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

Chapter 213: The Golden Sword's Prophecy: No One But Liu Can Be King (Part )
In the Liangyi Hall, the emperor sat high on the imperial couch with a cold expression.

Li Chengqian sat in a black wheelchair and looked calmly at You Wenzhi, the county lieutenant of Hu County, who was kneeling in the hall.

On both sides of the hall, all the important officials above the fifth rank in Chang'an are here.

Liu Lancheng, the Right Guard General, Governor of Daizhou, and Duke of Pingyuan, was plotting a rebellion. Once this was confirmed, it would immediately become a major case that would shock the world.

Thirty-year-old You Wenzhi, dressed in black prison garb and with a gaunt complexion, raised his calloused hands and kowtowed solemnly, saying, "Your Majesty, when I was serving as a military officer in Dai County, I happened to learn that a man named Xu Xuan from Changsha had arrived in Daizhou. At the time, there was a prophecy in Daizhou predicting the emergence of an emperor from the north of the sea, and Xu Xuan was skilled in interpreting prophecies."

The emperor's face immediately darkened.

It’s easy to guess what happened next. Xu Xuan approached Liu Lancheng and interpreted the prophecy for him.

Things like prophecies should not be touched lightly.

Especially a general of a guard or a governor of a state, they are even more fatal.

"I heard that Xu Xuan told Commander Liu, 'Those who have lived long throughout the world all say that General Liu will rule the world.' His son, Liu Zhao, rejoiced and said, 'The prophecy foretold that an emperor would emerge from the north of the sea, and my family is from the north sea.'" You Wenzhi kowtowed again and said, "Later, I was quickly transferred to the position of lieutenant of Hu County. I believe this was related to my secret investigation of this matter."

Li Shimin raised his head, looked at You Wenzhi, and said, "You are coming forward because you have committed a capital crime."

"I plead guilty to the death penalty." You Wenzhi kowtowed, then gritted his teeth and said, "But this matter was set up by someone, so even if I die, I will uncover the true culprit behind this."

You Wenzhi was a death row inmate, and the reason he was sentenced to death was because he beat a citizen who filed a complaint with five boards in court.

The man was beaten to death with just five strokes of the board.

The Dali Temple sentenced You Wenzhi to death and executed him in the autumn.

You Wenzhi pleaded guilty, but while on death row, he accused Liu Lancheng, the Right Guard General, the Governor of Daizhou, and the Duke of Pingyuan, of treason.

The matter was immediately brought to the attention of the emperor.

Daizhou, located in the north, is adjacent to the Yunzhong Military Governor's Office.

The area was full of Turkic tribes that had migrated inland, so the Tang Dynasty stationed 5,000 elite Right Guards in Daizhou to suppress them.

If Liu Lancheng really rebelled, with his status, he could unite the 5,000 Right Guards, 3,000 Zhechoufu soldiers, and more than 100,000 Turkic cavalry in Daizhou. As long as he captured Taiyuan, he would immediately have the momentum to split the entire Bingzhou, and then quickly threaten Chang'an.

Back then, Emperor Gaozu took this route when he started his rebellion in Taiyuan.

This matter is serious.

……

Li Shimin watched You Wenzhi being taken away, and looked at Zhangsun Wuji with an indifferent expression: "Wuji, tell me, what should we do?"

"Your Majesty," Changsun Wuji stepped forward, holding his hu tablet and bowing, saying, "I have checked the prices of grain and iron in Daizhou, and neither shows any sign of rising. There have been no mobilizations among the Turkic tribes or the various Zhechongfu. Right Guard General Qu Tuquan reported back at the end of the year, and everything is back to normal."

"Is Qu Tuquan in Daizhou?" Li Shimin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Qu Tuquan was the youngest son of Duke Jiang Qu Tutong. After Qu Tutong passed away, the title was inherited by his eldest son Qu Tushou.

Qu Tuquan was originally just a man of high moral character and integrity. It was Li Shimin who remembered Qu Tuquan's loyalty and integrity, so he suddenly promoted him to be the General of the Right Guard.

