Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 36 Please Call Us Bold
The people of Chang'an City discovered that the crazy rumor was actually true!

The emperor issued an edict to kill three sons in one day!

Prince Li Ying, King of E Li Yao, and King of Guang Li Ju were first demoted to common people on the same day, and then ordered to commit suicide at Chengdong Post outside Chang'an City!

The corpses of the prince and the second king have been hanging on the beams of the east post in the city for a day, and no one has taken them away.

The reason is not difficult to understand.

Everyone knew that it was inappropriate to put it like this, but without Li Longji's order, whoever would go up to the prime minister and down to the postmen at the post station would be willing to take the lead and collect the corpses of the former prince and the two princes.

Whoever comes out means that there is a great possibility of losing his official position or even his life.

No one wants to take such a risk!
This extremely controversial incident was resolved in private by Li Longji by means of a coup d'état.

Even Zhang Jiuling, the right minister, and Li Linfu, the left minister, were notified by Gao Lishi after the death of the three kings.

On this day, Li Longji's will is the ruler of Chang'an City.

The swiftness of his actions and the cruelty of his methods were rare even during Wu Zetian's reign, even in the era when cruel officials were rampant, and it can even be said to be the first time since the first year of Kaiyuan.

Even the notorious Lai Junchen of the Wu Zhou Dynasty, when they killed a minister or prince, had to be interrogated on charges and let the officials of the Ministry of Punishment participate in the show!

Li Longji actually forced the prince and Prince Guang of E to death without going through any formalities, without the participation of any judicial officials, and with almost complete ignorance of the outer dynasty.

And ordered that the dead body be killed in the station for three days.

This order made everyone in Chang'an City feel an inexplicable suffocation.

Although Li Longji did not say what would happen if someone restrained the bodies of the three kings, those who can live in Chang'an are not lacking in winks.

On this day, not only the officials who had settled in Chengdong Station had moved out in advance, but also no new people had settled in it. All people passing by had to take a detour.

Even the postmen were gone and no one was left!
In the study of Qinzhengwu Main Building, Zhang Jiuling held a memorial in trembling hands, and was hesitating whether to hand it over.

This is a memorial about reducing the expenses in the palace. It has been written for a long time.However, the murder of the prince and the second king disrupted Zhang Jiuling's plan.

His dark face looked like a dying old man, having lost most of his vitality and vitality.

Zhang Jiuling trembled his lips slightly, not knowing what to say to Li Longji.

No matter what he said, the dead prince was completely dead.The dead cannot be resurrected, so what can be done?

It's too late to say anything now!

"Does Mr. Zhang have anything to say to me?"

Li Longji asked very calmly.

"Return to the saint, the prince is guilty...but the crime does not warrant death."

Zhang Jiuling said word by word.

"The prince and the second king, the witchcraft cursed Concubine Wu Hui and Prince Shou, and also cursed me. Isn't this a crime that will not lead to death?"

Li Longji's tone was obviously a little colder.

"These matters are not clear to the minor officials, and there may be twists and turns. However, the prince is guilty and it is best to leave it to Zong Zheng. Other persons involved in the case should also be investigated by Dali Temple and the Ministry of Punishment."

Zhang Jiuling said reluctantly.

"Are we going to wait until I die before you can investigate slowly? Are Mr. Zhang and the Crown Prince accomplices?"

Li Longji yelled at Zhang Jiuling angrily!
Zhang Jiuling and Li Linfu quickly bowed to apologize.

They could feel that Li Longji was really angry now.

"Ge Nu, how is the investigation on Yan Tingzhi going?"

Li Longji suddenly changed the subject, he was talking about killing the prince just now, but suddenly turned to the matter of Yan Tingzhi.

Zhang Jiuling secretly thought something was wrong, but his face remained calm.

"Wang Yuanyan, who was previously under investigation for corruption and bending the law, has committed suicide in Yuzhou Mansion Office. Yan Tingzhi's defense is self-defeating. If he is really not guilty, why did Wang Yuanyan commit suicide?

Let the saints decide. "

After Li Linfu bowed and saluted, he took out an official letter from his cuff and handed it to Li Longji.

As a master of power struggle, Li Linfu either didn't make a move, as long as he did, his opponent would have no chance to fight back.He has turned Yan Tingzhi's case into a solid case.

And this incident will become the last straw that crushes Zhang Jiuling.

"Remove Yan Tingzhi from the position of Minister of the Central Committee, and relegate him to Jiangzhou Governor."

Li Longji waved his hand gently and said.

Not only did Yan Tingzhi's appointment as a prime minister fail, but he was demoted, which Zhang Jiuling had never expected before.

"The humble official has the duty of negligence, please be punished by the sage."

