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

Chapter 1079: The Contest between the King and His Ministers (Part )

Cen Wenben couldn't stand Li Yan's gaze, nor could he bear the heavy pressure. He knelt down with a plop, kowtowed like crazy, and there was a pleading sound in his tone: "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the King of Wu is young and frivolous. Although he once had wishful thinking."

"It's just some youthful ambition. Since the emperor returned to Beijing and ascended the throne, he no longer dared to ask for anything. He stayed at home all day and never showed off."

"Not necessarily?"

Li Yan interrupted Cen Wendui and came to him, his face stern, and he said condescendingly: "After I returned to the capital, Li Zhi had already dismissed the officials of the Prince of Jin's Mansion, even Zhao Gongcun, the Prince of Jin's tutor who had lost an arm, was sent back to the local area."

"I never saw the ministers I had tried to win over, such as Su Xu, Gao Jifu, and Zhang Xingcheng, again. I never touched the books I had read. I hid in the Prince of Jin's mansion every day, practicing with a few Taoists, making pills, and meditating."

"If I hadn't ordered him to do so, he wouldn't even bother to attend the court meetings. This is the way to protect himself."

"And what about Li Ke?"

"I spend the whole day hanging out with Prince Li Yin, saying things that show my dissatisfaction with the court and my refusal to obey me. From time to time, I also invite old officials such as Chai Zhewei and Quan Wanji to have private gatherings in my mansion to inquire about my news and vent my personal anger."

"When Li Zhi mentioned me, he always called me elder brother, whether inside or outside the palace, and he also respected me as Your Majesty in the court; but Li Yin always mentioned me as the emperor, and even in private, he did not hesitate to call me by my name, and his tone was quite disrespectful."

One by one, like thunder in the sky, they kept exploding in Cen Wenben's ears, making him tremble all over. He didn't know how to deal with it, so he could only say dejectedly: "Your Majesty, I have never been to the Prince of Wu's Palace since Your Majesty ascended the throne."

"So, I don't know what the King of Wu and the King of Shu are doing."

"Of course I know this. Sir, you are a man of broad mind. You know that going to the Prince of Wu's mansion would harm the King of Wu. You are kindhearted not to go again."

"Although you didn't go to the Prince of Wu's mansion, you never left. In this month, you went to the Daming Palace three times, all to ask to see Concubine Yang, in order to find a way out for Li Ke. You really have good intentions!"

When Li Yan said this, Cen Wenben was frightened. If he said that what happened just now was just about Li Ke's brother, this sentence would be a bit heartbreaking. After all, he is now Li Yan's subject, promoted and valued by Li Yan.

But in his heart he was on Li Ke's side, which really made Cen Wenben feel ashamed.

Seeing that the other party just kowtowed and apologized, he did not dare to make any further arguments. Even the thick wool blanket on the floor of the imperial study could not stop the redness on Cen Wenben's forehead.

Li Yan's tone relaxed, and he helped the other person up, saying lightly: "Sir, you are still thinking of the old love, which is a loyal act. I will not blame you. I know that since Feng Deyi recommended you to Concubine Yang, you have only one person in your heart."

Seeing Cen Wenben's tearful eyes filled with guilt and apology, Li Yan continued, "At that time, I felt sorry for your talent and wanted to make great use of you. But my father said that if I wanted to use you, I would have to give up one of Li Ke and Concubine Yang."

"Sir, do you think I should kill Li Ke or let Concubine Yang leave quietly so that you can serve me with peace of mind?"

"No, Your Majesty, it's all my fault."

Cen Wenben was frightened by Li Yan's words, which were not full of murderous intent, and begged bitterly, "I would rather quit the court and go home to enjoy my old age, and never get involved in the affairs of the court again, rather than let my two former masters be implicated because of me."

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. If you want to blame someone, just blame me. I am willing to die to atone for my sins."

"How lucky are Concubine Yang and Li Ke to have the master's sincere treatment. The love between them is like a candle flame compared to the bright moon in the sky."

Li Yan did not blame Cen Wenben for his plea, but instead his eyes were filled with deep appreciation: "I know that every time you see Concubine Yang, you have been trying hard to persuade her to send Li Ke to the vassal state, away from the turmoil in the court."

"Be a king peacefully and live a down-to-earth life."

"But with you here, Concubine Yang here, and those forces around, it's impossible for Li Ke to give up his ambitions. Unless I kill him, or completely eliminate all the supporters around him."

"Otherwise, he won't give up until he sees the Yellow River, and he won't cry until he sees the coffin. This is Li Ke's true mentality determined by his character, and none of you can change it."

"Besides, Concubine Yang is a woman of great virtue. She looks weak but is actually a genius. She is burdened with national hatred and family feuds. Even she may not be willing to accept this and still has certain extravagant hopes. However, their unwillingness will make it difficult for the master to have a good end."

When Cen Wenben heard this, he sighed inwardly. In fact, he knew very well that the key to the matter still lay with Concubine Yang.

If she really wanted Li Ke to leave, how could Li Ke remain indifferent?
The mother and son used a combination of soft and hard tactics, and used kindness and force to drag an old minister like me, just for the sake of their ulterior ambitions. How could Cen Wenben not see these things, but he had always deceived himself into believing that Concubine Yang was not using him.