There is no doubt about Qu Tuquan's loyalty to the emperor. With him in Daizhou, even if Liu Lancheng is the General of the Right Guard, it will not be easy to do what he wants.

"Therefore, I suggest that we send people to Daizhou immediately to meet up with the Right Guard General Qu Tuquan, capture the Daizhou Governor Liu Lancheng and his son, and then escort them to Chang'an for a joint trial by the three courts." Changsun Wuji bowed seriously.

Li Shimin nodded, then looked at Fang Xuanling and asked, "Prime Minister Fang, what do you say?"

"I also agree that Liu Lancheng should be arrested immediately. At the same time, we should send people to sort out all official documents from the Daizhou Governor's Office and arrest Xu Xuan from Changsha." Fang Xuanling bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that although Liu Lancheng is guilty, there is still much to uncover behind Xu Xuan from Changsha."

The emperor nodded in agreement. Then, he looked at Hou Junji and asked, "Duke Chen, what do you think about this matter? You Wenzhi is also one of your subordinates!"

Hou Junji stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I didn't have much contact with him, and he has only been in Yongzhou for a short time. However, I have reviewed the official documents and I see that he is indeed a master at solving cases. As for the caning to death, I don't know the conspiracy behind it, but he deserves death according to the law."

Li Chengqian, who was sitting next to him, glanced at Hou Junji with a hint of sneer in his eyes.

"Hmm!" Li Shimin nodded, then looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "Prince, what do you say?"

Li Chengqian immediately saluted and said, "I agree with what the ministers have said. We should send people to Daizhou immediately."

Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian and asked softly, "Let me ask you, if this matter might be a miscarriage of justice, would you also think it should be handled in this way?"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed and spoke without much hesitation, "Father, I'm not familiar with the Duke of Pingyuan, but I do know that Daizhou is close to the Great Wall, and that there are Turkic tribes both inside and outside the Great Wall. Now that You Wenzhi has reported the incident, if we don't arrest him immediately, then if word gets to Daizhou, even if the Duke of Pingyuan is wrongly accused, he might take a desperate measure. At that time, it would be too late for regret."

After a brief pause, Li Chengqian bowed and said, "Also, I've heard that Daizhou's political affairs have been handled fairly well in recent years, with few conflicts internally or externally. It's unlikely that someone would bribe a county lieutenant serving a capital crime to frame Liu Lancheng. Furthermore, I don't know of anyone in the court who holds such a deep grudge against the Duke of Pingyuan."

"Yes, there is no motive." Li Shimin nodded and said, "Now it seems that the only way to find out what happened is to bring him back to Chang'an."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed slightly.

"Duke of Tianshui." Li Shimin looked at Qiu Xinggong among the generals on the right.

"I'm here!" Qiu Xinggong stood up and clasped his fists. "Go there yourself and bring back the people and their belongings." Li Shimin raised his head and said, "I believe I've treated him well. Would he really betray me for some vague prophecy?"

"I obey your order." Qiu Xinggong couldn't help but show a hint of anger on his face. Someone actually betrayed the emperor...

……

East Palace, Cheng'en Hall.

The night is hazy and the palace lanterns are bright.

Li Chengqian sat on the short couch, looking forward, and whispered to himself, "Hou Junji, what on earth do you want to do?"

A light sound of footsteps came from outside the hall. Li Chengqian looked up and saw Su Shu, wearing a green lotus-patterned skirt, walking into the hall.

"Your Highness!" Su Shu leaned over to Li Chengqian gently, then walked over to sit beside him and asked in a low voice, "But what happened? Your Highness hasn't had dinner yet?"

"It's about the rebellion of Liu Lancheng, the Right Guard General, the Governor of Daizhou, and the Duke of Pingyuan." Li Chengqian sighed lightly, then leaned sideways in Su Shu's arms.

"Hasn't the court already made a decision? Why is Your Highness still worried?" Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian with some confusion.

"There's more to this than meets the eye." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Liu Lancheng was originally a secretary in Poyang County during the Sui Dynasty. He rose to prominence during the final days of the Sui Dynasty, when the country was about to fall apart. He later joined Qi Gongshun and then followed him to Li Mi. When Li Mi was defeated, he defected to the Tang Dynasty."

