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

Chapter 198 The Turbulent Times in Luoyang

Li Xian and Liu Jianjun got up to see Su Liangsi off, and then returned to the Prince of Pei's residence.

Upon arriving at the Prince of Pei's residence, Li Xian finally couldn't hold back any longer. He pulled Liu Jianjun into the study and asked, "What's going on here? How did Su Liangsi get to Luoyang? And how did he become the prime minister?"

Just now in the official residence's duty room, Su Liangsi's words were vague, and Li Xian didn't want to directly inquire.

Now, I finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Liu Jianjun wandered around the room for a while, grabbed a handful of nuts from the fruit plate, stuffed them haphazardly into his mouth, and then said, "Cotton, our huge cotton ecological park will be discovered by your mother sooner or later."

"So I simply gave him all the credit for the cotton ecological park."

"Think about it, the whole Guanzhong region suffered from drought before, but Chang'an alone, while not completely unaffected, at least there were no disaster victims rioting or rebellion, let alone the tragedy of exchanging children to eat."

"How much credit must that have been for?"

"Furthermore, given Old Su's seniority, and with the court now filled with sycophants like Lai Junchen, what's so surprising about him becoming prime minister?"

At this point, Liu Jianjun hurriedly found a teapot and took a sip.

"I choked..."

Li Xian wanted to complain about Liu Jianjun's lack of table manners, but seeing that he still had something to say, he could only swallow his words.

Liu Jianjun took a breath before continuing, "Moreover, your mother, that old woman, must have already realized the drawbacks of having people like Lai Junchen in the court. These people can be used to suppress rebellions, but they cannot be used to govern the country."

"Therefore, she urgently needs someone like Lao Su."

Li Xian suddenly realized what was going on and asked, "Then... what did you say about the cotton?"

He was somewhat worried that this would expose too much of Liu Jianjun's true intentions.

"What else can we say? Just say that cotton was something Old Liu messed around with before he died, and that it was brought to its full potential by Old Su. Old Liu is gone now, and your mother can't find anyone to verify whether this is true or not."

"As for the relationship between the cotton ecological park and the Prince of Pei's mansion..." Liu Jianjun knew exactly what Li Xian wanted to ask. "Old Su is a prime minister after all, so he can handle this matter without any problem."

Well, he himself didn't know either.

However, after hearing what Liu Jianjun said, Li Xian felt a little relieved.

Su Liangsi is a steady and reliable person, so there shouldn't be any major problems with the cotton.

……

Li Xian learned about Feng Xiaobao's whereabouts from a secret letter from Shangguan Wan'er.

Shangguan Wan'er said that Feng Xiaobao, with a pig's head and tears streaming down his face, found Wu Zetian and embellished the story, omitting the fact that he had first run into people on horseback and insulted the prime minister.

But instead of getting angry, Wu Zetian stroked his bald head and said calmly, "Child, remember this."

"The Southern Office is where the prime minister and officials handle state affairs. It has strict rules, so don't go there to cause trouble."

"The North Gate is where you enter and exit."

As Liu Jianjun and Su Liangsi had predicted.

Feng Xiaobao was furious.

……

But Feng Xiaobao's misfortunes, or rather, bad luck, are far from over.

Wu Zetian was an emperor, and the first female emperor in history. Naturally, her appetite was not satisfied with just one "concubine" like Feng Xiaobao. She gradually had more male favorites around her, and she soon transferred her affections to a man named Shen Nanqiu.

Shen Nanqiu was originally from the Imperial Medical Bureau. Li Xian guessed that Wu Zetian took a liking to him when she visited An Jinzang at the Imperial Medical Bureau last time.

In any case, this is quite normal.

But who knew, Feng Xiaobao got jealous!
Previously, Feng Xiaobao had harbored resentment because Wu Zetian hadn't sided with him regarding Su Liangsi's matter. Now that Wu Zetian had a new love interest, he was even more displeased.

So, in a fit of anger, he threw a tantrum and refused to go to the palace to see Wu Zetian. Instead, he stayed at the White Horse Temple all day, fooling around with the hooligans and ruffians he had previously shaved his head with.

There's nothing wrong with this in itself.

But the problem is that the number of hooligans and thugs he ordained has grown to nearly a thousand.

As a result, an imperial censor named Zhou Ju could no longer stand by and submitted a memorial to Wu Zetian, saying that Feng Xiaobao was gathering some lawless monks to practice there every day, and if he had any ill intentions towards the emperor, no one could prevent it. He requested that Feng Xiaobao be interrogated.

