Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 209 Establishing a Crown Prince
Liu Jianjun continued his absurd behavior until noon the next day.

Li Xian could actually understand.

Liu Jianjun was young and full of energy. Although he and Shangguan Wan'er were both in Luoyang, they could only pretend to be strangers to each other because of their status. This was the hardest thing to bear.

but……

Li Xian felt that Liu Jianjun was being a bit too indulgent.

He used the excuse that he wanted to discuss chess with Di Renjie to keep Di Renjie behind. As a result, Shangguan Wan'er was also "forced" to stay and keep an eye on Di Renjie, the pillar of the nation.

Then the next day, he couldn't even get up to see Shangguan Wan'er off.

Shangguan Wan'er was fine, her face was rosy, as if she had drunk some nourishing chicken soup. On the other hand, when Li Xian saw Liu Jianjun off and came to his small courtyard, he saw that Liu Jianjun was even having trouble getting out of bed—his legs were shaking.

Li Xian felt that he was pushing himself too hard.

Then I thought, Lu Zhaolin's words, "I just parted from you for a short time, and now we are about to meet again after 1,200 days," were so well said. Although Liu Jianjun and Shangguan Wan'er were not "parted for a short time," their separation was just as good as that of a short separation.

So, he also began to miss the embroiderers in Chang'an.

This was the first time he and the embroiderer had truly been separated for a short while.

Liu Jianjun had difficulty getting out of bed, so Li Xian didn't bother him too much and let him sleep comfortably all day.

By evening, Liu Jianjun had barely regained some of his strength and ran to find Li Xian.

"My lord, Di Renjie has left?"

Li Xian looked on with amusement and said, "Di Gong knew I was not good at chess, so after playing a few games with me, he said he was sleepy and rested in the side room of the Prince's mansion. It was only at noon today that he left the Prince's mansion with Miss Shangguan."

Liu Jianjun chuckled awkwardly, "This old man still knows how to be considerate."

Li Xian asked curiously, "Do you need to see him for something?"

“It’s not a big deal.” Liu Jianjun shook his head and continued, “Weren’t you curious about when I got in touch with Li Zhaode? It was through Di Renjie. He was an official in the court and had more opportunities to make connections with other officials than we did. Li Zhaode was someone he recruited.”

Li Xian suddenly realized.

Liu Jianjun added, "So I plan to ask him if he has recently met any reliable officials. We need to gradually expand our influence... Of course, besides that, there is another important matter I need to tell him."

"what's up?"

"Let him go and support Xianzi."

“Supporting Brother Xian?” Li Xian asked in surprise.

"Of course, you can see that your mother's attitude towards choosing an heir is on Xianzi's side, so how could Di Renjie not see it? Since everyone with eyes can see that Di Renjie can see Wu Zetian's attitude, how could your mother not know? Since your mother knows that Di Renjie has seen that the heir she favors is Xianzi, wouldn't she become suspicious if Di Renjie did not support Xianzi?"

Liu Jianjun's words were quite roundabout, and it took Li Xian a while to understand them.

Liu Jianjun continued, "Letting him support Xianzi will make Wu Zetian, that old woman, believe more that he is a loyal subject of the Tang Dynasty, rather than a loyal subject of you. This will definitely benefit our Pulan, a great benefit."

……

Time is always hard to bear while waiting.

Liu Jianjun's "Pulanbi" project could only proceed after receiving news from Xue Ne, so Li Xian's days in Luoyang were rather dull.

The only change Liu Jianjun experienced at his coming-of-age ceremony was that he was still not used to being called "Aiguo" (patriotic) by others.

Therefore, Li Xian continued to call him Liu Jianjun, as was his habit.

Just like Liu Jianjun never called Li Xian by his courtesy name "Mingyun".

Liu Jianjun is a strange person; it seems that he is completely out of step with the habits of ordinary people.

March is almost halfway over, and the sun is about to rise.

Li Xian attended the court assembly as usual, acting as a figurehead.

Li Xian was summoned to the court assembly again, but this time Wu Zetian didn't mention the matter of establishing an heir apparent much. Instead, she talked about her "Control Crane Bureau".

Of course, the Imperial Crane Control Bureau has now been renamed the Fengchen Prefecture.

The Fengchen Mansion holds an extremely high position in Wu Zetian's heart. It is not only the institution where she gathers talents, but also the place where she keeps her favorite men. Therefore, some people are desperate to get into the Fengchen Mansion in order to curry favor with her. In fact, many people in the court and the public openly recommend themselves to her. Some say that he is more handsome than Zhang Changzong, and some say that he is more robust than Feng Xiaobao.

