Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4857 Love but not getting it

Li Chengqian's face was as gloomy as water. He dropped his brush and stood with his hands behind his back. "What is this? Since you have already issued a warning, are you still planning to give me a warning to let me know that their long-standing family heritage is like a poisonous snake that can still jump a few times or even bite back even if its head is chopped off?"

There was no rage, but there was anger.

Fang Jun disagreed: "They always do things in this way, without missing anything. What if I, a fool, fail to understand Yan Silu's meaning? So they probably want to add an insurance policy to make sure that Your Majesty has received their warning and taken it seriously."

"Humph!"

Perhaps it was because of this calligraphy that Li Chengqian realized that it was inappropriate for him to show his emotions on his face. Although he was furious at this moment, he still endured it. He turned back to the imperial desk and sat down. He grabbed the teacup and took a sip of cold tea. He exhaled and said depressedly: "Although the imperial examination system can theoretically break the monopoly of aristocratic families on education and officials, it seems difficult to achieve now. How can a poor scholar compete with the children of aristocratic families in terms of knowledge?"

Fang Jun also sat down and tried to comfort them, "The ice is three feet thick, and it didn't freeze overnight. The aristocratic families have controlled the selection of officials and the monopoly of educational resources for hundreds or thousands of years. How can they be broken overnight? As the saying goes, when the granaries are full, people will know etiquette. Now the country is getting better and better and more stable. The prices of paper and books have been falling repeatedly, and ordinary people can afford to read. Maybe they can't pose a threat to the aristocratic families for a while, but quantitative changes will eventually lead to qualitative changes, and the foundation of the aristocratic families will eventually collapse."

Li Chengqian was silent for a moment, then asked faintly, "How long do we have to wait?"

Fang Jun: "..."

No social change can be achieved overnight. Gradual and gradual progress is the right approach, but this takes time.

But now Li Chengqian is obviously eager for quick success. He is unwilling to wait and wants to remove all obstacles with thundering means.

This would be risky.

Without continuing the topic, Fang Jun asked, "Do you need me to go outside the palace gate to take a look?"

Li Chengqian shook his head: "Since it is a warning to me, they will not go too far. They can gather some people to make a fuss and then disperse. If we take it too seriously, it will not be a good thing. Maybe these guys will become more aggressive. Are you hungry? Stay and have a meal with me, and have a few drinks with me."

Fang Jun refused. Eating with the emperor was probably the most uncomfortable thing in the world. "Although it is just a warning, we have to prepare for the worst. Your Majesty, please give me an order to go out of Xuanwu Gate to the left and right Jinwu Guards and tell them to strengthen the defense of Chang'an. If there are any bad signs, they must be dealt with with all their strength. There must be no mistakes."

Li Chengqian glanced at Fang Jun, took out a palm-sized golden token from the fish bag hanging on his waist, and threw it in front of Fang Jun: "Take this token. You can enter and exit Taiji Palace freely without permission, except for the bedroom, as if I were here in person."

How could Fang Jun dare to take this thing?

He quickly refused: "The Imperial Palace is where the Emperor and Empress sleep. How can an outsider walk in without permission? I dare not accept this."

He couldn't figure out whether Li Chengqian was really not on guard against him, or was deliberately testing him...

Li Chengqian snorted, "You probably think I'm testing you, right? There are so many rumors out there, but I don't believe a single word of them. I know exactly what kind of person you are, Fang Er, and I will never be fooled by others."

He looked directly at Fang Jun: "Nothing is absolute. If something unbearable happens, I will only trust you to protect the Queen and the Prince."

Fang Jun's heart sank. He understood the implication of the words and hurriedly advised: "Now that the general situation is in hand, we only need to follow the plan and take it step by step. All the rebellions will be eliminated one by one. Even if your Majesty's reputation is slightly inferior to that of Emperor Taizong, it will definitely surpass most emperors in ancient and modern times. You will definitely be praised a lot in history. Why is your Majesty so anxious?"

Li Chengqian was silent for a while, then slowly said, "You haven't been in my position, so you don't understand the pressure and criticism I've endured. But don't worry, I'm not a reckless person, and I will definitely not take any rash actions that underestimate the enemy."

……

Coming out of the imperial study, Fang Jun was full of worries.

When I was led by the eunuchs passing by the Shenlong Temple, looking at the towering palace under the lights, I recalled the time when I was beaten by Emperor Li II here. The huge roof was hidden in the dark night, and the lights in the corridor were bright. I couldn't help but feel a sense of desolation that time flies like water and the world has changed.

Although he has lived two lives and now holds a high position with great power, he finds it difficult to understand the thoughts of Emperor Li Chengqian. It is obvious that he can achieve his goal by just being patient and working hard step by step, but why is he always eager for quick success and instant benefits and insists on completing things that would take decades in a day or a night?
Doesn't he know how devastating the backlash he's about to suffer will be?

The aristocratic families have been passed down for thousands of years, and they have only been suppressed and weakened since the Zhenguan period. Although their strength is not as strong as before today, their foundation is still there. These families who have been proud for hundreds or even thousands of years have never taken the imperial power seriously. How could they surrender and allow themselves to be killed?

