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

Chapter 68 This feeling is great
Li Xian's mind was in complete chaos.

It's like knowledge enters my mind, and I shake my head to shake it out.

Before we talk about how to do it, let's talk about Pei Yan.

Li Xian nodded, listening attentively.

"I originally thought Pei Yan was one of your mother's men."

Liu Jianjun's words completely baffled Li Xian once again.

"Pei Yan...isn't he one of Mother's men?"

"When did I say Pei Yan was your mother's man?" Liu Jianjun rolled his eyes. "He was promoted by your mother, but his relationship with your mother wasn't so close that they were inseparable."

Liu Jianjun's analogy is too vulgar.

But Li Xian understood it immediately.

"Well... have you ever raised cormorants?"

Li Xian was bewildered.

"It's a kind of waterbird that's very good at catching fish. Fishermen usually tie a ring around their necks so that the fish that the cormorants eat can't be swallowed. Once they're back on the fishing boat, the fishermen just have to pry the fish out of their mouths."

"But the prerequisite for letting these cormorants catch fish is that they have to be hungry."

Li Xian vaguely understood something.

Liu Jianjun continued, "Look at Pei Yan, your mother directly promoted him to the position of chief prime minister. Does this look like raising cormorants? It's more like a transaction of roughly equal status!"

"So?" Li Xian asked.

"So, since Pei Yan isn't in cahoots with your mother, we can use him too!"

Li Xian looked completely bewildered.

“I’ll take care of that. Now let’s continue with Liu Rengui.”

"Ah."

“We need to win over Liu Rengui! He’s a loyal supporter of your Li family and will be a great asset to us in the short term. Introduce him to me.”

Li Xian thought for a moment and said, "Liu Rengui was orphaned and poor from a young age, but he was honest and upright. Emperor Taizong once praised him, saying, 'Although your position is lowly, you serve the country wholeheartedly, and I greatly appreciate the matters you have presented…'"

"A veteran of three dynasties?" Liu Jianjun interrupted dramatically.

Li Xian glared at him irritably and then said, "But when the Emperor was alive, he was at odds with Li Yifu, the then Vice Minister of the Chancellery. He offended Li Yifu by handling the 'Bi Zhengyi Case' and was demoted to the position of Prefect of Qingzhou."

"Even later, when the emperor sent troops to conquer Baekje, Liu Rengui was ordered to supervise the sea transport. Li Yifu, knowing that the timing was not right, forced him to go to sea. The fleet encountered a storm and sank on the way, with serious casualties. Liu Rengui also narrowly escaped death."

"Afterwards, Li Yifu even accused Liu Rengui of failing in his command of the army, and the Emperor once demoted him to a commoner..."

Liu Jianjun clicked his tongue and said, "I thought your father was so wise, but it turns out he can make mistakes too?"

Li Xian glared at him again and said, "When you look at these things from a later perspective, you will naturally think that way, but at that time, the Emperor was deceived by those around him, so how could he possibly see the truth?"

Liu Jianjun nodded thoughtfully: "Yes, please continue."

"Later, Liu Rengui won many battles in Baekje. The Baekje prince led his troops and the envoys of Wa and Tamna to surrender. The Tang Dynasty completely destroyed Baekje. Liu Rengui requested to stay in Baekje to deter the villains."

"It wasn't until the second year of the Linde era, when the Emperor performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, that Liu Rengui led the chieftains of four countries—Silla, Baekje, Damna, and Wa—to Mount Tai to participate in the sacrificial gathering. The Emperor was overjoyed and promoted Liu Rengui to the position of Grand Censor and concurrently in charge of political affairs."

"After that, Liu Rengui rose through the ranks, successively conquering Goguryeo and Silla, and was promoted to Duke of Lecheng County for his achievements..."

After listening, Liu Jianjun nodded thoughtfully and said, "So Liu Rengui is a talented general? You said that during his time in office, Liu Rengui only had a falling out with Li Yifu?"

Li Xian shook his head: "Not only that. In the second year of Yifeng, Liu Rengui's decrees were repeatedly opposed by Li Jingxuan, the then Chancellor, so the conflict between him and Li Jingxuan was actually greater." Liu Jianjun was taken aback: "Then why didn't you mention this Li Jingxuan before?"

"Li Jingxuan is dead! At the time, Liu Rengui knew that Li Jingxuan was not a military talent, but because he wanted to take revenge on him, he petitioned his father to let him guard the western border. As a result, in September of the following year, Li Jingxuan was defeated in the Battle of Qinghai and was demoted to the position of governor of Hengzhou. He died of illness not long afterward."

Liu Jianjun clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "So, Liu Rengui is not only a talented general, but also not the kind of inflexible old stubbornness. That's perfect. It's only valuable to win over someone like him!"

Li Xian asked curiously, "What are you planning to do?"

"Find an opportunity to pay them a visit!"

Li Xian was taken aback: "Aren't you afraid of the Empress Dowager anymore?"

If Liu Jianjun had previously visited Di Renjie and was not taken seriously by the Empress Dowager because Di Renjie was of low rank and little power, this was now Liu Rengui, the most powerful minister in the court!

Isn't he afraid that his mother will become suspicious?

"What are you afraid of? Your mother is just hoping that someone will side with Liu Rengui right now! That way she'll know who should stay in Chang'an and who she should take with her! Don't forget, she plans to move the capital!"

"Besides, she's busy vying for power with Xianzi right now. If nothing unexpected happens, she'll gradually take control of the Central Imperial Guard and then strengthen local control. These twenty-seven days of mourning for Xianzi are the most important twenty-seven days for her. She won't have the energy to pay attention to us two good-for-nothings who only know how to patronize prostitutes."

Li Xian was completely convinced.

He thought for a moment, then asked, "What about Li Xian? If Li Xian is destined to lose, as you say, will Mother also take action against him afterward?"

Li Xian paused, recalling his past with Li Xian, and then pleaded, "If Mother is also going to harm Li Xian, can you help him? At the very least, save his life..."

Liu Jianjun suddenly stood up, patted Li Xian on the shoulder, and sighed, "Xianzi, I didn't misjudge you!"

Li Xian was stunned.

Liu Jianjun didn't explain, but continued, "You don't need to worry about Xianzi. He's different from you. He was once an emperor, and that's his biggest protection."

Killing the emperor and forcing the deposed crown prince to his death are two different things.

"Your mother will not touch Xianzi, whether for the sake of public opinion or to stabilize the Li Tang imperial family and the court officials."

Li Xian immediately felt relieved.

"Alright, your task during this time is simple: find an opportunity to take me to visit Liu Rengui. Everything else will wait. If there's nothing else, I'm going to see my nephews!"

As Liu Jianjun spoke, he walked towards the South Campus.

Li Xian was taken aback, and then realized that the nephew Liu Jianjun was referring to was his three sons.

Just as he was about to follow, a maidservant ran over and bowed: "My lord, the mistress has returned and sent me to summon you!"

Li Xian thought for a moment and decided that compared to his sons, the matter of Xiu Niang's affairs was more important, so he followed the maid.

……

When Li Xian returned to his room, the embroiderer was tidying something up with her back to him. Li Xian glanced at her and saw that there seemed to be some kind of pastry box there.

He also overheard the embroiderer telling Changxin, "When your grandfather comes later, leave these flatbreads for him; they're his favorite."

Li Xian suddenly remembered the way Liu Jianjun had hugged Shangguan Wan'er around the waist, so he made a "shh" gesture to Changxin and quietly walked behind the embroiderer.

Then he bent down and, amidst the embroiderer's gasp, lifted her up by the waist.

It's a little heavy, but it feels good.

……

(End of this chapter)