Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5077 Everyone takes a step back

Li Chengqian was unsure of Fang Jun's true intention, so he stood up and walked out from behind the desk. He leaned forward and held Fang Jun's shoulders with both hands to help him up. Then he patted his shoulders and said helplessly, "You and I are king and subject, but in fact we are brothers. Even if there are disagreements between brothers and sisters, we should sit down and discuss them properly. We are all family. Why are we so determined?"

This was meant to comfort Fang Jun and tell him not to take his resignation seriously, but it was also an expression of the author's dissatisfaction with Fang Jun - is there anything between you and me that can't be said in private? Why do you have to embarrass me in the court?

Fang Jun stood up and sighed, "Your Majesty has shown great love for me. I shall serve you with all my heart and soul until my death! But today, I have no choice but to act like this in the court. After all, whether the East Palace is stable is a matter of the whole world. If the throne is unstable, the country will be in turmoil. You and I, the king and the minister, have worked together to overcome all difficulties to build this great situation, which may be destroyed in an instant."

It seems like he is surrendering and apologizing, but his implication is very clear: if you dare to depose the Eastern Palace and do not take the Tang Dynasty seriously, then you and I are no longer your uncle!

Li Chengqian remained silent.

After a long while, he sighed quietly: "I have no intention of changing the crown prince."

Fang Jun bowed and said, "I naturally believe that Your Majesty is not that foolish. After all, no one knows better than Your Majesty the harm that changing the crown prince will bring. Even if Your Majesty has the idea of ​​changing the crown prince, it will be enough to drag the world into a power struggle, which will cause endless troubles. Your Majesty, who is entrusted with the will of heaven, is still in great trouble, let alone the young and naive crown prince. Your Majesty is wise and will certainly not do such a stupid thing."

Li Chengqian: "..."

Are you scolding me to my face?

But I can't talk back.

The eunuch chief Wang De came in trembling with fear, placed the fragrant tea on the table by the window, then bent his body, tiptoed out, and stood outside the door like a door god, forbidding others to approach.

After all, the conversation between the two was not like that of a king or a minister. They were tit-for-tat and mocking each other. If it got out, it would be really embarrassing...

The emperor and his minister sat on a mat by the window. The bright afternoon sunlight was blocked by a laurel tree outside the window. The sunlight shone through the gaps between the branches and leaves onto the ground, creating mottled light and shadows.

Li Chengqian picked up the teacup, took a sip, and looked at Fang Jun.

Fang Jun sat upright and spoke frankly, "I know what your majesty is thinking, but that is just your will. Your majesty thought that he could support a force to restrain the East Palace, but he never considered that everyone has desires. Whether it is Concubine Shen or the future prince in her belly, once they are promoted to that position by your majesty, they will inevitably have ambitions that they should not have. At that time, how could they be willing to be a pawn to check and balance others? There will inevitably be disputes over the throne."

Li Chengqian frowned and drank his tea, deep in thought.

Fang Jun raised his head, his eyes sincere: "For example, did the King of Wei, King of Jin, and King of Qi have any intention of usurping the throne at first?"

Li Chengqian remained silent.

In the ninth year of Wude, my father was forced by Li Jiancheng to launch the "Xuanwu Gate Incident" to save his life. That night, my father led his troops to kill Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji at Xuanwu Gate, and then entered the palace to achieve his great success.

However, in the Qin Palace, everyone was trembling with fear and uneasy when they heard that Xue Wanche had led his army to attack and kill the Qin family in revenge for Li Jiancheng.

The Queen Mother gathered everyone in the main hall and made final preparations. If the enemy broke in, she would commit suicide. This would both preserve her innocence and prevent her from being tortured by the enemy, and also prevent my father from being controlled by others because of his wife and children.

At that time, he was only seven years old, snuggling with six-year-old Li Ke and six-year-old Qing Que. Li You and Li Yin, who were just two years old, were crying loudly, and the whole family was in a state of despair and panic...

When his father exterminated the rebellious officials and ascended the throne, he was named the crown prince and received instruction from great Confucian scholars in the palace with his younger brothers, learning etiquette and classics. No matter whether it was the clever Qingque, the resolute Li Ke, the toddlers Li You and Li Yin, the babbling Li Zhen and Li Yun, or the infant Zhinu... they all loved and respected him.

When did the brothers begin to grow apart and lose their brotherly love?
It was because some people outside the court said that Li Ke had "noble blood" and Qingque had "natural virtue", and the emperor loved and doted on them more and more, and even made many of their rules comparable to those of the crown prince...

In the face of absolute imperial power, all the love between father and son, and between brothers and sisters, no longer exists.

Seeing Li Chengqian deep in thought, Fang Jun whispered, "Your Majesty, in many cases, you should not use the imperial power to test human nature."

You use your supreme power to test human nature. Who can withstand such a test?

The most prudent and appropriate approach should be to cut off all unrealistic ambitions at the root, rather than artificially creating a delusion of "I can do it too"...

Li Chengqian put down his teacup, not knowing what to say.

He admitted that he had indeed done a bad job in this matter. He only wanted to use Concubine Shen and her unborn prince to check and balance the Eastern Palace, but he failed to anticipate the controversy this would cause in the entire court and the turmoil in the country.