Zhang Jiuling also bowed and saluted.

As expected, Li Longji also waved his hand without saying anything.

For an old minister who is about to be dismissed as prime minister, what else can he be punished for?
The central courtiers, including Li Linfu, seem to have forgotten that there are three unlucky ghosts who have been given to death in the east of the city. At this moment, they are hanging on the beams of the house and blowing the warm spring breeze.

……

Chengdong Station is the main post station in the east of Chang'an City, with a large scale.

But at this moment, its door is open, there is not even a ghost inside, and there are not even any guards around it.

These people are afraid of being infected with "bad luck" and being involved in the three unlucky ghosts that Li Longji bestowed to death.

Killing three sons in one day is Li Longji's greatest anger since he ascended the throne!It is an unprecedented vicious political event in Chang'an political situation since Kaiyuan.

Who dares to guarantee that the emperor has completely vented his anger and will not vent his anger on the relevant personnel?

Li Longji thought that his three sons had died like this. If he felt unwilling, would he find an excuse to blame the soldiers on duty?

It has to be said that this possibility is quite high, and there is no shortage of similar examples in all dynasties.

After all, sometimes when people are sulky, they like to kick stones on the roadside to vent their anger.Did those little rocks offend these sulky people?
Why don't these puppies kick the "big rock"?Isn't it because they like to vent their anger and bully the weak and fear the hard?
At this moment, a group of people drove an ox cart to the east gate of the city. The leader was an eight or nine-year-old child.This group of people was watched from a distance by people passing by on the official road, but no one dared to go up and talk to them.

There was even a group of soldiers dressed as Jinwu guards watching, but no one came forward to question them.

"Lang Jun, are our battles too big?"

The strong and burly Fang Dafu lowered his head and asked Fang Chongyong in a low voice.

"No matter how few people there are, we won't be able to move the body. After all, a former crown prince and two former princes are quite heavy, right?"

Fang Chongyong explained patiently, although what he said was nonsense.What Fang Dafu said and what he explained were obviously different.

"Your Majesty, why does the slave have to hold a gong?"

Fang Laique asked confusedly, holding a gong in one hand and a mallet in the other.

"You can just knock the gong to clear the way later. Don't ask any questions. Let's move the corpses onto the bullock cart first, then walk half a circle around Chang'an City, go out from the Yanping Gate on the west, and go directly to the cemetery to bury these three people."

Fang Chongyong explained Fang Laique's mission, and the group walked into the hall of Chengdong Station. They saw three people hanging with white silk on the high beams here, looking like indescribable hanged ghosts.

Fang Chongyong held back the waves of vomiting in his stomach, bowed to the three hanging corpses and said, "Today I will take you to the grave for peace. I hope you will not be born in an emperor's home in the next life."

Then he cupped his hands and saluted, and said to Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan behind him: "You can turn back when you get here, are you really willing to do this? Don't you regret it?"

His tone was very solemn, as long as he took the three corpses out of the station, the group of them would be accomplices, and Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan would naturally not be able to escape!
"It's all right for a saint to kill three sons in one day. It's really inappropriate to order the corpses to be left in the station for three days. In any case, the three princes have no real evidence of rebellion. It is appropriate to let them be buried in the soil after death. The crime of death is eliminated. Well, why bother to humiliate the dead?

Since the young man is willing to go all out for the sake of justice, what do I, Zhang Xun, have to fear?Could it be that in this prosperous Tang Dynasty, there was no justice and human ethics? "

Zhang Xun said categorically, obviously determined to advance and retreat with Fang Chongyong.

"That's right, so is X. But instead of saying more here, it's better to quickly load the bodies into bullock carts and send them to the cemetery, so that they can be laid to rest."

Xu Yuan cupped his hands and suggested.

Today, Fang Chongyong proposed early in the morning to help contain the bodies of the three princes, and he received strong support from Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan.

In fact, everyone in Quan Chang'an felt that Li Longji's handling of this matter was outrageous.

However, no matter how outrageous this matter is, it is still a matter of the emperor's family and has nothing to do with the people watching from the sidelines.

No matter whether it is a rising commoner or a family of officials and officials, who wants to get involved in unnecessary troubles?

Except for people like Fang Chongyong who are full and supporting themselves.

After loading the corpse onto the bullock cart, before Fang Dafu had time to drive back to Chang'an, he saw a group of Jinwu guards wearing red crotchless jackets and lined up to stop them.

These people just surrounded Fang Chongyong and the others, but did not do anything. It seemed as if they were trying to avoid a rat.

"Heroes, no matter what the prince's crimes are, that's the face of a saint, and it's really not appropriate to hang him on the beam of the post station.

Now I just want them to rest in peace, please don't stop them. "

Fang Chongyong stepped forward and shouted to many soldiers.

