Chapter 92: The Family's Plan (asking for monthly tickets)

When he heard that there was something delicious to eat, Wei Daijia no longer cared about playing with the ball in the stone lion's mouth.

Children of this age always have an extraordinary pursuit of food.

Li Xiang also plans to make something new today, so let’s eat some fried chicken.

This is the skill that Fubao was just taught, and it’s just right for me to use it to open the children’s eyes today.

The fried chicken this time is not the kind from KFC, but traditional Chinese fried chicken that is marinated with spices such as peppercorns in advance and then fried.

Even in the later era of abundant material resources, people could not resist the temptation of fried chicken, let alone the children of this era?
As soon as it was served on the table, all the fried chicken except the one belonging to Li Xiang and Li Mingda were eaten up.

"Aunt, have a chicken leg." Li Xiang twisted off a chicken leg and handed it to Li Mingda.

Li Mingda used a brocade handkerchief to pad the fried chicken leg, then took a small bite.

"Hmm, it's delicious. Xiang'er wants to eat it too." She handed the chicken leg to Li Xiang again.

Not long after, they heard a commotion next door, so Li Xiang asked Li Jingren, "Jingren, who's next door?"

"Oh, it's Su Dingfang, the General of the Left Guard, who is entertaining his colleagues." Li Jingren wiped his mouth and replied.

Li Xiang nodded and said to him, "Give him two pieces of fried chicken to try, and say they were sent by the restaurant."

Su Lie was a well-known general. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, he conquered the Western Turks, pacified the Pamirs, subjugated Baekje, and attacked Goryeo. He destroyed three kingdoms and captured their leaders alive. He was a famous general.

And such talents have not been promoted yet because of their mistakes in the past.

When it comes to cooking, it is important to cook with a cold stove.

Giving timely assistance is always better than adding icing on the cake.

Li Jingren was very efficient. He immediately went to the kitchen to get two fried chickens and brought them to the table next door.

"General Su, this is a gift the prince asked me to give to you." Of course, Li Jingren did not forget to mention Li Xiang in his words.

"Prince?" Not only Su Dingfang, but even his colleagues who were drinking put down their glasses.

"It's the Prince of Hengshan." Li Jingren left the room after leaving a word.

Su Dingfang didn't dare to neglect it, and immediately stood up and said to everyone in the room: "Brothers, drink first, I will go and thank the prince for his kindness."

"That's right, that's right." Everyone said loudly.

Su Dingfang picked up the wine glass and walked to the next room.

Hearing the knock on the door, Li Xiang let him in.

Since Li Xiang was sitting in the main seat, his identity was easy to recognize. Su Dingfang bowed respectfully to him and said, "I would like to thank the prince for the gift of delicious food."

"It's just a small favor, nothing to mention." Li Xiang nodded with a smile.

"I am a rough man and cannot speak. Everything is in the wine." Su Dingfang said, raising his head and drinking the wine in one gulp.

"If you need me in the future, just let me know, Prince."

Hearing Su Dingfang's words, Li Xiang nodded with satisfaction.

"Then I will not disturb the prince's leisure." Su Dingfang tactfully said goodbye.

"Well, General, please do as you please." Li Xiang looked at Li Jingren and said, "Jingren, please see the General off for me."

After returning to the room, Su Dingfang still felt that it was not real and sat there in a daze.

The captain next to him poked Su Dingfang, who was still in a daze, and asked, "General, do you know the Prince of Hengshan?"

"Oh, no...not very familiar with him." Su Dingfang originally wanted to say that he didn't know him, but when he said it, it somehow turned into 'not very familiar with him'.

He has been holding the post of General of the Left Guard for more than ten years, feeling frustrated. It is impossible to say that he does not want to make progress.

"Hahaha, General, you are too modest. If the prince really wasn't familiar with you, why would he have someone send you two... Hey, what is this?"

The captain said a few words, but was attracted by the aroma of fried chicken.

The chickens are all marinated in advance. They are genuine native chickens, which are completely different from the white-feathered chickens in later generations that have no chicken flavor.

But then again, if Li Xiang had a choice, he would rather choose the technology of white-feather chicken so that everyone can afford to eat meat.

"Since it is the good intention of the prince, we should not let him down." Su Dingfang said with a smile: "Come on, everyone, have a taste, have a taste."

The captain next to him was given a wing root and a large piece of meat. He sucked it in his mouth and the whole piece of meat was boneless.

While eating, the lieutenant flattered Su Dingfang and said, "It seems that the general will not waste too much time in the position of General of the Left Guard. With the path of becoming a prince, he will surely be promoted soon."

"How could this be possible?" Su Dingfang took a sip of wine.

