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

Chapter 205 Li Tai: Heaven and Earth Join Forces (Part )
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the sun was warm.

Prince Wei's Palace, Central Hall.

"Sacrifice at Xianling?" Li Tai handed the memorial to Chai Lingwu and asked with a frown, "What does my cousin, the Crown Prince, mean by this? He wants me to sacrifice at Xianling on his behalf?"

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince is in poor health, so the one who will replace him is either Your Highness or Prince Jin. There is no problem with that." Chai Lingwu was a little puzzled.

"No, no." Li Tai waved his hand and said, "You and I both know what kind of person my royal brother is. He is almost pathologically wary of me. How could he be so kind as to let me take his place?"

"Your Highness," Chai Lingwu said, looking at Li Tai, "Your Highness has been transferred out of Chang'an. Perhaps in the eyes of the Crown Prince, Your Highness no longer poses a threat. That's why he is now showing brotherly respect to Your Majesty. So Your Highness should express his gratitude!"

Li Tai shook his head and said, "It's true that my brother is hypocritical, but he is even more sinister, so there must be some mystery behind this."

Chai Lingwu was completely speechless.

You, Li Tai, are always scheming against the crown prince, but please don't think of the crown prince as the same as you. Although the crown prince is equally shrewd, his methods are not as despicable.

"Then Your Highness?" Chai Lingwu looked at Li Tai cautiously.

The Crown Prince's request, the Emperor's approval, and the memorial sent over by the Secretariat, so King Wei, will you accept it or not?

Li Tai pondered for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll go. I have the Jinwu Guards to protect me, so nothing will happen. Besides, I just want to talk to the King of Jing and the King of Xu."

"Your Highness!" Chai Lingwu couldn't help but look up worriedly.

Prince Jing is the oldest among Emperor Gaozu's sons except the current emperor. What does Li Tai want to do by going to see Prince Jing at this time?

"Don't worry, I just want to have a quick chat with King Jing." Li Tai waved his hand, but for some reason, Chai Lingwu was always worried.

At this moment, the palace steward appeared outside the hall and said, "Your Highness, the Eastern Palace has sent two boxes of medicinal herbs to help the princess with her pregnancy... A list is attached, and they have also sent a message for the palace to check to ensure that no inappropriate medicines have been mixed in."

Li Tai looked up in confusion. Suddenly, his eyebrows raised. He didn't know what he was thinking about. He smiled and said, "What are you checking? How can I not trust something sent by the Crown Prince?"

Li Tai waved his hand and said, "Okay, send it to the warehouse."

"Here!" The butler immediately handed over his hand, then turned and left.

Li Tai looked up at Chai Lingwu and said, "Cousin, it's the end of the year now, and the Chief Secretary is away. I hope you can take care of the internal and external communication."

Chai Lingwu immediately bowed and said, "Yes!"

……

In the afternoon, Chai Lingwu returned home from Prince Wei's Mansion.

The winter sun shines on my body, but the warmth just fades away when it is blown away by the cold wind.

Chai Lingwu threw the reins in his hand to the housekeeper, then walked into the hall with a frown.

The petite Princess Baling was preparing a New Year's gift for the Emperor. Seeing Chai Lingwu, she stepped forward and asked with concern, "Prince Consort, is there anything wrong with the King of Wei?"

"The Crown Prince is in poor health. Please ask the King of Wei to offer sacrifices on his behalf. It's nothing serious." Chai Lingwu smiled, then walked to Princess Baling and said gently, "It's the end of the year, and it's New Year's Eve again. I wonder what this year will be like?"

"As long as the Crown Prince and the King of Wei don't appear at the same time, nothing will happen." Princess Baling said casually.

With these words, Chai Lingwu couldn't help but be stunned, and then he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

That’s indeed the case.

At this moment, the housekeeper walked down to the hall and said, "Princess, Prince Consort, Wuling County Duke Renhui requests an audience!"

Princess Baling looked at Chai Lingwu in confusion. Chai Lingwu explained, "He is a descendant of the Yuan family, the son of Yuan Zhou, the former General of the Right Guard of the Sui Dynasty and the Supreme Pillar State. He is currently serving as the Magistrate of Lingchang County in Huazhou."

"Oh!" Upon hearing the word "county magistrate", Princess Baling immediately lost interest and whispered, "Princess Consort, go and receive him."

"Yes!" Chai Lingwu nodded, then looked at the steward and said, "Send him to the study first and serve tea. I'll change my clothes and come over."

"Yes!" The steward bowed and left. Chai Lingwu followed him out, but he was thinking about the Yuan family's affairs in his mind.

Yuan Renhui was the son of Yuan Zhou, the General of the Right Guard, the Supreme Pillar of the State, and the Duke of Wuling County of the Sui Dynasty. His ancestor was Emperor Zhaocheng of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Tuoba Shiyijian. However, the Yuan family gradually declined during the turmoil of the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

For example, Yuan Zhou was reported by Qiu He during the early Sui Dynasty and was subsequently executed by Yang Guang.

