On the second day, as soon as the three hundred morning drums were beaten, all the courtiers successively learned about the crown prince and the two kings, except for Zhang Jiuling, who had just been demoted to Jingzhou recently. When the ministers went to the palace to work, he went in the opposite direction, and as soon as he walked out of Chang'an City, he saw someone on the outskirts of the city set up a cloth shed. There were two tables in the shed, and there were food and wine on the table, and in the middle of the table, there was a person he knew very well.

Li Linfu was on duty in Xingqing Palace last night, and he was sleepy at this time, and when he saw Zhang Jiuling walking out of the city gate, he felt refreshed.

The clothes are fluttering, like the clouds on the top of the mountain; The posture is erect, like a green pine in the forest.

The demeanor is fluttering, with the quality of Qionghua; Stunning and gorgeous, with beautiful jade bones.

Seeing Li Linfu looking at him with burning eyes, Zhang Jiuling asked his little servant to lead the donkey and wait in place, and then walked in front of Li Linfu alone. After the two of them saluted, they both sat down.

Li Linfu personally poured wine for Zhang Jiuling: "I can't imagine it, it's me who came to give you today." ”

Zhang Jiuling smiled faintly: "I really didn't expect that Zhang thought that Li Xianggong would go to a high place and never look back." ”

"I have indeed taken a road from which there is no turning back......," Li Linfu sighed, "Actually, I sent you today because I had a question in my heart and wanted to ask for Zishou." ”

"Li Xianggong, but it doesn't hurt to say it."

"I never thought I'd end up winning that light. Yan Ting, Zishou should know where the bottom line of the saint is. In the past, even Yao Chong, Song Jing and Zhang Shuo, who were in the limelight back then, weren't they all because they were suspected of forming a party for personal gain, or took the initiative to resign, or were directly dismissed? At that moment, Zishou should immediately draw a clear line with Yan Tingzhi, and then reflect on the responsibility of negligence, Mingzhe is the right thing to protect himself, Zishou can't think of it, right? ”

Seeing Zhang Jiuling nodded, Li Linfu said again: "Then why are you still ......?"

Zhang Jiuling glanced at Li Linfu fixedly, and said, "I am not as desireless and innocent as you think. ”

"What do you mean by that?"

"At that time, I did get married. If I don't protect Yan Tingzhi, there will be no one standing behind me and Pei Gong in the future, they will gradually come behind you, and then I will have nothing to fight with you? And there are some things that someone has to do, and I am at the right time, so I naturally do it. ”

Zhang Jiuling's answer was unexpected by Li Linfu. He couldn't help but look at Zhang Jiuling again from head to toe, and chuckled a few times in disbelief: "It seems that I can win you, it's really by luck, I thought I knew myself and the enemy, but I didn't know you well enough." ”

Zhang Jiuling lowered his head and took a sip of wine: "I don't know you that well with each other." For example, before I worked with you, I did not know that in state affairs, you would not be ambiguous at all, such as the revision of the ceremonial law, which is very useful for the benefit of the country and the people, for future generations. You could have been a virtuous man, why should you exclude dissidents and make yourself a traitor? In the future, you will not be afraid of leaving a stench for 10,000 years and causing disaster to your descendants? ”

"I know that in your eyes, courtiers are not civil servants and capable ministers. Everyone has their own strengths and is indispensable, and if you are dedicated to the public, you can unite as one, which is why you treat your courtiers, even if they are able to treat them equally. It is true that because of this, the country will be more prosperous, and it seems that there is really no need to fight endlessly, forgetting the original intention of joining the government, but as long as there are differences of opinion, fighting is inevitable. Zishou is good everywhere, but he is too ideal and too sober, so today, you have to leave the whirlpool of Chang'an. As for me, if it is as Zishou said, I am afraid that it is no different from the previous prime ministers. It is impossible for me to be like them, to be used up by the saints and throw them away. Li Linfu said truthfully, "First protect yourself, and then talk about state affairs." I can maintain the stability of Datang while excluding dissidents, but for the rest, Zishou should not be too demanding. ”

"But the prime minister of the saint has always been full-time and short-term, and you will retire sooner or later."

