The Grandmaster Strategist

When Emperor Gaozu returned, he expressed his admiration to Emperor Taizong. Emperor Taizong asked him to patrol the border, but the emperor did not agree.

——"Yong Shi·The Chronicles of Taizong"

On June 16, at the end of the day, Princess Changle returned to the palace under the protection of the imperial guards and imperial guards. She was sitting in the bus, with a touch of worry on her beautiful face. Just now, Xiahou Yuanfeng passed Lu'e She originally wanted to refuse to ask for a meeting, but then she thought about it. Although Xiahou Yuanfeng had wanted to beg Huang in the past, he had not come to bother her since she refused. Now that she thought about it, Xiahou Yuanfeng was more knowledgeable than the gentle and elegant Wei Ying. , and allowed him to see him.

Xiahou Yuanfeng didn't say anything special. He just said tactfully: "I recently received news that someone wanted to try their best to facilitate the marriage between His Highness and Mr. Wei. In the past, His Majesty proposed a marriage. Although His Majesty refused, His Majesty never withdrew his decree. , so some people want to force the princess to fulfill the engagement, because over the past year, His Highness has been very close to Prince Yong's Mansion. Although His Highness is unwilling to intervene in the dispute, in the eyes of some people, His Highness still supports Prince Yong, so some people want to force the princess to The marriage was completed quickly. In this way, the position of the Wei family was originally neutral. The princess was a person with outstanding virtues, words, appearance, and merit, and would never embarrass her husband's family. Those people also wanted to draw money from the bottom of the cauldron. Who didn't know that His Highness was on good terms with Prince Yong's Mansion? , and the emperor is very fond of the princess, and they don't want the princess to affect the emperor's opinion. What's more, now that the prince's throne is in danger, it is a time when they dare not ignore it, so they take your highness's marriage very seriously, but they I don’t dare to use force, I’m afraid I will use some tricks, the princess must be careful, although Mr. Wei has a good character, he is obsessed with the princess, I’m afraid someone will take advantage of him.”

Princess Changle looked out through the gauze curtains on the car window. Chang'an Street was solemn. The Imperial Army was densely covered and the carriages and horses were unable to move. She couldn't help but feel very sad. She recalled that when Jianye was in crisis, she was killed by Emperor Yongmi. The spy rescued the palace and saw in the car that the originally bustling streets were full of panicked people. The tense atmosphere outside the car now is actually no different from that then.

On June 18, Emperor Yong Li Yuan returned to Chang'an. This time Li Yuan was obviously in a bad mood. Even when the officials knelt down to welcome him, his face was livid. Before he came back, he reluctantly faced Emperor Yong who was picking him up. After a few words of praise, he hurried back to the palace, and then immediately summoned Wei Guan, Li Zhi and Qin Qing into the palace. But the Fuyuan General Qin Yi, Wei Guogong Cheng Shu and Qi Wang Li Xian who were accompanying him all returned to their homes to rest according to the order.

In front of the three people, Li Yuan smashed the tea cup angrily and said: "You are really good at it. In just a few days, my Chang'an has become like this. Zheng Shizhong was assassinated, the Dongshi Incident, and Chang'an was on fire. Okay, tell me what I should do with you."

The three of them knelt down and apologized. Wei Guancheng said with fear and fear: "I was ordered to take charge of government affairs. It was all because of my negligence that this happened. Please punish me severely." Qin Qing said with shame on his face: "I have betrayed the Holy Spirit. Well, I failed to maintain the peace of the imperial capital. Zheng Shizhong was assassinated first, and the fire broke out in Dongshi later. If His Highness King Yong had not come to Dongshi to take charge of the overall situation, I am afraid that the situation would have escalated. Please, Your Majesty, remove me from my official position." Li Zhi also apologized. Authentic: "It was all due to my oversight. A few days ago, I had received military reports of unrest at the border, but I didn't take it seriously. Now it has been found out that it was the spies of the Northern Han Dynasty who took the opportunity to cause trouble. I am the father of the emperor." The personally appointed Marshal Tiance must be held responsible for his crimes."

Li Yuan looked at the three people rushing to plead guilty, but he felt very tired. He fell down on the dragon chair and thought to himself, if you hadn't fought for power, how could Chang'an be like an undefended market, allowing the enemy to do so? Spies come and go. However, Li Yuan knew very well that this situation was actually his own fault. He appointed his eldest son as the crown prince. Although it was due to the system, he was not selfish. Li Zhi's shrewdness and ability made him always feel jealous, so he always wanted to suppress Li Zhi. He looked at him, but Li Yuan knew very well that among his descendants, only this son could excel. However, due to various circumstances, he still decided to support Li An. Could it be that I was wrong? Li Yuan remembered that after he received the eight-hundred-mile expedited memorial in Huangling,

He was so angry that he wanted to kill someone, but he didn't know who to blame.