No one paid any attention to him, but the expressions on the faces of the Jinwu guards softened a lot, at least they no longer treated them as thieves.

“If you get out of the way, then the saint will hold us accountable afterwards, and at most we will be held accountable for our crimes.

But if you delay the burial of the prince, and if the saint is criticized by the world for this matter in the future, will the saint think of it one day and feel that it is because of your meddling in others' business that the princes were buried in a deserted station? "

Hearing Fang Chongyong's words, the group of Jinwu guards were obedient and consciously moved out of the way.

A group of Jinwu guards are loyal to their duties, so the emperor will appreciate them?Reuse them?

That's too much to think about!

For example, one night Li Longji wanted to experience some excitement, and he wanted to do some indescribable things on the streets of Chang'an with his arms around a young court lady.

At this time, will the Jinwu Guard who is "loyal to his duty" also go up to check it?Or do you mean watching and learning from the sidelines?
The reasoning is obviously not like this. How can a person who can hang out in Chang'an City be so stupid.

Now it is obvious that Li Longji killed three people in one day. Someone helped collect the corpses. As a Jinwu guard, it is fine that you did not help. Instead, you stopped those people from building a ladder for Li Longji to step down.

Then you Jinwu guards will be punished to death in the future, and you will only suffer on your own.

Most of the soldiers of Jinwu Guard are descendants of official families from Chang'an City, so they would not do such stupid things!

when!
Fang Lai magpie beat the gong fiercely, and walked in front of the ox cart to open the way.Fang Chongyong, Zhang Xun and others followed the ox cart, and Fang Dafu rode the ox cart, and the group headed towards Chang'an Chunming Gate in a mighty manner.

The pedestrians who were walking ahead and preparing to enter the city gave way one after another, and the Jinwu guards guarding the city gave way one after another. The good-natured people were wondering how Fang Chongyong and his party would die, but the Jinwu guards wished that they would leave quickly.

After entering the city, groups of melon-eating people in Chang'an City followed the ox cart, all wanting to know how this matter would end.

……

Li Longji, who was working in the Zichen Hall of the Daming Palace, heard from Gao Lishi that someone had actually collected the bodies of the former crown prince Li Ying and the two princes, and was driving an ox cart towards the Yanping Gate in the southwest.

It was obvious that the three princes were to be buried!
"There is such a thing!"

Li Longji was shocked. There should be no twists and turns in the place where there should be twists and turns, but after the matter is over, a lot of moths appear instead. This is really frustrating!

If a father does not attend to his son's funeral, but asks outsiders to do it, does this father deserve to be called a saint by the world?
Why did Li Longji order the corpse to be exposed for three days?Is it because he hates Li Ying and others?

In fact, this is not the case, because there will soon be a new round of chaos among the princes, in order to compete for the crown prince's position.

And Li Longji did this to show those people his determination and will!
I will never tolerate those who want to rebel, no matter whether you implement it or not!
Li Longji felt that by setting a warning to others, he could at least stop the next prince from having any evil thoughts.

It should be obvious what he meant.

But now that someone with good intentions has come out to collect the corpses of the three princes, the situation has become beyond expectation!
What these people did was to slap Li Longji in the face properly and tell the world: You are too vicious as a father. Not only did you kill your son, but you also ordered the corpse to be killed for three days!

Didn't you help them collect the corpses?

That's fine, I'll take their corpses away for you!

Let’s see if you, a father, have a heart of stone. Let’s see how the world will treat you, a tyrant who is more ferocious than a tiger!

Are you going to stop me?Then look around and ask the people watching what they think of you?

"Whoever is in the way, I will kill it!"

Li Longji gritted his teeth and said to Gao Lishi.

"Saint, this matter may not be a bad thing, why don't you let the slave go over there to have a look.

If the matter of the three kings is handled by the saint, where will the saint bury them?It's better to leave this troublesome matter to others. "

Gao Lishi suggested in a low voice.

Li Longji thought for a moment and said:
"You're right, it would be better to let them bury the bodies of those three traitors."

He suddenly remembered that after the death of members of the royal family, they would eventually choose a place with a treasured geomantic omen for burial.

Killing three sons in one day, if they are properly buried, will people feel that they regret killing them?This is obviously inappropriate.

If we don’t bury it, then we can’t keep hanging the body in the inn, right?

Li Longji suddenly felt that it was not entirely a bad thing if an outside force intervened to handle the matter properly.

"Go and ask, if they don't make any additional demands... you can put these people in prison first, and I will question them face to face."

Li Longji waved his hand impatiently and said.

What he didn't know was that the young man who helped him collect the corpses of the princes would also cause him countless troubles.

(End of this chapter)