Jiuxi

Chapter 741: 739 [Delusion and Obsession]

After the light rain, the lotuses turn over and the pomegranate flowers bloom.

After a light rain, Yongjia City seemed to be immersed in ink and water.

The heat has subsided and everything is cool. What makes the officials and people in the capital even happier is that the situation in Jiangbei has finally improved.

Lu Chen, Duke of Shanyang, personally led a large army and defeated the Jing army at Yaoshan Pass, killing nearly 30,000 enemies in one battle. He continued to advance westward to threaten Heluo, forcing the main force of the Jing army to withdraw from the north of Jingzhou.

The good news spread throughout the city like a strong wind. The people who were originally worried couldn't help but smile and couldn't help but sigh that Lord Lu was truly a pillar of the dynasty. He inherited the ability to lead troops from the two Dukes Xiao and Li, and even had a tendency to surpass them.

This trend also swept the court. Compared with the cheers of the people, the important officials in the court were happy, but also a little unnatural.

Of course they knew what the emperor was thinking.

Giving Lu Chen full authority to supervise Jiangbei's military affairs is an unavoidable expedient measure. Now that young nobleman's prestige is unparalleled, I wonder what the emperor thinks.

To their surprise, Li Zongben was in high spirits and praised Lu Chen generously in front of all the ministers. He also publicly stated that he would continue to let Lu Chen control the military power in Jiangbei.

The ministers praised him endlessly, but their hearts were full of doubts.

Li Zongben roughly knew what these important ministers were thinking.

The reason why he changed his attitude towards Lu Chen was, on the one hand, that the war in Jiangbei was still intense and no one could replace Lu Chen at this time; on the other hand, that the young emperor finally reflected on himself.

For some reasons that he could not tell others, he had to let Qin Zheng leave the Weaving Bureau. At the same time, he was very wary of Lu Chen's further seizure of power. However, after experiencing the panic and anxiety in the previous period, the good news sent by Lu Chen finally allowed him to sleep peacefully.

Therefore, he secretly reflected that perhaps he was too eager.

It is true that Lu Chen is young and noble, but to say that he has a rebellious heart is obviously a bit far-fetched.

Given his age, he might pose a threat in the future, but Li Zongben is also very young and naturally holds a righteous position. As long as he can firmly control the court and have a firm grasp on the logistical lifeline of the border troops, Lu Chen will ultimately be unable to do without the support of the court and will not be able to escape the constraints of the central government.

Li Zongben looked back at the ups and downs of the more than one year since he ascended the throne and realized that he was indeed too complacent. After enduring for more than ten years and holding power, he thought that everything would go according to his ideas.

He was not a stupid person, or rather, he was quite clever, otherwise he would not have been able to gain the trust of the late emperor step by step.

After thinking through these problems, Li Zongben decided to slow down the pace appropriately, which led to his appreciation for Lu Chen.

At the moment, the effect seems to be quite good, especially the two prime ministers gave very positive responses to his statement.

Li Zongben felt relieved. He even felt that if he could temporarily repair his relationship with Lu Chen, it might be better for Da Qi.

The next afternoon, Li Zongben, who was reviewing memorials in the imperial study, met Li Shizhi, the Minister of Personnel and Hanlin Academician, as expected.

As time went by, Li Shizhi's position in the court became increasingly stable, and now he was even not inferior to the two prime ministers.

However, in front of the emperor, Li Shizhi remained as humble as before and never did anything that violated the rules.

He saluted meticulously and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"My beloved, I will be free of any courtesy."

Li Zongben put down the memorial in his hand and said to Yuan Yuji, "Give Minister Li a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Li Shizhi bowed again and then sat on the round stool brought by Yuan Yuji.

Over the past six months, Li Shizhi had entered the palace more times than the other five ministers combined. The topics of discussion between the emperor and his subjects were no longer limited to the appointment and transfer of officials. They ranged from trivial matters in the capital to national policies such as the war situation in Jiangbei and the economic and boundary law. Li Zongben became increasingly dependent on Li Shizhi's advice.

Today, as usual, they talked about the situation in Jiangbei for a while. Li Shizhi said, "Your Majesty, now we can finally conclude that the civil unrest in Jing is half true and half false. This is good news for Da Qi."

Li Zongben frowned slightly and said, "Good news?"

Because he believed that the civil unrest in Jing State was real, he suffered the subsequent defeat in Kaocheng. In the end, it was Lu Chen who saved the situation. No matter how you look at it, this matter is his responsibility as the emperor.

If any other minister had mentioned this matter, Li Zongben's reaction would definitely not be so simple. Now only Li Shizhi could make him temporarily suppress his unhappiness.

Li Shizhi said calmly, "Your Majesty, please allow me to report. If there was no grudge between the king and his ministers in Jing State, Qing Yugong would have been the commander of the Jing Army after the Battle of Kaocheng. Now, from the war reports in the north, we know that Wu Yanshu is still the commander of the Jing Army, and after the Duke of Shanyang captured Yaoshan Pass, Qing Yugong still disappeared. Your Majesty, think about it carefully. If the king and his ministers trusted each other, how could such a situation occur? From this point of view, even if the Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong temporarily put aside their conflict because of our dynasty's northern expedition, they will still fight sooner or later."

"indeed so."

Li Zongben's brows relaxed and he nodded repeatedly after hearing this.

