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

Chapter 216: Kill the Crown Prince and Honor Your Majesty as the Retired Emperor (Part )
In February, spring comes and flowers bloom in Changhu Lake.

The Prince of Wei's Palace occupied a very large area in Chang'an, as much as an entire block.

The lake in the backyard and the long embankment are famous scenery in the whole Chang'an. Many scholars and literati come here to visit every year.

But it has not been closed these days, not because Princess Gaoyang is coming, but because these days are the time for the imperial examinations.

Therefore, even if this place is closed, not many people care because their minds are not here.

Li Tai was wearing a purple python robe. Looking at Princess Gaoyang and her maid walking slowly by the lake, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Gao Yang was willing to come and see Yan Wan because Yan Wan was about to reach the ninth month of her pregnancy.

In addition, Gao Yang herself is pregnant and has many things that she cannot tell her elders, so she can also come to Yan Wan to ask.

After all, the Crown Princess is in the palace. Although Gao Yang is a princess, it is not so convenient for her to enter and leave the palace after getting married.

Yan Wan and Gao Yang didn't say a few words before he felt unwell and went to rest.

So Gao Yang could only walk by the lake alone.

Li Tai wanted to talk to Gao Yang about Fang Yiai, but Gao Yang, whether she had been taught by someone or had some thoughts in her mind, changed the subject after saying a few words about Fang Yiai, and then went for a walk by the lake with her maid.

Li Tai almost thought that Gao Yang came to him today just to go boating on the lake.

No, not almost, just.

Li Tai took a deep breath and walked towards the front yard.

Now he has established contact with Hou Junji, and he has also got the upper hand over Zhang Liang, so he needs to seize the opportunity to get hold of Fang Yiai at all costs.

The key is that he needs to start organizing his staff.

The matters concerning Hou Junji and Zhang Liang also need to be settled quickly, because even for them, it will take time to mobilize manpower.

In particular, it is necessary to determine who can be trusted and who cannot be trusted.

After all, if Li Tai told them these things tonight, they wouldn't be able to organize people to follow him tomorrow night. This would take time.

"Your Highness!" Chai Lingwu suddenly flashed out from behind the round door. He bowed slightly to Li Tai and whispered, "Duke Chen is here."

Li Tai's pupils widened in disbelief. Then, he immediately reacted and asked quickly, "No one is following Duke Chen, right?"

"No!" Chai Lingwu nodded, then said, "Your Highness will know when you meet Duke Chen."

"go!"

……

At the door of the remote wing, there was a creaky sound and the door was pushed open.

Li Tai walked closer and saw Hou Junji sitting in front of the window, observing everything outside through the gap in the window.

Wearing a grey robe and a black hat, if they were not face to face, no one would have recognized that the man in front of them was the famous Duke of Chen, Hou Junji.

"Duke!" Li Tai took a step forward, his excitement instantly suppressed. He then bowed to Hou Junji and asked, "Why did the Duke suddenly come today?"

"He's here, so what? It's nothing sudden." Hou Junji's indifferent gaze fell on Chai Lingwu, who was closing the door behind him. Then he looked at Li Tai and asked directly, "When does Your Highness plan to take action?"

Li Tai's breathing became heavy. He raised his head and looked at Hou Junji. He said directly, "I can come anytime, even today, but it depends on what the Duke has prepared."

Hou Junji smiled, looked at Li Tai, nodded, and said, "Then we can talk."

"Yes!" Li Tai walked to the opposite side of Hou Junji and sat down. Chai Lingwu stood in front of the door, looking outside vigilantly.

"What did Your Highness say about Zhang Liang?" Hou Junji raised his head slightly.

"Duke Xun's side isn't a problem." Li Tai took a deep breath and said, "But Duke Xun's side might not be very convenient..."

"It's about the Ministry of Works." Hou Junji nodded.

The emperor was going to march east to attack Goguryeo, and the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue were the busiest.

Hou Junji continued to ask, "What about the Duke of Liang?"

"To be honest with you, Duke, although I am somewhat confident, Duke Liang always makes me feel uneasy." Li Tai told the truth.

"Fang Xuanling is too slippery." Hou Junji laughed, shook his head, and said, "Don't worry about him. When the time comes, we can just arrest him. He is the most sensible person in the entire court."

