It is not a strange thing for the Wuyang Dynasty, which lasted for hundreds of years.
When the Ancestral Emperor founded the country, he separated the Three Prefectures and Nine Divisions in order to make the country stretch. The imperial power was supervised and controlled by the Three Prefectures and Nine Divisions, and the three Prefectures and Nine Divisions controlled each other at the same time.
This is a very sober approach, but unfortunately there is no perfect system in this world, and supreme authority can always inspire the craziest greed in people's hearts.
Greed is often the ladder to heaven and the last straw before falling into hell.
The Wuyang Dynasty has been in existence for a hundred years and has experienced four emperors since then.
After the emperor founded the country, he worked hard and soon he was able to control the guests.
Later, the descendants were also weak, and they only stayed for seven or eight years before passing away.
When the late emperor ascended the throne, he was only twelve years old. He was in charge of a young country, and nine departments in the three houses controlled the government. It was not uncommon to force the emperor into the palace.
It was not until the late emperor entered his prime that he gradually regained the power of the government. However, the three prefectures and nine divisions were still powerful, and they had huge differences with the late emperor on certain matters, and the officials occasionally made trouble.
Even though the imperial power was firmly in the hands of Ji Qi, there have been several unpleasant things that happened since he took the throne.
But no matter what happened to the late emperor or Ji Qi, more than half of the officials from the three prefectures and nine divisions were behind it, and there was also joint pressure from the Holy Mountain and the noble families from all sides.
But the incident in front of Li Danqing, who forced the palace by himself, was unprecedented.
But compared to these, what makes civil and military officials feel inexplicably palpitated is...
This person's attempt to force the palace seems to be really likely to put Ji Qi and the imperial court in a difficult position.
No matter how bad Li Danqing's reputation was before, the fact that he resisted Youyun's foreign enemies was there. At first, the court could just brush it off, but as more and more refugees from Yingshui County poured into various prefectures and counties in Wuyang, Youyun
His ferocity naturally spread.
In particular, the more than two months it took for Li Danqing to walk from Yangshan to Wuyang City was enough for the refugees in Yingshui County to spread the news of his heroic deeds to various prefectures and counties in Wuyang, which greatly changed the public opinion of Li Danqing.
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At this moment, Li Danqing is carrying the chaos in Yingshui County, the surging public opinion of the court's inaction, and his unparalleled achievements in turning things around on his own.
In addition, the imperial court also relied on him to stabilize the White Wolf Army. From various perspectives, Li Danqing did have the possibility of forcing the imperial court to make concessions on certain matters - of course, the premise was that Li Danqing was not afraid of the imperial court settling accounts in the future.
Whether it was the previous confrontation with the two masters of Longxiang Mansion and Guiyu Mansion, or the current attack on Ji Qi, it is not difficult to see that Prince Li does not seem to have such foresight at all.
But it is precisely this short-sighted person that sometimes causes the most headaches.
Everyone looked at the emperor on the high platform with a sick expression. Ji Qi's eyebrows were gloomy, and the wine glass in his hand was crushed by him at that moment. There was a cold light flashing in the slits of his squinted eyes, staring straight at Li Danqing.
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After a period of frightening silence, Ji Qi's voice finally sounded faintly.
"Then according to Aiqing's wishes, who should I hold responsible for the incident in Yingshui County?"
His tone was gloomy, obviously trying his best to suppress some emotions in his heart.
All civil and military officials were as silent as a cicada and did not dare to speak at this time.
But Li Danqing didn't seem to hear the anger in Ji Qi's tone at all. At that time, he raised his hands and said loudly: "The first crime. The head of the Ying family, Mr. Ying! The eldest son of Ying, Ying Li!"
Li Danqing's voice was loud and he didn't mean to hide it at all. As soon as he said this, there was an uproar in the silent Mingzhao Palace.
Although the four Wuyang clans do not hold official positions, they do have hereditary titles.
The title of Wuyang is divided into four levels: king, duke, marquis and uncle, all of which can be hereditary.
But at the same time, because the duke has the right to raise private soldiers, the court has always strictly controlled the titles. Except for the ministers who have made meritorious services at the beginning of the dynasty, only the princes and grandsons can get this honor, even if they have great achievements in the past.
Li Mulin, who was born in China, has never received half a title.
As for the four Wuyang clans, the hereditary title is called Gong.
This is the highest title that can be granted under the royal family.
However, the four Wuyang clans not only have hereditary titles, but are also different from ordinary princes. The number of private soldiers they raise can reach one hundred thousand, and the court also allocates a large amount of silver to support the four clansmen every year. From a certain
In terms of species, the status of the four clans is almost the same as that of kings with different surnames, but they have no real name.
