The Grandmaster Strategist

In Yihai, the 25th year of the reign of Emperor Yongwu, after the Hubu incident, the government and the public were silent and calm, waiting for the wind and rain. Taizong excused himself from court because of illness and stayed away all day.

——"Yong Shi·The Chronicles of Taizong"

In Yihai, the second year of Tongtai in the Southern Chu Dynasty, Zhe gradually recovered from his illness. Although the government and the public were at peace at that time, the seizure of the legitimate son was gaining momentum. Zhe was in charge of King Yong's affairs, and the only thing he needed to do was to endure.

——"History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties Biography of Jiang Suiyun"

The spring light is melting, the breeze is gentle, and the Hanyuan is already lined with green trees. Since last year's turmoil in the Ministry of Household Affairs, when Shangshu Liang Jinqian was suddenly murdered, the situation suddenly and inexplicably calmed down. Emperor Yong Li Yuan issued an edict to All the officials of the Ministry of Household, big and small, resigned, demoted, and fined. After the Ministry of Households was purged, the new Minister of Households was Mihara Hande. He was an official who had been in the Ministry of Households for many years, but he did not take the imperial examination, and he had no His background has been unsuccessful for many years. This time, the household accounts were checked and only his account was the clearest, so Li Yuan promoted him. Han De was an impartial person and had only one emperor in his heart. The prince did not dare to despise him. , although the prince inserted many people's hands in, the household department was no longer as flexible as before.

In May of last year, the news that a disciple of the Demon Sect appeared in Xianyang shocked the whole world. In the end, the adulterer was caught by the Fengyi Sect. He claimed that he was dissatisfied with the sect leader's expulsion, so he went to the Central Plains to cause trouble. The Fengyi Sect killed him. After that, he personally sent someone to deliver the ashes to the Northern Han Dynasty. Jing Wuji, the leader of the Demon Sect, was very cold and neither attacked nor apologized, so the matter was settled.

After that, Dayong's political situation suddenly became unprecedentedly quiet. The prince only managed the affairs step by step every day. In addition to not letting go of military affairs, King Yong only concentrated on studying in the palace on weekdays. He neither made friends with courtiers nor recruited wise men. The only Li Yuan often sent some failed scholars and poor scholars to Youzhou to serve as officials. Li Yuan allowed Youzhou to select officials on its own, so he did not interfere. These people were not outstanding talents, so the prince did not want to fall out with him. Both sides are trying to hide their capabilities and bide their time, so the situation in Dayong is unprecedentedly peaceful and calm. However, those who are interested know that this is just the depression before the storm. The prince and King Yong are already in a never-ending situation.

Regardless of the ups and downs outside, a strange scene is unfolding in the Hanyuan. In the pavilion, King Yong is looking at the chessboard leisurely. Xiao Shunzi is sitting opposite, putting down the chess pieces calmly, signaling to King Yong that it is time for him to play. It was his turn, and outside the pavilion, a scholar in white was on the lawn, lying on all fours, pretending to be a horse, and on top of him, a little girl in red was shouting in a delicate voice, "Drive, drive, Daddy, run."

After resting peacefully for the past year, I have fully recovered. Although I still look weak and frail, my face is radiant and I am no longer the pale looking person who may die at any time. However, after being a "horse" for a long time, I was already out of breath, so I had to apologize: "Lanlan, daddy is not alive anymore, you don't want to tire daddy, no one will read brother Jun's letter to you. "

The soft blue eyes rolled around for a while, then she finally nodded, slid off my body, and said in a sweet voice, "Daddy, I want to see the princess."

I smiled and said, "Not today. If the princess goes to see the princess in a few days, can I ask her to take you there?"

Roulan pouted and said, "The princess said that Lanlan can visit her often?"

I smiled bitterly. This is not what we have the final say. Since the princess went to Wuchen Nunnery, her marriage to Wei Ying has been delayed. The emperor did not cancel the marriage, but he did not force the princess to consummate the marriage. He only suffered. After marrying Wei Ying, he did not dare to marry or ask for a wedding. Rumors about the princess and I have been circulating for a few days, but after all, the princess and I have not met each other, so under the pressure of King Yong and without the prince's push, the rumors quickly disappeared. After all, no one wanted to not participate in the palace. Princess Changle was forced to come out due to the dispute, and she didn't want to anger Li Yuan, so these rumors were quickly forgotten.

