My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 75: The Wind Direction in the Court

Hegannuo did not expect the King of Wei to act so quickly.

All in all, he had been in the Prince of Wei's Palace for less than half a month.

It was originally thought that according to the prince's plan, it would take at least a few months, but the King of Wei called him now and asked him to prepare to enter the palace to meet the emperor.

He didn't need to say anything extra, he just needed to repeat to the saint what he had said before.

This made Hegannuo a little worried.

He naturally didn't know that this was Fang Xuanling's plan to make His Majesty directly suspect the Crown Prince of treason.

Once suspicion starts, it's hard to stop.

Even if there is no evidence.

Not to mention the distant future, at least it is almost impossible for the prince to have access to military power.

Your Majesty will never give the military power to the Crown Prince. If you do so, the conflict between Your Majesty and the Crown Prince will become more acute, and the King of Wei will have more opportunities.

Hegannuo is just a small figure, of course he doesn't know these.

Faced with the King of Wei's unusual behavior, all he could do was pass the news to the Eastern Palace.

Because of this, he almost couldn't sleep the whole night. There was a curfew in Chang'an City, so naturally, as a small person, he couldn't violate it.

He waited until dawn, after curfew, and then found an opportunity to tell his contact the news.

A Wuhou who was set up by the Jinwu Guard in the Wuhou Shop in Yankangfang.

But it is obvious that there are people who are faster than him, but the information is not so specific.

Inside the East Palace.

Li Chengqian, who had just gotten up, received a report from the eunuch Wen Zhong.

Last night, Fang Xuanling entered the palace to meet the emperor after curfew. It is suspected that he is related to the King of Wei, or involves the Crown Prince.

"What news did Wu Cairen send?"

"Yes, Your Highness. The person who delivered the message was Haruyuki, Takeshi's personal maid."

"interesting."

Li Chengqian understood Wu Zhao's little thoughts very well. She wanted to surrender to him.

When seduction failed, he came up with another idea.

But there is no reason to refuse.

Li Chengqian had no time to go to the martial arts arena because he had to attend the morning court today.

Besides, there was a very important person present at the morning court.

Taiji Palace, Taiji Hall.

On the fifth day, the emperor held an early morning court session, and all the ministers came to the court to see him.

The appearance of Gao Shilian shocked all the officials in the court.

After all, in the past one or two years, Gao Shilian rarely attended court because of his old age.

Li Shimin also specifically allowed Gao Shilian not to attend court meetings.

"Uncle, why are you here?"

Changsun Wuji hurriedly went to greet him. He was raised by Gao Shilian, who was both his uncle and father.

"Why, my old bones can't come?"

"Of course not, it's just that this morning court session is too early and I'm afraid it will disturb your rest."

"I'm not so old that I can't move my legs."

"Yes Yes."

All the ministers also paid their respects to Duke Gao one by one.

Gao Shilian can be said to be a truly powerful person. Even now, the emperor has not removed him from his official position or allowed him to retire. Instead, he has continued to promote him to higher positions.

Li Shimin was also surprised to see Gao Shilian and quickly offered him a seat.

Gao Shilian was not only a hero in the Xuanwu Gate Incident, but also his father-in-law. When Li Shimin was not yet the King of Qin, Gao Shilian had high hopes for him and married Guanyin to him. Li Chengqian also came forward to pay his respects, and the look between the two was self-evident.

Not long after the hearing began, an imperial censor stood up and talked about the rumors in Chang'an.

After all, the rumors in Chang'an are too rampant now, which is completely different from the last time. If the ministers turn a blind eye to it again, it would be dereliction of duty.

But they do not support attacking Goryeo.

"There are rumors spreading in Chang'an now, saying that Goryeo is going to attack our Tang Dynasty. This is ridiculous."

"The Korean kid is just relying on the geographical advantage. What kind of troops can he use to attack the Tang Dynasty?"

"Compared to Goryeo, our Great Tang is like a tiger compared to a wolf. How dare they attack our Great Tang?"

"Your Majesty, please give an order to rectify the rumors in Chang'an."

The ministers remained silent and no one stood up to oppose this statement.

The war faction didn't know what to say, and the civil servants didn't want to say anything.

Li Shimin had no choice but to turn his attention to the crown prince. After all, in this regard, the father and son were on the same side.

Li Chengqian did not hold back when he saw this, and spoke directly: "I have also heard the rumors about Goryeo in the Eastern Palace. The people in Chang'an are in a panic."

"There are even reports that Goryeo is about to invade Chang'an, causing many Hu merchants and wealthy families to try to leave Chang'an. When I heard this, I just thought it was ridiculous."

"However, I am also very angry. How could such an exaggerated rumor come out of a mere Goryeo? Is it because the Tang Dynasty is afraid of Goryeo, or is it because the people of the Tang Dynasty are afraid of Goryeo?"

"I'm afraid the officials in the court have never thought about what Goryeo is like in the hearts of the people."

"They just think that the Sui Dynasty was destroyed after three expeditions to Goryeo, and that Goryeo bullied the Tang Dynasty at will, and the Tang Dynasty did not dare to fight back. Therefore, many people believed the absurd statement that Goryeo wanted to invade Chang'an City."

"In other words, how can this not be the sorrow of our Great Tang? The people of our Great Tang are actually afraid of the small Goryeo. Wouldn't this make the officials of the court feel ashamed?"

"If one day, our Tang Dynasty and Goryeo go to war, and our Tang Dynasty soldiers are afraid to move forward, what would you think?"

Li Chengqian's words echoed in the Taiji Hall, full of righteousness.

At this moment, he seemed to be standing on the moral high ground.

The civil officials did not know how to respond for a moment, while the military generals cheered and stood up to support the prince.

"Your Highness is right. If this continues, how can the Tang Dynasty maintain its dignity?"

"The little boy from Goryeo openly pledged his loyalty but refused to pay tribute. His intentions are obvious."

"It's time to teach Gao Li a lesson."

"Me too."

Li Chengqian was very satisfied with the atmosphere created by the military generals, which greatly increased the momentum of condemning Goryeo in the court.

The civil servants all turned their attention to Gao Shilian. After all, as long as Gao was in the court, he was the leader of all the officials.

Gao Shilian felt somewhat helpless. He came to support the prince, but ended up having to make a choice regarding Goryeo.

If I object, wouldn't that just disappoint the prince?

He stood up and said, "Korea is rampant, and we need to teach it a lesson, but war cannot be started lightly, otherwise the people will suffer. We need to think long and hard about conquering Korea."

Gao Shilian actually did not want to go to war and hoped that the Tang Dynasty would be stable and prosperous.

Once a war breaks out, winning or losing will cause considerable losses to the Tang Dynasty, so these ambiguous words were said.

There was some disappointment on Li Shimin's face. He thought that the prince invited Gao Shilian to show his support, but he didn't expect that he still did not give much support.

Li Chengqian caught the topic and continued, "What Mr. Gao said makes sense. As the ancients said, before the army moves, food and grass must be sent first. Know yourself and the enemy, and you will win every battle."

"We must not underestimate Goryeo. We should find out more about its strengths and weaknesses and make a comprehensive plan."

This is equivalent to tying Gao Shilian directly to the chariot against Goryeo.

Gao Shilian smiled bitterly, but did not stand up to refute.

Chu Suiliang was unwilling to give in, and immediately stood up to state the dangers of war, and the civil servants responded one after another.

There was no need for the prince to take the lead this time, the generals objected loudly.

For a time, the court was bustling with people and debates continued.

(End of this chapter)