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

Chapter 121 Princess Ankang, Fuchang Ankang, and the Prince Has Great Fortune (Part )
In Cheng'en Hall of the Eastern Palace, the emperor held his two-month-old granddaughter in his arms. His heart almost melted as he watched her spit out little bubbles from her mouth.

Turning sideways, Li Shimin looked at Princess Chengyang and Princess Gaoyang and said, "You two were so cute when you were little, but now you've grown up and married, and I felt really bad. Now that I have my eldest granddaughter, I feel like I've returned to those days."

Princess Chengyang and Princess Gaoyang looked at each other, and at this time they didn't know what to say.

"Prince!" The emperor turned and looked at Li Chengqian.

"Father!" Li Chengqian bowed solemnly.

"Since you've already given yourself the nickname Fuchang'er, I will give you a full name, Li Di, and grant you the title of Princess Yongkang, with a fief of 800 households and a number of jade-like gold ornaments." The emperor paused briefly, then continued, "Fuchang Yongkang, Fuchang Yongkang, I wish it so!"

"Thank you, father!" Li Chengqian and Su Shu both stood on one side and bowed to express their gratitude.

Princess Chengyang and Princess Gaoyang looked at each other with surprise.

The emperor now has many grandchildren, but not only Li Tai's son and the emperor's eldest grandson Li Xin, but even the prince's two legitimate sons, Li Xiang and Li Jue, have not been made kings.

As royal princesses, even Chengyang and Gaoyang were not given the title of princess until they were three years old.

Even if there were princes, they would not be granted the title of prince until they were older. Only a very few princes were granted the title of prince as soon as they were born.

Now, Princess Yongkang was just born and she was named Princess. This status is probably no less than that of other princes.

Even these princesses may not be able to compare to her.

But speaking of it, she is also the eldest daughter of the prince!

"By the way, I missed Fuchang'er's full-month ceremony, so let's celebrate his hundred-day ceremony." The emperor turned to look at Li Chengqian and asked, "Prince, when is Princess Yongkang's hundred-day ceremony?"

"Your Majesty, it is the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, which happens to be the Little New Year's Day." Li Chengqian replied quickly.

"Little New Year, 100th day, my little wife is truly blessed!" The emperor said, taking off a jade pendant from his body and stuffing it into the swaddling clothes of Princess Yongkang.

Li Shimin stretched out his hand and pinched Fu Chang'er's cheek, then said with a smile: "My dear granddaughter, the emperor will come to see you again in a few days."

"Giggle! Giggle!" Li Cui lay in the cradle, dancing with joy and laughing.

"Hahaha..." The emperor couldn't help but burst into laughter.

……

The palace is long and dark, with guards standing in rows.

The emperor sat calmly on the imperial sedan chair, with Li Chengqian and Wei Zheng following on his left and right, and Princess Chengyang and Princess Gaoyang and others following behind him.

"Cheng Qian!" The emperor turned slightly sideways.

Li Chengqian immediately took a half step forward and whispered, "Father!"

Li Shimin nodded and said, "You now have a son and a daughter. You should pay more attention to family matters in the future."

"I understand, son." Li Chengqian's face was full of joy.

"Haha!" The emperor couldn't help laughing when he saw him like this, and said, "A Princess Yongkang, you look so happy. Remember to have more children in the future, and you will be blessed with many children."

"Yes! Father!" Li Chengqian nodded continuously.

Li Shimin smiled and said, "When you return, summarize all the things you have done during your time as regent and submit them to me. I will see if there are any areas where you are lacking."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded seriously.

Seeing Li Chengqian's calm demeanor, the emperor smiled with satisfaction and said, "Divine Doctor Sun will be back in two days. Let him take a look at your leg and decide how to treat it. Have him write a memorial and then we'll make a final decision."

"Your son obeys the order." Li Chengqian immediately looked serious.

Although he can move as usual now with the help of the mechanical armor, it is actually very inconvenient in many cases, and the emperor knows this best.

Although there are treatment methods now, it is more reassuring to have Sun Simiao by my side.

"Duke Zheng." The emperor glanced at the Chengtian Gate ahead, then turned to Wei Zheng and said, "Report any changes in the war on the northern grasslands immediately."

"Yes!" Wei Zheng bowed solemnly.

When the emperor returns to the court, all power will return to the emperor's hands.

The three provinces, six ministries, nine temples and five academies, all had to operate around the emperor. At the same time, the prince's power of regent was taken back.

