Rule the Roost in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 47: Undercurrent

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Li Hong handed the broken portrait to Li Zhi and complained: "Look, the emperor asked you to break the portrait. This glass was indeed a mistake of the emperor. The initial price was to maintain the rarity of the glass. As the saying goes, things are more valuable when they are rare.”

"Then tell me, what does this have to do with why the price of selling it to the palace is 10%?" Li Zhi put the damaged portrait aside and asked in a leisurely manner.

Li Hong chuckled awkwardly and said, "Isn't it that when the price was first set, I didn't have much money, so I wanted to get it from my father..."

"Hmph, you are smart enough to ask for money, but what do you need so much money for? Also, where did all the money you earned over the years go? Don't tell me that you built Taiyi without city walls. City, and then the money will be spent." Wu Mei also asked for her husband from behind.

The Qingqing couple are working together to bully others. Li Hong said dissatisfied: "Mother, you have not received less money from your ministers in the past few years, and it seems that the expenses of your harem have been paid by your ministers in the past two years. Woolen cloth."

"You deserve it. You accidentally burned down Su Jie and Jin's palace. Don't you deserve to pay for it?" Wu Mei said confidently.

"That's right, I haven't settled this matter with you yet. If you hadn't burned down their palace, I would have planned to build the Daming Palace in another two years." Li Zhi watched as his wife followed him.

"Okay, okay, I can't beat you. You are awesome and you are right. But I have also thought about you. Father, you want to build it in two years. Isn't it because there are too many objections in the court? Erchen, the price of glass is now increased by 10%, and Erchen will return this 10% to you. In this way, you can save a sum of money from the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the Ministry of Home Affairs will definitely not refute you or leave it unpaid. Right? When you think about it, do you suddenly feel that I have foresight? "

"Thirty percent, even one percent less, the palace your mother wants costs too much..." Li Zhi bargained.

"Twenty percent, no more. If you build one Daming Palace, it is equivalent to building several Taiyi cities!" Li Hong argued.

"Okay, 20% makes 20%. It's just that you have to pay for the two palaces that were burned down. I'm tired too. Your Majesty, you and Hong'er can continue painting." Wu Mei saw the last payment from the Daming Palace. Now that I have it settled, I feel at ease.

And she could also see that because of her presence, the father and son had a lot to say that they couldn't say in person. It was easier for them to talk after she left.

"I would like to send my congratulations to my mother." Li Hong walked up to Wu Mei and helped her up, saying with a playful smile: "Mother, you see that my son has grown taller, but you have not changed at all, you are still as beautiful as before. "

Wu Mei rolled her eyes at him: "Don't just pick nice things to say, Li Xian and Li Zhe (Li Xian's former name, Li Zhe is used in the novel, the difference is similar to Li Xian.) have been much more obedient than you recently." , if you dare to teach them to behave badly again, be careful and I will ask your father to beat you. "

Li Zhi turned his head and looked at the two people supporting each other, and said happily: "As long as the queen wants to beat him, just tell me, my hands are itchy, but I have been unable to grasp his handle, so I let him Always at large."

Wu Mei didn't even look at Li Zhi. After walking to the door, she shook off Li Hong's arm and said lightly: "Oh... it's no use just saying nice things. I don't know who it was back then, because twenty yuan The worthless crystal cards were bought.”

Li Zhi felt frustrated, and old memories were brought up again. He touched his nose speechlessly and continued to look at the portraits painted by Li Hong.

Li Hong didn't dare to laugh loudly. He was the initiator. Now every time he mentions this matter, his father wants to beat him.

After sending Wu Mei away, Li Hong returned to the room again and sat down next to Li Zhi. Without waiting for Li Zhi to describe any more, the charcoal pen in his hand danced rapidly on the white paper. After a while, the white paper The image of a mighty and domineering middle-aged man appeared in the upper transformation.

"Yes, this one looks like your grandpa, so let's use this one." Li Zhi took it over and looked at it admiringly, staring at the person in the painting for a long time.

After his mother passed away, he was brought up by his father. Even when he went to court, he would be taken with him sometimes. The father and son could be said to "depend on each other."

"How are you going to deal with the matter in Li Yi's Mansion?" Li Zhi put down the portrait in his hand, and the palace maid took it carefully and kept it properly. This portrait will be used to make a bronze statue in the future.

"What else can we do? Dismiss him from office and send him to Taiyi City. Your minister has warned you a long time ago. You thought he was an honest official at the beginning." Li Hong muttered.

"This matter is my father's fault. Li Yifu has relied on the support of your mother and queen in recent years to cause complaints in the court. However, it is difficult to calm the resentment in the court just by being dismissed from office. But in these years, he has been The Ministry of Education has also done a lot." Li Zhi shook his head and sighed, becoming hesitant again.

Li Hong thought to himself: "If I hadn't been keeping him in check these past few years, I'm afraid the chaos in the court would be ten times worse than it is now."

Ever since my father became the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he had never been able to become powerful in the court. Over the years, it was his mother who helped him with advice in the harem more often than not. It was precisely because of this that Li Yifu gradually became bigger.

