Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 234 Brother Ming, I'll Lend You a Head

"The army's combined strength is not unified, and it hesitates and moves in a line like geese."

Luoyang, Prince Wei's Mansion.

Li Tai trembled and sighed as he read the "instructions" (a written instruction from the higher authorities of the Tang Dynasty to their subordinates) sent by the imperial envoy.

"What did the rebel hiding in the capital say?" Ashina She'er came up curiously.

He probably understood Li Tai's sour complaint against the Turks just now, but he pretended not to understand.

If you want to blame someone, blame this fat guy for not speaking properly.

"Alas... my ninth brother stole the Taiji Palace, used force to control the court, and coerced and bribed the eunuch who held the seal to write this absurd document."

Li Tai handed the document weakly to Ashina She'er.

She'er took a quick glance.

It has to be said that even official documents are much easier to understand than the King of Wei’s spoken language.

The content of the official document is simple and straightforward. The gist is:
The first grand court meeting after His Majesty's disappearance was held smoothly. His Royal Highness the Regent was "unfortunately" absent, and the ministers have already discussed and decided to nominate the talented and virtuous Prince of Jin Li Zhi as the new speaker.

Li Zhi was not modest either. He reluctantly took on the role of regent temporarily and issued orders to all military governorates across the country, large and small, to surrender their military power and concentrate their forces to support the troops in the Northern Expedition against the Xueyantuo.

At the same time, as the ninth son of the emperor, Li Zhi asked all his brothers who were serving in other places to return to Beijing as soon as possible to discuss a plan to rescue his father.

He looks quite organized, like a filial son who cares about his country and his people.

"In fact, he has evil intentions!" Li Tai's cheeks were shaking with anger.

"First, we will seize the military power of the kings, and then lure them to come to the capital. Then, no matter how we are bullied, it will all depend on Jiulang's decision, right?
"It's unbelievable! Even if Jiulang swore by the Wei River, it's unbelievable!

"I will write to the other princes immediately and tell them not to fall into Jiulang's trap!"

Although he was named the leader of the Eight Kings, it was just as Li Ming had predicted.

Li Tai did not have absolute control over his other seven illegitimate brothers.

Except for the stupid Prince of Qi Li You who was secretly instigated by the traitor Yin Hongzhi, the other six princes did not immediately rise up to support Li Tai.

Those rotten fish and shrimps did not dare to step forward, and did not dare to reach out to the army before they got the exact news that their father had met with an unexpected accident.

Afraid of being punished later.

In fact, not only did the major vassal kings disobey orders but not decrees, even Li Tai himself was unable to command the "Weizhou Military Governor's Office" which he nominally led remotely at first.

Instead, like other soldiers from the Governor's Office, he stayed in the camp and "watched the situation."

It was not until Li Tai personally led the Turkic private soldiers to march towards Chang'an that the regular armies of the major military governorates slowly followed.

Li Tai had anticipated this situation.

Because he has some understanding of his control over himself and the nature of his half-brothers who "cherish their bodies when doing big things and forget their lives when seeing small profits".

This is the purpose of his training private soldiers from other races.

According to the original plan, with the cooperation of his private soldiers, the Zuo Wuhou Guard and the Xuanwu Gate Camp, he would get rid of Li Ming, smoothly enter Chang'an, and naturally command the armies of the various vassal kings, thus taking control of the entire country.

However, he had never expected that his ninth brother Li Zhi, who had always been docile and weak, would suddenly turn against him and steal his position as Li Tai!
"Is it because Li Ming gave up the regent to Li Zhi's faction that made Li Zhi think about this?
"The evil Li Ming is simply...Bao Si caused chaos in Shang, Qi Jiang caused chaos in Lu, and confused people's hearts!"

He gritted his teeth in hatred and uttered Li Tai's characteristic swear words.

Ashina She'er watched coldly as the King of Wei broke through the defenses, thinking that if the King of Jin wanted to mobilize so many foreign troops to enter the capital, he would most likely have made moves in advance, and it was basically impossible that he acted on impulse just because he was seduced by Li Ming.

