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

Chapter 256 Madam, Are You Wu Cairen's Sister? (First Update)
Luoyang, Longmen Grottoes.

Binyang South Cave, under the stone statue of Amitabha Buddha.

Li Chengqian, dressed in a light yellow dragon robe, knelt on a cushion, prayed sincerely, and kowtowed from time to time.

Suddenly, a light sound of footsteps sounded behind him. Li Chengqian raised his head, looked at the Buddha statue, and said calmly: "What's wrong?"

"Your Highness, it's snowing. Do you want to go back to the palace first?" Chang Sun Xiang stood behind Li Chengqian and asked in a low voice.

"What time is it?" Li Chengqian asked calmly.

"It's already 3 p.m. It will be dark in about half an hour."

"How's the snow?" Li Chengqian tilted his head slightly.

"It's quite big." Chang Sun Xiang hesitated.

"Then I won't be going back. I will pray for my father and the army for five hours today under the Buddha statue." Li Chengqian turned around, closed his eyes, and continued, "Send a message to Prime Minister Fang and Commander Qiu by express horseback, saying that I will be resting at the Yique Post Station tonight. Also, dispatch two teams of soldiers from the Yique Pass for protection."

"Yes!" Chang Sun Xiang bowed, then turned around and left quickly.

The Longmen Grottoes are located at the Yique Pass, where three thousand soldiers were stationed.

Li Chengqian is here, and they will keep an eye on him all the time.

In particular, they all knew that Li Chengqian would pray for the emperor and the eastern expedition army for three days at Longmen.

It is snowing heavily tonight. In order to avoid accidents, it is completely normal for Li Chengqian to rest at the post station at the foot of the mountain.

……

"Gee!" Li Chengqian slowly urged his horse and headed towards the post station at the foot of the mountain. Hundreds of Qianniu Guards on horseback were on guard in front and behind.

Not far away, the silhouette of Yique Pass was still clear under the heavy snow.

The snow was all over the sky.

At the foot of the mountain, a small town is clearly visible.

The post station is located on the north side of the town. The dignitaries who go to the mountain to worship Buddha often choose to stay here.

It was snowing heavily. When Li Chengqian and his party arrived at the town, the streets were completely deserted.

When we were almost at the north side of the town, we could clearly see that hundreds of soldiers had guarded the inside and outside of the post station.

However, just at the door, a carriage stopped at the door of the post station, and six black-clad guards frowned and looked at the Qianniu Guards at the door.

An elderly steward in blue clothes was holding a business card and talking to the guards at the gate. However, the guards looked indifferent, but did not chase them away.

Chang Sunxiang rode up first and shouted coldly, "What's going on?"

The Qianniu Guards guarding the gate immediately stepped forward and bowed to Changsun Xiang, saying, "Housekeeper, these are the family members of Helan Yueshi, a man from Yingshan County. They came to Longmen today to pray for blessings. Due to the heavy snow, they descended the mountain and returned to Luoyang early. They had already left, but due to the heavy snow, they turned back and wanted to rest in the post station."

"Helan?" Chang Sunxiang's brows furrowed instantly. He looked at the people at the door with cold eyes and said in a cold voice, "Let them go and find a random family in the town to live with."

"Don't be so nervous." Li Chengqian urged his horse forward from behind and said calmly, "Not many people know that I came to Longmen today."

"But Your Highness is from the Helan family." Chang Sun Xiang bowed with a serious expression.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "There are so many people from the Helan family. Do I have to avoid them all? Besides, those things have nothing to do with the Helan family. They just suffered an unexpected disaster. Let them in. They don't know I am at Longmen today."

Only Fang Xuanling, Qiu Xinggong and others knew that Li Chengqian came to Longmen Grottoes to pray today.

The fact that he prayed here for three days would only spread among the people of Luoyang after he returned to Chang'an.

Hearing what Li Chengqian said, Changsun Xiang could only bow.

Li Chengqian walked past Changsun Xiang and whispered, "Cousin, keeping them under watch is better than letting them run amok in the town. Besides, no one could have predicted such heavy snow tonight."

"I understand!" Changsun Xiang's eyes lit up, and then he immediately bowed.

Only after Li Chengqian and his party had completely entered the post station did Changsun Xiang let them in.

But after a while, those people came again and said they wanted to see the prince.

Chang Sunxiang was about to drive them away, but when he saw the new visiting cards in their hands, he hesitated for a moment, but then went in to report.

……

Li Chengqian sat on the main couch at the bottom of the hall. He looked at Wu Shun, who was wearing a purple skirt and had a rather pretty face. He frowned and asked, "Are you the elder sister of Wu Cairen?"