Although he had tried his best to limit Li Yifu's misbehavior, his father had no choice but to go his own way. Nowadays, Li Yifu has become so arrogant that he buys and sells officials, and even his own daughter and son-in-law are involved.

"Father, I think it is better to remove Li Yi from the post of Zhongshu Ling in the Mansion, and then you can promote him from the Crown Prince to the Prince Taibao. The second rank of Zhongshu Ling will be promoted from the first rank. In this way, he can also be kept away. The court can also explain it to the queen," Li Hong said looking at Li Zhi's conflicted expression.

"Prince Taibao?" Li Zhi asked in surprise.

"Yes, my current prince is Shangguan Yi, his tutor is Xu Jingzong, and his eunuch is Yang Sijian. Li Yifu has always hoped to be promoted to "Third Master" or "Third Young Master". Since then, wouldn't it be a good fit? His wish.”

Li Zhi thought about Li Hong's proposal, and in this way he could indeed restore the purity of the court. But he still hesitated. Xu Jingzong was poached by Li Hong a few years ago and was relieved of all official positions in the court. He was able to work as the prince and tutor with peace of mind. Now if Li Yifu is also brought to the East Palace, does the prince have any plans

Li Zhi was shocked when he thought of this, and then said calmly: "Father, I will think about this again. If Li Yifu is removed, Du Zhenglun alone may not be able to support all the political affairs of Zhongshu Province."

As he grows older, Li Hong understands Li Zhi more and more thoroughly. His father is an extremely contradictory person, sometimes indecisive and difficult to make decisions in political affairs.

He often needs others to help him make decisions. In recent years, most of the important decisions in the court have been made by his mother.

Now, he obviously realized that his mother was too close to the court from the harem, so he wanted to get rid of this dependence.

Just like when he was trying to get rid of the constraints on him in the court by the Guan Yuan group headed by Changsun Wuji. But the problem is that back then, his mother, Xu Jingzong and others helped him deal with Changsun Wuji and a group of veterans, but now there are less sinister people like Xu Jingzong around him.

The only one who could give him such hope was Li Yifu, so he condoned Li Yifu's private misdeeds in the past few years, and even helped Li Yifu clear out those who impeached Li Yifu.

But over the past few years, he has not seen the slightest sign that Li Yifu is leaning toward him. On the contrary, Li Yifu is getting closer and closer to his mother.

If he hadn't been keeping Li Yifu in check, I'm afraid Li Yifu would have replaced Xu Jingzong back then. At this time, he was already in a position similar to that of a close minister in front of his mother.

Today's palace seems peaceful and quiet, but under this situation there is an undercurrent of a three-party game. That is himself, his father, and his mother. The three of them were involuntarily pushed by the undercurrent in the court, and step by step they reached this delicate situation.

At that time, I relied on the advantages of my young age or "innocence", plus the fact that Xu Jingzong had not received special attention from his mother, and before the queen was interested in the court, I stalked him to get him out of her hands. Fight for it.

Another reason is that Xu Jingzong is older than Li Yifu, and it is easier for his mother to let him go.

He originally thought that he could come over to Li Yi Mansion, but he did not expect that he would be unanimously opposed by his father and mother.

Therefore, a compromise was adopted in the end, and Li Yifu was appointed as Prince Sheren and the post of Zhongshu Ling of the Zhongshu Province, and he presided over the Zhongshu Province together with another Zhongshu Ling Du Zhenglun.

As the saying goes, "One grain of mouse droppings can spoil a pot of soup." One can imagine how chaotic the court would become if Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong were present. The trend of history may still be the same as recorded in the history books, with the "emperor and empress competing" situation between the father and the mother.

Li Hong also knew that even if Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong were eliminated, Ma Yifu, Liu Jingzong, etc. would still appear in the court. But thinking about it, at this time, no matter who appeared in the court, the damage caused to the Tang Dynasty and the public could not be equal to the harmful power of Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong.

Li Hong looked at his father's hesitant expression. He knew very well that the abilities of Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong had brought real benefits to his father and mother. They would not let go of these two people easily. .

In the matter of Changsun Wuji, my father received unimaginable benefits. The same goes for the Queen Mother. The Queen's throne is the lowest, and most of the credit is due to Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong. As for the position of the prince, the shadows of Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong are also the most eye-catching among them.

And if he wants to bring these two people to the East Palace together, it can be imagined that it is difficult not to be shocked and suspicious of his father and mother.

But fortunately, everything Li Hong has done so far can be exposed to the sun, and there is nothing that Li Zhi and Wu Mei don't know. And precisely because of this, it was possible for him to finally control Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong.

"Father, I know that you cherish Li Yifu's talent, but it does not necessarily need to be used in the court. Now you have full authority to manage Taiyi City, but I am young and inexperienced, so I need Li Yifu. Such ministers help other ministers to govern together. What's more, it will become the foundation of our Tang Dynasty in the future, and Li Yifu can still make contributions there, even more important than in the court. "

Li Zhi didn't know whether he listened to Li Hong's advice, but he just nodded thoughtfully and said nothing. At least he still has some doubts about whether Taiyi City is as important as Li Hong said.

(End of chapter)