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

Chapter 323 Why do I feel like His Majesty is about to pass on the throne? (Part )
East Palace, Yichun Palace.

On the dark bed, Su Shu suddenly leaned on the bed and stood up, looking at Li Chengqian in shock and anger: "Prince Jin attacked His Highness again?"

Li Chengqian smiled softly, then reached out and pulled her down, saying, "I am already safe and sound in front of my beloved concubine. Even if Zhinu had planned something, it would have failed. It doesn't matter."

Su Shu obediently lay in Li Chengqian's arms, but still said with some dissatisfaction: "Your Highness cannot let the Prince of Jin do this. You must find a way to fight back."

"What's there to fight back about?" Li Chengqian patted her shoulder gently and said softly, "I am the elder brother. If my younger brother offends me a little, I should be tolerant. As for fighting back, my father and uncle will punish the young slave on my behalf. Besides..."

"What?" Su Shu looked up subconsciously.

She had originally felt relieved when she heard that the emperor and Zhangsun Wuji would punish Li Zhi on behalf of Li Chengqian, but Li Chengqian's words "what's more" directly aroused her curiosity.

"In fact, all of Zhinu's actions are under my control." Li Chengqian gently put his arm around Su Shu's smooth, jade-like shoulders and said softly, "This matter started when Luozhou Sima Zhao Zhongjian planned it in Luoyang. I already know everything."

"Ah!" Su Shu looked up at Li Chengqian and said in surprise, "Is there someone from your highness around Zhao Zhongjian?"

"I guess so." Li Chengqian nodded gently, looked outside the hall, and said, "Zhi Nu has my people around him, and I also have Zhi Nu's people around me."

"Your Highness!" Su Shu lay on Li Chengqian's chest, raised her head, and looked at him with concern.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's okay. They are all low-ranking officials of the Eastern Palace. Some of them can't even enter the Eastern Palace."

Although the Eastern Palace is here, not everyone can enter it.

Many people can only live in the Prince's Household Temple, Prince's Servant Temple, Prince's Leadership Temple, Zuochunfang, Youchunfang, etc. opposite the East Palace.

Many low-level officials were unable to enter the Eastern Palace.

"That's not right!" Su Shu raised her head, resting her delicate chin on Li Chengqian's chest. She looked at Li Chengqian with bright eyes and asked, "If that's the case, if Zhao Zhongjian wanted to plot against Your Highness, why didn't he use the Zhao family's servants, but instead used Your Highness's people?"

"Because they don't dare." Li Chengqian shook his head calmly and said, "If anything happens to me, my father and uncle will be furious and pursue me. The Zhao family will be unable to stop them. So, they sent one of their own family members to lead the way, and then brought other assassins recruited from Luoyang..."

"Those assassins..."

"They were the men left behind by Qingque." Li Chengqian chuckled softly and whispered, "After the battle at Suzaku Gate, they were spared prosecution because they defected on the battlefield. Instead, they were exiled to Luoyang. Unfortunately, their situation in Luoyang was difficult. But one day, they happened to cross paths with Zhao Zhongjian, the Luoyang Sima."

Li Chengqian looked indifferent, but Su Shu knew from his expression that this so-called "encounter" was a deliberate trap set by Li Chengqian.

"But even so, there is no guarantee that if Prince Jin and Zhao Zhongjian have any problems, they will definitely use your Highness's people!" Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian with some curiosity.

Li Chengqian gently lifted Su Shu's delicate face, then said softly, "People with obvious traces of the Zhao family can't be used too much. As for the others, if one or two of them have accidents before or at the last minute, he will have fewer options in the end."

Seeing Su Shu's somewhat surprised look, Li Chengqian smiled softly and said, "Of course, if none of my people were chosen, then it just means they have something big coming up."

Su Shu nodded slightly, then asked, "How did Your Highness know that something was wrong with them?"

"I can't leave many loopholes for Zhinu." Li Chengqian's expression calmed down.

"That is to say, when His Highness went to Dingzhou this time, he knew that something would happen, so he sent people to keep an eye on Zhao Zhongjian, the Sima of Luozhou, and then sent people to get close to him, while removing obstacles, so that he could control everything in Hebei." Su Shu now understood everything completely, and there was a hint of horror in her eyes when she looked at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian put his arm around Su Shu, his gaze fixed on the darkness above. He whispered, "A gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall. My beloved concubine, please remember this. Xiang'er, Ju'er, and Yu'er, you must teach them this in the future... This trip to Hebei is a prime example. As soon as I left Chang'an, those with ulterior motives immediately took action."

"Yes!" Su Shu nodded seriously.

Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Zhi Nu failed this time. My cousin and I suspect that the Emperor will remove him from his position as Governor of Bingzhou."

"Dismissed as Bingzhou Governor?" Su Shu looked up in surprise.

"Ok!"

"So if the King of Jin is dismissed as Governor of Bingzhou, where will he be transferred to?"

"I don't know." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "But it's most likely in the Jiangnan and Jingnan areas. I don't have many people there, and my father will prevent us brothers from having another conflict."

"So does this mean that Your Highness...will no longer be threatened by anyone?" Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian closely.

"That should be the case." Li Chengqian nodded, then continued, "Your Majesty has ordered me to attend court affairs. This means that during your majesty's recuperation, I will have more exposure to state affairs and officials. Your Majesty may even personally guide me in my interactions with officials. Your Majesty is using his actions to tell the world that my position as Crown Prince is as secure as Mount Tai.

