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

Chapter 366: The Prime Minister’s Choice (Part )
It was mid-May and it was raining heavily.

Li Chengqian stood at the entrance of Wude Hall and said to Zhangsun Wuji, "Uncle, please leave later."

"No more waiting. The rain won't stop anytime soon." Changsun Wuji bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "It's been raining heavily since the beginning of summer. It's true that the people of the world need disaster relief, but Cuiwei Palace, Wenquan Palace, Xianling Mausoleum, and Zhaoling Mausoleum all need people to check on them. If they've really collapsed, rebuilding them after the rain stops will be even more expensive."

"Nephew understands." Li Chengqian bowed and said, "Don't worry, uncle. When the rain subsides, I will send people from the Ministry of Works to check on the various places."

"Okay, Prince, please pay attention too." Changsun Wuji nodded, then put on a raincoat and led his men holding umbrellas, heading towards the Secretariat in the rain.

Watching Changsun Wuji's receding figure, Li Chengqian couldn't help but sigh and said, "I'm afraid this isn't what my uncle meant. I'm afraid it was my father who gave the order."

"Your Highness, regardless of whether His Majesty has ordered it or not, we need to send someone to inspect Cuiwei Palace, Wenquan Palace, Xianling Mausoleum, Zhaoling Mausoleum, and all the other imperial palaces." Li Yifu stood behind Li Chengqian and said with a bow, "Duke Zhao is right. If they really collapse, the future costs will be huge."

"I know." Li Chengqian looked at the dark clouds above his head. The rain was pouring down and the rain curtain was heavy.

In Chang'an City, countless houses collapsed due to the heavy rain, and it took a lot of effort for Chang'an City to carry out disaster relief alone.

Not only Chang'an City, but also the entire Yongzhou Prefecture, Luozhou Prefecture, Henan Road, and even Hebei and Jingzhou, countless houses collapsed under the heavy rain.

Li Chengqian was the regent prince, and all flood relief efforts in the world were under his control.

He was responsible for all the officials, soldiers, craftsmen, and supplies.

Even Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and others had to obey their orders.

It’s not that they have no power because they are all old. This kind of disaster relief work requires a long time and high energy scheduling, and sometimes they even need to go to the disaster site.

So in the end, the matter of taking charge fell into the hands of Li Chengqian.

Even now, if Changsun Wuji wants to transfer people, he needs to find Li Chengqian.

"How's the situation in Shanzhou?" Li Chengqian turned slightly.

Li Yifu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The Junior Secretary replied, everything is going smoothly. Fortunately, Your Highness personally went to Shanzhou last year, and many of the measures are still in place. We can just use them this year. In addition, the ship we are on this year is much more convenient than last year. Everything is in good order. What remains is mostly the transfer of food and fodder."

Heavy rain continued for days. In order to deal with the disaster, all the officials of the Eastern Palace, including Cong Lai Ji, Dou Dexuan, Feng Yandao, Gao Zhenxing, Zhang Da'an, Cen Changqian, Liu Renshi, Xue Wanbei, Wei Daijia and others, were transferred out.

The Sixteen Guards were also dispatched by Li Chengqian to carry out disaster relief.

"Very good. Send a message to transfer ten craftsmen from Shanzhou. Two will go to Wenquan Palace, two to Cuiwei Palace, and the rest will go to different places. Then, two hundred soldiers who are familiar with craftsmanship will be selected from the imperial guards and sent to different places... Cuiwei Palace will send fifty people." Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly.

Li Yifu's eyes lit up and he said, "Yes!"

It is not appropriate to mobilize the Imperial Guards from other places, but they are most suitable for helping the emperor renovate palaces and mausoleums.

Li Chengqian waved his hand, turned around and walked into the hall, saying, "Continue reading the memorial. My dear minister, you are more perceptive than I am in many matters."

"Your Highness is so kind!" Li Yifu bowed and followed Li Chengqian into the hall.

Li Yifu's greatest ability is his ability to judge people.

It's not for nothing that he's called the man-cat.

He could see many details in the memorials that Li Chengqian could not.

Although he has some flaws, Li Chengqian still hopes to make full use of such a talent.

……

The night was hazy and the heavy rain finally subsided.

Li Chengqian returned to the Eastern Palace.

Xu An held up a large umbrella and whispered in Li Chengqian's ear, "Prince Jin went to Jingxi to control the floods half a month ago, and we've been getting sporadic news."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded calmly and said, "I will write a letter and send it to Jingzhou tomorrow. I will ask the Prince of Jin to write back to me after he returns from Jingxi."

"Yes!" Xu An bowed slightly.

"Let's go to Yifeng Palace." Li Chengqian looked up and walked into Cheng'en Gate.

Yifeng Hall is located in the northeast of Cheng'en Hall. When Li Chengqian arrived at Yifeng Hall, Zhang Xuan was lying on the bed drowsy.

Zhang Xuan was six months pregnant and the continuous heavy rain had a hypnotic effect, so after dinner, she lay down on the bed feeling a little sleepy.

Hearing the footsteps outside the hall, Zhang Xuan looked up in confusion.

Li Chengqian saw her trying to get up, so he quickly waved his hand and said, "Lie down."

Although Li Chengqian asked her to lie down, Zhang Xuan still sat up. She looked at Li Chengqian who sat down beside the bed and nodded slightly in greeting, "Your Highness." Li Chengqian reached out and hugged Zhang Xuan, gently stroking her swollen belly with one hand, and whispered, "Is this little one not giving you any trouble?"

