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

Chapter 386: Forcing the Emperor to Abdicate (Part )
The winter wind is cold and the steps on the mountain path are very hard.

Li Chengqian walked forward calmly, with Qin Huaidao and Pei Xingjian following behind him.

He looked around vigilantly.

At the end of the mountain path, an ancient Taoist temple quietly appeared behind the hillside.

Dozens of guards stood guard solemnly, holding swords and spears.

Li Chengqian walked up the stairs, Qin Huaidao whispered a few words to the guard, and with a "creak", the gate of the temple was completely opened.

A statue of Taibai Jinxing, covered in gold, sits solemnly on a stone platform.

Li Zhi knelt alone on the cushion, chanting something in a low voice.

The door behind him opened, but he did not turn around, but just chanted silently.

Li Chengqian calmly walked to Li Zhi's side. He raised his head, looked at the statue above, and said softly, "Taibai Jinxing governs war, divination, livestock, and weather changes. People occasionally call him the God of Peace and the God of Good Fortune."

"Tianguanzhan": Taibai is the essence of gold in the west, the son of Baidi, the supreme duke, and the image of the great general.

Li Zhi knelt calmly and continued to recite silently, without looking up or answering.

Li Chengqian listened briefly and found that Li Zhi was reciting the "Tao Te Ching" silently.

Road to Road, very Avenue.

A name can be named, but it is not a permanent name.

"Let it be." Li Chengqian sighed softly, knelt down beside Li Zhi, and said calmly, "Zhi Nu, I don't blame you for this matter this time. So, just now, the emperor summoned all the ministers, and my uncle and I requested to have our salaries reduced. The emperor also issued an edict of self-criticism and reformed the court system, and finally the ministers in the palace agreed to reduce your punishment."

In the temple, just in the temple.

Li Chengqian lightly covered up these two words.

Those present in the Changsheng Palace today are only high-ranking officials of the third and fourth ranks, not all officials in Chang'an City.

Especially those censors, assistant censors, palace assistant censors, and supervisory censors in the court, none of them are here today.

After returning to Chang'an, there will inevitably be another wave of disputes, and things will not end so easily.

……

"Why?" Li Zhi finally raised his head slightly. He hadn't eaten or drunk anything all night, and his lips were a little pale.

"You may not know." Li Chengqian's expression remained calm as he spoke calmly, "When the Prince of Wei and the Prince of Qi rebelled, although my father's forgiveness was fundamental, I also helped a little. Otherwise, why would they be merely imprisoned?"

"Why?" Li Zhi asked again.

"Why?" Li Chengqian smiled, shook his head slightly, and said, "You should first ask yourself why. As your brother, I have always been worthy of you."

Li Zhi fell silent.

"Back then, when you were appointed to Taiyuan," Li Chengqian looked at Li Zhi and asked, "If you had just focused on governing, nothing would have happened. But why did you become so tempted?"

Li Zhi wanted to say something, but when the words came to his lips, he nodded slightly and swallowed them back.

Li Chengqian sighed softly and asked, "As for the Hebei incident, no one taught you to do that. Why?"

Regarding the matter in Hebei, the emperor was seriously ill and even looked like he was dying, so Li Zhi became interested.

"And then there's the current situation." Li Chengqian sneered softly and said, "Who gave you the illusion that you had a chance? The Thousand Oxen Guards and the Hundred Cavalry Division, did you think they were all blind?"

Li Zhi clenched his fists tightly. He knew he was wrong. The Thousand Oxen Guards and the Hundred Cavalry Division were just one of the reasons for his mistake.

The emperor had already told him that he had a fundamental problem in his judgment.

There was a huge gap between him, the emperor, and the prince in their understanding of the world.

So, he lost.

"Don't blame anyone for some things. Everyone is forced to do what they want, even me." Li Chengqian raised his head and looked at the statue of Taibai Jinxing beside him. He said softly, "Back then, when I broke my leg and lay alone on the bed, I knew that I could only rely on myself."

Li Chengqian broke his leg, and the emperor turned to Li Tai.

At this time, a large number of people began to approach Li Tai, waiting, and even urging the emperor to quickly depose Li Chengqian and then make Li Tai the crown prince.