Wu Zetian happened to be angry with Feng Xiaobao for his tantrum, so she approved it.

She told him to wait at the Censorate, and she immediately summoned Feng Xiaobao to be interrogated.

Just as Zhou Ju returned to the Censorate, Feng Xiaobao arrived on a tall horse. Upon entering, instead of kneeling to be interrogated, he dismounted, found a couch, and lay down, exposing his chest and belly, seemingly oblivious to everyone around him.

Zhou Ju was furious and beckoned his men over to take Feng Xiaobao to court.

Unexpectedly, Feng Xiaobao became even more arrogant. He got out of bed, pointed at Zhou Ju's nose, and cursed loudly. After cursing, he rode away on his horse.

Now, Zhou Ju had no choice but to honestly report to Wu Zetian.

But Wu Zetian was not angry after hearing this. Instead, she smiled and said, "This monk has gone mad. Don't interrogate him. Just send away the hooligans he gathered."

Therefore, Zhou Ju had no choice but to exile all of the nearly one thousand young monks.

And so the whole thing ended abruptly, with a promising start but a disappointing finish.

When Liu Jianjun heard the news, he said: "Wu Zetian is still a sentimental person. Although Feng Xiaobao's willfulness has aroused her dissatisfaction, she is still willing to protect him out of consideration for their past relationship."

"But unfortunately, Feng Xiaobao didn't understand this point and didn't know what it means to 'if you don't do stupid things, you won't die.'"

Then, Liu Jianjun clicked his tongue and said, "Tsk tsk, young lovers, this Feng Xiaobao, in some ways he's really a talent, because he's truly in love with your mother!"

Li Xian doesn't know if Feng Xiaobao is a talented person.

But he became increasingly absurd.

Ever since his crime of gathering crowds was dealt with leniently, he has become increasingly unruly.

Of course, it's also possible that the nearly one thousand thugs who used to accompany him were gone, which led him to become increasingly unruly.

He had already restrained himself by riding horses all day long; apart from raping women, he was almost a wicked man.

Liu Jianjun might be right; Feng Xiaobao is indeed deeply in love with his mother.

Perhaps even Heaven couldn't bear to see Feng Xiaobao causing so much trouble. Just as autumn began that year, an urgent report came from the border that the Turks had attacked again.

Thus, Feng Xiaobao, the Grand Commander of the Xinping Road Army, was in trouble again.

This time, Wu Zetian issued a transfer order and sent him to the front line, along with Li Zhaode, the Fengge Attendant.

Upon hearing this name, Li Xian instinctively looked at Liu Jianjun.

Liu Jianjun simply smiled and nodded, remaining silent.

It seems that Liu Jianjun played a role in this matter again.

Li Xian didn't understand Liu Jianjun's arrangements, so he simply ignored them.

……

With Feng Xiaobao transferred away from Luoyang, Li Xian originally thought that the city would finally be a little more peaceful.

But who knew that no sooner had Feng Xiaobao left than Lai Junchen started causing trouble again.

Lai Junchen had been quiet for a while after defeating Zhou Xing and making Wu Chengsi suffer a loss in silence, and then he got involved with Wu Chengsi.

But this time, something went wrong again.

This whole affair started with one of Lai Junchen's thugs, named Wei Suizhong. He was one of the gangsters Lai Junchen kept. He was clever, eloquent, and highly regarded by Lai Junchen, and was considered one of Lai Junchen's close associates.

Previously, Lai Junchen had taken a woman from the Wang family of Taiyuan as his wife, which was a very prestigious thing. So, he invited his wife's relatives to have a meal at his mansion.

The Wang family of Taiyuan was a prestigious clan, and those who came were naturally prominent figures in Luoyang. But who would have thought that Wei Suizhong would come uninvited?

Lai Junchen felt that Wei Suizhong's status was too low to be respectable, so he instructed the gatekeeper to say that he was not there and to let him leave.

Wei Suizhong, being a shrewd and clever man, immediately guessed what had happened when he heard the gatekeeper say that. So, he barged in, pointed at Wang's nose, and started cursing, saying, "Who do you think you are? Just because someone from your Wang family is here, does that mean I can't come in?"

He then went on to make outrageous remarks, saying he would kill the entire Wang family of Taiyuan. Wang was a lady from a distinguished family and had never seen anything like this before. Being verbally abused by a minor official in front of everyone, she immediately ran back to her house and wept bitterly.

