September is Brother Ji's birthday, according to the previous rules, even if it will not be celebrated by the whole world, at least there will be a big drink in Chang'an to decorate the façade.

For an old man over sixty years old, especially a wealthy and well-informed old man, things like wealth have become meaningless.

Now Brother Ji no longer cares about the satisfaction of desires brought by wealth and jewelry, he no longer cares about the stimulation of beauty on the body senses, and he has long stopped deliberately pursuing those luxury pomp.

If you want the world to celebrate with you, Brother Ji doesn't care!

At the beginning of September, the imperial court ordered that this year's birthday of the saint would not be held in Chang'an, but the banquet would be transferred to the Huaqing Palace.

Then the right minister Li Linfu supervised the country in Chang'an and handled general government affairs.

At the same time when the holy decree was issued, the first section of the Shence Army escorted Ji Ge to Huaqing Palace for cultivation, accompanied by Zheng Shuqing, the Zhengqing of Dali Temple, and Cao Yong, the imperial doctor who was born in Zhaowu Jiu and became famous in the Western Regions, so as to enter the Tai Hospital, and a few other courtiers.

In the Huaqing Palace in September, the temperature is already quite cool, which can be described as comfortable and pleasant.

In the evening of that day, after the royal team's team came to Huaqing Palace, Ji Ge couldn't wait to enter the hot spring pool, leaning comfortably on the edge of the hot spring pool, with a comfortable expression on his face. And Zheng Shuqing and Imperial Physician Cao, who were serving on the side, were both sweating profusely hot, and their faces were vaguely anxious.

"Cao Qing's family, I am a strange disease, can I really be cured by taking a bath?"

Ji Ge asked lazily, he felt quite comfortable now, and the hot spring should have a suppressive effect on the condition. But whether it can be completely cured, it is not what Brother Ji expects.

Sure enough, Imperial Physician Cao carefully crossed his hands and saluted, and replied slowly: "Sage, the soup bath can indeed suppress the condition. However, this disease is very ferocious, and it may be difficult to cure it by taking a soup bath alone. ”

Imperial Physician Cao did not say anything big, but gave a very unoptimistic conclusion.

Hearing this, Brother Ji frowned slightly, waved his hand slightly, and motioned for the imperial doctor to step down. This conclusion was not surprising, but it still filled his heart with disappointment.

And an irrepressible anger!

"Wechen retired."

"Well, just stay in Huaqing Palace, I will summon Aiqing at any time."

Brother Ji's face that suppressed his anger in calm made Imperial Doctor Cao dare not look directly. After he left, Brother Ji looked at Zheng Shuqing and asked in a cold tone, "How is the case investigated?" ”

"Hui Sheng, there are already quite eyebrows. It is true that there were many court officials who had affairs with the Yang sisters, and there were even wealthy merchants among them.

Weichen also found out one thing, the crown princess Du Shi, it seems that she was also infected with this disease, and she may have been infected by her face.

However, the prince should have never had sex with the Du family, and the news from the East Palace said that the prince did not have such a strange disease. ”

Zheng Shuqing replied with a slight hesitation.

"Hmph, that's cheap!"

Brother Ji snorted coldly, but he was not surprised.

The crown prince Li Xuan now has only Wei Sanniang in his heart, except for the two heirs he has earlier, there are no children born at all.

To put it simply, Wei Sanniang is no longer a deceased woman, but Li Xuan's spiritual pillar.

The mood of this prince can be summed up in three words now: it is difficult to calm down!

"Sage, some of these sick courtiers are children of the clan, and some are very involved with the nobles of the family. If you want to raze these people to the three tribes, the movement is too big. It's also easy to wonder if something happened to the saint.

In Weichen's opinion, it is better to only execute himself, his wife and children. If you want to raze the three clans, then there are few officials in Chang'an who are still in office. ”

Zheng Shuqing knelt on the ground and kowtowed a few times, pleading while kowtowing.

According to the Western Han Dynasty's "Da Dai Li Ji": "The three clans, the father clan, the mother clan, and the wife clan." ”

The officialdom of the Tang Dynasty is intertwined, for example, the famous "Xue × Tong" family in the officialdom, several brothers are assassins, and their wives are the children of other official families. If you really want to kill according to this standard, even Zheng Shuqing himself will be beheaded!

How can the order of the "three tribes" be carried out?

"If you don't destroy the three clans, it's hard to vent the hatred in my heart!"

Brother Ji clenched his fists fiercely in the hot spring water and said, his face was hideous!

"Sage, if you want to carry out this order, Weichen will also be beheaded, so please ask the sage to open up.

Or ask someone else to do it. ”

Zheng Shuqing knelt on the ground and pleaded helplessly.

"Alright, alright, I know!"

Brother Ji waved his hand impatiently and sighed helplessly.

Many times, what you think in your heart is one thing, and when it comes to execution, it's another.

The policy of the three tribes of Yi is just talking, especially in the era of the Tang Dynasty, where the bureaucratic class is marrying each other, and the interpersonal network is quite complicated, which can be said to affect the whole body.

