〖On the 19th of June, the emperor issued an edict, and the king was able to return home, but he was freed from the power of the king, and the king was afraid and uneasy.
- "The History of Yong: Biography of King Rui"〗
Li Yuan's edict was so quick, everyone was surprised, but he only knew that he had already made a decision. Who knew that the edict was drawn up overnight. After King Yong and others left, Li Yuan and others left, Yuan was worried. In the past, if he had a difficult issue and couldn't make a decision, he would often discuss with his important officials, but today's matter is different. Wei Guan has always been neutral, so he will not say much. Qin Yi and Cheng Shu are both soldiers. , they usually do not want to interfere in government affairs, Zheng Xia, alas, Zheng Xia is an upright person and always upholds justice in everything, but unfortunately now he is seriously injured and cannot be a counselor. After much deliberation, only Concubine Ji can negotiate, but Li Yuan was reluctant to go to her. If Li Yuan was interested in the crown prince's succession in the past, naturally Concubine Ji's advice would be useful, but now he is very disappointed with the prince, but Fengyimen's attitude is very clear. It is said that she has already arrived in Chang'an in person. Although she has not come to see her, she can see that she still supports the prince just by looking at her actions. In this way, Concubine Ji's attitude will be fixed. At this moment, Li Yuan only hopes that there will be a disagreement. People with selfish thoughts can discuss this matter with themselves. After thinking about it, Li Yuan was very annoyed. He remembered that in the harem, everyone was involved in the government and government. Only the eldest grandson had no desires or desires. Why don't you go to her to kill time? Look at the sky, he doesn't make people first. After going to the notice, I went to the Changchun Palace where Changsun Guifei lived.
Entering Changchun Palace, the eunuch in charge of Changchun Palace came over to greet him, and said that the empress and the princess were relaxing in the garden of the palace. Li Yuan walked to the garden, and before entering the garden gate, he heard a brisk laughter, and he couldn't help but feel in his heart. Depressed slightly, I walked in and saw that Concubine Changsun was sitting in the pavilion. Princess Changle was wearing a Hu robe and was playing Cuju with Rou Lan in the open space with two palace maids. Although Rou Lan was young, she was very flexible. , chasing the ball and running around, coupled with everyone giving in, she actually played well, just looking at her naivety, it makes people feel distressed.
At this time, the eunuch said loudly, "Your Majesty is here."
After everyone heard it, they hurried over to see the driver. Li Yuan said with a smile, "Come and see, you don't have to be polite." Then he stepped forward and picked up the blushing Rou Lan, and asked, "Little Rou Lan kicked very well. Why, why do you have time to enter the palace today, every time you have to personally invite your Aunt Changle to enter the palace?"
Rou Lan suddenly blinked her big eyes, and said with milk: "Grandpa Emperor, Lanlan also wants to see the princess and the emperor, but they all said that if Lanlan always came to see the princess, someone would be angry with the princess, Lan Lan Blue doesn't dare to come."
Li Yuan couldn't help but feel angry, he naturally knew what Rou Lan meant, some people were worried that Princess Changle and Prince Yong's mansion were too close, but the change in his face shocked Princess Changle, and he hurried over and said: "Father, Rou Lan Don't take offense if you don't understand."
Li Yuan sighed and waved his hand to rebuke the maid and eunuch who was serving. Princess Changle quickly asked Lu E to hug Rou Lan, and Leng Chuan also knew that they had private matters to discuss, so he also retreated into the distance, Li Yuan said lightly: "Chang Le It's really hard for you, it's just that your brothers are not good, but you are still implicated."
Princess Changle hurriedly smiled and said: "Father, it's just the second brother and the others who are overthinking it. In fact, no one is angry with the ministers for this." Concubine Changsun also said: "Yes, Your Majesty, Zhener is your favorite daughter. Who dares to embarrass her."
Li Yuan sighed and said: "Oh, I am very disappointed with the prince, but how can this matter of abolition be easily decided? Now, the ministers in the court, the top and the bottom, do not want to keep the prince, so that they can take credit in front of the prince, but they want to support It is also very difficult for me to make King Yong the Crown Prince."
