Datang: What's wrong with my fief being a billion points larger?

Chapter 156: Accidentally Becoming a Pawn on the Board? Li Yuanji's Shock
Everyone was very satisfied with the meal, which greatly satisfied their appetites. Wei Ting and others marveled at the difference here many times. If they didn't know where this was, they would have thought they had entered another country.

Li Yuanji looked at Cen Wenben who stayed behind and felt curious. Cen Wenben and his companions had walked a long way today. They had not rested since they got off the boat and everyone was extremely tired.

Li Yuanji could feel the good feelings that Cen Wenben showed towards him, but even so, he was very curious. What was so urgent that it had to be said now and could not be put off until tomorrow?
"Jingren, I'm sure you're tired too. It's so late, go downstairs and rest first. Don't tire yourself out."

Li Yuanji began to persuade Cen Wenben. He was eager to win over Cen Wenben, but he knew that this matter had to be done slowly. Besides, this place was not as good as Chang'an. Not only was it cold and harsh, but it was also far away from the central government. The impression he gave people was always that he was not as good as Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin.

That's why he made such arrangements today. He didn't think that he could change Cen Wenben's mind in just a few days, and he was indeed very tired today.

After hearing this, Cen Wenben smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am fine. Although I am a little tired, I have something to tell you first. Otherwise, even if I am very tired, I will not be able to close my eyes."

Li Yuanji suddenly became even more curious. What could have happened that could make Cen Wenben so impatient?

"Jingren, you can speak freely. Speak boldly. What you say today will come out of your mouth and end up in my ears."

Li Yuanji started to reassure Cen Wenben right away. Cen Wenben laughed after hearing this. He realized that this King of Qi was really different. He was not like what he had heard before, like a brainless reckless man. Actually, he was quite smart.

Then Cen Wenben put away his smile and took out Li Yuan's secret decree from his arms.

"Your Majesty, this is a secret decree from the sage. You will understand after you read it."

Li Yuanji became serious. After taking it, he opened it and looked at it. After a while, Li Yuanji felt complicated and he didn't know whether to be happy or sad.

The content of the secret decree was very simple, yet extremely confidential. It not only contained Li Yuan's love for him, but also threats. It could be said that it contained all aspects.

The secret decree that Li Yuan gave to Li Yuanji first affirmed Li Yuanji's contribution, and then asked for accountability. After all, only a small amount was sent to Li Yuan, and he was said to be creating difficulties, but he turned around and did business. It was simply a challenge to Li Yuan's IQ.

Li Yuanji knew that Li Yuan's anger was fake just because of this incident, and his real intention was to ask him for good things. He could see through such a shallow truth. After all, the higher the position, the more people value interests. Now that there was an opportunity to rob him with this excuse, how could Li Yuan miss it.

As for the latter part, the meaning is very simple. The fight between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin made Li Yuan very angry, but Li Yuan could not control himself anymore and wanted him to follow Li Yuan. He should not pay attention to either Li Jiancheng or Li Shimin.

Then he became bound together with Li Yuan, and Li Yuan was able to control the situation in Chang'an. However, in order to form this situation, his power was still too small. Li Yuan promised to increase his strength madly and let him grow and develop rapidly in Lingnan, which directly prevented Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin from getting too excited.

He wanted to let Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin know that he, Li Yuan, had another choice, and it was not a choice between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin.

Although Li Yuan's secret edict was not so explicit, it only said that the two brothers Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were becoming less and less obedient to him. In addition, he was getting old, and Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin were becoming more and more outstanding, and their say in the family was getting bigger and bigger. He felt worried. Now the most critical person was him, the third brother.

If Li Yuanji still couldn't understand these common complaints, he felt that he really had no point in living.

Then he looked at the weapons that Li Yuan had sent him in advance, which were enough to equip an army of 10,000, as well as the leading general Wu Shigui, and 5,000 elite soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, including Cen Wenben, all of which were sent by Li Yuan in order to strengthen his strength.

Moreover, in the letter, Li Yuan stated that he would send some more outstanding people from the aristocratic families to Lingnan to help him, so that these aristocratic families would be bound to him, Li Yuanji, and his voice would be increased.

He will continue to receive assistance in the future, and it is also made clear that as long as Li Yuanji is filial and willing to follow Li Yuan, his requests in the future will be met as much as possible.

