Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 405: The crime of slander
"Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!

Don't come over! Don't come here! "

Brother Ji suddenly woke up from his nightmare, his whole body wet with cold sweat.

Another night haunted by "evil spirits", another unsettling dream.

Brother Ji got out of bed and picked up the mahogany sword hanging on the wall, and looked around cautiously, as if the howling, crying and roaring of the evil spirits in his dream were still in his ears.

Then Ji Ge found that there was no one in the bedroom except himself. Only Gao Lishi was watching from a distance outside the door, not daring to get close.

Of course, the reason why this happened was actually because he followed Brother Ji's instructions in advance.

"Sage, did you have another nightmare?"

Gao Lishi asked from a distance, his face full of anxiety.

Brother Ji didn't say much, he just sat down on the bed and waved to Gao Lishi.

After the other party slowly came over, Ji Ge asked in a low voice: "How is the prince doing lately?"

Li Chen?

Gao Lishi was stunned. After Li Han was sent to Huashan to "pray" for Brother Ji, the prince had disappeared from people's sight for a long time.

But what can be expected is that Li Chen will not make any trouble in Huashan.

Li Xuan couldn't get in touch with the central officials of the imperial court, and he didn't even have a single soldier in hand. What kind of trouble could he make?

Anyway, Gao Lishi couldn't think of how Li Chan could act like a monster, and secretly sighed in his heart that this was another episode of Brother Ji's suspicion.

Ever since that incident, Brother Ji was actually a little afraid of Li Chen deep down in his heart.

Gao Lishi knew about this, but he didn't dare to mention it.

"Sage, have you forgotten that the prince is praying for you in Huashan right now.

Except for a few eunuchs, there was no one around him who he could talk to. "

Gao Lishi answered cautiously.

"No wonder I've been having nightmares lately. It turns out it was this scoundrel who cursed me in Sanqing Palace to die a good death!"

Brother Ji hammered the bed bitterly, furious.

Hearing this, even Gao Lishi didn't know how to pick it up.

If the curse was effective, Wu Meiniang would have been secretly cursed to death when Wu Zhou was in power! Where can I end my life?

For a moment, Gao Lishi couldn't help but start to sympathize with Li Chen.

Even when he was sent to Huashan, which was like a house arrest, Brother Ji was still suspicious of him.

It’s really hard to get rid of inner demons.

"I just dreamed that the prince rebelled and led troops into Xingqing Palace! This traitor!

I want to depose the prince! I must destroy him! "

Ji Ge said through gritted teeth, the veins on his head bulging out, looking extremely terrifying.

"Sage, Li Chen has neither popularity nor power, and he doesn't even have anyone around him that he can use. He cannot threaten you.

On the contrary, if another prince becomes the prince now, it is hard to say what will happen next.

In order to support them against the prince, the saint turned a blind eye to many of their little actions.

If someone really becomes a prince, will his tail be too big to fall off later? "

Gao Lishi persuaded patiently.

It was really taboo for him to talk about this matter, but because it was so important to depose the crown prince, Gao Lishi had to remind Brother Ji:
If one excludes the importance of status and righteousness, the strength in Li Han's hands is far inferior to that of other princes!
Therefore, Li Chen becoming the crown prince is indeed the best solution to the current situation, but replacing him would be an uncontrollable risk!
"Alas! Alas!"

Brother Ji sighed twice and completely shut up and refused to speak. It was obvious that he was forced to do so and was unwilling to do so.

He wanted to change to the crown prince, but if he eliminated the thoughts in his heart that he could not express to others, Li Xuan was indeed the most suitable candidate for the crown prince.

In other words, Li Xuan is also the prince who is least likely to be the emperor! The prince who poses the least threat to Ji Ge’s imperial power!

The lesser of two evils, the controllable Li Xuan is better than the other princes who are uncontrollable.

This is the restraint of reason on emotion!

"Pass on my message to ask the left and right ministers to come to Huaqing Palace to discuss matters."

Brother Ji said a little tiredly, looking at him like this, he probably really wants to change the prince! I don’t know what the nightmare tonight was about.

Gao Lishi knew that it was impossible to persuade him again, so he had to accept the order and leave.

As soon as he reached the door of the bedroom, he was immediately called back by Brother Ji.

"In recent years, I have often dreamed of fierce ghosts asking for their lives, well, it's that Wei Sanniang.

Is there any way to deal with it? "

Brother Ji looked gloomy and asked calmly.

This stumped Gao Lishi! He is not a "professional" in this area!
Gao Lishi searched in his mind for a long time and finally thought of a "correct" answer, so he answered carefully:
"Sage, I have heard that the Five Sacrifice originated in the Shang Dynasty. They first offered sacrifices to doors, windows, wells, stoves, eaves or halls to drive away ghosts.

