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

Chapter 185 I only borrowed my father's hand to cut off one of Qingque's wings (Part )
Eastern Palace, under the Cheng'en Gate.

Su Shu walked out quickly with her maid in confusion, and then saw a specially made sedan chair coming from the side of Guangtian Palace.

Zhang Xuansu, Ma Zhou, Li Anyan, Changsun Xiang, Linghu Defen, Xiao Jun and others followed behind.

Li Chengqian sat on the sedan chair with his legs resting comfortably on the leg rests. The wheeled sedan chair, which had been modified by Yang Wulian, was very suitable for his movements.

Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly, and the sedan chair came down.

Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly, and the long poles on both sides of the sedan chair were pulled out.

Li Anyan stepped forward and pushed the cart, allowing Li Chengqian to face the ministers.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" All the ministers bowed.

"No need for formalities!" Li Chengqian smiled and waved his hand at everyone, saying, "I have returned to the Eastern Palace. Starting tomorrow, everything in the Eastern Palace will resume normal procedures: meetings, lectures, and government. Okay, everyone, please go home today... Housekeeper, I am delighted to return to the Eastern Palace today. I will give each of you three bolts of cloth."

"Yes!" Li Anyan immediately bowed.

"Let's all go." Li Chengqian looked up with a smile.

"Yes!" Everyone bowed in unison, then turned and walked towards the front yard.

Su Shu walked to Li Chengqian's side with some concern and asked in a low voice, "Why did His Highness come back so suddenly?"

"My father has returned to the palace, so I naturally came back." Li Chengqian smiled easily, then said, "Let's go, let's go into the palace first!"

"Yes!" The guards on both sides immediately reinserted the long pole into the wheelbarrow, then lifted the sedan chair, carried Li Chengqian into Cheng'en Gate, and then carried him into Cheng'en Hall.

……

Li Chengqian lay on the bed, then smiled and said, "The bed in Cheng'en Palace is still more comfortable."

Su Shu sat aside with some worry.

Li Chengqian patted her hands, then looked at Li Anyan and said seriously, "Spread the word. Everyone inside and outside the East Palace should be more cautious when they are out there."

"Yes!" Li Anyan's expression became solemn, he bowed, then turned and left.

Su Shu looked at Li Anyan in surprise. She always felt that there were some things in the conversation between Li Chengqian and Li Anyan that she could not understand.

"You all go out, the Crown Princess is here." Li Chengqian looked at all the maids in the hall.

Everyone bowed and turned to leave.

After everyone left, Su Shu sat down at the head of Li Chengqian's bed and asked in a low, concerned voice, "Your Highness, what happened?"

She was naturally happy that Li Chengqian returned to the Eastern Palace, but it was so sudden and without any prior notice, which made her somewhat uneasy.

"My father has returned to the palace, so it's naturally not appropriate for me to stay in Wude Hall any longer." Li Chengqian paused for a moment and said, "My father said that Qingque will stay in Luoyang for the next few months. I don't have to worry about his safety anymore. Instead, it's my father who should..."

Li Chengqian suddenly laughed and shook his head. He said in disbelief, "Luoyang, I don't know what Qingque did to arouse my father's vigilance. So, he is also worried about me.

After all, there are quite a few officials from the Eastern Palace who go to the Wude Hall every day. If there is anything...it's the Wude Hall!"

To the west of Wude Hall are Daji Hall and Lizheng Hall, not far from Liangyi Hall.

Going north through the Shenlong Gate is the Shenlong Temple, and to the west of the Shenlong Temple is the Ganlu Temple.

The emperor was either in the Liangyi Hall during the day or in the Ganlu Hall at night.

If the emperor was not in the palace, there would be nothing wrong with Li Chengqian living in the Wude Hall, but now that he has returned to the palace, it is somewhat inappropriate for Li Chengqian to live in the Wude Hall.

Not to mention, what Li Tai did in Luoyang.

"Your Highness has been implicated by King Wei?" Su Shu nodded in some realization.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, then shook his head and said, "Your Majesty has already noticed Qingque's matter, so we don't need to worry about it anymore. Don't worry, my beloved concubine, everything is fine. Qingque can no longer threaten us. The rest depends on how he competes with your Majesty."

"Then he is doomed to lose?" Su Shu completely relaxed.

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and looked down at the hall.

The figures of Li Tai and Li You flashed through his mind, but in the end, the figure that remained clearest in his mind was his father.

If Li Tai, Li You, Zhang Liang, Hou Junji, and Chai Lingwu join forces, things will not be so easy to resolve.

What Li Chengqian really needs to see now is his father's methods.

Manpower hidden in some key positions.

Perhaps through Li Tai, he could see a lot.

……

On August 15th, there is a grand court ceremony on the full moon day.

Li Chengqian sat in a wheelbarrow and was pushed by Li Zhi from the side hall of Taiji Hall to the bottom of the Danbi.

The emperor, wearing a crown and a red and yellow dragon robe, walked to the imperial couch and sat down.

