New Year's Day banquet incident
At the Qiankun Kingdom's New Year's Day palace dinner, the speech by Crown Princess Chen Yin dampened the atmosphere in the Bihuang Palace, which should have been cheerful.
Crown Prince Li Lin pushed Chen Yin from the side, but Chen Yin ignored him and continued to watch the situation with a smile.
"Yingying, what are you playing at? Aren't you challenging and pressuring all the civil and military officials?" Chen Feng wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"My dear daughter, take good care of He Te Bie. Okay, it's not easy to go down the stairs, right?" Chen Lu wiped the sweat off his face.
"Will you die if you keep a low profile? Are you crazy? Where did your gentle and refined manners go?" Huang Youbing wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"What's the grudge? Why are you engaging in palace fighting here?" Chen Siyu wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"The Crown Princess's show of power is very interesting. How will these people react?" Li Lieo smiled and looked at the embarrassed people below.
"Why didn't the Chen family and His Majesty react and stop it?" Xue Lian held the teacup to his lips for a long time and didn't dare to look at other people.
Chen Yun suddenly smiled and said, "What's wrong? You're all silent? It's just a joke, why take it so seriously? As for the nickname, you can call me that, I don't mind."
The other officials also laughed it off.
At this time, a voice came over: "King Li Ji of Qi has arrived!"
At this time, a man with a weathered face stepped forward and said, "Your son, Li Ji, pays homage to the Emperor and the Empress. I wish you all the best in the new year, and may your achievements be even greater than the sky!"
Xue Lian shouted with a welcoming smile, "Our Ji Hu'er has finally returned from the frontier! Take a seat quickly. After the banquet, I will let my mother have a detailed talk with you."
Chen Yun approached Li Lin and asked, "Who is this?"
"Fourth brother."
"Please wait a moment. I have a great gift for Father, Mother, and... my second brother." His eyes betrayed a sinister signal as he said the last sentence. He stepped aside and pointed toward the entrance. "Please welcome my eldest brother, Li Jiancheng!"
The man who came was a muscular man with a rough beard and dressed in cloth.
"Your son, Li Jiancheng, pays homage to the Emperor, Father, and the Empress! May the Emperor live long and long, and the Empress live a thousand and a thousand years!"
Li Lin's eyes widened. Chen Yun looked at Li Lin beside him and found that his expression was not right. He immediately shook his hand. After the two looked at each other, facing Chen Yun's smile, Li Lin calmed down and nodded in response.
Li Lie'ao stood up in surprise and asked, "Jian'er... my great son! Weren't you..." He looked at Li Lin and continued, "stabbed and fell off the cliff that day?"
"Replying to Father, it's true that I was stabbed by my second brother and then fell off a cliff. Fortunately, I was sheltered by a tree that day and was rescued by a woodcutter in the mountains. I later met my fourth brother, so I returned as soon as I recovered to give Father and Mother a surprise."
"Good! Great! Please take a seat!"
But Li Jiancheng was unwilling to leave, and stood in the distance.
"Father, I beg for a favor."
"Whatever the gift, Father will definitely do his best to satisfy you!"
Li Jiancheng knelt and said, "I beg you to restore my son's position as Crown Prince. I am the eldest son, and I have always been supported by the officials. I also built many territories for the Qiankun Kingdom together with my father. I deserve to be restored."
Li Lin slammed his hand on the table, as if to express his dissatisfaction. Chen Yun, who was standing beside him, calmly poured Li Lin a glass of wine and handed it to him.
"My brother must be holding a grudge against the Crown Prince for being murdered. Crown Prince, we should kneel down and apologize to my brother. It doesn't matter who becomes the Crown Prince, so why fight to the death? Besides, you have us here to help you!"
When Chen Yun said this, Li Lin was confused at first, thinking to himself: "Those people are not worthy of being the crown prince! But if it is your request, then maybe there is some purpose?"
Then Li Lin hugged Chen Yin and looked at him affectionately.
"Brother, aren't you envious? I have a lover and you don't! With her, I don't need anything else."
Chen Yun suddenly looked at Li Lin, "Prince, are you ashamed? How can you tell others about what happened in the bedroom?"
