Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 198 Indulging in the Pleasure of Being a Favored Minister
This nephew is such a little rascal.

The gloom I felt in the hall just now vanished completely.

Li Longji immediately became engrossed in the music, playing the violin with Wang Xi and discussing music. They even forgot about the fine wine and delicacies on the table until Li Longji had to go to the Zichen Palace to handle government affairs, at which point the two stopped.

After all, there are no holidays now, and Li Longji has to work in the afternoon too.

Perhaps it was because he was too diligent in his youth that things went to extremes, leading to Li Longji's complete self-indulgence and enjoyment in his later years—a complete reversal of his former ways.

Perhaps only Emperor Qianlong was similar, but Qianlong was better than him in two aspects. First, in his later years, Qianlong did not completely neglect state affairs; he simply became extremely arrogant and extravagant. Second, Qianlong ultimately relied on Heshen, while Li Longji relied on Yang Guozhong.

This was the most fatal flaw. Even if Li Linfu had been in power, the An Lushan Rebellion could have been avoided. Even if there had been unrest, it wouldn't have turned out like that. The entire situation was completely out of control.

During this time, Gao Lishi stood outside, listening to the laughter inside, and in his mind, he was already reassessing the Wu family and the Wang family.

Undoubtedly, Gao Lishi was biased towards the Wu family, but that was only a partial bias; his true loyalty was to Li Longji.

Upon seeing Wang Xi emerge, Gao Lishi smiled slightly and said, "Que'er is leaving."

Wang Xi immediately stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Uncle Gao isn't angry about what happened earlier, is he?"

Gao Lishi was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Que'er, you really underestimate your Uncle Gao. Uncle Gao is not as narrow-minded as you think. It's perfectly normal for you to want to talk to His Majesty alone. Just say it, and don't overthink it."

"Uncle Gao is not angry, that's the best." Wang Xi added, "Actually, I was just talking to my uncle about some family matters, and it's not good to air our dirty laundry in public."

Wang Xi wanted to become a favored minister, not a eunuch. Therefore, he had no direct conflict with Gao Lishi, the eunuch. He just needed to be on guard, but he didn't want to offend Gao Lishi.

Gao Lishi understood this in his heart. Although he was biased towards the Wu family, he still took good care of Wang Xi and did not show any hostility.

Even if Wang Xi gains favor, it will not affect his position in Li Longji's heart.

In fact, the relationship between Wang Xi and Consort Wu was similar, except that Empress Wang was in the middle, making them destined to be enemies.

Gao Lishi smiled and nodded, saying, "Understood! Understood!"

Wang Xi then said, "Then Que'er will go to the Empress's place first."

"Uncle Gao will personally take you there."

Just then, a young eunuch came to Gao Lishi's side and whispered a few words in his ear.

"I see."

Gao Lishi then said to Wang Xi, "Que'er, Uncle Gao has some matters to attend to here and may not be able to personally escort you there. Uncle Gao will have someone escort you there now."

"Thank you, Uncle Gao."

Gao Lishi immediately arranged for someone to take Wang Xi to Empress Wang, while he himself returned to the palace.

Li Longji sat on the couch, his brows furrowed, his expression showing some struggle.

Seeing this, Gao Lishi remained silent and stood quietly to the side.

After a long while, Li Longji suddenly spoke up: "Li Shi".

Gao Lishi hurriedly replied, "This humble servant is here."

Li Longji asked, "What are your thoughts on Zhang Jiazhen and Zhang Shuo?"

There was still a hint of hesitation in his tone.

Huangfu Sengnian saw this move very accurately. Li Longji had indeed long intended to replace Zhang Jiazhen. Otherwise, given his current level of personnel management, he would never have allowed Zhang Shuo to assist Zhang Jiazhen, as this would have been a very poor personnel arrangement.

It was clear that he regretted promoting Zhang Jiazhen to the position of prime minister.

However, Li Longji also had a sentimental side. Remembering Zhang Jiazhen's past kindness, he was somewhat hesitant.

This shows that emperors are also human and can act on emotions.

Gao Lishi pondered for a moment and said, "In my humble opinion, the two of them are actually on par in terms of ability, but compared to Zhang Jiazhen, Zhang Shuo is more popular."

