Tibet

At dawn the next day, Gao Lishi came to Anqingzong's house to interrogate his guilt. Anqingzong was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed and confessed his crime. Seeing that his attitude was good, Gao Lishi ordered him to resign from the post of minister of Taipusi Temple and at the same time made him the county official. An Qingzong was demoted to an earl and gave him a stern warning. An Qingzong was so frightened that he didn't dare to refute, but kowtowed to the ground.

It wasn't until Gao Lishi left that Anqingzong finally collapsed to the ground, unable to speak a word. He also realized that his father had made a mistake in killing Yang Xuangui.

At the same time, a thousand royal guards surrounded the Wu Mansion, and the proclaimer read out the emperor's decree on the spot. Wu Xin and his son assassinated the courtiers, disrupted the imperial court, dismissed the father and son from their official positions and titles, and threw them into the sky prison. They were interrogated and convicted by the Ministry of Punishment and Dali Temple.

This decree was like a bolt from the blue to Wu Xin. He didn’t know about it at all. It was his son Wu Gui who planned these two cases in cooperation with Anqingzong. Wu Xin shouted that he was wronged, but it was useless. There were all witnesses and material evidence, and Yang Xuangui’s groom He also truthfully confessed that Wu Gui gave him one hundred taels of silver and that he betrayed his master's whereabouts. Wu Gui's confidant Luo Tian also confessed that Wu Gui was involved in the case twice, once with Yang Xi and once with Yang Xuangui.

Wu Xin knelt down and cried loudly, feeling extremely regretful. If he had known earlier, he would have let that damn beast be executed along with Yu Wen Siwu, and he would not have ended up like today.

After the courtiers came to court one after another, the news spread quickly. The Wu family was jealous of the favor of the Yang family and bribed assassins to assassinate the Yang family's children. The old relatives were jealous of the new relatives. This statement was reasonable, and naturally many courtiers believed it.

In the court room, Li Linfu and Gao Lishi sat opposite each other. Li Linfu asked, "I heard that the female assassin was caught?"

Gao Lishi smiled slightly and said: "Your grandson caught it with his own hands, and you still ask me?"

Li Linfu was stunned, "Ye'er?"

"Besides him, which of your grandchildren has this ability?"

Li Linfu became a little worried whether his grandson would be involved in the case. He hurriedly asked: "Did he catch it alone?"

"You underestimated your grandson too much. How could he make this mistake? In fact, he gave all the credit to Wannian County. Wannian County Lieutenant led people to arrest him. He just helped."

Li Linfu immediately breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, the assassination case has nothing to do with me, and I don't want my descendants to be involved in this case again."

"Then you are wrong. If Li Ye hadn't untied the knot of this case, you would never have been able to escape from this case. Li Xiangguo, the Yang family insisted that it was you who sent people to do it. How could you let the emperor ignore the Yang family? request?

I think your grandson knows more about the importance of this case to you, so he will spare no effort to find the female assassin. Li Xiangguo, in fact, you know it well too, right? "

Li Linfu was silent. How could he not know? If this case is not solved, the emperor will eventually let him take the blame.

"Let's get down to business!"

Gao Lishi straightened his back and said slowly: "The imperial concubine persuaded the Holy One that the Prime Minister had served the country for decades and was loyal to the Holy One. He should have a good death. The Holy One also believed that, so the original idea of ​​letting Li Xiangguo bear the responsibility for the assassination was cancelled. Li Xiangguo, please rest assured, it is normal for him to retire at old age, so that Xiangguo can enjoy his old age in peace."

Li Linfu nodded, "Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty. In the past two years, my body has aged very badly. I am getting worse every day. I really don't have the energy to take care of government affairs anymore. I hope to retire, plant flowers and fish, have grandchildren, and spend the last years of my life in peace." .”

"Your Majesty said that you have been Prime Minister for nineteen years and have been dealing with many things every day. It is indeed hard. Now that you are stepping down, you can make some reasonable requests. I believe that Your Majesty will meet your final demands."

Li Linfu took out a booklet and handed it to Gao Lishi. Gao Lishi opened it and the first item was that he hoped that the title would be passed on to his eldest son Li Xiu. "This is not a big problem. Li Xiangguo is the Duke of Jin, so according to convention, Li Xiu can inherit Duke, but he can only be ennobled after a hundred years of Prime Minister Li."