"No, I just have a bigger appetite. Everything is fine." After a brief pause, Zhang Xuan said gratefully, "And all of you sisters are very caring towards me."

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian smiled lightly. There were still few people in the East Palace, so he could still take care of everything.

Moreover, Su Shu always took her mother as an example, was a virtuous person, and was very caring towards the concubines in the palace.

Li Chengqian hugged Zhang Xuan and said softly, "Tell me about Jiangnan. I have never been there."

"Jiangnan, with its green leaves, red lotuses, white lotus roots, green bamboos, rolling mountains, the Yangtze River and green lakes." Zhang Xuan couldn't help but smile softly when she thought of it.

"I remember your grandfather, Lord Yu, wrote many poems." Li Chengqian sighed and said, "I may never have the chance to go to Jiangnan in my lifetime."

"Your Highness will always have a chance." Zhang Xuan consoled Li Chengqian, then said, "My grandfather passed away ten years ago. I heard that the Marquis of Yangdi County also passed away. They had a very good relationship when they were alive."

Zhang Xuan's maternal grandfather, Yu Shinan, and Chu Suiliang's father, Chu Liang, had a very good relationship. They were both from Jiangnan and were both among the Eighteen Scholars of the Qin Palace.

"How is the Chu family doing in Jiangnan?"

"The population isn't particularly large, but there are a lot of talented people, many of whom hold local positions." Zhang Xuan thought for a moment and said, "The wife of the Marquis of Yangdi County is from the Hedong Liu family. She's actually related to the Wang family's sister."

Wang Youlan's uncle was Liu Shi, the Secretary of the Central Secretariat, and Liu Shi and Chu Suiliang had some kind of kinship.

However, Chu Suiliang's mother had passed away many years ago, and they deliberately avoided suspicion, so few people mentioned this matter, and few people knew about it.

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian nodded slightly, raised his eyes and looked towards the southeast.

……

Hangzhou, Qiantang County.

Lion Rock, beside the tomb, and a thatched pavilion on the mountainside.

At dusk, the two people playing chess in the pavilion finally stopped.

Chu Suiliang, dressed in white linen mourning clothes, looked at Li Zhi, who was also dressed in white linen mourning clothes, sitting opposite him. Finally, he said helplessly, "Your Highness has been here quietly for three days. If you have anything to say, just tell me directly. If you continue like this, and something happens in Jingzhou, it will be difficult for Your Majesty to explain it."

Li Zhi should have been in Jingzhou now, but he quietly appeared in Hangzhou and met with Chu Suiliang privately.

If we look into it in detail, it would not be unfair to accuse them of conspiracy.

Li Zhi put down the chess piece in his hand, looked at Chu Suiliang, sighed softly, and said, "Mr. Chu, you have been with the court for a long time and you know the Crown Prince very well. What do you think will happen to Brother Wei if our father really lives a thousand years?"

Chu Suiliang fell silent for a long time before he softly said, "If nothing unexpected happens and your Majesty passes away someday, then within a few months, the King of Wei will be driven out of the Imperial Garden and exiled to southern Yunnan."

"What's the matter?" Li Zhi asked immediately.

"The miasma broke out frequently, and he couldn't get treatment in time, so he died on the roadside." Chu Suiliang understood Li Zhi's meaning, but he still shook his head and said, "Your Highness, although the matter of the King of Wei is regrettable, you can't let it cause you to have any other thoughts."

"I'm not thinking about my brother, the Prince of Wei, but myself." Li Zhi smiled bitterly and said, "Lord Chu also knows about the Hebei situation. My brother is not pursuing it today because my father is still here. Once my father is gone, how do you think my brother will deal with me?"

Chu Suiliang fell silent for a moment, then he said softly, "Your Highness's position as Governor of Jingzhou is definitely in jeopardy. The Crown Prince might send Your Highness to serve in southern Jiangxi and southern Hunan for two years before heading south again. However, it probably won't be Guangzhou..."

"Jiaozhou, Aizhou?" Li Zhi smiled, raised his head and closed his eyes and said, "My royal brother will torture me to death step by step."

"It's always good to be alive." Chu Suiliang paused for a moment, then said, "Besides, Duke Zhao is still here."

"It is precisely because of my uncle that I am able to feel a little better. If it weren't for my uncle, I would have been exiled to the ends of the earth in the blink of an eye." Li Zhi opened his eyes, stared at Chu Suiliang and said, "Mr. Chu, have you ever thought about yourself... With the death of Liu Li, the dismissal of Prime Minister Xiao, and the transfer of all officials from Jiangnan, my brother doesn't have a good impression of Mr. Chu!"

"At worst, I will be transferred to the local area like the Duke of Song, and then transferred back to the court once every three to five years. After a few years, it will be time for me to retire." Chu Suiliang was very calm.

"Mr. Chu is indifferent, but has he ever thought about his family?" Li Zhi shook his head and said, "The emperor doesn't dare to use people, doesn't want to use them, and doesn't know how to use them. When the emperor dies and the crown prince ascends the throne, will he use them? Will his descendants use them?"

Chu Suiliang paused slightly, his face completely gloomy.

Li Zhi looked at Chu Suiliang and said sincerely, "Mr. Chu, please forgive my rudeness... As long as my brother succeeds to the throne, none of his descendants will value Mr. Chu's lineage. After a few generations, Mr. Chu's lineage will probably disappear from the court, and even from the world.

Mr. Chu is well-versed in history books and should understand this.”

Li Zhi's voice was not loud, but it was like a knife, piercing Chu Suiliang's heart.

He clenched his fists tightly.

(End of this chapter)