Chapter 5 The fifth round of chasing heroes and releasing feudal lords to explore the undercurrent of Henan

Yao Chong immediately ordered Liu Youqiu and the other three to be invited to the Ministry of Education. The three did not know what to do, and were quickly led into a quiet room guarded by more than ten soldiers.Liu Youqiu was furious when he saw this, and cursed: "What virtue is Yao Chong? How dare you imprison us. Call him over and see what he has to say." Yao Chong was not in a hurry, making people take good care of these three people, but he was not in a hurry to meet them.It wasn't until the afternoon of the second day that he entered the room with Lu Huaishen.The three of them saw Yao Chongru meeting an enemy, Cui Riyong was considered a man of the city, although his eyes burst into anger and did not make a sound, but Liu Youqiu and Zhong Shaojing were not polite, if the soldiers did not stop them, they would have already punched Yao Chong at each other.

Yao Chong said with a smile: "It's normal for you to resent Yao Chong because you are confined here. But think about it, you have made great achievements. If Lu Shizhong and I didn't have the words of the Holy Spirit, would we dare to touch you?" Cui Riyong said coldly: "Yao Ling, if you want to commit a crime, there is nothing wrong with it! You have not entered the Central Committee, and we are doing well. Why do you become a Zhongshu Ling, and we are getting worse every day?" Liu You begged: "You imprisoned us here, why didn't you just put us in the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice?"

Yao Chong shook his head and sighed: "The crimes you have committed, it is not wrong to go to the prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice at all. It is because the Holy One is thinking of your achievements that you can do such a benevolent act." Zhong Shaojing said: "What crime are we guilty of? You'd better say it freely, you don't have to hide your head and show your tail like this." Yao Chongdao: "Shizhong Lu, you give them the pleadings. Alas, you will know what's going on at a glance." The three of them gathered together to watch the defense, and saw that it recorded the scene of the three of them having a banquet, when and where, where the three sat, and how the three talked.After the three of them saw it, they couldn't help but be like thunder, knowing that they had really caused a catastrophe.

Liu You asked to gather his mind, and forced himself to be calm and said: "Huh, this pleading is clearly framed by someone, and it is obviously fabricated!" Yao Chong sneered and said, "Mr. Liu, do you know who provided this pleading? There is a servant named Liu Er in the Zunfu. Mr. Liu should know him. He is now in the next room." Liu Youqiu moved his mouth but didn't say anything, he thought that there were internal thieves in his house, so he couldn't blame others. Yao Chong sighed: "Oh, I never expected you to say such unrestrained words. You said I was cruel and merciless, but you said that it is difficult for the Holy One to practice benevolent government. If the Holy One knows about such words, how can you offend them?"

Liu Youqiu said: "You don't need to pretend to be merciful. You brought Lu Huaishen here, do you dare to hide it from the Holy Majesty?" Liu Youqiu's words showed that he was already a little weak. Yao Chongdao: "How I report to the Holy One is up to my own discretion. Today, in front of everyone, I assure you that I think you have made great achievements, so I should protect you. However, these things are all done by you. Yes, don’t you have any repentance now? I sincerely advise everyone, hurry up and jointly pledge repentance to the Holy One, maybe there is still a chance of redemption.” After Yao Chong finished speaking, he and Lu Huaishen exited the room together.

Liu Youqiu sighed and said, "Oh, when someone is wrong, everyone will come against you. This Liu Er is usually polite and pleasing to the eye, but he has such a heart of snake and scorpion." Cui Riyong pondered for a moment, and said decisively: "Mr. Yao is right. It is a serious crime for us to say such slanderous words, and it is normal for us to be punished for this. Two brothers, we should plead repentance to the Holy One." Liu Youqiu and Zhong Shaojing nodded in agreement. After Yao Chong left the quiet room, he went straight to see Li Longji. "Have you figured it out?" Li Longji raised his head and asked Yao Chongdao.

Yao Chong reported: "They are now imprisoned in the Zhongshu Province, with the witness of their servant Liu Er, even if they deny it, it will be useless." "Oh? What do you think about what to do with them?" "The minister came to see His Majesty, and actually wanted to ask His Majesty to show you." Li Longji looked at Yao Chong's emaciated body standing on the ground, like a big shrimp waiting to be cooked, and couldn't help but smile a little, so he called: "Come on, let's take a seat for Yao Qing. Yao Qing, you sit down." Let’s talk, from now on, when our monarch and his subjects face each other alone, we don’t need to be so formal. I leave this matter to you to deal with, why do you still ask me? There are laws in the Tang Dynasty, and you can handle it according to the system.”

Yao Chong had spent a lot of time thinking about Li Longji's mind.In the past, when encountering such things, for example, an important minister summoned the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple for a joint trial to convict him, but this time the emperor casually let the three of them be included in the Zhongshu Province, which is very strange.Yao Chong knew that according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, if they slandered the emperor behind their backs, they would be dissatisfied, and they could go up indefinitely to reprimand them for disobedience, beheading or exile.Yao Chong soon understood that Li Longji did this because these three people were heroes, and this act itself showed that the emperor had a heart of forgiveness.Yao Chong then sighed, and said: "Your Majesty, if we deal with it according to the law, it is a serious crime for them to complain. However, they are all heroes, and it is normal for them to say some indignant words because they have just left their important positions. .”