Lai Junchen was naturally embarrassed by this situation and ordered Wei Suizhong to be tied up and beaten.

Wei Suizhong immediately came to his senses and knelt down repeatedly, begging for mercy.

Lai Junchen also forgave him.

After all, Lai Junchen didn't have any feelings for the Wang family. The reason he was angry was that Wei Suizhong had embarrassed him. Now that Wei Suizhong had begged for forgiveness in front of everyone, he had both face and dignity, so he naturally didn't care anymore.

He immediately reprimanded Wei Suizhong a few times and then let him go.

but.

Wang is dying.

She was a woman from a prominent family, and she had never suffered such injustice in her life, especially since the "murderer" had left so brazenly.

As a result, Wang became angrier and angrier, especially when she thought about the favor she had received in Duan Jian's household and her current predicament. She felt that her position in her current husband's heart was nothing more than this.

The contrast was so stark that, unable to understand it, he hanged himself.

Normally, the death of one member of the Wang family wouldn't be a big deal.

But the problem was that Lai Junchen did something else: he found a new target.

Duan Jian's concubine.

Li Xian was stunned when he heard the news.

Liu Jianjun was equally delighted, saying, "Did Duan Jian offend Junchen? Why is Junchen always trying to fleece him?"

Li Xian and Liu Jianjun naturally wouldn't interfere with Lai Junchen's forcibly taking other men's wives and concubines; they would stay obediently in the Prince of Pei's residence and observe how things developed.

Duan Jian was a man who could endure what others could not.

This time, he obediently handed over his concubine.

To be fair, Lai Junchen is a man of his word. Since Duan Jian honestly offered his concubine to him, he didn't intend to cause any trouble for Duan Jian. It seemed that this matter was about to be over.

but……

Wei Suizhong was so worried that he couldn't eat or sleep.

He was Lai Junchen's confidant and knew how ruthless Lai Junchen was. He thought that if Lai Junchen killed his wife and then brought up old grievances to cause trouble for him, wouldn't he be in big trouble?

Therefore, Wei Suizhong decided to take the initiative and strike first.

When Li Xian heard this unexpected twist, he almost thought that Liu Jianjun was behind it all.

But Liu Jianjun insisted that he had nothing to do with the matter, and only then did Li Xian believe that there really were such "bad friends" in the world.

So what did Wei Suizhong do?
He knew that Lai Junchen was now deeply trusted by Wu Zetian, so it would be pointless for him to directly falsely accuse Lai Junchen. If Lai Junchen found out, he would definitely suffer the consequences. So, he took a roundabout approach and went to Wu Chengsi.

He said, "Do you know whose name Lai Junchen hit with the stone last time? It was none other than you, King Wei! He's planning to accuse you of treason!"

The story of Lai Junchen throwing stones to choose the lucky winner had already spread throughout Luoyang, so Wu Chengsi was terrified when he heard this.

In addition, considering that Lai Junchen had exposed Wei Tuan'er before, Wu Chengsi had no evidence but vaguely knew that it was Lai Junchen's doing. So now, when he thought about what had happened before, he was even more convinced.

then.

Wu Chengsi also planned to strike first.

He first secretly contacted members of the Wu family as the leader, then contacted many commanders of the Imperial Guards, and even secretly contacted Li Dan, planning to take the initiative and bring down Lai Junchen first.

Although these people were not all from the same camp, they were surprisingly united in their hatred of Lai Junchen.

How did Li Xian find out all of this...?

Wu Chengsi is currently at the Prince of Pei's residence.

He is trying to win over Li Xian so that they can work together to defeat Lai Junchen.

“Cousin Prince Pei, this is what happened. Lai Junchen has incurred the wrath of both Heaven and the people, and is now the target of everyone’s hatred. Prince Wei, Prince Liang, several generals in the Imperial Guard, and even… even the Crown Prince’s side have secretly made contact, waiting for the right moment to jointly submit a memorial to His Majesty, requesting that this villain be executed!”

“My cousin is His Majesty’s own son. If he can step forward at this moment and raise his voice, he will surely win the hearts of the people in the court and the country, and he can also take this opportunity to sweep away the gloom of the past!”

Wu Chengsi spoke with such sincerity that it was as if Li Xian's failure to join would mean cutting himself off from all righteous people in the world.

