ebookland Chapter 889 The Real Deadly Hand
Chapter 889 The Real Deadly Hand
That's it...that's it!
At this moment, Changsun Wuji kept lamenting in his heart: He was really going to be forced into a desperate situation by this gang of rogue retainers of the Dou family!
Chai Shao's retirement was just a smoke screen.
Li Jing's resignation was an ambush, and Wang Gui's retirement was just the beginning...
The real killer move was the young man who just proposed to His Majesty that he be appointed as the Minister of Rites!
I am also dizzy...
Being provoked by Dou Shilun's gaze, he began to get angry and lost his mind...
No, I'm not dizzy...
At this moment, Changsun Wuji was filled with regret: he was arrogant and conceited! ——Since the King of Chu left Chang'an, he naturally regarded his departure as a reward for his advice and dedication to His Majesty. So just now, when Dou Shilun looked at him with such contempt, his blood boiled and he forgot to think...
At this moment, Changsun Wuji was really regretting his decision.
Who would have thought... that the position of Minister of Rites, which he had rejected without a second thought, would be his last chance of survival...
In fact, after the palace coup in the ninth year of Wude, Zhangsun Wuji had not only obtained many official positions at the beginning, but also all of them were high positions - such as the Left Wuhou General, the Minister of Personnel, and the Minister of the Right...
However, since His Majesty Li II ascended the throne, he cleared out the checkpoints set up for him by the retired Emperor Li Yuan - those old ministers of Wude who held high positions but did nothing from the court. As a relative of the emperor, Changsun Wuji had to quietly resign from those powerful official positions and only retained the honorary positions of Sikong, Situ, and Taizi Taishi.
Therefore, even though Changsun Wuji did not want to admit it, after Li Jing resigned, whether he had ever coveted the position of Shangshu You Pushe - perhaps even he himself could hardly say for sure.
Since even Changsun Wuji himself was confused about this matter...
Then how could others believe that he had no selfish motives in giving up the position of Minister of Rites?
In fact, Changsun Wuji also knew it in his heart.
If the Dou family wanted to deal with him, they would have blocked his escape route in advance - no matter what choice Changsun Wuji made, it would be wrong.
But he currently cannot see what kind of situation he will face after being elected as the Minister of Rites - perhaps, it is not that he cannot see it, but that he dare not think about it.
In fact, once Changsun Wuji chose to accept the position of Minister of Rites, wouldn’t his previous resignation be forced?
Never mind whether he was really forced or not - where would His Majesty's face be put?
But if you refuse...
Hey……
Our Majesty always remains suspicious and wary even of his own son - so the choice before you is one of two.
If accepting the Minister of Rites is wrong, then not accepting it is right?
Sorry, this is also a wrong choice!
People ask you to choose, but they don’t intend for you to make the right choice!
If you, Changsun Wuji, had refused the position of Minister of Rites, His Majesty would naturally suspect you without you having to express your opinion, and would have set your sights on the position of Shangshu You Pushe, which Li Jing had just resigned from.
You know, His Royal Highness the King of Chu is now in the northwest!
——The reason why Chu Suiliang mentioned the war in the northwest just now was not to imply that Zhangsun Wuji should be afraid of Li Kuan, but to remind him: because a war is about to break out in the Western Regions, Li Jing's position as Shangshu You Pushe is destined to be left vacant! Because Shangshu You Pushe is in charge of the three departments of military, criminal justice, and engineering?6?8.
And the King of Chu went to the Western Regions this time...
Well... if you go to Java and capture a savage at random, and then tell him about this uncle's past battle records, that savage will also know what His Royal Highness the King of Chu is planning to do this time - in his eyes, the battle will not be satisfying unless the Western Regions are turned upside down by this uncle!
But no matter how brave and invincible His Royal Highness the King of Chu is, you in Chang'an can't just sit there and watch. The war supplies must be in place - even if the King of Chu has always fought foreign wars by fighting to support the war, that is because he is capable, not an excuse for you to be slack in logistics.
On the other hand, if His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu spreads his business too wide and fails, should the garrison at Yumen Pass be increased?
At that time, a large number of troops will be mobilized, as well as the subsequent food transportation and equipment supply, all of which will need to be coordinated by the Shangshu You Pushe.
