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

Chapter 346: An Old Lion and a Vicious Tiger (Part )
Zhongnan Mountain is quiet and secluded, with tall pines and green cypresses.

Li Chengqian stopped his horse behind the emperor's carriage and looked at Cuiwei Palace in the distance.

He didn't go to that place very often, but he was deeply impressed by it.

Because in his previous life, his father died of illness in Cuiwei Palace.

Now, it is the 20th year of Zhenguan.

A light sound of footsteps was heard from the side. Li Chengqian turned around and waved his hand slightly.

The guards stepped aside, and Gar Qinling, dressed in a crimson robe, stepped forward from the back and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"My dear Lord Gar." Li Chengqian looked at Gar Qinling and said gently, "I heard that you will be leaving for the west today."

"Yes!" Gar Qinling bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Although I hold a low position in the country, I have been ordered to come to Chang'an. I have many things to report to the Zamp in Lhasa!"

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "I heard that the Zamp is also vigorously promoting Buddhism now?"

"Yes!" Gar Qinling suddenly became alert, bowed and said, "Bonism is crude and not as soothing as Buddhism."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, then looked towards the distant Chang'an City and said, "Although I am young, I can still see some things under my father's teachings."

"Your Highness, please give me some advice."

"Bon religion has been in control of Tubo for many years. Now the Zamp has replaced Bon religion with Buddhism, and you also said that Bon religion is crude. Then please tell the Zamp to pay attention to his own safety. Some people are pushed to the limit and don't care whether they will take risks or not." Li Chengqian sighed.

Gar Qinling's eyes jumped, and then he bowed and said, "Yes!"

"Go back and tell my sister to take care of herself. If she needs anything, send someone to Chang'an. I will try my best to send whatever I can to her from Chang'an." Li Chengqian's expression suddenly softened, and there was no more sword-fighting in his words as before.

However, Li Chengqian's words made Gar Qinling even more alert. He bowed seriously and said, "I obey your orders."

At this moment, the curtain of the imperial carriage was suddenly lifted, and Li Zhi walked out with a pale face.

Walking under the carriage, Li Zhi bowed seriously to it, then turned around, mounted the horse, and headed east.

Soon, a team of Qianniu Guards, a team of Jinwu Guards, and three hundred palace soldiers were chasing closely from a distance.

Li Chengqian looked at this scene and was a little surprised.

What did the emperor say to Li Zhi that left him no time to even bow and say goodbye?

He originally wanted to give Li Zhi a few more words of advice.

At this moment, Zhang Ananda stepped out of the carriage and said calmly, "Summon the Tibetan envoy Gar Qinling to the court."

"Yes!" Gar Qinling bowed to Zhang Ananda, then bowed to Li Chengqian, and then got on the carriage.

Li Chengqian watched this scene calmly, raised his head, looked at the blue sky above his head, and was slightly lost in thought.

The Prince's Junior Secretary Lai Ji and the Prince's Household Manager Changsun Xiang stood behind Li Chengqian.

The Prince's Secretary Dou Dexuan and the Prince's Secretary Li Yifu stood a little behind.

The Prince's Secretary Cen Changqian and the Prince's Secretary Zhang Da'an stood beside the imperial carriage on the left.

Qin Huaidao, the commander of the Prince's Thousand Oxen Guard, and Wei Wei Daijia, the deputy commander of the Prince's Thousand Oxen Guard, stood on the right, holding Thousand Oxen Swords to guard all directions.

……

Stepping into the imperial carriage, Li Chengqian bowed solemnly to the ground: "Your son pays homage to the emperor."

"Stand up." The emperor looked at Li Chengqian and said directly, "If there is nothing serious, I will rest in Cuiwei Palace until August and then return to the palace."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian stood up and bowed.

"Do you know what to do in the next few months?" The emperor looked at Li Chengqian and raised his head slightly.

"Send officials from the Ministry of Revenue to inspect the spring planting. Send officials from the Ministry of Personnel to inspect the local administration. As for other ministries, we will take action at the appropriate time." Li Chengqian bowed, looking serious.

