Daming Palace, Purple Orchid Palace.
Today, Li Shimin hosted a banquet here for the Tubo surrender minister Qizong Nongzan and others, together with a group of important officials such as Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and Chu Suiliang, all present. The prince selected by Li Shimin to serve at the banquet was Wei King Li Tai.
Li Taishan is a literary person, good at socializing and entertaining, and attends such public occasions quite appropriately.
Now, Jin King Li Zhi, who performed mediocrely during the period of supervising the country and was "abandoned" by Changsun Wuji, appears less and less in public and is almost refrigerated. Li Key was far away in a remote place in Tubo, and Li Taichang was the only one who served the emperor. He went to the palace every day for meetings, and he was always present on all occasions. Therefore, the ministers couldn't help but speculate, has Li Tai's chance of taking over the East Palace greatly increased since he formed an alliance with Changsun Wuji
However, no one can ignore Li Ke who is far away in Tubo. The reason is very simple. The group of Tubo people who are now my friends were all "invited" from the plateau by Li Ke and Qin Mubai. At the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there were only three people who achieved such extraordinary achievements. Li Shimin, who conquered half of the Li Tang Dynasty, Li Jing, who conquered the south and north of the Yangtze River, and Li Ke and Qin Mubai.
Although everyone knows that the victory of this war has little to do with Li Ke, but who calls him the supervisor sent by the emperor? When it comes to rewards for merit, the prince who went on an expedition on behalf of the emperor ranks first in merit.
Therefore, although Li Ke and Qin Mubai did not return to the court at this time, their reputation and influence among the people and the court of the Tang Dynasty had skyrocketed.
Although Li Ke still stayed in Luoxecheng, Li Shimin sent a large number of civil servants to help him deal with the aftermath of Tubo. However, the meritorious generals who had returned to the court, such as Li Daliang, Li Junxian, and Qin Mubai's eldest brother Qin Tong, all received huge rewards.
Li Daliang, the founding veteran who had just returned to the court for only three to five days, was promoted to Minister of the Ministry of War (second only to Li Ji, Minister of the Ministry of War, equivalent to deputy minister of government), and concurrently served as the general of the Zuowei Imperial City. His title was also promoted from Wuyang County. As the Duke of Wu, Li Junxian continued to take charge of the extremely important military yamen of Baiqijian after returning to the court. He also served as the guard of the left prison and the general of Suwei harem. He commanded almost half of the imperial army in the entire imperial city, and his title was also promoted from county to national. male. Qin Tong, on the other hand, was directly transferred from a Baiqi Deputy Envoy to a Youwei General, one of the Sixteen Guards Generals, and also served as a Baiqi Supervisor. Even Qin Bin, the second son of the Qin family who did not go on the expedition, received Fuyin because of the great contributions of his two brothers. In addition to his original position as deputy commander of the Baiqi Supervisor, he was also transferred to the Zhongshu Province as the Zhongshu Sheren. He became one of the emperor's personal advisers and was granted the title of Marquis.
In addition, these people also received fertile land, mansions, restaurants, and numerous gold and silver rewards.
Even these people have received such generous rewards, so what should happen when Li Kemin and Qin Mubai return to the court
The courtiers have all seen too many changes in the officialdom. They guessed that the day when the head coach of the Kansai Army, Qin Mubai, returned to the court, would be the time when he took charge of the center. Although he was still very young, less than thirty years old, the emperor took command at the age of sixteen and ascended the throne at the age of twenty-eight. There has never been a shortage of young heroes in the history of the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin also always likes to boldly use young people - if Qin Mubai enters the center of the cabinet and becomes one of the prime ministers, there is no doubt that he will have enough strength to compete with Changsun Wuji!
As a result, there will be two distinct parties in the government and the public. One is the old faction and the civil servant group headed by Changsun Wuji; the other is represented by Qin Mubai, Li Ji, Li Daozong and others, and Fang Xuanling. Emerging forces and military groups joined by special people.
And these two groups now have clear flags. The flag raised by Changsun's side is undoubtedly Wei Wang Li Tai; and the military group's side seems to have no choice but Li Ke.
