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

Chapter 176 Wuji, Am I Wrong? (Part )
"Let's take a walk together." Changsun Wuji looked at the palace road ahead, walked shoulder to shoulder with Li Chengqian, and then walked slowly.

Ma Zhou followed behind, waving his hands behind him.

The pace of the officials in the Eastern Palace immediately slowed down.

Invisibly, the distance between Changsun Wuji and Li Chengqian and the ministers of the Eastern Palace was widened.

"Alas!" Changsun Wuji sighed softly, then looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "Chengqian, what do you think about what happened today?"

"My nephew has no opinion. Everything is fine." Li Chengqian looked forward.

Several clerks walking in front immediately walked quickly to the side of the road, then put their hands together and bowed.

Li Chengqian then spoke, "My father is in good health. My nephew, Qingque, Zhinu, my sisters, and their consorts are all doing well. If my mother's spirit in heaven could see this, she would surely be comforted... In this case, what my nephew has done is sufficient."

Today is the birthday of Empress Wende, the mother of Li Chengqian and the sister of Changsun Wuji.

Zhangsun Wuji sighed softly and said, "Your Highness, you're mature enough to think this way... But don't you feel like you've been upstaged by the King of Wei presenting the Comprehensive Geography today?"

"There's no such thing as stealing the limelight." Li Chengqian laughed, waved his hand, and said, "The Comprehensive Geography was ordered by my father and supervised by my uncle. It was finally compiled and produced. It is a book that is beneficial to both the country and the people.

Qingque presented him today, and I'm afraid my father would be pleased to see him, and my nephew would naturally be happy to see him as well."

Changsun Wuji couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, then nodded slightly.

Yes, the person who really wanted to take this opportunity today to show the world his literary and military virtues was not Li Tai, but the emperor.

Not to mention the talents that "Guo Di Zhi" could attract, the atlases and clan records about Tuyuhun, Goguryeo, etc. alone were enough to give the emperor enough chances of victory in his eastern expedition to Goguryeo.

Therefore, in today's matter, if anyone does anything strange, the person he will really offend is not others, but the emperor.

"Your Highness is magnanimous, but in reality, if the King of Wei had presented the Comprehensive Geography at a different time, it would have been the same. After all, he is at Longmen in Luoyang, and two Buddhist shrines are being unveiled this year." Changsun Wuji shook his head and said, "Today, he did something a little inappropriate."

Today is Empress Wende's birthday. Li Tai presented the "Guo Di Zhi" to the Empress today, which was somewhat intended to take advantage of this day.

This should have been a day for Changsun Wuji to quietly commemorate his sister, but it was all disrupted by Li Tai.

Li Chengqian nodded calmly and said, "Uncle, what are you talking about? In fact, it's not just uncle who thinks so, there are also ministers in the East Palace who think so.

Someone once suggested to my nephew that when the imperial court issues the imperial gazette to announce the matter to the world, he should find a way to hide the names of his uncle and the other officials in the Prince of Wei's palace, leaving only Qingque's name..."

Changsun Wuji paused and looked at Li Chengqian in surprise and disbelief.

Li Chengqian looked at Zhangsun Wuji and shook his head calmly, "But my nephew understands that this kind of thing is actually unnecessary.

Qingque is my nephew's younger brother after all. If he can do better, my nephew and my father will be happy to see it."

Changsun Wuji nodded slightly with a serious expression.

If Li Chengqian had followed his approach, leaving only Li Tai's name and hiding the names of other court officials in the Prince of Wei's Palace, then the literati all over the world would have quickly discovered the problem.

Although the "Guo Di Zhi" was written under the name of Li Tai, in fact, the people who really presided over all this were Su Xu and other ministers of the Wei Palace.

Apart from his reputation, Li Tai's other role is not significant.

Don’t be fooled by the fact that Li Tai is very famous for his literary talent. In fact, Li Tai’s real reputation in the literary world is not high.

It was simply because he was a prince that he was able to obtain the emperor's funding. Putting all this aside, Li Tai's knowledge of classics, history, and literature was not even as good as that of an ordinary Confucian scholar.

If Li Tai had not discovered the trick behind Li Chengqian's move at the beginning and it had been widely spread, then the literati all over the world would immediately think that Li Tai was taking credit for the work done by others, and they would hate Li Tai to death.

In this way, Li Tai's compilation of "Guo Di Zhi" will not only not bring him any reputation, but will destroy everything he has.

The prince's move was really cruel.

