Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 18 Xuan Ling's Ambition

Fang Xuanling got out of the car and stood in front of the prime minister's residence. His mind seemed to be rolled up into a ball of wool, with a myriad of thoughts emanating from it.

Today he took the opportunity to get close to Li Ming. The ostensible reason was to get familiar with his nominal master and student and to cope with the duties of "Chief Historian of Cao Wang's Palace" to some extent.

In fact, he did come to get to know Li Ming more deeply.

The conclusion surprised and confused him.

To his surprise, this naughty kid's abilities far exceeded his expectations. Not only was he virtuous, he also had the skills and talents to display his virtues.

He is truly talented and virtuous.

But this is also where I get confused.

The point that the famous prime minister was entangled in was——

Whether to regard Li Ming as the lord.

It's not just a name, but the kind of support that is truly wholehearted.

Let him become a real prince, then a crown prince, and then, one step further...

Fang Xuanling knew that this was a bold idea, and he also knew that the court had a complete set of criminal laws to deal with such ideas.

But he couldn't help thinking so.

Because the merit of following the dragon was so tempting, he couldn't help but experience it a second time.

Fang Xuanling was not a person who could rest content with his lot.

To be precise, none of the loyalists who participated in the Xuanwu Gate Incident were born to be content. People who are content will not rebel.

It is only because there is a powerful dragon above that these treacherous heroes in troubled times are forced to submit and become capable ministers in governing the country.

But as Fang Xuanling grew older, he felt that if he didn't try again, the Fang family would disappear in the long river of history.

Because both Crown Prince Li Chengqian and the prince Li Tai, who was most favored by His Majesty, were born to Empress Changsun and were nephews of Changsun Wuji.

In other words, no matter who succeeds to the throne, Changsun Wuji will become the uncle of the current emperor and the most powerful relative.

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling were old rivals in the court.

Although unlike his deputy Xiao Yu in the Secretariat, Changsun Wuji was not his political enemy and had not yet gone to the extent of opposing him in everything.

But power is inherently exclusive.

There is no room for two tigers in one mountain. Once the new emperor ascends the throne and Zhangsun Wuji seizes power, the Fang family will surely be purged.

This is indeed the case in history. Although neither Li Chengqian nor Li Tai became emperor, the new emperor Li Zhi was still the son of Changsun and the nephew of Changsun Wuji.

The result was that Changsun Wuji killed Fang Yiai, exiled Fang Yizheng and Fang Yize on the charge of treason, and completely eliminated the Fang family's power.

In order to save the Fang family from its doomed fate, unless...

"Support a new emperor who was born out of wedlock, and I will assist in governing the country!"

Fang Xuanling himself was frightened by his own wild ideas.

This is not just about "standing on the side" of Li Ming, it is equivalent to directly participating in the fight for the throne!

It is an extremely dangerous situation where one thought can give you power over the whole world or one thought can lead to death without a burial place!

He is also old, and if the other princes were just like that, Fang Xuanling might just stay content.

But Li Ming suddenly appeared, giving this ambitious man too much room for imagination...

"Grandpa, am I considered self-reliant today?"

Fang Yize had been busy at the porridge stall all day, and his whole face was covered in dust and dirt, except for his pair of big eyes that were shining brightly.

Fang Xuanling was pulled out of his deep thoughts and said to Fang Yize with a smile:
"Study hard with Brother Ming, and you will definitely become an independent adult."

"Really?" For the first time in his life, Fang Yize received positive affirmation from his serious father and nodded vigorously.

"Yes! I will assist Brother Ming and build the Tang Dynasty into a prosperous country where there are no refugees and everyone can have enough food by working with their own hands!"

Fang Xuanling was startled and stroked his youngest son's head lovingly.

Everything we do is for the children...

As I walked through the gate, I heard a fierce quarrel in the house.

It was the other two older sons who could be heard calling out words like "my Duke of Liang" and "my Duke of Liang" from time to time.

Perhaps because of their incompatible horoscopes, the eldest son Fang Yizhi and the second son Fang Yiai have been fighting for the baby ever since they could speak.

After the two grew up, the fight became more intense. The eldest was slow and ungrateful, while the second was overbearing and domineering. They often quarreled over the right of inheritance. Fang Xuanling turned a deaf ear to the quarrel between the brothers and walked through the outer courtyard with an expressionless face. His old figure was only more hunched, like a dead branch in the breeze.

