Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 428 The King of Pick-ups

"Li Shizhi! Who is Li Shizhi! Get out of here!"

In front of the door of the Yizheng Hall, He Changqi stood up with his sword drawn and shouted violently at the two officials who were holding sticks and guarding the door, shivering and about to leave first!

No one answered.

Fang Chongyong had previously ordered that the six yamen did not matter, but as long as it was possible not to enter the political hall, try not to go in.

He Changqi always abides by this prohibition and never goes inside when he reaches the door of the Yizheng Hall.

"I am Li Shizhi. Do you want to rebel?"

A lean old man who looked to be in his sixties walked out of the meeting hall, looking directly at He Changqi.

"Hey, old thief! I finally caught you!"

He Changqi sheathed the sword in his hand, walked forward, grabbed Li Shizhi's collar, and dragged him towards the Suzaku Gate like a dead dog.

Now that the overall situation has been decided, uncontrollable exhaustion surges in, making Brother Ji unable to resist.

"Receive the reward!"

Gao Lishi asked deliberately pretending to be confused even though he knew the answer.

"Well, come here, escort Li Shizhi to Dali Temple Prison."

"The Prince of Pingxi County is actually the imperial censor, just ask him."

"Brothers, I have caught the thief Li Shizhi! Let's go with you and find the commander to report your merits and receive the reward!"

Hearing this, Brother Ji nodded slightly and said, "That's true. Does Aiqing have any candidates to recommend?"

"Sage, to accomplish this, it takes more than just a prime minister. There must be other people involved in the center.

Fang Chongyong continued to suggest.

A group of people danced and cheered, almost like celebrating a festival.

This kind of mistake is unforgivable by the emperor.

Because the inability to control the situation was the prime minister's biggest mistake.

"Receive the reward!"

Fang Chongyong could be said to have "three consecutive hits with one click" this time, and his mouth never stopped at all.

Brother Ji sighed softly, he already understood that the prestige of the imperial court center had suffered a heavy blow this time. Recovering your strength does not happen overnight!

I will wait for you at the Council Hall. "

"Receive the reward!"

He is getting older, has a strange disease, and his energy is not as good as before. Today's torment has been constant, and my body has long been overwhelmed. Before, I was just holding on.

Let the saints decide. "

He Changqi shouted to the Silver Spear Xiaojie soldiers who were arresting people everywhere in the imperial city.

Li Shizhi glanced at Brother Ji dejectedly, knowing that he was doomed in this life. Even the descendants of his lineage were finished.

The methods are extremely brutal!

"Sage, this turmoil has not spread to places outside Chang'an. Wei Chen suggested that a mature, experienced and qualified courtier should temporarily serve as the right minister to clean up the mess.

Li Shizhi was shocked. He never expected that these "rebellious" Qiu Ba would be so unreasonable.

"Zheng Shuqing is old and prudent. He is now the Minister of the Ministry of Industry and the third rank of Tongzhongshu.

"Sage, it is better to send Li Shi to Dali Temple Prison first, and then try him slowly in a few days. The most urgent task now is to restore order in the court."

Fang Chongyong suggested to Brother Ji, crossing his hands and saluting.

If the latter mutinied, Li Shizhi could not shirk responsibility, it only depended on what crime he was convicted of.

"Back to the saint, who should be arrested and who shouldn't be arrested?"

From Ji Ge's point of view, it doesn't matter whether Li Shizhi participated in the strangulation of the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army or not.

They stepped forward, tied Li Shizhi up with a rope, pulled the rope like an animal, and took him to the Zhuque Gate.

His birthday is coming soon, why did such a stupid thing happen?

"Eh? Wait, you are...stop, I want to ask you the truth..."

"Lishi, please cooperate with Prince Pingxi in arresting people. Once caught, they will all be sent to Dali Temple Prison for slow interrogation.

Brother Ji waved his hands a little tiredly and said.

There will never be a day to come forward.

He seemed to be filled with disgust for this person.

As a result, before the group reached the Suzaku Gate, they bumped into Brother Ji's team.

