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

Chapter 212 Hou Junji's Craziest Thought

In the dark and quiet room, the noise outside is completely isolated.

Hou Junji raised his head and sighed softly.

He saw clearly what Li Tai wanted to do.

Today, the crown prince's position in the court is as stable as a rock, while Li Tai was dismissed from his post as governor of Yongzhou last year and banished to the countryside.

If he had not used some means to stay by force, I am afraid that by now, some court officials would have written to him to urge him to take up his post.

After all, today is the fifth day of the first lunar month, and the local state government has already started operating.

Given the current situation, Li Tai has no legitimate way to seize the position of crown prince.

No matter what Li Tai did, Li Chengqian would do it better than him.

So, he doesn't have many options.

Frame-up or even outright murder.

Thinking of this, Hou Junji couldn't help but shook his head.

The figure of Li Chengqian appeared in his mind.

Sitting upright in the Chongde Hall of the Eastern Palace, with countless officials running back and forth inside and outside, acting cautiously and keeping a close eye on the entire government, how could the prince be framed so easily?

As for direct murder, the prince has been completely vigilant since the incident of breaking his leg that year.

It would be extremely difficult to take action against him again.

Not to mention the emperor is watching.

So Li Tai had very few choices.

In particular, today he came to see me, the Minister of Personnel and Chief Clerk of Yongzhou, who had almost no chance of becoming the prime minister and was full of resentment.

Especially the Chief Secretary of Yongzhou.

The entire Chang'an, no, the entire Yongzhou, except the imperial palace, all other places are nominally under the jurisdiction of Hou Junji.

The meaning is self-evident.

……

"Ying..." A slight sword sound rang out in front of Hou Junji.

The shape of the sword can be vaguely seen in the darkness.

Hou Junji sneered softly: "Like father, like son!"

During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Yuanji was about to lead his army to war, and Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin wanted to see him off, so Li Jiancheng conspired with Li Yuanji to kill Li Shimin directly at the farewell banquet.

Li Shimin took action in advance and launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

Although Hou Junji did not know Li Tai's specific plan, he was generally aware of it.

That's why he wanted to find him.

Of course, things cannot be that simple. The prince will not give King Wei such an opportunity, and Li Shimin, who has experienced the Xuanwu Gate Incident, will not let such a thing happen.

Not to mention that he is now using the Hundred Cavalry Division to monitor Chang'an City, so Li Tai will never have such an opportunity.

Thinking of this, Hou Junji nodded slightly. In such a situation, Li Tai was able to come up with a feasible plan, which was enough to prove his ability.

But all this requires the assistance of Hou Junji.

Therefore, as long as Hou Junji did not agree, the King of Wei had no choice but to return to Xiangzhou honestly.

Of course, the key lies in the emperor.

With the emperor in Chang'an and the emperor protecting the prince, not to mention people like Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling, even Hou Junji would hardly have any chance.

Not to mention the six ministers, Tang Jian, Li Ji, Li Dao Zong, Liu Dewei, and Zhang Liang...

Hou Junji suddenly looked up.

Zhang Liang.

Hou Junji could not hide what Zhang Liang had done, but he did not like it, so he ignored it.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't know.

Chai Lingwu.

If Chai Lingwu is involved in the connection between Zhang Liang and King Wei, then there is still a chance that things will go well.

The key lies in the emperor. As long as the emperor is in Chang'an...

No, the emperor is going on an eastern tour.

During the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo, the emperor left Chang'an, and the prince's power was at its weakest.

And it was impossible for Hou Junji to follow the emperor to conquer Goguryeo.

Therefore, it is most likely that the King of Wei would take action at that time.

After forcibly deposing the crown prince, he followed the example of Yang Xuangan.

Of course, everything is not that easy, after all, the emperor has a large army.

Therefore, this is the opportunity for Hou Junji to take action. By then, not to mention Li Shimin, even Li Tai...

A crazy idea appeared in Hou Junji's mind, and then he couldn't help but shiver.

