The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 1024: Court Battle (V)

Zhangsun Wuji secretly regretted and blamed himself. Compared with the emperor's calmness, he seemed impetuous. Once he gained power, he was eager to establish his authority. In his excitement, he only cared about the suppressed thoughts in his heart and expressed them frantically, forgetting to observe how the emperor would react!
A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind.
This is a simple truth that even a child knows, but I, a person over 50 years old, actually ignored it.

The ministers in the court were arguing and making a lot of noise, but Changsun Wuji no longer cared about what was happening. He just watched Li Yan and other ministers talking from time to time, and widely sought the opinions of the important ministers, behaving very easy-going.

Changsun Wuji felt both relieved and uneasy about this.

He was glad that his nephew was smarter than he thought. With such an attitude, he would soon be able to secure the throne and gain the recognition of his subjects. But he was uneasy because, if this was the case, wouldn't his own value be reduced?

Without the support, without any timely assistance, and without any advice and support, his role as an uncle in front of his nephew has become almost the same as that of Cen Wenben.

This time the emperor bypassed Cen Wenben and turned to ask Fang Xuanling for his opinion. Was it intentional or unintentional?
If it was unintentional, it would be fine, because he really wanted to hear the opinion of Fang Xuanling, a senior minister, and wanted to borrow his insights to break the impasse; but if it was intentional, then wouldn't he be able to guess his intentions and plans?
Thinking of this, Changsun Wuji suddenly became confused and worried.

He no longer cared about the outcome of everyone's discussions, and even temporarily put Cen Wenben, his future opponent, behind his mind.

Changsun Wuji suddenly realized that he had overlooked the most important link, that is, he did not understand what kind of person the emperor who was sitting on the dragon throne was.

He was still thinking of Li Chengqian as he was in his teens before the fourth year of Zhenguan. But now he was almost thirty years old and his thoughts were fully mature. He had been lukewarm for half a month since he returned to Chang'an.

Apart from his high-profile appearance on the day when the Crown Prince was confirmed, his presence was extremely low afterwards.

He was so focused on negotiating between Li Shimin and the aristocratic families that he almost ignored the fact that his nephew was an adult with his own way of thinking.

Changsun Wuji took a deep breath, and his restless heart slowly calmed down. He suddenly felt that he should stop all his actions for a while, and have a good time with his nephew, chatting and building their relationship.

Get a deeper understanding of the nephew's true thoughts and then take targeted actions.

If he continued to be so reckless, his relationship with the emperor might become worse and worse, and he might even lose the foundation for his own survival.

Having figured everything out, Changsun Wuji stopped talking and gently touched Liu Bo who was standing next to him. Then both of them calmed down and stopped talking.

When Zhangsun Wuji, the main force behind the move, withdrew, Fang Xuanling recounted the initial discussion between the two monarchs in Fengzhou City, and finally made an earnest analysis that, although wealth comparable to the national treasury revenue was tempting, it would not be difficult to attack Yingzhou.

But the difficulty lies in facing the revenge of the entire Turkic people under the leadership of the Right Wise King. Whether the Tang Dynasty can withstand it is the key to the Yingzhou issue.

Finally, in the face of such tragic consequences, the red eyes of the ministers, which were stimulated by huge interests, finally cleared up. Everyone bowed their heads and thought about the 11th year of Zhenguan, when a million Turkic iron chairs were deployed outside Fengzhou City.

The overwhelming awe, the overwhelming momentum, and the terrifying murderous intent that makes people tremble with fear.

Many of the ministers shuddered and their voices became quieter.

Seeing that Changsun Wuji and Liu Bo were no longer aggressive and retreated, the excitement and ripples caused by the Japanese envoys to the civil and military officials in the court gradually subsided, and Fang Xuanling and Cen Wenben both subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

They all knew that although yesterday was Li Chengqian's first court meeting, Li Shimin was still in the Daming Palace when he was in court. With the Heavenly Khan's presence, there would not be any major disturbances in the entire Chang'an.

After yesterday, everyone knew that Li Shimin was on the verge of death, hanging on for life, and was basically a living dead man. Even the entrustment of his son and his last words had been explained, and subconsciously, in everyone's mind, the chapter of Li Shimin had been turned over.

Today is the first formal court meeting since Li Chengqian ascended the throne.

Although it was not a grand court meeting on the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month, all the ministers knew that this kind of routine court meeting was what really attracted people's attention.

There were three types of court meetings in the Tang Dynasty. The first was a very formal grand court meeting, which was held twice a month. All officials above the ninth rank in the capital had to attend. The scale was very large. Because there were too many officials involved, the grand court meeting was generally not for discussing matters, but for reporting important events of the country to the outside world.

The main spirit is to sing praises, show the majesty of the imperial court, and suppress the rebelliousness from all directions.

