The calyx Xianghui Building of Xingqing Hall has never been reopened since the new monarch ascended the throne. This was once one of Li Longji's favorite buildings, and it was called the most magnificent palace in Xingqing Palace along with the diligent government building, and even the first floor in the world. In the past, every time the Son of Heaven was on his birthday, or on the day of the festival, he would often set up a banquet here to entertain the ministers, and from here he climbed up and overlooked, and he could see the Mansion of King Ning, King Qi, and King Xue.

However, Li Jian is different from his father Li Longji. When Li Longji was still the prince of King Ping, he was deeply loved by the ministers, and all his talents were affirmed, even if Princess Taiping found fault, he could only blame Li Longji for not being the elder, so Li Longji was able to show benevolence to King Ning and other brothers on the surface, but secretly he was strictly guarded. But Li Jin's position is completely unlucky in the eyes of others, and his only reputation is probably good reading, and nothing else can be talked about. Even if he sat on the throne of God, his brothers and nephews were still eyeing him, and the folk rumors never stopped, so he was picked up by several sons in turn, and he had to raise the butcher's knife.

But once such a butcher knife is raised, it cannot be taken back!

At this moment, Li Jian was walking on the calyx Xianghui building that had been empty for a long time, his eyes were dull, his expression was in a trance, and there seemed to be a faint burst of singing in his ears, and he saw a few illusions in front of him. But I saw Li Longji sitting in the center, the ministers lined up below, and in the center of the palace was the teaching workshop priest offering a dance of neon clothes and feathers, and the standing and sitting actors were concentrating on playing the musical instruments in their hands, and there was a prosperous atmosphere of singing and dancing. The princes and grandsons who were mixed with the courtiers drank and had fun, with the satisfaction of having wine today and getting drunk today. He even found himself in it, a face that was not full of joy, but it did not have the sorrow and helplessness that he could clearly see when he looked in the mirror these days.

"陛xià, 陛xià!"

A chamberlain stumbled in, knelt on the ground with a thud, and said in a hurry: "His Royal Highness the King of Chu has set fire to the mansions of the King of the Plains and the King of Qing!" ”

Li Jian came to his senses, and immediately shouted angrily: "Who gave him the power? How dare he act so recklessly? ”

The chamberlain knew that the King of Chu was the eldest son of the Son of Heaven, and the competition for the position of the East Palace with the King of Qi had almost reached a fever pitch, plus the other three older princes jumped up and down to fan the flames, but Li Xuan, as the Son of Heaven, could not control it. Therefore, how dare he take this topic, and hurriedly said cautiously: "His Royal Highness King Qi is also here, His Royal Highness King Qi said that if the King of Pingyuan and King Siqing and others can escape from Chang'an, there must be the secret help of the Sixteen Princes' Mansion Clan, so they have transferred the forbidden army to make a big rope in the Sixteen Princes' Mansion and the Hundred Grandchildren's Courtyard!" ”

Hearing this, Li Jian finally changed color. He sat on the ground without any grace, and only after a long time did two words burst out of his mouth.

"Rebel!"

I think that after Li Jian succeeded to the throne, because the Zongzheng Temple found all the human and material evidence, Li Yu, the king of Zhongling, couldn't argue, and could only admit that it was he who set fire to the small courtyard of the princess Cui of Guangping, the prince's annex. It's just that since Li Pu, the king of Yi, regarded his son as an abandoned son since he was a dead friend and a poor man, Li Yu was not to be outdone, and insisted that his father not only knew about it, but also was the mastermind. Li Yu thought that if his father was involved in this way, Li Ji, the new monarch, would have to open up to Li Pu, his brother-in-law, but he didn't expect his testimony to send the family directly into the abyss.

After a public trial, Li Yuci, the king of Zhongling, died, and from his father Li Pu, the king of Yi, to all his descendants, they all abolished the prince as a concubine, and they lived in Lingnan for a long time!