Li Longji nodded: "But as prime minister, this is especially important."

This was actually the main reason why he wanted to replace Zhang Jiazhen. Zhang Jiazhen was short-tempered and too domineering, and the court officials had a lot of complaints about him.

Li Longji's idea was to delegate power to the prime minister, and then the relationship between the prime minister and the prime minister had to be harmonious. This is why, at the beginning of the financial and military reforms, he quickly transferred Zhang Shuo back to the capital, because both of these matters involved huge interests, and the prime minister needed to appease the officials, which Zhang Jiazhen could not do.

Gao Lishi remained silent, but he was also wondering to himself, "Isn't this supposed to be a family matter? Can a problem between prime ministers really be considered a family matter of the Wang family?"
After pondering for a while, Li Longji seemed to have made up his mind and said, "Bring me pen and ink."

"Yes."

Gao Lishi immediately presented him with a brush and ink.

Li Longji picked up his pen, but hesitated to write. After a long while, he finally put pen to paper and wrote an imperial edict, which he then handed to Gao Lishi: "You must immediately send someone to deliver this secret letter to Yuwen Rong in Luoyang."

He emphasized the secret letter, which was actually a subtle hint to Gao Lishi that he shouldn't talk about this. Gao Lishi understood immediately and bowed, saying, "I will take care of it right away."

Harem.

"Sparrow, did His Majesty summon you to the palace?"

Empress Wang was also very happy to see Wang Xi and asked him questions.

“No.” Wang Xi shook his head. “I came here on my own initiative. I came specifically to check on my uncle’s studies.”

Of course, he wouldn't admit that he came to betray Zhang Jiazhen and Wang Shouyi.

Empress Wang paused, as if she had misheard. "Don't talk nonsense."

"real."

Wang Xi said, "I'm here to check how well my uncle plays the violin. If you don't believe me, you can ask him."

Empress Wang glared at him slightly and said, "Even so, you can't say that. After all, your uncle is the emperor."

"Oh."

Wang Xi nodded, then suddenly asked, "Auntie, do you know Auntie?"

Empress Wang glanced at him and said, "Actually, your aunt was just about to tell you about this."

Wang Xi exclaimed in surprise, "Auntie knows too."

Empress Wang smiled and said, "Your aunt was afraid we would misunderstand, so she came to explain it to me."

This aunt is really meticulous in everything she does! She's a formidable opponent. Wang Xi asked, "So, whose side is Aunt on?"

"Your aunt is naturally on your side." Empress Wang paused slightly, then said, "But your aunt also makes some sense. Anyway, you're going to sell this wine elsewhere, so why not let your aunt sell it? She can help you earn more."

Moreover, this wine is very important to your aunt; she's not greedy, but has other reasons.

After hearing this, Wang Xi remained silent.

Empress Wang asked somewhat nervously, "Are you angry?"

Wang Xi said, "I think Aunt is on my sister's side, just like my mother."

Empress Wang hurriedly said, "Your aunt is just explaining to you, she didn't force you to do anything, let alone force your teacher. Actually, your aunt also told your aunt not to make trouble, but I can understand her difficulties."

Wang Xi said, "My aunt is a businesswoman, and businessmen are profit-driven. What hardship could she possibly have? To put it bluntly, it's all about seeking profit."

Empress Wang remained silent for a long time, then nodded and said, "What you say is true, but your aunt can't persuade your younger aunt either."

Wang Xi said, "Aunt, don't underestimate me. I'm not afraid of you, Aunt. As long as you don't side with me, just wait and see. I'll beat you to a pulp."

Empress Wang said with a wry smile, "You've only met your aunt a few times, so why do you hate her so much?"

Wang Xi snorted, "I just can't stand my aunt's arrogant attitude. We can give her the wine, but she can't ask for it on her own initiative, just like our cooperation with the Bai family."

Empress Wang couldn't help but smile and said, "Then you have to be careful. Your aunt is no pushover either. Neither your aunt nor His Majesty can interfere in business matters."

In fact, Wang Xi did not come to seek Empress Wang's help. He just found that Lady Zixia had already spoken to the Emperor, so she must have also contacted Empress Wang. After all, it was Consort Doulu who facilitated the marriage between Empress Wang and Li Longji, and the two families had a very close relationship.

