Time flies very quickly, and it is almost time to leave for Chang'an. Li Zhen has completed the formalities and resigned from the post of General of the Internal Guard, but his title is still General. Just yesterday, Wu Zetian finally issued a decree to reward him. The hero of the Liaodong Battle, this is a moment that countless people have been looking forward to.
Although Li Zhen was not the commander-in-chief, he captured Sun Wanrong, and his army killed Luo Wuzheng, ranking second in the merit book. He was named General Yunhui and was given a purple gold fish bag. His wife Di also She was granted the title of fourth-grade lady and received a reward of 3,000 taels and 5,000 bolts of silk.
Li Zhen only accepted the post of General Yunhui, and he donated all the gold and silk to the families of hundreds of soldiers who died in the battle.
In the room, Di Yan was packing up the last belongings. All their belongings had been packed into boxes, leaving only some personal clothes. The eldest sister Li Quan had rushed to Chang'an seven days ago because she was worried about business.
Di Yan looked back at her husband and saw that he seemed a little uneasy. She bit her lip and asked in a low voice, "Are you worried about your second brother?"
They went to see Di Renjie last night. Di Renjie made a suggestion. He suggested that Li Zhen take a few civil servants to Chang'an. One was Chen Zi'ang, and the other was his second son Di Guangyuan. Di Guangyuan was currently the prime minister, Prince Fucang Cao, and joined the military. In fact, He was a sinecure, and he hoped that Li Zhen could support his son.
" Of course, this is understandable. With his smart and capable brother-in-law by his side, he also has a confidant. Li Zhen readily agreed, but Di Yan was a little uneasy. She didn't know whether this arrangement was appropriate or whether it would be criticized by others.
Li Zhen put down the book in his hand and said with a smile: "I'm not worried about Guangyuan, because I have to go to Chang'an tomorrow to take up my post, so I feel a little nervous."
Di Yan couldn't help but laugh, "You were in such a mess when you fled Chang'an, but now you come back in glory, you should feel proud."
Li Zhen walked forward slowly, hugged her into his arms, kissed her red lips and said with a smile: "It's true that I'm a little proud, but when I think about someone snatching away my relics, she wouldn't have thought that I would be where I am today." Woolen cloth?"
Di Yan happened to have her arms around his neck. When she heard this, she pinched his neck hard and said with a smile: "You are so shameless. If it weren't for me, would you have been able to escape Chang'an?"
"That's true too!"
Li Zhen smiled, picked up her legs, and walked quickly to the bed, "Then let me repay Lady Di's kindness."
Di Yan smiled seductively and stretched out her white fingers to scratch his face twice, "Are you ashamed?"
Chang'an was renamed Xijing after Tang Gaozong moved the capital to Luoyang. Under Wu Zetian's painstaking management, Luoyang gradually became the most prosperous and spectacular city in the world. Chang'an is like a neglected beauty, even though it has deviated from the political center. But it is still the second most prosperous city in the world, even surpassing Luoyang in terms of city size.
The entire Guanzhong area is divided into five or six prefectures and counties, including Yongzhou, Longzhou, Huazhou, and Tongzhou, but the core is Jingzhao Prefecture, and the core of Jingzhao Prefecture is Chang'an City.
At present, the Jingzhao officialdom is also divided into two systems: the military and the political. The government affairs are headed by Jingzhao Yin, who is in charge of the two core counties of Chang'an and Wannian, as well as more than 30 surrounding counties such as Gaoling, Lantian, and Xianyang.
The army is a little more complicated, but it can be roughly divided into two types: local soldiers and imperial guards. Local soldiers belong directly to the Ministry of War and obey orders from the Ministry of War, while imperial guards are nominally under the jurisdiction of the Twelve Central Guards, but in fact they obey orders. Those who stayed in Xijing were directly responsible to the emperor.
The main reason why the Tang Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang was not entirely to circulate food supplies, but more to get rid of the control of the Guanlong nobles on the court. This is the same reason why Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty moved the capital to Luoyang.