The Yuan family and the Qiu family are sworn enemies.

In the Tang Dynasty, Qiu He was the Duke of Tan, a special advancer, and the General of the Left Jinwu Guard. His sons Qiu Shi, Qiu Xinggong, and Qiu Xingyan were all important officials valued by the emperor.

The Qiu family is in power, and the Yuan family has not had an easy life in this dynasty.

Qiu He passed away due to illness seven years ago, and Master Qiu also passed away due to illness two years ago, but Qiu Xinggong and Qiu Xingyan are still around.

Qiu Xinggong is now the General of the Right Jinwu Guard, and Qiu Xingyan is the Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household.

It is not easy for the Yuan family to turn things around. It was only because of the internal strife within the Qiu family that the Yuan family had a chance to breathe.

……

With a creak, the study door was pushed open.

Chai Lingwu immediately saw Yuan Renhui, who was sitting at the upper seat on the left. He was wearing a green robe and had gray hair on his temples, but his expression was still energetic.

Yuan Renhui glanced at the door and immediately stood up and said, "Greetings, Prince Consort!"

"Mr. Yuan!" Chai Lingwu bowed, then extended his hand and said, "Please sit down. Mr. Yuan, it's been many years since we last met. How did you find time to visit me today?"

"It's the end of the year now, so it's a good time to visit during the New Year holidays. I hope your Highness doesn't mind." Yuan Renhui smiled and took out a gift list from her sleeve, handed it to Chai Lingwu, and said, "It's just a small token of my appreciation, not a formality."

Chai Lingwu took the gift list and took a look at it in surprise.

His pupils suddenly dilated.

Fifty taels of gold, fifteen pieces of jade ornaments, three paintings and calligraphy, etc.

"This gift list is quite good." Chai Lingwu took it in his hand, then looked at Yuan Renhui and asked, "Mr. Yuan, if you have anything to say, please feel free to speak up. I will definitely help you if I can."

Yuan Renhui breathed a sigh of relief, then his expression turned bitter. He said, "To be honest, my Lord, when the Duke of Ankang was in office in Liang Province, his policies were harsh and the people could not bear it. There were even officials who were beaten to death for opposing his policies. Later, the Duke of Ankang was exiled to Anxi after the incident. I thought everything was over, but..."

Chai Lingwu understood and nodded, saying, "Now that the Duke of Ankang has been reinstated as the governor of Shazhou due to his military merits, he controls Yumen Pass and the Silk Road. So, is he taking revenge on you?"

"There's not much conflict between me and the Duke of Ankang. It's all just a misunderstanding." Yuan Renhui smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "I originally wanted to sit down and talk to clear up all the misunderstandings, but the Duke of Ankang had no intention of discussing it at all. He simply detained all the caravans from the Liangzhou families heading to the Western Regions..."

"They confiscated everything?" Chai Lingwu sat up straight, his face filled with surprise. "Not really," Yuan Renhui waved his hand, "the Duke of Ankang did seize the items for inspection, but he took so long that it delayed the trip."

Chai Lingwu now understood everything completely.

Previously, the old clans of Ganliang impeached Li Xiyu for murder. Although everyone saw that it was a setup, the old clans of Ganliang handled the case very well, and Li Xiyu was eventually exiled to Anxi.

But now, the two major battles in Anxi and Beidi allowed Li Xiyu, who had just been dismissed from office less than three months ago, to be reinstated.

The most crucial thing is that Li Xiyu is now the governor of Shazhou, who happens to control the throat of the Silk Road. Now he has come back for revenge.

Moreover, his revenge was very clever and was within the rules. The old Ganliang clan had no choice but to reconcile with him, but they didn't give him any face at all.

The current situation is that as long as Li Xiyu serves as the governor of Shazhou, the old Ganliang clans will suffer losses.

So they had no choice but to go to Chang'an for help.

Chai Lingwu hesitated for a moment and asked, "What does Lord Dou say?"

"Duke Shen is in poor health and is not seeing outsiders!" Yuan Renhui smiled bitterly.

Duke of Shen, the consort of Emperor Gaozu's Princess Xiangyang and Minister of the Imperial Clan Affairs Department Dou Dan, was the nominal leader of these old clans in Longyou, but in reality he seldom took part in any affairs.

The emperor did not favor the old clans in Longyou, and Dou Dan was the emperor's brother-in-law, so naturally he would not interfere.

"What about Duke Xun?" Chai Lingwu looked up. Zhang Liang was the one who was truly in charge of everything now.

"Duke Xunguo is nowhere to be seen," Yuan Renhui said bitterly, "The Ministry of Works and the General Administration of Works are both incredibly busy with your Majesty's Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo. Last night was the third time I went to ask for an audience with Duke Xunguo, but he still hasn't shown up."

"You came at an inauspicious time." Chai Lingwu shook his head. Although outsiders did not know that the emperor was going to the east to attack Goguryeo, everyone in the court understood that it was inevitable.

The emperor had something on his mind, so how could Zhang Liang and his men dare to neglect him? So Zhang Liang was indeed very busy, but... not to the point where he couldn't see anyone.