"Not necessarily. The saint wants to deal with me, so let's talk about it when I die. ”

After all, the Tao is different, and there is no conspiracy with each other. Zhang Jiuling was just about to say goodbye, when he saw Li Linfu's little servant hurriedly running over and whispering to Li Linfu. Li Linfu first frowned, then was startled, and waved his hand to let the little guy retreat.

Zhang Jiuling's heartstrings tightened: "But what happened?" ”

Li Linfu nodded: "The sage abolished the crown prince, the king of E, and the king of light as concubines, and just now, he made up another will - to give death." ”

"It is unheard of to abolish the three sons in one day, and they even have to die, what crime did they commit?" What Zhang Jiuling was most worried about still happened.

"Now ask this, is there any need to ask?" Li Linfu didn't have any joy on his face, but sighed for a long time, "It seems that this saint of ours is really angry this time." ”

The father kills his son and child, which is already a human tragedy; If there is a grievance, is it not grief that cannot be repaid?

But all of this has nothing to do with Zhang Jiuling anymore.

"Li Xianggong, do it yourself."

Li Linfu got up and saluted: "Gong Zhang, don't send it if you go slowly." ”

Just as Zhang Jiuling was riding on the donkey, Li Linfu suddenly remembered something, and rushed over and asked, "An Lushan...... Is he really the opposite? ”

"What the sage cares about most is the stability of the imperial power, I made this stupid trick at the time, thinking that the sage would rather believe it, after all, in the past, even Emperor Taizong, after hearing about "Li Xing of the Wu Dynasty", killed a young general named 'Wu Niangzi' Li Junxian, isn't it? And then there'...... Intuition, does Lee Sang-gong believe it? Without waiting for Li Linfu's reply, Zhang Jiuling left without looking back. He never came back.

Li Linfu stared at Zhang Jiuling's departing figure, and suddenly felt that he was not disappointed and belittled, but walked leisurely and leisurely towards a more romantic and broad world.

And what about himself? I am afraid that I will struggle to survive the rest of my life in this quagmire of power.

Li Longji's death of his three sons shocked the whole world in the twenty-fifth year of Kaiyuan.

It was the white silk that Xiao Jiangyuan personally sent to the Sanshu people. She originally wanted to ask them, Zhang Jiuling was deposed, and the person who protected the prince was gone, if Concubine Wu Hui really wanted to abolish the prince, would she need to rebel? As for her, how could they really believe that she would betray the saints? But when she saw Sanshuren, she couldn't say anything.

It's too late, and there's no need for it.

After all, she couldn't stop Li Longji's angry decision, so she could only let the Sanshu people suffer as little as possible when they left. And the funeral matters of the three Shu people, she still handed over to the Zongzheng Temple to handle, although it is a gift of the Shu people, it is always the blood of the royal family. She also wants to leave a way back for Li Longji, so that if there is really an unjust prison, Li Longji will be less painful in the future.

The first thing he did when he returned to Xingqing Palace, Xiao Jiangyuan executed Niu Xiantong in accordance with military law. Then, she went to the Jiaotai Palace and told Concubine Wu Hui that the three concubines were dead.

After Xiao Jiangyuan left, Concubine Wu Hui let herself sit on the low couch softly. She was relieved, but no joy welled up in her heart.

