Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 118 Liu Jianjun's First Story

Li Xian was curious about what story Liu Jianjun wanted to tell him.

They returned to the Prince of Pei's residence.

Liu Jianjun first instructed the Kunlun slaves to pile the collected cotton in the warehouse, then instructed them to pick cotton seeds and dry cotton wadding. He even demonstrated it himself before returning to his small courtyard.

Li Xian followed him all the way.

As soon as Li Xian entered the courtyard, he saw Aisha sitting under Liu Jianjun's melon shed, enjoying the cool air. Liu Jianjun's melon shed was already showing results, with the cucumber vines climbing up the wooden stakes and covering the entire roof of the shed.

The cucumbers hang naturally from the gaps in the wooden stakes, and people inside the cucumber shed can pick them simply by raising their hands.

At this moment, Aisha was eating a cucumber. When she saw Liu Jianjun return, she happily stood up and ran towards him. Then, when she saw Li Xian, she became reserved and bowed, saying, "Your Highness Prince Pei!"

Liu Jianjun chuckled, took the half-eaten cucumber from Aisha's hand, and took a bite.

Then he exclaimed, "It smells delicious!"

Aisha blushed instantly.

Li Xian instantly understood: Sure enough, none of these women who got close to Liu Jianjun could escape his clutches.

Liu Jianjun walked over, kissed Aisha on the cheek with an exaggerated "pop" sound, then patted her little bottom and said, "Alright, His Highness knows about this between us. You go find your grandfather first. I have something to discuss with His Highness."

Aisha hurriedly bowed to Li Xian and then fled as if she were escaping.

Li Xian walked to the melon trellis and casually picked a crisp green melon. Liu Jianjun then called out, "Pick one for me."

So Li Xian pulled out another one, while Liu Jianjun drew a bucket of water from the well and said, "Wash it, there are worms on the raw melon."

Li Xian was already used to Liu Jianjun's obsession with cleanliness. He squatted down by the bucket, soaked the two pieces of cucumber in the water, rubbed off the burrs, and asked, "Weren't you going to tell a story?"

Then he put one piece of cucumber into his mouth and threw the other piece of cucumber to Liu Jianjun.

"Hmm, tell a story... let me think where to begin..."

Liu Jianjun paused for a moment, then continued, "Let me tell you two stories, both about Pei Yan. Of course, they are just my speculations, so just listen to them."

Li Xian sat upright and solemnly.

"This first story... do you remember the story of the cormorant I told you?" Liu Jianjun asked.

Li Xian nodded.

Liu Jianjun continued, "It's obvious that Pei Yan is not simply your mother's subordinate. He and your mother should have a cooperative relationship. Pei Yan helped your mother force the prince to step down, while your mother helped him become the prime minister."

"At this time, Pei Yan and your mother shared a common goal: they both wanted to gain more power."

"Especially since Pei Yan has just become the head of the Secretariat, and has won over several young prime ministers, enjoying power second only to the emperor, that idiot Xianzi actually thought of promoting his father-in-law to restrain Pei Yan at this time. Can he do that?"

"So it can be said that Pei Yan and your mother were in a honeymoon period at this time."

Li Xian nodded again, indicating his understanding.

"And when did this relationship take a turn for the better...?"

Liu Jianjun paused for a moment, giving Li Xian time to think.

Li Xian thought for a moment and tentatively asked, "Danzi...Dandi, will you ascend the throne?"

"Not bad! You're getting smarter and smarter!" Liu Jianjun praised with a smile, then continued, "Look at how many people actually held power in Luoyang after your mother moved the capital there."

"The first one is definitely Danzi. As the legitimate successor of the Li Tang dynasty, he will undoubtedly have supporters. However, these supporters are not a concern for your mother for the time being. As long as your mother does not usurp the throne, but only uses the righteous cause to issue orders in the name of the Empress Dowager, these people will not be able to cause any trouble."

"The other one is your mother. She controls most of the officials brought from Chang'an, as well as those officials who received her favor and were promoted during Emperor Gaozong's reign."

"The last one is Pei Yan."

"These three people seem to be three groups, but in reality they do not play a role in checking and balancing each other. Danzi and your mother can be roughly regarded as a group, while Pei Yan is a separate faction. Obviously, your mother wants to hold power, so she will take action against Pei Yan."

"As for whether Pei Yan's rebellion is true or not... no one cares."

"Throughout history, those who reached the position of prime minister and were imprisoned were never imprisoned for a single reason."

Li Xian nodded, indicating his understanding.

Liu Jianjun continued, "Look, your mother first left Liu Rengui in Chang'an, breaking the power balance in the Tang Dynasty court. Then, using her status as Empress Dowager, she joined forces with Danzi's power to frame Pei Yan for treason. In the end, Danzi was the only one left in Luoyang..."

"Does this move look familiar?"

Li Xian was stunned and didn't react.

"Forming alliances and counter-alliances." Liu Jianjun stated directly, then clicked his tongue in admiration, "To be honest, if your mother had focused this scheming and political maneuvering on foreign affairs, things wouldn't have come to this..."

"Not at all?" Li Xian asked curiously.

"It's nothing. Let's continue talking about Pei Yan. After your mother brought Pei Yan down from his horse, what will be her next move?"

Liu Jianjun then posed another question for Li Xian to consider.

Li Xianneng clearly sensed that Liu Jianjun's words today seemed to carry a certain testing tone.

This made Li Xian subconsciously tense, and then he began to think.

"As you said, there are only three people in power in the entire Luoyang. Pei Yan has been taken down by the Empress Dowager, and Dan Di has been imprisoned by the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager has already taken control of Luoyang. The next step... is to ascend the throne?"

After Li Xian finished speaking, he shook his head decisively and said, "No, at this time, Yangzhou is in rebellion and people's hearts are unstable. It is definitely not the time to rashly ascend the throne. In addition, there are still people in the court who support Dandi. A smart woman like the Empress Dowager would never usurp the throne when she has just taken down Pei Yan."

"This is too hasty, and it might even cause Pei Yan's remaining forces and Dan Di's supporters to unite against her."

"so……"

Li Xian frowned in thought. With so much inspiration from Liu Jianjun, he vaguely felt that he might be able to figure something out.

"military power!"

A sudden flash of inspiration struck Li Xian.

If it really comes to usurping the throne, the important ones are never the writers with pens, but the soldiers with swords and guns!

Although the Empress Dowager had previously captured the four major military governorates of Bingzhou, Yizhou, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou, this was only to establish a "basic base." She would consolidate her position and continue to expand her influence in the military.

Following this line of thought, Li Xian's eyes suddenly widened: "Cheng Wuting?!"

Liu Jianjun gave Li Xian an approving look and said, "Not bad. Now, I can tell you the second story."

……

(End of this chapter)