Of course it was the prince. This idea was not proposed by any official from the Eastern Palace, but was thought up by Li Chengqian himself.

But he didn't do it.

"So, I reject all the suggestions of the officials in the Eastern Palace. Today is my mother's birthday, and she also hopes to see my nephew and the Qingque brothers get along in friendship." Li Chengqian stopped and looked at Zhangsun Wuji, saying seriously, "My nephew also hopes to have a peaceful and harmonious relationship with the Qingque brothers."

"It's hard for the prince." Changsun Wuji nodded with emotion.

Faced with Li Tai's provocation, Li Chengqian was not without a solution, but he simply endured it for the sake of the queen and the emperor.

However, compared with Li Chengqian, Li Tai was far inferior.

In Changsun Wuji's heart, Li Tai's name completely faded.

……

That night, the emperor issued an edict.

Sima Suxu, the Prince of Wei, was transferred to be the Director of the Imperial Academy.

Liu Xiaosun, the Imperial Counselor, was transferred to be the Sima of King Wei.

Xue Yuanjing, director of the Imperial College, was transferred to serve as the Minister of Personnel.

……

March 16th, Cheng'en Hall.

At the hour of Mao, the sky was dark.

Li Chengqian was lying on the bed, with Su Shu in his arms.

Today is the day that Li Chengqian's broken leg will be reattached, so both of them woke up very early and couldn't fall asleep again.

"Two years ago, Yang Zan, the Minister of Personnel, was transferred to a provincial post, leaving a vacant position." Li Chengqian sighed and said, "If the Comprehensive Geography had been completed last year, perhaps my uncle would have been appointed Minister of Personnel last year."

Li Chengqian looked at the darkness above his head and his expression became grim.

The position of Assistant Minister of Personnel vacated by Yang Zan was given to Su Xu in the previous life.

Li Tai's advantage was thus greatly enhanced, and he later became a real threat to Li Chengqian's position.

But unfortunately, in this life, due to Li Chengqian's various calculations, not only was the completion of "Guo Di Zhi" delayed for several months, but even Su Xu and Li Tai became estranged.

Su Xu's daughter is even going to marry into the Eastern Palace.

Li Tai's most powerful wing was ruthlessly pulled off by Li Chengqian. Now, Xue Yuanjing, the director of the Imperial College, has been appointed as the Minister of Personnel, while Su Xu has been transferred to the director of the Imperial College. What a pity.

"Although Liu Xiaosun, the Imperial Counselor, was previously the Chief Censor, that's not really important. What's important is that, like my uncle, he's one of the Eighteen Scholars of the Qin Palace." Li Chengqian sneered softly, "However, Liu Xiaosun is different from my uncle. He's an upright and strict person who can't stand anything messy. Now that he's the Sima of the King of Wei, Qingque will be in a better position."

Yu Zhining was also one of the Eighteen Scholars of the Qin Palace. He had a strict personality and was good at giving advice.

In his previous life, Li Chengqian was under various blows and could not listen to any advice. What he did in private was what Yu Zhining hated the most, so the relationship between the two sides became worse and worse.

Later, Li Chengqian's rebellion was also due to this reason.

But now, Liu Xiaosun, who has a similar character to Yu Zhining and is even more strict than Yu Zhining and has served as the Chief Censor for several years, has entered the Prince of Wei's Palace, and Li Tai is in a good position.

Liu Xiaosun absolutely could not tolerate what Li Tai did.

Li Chengqian was certain that the relationship between the two would get worse and worse, even in the future...

boom!
Li Chengqian couldn't help but smile softly.

He was looking forward to Li Tai following the same path as he had in his previous life.

……

Su Shu lay quietly in Li Chengqian's arms, listening to his every word and his heartbeat, and her mind inexplicably calmed down.

"Now, because of Qingque, my uncle was transferred to the position of Director of the Imperial College. In this way, his relationship with Qingque has been completely severed, and Yiniang can also marry into the Eastern Palace smoothly. Now all we have left is my legs." Li Chengqian's expression became grim.

As long as his leg is not healed, not only will there always be a thorn in his heart, there will always be a thorn in the emperor's heart, and there will always be a thorn in Fang Xuanling's heart as well.

As long as his leg heals, the thorn in his heart will be resolved, the thorn in the emperor's heart will disappear, and the thorn in Fang Xuanling's heart will also have a chance to be smoothed out.

The hearts of the Eastern Palace and all the officials in the court will also be more accepting.