The Li Tang Dynasty received the full support of the Guanlong nobles before it was able to replace the Sui Dynasty. At the beginning, the Li royal family and the Guanlong nobles got along well with each other. Both parties had common interests, married each other, and supported each other, making the Tang Dynasty The dynasty quickly moved towards stability.
But as time went by, the Guanlong nobles gained more and more control over the imperial court, and the Li royal family became increasingly dissatisfied. The conflict between the two parties eventually broke out, culminating with Changsun Wuji being severely investigated.
Although the Guanlong nobles were severely punished by Wu Zetian and restrained a lot, their influence was still deeply rooted in the Guanlong area, and their relationships were intricate and complicated.
They also continued to influence the direction of the court in their own way. For example, Prime Minister Li Dan received the full support of the Wang family, the largest businessman in Chang'an. The Wang family spent hundreds of thousands of dollars every year to support Li Dan, but the Wang family's backstage She is the eldest grandson among the Guanlong nobles.
Similarly, the Dugu family among the Guanlong nobles also fully supported Li Xian, the king of Luling. The Dugu family supported Li Xian through the Wei family family of Li Xian's wife.The other major Guanlong aristocratic families, such as the Dou family, Yuan family, Yu family, Zhao family, Hou Mochen family, etc., also secretly supported Li Dan or Li Xian in their own ways.
The Guanlong nobles control the land and wealth in the Guanlong area. They are the de facto kings of the Guanlong area and have deep connections in the military.
At night, a large and gorgeous carriage, escorted by more than a dozen samurai with swords, slowly stopped in front of a huge house. A man of about fifty years old stepped out of the carriage. His name was Changsun Yan, the eldest grandson of Duke Zhao. Wuji's grandson is also the head of the Changsun family.
Changsun Yan currently does not hold an official position. He only has the title of a distinguished official in Zhuguo. However, this does not mean that he has no power. Many people supported by the Changsun family serve as high-ranking officials in the court or local places. For example, Zhao Suinian, the governor of Yong, is Changsun Yan. son-in-law.
As soon as the eldest son Yan stepped out of the carriage, a young man who had been waiting on the steps hurriedly greeted him. His name was Dugu Han. He was the youngest son of Dugu Mingxi, the head of the Dugu family. He was only in his early twenties. He stepped forward and greeted him respectfully. A salute, "Nephew, meet your uncle!"
Changsun Yan smiled slightly, "Is your father here?"
"My father is waiting for my uncle in the study and has specially ordered his nephew to come and greet him."
"Okay! You lead the way."
Although the Changsun family and the Dugu family support different people, one is the Prime Minister Li Dan and the other is the King of Luling Li Xian, under the current situation, how to regain power from Wu Zetian is their common goal.
Dugu Mansion covers an area of ??about one hundred acres. In fact, the Dugu family has more than a dozen houses in Chang'an and Luoyang, where their clan members live, and this Dugu Mansion is the residence of the head of the family, Dugu Mingxi.
Like Changsun Yan, Dugu Mingxi did not hold an official position. He also had honorary officials from the Zhu Kingdom. Both of their families were relatives of the emperor. The Dugu family was the mother of the founding emperor Li Yuan, while the Changsun family was the wife of Taizong Li Shimin.
They all have one thing in common: they are as rich as the country and control huge financial resources. They are the real plutocrats of the Tang Dynasty. The so-called Wang family, the richest man in Chang'an, only makes a little money by relying on the Dugu family.
"Why do you have time to visit Brother Yu's humble residence today?"
In the yard, Dugu Mingxi smiled and bowed to the eldest grandson Yan. The eldest grandson stepped forward and said with a smile: "Brother Dugu is joking. I am afraid of disturbing my brother's rest. There is something trivial today, so I took the liberty to come and disturb him."
The two of them looked at each other and smiled, both knowing it well. Dugu Mingxi waved her hand, "Brother, please come in!"