He should at least come and say hello, lest someone speak ill of him later.

As it was getting late, Wang Xi did not linger at Empress Wang's place for long. He simply kept her company to relieve her boredom before leaving the palace before dark.

As soon as I stepped out of the imperial city gate, I saw the young swordsman in white standing with his hands behind his back, looking up at the imperial city with a gaze that was both longing and disdain.

Very contradictory.

This contradiction, in fact, accompanied Li Bai throughout his life.

"Brother Li Bai, do you want to become an official? I have connections."

Wang Xi stepped forward and said enticingly.

Upon hearing this, Li Bai's eyes lost all longing and were filled with disdain. He laughed and said, "If that's the case, even if one becomes a general or prime minister, it's not as good as a cup of fine wine for you, young master."

Wang Xi said, "If Brother Li Bai could rise to the rank of general or prime minister, would he still be afraid of not being able to drink a cup of fine wine?"

Li Bai chuckled and said, "How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan?"

Wang Xi curled his lip. "How could I not know? You just wanted to taste my treasured wine."

Li Bai suddenly exclaimed, "Since you know this, why don't you keep your promise? I came here to help you taste the wine, but now I'm running around with you all day long, and I can't even get a sip of water, let alone wine."

Wang Xi said awkwardly, "I've been quite busy lately. Didn't you see I've come all the way here? Don't worry, you'll get a drink later."

Li Bai said, "I don't know how long we'll have to wait."

"Just these few days."

Just then, the carriage arrived, and Wang Xi quickly jumped on. He then said to Li Bai, "Why don't you go to Yi Xian Jue and have a few drinks to satisfy your craving?"

"Farewell!"

Li Bai clasped his hands in a salute, then mounted his horse and rode away.

"Damn! Does he have to be this handsome?"

Wang Xi rolled his eyes and got into the carriage.

Huangfu Sengnian said, "I really don't know why you keep this person by your side."

Wang Xi said, "Because he is a gentleman, and a gentleman would never do anything that is untrustworthy or treacherous."

"Your ideas are always strange."

“Likewise! Likewise!” Wang Xi chuckled twice.

Huangfu Sengnian asked expectantly, "Well? What did His Majesty say?"

Wang Xi said, "You guessed right, His Majesty has indeed wanted to replace Zhang Jiazhen for a long time."

Huangfu Sengnian's lips curled into a smug smile.

"Why are you so smug?" Wang Xi couldn't stand the guy's smug look, so he said, "But after thinking about it carefully, I realized that this goes against our original intention. We are the people who run the academy. Shouldn't we be thinking about how to train Zhang Jiazhen?"

Huangfu Sengnian said, "Isn't sending him away a form of discipline? We're not trying to kill him. Who says we won't reinstate him in the future?"

Wang Xi rolled her eyes inwardly. No wonder he's such a contrarian.

Huangfu Sengnian then asked, "And what about your father?"

Wang Xi simply said, "His Majesty said that he would let my father inform Zhang Jiazhen, and that he would not blame my father."

He was quite confident about this matter; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to betray Wang Shouyi.

Huangfu Sengnian laughed and said, "This is a good omen. If we can drive Zhang Jiazhen down today, we can also promote him in the future. This is what a favored minister should do."

Wang Xi's eyes flickered. "Now that you mention it, I also think that being a favored minister is quite enjoyable. It's just that I'm still young and can't have in-depth conversations with His Majesty."

As he spoke, he seemed to remember something else, "Oh right, something did surprise me a bit."

Huangfu Sengnian asked, "What is it?"

"It's about my aunt."

Wang Xi said, "My aunt is really meticulous in her work. She has already mentioned this matter to His Majesty and my Empress Aunt."

Huangfu Sengnian was also very surprised after hearing this, and asked, "What did His Majesty and your Empress Aunt say?"

Wang Xi said, "They all said they wouldn't interfere."

Huangfu Sengnian frowned and said, "So, your aunt is serious about dealing with us."

Wang Xi nodded and said, "That's what I think too. Otherwise, she wouldn't have needed to seek His Majesty's and my Empress Aunt's forgiveness, and we might have run into some trouble."

　Chinese New Year is just around the corner, and I need to help with the house cleaning and buying New Year's goods, so I need to take a day off.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)