Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4702 Headstrong and conceited
In Fang Jun's mind, Li Chengqian was never the kind of "decisive" and "stubborn" monarch. He was too weak, not strong enough, and his thoughts and decisions were easily influenced by the outside world. He hesitated every time he encountered a major event, and could not fully implement his decision after making it...

However, today, Li Chengqian's attitude was unexpectedly firm.

Fang Jun advised earnestly: "Your Majesty, don't do anything to the extreme and don't use up all your strength. Now that you are firmly on the throne and rule the world, it is natural to eliminate the traitors, but you should also leave room for emergency situations."

Just like the rumors circulating in the market nowadays, why bother?

There are other ways to achieve the goal, instead of risking everything like this...

Unexpectedly, Li Chengqian did not listen at all. He asked back: "Emperor Taizong died in his prime. Do you think it has something to do with those old subordinates of Jiancheng?"

Fang Jun pondered and said, "Not only is there no real evidence for this matter, there is not even a trace of evidence. I dare not speak rashly."

"Here we are the king and subject, I just want to ask you, have you ever thought about it that way in your heart?"

Fang Jun was silent for a while, then nodded helplessly.

Although Emperor Taizong's health has declined in recent years, he had a good foundation and was a brave general who could charge into battle. It is unlikely that he died of such a sudden illness. On the surface, it is suspected that it was caused by the medicine given by the foreign monks who were favored by Emperor Taizong during his lifetime, but the truth may not be that simple.

Who was Emperor Taizong? In terms of wisdom and bravery, few emperors in ancient and modern times could match him. Was he really so stupid as to swallow the elixir of a foreign monk and die?

If it was a conspiracy, it must have involved countless people, a huge and meticulous plan, and mobilized unimaginable human and material resources... Only a handful of people could have done it.

The "old members of Jiancheng" are the most suspicious force.

Li Chengqian said angrily: "Emperor Taizong is so magnanimous that he forgave those people and even promoted them to higher positions and entrusted them with important tasks. As a result, they repaid kindness with hatred and returned kindness with hatred. How can I tolerate this? In addition, such a poisonous snake is lurking in the dark and must be eyeing me covetously. If I am careless, I will follow in the footsteps of Emperor Taizong... Even if I ignore it for the sake of the overall situation, do you think they will let me go?"

Fang Jun sighed helplessly.

Li Chengqian took a breath and softened his attitude: "I know what you said makes sense, but time is of the essence now. If I relax, they will definitely make further advances. If you are a thief for a thousand days, how can you be on guard against thieves for a thousand days? Simply defending is not enough, it is impossible to defend against them! But they are lurking in the dark, dressed in various appearances, making it difficult to distinguish between loyalty and treachery. The only way to lure them out of their holes is to capture them in one fell swoop and completely eliminate the hidden dangers."

This is the truth, but Fang Jun has some complaints about Li Chengqian's methods.

"Your Majesty, even if you want to lure the snake out of its hole, why do you have to do it in this way? My humble name is not worth mentioning, but how can I tarnish the reputation of the Queen?"

This rumor could not be groundless, there must be a reason. And the one with the most reasonable motive was Li Chengqian, because this just fits his plan.

The supreme power in the world is too tempting, and there are many people who want to kill the king and usurp the throne, but not everyone can bear the backlash of the "crime of regicide". Although the world today has long been in chaos, the core of Confucianism is still the "Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues", the most important of which is "the king is the bond of the ministers". It is absolutely not allowed for the lower to usurp the throne or for the minister to kill the king.

Anyone who dares to do this will be punished by the whole world.

So when doing something like this, either try to hide it or find an excuse.

Fang Jun absolutely did not want to be this shield, even if this was just a means to lure the snake out of its hole...

Li Chengqian said gently, "You and I are the emperor and his subject, but we are actually as close as brothers. We should trust each other and be honest with each other. How can I ruin your and the queen's reputation? What's more, it will hurt my reputation in the end. I won't do such a stupid thing."

Fang Jun was suspicious: "Who did that?"

Li Chengqian said: "It doesn't matter. As long as you and I work together, what's the big deal about a few rumors? On the contrary, this behavior has given us a great opportunity. Why not go with the flow and take advantage of the situation?"

Fang Jun remained silent. He knew he could not refuse. When an emperor abandoned the reputation of the queen just to lure out those traitors hiding in the dark and tried his best to achieve his goal in one fell swoop, no one could object.

But he still warned of the danger: "It seems that the brothers Li Anyan and Li Siliang have exposed their true colors, but the thieves will never be discovered so easily. They must have a backup plan. The people around your majesty must be carefully identified and be even more cautious in normal times."

Li Chengqian nodded heavily and followed suit: "Don't worry, I'm not a fool. How can I be fooled by the bait deliberately exposed by the thieves? I have already laid a dragnet around me. As long as there is the slightest movement, the thieves will be caught, and then we will follow the clues and catch them all in one fell swoop."

……

A fierce quarrel broke out in the imperial study. His Majesty scolded Fang Jun for being arrogant and disrespectful to the emperor. Fang Jun retorted that His Majesty believed in rumors and could not distinguish right from wrong. The eunuchs and palace servants standing outside the door were trembling with fear, fearing that they would be implicated.

After a long while, Fang Jun walked out of the door, and the sound of broken porcelain came from the imperial study behind him...