"General, please don't keep us brothers in suspense. Everyone in Chang'an knows how favored the Prince of Hengshan is. At only twelve years old, he was able to overthrow the well-established Hou Junji. He is especially favored by the saints and is trusted by the prince. If such a person wants the general to move his position, isn't it just a matter of saying a word?"

The captain might have drunk too much, or he might have been feeling sorry for Su Dingfang for having wasted so many years without realizing his talent. In any case, he was not very sure of what he said.

But the speaker is unintentional, but the listener is intentional.

Yes, since the prince is showing goodwill, why should I...

Once the idea starts to grow, it will be like weeds that cannot be controlled.

The prince is highly regarded by the saint, if I could say a few good words for him...

In fact, Su Dingfang is not a moral role model. As for how to make further progress, he doesn't mind using some off-field factors.

Not to mention how Su Dingfang wanted to make progress, after having lunch at the restaurant, Li Xiang took Li Mingda back to the palace.

After all, I still have classes in the afternoon, so I still have to listen to Lao Xiao’s lecture.

Li Mingda felt a little unsatisfied. It was so much fun outside the palace, especially strolling around the East Market with Xiang'er. That was her happiest moment.

"Xiang'er, can we play together in the future?"

There was a glimmer of hope in Li Mingda's bright big eyes.

What else could I say? Li Xiang had no choice but to promise her that he would take her out to play when he had nothing to do.

That is... I can't eat fried chicken anymore. My aunt didn't eat much of that big chicken, and almost all of it went into her own stomach.

In Li Mingda's words, she was very happy to see the elephant eating her.

As soon as the class started in the afternoon, Xiao Yu had a sour face.

Li Xiang scratched his head and looked at Lao Xiao, thinking that he had not offended him.

"The day before yesterday in Liangyi Hall, when the sage mentioned that he wanted to grant amnesty to King Yuanchang of Han, what did Meng Ze want to do when he stepped forward?" Xiao Yu asked with a straight face.

It was obvious that this was to review with Li Xiang the small court meeting in Liangyi Hall a few days ago and to polish him a little so that he would not get too cocky.

"Uh..." Li Xiang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Nothing... nothing."

He felt guilty. The fact that he was stopped by the three brothers Li Chengqian before clearly showed that something was wrong. "Huh, nothing?" Xiao Yu pinched his beard and asked, "Then why did the Crown Prince, the King of Wei, and the King of Jin all stop you together?"

Since he was seen through, Li Xiang stopped hiding his true intentions. He scratched his head and said, "I just saw that the old man was too soft-hearted, so I wanted to give him some advice."

Who would have thought that Xiao Yu would shout angrily.

"Confused!"

Li Xiang was startled and didn't know why Lao Xiao was angry.

"Do you think all the officials in the palace are blind? Can't they see that you are going to stand up? All the officials in the hall, even that idiot Yuchi Gong, can guess what you are going to do!"

This is only true if Yuchi Gong is not around, otherwise he would definitely give Lao Xiao a black eye.

Hearing this, Li Xiang scratched his head and asked, "Am I just going to sit there and watch my grandfather let the King of Han go? He wants to murder my two aunts."

Xiao Yu smiled.

"Can't you see that the Saint also wants to kill the King of Han?"

Li Xiang nodded and said, "It was only afterwards that I came to my senses..."

He pondered for a moment, and tentatively analyzed and reviewed the situation: "In fact, Aong also wants to kill the King of Han, but on the surface he has to pretend that he can't bear to see his brothers kill each other. When his ministers object, he will pretend to be helpless and go with the flow..."

"That's a very good analysis." Xiao Yu affirmed with a smile.

When Li Xiang smiled, Xiao Yu's expression changed instantly: "If you could figure it out at that time!"

Li Xiang's smile choked and said, "Teacher, this is too choking."

"Weren't the students also anxious at that time..."

"Are you in a hurry? What's there to be in a hurry about?"

Xiao Yu snorted coldly: "This is also your biggest shortcoming. You have to do everything yourself. Many things, especially things like this that are easy to cause controversy, must be handed over to others to do."

"If you want to kill the King of Han, there are many ways. You can find someone else to make the petition on your behalf, but you must not do it yourself."

At this point, Xiao Yu said earnestly: "Not only that, you must also do your best to maintain blood relations. As the saying goes, relatives should protect each other, this is the patriarchal system. If you, as an emperor, do not maintain it, won't you set a bad example for the people below? Then the emperor will not be an emperor, the ministers will not be ministers, and the moral principles will be corrupted. What will you do?"

Li Xiang really listened to what Xiao Yu said just now.

This era has its own set of methodology, and we must act within this methodology and must not go beyond it.

"Does Meng Ze know Emperor Wen of the Western Han Dynasty?" Xiao Yu suddenly said.

