Datang: From exiled prince to eternal tyrant

Chapter 48

Today's court meeting was very lively. The Tang army defeated the Turks yesterday, which made these civil servants and generals very happy, so everyone at the court meeting was discussing in full swing.

Until Li Shimin mentioned the reward for Li Ke, the whole court reached a climax.

There was a fierce conflict between the faction of the King of Shu and the Guanlong Group over Li Ke's reward.

The Shu king's party, headed by Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, naturally hoped to win more rewards for Li Ke.

As for the Guanlong Group, they hated Li Ke to the bone, so they naturally tried their best to boast of the emperor's majesty, and made Li Ke's contributions worthless.

At first, some low-level officials from both sides were fighting with each other. On this point, the Guanlong Group had the upper hand.

The Guanlong Group accounted for one-third of the officials in the capital. They kept refuting Li Ke, which made those Shu kings very angry.

In the end, the King of Shu Party had to send important figures to refute on the spot.

"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the King of Shu came out in danger and led the Shu army to kill the enemy and protect our Tang Dynasty. If such achievements are not rewarded heavily, it will be hard to convince people!"

"Your Majesty, the King of Shu won the hearts of the people in the battle yesterday, and the hearts of the people are irreversible. Your Majesty will reward you!"

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui stepped forward to make speeches one after another, fighting for a reward for Li Ke.

Fang and Du were the leaders of the Shu King Party and the mainstays of the Tang Dynasty. Their words temporarily silenced the low-level officials of the Guanlong Group.

But of course the Guanlong Group also has important officials in the court, and they will naturally not let the two ministers, Fang and Du, fight for it wantonly.

"Your Majesty, although His Majesty the King of Shu has meritorious service, he has also caused trouble in Shu before. Since his merits and demerits are balanced, how can he be rewarded?"

Changsun Shunde stood up at this time.

He is the uncle of Changsun Wuji and one of the leaders of the Guanlong Group in the court.

Together with Gao Shilian, he can be said to be Changsun Wuji's right-hand man.

Both of them are the elders of Changsun Wuji, they were high-ranking officials in the imperial court during the reign of Wude, and now Changsun Wuji is unparalleled in power, and the two of them took advantage of the situation to support the huge Guanlong Group.

As soon as he spoke, the officials of the Guanlong Group echoed one after another, saying that Li Ke was not good in suppressing the rioters before, and he was very guilty.

The dispute between the court and the court resumed, and everyone spoke differently, each saying his own reasoning.

In this debate, there was only one person who stood firmly in the court and did not participate in the debate.

This man is Changsun Wuji's uncle, Gao Shilian.

This Gao Shi Lian Gui was the core of the Guanlong Group, but at this time he said nothing and just watched silently as his subordinates participated in the debate.

But although he didn't speak a word, he showed a calm demeanor, which made the Shu royal party confused.

Of course, everyone didn't know that Gao Shilian had received a flying pigeon letter from Changsun Wuji yesterday, and he already had a plan for today's court battle.

He didn't speak at this moment, but temporarily subdued, waiting for the best time to make a move, and disintegrate the Shu king's party members in one fell swoop.

Amidst the noise, Li Shimin finally spoke.

He first coughed twice to stop the disputes among the officials, and then he looked at Fang and Du.

"Those two lovers tell me, how should I reward the King of Shu?"

Li Shimin raised his eyebrows slightly, and said calmly.

"This……"

Fang and Du hesitated again at this moment.

They knew in their hearts that Li Shimin asked them first at this moment, probably because he had a good impression of Li Ke and wanted to take the opportunity to award him a reward.

However, how to confer rewards is also up to the emperor's will.

Li Ke is already the king of Shu at this time, and the best reward is naturally to be promoted directly to the position of prince.

But this is a matter of the Tian family, if Li Shimin didn't speak first, they would not dare to mention it.

Therefore, at this moment, they are thinking of asking for more fief money and food for Li Ke, so as to help Li Ke accumulate strength, and have a good fight with Li Chengqian.

"cough!"

Li Shimin coughed again, and said leisurely: "Ke'er is now a prince, so he shouldn't be promoted..."

"It's just..." He looked at Fang and Du, and the conversation changed, "Ke'er made a great achievement yesterday, so it would be unreasonable if he didn't give a big reward."

Li Shimin's words surprised Fang and Du.

They did not dare to expect to win in one fell swoop and completely lift Li Ke to the highest position of prince.

But Li Shimin just brought the topic to Li Ke's title.

The prince is already the highest title of the prince, and if he goes up, there will only be the position of the crown prince left.

Li Shimin seemed to mention it casually just now, but his words and expressions clearly hinted at Fang and Du that he intended to make Li Ke the crown prince.

Fang and Du were overjoyed, Dang even prepared to step forward to make a speech, once again bragging about Li Ke's achievements.

They have worked together for many years, and they have a tacit understanding with each other. According to their conception, Fang Xuanling went forward to brag, and then Du Ruhui added another touch, saying that Li Ke was quite the demeanor of the Holy Majesty back then.

This is quite imperial, which naturally means that he is the most suitable successor to Li Shimin.

As long as Li Shimin agrees with the two of them and follows up with a few words, they will work harder and put Li Ke on the throne.

Now Li Ke not only has the support of Fang and Du, he also has many supporters among the generals in the army.

After yesterday's battle, the generals admired Li Ke very much, and his status in the hearts of the generals was even higher.

If Li Ke fights for the heir apparent, it is quite possible.

"Your Majesty, I have doubts!"

But at this time, Gao Shilian stood up and interrupted Fang and Du's plan.

"Oh? If Gao Aiqing has any doubts, you can speak up, and all the ministers will discuss together!"

Li Shimin looked at Gao Shilian and said in a deep voice.

Gao Shilian slightly raised his head, and said loudly: "His Royal Highness the King of Shu presided over the extermination of the rebellious people a few days ago, but he has never heard of the success of the extermination. Instead, the situation of the rebellious people intensified..."

"It's just...seeing that he led the troops here yesterday, the soldiers are strong and strong, and the combat power is strong!"

"The old minister has doubts in his heart...why can His Highness the King of Shu not succeed in suppressing the rebellious people with such strength?"

Gao Shilian's words were sonorous and powerful, causing disturbances in the court.

It was only at this time that everyone was reminded by him, recalling the mighty cavalry unit yesterday.

"Besides, the old minister has heard some rumors..."

Gao Shilian continued: "It is said that His Royal Highness the King of Shu has recruited the rebels, organized the rebels for his own use, and formed a cavalry force!"

As soon as he said this, the faction of the King of Shu immediately guessed that Gao Shilian must have been reminded by Changsun Wuji.

Because of the troubled people, only Changsun Wuji, who personally fought against the troubled people, knows best. Only Changsun Wuji knows the relationship between Li Ke and the troubled people.

"The old minister suggested that it is better to wait for His Highness the King of Shu to wake up first, let him explain the matter clearly, and then His Majesty will make a decision.

Gao Shilian made a report, and the whole court fell into dead silence.

Everyone calculated the gains and losses in their hearts again.

Fang, Du and others knew in their hearts that Gao Shilian's move was intended to divide the relationship between the officials of the Shu King Party and Li Ke.

Because of the disturbance of the people, it is related to the conflict between Li Ke and the entire gentry group.

All the officials present were from gentry families.

Not only the Guanlong Group, but also many officials of the Shu Royal Party, are also potential victims of this chaos...

(End of this chapter)