From this moment on, Li Chengqian no longer had the power he had as regent, and the Eastern Palace could no longer interfere in the operation of various departments.

"Oh, right, let's go to the Duke of Wei." Li Shimin smiled and said, "Duke Zheng, please go there and bring the imperial physician to take care of his health."

The emperor loved to play tricks on people, and old ministers like Wei Zheng knew this best. Wei Zheng's spinach and Zhang Xuansu's background had both been severely ridiculed by the emperor.

But joking aside, the emperor still cares about the health of his old minister.

Li Dejian led more than 30 cavalrymen deep into the grasslands of Mobei. If he really couldn't come back, it would have an impact on the entire Chang'an.

"I obey your order." Wei Zheng bowed solemnly.

"Alright, everyone, go back. I've been traveling all day..." The emperor had barely finished his words when the rapid sound of horse hooves came from the direction of the city gate, accompanied by a shout: "Express military intelligence report from the 600-li Liangzhou Road."

……

At the gate of Chengtian, a dusty Qianniu Guard knelt on one knee and kowtowed solemnly, saying, "Your Majesty, Li Dejian, the Chief Clerk of Lanzhou, returned from the grasslands yesterday with the head of Datushe, the eldest son of Xueyantuo Zhenzhu Khan."

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire city gate became completely cold and solemn.

Datushe, the eldest son of Xueyantuo Zhenzhu Khan, was the Xueyantuo commander who went south to attack the Turks and the Tang Dynasty.

He died so suddenly at the hands of Li Dejian.

"Do you have a detailed report?" Li Chengqian couldn't help but step forward and shouted, "Is it confirmed that it was Dadushe's head?"

"There are memorials." Qianniu Guards quickly presented two memorials.

One was a memorial from Li Xiyu, the governor of Liangzhou, and the other was Li Dejian's own memorial.

Li Chengqian didn't even look at it and turned around and handed it to the emperor.

Li Shimin opened it with a serious expression and began to read it carefully.

Dadu set up a death, naturally there are benefits to setting up a death. The Tang Dynasty is strong and powerful, and whoever touches it will die.

Since Dadushe is not dead, there are naturally benefits to being alive.

Datushe returned to Xueyantuo, and naturally there was someone within Xueyantuo who took the blame for this war.

But if Datushe died, once Xueyantuo Zhenzhu Khan became furious and headed straight for Chang'an, the war might have to continue.

"Ha, ha ha!" The emperor suddenly laughed. He closed the memorial, shook his head, and said, "He plucked the most delicious fruits of the hundreds of thousands of troops on the expedition. Li Ji, Li Daliang, Xue Wanche, and the others are not as good as Li Jing's son."

"Your Majesty!" Wei Zheng stepped forward and said, "Order each of the General Administration Offices to send people to warn the other tribes not to act against the Xueyantuo. Then, advance the army and continue the attack for ten days. Then return to the Great Wall and prepare to rest and await the enemy."

"Don't be nervous." Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "After this battle, the Xueyantuo have very few troops left. They have to cross the vast grasslands, and there are other tribes waiting nearby. Enfeoffing two small khans will be enough."

"Yes!" Wei Zheng relaxed a little.

"As for Li Dejian," the emperor smiled and said, "This battle shows that he has inherited his father's heroic spirit. I hereby decree that Li Dejian be granted the rank of Grand Secretary and promoted to Chief Clerk of the Xiazhou Governor's Office."

After a brief pause, the emperor continued, "Transfer Liu Lan, the governor of Xiazhou, to the governor of Daizhou, and transfer Yuchi Jingde, the governor of Fuzhou, to the governor of Xiazhou. Let Li Dejian go to Xiazhou to learn from Duke Wu."

"Yes!" Wei Zheng and Li Chengqian bowed at the same time.

"Okay, that's it. I have nothing else to do today, so don't disturb me." Li Shimin looked up at Chengtian Gate, waved his hand slightly, and the imperial carriage immediately headed towards Chengtian Gate.

The emperor was not allowed to meet anyone in the palace without his permission.

Li Chengqian turned to look at the Qianniu Guard who had delivered the message and said with a smile, "Let's go to the East Palace to receive the reward."

"Thank you, Your Highness." The Qianniu Guard bowed solemnly.

……

The moonlight was like water, shining inside the gate of Chongjiao Hall.

