Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 333, Section 342: Three Refusals and Three Declinees, Heading to the Southwest (I might have to take leave for tomorrow's military parade)

Three Offices?

Palace Guard?
Li Cunxiao was appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guard.

Li Yisheng's words caused not only Li Cunxiao to change color, but also Li Siyuan and Li Cunxu.

Both men were determined to prove themselves on this expedition, hoping to outdo each other with their military achievements so that their fathers could designate the heir apparent as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, the thoughts of a ruthless and ambitious person are always hard to fathom.

As he was about to ascend the throne, Li Yisheng once again treated both sides equally, seemingly more pleased to see the two continue to compete.

While this result is disappointing, it is not unacceptable.

Everyone here is a county magistrate now. Who will be the first to be enfeoffed as a king, or even the King of Jin, will depend on their own methods.

However, Li Yisheng's sudden appointment of Li Cunxiao as the commander-in-chief was somewhat sensitive.

The Palace Guard, as the name suggests, was responsible for guarding the palace; in other words, it was the Imperial Guard.

Moreover, this imperial guard will be composed of elite soldiers and fierce warriors selected from the warlords currently controlled by Hedong.

It is conceivable that once the Three Imperial Guards were formed, the status of their commanders would rise rapidly, as this position undoubtedly meant being the emperor's confidant and a close advisor to the Son of Heaven.

Li Yisheng is the master of Hedong, and in the future, he will be the master of the whole country. Whoever can be trusted by him will have the greatest power.

This power, let alone given to Li Cunxiao, would likely cause the relationship between Li Siyuan and Li Cunxu's trusted bodyguards to break down instantly.

Could it be that my adoptive father (father) intends to support a third person?

Li Cunxiao was also a candidate for the Crown Prince?
"I have objections!"

Just as everyone was pondering, Li Cunxiao suddenly stepped forward, holding up his official tablet, which surprised all the officials.

Refuse? Aren't you the biggest beneficiary?

Is it playing hard to get?
"Your Majesty, I believe that the Three Guards, who serve as your bodyguards and communicate with both the inside and outside worlds, wield immense power."

"I have already concurrently served as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, in charge of money, grain and military records. If I were to take command of the Imperial Guards as well, I fear it would cause controversy."

"Your Majesty's trust is deeply appreciated, but this is not the usual way of promotion, and I am powerless to do so."

Please think it over.

The officials were taken aback at first, but then, at the signal of Li Siyuan and Li Cunxu, they began to echo each other, and their reasons were not much different from what Li Cunxiao had just said.

Li Yisheng was not angry. He simply looked down at the assembled officials from his high position, taking in everyone's words and expressions.

Once the hall had quieted down, he slowly spoke:
“What you all say is not without reason.”

"In that case, we will discuss the bestowal of titles and rewards upon Li Cunxiao later."

"However, the Three Garrisons still need to be established. First, let the Prince of Shu and the Prince of Qi select elite troops to enter the capital. As for the selection of the commanders of the three armies, let's put it aside for the time being."

After hearing these words, both the "Old Man Party" and the "Third Man Party" breathed a sigh of relief.

Smart people have already realized that Li Yisheng may not have intended to finalize a candidate today.

Having been away from the capital for more than half a year, Prince Jin was merely using this method to test the waters, to gauge the factions in the court, and incidentally throw out the promise of the position of Inspector of the Palace Guards to motivate the Grand Protectors to get things done.

Only the Thirteen Protectors, unknowingly, became pawns of the Prince of Jin.

Only a few can see through this; most people will probably still believe that Li Yisheng intends to support the Thirteen Protectors.

Afterwards, there will inevitably be people who will actively work for him, but at the same time, the Thirteen Protectors will inevitably incur the suspicion and hostility of the First Master Party and the Third Master Party.

One competitor is already bad enough; who can handle having another one who is more talented and younger?

What if Li Yisheng really does favor the Thirteen Protectors?

"Retreat."

With the crack of the whip, the crowd, each with their own thoughts, filed out in twos and threes.

