The hall was quiet, Gao Lishi slowly moved forward, glanced at the audience, waved the dust in his hand, and said loudly: "You can play if you have something." ”

The officials held back for many days and did not go to court, as if there was something to play in their stomachs, and when Gao Lishi's voice fell, several officials rushed to speak; Li Linfu, who was sitting upright on the side, had a grim face, and it was difficult to hide the displeasure on his face.

However, most of the things that these officials played were trivial affairs of the court, not important affairs, and they were all clichés. For example, the imperial court should pay attention to the spring farming, mulberry and water conservancy, and ask His Majesty to take the time to personally support the plough and encourage the people; what is the number of troops to recruit, soldiers to change, weapons to change and other affairs; What spring warm snow, plank road repair; What is auspicious everywhere, the signs of celestial phenomena.

Wang Yuan was drowsy when he heard this, and the ministers who were already sleepless because of waking up early also lowered their eyelids, and some people took advantage of this opportunity to quietly close their eyes and take a nap.

Xuanzong was already tired, he stayed up all night last night, but the years were unforgiving, and his body was a little unbearable, he wanted to cancel the early dynasty, but after thinking about it, there were some things to deal with in the court, so he still insisted on coming to the court. Unexpectedly, at the beginning of the early dynasty, he encountered a group of officials buzzing like flies, and he was impatient.

After half an hour, Xuanzong finally couldn't bear it anymore, frowned and interrupted the endless nagging of a household official, and said in a deep voice: "Didn't these affairs and affairs hall prepare the same report?" I've also made instructions, so why do I have to repeat them today? Don't you have more important things to do? ”

Several officials were stunned and at a loss.

Xuanzong said: "If there is no other discussion, I will retreat, I will not have time to listen to your nagging." From today onwards, if it is not an important matter, it will be reported to the government office for adjudication, and then the decree will be played, and I will approve it in a unified manner. Can't you be considerate and considerate? I'm in my sixties, and you've been working diligently for decades since you took the throne, so can't you share some of the burden for me? Do you have to ask for my old bones? ”

The ministers were a little heavy when they heard this, and they all kowtowed: "The incompetence of the ministers has made Your Majesty suffer." ”

Xuanzong waved his hand and said, "You are not incompetent, you just can't see me idle." In the past few years, I have been in the court a little less, and some of you have spoken ill of me behind your back, and you are dissatisfied with me, and I know it in your heart. I've been working hard for decades, and the years are not forgiving, so I'm still as energetic as before? Besides, if I do everything, what use do I need you? ”

"Your Majesty is angry, it's the minister's mistake." Several long-winded ministers did not expect to attract such serious words, and they were so frightened that their faces were pale, and they kept kowtowing.

Li Linfu slowly got up and said: "Your Majesty is angry, Your Majesty should not be like them, their minds are very clear, but they are just taking advantage of the early time to say some nonsense, attract Your Majesty's attention, and show some limelight?" Before going to court, the old minister had reminded them, but they still didn't listen. However, most of my colleagues are still considerate of His Majesty's body, and Your Majesty should not be angry, if you hurt the dragon's body, the gains outweigh the losses. ”

Xuanzong's face was slightly gentle, and he waved his hand and said: "That's it, in addition to these trivial matters, Zhongqing still has something important to play, let's play it quickly." ”

There was silence in the hall for a while, and some officials who had originally planned to play closed their mouths in their hearts. It seems that it is not appropriate to be in the limelight today, Your Majesty's mood is obviously not good, and it is better to go through the political hall first, so as not to summon unnecessary trouble, so he chose to remain silent.

Wang Yuan sighed slightly in his heart, Xuanzong seemed to be a little tired of government affairs, as the king of the Tang Dynasty, although he couldn't say that he bowed down to everything, although the things played by the courtiers were trivial, he didn't say that he wanted people to shut up and not speak. Pushing these things to the political hall is actually indulging Li Linfu to be more authoritarian, who doesn't know that Li Linfu has the final say in the political hall. Moreover, there is no boundary between the so-called important things and trivial matters, and Li Linfu can rely on this to grasp all the big and small affairs. Although Li Linfu's face was calm, he was afraid that his heart was already happy.

