GBP Chapter 23 Yang Xuangui's Helplessness
Chapter 23 Yang Xuangui's Helplessness
Yang Xuangui felt both helpless and bitter!
He had to force a smile on his face, otherwise he was worried about angering the emperor.
If the entire Yang family is punished in that case, things will get really bad!
But if we agree, wouldn't that make everyone gossip about us behind our backs?
The Yang family was no ordinary family; they were once a prominent and influential clan.
Reputation is more important than anything else!
Yang Xuangui pondered deeply, while also secretly making plans.
At this moment, it is absolutely imperative not to disobey the Emperor.
Afterwards, I need to have a serious talk with my son-in-law and come up with a solution.
"How could I refuse? Your Majesty is the ruler of all people. I dare not disobey your command. Your Majesty's mercy is as great as spring rain and dew! — I thank Your Majesty on behalf of my daughter!"
Yang Xuangui spoke in a manner that seemed neither humble nor arrogant, but it still carried a hint of resentment.
Li Longji frowned slightly, but before he could react, Gao Chen stepped forward.
He pointed at Yang Xuangui and scolded, "Listen to what you're saying! Lord Yang, the Emperor has taken a liking to your daughter, that's an immense blessing for your Yang family. If it weren't for Prince Shou insisting that your daughter become a Daoist nun, you'd be the Emperor's father-in-law by now! — You don't know what's good for you!"
"Ahem, Lishi is alright. Since Lord Yang understands, there's no need to make things difficult for him any further."
Li Longji coughed softly.
Gao Chen knew when to quit while he was ahead.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I have spoken out of turn. I will go and slap you now."
Gao Chen, as expected of Li Longji's most trusted lackey, was the first to step forward and vent his displeasure on behalf of the emperor, even though Li Longji was angry but could not vent it.
Li Longji, on the other hand, could still maintain the appearance of a wise and benevolent ruler.
This is the characteristic of Li Longji and this servant, who are of one mind and work together in perfect harmony.
It's no wonder that Gao Chen, a mere eunuch, became a favored minister of the court!
Yang Xuangui's face turned red and then white as he was being talked about.
Without saying another word, he quickly left the Taiji Palace.
He went straight back to his residence as soon as he left.
First, he pretended to go home and stayed in the study without going out.
As soon as night fell, he would sneak out through the back door of the woodshed and head to the Prince Shou's mansion under the moonlight.
Yang Xuangui also knew that the palace would definitely send someone to follow him.
That's why I dared to set off at this moment.
He didn't even dare to use the main entrance.
……
Inside Prince Shou's Mansion.
Li Mao, who was thinking about design drawings in his study, saw the butler rushing in.
"What's wrong, Uncle?"
"Your Highness, Lord Yang Xuangui has come to visit!"
Old Taishan?
Why is he here?
In an instant, a possibility came to Li Mao's mind.
It must be Li Longji, his adoptive father, putting some kind of pressure on Yang Xuangui again.
"Please come to the study immediately!"
Li Mao didn't delay and immediately had the old steward invite the person over.
At the same time, he secretly ordered several trusted guards to check whether anyone was following his father-in-law on his way here.
As soon as Yang Xuangui entered, he began to complain with a worried expression.
"My dear son-in-law! What should we do!"
"What's wrong, father-in-law? Someone, bring some tea."
As soon as he sat down, Yang Xuangui frowned and began to complain.
He explained everything that had happened during the day to Li Mao in detail.
After hearing all this, Li Mao even lost interest in the blueprints he was working on.
This was a rudimentary method of steelmaking that he had prepared based on some knowledge from later generations.
But now it seems that we can't afford to worry about that anymore.
It seems that the father, who was determined to cuckold his son, can no longer sit still.
It's outrageous. Where in the world is there a father like this?
This emperor was truly an oddity in the Li family.
Looking back, Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong probably never imagined that a figure like Li Longji would emerge from their descendants.
But thinking about it, this really is a Li family tradition!
This family is getting more and more chaotic with each generation.
"According to my father-in-law's wishes?"
"What can we do? I've also studied the classics. His Majesty came to your residence a few days ago and demanded that you divorce your wife! This is blatantly an attempt to steal his own daughter-in-law."
"If an emperor can be so indifferent, what can I, who is marrying off my daughter, do?"
"But when I think of my daughter... I don't want her to suffer!"
As Yang Xuangui spoke, he looked utterly distressed, as if he truly had no other options.
However, Li Mao was not in a hurry.
The more Li Longji acted this way, the more it showed how anxious he was.
If he really insists on doing things recklessly, he will only provoke constant criticism from the court officials.
After this, people will continue to discuss this matter endlessly.
In the Tang Dynasty, an era of great freedom of speech, not to mention folk songs, even poems slandering the emperor were commonplace, not to mention the gossip among the common people.
It is precisely in this kind of atmosphere that emperors often care about the opinions of the people.
However, Li Longji of today is no longer as wise and capable as he was in his youth.
He became increasingly selfish, completely disregarding the feelings of others!
Little did they know that this would inevitably lead to the bitter consequence of alienation and disloyalty among the people.
It's important to understand that the An Lushan Rebellion was not simply a rebellion by An Lushan, the military governor.
Rather, it reflects the attitude of the people towards Li Longji's rule in his later years.
Besides, the Tang soldiers who followed An Lushan in his rebellion were all elite Tang soldiers.
They're all Li family soldiers!
It is clear that the people had harbored resentment towards Li Longji for a long time.
The emperors of previous dynasties had achieved such outstanding results that the requirements for becoming emperor in the Tang Dynasty were very high.
Li Longji's governance in his later years was undoubtedly so incompetent that it was very disappointing.
After considering the details, Li Mao had an immature idea pop into his mind—perhaps the future treacherous minister Li Linfu could lend him a hand?
A treacherous minister is a corrupt official, but he is not a useless person.
He is certainly not a mediocre person who accomplishes nothing!
To be called a treacherous minister, one must naturally possess cunning and treacherous abilities.
Such cunning skills are perhaps the perfect means to engage in internal strife and factional struggles.
"Father-in-law, do you still remember Lord Li Linfu?"
"Are you referring to the Censor-in-Chief?"
“Yes, back when my mother was still alive, she was on good terms with the wife of Li Linfu, the Censor-in-Chief. Although my mother is no longer here, the favors she made back then still remain, especially this Lord Li Linfu. He was introduced to me by Yu Wenrong, and the person who recommended this current Censor-in-Chief Li Linfu to Yu Wenrong was none other than my mother!”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xuangui seemed to understand something!
"Your Highness, do you mean to have the Censor-in-Chief directly advise His Majesty?"
Li Mao smiled calmly and said, "Admonitions are indeed required, and several censors must write them together. But will that be enough to persuade my father, the emperor? — I doubt it!"
"So, what does Your Highness mean?"
"What I mean is, we need the censors to stand on our side."
"Make a splash!"