pappabearbooks Chapter 5441 Queen’s Charm
Chapter 5441 Queen’s Charm
Chapter 5441 Queen’s Charm
Li Chengqian was also very angry, and said angrily: "I do want to know how to appoint people well, but who in this court is not eyeing the imperial power covetously, wanting to suppress and divide the imperial power as soon as possible? Which of you is a loyal minister? Can I rely on people like you?"
The panic and anger that had been suppressed in his heart finally erupted.
One or two of you keep talking about "serving the country and the people," but have you ever taken me, the emperor, seriously?
While serving the country and its people, can't they also serve me, the emperor?
I think I've already shown a lot of self-restraint by not uttering a single curse like "traitorous scoundrel"...
Seeing his angry and aggrieved appearance, Fang Jun laughed instead: "Does Your Majesty mean that we are all traitors and rebels?"
Li Chengqian snorted: "You are not a traitor, nor a rebel, but it is an undeniable fact that you have been suppressing and dividing imperial power! The Council of State Affairs and the Grand Council were originally meant to assist me in handling state affairs, but now they are acting on their own and detached from imperial power. I can neither command the army nor make decisions on government affairs. What is the point of being an emperor?"
When the Grand Council was established, the intention was to centralize military power to prevent the rise of warlords. However, while military power was indeed centralized, it was no longer under the emperor's command. Apart from the nominal "Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armies," any order required the approval of the Grand Council; otherwise, it was difficult to mobilize the troops.
The same was true of the Council of State Affairs, where a group of prime ministers pointed out the direction of the country and spoke with great confidence. Each of them wanted to become a "famous minister for all time." They often argued over a certain policy and would raise their hands to vote at any time. Who cared about the emperor's opinion?
Even though he was not a strong-willed person and did not have a strong desire for power, he still regarded it as a disgrace.
A century from now, how will future generations evaluate this emperor who "lost power" and was "controlled by his ministers"?
When he meets Emperor Taizong again in the afterlife, how will he explain himself?
Fang Jun poured tea for Li Chengqian, sighed softly, and said sincerely, "We are not targeting Your Majesty, nor do we have any disloyal intentions. It's just that imperial power is like a raging flood; it can only be restrained, not allowed to run rampant. Absolute power inevitably breeds absolute corruption; this is a fundamental truth of the universe. If the country wants to develop, the people want to be happy, and the prosperous era wants to continue, this is something Your Majesty cannot achieve by acting unilaterally."
This was the first time he had openly discussed "imperial power" with Li Chengqian. In fact, Li Chengqian understood these principles, but he found them difficult to accept because of his position.
Li Chengqian snorted and said sarcastically, "In the end, it's all just disrespect towards me. During Emperor Taizong's reign, why didn't we see you all so loyal to the country and devoted to the people? If you dare to say such things to Emperor Taizong, you'll probably lose your heads!"
Fang Jun shook his head: "The situation is different. When Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, the country had not been established for long. Although people in all parts of the country seemed to be loyal to the Tang Dynasty, there were undercurrents and the people's hearts were not stable. A strong centralized power was needed to deter all parties and implement national policies. Therefore, mistakes could not be tolerated in order to stabilize the situation in the shortest possible time. But now the golden age has arrived and the country is prosperous. Even if the policy-making is slower and there are more infighting in the central government, we absolutely cannot allow the slightest mistake to be made and cause the great situation to be lost in one day."
Enraged, Li Chengqian shouted, "Insolence!"
He understood the hidden meaning in Fang Jun's words—the situation was different; now was not the time for founding a nation and needed to be ambitious and decisive; the people were different too; Li Chengqian was not Emperor Taizong after all…
Even if he fully acknowledged that he was inferior to Emperor Taizong, why did he have to say it to his face?
Doesn't he have any pride?
Fang Jun was not afraid at all; instead, he continued to sigh: "Emperor Taizong would not lose his temper just because he heard a few words of unpleasant but honest advice."
Li Chengqian rubbed his temples, feeling like he was being manipulated.
He was fortunate enough to inherit the throne and ascend to the throne. For many years, he was always vigilant and cautious, trying his best to do everything that an emperor should do. He had only one goal—to make everyone recognize him as the emperor and acknowledge that Emperor Taizong had made a mistake and should not have deposed him.
In short, they regarded Emperor Taizong as their benchmark in everything they did, and even if they could not surpass him, they wanted to get as close as possible to him.
Therefore, the sentence he could not tolerate the most was "You are not as good as Emperor Taizong"...
What was Emperor Taizong's greatest strength?
Naturally, it was about "being good at accepting advice." Even when someone like Wei Zheng was criticizing Emperor Taizong and spewing spittle all over his face, Emperor Taizong could still tolerate it and let it dry on his own.
Now Fang Jun has clearly found his weakness. Will you listen to my frank and honest advice, even if it's unpleasant to hear? If you do, then you'll do as I say. If you don't, then you're not good at accepting advice.
It's one thing to be bad at accepting advice, but if the criticism is blown out of proportion and extended infinitely, accusing him of being "stubborn and self-willed" or "dictatorial," or even adding, "The lessons of Emperor Yang of Sui are still fresh in our minds"...
He'd be so angry he'd vomit blood.