Once these people go crazy, they will sweep the entire empire into it, either destroying it and then rebuilding it, or destroying everything together...

They fear nothing.

……

From the Qianbu Corridor on the side of Anren Hall, we walked north through the bamboo forest outside the colored silk courtyard wall. The breeze rustled the bamboo leaves. Two palace maids stood at the end of the corridor leading out of the bamboo forest, holding lanterns. They knelt and saluted: "Your Highness ordered me to wait for Duke Yue here. Please come over to meet him."

Fang Jun was troubled. He naturally recognized that these two palace maids were Princess Jinyang's personal maids, but how could an outsider enter the princess's bedroom at this time?
It seems that as she grows older, the gentleness and restraint that Princess Jinyang had when she was a child gradually disappears, and the "willful and reckless" gene of the Tang Dynasty princess in her blood begins to gradually awaken. She acts more and more recklessly and doesn't care about the world's opinions at all...

"Please inform Her Royal Highness that I have important matters to attend to under the order of the Emperor and cannot delay, so it is inconvenient for me to go and meet you."

After saying this, he nodded slightly and urged the eunuch to quickly bypass the Caisi Courtyard, pass through the Linhu Palace, Zhaoqing Palace, Jingfu Terrace beside the lake, pass through the inner gate, and go straight to the Xuanwu Gate.

In the Caisi Courtyard, two palace maids came back to report and repeated Fang Jun's words. Princess Jinyang, who was sitting on the soft couch in lightly colored clothes and with picturesque features, snorted in dissatisfaction: "It's a bit too much to pass by the door without entering."

Princess Changle, who was sitting cross-legged beside her, had no makeup on and a fresh face. She was drinking tea leisurely. Upon hearing this, she pursed her lips and smiled: "We must avoid suspicion. You are already an adult, how come you don't even know this little bit of etiquette? What nonsense."

"Oh, we need to avoid suspicion. Just forget to tell him that my sister is here. I need to avoid suspicion, but my sister doesn't have to."

"How come you are getting worse and worse at such a young age?"

Princess Jinyang came close to Princess Changle. Her bare feet were whiter than snow under her skirt. She wore an exquisite anklet on her slender pink ankle, which was quite exotic. She put her arms around her sister's waist and leaned her head on her sister's shoulder. She looked sad and said in a faint voice: "Good people always suffer losses, so you have to learn to be a little bad and muster up the courage to fight for what you like, otherwise you will just find someone to marry..."

"What do you mean by just finding any random person?"

Princess Changle put down her teacup, hugged her sister lovingly, and said softly, "Your Majesty has had people screen all the nobles and aristocratic families in Chang'an, and compiled a list of suitable candidates of the right age and with some potential for success for you to choose from, but you don't like any of them. Who can you blame for this?"

This gave her a headache.

Sisters are connected by heart, how could she not know who Sizi belonged to? It was just that she was divorced and a broken flower, and although it was against etiquette to devote herself to Fang Jun, she could still do it reluctantly. Sizi Yunying was an unmarried girl, the emperor's biological sister, how could she share a husband with her sisters?
Princess Jinyang was in a bad mood and pursed her lips and said, "I have already become a nun and am now a Taoist priest, but Your Majesty still wants to arrange a marriage for me. Isn't it a waste of my career as a Taoist priest?"

Princess Changle stroked her sister's temples and whispered, "What's the point of deceiving yourself? You are going to get married anyway. Since you can't get her, why don't you look for someone else?"

Princess Jinyang looked at him with a sad look: "If I were to marry again now, would you abandon him?"

Princess Changle remained silent.

Royal ladies like them may seem to be born in wealthy families and have noble status, but in fact their fate is not in their own hands. They are just bargaining chips used by the royal family to win over nobles and stabilize the family. It is rare to meet the one they love and stay with him for the rest of their lives. Most of them end up with a withered heart and depressed life.

Princess Jinyang sat up, her slender waist straightened, her pretty face full of solemnity, biting her teeth slightly: "At worst, I can just give up being a princess. Can't he afford to support me?"

Princess Changle was helpless. She knew her sister was gentle on the outside but strong on the inside. It would be difficult to change her mind. She could only dissuade her, saying, "Even so, you should take your time. Don't rush. His recent relationship with Your Majesty is very delicate. Your Majesty is dissatisfied with him for many things. If you add fuel to the fire, it will not only be useless, but also self-defeating."

Princess Jinyang's eyes sparkled as she approached Princess Changle and gossiped in a low voice, "Is it the rumor about the Queen and him? It's being spread everywhere now. Is it true or not?"

"Hurry up and shut up! How could such a thing be possible? Not to mention that he is not a womanizer, the queen is dignified, virtuous and self-disciplined. How could she have anything to do with him and be unfaithful to her husband? It sounds fake."

"But I don't think it's that simple. The queen treats him differently from others. She is very close to him and never avoids suspicion. She seems to be a little afraid. If a girl is so entangled with a man, even if she has not done anything, she must be a little confused in her heart..."