Prior to that, he had many years of experience in the Sixth Department and Yizhengtang, and was once appointed as the governor.

Brother Ji nodded expressionlessly, not even bothering to look at Li Shizhi, and gave instructions to Gao Lishi.

The minister thought that if he had done all the work of eradicating evil, he would not chill the hearts of the officers and soldiers of the three armies, nor would they become sick in their elbows and armpits. "

It would be better to let him temporarily serve as the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Zhongshu Ling, and clean up the mess and fill in the gaps.

After the situation in the court is stabilized, it will not be too late for the saint to adjust the central personnel.

For today's plan, stability is the main priority. "

Fang Chongyong suggested cautiously.

Lao Zheng?

In Brother Ji's mind, Zheng Shuqing nodded and bowed, and then he smiled and said: "Zheng Shuqing is a stable official. He has been in the court for many years, so he is indeed a suitable candidate. Lishi, draft an imperial edict and send it out today, appointing Zheng Shuqing as your right prime minister. ”

Fang Chongyong's suggestion almost coincided with Brother Ji's idea, but he only realized it in hindsight and hadn't thought of it yet.

Brother Ji thinks that Zheng Shuqing's greatest advantage is that he has no thoughts about becoming an official. He is almost the same without him.

Zheng Shuqing had two eye-catching characters written all over his body: Stay alive!

If you want to govern the Tang Dynasty well, you cannot let people like Zheng Shuqing be the right prime minister. But if it is just to stabilize the government, then this person is indeed the most suitable.

It’s also best to control.

Because this person doesn't give in.

The key is that everyone else knows that Zheng Shuqing is just an "acting right prime minister" and will leave sooner or later. So it won't cause any problems for him. This will help stabilize the current situation, which is about to become chaotic.

"Prince Pingxi has done a great job in quelling the rebellion. What reward do you want?"

Brother Ji asked nonchalantly.

"Replying to the sage and asking a humble minister to correct his edicts, even though something unexpected happened and forced him to do so, it can still be regarded as deceiving the emperor.

I beg you to stop serving as the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army envoy and be sent to serve as an official outside the capital after the government is stabilized. How could you expect any extravagant reward?"

Fang Chongyong bowed and said, his attitude was extremely humble.

Hearing this, Brother Ji nodded with satisfaction, then waved his hand and said:
"That's not what it said.

Whether you should be this military envoy or not is not up to you, that is up to me.

I ask you to be the one, even if you don’t want to be the one, how can you bargain? "

"I'm scared." Fang Chongyong looked flattered.

"That's all, you can take Gao Lishi to clean up the mess. I want to be quiet in the meeting hall."

Brother Ji sighed and walked into the meeting hall minding his own business. He didn't know what he was feeling melancholy about.

After entering the meeting hall, he looked around and found that there were no signs of being looked through or searched, and his hanging heart returned to its original place.

Judging from Fang Chongyong's attitude, Brother Ji felt that this was probably a mutiny in which he was forced into panic and then fought back. There was no specific plan beforehand, and there were no other demands, let alone his big boys.

Finally, it is a blessing in misfortune.

As for Fang Chongyong's recommendation of Zheng Shuqing, it is reasonable and reasonable. Not only was Li Shizhi afraid of liquidation, Fang Chongyong and Yinqian Xiaojiejun were also afraid that someone would "overturn the verdict" afterwards.

If you don't recommend someone you know well to be the prime minister, implement things meticulously, and make a final decision on the spot, what if the court counterattacks in the future?
This seemingly trivial matter turned out to be a matter of life and death. Fang Chongyong inadvertently eliminated the biggest hidden danger.

If Zheng Shuqing deals with Fang Chongyong, who recommended him as the right prime minister in the future, his political credibility and personal ethics will be completely ruined, and he will become a despicable villain who hates others. This is really a good move!

Brother Ji sighed in his heart while pacing in the meeting hall, Fang Youde gave birth to a good son.

