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

Chapter 238: Cen Wenben's Imperial Decree, Fang Xuanling's Worries (Part )
"Gee!" With the urging of horses, more than a dozen tall horses came towards Chunming Gate without stopping.

Except for a scholar and a eunuch, all the others were Thousand Ox Guards wearing red clothes and golden armor, with Thousand Ox Swords on their waists.

The group walked straight along the central road, rushing towards the city gate without stopping. The city guard at the foot of the city saw the flag carried by one of the guards, and urged the people around him to get out of the way without hesitation.

Military intelligence is on the road, and only urgent military reports and imperial edicts can be transmitted.

This time, it was really an imperial decree.

The doctor guarding the city breathed a sigh of relief and quickly sent someone to beat the drum on the city wall to send a message.

The news reached the palace in a very short time.

At this time, the group had already rushed through the Suzaku Gate and entered the palace.

The officials coming and going in the palace immediately stood on both sides and bowed their heads.

They all knew the leader.

Cen Wenben, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat and the Vice-Chancellor.

Unlike the fake imperial envoy that King Wei had sent before, everyone understood that the Prime Minister Cen Wenben, who had followed the emperor to Hebei and now suddenly returned, was holding the real imperial edict in his hand.

In the Wude Hall, Li Chengqian, Fang Xuanling, Yu Zhining, Chu Suiliang, Ma Zhou, Li Daliang, Zheng Rentai, Qibi Heli, Zuo Kuangzheng and others all knelt on the ground and listened respectfully to the imperial edict.

"In the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan reign, in the year of Guimao, on the Bingchen day of the fourth month, on the first day of the new moon, the Emperor said:

Yu Xi!

I was on a hunting tour in Youzhou when I heard that something had happened in Chang'an. I was shocked and angry. But when I heard that the Crown Prince and the ministers had handled it properly, I was very relieved.

Although the situation is stable, people are still uneasy.

Therefore, the Minister of Works Fang Xuanling was appointed as the Minister of the Left, and the Prince's Grand Tutor Gao Shilian was appointed as the Minister of the Right, to assist the Prince in supervising the state..."

Hearing this, the ministers in the hall couldn't help but look up in surprise.

At the beginning of the year, Gao Shilian retired from Shangshu You Pushe, and Fang Xuanling was promoted from Shangshu Zuo Pushe to Sikong, and now they have returned again.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly. He knew in his heart that it was not that the emperor did not want to release the people, but that few of the ministers in the court could reach the level of Gao Shilian and Fang Xuanling.

The only two who did were Li Jing who semi-retired and Wei Zheng who retired completely due to illness and could not come out at all.

it's the only way.

Li Jing.

Thinking of Li Jing's name, Li Chengqian lowered his head and narrowed his eyes slightly.

After the Vermillion Bird Gate that day, Li Jing assisted Li Daliang and Cui Dunli in handling military affairs and then returned home.

Whenever we called him again, he would just say he was sick and not come.

Countless thoughts flashed through Li Chengqian's mind, but at this time, he still restrained his thoughts and continued to listen to the order.

……

"... Appoint Yang Shidao, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, as the Acting Minister of Personnel; appoint Li Daliang, the General of the Left Guard, as the Right Guard Commander of the Crown Prince and Minister of Works; appoint Yu Zhining, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Household and the Vice Minister of State Affairs, as the Acting Chief Clerk of Yongzhou; appoint Yan Liben, the Junior Craftsman of the Imperial Household, as the Minister of Works; appoint Yang Wulian, the Deputy Chief of the Imperial Household, as the Grand Doctor of Imperial Court and the Acting Junior Craftsman of the Imperial Household..." Cen Wenben calmly read out the imperial edict.
With Fang Xuanling and Gao Shilian returning to their posts as Shangshu Zuo Pushe, the ministers were not too surprised that Yang Shidao became the Acting Shangbu Shangren and Yu Zhining became the Acting Yongzhou Changshi.