"Of course I know." Li Xiang nodded. He didn't know why Lao Xiao suddenly mentioned Emperor Wen of Han.

Xiao Yu smiled slightly and raised a question: "After the Three Dynasties, Han Wen was the most virtuous, which has been a common consensus since ancient times."

"Then why did Emperor Wen execute Bo Zhao but not leave a bad reputation?"

"Emperor Wen dismissed Zhou Bo, while Emperor Jing dismissed Yafu, both of whom treated meritorious officials in the same way. But they received two completely different evaluations?"

Li Xiang thought to himself, how would I know? I just know that Emperor Wen of Han is the flagship product of the Liu Group's emperor production line...

"Because they deserved to die?" he asked tentatively.

Who would have thought that Xiao Yu slammed the table.

"Hand out!"

Li Xiang stretched out his hand obediently.

"Snapped!"

"Ow—"

He was hit hard by Xiao Yu's ruler.

"Does Wu's Crown Prince Liu Xian not deserve to die for offending the Crown Prince? Or do you think Zhou Yafu does not deserve to die?"

The situation in the Western Han Dynasty was different from that in later times. At that time, the kings were all princes who were actually enfeoffed. They called themselves "I am the widower", their legal wife was the queen, and the crown prince was the prince...

Therefore, the son of King Wu Liu Bi should be the Crown Prince of Wu, not the Heir apparent of Wu.

"The sage once said that history is a mirror through which we can understand the rise and fall of nations."

Old Xiao put away the ruler, looked at Li Xiang and said in a serious tone: "The methods of Emperor Wen of Han are what you should learn!"

"I understand, teacher." Li Xiang immediately answered sincerely.

"What you need to do is to be like your grandfather. No matter how much you want to kill the King of Han, you should pretend that you can't bear it. When your subjects beg you, you can go along with it and act like you have no choice."

Xiao Yu glanced at Li Xiang again, and seeing that he was lost in thought, he added: "You must pay attention to blood ties. If you don't pay attention to them, will the royal family still gather around you?"

"I am grateful for your instruction." Li Xiang bowed respectfully to Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu stroked his beard and smiled, "Since you can listen to me, then I won't say anything. Remember, there must not be a next time."

"You are still young now, so it is understandable that you are a little impulsive. But you will grow older. If you are still like this in two or three years, I am afraid you will not be able to use age to cover up your mistakes."

Li Xiang nodded in agreement. He was also thankful that he was at the right age and there was still room for error.

"Fortunately, the saint values ​​you very much, and this has given you enough opportunities." Xiao Yu said again: "Remember, don't be as impulsive as before in the future!"

"I will keep in mind what you said, teacher!" Li Xiang immediately answered sincerely.

……

Li Xiang was being scolded in the Lizheng Hall, and the Shandong gentry were also making plans.

Wang Yi was sitting in the main seat, discussing matters with several other heads of the main families who also belonged to the Shandong gentry.

"Hou Junji is truly a complete waste. He can't even grasp such an opportunity. He is unworthy of being called a famous general."

The person who spoke was Cui Mingan, who was also the Yellow Gate Minister together with Wang Yi.

During the reign of Emperor Li Shimin, the Shandong gentry had little influence in Chang'an, which was also due to Li Shimin's deliberate suppression. Even though Cui Minggan came from the prestigious Boling Cui family, he was only a fourth-rank Huangmen assistant minister.

It sounds scary, but this was what Chang'an was like during the Zhenguan period.

"It is Li Xiang, the Prince of Hengshan, who has such a meticulous mind at such a young age. If he really ascends to the throne in the future, it may not be a blessing for our aristocratic family..." Cui Mingan sighed again.

Perhaps in Xiao Yu's eyes, Li Xiang was full of flaws - but after all, Xiao Yu compared Li Xiang with the most cunning and treacherous person in history, Emperor Wen of Han.

It's like comparing a primary school student with Chen Jingrun in math level, which is bullying.

What's more, Li Xiang is still young. It is hard to say how much he will grow in the future if he is taught by Li Shimin's words and deeds.

Everyone present fell silent. After a moment, Wang Yi smiled and said, "The only person the Prince of Hengshan relies on is the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is the soil, and the Prince of Hengshan is just a tree. If the Crown Prince is overthrown, the Prince of Hengshan will become a tree without roots and a duckweed without water. No matter how powerful he is, he will lose the chance to become emperor."

Wang Yi's words lifted the spirits of those present.

Yes, Li Xiang is not easy to deal with, isn’t there still Crown Prince Li Chengqian?
That hot-tempered prince is much easier to deal with than the meticulous grandson of the emperor!
(There is still one chapter in the afternoon, so I’ll take a nap first)
(End of this chapter)