The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 371 Hulao Pass

Li Chengqian stood in front of Luoyang City, watching the carriages of furniture and goods being transported up.

"His Royal Highness."

Hearing the words behind him, he turned around and saw that it was Li Chongyi, so he smiled and said, "Brother Chongyi."

Li Chongyi stepped forward and said, "My father said that he will not go to Mount Tai this time, so he asked me to go with him."

"How is your health lately, uncle?"

"If anything, they are just old ailments, but they are not serious."

Li Chongyi now has a short beard and looks like a minister of the Zongzheng Temple.

Looking at the distance, Yinggong was in charge of the food and grass for this trip. Li Chengqian asked again: "Is the royal family stable?"

Li Chongyi nodded and said, "I heard that His Majesty was going to Fengshan, and there were quite a few letters sent to him, but now no one is talking about His Majesty."

Thinking of his childhood, Li Chengqian felt a little lost and said, "When they were young, they all said that the Crown Prince of the East Palace was a lonely person. Now they don't dare to spread rumors, right?"

Li Chongyi nodded slightly.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is ready." The eunuch came to report.

Li Chengqian looked back again and saw his father striding towards the carriage. The city walls of Luoyang were crowded with Luoyang residents who wanted to see the emperor.

During this trip, Duke Zhao stayed in Luoyang to preside over state affairs, Zhang Shigui and Chai Zhewei guarded Luoyang City, and Prime Minister Fang remained in Guanzhong to guard Chang'an.

There was also a group of clerks accompanying him, headed by Chu Suiliang, followed by Zhao Renben, Yu Zhining, Liu Li and the four sages of Wenhan and a group of court officials.

Duke Ying personally led five thousand soldiers and horses to escort them.

Li Lizhi came over and said, "Brother Emperor, I'm honored to meet Brother Chongyi."

Li Chongyi bowed slightly and said, "Your Highness the Princess."

Li Lizhi said: "Dongyang has to stay in Luoyang to take care of his uncle and grandfather."

Having thought that Dongyang was unwilling to leave Luoyang, Li Chengqian said, "That's fine. Grandpa and uncle need someone to take care of them."

Li Lizhi nodded and took Linchuan into the carriage.

Li Chengqian walked into the carriage. Su Wan was holding her four-month-old daughter, and Ning'er was sorting some clothes beside her.

"Yu Tu and Que'er are both with their mother." Ning'er said in a low voice.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly and said to the eunuch standing beside the carriage: "Tell father that we can leave now."

Hearing the words coming from His Highness' carriage, the eunuch nodded and walked forward to His Majesty's carriage.

My father was still talking to my uncle.

Li Chengqian saw what his uncle was saying. It was a good thing when Lord Zheng and his teacher were both persuading his father to abdicate if he had no energy for state affairs.

Only this uncle is still loyal to my father. Others can say such words, but my uncle is the only one who won’t say them.

This is no wonder. My uncle also visited my uncle a few days ago, but was driven away by my uncle.

My father finally got into the carriage, and my uncle, together with all the officials and residents of Luoyang, saw the emperor off.

In April of the 20th year of Zhenguan, the third year after the emperor's eastern expedition, the emperor went to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, and the crown prince accompanied him.

Lai Ji rode on horseback and wrote a few words.

Little Yutu looked around and asked, "Teacher, can you write while riding on a horse?"

Lai Ji stroked his beard and said with a smile: "You are very experienced."

Another group of fast horses came from behind, passing by carriages one after another. Yu Tu asked curiously, "Aunt, where are those soldiers from?"

Li Lizhi was sitting on the shaft of the cart, holding a scroll of book. She looked up and said, "The soldiers and horses are coming from the Western Regions."

Little Yutu stretched his neck to look around, with a look of joy in his eyes, and asked, "Are those the soldiers from the Western Regions?"

There was no idea what was so interesting about the cavalry and soldier, so Li Lizhi pulled him back to prevent the boy from falling off the carriage.

"Aunt, I heard that the troops in the Western Regions must obey my father's orders."

Li Lizhi nodded, still looking at the book.

"My father is so amazing. He was already able to command the entire Western Region's troops when he was just over 20 years old."

Li Lizhi asked: "Who told you this?"

Little Yutu turned and looked at the teacher beside him.

Lai Ji stroked his gray beard with a smile on his face.

Li Lizhi whispered, "Your grandfather was even more powerful. He had already pacified the world when he was the same age as your brother."

The soldier who came to Luoyang from the Western Regions to deliver the letter rode forward and handed the letter to General Xue Wanbei who was accompanying him.

Xue Wanbei caught up with the Crown Prince's carriage and said, "There's a letter from Protector Pei of the Western Regions."

Li Chengqian took the letter and read its contents.

The emperor's carriage procession was very large, so it did not move very fast. Li Chengqian opened the leather wrapping the letter and took out the paper inside.