Li Yuanji looked at the secret decree for a long time, his heart was full of complicated feelings for a moment. He really didn't know whether he should be happy or worried. Now Li Yuan had almost revealed his cards to him, and it was obvious that Li Yuan didn't care about him at all.

Li Yuanji dared to guarantee that if he got close to Li Jiancheng or Li Shimin, Li Yuan would definitely take severe measures against him, and he would definitely not be able to stay in Lingnan.

Li Yuanji was very melancholy. Even though he did not specifically check the situation in Chang'an, he knew that it must be tense. But he really did not expect that even though he had already arrived in Lingnan, Li Yuan would not let him go and would use him as a bargaining chip to balance Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin and prevent the two from doing anything desperate.

Li Yuanji never thought that after running so far, he would accidentally become a chess piece on someone else's chessboard. He was the King of Qi, and he had even fled to Lingnan, but he ended up being a chess piece. Who would believe it if he told others about it?

As for the supplies, weapons, and people sent by Li Yuan, he was also mixed with joy and worry. These weapons, supplies, and talents were not so easy to get. The fact that they were sent by Li Yuan meant that as long as he was obedient, these people would belong to him.

Normally these people listen to him, and once Li Yuan comes to give instructions, these people will definitely listen to Li Yuan. But his embarrassing situation now is that he has very few people of his own, and if he wants to develop Lingnan, he must have people. Li Yuan is certain that he must have them, and he must use them.

Just because these people were sent by Li Yuan, he had to use them and make important use of them. Once Li Yuan knew that he had other ideas, Li Yuanji could already imagine that what he would face next would be Li Yuan's violent revenge.

Then leave Lingnan, return to Chang'an, and be imprisoned until death?

As for being killed, he had not considered it at all. No matter what, Li Yuan would not do that. But he would definitely recall him to avoid cultivating another Li Shimin. After all, there was the lesson of Li Shimin. The consequence of only cultivating without making any preparations was that Li Yuan is now almost out of control.

This is why Li Yuan sent people to him, just to indirectly control him.

Li Yuanji felt helpless, he never thought that Li Yuan would be so obsessed with playing with balance. Even though Li Yuan's help could greatly solve many of his current problems, Li Yuanji was not happy at all.

Li Yuanji was still in deep thought, but after thinking for a while, he suddenly laughed.

He suddenly realized that Li Yuan's considerations this time were indeed very comprehensive, but there was one thing that Li Yuan had not taken into account, and that was his prestige in Lingnan. No matter how many people Li Yuan sent, as long as his prestige here lasted, these people would not be able to cause any trouble.

These people could not stop his will, and it was not that he could not dig these people over. What he could get from them was more than what he could get from Li Yuan. Although it was impossible to dig all of them over, such as Wu Shigui, there were also some who could be dug over, such as Cen Wenben. And most importantly, at this time, Li Yuan realized that he could no longer control the fight between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin. Now, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin could not stop, and only one of them could exist.

Even if Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin wanted to reconcile now, the people in the Eastern Palace and the Prince of Qin's Mansion would not be willing to do so, especially the group of people under Li Shimin. Even if Li Shimin did not do it, they would all push Li Shimin to do it.

Now that they have reached this point, they have no choice but to fight, and the situation has already turned into a life-and-death struggle.

Although he left Chang'an, the Xuanwu Gate incident might not necessarily break out in the ninth year of Wude, which is next year, but Li Yuanji was very clear that it would definitely break out, and no matter who won or lost, Li Yuan would definitely have to step down, and there was no dispute about it.

Once Li Yuan steps down, wouldn't what Li Yuan is sending him now be a bargain for him?
After thinking this through, Li Yuanji suddenly became excited. Playing a balance game? Using him as a chess piece to balance Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin? That would be great!

At least this period of time is his absolute development time. He wants to enhance his strength, right? Then he cannot let Li Yuan down. Li Yuanji knows very well that if he misses this opportunity, he will never get it again.

And he also has something to rely on, that is, he has carrier pigeons. The speed of transmitting information is faster than any other channel. It is not so easy for Li Yuan to plot against him. As long as Li Yuan dares to send people, as long as they have real ability, he will dare to use them.

In this small piece of land in Lingnan, only Li Yuanji's words count, not Li Yuan, even though he is the emperor.

Li Yuanji sneered in his heart. It seemed that he was at a disadvantage now, but it was still unclear who would benefit and who would suffer.

