Shangguan Yangyu was the ugliest prefectural magistrate of Chang 'an since the founding of the Tang Empire a thousand years ago. He had a natural wretchedness from the inside out.
Being famous for his ugly appearance naturally did not make people happy. However, neither he nor his old wife could deny this point. Therefore, as he stood in the grand and solemn hall, he felt increasingly ashamed of his inferiority. More and more sweat appeared on his forehead, and his triangular eyes flickered incessantly.
Li Yu had seen Shangguan Yangyu several times and knew that he was extremely ugly. However, every time she saw him, she always felt that this person's ugliness seemed to have a new meaning. She could not help but feel disgusted.
But she controlled her expression very well, and her speech was extremely respectful, as warm as the spring breeze. The reason for this was that she was very clear that the magistrate had a very rare strength and talent under such an unbearable appearance. Otherwise, it would be impossible for him to stay in this critical and thorny position for so many years.
Li Yu was very practical. As long as there was a real talent, even if Shangguan Yangyu's character was as ugly as his appearance, and he was extremely cunning and corrupt, she would still accept him.
Moreover, even if Shangguan Yangyu had many shortcomings, there was a good story about him: after he obtained the scholarly honors, he did not abandon his plain-looking wife, and he still had a deep relationship with her.
This made Li Yu admire him very much. In addition, the position of prefectural magistrate of Chang 'an was very important. Therefore, after the new emperor ascended the throne, he was the first minister she met in the palace.
Logically speaking, this was a heaven-sent opportunity for Shangguan Yangyu. For someone like him who had never cared about morality, there was no psychological barrier for him to become the disciple of the Princess and the new Emperor. Faced with the vague solicitation from Her Highness's words, he should immediately bow to them.
However, what surprised Li Yu and the few people in the hall was that although Shangguan Yangyu's attitude was respectful and kept flattering her, and he even wanted to lie on the ground to kiss Li Yu's feet, once the conversation became a little deeper, he would open his eyes wide like an idiot and did not know what to say at all.
…
…
Li Yu frowned slightly. Of course, she knew that Shangguan Yangyu would not be so stupid that he could not understand what she said. So, this person's pretending to be stupid could only mean that his and some of the ministers' attitudes were not firm enough.
What made her even more depressed was that the second person she wanted to see today refused to enter the palace!
The leader of the eunuchs and the old mama were incessantly reprimanding that man for his disrespect. Their expressions were indignant, as if they were itching to immediately send the Yulin Royal Guards to capture that man and bring him into the Palace to be punished.
"All of you, shut up."
Li Yu shouted and waved her hand to chase all the eunuchs, palace maids and the nanny closest to her out of the hall.
Chao Xiaoshu was not an ordinary person. Even if she had such status and power, she still did not dare to be impolite, let alone think about hurting this person.
He was the leader of the underworld in Chang 'an. Even though he had not been involved in the affairs of Jianghu for many years and had not paid attention to the affairs of the Fish-dragon Gang since he returned to Chang' an last year, everyone knew that the dark world of Chang 'an was still under his rule.
However, if Chao Xiaoshu was just a big shot in Jianghu, any minister in the court would not take a second look at him. Naturally, Li Yu would not be so troubled.
The key was that Chao Xiaoshu was a Grand Cultivator in the Knowing Destiny State and had a brotherly relationship with her father. When she saw him, she had to call him Second Uncle Chao. It was also because Chao Xiaoshu had many good brothers who were willing to die for him. In some ways, those good brothers were related to the safety of Chang 'an.
After the eunuchs and palace maids were chased out, Li Yu was not the only one left in the hall. There was also a middle-aged minister. It was Mo Han, the Grand Secretary of the Martial Heroic Hall who had entered the Cabinet four years ago.
"Your Highness, you don't have to worry for the time being. Chao Xiaoshu's refusal to enter the palace does not mean that he has any opinion of Your Highness. Back then, when he refused the official position granted by His Majesty and left the palace, he had already shown his attitude. Today is just a continuation of that day. He wants Your Highness to understand his determination not to participate in the court affairs. "
Mo Han said with a smile.
Li Yu frowned slightly and said, "Chang San and Fei Liu are popular in the Yulin Royal Guards. Liu Wu is now the commander of the Valiant Cavalry Battalion. After Chen Qi returned to the bodyguard office, he became Xu Chongshan's right-hand man. These people only follow Chao Xiaoshu's orders. If Father was still alive, they would not dare to have any disloyalty. But now that Father has passed away, if Chao Xiaoshu had any ideas, Chang 'an would be in danger. I do not want to give orders to others. "
Mo Han's smile faded and he asked, "Then how does Your Highness think we should deal with Chao Xiaoshu?"
Li Yu was silent for a long time. She understood what the Grand Secretary meant and said, "This is an old matter arranged by Father. It can only be changed with time. Neither I nor Her Majesty can deal with it."
Mo Han said approvingly, "That's right. His Majesty established the Fish-dragon Gang among the people. It seemed insignificant and was even criticized by the censor as nonsense. But who would have thought that the people in the Fish-dragon Gang have become such important figures now? These people will only be loyal to the former Emperor, so they will definitely be loyal to the heir appointed by the former Emperor, which is our Emperor. Your Highness does not need to do anything. You just need to follow the old practice and maintain the good relationship with the family. I think Chao Xiaoshu will naturally understand Your Highness's intentions. "
Li Yu said, "The Grand Secretary's words make sense. I will make arrangements later."