"Aren't all the ministers talking? Well, I have two things to say. The first thing is about Fan Yangjiedu's An Lushan to give me a fold, Lux, you read this twist and turn. ”

Gao Lishi bowed and said, "The old slave obeys." ”

After that, he stretched out his hand and took out a book from the brocade box of the dragon case, unfolded it and read: "Chen Fanyang Festival made An Lushan play: Since the beginning of spring, the Khitan people have intensified the harassment of our Fanyang border, and the minister led his troops to fight with it seven times, seven battles and seven victories, and more than 6,000 enemy heads were hung on the head of Fanyang City to raise my great prestige, and the morale of the soldiers was also high. The soldiers and horses of the Ranchen were damaged, the weapons and armor were damaged, and the dead and wounded soldiers were to be compensated. The minister repeatedly appealed to the Ministry of War, asking the Ministry of War to approve the appropriation, compensate the dead and wounded soldiers and horses, replenish the shortage of soldiers and horses, and replace armor, blades, horses and other materials, but the Ministry of War rejected them one by one. The minister had no choice but to disturb His Majesty, and wanted to ask what the reason was? The soldiers and horses on the front line killed the enemy in blood, and there were people in the rear who were hindered, and in the long run, how could the ministers serve the public? How can soldiers kill the enemy with peace of mind? Your Majesty, please give the minister an explanation. Chen'an Lushan worshipped. ”

After reading it, Gao Lishi gently closed the fold and placed it in the brocade box on the dragon case.

"Do you know about this? What is the reason for the prevarication? The soldiers guarded the border of the Tang Dynasty and fought bravely to kill the enemy, the dead and wounded in the battle should be compensated, the armor and weapons were damaged, and the missing war horses and soldiers should be supplemented, why did they shirk the blame? Whose fault is it? Xuanzong asked in a cold voice.

The palace was silent, and everyone's eyes looked at Li Shizhi, the left minister, because Li Shizhi was also the secretary of the military department, and I am afraid that only he knew the reason for this matter.

"Li Zuoxiang, Your Majesty asked you, if the old man remembers correctly, this matter should be handled by you." Li Linfu said lightly.

Li Shizhi slowly got up with the board in his hand, walked to the dragon throne and bowed. Xuanzong said: "Li Shizhi, who is the obstruction in this matter, should be severely punished." ”

Li Shizhi coughed and said: "Your Majesty, this matter is an order from your subordinates, and An Lushan's request is not allowed." ”

There was a commotion in the hall, and Xuanzong frowned and said, "Why is that?" Is there not enough money for the army? ”

Li Shizhi shook his head and said: "No, the treasury is solid, and the military budget is sufficient." ”

"It's appropriate, if you have something to say, just say it directly, what kind of detour in front of Your Majesty?" Li Linfu smiled.

Li Shizhi sneered: "Don't you know the reason for this? Didn't I veto An Lushan's request also with the consent of you, Li Xiangguo? ”

Li Linfu waved his hand and said: "How have you ever told me about this, you and I have clear responsibilities in the political hall, you lead the military department, and you are naturally in charge of military affairs, how can the old man come to make decisions for you?" ”

Li Shizhi said angrily: "You...... It just doesn't make sense. ”

Li Linfu shrugged his shoulders and said: "Originally, even if you told me about it, how could the old man refute the decision you have made?" There must be a reason why you are doing this, just say it and explain it to Your Majesty. ”

Xuanzong said loudly: "Yes, Li Shizhi, I gave you the right to the military department, and you have the right to make decisions." I just want to hear your explanation, I can't even ask. ”

Li Shizhi hurriedly said: "Your Majesty is serious, how dare the minister be like this, it's just this matter...... It is better to report to Your Majesty in private. ”

"What is this called? This is the official business of the court, and when the palace says it, can't you still trust the hundreds of colleagues in the palace? Li Linfu said with a smile.

Li Shizhi said angrily: "Who said I can't trust my colleagues? It's just that it's inconvenient to exit. ”

Xuanzong said impatiently: "I want you to tell you the reason, what are you doing to push back and hinder?" Let's not talk about it. ”

Li Shizhi gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, the reason why the minister rejected An Lushan is...... Because the minister heard that the battle with the Khitans since the beginning of spring was not as fierce as An Lushan reported. The minister thinks that An Lushan's words are exaggerated, exaggerated, and exaggerated, and there is no way to talk about any great victory. ”

As soon as these words came out, the palace suddenly exploded, and Li Shizhi's implication was that An Lushan lied about his military exploits, although he didn't say this word in his mouth, but the meaning was already obvious.

