After dealing with the affairs, Li Rong explained the task to Wei Chi Xiu for a few days, and then went to the camp to inspect it before leaving the camp and going home.

"Father, your breath is getting weaker!" Li Rong put away his palms and said with sadness.

Li Rong returned home and saw that his father Li Hao's qi was declining, so he used his soft water true qi to heal his father's injuries.

"Your true qi is becoming more and more refined, and you are rigid and soft, and your future is still above me." Li Hui smiled.

"If you want to be rigid and flexible, you have to advance to the innate level to really do it, but it's still a little worse." Li Rong said, "Father, it is estimated that the ginseng soup in the kitchen is almost ready, and I will bring it to you." ”

Saying that, Li Rong stood up and left the bed to the front yard to bring his father a bowl of boiled ginseng soup.

"This is the thousand-year-old ginseng sent by Li Kaigu, and I asked Steward Ge to boil it into ginseng soup to replenish vitality." Li Rong put the ginseng soup on the small table on the couch.

"Well," Li Hui didn't refuse, picked up the ginseng soup and drank it all, and a hint of ruddy flashed on his face in an instant.

"Ginseng soup hangs his life, and it's just a hanging!" Li Hui put down the bowl and sighed, "You've been busy with the homicide case in Nanshi for a while, tell me what happened." ”

Li Rong took off his boots and went to bed, and sat opposite Li Hui across the desk.

While he was still alive, Li Hui tried his best to understand his son and told Li Rong about his own lessons and lessons, especially in life and political connections.

For Li Rong, who is interested in martial arts practice, these things seem inconspicuous, but the complicated situation in the imperial court and the identity of the Li family's royal family for generations make Li Rong unable to escape the influence of politics.

"Since the Empress Dowager came to the dynasty, especially the death of Emperor Gaozong, the Empress Dowager has used all kinds of means to suppress the Guanlong magnates, support the former dynasty Yuan, Yang imperial family, promote the Hanmen Shu clan, strive for the neutrality of the Guandong gatekeeper, and persuade the two factions of Buddhism and Taoism to make them not interfere in court politics, so as to monopolize power, and the magic of its power is breathtaking. If you fight in the court in the future, the best choice is to stand on the side of the Queen Mother, and you can only stand on her side. Li Hui said with a look of respect.

"me? On the side of the Queen Mother? Li Rong said with a tight head.

"It's not a gangster or something, do you still want to make a career and make a name for yourself?" Li Hui asked rhetorically.

Li Rong, as the son of Li Hui and the grandson of Li Xiaogong, was a powerful figure in the last two generations, and as a member of the Li Tang royal family, his identity is more sensitive, and he is already suspicious of the Queen Mother, so will it give him the opportunity to grasp military power? The Queen Mother will only firmly control it in her hands, which is why Yuan Xingchong beat Li Rong.

"Father, the child is not in the army, and he is only for martial arts cultivation, and he doesn't want to get involved in the government at all. Li Rong said in a deep voice, "The Queen Mother is talented and far-sighted, and she is a long-term material for governing the country. ”

Wu Zetian's heart on behalf of Tang is clearly revealed, it is an irreversible fact, Li Rong will not fight against Wu Zetian for the sake of the so-called dignity of the Li Tang royal family. The key is that Li Rong quite recognizes Wu Zetian's ability to govern, the world is currently peaceful, the people are healthy, and doing things for no reason is just asking for his own death. Another point is that Li Rongzhi is in martial arts, and he entered the public gate for cultivation, not for glory and wealth.

"It's good to have this idea," Li Hui said, "Royal affairs, especially when it comes to the struggle for the throne, are not something we can influence and mix. I think that your grandfather was helpless to intervene in the battle for the throne between Emperor Taizong and Prince Jiancheng because of his high position, and ended up in depression. ”

Before the Xuanwumen Incident, Li Rong's grandfather, Li Xiaogong, the king of Zhaojun, was serving as the governor of Yangzhou, leaning towards the south and controlling half of the world. happened to encounter the Turkic invasion, and the crown prince Li Jiancheng took the opportunity to recruit Li Xiaogong into the court, commanded the troops and horses to fight against the Turks, and took the opportunity to transfer the Qin King Li Shimin's cronies. After Li Shimin learned about it, he immediately sent someone to secretly accuse Li Xiaogong of rebellion, put him in prison, and then launched the Xuanwumen Rebellion, killing the crown prince Li Jiancheng and the king of Qi Li Yuanji in one fell swoop, and ascended the throne as emperor. Later, although Li Shimin released Li Xiaogong and listed him as the second of the twenty-four heroes of Lingyan Pavilion, he no longer reused it throughout his life, so that Li Xiaogong died of a violent illness at the age of 50.

"Father, I'm not as powerful as my grandfather, I guess there are few people who know me, and I'm just a small lieutenant at present." Li Rong smiled bitterly.

"There are big benefits and small disadvantages. Although your official position is humble, it will not affect the overall situation of the government, but the disadvantage is that some people do not like you, and you can die without a place to be buried. There are two people in the court who have a deep grudge against their father, so you have to be careful. One is the Jin Wuwei general Qiu Shenji, this person is vicious and ruthless, with the inheritance of the Demon Gate, and he thinks that Qiu's family background is a powerful man in Luoyang, and the Queen Mother has to tolerate the promotion of him, and his actions are even more unscrupulous, but this person is domineering and arrogant, and sooner or later he will die and the clan will be wiped out, so don't worry too much. When it comes to another person, you have to pay attention, Wu Sansi of the martial arts, the controller of the dancing phoenix. The martial arts family has produced many talents since the samurai Tong, including the power wizard like the Empress Dowager Wu Zetian, and the martial arts genius like Wu Youxu, but the Empress Dowager is busy with government affairs and can't take care of your little person. Wu Youxu is obsessed with martial arts, and the head of the martial family, Wu Chengsi, is very talented, these people are not worried, and it is Wu Sansi who needs to be guarded against. Li Hui said.

