The Emperor allowed the Crown Prince to participate in court affairs. This made the previously happy Yang Guozhong's heart turn cold. This was because he had done too many things to offend the Crown Prince in order to ascend the throne. Therefore, he could not bear to see the Crown Prince doing well. As long as the Emperor had the slightest intention of using the Crown Prince, he would be very nervous. However, if the Emperor had the intention of neglecting the Crown Prince, he would be very happy.
This time, the Emperor had the intention of using the Crown Prince in order to balance the power. Previously, he used Yang Guozhong to restrict Li Linfu's power. However, at this moment, Li Linfu's body was on the verge of collapse. The imperial physician had already gone to his residence to check on him. He really could not hold on for much longer.
Therefore, after Li Linfu left the court, if there was no one to balance the power, Yang Guozhong's power would be too great. Letting the Crown Prince, who had a conflict with Yang Guozhong, restrict him was a very good idea. Moreover, this time, the Crown Prince's performance was quite honest. Giving him some power was a reward.
In the minds of the Crown Prince and Yang Guozhong, the ultimate goal was to kill each other. However, in the eyes of the Emperor, it was the complete opposite. He would kill whoever was stronger, so as to maintain the balance of power and ensure the Emperor's supreme power. Otherwise, once one side gained too much power, the Emperor would be easily taken over. In this way, the Emperor would have to live in fear.
This was a fact that was difficult to change. It was also the inevitable law of development. For example, if the Emperor fully supported the Crown Prince, many important matters of the court would be handed over to the Crown Prince. In this way, everyone would see that the Crown Prince had the potential to ascend the throne and would be willing to rely on him. In addition, as the Crown Prince became more proficient in handling government affairs, he would also gain a lot of prestige. Thus, he could replace the Emperor at any time and become the supreme ruler of the Empire.
It was the same to fully support a powerful official. Since ancient times, once a powerful official took charge of the court, once the emperor became greedy for pleasure and did not care about the court for a long time, it was very easy for him to usurp the throne and establish himself. The reason was that there was no one to check and balance him. He obtained too much power, and over time, he was not willing to listen to the emperor's opinion. If the emperor had an opinion, then he would kill the emperor and become the emperor himself.
With so many examples in front of him, the Emperor naturally had to learn how to avoid such situations from happening. He had to balance the various forces so that they could check and balance each other. Thus, no one could leave the Emperor's support and obediently follow the Emperor's instructions.
The Emperor would not consider the feelings of the Crown Prince and Yang Guozhong. What he wanted was for the two of them to fight against each other so as to ensure his absolute authority. However, there was a limit to checks and balances and internal strife. That was, they must fight within a certain range and not cross the bottom line. They must not harm the fundamental interests of the Tang Empire. Otherwise, checks and balances would evolve into internal strife, and the situation would be quite serious.
Seeing the Crown Prince obediently accept the edict, Li Longji was even more satisfied. Such an obedient Crown Prince was the most in line with his wishes.
"Minister Li, I heard that the Long-distance Sound Transmission Plan has encountered a big problem?"
Li Longji asked softly.
Ang Lee was stunned for a moment and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, we have indeed encountered a big problem. However, I will find a way to solve it."
"That's good. I am very optimistic about the Long-distance Sound Transmission Plan. Assistant Minister Li, you must attach great importance to this plan. I am waiting to be able to directly communicate with the officials in various places. Haha! "
Li Longji was so happy that he actually laughed. Although he was still a little short of breath, it seemed that he was really fine.
Being the Emperor was also very difficult. In the past, he had Li Linfu, an obedient and capable minister, to help him share most of the burden. However, now that Li Linfu was seriously ill and Yang Guozhong had risen too quickly, his prestige was somewhat lacking. In dealing with many problems, he often had conflicts with the ministers in the court. Therefore, when he, the Emperor, suddenly refused to see anyone, many of the documents in the court could not be dealt with. Because no one was willing to take the initiative to bear the responsibility, so it just dragged on like this.
"Minister Li, just concentrate on the Long-distance Sound Transmission Plan. You don't have to worry about the Ministry of Works. If there are any urgent documents in each ministry, just hand them over to Yang Aiqin and the Crown Prince. If there are any disagreements between the two of them, just hand them over to me if they are difficult to deal with. You can all leave! I'm tired. "
Li Longji casually arranged the work and then asked the ministers to leave.
