Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 3937 Weighing the constraints
Before the funeral was completed, Fang Jun and Li Tai took a step ahead to bid farewell, and rode back to Chang'an with their own soldiers. When they arrived at the Xuanwu Gate, they showed a seal and called for the city gate to be opened. After entering the palace, they went straight to the Wude Hall.

The drizzle was falling, and the repair works in full swing in Taiji Palace were temporarily suspended. Bricks, tiles, cement, and wood were placed everywhere, and facilities similar to scaffolding were built on the outer walls of many palaces. A few servants went in and out to clean up the palaces. , Nuo Da's Tai Chi Palace looks decadent and messy, like a big construction site...

When he came outside the Hall of Martial Virtue, a servant came forward to greet him and carefully prepared warm water and a handkerchief for him. Fang Jun took off his pocket and handed it to the servant, washed and dried his face before striding into the hall.

There are not many people in the hall, the prince is in the middle, Xiao Yu, Cen Wenwen, Li Jing, Liu Ji are on the left, and Yuwen Shiji, Li Daozong and others are on the right.

Fang Jun entered, first stepped forward to salute the prince, and then bowed his hands to salute all the big men present. Everyone stood up one after another, with gentle smiles and sincere words, and returned the salute one by one.No one dared to underestimate this young man who has just passed the weak crown, not because of Fang Jun's official title, but because of the meritorious service he made out of him.

Yuwen Shiji looked at the heroic and handsome face in front of him, felt the calm and powerful confidence in his gestures, and was filled with emotion.

Who would have thought that the number one dandy in Chang'an who ran rampant in Chang'an a few years ago, acted recklessly, and was even ridiculed by the good-for-nothing as "the first evil in Chang'an", is now a man of great power like a white jade pillar and a purple golden beam in the Tang Empire. Heavily armed and mighty in the government and the public, able to defend against powerful captives and defend the territory from the outside, and to frighten the Quartet and protect the sky from the inside, just like a vassal...

……

When Fang Jun was seated, Li Chengqian spoke softly, first ordered his servant to serve Fang Jun with tea, and then asked, "Did the funeral go well?"

Fang Jun took the hot tea from Wang De and put it on the table in front of him, and replied respectfully: "There are officials from the Ministry of Rites, Taichang Temple, and Zongzheng Temple presiding over everything. Xing, the funeral is too crude."

The monarch and his subjects were silent, understanding what Fang Jun meant.

Since ancient times, both the government and the public have highly respected Zhenlie women. Although they are not as perverted as they were in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, they are still regarded as extremely noble things.Concubine Xu is youthful, beautiful, and beautiful. She is just as gorgeous as a flower, but she was able to be so chaste and fierce, and followed her majesty under the Nine Springs. She should be given the most solemn courtesy. Obviously, all the simple funerals are too slow...

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, and said in a deep voice: "I am alone in this matter, and I will not treat Concubine Xu's chastity lightly."

For concubines, the highest courtesy is naturally "to be buried in the imperial tomb". Right now, concubine Xu is only temporarily buried near the imperial tomb in Jiuyi Mountain. After her father's coffin is transported back to Chang'an for burial, concubine Xu will be moved into the imperial tomb. Also worthy of such a courtesy...

……

This matter can only be dealt with later, Li Chengqian took a sip of tea from his teacup, and Xiao Yu said to Yuwen Shiji, "I wonder if Guan Long has made a decision about His Royal Highness's previous conditions?"

Yuwen Shi sat upright, nodded and said, "Exactly."

Looking at Li Chengqian, he said: "The fault of this remonstrance was in Guanlong, which caused Guanzhong to suffer from the flames of war and severely damaged the people. I feel really guilty, and I am willing to donate [-]% of the property of each family to rebuild Guanzhong and help the people. , talk about your feelings."

