Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5005 Too late to regret
Li Chengqian never thought that there was anything wrong with his sister. It was normal for a young girl who was young and inexperienced in the world and beginning to fall in love to admire a young man who was both civil and military and had great power. What was wrong with having some aspirations and fantasies?

The fault lies with Fang Jun.

Knowing that he is an excellent poet and calligrapher, and also has great martial arts skills and is famous in the world, and is extremely attractive to young girls and women in the boudoir, why does he have to get close to Changle and Jinyang?
We can tolerate it in Changle, but not in Jinyang!

I have warned you many times, but you have turned a deaf ear to me and continue to do as you please. Do you really think that I, the emperor, am just a decoration?

……

Wannian County Government Office.

As Li Anqi listened to the confessions of the officials in the hall, his face turned pale. He turned his head to look at Fang Jun and Xu Jingzong who were sitting at the top, not knowing what to say.

Two groups of people came to the county government office to inquire about the news. How could the county magistrate Li Anqi not be aware of it? He immediately called the officials involved and threatened them. Then he learned that his subordinates had caused a big disaster and secretly changed the examination room and seat for Li Yun, the prince of Jiang...

As the most complete imperial examination since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the court naturally attaches unparalleled importance to it. People from all walks of life are paying close attention to it. All examination rules must be observed, and no one is allowed to bend the law for personal gain or disrupt the imperial examination.

Now that such a problem has occurred, and two candidates have been directly disqualified from the exam, if nothing unexpected happens, the Supervisory Censor will initiate an impeachment tomorrow morning. He, who has just been the Wannian County Magistrate for a short time, is afraid that he will have to pack up and resign in order to let someone else take over...

Seeing that the two big men were silent, Li Anqi had no choice but to wave his hand and dismiss the officials: "Go away, don't go anywhere, just stay in the county government and wait for punishment."

The official also knew that he had made a serious mistake. He was trembling with fear and dared not say anything more. He bowed and left.

Li Anqi sighed and said, "It was all because of my failure to discipline him strictly that such a serious incident occurred. I will shoulder all the consequences and have no complaints."

Although the impending punishment may be extremely severe, he can only stand up and take responsibility.

Fang Jun drank his tea in silence, while Xu Jingzong leaned over and whispered in Fang Jun's ear, "This matter may not be that simple. If Prince Jiang and Dou Huairang have a personal grudge and want to sabotage the other's imperial examination as revenge, why would he personally do it? It's not difficult for a prince to find a few people to come to the examination room and beat up Dou Huairang."

The consequences of disrupting the imperial examination were very serious, but the crime was not punishable by death. As long as adequate compensation was given afterwards, many people would flock to do it. Why would Li Yun take the risk himself?

Either no one else can do this, or Li Yun is willing to do it.

Fang Jun thought for a moment and said, "It doesn't make sense. Although Prince Jiang is a playboy, he is a coward. How dare he disrupt the imperial examination so recklessly just for personal grudges?"

Xu Jingzong thought this made some sense and said, "Maybe... someone is instructing him?"

Fang Jun disagreed: "Who can control a prince? Even if there is someone, they lack the motivation."

Li Anqi thought of something, leaned forward, looked at Fang Jun, and whispered: "I recently heard that the Dou family came to the palace to ask Your Majesty to marry Princess Jinyang, and Your Majesty did not object..."

Fang Jun was immediately shocked: "Is this true?"

Princess Jinyang has now become a "troublemaker" in the royal family. Rumors about her marriage emerge every day, and it is difficult to tell whether they are true or false.

Li Anqi said: "Eight or nine out of ten."

Fang Jun nodded, sighed, and said, "We are in trouble."

Since Li Anqi dared to say so, then this matter was basically confirmed. His father, Li Baiyao, once served as the Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs and was one of the most famous Confucian scholars in the world. He had a wide network of connections, especially with a group of royal relatives, and he was very close in private...

Seeing Fang Jun's upset expression, Xu Jingzong suddenly became curious. After a little thought, he figured out what was going on. He couldn't help but ask, "Erlang, I'm afraid you can't explain this matter even if you have a lot of mouths."

Li Anqi was no ordinary person. He understood Xu Jingzong's words immediately. He looked at Fang Jun with deep eyes and sighed, "A beautiful woman's grace and a red sleeve add fragrance to her. This is what scholars like me yearn for. My admiration for the general is like the Yellow River, which is endless..."

"Shut up!"

Fang Jun scolded angrily: "If it weren't for your poor supervision and the reckless behavior of your subordinates, how could I be in such a dilemma?"

Li Anqi laughed and didn't take it seriously.

Since the whole thing was caused by Princess Jinyang and Fang Jun would have to take the blame in the end, he naturally felt relieved for getting out of it and not being involved in the cause and effect.

The personal guards walked in quickly from outside the door and reported: "Erlang, there is an order from the palace. Please come to the palace to see the emperor immediately."

Fang Jun sighed and said, "Back then, those people said that Your Majesty was dull, stupid, and unintelligent, and that he didn't look like a wise ruler... Look at your sharp reactions and swift movements. How can you look stupid at all?"

Xu Jingzong lowered his head and drank his tea without making any comment.

Since it was Fang Jun's personal matter, he would not get involved in it, lest the brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, and brothers-in-law quarreled and laughed off their grudges, and he, an outsider, would be an eyesore...