"A surrendered general from Wagang." Su Shu couldn't help but raise her brows.

Wei Zheng, Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong, Li Ji, Guo Xiaoke, Niu Jinda, and Zhang Liang all came from Wagang.

Although Liu Lancheng is not as good as the previous ones, the fact that he can become the General of the Right Guard and the Governor of Daizhou shows that he is quite capable.

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Although they are all surrendered generals from the Wagang, there are many factions within the Wagang. Liu Lancheng is not close to Wei Xiang, Cheng Zhijie, and Qin Qiong, and his relationships with Li Ji, Guo Xiaoke, Niu Jinda, and Zhang Liang are average. He has a very high opinion of himself and may have been thinking about returning to the court to serve as Shangshu and Prime Minister. That's why he was persuaded by the prophecy."

"If that's the case, then it proves that the person is guilty. Since the Duke of Tianshui has gone to Daizhou, the matter will definitely be settled. What is Your Highness still worried about?" Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian with some confusion.

"What if? Let me tell you what if." Li Chengqian lay down and looked at Su Shu, saying, "What if the matter with Liu Lancheng was actually plotted against? He has a very high opinion of himself, and he once let slip some words in the past, which were remembered by someone with ulterior motives. This time, they specially hired someone named Xu Xuan from Changsha to manipulate the prophecy, and then let You Wenzhi accuse him..."

"Who?" Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian in disbelief.

"Don't worry about anyone." Li Chengqian sighed and said, "My beloved concubine, have you heard of a thing called the Golden Sword Prophecy?"

Su Shu shook her head in confusion.

Li Chengqian smiled and explained, "The golden sword represents Liu. The golden sword prophecy states that only Liu can become king."

"Han Dynasty?"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "This prophecy has been circulating since the time of Wang Mang and the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. In this dynasty, people like Liu Sheng, Liu Heita, and Liu Deyu also secretly spread it. Now, the Liu Lancheng incident has occurred, and it happened just before my father's eastern expedition to Goguryeo. I think the people behind this have ulterior motives!"

"Your Highness, are you saying that someone is trying to incite all the Liu family members to rebel?"

"What are the descendants of the Liu family in the world?" Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Look at the court today. Liu Dewei, the Minister of Justice, is from the Pengcheng Liu family and a direct descendant of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang. There is also Liu Li, the Minister of the Imperial Household and the Vice Minister of State Affairs. He is a descendant of the Nanyang Liu family and a descendant of Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu. If there is any trouble, they will be the ones in charge."

"A prime minister and a minister of justice." Su Shu's face was already showing some worry.

"Yes, a prime minister and a minister of justice. What I am worried about is that someone will take advantage of this matter to shake the people's hearts in the court." Li Chengqian's eyes were slightly solemn.

Someone, who?

Hou Junji.

Why was Li Chengqian so sure? Because in his previous life, You Wenzhi, who had betrayed Liu Lancheng this time, was later introduced to Li Chengqian by Hou Junji.

Yes, if this time the situation developed as in the previous life, You Wenzhi would be introduced to the Eastern Palace by Hou Junji, and eventually become one of the few people second only to the core of the rebellion.

After this person exposed Liu Lancheng's rebellion, he himself became a member of Li Chengqian's core rebellious circle.

In the previous life, You Wenzhi reported Liu Lancheng's rebellion after Li Chengqian came into contact with Hou Junji.

So what happened was that after Hou Junji knew that he might never become the prime minister, he began to test and attack the emperor.

Now, Li Chengqian did not talk about this with Hou Junji, that is to say, it was Li Tai.

Without making any noise, Li Tai had become connected with Hou Junji.

If nothing unexpected happens, You Lanzhi will be introduced to Li Tai by Hou Junji.

Li Chengqian smiled.

Hou Junji probably never thought that his own actions would expose himself.

Li Tai gathered Hou Junji, and the power of Li Tai's rebellion finally began to take shape.

What about the emperor? How much did the emperor discover?

(End of this chapter)