Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 117: From today on, the Fang family will remain neutral in the battle for the crown prince (First update)
As the night falls, torches burn high.

Luoyang, Ziwei Palace.

Countless red silks were densely wrapped around each beam, and the joyful sound of drums and music danced lightly in between.

In the Qianyang Palace, members of the royal family, officials, and relatives by marriage, countless people looked gently at the two newlyweds dressed in red and green, Du He and Princess Chengyang, and Fang Yiai and Princess Gaoyang, who walked in from outside the palace.

Li Anyan stood calmly beside Changsun Xiang, at the topmost position under the Danbi.

They came today on behalf of the Crown Prince. In addition, Changsun Xiang was the nephew of Empress Changsun and was raised by her personally for a period of time. So no one dared to say anything wrong when they stood here, especially with the emperor's tacit approval.

……

Above the Dan Majesty, the emperor sits high.

Li Shimin looked at Chengyang and Gaoyang who walked into the hall with gentle eyes.

Chengyang is the second daughter of him and Guanyinbi, and although Gaoyang is not a legitimate daughter, she has always been loved by him.

Now that his two daughters are getting married together, he feels a little reluctant, but that's all he is.

The emperor thought he was satisfied with the husbands he had chosen for his two daughters.

One is Du Ruhui's second son.

One is Fang Xuanling’s second son.

He has done his best to serve the two important ministers.

Du He is close to the prince, and although Fang Yiai is closer to Li Tai, he has now been sent out as the Chief Clerk of Songzhou.

Especially now, the relationship between the Fang family and the prince has eased a lot, which makes the emperor feel more at ease about the future.

The ritual music is soothing.

Led by the ceremonial officer, the two couples completed the rituals one by one. Finally, all four of them knelt in the center of the hall and kowtowed deeply to the emperor.

"Everyone, please stand up." Li Shimin raised his hand gently.

"Thank you, father!" Du He, Princess Chengyang, Fang Yiai and Princess Gaoyang stood up at the same time.

The emperor looked sideways.

Zhangsun Wuji bowed slightly, then stood up, unfolded the imperial edict, and said loudly: "In the fifteenth year of the Kaiyuan reign, the year of Xinchou, the emperor said..."

Du He was granted the titles of Imperial Concubine Duwei, Senior Official of the Imperial Counselor's Office, and General of the Left Guard.

Fang Yiai was granted the title of imperial son-in-law, commander of the imperial court, and deputy governor of Songzhou.

Fang Xuanling, dressed in a purple robe, stood aside and finally breathed a sigh of relief when he heard that Fang Yiai had been given an official title.

The Songzhou Beijia was a fourth-rank official. Although he was still under the governor of Songzhou, he had the power to take full charge of the military and political affairs of Songzhou when the governor left Songzhou.

Even mobilized the government troops.

Although the Chief Secretary of Songzhou was the first person under the Governor of Songzhou in the absence of the Deputy Governor of Songzhou, he could not interfere in military affairs because there was still the Sima of Songzhou.

Now that Fang Yiai has become the deputy governor of Songzhou, Fang Xuanling only needs to make some arrangements at the end of the year to call the governor of Songzhou back to Chang'an to report on his work. If something happens to the Dangxiang at that time, Fang Yiai will have the opportunity to make meritorious deeds immediately. Besides, Songtsen is still staying in Tongtian River.

It was fortunate that he had kept his distance from the Prince of Wei's Palace for the past six months, otherwise why would the emperor have bestowed upon him a fourth-rank official position?

If Fang Yiai was not granted a fourth-rank official position when he married the princess, the entire Fang family would be disgraced.

Now the situation is good. The next step for them is to become General of the Left Guard and Deputy Governor of Songzhou, and they are all at the level of general and governor. No one is far behind.

……

The Princess of Chengyang was granted two manors, an additional fief of 800 households, and a number of jewels and servants...

Princess Gaoyang was granted two manors, an additional fief of 800 households, and a number of jewels and servants...

Changsun Wuji read the imperial edict and then stepped aside.

Du He, Cheng Yang, Fang Yi Ai, and Gao Yang all bowed to the emperor's couch and said, "Your Highness, your sons thank you."

"Stand up." The emperor smiled slightly and said, "From now on, you will be one family and spend your life together."

"Yes!" The four of them saluted again.

"The Crown Prince is serving as regent this time and cannot come from Chang'an, so he asked me to give you the gifts and also to bless you." Li Shimin looked to the side and saw Li Anyan and Changsun Xiang bowing at the same time.

Six large boxes were carried up from behind.

Three boxes were placed in front of Du He and Princess Chengyang.

Three boxes were placed in front of Fang Yiai and Princess Gaoyang.