Li Shizhi continued, "Your Majesty, who is Qing Yugong? The leader of the Qing Yu clan is known to the world as the military god of Jing State. He has more than 100,000 soldiers under his command. It is not easy for Emperor Jing to deal with such a person. I assert that the fight between these two people will only become more and more intense and will never stop. No matter who is the final winner or both lose, this will be the root cause of Jing State's failure. Perhaps it won't be long before Jing State will have a real civil strife, and Da Qi will just sit back and reap the benefits." "My dear minister, your words have cleared the clouds for me to see the sun."

Li Zongben smiled, but his mind was elsewhere.

The reason why Lu Chen made him feel difficult was that he had to rely on the other party's abilities, so that the border army would have the confidence to compete with the Jing army.

If Emperor Jing and Qing Yugong killed each other, it would mean that the biggest threat to Da Qi would be automatically eliminated. In this case, why should he rely on others and compromise with Lu Chen?

However, after experiencing the twists and turns before, Li Zongben became more cautious and said subconsciously: "I just don't know when that day will come."

"Your Majesty, don't worry."

Li Shizhi smiled slightly, and then said: "It is only a matter of time. The final winner must be Da Qi. Besides, the court is now full of talented people, the border army has countless brave generals, and there is a pillar of the country like Shanyang County Duke to preside over the overall situation. Your Majesty just needs to wait patiently."

This was the first time Li Zongben heard from the other party that he unreservedly praised Lu Chen, so he said curiously: "So you also admire Lu Chen so much."

Li Shizhi said with emotion: "I dare not deceive your majesty. Apart from my father and the late Prince of Dongyang, I admire this young Duke the most among all my colleagues in the court. He has always been loyal to the Great Qi, and he has remained loyal to the late emperor and your majesty. In my opinion, loyalty is only one of the many advantages of the Duke of Shanyang. His ability to lead troops is like a natural talent, and he is also a good investigator. Throughout history, young talents like him are rare."

"Investigating the case?"

A memory suddenly emerged in Li Zongben's mind.

Li Shizhi nodded and said, "Have you forgotten, Your Majesty? The assassination case was solved by the Duke of Shanyang. Afterwards, I secretly sighed that although Minister Gao of the Ministry of Justice is an experienced and capable official, he is no match for the sharp-minded Duke of Shanyang. However, if I were in the position of Minister Gao, I would probably bow my head and obey orders willingly when faced with a genius like the Duke of Shanyang."

Li Zongben forced a smile, and a hint of coldness appeared in the depths of his eyes.

He had always been quite proud of that.

Although there were some unexpected changes in the process, he was very satisfied with the final result.

Through the assassination case, he followed the will of the people and imprisoned the third son Li Zongjian, turning Queen Mother Xu into the most honorable statue in the palace. He also used this opportunity to remove Qin Zheng's power and forced him to leave the Weaving Bureau.

However, listening to Li Shizhi's unintentional words at this moment, some details quietly crept into his mind.

That day he summoned all the important ministers to the palace to discuss matters. Lu Chen's sudden appearance and reporting of the case caught him off guard and made him openly confront Empress Dowager Xu. If Li Daoyan, who was still in the court at the time, had not stepped forward, he might have been unable to make it in the end.

From the beginning to the end, Gao Huan, the Minister of Justice, did not give him any reminders. Afterwards, Gao Huan explained that Lu Chen investigated the case independently and did not let the Ministry of Justice intervene at all.

Li Zongben knew that Gao Huan could not withstand Lu Chen's power, so he did not blame him. However, when he heard what Li Shizhi said, he couldn't help feeling very uncomfortable.

This Gao Huan... is he really completely unaware of this?
Or is he keeping silent for some reason?

Before this, Li Zongben was only wary of Lu Chen because of the military power in his hands. Even at yesterday's court meeting, he had wanted to take a step back and temporarily ease the relationship with the other party.

But if Lu Chen interfered in the court and colluded with both internal and external forces, it would exceed the bottom line of what Li Zongben could tolerate.

Li Zongben's mind raced, and he did not show anything wrong in front of Li Shizhi. The two of them discussed state affairs for a while, and then Li Shizhi bowed and took his leave.

About half an incense stick of time later, a carriage slowly drove away from the square outside Hening Gate.

Li Shizhi leaned against the soft pillow with a calm expression and said to Li Jinshan who was kneeling respectfully: "Tell Qi Weili that His Majesty is going to move Gao Huan, and he can present what he has prepared."

"Yes, sir."

Li Jinshan's eyes were full of awe.

Qi Weili was the Minister of Dali Temple, responsible for reviewing the case files of the Ministry of Justice. It would not be difficult for him to find mistakes in the Ministry of Justice's work, which would give the emperor a legitimate reason to dismiss Gao Huan.

As for why the emperor wanted to dismiss Gao Huan, Li Shizhi did not say, and Li Jinshan naturally would not ask.

The rain continues to drizzle, and the sky and earth are clear.

One day later, Li Shizhi heard a piece of news in his mansion that the Minister of Justice Gao Huan was reported for corruption and accepting large bribes in some cases. The emperor angrily dismissed him from his post and sent him back to his hometown in Longlin.

He looked at the misty and ethereal courtyard in front of him and said softly, "Your Majesty, a journey of a hundred miles begins with a single step. How can you give up halfway?"

"Even if you want to show your kindness to Lu Chen, he may not appreciate it. It is better to stick to your path until the end."

"I think this is best."

"It's good for everyone."

(End of this chapter)