But if he didn't do this, would he have to watch the imperial power decline and he, the emperor, be completely sidelined by this group of ministers in the name of the Eastern Palace?

The Grand Council, the Council of State Affairs...both the military and political aspects are firmly controlled by the ministers. As the emperor, he now only has the role of stamping his seal. He even has only the right to make suggestions on military and national affairs, but no power to make decisions. Isn't he just a puppet?

The country currently ruled by our ancestors should be passed on to future generations, for thousands of years to come and be passed down from generation to generation.

Is he just going to pass on the position of a puppet?
A hundred years in the future, how will I face Gaozu and Taizong in the nine springs?
Should we tell them: Look, the Tang Dynasty is now strong and powerful due to collective decision-making, and there is no longer the danger of the country being destroyed due to the king's stupidity...

Not to mention Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Taizong could beat him to death!

I told you that you are weak and incompetent, so I have always wanted to change the crown prince. How is it now? I was right, wasn't I? The great Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was actually controlled by his ministers, which led to the loss of the sacred artifact and the decline of the imperial power. You are such an incompetent person!
Thinking of this, Li Chengqian's heart skipped a beat and he came to his senses.

Looking at Fang Jun, he asked, "Are you really planning to resign?"

Fang Jun sighed in his heart and nodded, "It is not the right thing for a minister to refute His Majesty in the palace. Although there are reasons for it, if Your Majesty does not punish me, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among others. Where will the law of the country be placed? But Your Majesty is reluctant to punish me, and it is inevitable that people will criticize Your Majesty for protecting me... Therefore, I can only resign from my post to follow the law of the country and to uphold discipline. I... have good intentions!"

Li Chengqian: "..."

You're so considerate of me, should I thank you?

He asked with a gloomy face: "Tell me your plan!"

"I would like to resign from the position of Shangshu Pushe, and only retain my position in the Military Affairs Office and the Political Affairs Hall, and no longer participate in daily affairs."

He was no longer impatient to go to the Secretariat every day to sit in the court. The cumbersome and trivial government affairs were very time-consuming and laborious to handle. Apart from taking up the time he usually spent enjoying life, it was completely meaningless.

His strength lies in his knowledge and experience that transcends his time. He can take a bird's-eye view and outline the key points, leading the Tang Dynasty to rapid development and onto the right path that conforms to the historical trend, instead of wasting his energy on day-to-day mundane affairs.

Compared with Ma Zhou, Cui Dunli, Liu Rengui, and even Liu Li, Pei Huaijie and others, he would not do better.

Since there are better, more suitable and energetic people to do those things, why shouldn't he get out of it?
Li Chengqian was silent for a while, then suddenly asked, "How about being sent out to pasture a region for a few years?"

Fang Jun was also silent for a moment, then asked, "Your Majesty, are you really relieved?"

Li Chengqian stopped talking again, feeling very upset.

Keeping this idiot in Chang'an makes him feel like a thorn in his throat and helpless. But if Fang Jun is sent away, with his ability and connections, he might cause some trouble in the local area... Comparing the two, it is better to keep him in Chang'an and stay under his nose, which will save him a lot of trouble.

Helpless, he sighed and said, "The Military Affairs Office and the Political Affairs Hall both have many mundane affairs, and you are impatient with these. At most, you will show up every day and then disappear. With your status, qualifications, and merits, you can't just idle away all day and pursue women, right?"

Fang Jun blinked innocently: "It's fine if I'm idle, but how can I be a prostitute? Your Majesty is wronging me."

"hehe!"

Li Chengqian sneered.

You bastard rarely go to those brothels or prostitutes, but you keep targeting my sisters and causing trouble for them!

Could he be a good person?!

Fang Jun was slightly embarrassed and suggested: "Why not separate the Foundry Bureau from the Military Department and make it directly under the leadership of Your Majesty? How about I be the Director?"

Today, the "Foundry" has long become a behemoth integrating iron smelting, ordnance, gunpowder, research and development and other businesses. It generates profits of up to millions of strings of cash each year, and its business radiates throughout the entire Tang Empire, covering everything from musket barrels, shipbuilding rivets, farmers' farm tools, to armor, swords, and arrowheads.

Wherever iron is used, there are products of the "Foundry".

Such a huge industrial group is no longer suitable to be placed under the Ministry of War. It should be liberated from the structure of the six ministries and placed in the broad perspective of the entire empire, so that it can contribute more to the construction of the empire.

Li Chengqian immediately became interested: "Led directly by me?"

Fang Jun reminded him: "I, your humble servant, am honored to be the 'Director'!"

Can you handle the application, research and development, and industrial layout of steel?

In the Tang Dynasty, no one understands better than him!
Li Chengqian said coldly: "Then I am still a leader!"

Can he lead Fang Jun?
I can’t lead!
Therefore, the "Foundry Bureau" was separated from the Ministry of War and placed under the leadership of the emperor. This was just a name. Its only function was to make the "Foundry Bureau" of higher standards so that it could bypass the three provinces and six ministries and become a "privileged department" through and through. Fang Jun had the final say in everything and he would listen to no one else!

He said absentmindedly, "Okay, I'll do as you say."

After all, Fang Jun had already made real concessions, saving his face. If he didn't agree, this guy would dare to kick him...

It really depressed him that as an emperor he had no way to deal with his subjects.