Fortunately, this is not his son, otherwise, this person would definitely do what Taizong Xuanwumen did back then!

Of course, Fang Chongyong's surname is not Li, so as long as he doesn't collude with the prince, nothing can happen.

This is also a blessing in misfortune.

This person may not have the intention to cause trouble, but he already has the ability to cause trouble, and he must be more careful in the future.

Brother Ji silently labeled Fang Chongyong as a "dog that doesn't bark."

"With Ge Nu here, it definitely doesn't stop there."

Brother Ji couldn't help but let out a long sigh and began to miss Li Linfu, who had managed the Tang Dynasty for many years.

You don’t know if you don’t compare. Once you compare, the difference will come out. If Li Linfu were here, he would never worry about rewards, and naturally he would not force the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army to mutiny.

"The Shence Army is no longer good. More than 10,000 people cannot defeat 3,000 people. They are useless.

Alas, the capital just can’t raise powerful soldiers..."

Brother Ji murmured to himself, and his feeling at this moment was just like the sentence written by Li Yu of the Southern Tang Dynasty:
Asked how worried you can be, just like a river of spring water flowing eastward.

……

"Saint! I want to see the saint! Come on, I want to see the saint!"

A few days after the mutiny of the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army, in the innermost cell of Dali Temple Prison, Li Shizhi, who was already disheveled, shouted to the jailer outside the prison.

The two jailers looked away, not even bothering to look at Li Shizhi!
A fallen phoenix is ​​not as good as a chicken. So what if Li Shizhi was the prime minister? When you enter the Dali Temple Prison, you have to coil up if it's a dragon, or lie down if it's a tiger. Who cares how powerful you were before.

Dali Temple Prison is a place that ordinary people can’t even enter! Who can be imprisoned here who was not a big shot before?

The jailers secretly despised him in their hearts. They had seen too many people like Li Shizhi.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard in the distance, getting closer and closer, heading straight for Li Shizhi's prison.

Soon, Li Shizhi saw Zheng Shuqing, wearing a purple official robe, leading Gao Lishi to the door of his prison.

Zheng Shuqing waved his hands to the two jailers, and the latter quietly left quietly. He, Gao Lishi, and Li Shizhi, who didn't know what to say, were the only ones left near the cell.

"Mr. Zheng, General Gao, sage, what do sages say?"

Li Shizhi swallowed and asked nervously.

"The saint has mercy and gives you two choices."

Gao Lishi said expressionlessly, with an unusually cold attitude. When he followed Li Shizhi, he was almost completely different from the other person.

But Li Shizhi couldn't care less about the other party's attitude at this moment. He looked excited, held the wooden fence of the prison tightly with both hands and asked, "Which two options are there?"

He was like a drowning man who saw the last straw.

"The first one is that you and your whole family will be exiled to Lingnan and will never be allowed to leave Lingnan for generations to come."

Gao Lishi said the first option.

Lingnan in ancient times was not like the modern one in Fang Chongyong's previous life. The climate in Lingnan in ancient times was extremely hot and unbearable, poisonous insects and snakes were everywhere, and miasma was rampant.

Known as the "invisible guillotine".

Officials who were exiled to Lingnan in the Tang Dynasty had a high probability of death. Many of them died of illness on the way before arriving in Lingnan.

"Then, what's the second way?"

Li Shizhi asked worriedly. He had almost guessed the answer.

"The second way is this."

Gao Lishi handed a piece of white cloth in his hand to Li Shizhi.

"The saint promises that your family will no longer be held accountable. They can live in Chang'an and still be members of the clan."

One person dies to save the whole family.

Or the family died randomly in exile.

This choice is really not easy.

Zheng Shuqing on the side was serious and serious, and outsiders could not tell what he was thinking.

Zheng Shuqing did not dare to sympathize with Li Shizhi, nor did he bother to ridicule him. He knew very well that it was not easy to sit in the position of right minister, and he might be the next "Li Shizhi".

Nowadays, various hidden dangers emerge one after another in the Tang Dynasty, the prime ministers change frequently, the political situation is gradually chaotic, and even the imperial guards mutinied.

