First Minister of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 503
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Jingzhou, the government office of Anding City, the back office of the Governor's Mansion.

Li Yi, King of Yan County, looked solemn, holding the patrol order in his hand, without saying a word.

After a long time, a woman came to him, and seeing Li Yi's face was cloudy, she asked curiously, "What's the matter, Your Majesty?"

Li Yi came back to his senses, but shook his head absent-mindedly.

"Just now I heard that Chang'an came to decree?" The woman looked down at the imperial decree in Li Yi's hand, her expression changed immediately, and she hurriedly asked: "Is there really a disaster?"

"Huh?" Li Yi was not confused, and asked with a frown, "Miss, do you think there is really a disaster? What do you mean?"

This woman is Li Yi's wife Mengshi.

Mrs. Meng didn't have time to calm down, so she suppressed her panic and hurriedly said: "This morning, Mrs. Li came to me and saw the birds hovering in the house, screaming and not leaving, so she told me to be more careful in the near future, lest something bad happen. I see that Lang Jun has a sad face, could it be that something is really wrong?"

"Then Lady Li is here again?" Li Yi frowned and reprimanded: "You don't want to get close to those who pretend to be ghosts."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Meng suddenly became sullen, "What are you pretending to be, Mrs. Li is really able to understand ghosts and gods. Back then, I predicted that you would be called a widow. Aren't you a king now?"

Li Yi's face changed slightly upon hearing the words, and he stopped making a sound.

Li Niangzi is a native of Jiyin. She claims to be able to understand ghosts and know Yin and Yang. She travels around and is sought after by many people.

When Li Yi was still in Zhuojun, Mrs. Li came to Luo's house, and when she saw Luo Yi, she exclaimed: "General Luo will definitely be called a widow in the future."

Calling you lonely and widowed, that is the king of a country.

Sure enough, a few years later, Luo Yi ruled Youzhou, and after being attached to Li Tang, he was given the surname Li, and was named the county king. It just came true, so although Li Yi was a little displeased with Mrs. Li, but in his heart It is also faintly convinced.

"What's going on? Sir, tell me quickly," Meng asked eagerly.

Li Yi hesitated for a moment, then he said through gritted teeth: "The crown prince is not at ease with me, he sent envoys to patrol the states in order to seize my military power."

Although Li Yi has a violent personality, but he can rule the roost in troubled times, and he must be able to see through the real purpose of patrolling the states.

When Meng Shi heard this, her face paled immediately, and she slumped on the couch, "It's over, it's over, you supported the establishment of the crown prince back then, but now that King Qin is the crown prince, how could he spare you and seize your military power first? Calling you back to Beijing again, wouldn’t it be a dead end.”

Li Yi was disturbed when he heard this, and said directly: "Don't say anything, maybe we are worrying too much."

It's just that Mrs. Meng was already stunned by fright, so she couldn't listen to it, and returned to the backyard in a daze.

I saw a woman in a black robe and a bamboo hat standing in the backyard.

Seeing Meng Shi walking over like a walking corpse, with a look of horror, he stepped forward and asked with concern: "What's wrong with the princess?"

"Miss Li, you must save me, I will definitely reward you, yes, reward, I will give you all the gold and silver fields..."

Meng Shi came back to his senses, grabbed the black-robed woman, and said eagerly incoherently: "You must save my family, you must...".

The woman in black robe is none other than Li Niangzi, the legendary witch who can communicate with ghosts and gods.

After hearing this, Mrs. Li's pockmarked face hidden under the bamboo hat suddenly smiled, "Don't worry, princess, please sit down and wait for me to do the divination."

Immediately, he came to the stone table, took out the tortoise shell and other things, and after a mysterious operation, his face turned pale with shock, and he knelt down to the ground directly in front of Mrs. Meng.

"This... Mrs. Li, what's the matter with you?" Mrs. Meng was also surprised, "Hurry up, you can't deserve such a big gift."

"You deserve it," said Mrs. Li with a trembling voice: "The princess is so precious, she has the image of a mother who respects the world, the so-called king, relative and teacher of heaven and earth, she deserves a great gift."

"What?" Meng Shi was stunned: "Mother Yitianxia?"

"May I ask where Your Majesty is now?" Lady Li asked eagerly.

"It's, it's in the front hall", Meng Shi didn't respond.

"Princess, please take me there quickly," Madam Li respectfully bowed down.

The Meng family did not dare to delay, and hurriedly took Mrs. Li to the front hall.

When she came to the door, Mrs. Li signaled to keep quiet, and stretched her head to look inside. It was just a glance, and Mrs. Li collapsed on the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "The king is the most valuable concubine. The color has been revealed, and within ten days he will be promoted to a high position."

"Who is it?" Li Yi is full of martial arts, and now he is only about [-] years old. He has sharp eyes and ears, and when he heard the sound at the door, he strode over to check.

At this time, Meng Shi was also stunned when he heard the words.

"Huh? Miss Li?" Li Yi frowned, "What are you doing, lady?"

When Mrs. Meng came to her senses, she pulled Madam Li and asked in surprise, "Is what you said true?"