"Yes, the most important thing in the world now is spring planting. Everything else must be put aside for the time being." The emperor nodded in agreement.

Among the six ministries, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue are the top ones, and there is a reason for that.

The Ministry of War needs to rest after several years of war, and the Ministry of Works has suffered serious material losses in recent years.

The Ministry of Justice is inspecting cases throughout the country, so it can be put on hold in the spring and summer.

Only the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel need to keep a close eye on the local areas in spring and summer to ensure that the Tang Dynasty's machine can operate normally.

Taxation is the core of the operation of the huge machine of the Tang Dynasty.

From the emperor's perspective, taxes are the foundation of everything. Without sufficient taxes, nothing else can be discussed.

Li Chengqian bowed slightly.

The emperor smiled and said, "However, many things need to be done. For example, the activities of Anxi, Liaodong, and other foreign tribes need to be monitored more closely by the Military Affairs Department."

"Your son obeys your command." Li Chengqian bowed solemnly.

"Finally, it's the issue of offspring." The emperor looked at Li Chengqian and said with emotion, "In the past few years, I have been on the eastern expedition to Goguryeo, and the Crown Prince has been so busy that he has even delayed the issue of offspring. Now we must make up for it."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian's mouth twitched slightly.

Although Li Yu and Li Shan were born in the 18th year of Zhenguan, in fact, their mother became pregnant with them in the 17th year of Zhenguan.

In other words, in the 18th and 19th years of Zhenguan, no concubine in the Eastern Palace was pregnant.

This also proves from another perspective that the prince has been focusing on state affairs in the past two years.

Not much thought was put into backyard enjoyment.

This made the emperor satisfied to some extent, but now the emperor has returned to Chang'an.

Although the crown prince was still regent and the emperor was recuperating in Cuiwei Palace, in fact, Cuiwei Palace was not far from Chang'an City.

It's only thirty or fifty miles.

If the emperor has any problems, he can take back power from the prince at any time and take charge of the world. Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian and said seriously: "Chengqian, I have been concentrating on recuperating this year.

Don't bother me with anything else concerning Chang'an. Aside from the routine five-day report, you can handle other matters on your own."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed and said, "I won't bother you with trivial matters, but if there are some matters that even my uncle and the Prime Minister find difficult, then you still need to make the decision... In addition, your health is of paramount importance. I would like to go to the mountain to pay my respects once a month. Please allow me to do so."

"You decide." Li Shimin waved his hand, then turned to look at Li Xiang and said, "I am enjoying my grandchildren in Mount Zhongnan, and I leave the world to you."

Li Chengqian bowed and said, "Yes, I will definitely ensure a good harvest and peace for the whole country this year, and live up to my father's trust."

"Go." The emperor waved his hand again.

"Your son will take his leave." Li Chengqian bowed, then turned and walked out of the imperial carriage, breathing a long sigh of relief.

The emperor said he would hand over the world to him. If he really took it seriously, he would be the one who would be in trouble.

The emperor will not depose him, but the confidants of the Eastern Palace that he has carefully trained will definitely be transferred to various places.

It is not easy for the Eastern Palace to build up some power.

Wei Daijia brought a horse over from the side, Li Chengqian jumped on the horse, and then galloped away into the distance.

Lai Ji, Chang Sunxiang, Dou Dexuan, Li Yifu, Cen Changqian, Zhang Da'an and others followed closely.

Qin Huaidao and Wei Daijia led two teams of Qianniu Guards to follow closely.

At a distance, eight hundred cavalrymen gathered together.

The Prince's Left Guard Commander Liu Renshi and the Prince's Right Guard Commander Xue Wanbei, led the six cavalry of the Eastern Palace to provide close escort.

The emperor sat in the imperial carriage, watching through the shaking curtains as hundreds of cavalrymen escorted Li Chengqian away. Although his expression was calm, a hint of complexity flashed in his eyes.

I feel relieved.

Be on guard.

There is also peace of mind.

……

The night is light and the spring rain is sparse.

To the west of Chang'an City, outside the Golden Gate.

A dozen tall horses stopped at the end of the soldiers' sight on the distant city wall.