This is certainly a good thing for Wu Zetian; she would love to have as many people like this as possible.

But the rumors circulating in the court were never pleasant.

Moreover, the reputation of Fengchen Mansion will be greatly affected.

Today, a minister advised, "A few male favorites are enough. We shouldn't be holding endless auditions for handsome young men. It's such a bad influence!"

Wu Zetian probably thought this made sense, so they seriously discussed a solution.

In reality, the so-called solutions are limited to a few options after much discussion. Feng Xiaobao initially "whitewashed" himself by annotating the "Dayun Jing Shu," so the Zhang brothers are now somewhat imitating Feng Xiaobao.

Some suggested that the Zhang brothers continue to annotate similar scriptures, while others suggested that they compile and publish a book.

Wu Zetian ultimately decided to have the Zhang brothers lead the compilation of the book, which was titled "The Essence of the Three Teachings".

This book is actually a collection of poems, mainly recording the thoughts of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism.

Although the Zhang brothers were somewhat talented in literature, they were clearly not capable of completing the task independently. Therefore, Wu Zetian ordered the gathering of some of the most famous poets of the time, and of course, she also thought of Wang Bo.

Compared to Liu Jianjun, Wu Zetian's impression of Wang Bo was quite good, because although Wang Bo was not as handsome as Liu Jianjun, he had a much fairer complexion, which suited her aesthetic.

Therefore, he inquired about Li Xian and Wang Bo's whereabouts in the imperial court.

Li Xian thought to himself, Wang Bo is being arranged by Liu Jianjun to run around outside every day, how would he know where Wang Bo has gone?

So he honestly replied, "Zi'an is restless by nature, and I do not know where he has traveled to."

Wu Zetian seemed somewhat disappointed, but she didn't ask too many questions and went back to confirming the candidates with the ministers.

Li Xian then obediently returned to the train.

Looking at the heated discussion in the court, Li Xian seemed somewhat dazed.

This situation seems familiar.

How similar is the way Feng Xiaobao was favored back then to how he is now?

The only difference is that Feng Xiaobao was arrogant and domineering back then, while the Zhang brothers are now at least outwardly well-behaved and sensible, avoiding trouble.

Moreover, the court officials seemed to tacitly accept the existence of the Zhang brothers.

Perhaps for them, a pair of well-behaved and quiet "brother flowers" is better than a volatile and easily angered Feng Xiaobao.

“It should be that the lotus resembles Liu Lang, how can you say that Liu Lang resembles a lotus!” A sudden voice interrupted Li Xian’s thoughts.

Li Xianshun looked over.

This man was a minister in Wu Zetian's faction and also a prime minister.

His name is Yang Zaisi.

But people outside the household didn't call him that in private. Instead, they called him "two-legged fox," meaning that he was like a fox that walked upright, cunning and shrewd.

He spoke up suddenly because another official praised Liu Lang for his rosy lips, white teeth, and lotus-like face, so he retorted.

Li Xian remained silent.

Wu Zetian, however, appeared quite pleased. Although she pretended to reprimand Yang Zaisi with a stern face, saying that he was just spouting nonsense in court, she did not say anything about any actual punishment.

The morning assembly concluded amidst a chorus of obsequious flattery.

Li Xian also returned to the Prince of Pei's residence. Although Li Xian felt that there was no need to tell Liu Jianjun what had happened at the court meeting today, he still repeated it as usual.

But after listening, Liu Jianjun showed a thoughtful expression.

Then he asked, "You just said that the poets they ultimately selected included Song Zhiwen and Du Shenyan?"

Li Xian was taken aback, then nodded.

“I know Du Shenyan. Old Wang told me about him. He and Old Wang have some connection,” Liu Jianjun continued.

Li Xian nodded: "The Four Friends of Literature, it's only natural that he and Zi'an became acquainted."

But Liu Jianjun shook his head and said, "Old Du isn't a very good person. He only knows how to write eulogies and official documents, but he... never mind, since Old Du is here, things will go more smoothly this time." Li Xian was puzzled.

"Why do you think I brought Lao Wang into this group? While his workaholic nature is rare, the most crucial thing is his identity as a scholar. This group of scholars has a complex network of relationships. If you pull out any one of them, you can trace back to more than half of the scholars of this era. Lao Du just happens to be one of them on this line, and quite close at that."

……

Liu Jianjun's words came true once again.