"Old man, since suffering a loss is a blessing, then I will suffer a little more. From now on, I will not be polite to you. You should try your best to agree to my request. Don't go back on your word when the time comes."

Li Yuanji talked to himself in his heart, he became more and more expectant. Later, when Li Yuan looked at his requests, he wondered if he would go crazy?

After a long time, Cen Wenben waited quietly for a long time, and then Li Yuanji slowly spoke.

"Jingren, do you have anything to say to me?"

Li Yuanji still had hope for Cen Wenben because of Cen Wenben's fondness for him. He believed that he was not wrong. Moreover, such a person seemed to be disgusted with this kind of Infernal Affairs?
Now, no matter what, he must give it a try. As for Wu Shigui, he didn't even think about it. As long as Li Yuan didn't fall, he didn't have to think about this person. He had no chance at all.

And why did he try to win over Wu Shigui? He was old, and his two sons were not very capable. Was it just for Wu Mei?
Eh? That doesn't seem to be a problem. But there's no need to bother with Wu Mei's matter. It's just a matter of a word from him.

Li Yuanji looked at Cen Wenben, and Cen Wenben also looked at Li Yuanji. After a moment, Cen Wenben suddenly smiled, then stood up with a serious face and stood in front of Li Yuanji.

“Your Majesty, although I have not seen everything since I came to Lingnan, from what I have seen today, I have witnessed everything Your Majesty has done in Lingnan. Your ability is by no means inferior to that of the Crown Prince and the King of Qin. What Your Majesty has done is what I have always thought.

Although I am an angel sent by the saint, from now on, I will no longer be an angel, but only a minister of the king, an official of the Prince of Qi's Palace. I will only obey the orders of the king!

But I want to govern Lingnan. I heard that two seasons of rice can be grown here. Such a granary must not be missed. I am willing to follow the king to make the whole Lingnan a new place! "

Cen Benwen had no choice. Instead of being passive, he might as well take the initiative. Since his relationship with Li Yuanji was already a done deal, he would follow Li Yuanji wholeheartedly. Here, he had the opportunity to display his abilities and talents. Why not stay in Lingnan willingly?

Li Yuanji listened to Cen Wenben's words and looked at him with wide eyes. Although he really wanted to win over Cen Wenben and make Cen Wenben help him sincerely, because as long as Cen Wenben agreed, he would gradually hand over all the government affairs of Lingnan to Cen Wenben, which was equivalent to preparing to use Cen Wenben as prime minister.

Although he was not afraid that Cen Wenben was Li Yuan's man, he still felt a little uncomfortable. However, he never expected that Cen Wenben would be so proactive. Didn't he just come today? Why did he take the initiative to talk to him about this?

Li Yuanji was immediately shocked by Cen Wenben's unconventional approach. If Cen Wenben had said this to him after two or three days, he would not have been shocked, because by then he would have fully understood Lingnan and knew what kind of person he really was. He believed that he would still have a great chance.

In addition, since Li Yuan had already made it clear, he felt that it would not be difficult to win over Cen Wenben. However, it was so hasty that he was unable to recover for a while.

After a while, Li Yuanji calmed down and looked at Cen Wenben with a serious expression.

"Jingren, have you really decided to enter my palace as an official?"

Li Yuanji had to make sure that entering the Prince of Qi's Palace and taking positions outside of it had different meanings. Just like Li Shimin's Tiance General's Palace, although it also obeyed Li Shimin's orders, the composition of the staff was not so simple. The people in the Prince of Qin's Palace were people that Li Shimin could completely trust. That was the difference.

Upon hearing this, Cen Wenben spoke solemnly.

“Your Majesty, I have made up my mind. It is an indisputable fact that I am in Lingnan now, and Your Majesty knows it. But because of what I saw today, not only Lingnan, but also Your Majesty, I am willing to believe Your Majesty, and even more so my intuition!

Rather than staying here, it is better to follow the king wholeheartedly to develop Lingnan, which can be regarded as doing what I can for the Tang Dynasty and the country."

　Thanks to Chongtianyun for the 1666 coins reward! Thanks again for your support.

　　I just saw it today and was really surprised. I couldn't believe it when I saw it, because since I wrote this book, I only received 100 coins once, and it seems that there has been no more.

　　I am really happy this time, thank you again for your support.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)