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

Chapter 387 The Sharpest Knife - Luo Binwang (Part )

East Palace, Jiafu's disciple.

Luo Binwang, dressed in a long green robe, followed the Prince's direct scholar Wei Xuantong, passing through numerous palace gates and heading towards Chongde Hall.

Countless officials from inside and outside the country walked back and forth.

There were officials from the Eastern Palace, as well as officials from the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple and the Censorate.

The emperor returned to the court and took control of the government again, but he handed over the power to investigate the case of Prince Jin's rebellion to the hands of the prince.

Luo Binwang's expression gradually became solemn.

The emperor's move was quite murderous.

The severity of the crime finally determined by the Prince of Jin depends entirely on the severity of the crime found by the Crown Prince.

If the crime found by the crown prince is too serious and the prince of Jin is eventually sentenced to death, then everything will be the crown prince's responsibility.

Killing one's brothers is unfilial.

But if the crime found by the crown prince is not serious and the prince is spared from death in the end, then in the future, if the crown prince wants to do something to the prince, he will have to consider his original decision.

If he still insists on doing this, then 20 or 30 years later, when the prince is old, these things will in turn impact his own heart.

Just like what the emperor is doing now.

Luo Binwang nodded slightly, with a hint of sneer in his eyes.

……

"...Most of the Prince of Jin's followers were executed or captured, but two important figures disappeared quietly. One of them was named Wu Chang, and the other was named Xu Fu."

At this time, Luo Binwang walked into the Chongde Hall and saw Dai Zhide, the Dali Temple official, kneeling on the left side of the hall and reporting to the prince.

Dai Zhide glanced at Luo Binwang, then continued to speak to Li Chengqian, "Xu Fu was a strong man with a Sichuan accent. He had dozens of strong men under his command. They had been hiding in Shanzhou, but were suddenly transferred to Guanzhong by the Prince of Jin the other day. However, after the commotion last night, no one has found Xu Fu's body."

"Xu Fu, that's just a pseudonym." Li Chengqian shook his head calmly and said, "Not only him, but also that guy called Wu Chang. He's probably also a pseudonym. Find a way to find them. If Chang'an doesn't work, go to Jingzhou and Bashu. Find them, take a picture of them, and search the whole country for them."

"Yes!" Dai Zhide bowed, then stood up and walked out of the hall.

Luo Binwang glanced at Dai Zhide and his eyes became serious.

Wu Chang was his pseudonym. He was by the side of Prince Jin, and no one knew his real name except Prince Jin and Ji Jiafu.

Even Ji Sizhong and Xue Yuanchao had never seen him.

This is also the reason why he dared to come to the Eastern Palace today. He believed that Li Zhi would not sell him out so easily.

Well, he was gambling.

"Mr. Luo!" Li Chengqian looked up at Luo Binwang with a gentle expression.

Luo Binwang immediately stepped forward, bowed and said, "Your Highness!"

"Mr. Luo, please wait a moment, someone else is coming." Li Chengqian looked outside the hall.

Cen Changqian, the Crown Prince's attendant, led the Imperial Secretary Li Yiyan into the palace, and at the same time bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Wei Qing, Luo Qing, Cen Qing, and Li Qing stay. Everyone else can leave."

"Yes!" All the prince's servants on both sides of the hall stood up, bowed, and then left the hall.

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Sit down!"

"Yes!" Although Luo Binwang was a little surprised, he still sat on the right side with Wei Xuantong.

At the same time, Li Yiyan and Cen Changqian sat on the left.

Li Chengqian glanced at the four of them, then said calmly, "You are all talented scholars. Some are Jinshi graduates, and some have extraordinary literary talent."

Li Yiyan, Cen Changqian and Wei Xuantong couldn't help but look at Luo Binwang.

Except for Luo Binwang, the other three were all Jinshi, but even they had to admit that they were not as good as Luo Binwang in terms of literary talent.

Luo Binwang failed the imperial examination two years ago, but after two years of preparation, I think it will not be difficult for him to pass the exam next year.