Watching the palace gates close in front of him, Li Chengqian handed the secret letter in his hand to Li Anyan and said, "Li Dejian charged forward in the wind and snow, and finally blocked Dadushe's escape to the north at a grassland 300 miles north of Yinshan Mountain. Thirty cavalrymen charged against a hundred men and killed them without any casualties."

"Your Highness, in the vast grassland and endless snow and wind, he just happened to find the place?" After reading the secret letter, Li Anyan shook his head in disbelief.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "That's because you don't understand the Duke of Wei. When the Duke of Wei conquered the Eastern Turks, it was also the vast grasslands, after the heavy snow, and then the endless fog. But even in this situation, the Duke of Wei quietly killed his way to Jie Li's tent.

This relies on the Duke of Wei's extreme mastery of the weather and environment. I always thought that the Duke of Wei only passed this skill on to Su Dingfang and Hou Junji, but I didn't expect Li Dejian to master it so well.

Needless to say, Su Dingfang was the vanguard of the army. He fought his way through the dense fog and arrived when Jie Li could never have imagined.

As for Hou Junji, he was able to cross two thousand miles of desert and suddenly attack Gaochang King Qu Wentai when he was not prepared, thus frightening Qu Wentai to death.

Li Dejian was the son of Li Jing, but he had been a civil servant for many years, so many aspects of his life were neglected.

However, he is Li Jing's son after all.

He could trek three hundred miles across the snowy grassland and take the enemy general's head. This ability was no less than that of his father.

"The Grand Secretary is a fourth-rank official, and the Chief Clerk of the Xiazhou Military Governor's Office is a fifth-rank official. If Li Dejian makes further contributions, he will immediately become the deputy of the three provinces, six ministries, nine temples, and five bureaus." Li Anyan suddenly looked at Li Chengqian and asked uncertainly, "Your Highness, you were the one who sent Li Dejian to Lanzhou. Did you expect what happened today?"

After Li Anyan finished speaking, he was shocked.

Li Dejian was the eldest son of Li Jing. Li Jing's lineage, the Sanyuan Li family, was actually from the Danyang branch of the Longxi Li family.

In essence, their lineage is the authentic Longxi Li family. Back in the early Sui Dynasty, Emperor Gaozu was not as famous as Li Jing in the world.

This is also the reason why Emperor Gaozu was not very fond of using Li Jing.

But unfortunately, the needle is placed in the bag and its tip is exposed.

Li Jing made many contributions during the founding of the Tang Dynasty.

Later, even though Li Jing was not a hero in the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he was still highly valued in this dynasty.

But unfortunately, a Gao Zongsheng completely tore apart the conflict between the Qin Palace and Li Jing, forcing him to close the door and stay away from court affairs.

When Li Jing was forced, his achievements never overshadowed his master. Instead, he overshadowed the old ministers of the Qin Palace.

Although the emperor exiled Gao Zongsheng, he actually chose his old subordinates over those from the Prince of Qin's Palace and Li Jing.

Because of Li Jing's involvement, Li Dejian's official career was not smooth for many years until he was transferred to the Eastern Palace.

Li Chengqian treated him well. Although he didn't confidant him, there was a tacit understanding between them.

When Li Chengqian ascended the throne, he wanted to make use of Li Dejian.

After all, in their generation, the grudges of the previous generation are no longer that important.

If Li Dejian wanted to move up the ladder, he could only rely on Li Chengqian.

……

Li Chengqian smiled softly, looked at the crescent moon in the sky, and said softly: "I just gave him a direction to demonstrate his abilities. He can do it because of his ability."

Yes, Li Chengqian did it on purpose. Li Chengqian deliberately transferred Li Dejian to the grassland.

Otherwise, why would he be in Liangzhou when the Liangzhou Road Military Administration Office was established?

Given his background as a member of the Eastern Palace, it would be strange if Li Xiyu dared to send him back to Lanzhou.

In the end, he lived up to Li Jing's name and succeeded in one battle.

However, this was somewhat beyond Li Chengqian's expectations. He originally hoped that Li Dejian could stay in Lanzhou and serve as the Lanzhou Beijia.

At worst, I can stay in Liangzhou. Something is about to happen to Li Xiyu, the governor of Liangzhou.

Pity.

But Xiazhou is also good, at least I can learn more from Yuchi Jingde, especially since Yuchi Jingde will retire in more than a year.

By then, Li Dejian would be able to take over some of Yuchi Jingde's connections.

No hurry, no hurry.

(End of this chapter)