There was smoke in the mourning hall. Fang Jun took a look at the body covered with quilts placed after the coffin. Cen Manqian and Cen Jingqian, the eldest sons of Cen Wenwen, invited them into the side hall on the other side. There were already many people in the hall. Among the officials who expressed their condolences was Zhongshu Ling Liu Zi, who was sitting on the throne...
When they saw the room and Li and the two came in, the officials all stopped talking and stood up to salute. Liu Zi had to stand up, walked a few steps forward to the door, raised his hand and saluted.
Now that Li Xiaogong has resigned as the Governor of Anxi and no longer has military power in his hands, the Prince of Jiangxia County is the first general with military power in the clan. He has gained the trust of His Majesty and sits in the important place of Xuanwu Gate. He has outstanding achievements, strong strength and prominent status.
Fang Jun was also the Minister of Rites with the highest rank among the six departments. He was also in charge of the Navy, and he was stationed at Xuandemen. He straddled the military and political circles. He was the best in the imperial court in terms of Youlong.
Even Zhongshu Ling Liu Zi did not dare to trust him. Of course, now that Xiao Yu has defected and Cen Wenwen has died of illness, Liu Zi is the well-deserved number one civil servant in the DPRK. He will not fall behind even when facing Li Ji, not to mention Fang Jun. With Li Daozong?
Therefore, although Liu Zi was not lacking in courtesy, his chin was slightly raised, and he could not hide his pride, or he deliberately did not hide it. After all, his status was now very different, and he had to make decisions when facing the clan and military bosses. The tough look was used as an example to boost the morale of the civil servants. At the same time, it could win the hearts of the people and attract Cen Wenwen's party members to unify the civil servants and increase their strength.
Li Daozong cupped his fists in return, while Fang Jun just nodded and walked around Liu Zi to the main seat where Liu Zi was sitting. He lifted up the hem of his robe and sat down with a golden sword.
Liu Zi: "..."
Li Daozong: "..."
Everyone: "..."
They were all stunned.
This side hall is probably where the Cen family usually holds family affairs, so the layout is that two main seats are placed side by side in the north, which are the seats of the head of the family and the mistress. The rest are placed in two rows of twenty and handles in the east and west Chair.
It would be fine if Fang Jun sat in another seat, but he had to sit in Liu Zi's seat just now...
As the masters, Cen Manqian and Cen Jingqian were also stunned. Then they came back to their senses and felt their scalps numb.
It is true that since the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, Fang Jun has been a close minister of the emperor. He is the most favored by both the government and the public. Jun single-handedly reorganized the Youtun Guards and the Navy, and even controlled the military power. His reputation was as high as that of Zhenguan ministers. Today, when Li Chengqian ascended the throne, Fang Jun's honor and favor are even greater than those of the Zhenguan Dynasty, and his holy scrolls are unparalleled...
But after all, Liu Zi was also the secretary of the dynasty, and he was the rightful prime minister. Now that Cen Wenwen has died of illness, the official position of Shangshu Youpushe will soon fall to Liu Zi, who is second only to the chief assistant Li Ji. Help.
Moreover, Li Ji has always ignored things. This change of Jin King's troops was caused by his initial inaction, which made His Majesty unhappy. His influence in the court plummeted. Given time, Liu Zi may not be able to replace Li Ji...
Even if you, Fang Jun, are a relative of the emperor and an elder in the army, is it really appropriate to treat Liu Zi like nothing?
What's more, the current situation is unpredictable, and it is still unclear who will win in the battle for the throne. Offending Liu Zi so harshly may not leave behind disaster...
However, Fang Jun sat down as a matter of course. He even looked at the two Cen brothers and waved his hands and said: "You go and greet the guests yourself. Don't be disrespectful by being disrespectful. Just let Cen Changqian come over and serve tea."
As if the Cen brothers were granted amnesty, they were most afraid of a conflict between Fang Jun and Liu Zi here, and the Cen family would suffer an unreasonable disaster. After hearing this, they quickly confessed to everyone, bowed their heads and exited the side hall, not daring to look at Liu Zi, who had changed his face.
.
No matter how well-educated Liu Zi is, no matter how wealthy he is, he can't help but look livid when faced with Fang Jun's disregard and insult at this moment.
Others just stood aside, not even daring to take a breath, for fear of damaging the fish in the pond.
Li Daozong looked at Fang Jun, then at Liu Zi, and came forward to sit under Fang Jun instead of sitting on the main seat with Fang Jun.
He was the king of the county, and had the rank of duke above Fang Jun. Logically speaking, there was no reason to sit below him, but he sat down like that, and Fang Jun did not stand up and give in...
The atmosphere is getting weirder.
On the contrary, Liu Zi, who looked ugly, exhaled a breath and returned to normal without speaking. He went straight to the other main seat next to Fang Jun and sat down. With a smile on his face, he turned a blind eye to Fang Jun and smiled at Li Daozong.
: "The current situation is urgent. The county prince has the important responsibility of guarding Xuanwu Gate. In times of crisis, he can still come to express condolences to Duke Jiangling. He is indeed a friendly person. I really admire him."
Li Daozong stroked his short beard under his chin and said calmly: "Liu Zhongshu is the prime minister and assistant of the country. Don't follow what others say. Just listen to the wind and it will rain. Although the rebels have crossed the Ba River, they have Lu Guogong leading his elite Zuowuwei in the south and Liang Jianfang in the north.
With the right guard army, the north and the south help each other like horns. How easy is it for the rebels to conquer Chang'an? When all the armies are ready and join forces, the rebels can be destroyed with just one hand."