The compilation of "The Pearls of the Three Teachings" did not go smoothly. Although the Zhang brothers received the title of editors, the actual compilation work was overseen by Song Zhiwen and Du Shenyan.

The two great poets somehow got into a conflict, which caused the compilation to be delayed. Although Wu Zetian urged them to hurry up, Du Shenyan invoked the greater good: "This matter was entrusted by His Majesty. I should do my best to make it perfect. How can I do it perfunctorily?"

Since Du Shenyan had already said so, how could Wu Zetian possibly urge him any further?

As a result, the work of compiling "The Essence of the Three Teachings" was delayed until the end of April.

While Du Shenyan was desperately dragging out the compilation work, intelligence was finally delivered to the Prince of Pei's residence.

Xue Ne's "military intelligence" has arrived.

Li Xian felt a sudden surge of nervousness for no apparent reason.

This means that Liu Jianjun's Pulan project must be launched.

Liu Jianjun didn't react much. While opening the letter, he quickly scanned the contents of the letter and said, "Hmm, Goryeo is not content with its current situation. It has repeatedly crossed the Yalu River to harass the prefectures and counties under the jurisdiction of our Andong Protectorate. Although it has not captured any important towns, it has burned and looted villages and captured our border people. Its arrogance is growing... Xue Ne has urged the court to be vigilant, fearing that it will become too powerful and cause trouble again... The reasons are sufficient."

He handed the letter to Li Xian and said, "The timing is perfect. Tomorrow is the first day of the lunar month, and according to custom, such border reports will be presented by the Ministry of War at the court meeting. The stage has been set up, and we are just waiting for you, the Prince of Pei, who is full of resentment, to take the stage."

Li Xian took the letter, his fingertips slightly cold.

Although Liu Jianjun didn't say it explicitly, he vaguely knew that taking this step meant that he could hardly turn back. He was no longer the seemingly carefree prince in Luoyang, but had voluntarily jumped into the turbulent land of the northern frontier, with an uncertain future.

"What, scared?" Liu Jianjun asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's not fear, it's just... the sudden thought of leaving these two bustling capitals leaves me feeling a little empty." Li Xian took a deep breath, shook his head, folded the letter, and handed it back.

Li Xian was born and raised in Chang'an. Apart from his brief memory of meeting Liu Jianjun in Bazhou, almost all of his memories were of bustling places like Chang'an or Luoyang.

Li Xian felt somewhat hesitant about suddenly being sent to the northern frontier.

The northern border region is not peaceful these days.

But then he suddenly asked curiously, "Xue Ne went to the Protectorate General of Andong?"

He remembered that Xue Ne had previously lived in the Hebei area.

“Yeah, it’s chaotic over there too. People from Silla and Goryeo are fighting everywhere. The Xue family’s main base is there, so it’s better for us to go there. The cotton mill is there too. On the surface, the Xue family is in charge, and we’re the technical team.” Liu Jianjun gave a brief introduction to Xue Ne’s situation.

Upon hearing this, Li Xian understood.

The Xue family, a military clan, had deep roots in Hebei and Liaodong. It was only natural that Xue Ne was transferred to the territory under the jurisdiction of the Andong Protectorate.

……

The first day of April is the first day of the lunar month.

As if by prior agreement, Di Renjie stepped forward first, holding a jade tablet, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty! Your subject Di Renjie, at the risk of his life, earnestly begs Your Majesty to establish the foundation of the nation as soon as possible and to appoint an heir apparent, so as to reassure the hearts of all subjects!"

The sound was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves in the imperial court.

The Di Renjie of today is a far cry from the one of the past. In this court full of sycophantic officials, he is one of the few capable ministers who can put Wu Zetian at ease.

Although Wu Zetian was ambitious and loved to hear praise, she at least knew what kind of people were truly useful to the country.

Therefore, she trusted and valued Di Renjie, this "neutral" but capable minister.

When this senior official spoke, everyone had to consider whether or not to follow suit.

But soon, a group of ministers, including Li Zhaode and Su Liangsi, who were openly or covertly inclined towards the Li Tang imperial family, stepped forward and echoed in unison: "We second your proposal! We urge Your Majesty to establish an heir apparent as soon as possible to secure the stability of our Wu Zhou dynasty!"

"With the heir apparent vacant, the foundation of the nation is unstable and prone to disaster! We beseech Your Majesty to make a wise judgment!"

"..."

The outcry grew louder and louder, even including some officials who had previously held an ambiguous stance.

