If the prince secures the throne and the king of Jin is defeated, will Cheng Yaojin be liquidated?
Li Ji thinks not.
To govern the world, we cannot distinguish between ordinary likes and dislikes, good and evil, nor can we clearly distinguish ourselves from enemies. Then those who follow me will prosper and those who go against us will perish. Instead, we must coordinate the overall situation and maintain stability on the basis of checks and balances.
This is the most basic truth. It is impossible for the prince who has been educated and trained as the heir of the empire from an early age not to understand it. Moreover, Cheng Yaojin, as a distinguished minister of Zhenguan, is deeply trusted and valued by His Majesty Li Er. How can the prince ignore it? How did all the ministers of Zhenguan feel about Cheng Yaojin? In fact, as long as Cheng Yaojin did not openly rebel and conspire, the prince would have to swallow his anger even if he spat in the Taiji Palace.
In this aspect, Cheng Yaojin has an extremely good grasp of the scale.
Of course, it is inevitable to invest in idle companies to completely marginalize them and no longer be close to the central power...
And this is exactly what Cheng Yaojin is worried about.
Isn't it because of the King of Jin's promise of "feudal world" that he leans towards the King of Jin and turns a blind eye while allowing the Youhou Wei to enter the capital?
Cheng Yaojin calculated too clearly and pursued profit, so he sat back and watched success or failure, only waiting for the feudal side in the future, but he did not want to bear the risk of "rebellion".
But if the King of Jin is defeated, all Cheng Yaojin's current calculations will be in vain. After the prince ascends the throne, not only will he not be able to obtain more benefits, he will not even be able to guarantee the current benefits. How can Cheng Yaojin endure this?
Therefore, regardless of the danger of the situation, or even the chain reaction that may affect the whole body, he resolutely came to the British government to ask Li Ji face to face.
Li Ji looked dissatisfied, glanced at Cheng Yaojin, lowered his eyes in silence, and slowly sipped the fragrant tea.
Cheng Yaojin: "..."
Mom, you came to the door shamelessly and humbled yourself, but in the end, this guy started to manipulate you?
He suppressed his anger. At this time, he was asking for help and could not get angry. His face changed instantly, and he said with a smile: "Why is this? I thought that when we fought side by side, we were able to give each other's trust, entrust our wives and children. It’s a life-and-death friendship! Now that I’m in trouble, how can you turn a blind eye and make sarcastic remarks? This is wrong.”
Li Ji: "..."
There was really nothing I could do to deal with this noisy bastard, so I had to say: "You have to choose one from both sides. You can't have it both ways. You want to take advantage of both sides."
"Then why are you hiding in the mansion and watching success or failure?"
Cheng Yaojin looked disdainful, "You old boy can do it, but I can't do it?" The temptation of King Jin's "feudal world" is indeed huge, but the main reason why he stands still is that he does not want to intervene in the fight between the two princes. Whoever wins in the end will inevitably bear the infamy of "slaughtering the bones and blood of the late emperor."
As a close minister of His Majesty Li Er, how could he not know that His Majesty Li Er had been feeling guilty for many years because of the murder of his brothers during the Xuanwu Sect Incident, so he valued the friendship and filial piety among his children very much?
Even though His Majesty Li Er has passed away now, no one wants to see his sons killing each other, let alone getting involved...
Li Ji shook his head and said, "We are different. I have no desires and desires, but you are greedy."
He has long been the chief minister and the leader of the military. He is inferior to one person and superior to tens of thousands of people. No matter whether he assists the prince or successfully ascends the throne to the king of Jin, how should he be rewarded?
If no reward is given, the king will be regarded as ungrateful, his reputation will be unfavorable, and his prestige will be greatly reduced.
If rewarded, what should be rewarded?
Prince?
Or should he be granted the title of Prime Minister and be given nine tins?
Or is it "praising and worshiping without fame, entering the court without following, and walking with swords and shoes in the palace"?
The master has great achievements and no reward, so it is time to die...
Cheng Yaojin frowned, doubtful: "Is it really just to defile yourself, and not for any other reason?"
With Li Ji's current official position, power, and status, it is true that there is no reward, but it is a taboo for an emperor to sit back and watch success or failure. How can he continue to trust him no matter whether the prince or the king of Jin ascends the throne in the future?
Since it cannot be trusted, it is natural to suppress it.
Falling from the pinnacle of power in an instant is a gap that is absolutely unbearable for ordinary people. Even if Li Ji was indifferent to fame and fortune, he would never put himself in that state...
But Li Ji is now indifferent to the situation in Chang'an and lets it go. Other than this reason, there is really no explanation.
Li Ji shook his head and said calmly: "Believe it or not, it's up to you. Once you've finished speaking, get out of here."
Where in the world are there so many people who are indifferent to fame and fortune?
A real man cannot live without power for a day!
But Li Ji knew very well that going too far was not enough. When Fang Xuanling retired from office, the prime minister and assistants were empty. As a military leader, he ascended the cabinet and became the prime minister and became the head of the prime ministers and assistants. Your Majesty, an emperor with such magnanimous spirit and broad mind, is very afraid of him. You can imagine how difficult his life was.
