Li Xiaogong had always looked down upon this proud, rebellious and rebellious His Majesty the King of Wei. Now that he heard his harsh words and sinister intentions, he became even more displeased. He even showed a hesitant look on his face without restraining himself, which was evident at a glance.
Li Ji said slowly: "His Royal Highness the King of Wei's words are reasonable. Everyone has his own ambitions, and no one can do anything about it. But please understand that Your Majesty is still in danger at this moment. The hearts of the people in the government and the public are shaken, and there will be monstrous disasters at every turn. If If you don’t want to be infamy for the rest of your life, it’s better to stay calm.”
Such words coming from his mouth are already a clear warning - Your Majesty is not dead yet, you'd better be more honest, because whoever dances happily will die quickly.
Of course, neither the prince nor the king of Jin, nor even the king of Wei, might take his warning seriously.
Again, in the face of the supreme imperial power in the world, no one can resist the temptation. Even if he has a near-death experience, he still has to fight hard. Who is willing to let go of the slightest chance?
The three princes had different expressions, but none of them spoke this time.
Fang Jun coughed lightly and said: "The county prince is mature and prudent and has thought carefully, so let's do it this way."
Judging from the current situation, His Majesty Li Er probably has not left any posthumous edict, so Li Chengqian is still the crown prince of the Tang Empire. Although it is very disrespectful to think so, but this is the fact. Once His Majesty Li Er is unconscious until his funeral, God, Li Chengqian can legitimately ascend the throne.
Even though there have been many assumptions about the ownership of the reserve before, it is undeniable that the current situation cannot be better. Both for Li Chengqian and the entire empire, losses can be minimized...
In this way, Jin Wang Li Zhi must be trapped here to avoid going out to cause trouble.
Xiao Yu frowned, deliberately objecting, and Li Zhi was trapped in the palace and completely lost his initiative. However, Li Xiaogong's excuse of "serving the sick" was really irrefutable, so he could only look at Li Zhi and nodded slightly.
Li Zhi didn't say anything, looking like a sad and dutiful son...
…
Back at his residence, Li Zhi and Xiao Yu sat across from each other, with worried faces, but more of annoyance: "Uncle Prince Wang seems to be on the side of the prince. Fortunately, his father trusts him so much. When his father is critically ill, However, he ignored his father’s wishes and only wanted to please the prince, which is really shameful!”
Even if the father has never left any edict, who doesn't know what the father wants to do to establish himself as the crown prince? If he is truly a loyal minister of the father, he should support the father's holy will when the father faints, instead of defeating him. Towards the more powerful prince.
It's all just for self-interest, how can there be any loyalty?
If Li Xiaogong, the king of Hejian County, is like this, the positions of the rest of the clan kings must be similar. At least in terms of popular support, they are at a disadvantage compared to the prince.
But who made it possible for his father to be the crown prince before he had time to change the throne? To this day, the crown prince is still the legitimate crown prince of the country...
Xiao Yu didn't think so. He knelt down opposite Li Zhi, raised his hand to pour tea for Li Zhi, and said in a low voice: "It may not be as your Highness thinks. The prince of Hejian County is the leader of the clan. In such critical times, it represents The will of the entire clan, stabilizing the government must be the top priority. Not only does he confine His Highness here, but the Crown Prince also stays in the palace? The most important thing is that His Majesty is now critically ill. He is most afraid that His Highness and the Crown Prince will be in trouble because of the fight for the throne. The outbreak of war will cause the situation to get out of hand, because once His Majesty wakes up, he cannot shirk his responsibility. But when my father really has something he cannot bear to say, he may not have this attitude at that time."
The reverence for Your Majesty among the civil and military officials of the entire court has already been deeply rooted in their bones. It will never be weakened even if His Majesty is seriously ill and faints. As long as Your Majesty is still breathing, no one dares to overstep an inch. They can only wait until His Majesty is buried. Everyone sees their true appearance.
People like Li Xiaogong, Li Ji, Cheng Yaojin and others have been immersed in the court for many years and are strictly forbidden by nature. At this time, it is difficult to see what their stance is...
Li Zhi thought for a while and felt that it made sense, and he was slightly excited: "You Houwei has gathered outside Chunming Gate. This will definitely cause the rest of the sixteen troops to have doubts. Once the father is seriously ill and dies, how can these people Don’t choose to take sides? As long as we can take the lead, not only the neutrals will respond one after another, but some of the subordinates of the East Palace will also change their families!"
As for Cheng Yaojin, who was guarding Chang'an, the staff of the Jin Palace never regarded him as a stumbling block in the fight for the throne. Because Cheng Yaojin could part ways with the Shandong family for his own benefit, it shows that he is selfish in nature and has no righteousness. In his eyes, everything is in vain. How to ensure or even expand his own interests is the most important thing.
Therefore, even if a war for reserves breaks out, Cheng Yaojin will only go with the flow and add to the cake, rather than buck the trend and provide help when the time is right.
Xiao Yu was not so optimistic, and sighed softly: "There are secret agents we have planted among the sixteen armies. These people may not be able to accompany His Highness to move forward, but they can still go with the flow. The problem is that these people see It seems that there are many people and they have the advantage, but the Sixth Army of the East Palace is controlled by Li Jing, who has strong combat power and strict discipline. Even though the Youtun Guards are currently in charge of the King of Jiangxia, they are all Fang Jun's confidants. In a pinch, To rise up is also a big trouble, and our side may not be able to withstand it."
