Zhang Shuo said, "My first plan is that the crown prince is the third son of the imperial family and doesn't conform to the tradition of a legitimate eldest son. Some people maliciously slander him and sow discord within the imperial family. This is the excuse to make the Eastern Palace restless. In my opinion, the eldest and second sons should be given local titles and not return to the capital before the crown prince ascends to the throne. This is to quell the ill will of others. "
Li Dan stroked his beard in thought for a moment before nodding.
Zhang Shuo continued, "The fourth and fifth sons are currently generals of the Imperial Guard, in charge of the palace's security. If they get close to the crown prince, someone will sow discord between His Majesty's father and son. If they get close to His Majesty, someone will sow discord between the crown prince and his brother. I believe that the two princes can be removed from their positions as generals of the Imperial Guard, while the fourth and fifth sons can become generals of the Eastern Palace's left and right guards. With the two princes as the crown prince's generals, how can others sow discord? "
Li Dan was pleased. "Master Zhang's words are very reasonable. Is this the second plan?"
Zhang Shuo shook his head with a smile. "Not so. Everything I said just now was about the five princes. This is the first plan."
Li Dan was surprised. "Oh? Then tell me, what is the second plan?"
Zhang Shuo said, "For the second plan, Your Majesty can have the crown prince govern the country. His Majesty has already delegated the governance of the country to the crown prince, but he hasn't been given the title of regent. However, this will make the crown prince somewhat unjustifiable. This is also one of the reasons others will attack the crown prince. If Your Majesty has the crown prince govern the country, all doubts will be dispelled!"
Li Dan clapped his hands in approval, his face full of joy.
If it was another emperor, such as Li Shimin or Wu Zetian, or even the milder Li Zhi, if any of the officials suddenly went to suggest the Crown Prince to oversee the country, they would be courting death. However, Li Dan was a freak among the emperors.
He loathed power and did not like to manage the affairs of the country. Now, everyone understood this point, which was why Zhang Shuo dared to speak to him so boldly. He did not need to worry that the Emperor would be suspicious and think that he was being disrespectful to the Emperor or harboring some ulterior motive.
Zhang Shuo said, "As for the third plan …"
At this point, his eyes suddenly became a little gloomy. "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and the Princess are both resolute people. As the saying goes, a mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, so there are often conflicts. After the Crown Prince regains control of the country, Your Majesty can order Princess Taiping and her family to move to the eastern capital, Luoyang, to live in peace and wealth. The military and state affairs will be entrusted to the Crown Prince, and from then on all disputes will cease. "
Li Dan was startled when she heard this.
Seeing this, Yao Chong hurriedly said, "If Your Majesty follows Prime Minister Zhang's words, it will be a blessing for the country!"
Li Dan gave him a deep look. "Does Master Yao also agree with this view?"
Yao Chong replied, "Exactly! The Crown Prince was the Crown Prince appointed by His Majesty. Sooner or later, he would have the power of the president. But Princess Taiping was just an assistant to His Majesty when His Majesty first ascended the throne. There were a lot of things to do and His Majesty couldn't handle them all at once. Now that there was a Crown Prince, why not let Princess Taiping take off the heavy responsibility? It was the right way for a woman to take care of her husband and teach her children. This way, we can avoid harming the harmony of the royal family. "
Li Dan was greatly moved. He had never suspected that his sister coveted the throne. He only thought that his sister and his son's quarrel was so stiff because their temperaments were too different. He thought for a moment and nodded. "I have no brothers in the world, only Sister Taiping. How can I leave her far away in the eastern capital? Let her go out and relax. Everything else can be arranged according to Qing Qing's wishes. "
If they followed Zhang Shuo's suggestion and arranged for Princess Taiping to stay in the eastern capital, it would be sending a clear signal to the whole world: Princess Taiping would spend the rest of her life in the eastern capital and would never be allowed to return to Chang 'an. But other places would be different. Sooner or later, she would have to return to the capital. The current move was only a means to ease the relationship between her and the Crown Prince.
Seeing that Li Dan was reluctant to let Princess Taiping go to the eastern capital, Zhang Shuo and Yao Chong no longer insisted. They cupped their hands and said, "As Your Majesty wishes!"