*****
Dou Dexuan returned home with a gloomy face.

Dou Huairang treated the wound on his buttocks, but was worried about the consequences of his father's entry into the palace, so he had a mattress spread out in the hall and waited on it. When he saw his father sighing, he hurriedly asked, "How will Your Majesty deal with this?"

Dou Dexuan drank a sip of tea and was very frustrated: "I have already petitioned His Majesty and begged him to cancel the marriage proposal. Fortunately, it was just an intention and no substantial action was taken, so His Majesty agreed."

Upon hearing that the marriage proposal was cancelled, Dou Huairang breathed a sigh of relief. Although Princess Jinyang was beautiful and intelligent, and countless young men from noble families admired her, who would dare to marry her?
It's fatal...

Dou Huaizheng slapped his thigh and said regretfully: "What a pity, such a good opportunity."

Relatives tend to become more distant from each other with each generation. When Emperor Gaozu was alive, the Dou family was prominent and powerful, but it declined slightly during the reign of Emperor Taizong. Now that Li Chengqian has ascended the throne, the blood ties between the royal family and the Dou family have become increasingly estranged, and they have long since shown no favor to this relative of theirs. This has also led to the fact that, apart from a few inherited titles, the Dou family has no one holding key positions or holding power.

Now he can neither marry Princess Jinyang, nor become closer to the royal family and return to the core of power, nor can his second brother even waste three years on the imperial examination. Where is the hope of reviving the family?

It was a pity that he got married two years too early, otherwise he would not care if someone interfered and would marry Princess Jinyang at all costs...

Dou Dexuan said helplessly: "After this incident, it is enough to show that Your Majesty favors his brothers and sisters. He knew there was another hidden reason but he did not care about the family affection of his ancestors. You should also recognize the situation and not act recklessly outside."

Why would Dou Huairang care about those things?

He just thought that if he cancelled the marriage proposal, Fang Jun would not target him and he would be completely safe.

Still with lingering fear, he said, "Fortunately, Fang Er is now in a high position and has his own concerns. This time he is just warning me through King Jiang. Otherwise, if he had acted the way he did back then, I'm afraid I would have lost my life long ago!"

Dou Huaizheng was angry at him for not fighting: "My Dou family is famous for military achievements, why is your second brother so cowardly? The reason why he dared to attack Qiu Shenji was because Emperor Taizong had been dissatisfied with Qiu Xinggong for a long time, and he would never blame Fang Er for Qiu Shenji's death. However, my Dou family is a royal family, and your majesty still has our Dou family blood in his body. How can you sit and watch your second brother get killed? As long as you stand up straight and hold on, Fang Er will never dare to attack you. If you can marry Princess Jinyang back, our family's prestige will increase instantly, and within 20 years, our children will prosper and our family business will flourish. It's a pity... Alas!"

Dou Huairang, who was lying on the mattress, did not take it seriously and retorted, "Brother, you are not afraid. Anyway, it is not you who is seeking to marry Princess Jinyang, and Fang Er's knife will not reach your head. You can just stand aside and make sarcastic remarks."

"stop fighting!"

Dou Dexuan was very depressed and irritable. Seeing his two sons attacking each other and hurting their relationship, he said angrily, "This matter has been settled. What's the point of talking about it further? Dalang, you have worked diligently in the government office and accumulated achievements. It will not be difficult for you to be promoted. Erlang can take this opportunity to find a famous teacher and concentrate on his studies. Three years will pass in the blink of an eye. When you take the imperial examination, you will make a name for yourself and have a bright future. Why complain again?"

Having said that, he knew in his heart that His Majesty had already developed a prejudice against the Dou family, and unless he had outstanding achievements, it would be difficult for him to achieve success in his official career.

At first, I thought that asking for Princess Jinyang's hand was a brilliant move, and the so-called Fang Jun coveting Princess Jinyang was completely false. But now it seems that this move was a bad one...

……

After entering the Taiji Palace, Fang Jun followed the eunuch to the Wude Hall. Looking at the double-eaved palace in the misty rain, he sighed imperceptibly.

The relationship between him and Li Chengqian is very delicate, with both the deep friendship of the past and the current confrontation. On one side is friendship, on the other side is interests, mixed together and difficult to separate. Both sides are trying to maintain this delicate relationship, and are unwilling to take strong measures to cause the situation to be unbalanced. However, with the appearance of Li Yun and Dou Huairang, Li Chengqian is afraid that he will be furious and mistakenly think that he is behind it.

Even if I explain it, I'm afraid it won't be clear enough...

When I entered the imperial study, I saw Li Yun lying on the floor and Li Chengqian sitting behind the imperial desk drinking tea. Apart from them, there was no one else.

There's no outsider here, this is going to break out...

Fang Jun took two steps forward and bowed, "I am your humble servant, here to see your majesty."

Li Chengqian put down his teacup, his face gloomy and expressionless, he said calmly: "May I ask you, Taiwei, do you still have me in your eyes? Do you still regard me as the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty?"

The atmosphere suddenly froze.

Li Yun, who was lying on the ground, quietly raised his arms to hide his face. Even though his heart was pounding, he tried his best to maintain his gentle breathing to minimize his presence...