After coming out of Li Xiaogong's residence, Li Ji stood in front of the rain corridor, shook his head and looked at the dark night sky with raindrops scattered, exhaled heavily, and then walked back to his temporary residence separated by a wall.
Enter the house, take off your coat, and sit in front of the window.
A young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes came over with a teapot, filled the tea cup on the table with tea, and whispered: "Grandpa, drink tea."
"Um."
Li Ji took a sip of tea and frowned in thought.
The young man put the teapot next to the table, sat opposite Li Ji, and asked in a low voice: "I wonder how my grandfather talked with the prince of Hejian County?"
Li Ji raised his head and looked at the young man who had a vague shadow of himself between his brows. He simmered for a while and said in a deep voice: "What are you going to do about this matter? I'm just a personal soldier and captain, so don't worry about what you should do." Overstepped."
The young man didn't take it seriously and said carelessly: "Grandpa's words are wrong. Although you are a dedicated official, you are also a dedicated grandfather. The government is currently in a state of ups and downs, and there is always danger of overthrow. The future of my family is at stake, and my grandson is also affected. How can we remain indifferent? Please tell me quickly, what did the Prince of Hejian say?"
Facing this eldest grandson, Li Ji, who was usually decisive in killing, felt helpless.
The eldest son and grandson are the pillars of the family. Whether they are good or not is crucial to the family's century-old foundation. Otherwise, if they are not good enough, even if they create such a great business, they will be ruined sooner or later.
This eldest grandson was not corrupted by wealth like other children and became an idle and useless dandy. He was proficient in bow and horse since childhood and was very witty. This made Li Ji quite pleased and thought that he would have a successor. However, his character was too out-of-touch and unwilling to keep to himself. , quite a bit ambitious.
Therefore, Li Ji did not place him in the army for training, but took him with him as a personal soldier to teach him personally.
Otherwise, if allowed to develop, this unruly spirit will not be eliminated, and you may not be able to build a successful career in the future. If not, you may ruin your family and career...
At this moment, seeing his eldest grandson asking this question, he was thinking about taking the exam and asked: "The prince is unwilling to express his position. It is normal to have concerns after thinking about it. But we can't follow others in everything. We have to have our own ideas." Okay. In your opinion, what should my family choose?"
When Li Jingye heard this, he raised his thick eyebrows and said excitedly: "What's the point? If there is a posthumous edict, I will stand by the crown prince. If there is no posthumous edict, I will do my best to help the King of Jin ascend the throne!"
Li Ji had no expression on his face and said calmly: "Tell me carefully."
Li Jingye licked his lips. He had always been high-spirited, but he was still too young to speak on important matters at home. At this moment, his grandfather asked him. He felt that having the opportunity to influence such important events was a sign that his grandfather valued his performance. He became more and more excited and anxious. He said: "If there is a posthumous edict, it will inevitably depose the prince and pass the throne to the king of Jin. If we respect the posthumous edict and assist the king of Jin, how can we get ahead of Xiao Yu and others? My grandfather is already the head of the prime minister and assistants at that time. What’s the point of falling under Xiao Yu and other villains? The opposite is the same. If there is no posthumous edict, the prince will still be the legitimate prince. We support the prince to ascend the throne, but what the prince values most is Fang Jun and others. We can't let his second wife fall in front of my grandfather, right? Only by doing the opposite can we make both sides regard us as ministers of humerus. After ascending the throne, my grandfather can truly be inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people, instead of the previous one. The title of chief minister usually has a name but no reality."
Regardless of whether he is a prince or a king of the Jin Dynasty, when his reputation is justified, he will have the support of his previous team and all the people in the world. If you have more Li Ji, it will not be too much. If you have less Li Ji, it will not be too much. After ascending the throne, when rewards are based on merit, there will naturally be few benefits. It is the icing on the cake. What's so rare?
On the contrary, if Li Ji bucks the trend and provides strong support when the crown prince or the crown prince of Jin falls, it will be a kindness in times of need, and the rewards he will receive after success will naturally be tenfold and a hundredfold.
Li Ji was speechless.
Is this eldest grandson a fool for choosing the most difficult path? Of course not, on the contrary, this is the approach with the greatest benefits.
In fact, with Li Ji's current status, prestige, power, and strength, if he really bucked the trend and fully assisted the losing side, he might not have no chance of turning things around.
What troubles him is that this eldest grandson only thinks from the perspective of profit, but has no thoughts of loyalty, morality, and the world. He is so ambitious that he is far away and acts as a winger, and lacks grandeur. How can he achieve anything?
Once the road goes astray, you will fall into a pit and be unable to get up, and countless people will step on it...
But he's still just a kid...
Li Ji had no choice but to patiently explain: "There is nothing wrong with pursuing profit in one's life. Everyone in the world is seeking profit, and this has been the case since ancient times. But when you reach a certain status, you will understand that the word 'profit' is the most important It’s complicated, maybe it’s money, official position, or power. Various interests are so intertwined that it’s difficult to distinguish them from each other. Often you can’t get them all, but you lose sight of one. How should you weigh the pros and cons at this time? You must Stand firm on your own position and have your own opinions. It is better to choose small and large-scale and be safe than to be greedy and take risks to gain."
Li Jingye scratched his head, half understanding.
Although many interests are mixed together and it is difficult to distinguish them from each other, why not choose the big one and let the small one go?
Besides, what is the most dangerous step in the officialdom? Even a wealthy family like his family is always walking on thin ice. How can it ever be stable?