"Hmph, does Yao Qing want to let it go gently? I have said long ago that these meritorious officials should devote themselves to protecting themselves. Why don't they understand my intentions? They do have meritorious service, and I have rewarded them a lot, just like Liu Youqiu. As a resigned county lieutenant, now he is a high-ranking official and has the title of Duke, why are you still not satisfied?" "Yes, I also mentioned them just now. Why are you not satisfied with the salary of such a high-ranking official? But he prefers to get drunk at parties, and then say some disobedient words. These three people still understand, weeping bitterly on the spot, please ask your majesty Apology. Your Majesty, this is the knot of the three people's repentance, please read it."

Li Longji waved his hands and said, "It's enough for them to have such a heart. Alas, once the heroes of the past were imprisoned, I didn't feel very good. Guo Yuanzhen was exiled back then. After thinking about it, it was too harsh." "In order to get rid of the chaos, it is necessary for His Majesty to take some extraordinary measures. As for some of them being frustrated or even suffered some grievances, it is really a small matter compared with state affairs. After that, His Majesty revived Guo Yuanzhen, and everyone in the world praised him as good." Yao Chong knew that the reason why Li Longji dealt with heroes so carefully was that the biggest concern was that what people in the world would say was that the emperor didn't want to bear the reputation of being a dead man.

Li Longji suddenly smiled and said: "If you act harshly according to what they say, and I deal with bloody things, wouldn't we, the monarch and his ministers, become tyrants and cruel officials? Thinking about it afterwards, there is some truth to what they said. If I want to follow the story of Zhenguan, then Zhenguan The main purpose is to calm the people and to be lenient in law and prudent in punishment. You also advised me to practice benevolent government in Mount Li. Are we going too far in this passage?" Yao Chong shook his head and said: "If you want to rule a troubled world, you must use heavy codes. After the order is restored, you can proceed step by step. Your Majesty, if you want to do great things, you don't have to worry about other people's words, otherwise it will disturb your mind. As for the cruel officials, your majesty has burned the "Luozhijing" Let me tell the world that when I test the officials this time, those who behaved cruelly will be removed from the ranks, and the people in the world should know that the court is returning to a benevolent government." "Well, you can issue an edict to make it clear to the world that these people who have behaved cruelly will never be used. Yao Qing, let's get back to the topic, how do you think we should deal with them?" Yao Chong had already made a conclusion in his mind before. He speculated that Li Longji was now recovering his national fortune, and he didn't want to see these people staying in the capital to comment. He just wanted to disperse them out of the capital. If they are punished, they can retain their titles, and each of them must cut off three hundred households; in addition, they are likely to gather crowds to cause trouble when they stay in the capital, so they must be scattered out of the capital. Do something good." Li Longji was really satisfied, nodded and said: "Okay, I will do as you said. In this way, the righteousness of our monarchs and ministers has also been taken into account, which is very good. By the way, Wang Ju is going out to patrol the border now, and Wei Zhigu is idle in the capital. , you can refer to this decree for their foreign governors, and the seals of these two people don’t need to be cut.” Li Longji said again: "Zhang Wei has something important to do recently, let him be Dali Minister." Seeing that he had guessed the emperor's intentions correctly, Yao Chong felt greatly benefited, but he did not dare to express his words. After saying "obey the order", he said: "Your Majesty, recalling that the kings in the past were prone to chaos in Beijing. I boldly think that King Ning Although others are humble and restrained, they must be on guard first." Yao Chong's words immediately touched Li Longji's mind.Now there are four brothers in the capital, as well as clan and vassal kings. As royal nobles, if they rely on this appeal and supplement it with a different heart, it will be a source of disaster.At the beginning, he was only the king of the county, and he was a well-known romantic boy in the capital. Didn't he also become the emperor today?Thinking of this, he immediately asked, "Well, what are Yao Qing's thoughts?" Yao Chong knew that Li Longji's speech was unavoidable because of family affection, so it's better to say these words directly, so he said bluntly: "I think that the kings can be dispersed to various places, and they can also serve as governors of various states. This governor is only for title. The position is not related to state affairs, and the actual state affairs can be acted by the governor Shi with full authority." Yao Chong's proposal may seem simple, but it is actually rich in meaning.Since the Han Dynasty divided the kings, if the kings gather in the capital, they all have the possibility of inheriting the throne. If they continue to conspire, it will often cause disaster; This is the reason