Tiantang Splendid

As everyone knows, there are no secrets in Taiji Palace. This was the case during the time of Emperor Gaozu, during the time of Emperor Taizong, and is even more so now.

When it was getting dark, the news about the game between the emperor and his ministers in the side hall of Wude Hall began to spread. A little later, the explosive news that His Majesty slapped the Queen spread throughout Chang'an in an instant, and was heard by everyone in the court and the country.

The capital was shaken.

Everyone knows that Your Majesty and Fang Jun work together and are of one mind. Your Majesty has given Fang Jun trust, making him popular in the emperor's heart and increasing his authority. Fang Jun has repaid Your Majesty with loyalty, making the throne stable and the empire peaceful. Now that these two have caused discord and conflicts, does it mean that the unbreakable alliance will collapse and shatter and they will go their separate ways?
Some people who had ulterior motives and coveted the throne were celebrating and ecstatic.

Your Majesty and the Queen have always been in harmony with each other, and have walked through an extremely dark and desperate period side by side. Now that you finally rule the world and dominate the world, your love for each other has broken up. Why bother?

Is it true that in this world we can only share hardships but not wealth?

*****
Pingkangfang, Zuixianlou.

The sky darkened, the night wind blew coolly, a drizzle of rain fell, and drops of water flowed down from the eaves. The light of the lanterns reflected the soft raindrops, and the flowers and trees in the courtyard looked fresh.

Tea was brewing on the coffee table, the lights were bright, Fang Jun and Li Xiaogong were sitting opposite each other on the mat by the window, the sound of stringed instruments could be heard faintly from behind the beaded curtain, blending with the gentle sound of rain, surprisingly giving off a sense of transcendence that was cleansing the world.

The tea is mellow and leaves a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth.

Li Xiaogong took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, frowned at Fang Jun who was leisurely, and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Fang Jun took a sip of tea and said calmly: "The prince should go and ask His Majesty what he wants."

Li Xiaogong was displeased: "That is your majesty, the ruler of the world."

Fang Jun disagreed: "He is just the common ruler of the world. This world does not belong to him alone, but also to the royal family and everyone in the world. Moreover, even if he is the ruler of the world, does that mean he can do whatever he wants?"

There has never been any "Lord of the World" in this world, there has never been one before and there will never be one in the future.

He is nothing more than the "head of the family" who manages the world on behalf of a certain interest group. In many cases, he can even be called a "puppet". How can he be the master of the world?
Dynasties rise and fall, emperors come and go, but interests are eternal.

When you are able to balance the interests of the world, people in the world are willing to call you "common leader", gather around you and share everything; when the balance is broken and the interests are unevenly distributed, you are the sinner of the world, and everyone will abandon you without mercy and even throw you into an abyss from which there is no escape.

This is the emperor.

Neither the Son of God, nor the Master of the World.

Li Xiaogong was obviously stunned: "How could you have such a rebellious idea?"

Fang Jun drank tea again, his voice slightly lowered: "If the king treats his subjects as his own hands and feet, then the subjects will treat the king as their own heart and soul; if the king treats his subjects as dogs and horses, then the subjects will treat the king as a fellow countryman; if the king treats his subjects as dirt, then the subjects will treat the king as an enemy... If the common people treat me, I will treat them as common people; if the great men treat me, I will treat them as great men."

No one can take others' loyalty for granted, not even the emperor. Loyalty is always mutual.

Li Xiaogong was shocked and speechless.

In the past, Your Majesty regarded Fang Jun as his confidant, trusted him and obeyed his orders, so Fang Jun was willing to fight bloody battles for him and make enemies with all the noble families. Now Your Majesty has developed a grudge against Fang Jun and is quite suspicious of him, so Fang Jun's response is to undermine the imperial power and plunder military power.

It seems to make sense.

But Li Xiaogong always felt that something was wrong. Although he came from a noble family, had a high status, and was a master of military strategy, he had not read many serious classics, history, and collections, and he could not think of any words to refute it...

Fang Jun poured tea for Li Xiaogong and said with a smile: "Instead of trying to persuade me, you might as well keep an eye on the royal family. Those guys have long been seduced by the so-called supremacy of imperial power. I still believe in 'the people treat me as the people treat me; the country's heroes treat me as the country's heroes treat me,' but they don't care about that. Even if Your Majesty promotes them to higher positions, it will not be able to curb their greed."

As I said, when the emperor is able to balance the interests, everyone is willing to call him the Lord of the World and to regard him as the supreme ruler of the world. However, when the interests are unevenly distributed, some people will treat you like a worn-out shoe and only want to replace you.

So, who is the ruler of the world?
Li Xiaogong said in distress: "But the quarrel between you and His Majesty is giving those people an opportunity to take advantage of it, isn't it?"

Fang Jun shook his head, not wanting to take the blame: "A thief can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can never be on guard against thieves for a thousand days. They are still determined to steal, so naturally they don't care whether Your Majesty and I are still closely united."

How many nobles in the Zhenguan period were concerned about the last wishes of Emperor Taizong and refused to recognize Li Chengqian's legitimacy?
How many generals in the army are unwilling to follow the established procedures, hoping to rise to the top by following the emperor's example?

The aristocratic families have temporarily stopped their activities, but how can they just stop like that after suffering such heavy losses and humiliations?

