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

Chapter 165 Veteran Minister Liu Rengui (3K)

Li Xian had been holding back words of comfort all the way, but suddenly they got stuck in his throat, and he didn't know how to speak.

Liu Rengui had a ruddy complexion and was in good spirits. I couldn't very well go up to him and ask, "Is Lord Liu still in good health?"

Can……

If Liu Jianjun was in such a hurry to leave, Liu Rengui should have been on his deathbed, barely clinging to life. Could it be that Liu Jianjun was mistaken?
Otherwise, Li Xian couldn't think of any reason why Liu Jianjun could "curse" Liu Rengui like that.

"Your Highness?" Liu Rengui put down his pen and looked at Li Xian with a puzzled expression.

"No," Li Xian then realized what was happening, hurriedly returned the greeting with a cupped hand, and sat down in the guest seat. He then said, "I just haven't seen Lord Liu go to Dayi Valley to supervise the construction these past few days, so I came to visit him."

Upon hearing this, Liu Rengui chuckled and said, "Does Your Highness intend to punish this old minister for dereliction of duty?"

Liu Rengui's words were sarcastic and teasing, so Li Xian naturally didn't take them seriously and just smiled and let it go.

But Liu Rengui continued, “There is a military commander in Dayi Valley. He is good at construction, knows how to plan, and can command people’s hearts. He arranges everything in an orderly manner. At my age, if I go there, I can only stand aside and watch. Instead, he and his subordinates will be constrained and have to be careful that my old bones don’t get hurt.”

"It is currently the spring plowing season, and there are many affairs to attend to in various places, including farming, sacrifices, household registration verification, and grain tax forecasting. There are countless things to do, and the documents from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue are almost overwhelming my study. I finally managed to steal half a day of leisure, only to have Your Highness stumble upon me."

Li Xian suddenly realized.

So that's why Liu Rengui didn't come to Dayi Valley.

So he quickly replied, "Lord Liu is joking. The things you are busy with have simply shifted from the fields to the desk, and they are all important matters concerning the national economy and people's livelihood. How can you say you are taking a break?"

"Your Highness is being too polite with this old minister!" Liu Rengui chuckled, his gaze finally turning to the silent Wang Bo behind Li Xian, and said, "Zi'an rarely visits my residence."

Only then did Wang Bo step forward and bow, saying, "Bo greets Minister Liu!"

Liu Rengui nodded slightly: "Sit."

His gaze then returned to Li Xian, and he casually asked, "Where is Jianjun? Why didn't he come with Your Highness today? Is he still keeping an eye on that transmission shaft in Dayi Valley?"

His attitude towards Wang Bo was nothing like his warm one towards Liu Jianjun; it was merely a businesslike social interaction.

Li Xian paused, carefully choosing his words, and said, "Liu Jianjun... he had some urgent matters at home, so he asked me for leave to go back to Bazhou to visit relatives. He won't be back for some time."

He couldn't very well say that Liu Jianjun thought Liu Rengui was about to die, so he went to Li Xian to borrow Su Liangsi.

Liu Rengui, upon hearing this, did not suspect anything. Instead, he burst into laughter: "This scoundrel! I thought he was meticulous in his calculations, but now I've finally caught him out on a mistake!"

Li Xian was taken aback, puzzled.

"This old minister is dying."

Liu Rengui still wore that same smiling expression, as if he were talking about a trivial matter that had nothing to do with him: "Your Highness, although this old minister is in good spirits now, I know my own body best. I'm afraid I won't be able to make it through this spring."

At this point, a faint trace of melancholy and regret finally flashed across Liu Rengui's eyes.

"It is a pity that this old minister was unable to live to see the day when Your Highness restored the Li Tang dynasty, but this old minister believes that Your Highness will definitely be able to do it."

The old minister before him spoke the most cruel words in the calmest tone, which moved Li Xian deeply.

He said urgently, "Lord Liu..."

"Your Highness." Liu Rengui shook his head to interrupt, his expression becoming more solemn, as if he were giving his dying words: "If this old minister passes away, there will be no one in Chang'an to cover for Your Highness. Your Highness's actions in Chang'an will surely reach Luoyang. Therefore, Your Highness must find someone to replace this old minister."

“Su Liangsi is a trustworthy man. This old minister has a letter here. If Your Highness takes this letter and personally visits with Jianjun, this matter may be accomplished.”

At this point, Liu Rengui added with some regret, "It's a pity that His Highness the Prince of Luling was demoted to Fangzhou. Otherwise, if His Highness the Prince of Luling had intervened, Su Liangsi..."

This time, Li Xian finally couldn't hold back and honestly said, "Liu Jianjun... went to Fangzhou."

Liu Rengui was taken aback.

Then, he instantly understood Li Xian's words, burst into laughter, and his tone revealed a hint of helplessness: "That scoundrel! Even in my final moments, I couldn't defeat him even once!"

Then, looking at Li Xian with a face full of satisfaction, he exclaimed, "Your Highness is as benevolent as ever."

Clearly, he also realized that Li Xian was hiding something from him.

Li Xian wanted to say something more, but Liu Rengui waved his hand and said, "Your Highness need not feel guilty. This old minister has lived for so many years and should be content."

"It is no problem that this old minister is nearing the end of his life. I only wish that the Tang Dynasty will be forever secure and that the nation will endure forever."

Li Xian felt conflicted and didn't know what to say for a moment.

Liu Rengui's open-mindedness in the face of life and death, as well as his deep concern for the Li Tang dynasty, both moved and saddened him.