why Chao Cuo proposed to cut down the vassal.Yao Chong's suggestion can be said to have combined this positive and negative experience. Not only did the kings leave the capital so that they could not communicate with each other, but they were also prevented from controlling the real power of the states to cultivate personal power, thus further stabilizing the imperial power. Of course Li Longji understood Yao Chong's deep meaning, he sighed and said, "It's a safe way, but in this way, it's too difficult for brothers to see each other, it's a loss of brotherhood." "This does not prevent your Majesty from getting together with the kings. Your Majesty is taking every opportunity to allow the kings to come to Beijing to see His Majesty in turn. I think that your Majesty will meet with the kings after a certain period of time to make them more intimate. Two vassal kings are allowed to enter the capital every season. There is no need for them to come to Beijing together." Yao Chong didn't let the kings enter the capital together, so he was preventing them from interacting with each other.If two vassal kings came to Beijing every three months, they would only meet the emperor alone to talk about their brotherly friendship, and they would not meet each other, so there would be fewer troubles.According to the regulations of the previous dynasties, the kings were not allowed to meet each other's territories privately, and all the kings were surrounded by the emperor's eyeliner, so they would never dare to leave the territory at will. Seeing that Yao Chong had thought about the matter so carefully, Li Longji thought that this person had been thinking about it for a day or two, so it was indeed useful, so he said: "Okay, just as you said. Do. However, the state where the vassal king is appointed should not be remote, and the utensils should not be simple. Alas, thinking of my brothers being far away from now on, I feel bad. Now the Huae Xianghui Building in Xingqing Palace is under construction. If this building is completed , but no brothers to reunite, isn't it a pity?" Yao Chong laughed secretly, thinking that the emperor's name is A Man, which is really vivid.He didn't dare to show any hesitation at this time, and hurriedly replied: "The Huae Xianghui Building will be completed in two years, when the world will be peaceful, if Your Majesty misses his brothers, it would be appropriate to call them all back to the capital." The two monarchs and ministers talked about it here, and it was settled that the hero and the vassal king should be appointed outsiders.Li Longji was satisfied, and couldn't help but smile a lot on his face, so he raised a memorial on the case and said: "Yao Qing, the new governor of Bianzhou, Ni Ruoshui, is very good. After he took office, he saw the palace servants hunting strange birds After crossing Bianzhou, I posted this chapter of admonition. It said: "Nong Fangtian, woman Fang silkworm, used to catch strange birds and feathers at this time as a garden for fun, from the river and the mountains to the south, to the capital, and transported by water boat and land , the fish, insects, rice, and sorghum that you feed, in terms of reason, don’t look at Your Majesty with a bitch and a noble bird?” Yao Chong smiled but did not answer. Li Longji went on to say: "When I heard about it, I changed it. I have ordered all the birds to be released in the palace, and they are not allowed to be picked in the future. I also issued an imperial edict to praise Ni Ruoshui, and gave forty pieces of silk as a reward." Yao Chong cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty is like this, it is really a blessing for the world." Li Longji said: "It seems that the appointment of Beijing officials and foreign officials is the right thing to do. In the past, who can have the insight and courage of Ni Ruoshui for foreign officials?" Yao Chong said with a smile: "This Ni Ruoshui is really interesting. He doesn't want to leave Beijing to be an official at all. I heard that one day he had a farewell party with Ban Jingqian, and he chased his horse for a long distance. The dust raised by Jing Qian's horse is called 'fairy dust'." Li Longji couldn't help smiling when he heard this. Liu Youqiu and the three lived indoors like years.Although when it was time to eat, someone would bring sumptuous vegetables and food, but they couldn't swallow it, and felt uneasy, wondering how the emperor would deal with them. Zhong Shaojing sighed: "The so-called misfortune comes from the mouth, it seems to be true. If we had sat at home in the past, how could there be today's unforeseen misfortune?" Cui Riyong said: "If this incident is resolved, we must not dare to gather at will. This will save a lot of trouble." Liu Youqiu sneered and said, "Do you think you can seek safety by shrinking your head and avoiding disaster? A man is not guilty, but a man is guilty! Sometimes, you can't hide even if you want to. For example, when Liu Er entered my house, we didn't say anything about it. People have already made up their minds when they said this, can you guard against it?" Seeing Liu Youqiu's voice was louder, Zhong Shaojing hurriedly waved his hand to stop it, and said, "Brother Liu, be careful that the walls have ears." Liu Youqiu shook his head and sighed: "Oh, we are still a little overwhelmed. How many people have been wronged to death in the past and present? We are as high as