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

Chapter 137: Your Majesty, Have You Completely Given Up on the King of Wei? (Part )
Li Chengqian, dressed in light yellow casual clothes, walked into Guangtian Hall.

Su Xu immediately bowed and said, "Your Highness, I, Su Xu, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Uncle, please stand up." Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly, then said, "We are all family, no need to be so polite!"

"Yes!" Su Xu then stood up.

Li Chengqian walked to the main seat at the bottom of the hall and sat down. Then he looked at Su Xu and said, "Uncle, please sit down."

"Here!" Su Xu then sat down on the short couch.

Li Chengqian looked at Su Xu deeply, then said very directly, "Are you here today because of Qingque?"

Su Xu was stunned for a moment, then stood up and bowed, saying, "Yes!"

Li Chengqian sighed slightly and said, "Don't worry about Qingque, uncle. Before the New Year's Eve banquet, I will ask my father to release Qingque. After all, families should be together during the New Year. After that, Qingque should be able to return to the palace."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Su Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, he carefully asked, "Your Highness, I wonder what mistake the King of Wei made?"

"I don't know either." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "That day, I arrived at Liangyi Palace a little late. By then, Qingque had already angered my father. After I pleaded for mercy, my father allowed Qingque to reflect on her actions at Ziyun Pavilion. As for what happened next, I don't know. All that's left is that my father asked me to investigate the assassination case."

Su Xu nodded slightly, his news was indeed true.

After the King of Wei was assassinated, he went straight to the palace. The Crown Prince was originally in the Zongzheng Temple, and then he rushed over.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Su Xu bowed solemnly.

"That's fine." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "The most important thing right now is to catch the assassin. But I heard that a guard at the Prince of Wei's palace saw something..."

"Yes, a drunk guard happened to run into the thief head-on, and he fainted after the collision... But it was just as it happened, otherwise he might have been murdered to silence him." Su Xu smiled bitterly, then came to his senses and continued, "Fortunately, it happened that way. Note down the thief's height and build."

"That's enough. When we catch the thief someday, we can recognize each other." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian looked at Su Xu seriously and said, "Then Qingque might even thank you, uncle!"

"Huh?" Su Xu raised his head slightly and looked at Li Chengqian in surprise.

Li Chengqian just smiled and said nothing.

……

By the end of the twelfth lunar month, Chang'an City became increasingly prosperous.

At this time, merchants from all over the world who were able to do so gathered in Chang'an to celebrate the New Year.

Especially next February, the Spring Examination will be held soon.

Su Xu came out of the palace and slowly walked towards the Prince of Wei's Mansion, pondering the meaning of Li Chengqian's words along the way.

When he arrived at the gate of Prince Wei's Mansion, Su Xu looked at the red plaque with gold threads on the gate, and his face inexplicably showed a trace of sadness. Then, his eyes became cold.

In the main hall, Yan Wan saw Su Xu coming back and immediately stepped forward: "Uncle, how is the matter with the King of Wei?"

Su Xu looked at Chai Lingwu who was standing on the side in surprise. How did the princess know about this?

Chai Lingwu shrugged helplessly.

Su Xu then turned to look at Yan Wan, then bowed and said, "Your Highness, I have consulted the Crown Prince. After the Prince of Wei entered the palace that day, he may have said something inappropriate that angered Your Majesty. The Crown Prince came here later, but it was actually a later event. It was only thanks to the Crown Prince's intercession that the Prince of Wei was only ordered to recuperate in Ziyun Pavilion."

Yan Wan looked at Su Xu in surprise. Su Xu nodded and said, "I have checked and it is true. The Crown Prince was still in the Zongzheng Temple that day and he was unaware of other things. Moreover, in my opinion, the Crown Prince and the King of Wei are brothers after all. With Your Majesty in power, brotherly love and respect for younger brothers are inevitable."

Yan Wan nodded subconsciously. The emperor was in power, and the prince would not dare to go too far no matter what.

"Then when will the prince be able to return home?" Yan Wan looked at Su Xu expectantly. This was the most important thing at the moment.

"The Crown Prince said that all you need to do is go to the palace early on the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, bring the Crown Prince, and congratulate His Majesty on the New Year. At the same time, you can request to see the Prince. Afterwards, you can attend the evening banquet with the Prince." After a brief pause, Su Xu said seriously, "Your Highness can do this. Don't ask anyone else for help."

"Wan'er understands, thank you uncle." Yan Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Also, there are preparations for the New Year's gifts..."

……

Su Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief when Yan Wan returned to the backyard.

Chai Lingwu was standing behind him. Seeing him turn around, he couldn't help but bow and ask, "Uncle, why was the King of Wei exiled to Ziyun Pavilion?"

"The Crown Prince doesn't know." Su Xu looked up at Chai Lingwu and said seriously, "But the Crown Prince knows that this matter may be related to the assassin."

"That assassin?" Chai Lingwu suddenly felt a headache.

Although he knew that the assassin was Qi Zhixuan, he didn't know what Qi Zhixuan had said to the King of Wei.

"So, it's best to catch the assassin as soon as possible. If it's too late, he might say something he shouldn't, and the situation will be very different." Su Xu looked at Chai Lingwu deeply, then bowed slightly and said, "I have to go prepare the New Year's ceremony for Your Majesty. I'll leave this matter to the Prince Consort."

