Yang Guozhong was not even in the mood to go to the yamen. He locked himself in the room and paced back and forth, thinking about how to deal with the current situation. He had been waiting for the position of Right Prime Minister for too long. He could not wait to sit on it. Now that Li Linfu was dead, the position of Right Prime Minister was vacant. For him, this was a good opportunity.
If it were not for the evil servant, he believed that the Emperor's decree would have been issued by now. He should be the Right Prime Minister now. But it was useless to be anxious. At this moment, the Emperor had not made up his mind. The position of Right Prime Minister was still high up in the air, making him feel as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat.
"It's all because of this bastard. He made such a big mess for me."
When Yang Guozhong hated someone, it was a very bitter hatred. He hated it so much that he gnashed his teeth.
The person he hated the most was naturally the evil servant who had offended the princess. If this evil servant had not offended Princess Guangning unintentionally, there would not have been a series of subsequent events and his position as the Right Minister would have been very stable. However, at this moment, it was this evil servant who had caused him to be unable to get the position of the Right Minister immediately.
Of course, if he only got the position of Right Prime Minister a little later, it would not matter much. He was afraid that the Emperor would change his mind and give the position of Right Prime Minister to another official. In this way, Yang Guozhong would have to wait for a few more days. Obviously, he could not wait any longer.
Yang Guozhong touched his forehead with one hand. The skin on his forehead was almost worn out.
"Prepare the carriage, prepare the carriage. I want to go to the palace."
Yang Guozhong thought about it and felt that he could not sit and wait. It was better to take the initiative. At least, he should go to the palace and discuss with the Imperial Concubine. He should let the Imperial Concubine persuade the Emperor to give him the position of Right Prime Minister as soon as possible.
A country could not be without a ruler for a day. Similarly, the Prime Minister could not be without a ruler for a day. The Tang Dynasty practiced a system of multiple Prime Ministers. There was not one Prime Minister, but only one Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister did not take office for a long time, it would affect the court and make many officials uneasy.
Therefore, the Emperor was also quite anxious. After all, Li Linfu was already dead, and the vacant position of Right Prime Minister had to be filled by someone. At this moment, the candidate he liked the most made his heart flustered, making him unable to make up his mind.
Looking at the headlines of the Tang Dynasty's newspaper, Li Longji was so angry that he threw the newspaper aside.... and he was so angry that he could not say a word....
The evil servant's incident had already made him very angry. Then the stupid Liu's incident made him even more angry. Now it was even worse. This fool jumped into a well and died in Yang Guozhong's mansion. The whole city knew about it.
Although there was no evidence to prove that Big Idiot Liu was murdered by the people of the residence, it could not stop the people of the capital from thinking that way. If they promoted Yang Guozhong at this time, it would be too inappropriate.
Since ancient times, there had been a saying that good things came in pairs. After a person made a contribution, it was best to reward him and promote him. If a person made a mistake and was suddenly promoted, then the promotion would be somewhat inexplicable, which would make many people dissatisfied.
It was because of this that even though Li Linfu had passed away, Li Longji still did not make up his mind to choose the Right Prime Minister. He wanted to delay for some time and let Yang Guozhong and the Crown Prince handle the state affairs first. When the time was right, he would promote Yang Guozhong. In the final analysis, Li Longji's preferred candidate for the Right Prime Minister was still Yang Guozhong, the stupid guy.
One reason was that Yang Guozhong was really good at flattering. The other reason was because of the Imperial Concubine. In order to show his love for the Imperial Concubine, he had to promote more people in the Yang Family. In this way, the Imperial Concubine would be in a good mood if the Imperial Concubine's whole family was honored. Moreover, he really could not find a more suitable and obedient candidate.
Li Longji's delayed decision on the Right Prime Minister candidate was originally a painstaking effort, but Yang Guozhong did not understand. He was an impatient person and could not wait to sit on the throne of the Right Prime Minister immediately. For this day, he had waited for too long. He really did not want to continue waiting. Of course, he was more worried that a long delay might lead to trouble. If the Emperor suddenly changed his mind and gave the Right Prime Minister position to another official, his start would be over.
The most important thing was the problem of face. At this moment, his qualifications and official position were very high. He handled court affairs together with the Crown Prince. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Emperor was grooming a successor. The Crown Prince took over the throne, and Yang Guozhong took over the Right Prime Minister position. If another official suddenly became the Right Prime Minister, his face would be very embarrassed.
