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

Chapter 172: The Crown Prince Rises in National Disaster, Entering Xuanwu Gate (Part )

East Palace, Chongjiao Hall.

Li Chengqian looked at Xue Wanbei, the newly appointed Right Guard General of the Eastern Palace, a burly man in his forties, and nodded, "I am delighted that General Xue has come to the Eastern Palace to take up his post. However, General Xue will need to participate in more political discussions, in addition to the internal and external palace affairs.

For example, General Xue would participate in the editing of the Kaogong Zhi, the preparation of the Southern History and the Northern History, the affairs of the Sino-Agricultural Temple, and the daily hearings of the Secretariat. He might even have to personally attend the hearings of the Secretariat.

"I understand." Xue Wanbei bowed solemnly and said, "Your Majesty has said that the Eastern Palace must cultivate useful talents for the court."

"That's what happened." Li Chengqian smiled.

For example, Dai Zhide, Li Dejian, Liu Yingdao, Wang Ye, Wei Gui, and others were all talented people who came out of the Eastern Palace.

Nowadays, most of them are gaining experience in prefectures and counties throughout the country and in positions of fourth and fifth ranks in the imperial court.

These people may become prime ministers that Li Chengqian may need in the future.

Li Yifu, Su Liangsi, and Zhang Wenguan were all like this.

"In that case, I will go and organize the Right Guard first, and then I will come back to listen to your Highness's teachings." Xue Wanbei bowed seriously.

Li Chengqian nodded gently and said, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Xue."

Xue Wanbei immediately bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."

……

Watching Xue Wanbei leave with heavy steps, Li Chengqian suddenly clenched his left hand under the table.

Very good, Xue Wanbei is appointed as the Prince's Right Guard Commander, which means that the person behind Quan Wanji is Zhang Liang.

Minister of Works, Duke of Yun, Zhang Liang.

His judgment was correct. This guy Zhang Liang had been doing something shameful in secret.

Although his deeds in his previous life were not discovered until after the emperor's eastern expedition to Goguryeo, he had been doing them all along.

But he had always done it very secretly, and the emperor had never discovered it.

But this time, he was discovered.

The emperor simply sensed something was wrong and gently disrupted the rhythm, and they immediately showed their signs.

Li Chengqian's expression calmed down, but deep in his eyes, there was a hint of excitement.

The emperor has already set his sights on Zhang Liang and has even begun to prepare for possible future consequences.

Although Xue Wanbei was the Prince's Right Guard Commander, his elder brother Xue Wanche was the Right Guard General.

Zhang Liang is now in the court. Apart from the Minister of Works, the only military force he can legitimately mobilize is the Prince's Right Guard.

Xue Wanbei has now been transferred to the Eastern Palace to serve as the Prince's Right Guard Commander, with the goal of completely cutting off Zhang Liang's hands and feet when he suddenly takes action.

Of course, at this time, Zhang Liang had no intention of rebelling, but he had already been indirectly involved with Li Tai.

Once Li Tai loses his patience and plans to do something, he will definitely implicate Zhang Liang.

Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief.

Sometimes, taking a step back opens up a new world.

The real purpose of taking a step back is not to give in, but to clench your fists so that you can swing them out and hit the enemy hard.

Now, he has done it.

……

One by one, the eunuchs moved a large amount of silk, calligraphy and paintings, as well as jade artifacts into Cheng'en Hall.

Gao, the recorder of the Eastern Palace, was standing by, recording everything one by one.

When Li Chengqian walked in from Cheng'en Gate, he saw Su Shu standing behind Gao at a glance.

"Your Highness!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and bowed slightly to Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly, then walked behind Su Shu and asked, "My beloved, what's going on?"

"It was sent by Concubine De, thanking Your Highness for his love and care for the King of Qi." Su Shu looked up at Li Chengqian and asked, "Your Highness, if I remember correctly, Your Highness didn't seem to have shown much love and care for the King of Qi."

Seeing the teasing look on Su Shu's face, Li Chengqian gently waved his hand and said, "This is referring to the initial suggestion that Yin Hongzhi be transferred from Qizhou to another place as a governor... Let's not talk about the King of Qi for now. Just Yin Hongzhi, although he is now in charge of Qizhou as the Chief Secretary, he is ultimately just a Chief Secretary."

Yin Hongzhi, the groom of Prince Qin, the acting minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the chief censor, was appointed as the chief officer of Qi.

Although he truly held the power of Qizhou, the emperor always liked to use balancing means, and Quan Wanji was sent by the emperor to balance and monitor him. However, Quan Wanji was not willing to be just a chief secretary of the King of Qi. He wanted more, which led to the various events that followed.

Of course, for Yin and Li You, the best outcome would be to drive Quan Wanji out of Qizhou.

However, on the one hand, Quan Wanji had the support of the old Longyou clan and Zhang Liang and others; on the other hand, Li You was the one who made the mistake first.

Under such circumstances, Li Chengqian suggested that Yin Hongzhi be transferred from Qizhou. On the one hand, he could go to a real prefecture and become a real governor. On the other hand, they would completely give Qizhou to Quan Wanji and the people behind him, so that they could stand in the dark and spy on their details.

Even at the critical moment, he turned around and impeached and made a comeback.

Moreover, as soon as the positions of the Chief Clerk of King Qi and the Chief Clerk of State Qi become vacant, other forces will immediately see the benefits and rush in to compete for them.

In this way, Quan Wanji and the people behind him will have no time to care about Li You.

