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

Chapter 1157 Negotiation and Compromise (Part )
Over the next few days, Empress Changsun went to persuade the emperor but failed, as the emperor was determined to lead the army in person. Then, civil and military officials, meritorious officials, and even princes of the royal family went to the emperor in waves to make their case, trying to dissuade the emperor from making such a fuss.

Although the power of the court is controlled by the aristocratic families, they cannot do whatever they want.

The power of the aristocratic families is very strong, but they are divided into three major circles, and within each circle there are different factions.

On the core issues concerning the survival of the noble families, they would naturally join hands to fight against the emperor. But in the daily affairs of the court, they were also fiercely scheming and deceiving each other. It was not easy to "unite" them, except for unification.

Emperor Li Yan is not without any power at all.

As long as the core interests of the nobles are not affected, generally speaking, if the emperor is really determined to do something, they can do nothing about it.

You can't just replace the emperor because of a trivial matter or the emperor's normal struggle for power, right?

When Li replaced Yang Xing, and the Xuanwu Gate Incident took place, it was all with the unanimous agreement of the Guanlong clans that it went smoothly. The replacement of the old with the new half a year ago was unanimously agreed upon by most of the clans in the three major clan circles, which stabilized the situation and successfully completed the transition.

In the final analysis, it is a matter of strength.

If you are not strong enough, the emperor can put the blame on you even if you did not do it, according to his need; if you are very powerful, even if he knows it was you who did it, the emperor will have to accept it and dare not pursue the matter.

Now that Li Yan has ascended the throne, he has already gained the recognition and support of most of the noble families, and it is not something that can be changed at will. After hundreds of years, this game of chess has already had a fixed routine, and if it is not agreed by the majority of forces.

Anyone who dares to attack the emperor without authorization will face a full-scale counterattack from most of the nobles. It is possible that the entire family will be executed for the crime of treason, or even all nine generations of the family will be exterminated.

It is not difficult to deal with an emperor. What is difficult is to face the retaliation from those forces that support the imperial power.

On the other hand, if most of the nobles unanimously agree to the replacement, even if the emperor stays in the palace safely, the result is already determined, and it doesn't matter how he leaves, it's just a matter of time.

This is why many emperors in history did not dare to retaliate after encountering accidents, even if they did not die on the spot. When facing a powerful group, the emperor can only accept it. If he resists, the outcome will only be worse.

Li Yan understood this principle, and he would not openly do anything to encourage the noble families to "unite".

Today's 'imperial expedition' is just an idea and has not been put into practice;
Moreover, the nobles now feel very secure and will not initiate a final reshuffle just because of his momentary "sudden whim".

Sure enough, these people did not contact each other privately and try to "unite against the outside world", but just kept "advising" outside Chengqing Hall.

One day, Li Yan finally summoned Zhangsun Wuji to the imperial study. As soon as they met, he complained, "Uncle, you have always used my father to spur me on, asking me to inherit the ambition of the retired emperor and create a peaceful and prosperous era."

"Now that the Turks have brazenly invaded our Tang Dynasty, I want to follow the example of the Supreme Emperor. What's wrong with that? Why are you trying to stop me? Am I so unbearable in your eyes? As long as I show up, I will definitely fail, right?"

"Or do the ministers have some selfish motives, and are afraid that I will take advantage of this to seize military power?"

Seeing that the emperor had switched to the nephew-uncle mode, Changsun Wuji also put down his posture of admonishing the emperor, sat on the brocade cushion in front of the imperial desk, smiled bitterly and said, "Chengqian, you have wronged us this time. To be honest, this time the ministers are really doing this for your own good."

"Since ancient times, when the emperor personally led an army to fight, the real danger did not come from the enemy country, but from within the country."

"You have just ascended the throne, you have no prestige, your strength is not strong, and the people's hearts are not with you. It is inevitable that some people will be restless and harbor evil intentions."

"Before you forced those princes to go to the vassal state, you had already caused a lot of dissatisfaction. If it weren't for the nobles standing on your side and helping you suppress them, do you think that Li Ke, Li Yin, Li Yun and other princes would honestly go to the plateau?"

"Li You is just using his illness as an excuse to stay in Chang'an. Who can do anything to him?"

"If you leave Chang'an at this moment, and Li You colludes with some ill-intentioned people and suddenly rebels, what will you do?"

Li Yan's face suddenly became serious and his eyes turned cold: "He dares. Now that the other princes have been enfeoffed, he is the only one left in Chang'an City. He is alone and it is difficult to make a move. Who will agree with him?"

"Why not?"

Zhang Sun Wuji said expressionlessly: "If he sends people to capture the Daming Palace and arrest your father and mother, he can use the emperor to command the ministers. At this time, he can announce it to the public in the name of the emperor and the empress dowager, saying that it was you who murdered your father, and call on the whole country to raise troops to respond."

"If he had intended to rebel, he would have colluded with the Turks."

