Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5249 Parting on bad terms
Gao Lixing frowned and stroked his beard, puzzled: "The Cheng family is the most calculating. They will never do anything without benefit. Cheng Chuliang's actions are tantamount to angering all of us, and even 'cutting himself out of the ranks of the imperial son-in-law.' He has spent more money and offended people. What is he after?"

With a host of downsides and almost no benefits, this is not the style of the Cheng family.

Therefore, he was completely baffled.

Zhou Daowu scratched his head, extremely annoyed: "What's important now isn't what Cheng Chuliang thinks, but that this scoundrel has put us in an awkward position with his backstabbing."

In any case, Cheng Chuliang has already sent out the money, and it is now widely known throughout the court and the public. So, should this large group of people in the hall follow suit?
Dugu Mou, dressed in a round-necked casual suit and wearing a turban, stood up, yawned, clasped his hands in apology, and said, "I didn't sleep well last night, and now I'm feeling sleepy and can't control myself. I've been a bit rude. I'd better go back and catch up on some sleep. Farewell."

Zhou Daowu hurriedly said, "Brother Dugu, why the rush? Let's..."

Dugu Mou waved his hand to interrupt him: "No, no, my eyelids are drooping and my head is spinning. I really can't hold on any longer. I'm sorry everyone."

Ignoring the others' attempts to dissuade him and their pleas to stay, he swaggered away.

While everyone was still in a daze, Du He stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed to everyone, and said with a smile, "I suddenly remembered that my princess is waiting for me to go back to discuss the New Year's gift list, so please excuse me."

The princes exchanged bewildered glances, then quickly chased after Dugu Mou and ran off into the distance...

Wei Shuyu looked around, feeling uneasy. He quickly stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, and was about to speak when Gao Xingli asked curiously, "Are you exhausted, or are you going home to discuss matters with the princess? Oh, you haven't had any children since you got married, are you in a hurry to go back and have children?"

Although the atmosphere in the hall was oppressive and everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, Gao Lixing's words caused everyone to burst into laughter.

Wei Shuyu was shy and lacked his father's fierce temperament. Upon hearing this, his face turned red with shame and indignation. He wanted to argue, but felt it was pointless. In a fit of anger, he turned and left.

The laughter gradually subsided after Wei Shuyu disappeared through the doorway.

Zhou Daowu and Gao Lixing exchanged a glance and both sighed. The former looked at the prince consorts in the hall and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Wang Jingzhi, being a landlord and of seniority, said upon hearing this, "Things have come to this point, what more is there to say? Since Cheng Chuliang has already set an example for everyone, we should all follow suit. Otherwise, if any trouble is caused, it will only make us a laughing stock, and it will be embarrassing for everyone, from top to bottom."

Dou Huaizhe stroked his beard, somewhat puzzled: "First, you stirred up public opinion to corner us, then you turned Cheng Chuliang against us overnight, cutting off our supply lines... Your strategy is extremely brilliant. When did Your Highness become so resourceful and cunning?"

Zhou Daowu was taken aback: "You mean... someone is advising the King of Qi?"

Dou Huaizhe shook his head and smiled, "I didn't say much, I was just surprised that His Highness Prince Qi has made so much progress, and I admire him greatly."

Who doesn't know His Highness Prince Qi?

They might have some cleverness, but such a ruthless and meticulously planned scheme is absolutely impossible for them to come up with.

The princes in the hall fell silent once again.

Dou Huaizhe looked around and said helplessly, "Things have come to this point. We either have to quickly offer Cheng Chuliang a 'gift' or go our own way and insist on our own opinions. But in any case, it's not appropriate to work together like this. To put it nicely, it's 'unity in advance and retreat,' but to put it bluntly, it's 'colluding in secret and working together'... This matter can be big or small, and we can't be careless."

After saying this, he stood up, ignoring Zhou Daowu's attempts to persuade him to stay: "I will go back to my residence to make preparations now and take my leave."

Turn around and leave.

Thus, this private meeting, intended to "demonstrate unity," completely fell through, and the other princes-in-law all rose to take their leave.

Zhou Daowu and Gao Lixing exchanged a glance and both smiled bitterly.

"It is true that we are stingy and unwilling to 'give' too much, but in the end, isn't it because everyone is currently struggling financially? We originally hoped that by sticking together, we could save this expense, but now we might become the target of everyone's criticism."

No matter what happens, good or bad, the person who takes the lead will inevitably bear the greatest consequences. If it's a good thing, they will be rewarded for their merits and their prestige will soar. But if it's a bad thing, they will have to bear the infamy and even the wrath of His Majesty.

Gao Lixing also said helplessly, "Who would have thought that the Prince of Qi would actually use such a drastic measure to turn Cheng Chuliang against his will? At this point, let's not talk about anything else and hurry back to raise the money. If we send it too late, who knows what other troubles might arise."

Zhou Daowu could only nod.

But the thought of having to "gift" 300,000 strings of cash all at once, and that several princes would soon be going to their fiefdoms overseas, caused him excruciating pain, as if his own flesh was being ripped out. His wounded heart was bleeding and riddled with holes...

