Of course, Wu Sansi didn't end very well. The crown prince Li Chongjun couldn't stand the repeated bullying of Empress Wei, Wu Sansi, and Princess Anle, so he raised troops to resist, and pretended to send a holy decree to recruit more than 300 people from the Thousand Cavalry Guard Battalion, rushed into Wu Sansi's house, and killed Wu Sansi's father and son (son Wu Chongxun, Princess Anle and horses). But in the end, it failed, Li Chongjun was killed left and right, Li Xian even cut off his son's head and sacrificed in front of Wu Sansi's father and son, I really don't know what to say about him......

It wasn't until after an incident that we realized that the emperor seemed to have some clarity in his mind, but perhaps it was too late. On May 17, the fourth year of Jinglong (710 AD), Xuzhou (Xuchang, Henan) soldiers joined the army, Yan Rongqin Shangshu said: "The queen **, the family is in politics. Princess Anle, Princess Concubine, and Minister Zong Chuke, etc., acted lawlessly and conspired to harm the country". Li Xian then summoned Yan Rongqin and interrogated him face to face. Yan Rongqin stated in person, there was evidence, and Li Xian couldn't help but be stunned. Zong Chuke heard the report outside, and felt that it was not good, so he ordered the guards of the flying cavalry battalion to kill, and the guards of the flying cavalry battalion grabbed Yan Rongqin and threw it on the stone in the courtyard. Although Li Xian did not pursue it, he was very unhappy in his heart, and Empress Wei and his henchmen began to be a little frightened in their eyes, so they conspired and thought about how to murder Emperor Li Xian and take power himself.

Half a month later, that is, on June 2 of the same year, Li Xian died, about Li Xian's death, most historical materials believe that he was poisoned and killed by his wife and daughter, and there may be doubts, but Li Xian's record of being emperor for five years shows that he is indeed a very poor emperor.

Strategist Liu Youqiu (I)

Li Longji, who returned to Chang'an (the second year of Jinglong, 907 AD), saw that the imperial court was so chaotic, and he also had some ideas. But Li Longji doesn't have a very good background at this time, and he is not as good as his brother Li Chengqi, who is the eldest son of Prime Minister Li Dan, and an official with a higher status, don't say that he looks down on him. He didn't even think about him, so Li Longji didn't have the opportunity to make friends with high-ranking officials who could affect the court situation. However, Li Longji is not discouraged, and he believes that if there are good auxiliary talents, he will have the opportunity to establish a meritorious career. So he began to look for partners among middle and lower-level officials who could cooperate.

Li Longji remembered that when he was in Chang'an before going to Luzhou, he met Liu Youqiu, the then Chaoyi County Guard, when Zhang Khan Zhi and others killed two Zhang (Zhang Yizhi and Zhang Changzong). At that time, Luo Governor Shi Xue Jiyong said to Zhang Cambodia and Jinghui: "Although the two murderers have been eliminated, Lu Chan and Lu Lu are still alive (note). If you don't cut the grass and don't remove the roots, the spring breeze blows and grows, and there will be endless troubles! The two replied disappreciatively: "The overall situation has been decided, they are just meat on the chopping block, and they kill too much, and they cannot increase more." And Liu Youqiu said to Jinghui and Huan Yanfan: "Wu Sansi is still in the government, if you don't deal with it well, you will die in the future and have no place to bury, and a catastrophe is coming, and it will be too late to regret it." Li Longji heard people talk about this at the time. admired these two people very much, because what happened later turned out to be as they expected, Zhang Cambodia and other "five kings" were all killed by Wu Sansi and others, and none of them were spared.

(Note: Lü Chan and Lü Lu are the younger brothers of Liu Bang's wife Lü Hou in the early Western Han Dynasty, and this refers to Wu Zetian's nephew Wu Sansi and other members of the Wu family.) ）

And Liu Youqiu still has a fate, why not find a chance to make friends, the future will be of great help. So he sent someone to greet Liu You, saying that the king of Linzi admired Liu Xianwei very much, since he went to Luzhou. I haven't met again, and I hope to have the opportunity to visit the old people and reminisce about the past.

Liu Youqiu is a smart man, and he remembers the last time they met, everyone was impassioned when discussing the chaos of the political situation. Only the king of Linzi didn't say a word, just smiled. At that time, he felt that this prince had a lot of city, and this visit must have a deep meaning, so it was better for me to go to the door and explore the reality. Then he said to the messenger, "The prince is ashamed to come to visit. I should have gone to the palace to visit the prince. So he made an appointment for an auspicious day to come to the door.

On the same day, Liu Youqiu went to the Linzi palace and said to the servant at the door: "Please inform the prince that the old man is visiting."

