If Old Du hadn't told him this information, Ang Lee would have a hard time imagining that Prince Feng, who had almost no sense of existence, was actually so eager for power. This greatly exceeded Ang Lee's understanding.
This Prince Feng, Li Li, had always been an existence that didn't care about. He had never received the attention of the officials. Even the Emperor had only symbolically conferred him the title of Prince. He didn't give him any opportunity to train. It seemed that the Emperor had never thought of letting the young Prince Feng inherit the throne.
But the truth was right in front of him. Old Du wasn't a person who spoke without thinking. Similarly, Old Du's imperial physician friend wouldn't be so idle as to make up such a lie. This was something that could cause one to lose one's head if one wasn't careful. It was something that couldn't be said carelessly. But since they had said this, then it was most likely true. There was absolutely no way it could be false.
If the little Prince Feng, Li Li, had the intention of inheriting the throne, then what about the other princes? Were they all secretly ready to make a move? Although they were being watched closely for the time being, it wasn't impossible for them to make some small moves. The possibility of such a thing happening was very high.
According to the historical records of later generations, Prince Feng was indeed sentenced to death for rebelling. This was enough to prove that Prince Feng had the intention of rebelling. It was just that he didn't have a suitable opportunity to seize the throne.
It was the tenth month of the first year of Guangde. It was also the time when Daizong Li Yu ascended the throne. Because the Tang dynasty's long-term internal strife had greatly weakened the country's strength. At the same time, the Tibetan Empire had become stronger. The elite Tibetan army suddenly made a move and launched an attack on the Tang dynasty's capital, Chang 'an. The weak Tang dynasty's army naturally didn't have the strength to stop the elite Tibetan army. As a result, Emperor Li Yu led a group of people out of the palace and ran east to Shanzhou to hide.
On the other hand, General Wang Huaizhong closed the palace gates and gathered five hundred cavalrymen. He escorted the princes of the Ten Kings Residence who had yet to leave the capital and went to seek refuge with the Tibetan Empire. In the end, they met Grand Marshal Guo Ziyi just as they reached the west of the city.
Wang Huaizhong pointed out that the Tubo army was powerful. Now that the Emperor had fled from the capital, the Tang dynasty would be without a ruler, and the people would have no one to be loyal to. Now that Wang Huaizhong had all the kings in his hands, and Guo Ziyi had the army in his hands, as long as they worked together, they would be able to depose the Emperor Li Yu, who had fled, and establish another royal family as the Emperor. At that time, Guo Ziyi would be the hero of the founding of the country.
Before Guo Ziyi could answer, Prince Feng, Li Gui, impatiently urged Guo Ziyi. He blamed Guo Ziyi for not saying anything. He wanted Guo Ziyi to support him as the Emperor.
Then, Wang Yanchang, who was forced to go with him, scolded him. He said that Prince Feng was treacherous, and how could he say such arrogant words? Of course, Guo Ziyi would not listen to Wang Huaizhong's suggestion. Old Guo was loyal to the Tang dynasty. How could he betray the Emperor so easily? He also reprimanded the ambitious King Feng. King Feng could do nothing about it. Everyone could only follow Guo Ziyi to Shanzhou.
When they arrived at Tong Pass, Wang Yanchang informed Emperor Li Yu of Prince Feng's treason and heresy. Li Yu did not blame his Imperial Uncle and chose to forgive him. However, he felt that he had distanced himself from him. However, this Prince Feng was not someone who was easy to deal with. Being distanced from him, he was not happy, and his words were not reconciled. Thus, he was exposed again. The officials were worried that Prince Feng would cause trouble and affect the Great Tang. As a result, they all requested that Prince Feng be put to death. Naturally, the Emperor took advantage of this situation and ordered his Imperial Uncle to be put to death, in order to prevent this fellow from bringing disaster to the Imperial Court.
From this, one could see that Prince Feng wasn't someone easy to deal with. He was an ambitious prince. Otherwise, Old Guo wouldn't have supported him to become the Emperor. Such thoughts couldn't have been formed in a short period of time. For example, it must have been brewing for decades before it became so urgent. At that critical moment, he actually dared to say such rebellious words. It was obvious that he had gambled his life on the line. It was obvious that he was obsessed with power.
