The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 1033 Princess Gaoyang
Li Yan thought of Hou Junji again, then chuckled and shook his head. He was born a military general, with a limited mind, but he was a little bold. He himself did not have too many scheming and ambitions. He usually only ate pickled vegetables that he pickled himself. His biggest wish was that his daughter could be happy.

Unlike Changsun Wuji, he did not have a strong family background, nor did he need to seek too much power. If he was not afraid that he would be used as a pawn like Chu Heng, he would not even hit him.

In the past, as Haitang's father and his own father-in-law, he had to support the entire East Palace.

Now, he was the emperor, his daughter was the empress, and his eldest son was appointed as the crown prince. He also knew that he had a strong military force in the north, so the situation was very good. The future generations no longer needed him to support them.

A jade pillar far stronger than him already stands between heaven and earth.

In this case, if I give him a warning, he will probably be more restrained and won't hang around in front of me all day.

Li Yan knew that his methods of controlling Changsun Wuji and Hou Junji were completely different.

Changsun Wuji didn't know his true strength, so he could only restrain him with kindness; while Hou Junji knew his true inner feelings, and since he was a military general, he lacked brains but was extremely daring, so he needed to use his power to shock him.

Fortunately, he knows how powerful he is. No matter how much pressure I put on him, he will only be in awe and not resentful.

Yes, in Li Yan’s heart, everyone’s attitude towards him should first be respect.

Among these awes, although respect is more important, fear is the easiest to achieve. If the ministers around him have no fear of the emperor, how can he rule the world and govern the world?
Whether it was the old ministers of the Eastern Palace or his own royal relatives, he had to understand that between him and them, first he was the monarch and his subject, then his nephew, uncle, father-in-law, son-in-law, brother, and comrade-in-law, and this order of priority must not be messed up.

Even if there is a need to show closeness and strengthen relations, that is the power and grace of the emperor, and cannot be usurped by others at will.

Li Yan was speechless when he saw the monarchs and their subordinates in the TV dramas and novels of later generations, who got along like family members, ate together, lived together, slept together, and called each other brothers. Such a situation only happened in the early days of conquering the world, when the power was still small.

When you really become the leader of a powerful force, or even an emperor, it is simply impossible to do this.

The emperor is the emperor, and the ministers are the ministers. If they are too close, they will lose their dignity. Without dignity, what can they use to shock the world?

Confucius said: "If the government is lenient, the people will be lazy. If they are lazy, correct them with severity. If the government is harsh, the people will be cruel. If they are cruel, treat them with leniency. When leniency and severity complement each other, and kindness and severity are used together, the government will be harmonious."

If the common people are like this, what about the civil officials and generals under his command?

Do you really think that you can bind them and resist the dual temptations of interests and power just by relying on emotions and loyalty?

He must keep a distance from his ministers, remain mysterious, be moody, and use kindness and severity as he pleases. Everyone must maintain sufficient respect for the emperor.

As an emperor, he has too many resources and too many people to use. How can he have the energy to win people over with virtue one by one? There is no need to win people's hearts in that way. He only needs to use the two magical tools of reward and punishment.

Thinking of this, Li Yan's eyes gradually became sharp, and he thought secretly: "If I want to establish the supreme status of the king and the authority that is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people in the shortest time, I can only rely on establishing my authority, and the best way to establish my authority is to kill people."

First make people fear you, and then slowly gain their respect for you; this is the compulsory task for an emperor.

At this moment, Wang De quietly walked into the study and said softly, "Your Majesty, the commander of the Jinyiwei, Wang Xuance is outside seeking to see you."

"Well, let him in!"

After a moment, Wang Xuance walked in quickly, with a hint of anger on his face. However, in front of the king, he controlled his temper and bowed properly.

Li Yan did not exempt them from the ceremony. He had just become the emperor and it was time to establish his authority. If he exempted them from the ceremony at every turn, it would only destroy his own great wall. Over time, the people below would also ignore the etiquette towards him.

It was not easy for our ancestors to build this system that is beneficial to us. We must not destroy it easily.

Moreover, if you show favors frequently, the people below you will feel that you are not powerful enough, so you use these small tricks to win people's hearts. When you are truly powerful in the future, you can be exempted from the formalities, which is a special honor.

As for now, it’s just a kowtow, and it won’t cost you a piece of flesh. How grateful can others be?

"Get up!"

Wang Xuance performed the ceremony meticulously without any impatience or frugality. When the new emperor ascended the throne, Li Yan also paid special attention to these things. It was precisely because of his lack of prestige that he could see from these details whether his subjects were respectful to him or not.

Li Yan nodded in satisfaction, and then said lazily: "Tell me, what's the matter?"

"Your Majesty, something bad has happened. After the court was dismissed today, a lot of rumors suddenly spread in the streets of Chang'an. They are all..."

