other. Some people gathered together in twos and threes, or stood there waiting for the carriages and horses to come and whispered, or boarded the carriages and left together...
Previously, His Majesty Li Er was critically ill, and it was taboo for courtiers to communicate privately. But now that His Majesty has turned the corner, the courtiers no longer need to avoid suspicion.
It was already dark at this time, and groups of heavily armed Zuowu guardsmen were walking back and forth on Tianjie, fully alert. The entire Chang'an City was filled with an extremely tense atmosphere, and the sharp swords and guns seemed to be full at any time.
Drink blood.
Fang Jun followed Li Chengqian out of Chengtian Gate. Instead of waiting for the carriage, he walked eastward to the East Palace surrounded by dozens of guards.
His Majesty is seriously ill this time. It would be inappropriate for the Crown Prince to continue going to Da Ci'en Temple to pray for blessings, because according to common sense, the Crown Prince should sit in the East Palace at this time and exercise the power of supervising the country.
Of course, this is also the most embarrassing situation. The emperor's determination to be a prince is unwavering, so how can he let the prince supervise the country...
Outside the East Palace Gate, Li Chengqian stopped and looked back, looking at the empty long street, and said softly: "Gong Lu Guo has good intentions."
The entire city of Chang'an was under Zuowuwei martial law, and even the outside of Chengtian Gate was closely guarded by soldiers, and everyone entering and leaving was subject to interrogation. However, there was no one in front of the East Palace Gate. If it was not Cheng Yaojin's deliberate show of good will, and it was clear that he was letting the enemy go.
How could it be so?
Fang Jun smiled and said: "Gong Lu Guo... is too shrewd to be entrusted with important responsibilities, and he is afraid of being driven out and killed."
As the saying goes, when the moon is full, it wanes, and when the water is full, it overflows. Such people do not have absolute power, so it is difficult to enter the central core. However, because they control the army, they can always stay at the top. Their power does not fall, and their glory remains.
It is indeed the way to survive. Only in this way can we maintain our position and prosper forever in the ever-changing political situation.
It seems simple, but it is necessary to always keep a certain distance from the central core without leaving too far away. The size of this is not something that anyone can grasp...
Li Chengqian nodded slightly: "Gong Lu is worthy of being a great man of his generation."
After saying that, he took the lead in entering the East Palace.
In this case, even if Cheng Yaojin clearly knows that Cheng Yaojin is currently leaning more towards Pheasant Nu, but because he has left some room, even if Dong Palace stabilizes his position in the future and Pheasant Nu falls, he will still give Cheng Yaojin a certain degree of trust and dignity.
.
There is no floating left and right, or jumping sideways repeatedly, but there is always human kindness, and the wisdom of being a person and an official can be said to be perfect...
…
In the Li Zheng Hall, the prince Zhan Shiyu Zhining, the prince's concubine Du Zhenglun, the great scholar Kong Yingda, Lu Deming, etc. were all waiting here. When they saw Li Chengqian entering, they all stood up.
When Li Chengqian saw so many people here, he was slightly startled, and then said with a wry smile: "Masters...why are you here?"
He naturally knew why these people suddenly gathered here. It was simply because his father was suddenly seriously ill, but he had not yet been deposed, and a new heir had not been established. If there was something unbearable to be said, and only the edict was left, then he would still be
The legitimate Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty can immediately ascend the throne...
After all, these people have already tied their own interests to the East Palace. Who can remain indifferent to the ups and downs?
Even he himself, when he suddenly heard that his father was seriously ill and fainted, might not have had a little extravagant hope in his heart...
Fang Jun also greeted these great scholars and sat down together. When he saw Yu Zhining, he couldn't wait to ask: "How is your Majesty's condition?"
Li Chengqian ordered someone to serve tea and said: "It was just a temporary illness. He has woken up after being diagnosed and treated by the imperial doctor. There is nothing serious."
Yu Zhining's face was complicated. After a long time, he sighed softly...
The Yu family in Luoyang belonged to the Guanlong clan. Although they did not participate too much in the military remonstrance this time, their interests were entangled with each other and the entanglement was deep. The Guanlong clan suffered heavy losses afterwards and was forced to withdraw from the court. The Yu clan in Luoyang also
How can you stay out of it?
If the East Palace can stabilize its position and ascend the throne as emperor with a God-given opportunity, then the Luoyang Yu family may still be able to rise and regain its previous glory. But if the East Palace is destined to be deposed, the Luoyang Yu family will suffer a double blow and it is inevitable that it will fall into ruin, and it may even be possible.
It is possible that he will disappear from the dust and become a lower class noble, and after a few decades, he will completely withdraw from the ranks of the noble family and be no different from the untouchables.
So when he heard that His Majesty had woken up and was fine, he was naturally extremely disappointed...
Lu Deming glanced at Yu Zhining and said to Li Chengqian: "Your Highness, there is no need to worry. Your Majesty is the son of God. With the blessing of Haotian, you will naturally be blessed by heaven and turn disaster into good luck."
The prince is your majesty's son. At this time, everyone in front and behind should be worried about the safety of the dragon body. How can you feel unfilial because of the gain or loss of the throne?
Yu Zhining's face froze, and he looked ugly.
Fortunately, fragrant tea was served at this time, which eased the awkward atmosphere...
Although Fang Jun had a high title, he was the youngest, so he dismissed the servants with a wave of his hand and poured tea for the great scholars himself.
Du Zhenglun took the tea cup and thanked him, then took a sip of tea and said in a deep voice: "Although as a minister, I should pray more for His Majesty's dragon body, the fact is that His Majesty is sick this time, and there must be some doubts about the ownership of the throne.
Such a huge change, His Highness may not benefit from it."
Although everyone knows how to do some things, but it involves personal interests, people are not saints, and who can take it seriously?
If others do not serve themselves, they will be punished by heaven and earth...
Li Chengqian perked up and asked hurriedly: "What does Master Du mean by this?"
Du Zhenglun put down his tea cup and said slowly: "The reason why His Majesty is so easy to save money was that previously he believed that His Majesty was soft-hearted, indecisive, and unworthy of a wise king. But now it is because the power of the East Palace has increased greatly after the Guanlong Rebellion, and His Majesty has felt a huge increase in power."
Threats, fearing that the imperial power will be unstable... No matter what, it is not a heinous crime. If His Majesty is healthy, no one can stop the easy transfer of the throne. But now that His Majesty is seriously ill, he must consider the eventuality, so whether the successor to the crown prince can be arranged smoothly
Succession?"
Several people in the hall were all smart people. Perhaps they had not thought of this for a while, but after Du Zhenglun said this, they immediately understood it.
Even His Majesty himself feels that the strength of the East Palace has greatly increased and is a vague threat to the imperial power. So, can he really suppress the willingness of everyone in the East Palace to surrender with just a piece of edict to establish a new crown prince?
If not, a huge civil war will inevitably break out. No matter who wins in the end, damage to the foundation of the empire is inevitable, and this is something your Majesty cannot bear.
The only way to avoid the possible uprising in the East Palace is to appoint a new crown prince and at the same time give the deposed prince to death... But looking at the pampering and love your Majesty has given to his heirs over the years, you may not be able to be so cruel.
In this way, Yi Chu may shake the foundation of the empire...
Can His Majesty Li Er remain as determined as ever?