Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4117
Regardless of whether Li Ji really believed that the existence of the edict only needed to be found, or whether he deliberately delayed the succession of the crown prince, it was extremely detrimental to Li Chengqian, which seriously lacked the responsibility of a leader in both the court and the military.

Of course, only he knows what Li Ji thinks in his heart...

Fang Jun was both disappointed and dissatisfied. He knocked on the table in front of him with a stern expression: "There are not only the leaders of the court, but also the pillars of the clan. If Your Majesty has a will to keep, who else can I put besides these people?" In the hands of someone? Your Majesty never confessed that there was a will, and none of you can get the so-called will. Why do you search the Taiji Palace to find such a non-existent will? I remind you, you wait Everything is the responsibility of the country, and any action will lead to serious consequences, and some consequences are absolutely impossible for us to bear, no one can afford that kind of responsibility."

Once due to the competition for reserves, swords and soldiers will be everywhere, and even the whole Guanzhong and the whole world will be full of storms and flames everywhere. I don’t know how many people’s homes will be destroyed.

Self-inflicted apologies are useless!
Li Ji glanced at Fang Jun. Although the words were extremely rude, he did not refute, but lowered his eyes without saying a word.

Fang Jun was very angry, and he had such an expression of wanting to stay out of the matter...

In history, Wu Meiniang, together with Xu Jingzong and others, bewitched Li Zhi to depose the queen and make her queen. The interest group headed by Guan Long strongly opposed it. His majesty's family affairs are not subject to meddling by ministers" trying to stay out of it. In fact, as the most powerful figure in the court and the military, his "no objection" already means that Wu Meiniang will succeed in ascending the throne.

Is this the responsibility of the majestic Zaisuke?

It's the same now. Sure enough, the country is easy to change, and the nature is hard to change. Li Ji is indeed not keen on power, but it is just that he does not pursue the upper limit of power, but attaches great importance to the lower limit.

If you don't care about Conglong's merits, but you are sure that there are no mistakes, no matter who is in power, how can you treat him, the number one powerful figure in the dynasty, slowly?
Li Chengqian looked at Li Xiaogong: "What did the county prince say?"

Apart from Li Ji, only Li Xiaogong can make the decision. Zong Zhengqing and Li Yuanjia have a high status, but their power and reputation are far inferior...

Li Xiaogong was also caught in a tangle, Li Ji's statement made him quite troubled, if there were no such powerful figures to resist the chaos, wouldn't it be more chaos?But having said that, at this moment, even if Li Ji stood on the side of one of the crown prince and the king of Jin to bring about a quick end to the battle for the crown prince, it would not necessarily be beneficial to the country.

It is either one or the other above the court, and there is no third party to check and balance each other. The end is naturally to cultivate party members and exclude dissidents...

After pondering for a while, Li Xiaogong had no choice but to nod his head and said: "In that case, let's put this matter on hold for now, and make a decision after the funeral."

……

Zongzheng Temple and Ouchi General Manager's Mansion began to be arranged. Fortunately, the royal family has a large population, and people die from time to time, so the funeral etiquette is very skilled.Of course, the etiquette required for the emperor's funeral is different, becoming more and more complicated and demanding.

Pieces of white cloth were transported into the palace, and under the guidance of Zongzheng Temple and the officials of the Ministry of Rites, they were cut by the servants and palace staff. Afterwards, everything they saw was wrapped and covered with white cloth, making the entire Taiji Palace completely untouched, and it was doubled in the torrential rain. Add a look of sadness.

The princesses, sons-in-law, and relatives of the emperor in Chang'an City have been notified one by one by Zongzheng Temple. Some of the higher status directly arranged for carriages and horses to enter the palace. The princesses of Cheng, Runan, Nanping, Changle, Yuzhang, Baling, Chengyang, Gaoyang, Jinyang, Xincheng, etc. knelt down in the open space in front of the hall, weeping and crying, not only shaking their heads, but also let a few palace maids Princess Gao Yang came to the side with her support, and stepped forward to comfort her warmly.

Looking at Princess Gaoyang's pale face and red and swollen eyes, Fang Jun felt sorry for himself: "Your Majesty's funeral, the whole world mourns, you are His Majesty's daughter, it is my duty to cry before the death, but we should also pay attention not to exhaust our body. Physical strength drains energy, so take it easy."

The emperor's funeral is the most important event in the world. The cumbersome etiquette makes people in later generations unbelievable and amazed. There are differences in the etiquette system of each dynasty, but they are similar. It takes five to seven months to be buried. It takes at least seven months to stop the dead in the palace. During the day, there are no less than dozens of etiquettes such as summoning souls, funerals, meals, Ming Jing, etc., which can be called torture for close relatives.

It's only the first day that I cried like this, how can I bear it after the whole funeral is over?

Princess Gao Yang nodded obediently, her slender hands tightly held Lang Jun's hand and refused to let go, there was not only strong sadness in her eyes, but also endless fear.

Her mother and concubine were not seen on the imperial jade plate, and she had no status. The reason why she was able to marry the meritorious son was entirely dependent on the favor of His Majesty Li Er, so that even if she married into such a prominent family as the Fang family, she could still be full of confidence and boss her around. Among the royal relatives, he is even more arrogant and respected.

