Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4921 Chaos in Chang'an
People who are good are bullied by others, and horses who are good are ridden by others.

Li Chengqian had limited courage and inadequate ability. Although he sat on the throne, he did not have the prestige to intimidate the world. Therefore, court officials, royal family members, military generals, etc. respected him more than they feared him. In particular, many people in the royal family were fearless and did not believe that he would dare to kill any member of the royal family.

What's more, Li Chengqian always boasted of his "leniency" and promoted his "benevolence". If he attacked members of the royal family, wouldn't he be going back on his word?

Therefore, most members of the royal family acted with confidence.

Seeing that his father disagreed, Li Sizhong was still worried: "The King of Wei has caused a great disaster this time, causing the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people, and he is being scolded by everyone. I am afraid that his path to advancement will be completely cut off."

Li Xiaoxie was also helpless about this: "When we discussed with the Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion, the candidate we proposed was the King of Wei. Although the King of Wei did not seem to have any intention of usurping the throne, it is after all the throne of the emperor. Who wouldn't be ecstatic to have the opportunity to sit on it? But I didn't expect the King of Wei to destroy his own future. After he made such a fuss, if we want to recommend him to the throne in the future, we will definitely encounter opposition from the civil and military officials in the court and the people of the world. It's difficult to deal with it."

Li Tai's crime was "disrespect for propriety".

What is "li"? It is not politeness, nor is it a gift. "Li" is a system and a level.

Since the birth of "Zhou Li", it has standardized the hierarchy of the world. Which level corresponds to which "ritual", the order is strict and orderly. The "king" is high above, the "princes" guard the four directions, the "ministers" govern the country, the "commoners" support themselves, and the "slaves" work and create...

"Sacrificing to Heaven" and "Sacrificing to Ancestors" are rituals of the Son of Heaven. How can a prince overstep his authority?
Even though rituals and music had been in decline since the Spring and Autumn Period, the "Book of Zhou" had never been abolished. In principle, "overstepping" the hierarchy was disrespectful and unacceptable in any era.

How can a person who usurps the system of etiquette, despises the emperor, and has corrupt morals ascend the throne and become the ruler of a country?
Suddenly, there was a chaotic sound of footsteps and noise outside the study. Li Xiaoxie frowned: "What's the chaos? Let's go out and take a look!"

"Here!"

Li Sizhong stood up and just walked to the door, the door was pushed open from the outside. The chief official of the mansion came in in a panic, and without even having time to greet him, he said in a hurry: "Master, something bad has happened. The officials of the Imperial Censorate and the captain of the Jinwu Guard claimed to summon you to the Wannian County Government Office. I asked them to wait for a moment and go in first to report, but they broke through the door without saying a word and rushed in!"

"what?!"

The father and son's expressions suddenly changed.

Li Sizhong was at a loss, and said in a trembling voice: "Could it be...something happened?"

Although he was confident, he was secretly planning to depose the emperor. It was possible that Li Chengqian would throw away some of his scruples and act brazenly...

Li Xiaoxie's face changed again. He stood up and took down a precious sword hanging on the wall. With a clang, he drew the sword out of its sheath and said sternly, "My son, stay here while I go out to take a look. If things go wrong, I will hold back the soldiers while you escape from the city through the secret passage and continue the bloodline of King Xun!"

Li Sizhong was horrified: "Father!"

Li Xiaoxie ignored him and walked out of the study with his sword in hand. He saw that the whole mansion was in chaos and a group of people in helmets and armor with shining swords were rushing towards them.

He held the sword horizontally and shouted: "This is the Prince Xun's Palace. You dare to trespass without permission. Do you know that it is a capital crime?!"

His grandfather Li Yi was the sixth son of Emperor Taizu. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, he was posthumously named "Prince of Xun". By the time of Li Xiaoxie, he was demoted to Duke of Xun according to the precedent of family ties. However, Emperor Gaozu's grace did not reduce the regulations of his royal palace...

Cheng Wuting put on his helmet and armor, stepped forward, and shouted: "I have been ordered to summon Duke Xun to the Wannian County Office. Duke Xun, please don't make mistakes!"

An official from the Censorate came forward and handed Li Xiaoxie the summons.

Li Xiaoxie heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Cheng Wuting coming. If it was a case of treason, then it would be the "Hundred Cavalry Division" that came...

However, after taking the subpoena and taking a look at it, my heart immediately began to tighten again.

As an idle member of the royal family, he has no real power and can only delegate things to others if he wants to get things done. Duan Yuanliang, the magistrate of Wannian County, is his minion planted in Chang'an City. He has done countless acts of corruption and abuse of power. Now that the Censorate has summoned him to the Wannian County Government to cooperate with the investigation, it is obvious that Duan Yuanliang has committed a crime.

Once Duan Yuanliang involves him, it will be a huge trouble...

With a determined heart, he threw the summons aside, held the sword across his chest, and said arrogantly, "Bullshit! I am a descendant of Taizu and a member of the royal family. Even if I make a mistake, it can only be dealt with by the Zongzheng Temple. How can the Yushitai interfere? Get out of here, do you really think the sword in my hand is useless?"

Whether it is the Censorate or the Ministry of Justice, they are indeed not qualified to deal with the royal family, but they have the right to examine the royal family. It’s just that the final disposal needs to be handed over to the Zongzheng Temple...

