The heavy rain was pouring outside the window, the candles were brightly lit in the barracks, and a pot of fragrant tea was filled with steam. The two cousins sat opposite each other, drinking tea, and did not speak for a long time.
It wasn't until the pot of tea was almost finished that Li Xiaogong put the teacup on the table, looked up at Li Daozong, and asked, "What do you think of the current situation?"
"Chengfan" is Li Daozong's name. Li Xiaogong did not address the official position or title, but called the other party's name. Apparently, he told Li Daozong that this conversation was only in the capacity of each other's brothers, and they were discussing the inheritance of the family business and the future of the family's honor and disgrace.
.
There is no need to be taboo and there is no need to be wary.
Li Daozong naturally understood and understood that Li Xiaogong wanted him to express his attitude from the standpoint of the Li Tang royal family.
It is even more likely that Li Xiaogong noticed something and believed that the current situation would endanger the interests of the Li Tang royal family if it spread like this. He wanted to take some measures to stop or change it, and this would inevitably require the "second commander" in the clan.
support themselves.
After thinking for a while, he did not give an answer, but asked instead: "Now the late emperor's edict is widely circulated in the palace. Regardless of who is in the edict, I just want to ask my brother, is this edict true or false?"
Li Xiaogong remained silent.
Is the imperial edict true or false? Only the devil knows! If it is true, the late emperor avoided him, the leader of the clan and his most trusted cousin, and privately awarded it to the King of Jin and kept it secret until the King of Jin escaped from the Taiji Palace and gathered an army to march into Chang'an.
It is absolutely unreasonable to show it to others in public; but if it is said to be false, the reason why the late emperor left such a legacy and was passed down to the King of Jin is completely logical...
He could only say: "I don't know whether it is true or not, but we are not only ministers of the late emperor, but also ministers of the Tang Dynasty, and more importantly, ministers of the clan. In our eyes, we must care about the interests of the Tang Dynasty and the clan, and we need to be broad-minded.
Four Seas, instead of doing stupid things in the name of loyalty and leaving the empire in turmoil. Even if the edict was true, if the late emperor could have foreseen that brothers would now put their elders in the flames of war in order to seize the heir.
, do you think the late emperor would leave such a legacy?"
Li Daozong shook his head and said: "I don't care about that. Whether I am foolish, loyal or confused, I only recognize the legacy of the late emperor. If the late emperor passed the throne to the king of Jin, I will deem the king of Jin as the emperor. If the late emperor passed the throne to the king,
Brother, I will regard you as the emperor. This country belongs to the late emperor, and whoever he gives it to, I will regard you as the emperor."
When the late emperor was alive, everyone could have their own ideas about the ownership of the throne, or they could directly remonstrate and argue with reason. But since the late emperor has passed away, all disputes are unnecessary. He can only carry out the late emperor's last orders. In his opinion,
There is no doubt about this.
Li Xiaogong frowned and said slowly: "So, you believe in the existence of the imperial edict, and believe that the so-called imperial edict made public by the Duke of Jin is the true embodiment of His Majesty's will?"
Li Daozong was silent for a long time before asking: "In your opinion, if the late emperor was still there, or if the late emperor was able to leave a legacy, would he depose the prince and install the king of Jin as the crown prince?"
Li Xiaogong was a little irritated and said dissatisfied: "Who can say for sure that such things have not been put into practice? At least when he was canonized as the crown prince, His Majesty did not think that one day it would be easy to save. You said you would follow the late emperor's legacy, but the late emperor's ambition was
Hasn't it changed? When he came to the throne, the late emperor was diligent and frugal, devoted himself to the public affairs, and loved the people. He and Queen Wende wore simple clothes and never had a gorgeous palace. However, in recent years, the empire's finances have been abundant and the internal funds have been rich. His Majesty has gradually become extravagant and arrogant, and even more so.
With both great achievements and great achievements, a battle in the Eastern Expedition almost exhausted Zhenguan’s ten years of accumulated knowledge. Now you are telling me about the late emperor’s legacy? I’m afraid even the late emperor himself doesn’t know what his ambition is.”
People can change. No matter how wise or wise a person is, once he controls the resources of a huge empire, his ambition will grow wildly. Just like Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty, who dares to say that he is ignorant and stupid? However, the expansion is beyond reach.
The restrained ambition was eventually buried with the collapse of the empire.
Among them are Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty's great achievements, but more importantly, he was coerced by clan politics and had to rely on external means of catharsis to eliminate the clan's stranglehold on imperial power. The reason why Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty dug the canal, and why he conquered Goguryeo three times,
They may not necessarily want to achieve these great achievements, but the more important purpose is to weaken the strength of the clan.
But now, once the King of Jin comes to power, it can be foreseen that the clan will completely occupy the court with the power of Conglong, and the flames will be even greater than in the early years of Zhenguan.
The royal family will completely lose their initiative under the pressure of the clan, which is something Li Xiaogong cannot allow.
After all, "everything in the world is for profit." The king of Jin ascended to the throne with the help of his family members, and the family members relied on pushing the king of Jin to overturn the situation. Li Xiaogong wanted to support the crown prince to establish the status and power of the royal family, and Li Daozong wanted to carry out the legacy of the late emperor.
The name of "loyalty"... is essentially all for oneself, fame, or profit.
But who has the people of this world at heart and is always thinking about ensuring their interests?
Li Daozong held the pot and poured tea again, but remained silent.
Obviously the decision has been made, and no more persuasion is useless...
Li Xiaogong did not get up and leave. Li Daozong's attitude was unexpected. Now he had to re-examine the current situation in order to confirm his position.