Concubine Changsun's eyes flashed a trace of worry. Although she had never participated in military affairs, she knew the current situation. According to her heart, no matter who succeeded her, she had little relationship with her. Because of this, she couldn't help but have a good impression of King Yong, but it was not enough for her to support King Yong. Now the emperor has told her about this. If she said something that shouldn't be said, I am afraid that if I say it today, it will be given to people tomorrow. I know that from now on, I will find it difficult to be at peace. Therefore, she had no choice but to say, "Your Majesty, don't worry, it's only natural for these courtiers to have different thoughts. You still have to decide on this matter."
Although Li Yuan felt a little vague after hearing this, he also felt comfortable and couldn't help saying: "Even so, I am in a dilemma. Although the crown prince is not good, after all, he has been the heir for many years. Although King Yong is good, he is too ambitious. Big, I deeply feel that it is not easy to establish a country, and I am very worried that he is eager for quick success and ruins the family mountain and crops."
Concubine Changsun hesitated to speak, although she was very pleased that Li Yuan trusted her so much, but the empress's role in politics was, after all, a matter of endless trouble.
Li Yuan also knew she was in a dilemma. He didn't expect Concubine Changsun to give him any advice. He just wanted to complain, so he didn't ask any more questions. Who would have thought that while she was talking, she saw that Princess Changle was thinking, and asked curiously, "Changle, what do you think?"
Princess Changle hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Royal father, although my son doesn't know about military affairs, he feels that no matter what the royal father intends, the situation should be calmed down. No matter how you decide, you can take it slow in the future. Arrangement, now hanging in the air, not only is the crown prince worried, the second emperor is worried, even the civil and military ministers are also uneasy, worried about the wrong direction of the wind."
Li Yuan's heart moved, and he said, Changle's words are very reasonable. I am so slow to make a decision. Of course, the prince is worried that the storage seat will not be guaranteed, and he has resentment in his heart. Even King Yong can't help but have expectations. If he were to temporarily appease them now, after he made up his mind, he would arrange it slowly, wouldn’t it be the best of both worlds, thinking of this, he stood up happily and said, “Chang Le is right, okay, I If you want to draw up the decree, feel free to do what you want." After speaking, Li Yuan immediately returned to the imperial study and issued the imperial decree.
This decree made everyone happy at once. Of course, the crown prince was very happy. When he met the father and emperor to thank him, he was very grateful. It almost means that he promised Li Yuan that he would definitely change his mind. King Qi is also happy in his heart. For the past two years, he has almost been detained in Beijing. In addition to running horses and Zhangtai, he is playing eagles and dogs. He has long wanted to go back to the border to fight a few battles. Now he has the opportunity to be very happy, so Almost as a decree, King Qi left the capital in a hurry without even talking to the prince, which naturally made the prince's teeth itch with hatred.
In addition, it stands to reason that there was a good chance that the prince should be deposed, and King Yong, who had become the crown prince, should have lost his hope and could not help but worry. In fact, these days, King Yong is a school of grace. He was the one who went to give Prince Hexi to the prince. Of course, the reason was that Prince He had recovered from his illness, and then he personally sent King Qi to the border to visit Zheng Shizhong's injury. He was very busy every day. There was not a trace of joy on his face, so everyone guessed that he was indeed a little dissatisfied and annoyed, but they all praised King Yong for his generosity and broad-mindedness. .
After receiving Li Yuan's imperial decree, Li Zhi was originally depressed. He felt that his father was too fond of the prince. Who would have guessed that when he entered the Cold Garden, Jiang Zhe congratulated him, and Li Zhi said annoyedly, "Suiyun, now it is clear that the father is Eccentric, what are you celebrating?"
Jiang Zhe smiled and said: "His Royal Highness is a fan of the authorities. Now the emperor is very disappointed with the prince. If the emperor secretly reprimanded the prince, it means that the emperor still has expectations for the prince, but as far as the minister knows, the emperor has nothing to do with him. To reprimand, as the saying goes, the depth of love is the cut. Now the emperor doesn't blame the prince at all. This is because the emperor is not willing to waste any time. According to the minister's opinion, now His Highness is only one step away from the storage seat. "
Li Zhi said distressedly: "Even if it's just a step away, it's still very close. Now that the master of Fengyi has entered the capital, the prince's power has greatly increased, and it is possible to assassinate us immediately. Besides, with her supervision, the prince must be cautious in his words and deeds. This time If the royal father did not depose the prince, then there is still room. If it is delayed, I am afraid that it will not be good for me. Besides, the deposed prince needs to have a guilt. If the prince does not make mistakes, then it is impossible for the father to depose him.