In addition to a letter from Pei Xingjian, there was also a letter from Xuanzang.

In the letter, Pei Xingjian explained the current situation in the Western Regions. He released Xuanzang and ordered him not to leave Shazhou. Someone helped Xuanzang to open a Taoist temple in Shazhou and let him preach. Xuanzang stayed in Shazhou to compile the scriptures brought from India.

There were also many Tibetans following Xuanzang, and Songtsen Gampo arranged several people to follow Xuanzang to study.

Nepal, which was located behind Tubo, was destroyed and annexed by India.

Xuanzang's letter did not say anything else, only talked about what happened in Shazhou. He did not say anything about the court.

After reading the letter, Li Chengqian put it aside, closed his eyes, and sat in the carriage.

In April, this huge army marched out of Luoyang for more than half a month. After leaving Luoyang, they arrived at the eastern gate of Luoyang, where there was a pass called Hulao Pass.

In the past, King Mu of Zhou captured a tiger in prison here, so the pass was named Hulao Pass.

Hulao Pass is connected to Mount Song in the south and the Yellow River in the north. It is a natural barrier leading to Luoyang and a place that has always been fought over by military strategists.

There are so many stories about this place, and it is also the place where Dong Zhuo's army fought a decisive battle with the army of princes.

Li Chengqian stepped down from the carriage and saw his father staring at Hulao Pass in a daze. He walked forward and said, "This place looks very old."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "It was here that I defeated Wang Shichong and captured Dou Jiande."

Li Chengqian looked at the fort and said, "It's a pity that I didn't get to see my father's heroic figure at Hulao Pass."

Li Shimin whispered: "I have forgotten what some people look like."

"What did Grandpa forget?"

Little Yu Tu's voice came from behind. He stood beside his father and grandfather, looking at Hulao Pass and said, "It's not nice here. It's not as good as Luoyang and Chang'an."

Li Shimin held his grandson and said, "Do you know who Grandpa has captured here?"

Xiao Yutu was puzzled and asked, "Who is it?"

"Come on, Grandpa will tell you a story."

Then the emperor told Yu Tu about the battle of Hulao Pass that year.

Xiao Yutu was very fascinated when he heard this and kept expressing his surprise.

Li Chengqian stood by the Yellow River with his hands in his pockets. A large ship was on the river. Yinggong was having people pack it up. Then they would go east along the river for a while. In a few days, they would pass Zhengzhou and reach Shandong Province while the water level of the Yellow River was rising.

After arriving in Bozhou, you are very close to Mount Tai.

This was the route planned by Lord Ying, and it was also a convenient route to Shandong. At this moment in Bozhou, the news that the emperor was going to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the gods had already reached Bozhou.

This was the third year that Shangguan Yi stayed in Bozhou, and the land tax case of the Fanyang Lu family had been investigated for seven years.

Du Zhenglun came to Shangguan Yi and said, "It was originally just a small land tax case, but I didn't expect that someone would die. The court has been nagging about it for so many years, they should have lost their composure."

"In fact, the case back then was not complicated. It was just that the noble families were still fighting against each other, which led to this kind of thing. They are all descendants of nobles, but they have long lost the style of nobles."

Shangguan Yi stood at the Yellow River. It was spring in Bozhou and the scenery by the river was just right.

Du Zhenglun took out a small pottery jar and handed it over, saying, "Here you go."

Shangguan Yi took the small pottery jar, opened the lid, looked inside and asked, "Pickled vegetables?"

"This is a pickle that is unique to Bozhou. Their wine is also delicious, but good wine is hard to find. I have eaten this pickle many times. I bought it and brought you a portion."

Shangguan Yi said: "Thank you very much."

Du Zhenglun looked at the Yellow River and said, "Your Majesty will soon arrive in Shandong."

Inside Bozhou City, a group of people were shouting, "What have the officials of Hebei done wrong? The court killed people without giving any explanation."

"The current crown prince killed people like this. How can there be any reason to kill ministers in this world?"

"Even if the nobles are guilty, how can we kill them at will if the Hebei nobles have a reputation that has lasted for hundreds of years!"

"When Your Majesty arrives in Shandong, we will ask for your permission to seek a good reputation for the Hebei nobles."

Li Zhi heard these words and was furious.

Zhang Jianzhi advised: "Your Highness, Prince of Jin, please do not act impulsively."

Li Zhi shook off Zhang Jianzhi's hand and shouted, "What right do you have to discuss the current crown prince?"

The other party recited: "Who are you?"

"Boy! We are under orders from the nobles and we are asking for orders on behalf of the nobles for generations. You are so ignorant."

"That's right. The current crown prince kills people without blinking an eye. We should advise His Majesty."

Looking at the dozens of people in front of him, under the dark clouds of Bozhou, Li Zhi shouted angrily: "Jianzhi, Shendi, Renjie! Let's go!"