The two took their leave. As soon as they returned, Yao Chong looked for Song Jing to discuss. He quickly issued an edict. "From now on, the princes and the Emperor's son-in-law will not be in charge of the Forbidden Army. Those who are in charge of the Forbidden Army will be transferred to other positions. I order the Prince of Song, Li Chengqi, to be the Provincial Governor of Tongzhou, Li Shouli, the Prince of Cheng, to be the Provincial Governor of Feng, Li Longfan, the Great General of the Left Yulin, to be the Left Guard of the Eastern Palace, and the former Great General of the Right Yulin, Prince Xue, Li Longye, to be the Right Guard of the Eastern Palace. "
Immediately, the second edict ordered Princess Taiping to move to Puzhou (now Yongji, Shanxi). Then, the third edict ordered Crown Prince Li Longji to supervise the country. The three imperial edicts were like a thunderclap that was stronger than the previous one. They were issued at an incomparably fast speed. They knew how powerful Princess Taiping was and wanted to make it a reality.
When the news reached Princess Taiping's mansion, Princess Taiping was taking advantage of her rare leisure time to tease the precious grandson that her eldest daughter had given birth to for her. After hearing the news, she didn't even have time to change out of her Yan Ju's regular clothes and galloped straight to the Imperial Palace.
Li Dan had always feared and loved this younger sister of his. Seeing Princess Taiping angrily rushing over and questioning him, Li Dan blushed and stammered, not knowing how to respond.
Princess Taiping slapped the table and said, "My Imperial Brother is perfectly fine. He has not personally gone into battle and is not seriously ill. How can he let the Crown Prince supervise the country? What will the world think when the news gets out? Song Jing and Yao Chong have ulterior motives. They must die to appease the world! "
Li Dan stammered, "The two Xianggong are thinking of me out of the kindness of your heart. You also know that I have always been lazy and neglected government affairs. Having the Crown Prince to help me with state affairs is exactly what I want."
Princess Taiping said, "But this is not in line with the system. How can the Emperor, in his prime, let the Crown Prince supervise the country? Once the news gets out, people will either suspect that you are seriously ill or suspect that the Crown Prince is forcing you. Our Li family has been through a lot."
Li Dan sighed in annoyance and said, "Fine, fine. Then … let's do it this way. I will issue another edict stating that the appointment and removal of officials below the sixth rank will be given to the Crown Prince. The appointment and removal of officials above the fifth rank will still be decided by me. Is this okay?"
Princess Taiping thought for a moment. If it was only officials below the sixth rank, it would not be a big problem. Officials above the sixth rank would still have to go through her elder brother, who would certainly consult her. When the time comes, the authority would still be in her hands. She said, "This is fine. But Yao Chong and Song Jing have ulterior motives. They must be severely punished!"
At this point, Taiping suddenly burst into tears. She choked and said, "All these years, I have done a lot for you. Everything I have done has been for the sake of Li Tang's country. I did not expect to be slandered by vile people."
Li Dan was really afraid of his younger sister. Seeing her cry, he felt very uneasy and hurriedly said, "Lingyue, don't be sad. I … fine, I will drive them out of the capital and demote them. How about that? "
This scene was very similar to the time when Shangguan Yi proposed to abolish Wu Meiniang's empress position. After hearing the news, Wu Meiniang angrily barged into the imperial palace. She scolded and cried bitterly, forcing Li Zhi to push everything to Shangguan Yi. The proposal to abolish the empress was forced to stop and Shangguan Yi was instead punished. Decades later, this scene played out again in Chang 'an. However, the one forcing the abdication was not Wu Zetian but her daughter Princess Taiping. The indecisive emperor Li Zhi in front of women was replaced by his son Li Dan.
Hearing this, Princess Taiping calmed down a little. She looked at Li Dan and said, "Then … what about the edict to expel me from Chang 'an?"
Seeing his younger sister being so aggressive, Li Dan was also a little annoyed. He said with some resentment, "Lingyue, I have no interest in state affairs. I asked you to assist me, but you should not have made things so awkward with San Lang. Don't think that I don't know some things because I am deep in the palace. You … "
Speaking of this, Li Dan finally could not bear to say harsh words. He softened his tone and said, "You should go to Puzhou and stay for a few days. Take it as a chance to relax. After a while, I will invite you back. San Lang has grown up and is still calm in doing things. As elders, we should not interfere too much. Let him rule the world. "
"You …"
Princess Taiping was angry, but she had nothing to say. Her brother only asked her to go to Puzhou for a few days. It was not like he would never return. Could she let her brother understand that she actually cared about power and did not want to give it up?
