Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 655 Good and fun-loving

Crackling! Crackling!
Clank, clank! Clank, clank!
In front of the emperor's palace in Chenliu County, Bianzhou, firecrackers were deafening and gongs and drums were beating.

Today is the day when the Emperor's Palace officially becomes the Prince's Palace of Chenliu. Many local people come here to watch. It is said that there will be a buffet outside the palace gate, and people can eat and drink for free.

Li Qi, the newly-titled Prince of Chenliu, finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw two servants climbing up the ladder and hanging the four-character plaque with "Chenliu Prince's Mansion" on the door lintel.

Although the power is gone, the wealth is still there. It is often a good thing not to think about things that you should not think about.

Li Qi thought secretly in his heart that he had already given up struggling for the imperial power.

Li Qi also had to admit that Fang Qing was very disciplined in doing things.

Even if there is a change of dynasty in the future, it should not be difficult for him to save his life.

Just when Li Qi was calm and prepared to move into the new mansion, something strange happened!

A middle-aged man who was dressed in ordinary clothes and looked like a small vendor, disguised as a spectator, suddenly pulled out a short knife from his waist and stabbed Li Qi!
This knife was fast and fierce! It could be said to be as fast as lightning!

The guards around Li Qi were completely unprepared. When they saw the assassin, they were unable to react!
Seeing that this person had rushed to within one step of Li Qi, it seemed that the prince was about to be covered in blood within five steps.

Suddenly, a long spear came out from somewhere, and the tip of the spear pierced deeply into the assassin's abdomen, directly knocking him away!

An inch longer, an inch stronger, let alone a ten-foot length!
The power of the spear is undoubtedly demonstrated.

If the assassin's surprise attack could be traced, then this flying shot could only be described as a stroke of genius.

The assassin's body flew far into the air and fell heavily to the ground, leaving a pool of blood. Even his intestines were picked out.

Li Qi was so frightened by this scene that he stood like a wooden chicken. He couldn't utter a word for a long time and didn't even move.

This was not because Li Qi had good self-control, but because the incident happened suddenly and unexpectedly, and he had no time to react.

"Someone, come and protect His Royal Highness Prince Chenliu into the palace!"

Cui Qianyou, who was watching the show from the side, snorted coldly and gave an order to his "Tax Police Group". The shot just now was the masterpiece of his warriors.

Yesterday, Yan Zhuang secretly ordered Cui Qianyou to bring his trusted core members and disguise themselves to come here to protect Chenliu Prince Li Qi. Unexpectedly, something really happened.

"Okay, okay! General Cui, please!"

Li Qi was so frightened that his legs went limp and he was supported by Cui Qianyou into the palace.

Arriving at the main hall of the palace, Li Qi regained some of his courage.

He held Cui Qianyou's hands, and said with tears of gratitude: "General Cui, it is really thanks to you just now... I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. I will definitely repay you in the future."

"Marshal Fang heard that someone wanted to murder His Highness, so he specially asked Cui to come here quietly to protect His Highness. Now that His Highness has entered the mansion, I think there will be no more assassins entering the mansion to assassinate him.

Cui has something important to do, so I will take my leave now."

Cui Qianyou saluted Li Qi with his fists, then turned around and was about to leave.

Li Qi quickly pulled him back and asked in a pleading tone, "I just came to Chenliu and I don't have many servants around me. Can General Cui leave a team of soldiers to protect the palace? Also, General Cui... do you know who wants to assassinate me?"

After coming to his senses, Li Qi was no longer calm. Assassination, this kind of risking a small amount to win a big, once that happened, the consequences would be disastrous.

No matter how powerful you are, you only have one life. Once you die, you are really dead.

Obviously, someone seemed to not want Li Qi to be a cool prince in Chenliu.

So, who did such a thing?
Li Qi wasn't so sure.

But one thing is certain, the person who assassinated him has absolutely nothing to do with Fang Qing.

That's why Li Qi wanted to figure out what was going on.

Cui Qianyou said meaningfully:

“There is no problem in leaving the soldiers of the Tax Police Corps to guard the palace.

However, as Your Highness mentioned, I, Cui, really do not know who was the mastermind behind the assassination. I can only say that this was definitely not done by Marshal Fang.

Your Highness, perhaps you can think about it yourself, who is the one who least wants you to come to Bianzhou, then he is the most suspicious.

That’s all Cui has to say.”

Cui Qianyou seemed to have said nothing, yet seemed to have said everything.

Li Qi's face darkened and he nodded slowly, and walked Cui Qianyou out of the palace gate. Then he was so angry that he clenched his fists until his fingertips turned white!

If Fang Qing wanted to deal with him, there was no need to go through the trouble of changing his title to Prince of Chenliu. He could even use this as an excuse to carry out political persecution.

It is too easy to kill a prince who does not hold power. Too many people die every year from catching a cold.

Fang Qing holds great power. There are some things that he doesn't even need to do himself. He just needs to give a hint and someone under him will do it for him.

