Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5067 Liu Li is in trouble
It was still dark and the Chengtian Gate had just opened when Liu Li went straight into the palace and arrived at the official residence of the Secretariat. The eunuchs had already opened the doors and windows and started watering and sweeping the floor. They wiped the tables and chairs carefully with a rag, and lit the stove in the side hall and filled it with boiling water.

The dawn was just beginning to appear in the east, and looking over the tiered rooftops of the palaces, the sky was painted a pale white.

The grass leaves under the stone steps in front of the door were covered with dew and looked crystal clear.

When he sat down in the duty room, drank a cup of tea and began to look through today's official documents, officials and clerks had already arrived one after another.

Pei Xizai, Shangshu Zuocheng, wearing an official robe, came to work. As soon as he stepped into the official residence, he was told by the clerk that he was summoned by the Zhongshu Ling. He hurried to the Zhongshu Ling's duty room, knocked on the door and entered.

"Your humble servant greets the Minister of the Central Secretariat. What orders do you have for me?"

Liu Li put down his pen, raised his head, walked out from behind the desk, motioned Pei Xizai to sit on the chair next to him, and asked the clerk to pour him tea.

Then he asked, "I heard that the Imperial Censorate is building a lot of buildings?"

Shangshu Zuo Cheng was the third in command of the Shangshu Province, with a status below Shangshu Zuo Pushe. He was in charge of the daily affairs of the Shangshu Province, had great power and a bright future. He would either be gradually promoted within the Shangshu Province to become Shangshu You Pushe, or be sent to other places to become prefects, or to become Shangshu in the six ministries.

The two men were close friends, and Pei Xizai smiled and said, "There was no such thing as a large-scale construction project. It was just that Yatai saw that the large locust trees in the courtyard of the official residence were a bit of an eyesore, and he suspected that the Feng Shui of the Censorate was not good, so he had those large locust trees dug up and removed, and also found a few cypress trees from Mount Zhongnan and transplanted them here. Those cypress trees must have grown for hundreds of years and were very lush. It was not easy to transplant them, so the movement was a bit big."

Liu Li was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and laughed: "Liu Tongshou has had a bad year and bad luck, but he actually took his anger out on a few trees. It's really hilarious. It is said that during the Han Dynasty, the Imperial Censorate was planted with cypress trees, so it was named "Cypress Terrace". Is he trying to emulate the ancients and revive himself?"

Pei Xizai also laughed, and moved closer to Liu Li, whispering, "The plan was originally well planned and foolproof, but in the end, the Duke of Yue attacked and hit the nail on the head. If it weren't for me blocking the public opinion for Your Majesty, I would have resigned. How can I not sigh about my bad luck? I made a big fuss for a few trees, and even made people laugh. I don't know what I mean."

"Haha, Liu Tongshou is very cunning, do you think he is really stupid?"

Liu Li took a sip of tea and said calmly, "He is making fun of himself in this way, and also showing to the outside world that he has corrected his mistakes and repented. No one will let him do this again in the future."

Digging trees and planting trees may seem meaningless, but in fact they are full of ridicule.

How does Your Majesty feel when a dignified Imperial Censor has become a laughing stock among the court and the public?
It seems that a few cypress trees were transplanted, but how do we know that this is not to express one's ambition - to be as strong-willed and fearless as the censors of the Han Dynasty who were not afraid of the powerful?
Pei Xizai thought about it carefully and said with admiration: "The Minister of the Central Secretariat is very intelligent and observant. I am far inferior to him."

Liu Li glanced at the other person with a half-smile, not taking this subtle compliment seriously.

No matter how good the personal relationship is, when the two parties are in a superior-subordinate relationship, they can't help but follow certain rules in the officialdom...

As they were chatting happily, a clerk came up and said, "His Majesty has sent a eunuch to summon you to the imperial study for an audience."

Pei Xizai then stood up and said goodbye: "Please do as you wish, Minister of the Secretariat. I will go and find someone to handle the official business."

Liu Li nodded, and after Pei Xizai left, he tidied his clothes, left the Secretariat, and quickly headed for the Imperial Study.

……

"Appoint Concubine Shen as Zhaoyi?"

Liu Li was slightly surprised by Li Chengqian's question.

Li Chengqian stood up from behind the imperial desk, walked out with his hands behind his back, and nodded, saying, "Jieyi Shen is already pregnant, and is very likely to give birth to a prince. A third-rank Jieyi is beneath her status, so it is reasonable to confer her the title of second-rank Zhaoyi."

Liu Li was silent, his mind was turning.

The ranks in the harem are extremely strict, with a clear distinction between the upper and lower levels. The empress is of the highest rank and rules the harem, and below her are "concubines" of the first rank, and "incense concubines" of the second rank. These are considered the emperor's formal wives and concubines, with a formal status, and can be buried with the emperor after his death. "Jieyushi" are not considered worthy of rank.

Generally speaking, even if Concubine Shen was pregnant, her rank should be raised to Zhaoyi after she gave birth to a prince. After all, princesses were not valuable, and it was almost impossible to "become noble because of their daughters"...

So why is Your Majesty so eager to enthrone Concubine Shen?
"Your Majesty, please understand that the affairs of the harem are your family affairs. Your Majesty has the final say. I dare not interfere."

Li Chengqian waved his hand and asked Liu Li to sit on the chair in front of the window. He sighed and said, "You and I are the emperor and his subject, but we are brothers. I will not hide it in front of you. I have not had many children in recent years, which has become a worry for me. Now that Concubine Shen is pregnant, it is really difficult. Naturally, her rank should be raised so that the child will have a respected status after birth. Otherwise, compared with his cousins, I will be of low status. How can I feel?"