In fact, I think Emperor Yong may have heard some rumors, but since Changle and I have no personal relationship,

We haven’t met each other yet. He can’t punish me because Changle might have feelings for me. So I’ve lived a very happy life this year. However, I often think of Princess Changle, and I recall the scene scene by scene only twice. After meeting, Princess Yong often visited the princess, and Roulan was often taken there by the princess. This did not cause any trouble. Who didn't know that Princess Yong regarded Roulan as her own, and who didn't know that the prince Li Jun was in Youlan. The state would send an envoy to Beijing every month to report to King Yong, and each time the envoy would bring some little girl's toys and a letter, so Roulan's appearance in the Yong Palace had become a matter of course. Princess Changle likes Roulan, but everyone just thinks she is empty, so she likes little girls. Although some people think of the possibility of "love the house and the crow", no one dares to bring this "non-existent" thing to the table. Moreover, in order to meet Roulan, Princess Changle lived in the palace for half a year. After all, it was a common thing for Princess Yong to visit the palace to meet the queen and concubine. It would be worrying if she always went to Wuchen Nunnery to see the princess. Is the princess getting too close to King Yong? Therefore, even Concubine Changsun loved Roulan very much and sometimes kept Roulan in the palace for a few days. Roulan also met Yong Emperor Li Yuan, and Li Yuan also liked this naughty little girl very much. In this way, no one dared to talk too much.

Although I have not met the princess this year, and I have never even tried to ask her if she is really attracted to me, I can't help but send her new poems through Princess Yong. She has not responded, but often Give Roulan some rewards such as jade pendants and amulets. I heard from Princess Yong that over the past year, the princess looked very good. Not only did she laugh often, but she also looked cheerful in front of Emperor Yong and Concubine Changsun. Seeing her like this, they felt that there was no need to rush to force her to get married, which would make her unhappy. If there was anything else that made her unhappy, it was probably Wei Ying's tenderness. Speaking of it, Wei Ying was sincere to the princess. Although he was frustrated because the princess refused to marry him, he always gave some small gifts or lonely words. Printed books, or fine pens, inks, paper and inkstones, to please the beautiful lady. This kind of gentle offensive moved the emperor and the imperial concubine Changsun very much. Although Princess Changle was not tempted, Wei Ying was polite and never aggressive. , is always polite and courteous, and the princess is a gentle-tempered person. She does not want to refuse with harsh words, so she can only be cold and distant. However, for the marriage between Wei Ying and the princess, the emperor and the eldest grandson are happy to see it happen. Therefore, Princess Changle inevitably "encountered" Wei Ying from time to time. A few days ago, I thought that since Wei Ying was so obsessed with pursuing her, I might as well be a little more indifferent. If the princess could get a good match, I could let go of my worries, so I didn't let Roulan enter the palace for more than a month. Who would have thought that Princess Yong would soon treat me He said that the princess was in a bad mood during this period and went to Wuchen'an for a short stay. In this case, if I still don't understand the princess's intentions, then I am probably the biggest idiot in the world, so I will never prohibit Roulan from entering. Although the two of them have never met each other, strangely, they can always feel the warmth in their hearts. Although they are so far away from each other, they feel that they are not isolated.

Anyway, Roulan was finally allowed to go down. It’s funny to say that Roulan didn’t know how to read yet, so Prince Li Jun sent letters one after another. When the little girl held the letters in her hands, she didn’t recognize a single word. She was distressed. When she asked me to teach her how to read, I could only laugh. Even if I wanted to teach her how to write and read, I would have to wait two years to understand this letter. So I had no choice but to read it to her. In fact, there was nothing in it. , it’s just that I went somewhere today and saw something interesting, but this Li Jun is very good at talking. Every time Roulan heard about it, she would make a fuss about going to Youzhou. Fortunately, she wouldn’t make any noise for too long. Although Roulan was still young, she was already shy and would never let others see the content of the letter. She only asked me to read it for her, so I could threaten her to let me go. I even decided to teach her how to read later. Otherwise, what can I do without this trump card?

Seeing that I finally stood up and led Roulan towards the pavilion, Li Zhi smiled and said: "Suiyun, you're here, let's forget about this round."

I looked at the chessboard and saw that Li Zhi's chess pieces were all scattered. He said with a smile: "People say that those who are good at fighting are good at fighting. If it is a battlefield battle, the straight man will definitely lose. But if it is playing chess, His Highness can only accept the defeat." .”

