Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5049 Public Warning
Liu Xiangdao sighed again in frustration: "I was hit in the ribs by a backhand punch. It hurts a lot... These trees are really ugly. They don't have straight trunks or lush crowns. The meaning is also very bad. Who would plant such trees in the government? Find a few people to dig them up."

Sun Chuyue stared blankly at the several large locust trees in the yard, wondering how these trees had offended Yatai?
It looks pretty good...

"It's not difficult to remove it. I'll find someone to do the work right away. But our huge garden would look ugly if it were left bare. Why not plant some flowers and plants?"

"Flowers and grass are delicate and cannot withstand the wind and frost. It is better to plant some cypress trees."

"Cypress?"

"I have heard that in the Western Han Dynasty, cypress trees were planted all over the Imperial Censorate, so people at that time often called it 'Cypress Terrace'. Cypress trees are so beautiful, with upright branches, willing to break but not to bend, fighting the cold and snow, with an unyielding will. The Dalue says, 'If the year is not cold, you cannot know the pine and cypress; if the matter is not difficult, you cannot know the gentleman.' This is exactly the character of the Imperial Censorate!"

Sun Chuyue was speechless. If that was the case, why not plant pine trees and bamboos instead of cypress trees?

It is not a good thing to blindly follow the ancient methods. We must know how to keep pace with the times...

However, no matter how much he complained in his heart, he dared not say a word of rebuttal: "Don't worry, Yatai, I will have someone dig up the tree and then go to Zhongnan Mountain to find a high-quality cypress tree and transplant it here. Give it a year, and next spring, it will be lush and lush, and become a forest."

Liu Xiangdao was satisfied, nodded, and turned to go to the duty room.

As for the case of Cai Ben's death, he didn't bother to care about it. Since Fang Jun was able to threaten the Censorate with a life, he must have already dealt with the aftermath.

Sun Chuyue hurried to the main gate and called the groom, the doorman, and the servants over. Dozens of people gathered in the yard, waving various tools to dig the tree...

*****
A rain during the day made the temperature in the whole Chang'an city cool and pleasant. When the lights came on, dignitaries, princes, generals, merchants, scholars, etc. all came out of their homes and sought pleasure in various places in the city. Pingkangfang was naturally the first choice.

There is a brothel on the south side of Pingkangfang. It is a double-eaved building with black tiles on the roof. It is simple and solemn, without any trace of luxury. From the open window on the second floor, you can see the lanterns of the Bodhi Temple Pagoda in Xuanyangfang not far to the south. It is evening class time, and the faint sound of chanting can be heard in the evening breeze...

Li Anqi, wearing a round-necked suit and a fu hat, walked hurriedly. After entering the yard, he went straight to the second floor under the guidance of the ghost slave. He saw Fang Jun, also wearing a round-necked suit and a fu hat, lying on his back on the legs of a singer. A musician was playing a melodious tune beside him. The singer's slender hand was holding a washed grape and putting it into Fang Jun's mouth.

Fang Jun ate grapes and whispered something, which made the singer smile and tremble. Her collar was slightly loose. Under the light, the singing girl looked undulating and white like jade, which was fascinating.

Li Anqi just glanced at him and then lowered his head slightly, then took a few steps forward to greet him.

Fang Jun sat up, pushed the singer aside, and waved to Li Anqi with a smile: "We are meeting privately, and in such an occasion, why be so polite? Come on, come on, please take a seat."

Kneeling in front of Fang Jun, watching Fang Jun pouring wine with his own hands, Li Anqi smiled bitterly and said, "Why did Duke Yue ask me to meet here? I have met several acquaintances since entering the gate. Duke Yue's every move is watched by everyone. I think the news of my meeting with Duke Yue here will spread before tomorrow morning, and the Imperial Censor will definitely know about it."

He felt no psychological pressure in working for Fang Jun, but he felt that it was not very righteous to stab Liu Xiangdao in the back.

After all, we have been friends for generations, and the relationship is still there, so it's a bit unkind...

Fang Jun put down the wine pot, motioned him to drink, and said nonchalantly: "Even though you and I have never met, do you think Liu Xiangdao doesn't know that Cai Ben's death was caused by you? He was the one who was dishonest in this matter, and he wanted to fight me, so he pretended not to know."

Li Anqi hesitated, sighed, picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

Although he had a prominent family background, he had wasted many years. This Wannian County Magistrate was recommended by Fang Jun. Although he did not openly serve Fang Jun, he had actually long regarded him as his benefactor. How could he disobey the benefactor's orders?

An idea suddenly occurred to him: others might not think that he was recommended by Fang Junzhi, but how could Liu Xiangdao not know it?

Knowing that I might be Fang Jun's man, he still entrusted me with such an important matter. Didn't he know that I might secretly report to Fang Jun and then interfere?

On the one hand, he planned for the students to knock on the palace gate to petition in an attempt to damage Fang Jun's reputation, and on the other hand, he secretly gave Fang Jun an opportunity to take advantage of... The serious and intimidating face of Liu Xiangdao appeared in his mind, but he found that he could not see clearly what these big shots were thinking and doing.

He couldn't help but ask, "What is the position of the Imperial Censor in this matter?"

Fang Jun took a sip of wine, picked up a peach grown in the greenhouse of Mount Li, took a bite, and said casually, "Of course it is the position of the Imperial Censor. What else?"

