Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4733 Sowing discord
Dugu Mou originally asked this question out of curiosity, but he never expected that the "reform" would actually happen to him. He was shocked and hurriedly asked what was going on.

The others were also puzzled. Dugu Mou was not only the son-in-law of the emperor, but his brother Dugu Yanyun was one of the "Nine Generals" who accompanied Emperor Taizong in the "bloody battle of Xuanwu Gate". He died in the battle when Jie Li Khan marched south. He was a great military hero. He was also a relative of Empress Yuanzhen, the mother of Emperor Gaozu, and made great contributions to the Tang Empire.

Such meritorious children have to be "reformed", which shows how wide and deep the military reform this time involves...

Fang Jun shook his head, ate his food, and said calmly: "So far, we are only discussing a feasible way. As for the detailed rules, it is far from the stage of discussion, and it is even a long way from making a decision. Don't listen to those unreliable rumors outside. Military reform is of great importance. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is related to the rise and fall of the empire. Anyone who dares to spread rumors and is caught by the Hundred Cavalry Division will not be safe. Your Majesty's bottom line is better not to touch it."

Dugu Mou nodded repeatedly: "Erlang is right."

Just from His Majesty's rage just now, we can see the change in his character. The former kind and loving crown prince has suddenly become extremely fierce after ascending to the throne. Anyone who still thinks he can do whatever he wants by relying on his family background and merits is not far from death.

The crown prince is also noble, second only to the emperor and above everyone else. He seems to be just one step away from the emperor, but in fact he is completely different.

In the founding of a country, every dynasty needed nobles to sacrifice their lives and shed their blood. However, after the founding of the country, the huge noble group often became a chronic disease of the empire. The nobles conquered the world, and the civil officials ruled the world. Now that the world has been pacified, it is natural to cut off the nobles' dependence on the country...

Fang Jun said: "It's good to have a clear mind. You must know the limits of what you should and shouldn't do. Your Majesty's kindness is not a reason for us to act recklessly. As a minister, we must be aware of our own duties."

Most of those present were princes-in-law of the current dynasty, who could be said to be the top group of nobles in the empire. Most of them were in the military and were closely involved with the army, sharing weal and woe with it. They needed a warning and a reprimand to avoid any trouble in the future during the military reform.

Shi Renbiao smiled and said, "Now is not the time to talk about serious matters. At least all the girls in Kangfang are missing Erlang. Not only are there no popular poems, but even his figure is nowhere to be seen. Could it be that he is cultivating himself and not getting involved in the world of pleasure?"

Du He came closer and said, "Could it be that there is no Miss Mingyue in Pingkangfang anymore, and Erlang is afraid that seeing her will remind him of her and make him worry about her, so he avoids her for a long time? Haha!"

Everyone laughed quietly, but soon realized that the occasion was inappropriate. They heard bursts of crying outside, so they quickly stopped laughing, but still couldn't help laughing.

Back then, Fang Jun wrote a song called "The Moon Shines Before My Bed" to tease Miss Mingyue, the top girl in Pingkangfang. It spread all over Guanzhong and became a good story. It is still talked about today. It is a pity that Miss Mingyue disappeared suddenly and her whereabouts are unknown. It is inevitable that people sigh with regret. Otherwise, she would have been married to the Fang family as a concubine, and this good story would have been sung for a long time...

……

The men were eating in the side rooms and talking in low voices, while the women were sobbing in the back hall, unable to swallow. Changle, who had just arrived, was wearing a Taoist robe. She held the queen's hand and talked in a low voice. Then she gathered together with several princesses including Nanping, Qinghe, Gaoyang, and Jinyang to fold paper money. Thinking of Princess Yuzhang's usual voice, appearance and smile, she became more sad, and the atmosphere was tragic.

Princess Baling knelt in a corner, eating her meal in small sips, without moving forward.

Princess Dongyang and Princess Linchuan were not in the small circle either. When they saw Baling was alone, they looked at each other and stood up and moved over. The former whispered, "Let's eat together."

Princess Baling looked up at the two of them, put down her bowl and chopsticks and stood up: "I'm done, enjoy your meal."

He went straight to the mourning hall and knelt there, lowering his head and eyes, listening devoutly to the monks and Taoists chanting scriptures and performing rituals outside the door.

Both Dongyang and Linchuan felt a little embarrassed.

The latter curled his lips and muttered, "Why are you so proud? You don't even have the face to approach others, and you look down on us?"

Dongyang frowned and said dissatisfiedly: "Don't talk nonsense. Don't you see what kind of occasion this is and what kind of status you have? How can you be as gossipy as a street shrew? If others hear it, they will only laugh at the lack of education of the royal family, which will not benefit you at all."

Lin Chuan was very angry and said dissatisfiedly: "She can do such a thing, but I can't say anything? This doesn't make sense!"

Dongyang warned, "Your husband has finally been reinstated as the governor of Yingzhou. Don't forget Fang Jun's influence in the Ministry of War. He may not be able to remove your husband from his position, but it is easy for him to cause trouble for the supply of military equipment, food and fodder, and the commendation of officers and soldiers. It's ok for us women not to give too much support to men, but we must not hold them back."

