Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4704 Loss of Face
The atmosphere in the main hall was solemn. Li Ji kept silent with a sullen face. Li Jing, Cui Dunli, and Zheng Rentai lowered their heads to drink water. The sound of "Fu Liu" and "Fu Liu" of drinking water came one after another. But to Pei Huaijie's ears, it sounded like mockery...

After all, he was once a figure who ruled a certain region. Apart from other things, he still had the ability to control his anger. Since others had seized upon him and were attacking him, he could only swallow his anger and not let the other party take advantage of the situation to pursue him.

Pei Huaijie took a deep breath, his face flushed, and he turned around and left. He stood outside the door and said through gritted teeth, "I am late, please forgive me."

An embarrassing scene occurred.

Inside the hall, Fang Jun lowered his head to drink water, turning a deaf ear to what was said.

Li Ji did not say anything. If he asked Pei Huaijie to come in, he would be completely at a disadvantage in terms of momentum and would be led by Fang Jun.

Li Jing, Cui Dunli, and Zheng Rentai looked at each other. If the chief officer Li Ji and the deputy officer Fang Jun didn't speak, the three of them couldn't speak either...

So Pei Huaijie stood outside the door with his fists clasped and bowed. No one in the hall paid any attention to him. His face was as red as blood, and he was filled with shame and anger.

Many clerks from the Ministry of War who came and went also noticed the situation here. They didn't know why Pei Huaijie was standing outside the door, and they were all amazed and talked about it...

Fortunately, Fang Jun did not go too far. He put down the teacup, glanced at Li Ji, and said, "Come in."

Then he showed a brilliant smile of success.

Li Ji became furious, glared at the guy and cursed him secretly as "childish"!
Seeing Pei Huaijie walk in with a red face, he waved his hand and said, "Take a seat."

He was afraid of Fang Jun's rogue spirit. If he continued to pester him, Pei Huaijie would have to turn around and retreat on the spot...

Pei Huaijie could only hold back his anger and sat down below Cui Dunli.

He was Liu Li's man, and was actually responsible for reporting the news to His Majesty, so no matter how angry he was, he had to endure it. After the meeting, he would find a way to meet His Majesty with Liu Li, report the situation here, and file a complaint against Fang Jun.

In the past, it would be useless to complain about Fang Jun in front of His Majesty, and it might even backfire. However, there have been constant disputes between His Majesty and Fang Jun recently, so perhaps I can take this opportunity to get close to His Majesty...

Cui Dunli asked, "Military reform involves many aspects. In my opinion, we should first formulate a charter with a concise outline, and then discuss the details."

Pei Huaijie cheered up.

His Majesty will certainly ask questions after he returns. If he forgets or neglects something, it will be very bad...

Zheng Rentai nodded and said, "That's the way it should be. Otherwise it will be a mess and I won't know where to start."

Because the soldiers of the "Fubing System" came from various Zhechoufu, they farmed in the farming season and joined the army in the wartime, and they brought their own horses, armor, and weapons. This made them very involved with local governments, and it was impossible to sort out their equipment, food, and fodder. If they could not be separated one by one, how could we talk about military reform and separation of military and politics?
Fang Jun also agreed: "Then we should first determine a program, and then implement it carefully, but..."

He changed the subject and said, "…Military reform is a matter of great importance and involves many issues. It cannot be achieved in a hurry. It requires extensive discussions and careful demonstrations. It is bound to be a protracted matter. There is no need to rush. Today is the first day of duty. You can just familiarize yourself with the situation. There is no need to be impatient. How about we end the duty now?"

Pei Huaijie: "..."

I've been trying my best to remember every word, but you want to take risks?!

Then wouldn’t the humiliation I endured today be in vain?
If I had known this, I would not have come...

Li Ji was also somewhat speechless. He really couldn't accept Fang Jun's unrestrained behavior. He scolded him, "Military and national affairs are naturally more urgent. How can you be so negligent and lazy?"

Cui Dunli interrupted, "Speaking of which, I do have some important matters to attend to today. The Anxi Protectorate sent back a report saying that the remnants of the Turks sneaked into the Luntai area and killed many of our scouts. I'm afraid they may be gathering secretly. I need to send more soldiers and horses to prevent any accidents. I haven't handled it yet. The military situation is urgent and there is no time to delay."

Fang Jun looked at Li Jing and asked, "What do you think, Lord Wei?"

Li Jing simply stood up and said, "This military reform must be rigorous and thorough. It will not be effective in a few days. You cannot neglect government affairs and procrastinate here. Let's leave it at that for today. Let's set the rules and discuss it another day."

After saying this, he stood up, bowed to everyone, and strode away.

He has now retired and joined here in the name of "consultant". He has an independent status and no one can restrict him.

He didn't have to care about anyone's face, and he wouldn't have any reservations just because Li Ji had visited him three times at his thatched cottage to ask him to come out of retirement.

……

The meeting place was inside the Ministry of War. First, Pei Huaijie was late, and then the "committee" adjourned in less than half an hour. A group of bigwigs walked out of the yamen one after another. The officials of the Ministry of War were surprised, and immediately asked the clerk in charge of cleaning and serving in the left wing. The result made the officials surprised and honored.

"As expected of the Duke of Yue, tough and strong enough!"

"Tsk tsk, on the first day, he gave that Pei Fu Yin a warning. Really impressive."