Wang Yuan secretly smacked his tongue, the first time he stood on top of the court, he witnessed today's scene, which was really unexpected. It is unknown whether there was a festival between Li Shizhi and An Lushan, but judging from the current situation, it seems that he is looking for trouble with An Lushan. Prime Minister Zuo exposed An Lushan for lying about his military exploits, this matter is not small, is it so fast that An Lushan will be unlucky? This is not in keeping with historical facts.

"What do you say? Say it to me again. Xuanzong also opened his mouth in surprise.

Li Shizhi had already spoken, so he no longer had scruples, and said: "The minister heard that An Lushan's good news is fake, and some people intend to use the opportunity of the war with the Khitan to fabricate military merits and fraudulently receive rewards, in a vain attempt to deceive the court to enrich their own pockets. As far as the minister knew, there were no seven battles and seven victories at all, just one or two small-scale encounters. There were no casualties on either side, but only a few dozen dead and wounded. There is also no wear and tear of blades, armor, and horses. ”

"Li Shizhi, is this true? Do you have proof? Xuanzong said coldly.

Li Shizhi shook his head slowly and said: "There is no definite evidence, and the minister only heard some rumors." ”

"Rumors? When you hear some rumors, you can say slanderous words in front of the court? Li Shizhi, you are an important minister of the imperial court, and it is too child's play to do this. Xuanzong said angrily.

The ministers shook their heads one after another, and someone whispered: "Li Zuoxiang is just messing around, and he dares to talk about such things, isn't this slandering and framing others?" ”

"Yes, An Lushan fought bravely, was upright, and everyone knew it; Li Zuoxiang did this, he doesn't know why? It can't be jealousy. ”

"It's hard to say, Li Shizhi is good at everything, but the amount of equipment is too small to accommodate people. An Lushan may have offended him, so he slandered people like this, which is really unreasonable. ”

Everyone whispered to me, but deliberately sent these words into Li Shizhi's ears; Wang Yuan listened to these words and thought in his heart: An Lushan's popularity is good, and he must have worked these people in normal times.

Li Shizhi turned a deaf ear to these discussions, and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, the minister originally planned to meet His Majesty in private to explain this matter, but it was His Majesty who forced the minister to explain why it was different from An Lushan's request, and the minister had to say the reason. And although the minister is a rumor, it is not completely chasing the wind, the minister has sent someone to check the matter, what the truth is, it will soon be revealed. Your Majesty, the minister knows that the rumors are not enough to rely on, and it is biased to do so, but the minister's duty is not to be careless, even if there is a little doubt, the minister must figure it out before he can make a decision, otherwise the minister will be worthy of his trust in His Majesty. ”

Xuanzong's face was gloomy, and he didn't know how to refute him for a while. Li Shizhi's words are not completely unreasonable, if he does hear the news of An Lushan's fake military exploits, it is impossible for Li Shizhi to make a decision without figuring out the reason, otherwise it will be his dereliction of duty. Judging from Li Shizhi's position, it is also a prudent decision. It's just that this Li Shizhi is obviously a little brainless, as soon as he asked, he said the reason in the court, and this matter will soon be known by An Lushan, with Xuanzong's understanding of An Lushan, this Hu man has a violent temper, and I am afraid that he will soon make trouble.

From the bottom of his heart, Xuanzong didn't believe that An Lushan would fake military merits, An Lushan was a loyal and upright person in Xuanzong's mind, and he shouldn't be able to do these things.

Xuanzong thought about it for a long time, decided to make this matter a big deal, sighed and said in a slow tone: "Li Aiqing, I understand your hardships, but there is no need to investigate this matter again, because I sent Xi Jianhou to inspect Fanyang, and I summoned him to ask him after Xi Jianhou returned to Beijing a few days ago, and he told me that there were thousands of Khitan thieves hanging at the head of Fanyang City, and the local soldiers and civilians were also encouraged by several great victories this spring. The morale of the soldiers was high, and the people were vying to be the first to serve. I also promised An Lushan that he would build Xiongwu City in the north of Fanyang to strengthen the defense of Fanyang's borders. The army and the people want to be rewarded, and the construction of the city needs money, food, and materials, and it is extremely important for the border to complete these things while the morale of the military and the people in Fanyang is high. If you delay time here for some rumors, it will discourage Fan Yang's military and civilians. After going down, I still hurried to do it, and it was better not to delay. ”