*****
Taiji Palace is like a house with drafts everywhere, where any secret will be leaked and cannot be kept secret. But at the same time, it is also the gathering place for all the secrets and information in the entire city of Chang'an. Li Chengqian is like a giant spider that stretches its tentacles to all parts of the city, sitting in Taiji Palace and receiving the information from all sides...

Such a small-scale event as the "Gathering of Imperial Sons-in-Law" naturally could not escape his notice.

Inside the Imperial Study, Li Chengqian looked at the memorial presented by the "Hundred Cavalry Division," which detailed the cause, beginning, process, and result of the "Gathering of Imperial Sons-in-Law." While slightly annoyed, he couldn't help but marvel at it.

Standing nearby, Liu Ji couldn't help but laugh and said, "Regardless of the right or wrong of the King of Qi's stance and motives, judging solely from his strategy, it can be described as meticulously planned. In particular, his move to turn Cheng Chuliang against the King of Qi was a stroke of genius. Impressive!"

He did appreciate Li You's performance, but the commotion he stirred up was not a big deal. It was just a game of money between brothers-in-law, and the outcome would not affect the overall situation of the court. He would let them make a fuss.

Li Chengqian put down the memorial, took a sip of tea, and agreed wholeheartedly: "Li Youzhi's character is too careless and shallow. He has petty cleverness but no great wisdom. His schemes and plans this time were indeed unexpected and impressive. If he can maintain such a performance, I can rest assured after he goes to sea in the future."

Liu Ji echoed his sentiments for a couple of sentences, then recalled something: "Recently, officials under the Secretariat have repeatedly asked me for instructions, wishing to present a small gift to the princes who have taken up their fiefs as a token of their goodwill. I am hesitant and dare not act on my own initiative. I wonder what Your Majesty's opinion is?"

After a moment's thought, Li Chengqian understood Liu Ji's meaning.

Where was this "expression of goodwill" from a subordinate official of the Secretariat? It was clearly the ministers in the court who, seeing the princes-in-law vying for "gifts" and making a great fuss, feared giving others ammunition and sent Liu Ji to test the waters.

He then waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "There's no need for that. It's enough that the princes-in-law have such good intentions. How much they give is entirely up to them. It's a way to fulfill the bond between brothers. Officials in the court should not follow suit."

The saying goes, "What the superiors like, the inferiors will surely imitate." If all officials were required to "give gifts," superiors would directly set a fixed amount for the gifts to save face, while subordinates would try every means to extort money and valuables, which could very likely develop into a massive money-making scheme...

Liu Ji nodded, then suddenly smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I still think that the King of Qi's actions this time were too amazing, far exceeding his usual level."

Li Chengqian glanced at him and said, "Are you saying that someone is plotting against the King of Qi?"

"It's not impossible."

"My dear minister, this is merely a guess. Without solid evidence, it is best to be cautious in your words to avoid any unforeseen complications."

Li Chengqian remained noncommittal.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ji immediately understood.

Whether or not someone offered advice to the Prince of Qi was not important, because His Majesty was also very displeased with those sons-in-law who pretended to be confused. It was one thing for others to remain silent, but his own brother was about to go to sea to take up his fiefdom and would never see him again in his lifetime, yet he was still stingy with money and silk and pretended to be deaf and dumb. Wasn't that disheartening?

Especially at a time when His Majesty is fully demonstrating "benevolence," this is practically an open contradiction to His Majesty.

Whether it was due to Prince Qi's own initiative or someone else's advice, this was the outcome His Majesty desired—the princes were about to set sail to their fiefdoms, and their sisters and husbands generously donated money…

Sometimes, regardless of whether it's true or false, this kind of "political correctness" is necessary.

The Tang emperor drew a line, and the whole country would follow it closely; otherwise, how could the supreme power of the emperor be demonstrated?
Now that Li Chengqian has found his own "political correctness," his energy is no longer focused on the "new policies" being implemented throughout the country. With so many civil and military officials and "a multitude of upright officials filling the court," he only needs to delegate government affairs and they will be done beautifully. He himself is now fully "marketing" his image of "benevolence" and "generosity."

The reason why the Prince of Qi stirred up such a storm in the city, instead of blaming him, was precisely this.

Can't we always be the ones directing and acting?
People would get tired of it after a while, so this is a perfect opportunity to showcase the royal family's "unity" and "friendship"—it's timely and opportune...

……

Du He returned to the mansion and sat in the hall with a worried expression and a heavy heart.

Princess Chengyang came out from the back hall and, seeing her husband's appearance, sat down to the side and asked curiously, "Weren't all of you consorts supposed to go to the gathering together? I wonder what conclusion you reached?"

Du He sighed, "What's there to discuss? That scoundrel Cheng Chuliang betrayed us halfway through and stabbed us in the back. We all parted on bad terms."

After he explained how Cheng Chuliang betrayed and turned against them, Princess Chengyang pouted and said, "I told you not to get too close to Zhou Daowu, Gao Lixing and the like, but you wouldn't listen. Which of those people is upright and honest? They are all selfish, short-sighted, and will never amount to anything... It's over now, my lord should be happy, why do you look so worried?"

Du He sighed deeply: "Because of Cheng Chuliang's arrival, everyone can only follow the example of the gifts he gave us... I'm worried about how to raise so much money and silk."

The Du family doesn't have much surplus grain either.