In other words, during this period, anyone who attempts to covet the position of Crown Prince will be severely beaten back by my father."

"That's good." Su Shu nodded slowly, but she couldn't help but frown as she looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "Your Highness, why do I have a feeling that His Majesty is about to pass on the throne and stop caring about state affairs?"

"This is a taboo!" Li Chengqian hugged Su Shu and whispered, "Don't mention it in front of outsiders in the future."

"I know." Su Shu rolled her eyes at Li Chengqian, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, "I wonder how your Majesty is doing?"

Li Chengqian subconsciously glanced away from the bed, then leaned over to Su Shu's ear and whispered, "Only Imperial Physician Zhang Baozang knows the emperor's specific condition. However, he plans to launch another eastern expedition against Goguryeo in two or three years. So, although he's feeling unwell, he knows it's not fatal, which is why he's making all the arrangements for Hebei right now."

"I see." Su Shu was a little surprised, but deep down, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Li Chengqian raised his head and said seriously, "So, even though my father seems to be trying to hand over the world to me, that's just an illusion."

"Illusion?" Su Shu couldn't help but be shocked.

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian nodded bitterly and said, "Half of the truly important officials in the Eastern Palace are missing now. Although I am in charge of government affairs in front of my father, I have the emperor above me and the prime ministers below me. I cannot do anything selfish." Su Shu's face had become serious.

Although Li Chengqian is now in charge of government affairs in front of the emperor, he is actually completely under the emperor's supervision, and all his actions will be under the emperor's watch.

This is not necessarily a good thing.

Li Chengqian sighed calmly and said, "Even though my father has allowed me to govern the country, everyone in the three provinces, six ministries, nine temples, and five bureaus will obey my father's orders."

Su Shu nodded slightly, her expression gradually becoming serious.

"As soon as the emperor recovers, with just one word, he can deprive me of my right to rule." Li Chengqian suddenly chuckled, then said calmly, "After all, this world belongs to the emperor. This is the way it should be. On the contrary, if the emperor cannot do this, I will be worried."

Although the emperor had allowed him to attend government affairs in front of the emperor since Dingzhou, it was also at that time that Li Chengqian keenly realized that something was wrong.

The emperor allowed him to attend court affairs, but transferred all the officials from his Eastern Palace away.

Although it seemed that these people entering the court could help Li Chengqian strengthen his control over government affairs, in fact, Li Chengqian's East Palace was completely empty.

The Eastern Palace, with Ma Zhou and others, is very active.

Ma Zhou and others were transferred out of the Eastern Palace. The strength of Crown Prince Li Chengqian and the entire Eastern Palace under him was rapidly declining.

Even if new people come in, it will take at least two years to get back to the same state as before.

So, the emperor was actually taking action against him.

It was as if the emperor called him, the regent prince, out of Chang'an and brought him to Dingzhou.

Isn't this just taking advantage of his absence to directly control the entire Chang'an?

Recapture Chang'an.

The emperor was also afraid that the prince would be disobedient.

Of course, Li Chengqian saw through this very early on.

Therefore, when the emperor recovers in the future, he will inevitably deprive him of the power to participate in state affairs.

This is inevitable.

This is the emperor.

In his previous life, the emperor was also seriously ill when he returned from Liaodong, but from the time he was bedridden to the time he passed away, it took more than three years, almost four years.

Li Chengqian didn't believe that he was still sick.

He must have gotten better for a while, and during this period, Li Zhi's power to govern the country was probably stripped away.

Li Chengqian suddenly realized that the reason why Li Zhi in his previous life was connected with Wu Meiniang was probably because he was suddenly deprived of power.

After that, his mind changed.

It was during that time that he had an affair with Wu Meiniang.

But in fact, Li Zhi was just using Wu Meiniang to monitor the emperor.

More importantly, although the emperor's illness recovered, he soon fell ill again, which gave Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang an opportunity.

The emperor's illness got better and worse, over and over again, and he was in constant pain until he died.

Wu Mei Niang...

……

"Your Highness, Your Highness!" Su Shu suddenly woke up Li Chengqian, who was a little distracted, and said worriedly, "Your Highness, in the current situation, what can I do for you?"

Li Chengqian smiled, hugged Su Shu to his chest, and said softly: "Just having the words of my beloved concubine is enough."

"I still hope to do something for Your Highness." Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian seriously.

"Okay!" Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "I can handle the affairs of the former court myself. As for the affairs of the Eastern Palace and the backyard, I will ask you, my beloved concubines, and my sons to take care of them. At the same time, I will warn them not to let their families rely on the Eastern Palace and act recklessly outside the palace, which would cause trouble."

"This is my responsibility."

"Besides, there are also the princesses and princesses of various families." Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "The royal family, the court, the nobles, and the humble are the main forces in the world. I can take care of the court and the nobles and the humble, but I am a little overwhelmed by the various kings, princesses, and princes-in-law."

After a brief pause, Li Chengqian continued, "My beloved concubine is the Crown Princess. My younger brothers, their princesses, and my younger sisters can all be rewarded and cared for in my name, and we can also keep in touch with them. This is especially true for the princesses and princesses. If my beloved concubine does this, even my father can only praise her."

"Your Highness can also win them over through me." Su Shu immediately understood that pillow talk is very powerful.

"Not only that, but we can also monitor them."

(End of this chapter)