The sight of Li Shimin wearing armor made Hou Junji feel frightened from the bottom of his heart.

However, deep in his heart, crazy thoughts were still surging.

"Your Majesty!" Hou Junji looked at the faint sword blade in the darkness and said softly, "I don't ask for much, just the position of Prime Minister. Are you really unwilling to give it to me? After all, they are just two women. You are the most magnanimous Khan in the world, so what if you give it to me?"

Hou Junji lowered his head deeply.

At this moment, he really didn't want to take that last step.

"Crown Prince, King of Wei, you all have your own opinions, but I am unwilling to accept it!" Hou Junji did not want to go to the last step, so he wanted to try again.

He wanted to test it one last time. If the emperor really didn't want to give him the position of prime minister, then don't blame him for joining forces with the King of Wei. With a flick of his right hand, the soft sword flew back to his waist.

Hou Junji stood up, walked to the door, and opened it casually.

The bustling brothel suddenly appeared before his eyes, with bright lights, wine and women, and beautiful dancers.

Hou Junji turned around and returned to the room where he was having the banquet.

"Duke Chen, what took you so long? Did you get drunk and take the wrong road? Hehe..."

"Hey, you know what, I just saw a dancer, her waist was really thin and soft!"

……

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, the night lights are lit.

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Shimin, dressed in a black robe with a golden dragon pattern, was carefully reviewing memorials.

After reviewing the last memorial, Li Shimin put down his brush, looked aside and said, "Send these out."

"Here!" Zhang Ananda walked out from the side, then quickly left with the memorial in his arms.

After taking a sip of tea, Li Shimin looked to the right and asked, "What's the situation outside?"

Li Wu stepped out of the shadows and said, "Your Majesty, Princess Baling's husband, Chai Lingwu, visited Princess Gaoyang's husband, Fang Yiai, today. After the two talked for a while in the mansion, Chai left disappointed."

"Qingque is still unwilling to give up!" Li Shimin sighed softly, then shook his head and said, "Fortunately, Fang Yiai still has a clear mind."

"In addition, the fourth brother of Doctor Zhang You of the Imperial College is leaving for Jiangnan today. Also, two servants of the Zhang family are missing, and the Zhang family has reported the case to Wannian County." Li Wu bowed lightly.

Li Shimin nodded, narrowed his eyes, and said softly: "Continue to keep an eye on the Zhang family."

"Yes!" Li Wu bowed.

"How has Duke Chen been these past two days?" Li Shimin sighed, then said, "The Crown Prince just spoke to him the other day."

"Duke Chen has been in frequent contact with his old subordinates these days, but they were all discussing the conquest of Goguryeo, food, fodder, military equipment, and personnel deployment. It seems that Duke Chen listened to what the prince said that day." Li Wu bowed slightly.

"I hope so." Li Shimin looked outside the hall and said softly, "If he can truly change, then perhaps I will let him join me in the expedition against Goguryeo."

Li Wu stood aside with an expressionless face.

Li Shimin looked towards the East Palace and said, "The Crown Prince said last year at the Duke of Zheng's Mansion that he would appoint Hou Junji as the commander-in-chief of the army, the ambassador of appeasement, and the governor of the old territory of Goguryeo. At the same time, he would be allowed to participate in government affairs and, as the prime minister, integrate everything in Goguryeo.

That way, after a few years, he can be transferred back to the imperial court to serve as a minister."

Li Wu bowed slightly.

Li Shimin waved his hand and said with a smile: "Well, let's see what he says and does in the past year or so."

"Yes!" Li Wu bowed.

"By the way, how is Zhang Liang?" Li Shimin asked immediately
"During the New Year, Duke Xun was more focused on the Ministry of Works, and his interactions with other parties were much less frequent." Li Wu thought for a moment and said, "The Yuan family met Prince Consort Chai before the New Year, and Prince Consort Chai then passed on the message to the King of Wei. However, they have not interacted since the New Year."

"Yeah!" Li Shimin nodded expressionlessly and said, "Keep keeping an eye on these people."