Li Lin gently shook Chen Yun in a coquettish manner while waving others over. "Shouldn't we be spending this day happily? Why create bad luck and ruin this rare gathering? Ah, what are you two waiting for? Take it easy on this beautiful day!"
Li Jiancheng and Li Ji were dumbfounded. They looked at each other, and then Li Ji burst into laughter.
"I didn't expect the Empress's sister-in-law would change my Second Brother so much. I know the Empress's sister-in-law's deeds. She came from a poor village, but she has such ability. She is truly gifted."
Li Jiancheng said coldly, "It is because you are a country woman that you are not suitable to be the Crown Princess."
The Chen family members' faces turned ashen in an instant, and they glared at Li Ji with wide eyes.
Li Lie'ao said proudly, "My daughter-in-law is a disciple of the Yuan Tian faction and a former general of the Right Guard who inherited my father's legacy. She used to take advantage of Lin'er and even forced him to leave the palace for a month to search for him!"
Li Jiancheng and Li Ji couldn't believe that a mere peasant woman could have such an identity, which even made Li Lin give up his pursuit. The officials below also talked about this matter with relish.
"Li Lin...how did you get such a useful person?" Li Jiancheng couldn't help but dig his fingers into his flesh at the thought. He snorted in anger and said in disgust, "It's a shame that you possess the power of the Yuan Tian Sect, but you were born in a small rural family, living as a girl, unable to be used in major events."
"Good fellow, you offended me twice with just one sentence." Chen Yan became angrier and angrier the more he thought about it. He took a deep breath, stepped back and sat up straight again.
Li Lin picked up the wine glass and walked out of his seat. Chen Ying reacted and followed him.
"They want to embarrass me?" The two men came in front of Li Jiancheng, but Li Jiancheng didn't appreciate it. He held up his hand to resist the other party's approach, "Stop! A prince of a country actually listens to the wishes of a country woman. This is a disgrace to the dignity of our Qiankun Kingdom!"
Chen Yun's face darkened, and he said, "Could it be that... after years of recuperation, you still don't understand the principle that people are like water, and water is like flood? What about the countryside? What about the common people?"
Li Jiancheng certainly didn't know, and Li Ji frowned even more.
Li Lin walked in front of Chen Yun and said to Li Jiancheng with a murderous look on his face, "My royal brother, you may not know that while you two were away from the palace, my beloved concubine has managed the Eastern Palace in perfect order and has handled political affairs and foreign affairs very well."
Li Jiancheng said, "How can common people understand the principles of governing a country and the principles of the Heike family?"
Chen Yun breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "Ministers, those who believe the Crown Prince should kneel before the Emperor now, please raise your hands."
"Do I even need to ask? Don't you, the Crown Princess, know what royal dignity is? What you've done is an insult to the royal dignity of the Great Qiankun Nation! Don't you agree?"
Li Jiancheng's voice was as commanding as the look he cast at the people around him, his authority overwhelming the officials. A silence fell over the entire room. Looking around, only the Chen and Shi families raised their hands.
Li Lin looked behind him at his father, the emperor, and his mother, the empress. They had been sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight, not caring about the rift between brothers. He felt slighted and couldn't help but clench his fists.
"It seems the Crown Prince's prestige is well-founded." Thinking of this, Chen Yun motioned for them to lower their hands, then turned to Li Lie'ao and said, "Among all the civil and military officials present here, who didn't reach their current position under the care of a woman? Who wasn't born of a woman? Women serve as assistants, but women are also capable of both civil and military service. Isn't history the best proof?"
Chen Yun paused to see the reaction, only to see officials talking among themselves.
"Officials shouldn't be short-sighted. They should be willing to learn from those below them, and continue to learn throughout their lives. After serving for so many years, do you truly understand the people? Do you truly understand rural affairs? Is the information you receive from those below you, step by step, truly accurate?"