"Ghosts and gods will never deceive the emperor," Mrs. Li replied respectfully.

After listening to Meng Shi's retelling, Li Yi was equally astonished, and asked lately, "Miss Li, are you sure?"

"Did I make a mistake when I was in Zhuojun?" Mrs. Li asked back: "This morning, when I saw the birds flying around the house, I thought there must be a disaster, but I don't know why, after noon, it turned into a blessing. The majesty's noble aura is rushing straight to Xiaohan, and the crape myrtle stars are moving. It should be in the land of Yanyan in the northeast, and the majesty must wait for the great position."

"At noon..." Li Yi was slightly taken aback, and then said in surprise: "The imperial decree came at noon."

"Dare to ask the content of the decree?" Mrs. Li asked directly.

Li Yi didn't shy away from it, and said it directly.

After hearing this, Mrs. Li sighed: "At noon, it is the turning point of the day, and it is also the turning point of the king's life. If the king accepts the order, he will be arrested without arms, and he will die in the capital. Otherwise, he will ascend to the throne."

The Meng family turned from worry to joy when they heard the words, "My lord, this means that you must rebel in order to survive and become emperor."

"Bastard", Li Yi's expression changed immediately, "How can you rebel in a state with more than ten thousand troops?"

"Didn't you rebel when you were only a little Zhonglang in Zhuojun, so you got this prince?" Meng didn't take it seriously. "Now if you rebel again, you will be the emperor."

Seeing that Li Yi's face was cloudy and uncertain, Mrs. Meng looked at Mrs. Li, "Tell me, Mrs. Li, what should I do?"

"I... leaked too many secrets, I can't say anything more." After the words fell, Li Niangzi staggered and fell to the ground.

She can only be fooled to this point. As for how to act next, how to march and fight, and military affairs, she is a goddess stick who doesn't know anything.

"Come on, come on, let Mrs. Li go down and rest quickly, so that she can wait for you", Meng Shi had to order when she saw this.

"Your Majesty, what are you still thinking about?" Mrs. Meng grabbed the imperial decree on the desk and tore it into pieces, "If we delay any longer, we will all die in Chang'an, and we can go further if we rebel."

Li Yi was startled, seeing the decree scattered all over the floor, he finally made up his mind, "Li Shimin, you are too aggressive, don't blame me for being unfaithful."

When Meng saw this, she was elated and overjoyed, "I knew that the king must be the real son of heaven." Now, Meng's only focus is on mothering the world, these four words are deeply imprinted in her mind.

"Go back to the backyard, don't make a fuss." Seeing Meng's bluffing, Li Yi frowned and reprimanded: "Everything is arranged by me."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Meng covered her mouth and smiled.

"Your Majesty..." Li Yi murmured with joy on his face.

After a long time, Li Yi came to the governor's mansion and gave an order, "This king will return to the court with a secret edict, and order all the army mansions to assemble the army, and wait for the patrol envoys to patrol, and there will be no mistakes."

When the subordinate officials heard the words, they immediately went down to deliver the order.

When the Meng family returned to the backyard, they rushed to find servants and maids, "Come here, hurry up and make a dress of red yarn and tin hairpin."

The maid was shocked, and hurriedly tried to persuade her: "Princess, that, that will exceed the limit, absolutely not."

The Tin Chai dress is the queen's dress.

"Bah, poor maidservant, what is overstepping, it will be used soon, don't hurry up," Meng swears furiously.

A group of maids and followers were either terrified or surprised when they heard the words, and hurriedly went down to prepare.

An Ding City is located in Gyeonggi, connecting the capital city and Longxi. It is located on a major traffic road, and there is an endless stream of caravans. The East City is very prosperous, with people coming and going, and a wide variety of products from the countries of the Western Regions.

"Lang Jun, you sneaked out again. You haven't finished your homework today, but be careful of A Lang's punishment. Let's go back."

Among the hustle and bustle of the crowd, a burly young man with his hands behind his back was strutting around the streets, while a follower beside him tried to persuade him in a low voice with a bitter face.

"I'm so scared", the young man didn't take it seriously, "It's too boring to sit and memorize, how can it be interesting to resist."

The attendant was elated when he heard the word Jiaodi, and complimented without humility: "That's right, sir, you are a first-class expert, and there are not many people in Anding City who can compete with you." .

Passers-by heard these words and wanted to laugh subconsciously, but when they saw the young man's muscular body with big arms and round waist, he was dressed in rich clothes, and he was from a famous family, so he didn't dare to speak out.

"Sister, you can hear that this man is really good at boasting, but he is as tall as me, and he also said that he has strong horns."

But there are some people who don't care about these things, and only hear a charming woman next to her cover her mouth and smile softly at another older woman.

"Who are you talking about bragging?" The young man was complacent, but he was unwilling to hear these words, and scolded with staring eyes.

"That is to say, you are not afraid of losing your waist when you boast and speak big words." The woman is usually the most loved by the ladies in the house, and she has always been lawless, so how could she be afraid of this young man.

"Okay, don't delay, it's important to go buy fabrics first," another older woman advised calmly.

