Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 57
Life is often full of surprises. Fang Chongyong still failed to enroll in the "Youth Class" the next day, because the Hongwen Museum was closed!

Something big happened in the palace!Concubine Wu Hui passed away suddenly!

There was no news of a critical illness before, so it can be said that he left as soon as he said it, and he didn't even have time to leave his last words!

Fang Chongyong was terrified by this sudden change!

The day before, Gao Lishi was still hinting to himself, a little hesitant to suggest that Li Longji pick up the dust ring, whether to do it or not.

As a result, news of Concubine Wu Hui's death came out in the palace today.

Li Longji ordered that the central office be closed for one day, and the Guozijian and other affiliated schools, including Hongwen Hall, be closed for three days!
Could it be that Gao Lishi persuaded Li Longji, and then Li Longji poisoned Concubine Wu Hui?

very scary!
Fang Chongyong suddenly felt cold all over his body.Logically speaking, Li Longji shouldn't do it so soon, is it really a coincidence?

For a whole day, Fang Chongyong locked himself in his study, thinking hard and reflecting on what he had done wrong.

Fang Chongyong felt that he might have underestimated Li Longji's selfishness and cruelty.

……

At that time, Li Longji built a building in the Xingqing Palace, which was called "Huacalyx Xianghui Building", which symbolized that he and his brothers were brothers and sisters, and they complemented each other.

When they were young, the brothers asked Emperor Li Xian and Sui Wang Li Longti to drink and compose poems in the building all day long.

The relationship is really good enough to wear a pair of pants.

But Li Longji never allowed his older brothers and younger brothers to get involved in politics. These people are idle princes who do not participate in any government affairs.

Now, Li Longji came to Huaxianghui Building, sitting on the bed with his arms folded and meditating, looking melancholy.

Concubine Wu Hui didn't know what stimulated her, but she suddenly died suddenly last night, and the cause of death was unknown!All of a sudden, Li Longji was very passive!
If the rumors are allowed to ferment, sooner or later the rumor that "the saint poisoned Concubine Wu Hui" will spread.This is what Li Longji doesn't want to see.

So not long after Concubine Wu Hui died, Li Longji asked Gao Lishi to speak to the court: Concubine Wu Hui was frightened to death because she saw the ghosts of the former prince and the three kings!
He has already spoken out, as for the courtiers to believe it or not, that's up to them.

I believe that in this kind of matter, no one dares to make mistakes.

"Lishi, I want to make Concubine Wu Hui the empress, what do you think?"

Li Longji asked with a long sigh.

Gao Lishi understood and said: "This is very good, why not spread the word that we want to make King Shou the crown prince."

Concubine Wu Hui was made queen again, and it was rumored that King Lishou would be crowned prince. It must be said that Gao Lishi had already figured out Li Longji's inner thoughts.

"Well, let's do that."

Li Longji nodded slightly. He found that Gao Lishi hadn't left, so he added: "Go to Jixian Academy and call Xueshi He here to see me."

He Xueshi is He Zhizhang, not only writes well, but also has first-class articles and poems.

"Concubine Wu Hui's eulogy should be written by Scholar He, it couldn't be better."

Gao Lishi complimented softly.

"Oh, yes."

Li Longji nodded numbly, he didn't know if he was sad about Concubine Wu Hui's death, or he was fantasizing about something else, as if he was in a daze just now.

At this moment, his mood was a bit complicated, as if he was feeling sorry for the passage of time, but also seemed to be relieved, the burden on his shoulders had been unloaded.

"By the way, Lishi, how about King Zhong?"

Li Longji asked as if nothing had happened, without even looking at Gao Lishi.There seems to be no sign of the topic jumping.He is often like this, and sometimes Li Linfu can't fully adapt.

Only Gao Lishi always knew what Li Longji was thinking.

"Returning to the saint, is it the thing that squeezed out the quota of Li Chuhong Wenguan?"

Gao Lishi asked cautiously.

"Yes, what's the news from the Ten Kings' House? What's King Zhong's reaction?"

Li Longji asked calmly.

"Ten King's House" is located in Yongxingfang and Xingningfang to the south of Daming Palace in Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty. It is still called "Ten King's House" and later renamed "Sixteen King's House". , the place where the princes lived together.

On the surface, the "Ten Kings' House" is just a residence built by the royal family.However, the practical significance and influence are extraordinary, leaving a strong imprint on the history books.

The power of these princes was greatly restricted because of this mansion and the various rules set by Li Longji!

It is not an exaggeration to use "beautiful cage" to sum it up.

In order to prevent the royal heirs from participating in politics, Li Longji's approach was very strict. He not only lived in a centralized place, but even strictly prohibited the kings from making friends with their officials.

Inside and outside the mansion are Li Longji's eyes and ears. Some kings know about it, while others hide it very deeply. Li Longji is always monitoring all actions in the Ten Kings' House.

Therefore, the life of these princes is not very easy, it can even be said to be a little depressing.