Chen Yun turned to Li Lie'ao and said, "Father, in my opinion, since the Crown Prince and his officials don't pay attention to the grassroots, there must be an information gap about what's happening. The so-called information gap refers to the fact that when faced with the same thing or transaction, different people are affected by their knowledge level, cultural background, language expression, information source, and acquisition channels, methods, and abilities. If no one can control or understand this link, then it will be impossible to better manage and govern their duties. Therefore, I suggest that in order to better serve the court and benefit the people in the future, all court officials above the fourth rank should be regularly transferred to the grassroots level for a period of time to work in various counties, villages, and townships to correct the Crown Prince's misjudgment!"
Chen Yun's move dragged all the officials into the water, making Li Jiancheng a living target and diverting the conflict. Li Lin saw the constipated reactions of all the officials and forced himself to suppress a smile.
Li Lie'ao chuckled softly and said, "The Crown Princess's tactics are brilliant. She's diverting conflict and forcing the Crown Prince to stop being rude. Now the Crown Prince is in trouble."
Li Ji quickly expressed his opinion: "Father! How long has the Crown Princess been in the palace? How can she understand the ways of being an official?"
When other officials heard Li Ji's words, they all echoed him.
"But what the Crown Princess said is exactly what I've always wanted to do. Court officials don't have the time to inspect things on a regular basis, so they often rush through things at court meetings. It's just perfect." Thinking of this, Li Lie'ao looked at Li Jiancheng again. He was speechless.
In fact, he had just returned and had already made such a big fuss at the banquet, but he couldn't resist the Crown Princess's plan to divert hatred, so how could he say more? Moreover, he had to show himself better in front of his father and strive to regain the throne of Crown Prince. He noticed Li Lie'ao looking at him, so he could only stammer, "Your son obeys the will of your father."
"Crown Princess, your words make sense! You are truly worthy of being my good daughter-in-law! As you have arranged, I will coordinate this matter later. All officials should take this opportunity to broaden their horizons and better serve the court."
Li Lin immediately knelt down and said, "Brother Emperor! Please accept my humble respect!" Chen Yun also knelt down, putting pressure on Li Jiancheng.
Li Jiancheng was in a dilemma and had no choice but to help them up. "You two don't need to be so polite. I should return to my seat."
The two men stood up, and Chen Yun and Li Lin punished themselves with a drink, causing Li Jiancheng to unconsciously return to his seat.
Chen Yun was worried that what he said today would affect the loyalty of Li Lin and the court officials, so he took a step forward and faced the officials.
"On this joyous day, I wish to make a wish for everyone. This palace and the Crown Prince will give up the throne. Let everyone compare the abilities of the current Crown Prince with those of the other Crown Princes. I hope you will open your eyes, examine him carefully, and support him. However, this time, please do not criticize the new Crown Prince! Otherwise, you will be spanked!"
Everyone laughed.
"Let's not break this atmosphere now." Thinking of this, Li Lin returned to his seat with satisfaction.
Empress Xue Lian said, "My two princes, today is New Year's Day. Let's put aside all grudges and spend the night well!"
Thanks to Chen Yun and Xue Lian's help, Li Jiancheng and Li Ji were able to survive the banquet.
After dinner, Li Lin and Chen Yun walked toward the Eastern Palace. The quiet night was filled with only the rustling of leaves and branches. Servants followed behind them, and the children in Li Lin and Chen Yun's arms were already sound asleep.
"Xiao Yun, why did you ask me to give up the throne of Crown Prince?"
"Are you so obsessed with imperial power?"
"Men all like to have power. Who doesn't like power?"
"I'm trapped in a birdcage, and I have to depend on the civil and military officials to do my work. If I don't do well, those close to me will betray me or even assassinate me. I don't have as much money as a traveling merchant, I eat three meals a day, and I'm imprisoned when I travel."
"But if he had governed like Emperor Gaozu Liu, opened up the Silk Road, connected the four corners of the world, and received tributes from all nations, he would have lived a carefree and carefree life."
The two were silent.
Perhaps it was power that influenced their minds. Perhaps they were thinking in opposite directions. But the only thing was that they had unknowingly come to regard each other as very important.
The two walked on the road, looking ahead, and occasionally even looked at each other intentionally or unintentionally.
"Regarding the matter of the eldest prince, I want to know what happened between you two that necessitated the killing of your brothers?"