"Yes!" Wu Shun bowed carefully, pursed her lips slightly, and lowered her head to say, "My father is the late Duke of Ying and Governor of Jingzhou, Duke Wu Shikui. My cousin is Duke Yang Shidao, Duke of Ande. My second sister entered the palace in the tenth year of the Zhenguan reign and was favored by Your Majesty. She was named a fifth-rank talent and given the title 'Wu Mei'."

Li Chengqian nodded slowly. The elder sister's name was Wu Shun and the younger sister's name was Wu Mei. This was normal.

Because of the "Mei" in her name, people close to her would call her Mei Niang, and some people even combined the two to form Wu Meiniang.

The reputations of Wu Shigui and Yang Shidao might not be enough to get Changsun Xiang to let them go, but since Wu Shun raised Wu Meiniang's eyebrows, Changsun Xiang had to give them some face.

Although a fifth-rank talent sounds like a maid who serves people, it is actually not the case at all.

Wu Meiniang was the emperor's real concubine.

Although the emperor has countless concubines, from the four concubines of the first rank, the nine concubines of the second rank, to the imperial concubines of the third rank, the beauties of the fourth rank, and the talented women of the fifth rank, there are only a dozen or so real ladies who can be rewarded by imperial decree, and less than twenty of them.

The rest included Baolin of the sixth rank, imperial concubines of the seventh rank, and concubines of the eighth rank, twenty-seven each, making a total of eighty-one imperial wives.

Although there are many imperial wives, most of them do not have names.

Moreover, a talented person is of the fifth rank, and in the court he would have the rank of Zhongshu Sheren, Zhongcheng Yushi, Jianyi Dafu, Guozi Doctor, Jieshizhong, Wannian Chang'an and other county magistrates in the capital.

A promotion to the next level means the position of Junior Supervisor of the Five Institutions, Junior Secretary of the Nine Temples, Vice Minister of the Six Ministries, or even Governor of a lower state.

Wu Meiniang, the emperor's talented woman, was not someone who could be ordered around in the palace.

She entered the palace at the age of fourteen and was immediately appointed as a fifth-rank talent among the inner court ladies. In addition to the legacy of Wu Shihuo, the three Yang concubines in the palace and the Yan concubine, who was considered her cousin, were also the emperor's favorite concubines.

At this time, the emperor's old injury had not yet relapsed and he was not seriously ill. Wu Meiniang was still in the harem as a talented woman, with no chance of entering the front court. However, Wu Shun was now using the name of Wu Meiniang, which was enough for him to meet Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian had to give face to the emperor's concubines, or more accurately, to the emperor.

……

"I don't see Consort Wu very often. I only see her serving beside my father when I occasionally go to Ganlu Palace." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian changed the subject from the emperor's harem and looked at Wu Shun and said, "So, Madam is now married into the Helan family?"

Originally, the Helan family's reputation was enough. There was the Shangshu Ling Helan Ne, the uncle of Emperor Daowu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the former Minister of Personnel and Duke of Cheng'an of the Sui Dynasty, Helan Fan, the Silver and Green Guanglu Doctor, Palace Attendant, and Duke of Yingshan County of this dynasty, Helan Shiren, and Wu Shun's husband, the male of Yingshan County and the military officer of the Yue King's Law Department, Helan Yueshi.

It just so happens that Helan Yueshi has a cousin named Helan Chushi.

Helan Chushi plotted rebellion.

Helan Chushi's rebellion in this life is different from that in the previous life.

In the previous life, Helan Chushi reported Hou Junji in the end, so he was not beheaded on the spot, but was exiled to a remote place and then disappeared silently.

That incident did not implicate anyone from the Helan family.

But this life was different. Helan Chushi had no chance to inform on others. Not only was he involved in Hou Junji's rebellion case, he also secretly gave Hou Junji the memorial that Li Chengqian presented to the emperor. Everything was revealed afterwards.

Therefore, Helan Chushi was directly beheaded for treason.

Tang law stipulated that anyone who plotted rebellion or high treason would be beheaded, regardless of whether they were the ringleader or the accomplice; their father and sixteen-year-old sons would be strangled; the rest would be forced into government service, their property confiscated, and their uncles, nephews, and nephews would be exiled three thousand miles. Those who attempted the plot but failed to carry it out would be strangled.

Helan Chushi's father, children, uncles, brothers, and nephews were all implicated.

Helan Yueshi could barely be considered a cousin, and since he was not involved in the incident, he was neither dismissed from office nor exiled.

However, he was a military officer of King Li Zhen of Yue, so the emperor naturally had to transfer him away from Li Zhen.

"...Originally, my husband was to be transferred to Shezhou, but because his uncle was the General of Chariots and Cavalry of the Left Sifu, he was transferred to the Left Guard, serving in the front lines of the army." Wu Shun bowed her head slightly and said, "I came here today to pray for my husband. I didn't expect to encounter such heavy snow, and I met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Therefore, I come here to apologize for my previous disrespect."