Li Daliang basically completely took over Zhang Liang's official position, and Yan Liben was transferred to the Minister of Works. This was the emperor's confirmation that the Yan family had no involvement in Li Tai's rebellion and would not pursue them.

As for Yang Wulian's position as Junior Inspector of the Imperial Works Department, he had complete control over the Imperial Works Department, which was a comfort to Li Chengqian.

"...Appoint Liu Xiaosun, the Chief Clerk of the Prince of Wei, as the Governor of Xiangzhou, and Chai Lingwu, the Minister of War of the Prince of Wei, as the Chief Clerk of Wei." After a brief pause, Cen Wenben said solemnly, "Remove Hou Junji from all official positions and bury him as a commoner. Appoint Marquis Zhiyi, the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, as the Magistrate of Taiyuan County. Remove Zhang Liang from all official positions and order a joint trial by the Three Courts. Remove Du Chuke from all official positions and order his execution."

All the ministers couldn't help but look up at the same time. What?
Two Qianniu Guards in red and golden armor stepped forward and bowed.

Cen Wenben looked at Hu Yan, the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. Hu Yan immediately stood up and bowed, then led two Qianniu Guards to stand up together.

Du Chuke and Zhang Liang are now imprisoned in Qianniu Prison. However, although there is the emperor's edict, in order to immediately behead Du Chuke, it is still necessary to go through the procedures of the Dali Temple.

Because the emperor is not in Chang'an now.

The emperor was not in Chang'an, but he directly beheaded Du Chuke.

The governor of a state, the younger brother of Duke Lai Du Ruhui, was beheaded just like that.

"…Since Prince Li Tai of Wei was in a state of anxiety, he was sent to the Shang Pharmacy for recuperation. General Chai Zhewei of the Right Tunwei Army immediately went to the Youzhou Palace to meet the emperor…" Cen Wenben then proceeded to appoint and dismiss a large number of officials and generals involved, pausing for half a day.

Li Chengqian kowtowed solemnly to the imperial edict, and then shouted with the ministers, "We obey the order. May Your Majesty live forever."

Cen Wenben stepped forward and placed the imperial edict in Li Chengqian's hand, then stepped back and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, please rise."

Li Chengqian nodded, stood up, and handed the imperial edict to Fang Xuanling beside him, nodding and saying, "Prime Minister Fang, please deal with it."

"Yes!" Fang Xuanling immediately bowed and stood up.

In Chang'an today, Crown Prince Li Chengqian is the regent, and Fang Xuanling is the prime minister assisting in the administration, so the imperial edict should be given to Li Chengqian first, and then to Fang Xuanling.

Li Chengqian turned to look at Cen Wenben, frowning and asking, "Prime Minister Cen, I see from the imperial edict that Father intends to remain in Youzhou and not return to Chang'an?"

The ministers in the hall were slightly stunned, but they understood in an instant. The emperor summoned Chai Zhewei to the Youzhou Palace to meet him. Doesn't that mean the emperor will have to stay in Youzhou for many days?

"Yes!" Cen Wenben bowed and said, "Your Majesty still has some things to prepare in Youzhou. In addition, the affairs of Qizhou also need to be properly handled before Your Majesty will return to the capital."

"Okay!" Li Chengqian nodded.

In Qizhou, before Liu Dewei and Li Ji led their troops to Qizhou, Li You had already lost control of Qizhou. Afterwards, Qizhou military officer Du Xingmin directly led his men to surround the Prince of Qi's Mansion and captured Li You.

The overall situation of the Qizhou rebellion has been resolved. What remains is to wipe out the remaining bandits and completely pacify the area.

The emperor paid more attention to Youzhou, Yingzhou, and even Liaodong Goryeo.

Li Tai's unrest in Chang'an did not affect the emperor's pace of conquering Goguryeo.

It didn't even affect his mood much.