Those days were the most desperate time for Li Chengqian.

Li Zhi witnessed the difficulties of that year with his own eyes.

Li Chengqian managed to turn the situation around with great difficulty.

Afterwards, he felt like a different person.

But it was also after that that Li Zhi began to be tempted, but Li Chengqian was always one step ahead of him, leading to the current situation.

"After we return to Chang'an, you can become Qingque's neighbor." Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "In a few years, I will ask my father to release Xin'er and let him study at the Imperial College. If nothing else, I will let him participate in the imperial examinations in the future. He will then pass the examination and become a local county lieutenant, county magistrate, provincial military officer, Sima, Changshi, or even Beijia..."

Having said this, Li Chengqian stopped.

The highest position Li Xin could achieve in the future was Beijia, and Li Chengqian would not give him any chance to govern a region.

As for Li Xin's future rebellion.

You're worrying too much. His background means that everyone will look at him with strange eyes.

He would try his best to serve in each official position, and then be promoted in the smallest possible way. When all was over and he became the Beijia, it would be time for him to retire.

"Back home, after Princess Jin gives birth, my father will probably have her join you at Beiyuan." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "After you meet Qingque, ask him for me: if it weren't for what happened back then, would he be able to be at ease as the King of Wei?"

After saying that, Li Chengqian stood up and turned to leave.

"What do I need to do?" Li Zhi finally spoke.

Li Chengqian paused, then said, "Write a letter of repentance and submit it."

Li Zhi nodded lightly.

……

In the Wannian Hall, the emperor handed the paper to Changsun Wuji, sighed softly, and said, "Wuji, was I really wrong back then?"

Changsun Wuji shook his head and said, "What happened back then, whether right or wrong, is in the past. Everything is as it is now."

"So, can the matter of Zhinu end here?" The emperor looked at Changsun Wuji with a worried look on his face.

Changsun Wuji frowned and said, "Your Majesty, what are you still worried about?"

"Qingque, and Zhinu!" Li Shimin raised his head and said, "You saw what happened today. He admitted that he was wrong, but in fact, he was also saying that I was wrong too.

And the things on it, regarding the events of these years, the words and the resentment are quite strong."

"So?" Changsun Wuji looked up at Li Shimin and asked, "What is your Majesty worried about?" "Now that I am still here, Qingque and Zhinu can still stay safely in Beiyuan. If one day I am gone, he..." Li Shimin couldn't continue.

Li Shimin was worried that one day Li Chengqian would kill his two younger brothers who had fought with him and lost.

"I don't think the Crown Prince would do that." Changsun Wuji shook his head and said, "The Crown Prince is a filial and respectful person. As long as the strategy is appropriate, there shouldn't be any problems. Even if...if one day in the future, Your Majesty is no longer here, I will still be here. Unless I am no longer here, then it won't be the Crown Prince who needs to worry about it, but these villains."

What this world lacks the most is villains.

"Are you worried that they will use Qingque and Zhinu as examples and falsely accuse them of treason?" Li Shimin narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Your Majesty!" Zhangsun Wuji sighed, looked at Li Shimin and said, "Not to mention the reign of Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty, even Emperor Gaozu and your Majesty over the years have had villains. Their tactics are hard to guard against.

Therefore, instead of pinning our hopes on the Crown Prince, it would be better to exile Qingque and Zhinu directly, or even confine them somewhere else, such as Bashu or Yunnan and Guizhou."

"Bashu is fine, but Yunnan and Guizhou are too far away and too hard." Li Shimin shook his head slightly.

"One of them has to go to Yunnan and Guizhou. We can't place both of them in Bashu." Changsun Wuji advised.

"I'll think about it again." The emperor was a little hesitant. Bashu was okay, but the environment in Yunnan and Guizhou was harsh, with miasma everywhere, which could be fatal.

"If Your Majesty is still worried, I think it would be better for Your Majesty to gradually delegate power." Zhangsun Wuji looked at Li Shimin and said seriously, "Your Majesty's poor health is the root cause of the turmoil in recent years. Therefore, I think it would be better for Your Majesty to let go of some of the government affairs and spend more time recuperating."