Liu Zi felt unhappy. This was just a scene, but Li Daozong's tone was not good, which meant that he, the Zhongshu Ling, was reprimanded.
After being insulted by Fang Jun and scolded by Li Daozong in succession, Liu Zi couldn't help but want to retort. Just as he was about to speak, Cen Changqian led Cui Dunli in at the door. Everyone who had just sat down in the room quickly stood up again and saluted Cui Dunli one after another.
Now that Cui Dunli is in charge of the Ministry of War and is a close minister of His Majesty, he is no longer the Amen of Wu Xia. How can officials from three provinces, six ministries and nine temples dare to be rude?
Cui Dunli also clasped his fists and returned the salute one by one. Finally, he saluted Li Daozong, Fang Jun, and Liu Zi who were sitting at the top: "I have seen the prince of the county, the Duke of Yue, and Liu Zhongshu!"
Liu Zi had no choice but to swallow the words that reached his lips, smiled, and nodded in greeting.
Logically speaking, the seat where Liu Zi was sitting was vacant at this moment, and Cui Dunli should sit down here, but Cui Dunli walked straight to Li Daozong, lifted up his clothes and sat down.
Liu Zi's face became more and more gloomy...
Cen Changqian rolled his eyes, went out and called some of the Cen family's children, carrying teapots to pour tea for everyone, while he himself held the teapot to serve Li, Fang, Liu and Cui.
Fang Jun took the tea, looked at Cen Changqian's red and swollen eyes from crying, and said warmly: "The dead have passed away, but the living should still be strong. Your uncle regards you as his own son and has high hopes for you. You should step out of the sadness and work hard."
Go up and create some achievements, and you will live up to the cultivation that Jiangling County Lord has given you."
Among the Cen family members, Cen Changqian was the most talented. Cen Wenwen was very fond of her during his lifetime. Even when he was about to retire due to illness, he wanted to pave the way for Cen Changqian and leave a political legacy.
And Fang Jun also has high hopes for this outstanding student of the academy...
A warm current flowed through Cen Changqian's heart. Thinking of Fang Jun's favoritism and love in the academy, she couldn't help but her eyes turned red and she choked up: "Students must follow the teachings of Duke Yue, work hard, strive for the top, and live up to uncle's high expectations.
I owe you the cultivation of the Duke of Yue!"
Many officials in the hall looked at Cen Changqian with envy in their eyes, wishing they could say, "I should give birth to a child like Cen Changqian"...
With the influence of Cen Wenwen, the cultivation of the academy, and the support of Fang Jun, it can be said that Cen Changqian's path to an official career has been smooth. She only needs to show a little bit of personal ability to rise to the top and have a prosperous official career.
With such a promising young man, who wouldn’t want to be his own son?
Liu Zi narrowed his eyes and looked at Fang Jun, then looked at the officials in the hall, and understood why Fang Jun was so rude to him.
This is a show of force!
He warned himself that even if he could become a civil servant leader without Cen Wenwen, he should still keep his integrity. He also showed his strength and prestige to a group of officials, suppressing these officials from starting a fight and disrupting the government after Cen Wenwen's death.
Cen Manqian left and returned, whispering at the door: "Your Majesty is here!"
Whoops! All the officials in the hall stood up, headed by Li, Fang, Liu, and Cui, and filed out of the side hall and outside the mourning hall.
I don’t know when it started to rain lightly again, and the howling autumn wind made people feel chilly all over. Li Chengqian, who was dressed in a bright yellow robe and was surrounded by his chamberlain and guards, rushed over. He had a disabled leg and it was difficult to move, but at this moment he was totally free.
Regardless of the lack of etiquette in front of others, he walked in a hurry, didn't even care about the rain on the ground that wet his clothes, and didn't even look at the officials who were bowing in front of the door on both sides. Under the guidance of Cen's family, he walked into the mourning hall and looked at Cen Wenwen.
He first shouted, "You can leave me, my beloved," and then burst into tears.
An atmosphere of sadness instantly filled the entire Cen Mansion. All the Cen family members burst into tears. The guests and officials who came to express their condolences also had sad faces, and they were extremely envious of the courtesy Cen Wenwen received.
If the emperor can come to mourn in person after his death, the grief and honor will be doubled, and this life will be worth it...
Li Chengqian cried for a while, and after the persuasion of the Cen family members, he put away his tears and walked out of the mourning hall. The officials outside stood in the light rain and all came forward to see him.
Li Chengqian wiped his tears and greeted everyone with a sad face, and then said: "The Duke of Jiangling County is the pillar of the country. Now that he has passed away suddenly, the world and the earth are sad. You should help to make the funeral a success."
Everyone kept saying yes, and some of them who had planned to go home for a while could not leave now...
Li Chengqian looked at Fang Jun and Li Daozong again, with a dull look on his face, and said: "The situation is urgent, the rebels are only a few feet away, Chang'an city defense is the top priority, and you are responsible for the safety of the Forbidden Garden. Since you have done your part,
, let’s each go back to guard the palace. The Duke of Jiangling County has always been loyal to the country, so he will not be surprised.”
"The humble minister obeys the decree."
Fang and Li both bowed and accepted the order.
Li Chengqian's eyes swept over the faces of the officials from the three provinces, six ministries, and nine temples in the courtyard one by one, and his heart was heavy. With the death of Cen Wenwen and Xiao Yu's defection, no one could dominate the civil servant system. After all, Liu Zi still had
There is a slight difference in weight.
It is conceivable that in the next period of time, the civil service system will inevitably start a brutal struggle due to the reshaping of the power structure. At a time when the rebels are about to attack the city, it is really not a good thing.
The situation that was originally under control suddenly increased in variables, which is really worrying.