In addition to Prince Feng, Prince Yong, Li Lin, was also an ambitious schemer recorded in the history books of later generations. This guy was raised by Su Zong since he was young, and his relationship with the Crown Prince should be the best. However, in the end, for the sake of power, he fought against Su Zong, who had already ascended the throne. In the end, he was defeated and killed.
As for the other princes who were not recorded in the history books, it did not mean that they were not ambitious. They just did not show it. For example, Prince Feng, Li Gui. If he did not seek his own death and take the risk to encourage Guo Ziyi, he would not have ended up dead. Thus, there would not be any records of this in the history books. The Prince Feng that people knew, Prince Feng, Li Gui, was probably just like Prince Heng, Li Gui, and Prince Chen, Li Gui. There was almost no record of this in the history books. After all, a prince without a story or influence was just a piece of soy sauce. The history books would not leave too much ink on these pieces of soy sauce.
Ang Lee could be sure that Prince Feng's matter was just the tip of the iceberg. There must be some ambitious Princes among the other Princes. Few of them were willing to be mediocre or completely give up the throne. Moreover, even if some of them did not seem to want to fight, it did not mean that they did not want to fight. Similarly, even if you did not want to fight, it would not affect your chances of becoming the next Emperor. For example, Emperor Suzong's ninth son, Li Zhi, was not among the Princes who fought for the throne. In the end, he unexpectedly became the Emperor. As long as it was not the last moment, everything was unknown.
Later on, if Su Zong did not start a mutiny at Mawepo and then went north to Lingwu to ascend the throne, it was very likely that he would not be Emperor in his lifetime. With his body, he would not be able to survive his father.
In other words, Su Zong's risk was successful, while Prince Yong and later Prince Feng's risk ended in failure. Sometimes, risk also depended on the probability of success. Blindly taking risks was not advisable. Su Zong had always been honest, but at the most critical moment, he dealt a fatal blow to his opponent. Not only did he kill Yang Guozhong's party and Yang Guifei, but he also dealt a fatal blow to his Emperor father, making Li Longji depressed and walking ahead of him.
Su Zong's methods could be said to be steady, accurate, and ruthless. This was not something an ordinary person could do. The reason he could do this had a lot to do with his previous management. If he really stayed in the inner courtyard of the Royal Palace and did not come into contact with anyone, and did not cultivate any trusted aides, at this crucial moment, how could he so easily control most of the army? Even the Emperor's general, Chen Xuanli, was willing to cooperate with him. It was impossible to say that the Crown Prince did not bribe these rewards.
They must have been in contact with each other for a long time, but it was done in secret. Ordinary people would not be able to find out. In other words, some of the generals did not clearly express their loyalty to the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince did not rope them in. He only gave them many benefits to close the distance between them. When there was nothing to do, they would do their own things. But once there was an opportunity, these people who were usually taken care of by the Crown Prince would most likely take risks to support the Crown Prince. This was the so-called popularity! It was impossible to not burn incense and crave at the last minute.
Sometimes, the game of power was very subtle. Those who swelled their chests and said that they would be loyal to them could very likely betray them without mercy. Similarly, those who were not willing to submit after many attempts to rope them in would also help them out when they least expected it, or even completely lean towards them.
Actually, this was also very easy to understand. Those who swelled their chests and said that they would be loyal to them at the drop of a hat, it was very likely that it was for the sake of benefits. And those who were not willing to submit were all people who had misgivings in their hearts. Before their misgivings were dispelled, they would not dare to rashly express their loyalty to anyone. But as long as the conditions changed, they would not hesitate to support the person who was being recruited.
For example, the current Crown Prince was in such a situation. He was being watched by the Emperor. If there were generals who were willing to be loyal to him, once the matter was revealed, the consequences would be unimaginable. Those who were willing to be loyal to the Crown Prince would not only harm themselves, but also unknowingly harm the Crown Prince. Therefore, there was nothing wrong with keeping a certain distance from him. When the opportunity came, they would also choose to be loyal without hesitation, thus winning a better future for themselves. After all, many of the generals were still very young. They were not imperial physicians. How would they know that the Emperor's health was better than the Crown Prince's? They would also have the idea of finding a way out for themselves. As long as the time was right, they would take action.