In most people's minds, it was a fluke to get the position, and in the past, he had the name of leniency and treatment, Li Jian should naturally appoint virtuous ministers first, appease the clan, and then slowly restore the vitality of the Tang Dynasty, no one expected him to be so ruthless. However, for those ministers who admonished, Li Jian painfully put forward the reason that the three mother and son of the Princess of Guangping were innocently victimized, and blocked back the people who wanted to intercede. At the same time, he raised the King of Guangping and the King of Jianning, who had been posthumously crowned by Li Longji, to another level, posthumously as King Yong and King Qi respectively, and Cui's was the princess of Yong, and the two sons were both presented to the prince. The abolished prince Li Ying was posthumously crowned as the prince of Yuanjia, and Li Yao and Li Ju also recovered the prince.

One is in prison, the other is wronged, although this turmoil has made many people complain, but most people can't find anything wrong. But only two months later, Zhang Liangdi was revealed to be disgusted with the Son of Heaven and plotting against him. At this time, it happened that Li Zhen, the king of Wu, was sick, and Li Shuxuan, the king of Han, fell from his horse, and no one in the other clans of Zongzheng Temple was willing to take on this kind of case that was too obvious, but Li Zhen's sons were like beasts that smelled blood, and they all flocked up.

It was such a case that took nearly a year, Zhang Liangdi was forced to commit suicide, Li Li, the king of Nanyang, moved to the left of Lingnan Xiaozhou, and the rest of Li Heng's sons were also degraded one by one. Seeing that the Son of Heaven cleaned the clan like this, Pei Kuan was disheartened and resigned, and there were no less than dozens of courtiers who told the old man, and Wang Jin also saw that the situation was wrong, so he immediately thought of a way to get out, and would rather go to Jiangnan to be a assassin. Seeing that the Son of Heaven was so ruthless to his hands and feet, someone took out the old thing about Li Longji's friendship with his brothers after he ascended the throne, and set off a vigorous knock!

In the face of such a knock, Li Fang, the eldest son of Li Xuan, who was originally crowned the king of Xingyang and later crowned the king of Chu, crossed Chen Xuanli, the main general, and brazenly dispatched the forbidden army, which was a river of blood, and was instigated to gather in front of the palace with hundreds of deaths and injuries, and the leading clan was Li Ying, the king of Yan, who was dismissed by Li Longji, and was seriously injured on the spot! After that, no one had any illusions about the benevolence of the Son of Heaven, and Chen Xuanli took all the responsibilities and returned to his hometown. It is precisely because of this that Li Jian can't help but be soft and hard among the sons, and almost all the power of the forbidden army has been divided up by the five eldest sons, and each of them has changed his ways to increase his strength.

Li Jian never expected that the bitter fruit he indulged in his sons would actually be tasted by himself! His sons were already restless, and seeing that Du Shiyi was wholeheartedly implementing the two-tax system in Hebei, appeasing the people, and even taking the initiative to reduce the soldiers, they rarely asked about the rights and wrongs of the government, so they became even more tormented, but he had to bear the notoriety of killing brothers and mistreating the people! Now, the complaints of the people in Guanzhong have spread from outside the palace to inside the palace, and even he has heard it!

Seeing that Li Jian was so out of shape, the chamberlain hurriedly stepped forward to help the Son of Heaven up, and hesitated for a while before he said cautiously: "It's really not good, why don't you ask Du Shaoqing to send a flying dragon ride?" ”

As soon as he heard Du Shaoqing's three words, Li Jin's face changed instantly. Although in the four years since he ascended the throne, the four armies of the North Gate have been expanded and recruited, and have regained the number of 40,000 people, and the full number of flying dragon cavalry is only 7,000 people, but the strength of the four armies of the North Gate is scattered in the hands of the king of Chu and the king of Qi, but the flying dragon cavalry has only one voice, and the training is far more rigorous than the four armies of the North Gate. He had the intention of reducing such an army that was not under his control, and originally planned to start by cutting expenses, but the backbone of the Flying Dragoon was the meritorious people in the defense of Chang'an, and the news immediately aroused a strong backlash among the civilian army, and he couldn't afford the consequences.

Therefore, he could only try to avoid using such an army, in case there was a situation that could not be controlled.

"No, no! You send me an order to the king of Chu and the king of Qi, tell them, and go back to see me immediately, otherwise I will abolish them as concubines! ”

Li Jian originally thought that this would give them a deterrent, after all, there were three other sons who were eyeing the East Palace, but the chamberlain who was going to deliver the decree came back with a clearly visible whip mark on his face, saying that the other three kings were also present, and they all supported the king of Chu and the king of Qi. He didn't even know how he stumbled out of this calyx building, he only felt sad and frightened in his heart.

