Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4972: The way of greatness is to make the world a shared future for all!

Liu Xiangdao gave up his official position, power, and what he had gained in his half-life in officialdom, hoping to persuade His Majesty to revoke his order and bring stability and relaxation to the court. However, he failed to impress His Majesty and was instead scolded and expelled from Taiji Palace.

Of course, Li Chengqian was not confused. Although his words were extremely sharp and his attitude was extremely bad, he did not punish Liu Xiangdao in any way.

The Grand Censor is almost the stabilizer of the court atmosphere. A Grand Censor who can stick to his position and is not afraid of power will surely represent a court with upright atmosphere and clean administration. Otherwise, if even the Grand Censor is servile and flattering, the court will naturally be in chaos and corrupt officials will be in power.

What Li Chengqian wanted was the authority that should belong to the emperor, not a chaotic court. What he wanted was absolute power, not a group of sycophantic and opportunistic bureaucrats.

What he failed to understand, however, was that these things were actually contradictory.

Under absolute power, how can there be clean administration, fair laws, and a serious court?

The four directions and the upper and lower parts are called the universe, and the past and present are called the universe. There has never been a so-called "absolute" in the universe...

*****
There are several huge locust trees in the courtyard of the Ministry of War, just outside the window of the official's duty room. In the cold winter, the snow is piled up, the branches are withered, and the dry trunks are thick and twisted, which gives them a sense of proud and rugged momentum.

Li Ji and Fang Jun knelt opposite each other on the mat in front of the window. The latter brewed tea and poured half a cup, motioning Li Ji to drink the tea. He then picked up the cup and took a sip. The afternoon sun shone through the glass window onto his body, feeling warm. He squinted his eyes slightly, savoring the aftertaste of the tea.

Li Ji held the teacup in one hand and stroked his beard with the other, and also took a sip.

Neither of them spoke, but the atmosphere was very pleasant.

After finishing half a cup of tea, Li Ji glanced at the other person and said slowly: "Shouldn't you be standing beside His Majesty at this time? I am old and have no more aspirations. It is good for me to retire like this, but you are still young after all."

The rebellion was just beginning, and a large-scale trial was conducted, which naturally involved many people. Whether it was to hold political enemies accountable and bring them down with one blow, or to help allies escape the vortex, it was an extremely important matter for a young official, and these matters could only be better planned by being by Your Majesty's side.

Moreover, Your Majesty's trust in Fang Jun has remained consistent and has not diminished in the slightest.

So Fang Jun shouldn't be sitting here drinking tea and chatting with me after convening a "Military System Reform Committee"...

Fang Jun picked up the teapot and poured tea, smiling and shaking his head: "Your Majesty is sensitive. Since he is already deeply afraid of the military, it is better not to put too much pressure on him at this time. People are different. Some people become stronger when they encounter stronger opponents, and the greater the pressure, the greater the rebound, while some people have delicate personalities and may be completely crushed by excessive pressure."

Obviously, Li Chengqian is the latter.

As the eldest son of Emperor Taizong, he was widely praised by the court and the people, and was highly expected by Emperor Taizong. His ability and qualifications must be excellent, and he was the best choice. However, he was protected too well by Emperor Taizong and Empress Wende since he was young, and he failed to develop a tough character. When things went smoothly, he could still use his intelligence and talents, but when things went wrong, he would easily become impatient and depressed, and his mind would collapse.

We can only guide Li Chengqian, not force him.

Li Ji disagreed: "To treat a traitor, you can risk the disapproval of the whole world by using the 'slicing punishment' and ignore the earnest advice of the Censorate. This is not something a weak-minded person can do."

Obviously, he also did not agree with Your Majesty's use of the "torture of flaying".

Fang Jun said: "In my opinion, it is exactly the opposite. It is precisely because of the great pressure and sense of crisis that he is so stubborn. Otherwise, why would he go against the entire court?"

Li Ji sighed and said, "Perhaps, your original insistence might not be correct."

This is talking about Fang Jun's unwavering support for Li Chengqian. It was because of Fang Jun's persistence that some of the Zhenguan meritorious officials opposed Your Majesty's wish to change the crown prince, and finally Li Chengqian inherited the throne.

But now it seems that Li Chengqian does not have the appearance of a wise ruler...

Fang Jun took a sip of tea and said calmly: "Perhaps, this is exactly what I insist on."

Li Ji was silent.

He remembered Fang Jun's consistent political stance...

Without continuing the topic, Li Ji said, "Your Majesty barely concealed his fear of the military during this mutiny. I think after dealing with the royal family, he will definitely take action against the army. You should come up with a countermeasure as soon as possible, and don't be caught off guard when the time comes."

Originally, the Left and Right Jinwu Guards and the Left and Right Leading Army Guards entered Chang'an City to protect the Taiji Palace. It was a simple matter for them to attack or defend. However, His Majesty would rather take risks than exclude the military. It is obvious that he has lost trust in the military.

In other words, both Li Ji and Fang Jun made Your Majesty feel the threat of "being too successful to be a threat to the ruler".