"I'll take my leave."
The ministers left the room one by one.
The princes who had just left the bedchamber had basically all left by now. They were relieved to see that their father was fine. However, there were also a few princes who did not go far. They gathered at a secluded spot nearby and discussed what had happened to the Emperor.
The ministers who had walked out of the bedchamber were also muttering softly. However, they were finally relieved to see the Emperor personally and confirm that he was not being controlled by anyone and was not too ill. This was a great thing.
"His Majesty's complexion looks alright. There shouldn't be any major problems, right?"
"That's right! There shouldn't be any major problems. It seems that His Majesty is really just tired. We were worried. "
"This is great. With Imperial Censor Yang and the Crown Prince overseeing things, we don't have to worry about the documents being sent up."
"I'm afraid there will be a lot of arguments! It's not like you don't know the relationship between the Crown Prince and Imperial Censor Yang. "
"Lower your voice. The Crown Prince and Imperial Censor Yang are behind us. Be careful not to be heard."
A few of the ministers who were walking in front were discussing in low voices.
In a secluded spot not far away, King Tan, Li Zong was waiting for something. After a while, an official flashed into a secluded spot.
"How is it? What did Father say?"
Li Zong asked.
"His Majesty said to let Yang Guozhong and the Crown Prince take care of the court."
When Li Zong heard that the Crown Prince would take care of the court, his heart immediately thumped. Then, he asked unwillingly, "Father didn't mention me."
"No, His Majesty only said a few words. One was to let Imperial Censor Yang take care of the court. The other was to let the Crown Prince assist in handling the court. The last one was to ask about the Thousand Mile Telepathy plan. That's all."
When Li Zong heard this, he was very unhappy. At the same time, he felt uneasy. He had guessed wrong this time. His father was fine. He was just a little weak. It was completely different from what he had imagined. However, this was a good thing for him. If his father really died, the Crown Prince would be registered as the heir to the throne. The chances of him making a comeback were very small. If his father could live for a few more years, perhaps he would have a chance to make a comeback.
When the ministers left the Emperor's bedroom, they left behind some urgent documents. These were important documents that had been piled up for several days. As they would have to bear the responsibility if they were not handled properly, they did not dare to make decisions on their own and left the difficult problem to the Emperor.
"Such a small matter requires me to personally look through it. These fellows, what's the use of keeping them?"
Li Longji casually looked through a few documents and threw them aside angrily.
"Your Majesty, let me read it to you."
Yang Yuhuan walked out from the back of the tent.
Li Longji nodded and closed his eyes slightly.
Compared with reading and listening, it was naturally easier to listen. After all, it was a tiring thing to keep one's eyes open. Ordinary people were not tired when they kept their eyes open, but a sick and tired person was always tired when he kept his eyes open. Even when he opened his eyes to read, his eyes would hurt.
Usually, Gao Lishi could help to read, but Gao Lishi was also old. Li Longji was also an Emperor who loved the people around him. Today, the Imperial Concubine was here, so he let the Imperial Concubine read. Moreover, the Imperial Concubine's voice was much better than Gao Lishi's voice. It was more comfortable to listen to. Moreover, the Imperial Concubine was only responsible for reading and would not make any comments. Even if the Emperor asked her to express her opinion, she was generally unwilling to say it. Unless she understood the content very well, she would occasionally contribute a little advice. Moreover, almost every time, her opinion coincided with the Emperor's, which made the Emperor quite satisfied.
"Your Highness, there are many government affairs in the imperial court. We still need your help!"
The relationship between Yang Guozhong and the Crown Prince was not good. However, since the Emperor asked them to share more of the government affairs, Yang Guozhong had to do enough work on the surface. Even if he hated and feared the Crown Prince, he still had to respect the Crown Prince on the surface.
The Crown Prince walked in front of Yang Guozhong. When he heard Yang Guozhong's words, he slowed down slightly and said softly, "Imperial Concubine Yang is much more skilled in handling the government affairs of the imperial court. Everything will be handled by Imperial Concubine Yang. I will just listen."