This time, however, Li Cunxiao's surroundings became strangely quiet.

The purple-robed men watched coldly from the sidelines, while the red-robed men acted distantly within the imperial city. Once outside the city, they all quietly followed behind Li Cunxiao's carriage, and some even had their attendants write invitations, preparing for a banquet that evening.

"Eleventh Prince, the King requests your presence."

Shi Jingsi withdrew his gaze, nodded to the soldiers beside him, and headed towards the Liangyi Hall.

Li Yisheng did not trust the eunuchs in the capital, so he sent them all to do odd jobs, while entrusting the task of communicating between the inside and outside to his personal guards, the Flying Cavalry.

This was not surprising. On the contrary, Shi Jingsi, as a member of the Third Master's Party, was waiting alone in the capital, awaiting Li Yisheng's summons.

This is quite unusual.

"What was the third brother's reaction?"

Li Yisheng picked up the double-dragon gold ewer, filled two sunflower gold cups, and handed them over casually.

Shi Jingsi accepted the drink with both hands, but dared not drink it.

"Third Brother invited us to his residence for a banquet tonight, so he's probably still undecided."

"After all, the thirteenth prince was closer to him before, but now... it's hard to say."

At this point, Shi Jingsi put down the golden cup and said sincerely:

“Father, the thirteenth brother stayed in the capital and did all the work that the brothers were unwilling or unable to do. He has both merit and hard work.”

"What you're doing today is neither considerate nor reasonable."

"Putting everything else aside, we Taibao members, except for the eldest and third brothers, are basically all warriors who don't know anything about civil affairs."

"It's not fair to treat the thirteenth brother so harshly all the time."

"Bastard!"

Li Yisheng snorted coldly, and the fragrant wine splashed out. The golden cup was thrown and embedded directly into the floor tile, but there was not a single crack around it.

"Of all the officials in the court, are you the only one who is a loyal, virtuous, and wise minister?"

Shi Jingsi remained calm upon hearing this and said composedly:

"I am just an honest official."

Li Yisheng remained silent, staring at Shi Jingsi for a moment before suddenly laughing and scolding.

"You brat, if I don't listen to you, will the Qin Dynasty perish?"

"It seems that my adoptive father is preparing to inherit the title of the Great Qin Kingdom."

“Yes,” Li Yisheng relaxed, released his true essence, and filled a golden cup again.

This time, Shi Jingsi raised his glass in a toast, and the two drank it all in one gulp.

"After all, the Qin Dynasty has been established for more than 600 years, and the hearts of the people have not been completely scattered."

“It wouldn’t be difficult to re-establish the state of Jin, but that would require killing many people.”

"Just like you said, we in Hedong have no shortage of military generals, but we lack civil officials. Not only us, but Zhu Bahui and his ilk are the same."

“The twelfth prince and his ilk are just warriors, brutes. They only know how to govern and govern the people with swords and spears. If they do that, there will be rebellions everywhere and rebellions to be quelled everywhere.”

"I can indeed suppress everything, but what use is a dragon throne riddled with holes? Zhu Ba Hui is not dead yet."

Li Yisheng snorted coldly, "That's why I accepted this emperor as my nephew."

"By leaving behind this national title, we can preserve a complete court, which is much faster than destroying and rebuilding."

"Right now, we're racing against others to see who can conquer the territory and acquire resources the fastest."

"Whoever has more resources will receive more support from Grandmasters and Great Grandmasters, and will be the ultimate winner in the final battle."

Shi Jingsi seemed to understand something, "That's why you targeted the thirteenth prince."

“He came from the Louguan Daoist sect and had deep ties with the imperial family.”

“If our godfather inherits the title of the Great Qin state, the thirteenth prince will benefit the most. His power in the capital will expand rapidly, and he may even catch up with the eldest and third brothers.” Shi Jingsi remained silent and did not ask Li Yisheng how he planned to deal with Li Cunxiao.

He was a principled and upright official.

