Liu Xiangdao has a clear face and a strong spirit. He seems to be an energetic character who refuses to admit defeat. But at this moment, he was indifferent to Liu Zi's questioning. He only smiled slightly and didn't even respond. He only looked down at a document in his hand. .
Liu Zi: "..."
His face was livid, and he was so ignored by Liu Xiangdao, a "lucky person" in a place like Zhengshi Hall. If he could not fight back strongly, his prestige would definitely be affected.
Holding back his anger, he said coldly: "Although you and I are similar in age, now I am in charge of the Zhongshu Province to assist His Majesty in handling central government affairs. It is necessary for the Yushitai to cooperate. You are so indifferent and have no reason to be lowered." There are no rules or regulations, and it is simply unreasonable!"
Liu Xiangdao still didn't say anything, but raised his eyebrows inadvertently...
"Liu Zhongshu cautioned that the political hall is a place to discuss government affairs, not a place to talk about seniority or show official power. If you have something to say, speak it out. If you use your official position to suppress others, you will shout and scold like a shrew in the market. What kind of behavior is this?"
When these words reached everyone's ears, the hall became increasingly quiet, and the sound of raindrops outside the window could be heard clearly...
Liu Zi turned his head expressionlessly and looked at Xu Jingzong, who had a Maitreya Buddha-like smile on his fat face, with cold eyes.
Zhongshu Ling is the Prime Minister, the first-class senior official in the empire, but although the Minister of Rites is a little inferior, it still depends on who sits in this position. Xu Jingzong was one of the "Eighteen Bachelors of the Prince of Qin's Palace" at that time, and Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling, and Kong Yingda all belong to Pao Ze, and they work together. In terms of seniority, even Li Ji is slightly inferior.
Such a person sits at the head of the six departments, and his speech is naturally full of weight, enough to compete with the other ministers.
Xu Jingzong took a sip of tea, looked up and saw Liu Zi's unkind eyes, and couldn't help but smile: "As you said, although Liu Nansi is the same age as you and me, he is still a laggard. As brothers, we should encourage and support him more, and Instead of openly criticizing and pointing fingers, everything must be reasonable. Otherwise, if everyone is ranked based on seniority, then Fang Erlang can only serve tea and water here, without even daring to fart? Haha!"
This was so funny that everyone started laughing. Even the cold-faced Li Ji couldn't help but smile, as if he was imagining Fang Jun tiptoeing around here, looking cautious...
Of course, this is definitely not a nice thing to say. That Fang Er is famous for being a mallet, and he can give you a three-pointer even if you ignore him. What does he care about your qualifications, rank, and title? If you are angry, you can hit a superior or a prince. It wasn't just once or twice. Every time Liu Zi was pushed against the wall and couldn't get down, who would dare to provoke him?
This is pointing at Liu Zi's nose and scolding him for bullying the weak and fearing the strong...
But at the same time, everyone understood clearly that Xu Jingzong was showing off his carriage and horses to help Liu Xiangdao.
The Ministry of Rites and the Yushitai...it would be a bit scary if the two were so close.
Xu Jingzong no longer looked at Liu Zi's ugly face. He didn't care about offending people, he only cared about whether he could get benefits. As long as the benefits were enough, even Li Ji would dare to point his nose and curse. He knew his position very well and could His sudden rise from the Academy Secretary to the Minister of Rites was a stroke of genius by His Majesty. The two characters "Emperor Party" were clearly engraved on his body, and the same was true for Liu Xiangdao. Since both of them were members of the Emperor, they should naturally support each other. Help each other and help each other. Otherwise, if His Majesty knew that Liu Zi was questioning Liu Xiang and he was watching from the sidelines, how would His Majesty be satisfied?
Liu Xiangdao was in charge of the Yushitai and had a high and powerful position, but after all, his qualifications were shallow and he could not suppress the arrogant and domineering officials in the court. Therefore, His Majesty pushed himself up to stir up trouble in the court and suppress Liu Zi. Can protect Liu Xiangdao.
In this way, His Majesty was taken out, and there was no need to confront Liu Zi tit for tat, leaving room for maneuver... It was a very clever strategy.
He looked at Li Ji and asked: "Your Majesty has ordered the Ministry of Ceremonies to take full charge of the funeral ceremony in Cen Mansion. In the next few days, I plan to stay in Cen Mansion to pay attention to various funeral matters. I wonder if you have any explanation?"
Looking at the court, the only one he respects and fears today is Li Ji. It seems that Liu Zi and others are just "tender-killers" in his eyes, and he doesn't take it to heart at all.
Li Ji put down his tea cup and said: "The Duke of Jiangling County is a distinguished minister of the imperial court. He is an eminent scholar and a loyal friend. He is an old friend throughout his life. Although he is humble, he must resist the etiquette. He lives in a humble place without mattresses or curtains. This is He is an outstanding person in the world. And when Emperor Taizong was here, he always praised him as "loyal, honest, and trusted by my relatives"... Although ranking based on seniority is a bad official habit, and we should abandon it, after all, the Duke of Jiangling County is a loyal minister of the late emperor, and his hard work has made great achievements. , the Ministry of Rites should not only provide the highest standards of funeral rites, but also be careful not to make any mistakes."
Liu Zi lowered his head and drank tea to hide his shock and anger.