A dozen knights wore conical hats, with long swords hanging at their sides, and stood silently.

A fast horse came from the south. The rider quickly came to the side of the leader, bowed and said, "Young Master, we have found out. Prince Yangtong, Gangrenboqi, is hiding in the southeast corner of Guangdefang, next to the West Market. Because most of the people who come and go are merchants from the Western Regions, they are inconspicuous and difficult to find."

"That means it won't be difficult for us to fight our way in." Gar Qinling's voice came from under the leader's hat.

At his words, everyone present bowed.

Gar Qinling then shook his head slightly and said, "The Tang Dynasty won't take advantage of such an opportunity. If those people really died today, the Tang Dynasty would immediately place all suspicion on Tubo. Regardless of whether they can find evidence or not, they will target Tubo with the utmost vigilance. It's not worth it."

"Yes!" The man who came out of the city bowed again and said, "Young Master, according to investigation, the Tang Dynasty married a princess from the royal family to Mount Kailash, and Mount Kailash has been staying in the house all this time and has not come out. Therefore, I suspect..."

"The people you suspect are not them at all." Gar Qinling nodded, then sneered and said, "The Tang Dynasty has a powerful army and is not lacking in sophisticated strategies. It is not unreasonable for the Heavenly Khan to rule the four directions. But unfortunately... the Heavenly Khan is old. Although he is still a lion, he is old."

Everyone bowed their heads at the same time.

"Their goal isn't the present, but the future... The Heavenly Khan no longer has the energy to stir up trouble on the plateau. It's the crown prince who's watching over it now." Gar Qinling shook his head slightly and said, "One Mount Kailash isn't worth the fight. But if they share the same bloodline of the Tang Dynasty and Yangtong, then it would be worth it."

Gar Qinling looked up towards the East Palace. At this moment, he felt as if he was looking at Li Chengqian from a distance.

If the Heavenly Khan Emperor Li Shimin is an old lion, then the prince who is still dormant in the East Palace is a vicious tiger lying down, squinting his eyes and staring in all directions, ready to pounce at any time.

Gar Qinling couldn't help but take a deep breath, then turned sideways and asked, "Has the King of Jin returned to Jingzhou?"

The knight beside him bowed and said, "Yes, we went directly from Zhongnan Mountain to Luoyang today. We should be in Jingzhou soon."

"The emperor's legitimate son, even if the emperor leans towards the crown prince, the Prince of Jin still has a great chance." Gar Qinling raised his head and said thoughtfully, "We still have several spies in Jiannan Road. We will increase our support and have them go east from Bashu to Jingzhou to do business. They can send one or two women to the Prince of Jin, and then we will also provide manpower and money."

Although Tubo was ruled by a foreign race, they still had many slaves from other races, including some Han slaves.

Among these people, those who are absolutely loyal to them will be placed in various places in the Tang Dynasty and then lie in wait.

They spied on the intelligence of the Tang Dynasty, bribed local officials, and even assassinated some special figures in some cases to cause civil unrest in the Tang Dynasty.

The biggest opportunity that Gar Qinling sees now is Li Zhi.

Whether Li Zhi was successful or not was actually not very important in Gar Qinling's eyes.

What he really cares about is the unrest caused by this.

The Tang Dynasty was too powerful, so powerful that everyone within its sight had to bow down to it.

Now, now is the only chance.

Tian Khan is old and dying.

Once he died and the crown prince succeeded to the throne, the world would be in turmoil, and a civil strife would be enough to plunge the Tang Dynasty into chaos for several consecutive years.

Even if the prince is a vicious tiger, as long as this turmoil can hold him back, a few years will be enough for Tubo to grow.

"Remember, be careful and don't let the King of Jin discover their true identity." Gar Qinling turned his horse and looked towards Lhasa, saying softly, "Okay, we should go back. We must tell the Zamp as soon as possible about what happened in Chang'an. Be prepared. The Heavenly Khan won't be around for many years."

"Yes!" Everyone bowed.

The next moment, Gar Qinling shouted "Go!" and more than a dozen war horses quickly went away.

Only one of the war horses turned towards Jiannan Road.

(End of this chapter)