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

Chapter 263: The Guanlong Clan's Purge of the Jiangnan Aristocracy (Part )

Under the Chongde Gate, the lights are bright.

Li Chengqian and Su Shu watched Feng and Princess Nanchang leave. Su Shu finally couldn't help but look at Li Chengqian: "Your Highness, between Father Ye and Uncle, did you choose Uncle?"

Li Chengqian felt a little embarrassed and turned around and said sincerely, "I am sorry, my beloved concubine."

Su Shu was slightly stunned. Li Chengqian admitted his mistake too quickly.

Su Shu lowered her voice, shook her head, and said reluctantly, "The court has its own rules. Brothers and uncles cannot hold the position of chief official at the same time. Therefore, one of my father and uncle must be transferred out of the capital."

"That being said, if I insist, I'm not completely hopeless." Li Chengqian reached out to help Su Shu hold her cloak tightly, then whispered, "For example, Lai Ji, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, and his brother Lai Heng, the Prince's Chief of Staff. One is in the Central Secretariat, and the other is in the Eastern Palace. Both are possible."

"Your Highness, do you mean to let Aye serve as the chief historian of the kings?" Su Shu immediately understood Li Chengqian's subtext.

"This is the only way." Li Chengqian helped Su Shu into Cheng'en Hall and sat her down on the main couch. He then waved his hand, letting the maids leave, and said, "I've thought about this before. Actually, it would be best for me if my father-in-law could be transferred to the post of Governor of Huazhou. That way, if anything happens in the future, we can immediately control Tongguan and Hanguguan, blocking Bingzhou's access to Chang'an."

"Your Highness, are you saying that Prince Jin will raise an army?" Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian nervously.

"My beloved, do you know how Fusu died?" Li Chengqian asked softly.

"I know!" Su Shu nodded and said, "After the First Emperor's death, Zhao Gao and Li Si secretly kept the news secret and secretly supported Hu Hai to ascend the throne. At the same time, they forged an imperial edict to force Fusu to commit suicide."

"Back then, before the First Emperor's death, he sent a letter to Fusu, ordering him to return to Xianyang for the funeral and then ascend the throne. Then, Zhao Gao and his men snooped through the imperial edict in Shaqiu, forged it, and forced Fusu to commit suicide on the way back to Chang'an." Li Chengqian looked at Su Shu and whispered, "Don't you think the current situation is very similar?"

"But His Highness is in Chang'an now?" Su Shu was stunned for a moment.

"Fusu still has 300,000 troops at his disposal?" Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "The key is location. Father, when returning to Chang'an, must go through Dingzhou and Xingzhou, and Taiyuan is only 500 miles away from Dingzhou."

"Your Highness means that Prince Jin will send troops to attack Your Majesty!" Su Shu couldn't help but grab Li Chengqian's arm, her eyes full of horror.

"No, it's Father who will summon Zhinu." Li Chengqian raised his head and said softly, "When Father returns to the capital, Zhinu will be there before me. He's always eloquent and will gossip in front of Father. If Father catches a cold again, who knows what will happen!"

"Your Highness!" Su Shu had completely understood the meaning of Li Chengqian's words. Li Zhi would take the opportunity to seize the throne.

"I'm just stating a possibility. It's up to you." Li Chengqian scratched Su Shu's nose and said softly, "With my uncle here, even if Zhinu wanted to, it would be difficult for him to succeed. At most, he could only slander me in front of the emperor. But he will definitely return to the capital with the emperor. Once he returns, it will be difficult for him to leave again."

Li Chengqian sighed lightly. The fundamental reason why Li Zhi was sent back to Taiyuan was because the emperor was going on an expedition to the east and needed someone to suppress the Turks in Daibei.

He actually didn't want Li Zhi to leave his side.

Therefore, as long as he returned to the court, he didn't want Li Zhi to leave.

As long as Li Zhi stayed in Chang'an, he would naturally give people the impression that he had the opportunity to participate in the fight for the throne.

The rest makes sense.

"Is there no other solution?" Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian and couldn't help asking, "Will the Prince of Jin really do that?"

"Zhi Nu, he has grown up." Li Chengqian sighed softly. If there was hope, he would also hope that Li Zhi could be a peaceful King of Jin, but once you have tasted the power, no one would be willing to give it up, and Li Zhi was the same.

"So that's why Your Highness started to win over the Jiangnan gentry?" Su Shu understood a little.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Although the Jiangnan gentry have had their own connections in the court over the years, the Xiao family is still the main one. They say it's the Duke of Song, but it's actually that one, and that one is still alive!"

"Empress Xiao?" Su Shu immediately understood. With Empress Xiao, the Jiangnan gentry might really be able to join forces at the critical moment.

"Liu Li, Cen Wenben, Chu Suiliang, Xu Jingzong, they are all more or less related to the Xiao family." Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said, "If Zhinu and I fight, then even if the Guanzhong families have some sympathy, it won't be too much. The Shandong families have always been descendants of surrendered generals, so they dare not get involved too much. Only the Jiangnan gentry, if you count carefully, they account for three of the eight prime ministers in the court."

"But didn't His Highness say that Duke Shen and Duke Song would be dismissed as prime ministers once His Majesty returned to court?"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "My uncle will retire, and the Duke of Song will leave Chang'an again. My uncle, Prime Minister Fang, Prime Minister Yang, Prime Minister Cen, Prime Minister Liu, and Prime Minister Yu, there are six left. Maybe Chu Suiliang will join us. There is also one, Duke of Ying, Li Ji."

……

"The Duke of Ying is neutral, and my uncle may also be neutral. Prime Minister Fang will start with Fang Yiai. Prime Minister Yu is my man. Prime Minister Yang will most likely lean towards Zhinu. The only ones left are Prime Minister Cen, Prime Minister Liu, and Prime Minister Zhu." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly. He finally understood why Zhangsun Wuji wanted to kill Liu Li after Li Zhi came to power in his previous life.