Li Anqi covered his head in pain, his self-confidence was greatly hit, and he said dejectedly: "No wonder I have a prominent family background but my career has not been smooth and I have wasted many years. The ideas of you court officials are really too profound, tortuous, and difficult to distinguish true from false. I am far from it."

"Haha, you don't have to look so shocked. The officialdom is just like that. It's difficult, but it's also simple. It's nothing more than 'strengthening one's strengths and avoiding one's weaknesses'. Since you are not good at intrigue, then try to avoid getting yourself into this kind of situation. Just be a county magistrate and encourage agriculture and pay attention to people's livelihood, or establish education and boost the imperial examination system, or prosper commerce and share wealth with the people. As long as you do one of them well, you will have a promising future."

The officialdom is full of intrigue, and anyone with even the slightest lower IQ will not be tolerated.

But Li Anqi has enough intelligence, but he grew up in a prominent family with a Confucian tradition. He has neither received any official education nor experienced any hardships, so it is inevitable that he is a pure person.

Pure people can also be good officials.

Li Anqi thought about it, but still felt unconfident. He said dejectedly, "That being said, it is difficult to do it. I am still better at studying. I will find an opportunity to hand over this position of county magistrate and go to the Ministry of Rites or the Imperial College to find an assignment."

This incident dealt him a heavy blow. He was in the middle of a situation, but he had no idea what he was doing. It was really uncomfortable to be manipulated by others...

Fang Jun said casually: "It's not impossible. I owe you a favor this time. If you really go to the Ministry of Rites in the future, I will help you talk to Xu Jingzong and find a good job."

Li Anqi thanked him quickly, and the guilt he felt for siding with Fang Jun and stabbing Liu Xiangdao in the back was alleviated a lot.

Perhaps this is the rule of officialdom. No matter who you are, you have to take sides and make your position clear. As long as you stand firmly, you will naturally get rich rewards.

The two no longer talked about these official affairs, but only talked about love and romance.

Li Anqi was a descendant of aristocratic family and had experienced such occasions since childhood. He had literary talent and meaningful words, and he was quick-witted and eloquent, and the atmosphere was very good for a while.

……

The lights in the imperial study were bright.

Li Chengqian stayed here the whole day. After dinner in the evening, he dealt with government affairs for a while, and then asked Li Junxian to go out and inquire about the situation. He would never allow any slander about the imperial examination in the court, the public, or the market.

Compared to suppressing Fang Junzhi's prestige, the imperial examination is naturally more important.

Soon, Li Junxian walked in quickly and reported in a low voice.

"Li Anqi?"

Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows in surprise. Could it be that Li Baiyao's son would stand on Fang Jun's side without any scruples and stab Liu Xiangdao, his friend for generations, just for the favor of recommendation?
Li Baiyao and his father Li Delin were both famous Confucian scholars in the Sui and Tang dynasties. Although the Boling Li family was not as prominent as the Boling Cui family, their ancestors originated from the Zhaojun Li family, which had deep roots and considerable strength.

But he was soon relieved. People go to high places and water flows to low places. The benefits that can be obtained by joining Fang Jun are far greater than following Liu Xiangdao. What else can be blamed?

It was Liu Xiangdao's fault that he was confused for a moment and trusted his "friend" son too much, and entrusted such an important matter to Li Anqi, but ended up being stabbed in the back...

Suddenly, something occurred to Liu Xiangdao. Was he really deceived by Li Anqi?
Immediately he suppressed this thought, Liu Xiangdao was his eyes and ears, hands and feet in the court, and his loyalty to him was beyond doubt.

He sighed softly and said dejectedly, "I did a bad job on this matter. Erlang was resentful, so he openly met with Li Anqi. This was to express his dissatisfaction to me and also to warn me."

Li Junxian remained silent and turned a deaf ear.

As the person who has the most access to the emperor's private affairs, he is already well aware of the relationship between His Majesty and Fang Jun.

The two men supported each other and were close friends, trusting and loyal to each other during several rebellions.

But at the same time, the two of them checked and balanced each other and fought against each other constantly. Fang Jun single-handedly caused the Military Affairs Council to erode military power, and His Majesty fought hard against this...

The rift between the two men grew deeper and their ideas diverged, but if anyone dared to shake His Majesty's throne, the first person to rush forward and always firmly support His Majesty would definitely be Fang Jun.

Therefore, between His Majesty and Fang Jun, he, Li Junxian, is just an outsider. Even if His Majesty is cursing Fang Jun now, he cannot interfere.

Otherwise, you will be neither popular nor unpopular...

As to whether Your Majesty’s use of the word “warning” was appropriate, there is no need to worry about it.

Li Chengqian complained, but when he saw that Li Junxian didn't respond at all, he immediately felt bored and asked casually, "How is Hexi doing?"

Almost none of the garrison leaders inside and outside Chang'an City are loyal to the emperor. It is time to recall Cheng Yaojin.

Although he had absolute trust in Fang Jun, Fang Jun, who was in charge of the Left and Right Jinwu Guards, had always been disobedient, which made the emperor very uncomfortable and depressed...

Li Jun said enviously: "Gonggong Lu led the soldiers of the Left Guard to reclaim wasteland and plant cotton in Guzang City. General Niu Jinda of the Right Guard also cultivated land in Fanhe area and planted cotton on a large scale."

Li Chengqian clicked his tongue, somewhat speechless.

Two of the Sixteen Guards, the most elite troops in the world, any one of which could destroy a country or an entire clan, actually picked up hoes and went down to the fields to farm?