"Who is Pei Huaijie? He confronted Duke Ying right away. Only Duke Yue has the ability and qualifications to do this in the court."

"Haha, Lord Ying is getting old and confused. When will it be someone else's turn to take the lead when our Lord Yue is here?"

"The worst is Pei Huaijie. He returned to the capital as the governor of Henan. After reporting on his duties, couldn't he just serve as the Minister of the Left? He had to get involved in the military reform. He was simply asking for trouble."

"Who says it's not? After today, I'm afraid I'll become a laughing stock."

……

There were many people in the Ministry of War and they were all gossipy. Anything that happened in the office, unless it involved confidential information, would quickly spread. In just one morning, the news that Pei Huaijie was ordered to leave the door and knock on the door again spread throughout Chang'an.

For a time, Zhang Liang, who went to You Jinwu Guard to take up his post two days ago but returned in disgrace, and Pei Huaijie, who was severely humiliated today, became famous. Some people with good intentions even called these two people "Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chick" and "Rival Warriors of the Time", and made them a laughing stock.

……

Liu Mansion, study.

Liu Li felt helpless as he looked at Pei Huaijie, who was furious and constantly cursing and condemning Fang Jun.

First it was Zhang Liang, and then Pei Huaijie. He relied on these two people as his right-hand men and placed high hopes on them. He hoped that they could create a gap in Fang Jun's position. However, he wasted countless resources to push them to the front, and was defeated before he could even hold off a single round.

I can't help but feel a headache. After this incident, both Pei Huaijie and Zhang Liang have lost their prestige and face. How can they compete with Fang Jun in their respective positions in the future?

It’s no longer a question of whether or not they are opponents, but rather a question of not being qualified at all.

After scolding for a long time, Pei Huaijie was out of breath. He realized that he had lost his composure. He drank a sip of tea to cover up his embarrassment and said helplessly: "That guy is too arrogant and domineering. Duke Ying can't do anything to him, Duke Wei spoils him, Cui Dunli follows his lead, and Zheng Rentai has no room to speak... If this continues, that useless "committee" will become his one-man show. It's not good for the country to discuss and determine such a major event as military reform! The Minister of the Central Secretariat should advise His Majesty to take action as soon as possible!"

Liu Li nodded: "This matter does require your majesty to make a decision."

His Majesty is concerned that military reform cannot be out of his control and that the imperial power cannot be restricted, so he arranged for Pei Huaijie and Zheng Rentai to be involved. But now it seems that these two people are no match for Fang Jun at all, and new arrangements must be made.

Pei Huaijie said quickly: "If the Minister of the Central Secretariat mentions Fang Jun's various evil deeds, it will inevitably be suspected of attacking his colleagues, and there is a possibility of Fang Jun's revenge afterwards. It is better for me to accompany the Minister of the Central Secretariat to the palace and report to His Majesty in person!"

Liu Li glanced at him, thought for a moment, and nodded, "Then let's go to the palace together."

Pei Huaijie suppressed his joy and said, "Thank you, Minister of the Central Secretariat, for your kindness!"

Although he was once one of the most powerful officials in the world, he was not a member of Li Chengqian's team, and now he was not on the side of His Majesty, so it was not easy for him to enter the palace. Liu Li could see that he was eager to get close to His Majesty, but he did not object and was willing to recommend him, which could be regarded as a favor of recognition.

People outside say that Liu Li is narrow-minded, but it seems that what you hear is not as good as what you see. Isn't this quite courageous...

……

Seeing that it was still early, the two men went out together, took a carriage into the imperial city and arrived at Chengtian Gate. After reporting, they were led by the eunuchs to the imperial study to see the emperor.

Hearing Pei Huaijie's indignant narration of what happened in the Ministry of War that morning, and his tearful accusation of Fang Jun's arrogance and domineering nature, Li Chengqian did not show any disappointment, but instead comforted him.

"Suffering a little loss at the hands of Duke Yue is not a big deal. Over the years, there have been many civil and military officials who have been humiliated in front of him. Emperor Taizong praised him as 'a prime minister' and trusted and favored him. So don't underestimate him just because he is young and inexperienced. Although he has little experience, he has made many contributions."

But in my heart I felt quite disapproving. In your home turf in Luoyang, you were humiliated by Fang Jun and had to return to Beijing with your tail between your legs. Why didn't you learn the lesson and instead continued to be cautious in your words and actions, resulting in being humiliated again?

You couldn't even defeat Fang Jun in Luoyang, so why do you dare to provoke me after returning to Chang'an?

I asked you to go to the "committee" to investigate trends and report them in a timely manner. Who asked you to stroke Fang Jun's tiger's whiskers?

Pei Huaijie was ashamed: "Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty."

Liu Li was very embarrassed. The two people he recommended were both humiliated one after another. This made him feel that the emperor might be very disappointed in him. He could only change the subject: "Fang Jun is also young and hot-tempered. He clashed with Ying Gong on the first day and was eager to take the initiative. But what kind of person is Ying Gong? He is usually calm and low-key, but once he is provoked, Fang Jun will suffer a lot."

What His Majesty fears most is that everyone in the "committee" will be united in their efforts to gradually undermine his military power as the emperor. As long as Li Ji and Fang Jun are not of the same mind, the emperor can balance the situation and keep it under control.

Thinking of this, a thought suddenly came to my mind: Could it be that Fang Jun did this on purpose to dispel His Majesty's fear?