the Duke of the state, what is there to be dissatisfied with? It seems that people's hearts are not enough, it's hard to suppress!" Cui Riyong was well aware of Liu Youqiu's state of mind at this time, and said with a smile: "Yes, what brother Liu said is very true. When His Majesty was the king of Linzi, brother Liu resolutely agreed. Brother Liu is just a resigned county captain, and today he is so rich. , it is not easy.” Liu Youqiu sounded uncomfortable, and retorted, "Yes, I was really humble at that time. You had already become a minister at that time, and you had Zong Chuke's trust, why did you fight back?" After all, Zhong Shaojing was a kind person. Seeing the two people competing here, he persuaded: "Forget it, we are in the same room, and we should be sympathetic to each other. It is best not to say those things that have no reason. Sigh, I don't know what the Holy Majesty thinks? He You should remember the past." When Liu Youqiu heard the word "old love", he opened his mouth to speak, but then swallowed hard.Among the three people in the room, Liu Youqiu's official heart is the most famous.When he was demoted as an exile, because he had the hope that Li Longji might really take power in his heart, he persisted.When he becomes Shangshu Zuopushe, he thinks that he has received the grace of God, so he should be full of ambition and show his strength.Unexpectedly, the emperor took a fancy to Yao Chong and turned these heroes into idle jobs. Liu Youqiu was unwilling to withdraw from the front of the government.Although he didn't say a word at this time, the words he didn't say were full of resentment: "What is old love? Only the weak can miss old love!" The three of them stayed like this until the afternoon of the third day, Yao Chong never entered the room again, the three of them were strictly guarded by the soldiers, it was difficult for them to step outside, and the time became more and more difficult.They were still talking to each other at the beginning, but in the end, the three of them turned to each other, staring blankly at the roof, thinking about their own thoughts. The door was opened at this time, and a person walked into the room holding a brocade silk.The visitor's surname was Feng Mingang, who was a member of Zhongshushe at that time. After he entered the room, he called out: "Liu Youqiu, Zhong Shaojing, and Cui Riyong took the order." Li Longji's imperial decree deeply condemned them for not relying on their meritorious deeds, cutting off 300 households as punishment, and granting Liu Youqiu the governor of Muzhou, Zhong Shaojing the governor of Guozhou, and Cui Riyong the governor of Changzhou. When the three of them knelt to accept the imperial decree, they heard that Wang Ju had been awarded the governorship of Zezhou, and Wei Zhigu had been awarded the governorship of Ruzhou. After Feng Ang finished reading, he turned around and ordered the soldiers to withdraw, and then said, "I congratulate the three lords on going to Ei Fengxi. Three lords, please go back. You can leave the capital tomorrow." The three got up, Liu Youqiu asked: "Where are Yao Chong and Lu Huaishen? They imprisoned me for a few days, why didn't they come?" Feng Ang said: "Lord Yao and Master Lu couldn't get away from something, so they ordered the officials to come and announce the decree." Liu You begged, "Hmph, I'm afraid they won't have the face to see us." Zhong Shaojing saw Liu Youqiu showing off, and thought to himself, how can he not bow his head now that he is under the eaves of others?So he asked Liu You to ask for a hand, and he was not allowed to talk nonsense. Feng Ang knew the whole story, and said cautiously: "This matter of the three adults is known to all. The emperor was furious, and Lord Yao and Lord Lu begged a lot for the adults in front of the emperor. This is the result. .Three adults, please go back." The three of them walked out of Zhongshu Province together. Cui Riyong cupped his hands and said, "You two brothers, we have suffered such a catastrophe. It seems that the Holy Majesty still remembered the old relationship and punished us lightly. We should be grateful. We will be separated tomorrow, Brother Yu I wish the second brother a safe journey." Liu Youqiu said: "Yes, it is better for us to go farther away. I would like to advise you two, don't meet again after saying goodbye today, and leave Beijing quietly and early tomorrow. I have thought about it. We have offended many people before. When we died They love to add insult to injury. Alas, go early, the best policy is to get out of their sight as soon as possible." Zhong Shaojing approved of this statement, and the three bid farewell. Mengjin County is located in the north of Luoyang and the south of the Yellow River, and Beiman Mountain stretches from east to west, thus becoming the dividing line between Luoyang and Mengjin.Since the Qin and Han dynasties, people who know geomantic omen think that Beiman Mountain is a place where a tiger sits on a dragon’s plate and has the aura of a king. Therefore, many high-ranking officials and dignitaries choose Beiman Mountain as their family tomb, so that Beiman Mountain is full of mausoleums. said.Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty, also took a fancy to the geomantic omen of Tiexie in Mengjin. Surrounded by the Yellow River, the open terrain is said to be the place where the "River Map" appeared. it's here. From Liu Xiuling to the east for more than ten miles, it is said that this is the place where the river map appeared. It was built here around the Western Han Dynasty, and the cypresses planted all over the place have become forests.Every early spring, people in Luoyang City often come here for spring outings and pay tribute to the historical sites.At noon that day, three people and three horses came to the historic site, and the leading man in a white shirt entered the courtyard with his hands behind his back.He walked slowly from the corridor to the middle hall, watching the statues of Fu Xi and the dragon and horse in the hall. According to legend, Fuxi taught the people to tie ropes to make nets for fishing, and to raise livestock. From this, auspiciousness flourished and gods were bestowed by heaven.One day when the weather was bright, Fuxi came here and saw a dragon-backed horse-body mythical animal with two wings, eight feet five inches high, and wearing dragon scales. among.When Fuxi saw the points on his back, he memorized them and drew them accordingly. This is the "River Map".Fuxi's family developed gossip according to the river map, which became the source of "Book of Changes". Thinking of these stories, the man in white felt extremely solemn in his heart, and bowed to the ground devoutly.After finishing his prostration, he got up and exited the hall, and then walked towards the cypress forest behind the hall with his hands behind his back.It seems that this person is very active. The early spring sunshine shone through the cypress bushes on his face, and his face looked serene and calm. At this time, a man in brown clothes suddenly appeared from the northwest corner, and he slowly approached the man in white clothes. When he got close, he bowed and said, "How is King Lijie?" The white-clothed man was startled, and after staring at it, he recognized the person, and said in shock, "Oh, it's Wang Dian's signature! You haven't been heard from since the incident, so unexpectedly you're still alive." This man in white is Xue Chongjian, the son of Princess Taiping.At the beginning, Princess Taiping's family was mostly beheaded by Li Longji. Li Longji exempted Xue Chongjian from the death penalty because of his usual admonition to his mother, and his official title remained the same.Li Longji also gave Xue Chongjian the surname Li and the name Yanchang, and ordered him to live in Luoyang, the eastern capital. The man in brown clothes was Wang Shiqian, who signed the signature of Princess Taiping's mansion in the past. He heard the words and sighed: "Oh, the princess and I fled to the mountains. After a few days, the princess wanted to return. I tried to persuade him not to go back to the mansion, but the princess didn't listen. I After bidding farewell to the princess at that time, she has kept her name incognito.” "The Holy Majesty treats us fairly leniently. You might as well ask the Holy Majesty to plead guilty. He will definitely remember the old relationship. Maybe he can forgive you. It's better than hiding your name." If you go back to the source, Li Longji and Princess Taiping joined forces to fight against Wei, Xue Chongjian and Wang Shiqian In fact, they are their contacts, so they are considered meritorious. Wang Shiqian shook his head and said, "Ah Man won't let me go lightly. He will definitely not easily forget the things I helped the princess take care of back then." "You are so up and down, how can you last long?" Wang Shiqian was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said: "King Lijie, I know that you are honest and kind to others. But, people have all kinds of attitudes, and you always treat others with your own heart, can you get something in return? I know, A Man If you don't kill me this time, everyone in the world will say that the emperor is magnanimous, but can they not be wary of you? I know you came here for a visit today, so you came here quietly, so this is because there will be no imperial court in your house eyes and ears. If I were to live in such fear, I would rather die." Xue Chongjian sighed: "Oh, how could I not know? However, the general situation is so, what can we do? You shouldn't see me today. If there are imperial eyes and ears in my house, they will know that we are meeting, and it will be bad for us." Wang Shiqian smiled and said: "Please rest assured, King Lijie, I am not alone here, I have already prepared various precautions for it." "Why did you see me today?" Wang Shiqian said with emotion: "The princess was forced to death by Ah Man, and many of the princess's family members were slaughtered. Don't you have any thoughts in King Lijie's heart? I am greatly favored by the princess, and every time I read this, my heart is cut like a knife! You and I also put in a lot of effort to raise the matter, if he is so ungrateful, if he still swallows his breath, what is the difference between him and a walking dead?" "Brother Wang, if a ruler is not as hard-hearted as iron, how can he establish authority? Guo Yuanzhen has made great contributions in supporting him, but he was deposed as a traitor, and even died; Liu Youqiu, Zhong Shaojing, Cui Riyong, Wang Ju and Wei Zhigu made great contributions and were expelled from the capital. Alas, the world is dangerous, if I can live in peace, my heart will be enough." "You want to live in peace, but things still find you, how should you deal with it?" Xue Chongjian thought