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

Chapter 599 Cen Wenben's Worries
Li Shimin and many ministers in Chengqing Hall at this time were stunned and surprised when they heard what Li Yan said. No way, the Zuotunwei was a 5,000-strong imperial guard guarding the capital. How could this be military power that could not be exchanged for just three hundred households? Even three thousand households could not buy it.

Is the prince out of his mind?
Is this aiding the enemy?
Should he just hand over the 5,000 imperial guards like that, or give them to the King of Shu, Li Ke, who had just made a great contribution and whose prestige had risen sharply?
Because this suggestion was too unbelievable, the ministers in the hall couldn't even control their expressions. They looked at each other, as if trying to confirm whether they had heard it wrongly. Has the prince gone crazy?
Well.
When Changsun Wuji heard this, the smile on his face froze, while Cen Wenben's expression froze and he looked at Li Yan with a frown.

"Hahaha, good, good, good, your Highness's suggestion is very good, it makes sense, and it's exactly what I want!"

After listening to Li Yan's suggestion, Li Shimin was slightly stunned, then he laughed heartily and looked at Li Yan with satisfaction.

His eyebrows and eyes were full of joy, and he nodded with satisfaction.

Regardless of Zhangsun Wuji's urgency and Cen Wenben's hesitation, Li Shimin said straightforwardly: "Reward Ke'er with 200 households as a reward. At the same time, send an order to the Secretariat to appoint Cheng Huailiang as the Lieutenant General of the Left Tunwei Yifu, and he will take office immediately."

When Li Shimin first heard the news of Li Ke's achievement, he was too happy and a little confused, but later he figured it out. Zhangsun Wuji wanted to reward Li Ke handsomely because he wanted to put him on the spot, and Cen Wenben kept refusing because he saw that Li Ke was too aggressive and had the power to suppress the crown prince, so he tried his best to refuse.

Those who offer a higher reward may not necessarily have good intentions, and those who refuse may not necessarily have bad intentions!

Li Shimin knew the positions of the two men, and their open and covert struggles were within Li Shimin's expectations. But compared to Li Ke, Li Shimin was more concerned about whether Li Yan, the crown prince, could see the subtle situation clearly and how he would deal with it.
Is that why you ask?
Li Yan's answer also made Li Shimin feel relieved. Li Yan also wanted to reward Li Ke handsomely, but he obviously realized that 500 households would make Li Ke too prominent, so he turned down the other 300 households, which showed the love of an elder brother for his younger brother.

By throwing out the position of General of the Left Tunwei, which the father and son had already discussed, he not only made up for the loss of the remaining 300 fiefdoms, but also benefited Li Ke. He also did a favor in front of all the ministers, released goodwill, and eased the tit-for-tat relationship between the brothers and Li Ke.

This was a great comfort to Li Shimin, who had just come out of the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Although he had done everything he could to fight for the throne, he did not want his own flesh and blood to become incompatible and repeat his own mistakes.

If Li Shimin thought about it more carefully, he would find that Li Yan's plan went beyond that.

There was also the intention of secretly praising Li Ke, leaving unlimited room for maneuver. From a certain perspective, this kind of praise had the same purpose as Zhangsun Wuji's open praise, except that it was more obvious, more obscure, and not so straightforward.

Li Yan has both a caring and restrictive side towards his brother Li Ke.

If Li Ke can appreciate his kindness, show respect to me and put himself in the right position in the future, then this is a good intention; if Li Ke is ignorant of his own limitations, refuses to be grateful, becomes ambitious and covets the position of the Eastern Palace, then Li Yan can use today's reward to flatter me.

It can be said that it is convenient for both advance and retreat, and has both offense and defense. Although it is not as direct and rough as Changsun Wuji's, its power is more profound and thick.

It is like a heavy sword without an edge, and great skill without effort!
In just a moment, Li Yan explained all the details clearly and expressed three levels of meaning. The three people in front of him were all smart people, and they could understand different things.

But judging from their expressions, Changsun Wuji only understood the first layer in a hurry, while Li Shimin obviously saw the second layer. However, Cen Wenben had a heavy expression at this time, and it was obvious that he had figured out Li Yan's plan in a moment.

Li Yan also glanced at him lightly. This man was shrewd and smart. He was not an easy person to deal with!
Don't think that just because Li Shimin is the emperor he must be smarter and more comprehensive than anyone else. Li Shimin was born a military general, and he was ruthless and decisive. However, when it comes to strategizing and engaging in subtle intrigues, he may not be as good as the ministers in front of him.

Besides, every inch has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the emperor is also a human being, not a god!

His focus was still on the tedious court affairs and the ministers who held great power. He was concerned about the survival and stability of the entire empire. There were so many things in his mind that he didn't have so much energy to focus on a little kid.

In the local specific struggle, if Li Shimin had spent a lot of time and thought to figure out the little dirt between his two sons who were twelve or thirteen years old, he would have spent a lot of time and thought to figure it out.

Even if he worked himself to death, he couldn't take care of everything, so when making a choice, Li Shimin could only focus on the big things and let go of the small ones, just to get by.

Li Shimin did not think much about it. He was just satisfied with Li Yan's care and love for his brothers. However, it was the first time that Cen Wenben truly saw the prince's brilliant methods. Compared with Li Ke, who cried every day in the mansion and complained that he was just a foil, there was a world of difference.

