The Grandmaster Strategist

On November 3rd, the 23rd year of Emperor Yong’s reign (the first year of Zhihua in Southern Chu), the Holy Emperor issued an edict to extend special favor to King Qi. Everyone knew that this was intended by King Yong.

--"Yong Shi·The Chronicles of Taizong"

After leaving Cuiluan Palace, Concubine Ji took a deep breath and expressed her depression. Liang Wan was the beloved disciple of the sect leader Fan Huiyao and an important chess piece of the Fengyi Sect. She had made outstanding achievements in Jiangnan and was married to the prince Li Ancheng. The agreement was unexpectedly destroyed in Jiangnan this time. How could it not be heartbreaking? The sect owner sent a secret message, asking him to find out all the details of Liang Wan's madness. He knew that the sect owner suspected that King Yong had tampered with it. After all, King Yong was already dissatisfied with Liang Wan, otherwise he would not have sent someone to establish another intelligence network. However, no useful information was obtained from Princess Changle, who was the only one who had personally experienced that incident.

Concubine Ji sneered slightly. Besides King Yong, who else could it be? If she were from Southern Chu, she would definitely not let Princess Changle go. Unless she was a subordinate of King Yong, she would treat Princess Changle like this. But there is no evidence. , I can't accuse King Yong Li Zhi without any reason. Thinking of the emperor's reward, Concubine Ji's heart was as cold as ice. At today's ceremony, Li Yuan announced that because King Yong had made outstanding military exploits over the years, and in recent years he had destroyed Shu and Chu, and his achievements were unparalleled, his current official position could not commend him. Therefore, he issued an edict to appoint King Yong as the Marshal of Tiance, leading the chief minister, ranking above the princes, and providing food to 20,000 households in the city. He was also given a set of crowns, a golden sedan chair, a pair of jade bis, and six thousand catties of gold. , preaching the music of the nine tribes, and forty swordsmen, what an honor it is, even the prince's honor guard is only slightly better.

What made Concubine Ji even more dismayed was that the emperor also issued an edict to allow Tiance Commander's Mansion to appoint its own officials. According to the information reported by Li Zhi, there was one chief official and one Sima, two ministers, and two military advisors and wine ministers. There are four people who make signatures, two people who are responsible for registering, two people who record events, two people who work in the record office and military affairs, two people each from Gong, Cang, Bing, Cavalry, Armor, and Shi Liucao, and six people who participate in military affairs. In this way, Li Zhi's Tiance Commandery became a small court with all the internal organs, although it was small. Will the emperor change his mind and make Li Zhi the crown prince? After thinking for a long time, Concubine Ji shook her head. Although King Yong had great achievements, the prince had no obvious misconduct. And according to her understanding of the emperor, she was afraid that the emperor would regret that the reward given to King Yong was too generous tonight. It is estimated that in a few days, The emperor will try every means to reduce King Yong's power. Since ancient times, some of the masters with great achievements will have a good end. Thinking of this, Concubine Ji showed a proud smile.

At this time, a eunuch in scarlet clothes hurried over and reported: "Your Majesty, the Emperor has sent a decree that he will rest at your Majesty's place tonight. Please return to the palace quickly. I estimate that the Emperor will arrive in less than half an hour." ." Concubine Ji was overjoyed. She knew very well that although she had good looks, she did not stand out in front of the emperor when it came to affection and favor. What's more, she had always shown little favor, and she rarely received it. He loves pets, but in contrast, his status as the contact person between Fengyi Sect and the emperor is more prominent, so the emperor often involves himself in state affairs. The emperor is staying at his place tonight, and it seems that he wants to discuss the affairs of King Yong. Yes, it seems that my idea is correct. Your Majesty is already very afraid of King Yong. Thinking of this, Concubine Ji's pretty face showed a smile blooming like a spring flower.

Some people were happy and some were worried, and it was the same after the grand celebration banquet. In the splendid Prince's Mansion, Li An angrily swept all the documents on the desk to the ground and shouted wildly: "Li Zhi, I will not kill you if I don't kill you." "After shouting, he fell down on the chair and looked at the study door fiercely, as if King Yong was about to come out from there. After a long time, he said tiredly: "Come here, please ask the young master to come and see me."

After a moment, a plain-looking black-bearded scribe walked in. He was wearing the official uniform of the prince's young master. When he saw the prince, he did not bow to him. He sat on a chair to the left of the prince and said with a smile: "Why is your highness so angry? "

Li An said angrily: "Li Zhi is now Marshal Tiance.

