Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4002 There is no retreat
The imperial driver moved slowly, the chariots and horses rattled, and the rain fell.

Although the people in Chang'an City were blocked in the Lifang and could not go out of the city to meet them, the people around Chang'an City have also received the news of His Majesty's return to Beijing, and they rushed to the city with their families and stood on the side of the road to take a look. Yu Jia, in this way, beat their respect and love for the Tang Emperor.

Many old men with white beards and hair even knelt in the mud, letting their children and grandchildren stand behind them with umbrellas to shield them from the rain, crying until they burst into tears and snotted their noses, babbling about the news of the first time His Majesty passed away. Sadness and despair, as well as the ecstasy and relief of learning that His Majesty has "resurrected from the dead".

Under such circumstances, even if His Majesty Li Er was full of depression and had a bad temper, he had to change his clothes and stand in the car, constantly waving his hands to the people gathered around him.

Feeling the sincere support and loyalty of the people, His Majesty Li Er's irritability slowly eased, and a smile gradually appeared on Fangzheng's face, but when he saw the prince abandoning his horse and walking in the mud, one by one, he saw the prince who was kneeling. When the old man stood up, his smile stopped abruptly.

It stands to reason that the prince's approach is very good. The emperor is aloof and accepts the admiration and support of all people. No matter how much he loves the people, he should also pay attention to maintaining a mysterious and arrogant temperament and draw a clear line from the people. After all, he is the son of heaven and the supreme being on earth. .

The prince, on the other hand, represents the corporal of the emperor, and every time he lifts up an old man, pats his shoulder and sends a word of gratitude and condolences, or promises that the imperial court will continue to keep officials clean, diligent and caring for the people, they will all get cheers. Prestige soars.

But His Majesty Li Er just looked unhappy, and the anger that had subsided a little in his chest rose again.

Why do you reap the prestige that Lao Tzu has built up over ten years of long-cherished sleep and hard work and love for the people for nothing?Is it because you were disappointed that Lao Tzu didn't die, and you couldn't wait to start grabbing power because you relied on a little team?
……

Li Chengqian was walking in the mud, his clothes were drenched, the hem of his clothes and boots were already filled with mud, he limped forward, and from time to time he helped the old man who was kneeling on the ground praising his father's merits, Smiling like a spring breeze, comforting with gentle words, but he always felt a sharp gaze shot from above Yu Jia, making him feel anxious and uneasy.

He also didn't want to show off so much in front of his father, but what could he do?

The emperor's heart of Yi Chu is as firm as iron, and he will never be dismissed easily. Right now, the Eastern Palace has a deep foundation and the army under its control is tyrannical. It is to find his mistakes, and then launch attacks and guide public opinion, so that Yi Chu can be justified.

So at this moment, he knew that doing this would be stealing the limelight from his father, but he had to execute it meticulously. He can only express his gratitude to the people in person, showing the royal family's demeanor of loving the people.

On the other hand, if you shrink your head and don't show your face, it will be a big disrespect...

A white-haired old man was lifted up by him, thanked him warmly, and told the children and grandchildren behind him to help him home quickly. At this age, he can be called a "renrui", and he dare not get sick in the rain. If there is a meal because of this , he, the prince, must feel guilty.

The old man tremblingly took the hand of His Highness the Crown Prince, and grinned open his toothless lips: "Your Highness's benevolent style, which does not make the ancient sages more beautiful than before, is really the welfare of the people of the Tang Dynasty. He is a generation of enlightened masters, and he is only a little bit worse than His Majesty."

Li Chengqian pulled the corners of his mouth, and his smile was uglier than crying: "Gu has no virtue and incompetence, how dare he compare with the ancient sages? As for the emperor, he is a nine-day flying dragon, and Gu is just a grasshopper."

You old guy seems to have read the book, but are you praising me or are you trying to kill me?
The old man seemed to be emotionally agitated and had a lot of feelings, and he wanted to boast a few more words when he pulled Li Chengqian. Fortunately, the children and grandchildren behind him still had some knowledge, and they knew the truth that the prince should hide his strength and bide his time when the prince is in power. It's not a good thing... hurriedly hugged and dragged and forcibly helped to lead him away.

Li Chengqian wiped the rainwater off his face, let out a long breath, and looked up at his father's royal driver, feeling sore in his heart.

Everyone in the world envied that he was born as the eldest son, and that he won the position of crown prince without any twists and turns, but who knew that he really didn't care about this position?It's a pity that there is a vast abyss behind the summit, knowing that the future is full of thorns, but if you take half a step back, you will be smashed to pieces.

Dilemma, a dilemma.

only the guy drinking water knows it's cold or hot……

Yu Jia slowly walked towards Chunming Gate in the drizzle, until three miles away from the city gate, officials from Zongzheng Temple and the Ministry of Rites came out from the city to meet him.

His Majesty Li Er ordered Yujia to suspend the official road. He wanted to discuss with the officials of Zongzheng Temple and the Ministry of Rites about entering the city. He himself, the emperor, came back from the conquest. His Majesty Li Er was a little dazed when the officials born in the plane boarded the imperial driver...

The official bowed to the ground: "Weichen Minister of Rites Zhou Gang, I have an audience with Your Majesty."

His Majesty Li Er glanced up and down several times, only then vaguely remembered that there was such a person in the Ministry of Rites, who seemed to have just been promoted last year, and had never participated in several court meetings...

