A group of concubines knelt at the back. After hearing the quarrels and exchanges of words among those in front, they were so frightened that they dared not say a word and wished they could put their heads in their crotches.
As a prince, how could he not know the dangers of fighting for the throne? With their respective long histories, teachers would always carefully explain the various dangers involved in the fight for the throne throughout the ages. Their fathers even had a famous battle more than ten years ago.
The successful case of seizing the heir that marks the history of Qing Dynasty certainly empathizes with it...
Although there are no rules strictly prohibiting the power of princes in the Tang Dynasty, based on past mistakes, once the new emperor ascends the throne, he will definitely restrict his brothers and sisters. Military power is a no-brainer. Even the government will prohibit them from interfering, so for complete
For concubines who are not qualified to compete for the heirloom, they absolutely do not want to get involved in the fight for the heir apparent.
If you win, you won't get much benefit, but if you lose, you will be implicated. Who is stupid enough to rely on others?
Li Min, the king of Shu, even had an empty mind, wondering whether he should simply go to Silla to join his brother Li Ke in the future, and become a true prince who is inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people, so that he can enjoy some glory and wealth. Otherwise, with him
With his usually arrogant, domineering and willful behavior and temperament, one day the new emperor might regard him as a chicken that scares monkeys and take him out and chop him into pieces...
Jiang Wang Li Yun was thinking that if the prince was defeated in the end, the Fang family would be implicated, and the whole family might be killed. However, if the men beheaded the women and they would probably join the Jiaofangsi, they would have to find a way to kill the Fang family.
After the little sister is rescued, even if she cannot marry the guilty minister's daughter, she will definitely take her as a concubine.
Even if I have to marry a concubine at that time, I will just leave them aside and respect each other like ice, and I will definitely stay and fly with the little girl of the Fang family, and love each other...
The most frightened one was King Li You of Qi. Previously, the Guanlong clan launched a mutiny to depose the crown prince, but failed to win over the King of Jin and had to retreat and push him out. As a result, he could not help himself and was so powerful that he was unconscious and actually answered.
Sun Wuji was allowed to serve as the crown prince, and he even wrote a crusade against the crown prince.
The prince was benevolent and never held him accountable, but his father had kept him imprisoned since he returned to the capital. Punishment was inevitable. Even if his father died now, no one who ascended the throne would tolerate someone who once coveted the throne.
Are you alive?
Who is not afraid that one day he will be resurrected, and the prince who once tried to get his hands on the throne will rise again?
No matter how I think about it, I am afraid that I will not escape death...
Heartbroken, he raised his head and glanced at his father, who was lying on the imperial bed covered with a brocade quilt, and tears of sadness could not stop flowing down his face.
Although my father was strict, he was like a mountain weighing on the hearts of my brothers when he was alive, but no matter how strict my father was, he would never kill us...
He started sobbing and crying, and the brothers in front of him and behind him all started crying too, either because of the atmosphere, or because they simply thought they should cry...
When the chamberlains standing on both sides saw the princes crying together, they also burst into tears. The whole hall was filled with smoke and their cries were sad.
…
His Majesty Li Er was wise and brave, and was deeply admired and supported by the Minister of Cultural Relics. Now that he died suddenly, everyone naturally felt sad, just like mourning the death of an heir. However, human nature is selfish. While remembering him endlessly, he inevitably thought about how to deal with the current situation in order to ensure his own interests.
.
It is euphemistically called "the dead are gone", but the living must continue to live...
In the second half of the night, all the princes were exhausted and depressed, so they took turns to rest under the arrangements of the officials of the Ministry of Rites. In particular, they staggered the time for the prince and the king of Jin to watch the mourning, ensuring that one of them was always kneeling in front of the mourning. This shows that the internal control of the Ministry of Rites
There were also disputes over the ownership of the throne and they could not agree on it.
The other princes had no objections, but King Li Tai of Wei was deeply dissatisfied with this: Why do I, the second-ranked prince among the legitimate sons, have no chance of ascending to the throne, but all of them are optimistic about Zongnu?