"The most discussed topic in Chang'an right now is how to deal with the Prince of Jin." Li Chengqian sighed softly, looked outside the palace, and said, "Most people think that a lenient punishment for the Prince of Jin would be detrimental to future generations. However, a severe punishment, and my father's poor health, would inevitably lead to the accusation of unfilial piety falling on me."

When the emperor returned to the palace, he hid in the palace and prepared his own edict of repentance.

The affairs of the court were handed over to the prime ministers and the Council of State.
The matter of dealing with Li Zhi was handed over to Li Chengqian.

Although the people in Chang'an were in an uproar, in reality, things were still proceeding steadily according to what Li Chengqian and his men had said on Mount Li.

Li Yiyan glanced at Li Chengqian in surprise and whispered, "I believe that what Your Highness said at Mount Li can fundamentally resolve the situation. However, people are finding it difficult to accept it right now, which is why public opinion is so heated. Now, once some time has passed and the court has officially implemented the punishment, things will gradually calm down."

In the case of Li Zhi, although many people died and were arrested last night, many officials in the court were also involved intentionally or unintentionally.

It will take some time to sort out these people, whether they are killed, demoted, or exiled.

These are what Li Chengqian is doing now.

"That's not what I'm concerned about." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "It's the Crown Princess. She told me last night that the Crown Prince and his brothers are watching what happened today. I'm confused about how to deal with it so as not to affect them."

The four of them exchanged glances, and Wei Xuantong spoke up, "What the Crown Princess is worried about is that the other grandchildren will follow suit in the future. If we want to avoid what happened today, we must severely punish Prince Jin. If we punish Prince Jin severely, the other grandchildren will inevitably witness the killing of their brothers."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly.

"That means the solution Your Highness mentioned at Mount Li wasn't thorough enough, and the punishment for Prince Jin wasn't enough." Cen Changqian said, "We can further study the solution, but we can discuss the punishment for Prince Jin. In other words, Prince Jin can't be executed, but he can't just be imprisoned either."

"Exile. Exile three thousand miles." Luo Bin Wang raised his head, looked at Li Chengqian and said, "The cases of the King of Wei and the King of Jin are different. The King of Wei was only a few years ago, but the King of Jin is here right now. If imprisonment fails, exile is inevitable. And now that Your Majesty is in poor health, Your Highness will temporarily imprison the King of Jin in Beiyuan as a sign of filial piety. When Your Majesty... Your Highness can exile the King of Jin."

"Exiled three thousand miles away, never to return to the court, is that what it means?" Li Chengqian asked softly.

"Yes!" Li Yiyan, Wei Xuantong, and Cen Changqian all nodded in agreement.

Killing the King of Jin is bound to be bloody.

Exile three thousand miles away is enough to shock people.

"As for what Your Highness said in Mount Li, the bottom line is that the emperor cannot waver in his trust in the prince. The other kings are secondary. As long as the emperor trusts the prince enough, then everything is enough." Luo Binwang bowed slightly, and his face turned ashen the moment he lowered his head.

"Should we choose the eldest son or the most virtuous one?" Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "It's too early to say these things now. While choosing the eldest son is orthodox, if he's not virtuous, do we really want to hand the country over to such a person? If the eldest son is virtuous, and if he's not wrong, do we really have to forcibly depose him?" Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said, "If we can't control it well, we'll end up like the Xuanwu Gate Incident in the past and the Mount Li Incident today."

"Your Highness, I think that the king of the world does not have to be the most virtuous. As long as he is wise and benevolent enough, he will be able to rule the world. For example, Yang Guang was wise enough before he ascended the throne, but after he ascended the throne, he led to the demise of the entire Sui Dynasty. This is not necessarily a good thing." Luo Binwang couldn't help but look up.

"What you mean is that a virtuous person may not remain virtuous for long, and an unvirtuous person may not remain unvirtuous for long." Li Chengqian nodded with a smile.

"So there must be standards. We need to figure out to what extent a person is unvirtuous enough to be deposed." Luo Binwang looked at Li Chengqian seriously.

