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

Chapter 273: Poison (Part )
The heat of July is scorching, and the cuckoos are singing in the wild.

On the banks of the Wei River, hundreds of cavalrymen quickly headed towards Chang'an City.

In the team, there was a yellow-covered carriage moving fast.

Amidst the bumpy ride, Li Zhi, dressed in a purple robe, pushed open the car window, looked out at the rolling hills, and whispered, "We've arrived at Mount Hua."

"At this rate, we'll be in Chang'an in half a day." Wei Ting sat across from Li Zhi and whispered, "Your Highness, be careful when you return to Chang'an!"

Li Zhi smiled calmly, then shook his head and said, "The Chief Secretary is wrong. Only when I return to Chang'an will I be truly safe. In Taiyuan, I always feel like I'm being watched at all times. Back in Chang'an, this kind of thing will happen much less often."

"Yes!" Wei Ting nodded slightly. He suddenly realized that he still didn't know enough about Li Zhi.

This time, Li Zhi set out from Luoyang to Taiyuan, but he had no idea how many men he had in Chang'an.

Because this time when going to Taiyuan, Li Zhi did not transfer too many people there.

"The Wang family of Taiyuan is not easy to deal with." Li Zhi shook his head slightly. In many things, he preferred to keep a backup plan.

"Yes!" Wei Ting bowed, then said, "Your Highness, after returning to Chang'an, it will be inconvenient for me to see you again..."

"I'm sorry to have implicated the Chief Secretary this time." Li Zhi bowed and said, "If I hadn't insisted on doing so, the Chief Secretary wouldn't have been dismissed from office."

"No, it's all my fault. I didn't see the pros and cons clearly, otherwise I wouldn't have made such a mistake." Wei Ting quickly bowed in return. Chu Suiliang had already explained all the details here to him, and clearly explained the pros and cons.

If the Turks have second thoughts about returning to the grassland, let them go back.

As long as they don't bring along those who are loyal to the emperor, especially the families of the Turkic soldiers now on the Liaodong battlefield.

The prince handled the situation appropriately, using the head of Zhenzhu Khan's eldest son, Yemang, to shock the entire grassland.

What's more, when Chu Suiliang arrived in Taiyuan, many of the Turks who had left had already returned from the grassland.

No one pursued the matter, it was as if they were just visiting relatives on the grassland.

"No matter what the details are, it's all over." Li Zhi shook his head, then said seriously: "All the mistakes in this matter are my fault. However, when I return to Chang'an City, I still need to trouble the Chief Secretary to help with some things."

"Your Highness, please speak. I will do my best." Wei Ting bowed with a serious expression.

Li Zhi smiled softly, then he said, "First, we need to find out what the current situation is in Chang'an City. The officials in the Eastern Palace must be happy about your great victory. Let's see if they have done anything wrong. If so, just like your brother reminded me this time, I must also give him a warning."

Wei Ting's eyebrows raised instantly. He knew that Prince Jin was blaming the prince for this incident.

However, from Wei Ting's point of view, the prince did intend to instigate, repeatedly warning the Prince of Jin not to act rashly, while he himself won a great victory in the northwest.

The King of Jin's competitive spirit eventually led to the situation getting out of control.

"I know what to do!" Wei Ting bowed seriously.

"Finally, let's talk about Guo Xiaoshen. This time when I returned to Chang'an from Taiyuan, he also resigned from all his positions in the palace and came back with me." After a brief pause, Li Zhi said, "However, fortunately, few people know about his work in the palace, so I'll ask the Chief Secretary to help arrange a good position for him."

"That's not difficult!" Wei Ting nodded. Although Wei Ting had been dismissed from all his official posts, he was a member of the Jingzhao Wei family after all. It was too easy to arrange for an unofficial person to take up a position.

"Guo Xiaoshen's wife was from the Wu clan of Taiyuan. The relationship between the Wu and Yang clans is well known to the Chief Secretary." Li Zhi watched Wei Ting nod, then continued, "Guo Xiaoshen's sister-in-law once met the Emperor in Luoyang. Afterward, the various temples in Chang'an were recruiting officials for positions like Registrar and Clerk. Unfortunately, he didn't seize the opportunity."