These words were very polite. After all, although he was the Crown Prince, he was not the Emperor. He was a Crown Prince who could be replaced at any time. Even if he hated Yang Guozhong to the core, he still had to maintain his face on the surface.
"Your Highness, you flatter me. This official's ability to handle government affairs is not even one-tenth of the Right Prime Minister's. It's a pity that the Right Prime Minister is seriously ill and cannot share Your Majesty's burden. This official can only reluctantly do my part."
Yang Guozhong proudly said.
The Crown Prince was very disdainful. He truly did not want to continue chatting with Yang Guozhong. With a cold smile, he said, "The Political Affairs Hall still has many matters for Imperial Concubine Yang to handle. This prince still has some matters to attend to and will not go over for the time being."
After saying this, he slightly quickened his pace and left Yang Guozhong's side. From this, one could see just how much he hated this fellow.
Yang Guozhong watched Li Heng leave, a harsh light in his eyes. He finally understood that there was no possibility of reconciliation between him and Crown Prince Li Heng. It had already become a relationship where only one of them could live. This relationship was extremely dangerous, and the slightest carelessness could cost one's life.
The Emperor's illness this time was a wake-up call for Yang Guozhong. If the Emperor really did die of old age and the Crown Prince could not be replaced, then only death awaited him. In fact, his entire clan would be finished with him, and this was something he clearly did not want to see.
Although there were many government affairs that needed to be dealt with in the Political Affairs Hall, Yang Guozhong was not in the mood to deal with them at the moment. He believed that the Crown Prince was not in the mood either. Everyone started out by playing politics. Who would sincerely deal with these worldly affairs?
Previously, the Political Affairs Hall's official official had always been Li Linfu. Even though Li Linfu was seriously ill, the position of Right Prime Minister was still Li Linfu's. It was probably only after Li Linfu died that the position of Right Prime Minister could be taken.
At this moment, Yang Guozhong was about to take over Li Linfu's position as official official. However, the Crown Prince would also come over to deal with political affairs and supervise him.
Although dealing with political affairs was not too difficult, this was still the first time Yang Guozhong had the responsibility of being official official. Thus, he could not help but feel somewhat uneasy. Coupled with the Crown Prince's supervision, he felt even more uncertain.
He wanted to consult Li Linfu. However, in the last few years, Yang Guozhong and Li Linfu's relationship had deteriorated due to the competition for Li Linfu's favor. Although it was not to the extent where they were at loggerheads with the Crown Prince, it was not a good relationship.
However, since ancient times, there was a saying that the enemy of an enemy was a friend. Although Yang Guozhong and Li Linfu had a lot of enmity between them, they had a good relationship when they teamed up to frame the Crown Prince. Moreover, they had deeply offended the Crown Prince. In other words, as long as the Crown Prince ascended the throne, Yang Guozhong and Li Linfu would be in big trouble. Although Li Linfu would not live for too long, his descendants would definitely be affected. Yang Guozhong would be even more unlucky. Beheading would probably be a light punishment.
Their common concern made Yang Guozhong have a good impression of Li Linfu. Although they had always been in conflict, under the premise of facing a common threat, they had to work together. If not, how could they fight against the Crown Prince and protect their own interests?
In a situation where the conflict was completely irreconcilable, Yang Guozhong had to do his best to bring down the Crown Prince. Otherwise, once Li Longji, the Emperor, died first, he would be in big trouble.
"Prepare the carriage. Go to the Right Prime Minister's Residence."
Yang Guozhong walked to the gate of the Imperial Palace and said to the servant waiting beside him.
Although there were still a lot of documents to deal with in the Political Affairs Hall, it was more important to go to the Right Prime Minister's Residence to see Li Linfu. Moreover, even if others had opinions, they could do nothing about it. Yang Guozhong could use the pretense of consulting the Right Prime Minister on political affairs to make those who had opinions speechless.
Ang Lee had been busy these days. The Long-distance Telepathy Plan had encountered a thorny problem. Although Ang Lee was confident that he could solve this problem, it was really troublesome. It was not something that could be done easily. Ang Lee was so tired that he had not slept well for several nights.
However, even if it was a little hard, he had to get this project done as soon as possible. The importance of this project was self-evident. As long as he could get this project done, it would have a huge impact on the development of the Tang Empire. It was a huge impact that was difficult to describe in words.
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