The Jiangnan family has too much influence among the prime ministers in the court.

In his previous life, Yu Zhining was not the prime minister, and Yang Shidao was dismissed because of the Zhao Jie incident. The remaining prime ministers were Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Li Ji, Cen Wenben, Chu Suiliang and Liu Li.

Once Li Ji remained neutral, the number of Jiangnan families in the Council of State would outnumber Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling. This is why the two of them joined forces to kill Liu Li.

These things are usually inconspicuous, but everything will be clearly displayed in the seating arrangement in the government hall.

After Liu Li died, Cen Wenben remained silent. Chu Suiliang, who had always been friendly with Zhangsun Wuji, immediately defected to him.

This is also the reason why Chu Suiliang later gave unlimited support to Zhangsun Wuji in the dispute over the dethronement of the empress.

The purge of the Jiangnan aristocratic families' influence in the court was the root cause of the political struggles in the late Zhenguan period of the previous life. "That's why Your Highness is trying to win over the Jiangnan aristocratic families through your uncle." Su Shu finally understood everything.

Li Chengqian nodded. He would not get involved in the future competition for the position of prime minister, and he had no intention of standing against Changsun Wuji.

And if nothing unexpected happens, the most fundamental person to purge the influence of the Jiangnan families in the court is likely to be the emperor.

"Of course, there's more to it than that." Li Chengqian smiled at Su Shu and said, "The one Zhinu can rely on the most right now is the Hongnong Yang Clan. Let him contact them and become more deeply bound to them. When that happens, he'll realize how wrong he was."

"Huh?" Su Shu looked confused.

"Uncle!" Li Chengqian sighed softly, pointing out the key point, and then said, "If there is anyone in the court who is most wary of the Hongnong Yang family, it is no one other than my uncle. If Zhinu really wants to use the Hongnong Yang family to do something, the person she will offend the most is actually my uncle."

"So that's why. No wonder Your Highness did nothing for Prince Jin in Taiyuan." Su Shu immediately understood.

"If I do it, it will be a fight between brothers, a fight for the throne. But if I don't take action, it will be the Hongnong Yang family who are colluding with the Prince of Jin, and the one who should be vigilant is my uncle." Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said, "And to be honest, the Hongnong Yang family may not dare to get too close to Zhinu, especially in Prime Minister Yang's family."

"Princess Changguang." Su Shu's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Zhao Jie!" Li Chengqian pointed out the key point.

Zhao Jie was the son of Princess Changguang and Zhao Cijing. Princess Changguang later married Yang Shidao, but Princess Changguang was very doting on her son, which led to Yang Shidao also being very nice to Zhao Jie.

"But Zhao Jie's surname is also Zhao?" Su Shu couldn't help but show a trace of worry on her face.

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "What Zhao Jie wants most is actually to be promoted to Duke. He is sure that once I ascend the throne, I will help him realize his wish. If that's the case, why would he risk betraying me by joining Zhinu? Besides, the one marrying Zhinu is just his cousin, not his biological sister."

"If it were Prince Jin..."

"If Zhao Jie changes his mind, then it would be better." Li Chengqian said softly, raised his head and stopped talking.

Su Shu immediately understood that Li Chengqian was also on guard against Zhao Jie.

After a moment, Li Chengqian sighed and said, "As long as I don't make any mistakes, then my uncle, Prime Minister Fang, Prime Minister Yang, Prime Minister Cen, Prime Minister Liu, Lord Chu, Prime Minister Yu, and Duke Ying will not support Zhinu. The only one who can make Zhinu a real threat to me is my father. Who knows, maybe my father will become confused one day."

Li Chengqian raised his head and looked outside the palace, then said softly, "If one day, the emperor becomes truly confused and wants to depose the eldest son and enthronize the youngest son without my having done anything wrong, then I will unite with the other ministers and together we will give the emperor a good 'remonstration'."

In this world, with Li Chengqian's current prestige in the court and the country, as long as he does not make any mistakes, the emperor cannot be deposed. If the emperor is really confused and wants to depose him, then it is not certain who will be deposed at that time.

In particular, Li Chengqian still has Wu Meiniang as a hook in his hands.

……

The breeze is cool, the moon is cold, and the piano sounds are long and lingering.

When Li Chengqian entered the Eight Winds Hall, he immediately saw the Crown Prince's wife, his beloved concubine Zhang Xuan, sitting in the hall and playing the piano softly.

She was wearing a light white dress, had a gorgeous appearance and a focused expression, which made her particularly eye-catching.

Li Chengqian did not disturb her. He sat down on the couch and looked at this charming woman from Jiangnan with calm eyes.

A song is empty, and the sound of the piano echoes.

Zhang Xuan stood up and walked to Li Chengqian's side, bowing and saying, "Your Highness!"

Li Chengqian didn't say anything, took her wrist and walked to the bed in the inner hall.

"You all go down." Li Chengqian turned sideways and looked at the maid in the hall, who immediately retreated with a blushing face.

"A year and a half." Li Chengqian placed his hand on Zhang Xuan's belt, looked at her delicate face, and asked softly, "Now, have you made up your mind?"

"Yeah!" Zhang Xuan nodded vigorously, her cheeks flushed.

"Okay!" Li Chengqian let go of her hand, looked at Zhang Xuan, and said softly, "You can do it yourself."

Zhang Xuan bit her lower lip, then placed her two soft hands on the belt and gently untied it.

Easy to untie Luo Shang.

The fragrance of red lotus remains.

……

It means: The spring tide comes with rain in the evening, and the boat is drifting alone at the wild crossing.

(End of this chapter)