"I understand." Wei Ting nodded slightly. What Li Zhi meant was to find a way to get Guo Xiaoshen involved with the Eastern Palace.

Li Zhi must have more plans for this person, but Wei Ting didn't want to ask what they were.

Li Zhi looked up with satisfaction. Guo Xiaoshen and his cousin Guo Xiaoke were now the protectors of Anxi. The Guo family of Taiyuan was not easy to deal with, and the key was that there was also the Wu family of Taiyuan.

Guo Xiaoshen's mother-in-law was Yang of Hongnong, and she was also Li Zhi's great-aunt. The key point is that she was a talented military officer in the palace.

Li Zhi had to admit that he accidentally stepped into the prince's trap in Taiyuan, but the matter was not over yet.

Now the war in Liaodong has come to a temporary end. Next year, my father will return to Chang'an. We will talk about it then.

Wu Cairen, Li Zhi also learned to make plans slowly and secretly.

"The third thing." Li Zhi took a deep breath and said softly, "With the Eastern Palace's great victory, the morale of the court, especially their opinion of the Eastern Palace, will likely be greatly improved. The Chief Secretary should investigate further and see if he can provide any assistance."

"Hmm!" Wei Ting was stunned, and then he immediately understood King Jin's idea, to praise to death.

It’s okay if the prince does well in Chang’an, but if he does too well, it might be bad news.

"I understand." Wei Ting nodded seriously.

"After returning to Chang'an, the Chief Secretary can make his own arrangements outside. He doesn't need to come to see me." Li Zhi looked out the window at the Wei River and said softly, "I have been punished to reflect on my mistakes behind closed doors. I'm afraid my brother will have someone watching me at all times. He would be very happy if I made any mistakes."

"Yes!" Wei Ting's mouth twitched slightly, and then he lowered his head. Power really can change people.

……

Outside Chunming Gate in Chang'an City, Li Chengqian, dressed in a pale yellow python robe, stood at the forefront of the courtiers.

Fang Xuanling, Yang Shidao, Yu Zhining, Yuchi Jingde, Liu Dewei, Zheng Rentai and others stood behind Li Chengqian.

Chu Suiliang and his entourage arrived at Chunming Gate and gradually slowed down their horses.

Arriving within three feet of Li Chengqian and the others, Chu Suiliang immediately dismounted and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Greetings, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Chengqian raised his hand and said, "Mr. Chu, there is no need to be so polite. Father is in the army. Is he in good health?"

"Your Majesty, everything is fine." Chu Suiliang bowed, then slightly stepped aside. The carriage behind him came forward, and Chu Suiliang said, "I have been ordered to escort the Prince of Jin back to the city."

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Chu." Li Chengqian nodded gently, then looked at the carriage behind him and walked forward with a smile on his face.

In the back, the ministers looked at Li Zhi's carriage and their faces were not so good.

Xueyantuo Zhenzhu Khan's eldest son was captured alive. The ministers had many ways to get some credit from this. However, because of the trouble caused by Prince Jin in Bingzhou, the prince had to behead Yemang. Now many of the ministers' methods were useless.

This made their impression of King Jin much worse.

As soon as Li Chengqian reached the side of the carriage, Li Zhi jumped out and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Greetings, my royal brother."

Looking at Li Zhi, who was now as tall as himself, Li Chengqian said with emotion: "Zhi Nu, you have grown taller."

Li Zhi was slightly stunned, then he bowed in a panic and said, "Thank you for your concern, my Royal Brother."

"That's all right." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "You can return to Chang'an. Although the emperor has ordered you to reflect on your mistakes, I still have the right to ask you to burn a stick of incense at the Taimiao. After that, come to the Eastern Palace. Your sister-in-law has prepared a banquet. Jinyang and Xincheng will also be there... Oh, and your sister-in-law is back with you, right?"