"The King of Guangping (Li Chu) is not dissatisfied, but...the King of Jianning County (Li Tan) seems to be a little unconvinced and thinks that Fang Chongyong is not qualified to study in Hongwen Hall."

Gao Lishi carefully organized his words and spoke slowly.

For these princes and grandchildren, Gao Lishi has always kept a distance from them, and does not easily evaluate these people.

"That's it."

Li Longji was thoughtful.

Whether Li Chu, Li Tan, or even Li Xi, they all studied in the Hongwen Library before.Seeing that his eldest brother was replaced by an outsider, Li Tan felt upset, which is actually quite normal.

In their view, Fang Youde is just a loyal dog of Li Longji, and Fang Chongyong is just a dog.

It was enough for the bastard to enroll in Hongwen Hall with the princes and grandsons. They pinched their noses and pretended that this was not the case.But replacing Li Chu, the emperor's grandson, would be intolerable!

"In this way, the Nanyang County King (Li Family) and the Jianning County King will strike out together, and there will be no need to go to the Hongwen Museum in the future."

Li Longji waved his hand, and with one sentence, he decided whether the two grandsons would stay or not.

"Will the government and the public criticize three emperors' grandsons for going on strike at once? This matter of saints..."

Gao Lishi leaned over and asked in a low voice.

"Let them guess."

Li Longji waved his hand, as if he didn't want to say much.

Gao Lishi bowed and retreated, calm in his heart.

Others thought that Li Longji was still immersed in the pain of losing his concubine, but Gao Lishi understood that his master, the Emperor of Tang Dynasty, the sage in Chang'an, had already set up a trick.

With Concubine Wu Hui's death, everything will be different.

Concubine Wu Hui is a trump card to suppress the prince.Now that the crown prince is gone and Concubine Wu Hui is gone, the King of Shou who was favored by Concubine Wu Hui will gradually fade out of people's sight.

The situation is about to enter chaos, and the next round of layout must be started, otherwise the situation will not be balanced.

More importantly, Li Longji missed his daughter-in-law, Yang Yuhuan, the wife of King Shou, to the point where he didn't think about eating or drinking.

If you don't take action, you feel unwilling to do so; if you do, you feel that the step is a little too big. After all, Li Longji personally presided over the wedding of King Shou!

On the one hand, he had to cover up his true intentions of maneuvering, and on the other hand, he had to get his daughter-in-law into his bed. Li Longji was heartbroken.

Even Gao Lishi was in fear all day long.

If something happened to the saint, what should Tang do?

Gao Lishi was full of worry thinking.As for whether Yang Yuhuan would want to die if his father-in-law picked up the ashes, and whether Shou Wang would feel uncomfortable if his wife was taken away, he never thought about it at all.

Perhaps, this is life.

With complicated emotions, Gao Lishi called He Zhizhang, who had been waiting for a long time, to Huae Xianghui Building in Xingqing Palace.

This year He Zhizhang is in his 70s and almost 80 years old. He is the minister of the Ministry of Rites and a bachelor of Jixian Academy.But to be honest, the symbolic meaning of his existence in the center is more than the actual meaning.

There are no government affairs that need him to deal with now, so He Zhizhang's life is very leisurely and happy.

Every day, I'm either fishing at work, or going to drink after get off work after fishing.

"Saint, please show your condolences."

He Zhizhang, who was wearing a crimson court dress, was already graying at the temples, but still looked hale and hearty.A little thin, and even smelled of alcohol.

People of his age are already blind to everything.There was no drinking or partying every day, and Li Longji was used to it and didn't mind it.

"Ji Zhen (named by He Zhizhang), please write a eulogy for me."

Li Longji said with a sigh.

Concubine Wu Hui?

He Zhizhang was taken aback for a moment, feeling slightly displeased.

Everyone in the court knew the virtues of Concubine Wu Hui, she was simply a shrunken and low-end version of Wu Meiniang.Except for a good skin, he has nothing, and his ambition is scary.

Hearing that she had finally died, all civil and military officials in the court breathed a sigh of relief.Finally, there is no need to worry about the repeat of the Wu Zhou story decades ago.

However, now Li Longji asked He Zhizhang to hold his nose and write a eulogy for Concubine Wu Hui, and He Zhizhang felt disgusted to the extreme.

"Saint, what do you want to write?"

He Zhizhang asked, crossing his hands and saluting.

This question is very important!
When the coffin is finalized, a person must be evaluated after death, and when it comes to concubines, it is the so-called status!

The status of Concubine Wu Hui's burial is very important, even related to the inheritance of imperial power.

"I want to bury Concubine Wu Hui with the ceremony of a queen."

Li Longji said in a deep voice.

"A saint can't do it!"

He Zhizhang became anxious when he heard that, if he was buried with the ceremony of a queen, and then let him, a bachelor of Jixian Academy, write the eulogy... Wouldn't he be nailed to the pillar of shame "to last forever" for people to "look at"?