But Liu Rengui said, "That's enough. Now that Jianjun has gone to Fangzhou, with his resourcefulness and methods, this old minister has nothing to worry about."

"However... Jianjun is not in Chang'an, and some news has come from Luoyang. This old minister may be able to help Your Highness resolve these difficulties."

Li Xian was taken aback and quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Lord Liu, please grant my request!"

"Does Your Highness know that after the bronze box was set up, the petition drum and the lung stone were also added to Luoyang City?"

Li Xian nodded: "I am aware of this matter, and it is indeed... setting a bad precedent."

“The bad examples are secondary.”

Liu Rengui nodded, his voice carrying a hint of coldness, "The key is that those who obtain official positions through this means are mostly cunning and fierce people who are unfamiliar with government affairs, or even street ruffians and butchers. Just because they agree with a word, they can suddenly obtain high-ranking positions and be placed in the court."

"Who are these people so grateful to? It's not the imperial court, but the Empress Dowager who bestowed wealth and status upon them! What would they do to preserve their wealth and status, and to advance their own power?"

Li Xian felt a chill run down his spine, realizing: "They will work even harder to inform on others and fabricate charges in order to 'get the emperor's favor' again!"

"Your Highness is wise." Liu Rengui nodded, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

"If this trend continues, everyone in the court will feel insecure, and infighting and slander will become rampant. Loyal and upright officials will remain silent, while treacherous and cunning individuals will rise to prominence. If this continues, the court will surely fall into chaos!"

He paused, looked at Li Xian, and said in an extremely solemn tone: "And the Empress Dowager... can use this opportunity to more easily cleanse the court and eliminate dissidents."

"It may seem that the fire is targeting some insignificant people now, but Your Highness should know that the fire... will eventually reach the very core."

This time, Li Xian was taken aback and didn't react: "What does Lord Liu mean..."

"The Empress Dowager has imprisoned Li Xiaoyi, the Left Guard General, on charges of treason. This is the second piece of news that has come from Luoyang."

"This...how is this possible? Uncle Wang has just made a great contribution..." Li Xian said in disbelief.

Li Xian was not surprised that Liu Rengui was able to learn of the news from Luoyang first. Although Liu Rengui was sidelined, he was still a veteran of three reigns and highly respected. The Empress Dowager would inform him of any news from Luoyang as soon as possible. For example, when Pei Yan was imprisoned last time, Jiang Sizong was sent to inform Pei Yan immediately.

However... this news is rather unbelievable.

"His achievements overshadowed the emperor, and he was also a member of the Li Tang imperial family; this was his original sin."

Liu Rengui shook his head, his tone calm. "The secret report said that someone informed on him through a copper box, claiming that when Li Xiaoyi pacified Yangzhou, he said, 'My name contains the character for rabbit, and the rabbit is a creature of the moon, so I should have a destiny.'... Such absurd words can actually be used as evidence!"

"And the one who informed on us... was Wu Chengsi."

"Wu Chengsi?!" Li Xian exclaimed in shock.

It was Wu Chengsi himself who came forward to inform on them!

This has a completely different meaning!
This was no longer a false accusation made by subordinates for opportunistic purposes; it was clearly a direct attack from the core figures of the Wu family! This meant that the Empress Dowager's maternal family had begun to openly target the most powerful and prestigious generals among the Li Tang imperial family!

Liu Rengui continued his analysis: "Your Highness, Wu Chengsi personally informed on this matter, which is of utmost importance."

"Firstly, this shows that the Wu clan members are impatient and want to use the Empress Dowager's influence to eliminate anyone who might hinder them from seizing power. Li Xiaoyi is highly respected and is also a member of the imperial clan, so he is naturally the first to be targeted."

Secondly, this may also be the Empress Dowager's intention.

Liu Rengui looked at Li Xian meaningfully: "By using Wu Chengsi, we can achieve our goal, test the reaction of the court and the public, and shift the blame for 'slaughtering meritorious officials' to the Wu family while maintaining our own indifference. It's killing three birds with one stone."

"Thirdly, and most importantly."

Liu Rengui leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming more serious: "After Li Xiaoyi, who will be next? In the court today, which member of the imperial family has more merit and prestige than Li Xiaoyi? And who is more of an eyesore to some people than Li Xiaoyi?"

Li Xian instantly felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and his hands and feet were ice cold.

The number of people Liu Rengui mentioned was not large, but it was certainly not small either.

Without exception, they were all important figures within the Li clan.

So... is the Empress Dowager really going to take action against the Li clan?

Seeing the look of shock on Li Xian's face, Liu Rengui knew that Li Xian had figured it out. He continued, his tone extremely solemn: "Therefore, Your Highness must be more cautious than ever before, stay at home and keep a low profile, and restrain the people in your household. The Dayi Valley project can continue, but there must be no overstepping of boundaries. Everything depends on news from Jianjun."

"I understand, thank you for your guidance, Lord Liu." Li Xian solemnly cupped his hands in thanks. "I will certainly act with caution."

"That's good."

Liu Rengui's face regained its gentle smile, as if the alarming analysis from just now had never happened. "Your Highness need not worry too much. That kid Jianjun always manages to do things unexpectedly... Perhaps he can really bring a turning point for Your Highness before the storm."

"That boy..."

Liu Rengui shook his head helplessly, a smile on his face: "I must borrow a few days of life from the heavens, and when he returns, I'll give him a good scolding!"

……

(End of this chapter)