Cheng Wuting didn't waste any words. He kicked Li Xiaoxie's wrist, causing the sword to fly out of his hand. Then he took a step forward, grabbed the opponent's collar with one hand, and knocked him to the ground with a sweeping kick. The soldiers behind him rushed up and held Li Xiaoxie down, and tied him up tightly with ropes.

Li Xiaoxie continued to scream, and another piece of rag was stuffed into his mouth.

Everyone in the mansion was already in a panic, at a loss as to what to do. The head of the family was captured, and the sky was falling...

"take away!"

Cheng Wuting gave an order, then looked around and said loudly: "Everyone stay in the mansion obediently, and wait until Duke Xun is interrogated before making any decisions. If anyone leaves without permission or hides property, they will be severely punished!"

Li Sizhong, who was hiding in the study, was trembling. After hesitating for a while, he turned around, moved the bookcase away and went into the secret passage.

There is more than one exit of the secret passage, which can lead to outside the city or inside the city. Li Sizhong did not leave the city, but came out from somewhere in the city and went straight to the Xiangyi County Prince's Mansion.

*****
At almost the same time, many mansions in Chang'an City fell into chaos. Officials from the Censorate and soldiers from the Jinwu Guard broke down the doors and made large-scale arrests. Many people were at a loss as to what was happening and were terrified and fearful.

Wannian County Government Office has become the focus of the entire Chang'an City, attracting everyone's attention.

Teams of Jinwu guards in shining helmets and armor either stood with their swords pressed or rode slowly, surrounding the entire county government office in the heavy snow. Many officials who rushed in to inquire about the details or to intercede for others were all blocked from entering.

Only Dali Temple Minister Dai Zhou and Ministry of Justice Minister Han Ai were allowed to enter.

Entering the courtyard, the lanterns under the eaves emitted an orange-yellow light, illuminating the entire courtyard. Officials and clerks from the Censorate were rushing back and forth with various documents in their arms. From the side rooms, the sounds of cursing, begging for mercy, and screaming could be heard faintly...

The two looked at each other, and Han Ai was worried: "This is a big case, but we didn't receive any news in advance."

The Three Judicial Departments are the highest law enforcement agencies in the Tang Dynasty, but now only the Censorate is doing its best, while the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice are excluded. This is not a good thing.

Did Liu Xiangdao do it on purpose and take all the credit?
Or is it that Your Majesty has a rift with the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice and does not trust them enough?
Dai Zhou glanced at him and said calmly, "Sometimes staying out of things is not necessarily a bad thing. There are endless merits, so don't just rush forward when you see them. The capital is in turmoil now, and our two positions cannot just sit back and watch. But we'll go in and take a look later. If they don't intend to let us intervene, then we'll quickly say goodbye and go home, eat when it's time to eat, and sleep when it's time to sleep."

Han Ai looked at the white-haired Dai Zhou, who was in his seventies, and responded respectfully: "Thank you, Mr. Dai, for your frank words. I have learned a lot from you."

His father Han Zhongliang had served in the Dali Temple with Dai Zhou and they were close friends. So even though their official ranks were almost the same, Dai Zhou always regarded himself as the younger generation and was very respectful in his words and deeds.

Moreover, at Dai Zhou's age, he is well versed in the ways of being an official, and he would never teach or talk about the ways of being an official. To be able to say this to his face, it is obvious that he treats him as a son of a family friend, and he should appreciate it...

Dai Zhou nodded, walked ahead with his hands behind his back, and whispered: "You are already in a high position at a young age. What you need to do is not to be aggressive, but to keep a low profile. When you have enough experience and a solid foundation, you should seek to make further progress, then you can show your edge, and it will come naturally."

As they were talking, they had already arrived at the gate of the government office. The soldier outside reported inside and came back a moment later, inviting the two men in.

The room was warm as spring. Liu Xiangdao and Li Anqi were buried in their papers at a table against the wall. Fang Junze, wearing armor, sat at the main seat. There was a small stove on the coffee table beside him. He was boiling water and making tea for himself, looking relaxed...

Seeing the two men come in, Liu Xiangdao and Li Anqi put down the documents in their hands, stood up to greet them, and Dai and Han returned the greetings.

With Fang Jun's official position, he could have just sat and waited for Dai and Han to come forward to greet him. However, Dai Zhou was too old and of a high generation, and he usually protected Fang Jun, so he stood up, clasped his fists, and said with a smile: "It's so snowy, uncle can just send someone over, why bother coming in person? Come, come, come, please take a seat and have a cup of hot tea."

Dai Zhou stroked his beard and said with a smile: "With the Grand Commandant here, where is the place for the little second-in-command?"

Fang Jun took two steps forward, took his arm and invited him to take a seat: "In front of you, no matter what time it is, I am still the boy who was uneducated, caused trouble and was imprisoned in the Dali Temple. If it weren't for your protection, I don't know how many times I would have been beaten with sticks and whips over the years."

Dai Zhou couldn't help laughing when he recalled that Fang Jun was imprisoned in the Dali Temple every now and then and was called "one of the four evils of Chang'an" by people in the market.

Therefore, it is harmless for a man to be a little absurd and arrogant when he is young. On the contrary, the more restless and trouble-making a child is in his childhood, the more likely he will have a promising future when he grows up.

Han Ai and Fang Jun were good friends. He walked up to them, greeted them with a smile, and sat down beside them.

Dai Zhou watched Fang Jun pour tea in front of him and asked, "What happened today?"

(End of this chapter)