The second type is the daily routine court meeting, attended by officials of the fifth rank and above. This kind of court meeting usually deals with government affairs and trivial matters. The heads of various ministries and military commanders of the sixteen guards can report on matters within their authority. The third type is the more casual discussion of state affairs in the Chengqing Hall, which is usually a small-scale discussion between the emperor and officials from the three provinces. Sometimes, according to needs, officials from the six ministries and military commanders from all over the country will be specially summoned to participate.

To be honest, the third type of atmosphere is more relaxed. It is presided over by the emperor, everyone can speak freely and have a full discussion on some government affairs. The conclusions reached in the end can basically be recognized by everyone.

As for the first type, no specific things are discussed, there is no competition for interests, and everyone will not be nervous.

But the second type is more disturbing, like a gladiatorial arena recognized by all forces. All factions can raise demands here, report, participate in, criticize, form alliances, and intrigue, which is fully reflected here.

Any event brought up here is like a boulder thrown into a lake. How big a wave will it cause, how many people will pay attention to it, and how big a tsunami will it cause in the end? No one knows.
Even the emperor could not control the final outcome of such court meetings.

Therefore, this is what Fang Xuanling is most worried about. Strictly speaking, today's court meeting is Li Chengqian's first public ruling as emperor. Whether he can control the situation, make a good start and lay the foundation for future ruling depends on today.

Since the fourth year of Zhenguan, after the Battle of Dingxiang, Li Shimin's prestige has soared, and Fang Xuanling has been in charge of the court, and has been in Taiji Hall for nearly twenty years. Fang Xuanling also found that today's court meeting was a little abnormal, and the ministers seemed to be particularly excited.

Fang Xuanling understood that with the departure of Tian Khan, the threat that dominated the world was no longer there, making everyone feel much more relieved.

The old pattern was broken and a new order was about to be established. At this critical moment, Fang Xuanling became more worried.

In the past, Li Shimin's situation in the court was that Li Shimin suppressed countless rebel kings and forces and established the Tang Dynasty. Then he led his troops to the north and defeated the northern overlord Jie Li, which brought about the twenty years of peace and prosperity in the Zhenguan period. He expanded the territory by more than double, made great military achievements, and established countless kingdoms.

None of these could be compared to Li Chengqian, who wandered outside for more than ten years and then returned to Chang'an to pick up a cheap throne.

If Li Shimin's status in the hearts of his ministers was nine points, then the current Emperor of the Tang Dynasty had none at all.

It was impossible for the court officials to get along with the new emperor in the same way they had gotten along with Li Shimin before.

According to Fang Xuanling's years of political wisdom, this situation will most likely be settled at today's court meeting. The ministers will certainly work together to tacitly squeeze the power of the new emperor. This is the general trend, and even Fang Xuanling cannot stop it.

Moreover, in Fang Xuanling's mind, it would be better to give up some.

A person's power is directly proportional to his strength. If the new emperor does not have such strength, but holds power beyond his strength, it is definitely not a good thing. If one can carry 30 kilograms but is greedy and insists on carrying 300 kilograms, it is a disaster rather than a blessing.

Concession is certain, but Fang Xuanling is not sure how much.
This depends on the current emperor's skills and abilities, as well as the expectations of the court officials. These will be determined at today's court meeting through complex collisions and games. If the two sides are too far apart, it may be difficult to end.

Seeing that the might of the Turkic army in the 11th year of Zhenguan had resolved Changsun Wuji's offensive and calmed the court that was about to be in chaos, Fang Xuanling secretly breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the time. The court meeting was already halfway through, so he would find two unimportant things to report later.

Delaying time, today's meeting will be over.
However, Fang Xuanling was not optimistic at all. Zhangsun Wuji retreated too quickly and had not yet reached the edge of the power distribution that Fang Xuanling had expected.

This isn't a good thing?

Fang Xuanling and Zhangsun Wuji both knew the trend and development of the court today. Fang Xuanling glanced at Zhangsun Wuji quietly, and Zhangsun Wuji also looked over, and their eyes met in the air.

Fang Xuanling raised his eyelids in confusion, and Changsun Wuji shook his head with a gloomy expression. Fang Xuanling's heart sank quickly.

Changsun Wuji was also bitter in his heart. He waited all night in his mansion last night, hoping that Li Yan would come to visit him in person to ask for advice on state affairs. After all, he was not only his uncle, but also the current orphan and future regent. Only when the monarch and his ministers were of one mind could the situation be controlled.

This communication is necessary. It doesn't matter whether Changsun Wuji goes to the palace to find Li Yan, or Li Yan comes to ask for advice.

But Zhangsun Wuji felt that he was not only a trusted minister, but also the emperor's uncle. The nephew's personal visit was to show the emperor's favor to the Zhangsun family, so that he could better govern the country and gain the respect of the ministers;

Secondly, it can also show that the new emperor is humble and respectful to his old ministers. Even if it gets out, it will be a good story.

(End of this chapter)