"Let's talk about this later. Tell the thirteenth prince that the Li family from Longxi will be arriving in the capital tomorrow. Have him welcome them and settle them in properly."

"After all, the Li family of Daqin also originated from the Li family of Longxi, and they can now be considered my ancestors, so don't treat them lightly."

“Father, you are wrong. Now, you are the living ancestor of the Li family of Longxi.”

Upon hearing this, Li Yisheng laughed heartily, downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, and got up to leave.

Shi Jingsi bowed respectfully to see him off, then rode out of the imperial city and went straight to the Duke of Yue's mansion, only to find that its main gate and side gates were tightly closed, making it all too clear that it was closed to visitors.

"We can't stay in the capital any longer."

Li Cunxiao frowned deeply, and Ye Jingneng and his daughter Ye Shuyi didn't look much better either.

"Like flowers in full bloom and oil being poured on a raging fire, it seems to be enjoying unparalleled success, but behind the scenes, there are hidden dangers everywhere."

“Master Qici is still in Luoyang at this time. If something happens to him, there will be no one to help him.”

“My dear son-in-law, you are exceptionally talented and should strive to make great progress in martial arts.”

"Whether it's politics or power, it will erode one's will."

"Could it be that the Prince of Jin does not want you to break through to the Grandmaster level?"

Upon hearing this, Li Cunxiao hesitated and shook his head, "It's hard to say."

“But the world is still unsettled, and it is the time when people are needed. I believe that the King of Jin has not been so narrow-minded in order to have reached this point.”

"Perhaps it's just a trial balloon, to see if the court has become like me in the past six months."

"After all, Hedong lacks the talent for governance. The more he tries to give me more responsibilities, the more tests he will put me through."

“I don’t want to waste my time doing this every few days, but if I want to be sent out, my master has to go with me, otherwise it will be difficult to make a name for myself in the local area.”

"But taking the grandmaster away might make him feel that he's become too powerful to control."

Li Cunxiao was truly troubled, finally understanding the meaning of "serving a ruler is like serving a tiger."

Trying to guess what others are thinking can never be guaranteed to be correct, especially when that person can eliminate you by force; every choice becomes terrifying.

At this moment, his desire to become a grandmaster reached its peak.

Only by controlling the dojo and gaining power can one control the destiny of oneself and one's family!

Just then, Li Guangyi hurried over with a letter in his hand.

"Brother, Eleven Taibao asked me to give this to you."

"Shi Jingsi? Where is he?"

"left already."

Upon hearing this, Li Cunxiao unfolded the letter, which contained only two sentences.

The first sentence, "The Li family of Longxi will arrive in the capital tomorrow, and the Prince of Jin has ordered the Thirteen Protectors to entertain them on their behalf," is entirely in a businesslike tone.

The second sentence is even shorter, consisting of only the four characters "the more you do, the more mistakes you make," which implicitly conveys a sense of admonition.

The letter was passed from hand to hand among the four family members. Ye Jingneng and the others looked at each other in bewilderment, while Li Cunxiao recalled his meeting with Shi Jingsi and seemed to be deep in thought.

"The more you do, the more mistakes you make."

"Reassign Li Cunxiao to a post outside the capital?"

"Yes. The thirteenth prince is exceptionally talented. If he is buried in mundane affairs, my godfather will lose an arm."

"After all, all these officials are well-versed in government affairs, but when it comes to alchemy, the thirteenth prince is second only to Master Zhiheng."

"Yes, Father. Now that the Zhu bandits have suffered a defeat in their first battle, they will certainly not give up and will definitely start another war."

"The demons in the stupa did not appear out of thin air. After half a year of fighting, there are not many left now."

"In that case, why not send the thirteenth brother to a place where demons are rampant, to exorcise demons and refine pills on the spot? This would not only meet the needs of our army, but also allow the thirteenth brother to gain experience, instead of wasting his time on paperwork."

"Then tell me, where would be a suitable place to send Li Cunxiao?"