Because ghosts who die unexpectedly are usually called ghosts who commit violent crimes. The grievances of strong and dead ghosts are very strong and affect people's minds. They are easy to accumulate in doors, windows, wells, stoves, eaves or halls and other places to harm people.

Five sacrifices should be used to drive away evil spirits.

Why don't you go arrange it and hold a Five Sacrifice ceremony in the Huaqing Palace in the near future to drive away these evil spirits.

What did the saint think? "

Ji Ge is a Taoist, so hearing Gao Lishi say this really makes sense.

"Well, don't make a big fuss. Just send someone to do it quietly and follow the civilian approach."

Brother Ji nodded slightly and said, specifically emphasizing not to use the power of the government.

"The slave will go and convey the order first, and then hurry up and get this matter done."

After saying that, Gao Lishi bowed and left the bedroom.

The Five Sacrifice was developed to its extreme in the Zhou Dynasty and was a sacrifice to the gods of the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth). Each element is presided over by an ancient wise man, such as wood Zhengjumang, fire Zhengzhurong, gold Zhengyushou, water Zhengxuanming and earth Zhenghoutu.

The five sacrifices that follow are actually offering sacrifices to these five people.

As for Gao Lishi's statement, it obviously goes back to the original meaning of the Five Sacrifice, which is to simply drive away ghosts.

However, there was a question here that Brother Ji didn't ask and Gao Lishi didn't dare to mention it. Being an errand around the emperor, keeping your mouth shut, and not asking questions that you shouldn't ask are the secrets to living a long life.

Even Gao Lishi knew that sacrifice was a major national event. Although the "Five Sacrifice" is no longer official, it does not disappear. Instead, this custom developed into the Tang Dynasty and has actually evolved and stratified.

The emperor worshiped the heaven and earth and famous mountains and rivers in the emperor's way, praying for the peace and prosperity of the country and the people.

And the common people worship the doors, windows, wells and stoves, which is the common people's way, praying for the safety of their homes. According to the "politically correct" view, the emperor is blessed by the power of heaven and earth, and is invulnerable to all harm.

Do you still need to worry about mere ghosts? There is no need to do those little tricks at all.

And Brother Ji asked the people who worshiped and exorcised ghosts to perform the Five Sacrifice, which was a self-degradation. How could the ministers of the DPRK know about this?
Gao Lishi naturally couldn't ask more questions like this.

After he left, Ji Ge leaned on the bedside and began to fall asleep, thinking wildly in his mind, and fell into a deep sleep without realizing it.

He had a long dream. This time it was not a ghost seeking his life, but a vague vision of chaos in the world, wars and wars, and the people's livelihood.

I slept very deeply and didn't wake up until about three o'clock in the morning.

After waking up, Brother Ji felt indescribably tired. Not only did this sleep not free my body from the illness, it actually made me feel even more uncomfortable.

He asked Gao Lishi in a hoarse voice: "Are the left and right ministers here?"

"Back to the saint, I'm already here. They're all waiting in the study."

Gao Lishi took a yellow robe and put it on Brother Ji.

"The two prime ministers are still diligent."

Brother Ji nodded with satisfaction. He didn't even think about it. Even if he set off immediately after hearing Gao Lishi's order from Chang'an City to Huaqing Palace, he would still have to run non-stop to get there.

Li Shizhi and Fang Guan are both no longer young. It's hard to describe the feeling of being woken up at night and then walking under the stars and the moon.

But Brother Ji doesn't care whether they are happy or not, since he is not the emperor who is on the way anyway.

After changing clothes, Brother Ji came to the study and saw Li Shizhi and Fang Guan both looking haggard.

He hurriedly went over and held their hands and sighed: "It's my fault. I was worried about the national affairs and made the two husbands suffer."

"Thank you saint for your understanding."

Li Shizhi and Fang Guan both bowed and saluted. How could these two people dare to blame Brother Ji for sending someone to their house in the middle of the night and calling them to Huaqing Palace.

To a certain extent, this is also a kind of "grace".

After sitting down, Brother Ji did not shy away from the presence of Gao Lishi. He looked at the two of them and asked, "My dear husbands, how do you feel about the prince?"

How is the prince?

Li Shizhi and Fang Guan were both shocked. The emperor asked, is he going to change the prince?
"Does the saint think...the prince has done something inappropriate?"

Fang Guan asked doubtfully.

He couldn't help but think too much. Since Brother Ji was so anxious to summon them to Huaqing Palace, plus the question just now, Fang Guan knew that something was definitely up to him!