"Qiu Shenji, Wu Sansi, the child has written it down." Li Rong replied.

These people are busy fighting for power and profit, and their eyes may not necessarily look at Li Rong.

During the conversation, Li Hui compared some of Li Rong's views on martial arts, and told Li Rong all his understanding of martial arts, so that he could break through the innate realm as soon as possible.

Luoyang Palace, Wucheng Palace

Empress Dowager Wu Zetian met Di Renjie in the palace.

"Your Majesty Hong Fu, the queen of heaven, and the ministers have killed the murderer of the Nanshi murder case, the Turkic A Sili, and sent his body and case file to Dali Temple for inspection." Di Renjie said loudly with an elephant wat in his hand.

"This time the murder case was solved, and it was a great contribution to calming people's hearts. Aiqing has made a lot of efforts, and he has cracked a big case in just a few days, which is worthy of the emperor calling you like a god in judging the case. Wu Zetian sat on the throne and said.

Di Renjie came to meet the Queen Mother early in the morning, and successfully obtained permission, and was invited by the eunuch to Wucheng Hall to accept the Queen Mother's separate summons.

"Thanks to the grace of the emperor and the queen mother, the minister can show what he wants." Di Renjie bowed down and said.

"It's been more than a month since Aiqing returned to Beijing, and she hasn't arranged a position yet, so she really has something to hand over to Aiqing," Wu Zetian said suddenly.

"Please make it clear to the Queen Mother!" Di Renjie said, "The minister must do it with all his heart."

"Since the beginning of spring this year, the Jianghuai Liberation to Shendu cloth money and goods have been added to the drift by 20%, according to the Yangzhou government, it is due to the disrepair of the canal, the river silted up and caused the ship to sink, I don't believe it." Wu Zetian said coldly, "Qing once served as the judge of Bianzhou, when I know that over the years, the imperial court has continuously allocated funds to recruit river workers and clean up the river, and the drift in previous years was only one percent, and this year it has increased to three percent, is it because the Yangzhou government and officials along the river are greedy?" ”

"I don't know!" Di Renjie replied.

In the past few years, he has been assigned to Western Xinjiang, and he knows about Bianzhou. However, in his experience, the canal is still smooth, and it is impossible to float as much as thirty percent, and there must be other reasons in between.

"I ordered you to be the governor of Jiangnan Province, inspect the Jianghuai Canal, and thoroughly investigate the levy and drift." Wu Zetian said, "You first go to the Ministry of Industry to serve as a winter official, check the information of Caoyun in previous years, and prepare to go south to Jianghuai in half a month to inspect the south for me." ”

"Thank you for the grace of the Queen Mother, the minister will definitely work hard to find out the truth about the drift of the levy." Di Renjie said.

"Let's go down!" Wu Zetian said.

Di Renjie bowed and bowed, then turned around and left the main hall.

"What role did Yangzhou Thorn Shi Gong Peng Zu play in it?" Wu Zetian said softly, "And what do these people want?" Yang Gong ordered the Ministry of Officials to send the information of the main officials of Huainan Province over, I want to see it. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty." Yang Gonggong replied respectfully.

"Could it be King Yue?" Di Renjie walked out of the imperial city slowly, but there was not much joy in his heart.

Normally, being promoted from the Border State Thorn to the Winter Official Squire, and patrolling the heavens, is definitely a high promotion, but Di Renjie feels that things are not so simple. This errand is still a tough bone to gnaw, and if you can't say it's going to sink into it.

How much is the annual tax payment of Huainan Province and the southern provinces, and some people dare to extract as much as 20% of it, which is a lot of wealth. Moreover, such a big deal is impossible without the cooperation of the main officials, which means that the officials of the Yangzhou Metropolitan Governor's Office cannot escape the involvement, and the strange thing is that these officials still defend it in every possible way, and the imperial historians who are responsible for correcting the bullet did not intervene too much.

Di Renjie suspected that King Yue had done something from it, and the current Yangzhou Assassin Shi Gong Peng Zu did not have so much courage and strength. But Li Zhen, the king of Yue who had been the governor of Yangzhou for many years and had a huge influence in Huainan Province, had this kind of strength and prestige.

"Presumably the Queen Mother also knows this, but she just needs me to be this wicked person." Di Renjie sighed.

A while ago, Wu Chenghei offered the Luoshui Divine Stone, and Wu Zetian took the opportunity to summon the kings of Li Tang to Beijing to participate in the ceremony, these are the reasons for stimulating King Yue's action.

Sometimes politics is like this, first draw a circle, then look for evidence. The Empress Dowager Wu Zetian was well aware of this, and did not make a big deal about it, but wanted to get the evidence of the crime in one fell swoop to uproot it. What King Yue did in Yuzhou had already spread to Luoyang, but Wu Zetian did not move, which was not her usual style.

"The court is really going to be in chaos!" Di Renjie sighed again