Thinking about the current situation again, how to choose between the prince or the king of Jin... Li Jingye has one head and two big ones.
Li Ji was inevitably disappointed when he saw his confused look.
Although this guy is smart and strong, he is actually just a little clever and can't bear to hold a big responsibility. Such a person just does nothing. In short, he just drifts with the crowd and lives a mediocre life. With the family fortune he has earned, it is not difficult to be rich all his life.
But once you reach a high position, you will inevitably be deceived by the will of others, and you will follow what others say and not distinguish between things and things.
There is always danger of death and annihilation...
All in all, this kid has some abilities, but he lacks knowledge about right and wrong, and he is unruly by nature and likes to take risks. The higher his position, the greater the backlash.
It seems that I have to keep a close eye on myself in the future to avoid causing big trouble and ending badly...
*****
The next morning, the night rain began to stop, but the sky was still gray and not clear.
At the beginning of Mao hour, two lanterns were hung at the door of a row of duty rooms on one side of the Taiji Palace Square. The orange halo was slightly bright. Whether it was the ministers who had stayed in the palace before or the civil servants and generals outside the palace, they arrived here one after another. The small room is packed full to the brim.
The Tai Chi Palace is where the court meetings are held, but now that His Majesty is critically ill, no one dares to step in and enter the Tai Chi Palace to hold the court meetings. However, there are many things going on in the court now, and if they are not arranged for a long time, it will inevitably become more crowded, resulting in government affairs being blocked and causing many consequences, so we have to The prince summoned the ministers and held a court meeting here.
Of course, the scale of this court meeting is limited, and it is impossible for all ministers to come together like in the past. Only the chief officials of the various ministries and yamen in the court, as well as the prime ministers, assistants, and generals can participate.
At three o'clock in the morning, all the ministers arrived.
A waiter placed tea and snacks on the table in front of everyone, and then left.
Li Chengqian was dressed in a prince's robe and sat in the middle. He looked very haggard. He looked around at the important court officials in the room and spoke in a hoarse voice: "My father is seriously ill and cannot wake up, but state affairs cannot be delayed, so I am alone in England. At the suggestion of the King of Hejian County, a court meeting was held here to formulate a charter for the urgent government affairs. It was supposed to be held in the East Palace, but some people had doubts in their hearts and caused trouble, so I had to aggrieve you all here. "
The tone was somewhat dissatisfied.
It was the duty of the upright prince of the empire to supervise the country on his behalf when the emperor was seriously ill, and His Majesty had ordered the prince to supervise the country several times before. However, Li Ji and Li Xiaogong insisted that he not be allowed to return to the East Palace to preside over the court meeting. The reason was: His Majesty was critically ill and could not leave without permission. In fact, he also understood that he wanted to avoid irritating the Zhinu family and take risks. At the same time, he also did not want the Zhinu to misunderstand that the two of them had joined forces with the East Palace.
Even if Li Chengqian has a good temper, he can't help but feel angry at this moment...
Listening to the prince's somewhat dissatisfied words, Li Ji and Li Xiaogong lowered their hands slightly and remained silent.
After all, Li Chengqian was a soft-tempered person. Even though he was angry in his heart, he stabbed the two of them and it was not for his own sake. He looked at King Wei, King Jin, Fang Jun, Xiao Yu, Cen Wenwen, Liu Ji, Chu Suiliang, and Cheng Yaojin in front of him. , Yuchi Gong, Li Daozong, Ma Zhou and other civil servants and generals said slowly: "If something comes up, I will discuss it with the officials and make a decision, so that the government affairs will not be neglected."
In such a large empire, there are countless major events that need to be approved by the king every day. His Majesty has been seriously ill and unable to attend the court these days, which has squeezed a lot of things. The chief officials of various ministries hurriedly reported them one by one and asked His Highness the Crown Prince to make a decision. .
This made Li Zhi look a little ugly. After all, Li Chengqian is a legitimate prince. Even today, His Majesty has not issued an imperial edict for Yi Chu. He has occupied the rightful position and overpowered him. Look at this important minister in the room. They all stood up and reported respectfully, which made him envious and jealous at the same time.
Leng Buding remembered Xiang Yu's words in "Historical Records": He can take his place...
Naturally, everyone in the hall always pays attention to the King of Jin. Seeing that he looks ugly, they are all worried. Some people hope that the two kings will fight for the crown prince so that they can choose sides and get one from the dragon. Since then, he has become a prosperous person, but everyone in the hall has already reached the official position. The best, there is no way to be promoted, and there are only a few people left. Most of them hope that even if something unexpected happens to His Majesty, the imperial power can be changed smoothly. They are afraid that the Crown Prince's presiding over the court will further irritate the Jin King, making him unwilling and determined to fight for the throne. .
Fortunately, Li Chengqian is a prudent person. Although he may not care about the mood of the King of Jin, he does not want to leave a strong impression in front of the ministers. As before, he will ask the ministers for their opinions in a pleasant manner after listening to the report. You can listen to people's different opinions with an open mind and follow their advice readily.
Quite a bit like a wise king.
Until Cheng Yaojin suddenly straightened up and said, "The six leaders of the East Palace left their station without authorization, and the Youhou guards came to the Chunming Gate. The merchants outside the city have been wiped out. There is a rumble in the city. I don't know what the leaders of these two armies want to do." There was a sudden silence in the hall.
Everyone realized that if they wanted to sway between the Crown Prince and the King of Jin, the harmony would no longer work. The purpose of today's court meeting was to force everyone to take sides...