Wang De was worried, and stepped forward and said, "This old servant will escort Duke Yue out of the palace."

Fang Jun stood on the stone steps in front of the door, snorted, and said, "I'm going to pay my respects to the Queen. You lead the way."

"what?"

Wang De and the palace servants were shocked. Taiji Palace was a big sieve. While the news from the palace was easily transmitted to the outside, the news from outside the palace could also flow in quickly. They had heard the rumors about the queen and Fang Jun in the streets and alleys. This was the reason why His Majesty was furious. How could he take the initiative to come to the door if he didn't try to avoid suspicion at this time?
"This one……"

Wang De was sweating a little and didn't dare to agree.

His Majesty is watching in the imperial study behind me...

Fang Jun ignored him, went down the stairs and walked straight towards the Lizheng Hall.

Wang De quickly arranged for two palace servants to go into the imperial study to clean up, and he followed behind Fang Jun...

Passing by Daji Hall, Wang De couldn't help but whispered: "Why does the Duke of Yue have to be angry with His Majesty? After all, there is a difference between the monarch and his subjects."

Fang Jun walked and said, "It's not that I don't care about the difference between the monarch and the minister. It's really that Your Majesty has gone too far. Those rumors that slander the Queen are false. Anyone with a discerning eye can tell that they are false, but Your Majesty believes them to be true. In his mind, what kind of person is the Queen, and what kind of person am I? Who can believe those nonsense? Do you believe them?"

Wang De didn't dare to speak.

Arriving at the gate of Lizheng Hall, Fang Jun stopped and said to Wang De, "Go inside and report that I am here to see the emperor. Those rumors don't matter to me, but the queen is of noble character and strictly abides by etiquette. How can she remain indifferent to such slander? Since your majesty will not come to comfort the queen, then I will."

Wang De: "..."

Fang Jilang, are you serious?!
Your Majesty didn't do what he should have done, you have to do it for him...

Fang Jun glared and scolded: "What are you doing standing there like an idiot? Hurry up and report inside."

"...here."

Wang De didn't dare to say much and quickly walked into the Lizheng Hall.

Soon he turned around, followed by two female officials: "The Queen wants to see you... I will go back first, in case I can't find anyone when your Majesty gives you an order."

Fang Jun nodded and followed the female official into the Lizheng Hall.

……

Queen Su met Fang Jun in a side hall. She had a slender and graceful figure wearing a gorgeous palace dress. She did not wear any pearls or jade hairpins, but only used a white jade hairpin to tie up her long black hair, revealing a slender white neck. She sat on the chair with dignity and elegance, and had a fresh and natural beauty.

It's just that her face is a little pale, her eye circles are slightly swollen, and she looks a little haggard, like a delicate flower reflecting in the water, a weak willow swaying in the wind...

The two sat opposite each other, and after the maid served tea, the queen waved her hand and dismissed her.

The queen drank a sip of tea, wiped the corner of her lips with a handkerchief in her delicate hands, and asked calmly, "Who is behind those rumors?"

Fang Jun fiddled with his teacup, paused, and then said, "Why does the Queen ask when she already knows the answer?"

The queen stared at Fang Jun with her beautiful eyes: "Was it your idea?"

Fang Jun wanted to say, "How could a hero like me, Fang Erang, do such a thing?" However, such a statement would be considered to belittle Li Chengqian, so he could only shake his head and say, "No."

Unexpectedly, the Queen heaved a sigh of relief, as if she would be more relieved if Fang Jun did it than if His Majesty did it...

He just said calmly: "Let him be."

The atmosphere was somewhat silent.

Fang Jun drank his tea silently, and after a while he said, "Your Majesty has great ambitions and is under tremendous pressure. It is inevitable that you did not think things through for a while. The Queen does not need to take it to heart."

"Ah."

The queen raised her lips and sneered, "Can you sacrifice your wife's reputation for your ambition? In his eyes, what am I, the queen? A tool to accomplish his great cause?"

The teacup was empty, so Fang Jun poured himself some tea.

The Queen looked at Fang Jun and asked calmly, "Since Your Majesty has already responded, and things have come to this point, why did the Duke of Yue come here at the cost of angering Your Majesty? Are you afraid that I will be unable to get over it and commit suicide?"

Seeing Fang Jun remained silent, she slowed down her tone and said softly, "Don't worry, Duke Yue. Although I am a woman, I am definitely not a weak woman who is all sad and sorrowful. Your Majesty was able to go through those dark and tormenting years thanks to my constant comfort and encouragement behind him. He was able to get through such a difficult situation. What's the point of these rumors now?"

Fang Jun sighed and said helplessly: "Your Majesty...something is wrong with you."

The Queen's eyes moved, and the corners of her lips curled up: "How can you blame His Majesty for being so obsessed with something when you don't stand with His Majesty but with the Queen? For example, you should have left the palace right now, but you ignored the rumors and His Majesty's face and came here. You can't blame His Majesty for being angry."

These words were a bit frivolous and sounded a bit ambiguous. Fang Jun frowned and glanced at the queen: "I am doing this just to cooperate with Your Majesty. Please don't misunderstand me, Queen."

There was a rift between the emperor and the empress, and the empress and Fang Jun were constantly involved in scandals, which made people with ulterior motives think that there was an opportunity to take advantage of it, and this is what Li Chengqian planned...