Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 104: The Crown Princess, Quite Like the Queen (Part )

Under the cover of night, Li Chengqian was a little dizzy from drinking and was carried back to the East Palace on a sedan chair.

After entering Cheng'en Hall, Li Chengqian had just sat down when he felt a wet towel on his face, and he finally woke up a little.

Su Shu seemed to be saying something in his ear, and Li Chengqian seemed to hear Zheng Rentai's name, and he came back to his senses.

Under the candlelight, Su Shu, with her bright face, was right before his eyes. Li Chengqian subconsciously asked, "What did my beloved concubine just say?"

"I have just submitted a petition to the Emperor, requesting permission for the Eastern Palace to marry the third daughter of Zheng Rentai, General of the Left Guard and Duke of Susong County, as the Crown Prince's concubine." As Su Shu finished speaking, Li Chengqian couldn't help but blink, and instantly came to his senses. "Who, the daughter of Zheng Rentai, General of the Left Guard... No, wasn't it agreed to be the Crown Prince's concubine?"

"This is a rare opportunity." A gentle smile flashed in Su Shu's eyes, and then she said, "The wife of the Duke of Susong County has already agreed to this matter."

"No, it's useless for the wife of the Duke of Susong to agree. The Duke of Susong has to agree to this himself!" Li Chengqian shook his head slightly, took a deep breath, and said to Su Shu who was right in front of him, "The key is that even if the Duke of Susong agrees to this, it's impossible for the emperor to agree. He is the General of the Left Guard."

Although the sixteen guards of the Southern Court are equal in name, the Lieutenant General of the Qianniu Guard and the Lieutenant General of the Jinwu Guard are superior to the other guards.

Because the Qianniu Guards and the Jinwu Guards were either following the emperor or on duty in Chang'an, this was an advantage that the other guards could not match.

For the sons of various families to enter officialdom, being able to serve as a Qianniu Guard is one of the best ways. Those who are slightly worse can join the Jinwu Guard.

As for the other sixteen guards, the Left Guard and the Right Guard, most of them were children from good families in Guanzhong, and they were always known for their strong fighting ability.

Even if the Left and Right Guards mixed in with the Turkic cavalry, the Left and Right Leading Guards who were stationed in the border areas all year round could not compare to them.

Because the Left and Right Guards were the most trusted by the emperor, the best swords, spears, arrows and armor of the Tang Dynasty were always provided to them first.

When hundreds of thousands of troops are fighting, the left and right guards are always the main force of the central army.

How could the daughter of Zheng Rentai, the General of the Left Guard, marry into the Eastern Palace as the Crown Prince's concubine?

Crown Prince's concubine, Crown Prince's side concubine.

If it was Crown Prince Liangti, it would be fine, but if it was Crown Prince's concubine, it would mean that General Zheng Rentai of the Left Guard was deeply tied to the Eastern Palace, and the Emperor would not allow it.

"First, the Duke of Susong has already agreed. This matter will be decided by his wife, with Consort Shu as the go-between." Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian, pressed the wrist of the somewhat disbelieving Li Chengqian, and continued, "Second, I have sent this memorial to Luoyang. My husband, if the Emperor does not agree, then it means that he still intends to depose the Crown Prince."

Li Chengqian was slightly taken aback, then frowned and said, "Are you saying that in order to show that the Emperor has no intention of deposing the Crown Prince, he will agree to this marriage?"

"Yes!" Su Shu nodded confidently and said, "Besides, this matter was reported by me, so the emperor should at least give me some face."

Li Chengqian looked at Su Shu and suddenly smiled with some heartache. He reached out and hugged Su Shu into his arms, whispering, "While that's true, when the time comes, father will only need to grant the daughter of another family to the Eastern Palace, and that will be considered as giving you this face."

Su Shu's expression couldn't help but change slightly.

"No, you are not the daughter of Zheng Rentai who was specially chosen." Li Chengqian suddenly looked at Su Shu. They had been talking about this matter since the beginning of the year. Originally, they just wanted to find a family that could be helpful to the Eastern Palace and choose a prince's wife. Later, somehow, she became the prince's concubine, and now she has become the prince's concubine.

Su Shu lay on Li Chengqian's chest without saying a word.

Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "You really dare to think so, and you are really willing to do it."

"I'm only doing this for Your Highness and our three children." Su Shu subconsciously touched her visibly bulging belly.

Li Chengqian fell silent for a moment. After a moment, he said solemnly, "If we want this to succeed, it's not enough now. Father won't let the Eastern Palace and the military commanders connect so easily. If you want to do something else."