These rebels, why don't they know that everything must be measured! King Yi and the crown prince have been cleaned, even if the family is cleaned, King Yan is already in decline of his mother's family, and he was deposed from the throne by Li Longji, and the king of the plains and others escaped when they escaped, just seeing that there has been no news so far, they know that they are also life-saving, so they will be slowly investigated, why bother to set off such a storm in the mansion of the sixteen kings?

Li Jian has completely lost control of his sons, and there has been an uproar in the political hall. Pei Kuan has already resigned, and now the prime minister who is replaced is like Zhongshu Ling Helan Jinming, who is the best at seeing the wind and making the rudder, Li Jian is indecisive and capricious, and several sons are vying for power and profit, and he, the prime minister, can't check and balance at all, and he doesn't want to offend the future East Palace. In the past, when things were big, he even had to ask someone to ask Jingzhao Yin Yuwen to come forward, hoping that those princes could see that Du Youlin was behind Yuwen and cause less trouble.

If Jiang Shilang was still in Chang'an, maybe it wouldn't be like this!

Helan Jinming, the most conceited person in the past, didn't pay attention to Du Shiyi, but now he can't help but miss Jiang Du's strength. At least Jiang Du's strength, he will not condone those princes to behave so recklessly. It's a pity, how could Li Jian trust Du Shiyi's in-laws wholeheartedly? And since Zhang Liangdi committed suicide, Jiang Dou's family has moved out of Chang'an, and the Son of Heaven has acquiesced. The former mansion is now an empty house. Promoted to Zhongshu Ling, he glanced at Fang Xuan, who immediately said angrily: "I went to see Du Youlin in person, and at this time I can only count on the flying dragon ride!" ”

Fang Xuan is a person who was quite admired when Zhang Shuo was in power, and then he had a friendship with Li Shizhi, in terms of qualifications and connections, he was quite prominent in the court, and his personality was a bit of a nerd like upright and strong, Helan Jinming has always been very afraid of him. At this moment, seeing that Fang Xuan was going to invite Du Youlin to come out without asking the Son of Heaven, he secretly sneered, thinking that this was really a straightforward nerd, but he didn't say anything. It wasn't until the person left that he immediately summoned an attendant and instructed him to go to the Son of Heaven to tell Fang Xuan of his own opinion, and when the arrangement was made, he proudly calculated how many days Fang Xuan could still be in the political hall.

"Xiangguo, Helan Xiangguo!"

Seeing that a Ling Shi from outside rushed in like a burning butt, and recognized that it was the leader of the cardinals' room, Helan realized that something big had happened when he entered Mingdeng. Thinking that there was still chaos in the Sixteen Princes' Mansion now, he only felt a faint pain in his temples, but he still asked as calmly as possible, "What's the matter?" ”

"King Yan...... No, it was the concubine Li Jue who had many children and grandchildren, and after being exiled to Lingnan, many of them were still alive, so these people actually sent letters to the envoys of the towns, asking for justice! There are also the surviving imperial grandsons and even great-grandsons of King Yi and the East Palace, and they also spread a lot of inscriptions! ”

That made Shi angry When he said this, seeing that Helan Jinming was already shocked, he had to bite the bullet and continue: "A few of them were sent over, and the text said that His Majesty was not originally supported by the courtiers after the re-push, and it was not just because of luck, but that the King of Nanyang and the King of Yi were originally designed, and they used rhetoric to squeeze the King of the Plains to withdraw, and finally picked up the throne." ”

Helan Jinming only felt that the hairs on his body stood up. He got up and walked quickly outside, and saw that there was no one in the courtyard under the corridor, so he relaxed a little, after all, the most taboo thing for Li Jian was the question of how others mentioned how he got the position. When he returned to his seat, he snatched a few pieces of paper from Ling Shi's hand, and hurriedly scanned them with ten lines at a glance, thinking of the cruel purge of those Tang clans due to opposition and rebellion during the reign of Empress Wu of Zetian.