It’s not easy to be the prime minister in the Tianbao era!
"I understand, thank you Saint for your grace."

Li Shizhi took the white cloth strip from Gao Lishi's hand, then knelt on the ground and made a prostration.

"Hurry up, the general has to go back to restore the saint's life."

Seeing Li Shizhi whining, Gao Lishi couldn't help but urge him, saying that he didn't show any affection at all.

Most people don't like acting in front of dead people. Gao Lishi's previous indifference was not an act for Li Shizhi.

"Please ask General Gao to go back and report to the saint, saying that the guilty minister did not commit rebellion."

Li Shizhi bowed deeply to Gao Lishi.

Gao Lishi didn't even know what to say about his pedantry and naivety!

Seeing this, Zheng Shuqing said to Gao Lishi: "It's a bit stuffy here. I'll go out and get some fresh air first."

Gao Lishi nodded slightly, and only after Uncle Zheng had gone away and could no longer be seen, did he say to Li Shizhi:

"Li Shizhi, Li Shizhi, don't you understand yet? The saint knows that you are not treasonous.

If you rebel, will your family be left behind?
Why haven't you figured it out yet? "

Then why should I commit suicide?
Li Shizhi looked shocked and couldn't even say anything to question. He always felt that he had been "misunderstood" by the emperor. As long as he stated his interests and explained his reasons clearly, at least it would not be difficult to escape from prison.

Unexpectedly, he was ridiculed by Gao Lishi.

But Gao Lishi obviously didn't want to save face for the dead.

He shook his head and sighed:

"The Silver Spear Filial Piety Army mutinied to seek reward, and even entered Chang'an, successfully forcing the palace. As the right prime minister, you cannot escape the blame.

From this point of view alone, you have to die!
The saint needs to give an explanation to the people of the world, and he needs to give an explanation to the border guards of the Tang Dynasty. The Silver Spear Xiaojie Army has already arrived at the gate of Xingqing Palace, how can this matter be solved?
If the label of rebellion is not pinned on your head, and if other armies start to reward you in the future, wouldn't everyone have to march to Chang'an and ask the saint for justice?
The saint doesn't want to have those troublesome things. Since the Silver Spear Filial Piety Army is under the banner of suppressing rebellion and respecting the emperor and punishing traitors, then you, the right minister, can only become the traitorous minister they call the rebels.

Haven't you figured this out yet? It seems that the saint still thinks too highly of you. "

Gao Lishi shook his head and sighed, feeling sorry for Li Shizhi's stupidity.

In the game of "officers and soldiers catching robbers", there must be two people with absolutely opposite positions, namely: officers and soldiers and robbers, so that the story can continue to be told.

Since the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army mutinied successfully and defeated the Shence Army, which was far more numerous than them, this army was already officers and soldiers. Anyone who says they are not "officers and soldiers" will be hacked to death by them!
Whoever stood opposite them during the mutiny would automatically become a "robber".

In other words, if there are no "robbers", then the character design of "officers and soldiers" cannot be established. The court cannot publicly say that the Silver Spear Xiaojie Army is a robber, right?

How can there be no bad guys in a narrative with clear-cut flags and conflicting positions?

Therefore, there must be a person with enough weight in the court to take all the blame and be the bad guy.

This person is either the emperor or the right minister.

We can't let Brother Ji take the blame, right? So the "bad guy" can only be Li Shizhi.

The former right prime minister still cannot see through this, so it is not surprising that he will end up like this.

On the contrary, Fang Chongyong, a young man, made an extremely smooth transition from mutiny to Qin Wang.

It's impressive.

This guy is unfathomable! Old people like Li Shizhi can no longer keep up with the times.

Gao Lishi commented silently in his heart, and looked at Li Shizhi with eyes full of pity.

"It's actually like this...It's actually like this, it's ridiculous, it's ridiculous."

Li Shizhi shook his head and sighed, then backed away and suddenly slammed into the prison wall.

(End of this chapter)