In recent years, with the fall of the Qing family and the Xia family, Xu Lian, the head of the Xu family, has disappeared. The Ying family has taken the opportunity to grow bigger. There are no longer a few officials in the court who are inextricably related to him.
He also had a very close relationship with the prince.
The status of the head of the family, Ying Xiangjun, is even higher than that of the three prefectures and nine divisions.
For Li Danqing to dare to sue such a person is really a shame.
Ying Xiangjun, who was only seated behind the Sanfu Jiusi, closed his eyes and looked deeply, as if he didn't care about Li Danqing's angry rebuke. On the contrary, a man in the back seat stood up at that time, pointed at Li Danqing and shouted: "Li Danqing
Your Majesty has already understood that the prince's hard work and merits are great, but if you think that you can arbitrarily undermine Zhongliang with a little merit, then you really don't know how high the sky is!"
"I would like to give this humble advice to the crown prince, don't make any mistakes!"
Xiahou Boyang, the head of the Longxiang Mansion, was fond of meritorious deeds, fierce and timid, and had no rules for doing things, so he was able to ridicule Li Danqing.
The head of Guiyu Mansion, Lu Chenji, was too bookish and stuck in rules, so he couldn't see Li Danqing fooling the officials, so he angrily scolded Li Danqing.
But Si Ming, the head of the three palaces and nine divisions, besides these two, are both scheming people. They know that the king's heart is unpredictable. No matter how stern the rumors from the outside are, they will not do anything until they understand Ji Qi's thoughts.
Act rashly.
Therefore, compared to the other commanders of the Three Prefectures and Nine Divisions who did not seem to have any attacks on Li Danqing, Lu Chenji and Xiahou Boyang were actually the easiest guys to deal with in Li Danqing's mind.
For example, at this moment, Mr. Ying, Li Danqing has already named him
The man named Dao wanted to embarrass him, but he remained calm because he knew that without him taking action, someone would take over on his behalf. In other words, in Ying Xiangjun's heart, Li Danqing was not considered an opponent at all.
When Ji Qi on the high platform saw someone standing up, she also chose to remain silent. Instead, she stared at Li Danqing with unclear meaning, as if expecting what Crown Prince Li would do next.
Li Danqing turned to look at the middle-aged man. The man was in his early thirties. Judging from the clothes he wore, he should be an official of Shenyusi, one of the nine divisions.
He smiled and said: "May I ask Your Majesty, what does it mean to wantonly frame a trap?"
"Isn't it just a wanton attempt to frame someone up with empty talk without any evidence?" The man said with an arrogant expression and a flick of his sleeves.
"Then may I ask your Excellency where the Youyun Rebellion started?" Li Danqing was not moved by the man's provocation and continued to ask.
"Yangshan collapsed, causing Yingshui County's spiritual power to dry up, and Youyun took advantage of the chaos to invade!" The man had obviously done his homework and answered fluently at that time.
"What a mountain collapse!" Li Danqing suddenly raised his voice at this moment.
"There are twenty-eight holy mountains in Wuyang. What are the holy mountains?"
"That is a divine object that can soar to the dome, communicate with the stars, attract starlight, and fill the spiritual power of heaven and earth!"
"It is the cornerstone of the practice of tens of millions of warriors in Wuyang!"
"From ancient times to the present, have you ever heard of the collapse of a holy mountain?"
Li Danqing's loud questioning silenced everyone present.
Of course, some of them wanted to mention the matter of Lishan, where Wuyang was founded, but after all, the past affairs of the previous dynasty were taboo, and everyone in this court kept it secret.
"When a holy mountain collapsed, didn't the princes think about the reason? Didn't they have the idea of picking up who was secretly causing trouble behind it?"
"Nonsense! You were in Yangshan when Yangshan collapsed. The court did not investigate your crime of neglect, which is an extrajudicial mercy. How can you dare to speak nonsense in this court?" The man was also beaten by Li Danqing.
This powerful and angry rebuke shocked me, and after I came to my senses, I immediately asked with a blushing face.
"I would like to ask you to punish me for my oversight, and then go to Yingshui County to see why Yangshan collapsed!"
"Why was half of the Holy Foundation taken out!"
"Why did millions of people in Yingshui County die?"
"One hundred thousand Qingyun troops and tens of thousands of Yangshan disciples, who are they trying to make up for and lose their lives for?"
Li Danqing sneered and said this. His eyes turned cold at that moment, and he scanned the people present and asked loudly: "Do you dare?"