about it carefully, and felt that there was really nothing he could do, so he murmured: "Oh, I can only follow the trend. Wang Dian signed, are you short of money and things now?" "Grace, the princess, rewarded me with a lot of money and things. I was lucky enough to bring it out at the time, and now I have enough money to spend." "There is still a long way to go, so don't waste money. After all, I still have a salary. If you need it, you can send someone to pick it up." "King Xie Lijie is concerned." "So, you should leave early. Although this is a secluded place, there is no guarantee that there will be eyeliners from the imperial court. If you have no special business in the future, don't come to see me again. Alas, the road ahead is long, and we each cherish it Bar." Wang Shiqian saw that Xue Chongjian issued the order to drive away the guests, so he bowed and said: "So, I will leave. The reason why I came to the secret meeting today to set up the festival king is to think about it. I will leave." In fact, Wang Shiqian had a lot to say today. He wanted to tell Xue Chongjian, but seeing Xue Chongjian was so cautious, he swallowed the words again. Xue Chongjian watched Wang Shiqian flash into the gap in the back wall, and there were many sighs in his heart. Finally, he only sighed, and he didn't want to walk in the courtyard anymore, so he turned and went out. Zhang Wei was awarded the title of Minister of Dali, and he entrusted Ban Jingqian, Shaoqing of Dali, with the affairs of the yamen, and led a group of people to Luoyang.Before his departure, he entered the palace and had a secret talk with Li Longji, so this trip was instigated by Li Longji. Luoyang is warmer than Chang'an, and the suburbs are already dark green. There are tens of thousands of peonies in the peony gardens in the city, and occasionally a few branches of early bloomers have already opened their petals.Zhang Wei and his group didn't enjoy Yaxing after they arrived in Luoyang. They didn't know about the local government office, so they booked a hotel in the west of the city, and then lived in simple places. When Zhang Wei had a secret conversation with Li Longji that day, Zhang Wei said: "Your Majesty, I have been thinking about it these days. Now that there are rumors inside and outside the capital, this Wang Shiqian is indeed an important person. Is there any reason behind his appearance in Mengjin?" Where is Li Yanchang's shadow?" "Li Yanchang?" Li Longji couldn't remember who this person was for a moment. "It's Xue Chongjian." "Oh, yes, Xue Chongjian has been living in Dongdu. Since Wang Shiqian appeared near Luoyang, it is reasonable to meet Xue Chongjian." "That's right, I think so too. Your Majesty, if you want to get rid of the chaos, you have to cut the roots. If King Wen, Xue Chongjian and others stay in the world, they are really a source of disaster. I think that if you just arrest all these people, they will definitely confess. With the trace of Wang Shiqian, the rumors will be self-defeating." Li Longji said: "I gave you the title of Minister of Dali, not to let you use cruel methods like Junchen and Zhou Xing. The method of extorting confessions by torture is simple and feasible, but in fact it is incompetent. I promised Yao Chong, and I will do it in the future." Benevolent government. If you are causing trouble for me like this, this Dali minister had better not do it." When Li Longji used to be the king of the county, Zhang Wei could talk and laugh with him freely, but recently, every time Zhang Wei saw Li Longji, he thought twice before speaking, it can be said to be cautious.Seeing the emperor's displeasure now, he was terrified and hurriedly bowed to apologize: "Your Majesty, I made a mistake." Li Longji said: "I said that I should act according to the story of Zhenguan, so I must act in an upright manner. If I act like a ghost, how will I face the people of the world? You said that Wang Shiqian might meet Xue Chongjian in secret, so you can visit him. If they met only to talk about old friends and not engage in any conspiracy, the world is so big, wouldn't there be room for Xue Chongjian?" Zhang Wei knew that Li Longji started his career with intrigues and scheming, but now he wants to rule the country with integrity, and the people of the world are of course suspicious.However, since the emperor said so, of course he must carry it out as usual.In order to find Wang Shiqian and obtain evidence of the collusion between Wang Shiqian and Xue Chongjian, Zhang Wei decided to take people to Luoyang to investigate quietly. He sent people to live around Xue Chongjian's residence to monitor, but after more than ten days passed, there was no movement here.Xue Chongjian is actually an indifferent and desireless person. After undergoing such a drastic change, he knows the truth of avoiding disaster by doing little things, so he usually stays in the house and seldom interacts with outsiders.This day Zhang Wei learned that Xue Chongjian had gone to Mengjin for an outing. In addition to sending people to follow him, he also arranged in advance where Xue Chongjian might stop along the way.Before these people left, when Zhang Wei summoned them, he said viciously: "Let me take a closer look! Don't blink your eyes for any utensils and people that Xue Chongjian came into contact with today. If you miss something, I will definitely interrupt." Your dogs!" At dusk that day, the people