Under such circumstances, what can we do if we avoid hiding our clumsiness and guarding our ignorance?
With his identity, status, qualifications, and meritorious deeds, His Majesty Li Er had no choice but to use him, otherwise he would easily be slandered as mean, unkind, and narrow-minded; but it is also his identity, status, and qualifications that make him only half the distance from being the supreme king in the world. Just one step away... Which emperor can rest assured?
The same is true now. If he fully assists the crown prince or the King of Jin to ascend the throne, he will determine the great cause in the future and be appreciated based on his merits. He will still be the head of the powerful officials... Even His Majesty Li Er feels afraid, let alone the Crown Prince or the King of Jin?
He is loyal to His Majesty Li Er, and His Majesty Li Er also knows that he is loyal.
Therefore, according to His Majesty Li Er's original idea when he forced him to serve as prime minister, he should have been used for a period of time, and then demoted before his death. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he would be kind and revive again.
Between being demoted and demoted, the reward can not only show the new emperor's favor, but also ensure that the status remains unchanged and everything is as usual.
Unexpectedly, His Majesty Li Er died unexpectedly and did not have time to "reprimand" him. This put Li Ji in a very embarrassing position - since he had never reprimanded him, he naturally had no chance to recover. He was already the ruler beneath one person and above tens of thousands of people. The leader of the auxiliary, the military leader, where else to start?
If you get up again, you have to enter the Tai Chi Palace...
Cheng Yaojin saw Li Ji's dull expression and knew that this man was a deep and thoughtful man and that he could not figure out his thoughts at all. He could only drain the tea in the cup angrily and threw the cup on the table with a smelly smell. He stood up with a straight face, didn't even say goodbye, and walked away angrily.
Li Ji shook his head, not taking it seriously.
Just as Cheng Yaojin said, the two of them stirred the same pot and covered each other with a blanket while camping at night. In the midst of thousands of troops, they were able to trust each other's backs. How could they care about this false courtesy?
But in my heart, I felt a little sorry for Cheng Yaojin's choice.
The private army in the south of the Yangtze River was defeated in one battle, so the navy could leave it alone and then go north along the canal to Tongguan, where it would attack from both sides with the troops loyal to the prince inside and outside Chang'an.
Not to mention the first unit of the Anxi Army that has arrived in Hexi,
The current situation of King Jin is quite bad...
And when the prince is firmly on the throne, how can Cheng Yaojin not be punished for his "sitting back and watching the success or failure" today?
Sighing, the Jin King's rebellion will cause personnel changes in the imperial court, and the central power will be violently shaken. Things will change, and people will also change.
He took a gloomy sip of tea and found that the tea was already lukewarm. Just as he was about to call the servant in to boil water and make a pot of tea again, he saw his grandson Li Jingyou walking in excitedly. Before anyone could reach him, he had already said loudly: "Grandpa" , the second uncle has led the Sixth Army of the East Palace under his command to leave Chang'an and is stationed at the foot of Li Mountain, thirty miles east of Baqiao. It seems that they are about to start attacking Tongguan! I want to go to the second uncle, even if I am a relative who leads a horse to fall. Soldiers are also good, okay?"
Li Ji suddenly had a headache.
My eldest son is steady and smart, but each of his three grandsons is as restless as his second son, even wanton and without awe...
I am well aware of the dangers of government, so even if I am in the position of prime minister, I still have to hide my foolishness and be clumsy. However, these grandsons are all high-spirited and enterprising. They do not know that since they respect people so much, they cannot continue to add icing on the cake and cook the oil in the fire. , otherwise going too far will only sow the seeds of disaster.
However, although a person's temperament changes greatly the day after tomorrow, it is more certain innately. As the saying goes, a country is easy to change, but a character is hard to change. You can still suppress it when you are alive, but when you die in the future, who can still suppress it? Little ancestor?
The only hope is that the prince will always be kind and forgiving. Even if the descendants of the Li family cause a disaster, it will not bring harm to the family...
But then again, now that I am avoiding the fight for the throne like a snake and a scorpion, and letting the King of Jin and the Crown Prince cause trouble to Xiao Qiang, how can the Crown Prince not be angry in his heart?
When they secure the throne in the future, if the descendants of the Li family make big mistakes again, who knows that they won't be liquidated one by one?
Therefore, although he was hiding in the mansion, he was on pins and needles and was in a dilemma.
Perhaps, when the crown prince's enthronement ceremony is held in a few days, he should express something, but in this way, it goes against his original intention...
Really tricky.
When he thought of this, he suddenly realized how different his current thoughts and situation were from Cheng Yaojin's?
After all, there are still too many calculations, too many worries, and a certain amount of money. Far from being as consistent and unreserved as Fang Jun...
I couldn't help but take a deep breath.
The second son, Li Siwen, served as the Sixth Commander of the East Palace under the Crown Prince. He was very loyal and had fought a bloody battle in the Taiji Palace before. With such intensity, could such intensity ensure that the Li family would not stand still after the Crown Prince ascended the throne?