Huan Yanfan handed over the slip of paper, pretended to be calm, exchanged a few words with Wang Tongjiao, and then took his leave. Zhang Jianzhi and the others were in low spirits and did not want to chat, so they only politely nodded to Wang Tongjiao and left.
Far away, under the palace walls, Yang Fan could not help but sigh softly as he watched them depart. To tell the truth, ever since the Dragon God's coup, putting aside the fact that the meritorious officials' party had been unfair to him when it came to rewards, Yang Fan did not approve of Zhang Jianzhi and the others' methods in other aspects.
Not only did they wantonly cultivate their own party, they were arrogant and ignored the Emperor, and they did not have any outstanding achievements in government affairs. Of the five Prime Ministers, Cui Xuanhui was slightly better. As for Zhang Jianzhi, he had been a county magistrate until he was sixty-five.
After that, he was promoted to provincial governor of a province, and he was in a barren land with a powerful local clan. His achievements were nothing to write home about. Although he had shown decisiveness and shrewdness in the coup, especially his courage, as a Prime Minister, these were not the only things that qualified him.
There was no need to talk about the others. Jing Hui, Huan Yanfan, and Yuan Shuji had not even been officials of a yamen before, but they had directly become Prime Ministers. Although they had made great contributions, did they have the ability to match a Prime Minister?
Looking at all the decrees they had issued in the four months since they had taken charge of the court, other than some superficial articles about juren teaching materials, banners, temples, and regulations, there was nothing to write home about, and the purging of the Zhang Faction. There was nothing to write home about in terms of the national economy and the people's livelihood.
Simply put, they were too arrogant. Not only were their hearts arrogant, but their actions were arrogant as well. There were not many that could be put into practice. For the country, for the people, and for the Tang dynasty that had been ruled by Empress Zetian for nearly twenty years, there were few that could inspire people.
Yang Fan felt that if it were not for the fact that the Empress and the Martial Party still needed to be restrained in court, it might not be a bad thing for them to continue living like this. Otherwise, in a year and a half, their shortcomings in governing the country would be exposed, and the glory of the meritorious officials of the coup would completely fade. At that time, even their illustrious reputation would be covered in dust.
Zhang Jianzhi and the others left the palace. Yang Fan sighed and turned to leave as well. He had just received news from Ren Wei that Shen Mu had returned to Chang 'an early in the morning and was eager to meet him.
His intuition told him that what happened in Zhuo Zhou was not as simple as the two sects fighting for power. One Leaf Knows the Autumn. He had already detected that there seemed to be some restless element brewing within the Xian Sect. He needed Shen Mu's help to deal with this.
Yang Fan walked leisurely. He had just walked to the imperial road in front of the Eastern Palace when he suddenly saw a man wearing arrow sleeves, carrying a longbow and a quiver, with a few wild pheasants and hares on his shoulder, walking excitedly with big strides. Behind him were four eunuchs working together to carry an elk.
When Yang Fan saw this, he immediately stopped and retreated two steps to the side. He cupped his hands and said, "This official greets the Crown Prince!"
"Ah! General Yang! "
Li Zhongjun waved his hand carelessly at Yang Fan and walked past him like the wind without stopping. Through Li Chengkuang's introduction, Li Zhongjun had made a group of friends in the Yulin Royal Guards. Among them, there was no lack of Yang Fan's colleagues, comrades, and subordinates. When they had free time, they would go hunting together and become very close friends.
Through these people, he had gained some understanding of Yang Fan and did not have any ill feelings towards Yang Fan. However, his best friend, Li Chengkuang, had some complaints about Yang Fan. Li Zhongjun's closest and most trusted person was Li Chengkuang. Therefore, he purposefully kept his distance from Yang Fan.
Yang Fan did not go too far. He straightened his back and was about to leave when Princess Anle suddenly walked over with two palace maids. Logically, the relatives of the Imperial Family had to enter the palace through the back door, which was to enter through the Xuanwu Gate. This front palace was where the Emperor handled government affairs. The women of the Imperial Family should not appear here.