The old man almost gave me the position of prince to him. How can I not be angry? "

The scribe smiled and said: "Your Highness is overly concerned. Your Majesty loves and protects His Highness very much. If he wanted to make King Yong his crown prince, he would have done so long ago. Why wait until today?"

Li An said dejectedly: "Young Master doesn't know that his mother was the first wife of my father. Although I was the eldest son, I was a concubine. Later, his mother was short-lived and died early. My mother later became the main wife, and my father After the emperor became emperor, he posthumously conferred the title of Empress Xiaoxian on his mother, so in terms of legitimate concubines, I am inferior to him. It was only because I was the eldest son and my mother was the current empress that I became the crown prince. Now, I am the crown prince. , Now, I really don’t know what to do. If my father changes his mind, I really have no choice."

The scribe's eyes flashed and he said: "Your Highness is a fan of the authorities, but I think that the crown prince's position is in danger on the surface, but in fact it is as stable as a rock. Your Highness thinks that the emperor loves King Yong, but I think that the emperor is jealous of King Yong. Think about it, King Yong Over the years of wars in the south and north, he has conquered most of the world of Dayong. The emperor will inevitably feel that he has been favored by his son. Now that King Yong has made great achievements, he cannot be rewarded. If the emperor appoints him as the crown prince, it is a logical thing, but The emperor would rather give a special reward than change the crown prince's throne. This is clearly partiality for the prince. I thought that the emperor did not love His Highness, but that His Highness's accession to the throne symbolized the Emperor's supreme authority, so the Emperor refused to change his decision no matter what. , as long as His Highness shows filial piety to the Emperor and Queen, respects the concubines, respects King Yong, and respects brothers and sisters, the Emperor will never change the crown prince, not to mention the support of Fengyi Sect, His Highness will not think that Liang Wan has defected. It's probably because of her own decision. After a while, the emperor will think about what he will do if the prince cannot convince King Yong a hundred years later. He will find ways to suppress King Yong. As long as His Highness takes the throne, there will be no one outside. With the help of King Qi and the help of Fengyi Sect, it is only a piece of cake to kill King Yong."

Li An listened for a long time, and finally smiled and said: "Young Master, thank you for enlightening the lonely king. In your opinion, what should we do now?"

The scribe chuckled and said: "The more you do, the more mistakes you make, and the less you make, the less you make mistakes. Your Highness might as well join the light and dust. But as for King Qi, Your Highness needs to win over him. King Qi was defeated a few days ago, and His Highness gave King Qi a lot of looks. This This is so inappropriate. Without the help of King Qi, Your Highness will not have a general to support you in the future."

Li An stood up, bowed deeply and said, "I would like to be taught by you." With a charming look on his face, he said, "Sixth brother likes beauties. I recently selected two stunning women. I originally wanted to give them to my father. , just choose one to give to him first.”

The scribe also had a warm smile on his face, but he immediately changed his face. Li An glanced at him and said with a smile: "Young master, why are you pretending to be serious here? I can't give you that stunning beauty, but I still have a few beauties, how about giving you two."

The scribe lowered his eyelids and said, "Then thank you for the reward, Your Highness."

Li An laughed, and the laughter spread out of the study, far, far away.

Li Zhi, who returned to the mansion drunk, took some hangover medicine, took a hurried bath with cold water, and then came to the meeting hall feeling refreshed. There were already some people sitting in the hall, including Shi Yu, Shi Ziyou, Guan Xiu, Dong Zhi, and Gou Lian, the generals all returned drunk today, so Li Zhi didn't let them come over. Seeing that they were discussing in low voices, Li Zhi ordered Sima Xiong to go outside and be on guard. He walked in and said with a smile. : "I have kept several gentlemen waiting for a long time, and I am late."

Several counselors stood up and saluted, then sat down. Li Zhi looked at Shi Yu and asked, "You have met Jiang Zhe. What do you think?"

Shi Yu smiled bitterly and said: "When Jiang Zhe arrived at the palace, he was calm and composed, as if it was his own home. His subordinates arranged the best courtyard for him, but he just smiled faintly. After moving in, he didn't care about the maids and servants arranged by His Highness. Any objections, if I hadn’t known that this person has always refused to submit to Your Highness, I would have thought that he had already pledged his allegiance to Your Highness. I think if Your Highness arranged an official position for him, he would not refuse it. I think he seems to like a comfortable life very much. , at least he won’t fight with death.”