Hearing this, Li Yan sat up straight with a cold look in his eyes: "What are they all about?" "They are all about Princess Gaoyang and Monk Bianji."

Wang Xuance said with an angry look, "Now all the people are talking about this matter. What's worse, some storytellers have exaggerated it and made it into a story. They are telling it in restaurants and teahouses in a vivid way, which has caused a very bad influence."

"Even the name and image of the royal family have been severely damaged."

Li Yan's face darkened, and a murderous look flashed across his eyes: "Have the Jinyiwei found out? Who is behind this?"

"Your Majesty, those people are very arrogant and have no intention of covering up at all. I am very sure that it was Cui who spread the rumors behind the scenes."

"Humph, I knew it was these people. They are really wicked and unwilling to give up!"

Wang Xuance's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he said murderously: "Your Majesty, these people's reckless attack on Princess Gaoyang has greatly damaged the reputation of the royal family. I ask Your Majesty to order the arrest of all these people and interrogate them strictly."

Li Yan's face was uncertain for a moment, his eyes flickered constantly, and finally he let out a deep breath and said coldly: "Forget it, it is better to guard against the mouths of the people than to guard against the river. Arresting people in the name of the court in the busy city will only make me more passive."

"And those ignorant people will think that I am intolerant. Perhaps, Cui is waiting for me to do this?"

Wang Xuance was stunned and immediately felt troubled: "What should we do? Should we just let them ruin the emperor's reputation? The emperor has just ascended the throne. If we let them continue to make trouble like this, his prestige will be completely destroyed."

"How about asking Lord Changsun to come forward and mediate?"

Since force doesn't work, let's try diplomacy, Wang Xuance tentatively proposed this suggestion. Li Yan was indignant: "The nobles are doing this, maybe just waiting for me to give in. Then, they will ask for a lot of money, I wonder how much benefit they will give up?"

"Moreover, if I am forced by the nobles to swallow this bitter pill, how will the civil and military officials and royal relatives look at me? Where will I put my face?"

Neither this nor that worked. Wang Xuance now thoroughly felt the difficulty of the aristocratic families and the complexity of the power struggle at the top, and his heart was filled with bitterness.

Li Yan thought for a while and was about to say something.
Suddenly, a beautiful figure dressed in gorgeous clothes rushed in, and the imperial study was immediately filled with a strong smell of powder, disrupting the original solemnity and dignity of the room. Li Yan frowned in displeasure.

This figure ignored everything else and rushed to Li Yan's side and cried, "Royal brother, are you going to make the decision for me?"

"Princess, please do not behave in front of the king."

Wang De and several eunuchs tried to stop them from behind. They followed her to the imperial study and knelt down to apologize, saying, "Your Majesty, Princess Gaoyang insisted on seeing you, and I was unable to stop her."

Li Yan waved his hand unhappily. Seeing this, Wang De hurriedly retreated with Wang Xuance.

Seeing that there were no outsiders around, Gao Yang sat down on the brocade cushion beside him, took out a brocade handkerchief from his bosom, and wiped his eyes with it: "Royal brother, the people of Jingzhao Yin are too bold. They actually dared to arrest my sister's friend for interrogation."

"Not only did he slander me, but he also tortured me without authorization."

"Royal brother, what are they trying to do? They don't take you, their royal brother, seriously at all. You can't just sit there and watch!"

Princess Gaoyang was the seventeenth daughter of Li Shimin, two years younger than Li Zhi. She was born the year Li Yan was sent to the Turks. At that time, Li Zhi had not yet been weaned, and Gaoyang had just opened her eyes to the world. Li Yan had never seen it before.

It was during this return to Chang'an, after being made the crown prince, that Li Shimin held a banquet in the harem, and Li Yan briefly met these brothers and sisters. After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he took in many concubines and had many children, giving birth to more than 30 children.

Excluding those who died young or have passed away, there are still more than twenty people alive!
There was a large group of people, and the age difference was also very large. Except for Changle, Ankang, Li Tai, Li Ke, and Li You, who had grown up early and had some dealings with him, most of them were still children, and some were still crying for food and in their cradles.

Li Yan didn't remember most of his brothers and sisters clearly, let alone know them.

Now that the famous Princess Gao Yang, who had brought shame upon himself, was sitting in front of him, Li Yan began to take a closer look at his sister.

Gao Yang was about fifteen or sixteen years old, tall, beautiful, delicate, and had delicate features. She was a charming and stunning beauty. But for a woman like her, her makeup was a bit heavy at the moment.

She was wearing a colorful dress, with numerous and luxurious head ornaments and accessories, and her whole body exuded an irresistible scent of makeup.

Gao Yang's tearful look at this time was quite sympathetic. However, Li Yan was very displeased with this woman who was unfaithful to her husband, had an affair, and had a chaotic private life.

(End of this chapter)