Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4705: Incense and Feelings
A thought suddenly came to Liu Li's mind: Could it be that Fang Jun deliberately clashed with Li Ji to show the outside world that there was power struggle and disunity within the "committee" in order to dispel His Majesty's fears?

Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment and said slowly, "Do you think Fang Jun did this on purpose as a trick?"

Although he had some shortcomings in his character that could not be ignored, Li Chengqian was very talented and had received many years of instruction in the "art of being an emperor". He was definitely an emperor of above standard, so he subconsciously doubted Fang Jun's intentions.

Liu Li couldn't speculate casually: "I don't know, but considering the character of Lord Ying and Fang Jun's usual behavior, it seems unlikely."

It's not that he can't slander Fang Jun, but he can't talk nonsense, otherwise when the emperor comes to his senses later, his trust in him will be greatly reduced.

We must create an impression of being "fair, honest, and pragmatic"...

Li Chengqian nodded, very satisfied that Liu Li did not slander Fang Jun behind his back. This was the gentleman's style. He said to Pei Huaijie: "Don't talk too much over there, and don't conflict with Duke Yue. Just watch and listen. Hold a meeting every three days and report back on what was discussed in the meeting."

He was afraid that Pei Huaijie would be too embarrassed to confront Fang Jun again if he was targeted by Fang Jun. In fact, Fang Jun had become more and more stable in recent years as he grew older and more prestigious. If it were a few years ago, Pei Huaijie's obvious "undercover" behavior would not be humiliated, but beaten to the ground...

Pei Huaijie was overjoyed and said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I will do my best and live up to your expectations."

Being able to enter the palace to report at any time is a ladder to heaven. He has been away from the center for too long. As long as he can gain the trust of His Majesty, relying on his past political achievements and his relationship with the Henan family, he can expect to be the prime minister...

*****
When Li Ji returned to the mansion, he learned that Zhang Liang had been waiting in the side hall for a long time...

After washing up, Li Ji went to the side hall to meet Zhang Liang.

Zhang Liang was very respectful. After paying his respects, he did not sit down, but stood in front of Li Ji and begged Li Ji for his support...

"Sit down and talk first."

Li Ji waved for Zhang Liang to sit down, drank a sip of tea, and asked, "How do you want me to support you?"

Zhang Liang then sat down, and with a sad face, he recounted in detail how he had been humiliated when he went to take up his post in the Right Jinwu Guard, especially exaggerating what Wang Xuance had done. At the end, he pleaded, "Mr. Ying's prestige is unrivaled in the army. If you can control Wang Xuance and his people, I will have a chance to secure my position as the General of the Right Jinwu Guard. Otherwise, even if I take up my post, I will be constrained in every way and will inevitably be sidelined."

Li Ji was surprised and said, "The Left and Right Jinwu Guards were established by Fang Jun himself. All the members came from the original Left and Right Tunwei. They were either Fang Jun's subordinates or opponents who were convinced by him and obeyed Fang Jun's orders. Since you have made up your mind to join the Right Jinwu Guard, didn't you have any psychological preparation for this beforehand?"

How can you be willing to take advantage of the troops that Fang Jun has worked so hard to build? If you want to take advantage of this peach, you must be prepared to be pricked by the peach hairs. How can you seek help and complain everywhere when you encounter setbacks?
Zhang Liang blushed and said angrily, "But who could have thought that they would be so arrogant that they would even ignore the imperial decree and the chief commander appointed by the court? I was careless for a moment and suffered humiliation. If I cannot regain my prestige, I am afraid I will not be able to lead the troops in the future."

He surrendered to the Tang Dynasty with Li Ji and served under Li Ji for a long time. The friendship between them was extraordinary. Although they had drifted apart over the years, the friendship was still there. When he was desperate, he could only look for Li Ji to ask for support.

As for Liu Li, he was just a figurehead. He seemed to be the prime minister of the dynasty and held great power, but he had no support in the army and his influence was extremely limited...

Li Ji took a sip of tea, pondered for a moment, and said calmly: "You don't want to be the Minister of Justice, but go back to the army... Times have changed, and the army today is very different from the past."

Seeing that Li Ji was about to refuse, Zhang Liang hurriedly said, "No matter how you change your words, you are still the Duke of Ying. More than half of the generals in this army have served under you. Who would not listen to you if you say something?"

If Li Ji had not helped him to re-establish his prestige, his future military career would have been difficult. Just thinking of Wang Xuance's face, which seemed humble and respectful but was actually domineering and arrogant, gave him a headache.

Li Ji put down his teacup and looked at Zhang Liang strangely: "Do you think that Fang Jun and I were at loggerheads in the Ministry of War, so I should help you gain a foothold in Fang Jun's territory as a way of revenge?"

Zhang Liang smiled awkwardly and said, "How could I have such intention? I just felt that I had followed you in battle for many years, and our friendship had grown stronger over time. Now that I am in trouble, I thought you would consider our friendship and help me."

The most important thing in the army is the comradeship. They have fought together and experienced life and death together. The trust they can leave to their comrades is far beyond the friendship between colleagues in the court.

The commander-in-chief relies on his subordinates to fight to the death to accumulate military merits, while the soldiers rely on the commander-in-chief to obtain better rewards. They complement each other, and naturally have a different friendship.

