Yang Fan stayed in the Imperial Palace for three days before he was allowed to return home.
In reality, Li Xian had no need to be so nervous. He was the Emperor. It was the Emperor's right to use whoever he wanted and whoever he didn't. Moreover, he hadn't used any drastic methods to seize back his power. Instead, he had generously bestowed upon the five meritorious ministers the title of Prince.
Under these circumstances, it was impossible for Zhang Jianzhi and the others to retaliate against the Emperor. Even if Li Xian hadn't purged Li Zhan and the others from the Featherwood Guard, those people wouldn't brazenly start a rebellion just because the Emperor had bestowed upon the five meritorious ministers the title of Prince and deprived them of their political power.
Anyone with a brain wouldn't do such a thing. If they did, they would become traitors and truly lose all standing and reputation. Moreover, no one would pledge allegiance to them or respond to them. Even the most radical of them, Huan Yanfan, only dared to say a few excessive words of complaint in his anger.
However, Li Xian had just gone through the Divine Dragon Coup and was inevitably a bit frightened, which was why he was so serious. In the past three days, he had already carried out an extremely thorough overhaul of the central confidential department controlled by the Meritorious Subjects Party. He had also stationed a strong unit of the Thousand Ox Guards and the Left Guard in Yeting Palace. Only then did he remove the highest state of alert.
An hour after Yang Fan had returned home, Shen Mu came to visit. He had just spent some time with his wife, concubines, and children when Shen Mu came to visit.
Yang Fan invited Shen Mu into his small study and recounted to him what had happened in the court over the past two days. Although Shen Mu already understood the results of these matters, there were many details that Yang Fan couldn't possibly understand, so he listened with great interest.
After Yang Fan finished speaking, Shen Mu laughed. "Haha, the Emperor's intentions are actually very clear. He doesn't want the meritorious ministers' faction to order him around. He's had enough of being a puppet. However, the methods he used were very clever. He didn't execute the meritorious ministers or demote them, but bestowed upon them the title of Prince.
If Zhang Jianzhi and the others didn't crave power and position, this reward would have been the result they had sought. That would have been a happy ending for both the ruler and his subjects. Think about it, risking their heads to help the Crown Prince ascend to the throne. In exchange, they wouldn't have just a lifetime of glory and splendor, but generations to come.
As long as the Tang dynasty was not destroyed, their descendants would always be under the protection of the country. Was such a reward not considered grand? The common people of the world will only think that the Emperor knows how to repay kindness, and will reward meritorious service; they will not be able to find the slightest bit of fault. If the party of meritorious officials still wants to stir up trouble, the hearts of the people of the world will not stand on their side. "
Yang Fan said, "The hearts of the people in the world are all empty. In the final analysis, the ones who are effective are those people in the imperial court. The Emperor enfeoffed the Prince of Xiang with five sons, and also enfeoffed the children of Princess Taiping. Relying on this enormous favor, the Prince of Xiang's party and the Taiping party were able to hold back their troops at this critical juncture.
Moreover, the Emperor used this peaceful method to strip Zhang Jianzhi and the others of their military authority and preserve their glory, splendor, wealth, and rank. He also did not provoke the Prince of Xiang and Princess Taiping, forcing them to react violently. This was the crux to how the Emperor was able to smoothly dismiss the five great ministers. "
Shen Mu sighed and said, "That's right. However, King Liang does not have this kind of scheming mind. He has an expert helping him. "
Yang Fan said, "This expert … should be Cui Shi. Based on what I know, he has already thrown himself under King Liang's banner. I would not be surprised if he was the one who came up with this plan."
Shen Mu muttered to himself for a moment, then slowly said, "Perhaps it was him, or perhaps it was Zheng Xian …"
Yang Fan's eyebrows rose. "Zheng Xian? Who is this person? "
Shen Mu waved his hand. "It doesn't matter who it was. They can only offer their suggestions, and in the end, King Liang will have to adopt and carry them out. Otherwise, their dragon slaying skills will be completely useless. The Wu clan is now even more powerful than when it was empress Zetian, and the Prince of Xiang's faction is rapidly rising. In my opinion, the world will become even more chaotic. "
Yang Fan's eyes narrowed. "You are saying?"
Shen Mu said, "The Prince of Xiang and Taiping will not sit by and watch as they rise, nor will they allow the Prince of Xiang and Taiping to stand in their way. Just wait and see. There will definitely be even more storms in the imperial court."
Yang Fan frowned. "Of course we are standing on Li Tang's side."
Shen Mu smiled. "Only when Empress Zetian was there a division between Li Tang and Wu Zhou. Now, who isn't Li Tang? Whether it's the Prince of Xiang's faction, the Prince of Xiang's faction, or the Prince of Xiang's faction, who isn't a subject of Li Tang? The one who rules the world is the emperor surnamed Li. "
Yang Fan's thoughts had been exposed, and he somewhat embarrassedly laughed. "Don't worry. Public affairs are public affairs, and private affairs are private affairs. I will not drag my brothers along with me just because of my relationship with Taiping. However, if a conflict arises between the Prince of Xiang's faction and the Prince of Liang's faction and the Prince of Xiang's faction, we will definitely stand on the side of Prince of Xiang and Taiping. Is that correct? "
Shen Mu replied, "Correct! Behind us are the noble clans, and even though the noble clans and the imperial household have been fighting for so many years, the relationship between us is getting more and more complicated. Putting aside everything else, the Emperor and the Prince of Xiang both have children who are connected by marriage to the noble clans. This has doomed the relationship between us to be deeply entangled. But the Wu clan is different … "
Shen Mu slowly said, "In the past, although Emperors Taizong and Gaozong intentionally suppressed the noble clans to elevate their imperial authority, their methods were still gentle. The Wu and Zhou were very different, so the noble clans and Wu Zhou had an inextricable hatred. Cui Shi's decision to throw himself under Wu Sansi's tutelage was truly somewhat blinded by greed. "
Yang Fan warily asked, "You're saying that this is very likely Cui Shi's personal idea, and not Old Grandfather Cui's?"