Could it be that the tragedy of the year is going to be repeated again? No, the situation was different then and now, and the situation is even worse now!

"Don't report it yet, wait for the results of the Sixteen Princes' Mansion to come."

Helan Jinming finally made a decision, and instructed Na Ling Shi to pay attention to collecting all the information in this regard, and control the public opinion in the five rooms under the Zhongshu Gate, and he sent the people away. However, with such bad news that can't be worse, he no longer has the heart to calculate when Fang Xuan will go to work, and is more worried about the current situation. But just when he was sitting and waiting for news, spending time like days and even years, what he was waiting for was the news that Fang Xuan came back from Du Youlin because he didn't get the holy order, and was summoned to Zichen Hall by Li Xuan.

This time, as the initiator, even if he hoped that Fang Xuan would get out of the way and that he could invoke his allies into the political hall, he had to go to the snow to send charcoal. Because he knew very well that if Fang Xuan was really dismissed as prime minister because of his own opinions, or was punished more severely, but the news spread that many exiled clans were writing letters and sending random documents on all sides, Li Jian was furious, and he might not add a person to the political hall according to his own wishes. At this moment, the only thing he was glad about was that after Li Jian ascended the throne, he mostly stayed in Daming Palace, and it was not a long way for him to rush over from the political hall.

Even if this section of the road was not the longest, it was forbidden to ride horses in the palace, and when he finally came to the Zichen Palace, it was already about two quarters of an hour later. In front of the high steps, he bumped into two men with smoky and scorched black faces and bloodstains on their clothes, and looked at the color of the clothes, he immediately recognized them as Li Fang, the king of Chu, and Li Dai, the king of Qi. Although in the past, the actual status of the prime minister was often higher than that of the prince, but Li Jin's sons were arrogant and arrogant, and there was no fuel-efficient lamp, Helan Jinming had to be more respectful in the number of courtesies, but Li Fang and Li Dai didn't even bother to return the courtesy, and only bowed their heads slightly and left him away.

Helan Jinming is also a famous figure in Shilin, and when he was despised like this, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and then he beckoned to call a chamberlain, and asked in a low voice: "The two kings are coming back from the Sixteen Princes' Mansion to see Your Majesty?" ”

"Yes." Seeing that the King of Chu and the King of Qi had already gone far, the chamberlain dared to quietly explain two more sentences, "The Yushitai Prison has been filled, and His Majesty is furious, but the two kings insist on going their own way...... There are two kings here, and there are three more kings on the side of the Imperial Tower. Alas, it's no wonder that the people in the imperial history were replaced before the beginning of the year, and they were replaced by the echo worms of these kings! ”

Helan Jinming only felt angry and funny, but more sad. Li Zhen is really too poor this day. Since he has the reputation of being the king of the world, he is really determined to clean up a few rebels, and he will gather when he raises his arms, and he can only jump in the palace like this now? He didn't ask anything more, lifted the corners of his robe and began to go up the steps, and when he reached the outside of the Zichen Palace, he heard Fang Xuan's signature loud voice inside.

"If His Majesty continues to tolerate it, it will not only be the Sixteen Princes' Mansion and the Hundred Sun Courtyard that will be boiling, but the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in Chang'an City!" Fang Xuan saw that Li Jian was still just hiding his face with his hands and was silent, he was so anxious that he was about to go crazy, "Your Majesty, just now the King of Chu and the King of Qi have already said that the Imperial History Taizhong has closed one or twenty sects!" Except for the time when Empress Zetian was in power, there was such a precedent in the Tang Dynasty! ”

"Shut up, don't say any more!" Li Jian finally reluctantly recovered, glared at Fang Xuan and shouted angrily, "You went to the Flying Dragon Stable to transfer the Flying Dragon Ride without permission, do you still have the Son of Heaven in your eyes?" Go down, I don't want to listen to your pros and cons now, this is my family matter, and there is no need for the prime minister to intervene! ”

It's not a family affair, it's a state affair!

Fang Xuan really wanted to come to such a slap in the face, but his eyes were black and weak. He didn't even know how he walked out of the Zichen Palace, and for the first time in his heart, he felt Li Shizhi's feelings back then. It wasn't until he was stirred up by the cold wind that his head cleared up a little, and then he noticed that the person who helped him next to him was Helan Jinming, who was in the same political hall but not very harmonious.