Wei Guan was a civil servant, so it was useless to blame him. Although Qin Qing had failed in his duties, but think about it, he was not the one who could make the decision in Chang'an now. Besides, didn't he make Qin Qing the commander of the imperial army because it was easier to use? . There is also King Yong Li Zhi. Who can I blame him? In the past few years, he has been in danger almost every day, and he has no choice but to hide his power and bide his time. When this incident happened, he had just come out of the Zhai Palace, and if he hadn't ignored He tried his best to turn the tide, but Chang'an was either in ruins or a slaughterhouse, and he was almost assassinated. He should be commended, but if he commended him, what would the prince do? Do he really have to abolish him? Although Li Yuan felt sorry for the prince in his heart Very disappointed, but still unwilling to depose the prince easily. He knew very well that writing such a thing in the history books would discredit himself, not to mention that he still had to have a high-sounding excuse, but how could the current crime of the prince be justified? Let outsiders know.

Thinking of this, he waved his hand tiredly and said: "That's all. Wei Guan will be fined for one year, and Qin Qing will be demoted one level. He will still serve as the temporary commander, in order to make meritorious deeds. King Yong will have the merits of accompanying the sacrifice and quelling the chaos. Your merits will come later, and you should be heavily rewarded, but now that you have no title, I will give you three thousand taels of gold."

Li Zhi kowtowed and said: "I thank my father for the reward, but I am not short of gold and silver. In this Chang'an Incident, many civilians suffered innocent victims. I hope that my father will use these rewards for relief, and I will feel the same."

Li Yuan took a deep look at Li Zhi, feeling both happy and worried in his heart, and said with a smile: "Zhi'er, you are indeed worthy of the title of a wise king. Okay, I'm sure. You were frightened by the assassination, so you need to get more rest when you go back."

Li Zhi said quickly: "Father, judging from this incident and the border military reports, I am afraid that the Northern Han Dynasty is about to make a move. If my father allows me, I would like to inspect the border."

Li Yuan's eyes flashed and he said: "I will think about this matter again. You can go down and make some preparations first."

Li Zhi was overjoyed. Before he came, Jiang Zhe once said that if the emperor agreed immediately, then His Highness might not have the chance to ascend the throne openly. Although it was said that the dragons were in the abyss, the tigers were roaring in the mountains and forests, and they were free, but that meant The emperor has no intention of making you the crown prince, otherwise he would never let you stay away from the center of the government at this time. If that happens, I am afraid that your highness will have to use force to seize the throne. This is definitely not what your highness and your ministers expect. If the emperor insists on keeping you here, then there is still a 50% chance that Your Highness will be appointed as the crown prince by the emperor, because there is still a 50% chance that the emperor is deeply suspicious of you and will never want you to return to the army. But if the Emperor is hesitant, then congratulations to His Highness, the Emperor has been disappointed with the Prince. As long as His Highness handles it properly, it will not be difficult to obtain the throne.

What Li Zhi admires most about Jiang Zhe is that he can see through other people's thoughts at a glance, but this does not include the people around him, such as Xiao Shunzi and Rou Lan. This is probably the reason why you can see the smallest details but not the mountain. Bar. Li Zhi, who was full of joy but did not dare to express it in words, hurriedly resigned and returned home.

Li Zhi was naturally full of joy when he returned to Prince Yong's Mansion, and no one dared to blame Wei Guan when he returned to the Mansion. Only Qin Qing was full of anxiety, not knowing how his father would punish him. After much deliberation, he decided to go to Qin Yong first and ask him to accompany him to see his father, so that his father could punish him lightly. Thinking of this, Qin Qing, who left the palace, did not go back to his consort's house or visit his father, but went to Qin Yong's home first. Although Qin Yong was adopted by Qin Yi in the mansion, Qin Yong moved out of the Qin mansion as early as ten years ago. It is said that it was because his mother was not used to the majesty of the general's mansion. Qin Qing often went there before getting married. Qin Yong's family is actually not far apart. Qin's mother was born in poverty. Although she is a few years old, she is in good health and still likes to grow vegetables and raise chickens. Qin Yong hired several servants to take care of his mother, so the mother and son People are very comfortable. Qin Qing likes to eat the side dishes cooked by Qin's mother the most. He always feels that they are better than those cooked by famous chefs at home. However, after he got married, he gradually stayed away from this kind of life.