Princess Taiping swallowed her anger and waved her big sleeves. She sneered and said, "Fine! In that case, I am too lazy to worry. Since you trust San Lang, then let him rule the world! "
"Lingyue …"
Li Dan hurriedly got up. Unfortunately, he could not stop her in time. Princess Taiping had already waved her sleeves and left.
…
In Feng Lu's room, Yang Fan relaxed his body and lay on his back. His head was pillowed with a soft bath towel. He seemed to have fallen asleep. The hot spring water emitted a dense mist that shrouded the surface of Feng Lu's water, making his face a little hazy.
Outside the room, there was a clattering sound of wooden steps coming from the long wooden corridor. Because the sound was light and had a clear sense of rhythm, it was as pleasant as a piece of music.
There was a soft knock on the door. Yang Fan asked lazily, "Is it Apricot?"
"Ha Yi!"
"Come in!"
"Sha ~ ~ ~ ~"
The wicket door was gently opened, and a delicate foot covered in snow-white Japanese-style socks stepped in lightly like a cat, followed by another foot. Both feet crossed, taking small steps in a typical Japanese-style lady's gait. The hem of a bright pink kimono decorated with cherry blossoms swayed on it.
A young girl with a graceful and clean figure walked gently to Feng Lu's side and knelt down. The small bag tied with a bright blue ribbon did not hide her slender waist and unusually round buttocks. From her shoulders to her waist, she outlined a very beautiful curve.
"Master …"
The young girl in kimono called softly with an exotic and soft voice. When she spoke, she slightly bowed her head. Her snow-white delicate neck was like a swan pecking its feathers. It was extremely elegant. Yang Fan slowly opened his eyes. The young girl said in a low voice, "Master Fujiwara invites you to a banquet."
Yang Fan thought for a moment and asked, "Which Master Fujiwara? Is it Fujiwara Bubi?"
The young girl pursed her lips and smiled. She said softly, "Ha Yi."
"Hmm," Yang Fan replied. He stood up from the water and stepped on the wooden steps. His naked body was fit and strong, exuding an indescribable masculine beauty. Hot water droplets rolled down from his body.
There was a slight blush on Anko's bright face. She meekly stood up, picked up a bath towel, and gently wiped the water droplets off Yang Fan's body. She was careful as if she was cleaning an exquisite piece of porcelain.
Yang Fan's mind was not on her. Being served naked like this was the privilege of the upper class. At first, he was not used to it, but now he was used to it. He stood there, letting the beautiful Japanese girl wipe his body. His mind had already turned to Fujiwara Bubi.
"As the illegitimate son of Tenji Tenji and the person who supported Tenji Tenji, Fujiwara Bubi can be said to have power over the imperial court. He has been trying to curry favor with me recently. It should be because of the power I have and my huge cargo ship. This person is worth befriending. With Master Huaiyi in the wilderness and Fujiwara in the imperial court, I can firmly control the Japanese trade route and transport a large amount of gold and silver back to our country to strengthen my power. "
He was wearing a black robe in the style of the Central Plains, a moon-white hair scarf with blue edges, and a leather belt. His originally slender waist, narrow back, and strong and masculine warrior's physique suddenly changed into a gentle and elegant gentleman. Fujiwara Anko knelt at the feet of Yang Fan and tidied his robe. She looked up at him with admiration and love.
At this time, the barrier door was opened again. A Nu walked in quickly from outside. When she saw Yang Fan, she raised her hand, holding a wrinkled letter, and said, "Langjun, there is news from home."
"Oh?"
Yang Fan was a little surprised and quickly reached out to take it. Anko put her hands on her knees and gently bowed to A Nu, "Greetings, Madam!" Then she gently stood up, walked backward out of the room, and gently closed the door for them. A Nu teased and said, "Anko is quite good at serving people. Do you want to take her with you when you return home?"
Yang Fan had quickly read the letter at this time. His eyes flashed with horror, and he said in a deep voice, "Return home immediately!"
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