No one, including Li Zhi himself, expected that Ge Xiyuan would take the opportunity to embarrass Li Hong along the way. However, for some reason, Ge Xiyuan was honest all the way. In the end, even He became like Li Hong's minister.
No matter whether it was Li Zhi, Li Hong or Ge Xiyuan who were involved, they did not realize when the change in this relationship began.
But one person guessed some forward-looking things from the interaction between His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince, as well as His Majesty the Emperor's expression and behavior.
As it happened, this person was Shi Zangjie. Shi Zangjie and Ge Xiyuan lived in the same tent. It was natural for the ministers and ministers to lie on the couch at night and talk about royal matters in secret.
It was Shi Zangjie's words that suddenly opened Gexi Yuanmao's mind, and he suddenly saw his own path ahead clearly. Coupled with Li Hong's personality charm and his decisiveness in killing on the battlefield, especially the sentence "There is nothing important" The words "exceeding Datang's interests" shocked him.
Therefore, unknowingly, some changes occurred between Li Hong, Li Zhi, and Ge Xiyuan, which allowed all wars in Liaodong to go smoothly. Among them Naturally, it also includes changes in Geshe yuan.
The reason why Ge Xiyuan chose to stand on the opposite side of Li Hong in the past is that he is very aware of the image of the current prince Li Hong in Chang'an. Since he was established as the prince at the age of four, he has not had the etiquette of a prince at all. There is no trace of the royal etiquette, models, etc. on the prince.
For Ge Xiyuan, who always paid attention to royal etiquette and models, this was also the reason why he was not optimistic that Li Hong could successfully inherit the throne and bring benefits to the Tang Dynasty.
Among the hundreds of officials above the court, Ge Xiyuan was not the only one who held this view. Most officials who had not interacted with Li Hong basically held this idea.
The reason why Li Hong only felt this pressure when he went to Luoyang and no longer stood out was that his mother Wu Mei helped him bear most of the pressure. It was not so much a burden as it was that Li Hong During the years in Anxi, when his dragon mother Wu Mei handled the court affairs for Li Zhi, a queen's court power was formed in the court.
Among this force, there are naturally some officials who are not optimistic about the crown prince Li Hong. However, because the mother-son relationship between Li Hong and Wu Mei is closer than that of the other princes, and he protected Wu Mei when he was ten years old. The handling of Helan Minzhi, Helan Minyue, Wu Shun and others also made Wu Mei more optimistic about Li Hong.
Moreover, even if Li Hong had not stepped forward, stood in front of Wu Mei to protect Wu Mei in times of crisis, and had not joined forces with Wu Mei to deal with Wu Shun and Helan Minyue, Wu Mei, among her own princes, was the most optimistic about her ability. The successor to the throne is still Li Hong.
Therefore, some officials who were not optimistic about Li Hong and belonged to Wu Mei's court were naturally suppressed by Wu Mei herself who were dissatisfied with Li Hong.
Since Li Hong became the crown prince, he has never annotated any historical book, let alone written a book with other courtiers, so this has always been criticized by courtiers.
Li Xian, the king of Pei, was worried about the country and the people and wrote annotations for the "Book of the Later Han", using the history book to wake himself up and warn the courtiers. In addition, in recent years, he and other courtiers also wrote "Essentials of Self-cultivation" and "The Ruler and His Ministers". "Xiang Qi Tie" and several other books.
In terms of reputation and fame, he has always been a virtuous king who loves his people like a son and respects his courtiers. Naturally, he has attracted a group of courtiers to his side.
It was under such a background that Ge Xiyuan was absorbed by Li Xian as one of his own, and especially for writing annotations for the "Book of the Later Han", which would be passed down through the ages, the literati and courtiers were naturally unwilling to lag behind others and eager to follow Li Xian, the king of Pei. Make notes and publish books together.
After Prince Li Hong came to Liaodong, after Li Zhi clearly learned that Li Zhong and Helan Minyue were dead, he actually appointed the prince under the city of Anshi to lead the entire army to fight against Goguryeo. This also made Ge Xiyuan and Shi Zang question him. Others have to ponder the political implications of this.
With the deepening of the war, Li Zhi's delegation of power, Li Hong's overall rule, and Li Zhi's abandonment of my self-identification several times, all of which sent a signal to the courtiers that they trust the current Crown Prince. His Majesty's unconditional The trust in His Highness the Crown Prince was still on the battlefield in Liaodong, not in Chang'an City, so people had to think about the deeper reasons behind it.
Li Zhi looked at Li Hong, who had been stunned for a long time, and kicked him to remind him: "You are distracted all the time when you are talking to me. What are you thinking about?"
Li Hong was kicked out of his thoughts and suddenly said: "Oh, it's okay. Ge Xiyuan's matter is easy to talk about. There is a difference between a capable minister and a sycophant. What's more, Ge Xiyuan is not a sycophant. Now he has the ability and prestige. He has great influence on Liaodong." He is familiar with him and loyal to the court. You can't use him just because he opposed him when he first arrived in Liaodong, right? Personal grudges cannot be put above the court. If this is the case, Are all the officials in this court pleasing to you?"