"Except for the former Emperor, no one can interfere with the Yulin Royal Guards, the Valiant Cavalry Battalion and the bodyguard office, including Her Majesty and the Prince. So many people died in the Spring Breeze Pavilion that rainy night. It was the former Emperor who announced this. So in my opinion, there is no problem with the safety of Chang 'an."
Mo Han's expression gradually became serious and he said, "What I am worried about is the outside of the country. It is said that on the Wilderness, the Headmaster drew his sword and fought with Haotian. That is why the West-Hill Coalition Army turned against each other. Although the former Emperor led the cavalry to defeat the enemy, now that the Headmaster and the former Emperor have passed away, the West-Hill Divine Palace will definitely not miss this opportunity. "
"Although the Tang Empire is strong, it has become the public enemy of the world. We are surrounded by strong enemies. If we are not careful, we will fall into a precarious situation. It is reported that Prince Long Qing has led the cavalry of the Left King's Palace to fight against the Tang Empire and is preparing to use the Yan Road to go south. Your Highness should advise His Majesty to think more about the military and horses, and not these trivial matters in the court. With the foreign enemies in front of us, we must not cause internal strife. "
Li Yu knew that the Grand Secretary was referring to the Imperial Astronomer and the Imperial Center Administration. She was slightly shocked and grateful that the Grand Secretary could point out His Majesty's mistakes. She said, "Rest assured, Grand Secretary. I will talk to His Majesty."
Mo Han nodded and said, "That's good."
Li Yu said again, "You don't have to worry too much about the Left King's Palace fighting against the Tang Empire. Everyone knows that Long Qing is aiming for the throne of the Yan Kingdom by using the Yan Road to go south. Crown Prince Chong Ming and I have a deep friendship and have already expected this. General Xian Zhilang is wise and resourceful, he will naturally know what to do."
As a civil official who had been supported by the Princess in recent years, Mo Han was naturally the most trusted of all. Of course, he knew that Xian Zhilang was Her Highness's man, so he was slightly relieved.
"We can ignore the conflict at the border of the Yan territory for now. What I am really worried about is the north."
Mo Han said worriedly, "Now that Her Majesty is still in Helan City, the position of the Northern Military Camp is even more special. We can't mess up, but we can't ignore it either. Does Your Highness have any arrangements for this?"
The Northern Military Camp guarded the countless miles of the northern border of the Tang Empire. It had the most elite cavalry and bore the most dangerous mission. It had been confronting the powerful Golden Palace for many years.
The current commander of the Northern Military Camp was Xu Chi, one of the Four Great Generals of the Tang Empire. This general had always been calm and low-key. He was the most inconspicuous.
However, whether it was Li Huiyuan who wanted to sit on the throne or the Tang Empire who wanted to fight against the whole world, Xu Chi was an important figure that could not be ignored or bypassed.
Among the former Four Great Generals, Xia Hou, the Defender-general of the Army, was a trusted follower of the Queen. The current Defender-general of the North, Xian Zhilang, was Li Yu's man. Only the Defender-general of the State, Xu Shi and Xu Chi, were not biased.
They were loyal and only loyal to the Tang Emperor, Li Zhongyi.
What Grand Secretary Mo Han was worried about now was whether General Xu Chi's loyalty to the former emperor could be transferred to the current emperor, or would it be transferred to another prince …
Li Yu said, "General Xu Chi will never participate in the succession of the throne. This is what my father told me a long time ago. So I believe he will remain neutral."
Mo Han shook his head and said, "Since His Majesty has already ascended the throne, it is inappropriate for the general to remain neutral."
Li Yu said, "The Grand Secretary's words make sense. So I have already sent Hua Shanyue."
Mo Han frowned slightly and said, "General Hua Shanyue's loyalty to Her Highness is definitely not a problem. He is also related to General Xu Chi's family by marriage. But these … are meaningless."
Li Yu said calmly, "Since I have given the most important task to Hua Shanyue, I believe he will be able to complete my task. Please rest assured."
…
…
Shangguan Yangyu returned home from the palace and locked himself in the house.
His old wife sat by the bed to serve the medicine. She asked worriedly, "Is he going to hit himself again?"
Shangguan Yangyu sighed and said, "I'm afraid he will strangle himself with the white silk this time."
His old wife was shocked and said, "The new emperor has ascended the throne. Her Highness is powerful. Since she values you, you should just agree. Why do you have to seek death?"
Shangguan Yangyu stared at her with his triangular eyes and scolded, "What do you, an ignorant woman, know? Even if she is powerful, it depends on how long she can be powerful. If I become Her Highness's disciple, I can naturally earn a lot of money and get promoted. But what can I do when Her Majesty brings the prince back to Chang 'an? "
His old wife laughed when she heard this and said, "Master always talks about the law of the Tang Empire. How can you forget it now? His Majesty ascended the throne with a posthumous edict. Who dares to rebel against him? Who can rebel against him? "
"I said you don't understand. The posthumous edict can't be faked. But Her Highness wants to see me first. Why? It means that Her Highness is also worried about chaos in Chang 'an. "
Shangguan Yangyu said, "Under what circumstances will Chang 'an be in chaos? Of course, there will be people who are dissatisfied. "
His old wife was even more confused. She put the medicine on the table and asked seriously, "Who can cause trouble?"
Shangguan Yangyu sneered and said, "Now the ministers in the imperial court, whether they are on the side of Her Majesty or Her Highness, they all don't understand one thing. In my opinion, even His Majesty and Her Highness don't understand that the posthumous edict is not the key. Chang 'an is not the key. Even those generals are not the key."
His old wife asked curiously, "Then what is the key?"
Shangguan Yangyu said, "The Academy's attitude is the key."
…
(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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