The two of them walked into the outer study room, and the guests and hosts took their seats. Dugu Mingxi asked someone to serve tea again. The two exchanged a few words, and then Changsun Yan whispered: "Your Majesty appointed Li Zhen as the deputy stay-at-home officer in Xijing. My brother should know it." Bar!"
How could Dugu Mingxi not know? He was the first to know that Li Zhen was recommended by Princess Taiping for this position. Although Shangguan Wan'er's letter to him was very vague, he still understood it, and so did Li Zhen. People who promoted the Tang Dynasty.
However, he understood Changsun Yan's confusion. It was said that Li Zhen was originally Shangguan Wan'er's confidant, and later served as a general of the inner guard. He made many achievements and won the favor of the Holy Emperor. However, it was Princess Taiping who recommended him. Changsun Yan was puzzled by Li Zhen. Which faction Zhen belongs to.
Dugu Mingxi took a sip of tea and said with a smile: "Of course I have heard that this man is Di Xiangguo's son-in-law. He is young and promising. He just got married and took office with his wife. He has a bright future, but Zhao Huang's life may be a bit sad. ¡±
The elder Sun Yan was startled, "Brother, what do you mean by this?"
Dugu Mingxi smiled faintly, "Brother Xian, do you still remember the Wu Shun case a few years ago?"
Changsun Yan thought carefully for a moment, and finally remembered. He hesitated and asked: "Is this case related to Li Zhen?"
"It was either related to Li Zhen or he was responsible. At that time, Li Zhen was wanted throughout Guanzhong. Later, Lord Gaofu greeted the people in Shangguanshe, and he was freed from suspicion, and the case was dropped."
Changsun Yan understood what Dugu Mingxi meant. Although Wu Shun was Wu Chengsi's fake son, he also had the Zhao family behind him. After Wu Shun was killed, it was under Zhao Huang's strong coercion that the Chang'an government Efforts were made to arrest Li Zhen.
"But I never expected that Li Zhenju would come back again, and he would be in a high position. Zhao Huang's life would indeed be difficult.
At this time, Dugu Mingxi smiled again and said: "To be honest, brother, Zhao Huang has already come to see me this afternoon."
Dugu Mingxi is the leader of the Guanlong Group. It is normal for Zhao Huang to come to him. Changsun Yan quickly asked: "What should I say?"
"He asked me how I could make up for the Wu Shun incident. I could see that he was also very worried. I told him that he didn't need to worry. Judging from Li Zhen's actions, he was not a grudge-bearing person, but he wanted to make up for it.If necessary, I let him figure it out by himself. I reminded him that Li Zhen also has an eldest sister doing business in Chang'an. "
Changsun Yan didn't say anything for a long time. He heard the overtones of Dugu Mingxi's words. Dugu Mingxi had actually figured out the details of Li Zhen, even his actions and his character of not holding grudges.
Even he knew that his eldest sister was doing business in Chang'an, but he knew nothing about it. In contrast, Dugu Mingxi was the one who cared about it, and she was really far behind him.
Changsun Yan was frustrated, and after a while he said: "Actually, I came to see my brother today to discuss whether we should hold a banquet for Li Zhen to cleanse himself from the dust. What do you mean, brother?"
Dugu Mingxi shook his head, "Although we have this intention, I know that he will not accept it."
"Why?"
"Haven't you thought about it, dear brother? There are people in the court who are watching him. If the Guanlong nobles invite him to a banquet, what do you think the Lord will think if he finds out? So he will definitely not agree. He will come here in a low-key manner. He should be there Tomorrow, he will arrive in Chang'an."
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Changsun Yan said goodbye and left. Dugu Mingxi watched his carriage go away with his hands behind his back. A sneer appeared on his lips. Although the Guanlong nobles were regarded as one by others, in fact, they each had their own interests. What about the interests of his Dugu family? Can it be shared with others?