After all, whether it was treason or witchcraft, they were all suppressed by Li Chengqian, and the entire Chang'an was still preparing for the emperor's eastern tour in an orderly manner.

Everything, everything is different.

In his previous life, Li Chengqian was deposed for treason, and the emperor's eastern expedition was delayed for a whole year.

Back then, the Li Chengqian incident did cause temporary chaos in the world, but more importantly, it was because the emperor's newly appointed crown prince Li Zhi was not intimidating enough to win the hearts of the people.

At that time, he waited for a year before he dared to embark on the Northern Expedition. But now everything is different.

Li Chengqian was not deposed, and everything in the court continued to operate in the established direction.

Although Li Tai rebelled, he was ultimately just the second son.

Even from the fact that the emperor directly appointed Liu Xiaosun, the chief secretary of King Wei, as the governor of Xiangzhou, we can know that Liu Xiaosun, the chief secretary of King Wei, has always been the emperor's man.

Li Chengqian's heart had completely calmed down.

If nothing unexpected happens, the emperor will send troops to Yingzhou in November this year, and then wait until next spring when the flowers bloom and march directly into Goguryeo. This is the emperor's plan.

In other words, if the emperor is in Youzhou now and does not return, it will probably take until June for him to return to Luoyang, and July for him to arrive in Chang'an.

The emperor will only stay in Chang'an for three more months this year. For the rest of the time, Chang'an will belong to him, Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian raised his head and asked gently, "Prime Minister Cen, are you going to stay in Chang'an this time, or..."

"Three days later, I will set off for Youzhou." Cen Wenben nodded and bowed.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and asked, "Is your father in good health in Youzhou..."

"Your Majesty is in good health..."

……

In the Wude Hall, Li Chengqian looked outside the hall calmly.

On both sides, Zhang Xuansu, Ma Zhou, Lai Heng, Xiao Jun and others were kneeling.

Recovering his composure, Li Chengqian asked, "Where is Prime Minister Cen now?"

"Your Highness!" Chang Sunxiang stepped out from behind on the left side and said with a bow, "Prime Minister Cen just went to the Marquis' Mansion and announced the decree to Hou Zhiyi. Although His Majesty has removed the Duke of Chen from his title of Duke, he has still granted Hou Zhiyi the title of Earl of Huaiyang."

"This is all thanks to his rebellion that day." Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "In this way, I have not let him down, and my father has repaid Duke Chen's decades of contributions to the Tang Dynasty."

Zhang Xuansu, Ma Zhou, Lai Heng, Xiao Jun and others nodded at the same time.

Li Chengqian smiled calmly. In fact, he knew in his heart that the emperor had never been interested in Hou Junji, but in this military general.

Granting Hou Zhiyi the title of Marquis of Huaiyang was a good deal in helping him rally the army's morale, which had been scattered by Hou Junji, Zhang Liang and others.

"Alright, it's settled. There's no need to discuss these matters anymore." Li Chengqian waved his hand and continued, "Now that Prime Minister Fang has returned to his post as Shangshu Zuo Pushe, and my uncle has returned to his post as Shangshu You Pushe, the government will immediately return to stability. You ministers should continue to focus on government affairs. Now that summer has arrived, watering the farmland is extremely important. Also, there's the Ministry of Works' forging of military equipment..."

Fang Xuanling was appointed Shangshu Zuo Pushe, Gao Shilian returned to Shangshu You Pushe, and the situation in the court stabilized again. Naturally, Li Chengqian, the regent prince, also had to play his role.

Even now, it is the most critical moment for Prince Li Chengqian to play his role.

Li Tai had already fallen, Li Zhi had not yet been helped up, and the emperor was not in Chang'an. It was the best time for Li Chengqian to win the hearts of the people in Chang'an.

He is the crown prince, the only crown prince in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Tai's rebellion made people realize this more deeply.

Now is the best time for Li Chengqian to actively handle state affairs and demonstrate his wisdom.

The entire Eastern Palace must take active action for this.

