The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 698: Night Visit to Wei Zheng's Mansion

Wei Zheng's residence was very simple. It was neither as prominent and luxurious as the residences of important officials in the court nor as refined and elegant as the residences of aristocratic families. There were no rockeries or lotus ponds. Except for the Chongrenfang near the imperial city, it looked like an ordinary courtyard. It was not even as grand as the three-story house that Empress Changsun had awarded to Changsheng.

There was only an old servant guarding the door. The front yard was overgrown with weeds and no one took care of it. The nearby walls looked tattered and almost collapsed. The whole mansion looked like a penniless family.

As Li Yan walked along, he felt as if he had entered a farmyard, a dilapidated one at that. He couldn't believe that this was the residence of Wei Zheng, an important official in the court and the Grand Counselor.

After entering the room, I looked around. It was just an ordinary room with some books placed in the corners, a desk and a few chairs in the middle of the room. There was only one candle lit at night, and the light seemed very dim.

Li Yan sighed, he was indeed worthy of being the most loyal minister among millions, and infinite respect arose in Li Yan's heart.

Although he indulges in pleasure and even does some dirty things, it does not mean that he does not respect those who keep themselves clean and are dedicated to the welfare of the people.

It is truly rare for a person to be qualified and able to enjoy life while still being strict with himself.

Most ordinary people at the bottom of society live a poor and frugal life. It’s not that they don’t want to enjoy themselves, or want to be associated with money, beautiful women and delicious food. It’s just that they are short of money and have no choice but to do so and don’t have the conditions to indulge themselves.

Even though Li Shimin, as the king of a country, is now tightening his belt, it is just to protect his own country and to accumulate wealth by example to defeat the enemy. When the world is stable and all the states respect him as the Heavenly Khan.

He also looked complacent and began to enjoy life, becoming corrupt and decadent.

But Wei Zheng was different. He remained loyal to his principles for decades until his death. He was incorruptible and upright. This is what people truly admire. Even Li Yan himself could not do it.

It is a blessing for the Tang Dynasty to have such a good minister!
Wei Zheng passed away before Li Shimin during the Zhenguan period, and could no longer be his subject. He didn't know if there would still be such ministers of remonstrance in the court when he was in power. Li Yan sighed and entered the house.

He took off the cap on his head, revealing a fair and slightly childish face. Wei Zheng could see clearly that it was indeed Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

Wei Zheng walked out from behind the desk, but before he could salute, Li Yan looked respectful. He bowed and said politely, "Cheng Qian greets Lord Wei. It is really presumptuous to visit you so late at night. I hope you can forgive me."

At this moment, Li Yan was dignified and gentle, as if he was a different person from during the day, exuding an unusually calm temperament.

With every gesture, an aura of having been in a superior position for a long time rushed towards Wei Zheng.

"Your Highness, you have embarrassed me."

Wei Zheng was stunned, and his anger at the lack of fighting spirit disappeared. He quickly picked up the usual etiquette when meeting the emperor and returned the greeting: "My home is simple and humble, and I am sorry for the inconvenience, Your Highness."

After saying that, Wei Zheng hurriedly invited Li Yan to sit down, picked up the teapot on the table, and made a cup of tea for Li Yan. This was what Wei Zheng had prepared personally when Bian Si went to greet the prince just now. No matter what, although the conditions were poor, the etiquette of entertaining guests could not be neglected.

After a few pleasantries, both parties sat down, Wei Zheng's mood had completely calmed down, and he asked: "I wonder why Your Highness came here so late at night?"

"Lord Wei is a man of integrity and integrity. Since Lord Wei came in, the Imperial Clerk's Office has changed its previous lazy style and has greatly improved its efficiency. Father and mother have praised Lord Wei's integrity more than once, saying that he is a model for officials all over the world. He is truly the most honest minister in the Tang Dynasty."

Li Yan did not respond to Wei Zheng's words. He acted like a prince meeting a minister and evaluated Wei Zheng's work without hesitation, and praised him positively: "Father often said that in the Censorate, if we talk about stubbornness and uprightness, you are not as good as Xiao Yu. If we talk about loyalty to the country, impartiality, selflessness, and the courage to speak out, Xiao Yu is not as good as you."

After three generations, Li Yan's actual age is still older than Wei Zheng. He has also been the ruler of a large country whose territory is even more vast than the current Tang Dynasty. He is accustomed to seeing big men who can influence the current situation and hold great power. Now he no longer hides his magnanimity and releases his temperament.

These words were spoken in an extremely natural and free-spirited manner, without any delay or affectation, making Wei Zheng on the other side feel very comfortable and relaxed.

Before Wei Zheng could come to his senses, Li Yan fired another shot.

"If you use copper as a mirror, you can adjust your attire; if you use history as a mirror, you can understand the rise and fall of things; if you use people as a mirror, you can understand your gains and losses!"

"Among all the civil and military officials in the court, only you are worthy of this evaluation."