who had gone out to follow returned to the inn, and they reported to Zhang Wei one by one the visual situation that day.When it was mentioned that Xue Chongjian was talking with the man in brown in the courtyard, Zhang Wei asked carefully about the figure and appearance of the man in brown, and then said, "This man is Wang Shiqian." Back then, Wang Shiqian and Li Longji's friends got close , of course Zhang Wei can recognize it. Zhang Wei asked anxiously: "I let you know Wang Shiqian's appearance, why did he run away?" The subordinate replied: "At the time, in order to prevent Xue Chongjian from finding out, my subordinates looked in through the crack of the wall, but because they were far away, they could not confirm it." Zhang Wei's complexion suddenly fell, and he asked: "What happened next?" "Then Wang Shiqian talked with Xue Chongjian for a while, and then escaped out of the gap in the back wall. When I went to check, Wang Shiqian and several people had already driven north." "Where are they?" "The subordinates and others chased to the Yellow River, and saw that they boarded a boat with their men and horses, and then drifted down the river for several miles, and they disappeared." Zhang Wei was furious, stepped forward and knocked the man down with a punch, and cursed: "A stupid pig would do such a thing! Come on, break his dog leg for me, and treat him tomorrow morning, so that he will be in good pain." Last night, as a punishment." Several people came up and dragged this person into the courtyard, and soon, there was only a muffled sound, and then the wailing suddenly broke out. Seeing this, the other subordinates felt terrified, so they bowed and stood indoors, not daring to make a sound.Zhang Wei paced around the room with his hands behind his back, talking to himself as he walked, "He has gone east, where is he going?" He turned around and asked, "How many ferries are there between Mengjin and Bianzhou? " Someone timidly replied: "There are six big ones. Because many rivers are connected to the Yellow River, if they sail to the tributaries, there are countless places to board the boat." Zhang Wei became even more angry, and scolded: "Bastard, aren't you talking for nothing?" Seeing that the master was very angry, everyone didn't dare to say anything, for fear of getting into trouble again. Zhang Wei thought about it and felt that the world is so big, if he secretly visits Wang Shiqian like this, it will be like finding a needle in a haystack.On the second day, several groups of fast horses galloped out of the inn, and the people on the seats all wore the face of Wang Shiqian. Zhang Wei asked the governors of neighboring states to assist in the investigation of Wang Shiqian.After the personnel to go to various states set off, it recruited several people to give face-to-face instructions.Over the past few years, Zhang Weisu loves to make friends with so-called rangers and wanderers, and has already accumulated quite a wide network of contacts.These people's whereabouts are secretive, but their eyes and ears are very wide, and their detection information is far faster than the people in the Gongmen. After a few days like this, Zhang Wei sat in Luoyang, and found that there was no outsider in Xue Chongjian's house, and there was no exciting news from his subordinates who went to inform the surrounding states, so Zhang Wei gradually became a little anxious, and his heart was very angry. Sheng, swearing at people at every turn, frightened his subordinates so much that they dared not approach him. In the evening of that day, a rider came rushing from the direction of Chang'an. This person was Wang Yong, the ranger who Zhang Wei had dispersed.He saw Zhang Wei report, saying that someone saw Wang Shiqian abandoning his boat and boarding the north bank on the bank of the Wei River. Zhang Wei asked anxiously, "Where did he go after he boarded the north bank?" Wang Yong said: "It was already dusk when he got on his horse and disappeared." "You can't read it wrong, right?" "When Wang Shiqian was in the old city of Chang'an, they had already followed him to the side of the Wei River. They couldn't be mistaken." Zhang Wei doubtfully said: "That's not right, if Wang Shiqian went down the river that day, how could he have time to appear in the suburbs of Chang'an again? Could it be that he gave birth to scud? Besides, he knows that the wind in the capital is tight, and people who know him know him very well." What, what does he want to do when he goes to the capital?" It is said that Li Wei, the king of Shen, was awarded the governor of Binzhou. Before he left, he asked to see Li Longji and begged: "Your Majesty, Yan Chu, the recorder in the minister's mansion, has been with the minister for many years. .I would like to ask His Majesty to change it to Prince Shen's Mansion to join the army, is that possible?" The official rank of Shen Wangfu's recorder is ninth rank, and if it is changed to join the army, it will be promoted to seventh rank. Tenderness suddenly surged in Li Longji's heart at this time, the second elder brother in front of him was born to his father and a palace maid of the Liu family.When he was born, Empress Zetian thought that his background was lowly and wanted to get rid of it, so she asked Wan Hui, an eminent monk beside her, for advice.Wanhui was compassionate and determined to survive this son's life. He closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time, and