Princess Xianyi also had palpitations: "A-Niang...... No matter what, those three people are Aya's biological flesh and blood after all, and Aya's ...... Could this be the true face of imperial power under the glamorous exterior? Is this the most unquestioned power in the world? Before being a father, Ayah was first and foremost an emperor, so ...... If Aya knew...... Will it kill us too? ”

Concubine Wu Hui didn't give any answer, she just hugged her daughter, and while caressing her daughter's back, she said in a daze: "I didn't think about it...... Let them die. ”

In the inner room separated by a wall, King Shou and Yang Yuhuan also looked at each other in a daze. Yang Yuhuan hugged King Shou's arm tightly and said softly: "Eighteen Lang, in front of the Holy Will, is it that even you can't protect me?" ”

King Shou immediately held his wife's hand tightly: "Don't worry, I will do my best to protect you." ”

When Xiao Jiangyuan returned to the diligent government affairs building, Li Longji was standing in front of the railing outside the hall and looking into the distance. The tea cups and flower pots in the hall are all shattered on the ground, and more than a dozen palace people and eunuchs are silently cleaning up the mess, and Li Longji seems to have faded away from his anger and is quiet, just like those wind chimes under the eaves that do not move without wind.

Xiao Jiangyuan was hesitating whether to tell him about the death of the Sanshu people now, but he found out about Xiao Jiangyuan's existence and took the initiative to ask. Xiao Jiangyuan wanted to answer simply and cryptically, but Li Longji asked very carefully, and he didn't give her a chance to hide it at all.

In desperation, Xiao Jiangyuan had no choice but to sigh: "The abolished prince is very calm, and Shu Ren Yao and Shu Ren Ju are shouting injustices. Until the time of surrender, they still looked in the direction of Xingqing Palace, and asked the ministers to tell everyone: 'The king wants the minister to die, the father wants the son to die, as a courtier, I dare not disobey.' It's just that he has been wronged, and he doesn't want to harm his wife and concubines, and he hopes that his father will find out as soon as possible and return his son's innocence. Now when the eternal secret, the son is not filial, may my father live a long life, happy life and good health! ’”

Li Longji's face was expressionless, but his body shook. Xiao Jiangyuan hurriedly stepped forward to help, and saw that his left hand was firmly propped up on the railing, the green tendons were protruding, and his right hand was held in her hand, trembling slightly.

No one in the world is him, even if you know him like Xiao Jiangyuan, you can't understand all his feelings. She only knew that if the Sanshu people were really sinners, he would be more or less at ease, at least in this way, he didn't do anything wrong, but if the Sanshu people weren't...... Xiao Jiangyuan no longer and couldn't bear to think about it anymore.

So sometimes, the truth is really that heavy either?

But often, many times, the truth does not come to the surface if people do not look for it.

- Concubine Wu Hui is sick.

For so many years, Concubine Wu Hui has always been in good health, even after giving birth and losing a child, she rarely gets sick, even if she suffers from a small illness of wind and cold, there has never been a time when the situation is so serious. She was well maintained, but she was only in her early thirties, but this illness seemed to have taken away all her freshness, and a few strands of gorgeous hair grew between her temples.

Li Longji was very worried, so he sent all the doctors in the entire palace. All the doctors said that Concubine Wu Hui was a heart disease, overthinking, and depression. They don't know where this sickness of the heart comes from; How to heal, they can't do anything either.

Princess Xianyi and his wife, Shouwang and Sheng Wang and his wife have entered the Tai Palace to serve the sick, and Princess Taihua, who is the youngest and has always been withdrawn, went directly to the Taoist temple in the palace to fast and pray for blessings. Li Longji also often visited Concubine Wu Hui, but every time he went, he could only watch her huddle on the couch with her knees huddled in her arms, immersed in her own world without saying a word, ignoring everything around her.

"Is it okay to eat and lie down?" Li Longji asked.

Princess Xianyi replied, "Eating and drinking is only one of the top ten, as for lying down...... A-Niang didn't know what she was thinking about, and she always refused to sleep. ”

"Eat less and sleep less, how can you get it in the long run?" Li Longji turned his head and asked the imperial doctor, and after receiving an affirmative answer, he said, "From today onwards, if she doesn't sleep again, I will pour her a decoction to calm her nerves." In any case, let her take care of her body and spirit! ”

"Aye, isn't A-Niang...... Lose your marbles? ”

Seeing his daughter choked with tears, Li Longji took his daughter in his arms, and his soothing voice was calm and resolute: "No." ”

The swan song of the Tang Dynasty