"Yes!"

"Li Wu." Li Shimin looked straight out of the hall and said softly, "Although everything seems calm now, I have a feeling that before I go to war, everything will definitely not end so peacefully."

Li Wu bowed and remained silent.

Li Shimin turned and looked at the memorial placed on the side of the table. It was the memorial in which the Crown Prince recommended Hou Zhiyi for the position of Chief Justice of the Dali Temple...

Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the palace. Zhang Ananda walked quickly into the hall and bowed to the emperor with a joyful look on his face, saying, "Your Majesty, news has just come from outside the palace that Princess Gaoyang and Princess Chengyang are both pregnant!"

"Ah!" Li Shimin couldn't help but stand up with joy.

……

At Princess Gaoyang's mansion, Fang Yiai sent Li Anyan away before returning to the central hall.

Fang Xuanling sat at the head of the central hall. He glanced at Fang Yiai, who looked somewhat smug, and said, "Although His Majesty has ordered you to leave a little later, you shouldn't be too late. Return to Songzhou at the beginning of next month."

"Yes!" Fang Yiai immediately restrained his expression and bowed seriously. Then he stood up and looked at Fang Xuanling and said, "Father, the King of Wei and the Crown Prince have sent people here recently. Is something going to happen?"

Around the Chinese New Year, Chai Lingwu tried to contact Fang Yiai several times, but was rejected by Fang Yiai. However, the Eastern Palace was also making a lot of moves. After the end of the year, the gifts sent just now were twice the usual amount. It seemed that both sides were trying their best to win over Fang Yiai.

"Your Majesty is planning an expedition to the east. Naturally, the Crown Prince will be the regent. As the regent, he's assisting his father in governing the country. The Crown Prince naturally hopes for peace, but the King of Wei is likely still unhappy about this!" Fang Xuanling waved his hand and said, "Forget it. Don't worry about the King of Wei. Your Majesty has asked my father to assist in governing the country. It's the Crown Prince, not the King of Wei, who is assisting."

Fang Yiai took a cup of hot tea and handed it to Fang Xuanling, then asked carefully, "Father, does the King of Wei really have no chance this time?"

"This year, this year is the Prince of Wei's only chance." Fang Xuanling looked up and said, "Next year, next year Your Majesty will arrange a marriage for the Prince of Jin."

Fang Yiai immediately understood.

When Prince Jin gets married, he naturally has to move out of the palace.

Moreover, his in-laws will also help him actively win over the ministers.

Li Tai, who was already at a disadvantage in the battle with the crown prince, will be even weaker in the future.

"Okay, don't worry about these things." Fang Xuanling's expression became serious. He looked at Fang Yiai and said, "If something happens in Goguryeo, the news will inevitably spread to Tubo. After you return to Songzhou this year, you must keep a close eye on Tubo's movements. If Tubo makes any moves, the news must be reported back immediately. If Tubo does not move..."

Fang Yiai looked up subconsciously.

"Then after the princess gives birth, your father will transfer you to Liaodong to serve His Majesty in the army." Fang Xuanling's face became grim.

"Yes!" Fang Yiai immediately bowed with joy.

In the final analysis, the Tang Dynasty today is still based on military achievements, and everything else is far behind.

Li Dejian was ready to face the Xueyantuo in Xiazhou at any time, and it was unknown when he would make another military achievement, which made Fang Yiai very envious.

Fang Xuanling glanced at his son and couldn't help but look towards the direction of the imperial palace.

It's the time of another great war, can everything be peaceful?
……

"Your Majesty!" Fang Xuanling, dressed in a purple official robe, hurried into the Liangyi Hall. He ignored the eunuchs' orders and entered directly. With a solemn expression, he bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, the Minister of Justice, Sun Fujia, has just reported that You Wenzhi, the county lieutenant of Hu County, who is imprisoned for his crimes, has come forward to accuse Liu Lancheng, the Right Guard General and Governor of Daizhou, of treason."

"What!" Li Shimin couldn't help but stand up.

(End of this chapter)