"Yes!" Li Zhi cupped his hands and said, "In the back."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded, then said seriously, "You have been married for a year, but now there is no sign of an heir. Your father asked you to return to Chang'an this time, perhaps because he wanted you to rest and prepare for a child. Don't let your father down."

The corners of Li Zhi's mouth twitched slightly, and he glanced at the officials standing behind Li Chengqian. They all heard clearly every word Li Chengqian said.

Li Zhi was very thoughtful and could clearly hear the subtle undertones in Li Chengqian's words. How many officials in the court could not hear that?

"Yes!" Although Li Zhi felt aggrieved, he could only bow.

"Okay, you go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple first." Li Chengqian patted Li Zhi on the shoulder, then looked at Chu Suiliang and said, "Mr. Chu, go back to the palace and announce the decree."

"Here!"

……

"…Promoted Tian Renhui, the Lieutenant General of the Right Jinwu Guard, to the rank of General of the Right Jinwu Guard; transferred Xue Wanbei, the Lieutenant General of the Right Guard of the Crown Prince, to the rank of Lieutenant General of the Right Jinwu Guard; appointed Xi Junmai, the Crown Prince's Sheriff, and the Chief Clerk of Lanzhou; appointed Li Dejian, the Chief Clerk of Xiazhou, to the rank of Inspector of Xiazhou; and appointed Li Xiyu, the Governor of Shazhou, to the rank of Grand Master of the Imperial Palace..."

Chu Suiliang read out the appointments one by one, but the important ones were basically at the front, and the ones at the end were irrelevant.

Fang Xuanling knelt on the ground, thinking something in his mind.

Xue Wanbei, Xi Junmai, Li Dejian, and Li Xiyu all had close relationships with the crown prince, and the emperor appointed them without any hesitation.

Does the emperor really have no suspicion of the prince?

All those who were currently in Chang'an as per the imperial edict kowtowed in gratitude, and then the ministers stood up.

"...When I left Liaodong, the offensive against it had just begun. Your Majesty issued an order for Su Dingfang to capture Liaodong City within three days. This should not be a problem." Chu Suiliang paused briefly and said, "I traveled very quickly. Perhaps the victory report will reach Chang'an within a day or two."

"That's great." Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Once Liaodong City is taken, the army will have a firm foothold there. The rest will be much easier."

"Anshi City, nestled against a mountain, is inherently troublesome to defend. That's why Your Majesty has asked me to transfer Yang Wulian to Chang'an. I also ask Your Highness and Prime Minister Fang to prepare food, clothing, military equipment, medicinal herbs, and medical officers for delivery to Liaodong." After a brief pause, Chu Suiliang said, "If anyone can offer useful suggestions for the capture of Anshi City, I will convey them to Your Majesty."

"Isn't the city built on the mountain because of the lack of water and food?" Li Chengqian looked at Chu Suiliang in surprise.

"No, there are enough food reserves in the city, and there are also mountain springs." Chu Suiliang shook his head. Li Daozon had been blocked in Anshi City for almost three months, but still had not taken it. One could imagine how dangerous the city was.

"We still need to find a way to send people into the city and then find an opportunity to burn the food supplies." Li Chengqian pondered, then looked at the ministers and said, "As for the water source..."

"How about poisoning it?" Fang Xuanling asked, looking at Chu Suiliang, "Let's find the source and poison it. Since Dengshan is leaving Chang'an this time, why don't we take some poison from the palace?"

"What kind of poison could kill tens of thousands of people?" Li Chengqian shook his head and looked at Chu Suiliang. "Why not use croton seeds? Crush a large amount of them, stir them into bean juice, and then pour it into the water source of Goguryeo... We have as much croton seeds as you need."

Chu Suiliang looked at Li Chengqian in surprise: "Your Highness!"

"In order to ensure the smooth progress of my father's front line and the Tang Dynasty's front line, we have to use some despicable means." Li Chengqian shook his head slightly.

The emperor must invade Goguryeo next year.

(End of this chapter)