"Yes!" Li Tai nodded slightly.

……

Hou Junji sighed softly and said, "Your Highness, you and I share the same suffering. If it weren't for the last resort, I'm afraid neither of us would be willing to go this far."

"Yeah!" Li Tai nodded vigorously and couldn't help biting his teeth.

"To be honest, our best chance is the end of this year." Hou Junji stared at Li Tai.

"Why?" Li Tai had never expected this to be the answer.

"Based on my understanding of Your Majesty, if nothing unexpected happens, after the autumn harvest, Your Majesty will mobilize troops to Yingzhou, and he may even be in Yingzhou himself. After winter is over, or even in the first month of the year, he may take action against Liaodong." Hou Junji spoke very directly.

Li Tai's pupils dilated. He didn't expect that Hou Junji understood the emperor's deployment so thoroughly.

But think about it, Hou Junji followed the emperor in his battles, going through life and death, so he naturally knew him best.

"By the end of the year, we will capture Chang'an and cut off the news. Once Your Highness has completely taken control of Chang'an, we will then pass the news to Liaodong." Hou Junji raised his head, looking towards Liaodong, and said, "The battle in Liaodong will undoubtedly be fierce at the beginning. Once the situation is resolved, it will be difficult for Your Majesty to withdraw his troops easily."

"Ok!"

"But Your Majesty will definitely withdraw the troops." Hou Junji looked up at Li Tai and said, "Therefore, Your Highness needs to organize all the troops in Chang'an before Your Majesty returns, and then go to Hebei to welcome Your Majesty... I will lead the army!" Chai Lingwu, who was standing at the back door, looked at Hou Junji in surprise.

What is Hou Junji going to do?
Chai Lingwu couldn't help but look at Li Tai.

Li Tai looked at Hou Junji and slowly shook his head, saying, "Duke Chen, I don't doubt your ability, but are you sure you are a match for our father?"

"If we take the enemy by surprise and are well prepared, we still have a chance." Hou Junji was very cautious.

"Duke, we need to do things, not just take chances." Li Tai shook his head slightly and said, "To be honest, facing the emperor, let's not talk about the Duke and me, but the most important thing is those soldiers in the army. Do they dare to fight the emperor?"

Hou Junji fell silent.

Li Tai continued, "With the Emperor's wisdom, I'm afraid that even without meeting you and me, countless tactics would have already been used. You and I, as well as the generals and soldiers below, who would betray you and me at the critical moment? Are you sure?"

Hou Junji's face darkened.

"In addition, there are Cheng Zhijie, Duke of Lu in Youzhou, Yuchi Jingde, Duke of E in Xiazhou, Li Xiyu in Shazhou, and Guo Fushan in Yizhou. Can we convince them before my father returns to the court?" Li Tai looked at Hou Junji calmly.

Hou Junji suddenly smiled, looked at Li Tai, nodded, and said, "The King of Wei is indeed very thoughtful. So, please tell me, what is your Highness's plan?"

"Don't do it when father is leading the army to the east. The key is that father cannot have any soldiers at his disposal." A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Li Tai's eyes.

Hou Junji raised his eyebrows, then nodded and said, "Your Highness, please continue."

"Your Majesty will be touring the east in April. I will stay in Chang'an as long as possible. Then, Your Majesty will go north to inspect Dingzhou." Li Tai paused, looked at Hou Junji and said, "We will take action on the day Your Majesty arrives in Dingzhou. We will seize the palace and control Chang'an. Then, we will send people to infiltrate Luoyang. When Your Majesty returns from Dingzhou, we will directly capture Luoyang."

"Capture Luoyang?" Hou Junji looked at Li Tai in confusion and asked, "Your Highness, Luoyang is not that easy to capture. His Majesty will not give us a chance. Moreover, if there is any change in Chang'an, His Majesty will immediately mobilize all nearby troops..."

"What if Chang'an wasn't the first to change?" Li Tai smiled with some pride.

"Where is that?" Hou Junji looked at Li Tai with some admiration at this moment. He could see that Li Tai had thought deeply about this matter.

"Qizhou." This time, Li Tai revealed one of his trump cards without hesitation.

"Qizhou, King of Qi?" Hou Junji immediately thought of Li You.