Li Zhi smiled bitterly and said: "I also know this. If this is not the case, I'm afraid I still have some ways. If he wants to die, in full name, as long as I treat him well and take care of him carefully, there will be someone who can make him change his mind." Yes, but he is so happy-go-lucky. Even if I gave him an official position, I am afraid that he will also be able to live without food, write poems, and talk about music, chess, calligraphy and painting every day. This is what the king really needs, but he is stingy in giving it. Now, I wish I could transform into the Prince of De, Zhao Jue. Although Zhao Jue was unfortunate, he treated him heartily. Alas. What I am most worried about is King Qi. Although King Qi is reckless, he is not without scheming. He said to Gu: Wait for Jiang Zhe to teach you the courtesy."

Guan Xiu and others looked at each other and smiled, and said: "Your Highness is overly worried. If this person is so easily moved by King Qi, we don't have to worry so much."

Li Zhi thought about it again and felt that he had been a little too worried. He was about to say something sarcastic when he saw Shi Yu was thoughtful and said worriedly: "Zi You, do you think it is possible for King Qi to recruit Jiang Suiyun? "

Shi Yu came back to his senses and said with a smile: "Your Highness, King Qi's idea is not bad, but it is a bit flattering, but we can learn from it. The prince is smart and enlightened. Although he is only five years old, he is already proficient in writing. If the prince is allowed to If you worship him as your disciple, then he will become His Highness's assistant. I think he would rather miss out on seeing a talented person."

Li Zhi was overjoyed and said: "Zi You is really a good plan. Okay, tomorrow we will hold a banquet to wash away the dust, and let the prince come out to become a disciple. We must act quickly. In order to hide his affairs from others, I have already reported his matter to my father. My father is going to summon him." We can't put him under house arrest until Father summons him."

Although he may not be able to achieve his goal, he finally has a way. Li Zhi suddenly felt relaxed and said with a smile: "By the way, Ziyou, what did you say about the robbery of Princess Changle? I sent someone to investigate, but the time It’s too short, and I can’t find any clues. I sent people to investigate the place where they were attacked. Some of them seemed to be the work of a small army, but who rushed to kidnap the princess at that time? Moreover, what I don’t understand is, Why did the spies who returned commit suicide? The princess was safe and sound. In any case, their merits outweighed their faults. Even if they commit suicide out of fear of crime, they should explain to me in detail what happened?"

They had already discussed these matters many times. Li Zhi said at this moment that he just wanted to see Shi Yu's opinion. Shi Yu replied: "My subordinates have also thought about this issue. The only conclusion is that, first of all, they are not targeting the princess." Yes, their target was Liang Wan, otherwise only Liang Wan would have been harmed. The spies committed suicide. The subordinates felt that it was not because of fear of crime, but probably because of an agreement. They met the hijackers and may also know a lot of things. , but the fact that they were able to bring the princess back safely not only showed that they had no ill intentions towards the princess, but also showed that they were sure that they would not reveal their secrets. The princess never knew anything, so these spies must have made a commitment to commit suicide. "

Li Zhi said: "Even so, to put it bluntly, although these spies are my Dayong warriors and should be loyal and trustworthy, they have returned to me. Telling me the truth should be better than keeping a promise, right?"

Shi Yu sighed: "This is the most terrifying point, unless they think that committing suicide is more beneficial to His Highness than telling His Highness the truth."

Li Zhi looked stern and said, "You mean those people are powerful enough to threaten me."

Shi Yu nodded and said: "Yes, I heard from Yongquan that His Highness inspected the bodies of the spies afterwards and found that although they had received some punishment, it was basically not serious. In other words, the other party was not a person who inflicted punishment indiscriminately, but From Liang Wan's point of view, all her memories were destroyed. This method was very secretive. In other words, the other party's methods were vicious and cruel. I think the pressure on the secret agents must have been great, and in the end it even exceeded the limit of what they could endure. , so that they can abide by their promise and commit suicide."

Li Zhi said distressedly: "I didn't expect these people to be active secretly. Ziyou, what do you think these people are from?"

Shi Yu replied: "I think the only thing I can guess is that those people are not hostile to me, Dayong, otherwise Her Highness the Princess will not return safely. However, those people are targeting Liang Wan. I think that if it were not for He Feng It is related to Yimen and what Liang Wan himself did in Nanchu. Your Highness might as well start from these two aspects."

Li Zhi nodded repeatedly and said: "Ziyou is my king's heart and courage. Without Ziyou, I would not have the fighting spirit."

Shi Yu smiled and said: "Jiang Zhe is His Highness's wings. If His Highness has this person, he will be even more powerful."

Everyone looked at each other and smiled.

