Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4949 Gao Yang: My husband’s real hobby is actually...

The sixth day, midnight.

The city of Chang'an had not yet emerged from the festive atmosphere. Everywhere was decorated with lights and lanterns. Even in the middle of the night, there were occasional carriages and horses traveling on the streets. Patrolmen and laborers organized by Chang'an and Wannian counties went out to the streets to clear the snow.

Li Shenfu dressed up and sat in a room beside the back door of Ximing Temple. Li Demao, Li Siliang, Li Daoli, Li Ju and others were all present. There were more than 20 members of various clans, which was a crowded place.

After finishing the tea in the cup, Li Shenfu looked around and said, "Is everyone here?"

Li Daoli said: "Those who are supposed to come will come, and those who are not supposed to come will probably not come."

Although there were many people present, most of them were idle members of the royal family, with no status or power, and were just stirring up trouble. But there was nothing they could do, as the royal family was now facing a "major imperial edict case" and countless people were detained, causing this uprising to be much worse than expected.

But the arrow was on the string and had to be fired.

Li Shenfu looked around, feeling helpless. There were so many royal families, but not a single direct descendant of Emperor Gaozu...

Li Shenfu stood up and said in a deep voice, "Let's set off now without further delay."

Everyone stood up suddenly, some looked excited, some hesitated, and some were silent and fearless, but no one made any sound.

At this moment, another person came in from outside the door. He was wearing a brocade robe and a jade belt around his waist. He had chicken skin and white hair, and looked very old. As soon as he came in, he smiled and said, "It seems that I am not too late!"

Li Shenfu was stunned for a moment, then he was overjoyed. He stepped forward and shook the old man's hand, laughing and saying, "So it's you, Brother Fu Hu. It's not too late for us to join in this great event!"

No wonder he was so surprised. The visitor was Li Fuhu, who was conferred the title of "Grand General" by Emperor Gaozu. His father Li Xuantong was the son of King Longxi and served as Yingyang Lang Jiang during the Daye period. In the 13th year of Daye, Emperor Gaozu raised an army and responded in Chang'an. In the 4th year of Wude, he was captured by Liu Heita and died by having his stomach cut open. Emperor Gaozu was moved by his heroism and was deeply saddened, so he conferred the title of "Grand General" on his son Li Fuhu.

Thinking back to the past, Li Yuan, Li Shentong, Li Shenfu and others were all good friends with Li Fuhu, but he was injured a lot in the early years of the war, and was later implicated by Li Jiancheng, so he returned home early to live out his days, and did not get involved in the affairs of the court. It was indeed a pleasant surprise that he could come and respond today...

However, Li Shenfu immediately asked in confusion: "This gathering is indeed a secret, but I wonder where did you get the news from?"

Although it was no secret that he was leading a group of people intending to rebel, and His Majesty pretended to be ignorant and was just waiting to catch him with solid evidence before punishing him, the timing of this rebellion was planned in secret, and it was also a secret that each family gathered here and rushed to the palace. How did Li Fuhu know about it?
Li Fuhu sighed and said, "My good-for-nothing son was implicated in the Zhaoling case and was imprisoned with Li Xiaoxie. During their conversation, he learned that you all were involved in the incident. He bribed the officials of Jingzhao Prefecture to pass the news back home. I then learned about it and came here in a hurry."

Li Shenfu nodded: "I see."

He had no doubts about Li Fuhu. First, since Li Xiaoxie had informed him of the news, he had obviously identified him as a fellow traveler. Second, Li Fuhu was also a staunch supporter of Li Jiancheng, so it was natural that he had no choice but to take responsibility for overthrowing the two Li brothers...

He held Li Fuhu's hands and said in a deep voice, "If you are willing to join us in this great event, I have an unwelcome request."

Li Fuhu said in surprise: "If I can help, I will do my best."

Li Shenfu said: "My dear brother was under the command of Crown Prince Jiancheng, and he was a colleague of Zheng Rentai. Instead of my dear brother and I entering the palace, it is better for me to go to Zheng Rentai's house and persuade him. If he leads his Right Guard to attack Taiji Palace from Ye Ting, then great things will be accomplished!"

Li Fuhu said without hesitation: "As you command!"

Li Shenfu was overjoyed. If he could raise an army to attack Taiji Palace with the help of Zheng Rentai, even if he could not break into the palace, he could attract the palace guards. The chances of success on his side would be greatly increased.

Immediately, a group of people went out of the back door of Ximing Temple. Li Shenfu and others disguised themselves and took a carriage out of the city from Jingyao Gate. They joined the death squads and family soldiers gathered from various families, and detoured to the West Inner Courtyard, where Li Anyan would pick them up and they could go directly into the East Palace. Li Fuhu drove straight to Zheng Rentai's mansion.

The snow was falling heavily, the sky was dark, the lights on the street were gradually sparse, and there were no pedestrians.

*****
In the middle of the night, Fang Jun was awakened by a knock on the door.

After breaking free from the entanglement of Wu Meiniang's jade arms and pink legs, he put on his clothes and walked out of the bedroom, only to find out that it was Li Chongzhen knocking on the door late at night with something important to report.

The royal family has been unstable and turbulent recently. The "Bai Qi Si" shoulders the important task of monitoring Chang'an, and everyone is busy. Li Chongzhen, as the chief steward of the "Bai Qi Si" who is responsible for monitoring the royal family outside the palace, must have a serious matter when he came to visit late at night.