"Other people really think that I will do something to Qingque. They don't know at all that the most important thing for me now is to heal my leg injury. Once my leg injury is healed, I can return to being the real prince." Li Chengqian couldn't help but grit his teeth.

Although he is the crown prince now, his position is still shaky.

As long as he did something wrong, the emperor would immediately think of replacing him with someone else.

Once his leg is healed, there will be no more flaws on his body.

Even if the emperor wanted to depose him, he would never find a reason as long as he did not rebel.

"Your Highness." Su Shu looked up at Li Chengqian with some concern and asked, "Your Highness, will it succeed this time?"

"There shouldn't be any problem." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian looked at Su Shu and said, "The real danger lies in the recovery period after my injury. Master Sun said that my leg cannot be harmed during this treatment and complete recovery. So, my beloved concubine, the Eastern Palace must take good care of me during my recovery and do not allow any outsiders in."

"I understand. I won't let anyone come to the East Palace, not even my mother." Su Shu nodded vigorously.

"That's good." Li Chengqian gently put his arm around Su Shu's shoulders, his expression gradually calming down.

……

"Your Majesty has ordered that Your Highness reside in Wude Hall as regent during His Majesty's eastern tour." Zhang Ananda stood at the foot of the Chongjiao Gate and bowed to Li Chengqian. "Your Majesty has sent this old servant to bring the imperial chariot. Now, Your Highness, please proceed to Wude Hall. Master Sun is already there."

Li Chengqian, Ma Zhou, Zhang Xuansu and others immediately understood that the emperor was also worried about problems, so he did not dare to leave Li Chengqian's treatment in the Eastern Palace.

We made a mistake last time, so we must learn from it this time.

Li Chengqian turned slightly, looked at Zhang Xuansu and said, "Mr. Zhang, you will be responsible for organizing the general affairs and supervising the affairs of the Eastern Palace in the future. The specific details will be handled by Ma Qing."

"Yes!" Zhang Xuansu bowed seriously and nodded solemnly.

Li Chengqian turned around and nodded to Zhang Ananda, then sat on the imperial carriage.

The imperial sedan chair was lifted up and then entered in the direction of Tongxun Gate, finally passing Gongli Gate, Zhaode Hall, Wude Gate, and directly into Wude Hall.

Li Chengqian did not see the emperor, only Sun Simiao, and a dozen or so imperial doctors and physicians from inside and outside the palace.

And Li Qin.

Seeing Li Qin, Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief. With him and Sun Simiao there, nothing would go wrong in this matter.

In front of all the imperial doctors and royal physicians, Li Chengqian took off his outer clothes and rattan armor, and finally lay down calmly on the bed.

The white bed and the bright light made him feel inexplicably at ease.

"This is the Ma Fei San that I prepared. I used three times the dosage. Your Highness, please drink it." Sun Simiao looked at Li Chengqian calmly.

"Master, if I can't wake up, remember to bleed me and squeeze my heart." Li Chengqian looked at Sun Simiao and nodded, then drank the whole bowl of Ma Fei San.

Gradually, he fell asleep, his breathing became extremely slow, and finally everything in front of his eyes was pitch black.

However, even so, he still clenched his fists tightly.

……

Sun Simiao walked out the door, where the emperor and Changsun Wuji were standing.

In fact, they came very early, but they didn't see Li Chengqian.

"Master, what are the chances of success?" Li Shimin couldn't help but ask with some concern.

"Very big." Sun Simiao looked up with emotion and said, "At the manor outside the city, I am most skilled in using catgut to sew up skin and flesh. So, break the prince's leg bones again, take out the broken bones inside, and then sew them up again."

"Is that all?" Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief.

"It depends." Sun Simiao turned around and looked at Li Shimin and said, "The method of intestinal suture comes from Chao Yuanfang's Treatise on the Origin and Symptoms of Various Diseases: Intestinal Anastomosis. This old minister discussed it with the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince said that since flesh can be sutured, shouldn't bones also be sutured? So, if it really comes to the point of no choice, the Crown Prince said, please, Taoist priest, you must use bone suture, which means you have to drill holes in the bones..."

Li Shimin's cheek twitched slightly.

Sun Simiao turned around, looked at Li Shimin, and said with a cupped hand: "Your Majesty, the time is almost up. I will begin."

"Thank you for your hard work, Master." Li Shimin bowed slightly, Sun Simiao nodded, then turned around and went back to the Wude Hall, closing the door.

"Bone suture?" Li Shimin sighed softly, looked at Zhangsun Wuji, and said with some regret: "Wuji, was I wrong?"

(End of this chapter)