Li Qi thought of Li Lin first.

Today's emperor.

Apart from Li Lin, it seems that there would be no third person who dislikes me so much.

Li Qi suddenly realized that he seemed to be a very big threat to Li Lin!
"I thought I could live a peaceful life, but I didn't expect to end up in the tiger's mouth again."

Li Qi sat down on the main seat in the lobby, feeling sad.

My own brothers are actually more vicious than outsiders!

If Fang Qing was the same as Li Lin, Li Qi felt that his grave would have been overgrown with grass long ago.

"Royal brother, oh royal brother, why are you so cruel? You are even worse than outsiders."

Li Qi sighed.

The tradition of the Li family killing each other seems to have become a habit since Emperor Taizong.

Is this God's will?

Li Qi's heart was filled with sadness.

……

Almost on the same day, in the imperial palace near Kaifeng County, Emperor Li Lin also learned that Li Qi had been assassinated and the assassination had failed.

As the mastermind behind the incident, he was so angry that he smashed his own bedroom.

He did not dare to smash the Chuigong Hall, for fear that the ministers who came there to deliver official documents would notice something.

"Didn't I tell you to find a capable person to do this? Why was it so easy to be stopped by Cui Qianyou's men?
Aren't the tax police specializing in collecting taxes? Why did they appear at Li Qi's housewarming ceremony?
Why didn't you get the message before? Huh?"

Li Lin roared and yelled at Gao Shang, spitting all over his face.

Originally, Li Lin's idea was very good.

Since it is difficult to deal with Li Qi openly and Fang Qing is not in Bianzhou now, then wouldn't it be a good idea to find an assassin and kill Li Qi with a single blow while the security is not in place while Li Qi is preparing to move into the palace?

It will be very difficult to find such an opportunity in the future, and the effort and cost required will increase tenfold or a hundredfold.

Without Li Qi, Fang Qing could no longer find anyone to "invest in". He could no longer use those political tactics.

Isn’t the cost-effectiveness very high? The success rate should also be very high! Why did it fail?
Li Lin couldn't understand these things, but Gao Shang knew the reason.

He explained slowly:

"Your Majesty, is there a possibility that Fang Qing has spies in the palace?

In fact, the assassination had been exposed since Nu started planning it.

Even if Fang Qing didn't know who the assassin was, he still didn't know what the specific plan was.

As long as he knew that His Majesty wanted to assassinate Li Qi, he could guess the time, place and method of the assassination.

Then use your men to prepare in advance just in case.

So I think this assassination attempt has already failed before it even started. Your Majesty, don’t worry too much.”

In fact, Gao Shang had advised Li Lin before that this tactic was unlikely to succeed.

But Li Lin just wouldn't listen.

He felt that how could an assassination that was planned without any intention fail?
"Now that it's like this, of course you can say whatever you want.

But I, I...Alas!"

Li Lin sat on the bed, covering his face with his hands, looking like a defeated rooster.

Dejected and in a state of panic all day long.

If Li Qi was not killed in today's assassination, the Prince of Chenliu will be a huge threat in the future!
Li Lin sighed secretly in his heart and blamed Gao Shang for his poor performance.

Some people always like to pass the blame to others even though it is clearly their own fault that they did not do it well.

They have nothing except their innate identity.

"Your Majesty, at this point, it is better to stay still than to move.

Fang Qing will definitely fight back against the assassination, so Your Majesty should stay dormant for the time being."

Gao Shang suggested calmly.

Although he said so, Li Lin couldn't stay calm at all!

Just like Fang Chongyong's previous life, many people said they wanted to quit smoking, but there were still many people whose addiction to smoking became more and more serious.

"I heard that Fang Qing will be returning to the capital soon. I wonder if this is true?"

Li Lin asked with a bitter face.

This is no secret.

I heard that the rebel army led by Yuan Ying in Huzhou had been besieged on all sides, and the city defenses were crumbling, and they would not be able to survive for a few more days.

The bandit troops in Kuaiji retreated to Taizhou, ready to put up a last-ditch fight, and their area of ​​activity had been greatly reduced.

The imperial court arranged 10,000 elite troops, and combined with the united troops of several states, established an observation and disposal office in western Zhejiang, and then could proceed slowly.

The so-called civil unrest in the south of the Yangtze River was probably just a slow simmer, with lost territory being recovered bit by bit and production being restored bit by bit.

Since the overall situation has been decided, Fang Qing naturally does not need to stay in Yangzhou any longer and can return to Bianzhou.

"Your Majesty, if Fang Qing returns to Bianzhou this time, he will definitely make drastic reforms to the court and further cut the expenses of the imperial palace.

Your Majesty must be strong and patient. Oftentimes, the more anxious you are, the more mistakes you make."

Gao Shang had a solemn look on his face and his answer was very straightforward, unlike his previous "euphemistic style".

