Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4749 One step away

At midnight, the visitors left one after another, and the bustling Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion returned to silence. In the garden, the light dimmed, and even the candles in the main hall were extinguished one after another.

A breeze blew by, dark clouds gathered, the stars and the moon were dim, and fine and dense raindrops fell, landing on the leaves of the flowers and trees in the courtyard, making a rustling sound, just like spring silkworms gnawing on mulberry leaves.

In the study, Li Shenfu was standing by the window with a teacup in his hand. He looked at the misty rain falling outside the window and sighed heavily.

Compared with the past, there is not much rain in Guanzhong this year. It has been more than a month since the last rain. The weather is dry and hot. In order to alleviate the drought, various places have been taking water from the river to irrigate the farmland, causing the water level of the river to drop sharply. However, taking water can only alleviate the drought but cannot completely provide the water needed for the farmland. If the drought continues, the reduction of grain production in Guanzhong is inevitable. However, this little rain has greatly alleviated the drought, and it may be another year of good weather and good harvest.

Could it be that Emperor Li Chengqian was truly the Son of Heaven? Otherwise, how could he be so favored by Heaven?

Since Li Chengqian ascended the throne, although there have been risks of drought and floods, they have generally been within controllable range. Guanzhong, Shandong, Longyou and other places have had bumper harvests year after year. In addition, the navy has been transporting rice back to the country from overseas. The granaries in Chang'an, Luoyang and other places have long been "full of grain", as can be seen from the liquor workshops throughout Chang'an and Luoyang. If there was no endless food, where would the raw materials for making wine come from?
With a good harvest, the world will naturally be peaceful, and even if there are some struggles in the court, it will not affect the overall situation. If there is no turbulent situation, Li Chengqian's throne will naturally become more stable day by day.

To achieve great things, one needs not only an indomitable will and invincible strength, but also a favorable time and a little bit of luck.

There has never been a hero who created the times, only the times created heroes...

"Father, why haven't you rested yet at this late hour?"

Li Demao walked in quietly from outside and stood behind Li Shenfu to greet him with concern.

Li Shenfu put down the teacup and looked back at his son: "You haven't rested either? You just married a concubine, what are you thinking about in the middle of the night?"

"Ha ha……"

Li Demao smiled awkwardly, thought for a moment, and whispered, "Isn't this a rebellion imminent? I feel like a cat is trying to catch a mouse, and I can't sleep."

Compared with the master, even the most beautiful and youthful beauties are not as attractive...

"Hey……"

Li Shenfu sighed. How could he not know what his son was thinking?
After thinking it over, he decided not to give him too many aspirations, so he said bluntly, "Don't have any delusions. That position can only be occupied by Emperor Taizong's son. No one else will get the chance anyway."

Li Demao's extravagant hopes were exposed, but he was no longer embarrassed. He said indignantly: "I know that I am not talented enough and cannot convince others, but my father is a prince of the royal family and the son of Taizu. If he can accomplish something great this time, it will be a great achievement. Isn't it possible that I can't reach that level?"

Although I lack virtue and talent, as long as you sit in that position, won't you have to pass it on to me in the future?

You are already in your seventies or eighties, I don't need to wait for a few years...

Li Shenfu turned back and sat down on the chair beside the desk. He waved his hand and asked his son to sit in front of him. He patiently analyzed the current situation: "What do you think Li Chengqian relied on to sit on the throne? It's not because of his talent or ability. There is only one reason: he is the son of Emperor Taizong."

He paused and continued, "Since the Xuanwu Gate Incident in the ninth year of Wude, not only were the followers of Prince Yin and Prince Qi killed, but even Emperor Gaozu's team had to switch sides, otherwise they would not be able to escape the slaughter... Emperor Taizong was a man of both civil and military virtues, and he had already cleaned up the court over the years. His influence was enough to protect his sons. Li Chengqian can be deposed, but the successor must be Emperor Taizong's son, otherwise the entire court would not agree."

To this day, the court is still full of diehard fans of Emperor Taizong. If Li Chengqian is deposed, perhaps no one will say anything and be happy to see it happen. But if someone wants to transfer the throne from Taizong's line to a side branch, everyone will definitely rise up and attack.

I wonder how many civil and military officials are waiting to be buried with him in Zhaoling Mausoleum in the future...

Li Demao remained silent, with an expression of disappointment on his face.

He is only one step away from the supreme position, who can remain indifferent?

That's the Supreme Being in the World...

But he also understood the current situation. It was impossible to let the throne fall to someone else. If he deposed Li Chengqian and nominated one of Emperor Taizong's other sons to take the throne, there would be a lot of people following the Xiangyi Prince's Mansion to gain the credit of "following the dragon". But if he wanted to snatch the throne away from Emperor Taizong's line, the Xiangyi Prince's Mansion would immediately face the situation of being deserted by everyone, and those "loyal supporters" who followed them father and son would immediately turn into loyal ministers and believers of Emperor Taizong.