In the corridors of the Imperial Palace, Yang Guozhong paced back and forth. He was waiting for the Imperial Concubine. Although he could also go to the bedroom to see the Imperial Concubine, that was after all the Imperial Concubine's living quarters. It was easy to cause gossip. It was better to meet in a public place. At this moment, he was already plagued with bad luck, but he did not dare to cause any more trouble. He could be more careful.
"Cousin, why did you call me in such a hurry? What's the important matter?"
Yang Yuhuan hurried over and asked.
Yang Guozhong first bowed respectfully. Then, he motioned for the palace maids and eunuchs beside him to walk further away.
Yang Yuhuan casually waved her hand, and the eunuchs and palace maids walked away to a distance where it was difficult to hear their whispers.
Yang Yuhuan fiddled with her hair and said, "Speak! What's the matter? "
"Sister Imperial Concubine, Prime Minister Li has passed away. You know this, right?"
Yang Guozhong asked.
"Yes, I already know. It's been more than half a year. It's time for him to go to heaven."
Yang Yuhuan said lightly.
"Sister Imperial Concubine, since Prime Minister Li has passed away, the Right Prime Minister position is vacant. Although I have confidence in myself, if sister Imperial Concubine can whisper some pillow talk into His Majesty's ear, then I'll have more confidence. Being the Right Prime Minister is not only my matter. This is the glory of the entire Yang Family, and more importantly, the glory of sister Imperial Concubine."
Yang Guozhong said sweetly.
Hearing this, Yang Yuhuan did not answer immediately. She also began to pace back and forth. For her, this matter was just a piece of cake. However, the Right Prime Minister position was the highest official position in the imperial court of the Tang dynasty. As the Emperor's woman, how could she casually interfere in the imperial court? If she angered the Emperor, the gains would not make up for the losses.
Although she was very favored now, the reason why she was favored was that she was obedient and in line with the Emperor's wishes. If she interfered in the imperial court, the foundation of the Emperor would be shaken. For example, if she made the Emperor unhappy, her position in the imperial court would be shaken. However, it was not a big deal to occasionally interfere in the imperial court. It required the right time and specific circumstances.
For example, when Li Longji wanted to make Li Bai a high-ranking official, the Imperial Concubine ran out to speak ill of Li Bai, and finally disrupted Li Bai's official position. However, the Imperial Concubine rarely interfered in this kind of thing. Moreover, Li Bai did not do well in many aspects. It was too easy to speak ill of Li Bai, such as drinking too much and despising the powerful. Moreover, the Emperor did not give Li Bai a very high official position, and the position was not very important, so it was easy for the Imperial Concubine to intervene.
However, the current position of the Right Prime Minister was different. This official position was the highest official position in the Tang Dynasty. It was the head of all the officials. Such an important official position was related to the political situation of the Tang Dynasty. The Emperor must value it very much. If she, a concubine, interfered in this position, she would really interfere in the imperial court. She was afraid that it would make the Emperor unhappy. Therefore, she naturally hesitated.
"Sister Imperial Concubine, is there any difficulty?"
Seeing Yang Yuhuan keep silent, Yang Guozhong asked.
"Cousin, the Right Prime Minister is not an ordinary official position. I am just a woman. How can I interfere at will? The Imperial Concubine is not allowed to interfere in the imperial court. This is not as simple as saying. Moreover, the Emperor's prejudice against you has not disappeared recently. At this juncture, it is not easy to deal with it!"
Yang Yuhuan said with embarrassment.
"Sister Imperial Concubine, you don't have to say it directly. You can ask indirectly and see what the Emperor plans to do. In this way, I will know what to do!"
What Yang Guozhong was most worried about was not waiting for a period of time, but that the position of the Right Prime Minister would be taken away by others. As long as it was not taken away by others, it would not matter much if he waited for a few more days.
Yang Yuhuan rolled her eyes at Yang Guozhong and said unhappily, "Although His Majesty is old, his mind is not muddled at all. He knows everything clearly. As long as I open my mouth, he will know what I mean. It is impossible to get His Majesty to say anything secretly. As long as His Majesty does not want to say it, no one can get it out of him."
"But Prime Minister Li has passed away. This empty position of the Right Prime Minister has to be filled. If it is delayed for a long time, I am afraid that there will be changes!"