From top to bottom, inside and outside the government, people have always been divided into small groups because of their own interests. They usually keep their heads down and are submissive and dormant, but they are holding back their energy and want to rise up and fight.

This is especially true for those descendants of Emperor Gaozu within the royal family. So what if it’s the emperor himself?

He can take his place!
Li Xiaogong sighed and said dejectedly, "I shouldn't have gotten up in the first place. Wouldn't it be better for an old man like me to enjoy the scenery and play with his grandchildren? Why do I have to step into this muddy pit again and cause trouble for nothing?"

Fang Jun laughed and said, "Is the prince really confused? With your achievements, status, and prestige, even if you want to stay out of it, I'm afraid it will be difficult to be quiet. If you don't want to step in, someone will throw mud at you."

Even an old ghost like Li Shenfu couldn't bear to be lonely, let alone Li Xiaogong, the "first general of the royal family"?
The trees want to be quiet, but the wind doesn't stop.

Li Xiaogong glanced at him and said, "Your Majesty wanted me to join that stupid 'committee', but I declined. I am old now and have no desire for power, wealth, or beauty. I just want to get through this period peacefully and withdraw completely when things calm down."

Fang Jun nodded in understanding: "I guess it was the prince who took the initiative to decline, otherwise compared to Zheng Rentai and Pei Huaijie, the prince would be more suitable to join."

Of course, it was not necessarily that Li Xiaogong himself did not want to, but he was worried that once he joined, he would become a "big banner" within the royal family, and that some people would take the initiative to gather under his banner and lead him in a direction he did not want to go.

Power is a double-edged sword. Sometimes the greater the power, the more powerless and unable to extricate oneself.

At this time, footsteps were heard outside the door. Li Chongzhen walked in without reporting. After bowing, he whispered, "Just now, your majesty was furious in the palace and slapped the queen, causing her to fall and faint. After the imperial physician's treatment, she was out of danger..."

He narrated everything that had happened in the bedroom in detail, and then without waiting for the two to speak, he bowed again and left.

Apparently, he got the news from the "Hundred Cavalry Division" and came to inform his father Li Xiaogong immediately...

Li Xiaogong was shocked and incredulous. He waited until Li Chongzhen had walked out for a long time before he asked in amazement, "How is this possible? Your Majesty and the Queen have always had a deep relationship and treated each other as equals. Normally, they have never even quarreled. How could this happen?"

All along, Li Chengqian and Su can be regarded as a model of "loving couple". Li Chengqian is gentle and elegant, and Su is well-educated and polite. When he was still the crown prince, Li Chengqian did not take concubines. Apart from the crown princess, he only had a few concubines. Even after he ascended the throne, the number of concubines in the harem was extremely limited, and the status of women in the palace was extremely low. No one could compete with the queen.

Actually hitting someone?

Fang Jun had a blank expression on his face. He drank his tea slowly and said, "Some people are like this. No matter how good you treat them, they will just do what they should do. But if something goes wrong, they will think it is unacceptable. It's as if everyone in the world owes them something, and they are born superior to others. Everyone has to crawl at their feet, and they are willing to show their generosity as a master. When they find that the world changes, and the things they thought belonged to them are gradually drifting away and cannot be owned, they become cynical and feel that everyone has betrayed them."

Li Xiaogong was stunned and speechless, as if Li Chengqian's character was really like this.

There was a time when Emperor Taizong wanted to change the crown prince. Li Chengqian was panic-stricken and changed his usual smart, cheerful and gentle style. He acted and spoke with great violence and even tried to assassinate his teacher and brothers to warn Emperor Taizong of the consequences of changing the crown prince.

Now that he has suffered setbacks in the court and has to swallow his anger, it is possible that he has returned to the palace to vent his anger on the Queen, showing his tough, violent and ferocious character to everyone in an attempt to warn some people.

It’s just that the poor queen’s dignity was completely destroyed by this slap. How will she manage the harem in the future?
Where does this place the love between husband and wife?

That was your wife who accompanied you through the dark and desperate days...

Rain was dripping outside the window, and the breeze blew in through the window, causing the candles to sway. Fang Jun straightened his back and said solemnly, "Some people are born with extraordinary talents. Even if they hold supreme power, they can still wake up and be cautious. However, some people are vulgar and violent. Once they have unlimited power, they will act recklessly and do whatever they want. In the end, the empire will be buried with them and the people of the world will be pushed into dire straits. As ministers, we must not only help the monarch to achieve hegemony, but also find out the shortcomings and make up for the loopholes, speak out and make remonstrations, to ensure the strength of the empire and the peace of the people. Otherwise, we are unworthy of being ministers."

Li Xiaogong was a little absent-minded, and after a while he exhaled heavily: "The reason why you reformed the military system is not to prevent warlord separatism, but the real purpose is to limit the imperial power?"

Fang Jun shook his head: "It's a combination of both. Unrestricted imperial power is a scourge, and the harm of warlord separatism is equally serious."

In this matter, he must win the support of Li Xiaogong, otherwise he alone will not be able to fight against Li Ji, who has great military achievements and unparalleled prestige.

He didn't want his plan, which he had worked so hard on and even broke up with Li Chengqian, to be thwarted by Li Ji...