Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5136 Palace Rules
Empress Su retorted to Princess Changle, then turned back to pour tea from the kettle and said calmly, "It is not uncommon for people to favor concubines over wives. It is not unbearable for me to suffer this fate."

Princess Changle frowned and said, "Why should the queen be so suspicious? In any case, Xiang'er is the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty and the heir to the throne of the empire. The court and the people unanimously recognize him and there is absolutely no objection. Anyone in this harem can only be prominent for a short time."

As long as the prince's position is stable, the empress will naturally be the mother of the country. The late emperor had more than a dozen sons, but the one who had the final say in the harem from beginning to end was only Empress Wende.

The queen's position should not be usurped.

Princess Jinyang was eating cakes on the side, and suddenly said: "It may not be stable. The Tang Dynasty was established not long ago, but the position of the crown prince is in jeopardy."

Let's not talk about Li Jiancheng, who was defeated and killed at Xuanwu Gate, and his entire family was wiped out. Even Li Chengqian, the heir apparent, had gone through many hardships and was nearly deposed by the previous emperor several times. After ascending the throne, he also encountered several mutinies. Li Xiang might not be able to wait until he ascended the throne in peace...

Princess Changle was a little annoyed. She glared at Jinyang and complained, "Do you know how to comfort people?"

Princess Jinyang brushed off the cake crumbs on her slender white palms and said with a smile, "What's the use of consoling me at this time? No matter how nice the words are, they can't beat the facts. The fact is that your majesty favors Concubine Shen now, and it is very likely that he will transfer his favor from the crown prince to the little prince."

Changle was speechless. Even if this was the fact, why should he speak so bluntly and make others feel upset?

Queen Su looked towards Jinyang.

Princess Jinyang took a sip of tea and smiled sweetly, "It's useless to worry too much. The most important thing is how to stabilize Xiang'er's position as the crown prince. Looking at the court, who can support Xiang'er more firmly and more powerfully than my brother-in-law? So, sister-in-law, don't worry about how that foxy Concubine Shen tries to win favor and take credit, but do everything you can to make your brother-in-law support Xiang'er consistently."

Queen Su nodded, feeling as if something had suddenly dawned on her.

The succession to the throne has never been the emperor's business alone and cannot be left to the emperor's will.

Emperor Taizong had unrivaled prestige and unparalleled achievements, yet he repeatedly tried to depose the crown prince and appoint another heir but failed. What about Your Majesty?
However, the words "try everything" in Jin Yang's words made her heart skip a beat. She instantly remembered her promise to Fang Jun, and her pretty face was hot...

She quickly said, "I am a woman in the deep palace. Although I can often meet with the general, it is not very convenient after all. I still have to rely on my two sisters in this regard."

Princess Jinyang spread her hands and said, "I am just a sister-in-law. How can I influence my brother-in-law in this matter?"

Changle said angrily: "You little girl, your little trick is known to everyone. Stop dreaming, it's impossible!"

How can a legitimate princess who is still waiting to be married marry the prince consort of another princess?

If this happens, it will become a laughing stock for all eternity!
Princess Jinyang curled her lips and snorted.

Princess Changle did not get angry with Jinyang. She held the Queen's hand and said softly, "Erlang and Xiang'er have always been master and apprentice. There is no doubt that he is determined to maintain the orthodoxy. Just like he supported Your Majesty in the beginning, he will definitely support Xiang'er."

The queen nodded.

Fang Jun did strongly support Li Xiang, and even had conflicts with His Majesty on many occasions because of this.

But can he really do nothing and just wait for Fang Junyi to fulfill his duties as a subject and maintain the legal system?
She always felt uneasy if she didn't do something, or didn't pay something back. If she wanted others to do their best for her and her son, she couldn't just give them nothing, right?
For a moment, his thoughts drifted to a certain night in the palace, when the two of them met in a secret room, heard each other's voices, and the promise he had made...

Princess Jinyang sighed and said worriedly, "The war in the Western Regions has probably already begun, right? Although my brother-in-law is invincible, the enemy is said to number in the hundreds of thousands. We cannot afford to make any mistakes, or we will be in trouble if we lose the initiative."

As soon as these words were spoken, the queen's heart suddenly began to tighten again.

Yes!

What if Fang Jun is defeated in the Western Region?

The reason why Fang Jun was so powerful and prestigious that His Majesty was tolerant of him even though he was dissatisfied with him was not only because of the deep friendship between the two, but also because Fang Jun had won one victory after another, and had never been defeated, whether internally or externally.

If they lose this time, not only will the entire Western Region be plunged into war and turmoil and will most likely be out of the control of the Tang Dynasty, but it will also be a fatal blow to Fang Jun's reputation.

By then, will Fang Jun still have enough ability and confidence to support the prince?

Princess Changle glanced at her sister and said unhappily, "Erlang is an unparalleled strategist, Pei Xingjian is a genius, and Xue Rengui is the bravest of the three armies... With these three people together, what's the point of a mere Arab? We will definitely win this battle. The only difference is whether we can defeat the enemy or annihilate them completely."

Empress Su also came to her senses and looked at Princess Jinyang with dissatisfaction: "Sister-in-law is in a state of panic right now, and you still have the nerve to think about it with me? Besides, I have no say in your marriage. Instead of asking me to intercede for you, you might as well go find Concubine Shen. After all, she just gave birth to a prince and is favored."