"What's the matter?" Su Shu looked up suddenly.

"Go find Prime Minister Wei." Li Chengqian raised his eyes slightly, looked into the darkness outside the palace, and said softly, "Tomorrow, my beloved concubine will go to the Duke of Zheng's mansion to meet his wife and his youngest daughter."

"Little daughter?" Su Shu looked up in surprise and said, "I haven't seen her today!"

"Of course not." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Duke Zheng's eldest daughter married the uncle of Han. The younger daughter will never marry into the royal family. But we can make others think so... Remember, don't do anything, just meet once."

"Yes!"

……

Luoyang, Ziwei Palace.

In the Qianyang Hall, Li Shimin stood on the left side of the Danbi, looking at the map of Goguryeo hanging on the wall, but his mind was not here at all.

"Your Majesty, I think it is not possible. Zheng Rentai is the General of the Left Guard, in charge of thousands of troops of the Left Guard. How can he marry into the Crown Prince's family?" Fang Xuanling knelt behind Zhangsun Wuji and expressed his opposition to the proposal from Chang'an that the Crown Prince's family's daughter be married to him as Crown Prince Liangti.

"He's only the Lieutenant General of the Left Guard. At worst, he could be transferred to the Left or Right Wei Guard, the Left or Right Wu Guard, or the Left or Right Tun Guard. All are possible." Zhangsun Wuji looked at the emperor and said seriously, "Your Majesty, this matter was ultimately proposed by the Crown Princess. If you reject it, it will probably cause unrest!"

Li Shimin's eyes became solemn. The reason why he was so hesitant was because this matter was reported by the Crown Princess.

If it was the Crown Prince or other officials of the Eastern Palace who made the proposal, Li Shimin would have directly rejected it, but it was different for the Crown Princess.

After all, she was the Crown Princess of Li Shimin, who had already given birth to two grandsons and was about to give birth to the third.

If the Crown Princess remained quiet, nothing would happen. But once she moved, it would mean that she, as the daughter-in-law, was dissatisfied with what the Emperor did last year.

If it was Li Chengqian who expressed dissatisfaction, Li Shimin would immediately slap him, but if it was Su Shu who expressed dissatisfaction, then both the court and the public would think that the emperor was wrong.

The emperor forced the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace to come out to protect herself.

It has to be said that this was something Li Shimin had never thought of before.

"Your Majesty, even if Zheng Rentai was transferred from the Left Guard, his connections in the Left Guard for many years are still there. We can't transfer all of these people from the Left Guard." Fang Xuanling had already expressed his disagreement. There was something he didn't say. Back then at the Xuanwu Gate, the emperor was able to turn the world upside down with only 800 people. With the help of the Left Guard, the prince might be able to do the same.

"That means transferring all these people from Zuowei. What's wrong with that?" Changsun Wuji directly retorted.

Fang Xuanling was speechless. He didn't understand why Zhangsun Wuji supported the prince so much in this matter.

"Okay." The emperor finally spoke, and Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji bowed slightly at the same time.

Li Shimin looked at Gao Shilian and asked, "Uncle, what do you think?"

Gao Shilian glanced at Fang Xuanling, then looked at Li Shimin and said, "The Crown Princess took the initiative to expand the royal family. This reminds me of the time when the Empress recruited virtuous women from all over the world as concubines for Your Majesty. How similar they are!" Fang Xuanling's face couldn't help but change slightly. Gao Shilian linked the Crown Princess and the Empress together, so how could Fang Xuanling refute it.

And what he said makes a lot of sense.

"Yes, a virtuous wife keeps a family strong." The emperor finally nodded and said, "The Crown Princess is virtuous and can control the Crown Prince. In the future, she may be able to control all women. She rarely asks, so how can I refuse?"

"Your Majesty!" Fang Xuanling subconsciously wanted to stop him.

Li Shimin raised his hand slightly, and Zhang Ananda walked out from the side and handed a memorial to Fang Xuanling.

Fang Xuanling was stunned for a moment, but still opened the memorial.

However, after the first glance, Fang Xuanling's expression turned ugly: "Your Majesty."

"On the day of Jiyou, a star appeared in Taiwei," the emperor sighed softly and said, "This memorial was submitted the day before yesterday. The newly appointed Grand Historian, Xue Yi, said 'it is not yet possible to offer sacrifices to the gods in the east,' meaning that it is not possible to offer sacrifices to the gods on Mount Tai."

"Your Majesty!" Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Gao Shilian, and Yang Shidao all prostrated themselves, only Chu Suiliang was still quietly remembering.