Xiao Shunzi put away the chessboard and chess pieces expressionlessly. He had no intention of joining in. He just looked at me mockingly. I couldn't help but touch my nose. To be honest, I played chess with him and now this kid can give me three pieces. .

I sat down and picked up the teacup. Xiao Shunzi had already handed Roulan to the princess's maid and sent it back. I felt a little sore all over my body. After drinking a cup of hot tea, I felt refreshed and couldn't help but groan in comfort.

Li Zhi smiled and said: "Yesterday Qin Qing rebuked Pei Yun, the commander of the northern camp of the Forbidden Army, saying that his curtains were thin and not repaired."

I smiled slightly and said: "This is Li Hanyou's idea, now Qin Qing is only following his wife's orders."

The most prosperous people this year are probably Qin Qing and Li Hanyou. She married Qin Qing half a year ago. Not long after the marriage, Qin Qing was promoted to the commander-in-chief of the Forbidden Army. Although in fact the commander-in-chief of the Forbidden Army has always been a false position, the Forbidden Army is actually It is controlled by General Qin Yi of Fuyuan, but Qin Qing is Qin Yi's eldest son, which is certainly different from others. Although Qin Yi still has not delegated power, Qin Qing can still mobilize part of the imperial army. Now Qin Qing is already a well-known young general in Dayong, and Princess Li Hanyou of Jingjiang is already a princess and a disciple of Fengyi Sect. Although her marriage means that she can no longer be a disciple of Fengyi Sect. But her lofty status in Fengyi Sect is still very obvious. Such a couple is naturally the focus of thousands of people. What's even more rare is that they are very affectionate and are even more envied by everyone in the Great Yong Dynasty.

Li Zhi sneered: "Pei Yun officially married his concubine a few days ago, but his wife got a divorce letter. It's no wonder that Li Hanyou was furious. Mrs. Pei Xue Qiuxue is a disciple of Fengyi Sect. It is said that she has a romantic relationship with Li Hanyou." Same sisters.”

I picked up the tea cup and said calmly: "This can only be blamed on that woman's stupidity. Pei Yun made it clear that he did not want to marry her. When he went to the Xue family to plead guilty that day, he made it very clear that he already had an affair and was pregnant. If The Xue family is willing to break off the engagement and pay the price, but Miss Xue insists on marrying into the Pei family. That's fine. If this woman is willing to abide by her duties, Pei Yun is a kind person. As time goes by, he may not be able to accept her, but her methods are still Before he got home, his methods were too aggressive, which made Pei Yun stay away from him. Now he even harmed his concubine and his newborn baby. If he hadn't discovered it in time, it would have cost two lives. If it hadn't been for the Fengyi Sect, Pei Yun would have killed him with his sword. Kill her, but it is reasonable for Qin Qing to blame Pei Yun. In any case, this is indeed a thin curtain."

Li Zhi said: "As a result, the Fengyi Sect naturally refused to give up. Although they could not intervene directly due to human ethics, they accused Pei Yun of neglecting his wife and had already argued with Shaolin several times."

I smiled and said, "Although what they said is right, Shaolin simply acquiesces to Pei Yun's behavior. Pei Yun is their carefully selected disciple, and they absolutely do not want Pei Yun to have anything to do with Fengyi Sect. "

Li Zhi nodded and said: "Having said that, Shaolin will not fall out with Fengyi Sect after all. Although Fengyi Sect cannot openly trouble Pei Yun, Li Hanyou can still embarrass Pei Yun through Qin Qing. What do you think we should do? , Pei Yun is the nail that you finally planted in the Forbidden Army, so you can’t give up casually.”

I shook my head and said, "Your Highness is overly praised. I just led the way. It was Your Highness's own ability that made Pei Yun loyal to His Highness. Since ancient times, good ministers have chosen their masters. If His Highness had not been benevolent, righteous and wise, how could Pei Yun be willing to serve?" His Highness has to help this time, which will definitely make Shaolin Temple truly support His Highness. Although Shaolin had intended to cooperate with His Highness to deal with the Fengyi Sect in the past, due to the emperor and the prince, they could only support it secretly. This time the Fengyi Sect was too arrogant. I am afraid that I will anger Shaolin, and this is your highness’ opportunity.”