Li Shizhi frowned and said: "Your Majesty, what the minister said today is not a trivial matter, if An Lushan really deceived the imperial court and risked leading the army, then how can it be good?" ”

Xuanzong was a little moved and really angry, and shouted: "Li Aiqing, I have said everything, Xi Jianhou has said the truth when he comes back, why do you still want to bite it?" Could it be that Xi Jianhou will still deceive me? ”

Li Shizhi lifted the hem of his official robe, knelt down and said loudly: "Your Majesty, since the matter has come to this today, the minister has to say all the words in his heart." The minister knew that Xi Jianhou was ordered to go to Fanyang to inspect, but the minister had to say that what Xi Jianhou said was not enough to support. ”

Xuanzong said angrily: "Bastard, Marquis Xi Jianhou is the envoy of the deposed Zhi, who is in charge of inspection and inspection, how can his words not be relied upon?" ”

Li Shizhi said: "It's okay for others, but Xi Jianhou's words must not be believed, because as far as the minister knows, the relationship between Xi Jianhou and An Lushan is unclear, and the minister is investigating this matter, and Xi Jianhou's words cannot be used as evidence until he finds it out." ”

"What?" Xuanzong shouted. "What do you mean by that?"

"Your Majesty, as far as the minister knows, An Lushan has repeatedly entered Beijing, carrying millions of gifts and bribing officials in Beijing, and this Xi Jianhou is one of them. Moreover, the minister has clues, and a certain important minister in the DPRK also accepted a huge bribe from An Lushan through Xi Jianhou. Your Majesty, after the minister learned about this, can he still believe what Xi Jianhou said? In short, before this matter is investigated, the minister will never believe Xi Jianhou's words, nor will he approve any money, food and materials for An Lushan. If Your Majesty insists that the minister comply, he will be dismissed from his position. ”

There was silence in the hall, and everyone's ears seemed to be rolling with a thunderstorm, deaf and blindfolded, and they froze in place one by one, at a loss.

Li Shizhi has no scruples today like a crazy dog, at least a small half of the people in the palace have received the favor of An Lushan, An Lushan is bold, and every time he enters Kyoto, he will bring gifts to the Beijing officials, which is no secret, and everyone knows it.

But this matter is a trivial matter, and in the past, this kind of thing was not bothered to be bothered at all. It is not surprising that local officials come to Beijing to bring gifts to officials in Beijing, which is the unspoken rule of officialdom. But since Wei Jian and Huangfu Weiming both died because of a meeting, these things have suddenly become sensitive. After this incident, An Lushan did not prepare any gifts for the officials in Beijing when he entered Beijing in February, because he was afraid of causing trouble, but today Li Shizhi shook off all these things, and there will be some waves.

What's more, Li Shizhi also pointed out that Sang scolded Huai and involved a person, and it is not difficult to guess who the 'important minister of the court' who accepted a huge bribe from An Lushan through Xi Jianhou is.

Slightly qualified officials, or on the back of officials. Anyone who has studied Jing a little knows that Xi Jianhou, the deposed envoy, is Li Linfu's protégé, who was originally a county magistrate in a certain county in Luoyang. There is no need to say who the important ministers of the DPRK and the central government in Li Shizhi's mouth are.

Only then did many people suddenly understand that what An Lushan risked to lead the army, and what Xi Jianhou accepted bribes were not what Li Shizhi wanted to do today, Li Shizhi took the wrong medicine today, and he was going to confront Li Linfu head-on.

Frightened to frightened, a sentence flashed in everyone's hearts: "Li Shizhi is afraid that he is crazy." ”

Xuanzong didn't expect things to develop in this direction at all, he wanted to make peace with the mud, but he didn't expect Li Shizhi to shake out other fierce materials. Now, Xuanzong also wants to know what kind of collusion there is between An Lushan and the Beijing officials, whether this Xi Jianhou was bribed by An Lushan and deceived himself as Li Shizhi said; Who is the important minister of the court behind Xi Jianhou? What kind of connection is there between it and An Lushan.

"Li Shizhi, make the words clear; Yours