Approaching Luoyang, Li Mu caught up with the army that had triumphed over the rebellion. He drove lightly and followed the army, which was naturally different from the march of the army. In addition, it was the first time for Li Chengqian to lead the army by himself, so he wished he could go back later, and he also struggled a little to walk as slowly as he could along the way.
How slow, so he was caught up by Li Mu. Tang Guan was also in Li Chengqian's army. When he sent food and grass, he still took a boat by water. When he came back, he changed the land route and told Li Chengqian half a story along the way.
This "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" almost makes my throat smoke.
"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was given an outline by Li Mu and Tang Guan 'wrote' it himself. Because Tang Guan's own ideas were added to it, there are many differences from the version of "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" that Li Mu had read.
, but it is also closer to the thoughts of people of this era and easier to accept.
At first, Li Chengqian wanted to listen, and Tang Guan felt that he had finally found a soulmate. Later, he couldn't stand it and Li Chengqian wanted to listen during the day and at night. Tang Guan couldn't stand it anymore, so he had to go around the camp to avoid Li Chengqian. Unfortunately, he was caught
When I arrived, I told him a paragraph. When I arrived in Luoyang, he had no manuscript left.
Fortunately, they were home. Tang Guan escaped from Li Chengqian's large army on the pretext of peeing and turned to a small road. By coincidence, he happened to meet Li Mu and his party.
"Brother?"
Tang Guan and Li Mu have not seen each other for some time. It has been almost a year since they were separated. Tang Guan has grown a lot taller, and has almost caught up with Li Mu's height. But his weight has not increased with his height.
Now Tang Guan looked like a bamboo pole, with slightly out-of-proportion proportions. Li Mu didn't recognize him at first sight. He recognized him only after walking in and seeing his features clearly. He jumped off the horse and patted him hard.
shoulders.
"I've grown taller!"
"Ouch, it hurts -" Tang Guan screamed, but did not hide. He let Li Mu knock on it and laughed stupidly.
"Why is my voice hoarse?" Li Mu frowned slightly and asked.
"You are not His Highness the Crown Prince yet." Tang Guan explained the matter and said helplessly: "Brother, I originally planned to show off, but who knew that the Crown Prince would stop reading The Romance of the Three Kingdoms after listening to it. I only wrote so many chapters.
You can’t just make it up now, right? I had no choice but to escape and take a small road. Unexpectedly, I met my eldest brother. What a fate!”
"What fate?" Li Mu signaled Tang Guan to ride a horse, and he got on the carriage and said, "I was looking at the tail of the army. I was worried about losing time, so I turned to a small road to get closer. Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and lead the way back.
Home."
"Hey!" Tang Guan responded, climbed on the horse's back and led the way. The group continued to move forward, and just after walking a short distance, suddenly several horses blocked the road in front of them. After a closer look, it turned out to be the Jin Yiwei. Seeing the carriage approaching, the Jin Yiwei got off the horse,
Half-kneeling by the roadside, he said: "Master Marquis, I am waiting here under the orders of the governor!"
"Where's Xiao Jiuren?"
"Your Excellency, wait for the Marquis on the road."
Before Li Mu could speak, Li Chongyi said: "Brother, Xiaojiu and I haven't seen each other for almost a year. I'm going to find him. You guys go back first."
"That's fine," Li Mu responded, and two people from the Jinyi Guards were also assigned to guide Li Chongyi. However, these people who were recruited later did not recognize Li Chongyi, and they did not know that he was the real founder of the Jinyi Guards, the first
Commander.
Continuing to move forward, he looked at the gate of Luoyang City, and suddenly a few more riders blocked the way. Li Mu became a little annoyed, frowned and said, "Who is it again?"
"Master Hou, it's us." The visitor smiled and held up his hands repeatedly. Li Mu opened the curtain to take a look and said, "So it's Mr. Chen. Are you waiting for me specifically?"
"Yes," Little Eunuch Chen came up to him and said, "Your Majesty heard that the Marquis returned safely, and Long Yan was very happy. But there is one thing that I still have to tell the Marquis." Little Eunuch Chen leaned into Li Mu's ear and whispered.
In one sentence, Li Mu glanced at him and said: "Okay, I understand. I won't mention the news of my return to anyone. You can take the carriage that King Qi is behind."
"It would be great if the Marquis could understand His Majesty's painstaking efforts." Little Eunuch Chen took half a step back and moved out of the way. Li Mu threw him a gold bar, and Little Eunuch Chen hurriedly caught it and watched Li Mu's carriage enter the city.
.The carriage behind was picked up by Dongchang's fans. They opened the curtain and confirmed that it was the King of Qi and no one else. Little Eunuch Chen felt a lot more relaxed.