The Prince of Jin's intentions were not very honest from the beginning, and Li Ming's arrangements before leaving only served as a catalyst.

From his confrontation with the King of Jin that night, it was clear that the young royal boy was ambitious and magnanimous, and was definitely not the ordinary person that the King of Wei described him as.

However, Ashina She'er did not want to get involved in the mess between his brothers.

His only thought was to conquer the Xueyantuo in the north and bring back the Heavenly Khan.

"Excuse me, Little Khan, Li Zhi plans to lead an army north to support Heavenly Khan, what should we do next?"

I was the one who tied the bell around my father's neck, do I have to untie it? ... Li Tai muttered to himself.

Of course, facing She'er, a loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty, he would not reveal everything in his heart.

"That was just a banner held up by a traitor. He and Li Ming were in cahoots with each other and conspired to take my father's life."

"Yes." Ashina She'er said you are right:

"Then when will we launch the Northern Expedition?"

Li Tai immediately started practicing the Tai Chi that was passed down from the old Li family, and said sincerely:
“The Eastern Capital is not far from Chang’an. If we attack rashly and leave an empty city behind, what will we do if it is seized by the traitors?
"Of course, it's not a pity for us to die, but if all the loyal ministers are killed, how will my father, who is far away in Shuobei, escape from danger? Isn't that exactly what the traitor wants?"

Ashina She'er looked at Li Tai suspiciously.

Li Tai had used this excuse before to trick him into marching to take Chang'an first.

Now he is using the same trick again, which makes him doubt Li Tai's sincerity.

"So what should we do next?"

Li Tai clearly sensed the distrustful attitude of this shrewd Turkic man, and said confidently:

"Water can carry a boat. We should uphold the righteousness of the monarch and his subjects, follow the example of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, and call on the people of the world to fight against the Han thieves together."

The general idea is to thoroughly expose and criticize the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal conspiracy of Li Ming's treacherous party, so as to further unite the various princes and attract local aristocratic families and powerful forces to join.

We can make plans after we have food and soldiers.

And there are ways to do this.

The Wei Wang party in the court had not yet been cleared out. Concubine Wei, Concubine Yin De and other concubines who gave birth to princes also chose to stand on Li Tai's side because of their sons.

His tentacles can still reach deep into the capital.

Such a PPT that is both feasible and promising was approved by Ashina She'er:

"It makes sense."

…………

With Luoyang as the center, a new round of public opinion trend spread rapidly.

The content was similar to previous rumors, saying that Li Ming was colluding with foreign invaders and framing the Emperor and 80,000 elite Tang soldiers.

But this time, a patch was made and the newly emerged Li Zhi was also sewn in.

The general idea is that Li Zhi and Li Ming are in cahoots with each other, working together from inside and outside the capital to manipulate the government, and the people of the world and bureaucrats at all levels must not believe them.

As one of the two winners, it is reasonable for him to retaliate against the loser.

Unexpectedly, this wave of public opinion offensive produced some effects that Li Tai could not have imagined.

Specifically, the people were making trouble.

Needless to say, Chang'an was originally the main base of Chang'an Express, and it has been listening to Li Ming's teachings for a long time.

However, outside Chang'an, when this wave of rumors and slander spread among the people, it also encountered strong backlash.

Because the common people are staunch materialists.

They will follow whoever makes their life better.

As for feudal dregs like "ruler-ruler, minister-minister, father-father, son-son", let's talk about it after the granaries are full.

This was also thanks to Li Shimin's good governance and his accumulated good reputation.

Otherwise, the people would not be making trouble, but would be petitioning directly with armed forces and going to Beijing to present the pros and cons.

…………

Taiji Hall, the Great Court Meeting.

Another meeting was held in just a few days, and the ministers sat in the palace with different expressions.

The aftermath of the coup that night had not yet dissipated, and the country had not yet fully accepted the regent.

As a result, one crisis after another arises.

The news that Li Ming fled to Liaodong began to spread among the people.

In response to the public backlash caused by the slanderous rumors against Li Ming, Li Zhi hurriedly summoned all the officials in the capital.