Emperor Taizong... He is truly amazing. Even after his death, he still has such unrivaled prestige covering the sky of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shenfu warned his son: "I have explained the dangers clearly. You must not show any covetousness in front of outsiders. Now is a critical moment. We must unite as one. If others suspect that my father and I have ambitions to succeed the throne, it is very likely that our group will fall apart in an instant. At that time, not only will our great cause be hopeless, but we will also suffer backlash. We can't afford it."

There are only two possible outcomes for such a thing: either you achieve great success and go down in history, or you end up in disgrace and your family is wiped out...

Li Demao looked depressed, but he naturally understood the reason.

But I still don’t want to give up…

Looking at this eldest son, Li Shenfu sighed imperceptibly, his heart full of disappointment.

It is impossible to ascend to the throne, but who says that all power in the world is concentrated under official titles? The "Emperor" is the master of the world, but since ancient times, there have been countless people who have surpassed the imperial power. Zhou Gong did not have the title of "Emperor" but he was "Emperor" in reality. Huo Guang was a minister in name but he exercised the power of the emperor. Apart from the fact that the title cannot be inherited from generation to generation, what is the difference between such a minister and the "Emperor"?
Rather than rashly ascending the throne and becoming the enemy of the world and the target of public criticism, it is better to follow the example of Sima Yi and remain hidden and forbearing. This way, you can not only grasp the supreme power, but also watch secretly and wait for the right time. Who says you can't ascend the throne naturally in the future?

Wang Mang, who was of a different family, was able to usurp the Han dynasty. Now that my branch is the authentic descendant of Taizu, why is it impossible for him to succeed to the throne one day?

Therefore, the most important thing for the entire Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion is to be patient and wait.

However, Li Demao is definitely not an isolated case. I am afraid that many people can no longer bear it and can't wait...

*****
The rain began to fall in the middle of the night, and at dawn it got heavier. The morning light appeared in the east, and the whole Guanzhong was shrouded in the fluttering rain. The drought-stricken land was moistened by the rain, and the green crops stretched out their leaves and stood up straight. The water level of the river slowly rose, and the river water flowed into the farmland along the various canals.

On Mount Li, several rivers originating from the top of the mountain meander through the mountains. Artificial canals lead river water from high to low to paddy fields reclaimed in the mountains. Fang Jun and Ma Zhou put on straw raincoats, rolled up their trouser legs and walked barefoot in the half-foot-deep paddy fields, watching the rice ears bending down in the breeze and drizzle. From time to time, they would flutter the leaves to see if there were any pests, and from time to time they would lean over and put their hands in the water to catch a river crab from the mud under their feet...

Ma Zhou looked speechlessly at the river crab he had just caught. Its two large claws opened and closed, dancing fiercely and adorably. "Your rice field needs to be cleaned up. Aren't you afraid that so many river crabs will eat up all the rice? They are quite big!"

"Whose river crabs would eat rice?"

Fang Jun snatched the crab from Ma Zhou's hand and threw it back into the paddy field with a look of contempt: "Don't just read those insane things all day long. You should also read some miscellaneous books in your spare time. You are now the Jingzhao Yin, in charge of the vast Jingji area. How can you not know anything about farmland irrigation?"

Ma Zhou raised his head and wiped the rain off his face, very surprised: "How come I know nothing about farmland irrigation? I know all the growth habits and planting techniques of various crops in Guanzhong. I have also led officials and runners of Jingzhao Prefecture and the people to reclaim wasteland, build canals, and dredge rivers. Why do you say I am just a figurehead?"

Fang Jun pointed to the place where he had thrown the river crabs just now, expressionless: "These river crabs did not come here on their own. I paid people to catch them from various places and then released them. Since you boast that you know the art of farmland irrigation, then let me ask you, why did I release the river crabs here?"

Ma Zhou blinked, feeling somewhat guilty: "This... River crabs have nothing to do with farmland. Who knows why you would be so crazy as to hire someone to catch them? People say you are a spendthrift, and this kind of ridiculous behavior is quite consistent with your character. Is there any mystery behind this?"

"Oh, ignorant."

Fang Jun looked disdainful, but still explained: "River crabs can't chew rice, but they can eat weeds and rotten rice in the rice fields. They can not only clean the water source but also prevent the occurrence of many rice diseases, and their excrement can become the best fertilizer for rice. River crabs can grow naturally without being fed. When there is enough food, they are bigger and fatter than wild river crabs. In another month, when the rice is ripe, these fat river crabs will be caught and sold in the East and West Markets. The price will definitely be more than double that of wild river crabs. With the increase in rice production and the additional revenue from river crabs, the output of one acre of rice will be much higher than usual."

Ma Zhou's eyes lit up with surprise. He quickly bent down and fumbled in the paddy field for a while. He caught another river crab and held it in his hand to observe it carefully. He found that it was indeed bigger and fatter than the wild river crabs he usually saw. If this rice field river crab breeding technology can be promoted, it will benefit countless farmers.