The late emperor's coffin was sent to Zhaoling. In the newly renovated Wude Hall, the prince was discussing matters with Liu Ji. When he heard the news, he was quite surprised.
Since the King of Jin started his army, first Li Ji ignored them and thanked guests behind closed doors, and then Cheng Yaojin opened the four doors and allowed people to come and go. These two people showed a "sit back and watch the success or failure" attitude, although they would not follow the King of Jin to rebel. One blow caused the loss of Chang'an, but the prince was extremely dissatisfied with such neglect of duty and ulterior motives.
However, the prince has always been soft-tempered and rarely holds grudges against anyone. Although he is dissatisfied with the civil servants and military generals who "just sit back and watch the success or failure", he is also secretly glad that these people did not hear that the King of Jin had a "posthumous edict" and followed him. I don't even want to put him, the crown prince, to death... Let's ascend the throne first and worry about it later.
But now the two most powerful people among the parties who were "sitting back and watching the success or failure" suddenly came into contact in private. How could the prince not feel wary and fearful?
Liu Ji was thinking about it, and when he saw the prince's face gloomy, he thought for a while and whispered: "Your Highness Mingjian, although the King of Jin has retreated to Tongguan now, there are countless people in Chang'an who feel pity for him. Because His Highness is in great power, I dare to be angry but dare not speak out, but no one can guarantee that these people are secretly communicating with the King of Jin, or even supporting him as internal agents."
Li Chengqian looked gloomy and said distressedly: "Even so, Gu can't kill everyone, can he? There will always be people who believe in the 'edict'."
Not all people in the world are rational. Even if you say "the earth is a round ball" now, some people will believe it, let alone a "posthumous edict"?
Some people are so ignorant that they do not distinguish between right and wrong. Since there is a "legacy edict", they believe it to be true; while some people do not care about the authenticity of the "legacy edict". As long as the existence of the "legacy edict" is beneficial to them, they will add fuel to the flames.
The human heart is the most unpredictable, and naturally it is also the most difficult to grasp. What can be done?
Liu Jie said: "It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. What matters is whether those people will secretly support the King of Jin and cooperate with him inside and outside. If so, wouldn't it be clinging to rebellion and deviating from orthodoxy? Let such traitors live in Chang'an and inform the city of all the truth and truth. For the King of Jin, it is not good for the overall situation! Although I am not familiar with military affairs, I also know the principle of strict military intelligence. What if the army is fighting in the front during the war, but the truth and reality in the rear are known to the King of Jin and deployed accordingly? How can it be done? "
Li Chengqian looked helpless: "Of course what you said makes sense, but we have to wait until those people actually inform the King of Jin before they can be punished, right? We can't charge them with unfounded charges."
He absolutely cannot do such a thing and punish him without teaching him, and he absolutely cannot do it.
Otherwise, will my reputation be lost? I'm afraid that the real traitor will not be caught, but countless innocent people will be involved out of thin air. When the public opinion becomes fierce, I, the orthodox prince, will be criticized, causing the situation to suddenly change.
Liu Jie said: "Of course, the evidence must be conclusive before severe punishment can be imposed and punishment should be done without hesitation."
Li Chengqian smiled bitterly and said: "This kind of thing is extremely taboo. Even if someone does it, who would be willing to leave the evidence? Even if the evidence is left, how can outsiders know about it?"
Liu Ji leaned forward slightly, so that Li Chengqian came a little closer, and said in a low voice: "Did Your Highness forget about the 'Hundred Cavalry Division'? The late emperor originally recruited elite soldiers from the left and right garrison to establish the 'Hundred Cavalry Division', except for the ban on Suwei Palace." , and has the responsibility of supervising hundreds of officials and clearing out the capital. He originally placed spies in various places in the city and in every mansion. At this time, the country was in a difficult situation, so he just activated the "Hundred Cavalry Division" to secretly collect various intelligence and monitor the civil and military officials in the city. , once it is discovered that anyone is communicating with the rebels or even passing information, they can be imprisoned, brought into the government to search for evidence, and handed over to His Highness for judgment."
"Hundred Cavalry Division" is not just a simple army of the emperor. Since His Majesty Li Er came to power during the "Xuanwumen Incident", there are many people in the country who are unwilling to surrender, and there are even many people who are plotting uprising. In order to maintain the rule of the system,
"Baiqisi" has contributed a lot.
However, as the imperial power became more and more stable, the shortcomings of the "Hundred Cavalry Division" gradually emerged. Officials in the court were frequently arrested and interrogated, which made people panic and slandered endlessly. Moreover, His Majesty Li Er had a universal mind and did not allow the "Hundred Cavalry Division"
"Continuing to collect "criminal evidence" of civil and military officials has greatly reduced the power of "Baiqisi".
But now the battle for the throne is in full swing, and it's time for "Hundred Knights" to show off their skills...
Li Chengqian stroked his short beard under his chin and pondered without saying a word.
Under such a situation, the "Baiqisi" can indeed listen to intelligence and eliminate spies, so that those in the court who dare to conspire with the King of Jin will be exposed and punished. But at the same time, as a "secret agent agency"
, its nature determines that as a minion of the emperor, it can escape from the laws of the empire, create arbitrary traps, and frame-up and frame-up are inevitable.
Otherwise, why was the emperor so afraid of the "Baiqisi" back then, and he ordered that the interception range of the "Baiqisi" should not extend beyond Chang'an?