The first two boxes were opened at the same time, and inside were densely packed gold, silver, bronze objects, as well as jade ornaments and jewelry.

Everyone was a little surprised by the dazzling light.

A box full of them.

Chengyang and Gaoyang each received a large box.

Chengyang's expression was relatively calm, but Gaoyang couldn't help but have his eyes shining.

My royal brother is still very good.

Li Anyan stood aside with a calm expression.

The Eastern Palace is indeed short of money, but not that short of money.

In fact, the storehouse of the Eastern Palace is filled with all kinds of treasures, but these things are not easy to move.

Especially those treasures bestowed by the emperor and the late Empress Changsun, the prince did not dare to use them at will.

Of course, that's something else.

Now that Princess Chengyang and Princess Gaoyang are getting married, no one will say anything even if the Crown Prince empties all the treasures in the Eastern Palace.

The second box was opened, and it was filled with thirty volumes of "Rules for Women" copied by the Crown Princess herself.

Gao Yang was still a little dazed, and Cheng Yang beside him couldn't help sobbing softly. Gao Yang immediately came to his senses, lowered his head, and there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Female Rules" is a collection of stories of success and failure of ancient women by Empress Zhangsun and her comments. "She wrote an essay to refute Empress Ma of Han Mingde, arguing that she failed to suppress the foreign relatives and allowed them to be powerful in the court. She warned against the dragon horses and water wheels, which was to open the source of the disaster and prevent future events."

Later, when Empress Changsun died, the emperor could not help crying every time he saw this set of books, and the same was true for the sisters in Chengyang and Jinyang.

Princess Gaoyang's mother was not Empress Zhangsun, so her reaction was a little slow, but her mother had passed away after all, so she could empathize with the emperor.

The third box was opened, revealing a blue bamboo-handled peacock duster. Some contained feathers dropped from peacocks sent as tribute from Kucha. "Gaoyang, Chengyang, pick up the dusters," the emperor said, smiling at his two daughters.

Gao Yang and Princess Chengyang looked at each other and picked up the blue bamboo-handled peacock duster in a daze.

"The bamboo knots convey my wish for a successful career and a son soon." The emperor said with a bit of amusement, "Take it the other way around."

Princess Gao Yang fell over in surprise, and grabbed the top of the duster. In an instant, a force came over her involuntarily, and Gao Yang subconsciously swung it to the side.

With a "pa" sound, Fang Yiai didn't react for a moment and was hit on the arm by a duster.

"It hurts!" Fang Yiai couldn't help but scream.

"I'm sorry, Prince Consort!" Gao Yang quickly apologized, saying, "It's because of this thing that I couldn't help but want to hit someone."

Princess Gaoyang reacted immediately and looked at Fang Yiai with sharp eyes.

Many ladies who were watching the ceremony in the hall also realized at once that this thing had this function, and they wondered why they hadn't thought of it before.

"The Crown Prince said that after you get married, you must take good care of your husbands and children, but don't let yourself be bullied. If you have any problems, just ask the Crown Prince for help." The emperor smiled, then looked at Fang Xuanling and said, "I'm sorry, Duke Liang, these are the Crown Prince's exact words."

Fang Xuanling immediately bowed and said with a smile: "If Erlang has done anything wrong to the princess, feel free to beat him. The princess will teach him in the future, and I will have less worries."

Listen, no wonder he can become the prime minister.

Many people in the hall sneered in their hearts.

Seeing that all three boxes were opened, the emperor's expression suddenly became solemn, and then he continued: "The prince has another gift for the two princes-in-law."

Immediately afterwards, two long boxes were brought in from outside.

Li Anyan and Chang Sunxiang opened the doors on the left and right, and in an instant, two long swords with black sheaths and gold threads appeared in front of everyone.

Du He and Fang Yiai picked it up at the same time, and the right weight made them feel comfortable.

"An eight-sided Han sword with dragon patterns is engraved with the words 'Perseverance, Self-reliance, Upholding Integrity and Defending the Country.'" The emperor sighed softly and said, "The Crown Prince hopes that his two sons-in-law will serve the country and fight on the battlefield."

"Your son obeys the order." Du He and Fang Yiai bowed solemnly at the same time.

Fang Xuanling, who was standing on the side, couldn't help but frown. The prince's words had a strong hidden meaning!

The drums and music started again, and the whole hall was once again filled with celebration.

……

After a night of dancing, the wine is intoxicating.

When I woke up again after being drunk, it was already the next day.

The princess's mansion was right next to the Duke of Liang's mansion. Fang Yiai and Princess Gaoyang came early to offer tea to Fang Xuanling and his wife, Mrs. Lu.