I smiled and said, "I'm afraid the prince doesn't think so now. Although the emperor has released the prince this time, he is not allowed to manage politics in the East Palace. There is already a clue of alienation. Let's do it, in order to protect ourselves, I am afraid that the prince will get deeper and deeper. Now, His Royal Highness only needs to spread rumors that the emperor will not abolish the prince this time, but it is because of the prince's backstage power, and then we will take the charge of the prince's party. Launching an attack, not attacking the prince, only saying that those people have the grace of the emperor and the prince. With the prestige of His Highness, they must be caught by hand. We do this, on the surface, it will not harm the safety of the prince himself, so the prince will not think of it. We do it deliberately, but we will think that we are under the secret order of the emperor. Therefore, His Highness recently found an opportunity to secretly talk with the emperor a few times. Don’t let others know the truth. In this way, the prince will even more suspect that the emperor has made up his mind to make his highness the heir, so he To arrange for His Highness to cut off the prince's wings, this strategy is to frighten the snake, as long as the prince is surprised, he will act blindly and make mistakes, and then the prince can be deposed as a matter of course."
Li Zhi heard that he was convinced and said: "Suiyun can be said to be able to read people's hearts, yes, who would have thought that we would cut off the prince's wings with such great fanfare, but the purpose is not to attack the prince's power."
I stood up and said: "His Royal Highness, now has reached the most critical juncture, Your Highness should send Mr. Ziyou back to Chang'an to preside over the overall situation. Although this minister has some strategies, many things can only be handled properly by Master Shi, and Master Shi is complementary to each other. It would be a pity if he didn't come back."
Li Zhi moved and said: "Suiyun is right, Ziyou really needs to come back now, the situation in Youzhou has been stable, Ziyou has also recruited a large number of available talents, he has no greater role in Youzhou, and he It's better to come back, Ziyou is careful and careful, and this king really needs him to take charge of the overall situation." After that, Jiang Zhe thought to himself, Jiang Zhe was really broad-minded, and after Ziyou came back, although he still had to rely on him for advice, However, it is inevitable that he will trust and reuse Shi Yu more. After all, Shi Yu is the prime minister in his mind and the head of the civil service, but he has no fear at all.
He didn't know that I didn't care about power and wealth. Besides, I was not in good health. Many details were arranged by Guan Xiu, Dong Zhi and Gou Lian. Even if Shi Yu came back, it would have no effect on me. Besides, Shi Yu There is another very important benefit for me to come back.
After we negotiated properly, I sent His Royal Highness King Yong out, and before he had gone far, Li Zhi saw a young man in the uniform of a guard approaching. He was handsome in appearance and indifferent in temperament. Li Zhi felt that this person was extraordinary, but strange. Yes, Li Zhi felt that this person seemed to have seen him before, but he couldn't remember ever seeing such a young guard with such a unique temperament.
As soon as his footsteps slowed down, I noticed it, but he didn't say anything. His Royal Highness King Yong had seen Xia Jinyi several times, and this time it was just a chance to try Xia Jinyi's transformation. When it comes to Yi Rong, I have also been deceived by the legend in the unofficial history, saying that someone can change their appearance so that acquaintances cannot recognize it, but this is impossible. First of all, there are many limitations to the change of appearance. Appearance, whether ugly or handsome, can always give people a sense of harmony. If you change it rashly, it will easily make people feel a little awkward, and if you want to change your face, your own characteristics are also very important. If your appearance and body are a bit special. At this point, it is difficult to hide people's eyes and ears, even if it is disguised, it is the success of the change in appearance, and the change in behavior and speech. Many people can recognize their relatives and friends just by looking at the back and listening to the voice. It is very difficult for acquaintances to recognize.
But this time, I really believe in my own methods. Although I only know some of Yi Rong's experience, I haven't tried it myself, but Xia Jinyi has some methods for Yi Rong, I just need to instruct him how to do it. . After careful research, I first asked him to make some small changes in his appearance, just to change the style of combing his hair and the corners of his eyebrows and eyes, and to match his changed temperament, it was easy to make him seem like a different person. The same, and then I spent some time teaching him to change some movements, change the rhythm and pitch when speaking, he learned very quickly, and now he is doing well, King Yong didn't recognize him immediately, plus "Xia Jinyi" "He died under the wrath of the emperor, so as long as he lives in seclusion for a period of time, naturally no one will recognize him, and after a year or two, no one will pursue this matter again.