Chai Lingwu raised his head, looked at Yuan Renhui and said, "Duke Yuan, it's still early. Why don't you wait a little longer? Duke Xun Guo will definitely be able to find time in a few days."

Having said that, Chai Lingwu handed the gift list back.

Yuan Renhui raised his hand to block it. He said with a bitter face, "Sir-in-law, I'm afraid the Duke will have a hard time finding time. I've met the Young Duke, and he said that this time, not only the Duke of Ankang and the Duke of Shi'an, but also many people from the Longxi Li family are secretly supporting it. It will be difficult for the Duke to deal with it."

Chai Lingwu was speechless.

Not to mention that the emperor himself came from the Longxi Li family. In the entire world, the Longxi Li family had the most provincial governors and governors.

Especially those descendants who are of the same blood as the emperor but are out of the five generations, they have a closer relationship with the Longxi Li family.

No, they are members of the Longxi Li family.

Now they all stand in opposition to the old Ganliang clan...

Chai Lingwu suddenly looked up and said, "Did the Young Duke ask you to come to me?"

Yuan Renhui nodded bitterly, and Chai Lingwu cursed inwardly, thinking that Zhang Yi was really going to cause trouble for him.

Chai Lingwu said helplessly: "Mr. Yuan, although my nephew is the prince consort, no one listens to my nephew on matters like this."

You have offended others so deeply. This kind of thing will not be easily resolved without paying a huge price.

Chai Lingwu doesn't want to get involved.

"So," Yuan Renhui pushed the gift list in his hand towards Chai Lingwu and said, "So, please ask your Majesty, can you please trouble the King of Wei for this matter?"

Chai Lingwu was stunned. King of Wei, Li Tai?

Chai Lingwu calmed down a bit and said seriously, "Mr. Yuan, although the Prince of Wei is your Majesty's legitimate son, he is not particularly favored by your Majesty right now. This matter..."

"Prince Consort." Yuan Renhui said seriously, "Although the Prince of Wei is not the Crown Prince, he is also the legitimate son of His Majesty. He is the General of the Right Jinwu Guard, the Governor of Xiangzhou, the Governor of Weizhou, and holds great power. He is also the Governor of Guangzhou and the Junior Architect of the Imperial Household. If he speaks, the Duke of Ankang will certainly give him some face. Let's sit down and talk..."

Chai Lingwu had some idea of ​​Yuan Renhui's thoughts. Even if Li Tai was not the crown prince, the power he possessed was rare in the world.

If he comes forward, the Longxi Li family will eventually give him some face, not to mention that he still has the opportunity to become the crown prince in the future.

In particular, they have a relationship with Li Tai.

Yuan Renhui stepped back slightly, pulling out another gift list from his sleeve and looking at Chai Lingwu pleadingly: "Son-in-law, I only ask to see the King of Wei. After that, I will have my own way to plead with the King of Wei. Of course, if you can help me with a few words, I will reward you handsomely."

Chai Lingwu lowered his head and looked at the gift list with the same heavy words on it, and his expression calmed down.

……

The 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, the beginning of the Chen hour.

The sky was dark. Li Tai, wearing a purple python robe and looking sleepy, walked out of the inner courtyard.

Chai Lingwu followed beside him and told the story of Yuan Renhui in detail.

Li Tai paused slightly, looked at Chai Lingwu, and asked doubtfully, "Cousin, does Duke Xun really have no time to take care of this?"

"No!" Chai Lingwu shook his head slightly and said, "The Duke of Ankang was exiled to Anxi at the suggestion of the Crown Prince. He was later appointed Governor of Shazhou by order of His Majesty. Duke Xunguo was probably afraid that His Majesty would see something, so he kept a low profile."

"What a sly fellow." Li Tai snorted coldly and asked, "Cousin, do you think this matter can be resolved by me?"

"It's not difficult." Chai Lingwu shook his head, but then added worriedly, "But if His Majesty knew, I wonder how His Majesty would react."

No one knows why the emperor appointed Li Xiyu as the governor of Shazhou. There is a strong sense of revenge in this.

"Father!" Li Tai took a deep breath, thought for a moment, raised his eyes, and strode forward, saying, "Tell them that I will take care of this matter, but ask them to wait. I need a good time to intervene."

"Yes!" Chai Lingwu understood that when Li Tai would intervene depended on how much money the Yuan family and the old Ganliang clan behind them were willing to pay.

Li Tai mounted his horse and said to Chai Lingwu seriously, "Cousin, tell them that this matter needs to be resolved. I need to mobilize all their connections in Chang'an City, including those above the ninth rank, retired officials, and relatives."

"Yes!" Chai Lingwu bowed, but his eyes were full of horror.

Li Tai urged his horse toward the gate of the mansion. Sitting on the horse, he couldn't help but feel a little proud, and whispered to himself: "When the time comes, heaven and earth will work together. The ancients really didn't deceive me."

The shape of the sun rose in the east, and a little morning light fell on Li Tai's face.

He laughed even more wildly.

(End of this chapter)