Li Zhi sighed and said: "Suiyun, I admire you very much. Your actions a year ago allowed the knowledgeable people in the government and the public to see clearly some of the crown prince's face. Now even if they have not decided to support me, they have all turned neutral. In the past, many people thought that the prince was the heir apparent and had no bad ethics, so even if they thought that the prince was wise, they would always stay away from them. Now, although I follow your instructions and do not recruit talents casually, I can feel that they are more willing to get close to them. Prince Yong’s Mansion, in just over a year, you allowed me to turn the situation around, and I don’t know how to thank you.”

I said calmly: "This is also your Highness's willingness to accept my opinion. I asked Your Highness not to act and to keep a low profile. Your Highness happily accepted it. In the past year, Your Highness has not made any changes, so that the Crown Prince cannot attack His Highness on the grounds that His Highness has great achievements and shocked the Lord. He All the difficulties faced by His Highness made people sympathize with His Highness more and more. However, when Shi Yu was appointed by His Highness to select officials in Youzhou, everyone thought that His Highness was doing it for the sake of the fiefdom. Now that His Highness has both civil and military personnel, he can start to display his great ambitions. I can Guaranteed, the prince will lose his throne within this year."

Li Zhi said doubtfully: "Although the prince has lost some of his popularity, there is still no possibility of him being deposed. He has also been very cautious this year. How can you be sure that he can be deposed?"

I smiled mysteriously and said, "His Royal Highness has been working hard to insert people into the prince's influence over the years. In the past, because the prince was cautious and the power of Lu Jingzhong and Fengyi Sect, it was always difficult to do so. But this year, because of the Ministry of Household Affairs, the prince has been unable to do so. The incident has lost the hearts of the people, and he has also lost the trust of his subordinates because of his killing and silence. Lu Jingzhong and Fengyimen are also at odds with each other. Hasn’t His Highness already successfully penetrated into the backbone of the prince’s influence, although he has not yet We have reached the core, but some of His Highness’s actions cannot be hidden from you. You really don’t know what His Highness is doing?”

Li Zhi smiled awkwardly and said, "I know a little about this. I heard that the prince fell in love with a brothel for some unknown reason. He hired famous prostitutes from Dayong several times to hide their beauty in a secret golden house. It wasn't until later that the emperor found out about it. He has just restrained himself, and he has stopped doing such romantic activities recently, but he always goes to the harem to accompany his father, the emperor, and the queen, and is filial to them."

I smiled coldly and said, "That's because he changed his pastime and became obsessed with one of the emperor's concubines."

Li Zhi was shocked and said: "How is this possible? This is a private matter. If my father knew about it, wouldn't he be held responsible, and it would be possible to deprive him of his reserve position." At this point, Li Zhi paused. , after a while he said: "I'm afraid it's not that easy to depose the crown prince because of palace affairs. After all, the harem cannot interfere with the country."

I said meaningfully: "If His Highness the Crown Prince has some ability, the Emperor may not abolish his throne, but the Emperor has already lost trust in the Crown Prince. Now for the Emperor, I am afraid that the Crown Prince's greater role is to suppress His Highness you." , if this thing happened, even if the emperor had no intention, he would probably impose severe punishment on the prince. Regardless of whether the emperor intended to abolish the prince's reserve position, his attitude must be expressed. In this way, the prince's heart will naturally be full of worries and hesitations, and the father and son will be in love with each other. Doubt, this is the result I want. His Highness the Crown Prince feels guilty. Even if he keeps the throne, he will probably worry day and night whether the emperor will settle accounts later. Then things will inevitably be messed up. In this way, the more he wants to make up for it. , I am afraid that it will arouse the emperor's dissatisfaction even more. Not to mention that the palace affairs are not important. Since ancient times, the family relationship between the emperor and his son has never been strong, but it is not new for father and son to fight each other. By then, I am afraid that the prince will be more suspicious of the emperor than his highness. There’s more to come.”

Li Zhi said: "But Concubine Ji and others will definitely help in every possible way, but I'm afraid it will still be of no use."

I said calmly: "If they protect themselves wisely, I will be worried. The more they do, the more flaws they will have. Don't you want your highness to expose their true colors?"

Li Zhi was deep in thought, with a hint of joy on his face, and said: "Sui Yun is such a good plan. If his evil is not revealed, how can I punish him without guilt?"