After hesitating in his mind for a long time, he said: "This is a serious matter. I have to think carefully about it and listen to the opinions of all the ministers. I cannot make a hasty decision."
Liu Jie's face was expressionless. Although he had already considered the prince's reaction and it was exactly what he wanted, he still couldn't hide his disappointment: "That's exactly what it is! Your Highness is kind and prudent, which is really a blessing to the empire and to the common people."
The so-called "listening to the opinions of the ministers" is probably just asking Fang Jun privately for his opinion... It can be seen that Fang Jun's position in the heart of the prince is as solid as a rock and cannot be shaken.
Although Cen Wenwen had taught him before, telling him that now was the time to lay the foundation of "civilian politics", whether it was Fang Jun or someone else, as long as he could implement "civilian politics", he was an ally and should cooperate with each other to create a new world.
of great deeds.
Liu Jie could also listen, but jealousy is human nature. Seeing that Fang Jun's status will rise again after the prince ascends the throne, it is very likely that he will not be able to catch up or surpass him in his lifetime. How can he not be in a hurry?
jealous?
Of course, if the prince decides to authorize the "Baiqisi" to investigate Baiguan after discussing with Fang Jun, it will play into his plans...
…
In Kong Yingda's house, in the study, Kong Yingda and Fang Jun sat across from each other to drink tea. The former put down his tea cup and tasted the sweetness in his mouth. After a long time, he sighed and said: "In the past two years, the world has been unrest and the situation is unstable. The production of new tea in Jiangnan
Very little, there is not much stock at home. If one day we stop eating, how will we live this day?"
The method of frying tea is very popular, and the tea produced returns to the characteristics of the plant itself, or it is fragrant, or it is bitter at first and then sweet, or it is clear and smooth... Compared with the popular cooking method of adding messy seasonings in the past, it is more
It shows pure and natural beauty and is extremely popular among people all over the world.
However, with the turmoil in the situation, the production of tea, which was already in short supply, has dropped sharply, and now it is becoming increasingly hard to find...
Fang Jun had no choice: "The Jiangnan clan now regards me as an enemy. On the surface, they dare not do anything due to the power of the navy, but privately they have repeatedly torn up past agreements and acted against them everywhere. For example, the tea gardens in various places in Jiangnan are frequently stolen and cut down, resulting in
Tea production has been greatly reduced, but the current situation is not suitable for forcing the Jiangnan clan too much, so we have to endure it for a while."
The sea trade was strangled by the Navy and Huating Town. The Jiangnan nobles were extremely dissatisfied. Their overt and covert struggles never stopped. The reason why the Jiangnan nobles raised nearly 100,000 private troops to go north to support the King of Jin this time was because they wanted to
Break free from the shackles of the Navy and Huating Town, and tightly hold the power of sea trade in his hands.
Kong Yingda sighed: "Since the Jin Dynasty moved south, the situation of dividing the north and the south has been formed. The large families of the Central Plains crossed the Yangtze River to seek refuge south, and settled in the land south of the Yangtze River. Their business has been deeply rooted for hundreds of years, and they have become alienated from the dynasty center in the north because of conflicting interests.
They always seek to divide the river and rule it. They think that with the abundant resources and people in the south of the Yangtze River and the education of literature, they can get rid of the harsh demands for wealth in the north, become more prosperous, and even unify the Central Plains... This idea is shared by almost all the Jiangnan gentry.
Therefore, whenever there is great chaos in the Central Plains, those people are always unwilling to be lonely... Erlang is right to tolerate it. It will not take a hundred years for the world to eliminate the obsession with the division of north and south among the Jiangnan nobles. If he does it forcefully now, the consequences will be disastrous.
"
In fact, in his opinion, dispatching the navy to bombard the Jiangnan private troops crossing the river was a risky move. The pursuit of wealth and the obsession with politics could easily make the Jiangnan gentry compete for the throne in full swing.
, the center took desperate risks when it was unable to look southward.
Fang Jun doesn't think so. The Jiangnan gentry has been going on for hundreds of years, and every family has a profound background, but none of them can stand high and serve as an outstanding leader. The Lanling Xiao family is known as the first family in Jiangnan, but this is largely due to
His status as a descendant of the Nanliang royal family does not mean that the Xiao family is powerful enough to assume the leadership position.
Moreover, the Xiao family in Lanling lacks talents. Each generation is inferior to the last, and there is a lack of up-and-coming talents. Xiao Yu alone cannot achieve anything...
The two of them drank tea and talked, and Fang Jun suddenly calmed down. Then he saw Kong Yingda's second son Kong Zhiyue coming in from outside and respectfully greeted Fang Jun.
Now Fang Jun's official position is the Minister of Rites, while Kong Zhiyue is the Doctor of the Ministry of Rites...
After reciting the ceremony and sitting down, Fang Jun saw that he looked tired and asked with a smile: "Brother, have you just come back from the Yamen?"
Kong Zhiyue took a sip of tea, nodded and said: "Exactly, because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is about to ascend the throne these days, the yamen has been busy with work. The lower official was assigned to the Hongwen Hall to sort out the collection of classics, and he could only sleep two nights a day.
hour."
Speaking of this, his eyes looked a little strange.
As the organizer of the crown prince's enthronement, the Department of Ceremonies caused everyone in the yamen to be so busy that they hit the back of their heads. However, the highest official in the yamen never showed up at the yamen ceremony. Now he is sitting in his own home with his own family.