Unconvinced, he sneered, "I may not be as good as Emperor Taizong, but you are no match for Chancellor Fang! Back then, Chancellor Fang assisted Emperor Taizong in achieving his great cause, working tirelessly day and night, being fair and selfless, a gentle and virtuous gentleman, truly a moral exemplar of his time. But look at you, arrogant and domineering, acting arbitrarily, wielding power and appointing your own people, and most importantly, you claim to be a virtuous gentleman but are actually a womanizer."
At this point, his confidence grew stronger. He tapped the table above him and raised his voice a few decibels: "Just tell me, how many princesses of the Tang Dynasty have you ruined? Shameless, utterly despicable!"
It felt incredibly satisfying to utter those words.
This man, a man of exceptional talent and literary and military prowess, was not only a master of poetry and calligraphy, but also a pioneer of the "New Learning of Investigating Things," making him a true grandmaster of his time. His achievements are illustrious and have shaken the world, surpassing even the meritorious officials of the Zhenguan era.
Only by taking moral action can we achieve twice the result with half the effort!
Sleeping with your wife's older sister and stealing her younger sister, are you even human?
How dare someone as morally corrupt as you say that I am inferior to Emperor Taizong?
Pooh!
Fang Jun was caught in a compromising situation, and his dark face turned slightly red. There was nothing he could do; in this respect, he was indeed criticized and had a long history of misconduct.
His face flushed red with indignation, he said, "The sages said, 'Food and sex are human nature,' and 'A great hero can be true to his nature.' I only made a mistake that all men make, so what great crime is it? At least my husband and I are harmonious and obedient. On the contrary, Your Majesty boasts of morality, but does Your Majesty know whether the Empress has returned to the palace?"
Li Chengqian blushed with anger: "This is a matter within my palace; how dare a subject pry into it?"
Fang Jun shrugged: "It's common knowledge, so how can you say I'm spying? I'm going to the Eastern Palace to see His Highness the Crown Prince later. Should I also try to persuade the Empress to return to the palace?"
"Hmph, this is a family matter, no need for the Grand Commandant to concern himself with it!"
"Your Majesty is mistaken... Your Majesty reigns over the world and is the ruler of the four seas; family affairs are also state affairs."
Li Chengqian laughed angrily: "So it's not allowed for me to change the heir apparent, but now you even want to interfere with my minor marital conflict with the Empress?"
Fang Jun said confidently, "Those who wished to manifest their virtue to the world in ancient times first governed their states; those who wished to govern their states first regulated their families... If Your Majesty cannot even regulate your family, how can you expect to manifest your virtue to the world?"
Li Chengqian had a headache. He knew he couldn't win an argument against his opponent. He rubbed his temples with one hand and waved the other repeatedly, saying, "Stop making a racket here and go see your Crown Prince!"
Fang Jun tentatively asked, "Does this mean I shouldn't try to persuade the Empress?"
"Need not!"
Li Chengqian resolutely refused.
Although the Empress's long stay in the East Palace greatly annoyed him and had a certain impact on his reputation, he lived a carefree and unrestrained life in the Taiji Palace during this time, enjoying an extremely comfortable and pleasant existence.
“…Here you go.”
Fang Jun then got up to take his leave.
……
The Eastern Palace, Lizheng Hall.
Inside the west side hall, lush foliage dappled sunlight, casting dappled shadows onto the desk through the open windows, while a gentle breeze rustled through the trees.
Empress Su knelt on the mat, dressed in a magnificent palace gown. Her pretty face, lightly made up, had red lips and white teeth, and her eyes exuded the charm of a mature young woman.
She stared at Fang Jun up and down for a moment with bright eyes, then let out a soft snort: "You still have the heart to come back?"
The tone carried a hint of resentment, almost like blaming a "heartless person," instantly creating an ambiguous atmosphere...
Fang Jun was speechless.
It must be admitted that this empress was very good at cultivating ambiguity.
On the surface, her closeness and ambiguity towards him were all for the purpose of using his power to keep the crown prince's position. She even went so far as to make the promise she made back then. However, when they were together in private, her every smile and frown always made people feel that there was a hint of affection between them, in addition to "business as business".
Fang Jun suddenly realized that this must be the biggest illusion; he needed to stay focused...
He lowered his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. It is my duty to inspect the coastal areas. Besides, if I hadn't gone into hiding, I would have been caught in the vortex of public opinion in Chang'an for the past six months. You know my temper. What if I couldn't help but hit someone? It would be secondary if my reputation was ruined. I would regret it if I ruined His Highness the Crown Prince's important affairs."
Empress Su looked at Fang Jun's slightly reserved expression and was a little surprised.
Is this guy nervous or shy?
But this guy's fetish for "good princesses" is real; how could he be some upright and respectful good person?
If they can harm a princess, there's no reason they wouldn't have designs on themselves, the empress...
Empress Su's eyes flickered, and she lightly bit her lower lip with her pearly white teeth: "You only care about the Crown Prince's important affairs, but you leave me alone in this Eastern Palace surrounded by wolves, letting me live in fear and sleepless nights. Don't you think that's too cruel?"
Fang Jun smiled wryly. No wonder Empress Su had been able to keep Li Chengqian under her thumb all these years; her intelligence and methods were superior to Li Chengqian's.
If it weren't for the fact that the crown prince's fate was crucial to the strength of imperial power, and that Li Chengqian hadn't "risen up" and fought fiercely against it, and that Empress Su was extremely annoyed and disappointed by her intention to depose the crown prince, and had simply moved out of the Taiji Palace to protect the crown prince, Li Chengqian would probably have been unable to escape Empress Su's influence at all.