Qin Jin and Lu Qi sat in front of the dining table, the roasted mutton skin meat was crispy and tender, and the silver knife cut it one by one, and it was immediately full of fat and fragrant.

However, Qin Jin didn't have the heart to taste and enjoy this delicious roast lamb, he had so many things in his heart that nothing could make him excited anymore, or let out a smile from the bottom of his heart.

For Qin Jin, this is the so-called pressure. In fact, he didn't have to make himself work so hard, but since he was involuntarily pushed to a high position, he knew what it meant to be cold in a high place.

It is not the kind of disease-free who has no opponent in the world*, but the prudence and caution that are always walking on thin ice.

Since he has a sense of belonging to this world, he also has concerns, and the people close to him, the two underage sons, will be both prosperous and lost with him, and it is precisely because of this that he cannot make the slightest mistake and let his political enemies take advantage of the loophole.

Throughout the more than 100 years since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, few important ministers have been able to die well in three generations, and even if many ministers die peacefully, their heirs will inevitably die and the clan will be wiped out. The origin of all this is because of the brutal and fierce political struggle.

These are all things that Qin Jin can't say to outsiders, and today Lu Qi is back, although he hasn't said everything, but after a few bowls of wine, he will inevitably get drunk.

"The prime minister is drunk, the prime minister is drunk......"

Lu Qi was also drunk, and when he saw that Qin Jin was a little knotted when he spoke, he laughed along, and he was also drunk.

Qin Jin smiled:

"Of course I'm drunk, if I'm not awake, it's a great pleasure in the world!"

Lu Qi shook his head, waved his hands, and pointed:

"No, no, no, you can't get drunk and not wake up, otherwise the world will be in chaos again!"

Although Lu Qi also spoke in knots, his mind was still clear, and he knew that if there was no Shenwu Army in this world, he would probably fall into a situation of chaos in the world and disputes among the princes again.

"So, it's even more because of this, the prime minister has to take care, otherwise where will the Shenwu Army go, and where will the world go?"

Qin Jin took a breath and asked for a long time:

"Isn't this world the Li family's world?"

The sound of this sentence was not loud, but it sounded like a thunderbolt in the sky to the people who served around him, and it shook people. Lu Qi was also shocked, but after thinking for a while, he replied solemnly:

"The rise of the Anshi thieves, the Li family will have to worry about the world, if it is not the prime minister, the world will also change its surname ......"

Qin Jin laughed:

"You're drunk, how can you say such things?"

Blatantly discussing who belongs to the world is already a big rebellion, and it is not a courtesy of human ministers, if it was in the Tianbao years, Qin Jin and Lu Qi would have been pulled out and exterminated.

But now it is the first year of Taiping Xingguo, and the Li clan has already consumed most of its strength in the infighting. In other words, those who have enough prestige and ability have already died, and those who have fled. can stand up and support the community, but can't pick one.

In order to prevent the threat of the clan to its imperial power, all the vassal kings were kept in captivity in the Ten Princes' Mansion and Hundred Grandchildren Courtyard in Chang'an City, and the titles and food were also falsely sealed, so that in the past thirty or forty years, the younger generation of the Li family has become a gentleman who only knows how to fight cocks and lackeys.

When I opened my eyes again, it was already dark. Qin Jin got up and stroked his forehead, the hangover gave him a splitting headache.

Hearing the sound of thunderous snoring beside him, he remembered that Lu Qi slept in the prime minister's mansion with him, and he did not return to the barracks overnight.

The attendant who was waiting outside the screen heard the movement, came in lightly, brought warm decanting soup for Qin Jin, and handed him a warm towel to wipe his face.

Lu Qi was obviously tired, even though Qin Jin got up a lot, he still slept like thunder.

Qin Jin was afraid that he would wake up Lu Qi, so he raised his feet and fell out of the bedroom, and when he came to the courtyard, it was already full of stars.

The summer night was not sultry, and the cool breeze blew in, which immediately dispelled the feeling of drowsiness caused by hangover.

There were stone tables and stone benches in the courtyard, Qin Jin sat down casually, and once his mind was clear, he kept thinking about what he should do tomorrow.

Thanks to this moment of tranquility, he thought of a certain problem that had been overlooked.

"Someone, go and call Yan Zhuang quickly!"

Yan Zhuang, as the head of the Prime Minister's Mansion, is not only responsible for communicating with the political affairs hall, but also undertakes many hidden tasks, and what Qin Jin remembered tonight is one of the secret things.

The restoration of the Prime Minister's Mansion replaced the decision-making power that originally belonged to the Son of Heaven, but it did not deprive the political hall of the executive power of decision-making, which is one of the reasons why the political hall still plays an important role in the daily life of the court.

Moreover, Qin Jin also had no intention of further depriving the political hall of power, and the excessive concentration of power may be like a finger in the era of strongmen, but it is also the most prone to problems. The reason why there were frequent coups and palace d'état in the Tang Dynasty was the excessive concentration of power, even if he was a world-recognized emperor like Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, he could not escape the curse of mutiny and coup.