Before Li Chengqian meant to "confiscate" [-]% of the property of the Guanlongmen Clan, but now Yuwen Shiji proposed a "donation", which is different in nature, but the result is the same.Right now, Guanzhong is dilapidated, the Great Wall is in ruins, and there is an urgent need for massive amounts of money and food to support reconstruction. The industry of the Guanlongmen Clan is too important...

So Li Chengqian just considered it a little bit, without comparing pennies and bucks, nodded and said: "Yes."

Yuwen Shiji continued: "Guan Long deeply felt the damage caused by this military remonstrance to Guanzhong, so he is willing to respond to His Highness's call and completely abandon private soldiers. Instead of raising a single soldier, I am willing to give up the hundreds of years of tradition of each family for the long-term stability of the empire."

Fang Jun shook his head and laughed, and took a sip of tea.

It is clearly a mandatory requirement of the East Palace, and Guan Long also knew that he had to agree, but he wanted to put on a high-sounding reason. In the name, it was not forced, but voluntary... It seems to be able to eliminate some negative effects, but in fact Too petty.

Li Chengqian didn't care about these things: "Yes."

Yuwen Shiji heaved a sigh of relief. The Crown Prince was able to allow the Guanlong Clan to save some face. Obviously, it was not because he hated Guan Long's mutiny and wanted to put Guan Long to death. This must not be too harsh on the last point...

He said: "Finally, we discussed and implored Your Highness to retain the title of Guan Long's Nobility, and Zhao Guogong will retire and return to the countryside to live in seclusion."

There was a moment of silence in the hall, and everyone looked dignified.

Retaining the noble title of Guanlong means giving up the responsibility for the mutiny, and even those Guanlong children who have been arrested must be released, otherwise it will not make sense on the basis of legal principles, and they cannot be sent to the frontier for crimes , but on the other hand, all the big bosses in Guanlong were acquitted, right?

Especially for the initiator and culprit of the mutiny, Sun Wuji, Duke of Zhao, if the past is not to blame, the impact will be too great...

Li Chengqian frowned, thought for a while, looked at Xiao Yu, Fang Jun and others, and asked, "What do you love?"

Xiao Yu was silent for a while, and was about to speak when Fang Jun who was sitting opposite unexpectedly said, "I think it's okay."

Xiao Yu: "..."

Being silent for the past few days has made Lao Tzu suspicious. Sure enough, he wants to fight against Lao Tzu, right?Mother, our daughter of the Xiao family is still a dog-like white-eyed wolf after being fed to a wolf...

He hurriedly said: "The old minister thinks it is impossible. This mutiny, Guan Long has no king in his eyes and tramples on the law. How is it different from rebellion? If he can't be punished severely and set the record straight, I am afraid that the majesty of the empire will be wiped out. People all over the world have less reverence for the imperial power, which will have a far-reaching impact and bring endless disasters, please think again, Your Highness."

Even though the Guanlong clan has suffered heavy losses now, after all, they have been entrenched in Guanzhong for more than a hundred years, and their influence has penetrated into all aspects of the government, the public, and the market. As long as Changsun Wuji and the Guanlong clan are still there, they are a force that cannot be ignored.If the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River wanted to enter the court to fill the positions and powers vacated by Guan Long, they had to uproot Guan Long, otherwise they would be restricted everywhere and struggled.

Li Chengqian did not make a decision, and said in a deep voice: "This is a big matter, and I will make a decision after I think about it."

"Your Highness is wise."

Yuwen scholars and naturally knew that the life and death of grandson Wuji were at stake, so there must be a lot of opposition in the Eastern Palace, even if the crown prince was inclined to agree to the Guanlongmen faction, he had to settle the opponents in private, lest there would be a rift in the Eastern Palace.

As long as it can be dragged, Guan Long naturally doesn't care...

……

All the officials dispersed, Li Chengqian washed his face, and was about to ask his servant to prepare lunch, when someone came to report that it was Xiao Yu and Liu Xi who had an audience...