Fuzhou

Wenzhou

Li Siyuan and Li Cunxu spoke one after the other, then looked at each other in surprise before looking away.

Upon hearing this, Li Yisheng walked to the screen in the Liangyi Hall, his finger tracing the map, finally stopping at an inconspicuous corner where Fuzhou and Wenzhou were adjacent to each other.

"Yes, it is indeed a mountain range with towering peaks and scattered mountains, so there must be many demons there."

"To the south, beyond Jianmen Pass, lies Wang Jian's territory; to the west, the barbarians of Tibet; and behind us lies Longyou."

"It's a certain distance from the capital, but not so remote that it'll get out of control. Even if Qici went with us, being sandwiched in this place would make expansion difficult—"

Li Yisheng laughed, "You all have a lot of objections to me appointing Li Cunxiao as the Commander of the Palace Guard?"

"We dare not," Li Cunxu and Li Siyuan knelt down in unison, their faces filled with fear.

"Dare not? At this critical juncture, you want me to banish meritorious officials to the desolate wilderness? What will the court and the public think of me?"

"What will the world think of me?"

"Crossing the river and then dismantling the bridge, using the millstone and then discarding the donkey. How can I still have the face to sit on the dragon throne? Huh?"

Li Yisheng's face turned cold, but the two kneeling men gritted their teeth and refused to give in.

“Father, we are not trying to exclude our thirteenth brother, but he has great skills and it would be a waste to keep him in the capital.”

"Father, everything has two sides. The thirteenth prince's territory is close to Longyou, so the King of Qi can provide support at any time."

"With the capital not far away and Master Qici in charge, the King of Shu will surely be wary, and we will be safe."

"The Buddhist masters of Ü-Tsang have all followed Yelü Yi to the grasslands, leaving these uncivilized barbarians as practice targets."

"So, you've picked a good place for Li Cunxiao?"

Li Yisheng snorted coldly, sat back in his chair, held a teacup in his hand, remained silent for a moment, and then looked at the other person who was almost burying his head in the ground.

“Clan Chief Li, no, Li Zongling.”

"Tell me, what should I do?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xian, the patriarch of the Li clan in Longxi, broke out in a cold sweat.

He arrived in the capital a few days ago and was appointed as the Director of the Imperial Clan Court for his merit in helping Emperor Li Min "find his imperial uncle".

I was summoned today to discuss various matters concerning my ascension to the throne, but I never expected to witness this scene.

Under the watchful eyes of the three men, Li Xian secretly groaned in despair.

At this point, anything you say will be wrong.

How could a martial artist at the Xuan Guan level withstand the pressure of one Grandmaster or two Grandmasters?

Fortunately, just then, a commotion broke out outside the Prince of Jin's residence. A moment later, a eunuch, surrounded by mounted riders, nervously carried a scroll of imperial edict inside.

Li Xian, suddenly inspired, bowed to Li Yisheng, quickly retrieved the imperial edict, unfolded it, and read aloud:
"I have reigned for twelve years, during which the empire was plunged into chaos. Fortunately, thanks to the spirits of my ancestors and the efforts of my ministers, we have survived the crisis. Now, examining the genealogy, I find that the Chancellor, Prince Jin, is a descendant of the founding ancestor, who perished in the northern deserts."

"To uphold the state and punish the disloyal, the imperial regalia will be transferred to the virtuous. Therefore, in accordance with the mandate of Heaven and the will of the people, I have carefully chosen this auspicious day to ascend the altar with my ministers, receive the imperial seal and ribbon, and make this announcement to the great gods."

After reading it aloud, he immediately picked up the imperial edict and stepped forward to urge the emperor to ascend the throne.
"Warlords are causing chaos and the people are suffering. Only Your Majesty is virtuous in both literature and martial arts, and has the world in your heart."

“You have declined the throne three times, demonstrating your virtuous character. We request that you ascend the throne and become emperor.”

"Rewards and punishments are all bestowed by the same person."

"Thunder and rain, all are the Emperor's grace!"

(End of this chapter)