This famous saying, which has been passed down to later generations, was originally proposed by Li Shimin in the late Zhenguan period. Li Yan shouted it out in advance, which was a wake-up call. It instantly tickled Wei Zheng's heart and aroused the ambition that had been hidden in Wei Zheng's heart for a long time. Regardless of Li Yan's presence, Wei Zheng hurriedly stood up, picked up the pen on the table, took out a piece of paper, and wrote down this sentence.

After finishing writing, he stared at it for a long time, muttered to himself and repeated it several times, then raised his head excitedly. When he saw the childish face of the young prince, an extremely strange illusion suddenly arose in his heart.

Li Yan's movements, expression, words and demeanor were all fine, except for his face, which had not yet fully grown and still had the immaturity of a teenager. Although a light layer of fuzz had formed on his lips and his Adam's apple on his neck had become prominent, his voice sounded a little hoarse because he was in the voice change period.

If he only heard his meaning but not his voice or met him in person, Wei Zheng would feel like he was having a conversation with an old and respected minister and scholar in the court.

The prince, who now had a dignified demeanor, was completely different from the young man he had heard of and seen in the Flying Tiger Army's tent this afternoon.

The conflicting and chaotic thoughts in his mind flashed by, but Wei Zheng did not stop talking: "Your Highness, you are too kind. I was born under the command of Prince Yin, and I have made a big mistake before."

"Your Majesty did not despise me. Not only did he forgive my crime, he generously appointed me as a counselor of the Imperial Censorate. I shoulder the responsibility of supervising all officials. How dare I not devote myself to repay the emperor's kindness?"

Wei Zheng had forgotten at this time that he was about to hold the prince accountable for the Flying Tiger Army in person. However, he was led astray by Li Yan and naturally resorted to the usual routine of emperor-subject dialogue.

Li Yan smiled and said, "My father often told me to learn from you, your courage to be the first in the world and your integrity and dedication to the people. Cheng Qian has never had the opportunity to ask you for advice. Today is the right opportunity. I hope you will give me some advice."

When it came to asking for advice, Wei Zheng realized that the other party was just a teenager. Thinking of the previous things, he frowned. Although he didn't know what Li Yan's intention was to come to his house late at night, why was he dressed like this, and looked like he was not doing anything upright?
"Since Your Highness is not ashamed to ask questions from a lower level, I am taking advantage of my seniority and overstepping my authority."

Wei Zheng was impatient, and worried about the future of the Tang Dynasty, so he asked directly: "May I ask your Highness, His Majesty appointed you as the Flying Tiger General and entrusted you with the important task of forming and training the Flying Tiger Army. Do you know anything about the Flying Tiger Army?"

Seeing Wei Zheng's anxious look, Li Yan smiled carefreely: "Of course, I am the Flying Tiger General appointed by my father, and I am in charge of the Flying Tiger Army. This is Cheng Qian's job. I know everything about the Flying Tiger Army, from personnel appointments to material transfers."

Seeing Li Yan's calm demeanor, Wei Zheng was furious and said, "Your Highness the Crown Prince also knows about the Flying Tiger Army's selling of positions and titles with a fixed price?"

"Why do you say that, sir?" Li Yan was stunned and asked in surprise.

"Humph!"

Wei Zheng unceremoniously placed the report materials he had just received on the table in front of Li Yan: "Your Highness, this is the anonymous report letter I just received. Take a look! I hope Your Highness can give me an explanation. Otherwise, even if Your Highness is in person, as a counselor, I will report this matter to the emperor."

Li Yan calmly picked up the paper on the table and read it. He glanced at it briefly and then smiled slightly: "To be honest, sir, Cheng Qian came here for this."

Wei Zheng was startled, thought for a moment, and then his face darkened: "Your Highness is monitoring me!"

"Your Excellency has misunderstood"

Li Yan quickly explained: "Your Excellency is a gentleman, upright and honest, and does things openly and honestly. What is there to monitor?"

Seeing Wei Zheng's puzzled expression, Li Yan shook the paper in his hand casually and said, "I am monitoring my third brother Li Ke. This report letter is not anonymous. It was sent to your residence in the evening by An Heihu, a trusted guard of the King of Shu."

Hearing Li Yan admit that he had sent people to spy on others, Wei Zheng frowned. Although it was not him who was being spied on, this kind of thing was not something that could be made public. He thought about how the King of Shu had just reported to him in the afternoon about Duan Dadan reselling war horses in the West Market, and then sent him another letter of accusation in the evening.

This is obviously using oneself as a tool, which is really despicable and shameless.

What happened in the afternoon could be said to be upright and just, but with the anonymous report in the evening, he could not explain the matter to himself in a legitimate way, and had to resort to such shameful behavior. It was clearly shifting the blame and killing someone with a borrowed knife, and he was also afraid of implicating himself.

This behavior is even worse than the prince sending people to keep an eye on the King of Shu. It is a tacit understanding among people at the center of power that they keep an eye on each other's actions. Although the prince's behavior is not worth mentioning, it is understandable.

(End of this chapter)