The Lone Star of the Tang Dynasty

Wei Zheng listened to the flattery of the ministers, and his fiery temper immediately exploded.

A few days ago, Weichen also received a report from Lord Mulu of Fanyang Prefecture that the Fanyang area was continuously drought in winter, and it was not until the beginning of spring that a continuous heavy rain was ushered in to moisten the earth

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and Eldest Sun Wuji and others couldn't stand such nonsense, although they were sleek and sophisticated on weekdays, they were not weak and could be bullied. They are worried that if Xu Jingzong is allowed to be so untrustworthy today, won't future generations compare this to a farce in which Zhao Gao pointed out that a deer is a horse?

So, they came out one after another to express their opinions.

"Your Majesty, Fan Yang's so-called fire must be a false report!" Fang Xuanling said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, this matter should be thoroughly investigated, and the Fan Yang Lu clan should not be allowed to use this to confuse the public!" Du Ruhui added.

The generals of Tiance Mansion also stood up one after another, expressing their support for the thorough investigation of the Fanyang fire.

In the face of the fierce debate of the ministers, Li Er remained silent and did not say anything.

All this was seen by Xu Jingzong, the corners of his mouth rose slightly, and he was overjoyed in his heart.

There was a deep meaning in Xu Jingzong's laughter, not because it was not due to other trivial matters, but because although he was a shameless person, he had extremely keen political insight.

The current situation is essentially the intention of the family to offset the impact of Li Er's implementation of the imperial examination system by increasing the price of educational resources. They secretly thought: If you Li Er want to use the power of the imperial examination to mobilize the power of the scholars of the Han Sect to weaken our foundation, then you also have to weigh who the real master of this world is. These scholars from humble backgrounds are quite ridiculous, and they naively think that they can easily step into the court and be on an equal footing with us with the imperial examination edict. They do not look in the mirror and examine their own status and status, but they dare to abandon their duties and abandon their life of farming and working in the fields in a vain attempt to enter the profession through studying! Today, if we do not understand the problem of the cost of education, which is the stage of advancement, they will not be able to easily realize their dream of

court

The reason why the family dares to be so tough is not unfounded.

Theoretically, everything in the world belongs to the king's land, but the reality is that each party has its own owner of resources, and the power and wealth in the hands of the family and the wang clan are not inferior to Li Er, the monarch, but can even be said to be far superior to him to a large extent.

Now, Li Er's desire to challenge this established pattern is undoubtedly a fool's dream.

Especially a top family like Fan Yang Lu's family controls the country's economic lifeline, even if Li Er continuously promulgates a hundred edicts, they can easily find a reason to turn it into nothing. They will respond arrogantly: "You say there is a shortage, but I say no, what can you do with me?" This is where their confidence in provoking the imperial power lies.

......

Xu Jingzong's words have a deep meaning behind them, and he has long foreseen Li Er's helplessness today.

After Wei Zheng and the other courtiers of the Tiance Mansion reprimanded, worry appeared on their faces.

They understand that it is easy to scold Xu Jingzong, but it is not easy to solve the problem. Without the support of Fan Yang Lu, many affairs would be in trouble.

They were worried that Li Er might still have to bow to Fan Yang Lu's clan in the end, although such a "reward" would be a great loss to the emperor's prestige, and might even cause an embarrassing situation where the government decree could not be issued in the Manna Palace.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the Manna Hall was extremely delicate.

The

consensus between the ministers of the Tiance Mansion and the officials of the family line is self-evident.

Everyone knew that Li Er had no choice but to compromise today.

And Pei Lin and other family masters seem to be detached, as if they are out of the way. They are well aware of Li Er's predicament, and they are also aware of the choices he is about to make. For Pei Lin and others, this is just common sense.

Just when everyone thought that the victory was in their hands, Pei Lin noticed something unusual.

Li Er was actually laughing.

And it's not an angry laugh, it's a joke, a joke-like smile.

In Chang'an City, whenever a major event happens, there will always be a group of idle people gathered together, with a relaxed expression of watching the excitement, and the situation in the court at this moment is no different from the expression of the group of small people in the market.

Pei Lian's brain didn't have time to react to the things in front of him, and he only heard a "snap" ......

Li Er forcefully put the teacup in his hand on the desk, then tilted his head slightly, and glanced at the hundred officials in the audience with a smile.

"What if I refuse to reward the Lu family?"

Li Er's words were like thunder on the ground, which caught Xu Jingzong and everyone off guard.

Xu Jingzong originally thought that Li Er would push the boat along the river and accept the proposal of the ministers, and he was even ready to be full of flattery and brush a wave of favorability in front of Pei Lian. However, before the words fell, he suddenly realized that something was wrong—Li Er actually planned to refuse to reward the Lu family!

Xu Jingzong was stunned, and said in his heart: "Isn't Li Er afraid that the price of pen and ink will continue to rise?"

Not only him, but Pei Lin and countless family officials in the Manna Hall were all stunned by this sudden decision, and their faces showed disbelief.

Li Er's eyes looked at the four roads, and he had already understood everything. Since the Xuanwumen Incident, he has understood that he has completely offended these lineages. Back then, his father Li Yuan rewarded him lavishly, and Li Yuanji and Li Jiancheng also fought fiercely with various forces; now that it is his turn to sit in the country, how can this group of people easily support themselves. Since this is the case, Li Er secretly decided in his heart: Then let them see their own means!

In the face of Li Er's refusal, Xu Jingzong was speechless for a while.

At this time, Zheng Xuannian, the secretary of Dali Temple, stood up and tried to ease the atmosphere: "Your Majesty, there are still many complaints from the people about the Cui Zhengde case a few days ago, so it is better to take this opportunity to sell personal ......."

Unexpectedly, Li Er directly interrupted his words and asked coldly: "Zheng Xuannian, are you selling favors or I selling favors?"

Zheng Xuannian's heart was shocked, and he immediately understood that Li Er might have a way to deal with it, so he didn't dare to say anything more.

Other officials who did not know what to do came back to their senses one after another, and rushed to admonish: "Your Majesty, this matter must not be decided hastily!"

"Your Majesty, it's hurting to refuse to give a reward!"

"Your Majesty, governing the world should be based on the principle of rewarding the good and punishing the evil, how can Your Majesty not be treated favorably when the Fan Yang Lu clan rescued the world's scholars from a predicament this time?"

"Your Majesty ......

".

Li Er didn't respond to this, just indifferently watched them perform.

Wei Zheng and other people of insight found that Li Er didn't seem to feel pressure about this, and couldn't help but wonder: "What the hell is going on?"

There

was an unknown atmosphere of tension throughout the court, and how Li Er's next move would affect this turbulent situation was something to look forward to.

This seemingly insignificant matter of pen and ink actually affects the continuation of the Tang Dynasty's cultural context.

If it weren't for the arrogance and contempt of the family officials, even Wei Zheng would have wanted to persuade Li Er to consider it carefully.

Du Ruhui, Fang Xuanling and others were even more like falling clouds, and it was difficult to figure out Li Er's intentions.

They racked their brains, but they never came up with Li Er's way to break the game.

After all, without resources, they cannot make their own ink, and even if they do, the emptiness of the treasury constrains them.