I was very upset. Lin Chuan was so stupid. What kind of status and position does Fang Jun have now? Can you arbitrarily arrange it? He may not be able to do anything to you, but it is difficult for your man to do it. When your man comes back and loses his temper with you, won't you be the one who suffers?
Even if you saw something like that with your own eyes, you can't just tell others about it, let alone make such groundless guesses.

Linchuan curled her lips, thinking of the hatred between her husband and Fang Jun, and could only hold back the words in her heart, but still snorted indignantly to express her dissatisfaction.

Although they were both sons-in-law, both Emperor Taizong and the current Majesty gave Fang Jun unlimited trust, which enabled Fang Jun to obtain countless opportunities. This enabled him to lead the Tang army to dominate the world and achieve great military exploits. People praised Fang Jun for "never being defeated" in his life, but in her opinion, this only showed that the Tang army was strong enough, and if someone else led the Tang army, it would be equally invincible.

Many times, the merits are there, it just depends on who takes them. If my husband can get so many opportunities, his achievements must be no less than Fang Jun. Why is he so depressed and frustrated now?

Given the level of trust His Majesty has in Fang Jun, I'm afraid my husband will never get a good opportunity.

Lin Chuan's eyes flickered. Perhaps if he wanted to change the status quo, he couldn't just sit there and wait for death. He had to forge ahead with determination...

As the night fell, many princes, dukes, and heirs of the royal family came to pay their respects. Princess Yuzhang's funeral was of a high level second only to that of the empress, and the ceremonies were complicated and multifarious. Monks and Taoists set up ceremonies in the palace, chanting scriptures or holding festivals. The sounds of bells, drums, jingles, boards, wooden fish, cymbals, etc. were incessant, and the air was filled with the lingering scent of incense and candles, and the shadows of people were everywhere.

Except for the King of Wei who was far away in Luoyang, the King of Silla Li Ke, and the imprisoned King of Jin, all the other sons of Emperor Taizong came. It was the first time that Li You, Li Yin, Li Yun, Li Zhen and others appeared in public since the King of Jin's mutiny.

Li Shenfu did not come, but his legitimate son Li Demao came. Surrounded by Li Xiaoxie, Li Daoli and others, he went to the coffin to burn incense and pay respects, and then was placed in another room on the east side, next to Fang Jun and other princes-in-law.

After entering the wing room, Li Demao grabbed Li You's hand and sighed: "I haven't seen you, King of Qi, since King Jin's coup. Although there are rumors that you brothers have been staying at home, I am always worried, fearing that you have met with a murderous hand in the war..."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the royal family members present were almost scared to death. They were saying that they were afraid that Li You and others would "meet murderous hands in the war", but who couldn't hear the implicit accusation that Li Chengqian might slaughter his brothers?

Except for Li Xiaoxie, Li Daoli and others who usually had close contact with the Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion, the rest of the people stepped back a few steps without leaving a trace, staying away from Li Demao.

Li You cursed in his heart, but he managed a smile on his face: "Uncle, you are too serious. In the time of war, we brothers are surrounded by heavy soldiers sent by His Majesty to protect us. There is no way anything could go wrong."

He tried hard to break free from Li Demao's hand, but found that Li Demao was trying very hard and he was unable to break free.

Li Demao obviously didn't want to let him go. He smiled and looked concerned: "That's right. Your Majesty is related to you princes by blood and has a deep brotherly love. How can you let anything happen to you? However, the current situation is stable and the government is in harmony. I don't know when Your Majesty will let you go to your fiefdoms?"

Li You's face changed and he didn't know how to respond.

The prince's departure for his fiefdom was a national policy formulated at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty. However, due to the unrest caused by land measurement in various places, the prince's rash departure for his fiefdom would inevitably leave behind all kinds of disasters. For the sake of national stability, this process must be postponed indefinitely.

But this reason had many flaws. People with good sense knew that delaying the princes' enfeoffment was good not only for the princes but also for the emperor. However, those with ulterior motives would certainly take the opportunity to make trouble: Is the emperor unwilling to let the princes go to the vassal state because he does not trust his brothers? By keeping the princes in Chang'an, is he planning to confine them for life? Will these princes even die one by one from accidental illness, falling off their horses, or tripping while walking?
This is to plant a thorn in the hearts of the royal brothers. Once this thorn is planted, it will sooner or later become a huge hidden danger.

It was very vicious, but it was a fact that the princes had not yet been able to establish their fiefdoms. This was called an open conspiracy. Although this kind of instigation was not very clever, it was definitely applicable...

King Jiang Li Yun, who was standing at the back and had a low presence, smiled with a sunny and pure look on his face. "We are not only your majesty's brothers, but also your majesty's subjects. We enjoy the empire's tribute because of our blood relationship. If we can't make any achievements, we can't cause trouble to your majesty and the empire. Your majesty rules the world and conquers the world. Whatever you think is high-level, no matter what your majesty chooses, as long as there is an imperial decree, we will naturally follow it. As for other things, it is not our duty as subjects to consider. It is really shameful to let your uncle worry about us brothers."

It seemed that everyone in the room met Li Yun for the first time and they all looked at him in surprise. His words were both soft and hard, neither humble nor arrogant, which was very different from his previous dandy style.

The sons of Emperor Taizong are indeed extraordinary...