"Yes!" Chai Lingwu quickly bowed.

Watching Su Xu walk out of the lobby, Chai Lingwu's eyes became extremely solemn.

Although Su Xu did not say some things explicitly, his meaning was very clear.

The reason why Li Tai was sent to Ziyun Pavilion was because of that assassin.

Su Xu even felt that even the prince suspected the assassin.

Chai Lingwu shook his head. They didn't need to talk about the assassination. Chai Lingwu was one of the people who knew the most about it. But the problem was that Qi Zhixuan had already left Chang'an.

Moreover, not only did he leave Chang'an, but Su Dingfang, Zhang Wenguan and Li Yifu also rushed to Luoyang.

There were three people, a General of the Imperial Guards, a Deputy Director of the Dali Temple, and a Censor. Even if they were not investigating the case under the order of the Crown Prince, the Luozhou Prefecture had to provide full assistance when the three of them arrived in Luoyang.

Not to mention that they were acting on the orders of the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince was investigating the assassination of King Wei on the orders of His Majesty. Who would dare to stop such a thing?

The only thing we can hope for now is that Qi Zhixuan can hide better and not be found by these three people.

Under the cover of night, Chai Lingwu finally returned to Princess Baling's mansion.

As soon as I returned home, the steward delivered a secret letter to me.

A letter came by carrier pigeon from Luoyang.

The carrier pigeon flew straight from Chang'an to Luoyang, and was even faster than Su Dingfang and his group.

Before they could find everyone, people from Chang'an arrived.

Their people in Luoyang did not find any trace of Qi Zhixuan in any mansion or house related to the King of Wei.

Su Dingfang, Zhang Wenguan and Li Yifu had already rushed to Luoyang overnight.

While Chai Lingwu felt a little relieved, he couldn't help but grit his teeth.

That damn bastard trusted the King of Wei and not him.

If it had been him who came here instead of the King of Wei, there wouldn't have been so much trouble.

Chai Lingwu picked up the secret letter, lit it over the candle flame, and then threw the ashes into a basin of water to stir them up.

Their people can't find Qi Zhixuan now, which means that Su Dingfang and his people will not be able to find Qi Zhixuan for a while.

The key now is to settle this case and withdraw Su Dingfang and his men from Luoyang.

There's no telling how long that bastard Qi Zhixuan will be hiding in Luoyang. Once they're found, things will be troublesome.

Therefore, the key now is to find someone to take the blame for the assassination.

The prince is looking for someone. If this person has any connection with the prince...

No, no.

Qi Zhixuan's identity has been exposed, and he might be found at any time.

If the two sides accidentally collided, Chai Lingwu would be implicated.

Moreover, with the Baiqi Division involved in this matter, it is hard to say what they will find out.

If they said they had evidence to prove that the prince had nothing to do with the assassination of King Wei, it would instead arouse the emperor's wrath.

There is also the prince. The prince already knows that it was Qi Zhixuan who did it. If the prince gets hold of any evidence, even if it is not Qi Zhixuan himself, this matter will not be easy to do.

In the end, when the emperor came before him, it was Chai Lingwu who was found to be at fault.

Therefore, this matter cannot be done openly, it must be done secretly, and someone should spread the word that it was the prince who sent someone to assassinate the King of Wei...

"Knock, knock, knock!" There was a sudden knock on the door, and the steward's voice rang out outside: "My dear, news just came from the palace that the Earl of Da'an County has been appointed as the Governor of Guangzhou and has just left Chang'an."

"What?" Chai Lingwu stood up suddenly, then slowed down a little, his expression softening all of a sudden.

Yan Lide was appointed as the Governor of Guangzhou, which is a good thing.

This shows that Your Majesty has no intention of blaming the King of Wei too much. So, as Su Xu said, all he needs to do is let the princess meet Your Majesty on New Year's Eve and plead for mercy.

However, Chai Lingwu, the Earl of Da'an County, felt a headache when he thought of Yan Lide. He was obviously his own son-in-law, but Yan Lide didn't want to interfere.

Moreover, as soon as he returned to Beijing, even Yan Liben stopped visiting the Prince of Wei's Mansion.

Now that the emperor has issued the decree, he will set off for Guangzhou immediately.

Chai Lingwu was almost certain that Yan Lide sent someone to notify the Prince of Wei's Mansion only after he had already set off.

This person!

The King of Wei is fine for the time being, but the rumor still needs to be dealt with, and the key is Qi Zhixuan.

If this guy left Luoyang, he wouldn't have to do anything.

"My dear, there is one more thing." The steward stood at the door and whispered, "News has come from the palace that His Majesty has issued an order for the Crown Prince to take His Majesty's place at the Xianling Mausoleum on New Year's Eve to offer sacrifices. On the second day of the first lunar month, the Crown Prince will also accompany His Majesty to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth."

After saying this, Chai Lingwu suddenly sat down weakly.

Your Majesty, Your Majesty, have you completely given up on King Wei?
King Wei, what exactly did you say in front of His Majesty?

Chai Lingwu's face suddenly became fierce.

The news that the Crown Prince sent someone to assassinate the King of Wei must be spread, and someone must be found to provide solid evidence.

(End of this chapter)