"The celestial phenomena have changed, and there is a plague in Zezhou. If I deny the Crown Princess's request at this time, then the people of the world will probably blame everything on the Crown Prince." The emperor said this, and the expressions of the ministers suddenly changed.

Especially Fang Xuanling, his face was frighteningly pale.

Although the emperor has expressed his intention to depose the crown prince in recent years, he has never thought of doing so now.

Moreover, the prince has changed a lot since last year. Many of his methods against the Eastern Palace have been forcefully counterattacked, and even the Prince of Wei's Mansion has suffered heavy losses.

At this moment, even if someone suddenly showed signs of wanting to depose the crown prince, the emperor would not do so.

Even at this time, the emperor would seriously examine anyone who said such words and tried to sow discord between the emperor and the prince.

"Okay, let's do this. Prince Xu will marry Zheng's daughter as his concubine. The title of prince's concubine cannot be given casually." The emperor still had a trick up his sleeve, and Fang Xuanling couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Also," the emperor continued, "promote Zheng Rentai, the General of the Left Guard, to the rank of General of the Left Golden Guard. That's it."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling looked at each other, and a hint of relaxation appeared in their eyes.

From General of the Left Guard to General of the Left Golden Guard, it was a promotion on the surface, but in fact, not only did he bring Zheng Rentai under his nose, but he was also directly sidelined.

As the father of Crown Prince Liangti, he could do some superficial things, but it would be difficult for him to interfere in the internal details of the Zuo Jinwu Guard.

……

"Your Majesty." Changsun Wuji left with everyone else, then quietly returned to Qianyang Palace.

"Read it yourself." The emperor handed a secret memorial to Changsun Wuji and sighed helplessly.

When Changsun Wuji opened it, his brows raised instantly.

The Crown Princess visited Prime Minister Wei's residence and met the wife of Duke Zheng and his second daughter.

"Does the Crown Princess have to take a Crown Prince's concubine?" Changsun Wuji looked a little unfriendly.

"Hahaha!" Li Shimin waved his hands and said with a smile, "So be it. My uncle is right. The Crown Princess took the initiative to have children for the Crown Prince. I can't stop her. Besides, I think the Crown Princess looks a bit like Guanyin's maid."

"Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji's expression softened.

"I have never thought that the Crown Princess can restrain the Crown Prince, but you know, Wuji, women are as gentle as water, especially when she has three children, she will not let her husband do anything wrong. However, if you really push her too hard, she will do it instead." The emperor couldn't help but sigh.

"But Your Majesty has relaxed his control over the Crown Prince since the beginning of the year." Changsun Wuji frowned.

"The Crown Princess also started to take concubines for Cheng Qian at the beginning of the year." The emperor raised his head, looked outside the palace, and said softly: "With the Crown Princess's constraints, Cheng Qian will think twice before doing anything, no matter now or in the future. Moreover, the Crown Princess has the qualities of a queen. Compared with Yan Wan..." At this point, the emperor could not help shaking his head.

Yan Wan had been married to Li Tai for almost ten years, but they only had one son, and she also forbade Li Tai from taking concubines. This...

Changsun Wuji nodded slightly. Compared with Li Chengqian, Li Tai was getting worse and worse.

……

In the darkness, Li Chengqian sat calmly.

A burst of hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall, and Li Anyan walked in quickly, placing a memorial in front of Li Chengqian. He happily bowed and said, "Congratulations, Your Highness! His Majesty has approved your marriage with the Duke of Susong County."

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian opened it and took a look, then smiled and nodded at Li Anyan, and then waved his hand slightly.

Although Li Anyan was puzzled, he still bowed and walked out.

Darkness enveloped Li Chengqian again. He suddenly raised his hand and slammed it hard on the table.

With a "bang", Li Chengqian's face was full of excitement.

The General of the Left Jinwu Guard was a figurehead, and Li Chengqian didn't care at all.

Because he knew that once Goguryeo went to war, the emperor would never let Zheng Rentai stay in Chang'an.

It was inevitable that Zheng Rentai would follow the emperor into Goguryeo.

And it was in this war that Zheng Rentai shined.

The Three Arrows Conquered Tianshan Mountain, although it refers to the later Xue Rengui, the commander-in-chief of the army at that time was Zheng Rentai.

General of the Left Guard Xue Rengui and General of the Left Guard Zheng Rentai.

There is also General Su Dingfang of the Left Jinwu Guard.

This time, Su Shu really gave him a huge surprise.

(End of this chapter)