In the winter of the twentieth year of Zhenyuan, the cold is unnecessary, Chang'an City has rained three heavy snows in a row, the branches of the trees on the street have become crystal bright like a crystal world due to the freezing rain, the sky has a vision, the country must have great changes, and the hearts of Chinese and foreign soldiers and civilians are heavily depressed.

In a gloomy fog, the bell of the New Year's Day of the twenty-first year of Zhenyuan rang.

……

Li Mao stood on the wind and rain tower of Zheng Zhuzhu's house and listened to the bell in the middle of the night, and his heart was full of mixed feelings.

……

On the third day of the new year, Li Jie, the king of Yun'an, visited Zheng Zhuzhu's house, dressed in short brown and dressed as a coolie porter.

Li Mao quipped when he met: "The porter also goes to Pingkangli, and the king wants to cover up." ”

Li Jie seemed preoccupied, and he didn't have the heart to joke with Li Mao, so he asked coldly: "What did you say about the last time?" ”

Li Mao did not respond directly, but asked Li Jie: "What does the king want, and what does he want me to do?" ”

Li Jie was speechless for a while, and when he learned that Li Mao had returned to the city a few years ago, he wanted to visit Pingkangli at night, but he didn't want the palace to suddenly spread a decree that the kings would study at home behind closed doors and recuperate, and they were not allowed to leave the Sixteen Kings' Mansion without permission.

The Shence army then stationed in the Sixteen Princes' Mansion, and took over as the prison guards to block the doors of each square, and no one would buy their accounts.

Li Jie's heart was anxious, but he was helpless. This is a sign that something is going to happen in the palace. I don't know what happened to my father. In August last year, the crown prince was inexplicably unconscious for a day and night, and in September he was assassinated in succession.

At the beginning of October, the crown prince was edicted to feast the Uighur mission in front of the Linde Palace, and on that day the sky was clear, there was no wind or rain, but the kissing beast on the roof suddenly fell down and fell to pieces, less than three feet away from the crown prince's banquet.

After the winter, the body of the Son of Heaven is not as good as day by day, but at this time, the crown prince suffered a stroke again, and the imperial doctor in the palace said that the prince was caused by excessive sadness, which is naturally a coaxing nonsense, no matter how sad he is, he will not be speechless from the stroke.

Li Jie suspected that his father was killed by an adulterer and was poisoned.

He wanted to enter the palace to meet his father, but he was rejected again and again, and the reason for the refusal was very far-fetched, saying that the crown prince was too sad and needed to recuperate, and it was not suitable to see people. Not only that, but every once in a while, there is a clear decree that the kings should study at home and not move around at will.

Restricting the kings from going out at will is a sign that something is going to happen in the palace.

In the blink of an eye, it is New Year's Day, the imperial court has its own imperial system, and the royal family has its own royal rules. After the New Year's Day ceremony, the kings want to enter the palace to meet the Son of Heaven, which is a rule set by the ancestors, and no one can resist it.

Li Jie never expected that it was such a ceremony, and his father did not show up, at that moment he only felt that the sky was falling apart and the world was turned upside down. For the first time, he resented his grandfather, and he couldn't understand why his grandfather despised his own son so much!

The crown prince has been in the East Palace for more than 20 years, and the name of benevolence is spread all over the world, and he is loved by the subjects of the world.

There are many things that can't be understood, the prince is seriously ill, his own son is not allowed to enter the palace to visit, but his cousin Li Yi can enter and leave Shaoyang Courtyard at any time.

Li Jie, who had a premonition that something was about to change, finally made up his mind to fight for his father.

For this reason, he did not hesitate to condescend to the nobles, invited the gods to humble the generals, and bribed a lot of money to seek convenience. He put down the honor of the emperor and grandson, pretended to be a slut transporting drowning barrels, and went out of the Sixteen Princes' Mansion to see Li Mao.

Over the years, he has traveled all over the world, and has met hundreds of handsome celebrities and heroes, loyal to him, and there are not a few who are willing to go to the soup for him, but now only Li Mao can help him.

As for how to ask Li Mao to help him, Li Jie actually didn't have a clue.

After a period of silence, Li Jie sighed: "I learned a while ago that you and Li Yu were fighting over gambling debts, and I really didn't understand what I heard. How could Brother Maohua be like this, Meng Lang, for a few dollars, he actually lost all his officials. What do you think of you when you make such a thing happen at this juncture? ”

Li Mao was stunned for a moment, and then came to his senses that Li Jie was talking about his dismissal a year ago.

It's funny in his heart, Li Jie tried his best to see him, obviously for a burning eyebrow thing, but he went around in such a big circle, compared with Li Chun, who hit the nail on the head, but seemed more imperial.

The crown prince Li Yu was poisoned and lost his voice, his body was weak, and his reign would not last long, if he was a guest, who was the candidate for the emperor, this is what Li Mao needed to care about.

In terms of feelings, he prefers Li Jie, but reason tells him that maybe Li Chun is a better choice.

He didn't want to explain more to Li Jie about the details of the dismissed official, so he lied and said: "I have thought about it, if you go to Liaodong, it will be more unchanged to go as an official of the imperial court, it is better to make a scene with him, and it will be more convenient to go as a guilty person or a commoner." ”

Li Jiedao: "Having said that, it is very unfair to Brother Maohua. Fame and fortune are easy to discard, but difficult to obtain. ”

Li Mao said: "The eldest husband is not informal, but if he can recover his hometown in Liaodong, what does my personal safety, honor and disgrace count." Li Jie said emotionally: "Li Maohua is loyal to the country, does not remember honor and disgrace, and the husband is also!" Regardless of success or failure, honor or disgrace, Li Jie will recognize you as a good brother. ”

Li Mao smiled, looked at Li Jie, and did not speak.