Of course, the mutiny that Tang Taizong encountered in his later years came from his crown prince, but he was able to control the situation, so the prince's coup failed.

However, not everyone has extraordinary ability and prestige like Tang Taizong, so it is inevitable that the evening festival will not be guaranteed. For example, Wu Zetian, such as Tang Xuanzong, even if he was strong for a while, he still ended up in a dismal end.

The Prime Minister's Mansion received a secret report yesterday that Li Yongchen, the king of Zhengping, colluded with the law and plotted against him. When I received this secret report yesterday, it happened that Lu Qi suddenly came back, disrupting Qin Jin's plan, plus drinking and hangover, this matter was temporarily left behind.

But after sobering up in the middle of the night, Qin Jin immediately broke out in a cold sweat. The incident of the clan's plot to rebel must not be taken lightly.

After all, the opening of the government and the restoration of the old system of prime ministers, all these methods of seizing power are not so justifiable, and there will always be fewer voices of opposition. Therefore, it is necessary to keep your eyes open from time to time, prick up your ears, and not be a little sloppy.

Li Yongchen, who was the distant branch of the clan, was just a small superstar in Qin Jin's eyes, and five hundred Shenwu soldiers could completely wipe him out, but if this matter was not handled properly, the adverse effects might be beyond expectations.

Therefore, it is as easy as crushing an ant to kill Li Yongchen, and the key lies only in how to minimize the impact.

Yan Zhuang was on duty at the Prime Minister's Mansion tonight, and after he learned the news of Lu Qi's early return to Beijing, he arranged overnight to cancel the greeting ceremony at noon tomorrow. In addition, there is a mountain of business waiting for him to dispose of the dispatch.

Knowing that Qin Jin had summoned him overnight, Lu Qi immediately thought of the rebellion of Li Yongchen, the king of Zhengping, because Qin Jin did not have a clear reply after receiving the report at this time, which was extremely rare in the past.

Soon, he was led by his attendants to the courtyard where Qin Jin sat and cooled off.

"Prime Minister, did King Zhengping arrest him overnight?"

Qin Jin has been in a dilemma before how to deal with this inadequate clan, since the opening of the government to restore the old system of prime ministers, there are opposing voices in the clan and the court, but the power and prestige of the Shenwu Army have reached the point of being in full swing, and it has not become a mainstream voice.

However, surging undercurrents are often more powerful than the threats that lie on the surface, and once they accumulate to a certain extent, they will erupt completely like a volcanic eruption and can no longer be stopped.

Due to various considerations, Qin Jin did not plan to go on a killing spree to make an example of chickens and monkeys, which would only anger the clan and the diehards loyal to the Li Tang royal family even more.

Therefore, Qin Jin was more inclined to secretly cut off his wings, cut off his knighthood, and put him under house arrest.

To Yan Zhuang's ears, this is simply incredible.

"If this continues, we can't deter lawlessness, it will only make those who have ill intentions more unscrupulous!"

"There is no doubt that the prime minister's office is now on the cusp of public opinion, and such a fanfare in dealing with a clan will only make people think that this is a warning of bullying the weak! As for Li Yongchen and his people, whether they have plotted rebellion or not, this is no longer the focus of attention!"

Qin Jin paused for a moment, and then said:

"The title of King Zhengping will not be cancelled, let his son-in-law inherit it, and reward 5,000 households!"

"This, this ......"

Yan Zhuang really found it difficult to accept Qin Jin's treatment of warm water, including the disposal of Li Yongchen and his people, only taking the title and placing him under house arrest, and not even seeing blood, where is there such a punishment for rebellion?

Questioning and questioning, he immediately executed Qin Jin's order, and immediately led people to rush to the Zhengping Mansion in the Ten Princes' Mansion.

Zhengping Wangfu is located in the old Ten Princes' Mansion, and most of the clans have moved to the Ten Princes' Mansion in the newly built city, only a few stubborn clans are unwilling to move away, and he is one of them. 、

This also gave Yan Zhuang convenience, ordered the guards guarding the door to open the door, and the guards of the Prime Minister's Mansion rushed up, blocking the large and small gates of the Zhengping Palace, and then broke into the door and arrested Li Yongchen, who was plotting in the dark room.

Several of the dead soldiers tried to resist, but they were all shot with strong crossbows by the Sizhi guards, and the rest of them laid down their weapons and surrendered when they saw that the general situation was gone.

Li Yongchen knew that he would inevitably die, and he wanted to kill himself with a knife, but he was injured in the wrist by Si Zhi's guards, and he couldn't die, so he was tied up solidly.

This action was fast and ruthless, and it only took less than half an hour, and only the first evil Li Yongchen was arrested, and the rest of the family members didn't even ask.

Despite this, it still made the whole Zhengping palace immersed in the fear of the impending end, and it was impossible to live all day.

Qin Jin personally went to see Li Yongchen, who was caught and appeared, and told him that the rebellion would be exterminated, including his heirs and wife, and it would be difficult to spare.

Li Yongchen now also feels that he regrets that he has affected his heirs, but the matter has come to this point, so he can only stubbornly scold Qin Jin to the end.