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

Chapter 319: Li Yifu, a Knife (Part )
The night is deep and the stars are bright.

Luoyang East Palace, Mingli Hall.

The candlelight is bright.

Li Chengqian, dressed in a black robe with golden python threads, sat behind a low table, looking at the chapter in front of him and reading softly: "Cui Zong, Magistrate of Zhuoying County, and consort of the Ningyu County Lady. He had five sons: Xing Jin, Xing Jian, Xing Gong, Xing Zheng, and Xing Zhen. He also had three daughters: Cui Xuan, Cui Luan, and Cui Chu."

Cui Zong's father, Cui Yuan, served as Sima of Qing and Ji provinces in the Sui Dynasty.

Cui Yuan had four sons. Apart from Cui Zong, the magistrate of Zhuoying County, only his second son, Cui Fenglin, was a seventh-rank inspector of the Ministry of Justice in Chang'an.

Cui Xinggong was a seventh-rank inspector of the Ministry of Revenue, while his other brothers were still holding ninth-rank official positions.

"The Cui family of Boling!" Li Chengqian couldn't help but sigh.

There are too many talented people in the Cui family of Boling.

Not to mention the local governors, in the six ministries alone, there are two people, Cui Dunli, the Vice Minister of War, and Cui Renshi, the Vice Minister of Revenue.

Of course, although they all came from the Cui family of Boling, they were not from the same family, and they were not even from the same family as Cui Xinggong.

Therefore, Cui Dunli and Cui Renshi were able to serve in the court at the same time without hindrance.

Just like Pei Yan and Pei Xingjian in Li Zhi's dynasty.

One is the Minister of Justice and the other is the Minister of War.

Although they were all from the Hedong Pei family, being from different branches was in line with the dynasty system.

In fact, the fundamental reason is that the relationship between Cui Dunli and Cui Renshi, like that between Pei Yan and Pei Xingjian, is not very good.

Now both of them are still at the level of assistant ministers, and the conflict is not too big, but once both of them are promoted to ministers, they will immediately become mortal enemies.

Because as long as both of them are alive, only one of them can become prime minister.

Once a person takes this step, the other person will be blocked as long as he is alive.

It will never be possible to become prime minister.

Because the emperor didn't allow it.

Li Shimin would not allow two prime ministers with the surname Cui to appear in the Council of State at the same time. Li Chengqian would not allow it, and even Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling would not allow it.

Not to mention two people, even if there is only one, when taking this step, he will encounter countless open and hidden attacks.

The methods of the Guanlong family are not as gentle as they appear.

……

Li Chengqian collected his thoughts and closed the chapter. The reason why the emperor wanted him to marry the daughter of Cui from Boling to be the prince's concubine was actually to stabilize Hebei.

During the two years of the conquest of Goguryeo, the people in other places only had to pay for food, but the people in Hebei actually took on the heavy responsibility of transporting the army.

But even so, the taxes in the court did not decrease, and in some places they were even increased.

After all, transporting grain and fodder from Hebei will save much less loss than transporting it from other places.

Therefore, the people of Hebei have not had an easy time in the past two years.

The emperor's eastern expedition to Goguryeo was temporarily over, and the people of Hebei could breathe a sigh of relief.

However, two years later, everything has to start all over again.

Therefore, it is necessary to appease the people of Hebei in advance.

One of them was to marry the daughter of Cui from Boling to be the crown prince's concubine, and the other was to establish Li Jue as the Prince of Hengshan.

The emperor was trying to rally the people of Hebei towards Li Chengqian.

Through these means, the emperor was telling the people of Hebei that the prince had been conferred the titles of Prince of Hengshan and Prince of Changshan.

The prince's fiefdom was once in Hebei.

The emperor was telling the people of Hebei that when the prince ascends the throne in the future, he will definitely make use of people from Hebei.

To a certain extent, this determines the direction of the government in the next two years.

Li Chengqian stood up and shook his head slightly.

The emperor will give the people of Hebei some benefits through Li Chengqian in the next two years. When the emperor launches another expedition to Goguryeo in two years, the people of Hebei will be needed to contribute greatly...

A burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall, interrupting Li Chengqian's thoughts.

The Crown Prince's Household Manager, Changsun Xiang, hurried into the hall and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Highness, news has just arrived from Chang'an that Li Yifu, the Assistant Censor of the Prince of Jin, has returned to the court."

"Hmm?" Li Chengqian's brows suddenly became serious.

……

Chang Sunxiang pulled a short note from his sleeve and handed it to Li Chengqian, then said, "Li Yifu returned to Chang'an three days ago. After returning to Chang'an, he immediately sent someone to deliver a letter to the Eastern Palace. The Eastern Palace received the news that Your Highness would be coming to Luoyang soon, so they sent someone to deliver the news to Luoyang."

Li Chengqian sat on the short couch, opened the note in surprise, and said, "Li Yifu took the initiative to send the news to the Eastern Palace?"

"Yes!" Chang Sunxiang bowed and said, "Li Yifu reported that His Majesty had issued an oral instruction: 'The Censorate has so much going on, why is he, a Censor-in-Chief, staying in Taiyuan for so long?'"

