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

Chapter 182 Our People Entered the Prince of Wei's Palace from the Dragon Gate (Part )

Cicadas chirp in May, and the Dragon Boat Festival comes in midsummer.

Chang'an, Tai Chi Palace.

Outside the Wude Hall, Crown Princess Su Shu stood at the door, watching the maids distribute the rice dumplings they brought to the medical officers and guards inside and outside the hall.

In fact, everyone knew that the prince had something confidential to tell, so they all stayed away tactfully.

Su Shu turned sideways to glance inside the hall. Li Anyan was standing in front of the bed in the inner hall, whispering something, but she could not hear it at all.

……

"In April, Your Majesty visited the Longmen Grottoes and praised the Binyang South Cave. He then closed the Binyang North Cave. After returning to Luoyang, that night Your Majesty issued an edict to remove King Wei from his post as Governor of Yongzhou and appointed him as Governor of Xiangzhou and Governor of Weizhou, ordering him to hurry up and pack up. Then Your Majesty took leave and set off." Having said this, Li Anyan paused for a moment.

"I've said all this before, let's continue." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly.

"Yes!" Li Anyan bowed and said, "The Prince of Wei's mansion was packed urgently, but even so, it took ten days. The Prince of Wei then stood up to bid farewell to Your Majesty. Your Majesty encouraged him, and then the Prince of Wei set off..."

"Now that Qingque has left Luoyang, my father's dissatisfaction with him will probably dissipate a lot. Chai Lingwu is really talented!" Li Chengqian sighed lightly.

It was not difficult for him to guess that it was Chai Lingwu who gave Li Tai the idea. At that time, only Chai Lingwu and Liu Xiaosun were by Li Tai's side.

Liu Xiaosun had just entered the Prince of Wei's Palace and it was impossible for him to give Li Tai sincere advice.

There is only Chai Lingwu.

Chai Lingwu is the second son of Chai Shao and Princess Pingyang. Although his achievements are not as great as those of his brother Chai Zhewei, he should not be underestimated.

Especially since he can play back and forth with people like Zhang Liang, his wisdom is evident.

"Three days after the King of Wei left Luoyang, he suddenly fell ill in Xingyang. The imperial physician diagnosed him with a stomach disease caused by acclimatization. He needed to recuperate for a dozen days before he could set off. So the King of Wei led half of his troops to stay in Xingyang for treatment, and the other half followed the King of Wei's Chief Secretary Liu Xiaosun to Xiangzhou." Li Anyan looked down at Li Chengqian.

"continue."

"Just after the Prince of Wei had been recuperating for half a month, news suddenly arrived from Luoyang that the Princess of Wei was pregnant. The ailing Prince of Wei immediately rushed back to Luoyang. After visiting the Prince of Wei's residence, his condition worsened."

Li Anyan paused for a moment, then said with a hint of sarcasm, "However, Your Majesty immediately sent an imperial censor to treat the Prince of Wei. However, at this time, Junior Architect Yan Liben, Minister of the Imperial Court Liu Li, Minister of Revenue Tang Jian, Minister of Works Zhang Liang, Imperial Censor Wei Ting, and Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs Dou Dan, among others, advised Your Majesty that the Crown Prince and the Prince of Wei were both ill, and that it was inappropriate for the Prince of Wei to leave the capital again."

"Have you found out the relationship between them?" Li Chengqian raised his head slightly.

"I've checked it out." Li Anyan held up the chapter and said, "Junior Architect Yan Liben originally didn't intend to intervene, but when the Princess of Wei became pregnant, he had no choice but to intervene. He was the one who approached Prime Minister Liu and Minister of Revenue Tang Jian. Minister of Works Zhang Liang and Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs Dou Dan were related to Chai Lingwu. It was the Imperial Censor Wei Ting who was a little unclear."

The people in the Eastern Palace had no intention of stopping what was happening in Luoyang, but they saw it all clearly.

"The princesses originally planned to plead for King Wei, but the truth about Binyang North Cave happened to be known to the princesses, so they did not take any action." Li Anyan lowered his head and could not help shaking his head.

The money for the Binyang South Cave was paid for by the King of Wei, while the money for the Binyang North Cave was paid for by several princesses and other nobles. All the money was given to the King of Wei to repair. In the end, the Buddha statues in the Binyang South Cave were solemn and magnificent, but those in the Binyang North Cave were incomplete and rough.

The King of Wei received the approval of His Majesty, but the other princesses were almost scolded. At this time, they were no longer willing to get involved in Li Tai's affairs.

Li Chengqian nodded, then said, "This matter was investigated by Chengyang and Du He, and has nothing to do with the Eastern Palace."

"Yes!" Li Anyan bowed.

Princess Chengyang was also the one who paid the money, so she naturally had reason to complain.

"Originally, Your Majesty insisted on having the Prince of Wei leave the capital, but then news of a plague suddenly arrived in Xia, Gu, Jing, Xu, Dai, and Guo Prefectures. Your Majesty then ordered the Prince of Wei to remain in Luoyang temporarily." Li Anyan looked at Li Chengqian and said, "This happened a few days ago. Duke Shen has already begun mobilizing doctors from Chang'an to go to Xia, Jing, and Guo Prefectures to treat the disease."

Xiazhou is north of Chang'an, Jingzhou is in the Ganliang area, and Guozhou is close to Huazhou.

Other states such as Guzhou, Xuzhou and Daizhou are not far away.