"If this standard really exists, then I'm afraid the kings will join forces to make the crown prince unvirtuous and eventually depose him." Li Chengqian shook his head slightly.

"There is a standard, but only the Emperor knows what it is. Until the standard is met, the Emperor cannot show any inclination." Li Yiyan looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Only the Emperor and the Prime Minister can discuss this matter. It must not be disclosed to the outside world. If the Crown Prince is truly unwise, he will be deposed. Before that, any princes who covet the throne will be exiled."

"Any prince who covets the crown prince's position will be exiled." Li Chengqian nodded slowly and said, "There needs to be a standard. This is the matter of the Prince of Jin."

"Yes!" Li Yiyan, Wei Xuantong, Cen Changqian and Luo Binwang bowed in unison.

This way, everything is completely closed-loop.

You can explain it to both internal and external parties, and to your superiors and subordinates.

"Alright!" Li Chengqian raised his head, looked at the four people and said, "Today's matter ends here. What I have said to you today must not be said to anyone else."

"Yes!" The four of them bowed at the same time.

Li Chengqian looked at Luo Binwang and said, "Mr. Luo will take the imperial examination next year. Time is running out. Please pay more attention to it. Bring back some cakes and bedding. I won't give you anything else. We can discuss everything after the examination next year."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" King Luo Bin bowed deeply.

……

After walking out of the Suzaku Gate, Luo Binwang breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't expect that Li Chengqian called him today to discuss how to deal with Li Zhi.

Luo Binwang sat in the carriage, and as the carriage moved forward, a sneer couldn't help but appear on his face.

Brothers kill each other, and even relatives kill each other.

The incident at Xuanwu Gate ultimately had a profound impact.

The Crown Prince, the King of Jin, the King of Wei, the King of Qi, and other kings who pose hidden dangers include the King of Wu.

The Crown Prince and the Prince of Hengshan are also starting to study now, and they will inevitably reach this stage in the future.

In fact, if they really follow what they discussed today, it would be possible to solve the problem by directly exiling anyone who is eyeing the position of crown prince.

The emperor can give the position of crown prince, but the kings cannot fight for it.

Now is no longer the founding period of the country, and it is impossible for there to be vassal kings like Li Shimin who can even threaten the emperor, so this may really solve the problem.

How great it would have been if it had been like this back then.

Luo Binwang lowered his head heavily, then he suddenly looked up, his eyes full of hatred.

It’s wishful thinking to think that this is how you can solve the world’s problems today.

Luo Binwang calmed down and his eyes became firm in an instant.

The King of Jin must die.

The prince's hands must be stained with blood, and the emperor's body must be injured by the death of Prince Jin.

How to do it?
Luo Binwang thought carefully.

Xu Fu, Xu Fu with a Bashu accent.

This guy, when he first heard him, he felt that there was something weird about him.

A small family from Bashu crossed the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River to support the King of Jin. I’m afraid there is something more complicated behind him.

Huh?
Could it be Tibetans?

Luo Binwang's eyes lit up instantly.

Tibetan, King of Jin.

No, that's not enough. Something else is needed to force the emperor to kill Prince Jin.

Gongsun Chang.

If he remembered correctly, the King of Jin had his men avoid him, forged Gongsun Chang's identity, and had his assassins travel west as Gongsun Chang.

Pass Qizhou, Lanzhou, go to the plateau, and then return to Bashu from Songzhou.

Bashu, now everything is connected.

If Gongsun Chang and Xu Fu fell into the hands of the court in Bashu at the same time, and the affairs of Prince Jin, Tubo and Prince Yin were linked, then the emperor would not tolerate him.

Finally, let's reveal that Gongsun Chang is a fake...

Luo Binwang smiled gently.

Emperor and Prince, what will you do?

……

The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month is the last grand ceremony before the New Year.

It was still dark, and Ganlu was at the door.

The emperor sat on the imperial sedan chair and headed towards the Taiji Hall.

His expression was solemn.

In his hand was a secret book.

Your Highness, the Crown Prince Cheng Qian, reports...

(End of this chapter)