Li Jie smiled awkwardly, and then said, "You must be laughing at me for not being happy, and I am sorry for this matter...... It's too hard to speak. He took a deep breath and said, "If you don't help, the world will be in chaos." ”

After going around for a long time, I finally got to the point.

didn't say anything serious, but Li Jie's eyes turned red.

Li Mao pretended to be calm and said: "The king has something to say slowly, but where it is effective, Mao will never refuse." ”

Li Jie wiped his tears and said: "Yesterday, the Son of Heaven was in a coma several times, and this morning he fainted in the Zhonghe Palace. ”

The Son of Heaven is seriously ill, and there have been rumors in the capital for a long time, but there has been no exact statement, and now from Li Jie's mouth, Li Mao can't help but be surprised, a sixty-year-old man has been in a coma in this unusually cold winter, which is definitely not a good sign.

The Son of Heaven is the sky, and when the Son of Heaven dies, the sky will fall apart, and he cannot be allowed not to raise the spirit of the twelve.

Li Maoyan said: "This is a royal family matter, how dare the foreign minister put his beak? What does the king want his subordinates to help, and how can he help? ”

Li Jiedao: "My father has been preparing for the East Palace for more than 20 years, and he was framed by gangsters last year, and he was infected with strange poison and lost his voice. Fortunately, the Son of Heaven did not let the villain succeed. And today, Zi is critically ill, isolated from China and abroad, and I am afraid that someone will take the opportunity to make trouble and seek to abolish the establishment. If the treacherous scheme succeeds, it will be a disgrace and disgrace, and the entire Datang will be ruined. Brother Maohua, now you are the only one who can save the prince and the Tang Dynasty. ”

Li Mao carefully said: "The prince is the prince of benevolence, and he is loved by the ministers of the world, even if there are young people with bad intentions, I think it is impossible to succeed, don't be disturbed by the king." At this moment of crisis, the minister thought that it was better for the king to be still, so as not to give a tongue to those who had a heart. ”

Li Jie was dumbfounded, shook his head in despair, and shouted: "I think Li Maohua is a man who stands up to the sky, and when the time comes, he will only protect himself, how can you say such words?" You ......"

A blood arrow **** came out of Li Jie's mouth, his body shook, and he fell to the ground, Li Mao hurriedly helped him up, Li Jie grabbed Li Mao's hand and didn't let go, with tears in his eyes, and begged: "The rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty is in your hands, Brother Maohua, you must think of the people in the world." ”

Li Mao summoned Qingmo and Mo Qi's supernatural powers to help Li Jie to rest.

When he was young, Qingmo reported that Li Jie had left, and Li Mao sighed. Qingmo said: "I don't know what conditions he has?" ”

Li Mao sighed: "He used a big hat to buckle me, but he didn't give me any benefits." "Mo Qi Shen Channel: "He has empty hands, what can he give?" ”

Qingmo glanced at Mo Qi's supernatural powers, and said: "What do you know, it's just that you have nothing to give it, and you don't even have the courage to say a big word, can such a person still make friends?" ”

Li Mao sighed again.

The crown prince has been in the East Palace for more than 20 years, the name of benevolence and virtue has been widely spread all over the world, and the subjects of the world have long regarded him as the best candidate for the crown prince.

The Forbidden Palace is as deep as the sea, and it is difficult for outsiders to fathom the secrets.

Li Jie is also right, if the prince is unfortunately deposed, not only will his descendants not have a good end in the future, but he will also shake the foundation of the country.

How bloody and bloody the royal family is, it can be put aside for the time being, but the legacy will inevitably shake the world, and the Tang Dynasty has accumulated deep shortcomings, and if it does not think about revitalization, the general trend will go.

Li Mao recalled the bits and pieces of that day when he met the crown prince Li Yu in Shaoyang Courtyard, and thought to himself that if he hadn't been seriously ill by the traitor's calculations, Li Yu might have been a good emperor.

The information he had showed that a small group had been formed among the sons of Li Yu, and the most important task of this small group at the moment was to ensure that the crown prince could ascend the throne smoothly after Li Shi's death, and the core figure of this small group was Li Chun, the king of Guangling.

After Li Mao entered Beijing, he heard a legend that Li Shi held his young grandson in his arms and asked him whose child you were and why you were here. Li Chun replied that I was the third son, and my grandfather was surprised by this.

"If the crown prince can successfully ascend the throne, Li Chun, as the eldest son, has the greatest chance of being made the crown prince."

Li Mao made a comparison between Li Chun and Li Jie in his heart, Li Chun was deeply loved by his grandfather Li Shi and father Li Yu, and the self-proclaimed "Third Heavenly Son" not only did not anger the old emperor, but was rewarded by his grandfather.

When the prince encountered a crisis, Li Chun went all out to rescue him, he had a clear goal, powerful actions, and the small circle he mastered was also full of talents. On the other hand, Li Jie has a wide range of friends, but his friends are extensive and spread all over the world, which does not help much in the overall situation. Li Chun promised that his interests were practical and affordable, but Li Jie would only use a big hat to cover himself.

If there is no real benefit, how much is righteousness worth?

Without strength, no amount of promises can be kept.

With such a comparison, Li Mao knows everything, between righteousness and profit, he puts interests first, between Li Chun and Li Jie, he chooses the person who can bring him real benefits. (Dissertation College)