Subtly, the core contradiction of the imperial court finally surfaced, that is, the battle for the East Palace has officially been put on the table. Li Zhi, who had suddenly emerged as a standout player, quietly withdrew from the competition. And Li Tai and Li Ke once again stood at the forefront.
But this time, Li Ke already has abundant capital in his hands, enough for him to challenge Li Tai!
However, now that Li Ke has not returned to Tubo, Li Tai is close to the water tower. Whether he can get the moon first may depend on the period when Li Ke still has not returned to the court.
Therefore, Li Tai has been quite active recently. He was probably aware of the crisis and the urgency of time, and must seize the position of Prince of the East Palace before Li Ke was recalled to Chang'an by his father.
Li Tai is now determined to win, and has no retreat or choice; while Li Ke is still focused on handling the plateau affairs at hand, and his most capable arm, Qin Mubai, has not done anything strange.
The silence and movement of the two princes formed a sharp contrast. The smoke on the Tubo Plateau has not yet dispersed, but another struggle in the Tang Dynasty has already begun.
At the imperial banquet in the Purple Orchid Palace, glasses were exchanged, and Li Tai led the way to persuade the guests to drink, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious. Li Shimin allowed Qizong Nongzan and others to keep their original clothes and hair crowns, and respected their eating and language habits. These details were done quite well. Although Abandoned Zong, Nongzan and others could not help but feel worried and angry about the country's subjugation, they had nothing to say after being treated with such kindness and courtesy.
Halfway through the banquet, Li Shimin stood up to change his clothes. When I arrived at the back hall, I met Li Chunfeng, the magistrate of Taishi.
The Taishi Bureau is responsible for compiling calendars, observing astronomy, surveying geography, and regularly reporting to the court on climate predictions and the occurrence and handling of disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis. But Li Chunfeng was not an ordinary "Tai Shi", and Li Shimin always treated him differently. Today, he specially waited outside the Purple Orchid Hall. He probably had something important to report. So Li Shimin stepped forward to ask him what was going on.
Li Chunfeng then said to Li Shimin: "I have looked at the stars recently and found something strange in the west field."
Li Shimin asked: "What's wrong?"
"The astrology shows that if the phoenix soars in the western fields, it will prosper if there is a heroine." Li Chunfeng said.
"If the wind flies over the western fields, the heroine will prosper?" Li Shimin pondered for a while, then smiled, "I have just conquered Tubo, and the Qing Dynasty has stabilized the western frontier. Is it possible that there is another woman who dares to rebel in the west? "
"It's not the western frontier of the Nine Provinces of our Tang Dynasty. It's... the farther west beyond the Nine Provinces." Li Chunfeng's eyebrows sank slightly and he said directly, "It should be the Western Regions."
"Western Region? Female protagonist?" Li Shimin was even more puzzled, "Who could that be?"
"The stars are mysterious and mysterious, and even I can't know them all." Li Chunfeng said, "Actually, several years ago, Wei Chen and I, Senior Brother Yuan, had observed such strange horoscopes. I remember that Senior Brother Yuan asked Wei Chen to do the divination after his divination. I once advised your majesty that the heroine Wu will replace Li Tang in a few years. This is a destiny and irreversible. But then the demon star appeared and the horoscope changed drastically... "
"I know!" Li Shimin smiled nonchalantly, "You mean Wu Meiniang, right? - Actually, it's not that I don't believe you, but things like destiny and destiny are what they are, and I don't want to bother anyone anymore. However, you deliberately mentioned this to me at this time, do you mean to say that when Wu Meiniang goes to the Western Regions, she will become king in the Western Regions? "
"I don't dare to say for sure," Li Chunfeng said sternly, "But destiny is destiny, and where destiny belongs, there is no way to escape! Although the demon star changed the fate of the Tang Dynasty, it cannot change the fate of everyone. ! Although Wu Meiniang will never have the chance to replace Li Tang and become the emperor, she will never be able to escape her destiny of being the emperor - if it goes as expected, she will definitely become the king as long as she goes to the Western Regions! "
"She calls herself the king? Are you kidding me?" Li Shimin laughed, "Now she is just a businesswoman, the wife of my general of the Tang Dynasty. How can she call herself the king? - What does she want to call the king? Be an enemy of me, and fight against me. Does Datang resist?"