Liu Li suddenly realized.

Comparing with cousins ​​is just an excuse, comparing with the prince is the real thing.

What if a child born to a concubine is a prince? In front of the prince, he is like a slave and has no status at all.

Now that the child has not been born yet, Concubine Shen has been promoted to Zhaoyi. Then, after the child is born in the future, will Concubine Shen be directly promoted to "Madam"?
His Majesty's words were almost like a soft request, without any imperial dignity, which made it difficult for him to refuse. He could only reluctantly say: "Your Majesty is the king and father. How can I sit idly by when the king and father are in trouble? In this case, I will mention this matter at the next meeting of the Political Affairs Hall and advise to promote Concubine Shen to Zhaoyi."

In theory, the affairs of the harem are not under the jurisdiction of the previous dynasty. Your Majesty has no right to interfere in who he wants to promote or demote.

But as the saying goes, "There are no private affairs in the royal family." Changes in the harem will also lead to turmoil in the previous dynasty, so the ministers will not sit idly by and let Your Majesty do whatever he wants.

First promote to Zhaoyi, then to Concubine, this is leapfrogging, and even more so, usurping the throne. It is conceivable that whoever proposes this suggestion will face criticism from the court and the public. It is extremely difficult for Liu Li, who values ​​his own reputation, to make such a decision, but facing the almost begging request of His Majesty, how could he bear to refuse? How could he refuse?

……

Coming out of the Imperial Study, Liu Li looked up at the sun rising above his head, sighed softly, and hurried back to the Secretariat's official residence. He was locked in the duty room alone, not even in the mood to drink tea. He felt depressed and worried.

It would be fine if he was criticized by both the government and the public, but what if he was seen as siding with the unborn "prince" in advance and betraying the empress and the crown prince? Wouldn't that be unjust and unfair?
Although he really didn't want to see the future prince ascend the throne smoothly.

Because that would mean Fang Jun would become more powerful and unstoppable, the entire Tang Dynasty would be controlled by the military, and the civil servants would no longer be able to make their own voices heard and safeguard their own interests...

But who knows whether Concubine Shen can give birth to a prince, and whether His Majesty will really depose the crown prince and appoint another heir?
After being annoyed for a while, Liu Li stood up, took off his official robe, changed into casual clothes, took two servants out of the official residence, left the palace through Chengtian Gate, and went straight to the Ministry of Personnel.

When he arrived at the Ministry of Personnel, he learned that Li Xiaogong had only come to report for duty today and would then return home on sick leave. Liu Li then rode out of the imperial city and headed straight for the Prince of Hejian's Mansion.

The royal study room.

Li Xiaogong had a strong physique, wore a wide robe with big sleeves, and sat on the chair as majestic as a mountain. In the past, he was not only a commander who could plan and win battles thousands of miles away, but also a fierce general who could charge into battle with a horse lance. However, now he had excess fat between his waist and abdomen, and he had a headband tied on his forehead. He looked listless and pale.

"The prince doesn't look well. Can you find an imperial physician to treat him?"

Liu Li looked concerned.

Li Xiaogong rubbed his forehead and sighed, "I'm old now. All the injuries from previous battles have recurred. The imperial doctors don't have any good methods. I can only rest more, take more supplements, and wait for death."

The once invincible general is now old and has no heroic ambition anymore. Only the decadent spirit remains. It is inevitable that people feel pity and sigh.

After talking for a while and drinking a few sips of tea, Li Xiaogong perked up a little and asked with a smile: "The Minister of the Central Secretariat is a rare guest. He will not come to visit me personally to comfort a dying person, right? If you have anything to say, you can speak frankly. However, I am an old man who is about to be buried, and I am afraid that few people will listen to what I say."

"The prince is a peerless hero with outstanding achievements. He is truly the pillar of our Tang Dynasty. How can you be so self-deprecating?"

"Oh! I am only old, not confused yet. It must be extremely difficult for you to deceive me with such sweet words. How about you drink this cup of tea and go back immediately? Otherwise, you will say something difficult and I will not be able to handle it, which is quite embarrassing."

Liu Li quickly said, "I am sincere and respectful, and not a single word I say is false."

"Alright, alright, just say what you want to say. I'm not in good spirits now. I need to get some sleep later."

Li Xiaogong waved his hands impatiently and took a sip of tea.

Liu Li did not dare to neglect and told His Majesty the conversation in the imperial study word for word. At the end, he said with a worried look, "I'm afraid this matter is not so easy. There must be ministers in the outer court who oppose it. The prince has always been a man of his word and has great prestige. If he can speak on behalf of the royal family, I think more people will support Your Majesty."

Li Xiaogong frowned and stared at Liu Li for a long time before he said unkindly, "Does the Minister of the Central Secretariat want to put me to death?"

"I don't dare!"

"Is there anything you dare not do?"

Li Xiaogong snorted coldly and said angrily, "Today you dare to suggest in the Political Affairs Hall to promote Concubine Shen to Zhaoyi. Tomorrow you will dare to draft an edict to depose the queen and enthrone a new queen. The day after tomorrow you will dare to depose the crown prince and establish a new crown prince! Liu Li, if you want to curry favor with His Majesty and win the favor of the imperial power, then go ahead. But I have no grudge against you, why do you drag me into this?"

Today, Liu Li came to visit him. If he agrees to his request, he will face disaster from both the court and the people. If he refuses, it will surely reach the ears of Your Majesty, and Your Majesty will certainly be dissatisfied with his refusal to support him.

Liu Li took the tough job, but turned around and threw him into a pit. He is simply not a human being!