"Three prefectures and nine divisions, hundreds of civil and military officials, and all the princes here are shouting from time to time to eat the emperor's salary and share the emperor's worries?"
"The matter of the Holy Mountain, regarding Wuyang Sheji, who among you dares to stand up and tell me that you are willing to investigate the matter thoroughly?"
There are many secrets in this world.
Some are ashamed of outsiders, and some are afraid of outsiders.
And there is another secret...
It's called tacit understanding.
The collapse of Yangshan Mountain is of course a big event, but behind it is the imperial court, the Ying family, and even the old god on Bailong Mountain.
Regardless of rules or laws, in the final analysis, it is the superior who restrains the inferior.
When a matter involves a wide enough scope and is big enough, the superiors will tacitly choose to keep silent.
The civil and military officials in the court understood this truth, so they kept silent about the collapse of Yangshan Mountain.
Li Danqing also understood this truth, so he exposed him in front of everyone.
He is not short-sighted, nor does he care about life.
It actually only took a month to walk back to Wuyang City from Yangshan, but he walked for nearly three months.
He was just waiting for the day when he returned to Wuyang, the refugees from Yingshui County would bring everything from Yingshui County to various places in Wuyang.
At that time, he was carrying overwhelming public opinion and possessing unparalleled achievements, so he had the ability to ask the imperial court to give him an explanation!
From Sun Yu and Zhao Quan to Zhang Qi and Yang Tong.
From the Ninghuang Halberd in Luocheng to the Hundred Thousand Qingyun Army.
From the unknown secret agents of the White Wolf Army to every disciple who died in Yangshan.
They need an explanation.
But now that Li Danqing doesn't want it, everything that happened in Yingshui County will be forgotten in just a few months. People's memories are always turbulent, but short-lived. It will be even more difficult to bring up old things by then.
Disaster.
He did not expect that with a few words of his own, he could bring down Ying Xiangjun, who was deeply rooted in the Wuyang Dynasty.
But he had to ask for an answer from Ji Qi, an answer that did not finalize the matter.
Even if he just promised to investigate the matter thoroughly, Li Danqing would have room to maneuver.
In return, he will obediently accept the vacant post of General Tian Ce and become the mascot that stabilizes the White Wolf Army.
At least, that's the case for the time being.
He believed that Ji Qi understood what he meant.
Conversations between smart people have always been so simple.
Thinking of this, Li Danqing once again looked at the man who was speechless under his questioning, narrowed his eyes and said: "Your Excellency is neither from Yingshui County, has not experienced the Youyun Rebellion, nor is he the head of the Ying Family.
How dare I say that what Li Danqing said is baseless?"
"In being so eager to defend the Ying family, I have reason to suspect that you and the Ying family are forming a clique for personal gain."
Li Danqing's words were so powerful that the man who stood up to defend Ying Xiangjun turned pale in an instant, and Ying Xiangjun, who had been sitting beside him with a calm expression, also frowned at this moment, and a cold light flashed in his eyes when he looked at Li Danqing.
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He didn't care about the Yangshan incident. He knew that this matter was also related to the imperial court and Bailong Mountain, and there was nothing Li Danqing could do.
But forming a party for personal gain...
That is a taboo in the court...
Thinking of this, Prime Minister Ying couldn't hold himself any longer and wanted to get up.
"Okay!" But at this moment, Ji Qi on the high platform suddenly said, interrupting the dispute that was about to begin.
After hearing this, Li Danqing turned to look at Ji Qi with calm eyes. He was waiting for the emperor to extend an olive branch to him, and he was sure that everything was under his control.
"The collapse of Yangshan Mountain was caused by spies from the Youyun people. This has been concluded by everyone in the court for a long time. I know that you cherish the common people who died in vain and the soldiers who died in the battle, but you can't just make assumptions. Don't worry, the court will do it for you."
I will be kind to the refugees who suffered from the Youyun Rebellion, and I will do my best to care for the orphans of the heroes who died in the war."
Ji Qi's words were understated and extremely calm.
But it made Li Danqing's heart tremble, as if he had been struck by lightning.
He has reached this point since he left Yangshan - the imperial court needs him to stabilize the morale of the White Wolf Army, and he can rely on the public opinion to intimidate the imperial court.
Even in his plan, he also included how to pass this case to severely damage the Ying family, and at the same time gain prestige for himself, so as to gain a foothold in the Wuyang Dynasty.
But all of this turned into bubbles in Ji Qi's light words.
He couldn't understand why Ji Qi refused his request. Could it be that he had the confidence to rely on the court to make the 600,000 White Wolf Army obedient?
Li Danqing didn't think Ji Qi would be such a stupid person.