Xuanwu Gate is the gateway and throat of Taiji Palace, and Li Daozong guards this dangerous place. His stance directly determines whether Taiji Palace will face the rebel army. When the Sixth Army of the East Palace leads a bloody battle with the Youhou Guards in the front, another force
The partial master sneaked outside the Xuanwu Gate and launched a surprise attack with the help of Li Daozong... The end of the East Palace was definitely tragic.
And Li Daozong clearly told the truth about his position, either to express that he would never open the Xuanwu Gate to introduce rebels, or to test Li Xiaogong's attitude, thinking of including him.
Win over...
Li Xiaogong was in a dilemma. He originally wanted Li Daozong to worship the prince together with him on the "big coffin" after dawn, in order to express his support for the prince, maintain Zhengshuo, and ensure the interests of the royal family through his support, but he did not expect that now
On the contrary, he was indecisive and in a dilemma.
Silence fell in the barracks. The two most powerful figures in the Li Tang royal family sat opposite each other, drinking tea in silence, each thinking without saying a word.
Amidst the sound of rain, the big drum located in the corner tower of the city wall beat slowly. The melodious drum sound penetrated the wind and rain, and was powerful and deep.
Li Daozong put down his tea cup and said: "It's the fifth watch, and the 'big coffin' is coming soon. My brother is responsible for presiding over it, so he shouldn't delay. Please go by yourself."
Li Xiaogong rubbed Lian, and finally tried to persuade: "Are you serious about not considering it? As the royal family's children, you and I should consider it for the royal family. We cannot act arbitrarily according to our temper, otherwise you and I will not be able to bear the consequences. The ascension of King Jin has the foundation
If the situation is unstable, there will be many opponents in the government and the public, and chaos will arise. In troubled times, heavy laws are needed. If the King of Jin wants to secure the throne, he has to kill ruthlessly. All threats to the throne will be eradicated one by one, and the royal family will bear the brunt...
Maybe a hundred years later, you will become a sinner of the royal family."
Unlike the crown prince who ascended the throne, no matter how much the King of Jin claimed the authenticity of the "edict", he could not change the fact that he had usurped it against his will. If the name is not correct, the words will not be obeyed, and if the words are not obeyed, the heart will be dissatisfied. At that time, His Majesty Li Er of the Xuanwu Sect
After the change, why would he be willing to kill his brothers, their families, and their heirs? Because of his dishonest reputation and his unjust words, in order to eliminate the threat and secure the throne, he had to kill a man with a black face and a cruel heart, and his blood would flow like a river.
If His Majesty appoints the King of Jin as the Crown Prince while he is still alive, although it is unreasonable to abolish the eldest and establish the younger, the world will inevitably be slandered and angry. But where is Your Majesty's prestige, the number of opponents will be limited after all. Even if they object, they will remain rational and will not ignore it.
Involve the world.
However, His Majesty died suddenly and never abolished the crown prince during his lifetime. This is destined to be followed by bloodshed after King Jin ascends to the throne.
Who poses the greatest threat to King Jin’s throne?
Naturally, among the descendants of the late emperor, the first one to bear the brunt is the prince and king of Wei, who is also the legitimate son of the late emperor, and then the princes and princes of the clan. It is difficult for him, a prestigious prince and prince of the clan, to stay out of the matter. After all, Li Yuanjing's rebellion is not far away...
Jiangnan and Shandong clans need to suppress and weaken the royal family to gain more benefits. The King of Jin needs to eradicate all brothers and uncles who may threaten the throne. You can imagine what a serious situation the royal family will face by then. Just thinking about it, Li Xiaogong feels his heart pounding.
Tremble...
However, Li Daozong was stubborn and refused to give in. He had to hold on to the idea of being loyal to the late emperor regardless of the floods in the world.
A soldier came in from the outside and said softly: "Information to the commander-in-chief and the king of the county, the drums of Wude Hall sounded several times, and the 'big burial' is about to begin."
Li Xiaogong looked at Li Daozong: "Are you going over?"
Li Daozong was silent for a moment, shook his head and said, "It's better not to go. I am loyal to Your Majesty, and I will remain determined even if Your Majesty is buried in heaven."
Since we are loyal to His Majesty Li Er, we should abide by His Majesty Li Er's desire to change the throne several times and make the King of Jin the emperor. However, if we go to attend the "big funeral", we need to pay homage to the prince together with all the officials. If we don't do that, we must pay homage to the prince together with the prince.
He did not want to break up in public.
In this case, it is better not to go.
As for not being able to see His Majesty's last face...loyalty is in the bones and remembrance is in the heart, so why should we care about the form?
Your Majesty is alive in heaven, and you must be happy.
Li Xiaogong cupped his hands with a solemn expression, turned around and walked out of the door into the wind and rain. The soldiers quickly held up umbrellas and followed behind him to protect him from the rain.
The sky is still dark and the rain never stops,
Thunder and lightning, wind and rain, the tall and majestic Xuanwu Gate stands on the Longshou Plain, showing its majestic and murderous aura like a unicorn monster, overlooking this majestic and majestic capital city that has been repeatedly war-torn at any time.
Dive and fight, crushing everything into powder.
Outside the Chengtian Gate, the sound of killing shook the sky. Countless Tang Dynasty tigers who had guarded the frontier and expanded the territory fought against each other. The horizontal knives cut open Pao Ze's body, chopped off his limbs, and the blood sprayed into streams.
In the Hall of Wude, the "big burial" of His Majesty Li Er, the first generation of the British Lord, is about to begin. His body is placed in the coffin. From now on, his true face will no longer be seen in the world, leaving only a glorious and prosperous life and a thousand years of achievements to be praised by future generations...