Li Zhi still stood in front of the dragon bed as usual, with a sullen face, overlooking a group of ministers with different thoughts.

The ministers in the court can now be roughly divided into three factions: the Jin Wang Party, the Wei Wang Party, and "Others" -

Because the Fourteen Traitors had basically fled, and the Prince's Party almost disappeared as Li Chengqian's influence weakened.

And how to distinguish the positions of the remaining ministers is also very easy -

Those who are dejected are the King of Wei's party.

"Li Ming, the regent, has already gone north to Liaodong. However, a certain atmosphere in the capital made me realize that although he was unable to attend today, he was clearly with everyone. Who allowed him to maintain his presence in the capital?"

Li Zhi glanced at the Wei Wang faction who were bowing their heads and questioned Cen Wenben:

"Minister Cen, you spread rumors about His Majesty and the Regent. I wonder what your intention is?"

Cen Wenben felt bitter in his mouth. He felt that he was extremely unlucky. He had just come back to Chang'an triumphantly after completing a deal with the Shiwei people in Daxianbei Mountain and agreeing to backstab His Majesty and the Tang army.

I thought that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei had already secured his seat in the Taiji Palace, and I was just waiting for a promotion and a pay raise.

Unexpectedly, the King of Wei gave in and the King of Jin took advantage of him.

As soon as he returned to his home in Chang'an, he found that he had fallen into a trap.

Just when he was about to take Tongrun to Luoyang, he found that the King of Jin did not do anything to him and his old friends.

Everyone went to court as usual, played music as usual, and everything went on as usual.

He is worthy of being the weak and young King of Jin.

So, he continued to stay in Chang'an and continued to receive orders from Luoyang.

Unexpectedly, just when he let his guard down and followed the instructions of King Wei, he connected with the forces in the harem and the court to discredit the Regent and King Jin.

The sinister Prince Jin had already taken over Li Junxian's spies, secretly observing the whole process and arresting Lao Cen who spread rumors on the spot.

"That..." Cen Wenben was sweating profusely.

"Please answer, Minister Cen."

Li Zhi said seriously.

He spoke righteously, as if he was seeking justice for his father and brother, and cleverly concealed the fact that he was the biggest victim of the rumor.

Cen Wenben was unable to fight back and could only mutter:
"To the Prince of Jin... Your Highness the Regent, this is not a rumor, and what I said is based on facts."

Li Zhi raised his eyebrows: "What basis?"

Cen Wenben thought for a while, and suddenly thought of a life-saving straw:
"Fang Xuanling's son, Fang Yiai.

"He claimed that he found evidence of Li Ming's rebellion at home."

As everyone knows, Fang Xuanling is Li Ming's confidant.

Evidence of rebellion was found in the home of his confidant, so he had to believe it.

As for the fact that Fang Yiai had a falling out with his father and was actually a die-hard Wei Wang party member, it was naturally overlooked.

“Don’t ask if, ask how.”

Li Zhi did not discuss the authenticity of what Cen Wenben said, taking it as a tacit agreement, and asked:

"People in the world have received Li Ming's kindness and are unwilling to accept this fact, and even riots have occurred. What should we do?"

Cen Wenben: "Of course, it is to inform the world and enlighten the masses..."

"It's unrealistic and a thankless task." Li Zhi interrupted him:
"As a capable minister who governs the whole world, you cannot just talk about the truth and principles, but should focus on practical results. Do you understand?"

As an old bureaucrat, he was taught how to be an official by a young boy.

Cen Wen appeared to be submissive on the surface, but in his heart he was unwilling and almost rolled his eyes to the sky.

The grand court meeting ended in unpleasantness.

This time, Changsun Wuji was very tactful.

After being repeatedly criticized by Li Zhi, he also realized that he was not so "special" in the prince's heart, so he did not stay without being invited and left with the other ministers.

"Uncle." Li Zhi called him.

"Your Highness." Changsun Wuji did not dare to put on airs and could only bow politely.

"Isn't my nephew's strategy correct? Things will work out when the time comes. Whether it's Li Ming's reputation or Li Tai's power, just leave it alone."