Li Chengqian's hand suddenly stopped, and he looked up solemnly and asked, "Did your Majesty mention the Censorate?"

"Yes!" Chang Sun Xiang nodded, looking a little surprised.

Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Xiang, smiled softly, and asked, "Cousin, are you concerned about Li Yifu being transferred back to Chang'an?"

"Yes!" Zhang Sunxiang's face became serious, and he said with a folded hand: "Li Yifu is the official of the Prince of Jin, the Imperial Censor. He is the sword of the Prince of Jin's palace."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly. Li Yifu's identity was more important. He was a knife placed in Li Zhi's hand by the emperor.

The censor could impeach everyone in the court. If Li Zhi was really bullied, Li Yifu would impeach him in the court and the emperor would immediately become furious.

It’s not that Li Zhi couldn’t tell the emperor these things directly, but once these things were impeached by the Imperial Censor, they would immediately become a big deal.

Some things, if they are not weighed, only weigh four ounces, but if they are weighed, they cannot even weigh a thousand pounds.

When the emperor was told about Li Zhi's affairs, sometimes he didn't care and just laughed it off.

After all, it is not an ordinary person who can embarrass Li Zhi.

The emperor considered other factors and let it go.

But once Li Yifu brought the case to the court, with countless people vying for it, no one knew how many people would die in the end.

Therefore, Li Yifu's appointment as Jin Wang's official from the position of Imperial Censor was tantamount to guaranteeing Li Zhi's authority in disguise.

"What I am concerned about is that Your Majesty had been keeping Li Yifu in Taiyuan, but now transferred him back to Chang'an. And from what Your Majesty said, it seems that you want Li Yifu to put aside all the affairs of the Prince of Jin's Mansion. In other words, Your Majesty may..." Chang Sun Xiang couldn't continue.

"Your Majesty Father intends to remove Li Yifu from his duties at the Prince of Jin's Mansion." Li Chengqian nodded and said, "I'm afraid Li Yifu himself has also realized this... No, Your Majesty Father intends to reorganize the entire Prince of Jin's Mansion."

Chang Sunxiang was listening at the side and his face was suddenly shocked.

Transferring Li Yifu, the knife, from the Prince of Jin's Mansion is serious enough in itself. If it means adjusting all the bureaucrats in the Prince of Jin's Mansion, then the matter will be even bigger.

Li Chengqian raised his head and looked at Zhangsun Xiang. He said, "Transferring Li Yifu out of the Prince of Jin's Mansion is just removing one of Zhinu's arms. But if your Majesty wants to reorganize the entire Prince of Jin's Mansion, I'm afraid your Majesty will do something to Zhinu."

"Your Highness!" Changsun Xiang shuddered violently. Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "This matter is a done deal. Cousin, do you remember that day at the Dingzhou Palace, when my uncle came to take care of us, he mentioned the matter of Xu Shuya, the Sima of the Prince of Jin. At that time, my uncle must have been considering whether to transfer Xu Shuya away?"

Chang Sunxiang nodded, it was indeed like that...

Suddenly, Chang Sunxiang frowned.

"What's wrong?" Li Chengqian asked in surprise.

Zhang Sunxiang looked at Li Chengqian and said hesitantly, "Your Highness, if Li Yifu and Xu Shuya are both to be transferred, then His Majesty will want more than just adjustments to the Prince of Jin's Mansion..."

"Oh!" Li Chengqian was slightly stunned and asked subconsciously: "What do you think, cousin?"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Chang Sun Xiang hesitantly bowed and said, "Your Majesty may be planning to transfer the Prince of Jin from Bingzhou."

"Transfer Zhinu from Bingzhou?" Li Chengqian stood up suddenly, frowned, looked at Changsun Xiang, and said, "Cousin, what I'm saying is that father is planning to remove Zhinu from his position as Bingzhou governor."

Changsun Xiang bowed solemnly with a bitter expression. He didn't understand other people, but he knew Changsun Wuji best.

This is what Changsun Wuji meant when he combined his words that day with Li Yifu's actions now.

"Why do you think so, cousin?" Li Chengqian was a little surprised.

"Since adjustments must be made to the Prince of Jin's mansion, why not start from the root?" Chang Sunxiang shook his head and said with a bitter sigh, "Bingzhou has the Wang family of Taiyuan. As long as the Prince of Jin is in Taiyuan, conflicts will always be inevitable. If that's the case, why not simply transfer the Prince of Jin away from Taiyuan... After all, the Wang family of Taiyuan can't leave Taiyuan. In the end, the only one who can leave Taiyuan is the Prince of Jin."

"So that's how it is." Li Chengqian sat down slowly, looking thoughtful. It was indeed the case.

He thought carefully, and everything that happened in Dingzhou, and many details in the emperor's words and conversations, all showed this point.

Li Zhi was transferred from Taiyuan and dismissed from his post as governor of Bingzhou.

This was the best punishment for Li Zhi's intention to attack Li Chengqian.

While alerting others, it can also give an explanation to everyone who knows about this matter.