"Yize, go eat first. I'll go to the study." He patted his third son's head gently and asked the old servant:
"How long have they been arguing?"

The old servant said aggrievedly: "It will start around 3 p.m...."

Fang Xuanling smiled bitterly: "The quarrel will last for a while. Let the servants eat first and don't bother with them."

"Alang..." The old servant's dry lips trembled a little, and he wanted to say something but stopped himself several times.

"What's the matter?" Fang Xuanling looked gently at the servant who had followed him for half his life.

"Well... I have little experience and don't understand military and national affairs." The old servant mustered up his courage:

"But in the past few years, I have seen Ah Lang working harder and harder, and I always feel unhappy. Ah Lang, you should take a rest. Just like there are always fallen leaves in the yard and dust on the ground. There is always work to do..."

Fang Xuanling listened patiently to the old servant's chatter and nodded slightly:

"I'll pay attention."

Back in the study, he sat cross-legged in front of a desk piled with books and looked up at the sky.

"Where is the time to rest..."

The vast territory of the Tang Dynasty had reached the limit of management capabilities in the agricultural era.

Border wars continued, finances were stretched, and the 24 states in Hebei Province refused to obey the central government...

Plus, he had to hurry up and pave the way for his useless descendants before he became old and confused...

After resting for a while, Fang Xuanling immediately immersed himself in the sea of ​​books and literature.

After hanging out with Li Ming for a day, he not only got a deeper understanding of this nominal and actual master, but also got an unexpected surprise -

Based on the artifacts from the Gaochang royal palace that flowed into the West Market and the rumors from the Turkic merchant, it is not difficult to infer that Hou Junji did not discipline his army strictly and allowed his soldiers to plunder the Gaochang Kingdom.

"Although that warrior is very capable, his weakness is his greedy nature, and he is boastful and doesn't know how to hide it. The reason why the soldiers robbed the money probably lies with him, the commander..."

Fang Xuanling was very sad that his old friend had committed corruption on the front line. Fang Xuanling was very angry that he had led the Tang soldiers astray.

But as an outstanding politician, Fang Xuanling, a shrewd and calculating man, immediately sensed an opportunity in the midst of danger.

Confirming Hou Junji's guilt and even putting him in jail would be beneficial to himself and Li Ming.

"His Majesty must have received the intelligence, but no word has been spread yet. He probably wants to suppress the matter." Fang Xuanling pondered.

If Your Majesty is to be unable to protect his own son, the only option is to expose this rotten sore in public at tomorrow's grand court assembly.

There were not many opportunities left. If I jumped out and started talking nonsense in a few days when Hou Junji returned triumphantly and the whole court was excited, I would be dragged out in court.

"Rumors alone cannot serve as evidence. The military account books are compiled by the military warehouse, reviewed by the military government, and then submitted to the Shangshu Province, which I am in charge of. After being whitewashed several times, the original appearance is unrecognizable.

"How can we find clues of Jun Ji's corruption outside the military system so that His Majesty will have to conduct a thorough investigation..."

Fang Xuanling's brain was working rapidly, and institutions and documents appeared before his eyes like a kaleidoscope.

After thinking for a while, he stood up and took out a thick book from the bookcase behind him.

It contains various instructions received by the Shangshu Province, an administrative agency, from the Zhongshu Province and other decision-making agencies since the Western Expedition to Gaochang Kingdom last year.

From the allocation of disaster relief grain to the purchase of sacrificial items, every detail is displayed one by one.

But as a senior official who had been in charge of paperwork for many years, he soon found clues in the vast amount of records.

“After the capture of Gaochang City, the Ministry of Civil Affairs (later the Ministry of Revenue) received orders to collect food and fodder, which not only suddenly decreased significantly, but also was significantly less than other wars.

"Strange, could it be that the soldiers flew back to their base just after the battle?"

Then he returned to the desk and accurately pulled out a stack of crumpled booklets.

The booklet contains only extremely boring numbers and material items.

These are the details of the supplies provided by the Ministry of Civil Affairs to the front line during the battle to destroy Gaochang.

Fang Xuanling held the dim candlelight in his hand, his dim old eyes almost glued to the paper, and struggled to decipher the tiny calligraphy, checking the suspicious accounts bit by bit among the vast amount of information.

"Your Highness Li Ming is right."

As Fang Xuanling was checking, he suddenly smiled bitterly.

"I am indeed a bad person who fabricated the charges."

(End of this chapter)