However, the situation is like this, no matter how unwilling you are, you can only swallow your voice.
At this moment, Li Tai could not help but reflect on the bitter consequences of his previous reckless actions and his complete disdain to make friends with the courtiers. It should be noted that at that time, the call for him to be canonized as the crown prince was unanimous from both the government and the public, and the momentum completely overwhelmed the prince. He was still a slug-nosed child slave.
no……
At the end of Yinshi, Li Zhi returned to his residence exhausted. The waiter prepared boiling water and clothes for him to take a bath. The hot bath water soaked his whole body and invigorated his muscles. He sweated hard and put on clean clothes.
Yi, then let out a long breath, feeling that he had finally come to life...
I simply ate a few snacks, drank tea, and let two pretty young eunuchs beat my legs and rub my shoulders to relieve physical fatigue.
Wang Shoushi walked in silently from the door, his thin body hunched, but his pace was not slow, like a poisonous snake that suddenly sprang out of the darkness to bite people, exuding a sinister and dangerous aura.
Even the air seems to have cooled down a bit...
"Your Highness, the Duke of E is here."
Li Zhi put down the teacup, frowned and asked, "Hasn't anyone noticed it?"
Wang Shoushi's wrinkled and mature smile was as weird and ugly as a withered chrysanthemum suddenly blooming: "Your Highness, don't worry, this old slave has lived in this palace for decades, and this matter can still be handled, but right now people
If you have too many eyes, the conversation should not be too long."
During the mutiny of the Guanlong clan, they entered the Taiji Palace and suffered a lot of losses in their chamberlains and maids. However, most of the core chamberlain officials followed the prince to retreat to the Xuanwu Gate, so the losses were not significant. When His Majesty Li Er returned to the palace, he was appointed
The palace staff were reorganized and almost all of them were assigned to various positions themselves.
If he wants to do something secretive in the palace, Wang Shoushi will naturally be able to do it...
Li Zhi nodded slightly, rubbed his red and swollen eyes, and said emotionally: "My father died in heaven, and I am heartbroken. I wish I could hold my father accountable for his filial piety... But since my father left you like this
Loyal men assist me, how dare I slack off and live up to my father's high hopes, how dare I waste the enthusiasm of your loyal and good ministers? If I can achieve great things in the future, I will not treat you lightly!"
When Wang Shoushi heard this, he knelt down on the ground and said in a hoarse voice: "This old slave is just a eunuch. He has no children, no home, no job. The reason why he is serving His Highness wholeheartedly is because Your Highness is His Majesty's chosen prince. Even though he has no
The imperial edict has been passed down to Your Highness, and I must swear allegiance to it to the death and never regret it!"
"There are countless high-sounding people in the court, each claiming to be a loyal and righteous country, but they can't even compare with the loyalty of a eunuch like you. How can they exist between heaven and earth? But there is something wrong with what you said.
Since my father is interested in me and has already made up his mind to enthrone me as the crown prince, how could he not think of leaving a legacy just in case? When the time is right, I will make the legacy known to the public and see if those people
You still insist on going your own way and are willing to be a rebellious minister and traitor!"
Wang Shoushi paused: "I am willing to do your best for Your Highness!"
…
The rain fell deeper at night, the rain outside the window became lighter and drizzled, and the night breeze was cold.
When Yuchi Gong entered the side hall, he saw several candles burning on the bronze candlesticks in the hall. His Royal Highness the King of Jin was kneeling on the smooth floor on the Linchuang side in his broad robes. He quickly stepped forward and knelt down on one knee:
"I will finally join His Highness the King of Jin."
Li Zhi smiled and stretched out his hand to help, with a gentle expression: "Why should you be polite when your family meets in private? Come to me quickly and try the tea I brewed."
"Here!"
Yuchi Gong stood up, came to the opposite side of Li Zhi, lifted up his clothes and knelt down to sit down. Seeing that Li Zhi had filled a cup of tea for him and pushed it in front of him, he quickly leaned over slightly, took the tea cup with both hands, held it up and brought it to his lips.