Nowadays, the political situation in the world is clear and the emperor is wise. Even though Princess Gaoyang has just married into the Fang family, she did not dare to be too presumptuous at this time. She respectfully offered tea to the two elders.

Before breakfast, Fang Xuanling pulled Fang Yiai into the study.

"Did you see the sword the prince gave you last night?" Fang Xuanling asked calmly.

"It's not too late yet." Fang Yiai paused for a moment and said, "If you need it, your son will bring it to you now."

"No need." Fang Xuanling calmly shook his head and said, "Do you understand the meaning of those eight words engraved on it: perseverance and self-reliance, upholding justice and defending the country?"

Fang Yiai was slightly stunned and whispered, "My son hasn't had time to think about it."

"One is self-reliant, the other is upright." Fang Xuanling sighed softly and said, "The Crown Prince hopes that you can maintain a neutral stance and not get involved in the dispute between the Crown Prince and the King of Wei. Then, he will not pursue anything that happened before. From now on, he will treat you and Du He equally."

"Ah!" Fang Yiai's face was filled with disbelief. He said, "Father, when did the prince say that?"

"The gifts the prince gave to Princess Gaoyang and Princess Chengyang are exactly the same, there is no difference at all." Fang Xuanling shook his head.

The verbal communication between these details is not something a child like Fang Yiai could figure out.

"But, but?" Fang Yiai frowned suddenly.

"You mean the Prince of Wei?" Fang Yiai turned his head, looking towards the Ziwei Palace, and said softly, "Since the beginning of this year, although Your Majesty has brought the Prince of Wei to Luoyang, the Crown Prince has remained in Chang'an to supervise the country. Most importantly, Your Majesty has given the Crown Prince a certain amount of real power, and the Crown Prince has done very well so far."

"Then the King of Wei also began to pray for the afterlife of Empress Wende and edited the Book of the Later Han at the same time?" Fang Yiai couldn't help but retort.

"Has Your Majesty reacted?" Fang Xuanling directly countered, then shook his head slightly and said, "Since last year's incident, the King of Wei has greatly lost his standing with Your Majesty.

Even if, as you say, the King of Wei is capable of compiling a good classic, compared to the Crown Prince, one is a crown prince who can assist in governing the country, while the other is just a filial son who excels in writing."

Fang Xuanling had completely explained the current situation in the court in just one sentence.

"The things that happened before..."

"The Crown Prince said he wouldn't pursue the matter, and that's what he meant. Especially now that you're the princess's husband and the Crown Prince's brother-in-law, your status is different. That's why the Crown Prince is trying to win you over."

Fang Xuanling was always able to analyze everything clearly.

Only then did Fang Yiai finally understand everything.

He is completely different today than he was yesterday. Today he has the capital to transcend the dispute between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Wei.

"The prince said he won't pursue the matter, but grandpa, not pursuing the matter doesn't mean trust. If the prince ascends the throne in the future, he may not settle accounts with you, but he won't necessarily make use of you either!" Fang Yiai showed a hint of hesitation on his face.

When betting on the battle for the crown prince, isn’t it all about the future?

"That's not how it works." Fang Xuanling waved his hand and said, "In the current dispute between the Crown Prince and the King of Wei, Your Majesty is currently more optimistic about the Crown Prince.

At this time, we must remain consistent with Your Majesty. If Your Majesty is more optimistic about King Wei in the future, we will help King Wei.

I still say that, you are already the Imperial Consort, and the position of Governor of a state is inevitable in the future. If you continue to get close to the King of Wei, then when the Crown Prince ascends the throne, you will have nothing."

After a brief pause, Fang Xuanling continued, "As for the King of Wei, even if you help him now, your position won't be any better when he ascends the throne... Again, you're now qualified to weigh the pros and cons between the King of Wei and the Crown Prince. What happens in the future depends on who will put in the most effort to win you over."

Now that the Crown Prince is no longer in danger, it is difficult for the King of Wei to gain much benefit. The most important thing is that the Emperor no longer has high hopes for the King of Wei.

"Now that you have finally escaped from Prince Wei's Palace, don't be in a hurry to place bets." Fang Xuanling gave the conclusion in one sentence.

Fang Yiai pondered his father's words, and finally nodded slowly, "That's fine, but the King of Wei said he wanted to get together the other day."

"No need to go. Your father will reply for you and tell them that you want to accompany the princess." Fang Xuanling looked at Fang Yiai seriously and said, "Remember, the princess is already your wife. If anything really happens in the future, let the princess go to the crown prince or the King of Wei. You won't be in any trouble, so there's no need to rush."

"Yes!" Fang Yiai finally understood everything.

From today on, the Fang family will remain neutral in the battle for the crown prince.

(End of this chapter)