"The King of Qi was just happy last month when his Chief Secretary, Quan Wanji, tightened his control over him. He's very unhappy." Li Tai looked up and whispered, "What if the conflict between the two sides escalates further? What if the King of Qi's men accidentally kill Quan Wanji and then try to coerce him into rebellion?"

Hou Junji's pupils widened instantly: "Your Highness has already controlled the King of Qi?"

Li Tai's expression calmed down. He didn't answer Hou Junji's question, and then said, "When something happens in Qizhou, Father will definitely dispatch troops to deal with it. If news of my brother's rebellion comes out at this time..."

The prince rebelled.

Hou Junji grasped Li Tai's key point and nodded, saying, "The Crown Prince is plotting a rebellion. Your Highness will suppress him, or accidentally kill him, and then go to Luoyang to apologize. However, because you have already made arrangements in Luoyang, Your Highness can immediately rush into the palace and then, like Your Majesty did in the past, honor Your Majesty as the Supreme Emperor..."

"This depends on Duke Chen." Li Tai leaned forward slightly.

"Yes!" Hou Junji nodded and said, "Your Highness's plan is feasible, so let's take it step by step. Chang'an, the prince is rebelling."

"Let me keep Guan Zi here for now." Li Tai smiled and kept the most crucial point in his hand.

"Your Highness, please continue." Hou Junji looked at Li Tai. As for the affairs in Chang'an, he needed to take a step back and check for any shortcomings and fill in the gaps.

"That day!" Li Tai raised his finger and said, "That day, all parties will prepare their forces, go find the Duke of Liang, capture him, and then mobilize troops into the city in his name..."

"Not enough." Hou Junji immediately shook his head and said, "Duke Liang can only allow one or two people to enter the city."

"No, just use his name. Someone will open the city gate." Li Tai smiled slightly.

"Okay!" Hou Junji did not ask who Li Tai was, but this step was enough.

"Then there are the Left and Right Jinwu Guards." Li Tai sighed and said, "Perhaps my seal of the Left Jinwu Guard General can control the Left and Right Jinwu Guards at that time, but this requires the Duke to step in."

Li Tai's title of General of the Left Golden Guard was just an honorary position, but if Hou Junji took his seal of General of the Left Golden Guard, things would be completely different.

"In this way, we can attack as far as Suzaku Gate." Hou Junji nodded and said, "The Suzaku Gate should be guarded by General Zuo Kuangzheng of the Left Golden Guard at that time. If we set up an ambush in advance, it won't be difficult to suddenly open the Suzaku Gate."

"Then it's a matter of storming into the Eastern Palace." Li Tai looked at Hou Junji and said, "Brother Helan is the commander of the Eastern Palace's Thousand Bull Guards. I have also ambushed men in the Eastern Palace. We will open the gates and enter the palace. The rest is up to Prime Minister Fang."

"Good!" Hou Junji suddenly smiled and looked at Li Tai and said, "Your Highness really has the demeanor of His Majesty."

"I was just forced." Li Tai breathed a sigh of relief. After preparing for so long, he finally did not lose the upper hand in the negotiations with Hou Junji.

Li Tai is not stupid. How could he not see through some dark thoughts in Hou Junji's mind? But he was also prepared and had more than one trick up his sleeve when facing Hou Junji.

By then, perhaps the person who started the mutiny was Hou Junji, and he, Li Tai, would be the one who finally came forward to quell the rebellion.

Unfortunately, his father and his brother both died in the rebellion.

Neither Hou Junji nor Hou Jing was a good person.

When facing Hou Junji, just think of him as a person like Hou Jing, and then everything can be controlled.

……

After everything was settled, Hou Junji finally stood up and said, "I came in a hurry and couldn't stay long. I'll take my leave now."

Li Tai stood up at the same time, turned to look at Chai Lingwu, and said: "Cousin, you send the Duke... Oh, by the way, there is one more thing."

Li Tai turned to look at Hou Junji, then pulled out a piece of white silk covered with bloody handprints from his sleeve. He smiled and looked at Hou Junji and said, "Duke, let's be humble first and gentlemen later. Let's keep each other at ease!"

Hou Junji looked at Li Tai in disbelief.

After a long time, he nodded slowly: "Okay!"

(End of this chapter)