His face sank, and his tone was very displeased: "Who is in charge of the Ministry of Rites now?"

Even if you are sick and bedridden, shouldn't you come to welcome you when you are sick?After the prince won the battle, one or two thought that the world belonged to him, and there was no king like me in his eyes anymore?

It just doesn't make sense!
Zhou Gang was covered in cold sweat, and glanced at His Royal Highness King Han beside him, hoping that the other party could save him a few words. After all, the pressure on His Majesty was too great... But the other party looked at his nose, nose, nose and heart and kept silent, so he could only curse in his heart With a loud voice, he braced himself and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, the king of Hejian County has two positions. When the big cannibal invaded the Western Regions, he rushed to Jiaohe City to sit in the town and entrusted Mr. Pengcheng to handle the affairs of the Ministry. However, troops from various families in Guanlong At the beginning, Duke Pengcheng only went to the yamen every now and then. When the rebels broke through the imperial city and all the yamen were almost razed to the ground, he never saw Duke Pengcheng again... In the absence of a humble minister and the absence of the chief I can only represent my colleagues brazenly and come to greet His Majesty."

Li Xiaogong is the minister of the Ministry of Rites, and another position is Anxi Grand Protector. Who would have expected that during the Eastern Expedition, the big cannibal bandits invaded the border, and the Anxi army had no leader, and the Guanlongmen Clan was about to move in the Western Regions, so the prince could only pat someone who could hold his own. Li Xiaogong went to lead the army, and Linghu Defen, the former minister of the Ministry of Rites, Pengcheng Gong, acted in charge of the ministry temporarily.

Later, when Guanlong raised troops, Linghu Defen, as the backbone of Guanlong, assisted Changsun Wuji in the military affairs, so the Ministry of Rites naturally had no time to go there...

When the rebels broke through the imperial city, the six leaders of the East Palace fought and retreated, causing the entire imperial city to be reduced to scorched earth. Many central yamen, including the yamen of the Ministry of Rites, were all destroyed in the flames of war. Can't get out... Now that the rebel army is defeated, Chang'an is back under the control of the East Palace, but the destroyed yamen cannot be rebuilt for a while, and the officials in the ministry still haven't assembled.

Suddenly, when His Majesty returned to Beijing, the Ministry of Rituals had to organize and organize all the necessary ceremonies. The officials hurriedly gathered together, but found that the ceremonial guards and other items were either damaged or lost, and it was impossible to prepare for the welcoming ceremony...

But you can't just ignore His Majesty because of this, can you?In an emergency, Zhou Gang, as the highest-ranking official in the current Ministry of Rites, was pushed out...

His Majesty Li Er frowned, his face sinking like water.

He naturally knew that Chang'an City had been severely damaged by the war, and even the Taiji Palace had been used as a battlefield for fierce battles, but he did not expect that even the central yamen like the Ministry of Rites had become a "dog of five families", and even the yamen disappeared... From this we can see However, the degree of damage to Chang'an is far beyond what can be described by the dry intelligence statement "the imperial city is damaged, and many houses have collapsed", and the tragedy of this rebellion is far beyond imagination.

Fighting back in desperation, fighting for every inch of land, with corpses everywhere, and finally being able to turn around and win under the siege of an enemy ten times as powerful as himself... Even if he doesn't want to admit it, he has to sigh that the prince has done a great job this time.

Although Fang Jun and Li Jing were the greatest contributors to the victory, but with the collapse imminent, there are civil servants who are working hard, and there are still military generals who risk their lives to fight. Wouldn't it show the prince's excellence?

It's a pity, if the prince could show such qualities in the early years, how could I have repeatedly raised the heart of easy storage?
But now the crown prince is full of wings, directly threatening his authority as the emperor, making him unable to retreat even if he wants to...

If it were another emperor, he might be able to be broad-minded and harmonious with his father and son, and wait for a smooth handover in the future.However, His Majesty Li Er relied on the "Xuanwu Gate Change" to kill his brothers and brothers and force his father to abdicate to sit on the throne. He was more vigilant against such situations than ever before. How dare he allow the prince to grow stronger and stronger, and he will eventually follow suit. A "Xuanwu Gate Change"?
The arrow is on the string and has to be fired.

However, even though His Majesty Li Er's heart is as hard as a stone at the moment, he still has to lament the bad luck of the prince. At the beginning, he was easy to save because the prince was weak and did not have the appearance of a master; now he still wants to be easy to save, but because the prince's performance is too good , the wings are too plump...

Father and son are the same, both advance and never retreat.

……

Although His Majesty Li Er was dissatisfied in his heart, he would not be angry with the servant. Besides, the objective reasons did exist, and this was not a problem of any one person.

After thinking for a while, he said in a deep voice: "I will go back to Tai Chi Palace first tonight, and as for the opening ceremony, I will keep everything simple. I will give the Ministry of Rites three days, can you prepare it?"

Zhou Gang complained in his heart, now that the Ministry of Rites is almost poor and has nothing, how to prepare multiple ceremonies in just three days?

However, officials of his level seem to be under too much pressure when facing His Majesty Li Er, and they dare not disobey at all, so they can only nod in response: "Wei Chen will lead the Ministry of Rites to overcome all difficulties and do our best."

His Majesty Li Er ignored the cleverness in his words, and turned to look at Li Yuanjia who had been silent all this time...

(End of this chapter)