Yang Guozhong said worriedly. He was too afraid that the position of the Right Prime Minister would be taken away by others. In the past, it did not matter. But now, he was already in charge of the imperial court. He had to be the Right Prime Minister. If the position of the Right Prime Minister was not his in the end, then he would have no place to put his old face.
"Cousin, I always feel that delaying is a good thing. If the Emperor makes up his mind to choose the Right Prime Minister now, with the recent incident in your family, you may lose the position of the Right Prime Minister. It is better to wait."
Yang Yuhuan really did not dare to take the risk to speak. She did not want to give the Emperor a bad impression of her interfering in the imperial court.
"Wait, how long do we have to wait? The highest glory of our Yang family is right in front of us. We have to wait … "
Yang Guozhong's heart was filled with unwillingness. He was too anxious, and his patience was not ordinary. He belonged to the type that rejoiced in grandiose achievements and could not keep his cool. This was quite similar to Li Longji in the later stages. It was no wonder that he was appreciated.
In history, Li Longji and Yang Guozhong were both impractical and eager for grandiose achievements. Before the An – Lushan Rebellion, Yang Guozhong pressed on step by step, leaving no room for reconciliation. In the end, An Lushan rebelled in advance. After the war, the best plan was to guard Tongguan. However, the emperor and Yang Guozhong, who were eager for grandiose achievements, killed generals one after another and forced the old general guarding Tongguan, Geshu Han, to come out and face the enemy. As a result, the royal family of the Tang dynasty suffered a great defeat. The rebel army broke through the capital Chang 'an like a hot knife through butter, causing the royal family to have to flee to Central Sichuan to temporarily avoid the danger.
If they could calm down and calmly analyze the strength of the rebel army, then they would not have made such a low-level mistake. Unfortunately, they were too arrogant. It was not enough for one person to be arrogant. The emperor and his ministers were arrogant together, which led to this eternal regret.
And once such a personality was formed, it was very difficult to change it. After all, they were already so old that it was impossible for them to change their personality. No matter how hard they tried, they would never be able to change it. In addition, this problem was both innate and acquired. Li Longji had been Emperor for too long and had long ago gotten used to feasting on grandiose achievements. How could he swallow the grievance of having the Tang army cower in Tong Pass? Only by immediately mobilizing the army would he be able to keep his bearing.
Moreover, due to the concealment of his officials, he, the emperor, was not very clear about the strength of the Central Army of the Tang dynasty. He thought that these soldiers could defeat An Lushan's rebel army. In fact, the Central Army, who lived like a prince, was no match for the rebel army at all. It should be known that the rebel army was a border army entrenched in the northeast region. Its strength was not comparable to the Young Master's soldiers in the capital.
The only force that could compete with the rebel army was the Shuofang Army, which was also a border army. This army was not only elite, but also rare talents. Unfortunately, the emperor and the prime minister were too eager for grandiose achievements. They could not keep their cool at all and missed the God-given opportunity to outlast the enemy.
At this moment, Yang Guozhong's impatience was exposed. He seriously could not keep his cool. As long as he calmed down and analyzed carefully, he would understand that the position of the Right Prime Minister was his. No one could take it away from him. However, he could not calm down because he was always worried that someone would take his position away from him.
Haste makes waste. In history, if Yang Guozhong was not seriously impatient, he would not have caused political crises time and time again.
He originally wanted to subdue An Lushan, but he found that his ability was too weak. He could not subdue An Lushan at all. Therefore, he impatiently wanted to borrow the emperor's hand to get rid of An Lushan. All day long, he nagged in the emperor's ear, saying that An Lushan was going to rebel and that he should be arrested and punished quickly. An Lushan's spies in the palace found out about this and reported it back. As a result, An Lushan felt that something was wrong. Therefore, he launched a rebellion in advance. The purpose of the rebellion was to get rid of the emperor's side.
After the rebellion, the rebel army was like a hot knife through butter. Soon, they reached the area around Luoyang. The central army of the Tang dynasty could only retreat to Luoyang and confront the rebel army. At this time, Yang Guozhong could not keep his cool. Once again, in front of the emperor, who was fond of grandiose achievements, he asked the emperor to issue an edict to let the mobs on the frontline to attack in order to eliminate An Lushan's rebel army as soon as possible. In the end, he fell into the rebel army's trap. As a result, there were only a few 200,000 soldiers left. They lost Tong Pass and even lost the capital, Chang 'an.
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