Li Linfu has so many sons-in-law, if he prostitutes Yang Yuyao, will he also kill this right-hand minister of the Tang Dynasty?

The answer is obvious.

Even Zheng Shuqing, who handled this case, couldn't protect himself under the policy of Yi and the three tribes, let alone others?

"Well, just do as you say."

Brother Ji hesitated for a long time, and finally said with a long sigh. At this moment, he also felt that imperial power was not omnipotent, and it was also greatly restricted.

The emperor's orders need to be carried out by the people below, and if the people below do not want to carry out the emperor's orders, then the so-called "imperial power" is nothing more than a castle on the beach, and if a big wave hits, it is likely to capsize.

"Aiqing's illness hasn't been leaked, right?"

Brother Ji asked softly, and the invisible killing intent suddenly shrouded Zheng Shuqing's body.

"No, no, absolutely nothing! Weichen swears by the head of the family, and now he even closes his mouth when he sleeps. ”

Uncle Zheng knelt on the ground, trembling and said, he didn't dare to look up at Ji Ge in the hot spring pool, who seemed to have everything under control, even if it was just a glance.

Brother Ji was very satisfied with Lao Zheng's humble attitude, he nodded slightly and said: "This matter is related to the safety of my Tang Dynasty, and it must not be spread outside." If I know what the consequences will be if some rumors come out, Aiqing should understand. Brother Nu is old, after this matter is done, you will be the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty, and I will never break my word. ”

"Rest assured, saint! Weichen knows in his heart that there will be no accidents! ”

Zheng Shuqing hurriedly got up and patted his chest to promise, then saluted and left the greenhouse. When he got outside, the cold wind of the early autumn night blew, and he felt like he was wandering around before the ghost door closed.

Accompanying the king is like accompanying the tiger, and the ancients were honest and did not deceive me.

"The saint is moody, mean, and unkind, and the disaster of the Tang Dynasty is not far away!"

Zheng Shuqing couldn't help but mutter.

He had already let his nephew run away quietly with the softness in the residence in Chang'an City, and the words just now were just to comfort Brother Ji. It is impossible to keep this matter secret at all, at least it can't be hidden from Li Linfu.

However, it is better to be able to drag on for a day.

Dragging, sometimes as a high-end tactic. Brother Ji is still angry, and when the news spreads, Zheng Shuqing will definitely be unable to save his life.

But if it can be delayed for a longer time, and it can no longer be hidden, then it doesn't matter if it leaks out.

Zheng Shuqing concluded that Brother Ji still needed him to do the dirty work, and it was impossible to unload the mill and kill the donkey so quickly.

Being able to survive is a day, which is also a kind of wisdom for survival...... Right?

……

"Your Highness, please save me, the concubine is dying......"

Du's face was already covered with rotten sores, and the whole person was suffering from a high fever. She shed tears of remorse and looked at Li Xuan pleading.

"Self-lovers and then people love them, it's all at this time, what's the use of saving your life, it's obviously a cureless disease."

Li Xuan sighed lightly and shook his head and said.

In the old days, the crown princess Du Shi had been indulging in the physical pleasures brought to her by the heads of the roads, in order to dilute the sorrow of her family's ruin. Then she had an accident and contracted the same strange disease as Yang Yuyao and others.

"Your Highness, among the Du family's faces, there is one person who is also Yang Yuyao's face, and he has died of illness before."

Cheng Yuanzhen whispered in Li Xuan's ear.

Hearing this, Li Xuan nodded slightly, waved his hand gently, and motioned for him to step back.

After Cheng Yuanzhen left, Li Xuan walked to Du Shi's side, shook his head and sighed: "Don't worry, Lone will say that you died of illness because of the wind and cold, and you will not let you die with notoriety." Although you are very debauched and shame Lone, Lone still forgives you.

There is no doctor for your illness, that's not Lone's fault, and it's not Lone's face, right? ”

Li Xuan said softly, his face was calm, there was no anger, no sorrow, and no schadenfreude.

At this moment, a glimmer of brilliance suddenly erupted in Du's eyes, she stretched out her hand to touch Li Xuan, but she hadn't touched Li Xuan yet, but she was deftly dodged by the other party. Du's exposed hand instantly hung down and landed on the bed, and the whole person lost his breath in an instant.

I don't know if she regretted her extremism when she was dying.

"Come on, the crown princess died due to the cold, let's mourn now!"

Li Xuan crossed his hands and saluted, bowed to Du's body three times, and then shouted.

"Your Highness, the matter of mourning can be discussed after the birthday of the saint."

Cheng Yuanzhen walked in and said with some confusion. He didn't understand why Li Heng was so "considerate" to Du's slut.

Now the funeral happens to be the birthday of the Son of Heaven, on the one hand, the emperor is holding a birthday banquet, and on the other hand, the prince is holding a funeral.

The death of a person is certain and cannot be postponed; But the time of mourning can be "adjusted". For example, after the death of Gao Cheng, the prime minister of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, his younger brother Gao Yang was not mourned until he had completed various mountains in the country, and then Gao Cheng's death was announced.