Previously, the Guanlong clan had mobilized all the troops under their control to remonstrate with them. The momentum was extremely large, and the number was several times or even ten times that of the Donggong army. No one felt that the Donggong had no chance of winning. As a result, the huge Guanlong army was defeated by Donggong Liu and others. The Youtun Guards were beaten to such an extent that they lost their helmets and armor, and their flowers and flowers fell into pieces. Not only did they destroy hundreds of years of the Guanlong clan's wealth in one fell swoop, but even Changsun Wuji had to commit suicide to apologize.
Facing Li Jing, the world's best commander, and Fang Jun's Youtun Wei, who is undoubtedly the most powerful, who dares to say that he will win?
Li Zhi disagreed: "Although the Youtun Guards are strong, they are unique in the world because of their firearms tactics. Even though Li Jing is strong, he still needs a strong army to drive him. Previously, Guanlong soldiers dissented, and most of the government offices in the DPRK were destroyed. Outside the city The foundry bureau was even razed to the ground. Although it has been rebuilt now, it is short of equipment, manpower, and funds, and its production capacity is less than one or two of the stations in front. Youtun Guards does not have enough firearms, and the Sixth Army of the East Palace does not have enough ordnance. Li Jing and Fang Jun is as capable as Sun Wu, but he can't stir up trouble. When the time comes, the competition between the two sides will be numbers, and we may not be at a disadvantage."
No matter how he calculated it, he felt that he would not suffer any loss.
Moreover, as the saying goes, "wealth and wealth are obtained through danger", there is no sure-win battle in this world? He was not a prince in the first place, and now his vigorous fight for the throne is a counterattack, so how can he not take some risks?
Just like when my father launched the "Xuanwu Gate Incident", at first he only had the intention of sharing the same fate, and he was unwilling to suffer the massacre of Prince Yin and fought back. In the end, he narrowly won the battle and finally fought back to seize the throne and achieve his grand hegemony. , to conquer the world.
The current situation is somewhat similar to that of the past, and even more advantageous than that of his father at that time. After all, at that time, Emperor Gaozu did not think about passing the throne to his father, who was almost the enemy of the entire world...
My father was able to create a grand hegemony under even worse circumstances, why can't I?
Xiao Yu didn't quite agree with Prince Jin's optimism, but at this moment the arrow was on the string and he had to take action, and there was really no way to avoid all risks.
He just warned: "You must always pay attention to the situation in the palace. Once His Majesty is buried, His Highness must know it as soon as possible, and then take the lead and seize the advantage as much as possible. Otherwise, if you take a step late, His Highness's life will be in danger."
Li Zhi was full of confidence in this: "The Duke of Song Dynasty can rest assured that no matter what happens in the palace, it is impossible to hide it from the king."
Xiao Yu nodded.
He knew that Li Zhi had grown up with His Majesty Li Er since he was a child, and was very familiar with the people around His Majesty Li Er. Since he was determined to compete for the throne, he would definitely try his best to win over the people around His Majesty and know all the news at any time. But since Li Zhi
If the emperor is so determined, then the status of this spy must be quite high, and he may even be one of the several chamberlains serving His Majesty.
Wang De is as wise as he is foolish. Although he is just an eunuch, he claims to be a scholar and flaunts his loyalty. It is difficult to bribe him into betraying His Majesty.
Apart from Wang De, there is probably only the sinister and ruthless Wang Shoushi...
Thinking of this, he reminded: "Your Highness is kind, but you should not be wary of others. Especially for such important matters that may involve life and death, you need to carefully screen and stabilize your mind and never fall into the trap of others."
If I can betray His Majesty's information right next to His Majesty, how can I not betray you?
That kind of person is only interested in profit and has no position. He must not be distrusted, but he must not be credulous either...
Li Zhi nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I will save it."
The current situation has been thoroughly deduced before, and every step has been carefully considered to ensure that it is foolproof.
Once my father cannot be cured, action will be taken immediately and he will never sit still and wait for death.
*****
As the leader of the clan and the person who currently controls the situation in the palace, Li Xiaogong occupies a reverse room outside the imperial study and conducts official business here.
Hearing that His Majesty was fine for the time being, Li Xiaogong also put down his worries and returned here exhausted physically and mentally. He took a bath and changed clothes under the waiters, sat in front of the desk with a fresh look, took a sip of hot tea, and exhaled heavily.
Only then did I feel a little more relaxed.
In the past two years, I have been in charge of the Western Region Protectorate in the Western Region. Not only has the weather been harsh and I have been short of materials, but I have also faced the constraints of the Guanlong clan. The intrusion of powerful enemies from outside the region has been very exhaustive and spent countless efforts. The body that has been pampered for more than ten years is almost exhausted.
.
Then he was secretly ordered by His Majesty to return to the capital to take charge of the clan affairs. He could not sleep well at night, couldn't eat well, and almost couldn't hold on anymore...
Sitting on the chair, I lost my consciousness, and then I gathered my energy to deal with official duties.
But just after reading two official documents, a chamberlain came to report that the British minister was seeking an audience...
Li Xiaogong could not afford to neglect, and quickly asked people to welcome Li Ji in. He stood up to greet Li Ji and then sat with him on the mat in front of the window. He asked, "Just after we parted, Mao Gong came to the door. What's the important matter?"
Li Ji did not make any pleasantries and went straight to the point: "Prince and King Jin, which side does the prince intend to stand on?"