For a moment, Cen Wenben was shaken for the first time in his heart about helping Li Ke fight for the throne.

The prince himself has the best timing and location, so one can only hope that the prince is really as cowardly and foolish as the legend says, and is unable to handle the heavy responsibility. But today, the prince only showed a little bit of his edge, and it made Cen Wenben feel powerless from the bottom of his heart.

Would such a wise prince, who is well versed in the art of concealment, really make a fatal mistake?
After leaving the palace in a daze, Cen Wenben, who had originally wanted to go to the north gate to greet Li Ke, gave up the idea and went straight back to the mansion, closing the door and not seeing anyone.

Originally, Cen Wenben went to pick up Li Ke in order to ask Li Ke to give up his fiefdom, which was comparable to that of a crown prince. Now there were only 200 households. Moreover, he naturally knew how important the position of General of the Zuotunwei Yifu was to Li Ke, and Li Ke would not refuse it.

But the prince could easily hand over 5,000 imperial guards. What a magnanimity! How could Li Ke compare to him?

Not only Li Ke, but even I was also moved at that time. Facing the five thousand guards sent to the door, I couldn't immediately suggest that the emperor withdraw his order. At one point, I even felt that the prince was indeed naive and dull, even a little pedantic and stupid.

In order to please the emperor and take into account the so-called brotherhood, he actually handed over the 5,000 imperial guards in the capital.

The status of a superior depends on military power, which is something that cannot be obtained even through fighting for it, so how can one give it up?
But later, when he saw the emperor's satisfied face and his high praise for the prince, Cen Wenben figured it out.

The prince was not simply concerned about the brotherly love. No matter how stupid a person is, he would not be unaware of the significance of these 5,000 guards, let alone the prince. No matter how much he doted on his brothers and catered to his father, he would not do this. Moreover, the prince and Li Ke were in a competitive relationship.

Not following Chang Shun Wu Ji's lead and falling into trouble is already good enough, how can you help your opponent expand his strength?

Cen Wenben shook his head and sighed, shocked by the strategy adopted by the prince. Wasn't this what he had painstakingly prepared for the King of Shu?
At the same time, he also felt ashamed and blamed himself for not being able to refuse at that time. He was a third-rank official, a senior official in the cabinet, and a person who walked before the emperor, but he was not as good as a child in seeing through and letting go. He was reluctant to give up a piece of fat meat, but the other party threw it out without any care. What a broad mind and pattern!
This shows that the other party does not care about the Zuotunwei Army, which Li Ke regards as his life, at all, and does not think that Li Ke can threaten himself with this army.

Can I really defeat such a person?
After returning to the mansion, Cen Wenben locked himself in the room. He thought about the prince who was secretive and always put affection first in everything, and then he thought about Li Ke who was trying to be the upper hand in everything and was afraid that others would not see his extraordinary talents.

Finally, thinking of Concubine Yang in the harem who had been kind to him and his mentor Feng Deyi whom he entrusted his son to before his death, Cen Wenben fell into unprecedented anxiety and sorrow.

Li Yan had just left Chengqing Palace when he was dragged out of the palace by the angry Changsun Wuji. As he walked, he complained, "Chengqian, what can I say about you? Even if you can see through your uncle's intention, just stop him from adding the 300 households!"

"Why do you have to go to such lengths to give the 5,000 imperial guards of Zuotunwei to Li Ke? Do you know how important this position is? Your mother asked for it several times, and I spent so much effort to help Changsheng get this position?"

At this point, Zhangsun Wuji stamped his feet in frustration and accused, "You are so good, you gave this 5,000 imperial guards in the capital to Li Ke just by talking. Do you know that the Cheng family father and son are not good people? They never showed mercy to you. Back then..."

Having said this, Changsun Wuji suddenly realized that he had let something slip, so he quickly stopped talking and did not continue.

But his expression became even more irritated. He had been in the Jingzhou army back then, so he naturally guessed Cheng Yaojin's intention. Later, he found out that during the time when he went to Jingzhou to contact Yang Ji, Cheng Huailiang went to visit Cheng Yaojin. When the two of them put themselves together, they naturally understood Li Ke's true intention.

But he did not dare to make the matter clear, otherwise if it got out, he would offend Li Ke and Cheng Yaojin, as well as the emperor. He would be charged with the crime of provoking the royal bloodline, and Changsun Wuji could not bear it no matter what.

This matter is too big. I don’t know whether the emperor didn’t understand it or he pretended to be confused and tolerant and not care about it. But no matter what, Changsun Wuji cannot be the bad guy.

Because once it is opened, it will be like water and fire, and there will be no room for slowing down.

If the crown prince is not deposed, the emperor will have to get rid of Cheng Yaojin, causing the Tang Dynasty to lose a general, and the emperor will blame himself then.

The most important thing is that the culprit of this incident is actually King Shu Li Ke, and another ignorant fool.

But the prince was ignorant and handed the Zuotunwei Army to this fool, which was simply opening the door to invite thieves in. The heartless King of Shu, with this audacious Cheng Huailiang, will the prince be in danger in the future?

Looking at his cute and silly nephew, Zhangsun Wuji was anxious. There were some things in his heart that he couldn't say. He was so anxious that he turned around on the spot, wishing he could explain all the seriousness of the matter to the prince.

(End of this chapter)