Shen Mu replied, "It's very possible. Thus, I will have someone leak some news to Old Grandfather Cui. If this is not Old Grandfather Cui's idea, perhaps we can force Cui Shi to leave Wu Sansi. At the very least … we won't have him follow Wu Sansi so wholeheartedly. "
Yang Fan slowly released a breath of turbid air. "Whether or not Cui Shi leaves Wu Sansi is no longer important to King Liang's faction. King Liang's Faction alone is enough to stir up a storm in the court, let alone the fact that they have colluded with the Empress. "
Shen Mu's eyes darted around. "Ever since Empress Zetian became the empress dowager, she has set her sights on the throne. From then on, the Wu clan became one of the most important forces in the court. After so many years, they have grown so deeply rooted that no one can easily topple them.
Now, even Empress Zetian has fallen, but the Wu clan still stands tall in the court, and the military power they hold is still impenetrable. To tell the truth, the Meritorious Faction is a bit too arrogant. They think that they have fallen for King Liang's scheme, but they don't know that the one who wants to throw them off the throne the most is actually the emperor.
If the emperor throws them off the throne and allows them to freely decide how to deal with the Wu clan, they won't be able to deal with the Wu clan. If that happens, their fate will be even more miserable than it is now. Perhaps the rise of the Future Faction is a good thing? "
Yang Fan asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Shen Mu replied, "Once the Empress rises, they will definitely meddle in the military. They are allies of King Liang's Faction, so they won't be so wary of them. Perhaps the matter of weakening and dividing the military power of King Liang's Faction will fall on them. "
Yang Fan said, "The Empress and King Liang's Faction are colluding with each other. With the Prince of Xiang and Taiping as common enemies, there will be no serious conflict between them. Even if the Wu clan gives a portion of their military power to the Empress, what benefit will it bring us?"
Shen Mu gave a profound smile. "Once a conflict of interest is involved, it's very difficult to guarantee an everlasting friendship. The Empress and King Liang's Faction may not always be as close as one family. They and Prince Xiang and Taiping may not always be so clearly separated.
At that time, if someone specifically deals with the Empress or King Liang's Faction, who knows if the other faction will do as the Prince of Xiang and Taiping did today and watch as the Meritorious Faction fell from power? Erlang, who can say for sure what will happen in the future? "
Yang Fan mulled over Shen Mu's words. The more he thought about them, the more profound they seemed to be, and he couldn't help but fall into a daze. Shen Mu slowly stood up and gave Yang Fan a meaningful glance. "It's time for me to go. Today, I came to visit you and understand some unknown situations. Secondly, I have something to tell you. "
Yang Fan came back to his senses and hurriedly said, "Oh? Speak. "
Shen Mu said, "The people of your Xian Prefecture had some disagreements with my subordinates in the Zhuo Prefecture region. In order to ensure that it wasn't my people who started this on purpose, I already did some research. After confirming that it wasn't our fault, I came to find you. I hope … that you can ask about it. "
Yang Fan frowned and asked in astonishment, "You're talking about Zhuo Prefecture? I already said that since your Hidden Sect has already made arrangements in the west and north, I will definitely not interfere. How did my people end up in Zhuo Prefecture? "
Shen Mu had been staring intently at Yang Fan's gaze. Seeing the divine light in his eyes, he was certain that Yang Fan wasn't faking it. Shen Mu smiled with gratification and said, "It's better for you to understand this matter through your people. If it comes from my mouth, it will be unfair to them."
Yang Fan frowned and thought for a moment. He nodded and said, "Don't worry. I will investigate this matter as soon as possible and give you an explanation."
"En!"
Shen Mu nodded and patted Yang Fan's shoulder forcefully. He said with emotion, "Erlang, this brother hopes to be friends with you forever. However, you and I are not commoners. We both have a huge force behind us. Therefore, there are some things that we cannot decide on.
I hope that the Xian Prefecture and the Hidden Sect can follow our plan and maintain a close relationship that relies on each other instead of being enemies. However, in order to achieve this, the precondition is not to harm the other party's benefits. It is best if it can be mutually beneficial! "
Shen Mu left. Under the sunlight, his footsteps were still so casual and relaxed to the extreme. However, Yang Fan's heart was slightly heavy because of the words he said before he left. Shen Mu sat in the carriage and rolled up the curtains. He smiled and waved at Yang Fan before leaving.
Yang Fan had a gloomy expression as he called Ren Wei over and instructed with a heavy expression, "Immediately send someone to investigate what happened between our people and the Xian Sect in Zhuo Prefecture! Remember, I don't want any of that nonsense. I only want the truth. Don't hide anything! "
"Yes!"
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