He came directly to the front hall in his clothes. Li Chongzhen, who was walking around in the hall, quickly stepped forward, knelt on one knee and saluted. Guilt appeared on his face, and he bowed his head and said, "At 10:00 p.m. tonight, our spies reported that Li Daoli, Li Ju and others were not in the mansion. It is unknown when they left the mansion and where they went. There was no report from the Xiangyi County Prince's mansion, but I think Li Shenfu is not in the mansion either. My spies are searching in the city. I think this matter is serious and I dare not delay. I will report it to the commander-in-chief first and make preparations early."

As the chief of the "Hundred Cavalry Division" responsible for monitoring royal family members outside the palace, he lost the most important people one after another, which was a serious dereliction of duty. If any consequences occurred as a result, he would not be able to bear them and could only atone for his sin with death.

Fang Jun looked solemn, but did not reprimand anyone. Now was not the time to pursue responsibility.

Besides, these were all expected and not the worst situation.

After a brief pause, he ordered, "First, immediately send people out of the city to Xuanwu Gate, Chongxuan Gate, etc. to check if there are any signs of people sneaking into the palace. Even if there are any signs, there is no need to alert the enemy and report to Li Junxian immediately. Second, send people to keep a close eye on Zheng Rentai's residence. The Zheng family of Xingyang has a deep relationship with the Crown Prince Yin. Those members of the royal family do not have military power. If they want to rebel, they must win over the generals. There was no trace of winning over Zheng Rentai before. Maybe they are afraid of exposing their purpose and will wait until the critical moment to lobby."

Zheng Rentai may not necessarily participate in the rebellion, but Li Shenfu will definitely go to lobby him. As long as he can convince Zheng Rentai, he can add an insurance policy and greatly increase the chances of success.

Since the rebellion plan has already begun, Li Shenfu is naturally not worried about whether Zheng Rentai will refuse or leak it. If it succeeds, it will increase the chances of success, and even if it fails, it will not harm the overall situation...

"Here!"

Li Chongzhen agreed in a deep voice, and seeing that Fang Jun had no other instructions, he left.

Fang Jun sat alone in the hall, pondering for a moment, and sighed faintly. Just as he was about to ask the servant to help him change his clothes, he turned around and saw Princess Gaoyang, Wu Meiniang, and Jin Shengman coming together...

"Why are you ladies not sleeping so late at night?"

"Why did you say?"

Princess Gaoyang rolled her eyes at him and came to the front with the two girls. The three of them were holding clothes and armor in their hands...

Fang Jun smiled, letting the three women help him dress and put on his armor, and said gently: "It's not that I'm hiding it from you, but I've already made plans for various possible situations in advance. It's just that we can only deal with it as it comes. You can't help with this matter, but I'm just making you worry for nothing."

Wu Meiniang was the most gentle. She fastened the silk ribbon of her skirt armor with her delicate fingers. Her eyes were as clear as water as she said softly, "War is dangerous. Even the most sound plans can have accidents. My dear, you must be careful at all times. You are now powerful and in a high position. Don't rush to the front in everything. This will give others the opportunity to make achievements and also protect yourself better. You are the sky for us women. If you encounter any accident, you can imagine what will happen to us. By then, even my father will not be able to protect our family."

In her opinion, Fang Jun is now undoubtedly the number one person in the dynasty. His power, influence and reputation have all reached their peak. What he should do next is not to shine brightly, but to keep a low profile and further root his power and consolidate his foundation.

As for the so-called merit of following the dragon, it may be sought after by others, but for one's own family it is better than nothing.

What’s the use of having so many merits?
Unless a hidden dragon rises from the abyss and dominates the nine states...

Thinking of this, her beautiful eyes shone brightly and her heart skipped a beat.

At your age, with your past achievements and your huge influence, if you can keep a low profile for twenty years and live up to the expectations of the world, you may be able to emulate the story of Wang Jujun...

Fang Jun was puzzled by her stare, and he stretched out his hand to pinch her face, which was as white as a new lychee, and said with a smile: "Although I am handsome and dashing, I am not going to make you crazy, am I? If you like this dress, you can have a discussion with me when you have free time to see who is better."

Wu Meiniang's pretty face turned slightly red. She reached out and patted his arm lightly, saying angrily, "Nonsense."

Jin Shengman hesitated for a moment and whispered, "I wonder if my sister is in danger..."

Fang Jun said: "Don't worry, I have already arranged for the Jinwu Guards to be on duty near Furong Garden. Together with the guards around her, as long as there is no organized military charge, she will be safe."

"Oh," Princess Gaoyang sneered, "You really know how to be sympathetic to women."

Fang Jun said shamelessly: "We are a family, so we should always care about each other. Mei Niang, don't think wrongly."

Wu Meiniang smiled and said coquettishly, "My sister is also a family member. Why didn't you show more concern for her?"

Princess Gaoyang suddenly realized: "It seems that the three of us all have a sister, who was…"

Wu Meiniang gritted her teeth and searched up and down with her hands, but it was a pity that the guy was covered in armor and she had no way to start. She could only give up in frustration and cursed in a low voice: "Bah! Shameless guy!"

Jin Shengman also widened her beautiful eyes, her face full of shock: "This, this, this... is this just a coincidence?"

"Bah! How can there be so many coincidences? This guy simply has a shameful habit!"

"It's really obscene!"

"Haha, outsiders ridicule someone as a 'good princess' all day long, but no one sees through her despicable face!"

Fang Jun was sweating profusely and said hurriedly: "This armor is too hot to wear. I will go out now. Ladies, stay at home and be safe!"

He got rid of the three women's entanglement and ran away.