Li Chengqian didn't hurry to summon him, but changed into a normal uniform under the attendant's service, and then invited Xiao Yu and Liu Wei to meet him in the side hall.

After seeing the ceremony, the two sat down, and Li Chengqian said softly, "What's the matter, two lovers?"

Xiao Yu and Liu Jie looked at each other, the latter bowed slightly, and said: "Your Highness, although Guan Long's mutiny has been defeated, his deeds are abominable and his heart can be punished. If he can't be completely cut off, it will be empty to raise tigers." Please think twice, Your Highness."

Li Chengqian looked at Xiao Yu: "What is Song Guogong's intention?"

Xiao Yu said: "The old minister also has the same opinion. The Guanlong rebels have been in Guanzhong for more than a hundred years. They are deeply rooted and powerful. Although they have been severely injured and damaged today, their hearts are already disloyal. Once they recover, their ambitions will explode. , is indeed a great hidden danger, and I hope that His Highness will not pardon Changsun Wuji and other Guanlong nobles for the sake of the Tang Dynasty and the country."

The crown prince obviously intends to agree to Guan Long's request to pardon all the patriarchs, which makes Xiao Yu deeply disturbed.

Although Guan Long lost his private soldiers and all returned home and left the court, his strong foundation is still there, and he still has unparalleled influence, which is enough to influence the court.In particular, Changsun Wuji has far-reaching strategies and a deep city. If he continues to dominate the Guanlongmen Clan, it will definitely become a stumbling block for the Jiangnan gentry to control the court.

It was a complete gamble that I still persisted in the crisis of the East Palace, but now I won the bet but still have to fight with Guan Long, how can I bear it?
Originally relying on the background of the Jiangnan gentry, they will gradually rise in the imperial examinations in the future, and more and more children from Jiangnan will enter the court, but once they lose the bet, they will completely break with Guanlong. Stay away from court...

Li Chengqian pondered for a while, trying to persuade the two of them: "Changsun Wuji deserves ten thousand deaths for the crime of treason. However, the current situation seems to be safe, but it is actually turbulent. Expediency is a must. The most urgent task is not to hold someone accountable or destroy someone’s family, but to rebuild Guanzhong and restore people’s livelihood. This is a great righteousness that cannot be lost.”

Why is he willing to bypass the Guanlongmen Clan?Raising troops to seek rebellion is an unforgivable crime in all dynasties, and it is right to destroy the three clans!

But as the prince of Jian Guo, he had to focus on the overall situation when his father had passed away.It was easy for the barbarians to destroy Guanlong, but after that, he had to face the big clans from Jiangnan and Shandong who entered Beijing and seized power. He was really alone.

Letting Guan Long go at this time, no matter what Guan Long thinks in his heart, he will definitely support him closely for a long time to help him control the government.

In the final analysis, as a king, one has to understand the importance of "balance". The fact that the clans of Jiangnan and Shandong are advancing and retreating together is too great a threat to him, the crown prince, especially when Li Ji holds a heavy army, he must support him. Guan Long resisted.

Moreover, although Guanlong's uprising was tantamount to conspiracy, it was just "abolishing the crown prince and setting up a new crown prince", not seeking to usurp the throne. In essence, it could avoid the majesty of the law. As the crown prince of Jianguo, he pardoned it, which makes perfect sense... …

As for whether he would raise tigers to cause trouble in the future, he was not worried. After this battle, the foundation of Guan Long's army had been uprooted. King of the country?
Without the army and military power, no matter how prosperous the clan is, it is just a paper tiger...

I only need to hold on to the military power through Fang Jun and Li Jing, and I can sit back and relax.

Xiao Yu's heart sank. He realized that the crown prince's wariness of the Jiangnan gentry was not lower than Guan Long's. This was a great blow to the ambitions of the entire Jiangnan gentry.

The way of a king is first of all balance. Obviously, the crown prince wants to use Guanlong as a knife to curb the development of the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River...

(End of this chapter)