The servant said, "Please tell me your name, so that I can inform the prince." ”

Liu Youqiu said to the servant: "Please tell the prince, the old man came according to the agreement, and the prince naturally knows." ”

The servant saw that Liu Youqiu was confident, and he was dressed like a person who fought the autumn wind. The prince has always been hospitable, and the people who enter and leave the palace are all kinds and complicated, so he didn't dare to slack off, and said to Liu Youqiu: "Sir, wait, I will report to the prince." ”

Liu Youqiu waited for a while, and suddenly heard a hearty voice coming from inside: "Has Mr. Liu arrived, why did you let him wait at the door?" You should be invited in right away! Then the door opened, and Li Longji appeared in front of him in homely clothes.

Liu Youqiu bowed to Li Longji and said, "The prince is well!" ”

Li Longji stretched out his hand to hold Liu Youqiu and said, "No need to be formal, let's go inside and drink and talk, okay?" “

Liu Youqiu said: "The prince is still as bold as before" said that the two entered the palace together.

The wine and food had already been prepared, and after a few drinks between the two, they talked about some recent officialdom anecdotes, all of which were all in high spirits. At this time, Li Longji suddenly said: "Looking at the recent development of the current situation, I deeply feel that Mr. Liu, you really have the ability to predict the future!" ”

Liu You begged: "There is a small county lieutenant under him, and he is mediocre, why did the prince say this?" ”

Li Longji didn't answer, and suddenly asked: "Mr. Liu, I heard that you were supposed to be appointed as Lieutenant Lang, and it didn't take long for you to hang up your crown and beg to go!" Later, when he became a lieutenant of the court, he has not been promoted, what is the reason? ”

Liu You begged: "The prince came to me today, just to know these little things about me?" ”

Li Longji retreated, then poured his own wine, poured it for Liu Youqiu, and said, "Sir, please drink this cup first, Longji still has something to say." ”

Liu Youqiu did not refuse, and drank it all.

Li Longji said: "I asked Mr. about these things, not with the intention of visiting people**, nor to laugh at you, but I have always felt very strange, with Mr. 's talent, after so many years (it has been ten years since he was promoted), why is he still a county lieutenant without any promotion?"

Liu Youqiu said, "Since the prince asked so sincerely, then I won't hide it from you, I want to be promoted, it is as easy as a snap, but the eldest husband has something to do and something not to do." In the past, I was Lieutenant Lang, and the assassin didn't treat me politely, and what I did was boring, so I left. Later, when I was in the court, the situation was chaotic, and the court opened the door to sell officials, as long as there was 300,000 yuan. Even the butcher who kills pigs, the businessman who buys and sells, and even the lowly slave and maid can get a letter of appointment from the black edict. I don't care to be in the company of these people. “

Li Longji said: "What does the gentleman think about his future? ”

Liu Youqiu said: "I want to know what the prince thinks about his future?" ”

Li Longji was surprised: "Why does Mr. want to know about my future first? ”

Liu Youqiu also imitated Li Longji just now, raised the wine jug, poured a full cup for Li Longji, and then said: "Lord Wang, please drink this cup, I will explain it to the prince." ”

Li Longji said: "Interesting. I'll drink it, and I'll listen to your high arguments again! As he spoke, he raised his glass and drank it all.

Liu Youqiu said: "Does the prince know the current situation? ”

Li Longji said: "In today's government affairs, Empress Wei colluded with Wu Sansi, cronyism, and high-ranking officials in the DPRK and the central government did their best; And Wei's harem is not repaired, and adultery with the Wu family is well known, but anyone reports this matter to the emperor. The emperor not only didn't listen, but also executed the people who reported the news, so who dared to tell the truth, so even if some courtiers wanted to impeach Empress Wei, Wu Sansi and their henchmen, they had to think twice. “

Liu You begged: "The prince is talking about one side, but the prince should see the other sides." First of all, as far as the overall situation of the world is concerned, there are currently three major problems: the first is that too many people have built temples in recent years. Large temples cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, and small temples also cost 30,000 to 50,000 yuan, totaling more than 10 million yuan, and the country's financial resources. They are all exhausted, the people are poor, and the voices of sorrow and resentment are endless. When there is a flood or drought, or if there is turmoil in the frontier, something will happen. The second is the overflow of titles. At the time of the founding of our dynasty, there were only twenty or thirty meritorious people, and all of them were those who had made great contributions to the country, and now there are more than 100 of them, and the families of the knights have used their power to annex land in the local area, and the local government does not even dare to ask about it, and the national income has been greatly reduced. The third is the rapid increase in the number of non-establishment officials, exceeding the official officials several times, the state treasury can not pay, the local government can only squeeze the people to supply these officials, and in recent years, the ability and moral character of local officials have not been paid attention to, and many governors are sent to the local government because of the crimes committed by the central officials or lack of ability. With these three situations, I don't think the general trend of the world will be stable for too long, and it will inevitably cause turmoil!