Xu Jingzong had just scolded him for "ranking based on seniority," and Li Ji immediately mentioned it again. This was a slap in the face, and warned him that only the dead were eligible for "ranking based on seniority." This was murderous and heart-breaking...
Did Li Ji, who was obsessed with aloofness but not power, surrender to Your Majesty?
And it seems that there is a huge whirlpool sweeping him up, forcing him not to fully accept the political legacy left by Cen Wenwen, otherwise he will have crossed the bottom line and may suffer a violent blow...
After understanding the key point, Liu Zi decisively turned a deaf ear to Li Ji's words and turned his back on him. Deep in his heart, he regretted that such a God-given opportunity allowed him to calmly accept Cen Wenwen's political legacy, thus gathering the civil service group and becoming the leader of the court. The most powerful force in the world had to take the initiative to withdraw and retreat.
Because His Majesty has given a warning to him not to cross the bottom line...
Of course, since His Majesty has drawn a bottom line, as long as he does not cross this line, His Majesty will definitely not interfere.
Xu Jingzong seemed to think for a while, and then nodded repeatedly: "What Yinggong said is true. I will do my best to supervise this matter. It must be done perfectly and without any mistakes."
Li Ji glanced at Xu Jingzong, nodded slightly, and said nothing more.
They were both prime ministers and assistants. Xu Jingzong was very respectful to him and obeyed his advice, but he was very arrogant towards Liu Zi and his words were like daggers. Li Ji would not have thought that Xu Jingzong was impressed by the shock of his tiger body and his domineering display. Obviously, this time Xu Jingzong His sudden rise to the position of Minister of Rites was an intentional move by His Majesty, and he must be burdened with a mission.
As for what the mission is, it's not hard to guess.
What Li Ji was concerned about was that there must be Fang Jun's shadow behind this incident. Thinking that His Majesty had so much trust in Fang Jun, a minister in the late residence, and obeyed his words made him slightly worried.
*****
Although Li Ji rose to the top of the Prime Minister's position due to his military exploits and did not make much contribution to government affairs, it cannot be said that his political abilities were insufficient. His Majesty Li Er is the best at observing and employing people. Since Li Ji has How can he command hundreds of officials just because of his status as "the first person in the military"?
Li Ji was also unique in his observation of people, such as his understanding and opinion of Fang Jun.
In his eyes, Fang Jun is a relatively pure person. He has outstanding abilities, both civil and military. He can do a very good job in any position, and he lives up to what His Majesty Li Er said back then: "The talent of the prime minister and the assistant." , the most rare thing is that he holds a high position but does not love power, has a lot of wealth but does not greed for money, always keeps a sharp mind, occasionally has amazing talents, uses old and new methods, and takes care of things that others think are chronic diseases. deal with.
But precisely because of his "innovation" and "unconventionality", Li Ji was always wary of him.
For example, all reforms throughout the ages have been fiercely criticized and opposed. Is it because people cannot accept new things? Absolutely not. The key to the problem is that the emergence of new things often breaks the established interest structure, and this established interest class must have the strongest control. With great power, wealth, and social status, once a counterattack is launched, most people cannot bear it.
The resulting social turmoil often lasted for more than ten years or even decades. The most serious ones directly shook the foundation of the empire's governance and planted the seeds for the collapse of the dynasty in advance.
In Li Ji's view, once a person like Fang Jun has the power to govern, or even seize the highest power of the empire through the emperor, it is absolutely impossible for him to follow the rules and follow the rules step by step. Fang Jun will never accept this kind of thing. .
In other words, once Fang Jun comes to power, a vigorous revolution will inevitably take place, and both politics and military affairs will be plunged into turbulent waves. Success will certainly lay the foundation for eternity, but failure will plunge the entire empire into a state of irreversibility. .
It's totally unnecessary...
…
"We know that your majesty has great faith in the Duke of Yue, and the Duke of Yue is also loyal to you. He stepped forward when your majesty was in the most difficult time, and he did not hesitate to offend Emperor Taizong but also supported his majesty. Now that your majesty reigns over the world, he is the supreme king. I want to There is nothing wrong with reciprocating the favor... But what I want to say is that the Duke of Yue is a man who thinks outside the box and does not dwell on things. He often has unexpected ideas, acts radically, and is determined to make progress, which is detrimental to the overall situation of the empire."
Sitting in Wude Hall, facing Li Chengqian, Li Ji lowered his head slightly and expressed his thoughts directly.
He did not want to get involved in government affairs, and he had no grudges with Fang Jun. However, if he could not plant a seed of caution in the emperor's heart at this moment, and the next day Fang Jun came to power, the emperor would inevitably obey his words, causing the empire to fall into chaos. This was inconsistent with Li Ji's interests were contrary to each other.
Li Chengqian knelt down and sat behind the eucalyptus. It was raining outside the window, and fine raindrops hit the glass window. The plants in the yard had been dyed with a light yellow, alternating between green and yellow, which gave it a somewhat desolate beauty.
He took a sip of water from his teacup and asked: "I don't understand what the Lord Your Majesty said. You and I, the monarch and our ministers, should be honest with each other. If you have anything to say, don't be so roundabout. There's no harm in speaking out."
What he said when he ran up to him inexplicably meant that he wanted to be wary of Fang Jun... But what should he be wary of Fang Jun for?