Li Xian didn't speak, but instead glanced at Liu Jianjun while turning the jade thumb ring on his hand.

To be fair, he certainly hated Lai Junchen. This villain fabricated charges, framed loyal officials, and had the blood of countless former officials of the Tang Dynasty on his hands. He had also repeatedly targeted his brothers.

If we can bring him down, that would certainly be a good thing.

But, would it be to cooperate with Wu Chengsi?

This cousin had previously tried to undermine his brothers in front of the Empress Dowager in his bid for the position of Crown Prince. He was even implicated in the deaths of Li Dan's two concubines.

Now that he's come to me for cooperation, is it because we share a common enemy, or is he trying to use me as a tool to kill someone, or even... drag me down with him?

When Li Xian's gaze fell on Liu Jianjun, he was peeling an orange.

Li Xian was inexplicably annoyed.

Seemingly sensing that Li Xian's mood was off, Liu Jianjun popped a segment of orange into his mouth before speaking indistinctly, "Your Highness, your suggestion... sounds quite appealing, but I feel there's a considerable risk involved."

Wu Chengsi frowned slightly and looked at Liu Jianjun.

Although he wasn't familiar with Liu Jianjun, he probably knew Liu Jianjun's standing in Li Xian's eyes, so he could only suppress his displeasure and ask as politely as possible, "What insightful opinion does Chief Secretary Liu have?"

“I wouldn’t call it a brilliant idea,” Liu Jianjun sat up straighter, the languid look in his eyes disappearing and revealing a sharp glint. “I just feel that it’s quite impressive to have so many people gathered together, making it lively and impressive, but has King Wei considered that with so many people… there will be a lot of conflicting opinions?”

He held up the first finger: "What did Lai Junchen do to get ahead? Fabricating charges and framing loyal officials! His nose is sharper than a dog's."

"Before you've even spread the word, he probably already knows how many bowls of rice each family ate that night."

"If he beats you to it and turns around and accuses you of forming cliques and plotting rebellion before His Majesty... who will take the brunt of that blow? Our Highness? Or you, Prince Wei?"

Wu Chengsi's expression changed slightly, but he forced himself to remain calm: "This matter is confidential, and everyone involved is well aware of the stakes..."

Liu Jianjun interrupted rudely, holding up a second finger: "Even if the news hadn't leaked and the joint memorial had been submitted, would His Majesty necessarily approve it?"

"No matter how bad Lai Junchen is, he is still a sharp knife in His Majesty's hand. Now that so many of you have jumped out to try to disable this knife, will His Majesty think that you want her to cut off her own arm?"

"You even... suspect that your true target is not just Lai Junchen?"

He paused, looking at Wu Chengsi's unpredictable expression, and slowly extended his third finger: "This third one... even if it succeeds by chance, and Lai Junchen falls. Then what?"

"Whose credit is this? Who gets the meat? Who gets the soup? Our prince charged ahead and offended Lai Junchen and his large group of mad dog henchmen. In the end, all the benefits went to others, and he was just given the title of 'righteous and awe-inspiring'?"

"This deal doesn't sound like a very good deal..."

Wu Chengsi was somewhat overwhelmed by Liu Jianjun's barrage of three questions, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

He took a deep breath and looked at Li Xian: "Cousin, what Chief Clerk Liu said is not without reason. There are indeed risks. But Lai Junchen is utterly wicked, and His Majesty has recently grown increasingly dissatisfied with him. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"If things go well, my cousin will be the first to advocate righteousness and eliminate the traitors. He will be remembered by the court and the public, and his reputation will surely be at its zenith!"
"At that time, what will those few petty villains and remnants matter? As for the aftermath... Chengsi is willing to stand with his cousin through thick and thin, and will never let his cousin bear the consequences alone!"

Li Xian remained silent.

He didn't believe a single word of Wu Chengsi's promise.

Liu Jianjun's words had awakened him. No matter how eloquently Wu Chengsi spoke, he was actually just making empty promises and hadn't given up any real benefits.

It was Liu Jianjun again; with just a few words, he made Wu Chengsi lose his composure.

Therefore, he planned to entrust the entire matter to Liu Jianjun.

Liu Jianjun said we could follow, so we followed, even if it was all in!

He looked at Liu Jianjun again, his eyes asking a question.

Liu Jianjun stared at him for a moment, then suddenly grinned, a smile that carried a hint of roguishness and ruthlessness: "Xianzi, I think... we can do this!"

……

(End of this chapter)