Princess Jinyang then hugged the Queen's arm, snorted, and said, "I'm going to ask her for help? Haha, there's only one sister-in-law in my heart. Let alone asking for help, I won't even go to her house."

Although the little princess has a lively and whimsical personality, her position is very firm.

She lost her mother at a young age, and she got along well with her eldest sister-in-law. To some extent, the queen was a "mother and sister-in-law" in her eyes, and the emotional foundation was very deep...

The queen smiled and raised her hand to stroke Jinyang's temples. The relationship between the aunt and the sister-in-law was very harmonious.

And with this interruption, her worries were alleviated a little. After all, everything has two sides. Fang Jun's defeat would certainly lead to the instability of the prince's position, but from another perspective, if Fang Jun returned with a great victory, his position as the "number one in the army" would be as stable as Mount Tai, and even Li Ji would have to avoid his edge and be inferior to him.

In this way, wouldn't the prince be more stable?

……

Zhongshu Province.

Liu Li raised his head from his desk, first looked at the sky outside, then put down his brush, picked up the teacup, took a sip of cold tea, and let out a breath.

Seeing the Secretary of the Central Secretariat Ren Yaxiang coming in from outside, he asked, "Has the latest war report from the Western Region arrived yet?"

Ren Yaxiang said hurriedly: "I have been watching the Ministry of War and have not seen the latest battle report."

Liu Li nodded, took another sip of tea, and found that the tea was almost gone, so he casually put the teacup aside. Ren Yaxiang hurried to the outer room to fetch hot water to refill the cup.

Liu Li frowned in deep thought.

In recent times, he has been raising food, fodder and military equipment from all parties and transporting them to the Western Regions. He has been working tirelessly and forgetting to eat and sleep. It is because there are only four words on Fang Jun's battle reports: food, fodder, and military equipment.

He didn't understand. Regardless of the victory or defeat of this battle, how could the 40,000 Anxi troops use so many supplies? They couldn't use them all even after fighting for two or three years!

If it was another general, he would even doubt whether the other party wanted to maintain his power and establish his own regime in the Western Regions... But since it was Fang Jun, he naturally would not do such a stupid thing.

Could it be that he was afraid of failure, so he planned to fight a war of attrition with the Arabs in the Western Regions in order to wear down the Arabs who had traveled a long distance on the expedition?

But if that were the case, the Arabs would most likely collapse and have to withdraw their troops, but the Tang Dynasty couldn't stand it! Guanzhong was thousands of miles away from Suiye City, and the journey was difficult and arduous. The consumption of transporting one stone of grain was almost the same, and no matter how much grain there was, it couldn't withstand such consumption!
Although the country seems to be prosperous and the treasury is well-stocked, the foundation is actually not stable. If too many resources are consumed in war instead of being used to stabilize people's livelihood and build infrastructure, it is very likely that the good situation will be ruined...

Sometimes, he even wanted to go to the Duke of Ying's mansion and ask Li Ji in person: What on earth is Fang Er trying to do? !

But he can't.

The Minister of the Central Secretariat has now become the head of the prime ministers, which means he has stepped on the Shangshu Zuo Pushe to get to the top. How could he lower his status to ask Li Ji for advice?

Ren Yaxiang made some tea and whispered, "I just heard that Lu Dongzan's son Lun Qinling and his family came to the capital and were summoned by His Majesty. Perhaps he plans to stay in Chang'an for a long time."

Liu Li sneered: "It's just a nice thing to say. I just volunteered to be a servant. Now Lu Dongzan is in the hands of Fang Jun, who has the final say over his life and death. The Gar tribe has to guard against Songtsen Gampo's revenge and attack on Fuxi City. Therefore, they want to completely surrender to the Tang Dynasty and rely on the Tang Dynasty for support."

"I also heard that when Lun Qinling met Your Majesty, he presented a Tibetan treasure..."

Then he told him all the news he had heard.

This was not really a secret, and after being intentionally "leaked" by some people, it quickly spread throughout Taiwan.

Liu Li took a sip of tea, shook his head slightly and sighed.

How could he, as the chief prime minister, not know Your Majesty's intention?
But it is precisely because I know it so well that I am worried!
The crown prince is the foundation of the country. If the foundation is unstable and the country is not secure, wouldn't that be throwing the country into chaos?

Moreover, the Crown Prince has performed excellently in all aspects and has never made any mistakes. How can he be deposed so easily?

Not to mention that there are a number of important officials who are loyal to the Eastern Palace under the leadership of Fang Jun...

Ren Yaxiang was still bowing beside him, and continued in a low voice: "There is news from the palace that His Majesty intends to hold a full-month banquet for the little prince and entertain all the ministers. During the period, he will also reduce taxes and grant amnesty to the whole country, and the whole world will celebrate together."

Holding a full-month banquet is an ancient custom. The infant mortality rate is extremely high, and generally the survival rate will greatly increase if the baby can survive until the full month. This is used as a banquet to entertain relatives and friends and the whole family to celebrate.

But the crux of the matter is...

"The Queen is still in the East Palace?"

"Yes."

Liu Li's headache became more and more serious.

The Queen is the mother of the country. In theory, no matter which concubine has a child, the Queen should be regarded as the legal mother in name. What's more, the Queen, as the master of the six palaces, is still in the East Palace and has no intention of returning to the Taiji Palace. Who should organize the full moon banquet?

It’s impossible for Concubine Shen to come forward in person, right?
That would cause chaos in the world.

(End of this chapter)