Li Lin frowned slightly, looking unhappy. He asked in a deep voice:
"The inner palace is under construction. I heard that Fang Qing plans to allocate a piece of land here as a place for lectures. Is this true?"

"Your Majesty, it is true.

Your Majesty, there is no need to say more. Fang Qing has always been good at winning people's hearts.

There are countless similar tricks. ”

Gao Shang stopped Li Lin from saying anything in advance.

"Humph! How can the inner courtyard of the imperial palace, a place of majesty, be used as a school?

Where can I put my face? "

Li Lin was very dissatisfied and scolded, "This is really outrageous!"

Fang Qing was a person who didn't care about hierarchy. What kind of place was the inner imperial city? At the very least, it was where all the officials worked. How could you use it as a school and for teaching?

Li Lin could not understand Fang Zhongyong's idea at all and was extremely resentful, thinking that this move lowered the dignity of the Li Tang royal family.

"Fang Qing said that the people are more important than the emperor, and your majesty is making way for the students for the sake of the country.

Although Your Majesty does not like to hear this, many people like to hear it.

If Fang Qing raises his arm and calls for the emperor to be deposed in the future, I cannot say for sure whether these people will stand on the side of His Majesty or Fang Qing. "

Gao Shang spoke the truth.

"Are you deliberately humiliating me today?
You are just a house slave! Who do you think you are! "

Li Lin was so angry that he was furious and cursed Gao Shang!

He found that Gao Shang was not on good terms with him today, and Gao Shang would deliberately say something he didn't want to hear.

He didn't care about the emperor's face at all.

"Your Majesty, honest advice is unpleasant to the ear, but I am also speaking the truth."

Gao Shang seemed to be getting angry. He straightened his back and looked at Li Lin and said.

"I think you've lived enough!"

Li Lin picked up a paperweight from the table and smashed it towards Gao Shang's head. Although Gao Shang took a step back, he was still hit by the paperweight, and blood flowed from his forehead, covering one of his eyes.

"Get lost! I don't want to see you again, you idiot!"

Li Lin yelled at Gao Shang and drew his sword to chop him.

"Slave...I'll take my leave."

Gao Shang picked up the paperweight that had fallen to the ground, placed it on the table, bowed to Li Lin, and slowly left the emperor's bedroom.

He lowered his head and looked pleasant, without a trace of anger on his face.

……

After the autumn harvest, the Bianzhou Army launched the "Huzhou Annihilation Campaign", mobilizing 20,000 troops from Huainan, Hangzhou and other places to participate in the suppression of bandits.

Wang rarely used the clumsy method of "building earth hills" to take advantage of the battlefield and conquer Huzhou City.

More than 20,000 rebels were beheaded, and tens of thousands were captured. The main force of the rebels north of Hangzhou collapsed.

Yuan Ying led 500 cavalrymen to break out of the encirclement and fled all the way to Bianshan, not far north of Huzhou, using the complex terrain to deal with the government troops.

He Changqi then personally led his troops to encircle and suppress the rebellion, and surrounded Bianshan so tightly that no one could get out.

Despite facing an enemy force that was more than twenty times his size, Yuan Ying still preferred death to surrender, and fought with his 500 men to the very end. No one in the team surrendered, and all of them died in battle.

Fang Chongyong admired Yuan Ying's bravery and ordered a grand funeral for him, and pardoned all the captured bandits. The Bianzhou army gathered these captives and set up a new "Lake Filling Army" to cultivate land in Taihu Lake.

They were specifically responsible for opening up fertile land along the shores of Taihu Lake, implementing military settlements, and building water conservancy projects. After completing their mission to atone for their sins, they would settle down in the local area and obtain new household registration.

At the same time, Fang Chongyong also ordered that in the area north of Hangzhou and south of the Yangtze River, all small landlords, self-cultivating farmers and tenants who owned less than 50 mu of land would be exempted from taxes for one year.

Based on the principle of "land to the tiller", wasteland is reclaimed in these places and self-employed farmers are encouraged to reclaim wasteland on their own.

Hearing about such a good thing, the people who had fled to the mountains and forests to avoid the war returned to their hometowns. Even many robbers and bandits surrendered to the government and were properly resettled.

The western Zhejiang region quickly stabilized in a very short period of time.

That night, Fang Chongyong was in the Yangzhou government office when he suddenly received a secret letter saying that Li Qi was almost assassinated. He decided to return to Bianzhou as soon as possible to stabilize the political situation.

As for the fact that the mastermind behind the assassination of Li Qi was actually Emperor Li Lin, and as for the fact that the person who secretly informed on the matter was actually Wei Zichun, things like this were not important in Fang Chongyong's view.

It is necessary to support Prince Chenliu and limit Li Lin's power.

With the dependence of the Huainan region and the actual control of the western Zhejiang region, digesting the territory, developing production and stabilizing people's hearts have become the top priority.

Fang Chongyong really didn't have the energy to play any "power drama" with Li Lin.

(End of this chapter)