Now He Zhizhang can say that he doesn't care much about life and death, but he can't bear the issue of the aftermath.

It's not guaranteed at the end of the festival, that's what I'm talking about.

"What's wrong? Do you just ignore my words?"

Li Longji scolded in displeasure, with dark clouds on his face.

"A humble official cannot obey an imperial edict."

He Zhizhang bowed and bowed, bowing his waist and bowing for a long time.

Seeing the opponent's slightly hunched figure and gray temples, Li Longji's heart softened.

Since there are so many people, why make things difficult for an old man who is half buried in the soil?
"Forget it, back off."

Li Longji sighed, shook his head helplessly and said.

It's not that others can't write eulogies, but they don't have the force of He Zhizhang.

The ministers want face, but does he, the emperor, not want face?
After He Zhizhang left, Gao Lishi couldn't help asking in a low voice: "There are now two more places in the Hongwen Museum. The saint's arrangement is..."

"Let Ge Nu send the two children to study, they are just dawdling anyway."

Li Longji waved his hand impatiently.

……

The history of Hongwenkan is quite glorious!

In the second month of Li Erfeng's ascension to the throne, he ordered the collection of 20 volumes of books in the Hongwen Hall, and the establishment of the "Hongwen Museum", which is the national collection of books and the place where the emperor recruits scholars of literature.

For a while, Chu Liang, Yao Silian, Cai Yungong, Xiao Deyan and other talents gathered.Every time he goes on an expedition, Erfeng will discuss important military affairs with the counselors of Hongwenguan.This is the fast lane for participating in and discussing state affairs. As long as you are appreciated by the emperor, you will be able to take over immediately.

However, those are already yesterday's flowers.

During the Kaiyuan period, Hongwen Hall showed obvious signs of decline. Its functions of participating in and discussing state affairs had been taken away by Jixian Academy, leaving only two functions of collecting books and teaching students.

The three-day period had passed, and Fang Chongyong came alone outside the city wall of Taiji Palace.After showing his "certificate of enrollment", he was taken to the territory of Menxia Province by the Kingo Guard officials on duty.

The Hongwen Museum is located in the imperial city, but the specific situation is difficult to describe.

There are two Hongwen Halls in Chang'an: the first one is located at the side of the Hongwen Hall in the Taiji Palace, and later it is located in the south of Menxia Province, and the second one is located in the east of Menxia Province outside the Rihua Gate of Daming Palace.

Another one is in Luoyang.

Fang Chongyong asked Li Kui all this. As for where the Hongwen Museum in Luoyang is and what it is for, he doesn't know and doesn't care.

Menxia Province was the deliberation and review organ of the central government in the Tang Dynasty. It was in charge of important documents with Zhongshu Province, participated in the country's major affairs, and was responsible for reviewing government orders and signing memorials.

Decree documents drafted by the Zhongshu Province must be reviewed by the subordinate provinces, and those that pass the review will be delivered to the Shangshu Province for execution.

Theoretically speaking, the Menxia Province has the right to refute any violation of laws, regulations, etiquette, etc., and require a new draft.All ministers' memorials must also be examined by the Menxia Province, and then delivered to the Zhongshu Province for submission to the emperor. If they are inappropriate, they will be sent back for rewriting.

Just in theory.

In short, the Hongwen Museum is in Menxia Province, which shows that he has been close to the core of Datang's decision-making center!

An elegant literati who seemed to be in his 30s received Fang Chongyong, and then led him to the library in Taiji Palace, and handed him a not-so-big scroll on the table. Fang Chongyong.

"I am Wang Jin, a bachelor, and this is your textbook."

Wang Jin said with a smile, he was very friendly and warm, without any pretensions.To be honest, students who entered Hongwen Academy at such a young age as Fang Chongyong would not have a simple background.

"There doesn't seem to be a lot of content."

Fang Chongyong picked up the so-called scroll book textbook, gestured in his hand, and said disapprovingly.

How much content can there be in such a scroll book of "roll and roll"?
He can memorize it backwards in less than ten days!The teaching in the Hongwen Museum is really slack and crazy.

Fang Chongyong couldn't help being a little contemptuous.

"Well, you don't seem to understand. This one is just the table of contents of the textbook. The real textbook is "Beginner's Notes", which is all on the series of bookshelves over there. Just take whichever volume you need. Look Put it back when you’re done.”

Wang Jin pointed to the several rows of bookshelves on the left side of the entrance to the library and said that some books were placed high on the shelves, and Fang Chongyong couldn't reach them at all, and the scroll books were so densely packed that you couldn't see the end at a glance.

Isn't it easy to mix qualifications in Hongwenguan?
Fang Chongyong looked at Wang Jin with a puzzled expression and asked, "That's all the textbooks are, right?"

"Well, that one too."

Wang Jin suppressed a smile, pointed to the bookshelf on the right and said.

(End of this chapter)