Li Ji pondered for a moment, sighed, and said, "You still don't understand the current situation in the army. You have been away from the army for too long... Well, since you came to my door today to talk about the friendship between us in the past, how can I just stand by and watch indifferently? I will greet Fang Jun and let you take up your post smoothly, but I can't do anything about what happens next. Whether you soar to the sky or sink to the sand, it depends on your own ability."

Zhang Liang's heart skipped a beat and his face suddenly changed.

He could hear the meaning behind Li Ji's words. This time, I will help you because of our past friendship, but this is only once, and it will not happen again...

Zhang Liang regretted it.

With this favor, I can ask Li Ji for help when I am in trouble in the future. But now I have to lose this favor in order to cling to Liu Li's thigh and control the Right Jinwu Guard. Is it worth it?
"Mr. Ying, this..."

Li Ji waved his hand to stop Zhang Liang from speaking, and said earnestly: "Things are different now. I haven't led troops to fight for a long time. I don't even know how much prestige I still have in the army. It's not that I don't want to help you, but in a few years, I'm afraid I won't be able to help you even if I want to. There will always be a day when the incense and friendship will be severed. From now on, how to go forward depends on yourselves, and you still need to work hard to build your network."

Since you have relied on Liu Li, then you should just obey his orders honestly. As for whether your career will be smooth sailing or full of setbacks, that is your own choice.

Zhang Liang understood what was said and opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

It was already dark when he came out of the Duke of Ying's mansion. His stomach growled a few times, and Zhang Liang realized that Li Ji had sent him away without offering him any food...

He looked back at the tightly closed door of the Duke of England's mansion. The copper door nails shone faintly under the light of the lantern, but Zhang Liang knew that he would have almost no chance to enter through this door again. He sighed softly and got into the carriage he had come in.

He had attached himself to Liu Li in order to control the Right Jinwu Guard, but now he only had the title of "Right Jinwu Guard General" without any power he deserved. He even had to use up his past favors before he could enter the military camp and take up his post openly...

Not worth the candle.

Moreover, he had also heard about what happened to Pei Huaijie in the Ministry of War today. It was almost the same as the humiliation he suffered in the Right Jinwu Guard camp two days ago. The result was that he lost face and his prestige was greatly reduced.

From this we can see that the faction represented by Liu Li not only has no influence in the army, but even in the court and the ministry, it has no good way to deal with Fang Jun's unreasonable sniping.

The so-called "civilian leaders" are not as powerful as they seem. Compared with the past when Xiao Yu and Cen Wenben were in power, the gap is far...

I thought that by joining Liu Li I could use his power to move to a higher level, but now it seems a bit hasty.

*****
The next morning, Fang Jun had just finished his breakfast when a servant came in to report that Li Siwen, the second son of the Duke of Ying, was visiting and solemnly presented a business card...

"Oh, a night owl comes into the house for no reason. This guy is so polite, it must be something bad."

That being said, we cannot avoid seeing each other.

When the servant brought Li Siwen to the side hall, Fang Jun said calmly, "If you have something to say, just say it. If you have something to say, just fart. You are still waiting to go to the mint to supervise the printing of banknotes."

Li Siwen was stunned: "Am I so unpopular?"

Fang Jun said: "Look at your night owl-like head, what good can you do?"

Li Siwen was speechless and said helplessly, "Well, it's not a good thing. Zhang Liang came to my house yesterday and begged my father to help him out of our past friendship. My father always cherishes the past, so he could only agree."

Fang Jun was surprised and said, "Mr. Ying is going to maintain the friendship between brothers. What does it have to do with me?"

Li Siwen smiled and said, "What Zhang Liang wants is to take up the post of Right Jinwu Guard, so it is naturally related to you."

Fang Jun's face was cold: "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. I have nothing to do with the Right Jinwu Guard. Whether Zhang Liang takes up his post or not is none of my business."

"Hey, you didn't mean it, did you? Don't pretend to be ignorant. Everyone knows that all the people in the Left and Right Jinwu Guards are your people. I came here today on the orders of my father. Please raise your hand, Erlang, and give Zhang Liang a way out. The Duke of Ying will report to you later."

Fang Jun did not comment, but asked: "Since Lord Ying wants to ask for something, why don't you come in person?"

Li Siwen asked curiously, "Do you really think you are so confident that your father can come to you in person?"

Fang Jun took a sip of tea and said in a pretentious tone: "He is the Minister of the Left, and I am the Minister of the Right. We are only half a level apart. Why am I not worthy of a personal visit from him?"

Li Siwen sneered, "If father came in person, we wouldn't be talking about Zhang Liang, but my younger sister's marriage."

"puff!"

Fang Jun spat out a mouthful of tea and waved his hands repeatedly: "Alright, alright, Lord Ying, please speak up. What's the point of talking about Zhang Liang? Don't talk nonsense about other things."

Li Siwen glared at Fang Jun: "Okay, you really have evil intentions towards me? Otherwise, why would you react so strongly? "

Fang Jun spread his hands helplessly: "God can testify that if I have even the slightest evil intention, I will not die a good death!"

Now it was Li Siwen's turn to sigh: "I hope you have some evil intentions..."

Thinking of his younger sister who has been resisting marriage since her divorce, and thinking about this idiot in front of him all the time, Li Siwen felt depressed...

The Fang and Li families are now at the top of the empire's power and must avoid suspicion, so today I am the one who came to visit instead of my eldest brother who is in charge of the family affairs. I am afraid that I will not be able to get what I want.