Li Chunfeng's expression changed slightly. The second half of the emperor's sentence was what he really wanted to say, and it revealed the true thoughts in his heart. He thought about it for a while and said: "I can't see through the secret of heaven, I can only observe its outline. The astrology shows that Fengxiang Xiye is a good omen for our Tang Dynasty, and there is no omen of disaster. Therefore... "
Li Shimin laughed and waved his hands, "That's all, no need to say it. The world is so big, I can't control everything. I wanted to conquer the Western Regions, but mainly to ensure the smooth flow of the Silk Road and the stability of the surrounding neighbors, I did not conquer it. The idea of incorporating into the territory of the Tang Dynasty and unifying it. There are many countries there with different civilizations, historical origins, and racial distinctions. I have the ambition to conquer Tubo, but I do not expect to completely conquer dozens of Western Regions in my lifetime. Country. If someone can unify the Western Region and bring it into one country, it may not be a bad thing for Datang. I don’t mind having one more friendly neighbor in Datang. It’s better than having dozens of neighbors living next door and making noise all day long. . Even if this big country turns against us, the Tang Dynasty, it will be easy to handle - since I can defeat Tubo, I can defeat it once and for all. As for who will establish this unified western country, I don’t care anymore!”
After hearing these words, Li Chunfeng was stunned for a long time.
The emperor's ideas and mind are indeed different from ordinary people.
"Do you have anything else to do?" Li Shimin asked relaxedly with a smile on his face.
"I have one more thing to do to express my gratitude to Your Majesty."
"Tell me. Why are you hesitating today?"
"Weichen's senior brother, Yuan Tiangang... has ascended to immortality more than half a year ago. Weichen only learned the news recently."
"Oh?..." After hearing the news, Li Shimin was stunned for a moment. He nodded slightly and said nothing more, "I understand."
"Wei Chen resigns."
After Li Chunfeng left, Li Shimin walked alone and thought for a moment. A smile gradually appeared on his face. After taking a long breath, he said to himself: "I should be contented!"
Returning to the banquet, Li Shimin continued to exchange cups with Qizong Nongzan, Chen Gong and others. Inadvertently, he asked Chu Suiliang if a memorial from Lanzhou would be delivered recently
Chu Suiliang replied no. Only half a month ago, I received a memorial from Qin Mubai, describing the transfer of generals and officials under the governor's office of Lanzhou, and asking for the court's approval.
"How about... you go to Lanzhou and have a look!" Li Shimin said as if casually, "If there is nothing important there, you ask Gao Yang and Qin's Consort to go back to Chang'an. Just say, I miss them. "
Chu Suiliang's hand holding the wine glass trembled, and he quickly put down the glass, "I obey your order!"
"Hey, this is not an imperial decree." Li Shimin said relaxedly with a smile on his face, "I just asked you to go and take a look. If Qin Mubai said that he still had important things to do there, you don't have to say anything. understand?"
"Yes, Wei Chen understands..." Although Chu Suiliang was confused and didn't "understand" anything, he could only answer this way.
The emperor has never given such a confused order.
What does it mean to have something to do and what does it mean to have nothing important to do? —Chu Suiliang has a big head. If he goes to Lanzhou, how can he tell Qin Mubai
Li Shimin seemed to have seen through Chu Suiliang's thoughts, and said with a chuckle: "Don't think too much. It's just that Concubine De has missed Gao Yang very much recently. In addition, Concubine De and I have not seen each other since Gao Yang gave birth to Lin'er. So I want the couple to go back to Beijing for a few days, but the premise is of course that national and military affairs are the top priority, right?"
"Wei Chen understands..." Chu Suiliang responded carefully, thinking: The more the emperor said this, the more he indicated that he suddenly wanted to summon Qin Mubai back with ulterior motives. Moreover, he was called back to Beijing in such a non-public and informal way!
"At such a juncture, what will it mean if Qin Mubai returns to Beijing?"