Qinzheng Hall.
Li Shimin looked at the memorial handed over by Li Xiang and didn't know what to say in his heart. Before going to the southwest battlefield, Li Shimin thought that as long as Li Xiang made some contributions on the battlefield, Li Shimin would let him rise rapidly.
But after the war, Li Shimin suddenly found that Li Xiang had affected his power, so he began to suppress Li Xiang in all aspects. Recently, he must have been too aggressive, and Li Xiang actually submitted a resignation letter.
Resigned as Deputy Commander of the Imperial City Division...
Wang De took a furtive glance at the side, then stood obediently, not knowing how Li Shimin would treat this memorial. When the Imperial City Division was first established, it was absolutely an insignificant government office in Chang'an City. However, after a period of development, especially the various rules set by Li Xiang, the Imperial City Division became an extremely powerful department.
It can monitor spies in the city externally and officials in the court internally. It has become another knife in Li Shimin's hand both internally and externally. Sometimes the information monitored is even more powerful than that of his men in black.
Under such circumstances, Li Shimin would never let Li Xiang continue to control the power, so he was thinking about how to take it back. Unexpectedly, Li Xiang resigned on his own.
"Transcribe this memorial and send it to the Prince of Wei's palace."
Li Shimin was very happy that his grandson was so perceptive and saved him a lot of trouble. However, it was hard to say about his second son. He decided to copy the memorial first and see what the fat son thought.
If Li Tai had been smarter, he should have left the Imperial City Office immediately after seeing Li Xiang's resignation memorial. If he didn't leave, he might be punished soon. There is a big difference between resigning on your own and being dismissed by the emperor.
"Xuanling, do you have something to say?"
Li Shimin just looked up and saw Fang Xuanling, who was working on the left, seemed to have something to say. The emperor and his minister were already accustomed to this way of working. The prime minister would read each memorial, and then the emperor would read it. The two of them would read the memorial together and could discuss it, which was more efficient.
Fang Xuanling really wanted to say something, but he didn't know how to say it. When it comes to the issue of heirs, no matter what your relationship with the emperor is, you can't speak carelessly. Any of your words might make the emperor uneasy, and he might think that you have already taken sides, then your life will be difficult.
"I suspect His Royal Highness Changsun will continue to resign. If he loses his posts at the Liaodong Division of the Ministry of War, General Zuo Shenwu, and Deputy Commander of the Imperial City Division..."
Fang Xuanling is a smart man. Some things can only be said halfway. If all is said, the emperor will feel uncomfortable. If the emperor does not understand what he asked, we can explain it to him clearly. This is a question you asked yourself, not something I said myself. These are two completely different things.
Each of Li Xiang's three positions is very important. Even the least important one, the Deputy Commander of Liaodong Division, is only temporarily unimportant. The imperial court will have to use military force against Goguryeo sooner or later. Once that time comes, the Deputy Commander of Liaodong Division will be in great demand.
Fang Xuanling was also reminding Li Shimin that it was okay for him to take away some of his grandson's rights, but he should not forget that the people of the world were watching him. If he went too far and took away all his jobs, he would have to think carefully about whether he was doing the right thing.
According to Li Shimin's idea a few days ago, he wanted to get rid of Li Xiang completely. The main reason was that he was in his prime now. It was okay to have a relatively weak heir, but if it threatened his own rights, even if it was his grandson, it was not okay. Li Chengqian saw this very clearly. After all, he had been the crown prince for many years.
Li Shimin wanted to remove General Zuo Shenwu, but he had no choice but to ask Fang Xuanling to promise Li Xiang that the title of General Zuo Shenwu would still be on Li Xiang's head, but Li Xiang could not lead the army personally. If he were to remove him now, firstly, the emperor's words would not be counted, and it would also confuse Fang Xuanling. Secondly, some people in the army would not agree. Li Xiang had made such great contributions in the southwest, and you rewarded him with an official position and then wanted to take it back. Is this how an emperor should act?
Although the people in the army will not rebel, if this continues, people's words will be scary. If there is a war in the future, will everyone still be able to fight for their lives?
"Have you read the memorial regarding the Yellow River affairs?"
Li Shimin did not answer Fang Xuanling, nor did he continue to talk about this matter. Instead, he mentioned another important matter.
"I have seen that the Yellow River's management is a matter of great importance to the nation..."
Fang Xuanling is a very smart person. If Li Shimin doesn't want to continue talking about this issue, then we won't continue talking about it either. There are many important things to do in the court. It doesn't matter where the emperor wants to deal with it first. We just need to do it honestly.
East Palace.
As soon as Li Xiang's memorial was submitted, Wang De arrived at the East Palace.
"Your Highness, I am truly sorry that this old servant has come here..."
In the past, when Wang De came, the emperor would give Li Xiang some rewards, but this time he wanted to take back the seal of the Imperial City Administration, so Wang De was a little embarrassed to speak. Giving gifts is a happy thing for everyone, but taking the things back, isn't this a reduction of someone's power?
"Eunuch Wang, what's there to be embarrassed about? The ebb and flow of the tide is a very normal thing. When I was in my heyday, all the civil and military officials came to congratulate me. It's nothing now. Eunuch Wang, please sit down for a moment. I'll have someone bring it to you right away."
Nowadays, the Eastern Palace is deserted and few people come and go. Any disturbance in the court will spread quickly.
When Li Xiang resigned from his position as deputy commander of the Imperial City Division, the emperor did not waste even a day and immediately ordered the chief eunuch beside him to go to Li Xiang to get the seal, which showed that he was eager for Li Xiang to leave the Imperial City Division as soon as possible.
"Your Highness is blessed with good fortune. Your health is not good right now. It would be best if you could recuperate in the Eastern Palace. The court will eventually need your Highness. I've also heard that gold shines wherever it is."
Normally, Wang De couldn't say so many words, but Wang De had already stood on Li Xiang's side a long time ago, and King Wei and others also knew that if he switched sides this time, it would not be impossible, but he would be branded as fickle, so Wang De was ready to go all out and continue to stand on Li Xiang's side.
"Eunuch Wang is absolutely right. In addition to this seal, please also bring back this memorial..."
Li Xiang submitted another memorial...