In this sleepless night, I did not rest. I stood in front of the window and looked at the beautiful scenery of the garden after the snow. Xiao Shunzi came over and complained: "Sir, you are just feeling better, and the wind is blowing here. You know how to take care of your body, it's very cold here, I've asked them to prepare a hand stove." After saying that, he stuffed a hand stove into my arms and put the fox fur cloak on my shoulders.

I smiled and said, "Don't worry, my body is not that weak. How about, have you seen the defense of Prince Yong's Mansion?"

Xiao Shunzi smiled and said: "They are monitoring them very closely. I just took a casual look. It's okay if I am alone. If I take the young master with me, I may not be able to escape."

I waved my hand and said: "It doesn't matter, I have no intention of asking you to rescue me. No matter what, I can always save my life. I just don't want to sacrifice my life for others. Those people are killing each other, but there will always be someone who can dominate the world, no matter it is It doesn’t matter to anyone, not to mention that King Yong has a good chance of winning. Xiao Shunzi, look, it’s snowing again.”

Xiao Shunzi followed my gaze and looked out the window. The falling auspicious snow fell silently, and the cold wind blew against my face. He couldn't help but smile and said: "It snows occasionally in Nanchu, so I want to enjoy the snow and drink. Now here The snow is so good, the young master is in the mood again."

I nodded and said, "Yes, you go ask them for some good charcoal and some good wine tomorrow. I think the snow will not stop tomorrow. Do I want to drink and compose poetry?"

Xiao Shunzi said: "I can only warm the wine for you. I don't understand those poems."

I sighed: "Yes, you. The only thing that makes me dissatisfied is that you can't accompany me to write poems and essays. But without you, I will inevitably lose interest in drinking. Good friends, good wine, and flying snow are indispensable." Ah, what a pity, if the fragrance is still there, alas."

Xiao Shunzi consoled him: "Master, the deceased is gone, don't be sad."

I looked at the flying snow outside the window and was speechless.

The next day, it was snowing continuously, and Li Zhi got the news. Li Yuan issued an order. Because the King of Qi attacked Nanchu twice, fought hard and made great achievements, and caused Prince Nanchu De to be seriously injured and died, he was worshiped as Da Sikong and given the title of "Da Sikong". A set of gong mian, gold chariot sedan, double jade, two thousand catties of gold, two groups of drummers in front and behind, and twenty swordsmen.

After hearing the news, Li Zhi was not angry, but was completely disappointed. He had won the battle, but he was jealous of his father. Isn't it just to balance him by rewarding King Qi? He said to Shi Yu indifferently: "Zi You, my father treats me so poorly."

Shi Yu also sighed, and was about to comfort Li Zhi when Gou Lian hurriedly walked in and said: "Your Highness, Your Highness, Jiang Suiyun's servant went to ask for charcoal wine and to enjoy the snow. I have asked him to take him there. Went to Linbo Pavilion."

Li Zhi suddenly turned from anger to joy and said: "Okay, you've done well. Let's go and join in the fun. Zi You, please make arrangements and take the prince to Linbo Pavilion in half an hour."

At this time, I was already sitting in the Linbo Pavilion. There was a small lake of about two acres in the back garden of Prince Yong's Mansion. It is said that there was originally a clear spring in the garden with abundant water, so I simply dug this small lake and passed it through. Chang'an's drainage system merges into the Yong'an Canal, which is connected to the Wei River in the north of the city. It supplies half of Chang'an's water supply and is an important water transportation thoroughfare. Therefore, although this lake is within the imperial city, it is living water.

Xiao Shunzi warmed the wine and said, "Master, why is it not cold at all in this pavilion?"

I smiled and said, "I've only read about it in books. You see, although you can only see a thick layer of wild grass on the top of the pavilion, in fact, there is a lot of things under this layer of grass. Under the grass is a layer of grass. A layer of linoleum, then a layer of wild grass and another layer of linoleum, a total of three layers, and then put tiles under the last layer of linoleum. These tiles are also specially made and are hollow, so when placed on the top of the head, there is no fear of heat escaping. , look at the stone floor of the pavilion, the stools surrounding it, and the copper pillars. In fact, fire dragons are lit under the pillars and the pavilion, just like the kang in ordinary people's homes. Besides, the water, water The most important thing is that it is warm in winter and cool in summer. When the water flows, it will bring in the heat from the ground. The closer you are to the water, the warmer it is. So how can it be cold inside this pavilion? This pavilion was specially built by wealthy people in the north to enjoy the snow. In the pavilion, as long as you wear light fur and hold a hand stove, you won't freeze. Well, look at the snow falling outside, the dancing pear blossoms, and the Qiong Yao everywhere. It's really a good place."