While thinking about it, he rode on his horse. Not long after, Qin Qing arrived at Qin Yong's residence. Jumping off his horse, he knocked on the door hard, and an energetic voice came from inside the door: "Here, brother is back?" Qin Qing was stunned, what was going on? Did Brother Yong move? Before he could think clearly, the door had opened, and a handsome young man of sixteen or seventeen years old poked his head out. He was stunned when he saw Qin Qing, and asked: "This official, who are you looking for?"

Qin Qing asked hesitantly: "Is Qin Yong here? I am his cousin."

The young man's eyes lit up and he said, "My godmother always talks about the general, and she also said that you like her food the best." After that, he turned around and shouted: "My godmother, my godmother, General Qin Qingqin is here."

There was laughter from inside the door: "General Qin, he is also your cousin here, Hua'er, Qing'er is not allowed to come in."

The young man giggled and opened the door. Qin Qing led the horse in with a confused look on his face, tied the horse to the big locust tree in the courtyard, and said to the smiling old woman standing on the steps: "Aunt, these days. I didn’t come to see you, how are you doing?”

The old woman said: "Well, you, Brother Yong, are always too busy to go home. Fortunately, I still have Hua'er to accompany me."

Qin Qing asked doubtfully: "Is this little brother your adopted son?"

The old woman smiled and said: "His name is Liu Hua. He is originally from Jiangnan. He has no father or mother since he was a child. He has been wandering outside. In the past few years, he worked with a big businessman for several years. He also read some books and grew up. Later, he wandered to Chang'an, but unfortunately fell ill. Fortunately, your brother Yong found him lying on the roadside one day and picked him up. I thought this child was smart and sensible, so I simply accepted this godson. He doesn't have any other good qualities, he just knows the pain and heat, is hard-working and willing to work. Now he works as a clerk in a silk and satin factory, and has been promoted to foreman. Unlike your brother Yong, who only knows how to hang out in the military camp, and now he has not found one for me. As a daughter-in-law, let me hold my grandson."

Only then did Qin Qing understand. She looked at Liu Hua and saw that this young man had beautiful features, eyebrows as curved as the moon, eyes as bright as stars, and a smile at the corner of his mouth. He made people feel amiable and cute when he saw him. He couldn't help but feel good about him, so he smiled and said: " Since I am my aunt's adopted son, you should also call me Fourth Brother. In our generation, Brother Yong is the eldest, and I am the fourth."

Liu Hua said obediently: "My little brother is going to pay tribute to the fourth brother. Is the fourth brother here to see his adopted brother? The general has just called his adopted brother."

Qin Qing panicked and asked, "Look at Brother Yong's expression. Are you worried about my father's punishment?"

Liu Hua almost laughed out loud and said hurriedly: "Brother Yong is nothing unusual. He just said that he might not come back tonight so that my godmother and I don't have to wait for him."

Qin Qing muttered in her heart, of course there is no need to wait for him, it seems that someone will accompany me when I kneel in the ancestral hall tonight. Thinking of this, he didn't dare to waste any more time and said: "Aunt, you guys get busy, I have to go back to pay my respects to my father."

The old woman smiled and said: "That's right, you brothers are all the same. Today Yong'er was also going to see the general when he was summoned by the people sent by the general."

Qin Qing was even more flustered when he heard that. He hurriedly said goodbye, mounted his horse and galloped towards the general's mansion. He did not see that the young man Liu Hua who sent him out had a strange and funny look in his eyes.

Qin Qing was filled with worries and wanted to get home quickly to avoid her father becoming even more angry. She was also afraid that after seeing her father, she would be beaten with a stick and forced to kneel in the ancestral hall without any explanation. Just like this, he returned home hesitantly. As soon as he entered the door, the general reported that the master had ordered that the young master should meet him in the study as soon as he came back.

Qin Qing felt a shiver in his heart. His father's study was the place he feared most. Every time he made a mistake, the first thing he did was to be called to the study. But now he couldn't escape, so he had to pretend to be calm and come there. In front of the study room. When Qin Qing finally plucked up the courage to open the door and go in, he was stunned. Qin Yi, dressed in casual clothes, was pointing at the map and talking to Qin Yong. When Qin Qing came in, he just glanced at him lightly and continued. Talking to Qin Yong, Qin Qing listened carefully, but it was his father who was discussing with Qin Yong how to rearrange Chang'an's defense to prevent this incident from happening again. Qin Qing couldn't help feeling ashamed and didn't dare to interrupt. He only listened to his father and Qin Yong discussing how to deploy defenses. In the past, the main responsibility of the imperial army was to maintain the imperial city. Jing Zhaoyin was mainly responsible for the security of Chang'an City, so this time The Forbidden Army was caught off guard by the accident. Although Qin Yi, the de facto leader of the Forbidden Army, was absent, adaptability was still insufficient, so Qin Yi re-planned the deployment and training plan of the Forbidden Army.