"Haha, that's true. As an emperor, nepotism is not terrible, nor is it terrible to appoint good ministers, but it is terrible not to reuse good ministers due to personal prejudice. Then it will be you who suffers. When the elder Sun Wuji and I There is quite a lot of dissatisfaction between us, but can you say that I don’t need him? If I don’t use him, half of the court will collapse, so it must not only be used, but also reused. As for when to use it, this is a matter of time. Can you have such an awareness now? , It's already commendable. Since you think Ge Xiyuan can take on this great talent, then I'm sure." Li Zhi fiddled with the tea leaves in the cup and said lightly.
"The minister has decided that Liu Rengui will stay here. Liu Rengui will control the army and Gexi Yuan will control the people. Shi Zangjie will also serve as the censor, supervising and mediating the two local officials. In this way, as long as they go through the running-in period, They are familiar with such a supporting team, and they think they can be stable for a few years in Anton." Li Hong laid out his plan and copied Anxi's configuration to implement it in Anton.
"I'm sure, Anxi has successfully used it, so naturally I won't have any doubts." Li Zhi nodded and began to think about his own affairs.
"By the way, father, what do you want from me?" After talking about his own affairs, he began to ask him, Father Long. Didn't Father Long just say that he wanted to discuss something with him and help him make up his mind
Li Zhi looked up at Li Hong, scratched the base of his ear with an innocent expression, and said nonchalantly: "Well, yes, please give me an idea about my matter. I've been thinking about it for a long time, and I can't decide on my own. Your mother’s veins, so let me give you a reference.”
"Why do you need to try to figure out the Queen Mother's thoughts? You are the current His Majesty. There is... something else... that needs to be reported to the Queen Mother?" Li Hong tried his best to pretend not to understand, but involuntarily, his eyes couldn't help but glance over. A glance at Zhang Lushui behind Father Long.
But this time, his father Long actually caught him, so he heard Li Zhi's rogue and ambiguous words: "Yes, that's it. What do you think your mother will think?"
"Father... I still have some serious matters to deal with. What... Liu Rengui and Ge Xiyuan are still waiting. If you agree to the matter of the Anton Protectorate, my top priority now is to deal with this matter first. It has been implemented to avoid being too hasty. So... please allow me to retire." After finishing speaking, Li Hong also stood up and saluted Li Zhi.
"Well, okay, let's go. If you take one step out of this pavilion, I will break your legs! Why do you want to open a dyeing workshop if I give you some color? Just stand back when you are in trouble. This is what a prince should do. Is there any behavior? Sit down for me!" Li Zhi's face was cold, but the unfilial son was slippery and wanted to leave before the conversation started.
Li Hong looked at his tough father and had no choice but to grimace: "Father, this is a matter in your harem, and your sons and ministers cannot get involved. Besides, this matter is under the control of your mother, so your sons and ministers have agreed. …”
"So you agree with me to take Lv Shui back to Chang'an and include her in the harem. Okay, I'm very happy, but this princess of Silla was also dedicated to me by Jin Famin..."
"Father, it would be boring if you were like this. Which part of the son did you agree with? I said, even if I agree, it will be of no use. In the end, you still have to find your mother, right?" Li Hong Looking at the fruit in Li Zhi's hand, he was afraid that if he didn't sit down, Father Long would throw it at him, so he had no choice but to continue sitting back depressedly, his head hanging down in despair.
To be on the safest side, I should have thought of the matter between Father Long and Zhang Lushui. With Father Long’s temperament and character of attaching great importance to love and righteousness, he would definitely not just throw it away in Goguryeo. He would definitely take it with him. Back to Chang'an.
As for bringing him back to Chang'an, Li Zhi couldn't predict the temper of the tigress in the harem. Who knows whether Zhang Lushui would die suddenly in the Daming Palace or in the Daming Palace within two days because he was not acclimated to the climate after he was brought back to Chang'an. That nook and corner place! These are all things that cannot be guaranteed.
Considering the methods used by the Queen Mother to fight for the position of Queen with Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao Shu, as well as the tenacity to resist Wu Shun and Helan Minyue for many years, who knows how the Queen Mother will treat Zhang Lushui, and by the way, now she also has to add a princess gifted by Silla. , Li Hong didn't dare to care about this matter, he wished he could stay as far away as possible.
"Then what do you mean? How do you think your mother will deal with it?" Li Zhi asked his son with a serious look in his heart.
Li Zhi has restrained himself a lot since Wu Shun and He Lan Minyue, but he can't bear to go out and have an affair, right? Besides, he doesn't have many hobbies now. It shouldn't be too much to bring two women back to the palace.
But Li Zhi himself knew that he was being unreasonable, and it was not like Wu Mei had never mentioned to him about selecting women from among the people, but he himself refused because of his poor health.
What would the queen think if she brought two women into the palace now
Li Hong looked at Father Long's serious expression. It was obvious that the old man was really interested, so there was only one way.
"Father, this is what I am telling you. After today, I will never admit anything I said today."
"Okay, okay, tell me, I understand."
Li Hong lay down on the table, stretched his neck and whispered: "Look for Hua Ji, bring it back to Chang'an secretly, and then you can immediately conduct a small-scale private selection of women, place them two inside, and let Hua Ji Ji secretly signaled to the people in the Yeting Bureau to select these two people, wouldn’t that be enough?”
"Yes! What a wonderful idea!" Li Zhi's eyes lit up, he patted his thigh and said happily: "You still know how to deal with your mother, I have learned a lesson."
"Uh... if the Queen Mother finds out, you can't tell the Queen Mother that this is what I said, and I won't admit it even if I do. Remember this."
"I know, I know, go away, you have nothing to do here."
(End of chapter)