However, Princess Anle was the most favored in front of Emperor Li Xian and Empress Wei shi. After Li Xian became Emperor, this usually arrogant Princess could do as she pleased in the capital. What place was off-limits to her? It was likely that if she wanted to sit on the imperial throne in the Jinluan Hall, Li Xian would not object.
Princess An Le was wearing a gorgeous feather dress woven from the feathers of hundreds of birds. She walked over proudly and elegantly, and just happened to be opposite the Crown Prince. When Li Zhongjun saw An Le, he immediately stopped, and hesitation appeared on his face.
Li Zhongjun was now the heir apparent. Other than the Emperor and Empress, his status was the highest. Everyone in the world was his subject. When Anle saw him, she naturally had to bow to him first before Li Zhongjun would return the bow. However, Li Zhongjun was a bastard son. His status among his siblings was far lower than this sister's. Therefore, when they first met, Li Zhongjun was in a difficult position.
With his status as the Crown Prince, he was unwilling from the bottom of his heart to bow to Anle first. However, when he thought of how much Anle was favored by his Imperial Father and Imperial Mother, Li Zhongjun truly did not want to offend Anle. In this moment of hesitation, Princess Anle had already walked in front of him. Glaring, she said in disgust, "Move aside!"
This imperial path was extremely wide and could accommodate two carriages side by side. However, as the Crown Prince, the heir apparent of a country, he naturally could not walk by the side of the path. Therefore, Li Zhongjun stood in the middle of the imperial path, and Princess Anle also walked in the middle of the imperial path. Moreover, she shouted for him to move aside.
Li Zhongjun might be the Crown Prince, but under the influence of Anle, he, as an imperial prince who had only been the Crown Prince for a few days, did not have enough confidence and confidence. Being shouted at by Anle, Li Zhongjun panicked and unconsciously moved back two steps.
Princess An Le raised her mesmerizing chin and walked over with a smug expression. She didn't even spare Li Zhongjun a glance, but when she looked at Yang Fan, her pair of charming eyes rippled with a pair of foxy and alluring eyes.
Anle had always thought highly of herself, but Yang Fan had abandoned her like a pair of worn-out shoes. Anle was dissatisfied and always wanted to conquer Yang Fan. She wanted him to kneel under her skirt and beg for her grace. Only then would she be satisfied.
When Yang Fan saw that Princess An Le wanted to pick a quarrel with him, he immediately frowned and pretended not to see her. He turned around and was about to leave. Just as he turned around, he heard Princess An Le let out a shrill cry that was filled with anger.
When Yang Fan turned his head to look, he saw Princess Anle shaking her skirt and furiously stomping her little boots. The eunuchs who were carrying the elk beside her had faces of panic and helplessness.
It turned out that the four eunuchs were carrying the yellow elk that the Crown Prince had personally hunted and were walking forward. When they saw Princess Anle walk over proudly, they consciously moved to the side.
However, the hem of Princess Anle's feather skirt was too fluffy, like a trumpet. Such a cut could make her small waist even more graceful. But because the hem of the skirt was fluffy, when Princess Anle walked past, the hem of her skirt brushed against the elk's body.
The elk had been carried from the countryside to the city, so there was no longer any blood. However, there were still some half-clotted blood stains on the elk's carcass, which immediately rubbed against the hem of Princess Anle's skirt.
Anle cherished this skirt very much. This time, she was furious. As she shook her skirt and stomped her feet, she sternly scolded, "You murdering dogs, how dare you stain my feather skirt. You deserve to die!"
The four eunuchs hurriedly threw away the elk and knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing to Princess Anle. Princess Anle gritted her teeth and ordered, "Go, send someone over to kill these four blind dogs. Beat them all to death."
One of the palace maids left and the four eunuchs were scared out of their wits. They desperately kowtowed to her and begged for forgiveness. These four eunuchs were all from the Eastern Palace. No matter how much Li Zhongjun didn't want to offend Anle, he had to speak up now. Otherwise, if he was killed because of this small mistake, who in the Eastern Palace would be willing to work for him?
Li Zhongjun braced himself and stepped forward. He bowed to Princess Anle and said, "Younger Sister Guo 'er, it was my men who were careless. I apologize to you here. Younger Sister Guo' er is a magnanimous person, please don't be like them for my sake …"
"Get lost!"