then solemnly suggested to Empress Zetian: "Although this son's mother is humble, he is born under the willow god of the west. In the future, he will definitely be suitable for brothers." Li Wei just survived the words of the eminent monk.When Li Wei grew up, he learned of this story, and knew that his mother was indeed very different from the famous mothers of other brothers, so he behaved humbly and gave in when things went wrong.Li Longji became the emperor, and this elder brother asked the least, now he is about to travel far, and begged for such a small matter, of course Li Longji agreed. The imperial decree of the emperor's agency arrived at the Zhongshu Province. Since it was an imperial edict, the Zhongshu Province would take effect after notifying the Shangshu Province.When Yao Chong saw the imperial edict, his heart was shocked. He put away all the affairs at hand, then put the imperial edict aside, and went straight to the palace to ask to see the emperor. When Li Longji heard that Yao Chong wanted to see him, he was very considerate.The last time Yao Chong reported Lang Guan's appointment, Li Longji deliberately ignored him.Yao Chong got a message from Gao Lishi, and understood the emperor's painstaking efforts to let him govern boldly within his jurisdiction.From then on, Yao Chong acted decisively and acted vigorously, so that the government affairs were orderly.Under such a person, Yao Chong has absolute authority among officials.Although Lu Huaishen was a servant of the province, he could not sit on an equal footing with Yao Chongping, and became the first executor of Yao Chong's administration, so it was difficult for him to have his own voice.The Beijing officials discussed in private that Lu Huaishen was so submissive and worthy of the world, and privately called him the "Prime Minister with Food".Such a name is really a mockery of Lu Huaishen, but fortunately Lu Huaishen takes doing his part to manage the government and doesn't care about these gossip.When Li Longji heard about it, he thought that he set up a prime minister and a deputy prime minister for this purpose.He secretly praised himself many times for his good vision in choosing candidates, and he couldn't help but feel complacent. After Yao Chong entered the room and saluted, he took out the imperial edict from his sleeve and said: "Your Majesty, I see this article and think it is inappropriate. Your Majesty, please take it back." Li Longji smiled and said: "I knew it was wrong when I acted as an agent, but this is a plea for King Shen, and he should travel far away. If I reject it, wouldn't it be a loss of brotherhood?" "Your Majesty violated the laws of the country by taking into account the righteousness of brothers. The first thing I did after I became a prime minister was to stop the 'inclined official'; and it was His Majesty's will to strictly enforce the examination and selection procedures. Today, Your Majesty fulfills the application The king's request is to bypass the various systems of the official departments of the two provinces and directly act as an agent, which is no different from "Xianfeng officials". Moreover, your majesty said that below the Langguan, the ministers and masters do not need to report to your majesty. In a word, please also please your majesty Retract this article." Li Longji smiled wryly in his heart, he was extremely smart, of course he understood the right and wrong of this matter.At this time, he sighed in his heart, it seems that if he wants to be a good emperor, the first thing is to restrain his own desires and not do whatever he wants.If you can't do this trivial matter in front of you, you will definitely be ridiculed by your brothers; if you withdraw the imperial edict again, wouldn't it be more embarrassing for the emperor? However, Yao Chong was so blunt in his resistance, he was not considering his own face and power, but the country's plans!Li Longji passed these thoughts in his mind for a moment, and soon came to a conclusion, and replied straightforwardly: "Forget it, just retract this article and follow the court's law!" Yao Chong bowed and thanked: "Your Majesty is able to grant your minister's request. It is really a blessing for the country." 李隆基笑道：“罢了，恭维之言就少说一些吧。朕即国家，你帮朕办事儿，哪儿有谢朕的道理？唉，申王那里，免不了还需朕好言抚慰一番。” 姚崇见此事办成，本想辞出，忽然又想起一件事儿，又问道：“陛下，大理卿张暐不在衙内视事，如今不知在何处，陛下知否？” 李隆基颔首道：“此为朕的不是。张暐出外，实替朕办一件要紧事儿。大理寺可由班景倩代为署理，你就不要再问张暐的去向了。” 姚崇知道事情的进止之道，皇帝不许自己问询张暐的去向，自己自当闭口不问。他此时不多废话，躬身行礼意欲退出。 李隆基不许他退出，招手令其就座，说道：“姚卿，你与其他数位大臣皆上书谈及储位之事。朕起初想到，这些皇子皆幼，可缓上数年再说。然又想国家草创阶段，诸事皆需万全，看来这储位之事也不可小视。” “陛下所言甚是。如今为保皇权，使功臣、诸王外任，而储位事关国家大局，若虚悬太久，易生祸乱。皇子们固然年幼，若选定太子，既可定盘大局，使外人少有觊觎之心；且陛下可为太子选好辅教之人，以利长期培养。臣等之所以切言此事，缘由于此。” “嗯，以卿观之，哪位皇子可堪为嗣？” 姚崇知道面前的这位皇帝精明无比，他虽问询，心中恐怕早已拿定了主意。然储君废立向为国家大事，皇帝每事必征求宰臣意见。姚崇略微沉吟片刻，即说道：“自古以来按制立嫡长者为储，今王皇后无子，按例应该立皇长子为嗣。然皇长子……”姚崇说到这里，欲言又止。 李隆基精力旺盛，虽宠爱赵丽妃，犹爱临幸后宫其他颜色。是时已生有九个儿子（其中二子早夭），十一个女儿。诸皇子中，长子李琮及第六子李琬由刘华妃所生，次子李瑛由赵丽妃所生，三子李享由杨淑妃所生，钱妃生四子李琰，皇甫德仪生五子李瑶，刘才人生八子李琚，第七子和第九子早夭。 李隆基示意姚崇说下去。 姚崇接着说道：“皇长子聪明伶俐，那是不用说的。然他幼年时曾跌伤左腿，由此落了残疾，若他为储君，是不是有碍大国风仪呢？”姚崇如此说，其指向已然非常明白。既然皇长子腿有残疾不宜为储君，那么再向下排定，即是赵丽妃所生的皇次子李瑛了。 李隆基最早娶了王皇后和刘华妃，这二人系出身于名门望族，其嫁入皇室自是需要一番挑选的。奈何李隆基新婚之初新奇过后，对此二女归于平静。想是李隆基生性活泼，不喜欢中规中矩的大家之女，却对潞州偶遇的歌女赵敏喜爱有加，且一直专宠至今。姚崇如此说话也是揣透了李隆基的心思：所谓母以子贵不假，然子以母显也有道理；李隆基如今专宠赵丽妃，当然乐于立其子为储。 李隆基闻言脸上十分平静，颔首道：“卿所言甚有道理，琮儿腿有残疾，殊为可惜。” 姚崇道：“此为臣片面之言，请陛下慎思，也请陛下征询宗室及其他重臣意见。” “宗室是要问的，大臣嘛，朕再问问卢卿。此事未定之前，不宜人人皆知，如此宜惹事端。” 姚崇当然明白事情的轻重，说道：“请陛下放心，臣定会守口如瓶。” 李隆基答应了一声，准许姚崇退出。