This has nothing to do with whether he continues to trust them, but rather that the military's strength makes him, as a king, seem too mediocre, and he feels unwilling to accept this.

"What do you think, Lord Ying?"

Fang Jun kicked the ball back.

Your Majesty is not the only one who is afraid of me, so don't even think about just watching the fun from the sidelines.

Li Ji frowned, feeling a little conflicted.

He has never been an indecisive person. He is calm, self-controlled and decisive. However, when faced with Fang Jun's questions, he didn't know how to answer.

He understood what Fang Jun meant. As long as the two of them worked together and had a tacit understanding, no one in the world could move the Tang army, not even His Majesty.

But if this happens, the military and imperial power will officially begin to compete with each other.

this is not right.

The army has always been a vassal of imperial power. Once the army and imperial power are in cahoots with each other or even restrict each other, it is bound to be a sign of the coming of troubled times.

But now, he clearly sees through the drawbacks of "the supremacy of the monarchy" and knows that the current situation is the most appropriate time to restrict the imperial power. How can he be willing to give up?

A saying that Fang Jun always said is well known to everyone, that is, "national interests are above everything else." Although Fang Jun's explanation is that "the king is the country, and the interests of the country are the interests of the king," it is obviously a bit forced, because the interests of the king may sometimes conflict with the interests of the country.

Li Ji agreed with Fang Jun's idea, but the "ruler-ruler, minister-minister, father-father, son-son" mentality he had been influenced by since childhood was incompatible with it.

Everything ultimately comes down to a question that goes straight to the heart: loyalty to the emperor? Or loyalty to the country?

Li Ji felt that both were right, but if he had to choose one...

"Alas~" Li Ji sighed and said in a tangled way: "But even if your ideal can be achieved, what's the point? The imperial power will continue year after year, but you and I will die one day. When the people die and the government ceases, the imperial power will eventually return and dominate the world. What's the point of your actions?"

Just like those once powerful ministers in history books, they controlled the country and had great power when they were alive, but when they died, all their deeds returned to dust, the imperial power was still above, and everything returned to the starting point.

After all the busy work, what’s the point?
Fang Jun disagreed: "In the long run, we can give future generations a revelation, let them know whether our actions are right or wrong, so that they can use it as a reference, so as not to be completely without reference and go astray. In the short term, without any constraints, the whole country will be united and united, and we will surely be able to create a prosperous era and enhance national strength. To put it another way, even if the future king is incompetent, we can leave him a legacy that has been ruined for many years."

Li Ji did not comment, and after a long pause, he suddenly asked, "What is the purpose of all this?"

Fang Jun said: "Isn't it your ideal that you want to ask about, Lord Ying?"

Li Ji raised his eyebrows: "Ideal?"

This word is new and I have never heard of it before.

Fang Jun put down the teacup and turned to look out the window. The cold wind was blocked by the window, leaving only the bright sunshine.

"Ideals are ambitions. They are like 'those who face a forked road worry about getting lost, and those who look up to a lofty mountain have the ambition to fly to the sky', 'sparrows playing on fences, how can they know the flight of swans', 'a man's ambition is to reach the whole world, and neighbors thousands of miles away are as close as a man', and even more so, 'not to be sad about poverty and humbleness, and not to be eager for wealth and honor'..."

He turned around and looked at Li Ji, his eyes were blazing and full of energy: "People should not only love their own relatives and their own children, but also ensure that the old have a place to live, the strong have a place to work, the young have a place to grow, and the poor, widows, orphans, lonely, and disabled people are all taken care of... The way of the great way is that the world is for all!"

The last sentence is sonorous and deafening.

Ever since the First Emperor unified the nine provinces and established counties, this nation has been stuck in a rut for more than two thousand years, sinking back and forth, unable to extricate itself. No matter whether it was a prosperous era or the fall of China, have the people of the world ever earned a happy life through hard work?

The people are prosperous and suffer.

Death, the people suffer!
This land is home to the most hardworking and simple-minded people. Their sweat should be shed for their own happy lives, and their blood should be shed to resist foreign aggression, rather than for the autocratic rule of the monarch or the selfish desires of the bureaucrats!

History has inertia. One cannot change the world and bring about world peace by one's own strength. But just like those who have groped for the way forward in the darkness and risked their lives for the beliefs in their hearts, as long as there is light in their hearts, that light will eventually come.

Many times, everything starts with just a spark.

However, a spark can eventually start a prairie fire...

Li Ji was completely shocked. He knew that Fang Jun had lofty ambitions, but he never knew that his ambitions were so high and so far-reaching.

When great virtue is practiced, the world becomes common to all...this is world peace!

A magnificent world that the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors pursued tirelessly but never achieved!
Of course, he also understood that wanting to achieve this was nothing but a foolish dream, but if he had this ambition in mind, even if the outcome was not achieved, he had still fought for it. Compared to petty and selfish behavior, what a magnificent and lofty life this was!
It’s not a wasted life.

Li Ji did not hesitate for too long and nodded solemnly: "I don't know how to do it, nor do I know if I can do it well. You go ahead and I will follow you."