"The eldest prince has monopolized the credit and persecuted my good generals and ministers. My father, the emperor, and my mother, the queen, do not trust me."
Recalling the day of the incident, in the military camp, curls of smoke rose, and in the candlelight, an order was received from Li Lieo, ordering the eldest prince Li Jiancheng to withdraw his troops, leaving Li Lin and his Xuanwang Army of several hundred men to resist the 100,000 enemy troops at the Jinsha River.
When Li Jiancheng learned about this, he privately persuaded all the generals one by one in the middle of the night to follow him and temporarily join his command.
However, Li Lin's generals and ministers were loyal and unwilling to pledge allegiance to Li Jiancheng, but Li Jiancheng threatened them with his family members.
Upon learning of this, Li Lin issued a military order in the middle of the night, ordering a complete retreat and killing anyone who disobeyed it.
Returning to the scene, Li Lin explained again, "That's exactly what happened. Without a military order, a troop of a hundred men without a leader can't stand up to an army of ten thousand. It's a dead end anyway, so why should we be suppressed?"
Chen Yun stopped in front of Li Lin, then tiptoed closer to Li Lin.
"Hmm...your eyes are red. I can see how angry you are."
"But! When you're in the Wang family, you can't just sit there and do nothing. The opposition officials are already against you. There are so many stories that can be made up about the friction between you and the boss. There is always a reason to kill you. So I have another idea. I will propose it to the two princes and ask them to ensure the safety of your staff and the people in your mansion."
Li Lin put his hands behind his back and sighed to the moon, "Is it really that easy?"
Chen Yun paused. "Hmph~ Perhaps it's because I'm naturally indifferent and don't understand the benefits of imperial power. Wouldn't being a free-handed prince be more satisfying than this? Most importantly, I... don't want my child's father to be cursed for eternity, nor do I want to lose him so young."
Chen Yun grabbed Li Lin's head and said gently, "But now you have a family member like me by your side, and you should trust your family. Right, second brother?"
Li Lin blushed, then smiled slightly: "Then Second Brother will also call you Guanyin Bi, how about that?"
"OK!"
Li Lin gently rubbed Chen Yun's chubby face, and Chen Yun smiled foolishly.
The palace maids behind him were so mesmerized by the damn sweetness of this scene that they covered their faces.
The next day, Li Lin came to the Qianqing Palace early in the morning to resign from the position of crown prince. Although Li Jiancheng and Li Ji were puzzled by Li Lin's behavior, they did not say much.
Li Lin said, "I have come here today solely for the purpose of enthroning the Crown Prince. I also hope that from now on, no matter who takes the throne, my brother or anyone else, I will be able to enjoy safety and protection."
Li Lie'ao breathed a sigh of relief and didn't try to persuade him to stay. He had already exchanged a few brief polite words. "Since that's the case, I'll return the Xuanwang Mansion to you. Take the East Palace's personal guards with you as well!"
Li Lin turned around and left, feeling relieved. He was delighted in his heart: "I didn't expect it! Giving up the position of Crown Prince can be so easy. Maybe it's a good choice."
Li Ji ran out of the hall.
"Royal brother, can you take over the preparations for Chunshou? I just got back and am not familiar with the current value of goods. Please help me!"
Li Lin patted Li Ji's shoulder and said, "Okay."
Li Ji thought to himself, "If you did it yourself, if something happens to someone else, you will be the sinner."
Li Lin knew Li Ji's intention very well. After all, they were brothers for more than a day, and he knew his brother's character very well.
Li Lin, who was walking on the road, knew this very well and came to a corner. Here was Chen Feng, Chen Yun's eldest brother.
"Brother, you're here!"
"Your Highness, what can I do for you?"
"The Spring Hunt will begin in the third week, and Xiaoyun and I will be there. The eldest and fourth brothers have always been at odds, and the fifth princess will be there, too. She's hostile to your second sister. So, I'll include you on the Spring Hunting list. You'll help me eliminate some assassinations, traps, and poisons. You can even drug them if necessary. Just don't make them lethal."
"This is... interesting... Your humble servant obeys your order."
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