When Li Longji heard this, he deeply felt that Liu Youqiu's analysis was very correct, and he had also been in the place, so he knew that Liu Youqiu was telling the truth, and couldn't help but say: "What Mr. Liu said makes sense. ”

Liu Youqiu also said: "From the perspective of the current political situation, Empress Wei and the Wu clan's henchmen are currently powerful, but their power still comes from the emperor, and at present, their henchmen's arrogance has reached the extreme, sometimes even the emperor does not look at it, and after a long time, the emperor will inevitably take back the right appropriately." And I observed that although Empress Wei had ambitions to take charge of politics and wanted to learn from the Empress of Heaven to interfere in politics and even seize power, her political talents were not the same as those of the Empress of Heaven, so there would inevitably be problems in the middle, and there would be opportunities to take advantage of. ”

Li Longji said deliberately: "Even if there is an opportunity to take advantage of, what does it have to do with me?" ”

Liu Youqiu thought to himself, there is no wonder that the king of Linzi was nicknamed "Ah Cover" when he was young, and there was indeed Cao Cao's city mansion. Obviously, he wanted to talk about this matter when he came to me, and he pretended to clear it up, but now I will drag you into the water to see how you are still pretending, so he said: "Does the prince think that he can retreat in the change of the court situation?" You must know that Wei and Wu Sansi wanted to seize power for a long time, and the only thing they were afraid of was King Xiang, followed by Princess Taiping. When the crown prince rebelled (that is, the aforementioned prince Li Chongjun raised troops to kill Wu Sansi's father and son), they framed the king of Xiang and fabricated evidence unfavorable to the king during the interrogation of his confession. It was the investigation official Zuotai Doctor Su Jue who presented a secret performance to defend the king, and the emperor stopped asking questions. His henchmen did not give up, and ordered the imperial Shi Ran Zuyong to falsely accuse the prince and Princess Taiping again, pointing out that the two colluded with the prince and conspired to rebel, and the emperor asked Lord Xiao (Xiao Zhizhong) in the imperial history to investigate, and it was Lord Xiao who made a statement to the emperor, saying: "Your Majesty is rich all over the world, can't you accommodate a younger brother and a younger sister, and make people framed!" When King Xiang was the emperor's heir, he resolutely asked the Queen of Heaven to give up his seat to His Majesty, this matter is known to everyone in the world, and His Majesty was suspicious of King Xiang for Ran Zuyong's words! And Lord Wu Jing, who is on the right, also defended the king of the prime minister, so that the king of the prime minister could avoid being harmed by traitors. Today's situation, Empress Wei and Wu Sansi have been with the king of the same water and fire, the king wants to be alone is no longer possible, the prince is the son of man, it is advisable to plan for the king as soon as possible, once the change is very, people are swords, I am fish and meat, and then I want to save myself, it is even more difficult! “

Li Longji couldn't help but be moved, so he said: "What Mr. said is very true, in the current situation, how should King Xiang save himself?" Please don't hesitate to give me advice! “

Liu You's request to see Li Longji was moved, so he said calmly: "The world's major events, blessings and misfortunes rely on each other!" Now although the king has great dangers, there is also great luck, if he can do his best and obey the destiny of heaven, not only can he turn the danger into safety, but also the blessings will not be endless. This is what I just said to the prince, my Liu Youqiu's future depends on the reason for the prince's future, if the prince can do great things for the king, the future is unlimited, and I, Liu Youqiu, can naturally follow the green clouds, no problem! “

Li Longji said, "Although I am a prince, I have no real power, and the important officials in the DPRK and China will not have a deep relationship with me. “

Liu Youqiu, "Since ancient palace coups, the first thing is to control the forbidden army, and the prince's current strength is not enough to make friends with the leaders of the forbidden army, but he can order his subordinates to have deep friendships with the middle-level generals of the forbidden army, and make friends with wealth and kindness." Once there is a change, let him kill the general and seize power, and the forbidden army can be used by the prince. In addition, Xue Chongjian, the son of Princess Taiping, is the cousin of the prince, who is in charge of the supply of ordnance, and has a deep understanding of the inside affairs of the Yulin Army, and can bring the power of Princess Taiping over, and he also needs to make friends with his heart. There is also Zhong Shaojing, the director of the Forbidden Garden, whose official residence is at the north gate of the imperial city, if he can win it over and help us in the event of an incident, it will be a great achievement. “

Li Longji was overjoyed and began to act gradually according to Liu Youqiu's plan.

Crisis? Turn?

First of all, he sent Li Yide and Wang Maozhong to go deep into the left and right Yulin Army, and the emperor's personal soldiers, that is, the generals known as the "Ten Thousand Cavalry Guards", he gave Li Wang and the two a large amount of gold silk, spending money like flowing water, and he did not hesitate, sure enough, not long after, the Ten Thousand Cavalry Guards greatly respected the King of Linzi, and Guoyi Du Lieutenant Ge Fushun and Chen Xuanli regarded Li Longji as a big brother, and if there was any problem, they all complained to Li Longji.

In addition, in other aspects, Li Longji also made gradual moves, and because the people Li Longji wanted to make friends with were all middle-level officials of the fifth or sixth grades, he did not pay much attention to it. (To be continued.) )