Anle's face turned red with anger. She pointed at Li Zhongjun's nose and scolded in a sharp voice, "What face do you have, you raised a maidservant?"
Li Zhongjun's face immediately turned purple. Yes, his mother was originally an ordinary palace maid. Because she was favored by Li Xian and became pregnant, she was promoted to an imperial concubine. Her status was originally very low. But he never thought that after he became the Crown Prince, An Le would still be so domineering towards him.
For a moment, Li Zhongjun's eyes were bloodshot. He clenched his fists in anger and his joints made a series of cracking sounds. Anle raised her chin in disdain and provoked, "What? You're not convinced? You're raised a maidservant. Even if you've become the Crown Prince, you're still raised a maidservant. Do you think you're worthy of asking for face in front of me? "
Li Zhongjun was well-versed in martial arts. If he were to throw a punch now, An Le's palm-sized, extremely exquisite, extremely seductive face would turn into a pancake. She would no longer be able to charm all living things. But Li Zhongjun did not dare to make a move. He was so angry that his entire body was trembling. But his tightly clenched fists were pressed against his body and he did not dare to throw a punch.
When Yang Fan saw this, he couldn't help but interrupt, "These people only made an unintentional mistake. Your Highness, the Princess, has such an esteemed status. Why would you care about ant-like characters? Please spare their lives."
An Le glared at him and her anger suddenly subsided. She turned towards Yang Fan and asked, "What, is General Yang pleading for mercy on their behalf?"
If he could save four lives, Yang Fan would not care about his own status. He nodded seriously at An Le and said sincerely, "That's right, this lowly subject pleads for mercy on behalf of these four people. Princess, please be magnanimous."
Princess An Le suddenly giggled and nodded sweetly. "Fine! Then I will give you this face. "
Yang Fan happily clasped his hands and said, "Many thanks, Princess!"
The four eunuchs seemed to be relieved of a heavy burden. They kowtowed in gratitude and said, "Many thanks, Your Highness, many thanks, General Yang."
Yang Fan sighed softly and clasped his hands towards Li Zhongjun and Princess An Le. He said, "Crown Prince, Princess, this lowly subject bids farewell."
Even though Li Zhongjun was a martial artist, he wasn't very broad-minded. When he saw that he had humbly begged for mercy, Princess An Le didn't give him any face at all. Instead, she humiliated him. In the end, Yang Fan managed to persuade An Le with just a few words. This was equivalent to another cut on his already bloody self-esteem. He lost even more face. Therefore, he wasn't at all grateful to Yang Fan. Instead, he even hated Yang Fan.
At this moment, the palace maid led a dozen or so eunuchs with large staffs in their hands in a hurry. The eunuchs stood there panting and bowed to Princess An Le. They said, "Your servants have arrived. What orders does the Princess have?" As they spoke, they looked uneasily at the Crown Prince.
They were the lowest servants and naturally didn't want to offend the Crown Prince. But for those who made a living in the palace, who didn't know that An Le was the most favored in front of the Emperor? Princess An Le always kept her word in front of the Emperor. Even though the Crown Prince would become the Emperor in the future, if they offended An Le, they wouldn't be able to live. Weighing the two, they naturally had to listen to Princess An Le.
Princess An Le pointed at the four eunuchs kneeling on the ground and said, "Go! Break the legs of these blind things and throw them out of the palace. Let them fend for themselves. "
Li Zhongjun was shocked and shouted angrily, "An Le, you … you clearly promised to spare them just now!"
Princess An Le glanced at him disdainfully and mocked, "I only agreed to spare them because of Yang Fan. Yang Fan begged me to spare their lives, so I spared their lives. I never said that I wouldn't punish them at all. You don't want me to break their legs, but unfortunately, you don't have the face to do so! "
"You … you …"
Li Zhongjun was so angry that he was trembling. He gritted his teeth so hard that they almost broke.
Princess An Le waved her hand and said coldly, "Don't blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame your master for being incompetent. Drag them away and execute them! "
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