"Then you can lead the Right Wise King's army south, and the whole country will be in chaos. You will be trapped in Guandong, Hebei and Guannei will be attacked at the same time, and some ambitious people inside will take advantage of the situation to stir up trouble, and the whole country will be in chaos immediately."

"Uh" I have to say, Zhang Sun Wuji is indeed a cunning old villain. With just a few casual words, he "disrupted" the stable situation.

Li Yan was speechless for a moment, and said hesitantly: "But if I stay in the palace all the time, how can I train my ability to lead troops and how can I establish my prestige in the army? Without the support of the soldiers, I, as an emperor, will never be able to do my job with confidence."

"I will inherit the aspirations of the retired emperor, carry forward the past and forge ahead into the future, and build a more prosperous Tang Dynasty, so that I can live up to the trust of the late emperor."

It is reasonable for a smart person to express his true thoughts at the right time. Pretending to be stupid will only arouse others' suspicion.

Changsun Wuji watched Li Chengqian grow up, and he knew very well what his eldest nephew was thinking. Looking at the emperor's ambitious and passionate face, and although he continued to speak in a high-profile manner, he curled the corners of his mouth slightly, and felt very disapproving in his heart.

"Cheng Qian, you are the emperor, but you still call me uncle. Not only do you entrust the government to me, but you also consult me ​​on everything. I am really touched by your trust."

"Since you believe me, I won't hide anything from you and will tell you what's in my heart.

Changsun Wuji chuckled and shook his head: "Uncle has watched you grow up, and I know your personality very well. You are kind and loyal, but you are not the kind of person who can endure hardships, have perseverance, and be tenacious."

"You have never valued fame or wealth since you were a child, but you have always been greedy for pleasure and love leisure."

"You can't follow your father's path. Marching and fighting is no joke. It's common to endure wind, rain, frost and snow. It's easy to say that you should eat and live with the soldiers, and share the joys and sorrows with them, but which superior can do it?"

Li Yan frowned and looked at the other person sharply.

Although what Changsun Wuji said was true, it was not only the image he showed to the outside world, but also his true mentality. However, Li Yan was still quite unhappy because he spoke so bluntly and did not give himself any face at all.

Changsun Wuji did not avoid it, and looked straight at him, his expression serious but with a loving look in his eyes, just like he was looking at a younger generation. His gaze towards him was very frank, with three parts of expectation, three parts of concern, and three parts of unspeakable blame for his own willfulness.

Li Yan sighed. When Changsun Wuji had no selfish motives, he was still very strong-willed. He dared to speak out against the furious Li Shimin, not to mention his nephew. This actually showed that he really regarded himself as his nephew.

Li Yan's expression softened, but he still said unwillingly: "My father once said...

"Don't mention your father."

Zhang Sun Wuji said decisively: "I know your father's situation best. When he just came of age, he led the army alone. He ate from the same pot and lived in the same tent as the soldiers. He was at the front during the charge and stayed behind alone during the retreat."

"Standing in front of the soldiers in the rain of arrows, sucking the festering arrow sores of the ordinary soldiers."

Li Yan's eyes suddenly widened, his mouth opened wide, and he looked shocked. Seeing Changsun Wuji telling the story one by one, he was slightly shocked. He never expected that Li Shimin, who was born into an aristocratic family, could achieve this level.

But before he could reply, Changsun Wuji suddenly changed the subject and said, "He didn't do any of these things."

"Oh?" Li Yan was almost choked by the praise he was about to blurt out, and then he realized that the old man Changsun was joking.

His eyes glared at him, but before he could accuse him, Changsun Wuji sighed, "Those rumors were spread just to increase his prestige. Your father was born into a noble family and was spoiled since childhood. How could he have done this?"

"Uncle believes that even those generals in ancient times who loved their soldiers like their own sons rarely shared the joys and sorrows with ordinary soldiers."

"Since ancient times, people have been divided into different classes, with high and low status, and a strict hierarchy. Nobles are nobles, and common people are common people. This is not only necessary for the upper class to exercise power, but also necessary for ruling society and maintaining stability. This has been the case since ancient times."

At this point, Changsun Wuji's face was extremely serious: "It was like this before, it is like this now, and it will be like this in the future. Because people's hearts are the same."

At this point, Changsun Wuji's eyes were filled with meaning, as if he wanted to convey something.

What Li Yan didn't know was that after living together for a long time, Changsun Wuji had already realized that although he was the emperor, he treated everyone equally in his mentality and never had the idea of ​​being superior or above everyone else, even to the eunuchs and palace maids around him.

This mentality is actually very bad. People tend to admire the strong and despise the weak.

As an emperor, if he is too approachable, it will make people lazy, or even look down on him, which will affect his dignity.

More importantly, if one does not believe in the law of the jungle and does not look down on the weak, one will not value the strong, let alone actively accept and maintain this ruling system based on order of hierarchy and strict etiquette and laws.

(End of this chapter)