"I happened to enter the hall, but His Majesty didn't have the heart to speak, I saw that your face was not good, so I simply dragged you out." Helan Jinming didn't mention that it was a small report made by himself, and comforted Fang Xuan like a close friend, seeing that the other party's relationship was a little better, as soon as he returned to the political hall, he revealed the super heavyweight news that had not been reported. The next moment, he saw Fang Xuan's face like ashes, if he hadn't helped him, he was afraid that this waiter would sit on the ground in an instant.

"Your Majesty really did something wrong! Now that he has dealt with a few kings, it is a big deal to confine, and at most he can calm the anger of the people by winning the title, but once the people's anger sweeps from all over the world, at that time, even the golden branches and jade leaves will be shattered into powder! Majesty, why are you so obsessed! ”

Helan Jinming saw that Fang Xuan was so excited, and he frowned. Now it's not about grief and anger, it's about finding a way! However, when Fang Xuan finally calmed down and sat opposite him, news from the cardinal's room came one after another, but it was all terrible. Fang Xuan read these urgent reports with trembling hands, and finally looked up at Helan Jinming and said: "Since Your Majesty is obsessed, then, send these things to the King of Chu, King Qi and other kings to see." Knowing that the people's grievances are boiling in the world and the people's hearts are unstable, how should they know the stakes! ”

Although Helan Jinming was very skeptical about whether this would be useful, but now that the dead horse was used as a live horse doctor, and the idea was Fang Xuan's idea, he thought that there was no better way, so he nodded silently. He saw that Fang Xuan had all the documents in his arms, and he actually walked out in person, obviously planning to have a head-to-head confrontation with Li Fang, the king of Chu, and others. Although he hated this stubborn old man in the past, at this moment, Helan Jinming couldn't help but pray silently for Fang Xuan.

I hope that this time I can make those princes who are carried away by power lose their way!

The streets of Chang'an, the imperial capital, have long since lost any traces of the rebel siege a few years ago, only the bustling river. A middle-aged scholar in white rode a horse and walked slowly on Suzaku Street, looking at the pedestrians coming and going, and for the first time doubted whether it made sense for him to go out of the mountains and return to Beijing, and plan to write a book to advise. To say that there are no virtuous ministers in the court? Helan Jinming has a very high reputation among the Shilin, Fang Xuan is not incompetent, and there are many capable people in the three provinces and various Taiwan prisons, but what kind of Son of Heaven sits on the throne determines what kind of atmosphere the imperial capital is. Otherwise, how could he have just arrived in Chang'an yesterday, and today's Sixteen Princes' Mansion is so chaotic?

"Fang Xiangguo was knocked unconscious by the King of Chu in Yushitai!"

Hearing this sudden shout, the white-clothed scholar frowned in disbelief, but as he rushed in the direction of Daming Palace, the news along the way became more and more detailed. When he came to Danfeng Gate, he saw hundreds of people surrounded here, not to mention hundreds of people! When the dense crowd finally made way for an ox cart that was apparently carrying Fang Xuan to pass through Guò, there was a deathly silence on all sides. He didn't know how long it was, but he suddenly heard an angry cry.

"The kings are cruel, and the Son of Heaven is unkind!"

Even though Li Mi used to be a young prodigy, well-read, and accustomed to seeing all kinds of anecdotes in history books, after hearing this sudden sound, he couldn't help but shudder. He subconsciously turned his head and left, but went straight to Guo Ziyi's mansion. However, when he saw the mansion from afar, he also saw clearly the forbidden army in front of the door, which was three steps, one post, five steps and one sentry, and saw clearly that all the pedestrians in the past were going to be interrogated, and his heart sank into the bottomless abyss.

Guo Ziyi gave up military power to stay in Beijing, not for the overall situation, but in exchange, it was so "valued" by the Son of Heaven!

"I think when Du Shiyi left Chang'an, did he already count it to today?"

Li Mi muttered to himself, and finally turned his horse back, and his figure dragged down under the afterglow of the setting sun. He had never had such a clear premonition that Chang'an City, or the Tang Dynasty, was about to change!