Hearing this, the woman didn't care about it just now, and snorted arrogantly, "I don't care about you, child, I will buy Zhu Luosha to make tin clothes."

"Let's go, don't talk nonsense," the older woman dragged away.

But the young man frowned and froze on the spot, "What did she just say? Buy Zhu Luosha to make clothes? Did I hear correctly?".

The entourage was startled, and after thinking about it carefully, he nodded and said, "Mr., you heard me right, that's what I said."

The boy's expression changed immediately, "Let's go, go back to the house, by the way, don't go back to the house, follow them, see which family they are from, be careful not to be discovered, go quickly."

"This... yes", the attendant had no time to respond, the boy disappeared in a flash, and the attendant had no choice but to turn around and chase after the two girls.

The young man ran wildly all the way, and came to an alley not far from the governor's office, and knocked down a peddler on the way.

"Sorry", the boy continued walking without looking back.

The shopkeeper stood up cursing, and was about to swear, but when he saw the young man entering this alley, he didn't dare to speak anymore. Most people living in this alley were high-ranking officials, and he, a traveling shopkeeper, would not dare to provoke him.

"Nizi, where are you going?" The young man came to a large house and was about to enter the door when suddenly there was a stern shout from behind.

"Aye, that's great." The boy showed joy, "Aye, let me tell you something important."

"You played truant again today?" The man in the official robe was the boy's father, Jingzhou Sima Zhao Cihao.

"Aye, this is not important." The young man was Zhao Cihao's only son, Zhao Chiman, "I want to tell you something important. Come, talk here."

With brute strength, Zhao Chiman dragged Zhao Cihao aside, blowing Zhao Cihao's beard and staring with anger.

"Aye, I just heard in Dongshi..." Zhao Xingman whispered in his ear.

Zhao Cihao's eyes widened when he heard that, "Buy red yarn to make tin clothes? Did you hear me right?"

"Absolutely, there is still Xiao Wu present, he also heard clearly, he is now following those two little ladies, I asked him to find out which family it is, such a bold person", Zhao Xingman said very firmly.

Zhao Cihao's face was heavy, and his thoughts turned sharply. Seeing his son's appearance, he was sure in his heart that his son was not lying.

Although Zhao Chiman is only 15 years old, he has practiced literature and martial arts since he was a child. He has a precocious personality and knows the etiquette system. He will never joke about it.

Tin garments made of red yarn... that is the royal dress, to be precise, it should be the gown of the harem. clothes, it can only be used by the queen.

Thinking of this, Zhao Cihao immediately pulled Zhao Chiman into the study.

Jingzhou Sima Zhao Cihao was born in the Tianshui Zhao family. He was a high-ranking official for generations. His father Zhao Huaina was the former governor of Guangzhou in the Sui Dynasty. His elder brother Zhao Cijing married Li Yuan's fifth daughter, Princess Guiyang.

Zhao Cihao's wife, the Changsun family, whose father-in-law was named Changsun Cao, was born in the Changsun family in Luoyang, and is still alive today. The official worships the governor of Shanzhou.

Such a background meant that Zhao Cihao's knowledge was different from ordinary officials, and Zhao Chiman, as Zhao Cihao's only son, was even more intelligent since he was a child, with good handwriting and amazing strength in his arms, but now Zhao Chiman is still young.

In history, Zhao Chiman went to Liangzhou Changshi, there are not many records about him, and there is no separate biography, only as the nephew of Changsun Quan, there are only a few pens in "New Book of Tang·Changsun Wuji Biography": "Working books, good at riding Shooting, fighting tigers, chasing horses, and benevolent corporals, no one in the capital admires them."

Such comments are enough to prove that Zhao Chiman is not a mediocre person, he can be called both civil and military. His uncle Sun Quan married Princess Xincheng, the daughter of Emperor Taizong, and finally was exiled because of the resignation of his elder brother Sun Wuji and brother-in-law Prime Minister Han Yuan.

"Who else knows about this?"

In the study, Zhao Cihao stepped back from the left and right, stared at Zhao Chiman cautiously and asked.

"Only Xiaowu and I know." Zhao Chiman seemed to be very aware of the seriousness of the situation, and immediately said: "I will tell Aye immediately when Xiaowu comes back."

Zhao Cihao's face was full of sadness, and he said in a deep voice, "I'll just wait here with you."

"Aye, who do you think it could be? There is such a bold person", Zhao Chiman asked tentatively.

"What do you think?" Zhao Cihao asked back without answering.

"I think it's the King of Yanjun." Zhao Chiman's eyes were shining brightly, and he didn't panic at all, but looked at his father with excitement.

"Let's talk about it," Zhao Cihao said noncommittally without answering because he wanted to take the exam.

When Zhao Chiman saw that his father did not blame him, but encouraged him to continue, he became even more excited and said, "Although I have not been an official yet, I have heard that King Yanjun has a bad temper and once dominated one side, a very powerful one. People, if anyone in Anding City is the most courageous, it must be King Yanjun."

Although Zhao Chiman was only 15 years old and well versed in etiquette and righteousness, he didn't know anything about the officialdom, and he didn't know anything about the relationship between King Yan and Prince Jiancheng.

(End of this chapter)