Li Zhi smiled and said:
"If Li Tai had not tried this, and if I had rashly announced to the world that it was my nephew who was responsible for Li Ming's rebellion, then I would have become the evil person hated by the whole world."

From the actual effect, this is equivalent to Li Tai taking the risk for Li Zhi.

He took the blame for forcing Li Ming away and absorbed all the hatred in the world.

"During the reign of Emperor Huizong, the world was in great order. The Huang-Lao doctrine of tranquility and inaction is more suitable for my nephew, haha~"

Li Zhi's laughter made Changsun Wuji feel creepy.

Allowing the enemy to die in order to achieve his own goal, the nephew's scheming could be so deep...

"Then... Your Highness." Zhang Sun Wuji's lips and teeth were dry, and he struggled to put together the words:

"Then...how can we appease those troublemakers outside?"

Li Zhi was already prepared and laughed:
"Don't worry, there is a magic trick."

"What's the magic trick? I will execute it immediately."

"I'll borrow Li Ming's head for use."

"what?"

Changsun Wuji was also a little confused.

I don’t even know where Li Ming has gone, how can I borrow this money?
…………

The next day, rumors about the emperor and the regent also spread from the east and west markets of Chang'an.

It's just a new version, the content is as follows -

His Majesty the Emperor was indeed plotted against by his son.

However, the villain who colluded with Xueyantuo was not Li Ming, but King of Wei Li Tai.

Comrade Li Ming, a loyal minister of the Tang Dynasty and a filial son to his father, was also shamelessly ambushed by Li Tai and unfortunately died.

When the big villain was about to usurp the world, Regent Li Zhi stepped forward to stabilize the government and forced Li Tai to retreat.

Needless to say, this is Li Zhi's version of the rumor.

It not only explained the reason for Li Ming's disappearance, but also declared him dead.

In an age when it is impossible to post photos or videos to dispel rumors, as long as the rumor spreads widely enough and enough people believe it, it will become a fait accompli, essentially causing Li Ming's "social death."

In this way, it would not be so easy for Li Ming to incite people outside Liaodong to cause trouble.

Li Zhi's move not only solved Li Ming's problem once and for all.

It was also a decent "funeral" for Li Ming.

It not only gave the common people an explanation they could accept, but also made them give up the idea of ​​following Li Ming, while she herself could still look like a white lotus, pure and spotless.

He also took the opportunity to blackmail his current biggest rival Li Tai as a "reward" for stirring up a hornet's nest for him.

This rumor killed many birds with one stone. Regardless of whether others believed it or not, Li Zhi believed it anyway.

Li Ming suffers, and Li Tailai bears the blame.

…………

"Brother Zhinu, why did you say that Xiaoming is dead?"

During dinner, Li Mingda couldn't help but ask.

After that night, there was an awkward barrier between the brother and sister, and she never spoke to Li Zhi again.

However, after hearing the recent explosive rumor that "Li Ming has passed away", she could no longer hold back and took the initiative to break the silence and ask.

Li Zhi smiled warmly and patted his sister's head:
“I’m saving him.

"As long as he is willing to die obediently, there is a way to survive."

Li Mingda frowned.

I seem to understand, but I also seem not to understand.

Li Zhi had finished his meal and left first.

He didn't lie to his sister.

This rumor was his last kindness towards Li Ming.

Hasn't that kid always been afraid of dying in palace fighting and desperately wanted to be demoted to a commoner and leave the palace to save his life?

Li Zhi did it for him to the end and declared him dead in one go.

In this way, Li Ming can stay away from the political whirlpool as he wishes, avoid the public eye, and escape perfectly.

Whether he wants to live as freely as a bird in the sky, be a simple and unpretentious rich man, or rule Liaodong and become a local emperor, it's up to him.

Li Zhi felt that he had acted very brotherly.

I am fully worthy of Li Ming's life-saving grace when I was in Jiucheng Palace.

However, as for the final ownership of the throne...

“That’s not what he could think of.

"How can a legitimate son be allowed to interfere in the game of a legitimate son?"

(End of this chapter)