Seeing the hesitant expression on King Yong's face, I smiled and said, "Your Highness, have you met a stranger? His name is Dong Que, and he is a newly recruited bodyguard. Although he is not from the military, rest assured, Your Highness, this person is loyal and safe."
King Yong suddenly said: "It turns out that it is your newly hired bodyguard. No wonder this king feels familiar, but he can't remember his name."
Xia Jinyi, the current Dong Que, came forward to greet King Yong with meticulous etiquette, but his expression was very indifferent, Li Zhi didn't pay attention, just smiled: "Suiyun rarely accepts a subordinate, it must be a talent, you have to make good progress, too. It's not worth Jiang Sima's attention."
Dong Que said respectfully, "This subordinate respects His Highness's teachings."
Watching King Yong leave, I smiled and said, "You can rest assured now, you can stay safe and sound in King Yong's mansion, Xia, no, Dong Que, you know that person very well, you say he wants to be the most right now. Do what?"
Dong Que's expression was indifferent, but he was very submissive: "That person's temperament is unbearable, he can't hold back for ten days and a half months, but he can't hold back for a month. What he likes most now is to have sex with married women. Tong, this is the only way to satisfy his desire to seek excitement. In fact, although Chun Concubine is beautiful, it may not be much more than the concubines in his mansion, but a wife is not as good as a concubine, a concubine is not as good as a maid, a maid is not as good as stealing, stealing is not as good as stealing, so he Just so addicted."
I thought about it for a while, and said with a strange smile: "You have been in the palace for a long time. I wonder who has the most beautiful wife and concubines among the officials of the East Palace and the Crown Prince's cronies?"
Dong Que's expression changed, he thought for a moment and said, "The Huo family, the wife of the Hanlin scholar Shao Yan, is extremely beautiful. The prince once met her at the Buddhist temple half a year ago and was very tempted, but it didn't take long for him to meet Chun Concubine, Shao Yan is a recent The young man who came to join the prince is quite talented, and the prince also values him a lot."
I asked in detail, "What is the character of Mr. Huo?"
Dong Que said without hesitation: "The prince once sent me to investigate. The Huo family was born in a famous family, and she was a lady. The husband and wife were harmonious and very loving."
I sighed lightly and said, "It's a pity, so I won't be able to take action."
Dong Que frowned slightly and said, "Why pity a woman, she is not an important person."
I smiled lightly and said, "I never force a person easily, even if I want someone to die, I want him to die willingly."
At this time, Xiao Shunzi's figure appeared, and he looked strangely and authentically: "Young Master, I don't know if God is helping you, but just now the Ministry of Personnel was ordered to dismiss the officials of the former East Palace, and the Hanlin scholar Shao Yan was promoted to the East Palace. Waiter." Said and handed me a list of newly appointed officials of the East Palace, I saw Shao Yan's name and couldn't help laughing: "This is really a coincidence, I asked His Highness to hand over a secret book. To His Majesty, I said that the officials of the East Palace of the Crown Prince lost his virtue and should be replaced. The original reason was to arrange a few more people in the East Palace. I didn't expect that the Prince's backstage was really tough, so he arranged for his cronies to be placed in it, but he didn't. I know if this Shaoyan was chosen by the prince himself."
Xiao Shunzi smiled slightly and said, "Young master is exactly what you said. This is the list that the prince gave to Concubine Ji last night. I asked someone to copy it." I took the tissue paper with some names on it, and worshipped them first. Shao Yan is the one.
I couldn't help sighing and said, "It's self-inflicted, I can't live, I haven't done it yet, and he can't help it himself."
Dong Que said coldly: "He may not have this thought now, but he must have subconsciously kept him by his side when he saw Shao Yan."
I glanced at Dong Que and said with a smile: "The clerk in the East Palace is not an ordinary official position. According to the etiquette, the Huo family already has a seal and is going to see the princess. You say, the prince only needs to meet the Huo family accidentally Second, can he bear it?"
Dong Que was silent, and after a while, he said, "I can't."