Now that His Majesty Li Er was about to be buried, the biggest backer suddenly collapsed, which made Gao Yang, who was used to acting recklessly, suddenly feel scared.

For the rest of my life to rely on, only my husband is left...

Fang Jun patted her on the shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything... let's go."

Watching Princess Gaoyang return to the queue of princesses and continue to cry, her gaze shifted to Changle and Jinyang, the palace servants were holding umbrellas but it was difficult to cover them from the rain, and the princesses were drenched by the rain in no time ...

Fang Jun felt pity in his heart, but finally he didn't dare to go forward to comfort him in full view, and felt more and more ashamed.

*****
Under the rain corridor in front of the hall, Li Xiaogong and Li Ji stood side by side, and the imperial guards and internal servants formed a circle far away to prevent anyone from approaching and overhearing the conversation of these two big men representing the clan and the court respectively...

The rain was torrential, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled, and the Taiji Palace was full of figures and crying, as if the sky was falling and the earth was ripping apart, a desperate atmosphere spread in the rain.The king collapsed and the imperial power changed. I don't know how many people ride the wind and rise straight to the top, and I don't know how many people have a bleak career and fate.

After this heavy rain, a change of power no less than the "Xuanwumen Incident" of that year is about to begin...

Li Xiaogong put his hands behind his back, watching the mournful and crying princesses and concubines in the rain, and the princes and clan children who were kneeling in the rain not far away, and said calmly: "What exactly is Maogong?"

Li Ji stood beside him, his clear face was motionless, his chin slightly raised, his gaze pierced through the rain and fell on the wide and tall roof of Wude Hall: "I have no other intentions."

He naturally understood the meaning of Li Xiaogong's somewhat abrupt question...

Li Xiaogong frowned, his expression was a little anxious, and he said impatiently: "At this moment, I am not in the mood to argue with you, let alone fight with you. You are the head of the prime minister and even the leader of the military. We should express our position to maintain a smooth transition of imperial power, how can we seek good fortune and avoid harm, and have no opinion?"

Li Ji's clothes were blown by the night wind, and his body became thinner and thinner. He sighed softly: "Smooth transition... the county king really thinks that this change of imperial power will be a smooth transition?"

Li Xiaogong remained silent.

A burst of drum music sounded in the rain, covering up the previous continuous crying. It was the Taoist temples and temples in the city entering the palace to hold religious ceremonies under the auspices of the Ministry of Rites.The royal family of Li and Tang claimed to be descendants of Lao Tzu and respected Taoism as the state religion. But at this time, Buddhism was flourishing, with huge influence and countless believers, so it had to be eased for the time being. For such important events as the emperor’s funeral, it must be held together with Taoism in the palace. Otherwise, it will be regarded as exclusion and suppression by Buddhism, which will cause unnecessary turmoil.

Just like the current situation in the court, the crown prince and the king of Jin... who would take a step back?

Taking a step back means that the supreme imperial power in the world will fall into the hands of others, and I and countless fans under my command will soon face suppression, rejection, removal, or even extinction...

Li Ji withdrew his gaze, lowered his head and shook the rainwater stained on his sleeves: "Your Majesty once said that the way of imperial power lies in checks and balances. The most taboo in the court is either one or the other. In this way, if someone advances, someone will retreat, and someone will win. Someone loses, the winner chases after them fiercely, cuts the weeds and eradicates the roots, and the loser vents his fate like a bet... This is the bad luck of the country."

It is human nature to seek good luck and avoid bad luck.

A wise monarch is often able to check and balance all parties above the court. When one party is too powerful to contain it, he will immediately support the other party to check and balance, otherwise he will allow one family to dominate the conference and endanger the imperial power, instead of choosing a party that conforms to his own ruling philosophy to give unlimited support.

After anyone gains an advantage, he will maintain the advantage, thereby cultivating party members, repelling dissidents, and knocking down whoever opposes... Li Ji is no exception.

No matter which side he is on, after winning, he will immediately pursue the losing side. This is not determined by his character, but by his position.

Right now, both the prince and the king of Jin have countless supporters. These supporters are not only in the court, but also in all states and counties in the world.When one of the parties wins the battle for reserves and takes the position, all hostile forces are bound to be affected in the process of excluding dissidents, and a mighty political disaster will be set off in the whole world. Destroyed once.

At this time, there is a powerful person who is neutral, suppressing the winners, preventing them from suppressing political opponents without a bottom line, supporting the losers, preventing them from disappearing after a complete defeat. The two factions in the court are always side by side, checking and balancing each other. For the long way...

Li Xiaogong was noncommittal, but a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He nodded: "I hope that Lord Mao really thinks this way, and that he will live up to His Majesty's desire to appoint you as a prime minister... So, let's just watch from the sidelines and watch the crown prince and the king of Jin fight?"

Li Ji didn't seem to understand the sarcasm in the other party's words, he smiled wryly, and said helplessly, "Who can stop it?"

In his view, this battle is inevitable.

(End of this chapter)