Along the way, I received a tip that the owner of the Success Hall, Li Mu's biological mother, Mrs. Lu, had also returned to Luoyang with Li Mu. His Majesty was suspicious, so he asked the factory guards to check, but did not say how to deal with it. Young Eunuch Chen just felt like this
I am worried, if I find someone, should I arrest him or not?
If you don't arrest me, you won't be able to explain it to His Majesty. Should you arrest me? He really doesn't dare!
Fortunately, I didn't find it.
The clever fan reminded: "Lord Governor, there are other intersections, should we--"
"Are you the only one who has a mouth?" Little Eunuch Chen glared angrily and scolded: "Are you the only one who has a mouth?!"
Fanzi, who was scolded, quickly bowed his head and backed away, but his heart felt aggrieved. What was wrong with this?
"Silly thing!" Little Eunuch Chen was so angry that he didn't even bother to scold him. He threw the gold bars to his men and said, "Everyone has a share, except this idiot. Let's go back to Chang'an!"
"Thank you, Lord Governor!"
All the fans shouted together, a gold bar can be exchanged for a hundred taels of silver, and there were only about ten people present, so everyone could get seven or eight taels of silver. For these fans, it was already very expensive.
Little Eunuch Chen came to the carriage in person, opened the curtain and saw Li You who looked hopeless inside. Seeing that the curtain was no longer raised, Li You glanced at it, and then turned his head away. Little Eunuch Chen didn't either
What can I say, at this point, there is no need for greetings and salutes. Li You's fate has been determined. He is lucky to be alive, but he will be demoted to a commoner and no longer needs to be respected.
…
King Qi was escorted to Beijing and imprisoned in Dali Temple.
I don’t know who spread the news, but in a blink of an eye, everyone in Chang’an knew about it. At this time, the army that had conquered the rebellion had just set off from Luoyang, and it would take two days to return to Chang’an.
Why is it so quiet? Everyone knows it in their hearts, because this is a royal scandal. Is it glorious for a son to rebel against his father? Li Shimin did it once five years ago, and now Li Shimin's son has done it again. The emperor
Wherever you put your face, naturally you can keep a low profile, so keep a low profile as much as possible. Don't mention it to anyone, and don't say it's best.
The people were just discussing after dinner, and there was not much turmoil, but this did not mean that everything in the court was relaxed. Although King Qi was arrested, the tension in the court did not calm down. For a time, undercurrents surged, and in all aspects,
The forces of various factions are paying attention to this matter.
They need to understand how this matter will eventually develop, and whether others will be implicated in this case, and whether they can use this matter to make a fuss. Some of them are doing it for their own power, and some are working for others. Each has its own reasons...
Jiangshan is a big river and lake. Chaotang is a small river and lake.
There is a saying that wherever there are people, there are rivers and lakes. These rivers and lakes are the vanity fair and the battleground between human hearts and desires.
However, two days passed in the blink of an eye. The welcome ceremony for the counter-rebellion army was over. The emperor remained silent, as if he wanted to deliberately downplay the matter. Obviously, the emperor was also hesitant about his own flesh and blood.
Know how to deal with it.
"Has King Qi repented?"
In the Tai Chi Palace, Li Shimin asked in a harsh voice.
This is what I asked Eunuch Gao. Eunuch Gao would go to Dali Temple every day to inform Li Shimin about Li You's situation.
"Your Majesty, here is a copy of the letter of repentance from King Qi." Eunuch Gao put a note on the imperial writing desk and said: "This time, His Highness King Qi truly regretted it. When the old slave looked at it, his expression and posture were different.
.”
Having followed Li Shimin for so many years, how could Eunuch Gao fail to guess Li Shimin's thoughts? King Qi has been in Chang'an for three days and is still reluctant to punish him. This can only mean one thing. Li Shimin did not want to punish him, otherwise he would be guilty of such a serious crime of rebellion.
Is there still a need for a trial? Just cut it off.
The book of repentance was placed on the table. Li Shimin didn't rush to open it. He hesitated for a long time, sighed softly, and said, "I understand!"
Eunuch Gao couldn't bear to look at his sad eyes, he lowered his head slightly and said: "Your Majesty, King Qi... I beg you again and again, hoping to see your Majesty and apologize in person."
A bitter smile slowly appeared on the corners of Li Shimin's lips, and he said softly: "It's better not to see each other now than not!"
Eunuch Gao sighed in his heart. It seemed that His Majesty still couldn't overcome the obstacle.
What's the hurdle? It's nothing more than the word "Ming Jun". How can the so-called Ming Jun bend the law for his own selfish interests? Rebels will be killed without mercy. This has been the case in all dynasties. Unless the rebellion is successful, Li Shimin is a typical example.
Example: Now that the King of Qi is rebelling, if he does not know the canonical punishment, how should he deal with those who follow his example in the future? Should everyone be lenient?