The eunuch on the side, the Minister of Ceremonies, immediately shouted loudly: "Xing!"

All the ministers in the hall kowtowed in unison, holding their tablets. "Your Majesty, we bow to you. May your Majesty live forever."

"Everyone, please stand up." Li Shimin raised his hand calmly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The ministers then stood up.

The ministers' eyes lightly passed over Li Chengqian.

At this moment, although Li Chengqian was sitting on a wheelbarrow with his left leg bound tightly with willow wood and then tied with a clean white cloth, when the ministers looked at him, they all felt a sense of calm, and their hearts became even calmer.

Although the prince has difficulty moving now, he will be a completely normal prince once his leg heals.

Therefore, there is no need to worry about his current situation.

The Tang Dynasty is still a complete Tang Dynasty.

"My Lords!" Li Shimin, sitting on the imperial couch, looked at the ministers and said, "Today is Mid-Autumn Festival. The palace will send gifts later. I will congratulate you all."

"Congratulations to Your Majesty!" The ministers bowed lightly, but their minds flickered as they lowered their heads. Normally, there should be a grand banquet for the ministers during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but the ministers immediately remembered that Duke Baoguo Duan Zhixuan had passed away not long ago, and the emperor had no intention of holding a grand banquet.

"It's the end of autumn now, Minister of Revenue, please tell me about today's autumn harvest." Li Shimin looked up at Tang Jian.

Tang Jian immediately stood up, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty..."

……

"The Sinong Temple needs to summarize its farming experience as quickly as possible and disseminate it throughout Guanzhong." After a brief pause, Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Crown Prince, next year the Sinong Temple will simultaneously launch pilot farming programs in Jiannan and Bingzhou, as well as Longxi, Henan, and Hebei. You must prepare in advance."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed solemnly. If he remembered correctly, the King of Goryeo had already been killed by Yeon Gaesomun, but the news had not yet reached Chang'an.

In his previous life, because of his affairs, the emperor was forced to postpone the eastern expedition to Goguryeo, but this time, he sat quietly in the East Palace, so the eastern expedition to Goguryeo will be launched in the second half of next year, after the autumn harvest.

Although Li Chengqian had a bumper harvest in the farmland planted in Beimen, Wugong County, and Chang'an Wannian County, the relevant experience would only be spread in Guanzhong to ensure a bumper harvest of autumn crops in Guanzhong next year. As for other places, some of it might be spread, but not too much.

They have enough ability to control the chaos in Guanzhong, but it is hard to say about other places.

"My Lords, do you have anything else to say?" The emperor looked up at his ministers.

Imperial Censor Li Yifu stepped forward, holding up a memorial and speaking gravely, "Your Majesty, I impeach Minister of Agriculture Yang Zhen for corruption. All the evidence is here."

The ministers in the hall glanced at Li Yifu, and then couldn't help but look at Li Chengqian.

Everyone knows that although Li Yifu is the clerk of Prince Jin and the Imperial Censor, he is actually very close to the Eastern Palace. Moreover, over the past year, it is the Eastern Palace that has been the most deeply involved in the Sinong Temple.

Zhang Ananda placed the memorial in front of Li Shimin. He opened it and read it, then frowned and said, "Send it to the Dali Temple for trial and then punish it strictly according to the law. The Ministry of Personnel should select a replacement as soon as possible. We can't delay next year's matter."

"Yes!" Hou Junji immediately stood up and bowed to receive the order.

"Okay, let's adjourn the court if there's nothing else to do." Li Shimin waved his hand slightly.

"Your Majesty, we respectfully bid farewell to you." All the ministers bowed their heads.

……

The Lingyan Pavilion is located northeast of the Ganlu Hall, with the Sanqing Hall to the south, the Guanyun Hall to the north, and the Sibaoku to the east.

This is a small three-story building.

Yan Liben stood outside the hall and directed his men to carry out a large-scale renovation of the Lingyan Pavilion.

The emperor had no intention of tearing down the Lingyan Pavilion and rebuilding it. He only wanted to reinforce and renovate the beams and pillars here, replace all the windows, floors, and curtains, and especially the interior furnishings, which needed to be repaved.

"Mr. Yan." The emperor's voice suddenly appeared behind Yan Liben. Yan Liben, who had been concentrating, shuddered suddenly. Then he immediately turned around and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty."

"How's it going?" Li Shimin looked at the Lingyan Pavilion in front of him.

"Everything is progressing." Yan Liben bowed and said, "By the end of the year, Your Majesty will be able to see a brand new Lingyan Pavilion."

Li Shimin nodded and said, "Now that all the meritorious officials have passed away, I would like to follow the example of the Eighteen Scholars and have you draw a dozen more portraits of the meritorious officials and place them in the Lingyan Pavilion."

The painting of Eighteen Scholars in the Palace of the Prince of Qin was commissioned by the emperor to be painted by Yan Liben in the ninth year of the Wude reign.