History books would only record actions with clear evidence, and would not casually record things without any basis. Even if the princes wanted to be the Emperor in their hearts, as long as they did not do it, the history books would not write that way. No matter what a person's heart was like, as long as his actions were different, then the impression he gave others would be different. Who could see through his heart? Evaluating a person was based on his words and actions. No one had heard that evaluating a person also looked at his heart. The heart was something that outsiders could not see or touch, and there was no meaning in prying.
To be able to learn such news, Ang Lee felt that he did not come in vain. It was also thanks to that breeze. If it was not for that breeze that blew over Old Du's calligraphy, Ang Lee would have very likely left. He did not want to disturb Old Du's good fortune.
Ang Lee could not be sure of the direction the situation would develop in the future. This kind of thing was not something he could control. Perhaps with Ang Lee's ability, he could change some things, but there were also some things that he could not change. For example, the ambitions of the princes. This was not something that Ang Lee could change at all. No matter how capable Ang Lee was, it was impossible for him to change other people's minds. Moreover, other people had never spoken their thoughts out loud. If he went over to persuade them, he would be rolled his eyes.
I didn't even say that I was sad. If you persuade me not to be sad, aren't you asking for a scolding? Even though I'm really sad, I just don't want to show it. What right do outsiders have to persuade me? Aren't they just looking for trouble? No one was willing to show their weak side in front of others. Rashly poking into other people's business was akin to exposing other people's scars. It was very undesirable and also very foolish.
"Old Du! I didn't hear anything today, and nothing happened. I just came to see the spring harvest. Hahaha! "
Ang Lee said very casually.
This was to reassure Old Du that he would not speak of this kind of thing carelessly and would not cause trouble for Old Du. The impact of this kind of thing was too great. It was too sensitive, so Ang Lee would not speak carelessly no matter what.
Coming out to see the wheat fields during the spring harvest was not something that only Ang Lee or Old Du could do. In fact, many people had come out to see the wheat fields before. This kind of golden wheat field was extremely beautiful, and anyone who saw it would feel much better.
In a wheat field outside the city, Yang Guozhong, who had just been promoted to the position of Right Chief Minister, was gazing at his family's wheat field quietly. Even though most of his land was in Jiannan, he still had a plot of land in the capital as well. It was not that he was lacking in food, but since everyone else was doing the same, he would be impeached if he left his land idle. Since the land was reclaimed, it had to be cultivated. Otherwise, it would be a waste of resources, and it would be no different from occupying a latrine pit. This was something that couldn't be forgiven.
Ang Lee was looking at the wheat fields of the commoners, but Yang Guozhong was looking at his own wheat field. This was because only by looking at his own wheat field could he truly feel at ease. What did the harvest of other people's wheat fields have to do with him? The harvest of his own wheat field was the most important thing.
All these years, with the help of the imperial concubine's nepotism, their Yang family could be said to have soared into the sky. They couldn't be any more glorious. This also allowed him to finally be able to walk with his head held high.
However, flowers did not bloom for a hundred days, and people did not live well for a thousand days. Even the most beautiful flowers would wither one day. A powerful empire could change dynasties once every few hundred years, not to mention that their Yang Clan had soared into the sky with the help of the imperial consort. If the imperial consort were to pass away one day, or if the current emperor were to pass away, would their Yang Clan still be able to maintain their current glory? The answer was obvious. Their clan didn't have any real talent, nor did they have a strong foundation. They were completely lucky. If either the emperor or the imperial consort were to pass away, it would be very difficult for them to maintain their clan's glory. They might even fall into a very miserable state.
Now that the imperial consort was in her prime, and the emperor's health was still okay, their Yang Clan naturally had nothing to worry about. However, this situation was definitely not sustainable. The emperor was already an old man in his sixties or seventies. Even if he could live, how long could he live? Yang Guozhong was confident that he could die after the emperor. In this way, what kind of fate awaited him? He really didn't dare to think about it.
The emperor was aging day by day, and his sense of crisis was also increasing year by year. Sometimes, in the dead of night, he would suddenly wake up, and then sit on his bed in a daze with a head full of cold sweat, recalling the frightening scene that appeared in his dream. That's right, although this fellow appeared to be glorious on the surface, he would still have nightmares from time to time.
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