"Hmm?" The emperor frowned.

"Your Majesty now recuperates in Cuiwei Palace on Mount Zhongnan from March to September every year. Why not come directly to the Hot Spring Palace for recuperation in October? Then return to Chang'an at the end of the year and stay there until March of next year."

After a brief pause, Changsun Wuji looked at Li Shimin and said, "In this way, Your Majesty will be near Chang'an, and with me here, you will be able to maintain control of the government while resting peacefully. Now, ten or twenty years from now, the Crown Prince will have grown up, and the children of the Prince of Wei and the Prince of Jin will have grown up too. You can send them away."

Changsun Wuji saw it very clearly.

Li Chengqian had some complaints against the emperor, Li Tai and Li Zhi, but he had no aversion to their children.

The emperor fell silent. There was another meaning behind Zhangsun Wuji's words, and he was very familiar with it.

The familiarity frightened him.

The emperor sighed softly and said, "I'll think about it carefully."

"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be delayed too long. You'd better be prepared before March next year." Changsun Wuji looked at the emperor with a hint of urgency in his eyes.

The current case is not so easy to conclude. There are many details involved, and we need to investigate it in depth after returning to the court.

But there is one thing that the Eastern Palace will not mention, and the Emperor will not mention it, but all the officials will hold on to it.

That is, the Prince of Jin threw the prince's head in front of the emperor and shouted "The prince is dead".

The Prince of Jin had the intention to kill the Crown Prince and took actions to do so.

Such people cannot be kept.

Many people understand the key here, so King Jin must die.

Anyway, the emperor has already killed his brothers, younger brothers, and nephews, so adding the stigma of killing his son is nothing.

The key is that the prince cannot bear the stigma of killing his brother like his father.

This will have a huge impact on the future.

If the emperor fails to handle this matter properly, the officials will not give up.

The key is the prince.

He was responsible for all of this.

Will he let it go so easily?
……

The night was hazy and the emperor returned to Beijing.

After a day, the people of Chang'an City gradually understood what had happened.

The Prince of Jin plotted rebellion and surrounded the Wenquan Palace with his troops.

This made them think of the rebellion of King Wei and the rebellion of King Qi.

To ordinary people, their emperor was great and divine.

However, first it was the King of Wei, then the King of Qi, and now it is the King of Jin. This forced people to admit one thing: the emperor's education of his son was a failure.

The court did not come to a correct conclusion on how to deal with the King of Jin.

However, news of the Crown Prince's report in the Changsheng Palace and the Emperor's intention to issue a self-criticism edict spread.

But that’s all. There are still many details that need to be investigated and sorted out regarding the rebellion of Prince Jin.

Inciting rebellion is never an easy matter.

There are too many people involved here.

The Eastern Palace is a place of worship for the teachings of the emperor.

Zhang Xuansu handed a list to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness, this is the list of those who have been arrested for plotting rebellion. The Dali Temple has already started the interrogation and should have a conclusion by the end of the year."

"Yes, I understand." Li Chengqian nodded and looked at Zhang Xuansu: "It's getting late, you should go back and rest early. The East Palace will wait for the results of these matters."

"Yes!" Zhang Xuansu bowed.

"Let's go to Yichun Palace." Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly, and the sedan chair immediately headed towards Yichun Palace.

Xu An, who was following beside him, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The prince went to Yichun Palace, indicating that the matter had finally been settled.

……

In Yichun Palace, the lights went out.

Li Chengqian hugged Su Shu from behind. Although his breathing was light, Su Shu, who was familiar with him, knew that he was not asleep.

"Your Highness, are you still thinking about Prince Jin?" Su Shu turned around and looked at Li Chengqian face to face in the dark.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly and said nothing.

"Your Highness, you don't plan to let Prince Jin go, right?" Su Shu asked directly.

Li Chengqian didn't say anything.

Su Shu reached out and hugged Li Chengqian, whispering, "I don't care about anything else. I just want to remind Your Highness that Xiang'er and the others are watching these things. No matter what the outcome, Your Highness must set a good example for them. I don't want them to end up like this in the future."

Li Chengqian remained silent.

(End of this chapter)