They may have been swayed by Di Renjie and others, or they may have seen through Wu Zetian's true intentions, or they may simply have felt that they needed to take sides at this time, and they all joined the petition.

Li Xian stood in the crowd, his face showing just the right amount of hope as he looked at Wu Zetian.

On the dragon throne, Wu Zetian's face beneath her crown revealed no emotion; she simply gazed quietly at the kneeling officials below.

Li Xian had many thoughts on his mind.

I wonder if Wu Zetian will find something amiss. With so many people petitioning at the same time, will she suspect that someone is secretly colluding with her?

But soon he realized he was overthinking things.

An ordinary person like him might overthink it, but Wu Zetian is a smart woman. She wouldn't suspect anything if it was too simple and obvious.

This may be what Liu Jianjun meant by "making the illusory real and the real illusory".

Besides, it's not unusual for court officials to have secret dealings.

While Li Xian was lost in thought, Wu Zetian finally spoke slowly: "The matter of the foundation of the state concerns the future of the nation. All of you ministers have said that an heir should be established, and I wholeheartedly agree."

Li Xian's heart tightened.

So, Mother Empress... has also agreed?
It seems that something has happened in the palace these past few days that I am unaware of. Perhaps it was a backup plan arranged by Liu Jianjun, or perhaps it was just a natural development of events.

But no matter what, Wu Zetian continued speaking. She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over the assembled officials before finally settling on Di Renjie: "Minister Di, since you were the first to propose this idea, in your opinion, among the princes, who is capable of undertaking this important task?"

In an instant, all eyes were focused on Di Renjie.

Li Xian's heart also skipped a beat. Although he already knew the answer, he still couldn't help feeling nervous.

Di Renjie remained composed, holding his tablet and bowing, saying, "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that Prince Li Xian of Luling is the eldest son of Emperor Gaozong and Your Majesty's own son. His reputation for benevolence and filial piety is widespread throughout the court and the country, and his magnanimous nature can bring peace to the realm. Moreover, Prince Li Xian once served in the Eastern Palace. Although he had minor transgressions, he has become more composed after his trials in Fangzhou. In my humble opinion, establishing Prince Li Xian as Crown Prince is in accordance with propriety and law, and in line with the will of the people. It can solidify the foundation of the nation and ensure the stability of the country!"

Li Xian noticed that when Wu Zetian heard Di Renjie mention Li Xian's name, a barely perceptible look of surprise flashed in her eyes.

But then came a barely perceptible sense of relief, and finally, all was calm.

Almost as soon as Di Renjie finished speaking, Li Zhaode stepped forward and loudly echoed, "What Lord Di said is absolutely right! The Prince of Luling is benevolent and worthy of inheriting the throne! Your Majesty, I, Li Zhaode, humbly request Your Majesty to establish the Prince of Luling as the Crown Prince!"

"I second the proposal!"

"We second that proposal! We urge Your Majesty to establish the Prince of Luling as the heir!"

Su Liangsi and a group of other officials immediately knelt down to plead for their lives.

The clamor rose again, this time with a clear target, almost unanimously pointing at Li Xian.

Standing in the crowd, Li Xian could clearly feel that those who might have been observing or perhaps still held a sliver of sympathy or expectation for him had now completely turned their gazes toward Li Xian, who looked somewhat lost, standing to the side of the steps.

At that moment, Li Xian also looked over at Li Xian.

His eyes widened, looking at Li Xian with fear and pleading.

Li Xian felt a pang of pain in his heart.

In order to make the performance as realistic as possible, he and Liu Jianjun did not collude with Li Xian beforehand.

He forced himself to turn his head slightly to avoid Li Xian's gaze, trying his best to maintain a complex expression on his face that was a mixture of disappointment, resentment, and forced composure. His hands, hanging in his sleeves, clenched quietly, his nails almost digging into his palms.

Although he wasn't looking directly at Wu Zetian, he could sense that a gaze from the dragon throne had already taken in the brief exchange of glances between the two brothers below.

This is the most crucial moment.

The calls for help from Di Renjie, Li Zhaode, and others continued, their voices almost drowning out the entire hall.

Wu Zetian finally broke her silence. She slowly raised her hand, and the hall instantly fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

"My lords... I understand your intentions."

Her voice carried an air of absolute authority, “Minister Di is a wise and experienced strategist, and his words are reasonable. Xian’er… is gentle and kind, and has been tempered by experience; perhaps he can shoulder this heavy responsibility.”

……

(End of this chapter)