"The most feared thing about the plague is its spread. My father was right to order Qingque to stay in Luoyang." Li Chengqian sighed lightly.

If Li Tai stayed in Luoyang, he would still have the opportunity to compete with him for the position of crown prince.

"Oh, right." Li Chengqian looked up and asked, "Has your father visited Qingque since she returned to Luoyang?"

"Never!" Li Anyan bowed and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty has never been to the Prince of Wei's Palace once."

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian smiled softly, then said, "That's it. As long as Father doesn't go to see Qingque, then this matter isn't too bad."

"Yes!" Li Anyan nodded and sighed, "If it weren't for this sudden plague, the King of Wei might have gone to Xiangzhou long ago." "Sudden?" Li Chengqian smiled calmly.

This plague did not come suddenly, but was actually an extension of last year's plague.

Last year's plague gradually subsided after autumn, but the seeds of the plague were brought to Guozhou and then spread all over the country.

Not only this year, but every year thereafter, plagues will break out all over the world.

However, they are all sporadic and not serious, but they cannot be easily ignored.

Li Chengqian looked up and said, "This plague really makes things easier for Qingque. The Longmen Grottoes are clearly not repaired..."

"Your Highness, do you want it?" Li Anyan's eyes lit up, as if he heard something.

"Are you talking about framing Qingque and spreading rumors that the Longmen Grottoes were not repaired and defiled the Buddha, which eventually led to the outbreak of plague in the world?" Li Chengqian raised his eyes and looked at Li Anyan, a hint of sneer in his eyes.

"Your Highness?" Li Anyan immediately bowed. He knew Li Chengqian very well. Li Chengqian's words meant that he was not interested in this method.

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "We shouldn't do anything about Luoyang. In fact, the more we do, the better it will be for Qingque. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" Li Anyan nodded seriously.

"Everything that happened in Luoyang, from beginning to end, was under the Emperor's watch." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Qingque's actions, Yan Liben, Liu Li, Tang Jian, Zhang Liang, Wei Ting, Dou Dan, they were all under the Emperor's watch."

After a brief pause, Li Chengqian looked up and said, "Even I would find it difficult to gather the same strength as these few people. What do you think of Qingque, who is able to gather so much strength, in the eyes of the emperor? What do you think of him?"

"Your Majesty will be vigilant!" Li Anyan nodded and said thoughtfully, "Others are fine, but the key is Duke Xun. He comes from the military, and many of his former subordinates still hold important positions in the army."

"So, the one most anxious about this matter should be Father." Li Chengqian said calmly, "Father will definitely investigate their relationship with Qingque."

"Yes!" Li Anyan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Of course, we're not doing nothing. I should have gone to the emperor to deal with the plague in Henan Province, Qingque's illness, and the fact that Princess Wei is pregnant. Especially regarding Qingque, I should have asked Father to keep Qingque in Luoyang. The Crown Princess should have sent a letter to comfort Princess Wei since she's pregnant. This is what the Crown Prince's eldest brother should do."

Li Chengqian sighed lightly. If his father wanted to investigate Li Tai, he would have to keep Li Tai in Luoyang, and in turn he would have to pay attention to his attitude.

Only by sending a letter to agree that Li Tai should stay in Luoyang could the emperor conduct the investigation with peace of mind.

Seeing the confusion on Li Anyan's face, Li Chengqian smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Don't worry about Qingque. As long as your father doesn't go to see him, then on the contrary, he will make me feel more at ease in Luoyang than in Xiangzhou."

"Why?"

"Qingque is in Xiangzhou, and your father can't see him. Instead, he misses him and has to worry about the local governance of Xiangzhou and Weizhou. But Qingque is in Chang'an and Luoyang. Your father knows his every move like the back of his hand, so he won't be too concerned." Li Chengqian smiled and continued, "As for Qingque, even if he returns to Chang'an with your father, he will still have to leave Beijing to take up his post in March next year."

“Why March?”

"Because the Princess of Wei is going to give birth in March next year." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "We have to wait until the Princess of Wei gives birth before we can let Qingque leave the capital. The real decision is when that time comes."

Seeing Li Chengqian's expression become serious, Li Anyan lowered his head and said, "Your Highness?"

Li Chengqian waved his hand and asked, "Where are our people at Longmen Grottoes now?"

"They entered the Prince of Wei's Palace." Li Anyan paused for a moment and said, "Although some of our men are blacksmiths, they are all quite skilled. After the Longmen Grottoes incident was resolved, the Prince of Wei's household officer quietly recruited them into the Prince of Wei's Palace."

"Let them stay there in peace. If there are too many strangers around them, spread the news." Li Chengqian's expression turned cold.

"Yes!" Although Li Anyan still couldn't see through the calculations here, he knew that after this incident, everything was different.

Li Chengqian looked at it with a serious expression. After March next year, if Li Tai could still stay in Chang'an, then he would have a chance to compete for the throne. If he left Chang'an, then it would mean that he had no hope of becoming the crown prince.

Li Chengqian didn't believe that Li Tai was the kind of person who could accept failure in the fight for the throne. Pretending to be sick was already a favor to him from the emperor.

"The improvement of the crossbows in the Chongwen Pavilion must be accelerated. I hope that by March of next year, all the palace guards will have switched to the improved crossbows."

"Yes!"

"Also, regarding those plots of land, during the autumn harvest, have Duke Shen take all the officials from the capital to see how much they can harvest. With the plague that has plagued several states this year, there should be some good news."

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)