"I know, I'm just asking for it."

Gao Lishi looked at the second item again, asking him to appoint his eldest grandson Li Yu as the magistrate of Heyang County in the same state. Gao Lishi frowned slightly and said, "Your grandson has no experience in foreign affairs, and he is only in the eighth rank now. According to the imperial regulations, he cannot He can directly serve as a local official, at most the county magistrate."

"I can give up my right to recommend Prime Minister!"

Gao Lishi was stunned. He closed the book and lowered his voice: "Li Xiangguo, didn't you say that your heir is Li Ye? You should fight for his rights and interests, but why are you fighting for the interests of your eldest grandson and giving up for him? With all due respect, the recommendation power of the Prime Minister makes the eldest grandson very mediocre and cannot become a great person. He can't even enter the fifth rank. You and I know this very well. Is it worth making such a big sacrifice for him? You should use the recommendation power for Li The emperor has expressed his attitude towards Ye in exchange for the title of king, and your grandson is a role model for the children of the royal family."

Li Linfu sighed and said: "Every family has a scripture that is difficult to recite. If I don't fight for some benefits for my eldest grandson, how can I explain it to my clan members?"

Gao Lishi looked at Li Linfu for a long time, nodded and said: "Your Majesty has not awarded Li Ye a reward for a long time. He just hopes that you will give up your right to recommend the prime minister in exchange for the title of county king. Since you gave this opportunity to your eldest son, I can't say anything. , yes, I can agree on behalf of your majesty to make your eldest grandson Li Yu the magistrate of Heyang County, but Li Ye’s title will not be considered."

Li Linfu felt really painful in his heart and could only nod his head, "It's a deal!"

After a pause, Li Linfu asked again: "Based on his own merits, what rewards can he get?"

"The emperor is considering making him the Duke of Gaochang. If you are willing to exchange the right of recommendation, the Duke of Gaochang will become the king of Gaochang, but there is no hope now."

"Can't you make him a Duke?"

Gao Lishi shook his head, "Both the Duke and the County King are from the first rank. He is from the royal family, so there is no need for the Duke. Next time he makes great achievements, he will be promoted directly from the County Duke to the County King."

"What about official ranks and positions?"

"The official rank is the third-grade General Yunhui, and the position is Hezhong Governor. The Holy Emperor has decided to build the Hezhong Governor's Mansion and deploy 12,000 troops."

"He earned this by himself and it has nothing to do with me?"

Gao Lishi nodded, "The Holy One originally wanted to give him a chance to become a county king, but this opportunity cannot be given to both your eldest grandson and him at the same time, Li Xiangguo. I am also very sorry."

As for other property requirements such as houses and fields, it was not a big problem. Gao Lishi agreed to them all.

Seeing Gao Lishi signing his book, Li Linfu felt an indescribable pain in his heart.

That night, the emperor Li Longji issued an order to accept Prime Minister Li Linfu's request to retire, and granted him permission to retire. He was relieved of all official positions, only retained the title of Duke of Jin, and was granted the title of Grand Master.

Li Linfu's official retirement also meant the end of an era in the Tang Dynasty.

Yang Guozhong officially served as the Right Chancellor of Zhongshu Ling and was granted the title of Duke Wei. He accepted Yang Guozhong's recommendation and appointed Zhangchou Jianqiong, the former envoy of Jiannan Jiedushi, as Shangshu Youpushe.

This means that Zhangchou Jianqiong will be in charge of military affairs.

Immediately after Li Longji issued another decree, Gao Xianzhi was appointed as the military governor of Hexi Province, Cheng Qianli was appointed as the military governor of Hedong Province, and Wang Zhengjian, deputy military governor of Anxi Province, was appointed military governor of Beiting and deputy governor of Anxi Province, and governor of Anxi Province. Shi Feng Changqing took over as the governor of Anxi.

That night, Li Longji issued more than a dozen decrees, and the last decree was to establish the Hezhong Governor's Mansion with a staff of 12,000 people. The official office was located in Suiye City and was in charge of the vast area west of Congling. He appointed Suiye soldiers and horses. Li Ye was made the first governor of Hezhong.

At the same time, in recognition of Li Ye's outstanding military exploits in Hexi and Anxi, he was promoted to Gaochang County Duke, made Yunhui General, given a purple gold fish bag, and a Guanzhong farm.