Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 349 The Northern Expedition

Yan Cheng, whose real name is Li Yan Cheng, is the eldest son of Madam Shen's older brother and her own nephew.

Lady Shen's biological father, who was also Lord Shen's father-in-law, was named Li Ting. He had two sons and one daughter.

The eldest son, Li Fang, had the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations) and was somewhat talented in literature. However, he was ambitious but lacked the ability to do anything. He was unwilling to submit to others and often acted recklessly in a self-righteous manner.

The last incident involving the smuggling of salt was a "brilliant idea" that Li Fang came up with!
The second son, Li Ling, who is also Madam Shen's younger brother, is a reckless and impulsive person. He is brave but lacks strategy and is often manipulated by his elder brother, Li Fang. He does everything recklessly and impulsively, and his intelligence is quite questionable.

As for Madam Shen, she was the second child in her family. Her original name was Li Shi. Compared to her older and younger brothers, she was extremely "outstanding". She was the kind of well-bred lady who conformed to the world's norms and adhered to the three obediences and four virtues.

The reason why Lord Shen fell in love with Lady Li was because of her pure and innocent eyes.

When the two first met, Li's eyes, which looked like those of a startled deer, touched Shen Shouzhen at a certain moment. It was because of this that Lord Shen went to great lengths to persuade his father to help Li enter the family.

As for whether the Shen family would be rejected by Old Master Li Ting when they came to discuss marriage, that was no longer a concern. After all, compared to the Shen family, the Li family was actually marrying above their station.

To get back to the main point, Li Yancheng is Li Fang's eldest son.

Perhaps because he inherited the wisdom of his father Li Fang, and was personally taught by his grandfather Li Ting in his early years, Li Yancheng is quite "remarkable" among the Li family!
After all, among the dozens of members of the Li family, only Li Yancheng among the younger generation has achieved academic success, and he is still young and has the potential to make further progress.

Therefore, both the Li family members and Madam Shen and others regarded her as the hope for the rise of the next generation of the Li family.

However, what Lord Shen just said made Madam Shen so angry that she almost fell backward!

In the eyes of his own husband, this rather "remarkable" nephew had received such a bloody evaluation—"someone who doesn't even have the title of a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations)?"

Lord Shen remained calm and composed, showing no sign of guilt or panic.

"Yan Cheng does indeed have exceptional abilities, but!"

"He really isn't as amazing as that kid Sheng Changquan!"

Shen Shouzhen frankly explained why he had taken a liking to Sheng Changquan, saying, "My lady, I can tell you the truth."

"I value Sheng Changquan not only because of his talent, but more importantly, because of his character!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Shen's expression changed slightly, as if she was unwilling and dissatisfied. However, she ultimately remained silent, continuing to listen to Lord Shen's words, seemingly wanting to hear his explanation.

Lord Shen seemed to know what his wife was thinking, so he just stared at her seriously for a while before continuing to explain: "Wife, you must know that sometimes, a person's temperament is more important than their talent!"

"After all, there are many talented people in this world, but those with the temperament of Sheng Changquan are rare!"

At this point, a look of reminiscence rose in Lord Shen's eyes.

"My wife, you should still remember what happened more than twenty years ago, right?"

Without waiting for his wife's reply, Lord Shen said directly, "Back then, if Right Chancellor Xiao Zheyue had the same temperament as Left Chancellor Li Ang, and hadn't been so inflexible, then the late Emperor Zhenzong wouldn't have made that decision, leading to the disastrous end of a million-strong army!" Lord Shen's tone was filled with undisguised regret and resentment: "Even more so, if the Right Chancellor's methods had been a little more 'cunning,' would Li Ang have been able to seize the position of Left Chancellor?"

"Alas..."

"Sigh..."

Lord Shen sighed deeply, his complex emotions evident in his words.

Madam Shen fell silent in response to what Lord Shen had said.

In fact, some things are not hidden at all in upper-class society, so Madam Shen was also aware of the past that Lord Shen mentioned.

Although she didn't know the specifics, she understood the general reason.

As far as Madam Shen knew, the reason why Emperor Zhenzong personally led the army north to attack Liang was that he wanted to gain some military achievements.

After all, Emperor Zhenzong had no achievements in civil administration. Apart from taking this risky move and expanding the territory in military affairs, winning some victories, Emperor Zhenzong really could not expect to be able to face his father and grandfather in the afterlife.

The Left Chancellor Li Ang at the time dared to make such a suggestion only because he had a clear understanding of Emperor Zhenzong's thoughts, and encouraged Emperor Zhenzong to personally lead the expedition and fight against the Northern Liang!
His reasons for doing so were simple: on the one hand, he wanted to please Emperor Zhenzong and continue to solidify his position in the emperor's heart; on the other hand, he also wanted to take this opportunity to seize military power.

On the other hand, Li Ang was indeed an extraordinary man. Apart from being ignorant of military affairs, he was knowledgeable and proficient in everything else.

Even his political rival at the time, the Right Chancellor Xiao Zheyue, once privately lamented to others that his abilities were indeed inferior to Xiao's.

It's important to understand just how weighty Xiao Zheyue's words carried, considering he had risen to the position of Right Chancellor, the pinnacle of the imperial court.

Moreover, Xiao Zheyue once said that if Li Ang was willing to repent and turn over a new leaf, to follow the right path and do the right thing, and to put the people of the world first, then he, Xiao, was willing to withdraw from the court and become a servant of the Li family!
These two comments reveal just how capable Li Ang truly is!

Getting back to the main point, when Li Ang made these remarks, all the ministers opposed them. Even the officials under Li Ang's command lost their usual "enthusiasm" and remained silent, no one uttering a word.

Apart from a few unscrupulous individuals who echoed their sentiments, all the other ministers spoke out against it, directly expressing their own opinions. Some even risked their lives to remonstrate, expressing their righteous indignation.

Of course, most of the officials under Li Ang kept quiet, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but simply expressing their stance.

At that time, seeing the reaction of his ministers, Emperor Zhenzong also had reservations.

After all, he only wanted some fame to gain posthumous recognition; he didn't want any potential crises or anything like that.

Seeing the strong opposition from his officials, Emperor Zhenzong was prepared to "go with the flow" and directly grant their requests. However, a single, casual remark from the treacherous minister Li Ang completely solidified Emperor Zhenzong's determination to personally lead the expedition.

"Outrageous! Are you officials preparing to force the Emperor to abdicate, replacing His Majesty's will with your own selfish desires?"

Updates might be a bit slow this month, but I won't abandon the project, and I, the humble author, will not be sent to the Eastern Depot (a notorious criminal organization in China)! (Sigh, it's painful. I wonder if those who have just broken up will feel even more pain...)
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(End of this chapter)