When the two of them had reached the end of their discussion, Qin Yi picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and said calmly: "Qing'er, do you have anything to say to your father?"

Qin Qing's heart skipped a beat and she quickly said: "Father, it's all young children who are incompetent. Please punish me."

Qin Yi smiled slightly and said: "Now that you are the consort of Jingjiang, I can't control you anymore. I don't blame you for what happened this time. You are still young and do not have enough reputation. If you can handle it like this this time, you are barely qualified." , what I want to ask you is, why did you block the carriage of Jiang Sima in Prince Yong's Mansion a few days ago? These days, I have been waiting for you to explain this matter to me, but you never came."

Qin Qing was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly said: "It turns out that my father didn't mention it, so I almost forgot about it. Now that I talk about it, I'm still a little angry. There was clearly someone hiding in the car that day, but Jiang Zhe used the gold medal to force him to I can't search. If Han You hadn't said that he shouldn't be meddlesome, I would have secretly reported to His Majesty..."

As soon as he said this, Qin Yi's face was full of anger, his fingers were trembling slightly, and he could hardly hold the tea cup. After a long time, he said: "I didn't know you had such intelligence. Okay, okay, I really have a good son."

Qin Qingke was frightened now. He had been afraid of his father for a long time. He quickly knelt down and said in a trembling voice: "Father, calm down." But his expression was confused, and he obviously didn't know where he was wrong.

Qin Yi felt a sense of sadness in his heart. The closest relatives in this world are father and son. Why wouldn't he want his son to be outstanding and a leader? However, Qin Qing is so stupid and stubborn, and can't always see the facts clearly. With such qualifications, he can only be an officer. , but he has become the center of the imperial court. Now that he is taking care of him, he can still be safe. If he goes there by himself in the future, who else can take care of him? Even if Princess Li Hanyou of Jingjiang gives him advice for the sake of the relationship between husband and wife, I am afraid she can only He was reduced to a pawn. If he had known what happened, he would not have agreed to transfer him back to the capital. He suppressed his anger and said: "You rebellious son, can you afford to offend Prince Yong's Mansion? Not to mention that the people on Jiang Si's carriage may not be rebellious, but even if there is something real, it is not your turn to intervene."

Qin Qing murmured: "But that's true. Didn't father say that those in charge of the Imperial Army should be honest and aboveboard and not afraid of the powerful?"

Qin Yi said angrily: "I want you to be upright and not afraid of the powerful. I want you not to act as a helper to the tiger and protect the innocent, but I don't want you to embarrass King Yong. Now who doesn't know that King Yong has great achievements, but the prince is afraid of them. Brothers are watching the wall. We, the ministers, can only stand by and watch. Since ancient times, there is no distinction between good and evil in the fight for the reserve. As long as they do not harm innocent civilians, what will happen to you? You want to be the boudoir of Princess Jingjiang? It's okay for close friends to complain and embarrass Pei Yun. Although Pei Yun did nothing wrong, he should not openly embarrass Prince Yong's Mansion. Not to mention that there might be people in the car that you would not be able to see, but there would be no one. If they let you If you search the car obediently, wouldn't it mean that Prince Yong's Mansion will be disgraced? No matter how magnanimous Prince Yong is, he will not be able to forgive you for your rudeness."

Qin Qing was not stupid. Hearing this, his face turned red. He didn't know what to say. Qin Yi sighed and said: "Besides, some things are not as simple as they seem. You thought that person was rebellious, but you forgot He and the emperor are blood relatives. If you reported it to the emperor, but let the emperor take care of it, how could you interfere in these matters casually? That's all, I won't say more about you. Go to the ancestral hall and reflect on it. What a woman said. , how can you be obedient, huh?"

At this time, someone outside the door reported: "Brother Qin, the emperor has issued a decree."

Qin Yi was slightly startled and said, "What's the purpose?"

The man pushed the door open and came in, but it was Wei Guogong Cheng Shu. He said solemnly: "The emperor has issued an edict that the prince has been recovering in the palace a few days ago. Now that he has recovered, he can return to the palace to continue recuperating. There is no need to go to the East Palace to take charge of the affairs for the time being. King Yong is here. This meritorious service was outstanding and should have been generously rewarded, but I agreed to his request and used the reward to help the victims. Also, the King of Qi will leave the capital tomorrow to inspect the border on behalf of the emperor to guard against attacks from the Northern Han Dynasty."

Qin Yi tasted it for a long time and said, "Your Majesty's decision this time is really thought-provoking."