Therefore, at this critical juncture, the position of Shangshu You Pushe cannot be left vacant and someone must sit in it no matter what.
Of course, having said that, there weren't many candidates for this position, but...
From the moment you, Changsun Wuji, refused, everyone naturally thought that you wanted to squeeze into the team of candidates...
You can't explain it clearly...Duke Zhao!
It's over...it's all over...
This is more than just flattery! This is simply "beating" to death. First, it's a blow to the head, and when people wake up, they are already doomed!
At that time, after Zhang Sun Wuji suddenly realized what was going on, he looked towards the Crown Prince who had leisurely returned to his original seat.
This... beast!
The Dou family just dug a hole and waited for me to jump in - you bastard... you actually pushed your own uncle!
I am your uncle, not your cousin!
And... you're just taking the initiative to help the Dou family recover their losses!
The Shangshu Zuo Pushe and the Minister of Rites!
The Dou family spent a lot of money to save you this time - and in the end you returned the Minister of Rites to them!
At this moment... looking at His Royal Highness the Crown Prince with a very calm expression on the steps, Lord Zhangsun Wuji felt extremely sad and angry in his heart!
He even began to miss his other bastard nephew: in the past, when King Chu was around, this Little Li Er would usually start team fights with violence - after all, King Chu had a brain but didn't like to use it. Now, the head of the Barbarian King family (younger brother) who only played "real" things has left Chang'an, but he left behind a group of loyal and cunning retainers (eldest brother) to help him!
In fact, the reason why Changsun Wuji's thoughts were so confused was not because he had been distracted by this incident, but because he had been deliberately avoiding someone.
Your Majesty Li II.
Why did Emperor Li II acquiesce to Dou Shilun's succession to Wang Gui as the Minister of Rites, and then sent Zhangsun Wuji to the high position of Shangshu You Pushe?
Changsun Wuji couldn't figure it out.
Your Majesty, can't you see that Dou has prepared a dead end for Zhangsun Wuji?
meeting……
Of course he could see it!
But what if he figured it out?
In fact, just as Changsun Wuji deliberately avoided thinking about Emperor Li II, Emperor Li II also did not deliberately think about another person - Dou Shilun, who just bowed to show that he had accepted the order and did not even open his mouth to thank him.
Even if Dou Shilun stretched his head before Emperor Li II and begged him to chop off his head, Emperor Li II would not do so.
Things are different now. The father-son relationship between Li Kuan and Emperor Li Er is now almost gone.
Although the King of Chu did not say it explicitly, he did not need to say it: if anything happened to Dou Shilun, he would definitely blame everyone in Chang'an!
It was no secret that His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu knelt respectfully to his own Dou Shu'er on Baqiao Bridge - do you think that His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu was only kneeling to his own Dou Shu'er?
His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu's childhood was different from that of the other princes, and even from the children of the officials in the court.
When he was young, he lived in Longyou and was loved by his grandmother, but he had no peers around him.
I am used to being alone, and I am also used to doing careful and complex thinking when I am alone.
So, let’s look at it now - when His Royal Highness the King of Chu knelt on the Ba Bridge, apart from thanking Dou Shilun, the rest was to let the whole world watch carefully: Dou Shuer is my Achilles’ heel, and whoever dares to touch him is seeking death!
But in addition to this "kneeling", there is also a "bow" - His Royal Highness the King of Chu bowed to Dou Shu'er, but when he kowtowed, in addition to repaying Dou Shu'er's kindness, there was another meaning. That was as a stubborn son, he was pleading again and demonstrating for the first time to his father who was in the dark and kept testing his bottom line: This is the person who protected me growing up, can you please stop hurting him?
If you attack him again... I can be a fool too. I can also be "Li Er"!
It was unknown when His Majesty Li II understood his son's intentions, but today, even a strong man like His Majesty Li II had to compromise at this moment: Dou's retainers were besieging him, and the crown prince was fanning the flames. If he tried to protect Changsun Wuji...
Thinking of this, His Majesty Li II's eyes suddenly swept slowly over Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, Li Jing, Li Xiaogong, who were standing at the front row of the officials, as well as Li Daozon, who had come to the morning court for the first time today.
The real "dead hand"... is here!