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

Chapter 189: Planning the Witchcraft Case and Preparing to Depose the Crown Prince

The night is hazy and early winter is cold.

In Yichun Palace, the stove is blazing.

Su Shu helped Li Chengqian lie down and covered him with a blanket. Then she sat on the bed, looked at Li Chengqian, and asked, "Your Highness, why did Zhang allow her daughter to enter the Eastern Palace? You know, with her family background, even with the connections of the Yu and Xiao families, she would at most be a fifth-rank concubine."

Li Chengqian lay on the bed, shook his head slightly, and said, "I don't know either, but something is wrong. I have asked the housekeeper to investigate and see what they can find out."

"Can't you refuse?" Su Shu lay down and leaned against Li Chengqian's side.

Li Chengqian didn't look at her, but shook his head and said, "It's very difficult. If we refuse, where will the Xiao family's face be, where will the Yu family's face be, and where will the Jiangnan clan's face be?
If I offend them all, they will immediately turn to Qingque. I don't want to give Qingque any chance now."

"I think the emperor will agree, right?" Su Shu couldn't help but ask.

"Of course I will. It's just a young lady. Winning over the hearts and minds of the Jiangnan clans is a very cost-effective way to win over the people." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, although the country has been stable, the proportion of taxes in Jiangnan has been increasing day by day. It is not something that can be easily ignored."

"Your Highness, if there is a problem behind this matter, who do you think is behind it?" Su Shu asked immediately.

"I don't know." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "But what I least want is Qingque."

"Prince of Wei." Su Shu immediately sat up again, looked at Li Chengqian warily, and asked, "Your Highness, could this be the work of the Prince of Wei?"

"Maybe!" Li Chengqian nodded without any hesitation, his eyes still solemn as he looked up.

At this time in his previous life, no, in his previous life, since he was deposed, no aristocratic family had taken the initiative to send their legitimate daughters to the Eastern Palace.

Now, although he has some advantages, he cannot do much in the next three years because of his leg disease. At this time, someone is rushing to send his legitimate daughter into the palace, and it is obvious that there is a problem.

But he couldn't figure out what the problem was.

And now is a very critical node.

Next March will be the day when he will be abolished in his previous life.

Now, he is plotting against Li Tai, Zhang Liang, Hou Junji and others, and similarly, these people are also plotting against him.

It’s just that these people haven’t gotten together yet, but if someone marries their daughter into the East Palace at this critical juncture, there must be problems.

It would be strange if Li Chengqian was not alert.

But it was difficult for him to refuse this candidate, and the emperor would not refuse either.

"What does Your Highness plan to do?" Su Shu looked at Li Tai worriedly.

"First, once the emperor gives his permission, they will enter the palace. Once inside, my beloved concubine will have people keep an eye on them, but they must be careful not to be discovered." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian turned to look at Su Shu and said, "As for those outside the palace, I will have the housekeepers investigate. When they do something, there will always be some traces left."

"Yeah!" Su Shu nodded, then sighed and said, "When will this kind of life end?"

Li Chengqian reached out and hugged Su Shu into his arms, whispering, "Every night before the palace gates are locked, have someone thoroughly check the palace. After that, you won't have to worry about anything and can sleep peacefully. As for the daytime, I'll be outside and will be able to fend off all threats."

"Yeah!" Su Shu leaned tightly in Li Chengqian's arms. Although she still looked a little worried, she was much more relaxed.

Li Chengqian hugged Su Shu and whispered, "My beloved concubine, think about it. We are actually the safest in the palace. Those who are outside trying to plot against us would have to put in a lot of effort. Moreover, they would have to send a woman to the Eastern Palace, and there is no guarantee that they would succeed."

Su Shu couldn't help laughing.

Li Chengqian continued, "Once the connections inside and outside the palace are cut off, it will be difficult for them to do anything they want. And if I discover their methods, it wouldn't be a big deal if it's a small matter, but if it's a big deal and they fail, and I tell my father, they will face backlash with the confiscation of their property and the extermination of their clan. They will have it much harder than you and me."

"Yeah!" Su Shu nodded with a smile.

……

Luoyang, Prince Wei's Mansion.

study.

Li Tai sat sideways on the couch, and a secret letter had been opened on the table.

The daughter of Zhang Youzhi, the Junior Supervisor of Water Resources, entered the Eastern Palace and became the Crown Prince's concubine.

The emperor's brief decree was delivered directly to the Zhang family.

Without any wedding ceremony, the daughter of the Zhang family put on her wedding dress and was sent to the Eastern Palace by the palace eunuchs and the Qianniu Guards.

Thinking of this, Li Tai couldn't help but smile.

Through the Wei family, he conducted a thorough investigation into Zhang Liang's background and it took him a long time to pick out such a person.

Of course, there were some things that surprised him.

He originally thought that the Yu family would come forward, but unexpectedly, it was the Xiao family that came forward in the end.

This move inadvertently pushed Xiao to the side of the prince.

Although the Xiao family had Xiao Jun as the Prince's Secretary, in fact, the Xiao family did not invest much in the Prince. This time, the Xiao family was given a hard push.