He took a shallow sip, clicked his tongue, and said with a smile: "I'm not afraid of His Highness's jokes. I've always been a drinker in my life, and I can't be happy without wine. I really can't tolerate this clear and watery tea. Your Majesty has repeatedly scolded me for not being flexible, and I also
I once thought about it, what can I do if my nature is like this? My parents gave me such a stubborn temper, and I will never compromise even if I break my head when I see a path. I have suffered a lot for this. But having said that, Your Majesty,
Therefore, I have great kindness and trust in my old minister. Isn’t it just because the old minister does not care about interests in doing things, but only talks about morality? Now that your majesty is buried, the old minister is in pain and wishes to live. He should have followed your majesty and led his horse to the bottom of the Jiuquan. But,
Thinking that Your Majesty still has a last wish that has not been fulfilled, I can only live on in this world and work hard to help His Majesty achieve great things. When His Majesty unifies the country and achieves imperial hegemony, I will go to Zhaoling to follow Your Majesty."
These words are 90% true and 100% false, so they are full of emotion and touching. It has the feeling of a loyal minister and a good general remembering the late emperor and wishing he could follow him underground.
Li Zhi was so moved that he burst into tears. He straightened up, leaned forward and held Yu Chigong's hands with all his strength. He choked and said, "If everyone is like the Duke of E and respects his father's will until death, my father will not change it."
The emperor should be smiling under the nine springs, but it is a pity that the princes in the court talk about benevolence, righteousness, morality, loyalty and courtesy, but in fact they are all bustling for fame and fortune... With the words of the Duke of E today, I will never forget them as long as I live, but I have achieved something.
, I will protect the Duke of Hubei from falling, and he will rest with his country!"
"Your Highness, I am so kind to you. How dare you, an old minister, not to dedicate yourself to serving me with all your heart and soul?"
Yuchi Gong was also moved and his blood boiled.
His Majesty Li Er had great trust in him when he was alive, but he only promoted the title to the highest level without giving corresponding official positions and powers. This made him extremely dissatisfied privately, but he did not dare to show it at all, so he could only express it in a perverse manner.
Zhi style reminded His Majesty Li Er from time to time, but failed to do so.
This does not mean that he is willing to take refuge with the King of Jin. After all, the prince has a good reputation. As long as there is no decree from His Majesty to depose the throne, he will be the legitimate next emperor of the Tang Empire. Why mess with the King of Jin and take huge risks?
However, the Guanlong clan launched a mutiny before and ultimately failed, which put Yuchi Gongli in an extremely dangerous situation. The prince seemed magnanimous and lenient and did not pursue the Guanlong clan, but in his view, this was just because the reserve was unstable at the time.
The compromise strategy adopted, once he ascends the throne, how can he not counterattack and risk the death of the Guanlong clan?
In particular, Yu Wenshi and the Guanlong core headed by him openly supported the prince but secretly sided with the king of Jin. This made him more and more convinced that once the prince ascended the throne, he would never have a good ending. For the sake of his own power and title and the continuation of his family, he had no choice but to do so.
Not willing to take any risks, he stood on King Jin's side.
Of course, the risks and benefits are equal. As long as His Highness the King of Jin can seize the throne as he did in the "Xuanwu Gate Incident", he, the military boss who helped him in times of need, will naturally be the first-class follower of the dragon. By then,
, we can really "break up with the country" as the King of Jin promised...
But then, Yuchi Gong said worriedly: "Now His Highness is imprisoned here and cannot go out to contact the courtiers who support you. The old ministers are also under house arrest and cannot command the army. If you want to achieve great things, it will be as difficult as ascending to heaven."
Li Zhi, however, was full of energy and full of confidence: "Don't worry, Duke E. Without complete preparations, how could I allow them to transfer you to the palace and imprison you? Until tomorrow night, we will plan something big together!"