No wonder that all the way from Dingzhou to Luoyang, the emperor let Li Zhi deal with local political affairs, while Li Chengqian was responsible for communicating with the three provinces and six ministries.

It turned out to be the case.

……

Li Chengqian placed a hand on the memorial and nodded slowly, "That makes sense. Li Yifu has always been the one who sees things clearly. Although he had a good relationship with the Eastern Palace before, he actually kept a certain distance. Now that he has returned to Chang'an and contacted the Eastern Palace directly, it shows that he has also seen the situation clearly."

Don't underestimate Li Yifu's ability. Later, he was able to overthrow the Changsun family and destroy the absolute rule of the entire Guanlong clan over the Tang Dynasty. This person's ability is definitely worthy of attention.

In particular, he is also nicknamed "Human Cat". His eyesight is so sharp and his character is so astute that there are probably few people in the entire court who can match him.

"Your Highness!" Changsun Xiang looked at Li Chengqian with some concern.

Li Chengqian raised his head, sighed softly, and said with emotion: "Cousin, I know you care about Zhinu, and I do too. But if this is really possible, it will be good for both me and Zhinu."

Chang Sun Xiang sighed softly, then nodded slightly in agreement.

Changsun Xiang was not only Li Chengqian's cousin, but also Li Zhi's cousin.

Although he had been serving in the Eastern Palace for many years and had no close relationship with Li Zhi, Li Zhi was the queen's son after all.

Li Zhi grew up with the queen.

Li Tai has set an example before, and Li Zhi is now also making many attempts to become the crown prince. It is hard to say what the final outcome will be.

As a member of the Changsun family, it is my duty to protect the crown prince's position as crown prince.

However, they were also very sad to see Li Tai become a commoner and be imprisoned in Beiyuan.

The only thing to be thankful for is that Li Tai is still alive.

Now seeing that Li Zhi was about to follow in Li Tai's footsteps, Changsun Xiang felt extremely complicated.

In fact, it was not just Changsun Xiang who had complicated feelings. That night, Changsun Wuji came to see him and said a lot of inexplicable things, but he was actually pleading for Li Zhi.

……

"If Zhinu can take up a position, govern the area, and pacify it, it will be a good thing for me, for the emperor, and for the empire." Li Chengqian raised his head, looked at Changsun Xiang, and said with a forced smile, "Cousin, where do you think the emperor will transfer Zhinu?"

"It's probably somewhere in the south, farther from Chang'an." Chang Sun Xiang bowed slightly, and the moment he lowered his head, he sighed in his heart. No matter where it was, it must be the place farthest away from the Eastern Palace's influence.

In the past few years, although the prince had been constantly under the watchful eyes of the King of Wei and the King of Jin, he still had the upper hand in all the struggles.

Inside and outside, the Eastern Palace looks quiet, but in fact, if you count carefully, you will find that the prince's people are everywhere from Chang'an to the northwest, then to Luoyang, even Taiyuan, and now Shandong.

Even around Prince Jin, there are many of the prince's men.

Li Yifu, Imperial Censor, and Official of Prince of Jin.

Chang Sunxiang could not have imagined that after Li Yifu returned to Luoyang from Taiyuan, he would send a message to the Eastern Palace as soon as possible.

The King of Jin actually relied on such a villain as a pillar.

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian calmed down and nodded calmly, saying, "If Zhinu can truly go to her destination with peace of mind, then the world will naturally be at peace..."

Chang Sunxiang's eyebrows suddenly raised, and then he whispered, "Your Highness means that the Prince of Jin is unwilling to accept..."

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Cousin, although Zhinu has shown some abilities over the years, he is still young. I am afraid he will be misled by villains. So, after we return, cousin, you need to help keep a close eye on him, lest... he let down our father again."

"I understand." Changsun Xiang suddenly became serious. Although Li Zhi was dismissed from his post as Bingzhou Governor and suffered a serious blow, it would be another matter if he became extreme because of this.

……

Looking at Changsun Xiang's leaving back, Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes slightly.

Changsun family.

The Changsun family is undoubtedly the best helper for Li Chengqian to consolidate his position.

Over the years, Li Chengqian has been focusing on slowly winning over the Changsun family, which is not excessive.

Therefore, although the Changsun family has been helping Li Chengqian over the years, they have never truly entered Li Chengqian's core.

This is also something Li Chengqian is wary of.

The emperor is in poor health now, and judging from his previous life, he probably doesn't have many years left.

After the death of the previous emperor, Changsun Wuji took control of the greatest power.

Of course, this is also the result of people like Li Ji trying to protect themselves.

Having lost the original intention of the emperor's checks and balances, Li Zhi was finally forced to destroy the Changsun clan.

The Guanlong clans who relied on the Changsun family lost their power, and the world suddenly came alive.

This is the fundamental reason for the success of Li Zhi and Emperor Gaozong’s reign.

So what about Li Chengqian? How should he treat the Changsun family after he ascended the throne?

Li Chengqian suddenly laughed, this is still a long way off.

Not to mention Li Yifu.

(End of this chapter)