But it doesn’t matter. As long as Zhang’s daughter entered the Eastern Palace, the Eastern Palace finally revealed its flaws in front of him.

Li Tai's smile gradually faded.

In the past two years, all his methods against the Eastern Palace have failed. The most crucial reason for this is that he has no one in the Eastern Palace.

Of course, he has no one now.

Zhang would bring a few maids into the Eastern Palace as a dowry, but those maids were all from Jiangnan and were Zhang's own daughters, so he had no say in the matter.

However, he was able to intervene in the Zhang family, and even now some of his people had infiltrated the Zhang family.

Although it won't have any effect now, it is possible to tamper with the annual gift that the Zhang family sends to the Eastern Palace at the end of the year.

Hands and feet, what hands and feet? Li Tai gently wrote two words on the table with his left hand.

Witchcraft!

Witchcraft, only witchcraft.

Now, the only way to depose the prince is to use witchcraft.

Every witchcraft case in history has caused countless bloodshed.

The most typical example is the witchcraft case in the later years of Emperor Wu. Crown Prince Liu Ju finally rebelled because someone framed him for witchcraft.

Now, Li Tai is just following the example of his predecessors.

Of course, he did it in many ways.

Zhang You's daughter is related to Zhang Liang and Fang Xuanling. At the critical moment, Li Tai can use this incident to force Zhang Liang to join forces with him.

After all, once the witchcraft case involves Zhang You, then Zhang Liang will inevitably be involved in the end.

Therefore, the best way is for Zhang Liang and Li Tai to join forces and take the initiative by committing witchcraft in the Eastern Palace.

As long as we control the East Palace, the rest will be easy.

The most crucial thing here is that the emperor cannot be in Chang'an.

The best time to launch the attack is when the emperor is not in Chang'an and Zhang Liang is in Chang'an.

If Qizhou, which cooperates with Li You, also encounters chaos at the same time, then all the things can be brought together.

Of course, there are bound to be some loopholes here, but Li Tai is thinking about the problems all the time.

He will make up for it little by little, and then gradually destroy the prince and his brother.

The crown prince, Li Tai, has been appointed.

He would kill anyone who didn't let him do it.

Even if it's the Emperor...

……

In the inner hall of the East Palace, red candles are burning brightly.

Li Chengqian slowly put down the peach-branch fan, and an astonishingly charming face appeared in front of him.

"Your Highness!" Zhang Xuan lowered her head shyly.

Her eyebrows and eyes are picturesque, her lips are red, her teeth are white, her skin is as white as snow, and she is a stunning beauty.

A series of nouns flashed through Li Chengqian's mind, but he finally restrained his expression.

Even if he was unwilling to admit it, Zhang Xuan's beauty was unique in the Eastern Palace.

Li Chengqian smiled. They were really willing to invest the money!

"No need to be so polite, my beloved." Li Chengqian signaled the maid beside him to bring the wine jar, and then handed a glass to Zhang Xuan.

As they exchanged cups and looked into each other's eyes, Li Chengqian had completely calmed down.

No matter how beautiful a woman is, it doesn’t matter if it’s inconvenient for you.

Li Chengqian put down his wine glass, waved to the maids in the hall, and said, "You all go down."

"Yes!" Many maids immediately bowed and retreated.

Li Chengqian then looked at Zhang Xuan and said, "My beloved, I don't know what your family has told you, but you can see my condition. My left leg won't be able to move much until April next year. Therefore, we won't be able to have sex for the next six months."

"I understand." Zhang Xuan quickly lowered her head, then breathed a sigh of relief.

She was still a virgin, and even though her family taught her a lot before she got married, she was still nervous.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "As long as my beloved concubine understands, I will sleep on the inside tonight, and you will sleep on the outside. We will sleep on the same bed together."

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded nervously.

Li Chengqian sat down a little closer, then lay down calmly.

Zhang Xuan hesitated a little, but still lay down.

Li Chengqian reached out and pulled Zhang Xuan into his arms, feeling her trembling. He then said soothingly, "Don't be nervous. My beloved concubine will be by my side for the rest of her life. You'll get used to it slowly."

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan responded softly.

Li Chengqian continued, "My beloved concubine will live in the Warm Wind Palace in the Eastern Palace in the future. If you need anything, please speak up. The Eastern Palace is no worse than your father-in-law's residence in this regard."

"Yes!"

"Also, my beloved concubine is in the Eastern Palace. Remember not to stray too far from the Nuanfeng Palace. There is also the Crown Princess and the two Crown Princes Liangdi in the palace. Their ranks are higher than yours. If anything goes against the palace rules, I can't save you." Li Chengqian's expression gradually turned cold.

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan's face became visibly tense.

Li Chengqian glanced at her. Su Shu had two sons and one daughter, and Zheng Shuang'er also had a son. Li Chengqian didn't dare to take risks with his own offspring.

"But my beloved concubine, don't worry. Once my leg is healed, once you and I have sex, and once you become pregnant, I will petition my father to confer the title of Crown Prince's Consort on you." Li Chengqian smiled gently.

In his arms, Zhang Xuan's body suddenly relaxed: "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)