Just as Li Chengqian finished making the arrangements, Gao Zhenxing, the Crown Prince's attendant, stood outside the hall and said, "Your Highness, Prime Minister Fang requests an audience!"

"Oh!" Li Chengqian looked up and glanced at Gao Zhenxing in surprise, then looked at everyone and said, "Everyone, get back to work."

"Yes!" Everyone stood up, bowed together, and then turned and left.

"Go and invite Prime Minister Fang." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and watched Gao Zhenxing leave. He was a little confused. What was Fang Xuanling doing here?
……

Fang Xuanling, dressed in a purple robe, walked into the hall. He looked at Li Chengqian, who was standing in front of the main couch, and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, Fang Xuanling, pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Minister Fang, please stand up. Please take a seat!" Li Chengqian nodded, then asked, "Why are you here, Minister Fang?"

"Prime Minister Cen has already been to the Duke of Shen's residence, then to the Marquis' residence, the Princess Baling residence, and the Princess Pingyang residence. He just went to the Imperial Household Department and the Dali Temple. He should be in the Qianniu Prison now. Prime Minister Cen will be meeting the King of Wei soon." After a brief pause, Fang Xuanling looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness, although everything has settled down now, I still have some concerns about what happened that day."

"If you have any doubts, please feel free to tell me, Prime Minister Fang!" Li Chengqian looked at Fang Xuanling in surprise.

"It's about Hou Junji." Fang Xuanling's face was solemn, and he said thoughtfully, "Your Highness, I know Hou Junji to some extent. Although Your Highness planned everything that day, taking into account everything about the King of Wei, Hou Junji, and Zhang Liang, I still feel something is wrong."

"What's wrong?"

"Based on my understanding of Hou Junji, he must have a backup plan. But that day, his backup plan was nothing more than a ridiculous crossbow." Fang Xuanling looked at Li Chengqian's dragon robe and said with a low head, "I think that crossbow can't even penetrate the rattan armor Your Highness is wearing."

Li Chengqian calmed down. He now wore rattan armor every day when he went out. On the one hand, it was because of his leg disease, and on the other hand, it was also for safety reasons.

This was especially true that day at the Suzaku Gate.

You have to know that among thousands of troops, a long arrow shot from nowhere can take his life.

Li Chengqian nodded slowly and said, "What Prime Minister Fang said makes sense."

Back to Hou Junji, Li Chengqian also felt something was wrong. Hou Junji had only mobilized 3,000 soldiers.

If everything goes well, these three thousand people are just enough for him to take over the Eastern Palace. However, if something goes wrong, like Li Anyan who is guarding Yanxi Gate.

Yanxi Gate is right next to the Eastern Palace. If Hou Junji wants to attack the Eastern Palace, even if he threatens them with the witchcraft incident, Li Daliang and the others will not do so.

Adding Li Anyan's left gate guard, Hou Junji would not have enough manpower.

"It's a pity that Hou Junji is already dead. It's difficult to get to the bottom of these things." Fang Xuanling couldn't help but sigh.

"Qingque, and Zhang Liang, don't they know either?" Li Chengqian couldn't help but ask.

Fang Xuanling shook his head slightly and said, "Zhang Liang certainly doesn't know, but the King of Wei, whatever the King of Wei says now will probably be regarded as lies by others."

lie?

Li Chengqian's heart moved. Could it be that Fang Xuanling came today because of Fang Yiai's matter?

"Oh, Your Highness," Fang Xuanling said, looking up. "Your Highness, I have one question. The Zhang family of Jiangnan, like Zhang Liang, are descendants of the successor. The King of Wei used them to bring witchcraft into the Eastern Palace. So, were the Zhang family truly unaware of the King of Wei's rebellion?"

Li Chengqian suddenly laughed. He finally understood the purpose of Fang Xuanling's coming here.

He was worried that the emperor would suspect Fang Yiai and him.

(End of this chapter)