"It's not really rude. I came to Longmen today, and not many people know about it. I just happened to meet you." Li Chengqian turned sideways, looked at Changsun Xiang and said, "Have someone give a portion of the extra hot soup to Madam Helan."

Serve tea to see the guests off.

Wu Shun instantly understood what Li Chengqian meant. She quickly stood up, bowed deeply, and said, "I shouldn't bother you any further, Your Highness. I just have something I'd like to ask for your advice."

Sure enough, something happened.

Li Chengqian glanced at Chang Sun Xiang from the corner of his eye, and Chang Sun Xiang nodded slightly.

Li Chengqian smiled at Wu Shun and said, "Madam, if you have anything to say, please speak frankly. For the sake of Lady Wu, I will tell you everything I can."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Wu Shun breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "My third sister married into the Guo family in Taiyuan, and my brother-in-law originally planned to participate in the imperial examination next year..."

"There won't be any imperial examinations next year." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Your Majesty is not in Chang'an, and nearly half of the important officials in the court are not in Chang'an either. Most of the court's manpower is focused on the expedition to Liaodong. The court has no extra energy and will not hold an imperial examination while Your Majesty is away. Your Majesty didn't make any arrangements before he left."

The imperial examination was the emperor's power, and the questions for the imperial examination were all set by the emperor. It was naturally impossible to hold any imperial examination if the emperor was no longer in power.

Li Chengqian looked at Wu Shun in surprise. This should be something known to everyone!
Seeing Li Chengqian's questioning look, Wu Shun smiled bitterly and explained, "My brother-in-law is the youngest son of a family. His father has passed away, and he himself is neither good at literature nor martial arts. Life is difficult. I had originally hoped that the court would expand the imperial examination system, but I didn't expect Your Majesty to do so so soon..."

The emperor's dispatch of troops to Goguryeo was itself an extremely secret matter.

This is especially true for those who do not have deep connections with North Korea and China.

Li Chengqian nodded. Wu Shun's brother-in-law had no source of income after his father passed away. He was neither good at literature nor martial arts, so he had to live off his family. He had no other choice but to ask Wu Shun for help.

Or to be more precise, it was Wu Shun's mother, Yang.

Yang and Zhongshuliang Yang Shidao were cousins, real cousins. Yang's father Yang Da and Yang Shidao's father Yang Xiong were brothers, so it seemed there was no problem in asking for mercy.

However, Yang Xiong had seven sons and four daughters, and Yang Shidao had a lot of things to do in his own family, so how could he take care of his cousin's son-in-law?

Especially my cousin's son-in-law is not that capable yet.

In addition, the emperor has left the capital, and new disturbances are brewing in the court. At this time, if the flaws are exposed, it will be troublesome.

Therefore, Yang Shidao kept dragging it out until the situation became clear.

Most importantly, Yang herself wasn't too eager to help.

After all, she is a leisurely person, otherwise she would not have waited until she was forty years old to remarry Wu Shigui.

Instead, it was the eldest sister Wu Shun who was the most helpful, but unfortunately, her own situation was not very good either.

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "Next year, the Ministry of Personnel will recruit some scholars to serve in the army as non-official officials, similar to the Dianshu and Lingshi. If they perform well, they can be directly promoted to the ninth rank. If they perform averagely, they can also be used as extra points for future imperial examinations... It all depends on the individual."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Wu Shun's face was full of joy and he bowed deeply again.

Li Chengqian nodded calmly, looked at Changsun Xiang and said, "Send the Madam back, and bring a few more servings of hot soup."

Wu Shun immediately bowed again and said, "I'm sorry to bother you, Your Highness. I will die. I'll take my leave."

……

In the bright lobby, Li Chengqian lowered his head, thinking about something.

"Your Highness!" Chang Sunxiang came back from escorting someone, walked to the side, and asked in a low voice: "Your Highness, do you want to check it out?"

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Let's investigate carefully, but I think today's incident is just a coincidence. After all, the people of the Yang family don't dare to get too close to me at this time."

Chang Sunxiang immediately understood that Li Chengqian was talking about Yang Shidao.

The granddaughter of the Yang family had just married Li Zhi as a princess. Their relationship was not yet so deep that she would not get close to Li Chengqian now and arouse his suspicion.

"Your Highness, it's best to keep a closer eye on this. Duke Ying was well-known for his business when he was alive. Furthermore, the Wu and Guo families of Taiyuan are both in Taiyuan. It's hard to say if the Prince of Jin won't be plotting against this." Chang Sunxiang paused briefly, then said seriously, "Even if he doesn't do it now, there will be a future. It's best to be on guard."

"You're right." Li Chengqian nodded, his expression becoming serious. He said, "Send someone to inform the Wang family and ask them to pay more attention. In Taiyuan, they are still more capable."

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)