The prince is the foundation of the country, this is no small matter!

He is a traditional civil servant with some political integrity.

Although!

Everyone in the civil and military circles of the dynasty knew that Li Xuan was just an "acting prince" and was likely to be replaced in the future. In addition, Li Quan was indifferent to fame and fortune, so there were almost no officials who were optimistic about him, let alone defected to him.

Apart from anything else, Ji Ge, the official who belongs to the East Palace, is only in name only. He usually does not go to the East Palace at all. Even Li Shizhi and Fang Guan hold positions in the East Palace! However, they have never even been to the East Palace! No one is blind. Who doesn’t know that Brother Ji doesn’t want to see Li Chen at all?
but!

Sudden replacement of Li Long... that would also have a huge impact on the political situation.

Because the next prince will almost certainly be the next emperor! Brother Ji is already old and cannot withstand the continuous torment and political turmoil.

Therefore, in the eyes of Fang Guan and Li Shizhi, Brother Ji's "small problem" is a "big trouble" that will affect lives and lives in the next few decades!
If you don't ask clearly at this time, you will really be a fool!

"After much thought, I feel that Li Xuan is not qualified to inherit the throne. Today I summoned the two ministers here just to ask who you think is better as the crown prince."

Brother Ji didn't mince words and stated his intentions directly.

Li Shizhi and Fang Guan looked at each other and saw deep worry in each other's eyes.

"Sage, the prince has done nothing wrong at present. If he is replaced rashly, there may be something wrong."

Li Shizhi said bravely.

"Eh? I didn't say that we should change the prince now. I just wanted to ask which prince would be better as the prince."

Brother Ji waved his hand and said.

Does this make a difference?
Li Shizhi was stunned and didn't know how to answer the call. However, Fang Guan was more alert. He crossed his hands and saluted Brother Ji and said, "If the saint really wants to ask, princes such as King Ying Li Xuan and King Yong Li Lin have already actually participated in government affairs."

He did not say who was suitable to be the prince, but pointed out that several princes were already involved in government affairs. As for who is suitable and who is not, isn't that a matter of the emperor's words?

Fang Guan said "correct nonsense", which also made Brother Ji helpless.

Doesn't he know that the prince should be chosen from among these princes? But we can’t say that what Fang Guan said is wrong!
"Don't you have any suitable candidate in mind for the Prime Minister?"

Brother Ji looked at Li Shizhi and asked, his tone becoming stern.

"Back to the sage, the prince is the foundation of the country. The advice of the minister is that as long as the prince makes no big mistakes, then he will not do anything for the time being.

If the prince made a mistake, it would not be too late to discuss the matter of abolishing the throne. "

Li Shizhi said calmly.

His words obviously meant to protect Li Sheng, or in other words, Li Shizhi hoped to maintain the stability of the court and did not want any further setbacks.

But he obviously didn't guess Brother Ji's thoughts.

"Right Prime Minister, Li Xuan is currently in Huashan. He is in the sacrificial hall every day, silently cursing me. Even so, is there nothing I can do against him?"

Brother Ji stared at Li Shizhi with red eyes and asked! Already on the verge of rage!
Li Shizhi was speechless.

Because this kind of thing just means that if the emperor thinks it exists, then it exists, and if the emperor thinks it doesn’t exist, then it doesn’t exist. Anyway, it’s whatever he says!
Li Long prayed for the saint in the Sanqing Hall at the foot of Mount Hua. Who knows whether he was blessing or cursing?

Ji Ge’s reason is simply a conspiracy theory reaching its peak, and people don’t know how to evaluate it.

"Saint, if you say so, every prince may be cursing the saint when he greets you. Who dares to say that what he thinks in his heart must be a good thing?
Sage, when it comes to deeds, he doesn’t care about his heart. When it comes to his heart, there are no good people in the world! "

Li Shizhi knelt down directly, kowtowed to Brother Ji and begged.

When Fang Guan saw this, he also knelt down and begged.

If Ji Ge is really allowed to take down Prince Li Xuan on the grounds that "the prince cursed the saint when praying for blessings", then the reputations of these two prime ministers will definitely become stinky in the history books of future generations.

Because according to this standard, there is no competent official in the entire Tang Dynasty officialdom.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, some cruel officials invented the "crime of abdominal slander", that is, not saying anything with your mouth was just the minimum, but you would also be punished if you cursed in your heart.

Then it became a famous dark political scene that was bitterly commented on by later generations.

Li Shizhi and Fang Guan did not dare to take the blame.

"That's all, go ahead, I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Brother Ji let out a long sigh, feeling that the matter of deposing the crown prince could not be pushed forward head-on.

(End of this chapter)