It is precisely because of this understanding that Li Danqing feels so uneasy at this moment...
"Speaking of your great achievements in Yingshui County, I haven't figured out how to reward you. I can tell you what you want." Ji Qi's voice came again.
Li Danqing frowned and did not respond.
All the civil and military officials also looked at Ji Qi at this time. They knew that the biggest mystery of today's banquet would also be revealed - can Li Danqing take over Li Mulin's mantle and become General Tiance?
"How about this? Yu Zhi and Yao'er are ten years old and have one child this year. I am busy with government affairs and neglect to discipline them on weekdays. If Aiqing has the talents of Mu Lin in literature, Tao and military strategy, then he will be named Young Master and discipline these two for me.
Prince!" Ji Qi said with a smile.
As soon as these words came out, there was an uproar in the Lighting Palace again.
Some people are gloating that since Li Danqing returned to Wuyang City, his words and deeds have been arrogant and domineering, even worse than before. He thought he could be awarded the position of the God of Heaven, but he didn't want to end up as a young master.
The young master is a vacuous position, and if it is the prince or the second prince Yu Zhi, the young master still has some real power, but the third prince and princess Ji Yao were born from palace maids, so they are on the edge of power in the palace.
, becoming their young master would completely squeeze Li Danqing out of the imperial power, and it also means that Li Danqing has completely lost Ji Qi's trust...
Of course, there are also people who are worried at this time. For a dandy like Li Danqing to be in a false position, it can make the royal capital less chaotic, but how can the White Wolf Army stabilize the morale of the army?
Everyone had different thoughts, but the person involved, Prince Yuzhi, turned his head to look at Li Danqing and saw that his face turned pale. His Royal Highness, who was just eleven years old, rolled his eyes and looked thoughtful. On the other side,
The compatriot sister just raised her head and glanced at Li Danqing, then lost interest, lowered her head and continued to fight with the food on the table.
"Are you satisfied with this arrangement?" Ji Qi's questioning voice came at this time.
Li Danqing, who had his head lowered, finally came to his senses. He raised his head and looked at Ji Qi. Their eyes intertwined. Li Danqing could clearly see the eyes of the Emperor who had been in charge of Wuyang for nearly twenty years.
There is a faint smile, which seems to be laughing at Li Danqing's act of trying to use a mantis as a chariot...
"Everything is at your Majesty's discretion." Li Danqing lowered his head and said in a low voice, but at this moment, an unknown premonition in his heart became more intense.
"Then my dear, let me teach the two princes starting from tomorrow," Ji Qi said, without responding on Li Danqing's behalf, and then added.
"Today's big banquet is to honor Li Aiqing and celebrate his victory over the bandit army in Yingshui County."
"Secondly, the Liao people in the western border rose again and cut them off. Hundreds of thousands of troops came to the bottom of the lake. As you all know, after General Li's death, the 600,000 White Wolf Army was leaderless. Although the imperial court split 200,000 troops and transferred them to various ministries for garrison, but
The position of General Tiance is pending. The Western Territory is the key territory of our Wuyang and cannot be left to anyone. Today’s banquet also hopes that you can nominate a person who is worthy of the great responsibility and command the remaining 400,000 White Wolf Army in the Western Territory.
The Liao people know that even without Li Mulin, Wuyang is not a place where other Liao people can make mistakes!"
As soon as this was said, all the officials fell silent.
Like Li Danqing, they all secretly thought that the position of General Tiance was within Li Danqing's pocket. But at this moment, Ji Qi made a strange move. They were not sure what Ji Qi was thinking, and they didn't dare to say anything casually.
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Jiqi seemed to have anticipated everyone's reaction. He smiled slightly and sat up straight: "Since you don't have a suitable candidate, I have a person who is worthy of a big job!"
Ji Qi said this, looking up in the direction of the door of Mingzhao Palace under the astonished eyes of everyone.
There was a dull sound of footsteps, and everyone followed Ji Qi's gaze and looked sideways.
At this moment, a man wearing white armor and shoulder armor decorated with wolf heads walked into the hall. His appearance was resolute, the outline of his face was like a knife, and there was an aura of chilling that could not be overcome between his brows.
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And the moment he saw his appearance clearly, there was an uproar in the Mingzhao Palace.
"Why is it him?"
"He's still alive!"
There was endless discussion about this, but Li Danqing couldn't listen to even a single word.
He just stared at the person who came, clenching his fists, his eyes were filled with blood, and his body was trembling faintly, as if he was trying his best to suppress certain emotions.
The person who came was no one else, but the person he had lost track of last night...