The four young men shouted loudly, rushed into the other crowd, and immediately started fighting with these people.

Cheng Chumo, who was on the other side of the street, was about to run to help, but Li Jingheng stopped him immediately, "Don't move."

"Are we just going to watch..."

Before he finished speaking, Li Jingheng said seriously: "Don't forget our identity."

Cheng Chumo then gave up. If the people from the Right Leader of the Eastern Palace were involved in this matter, it would be difficult to deal with once it got out of hand.

Those who clamor to restore the reputation of the Hebei gentry want to ask Your Majesty for permission.

These people are not descendants of noble families at all, they are all imposters, coming here to create momentum and attract real descendants of noble families to join the team to petition.

They are clearly a group of thugs. If they were really children of noble families, they would be easier to deal with.

Once they find out that someone from the Eastern Palace is here, it will be even more difficult to deal with if the crown prince is implicated.

Although Cheng Chumo has always been careless in doing things, he knows the seriousness of the matter and lets it go.

Li Jingheng looked at the four young men led by Prince Jin, who were fighting with more than a dozen people without losing the upper hand, with admiration in his eyes.

The guards protecting Prince Jin had already rushed forward. These thugs could not hurt Prince Jin.

Li Zhi shouted: "A man standing between heaven and earth should serve his family and country, even for himself, but you are following the enemy!"

Heavy rain fell from the dark clouds. Li Zhi shouted angrily, "Did your parents give birth to you just to cry out for the thieves?"

When these thugs were captured by Prince Jin's guards, they were all taken to the ground and the streets became quiet.

The roar of King Jin echoed in the streets and even had a slight echo.

Li Shen was still holding the stick in his hand, and Zhang Jianzhi just stood up from the ground in a panic.

The garrison officer of Bozhou came hurriedly, saluted in the rain and said, "Your Highness Prince Jin, Your Highness Prince Ji."

Soon Shangguan Yi came hurriedly, stepping on the puddles on the road.

Several officials from Bozhou saluted again and said, "Shangguan Yushi."

"What happened?"

Li Shen recounted what happened here, and Di Renjie guessed: "These people were probably instigated by someone."

Shangguan Yi looked at the embarrassed people being held on the ground in front of him and said, "Catch them all and take them back for interrogation. Bozhou doesn't need to be involved in this matter anymore."

All the officials in Bozhou bowed in fear.

With what happened to Prince Jin and Prince Ji in Bozhou, the officials in Bozhou may not be able to keep their heads for long.

Li Zhi said: "Thank you, Imperial Censor Shangguan, for your help."

"Your Highness Prince Jin, Your Highness Prince Ji, if you need anything, please let me know."

Li Shen added: "These ruffians didn't know our identities beforehand. They just heard that some people gathered here to plead for the Hebei nobles, and Brother Jin Wang was angry for a while, so he took action."

Shangguan Yi nodded when he heard this and asked the soldiers to take these thugs away.

The officials of Bozhou could only stand where they were and watch helplessly as everything here was controlled by the censor.

After several rounds of questioning, confessions were placed on the table.

The King of Jin and the King of Ji should not have been so reckless, so what could they do? They couldn't stop it.

However, we did get some clues from the confessions of these thugs.

There were wailing sounds in the dungeon, and Li Yifu was beating them.

After a long time, he came out of the dungeon and asked, "How do we deal with these ruffians?"

Shangguan Yi said: "Escort him to Luoyang."

"Escort to Luoyang? Is it that serious?"

"Not serious?" Shangguan Yi said in a deep voice: "If we don't punish these people now, there will be more and more people who will complain about the aristocratic families in the future. If we can't kill them all in one day, they will only be remembered by people every day, and their ghosts will linger."

Li Yifu asked, "Does the confession reveal the mastermind?"

Shangguan Yi asked back: "You are the one who interrogated, don't you know?"

Li Yifu smiled awkwardly, stretched his muscles and said, "I just stretched my muscles, I didn't listen."

"He gave out a person, his name is Cui Renshu, Cui Renshi's younger brother!"

Li Yifu smiled and said, "That's a good thing."

"I have seen this person before."

The voice came from outside the door. I don't know when Du Zhenglun stood at the door. He said again: "I saw him when Fan Yang was in trouble."

The spring rain falls on both sides of the Yellow River, and there are farmers working in the fields.

A group of people were leaving Bozhou in a hurry. They were all servants, and the guard among them was a man in his thirties. He had a pale face, kept coughing, and looked like he was hollowed out.

The sound of horse hooves came from afar, and the people coming were a group of soldiers.

Li Yifu personally led people to block their way and said with a smile: "Cui Renshu, it will be easy for me to find him."

Cui Renshu said weakly, "It's been seven years, and you still won't let go!"

(End of this chapter)