"On the one hand, it allows me to obtain a real position as a provincial governor, and on the other hand, it allows me to maintain my strength and launch a counterattack." Li Chengqian looked at the gifts in the hall, shook his head, and said, "My original suggestion was the best strategy for the Yin family and the King of Qi, but unfortunately, not only did they refuse to give up, they also reached a compromise with Quan Wanji."

"Doesn't that mean they failed in this political struggle?" Su Shu finally understood it completely.

"Of course, something that was once my exclusive possession has now been taken away by someone else, and I still feel like I've gained a huge benefit." Li Chengqian sneered softly, paused for a moment, and then frowned slightly, saying, "Ordinarily, the Yin family shouldn't be able to see through me... Oh, I understand."

Li Chengqian waved his hands at the crowd and said, "Everyone, go out."

"Yes!" Everyone bowed in unison and then carefully retreated.

Li Chengqian glanced at Gao, who bowed slightly and left the hall while completely sealing it off.

In terms of seniority, Gao is Li Chengqian's cousin, and she has been trained in the palace following his mother.

His father had three palaces, six courtyards and seventy-two concubines, and his mother, the queen, was also very resourceful in suppressing the harem.

Gao was brought up by his mother.

Li Chengqian withdrew his gaze and looked at Su Shu, motioning her to walk towards the inner hall. He then said, "I'm afraid that these things were sent by the Yin family at the request of my father. My father hopes that I can intervene in the affairs of Qizhou to prevent the King of Qi from becoming a pawn used by others."

"Pawn, is there anyone who dares to use the prince as a pawn?" Su Shu sat down on the couch and asked Li Chengqian, who was leaning over to get some honey tea, "Your Highness, what exactly is going on in Qizhou?"

Li Chengqian sneered lightly: "What else could it be? Quan Wanji and the people behind him hope to gain more power in Qizhou, so they seized the King of Qi's mistake and want to drive the Yin family's power out of Qizhou.

The Yin family was naturally unwilling to accept this. Their other forces might be weak, but Concubine Yin was the Virtuous Concubine. A few soft words in the emperor's ear could negate most of Quan Wanji and the others' efforts. Furthermore, many people were now eyeing Qizhou. Therefore, in the end, Quan Wanji and Yin Hongzhi gave up and reconciled to avoid further involvement.

Su Shu nodded and said, "So in the end, Quan Wanji gained more power, and the Yin family was forced to lose a lot."

"Correct!"

"In that case, the matter of Qizhou has been resolved, why did father ask Concubine De to send so many things?" Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian in surprise.

"Of course it's gone." Li Chengqian glanced outside, then looked at Su Shu cautiously and whispered, "Behind Quan Wanji is a powerful force. They want more than just sharing the power of Qizhou with Yin Hongzhi. Therefore, internal strife in Qizhou is inevitable in the future, and it will inevitably affect the King of Qi."

"The Chief Secretary of King Qi will be disadvantageous to King Qi." Su Shu understood immediately.

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian sat up straight, nodded, and said, "Quan Wanji's real target should still be Yin Hongzhi. The two of them will inevitably fight openly and secretly in the future. However, they have overlooked one person, intentionally or unintentionally."

"King Qi."

"Yes, it's the King of Qi." Li Chengqian shook his head and said with a smile, "Who is the King of Qi? He's just a young man in his early twenties. He can accept it in the short term, but if it goes on for a long time, he will get angry and may even attack Quan Wanji directly."

"Take action." Su Shu was startled and whispered, "Your Highness is saying..."

Li Chengqian nodded calmly and said, "Yes, Yin Hongzhi himself is not a very outstanding person. You can see that from the people he recommended to the King of Qi. If the King of Qi can't help but take action against Quan Wanji, then someone will try to persuade him..."

"Rebellion..." Su Shu almost said this, but in the end she covered her mouth tightly.

"That's my opinion." Li Chengqian calmly looked towards Liangyi Hall, then towards Su Shu, and said, "Originally, the Qizhou incident should have been contained within Qizhou. Whether the Prince of Qi was plotting treason or not had nothing to do with me or the Eastern Palace. However, the people behind Quan Wanji will not let this go, and neither will Concubine De. Eventually, this will spread to Chang'an, and with this turmoil, Chang'an will inevitably be thrown into chaos."

"Becoming chaotic?" Su Shu murmured these words.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian smiled calmly and said, "In this chaotic situation, your father will surely wish for the stability of the Eastern Palace. So, as long as the Eastern Palace doesn't get involved, then when the time comes, the Eastern Palace will benefit the most from this turmoil... As the saying goes, a crown prince rises in times of national crisis. In this situation, my beloved concubine, do you think your father will make me or Qingque the crown prince?"

"Of course, Your Highness!" Su Shu nodded. She looked at Li Chengqian with some concern: "Your Majesty, can't you see this?"

"Of course it's possible, but what if this happened during the Emperor's Eastern Tour?" Li Chengqian's expression grew serious, and he looked at Su Shu and said, "And it's not just that. My dear, don't forget, there's also Qingque... The Emperor said that once Qingque submits the 'Comprehensive Geography', he will be ordered to leave the capital. Do you think Qingque will go obediently?"

Su Shu shook her head slowly.

"If he doesn't leave, and Father and I force him to leave, what do you think they'll do?" Li Chengqian raised his head and whispered, "And if something like that happens in Qizhou, then Qingque will grit her teeth and stamp her feet..."

Charge into Xuanwu Gate!

(End of this chapter)