"Preach the message!"
The emperor ordered calmly, his voice extremely deep.
Li Shimin said: "Li You, be demoted to a commoner and sentenced to death!"
Eunuch Gao's heart trembled and he said: "Here!"
Li Shimin was silent for a moment, then suppressed the trembling in his voice: "All the rebels and accomplices will be put to death!"
Li Shimin closed his eyes: "The crime... is no one's fault but that of the family. The rest of us, except those who have lives in their hands, can forget the blame."
He was the biological father of the rebel, so how could he offend his family? He couldn't even settle the accounts clearly, and he also knew in his heart that those big-headed soldiers really had no choice, so even though it was a serious crime of rebellion, this time
The scope of the punishment was extremely small. Only a few hundred people were actually executed.
Eunuch Gao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, leaned forward and said, "Here!"
Li Shimin waved his hand, and Eunuch Gao went down to the Zhongshu Gate to deliver the order. When Kankan walked out of the imperial study room, he saw an eunuch coming hurriedly. When he saw Eunuch Gao, he stopped and said, "Godfather, here is
The Marquis of Luoyang urgently plays a book, which is very urgent. Godfather, can you read it?"
"What's the urgent matter? How do you know it's urgent?" Eunuch Gao said casually: "My affairs here are the urgent ones——"
"Daddy, I didn't say that, it was written on this envelope." The eunuch showed the envelope to Eunuch Gao, and sure enough, the words "urgent" were written on it.
It's Li Mu's style.
Eunuch Gao sighed helplessly and said: "Okay, this is the ancestor -" Eunuch Gao took the envelope, turned around and entered the hall again. Li Shimin was in a trance, when he saw Eunuch Gao coming back, he frowned and said: "Let's go
You went to convey the order, why did you come back? Is it Concubine Yin who is causing trouble again?"
"No," Eunuch Gao took out the letter and said, "I just walked to the door and saw someone delivering a letter. It's a letter from the Marquis of Luoyang. It's urgent. Your Majesty, please read it."
"One hundred thousand urgent -" Li Shimin sighed: "Can you be more anxious than me?" With that said, he still took the letter, and when he saw the one hundred thousand urgent on the envelope, he also smiled bitterly.
Opening it casually, Li Shimin frowned. After a while, he relaxed his brows and said: "King Qi, please demote me to a commoner and save your life."
"His Majesty?"
"Li Mu testified for King Qi, saying that Yin Hongzhi was the mastermind behind the rebellion, and You'er didn't know the details." Of course Li Shimin knew that Li You was not innocent, but after all, he didn't want to kill his son, and Li Mu was
He was known to be at odds with Li You, and no one would raise any objection to his testimony.
Li Shimin sighed: "After going around and around, I still owe him a favor."
Eunuch Gao hurriedly comforted him and said: "Your Majesty and the Marquis are a family. What kind of favor does a family have? The Marquis is also considerate of Your Majesty, and that's why he sent the memorial in such a hurry."
"Really?" Li Shimin asked, not only to Eunuch Gao, but also to himself. He waved his hand, and Eunuch Gao left to deliver the order.
When they walked out of the palace, the eunuch who had delivered the message was still there. As usual, there was a reward. Seeing that Eunuch Gao had no intention of giving it, the young eunuch rubbed his hands anxiously, but he did not dare to ask for it.
Eunuch Gao looked at the young eunuch's face and knew what he was thinking, and said: "Don't say that your godfather doesn't take care of you. Go to Concubine Yin and tell him that, as a favor from the Marquis, your majesty will not kill King Qi.
Demoted to a commoner, I guarantee that your reward once will be worth ten times!"
They were all people walking in the palace, and no one knew about King Qi. Of course the little eunuch knew that what Eunuch Gao said was true, and left with great gratitude. Eunuch Gao shook his head and continued to go.
He had to discuss with the officials of Zhongshu Province how to word this imperial edict, so that it could keep His Majesty's face.
…
The decree was drawn up and sent to Dali Temple, which immediately began to implement it.
This was a major crime of rebellion, and there was no need to wait until the end of the Autumn Period for execution. It was carried out immediately. Moreover, because the mastermind of the rebellion was the emperor's son, this was also considered a "family scandal" for the royal family, so these accomplices were executed without public execution.
More than a hundred prisoners who had their lives in their hands and were brought back by Li Chengqian were all killed one by one in Dali Temple.
Only Li You is left, and Eunuch Gao needs to personally deliver the decree. This decree is not easy to convey. King Qi used to be the most favored prince besides his legitimate son. Now that he is demoted to a commoner, he will definitely not be able to accept it for a while.
It doesn't matter anymore, she's no longer a prince. But her mother is still a concubine. She is easy to offend but can't afford to offend. She is caught in the middle. She has to tread a fine line.