In those days, people kept passing away, so he asked Yan Liben to paint the Picture of Eighteen Scholars in the Qin Palace, and now it is the turn of the Picture of Meritorious Officials in the Lingyan Pavilion.

"Once Your Majesty has decided on a candidate, I will start work immediately." Yan Liben bowed slightly.

"Yeah!" Li Shimin nodded with a smile.

How many portraits of meritorious officials should there be? Who should be included in the Lingyan Pavilion and who should not? These are all questions that require the emperor to consider carefully.

Especially considering the manpower needed for the eastern expedition to Goguryeo, we need to be even more cautious here.

Especially Li Tai...

"Mr. Yan!" Li Shimin looked at Yan Liben and said, "I came here today to seek your opinion on something."

Yan Liben was slightly stunned, then he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please speak."

"Yes!" Li Shimin nodded and said, "There is a vacancy for the position of Sinong Cheng in the Sinong Temple. The Ministry of Personnel has nominated four candidates, including Yan Xuansui."

Yan Xuansui was the eldest son of Yan Lide, the governor of Guangzhou, and the nephew of Yan Liben.

Yan Liben subconsciously bowed and said, "Your Majesty has taken a liking to Dalang. It is Dalang's blessing to be appreciated by Your Majesty."

Li Shimin paused for a moment and said, "You must understand this matter. The Sinong Temple now assists the Crown Prince and will have to do a lot of things in the next few years. If Yan Xuansui is transferred to the position of Sinong Cheng, it means he will be serving under the Crown Prince."

Yan Liben paused slightly. The prince, yes, it was the prince who was in charge of the Sinong Temple.

The Sinong Cheng is an official second only to the Sinong Siqing and Sinong Shaoqing in the Sinong Temple. Once transferred to the Sinong Temple, he will inevitably have to deal with the prince.

Then outsiders can't help but wonder whether the Yan family has begun to change its strategy and start supporting the prince.

You know, the Yan family is the maternal family of the Prince of Wei's Mansion.

Once Yan Lide's eldest son joins the Eastern Palace, even if it cannot be said that the Yan family is completely committed to the Eastern Palace, at least the Yan family will remain neutral between the prince and the King of Wei.

Moreover, once Yan Xuansui was transferred to the Sinong Temple and had long-term dealings with the crown prince, it was inevitable that the crown prince would find evidence against him.

But if Yan Xuansui is really favored by the prince, then his future career may have great development.

Yan Liben bowed stiffly and said, "Your Majesty, this matter of the Crown Prince..."

"The Crown Prince had Li Yifu impeach the Minister of Agriculture. However, the Crown Prince did not intervene in the transfer of personnel from the Ministry of Personnel. However, given the Crown Prince's generosity, he would be very happy to have Yan Xuansui transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture." After a brief pause, Li Shimin said, "I should have discussed this matter with Brother Yan Qing, but he is currently in Guangzhou..."

Yan Lide was the governor of Guangzhou and also a relative of Li Shimin. Now that the Yan family was required to make such a big change in their position, it would not be solved by just an imperial edict.

Yan Liben naturally understood the difficulty of the decision.

On the one hand, she is the niece of the Princess of Wei, on the other hand, there is the future of her nephew, and even the future of the entire Yan family.

Yan Liben looked up at Li Shimin, and in an instant, he understood everything.

This is what the emperor meant.

"Your Majesty, before my brother left Beijing, he once said that all matters inside and outside the capital would be subject to Your Majesty's orders. Your Majesty wants to transfer Dalang to the Sinong Temple, and I have no objection." Yan Liben bowed solemnly.

"Good!" Li Shimin smiled with satisfaction.

……

"Your Highness!" Li Anyan placed the memorial on the table above the bed in the inner room of Chongjiao Hall and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, Yan Xuansui has been transferred to the Sinong Temple as Sinong Cheng."

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian leaned back and nodded calmly.

"Your Highness, why do you want to transfer Yan Xuansui?" Li Anyan handled all of this personally. He couldn't believe that he just asked Li Yifu to impeach a Minister of Agriculture, and the Yan family sent their eldest son to the Eastern Palace.

"Yan Xuansui is due for transfer; his seniority has expired." Li Chengqian glanced at Li Anyan and said, "The one who truly wants to move Yan Xuansui and the entire Yan family is my father. I'm merely using him to chop off one of Qingque's wings."

Seeing that Li Anyan still looked confused, Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "The real boss of the Yan family has always been Yan Lide, but he has always kept a sufficient distance from the Wei Palace. I don't know why he is so pessimistic about Qingque, but at this time, it is best to lend a hand and completely sever their relationship with the Wei Palace."

Yan Liben was a very unusual person. He had close relationships with Liu Li, the Imperial Court Assistant Minister and Vice-Chancellor, and Tang Jian, the Minister of Revenue.

Once he cuts off his connection with Li Tai, the power that Li Tai can borrow in the future will be greatly reduced.
Neither Li Chengqian nor Li Shimin would miss this good opportunity to control variables.

Of course, they didn’t consider whether Li Tai would be angry about this.

(End of this chapter)