The date of Du's death Li Xuan can't control it, but he can completely mourn after Brother Ji's birthday banquet, and it doesn't affect the overall situation at all!

"Mourn, death is greater. Go and inform the brothers of Lone to come to the prince's east palace to mourn.

As for the saints, don't bother. It is normal to be alone and not to invite saints, but if you do, it will arouse suspicion. ”

Li Xuan shook his head, he didn't want to hear Cheng Yuanzhen say that there were some and didn't.

He's like this, do you still need to care about what Brother Ji thinks?

What's more, Li Xuan just wants to take advantage of this opportunity to mourn and convey a thing to all the ambitious princes!

Time flies, and three days have passed in a blink of an eye.

Du's body was dressed in a shroud and placed in the mourning hall for three days, and then buried in the cemetery exclusive to the nobles in the south of Chang'an. The crown prince Li Heng accompanied him throughout the whole process and did everything that should be etiquette.

Hundreds of funeral processions, countless burial vessels, the funeral was presided over by the Ministry of Rites in person, I have to say, the pomp is really not small.

The Du family did not enjoy much joy after marriage, but after his death, he was extremely grieved, just like those powerful people in Chang'an City.

was drunk and spiritually empty, and was taken away by a beautiful funeral, and finally left a piece of chicken feathers.

However, the death of the crown princess Du did not surprise outsiders, because she was a person who deserved to die, and she should have been killed with her father and brother back then. Du Shi was able to live, but it was because Brother Ji wanted to deliberately disgust Li Xuan, and he left him by Li Xuan's side.

This matter is almost known to everyone, so many people are speculating about when Li Jing will be deposed.

However, the major event that some people paid attention to in this Du funeral was the mourning part of the funeral.

The crown princess is not just a woman, she is also part of the state apparatus of the Tang Dynasty, or part of the "Tang etiquette".

When the crown princess died, the princes of the clan generally came to mourn.

Come in person, or send someone to come. People die greatly, and this kind of thing is not easy for Brother Ji to stop. Anyway, he had already gone to Huaqing Palace, and there was nothing else to say except for asking Gao Lishi to take the Shence Army to closely monitor the East Palace of the Prince.

He didn't even send anyone to pretend to "comfort" Li Xuan, the main thing was that he was cold and ruthless, and he didn't even bother to pretend.

Now the entire Chang'an City knows that Li Xuan, the crown prince, does not deal with the Son of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven also hopes that Li Xuan will die as soon as possible. The reason why Li Heng is still in the position of the crown prince is only because he is a living target to attract courtiers and other princes.

With Li Jing to share the pressure, Brother Ji doesn't have to worry about things like "who is the crown prince and who will succeed to the throne".

At this moment, the entire Prince's East Palace is full of white sails, a solemn scene. The eunuchs and palace ladies were busy going in and out, doing errands for the dead, and acting for the living.

Li Xuan looked at the many guests who came to mourn with blank eyes, and his heart was extremely sad.

Distressed by Duch?

No, no, no, Li Xuan is distressing Wei Sanniang!

Wei Sanniang died unjustly back then, how much he wanted to give her a beautiful funeral. But Brother Ji doesn't allow it, this is an ugly thing, the fewer people who know, the better, how can it be publicized?

Wei Sanniang was hastily buried, and she was not even allowed to mourn, and even the grave was dug out by Li Xuan and others!

Except for Wei Sanniang's family and Li Xuan, no one else in Chang'an City knew about this beautiful woman, so she died.

Those who deserve to be buried well are treated so harshly; And Du, who cuckolded himself madly, can be so grieved after death.

Li Xuan suddenly felt that this world was ridiculous, the damned people were not dead, justice in the world could not be served, and those who died in vain did not turn a blind eye.

He felt that it was not his own idea that was wrong, but that there was something wrong with this Datang.

Something went terribly wrong.

"Prince, please mourn. Du's kind of goods are all over Chang'an. Without her, there's even better. ”

When Li Xuan was stunned, a frivolous voice came from behind him, it was Yongwang Li Xuan!

He is at odds with Li Xuan, he is open, everyone knows it, and it is the same politically.

Therefore, what Li Lan said at the moment, although it is outrageous, is also appropriate.

"Death is great, and King Yong still accumulates a little virtue."

Li Xuan scolded Li Xuan in a deep voice.

"Humph!"

Li Xuan snorted coldly and didn't say anything, Li Xuan didn't break the defense, which made him a little disappointed.

Suddenly, Li Jing passed by him, apparently to greet the guests who had come to pay their respects. But when the two of them staggered, Li Lan felt that he had an extra piece of paper in his hand.

He suppressed the surprise in his heart and looked at Li Xuan, but saw that the other party left without looking back. If it weren't for the note in his hand, Li Lan really suspected that he was hallucinating.

Li Lan quietly found a secluded place where no one was around, and opened the note in his hand.

I saw sixteen words written on it:

The saint has a hidden disease, and there is no cure; Time is running out, and you can do it yourself.

(End of chapter)