He first betrayed the King of Wu and then betrayed the King of Wei. If he betrayed the King of Wu again, his life would be ruined when future generations mentioned it.

Cen Wenben's eyes flickered as he lowered his head, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, veins on his hands bulged, and he felt extremely conflicted.
In fact, the emperor in front of him saw everything clearly. He not only appreciated him, but also promoted him. After learning all these inside stories, he still treated him with all his heart. No emperor in ancient times had treated his subjects so well.

If he didn't fall in love with him, he would be dug up even after his death, and people would point fingers at him and scold him for being ignorant, stupid, and ungrateful. More importantly, Cen Wenben knew that when the emperor was playing with you, you could still maneuver; but when the emperor was open with you, it was the most important moment, which was both a great favor and a test with no room for maneuver.

If I resist again, perhaps when Li Ke falls, I will die with him.

After all, the court was not short of people like him. There were many people who wanted to be loyal to the emperor. People like Xu Jinzhong and Li Yifu tried their best to win the emperor's appreciation.

The emperor is of such high status that it is impossible for him to always focus on someone he can never conquer.

"When you are in the officialdom, sometimes you have no choice."

Li Yan looked at Cen Wenben, whose expression kept changing. "Don't mention that Li Ke himself has ambitions. Even if he doesn't want to fight, as the person in charge of a force, those who have become his vassals during his growth will force him to fight."

"Otherwise, he will be the first to fall, and he will be swallowed up by the power he has cultivated."

"This can be seen from the Xuanwu Gate Incident. The situation was critical at the time. Facing the relentless advance of Crown Prince Yin, if Father did not fight to the death, then Changsun Wuji, Hou Junji, Yuchi Gong and other people who were closely tied to the Qin Palace would have turned against Father."

Li Yan sighed regretfully and said, "Sir, you and I both know that at this point, neither I nor Li Ke have a choice. If the situation continues to develop, within a year or two, Li Ke will take the risk and attack Xuanwu Gate again."

"But Changsun Wuji will not give him such an opportunity. He will launch a major case and arrest all of Li Ke's relatives and subordinates. And I cannot stop him, because, after all, Changsun Wuji is doing it for me."

"Since this is inevitable, I am neither pedantic nor indecisive. I will take the initiative and, together with Zhangsun Wuji, mobilize all our forces to take down Li Ke with overwhelming force. If he is convicted of treason, his relatives and ministers will be severely punished."

"His descendants will be like Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji in the past. None of them will survive."

Hearing Li Yan's gentle voice and words full of murderous intent, Cen Benwen felt a chill all over his body and his scalp felt numb.

If Li Yan could see it, how could Cen Wenben not see it?

As an emperor, he could be so frank and confess all the secrets and dark things hidden in the deepest part of his heart to him. This was a trust and respect for him, and also an understanding and protection of his loyalty to his old master.

Among the emperors in ancient times, those who could do this were extremely rare.

Cen Wenben knew that the emperor was giving him great face, not to mention Emperor Zhaolie of Han's three visits to his cottage.

He was moved and made up his mind. He bowed his hands and said frankly, "If the emperor trusts me, I will go and persuade King Wu for the last time and ask him to leave Chang'an and return to his fiefdom. If he still refuses to listen, my old friendship with him is over."

"From now on, I, this old minister, will be loyal to Your Majesty wholeheartedly and work hard for you until my death." After saying this, Cen Wenben looked at Li Yan with a pleading look on his face.

Li Yan smiled and said, "Li Ke is extraordinary in martial arts, courageous, knowledgeable, and ambitious. If such a young talent were to be thwarted in this bottomless vortex of power, or become a gatekeeper dog, spending his whole life on the snowy plateau, wouldn't that be a pity?"

"There was such a person in my Li family's previous generation. He was a hero who conquered the entire Tang Dynasty and created the prosperous Zhenguan era. He was the emperor."

"Li Ke carries the noble bloodline of two dynasties' emperors. How can he be weaker than his father?"

Well.
Cen Wenben was stunned when he heard Li Yan say this. What did the emperor mean by this? He was still very wary just now, but now, it was obvious that the emperor no longer had the murderous aura just now, and turned to appreciation.

Why is this
Seeing that Cen Wenben was completely confused, Li Yan smiled slightly, took Cen Wenben into the inner study, and came to a large map.

"Sir, please look."

Cen Wenben was stunned. Having worked in the Secretariat for many years, he had seen all kinds of maps in the court, but he had never seen such a large and unfamiliar map. Cen Wenben scanned the map quickly with curiosity, hoping to find a familiar place.

And use this to infer what place this map is!

That’s right, this is the first world map that Li Yan drew based on his impressions of his previous life and his understanding of this era.

The vast Eurasian continent looked like a sturdy unicorn standing on a boulder, ready to soar into the sky. From Europe in the west to Africa at the bottom, from the Mediterranean to the Middle East, the three great empires of Western Turkic, Byzantium, and India were lined up in the middle.

Divide the entire continent into two worlds, East and West.

(End of this chapter)