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

Chapter 396 When Will the Emperor Die? (Part )
The carriage swayed as it drove out of Guangdefang.

Head towards Suzaku Gate.

Li Chengqian was sitting in the carriage.

A beautiful woman in her twenties, wearing a light blue skirt and a jade ornament on her head, knelt in front of Li Chengqian.

"Wu Shun, Madam Helan, you are Consort Wu's sister." Li Chengqian looked at Wu Shun and asked in confusion, "When I heard that you wanted to see me, I was also surprised.

If I remember correctly, Helan Yueshi has been exiled to the Western Regions Army. Why did the Helan family cause you trouble?

Wu Shun bowed lightly and said, "I thank Your Highness for your generosity. My husband's rebellion did not implicate my sisters and my family, and I am fortunate to have been spared from this. As for the Helan family, they have my younger sister in the palace. I say that under her protection, they dare not act recklessly."

After a brief pause, Wu Shun said seriously, "I came here today because my sister asked me to pass on a message to Your Highness."

"Concubine Wu has something to say!" Li Chengqian's mind flashed with the image of Wu Meiniang. He whispered, "Concubine Wu has arrived at Cuiwei Palace now. When did she pass on the message to you?"

"Early February." Wu Shun bowed and said, "Before the imperial examination, I haven't had the chance to meet Your Highness. I heard that Your Highness was going to send Prince Jin off today, so I came to see Your Highness."

"Early February!" Li Chengqian nodded. That was after Li Chengqian met Li Zhi in Beiyuan. The emperor decided to exile Li Zhi in March and at the same time granted him the power to govern.

"My sister just wants to say something." Wu Shun raised his head slightly and said seriously, "My sister said, Your Highness, please pay attention to the Fengshan ceremony at the end of the year. Something big will happen after the Fengshan ceremony."

Li Chengqian sat up straight immediately, then looked at Wu Shun seriously: "You mean Fengshan?"

"Yes!" Wu Shun nodded affirmatively.

Li Chengqian looked up at the stage with a serious expression.

Up to now, only a handful of people in the entire court knew about the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Song.

Wu Meiniang knew about this, it must have been the emperor who told her.

Did the emperor say these things unintentionally or intentionally?

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said that this was meaningless.

Wu Meiniang said that something big would happen after the Fengshan ceremony.

The meaning of this sentence is very clear, that is, the emperor will do something during the Fengshan ceremony.

What should the emperor do?

……

Li Chengqian's heart completely calmed down.

It’s nothing more than the word power.

When his father heard that Li Zhi was in contact with the remnants of Prince Yin, he was so angry that he fainted.

To be honest, if Li Chengqian had not taken the initiative at that time and had to wait until the imperial physician arrived, the emperor would have suffered greater harm.

But he didn't do that, after all, he was just a son.

But that incident caused great harm to the emperor's health, which is why the emperor handed over power to him since then.

In fact, the emperor spent the entire year recuperating.

By the end of the year, when my health has improved, I will naturally take back the power.

At that time, conflict with Li Chengqian was inevitable.

Li Chengqian held power for a year from February to the end of the year. How could he give it up easily?

Li Chengqian smiled and shook his head slightly.

This is probably what Wu Meiniang thought, and the emperor probably thought the same.

But Li Chengqian didn't care. What would happen even if he handed over the emperor's power?

In the previous life, the emperor died of illness in July of the next year.

In this life, the emperor's body suffered even greater injuries than in his previous life. It is hard to say whether he can live until next year.

Even if he handed over the power, the emperor would not be able to hold on for more than a month or two.

The emperor was testing him to see if he had enough patience. He was testing him to see if he would force the emperor to abdicate.

What's more, the emperor was testing him, and he had no resentment towards him.

Li Chengqian's expression turned slightly cold, he raised his head and looked at Wu Shun in front of him.

He stood up gently and calmly came to Wu Shun who was kneeling on the ground. His cold eyes fell on Wu Shun's dark eyes.

"Your Highness!" Wu Shun shuddered suddenly.

Li Chengqian didn't say anything. He simply reached out and gently pinched Wu Shun's chin, then whispered, "Madam, your husband has been gone for two months, right?"

"Yes!" Wu Shun's body trembled violently, and her clothes could not help but slide to the side, revealing her fair shoulders in front of Li Chengqian. His eyes immediately turned downwards...

Li Chengqian reached out, grasped Wu Shun's collar, and gently closed it. Then he looked at her and said, "It's cold, Madam. Please get dressed."

"Yes!" Wu Shun slumped down. In that moment, she truly thought Li Chengqian was going to do something to her. Li Chengqian calmly sat back down, then looked at Wu Shun and said, "Madam, I understand this matter. I will repay Consort Wu. As for you, I will remember your favor. If you need anything in the future, you can go to former General Li Anyan of the Left Guard..."

After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "You are raising children alone at home now, which must be quite costly. I will have someone send some rice, flour, and money over. I will also have someone take care of your family property and land."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Wu Shun breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "I heard that you have a pair of children named Helan Minzhi and Helan Minyue, right?"

"Yes!" Wu Shun was a little confused and nodded subconsciously.

Li Chengqian glanced outside the car and whispered, "We've arrived at Buzhengfang. Madam, please go back first. Someone will contact you to make arrangements later."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Wu Shun quickly knelt straight, then kowtowed earnestly and said, "I will take my leave."

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly, and Wu Shun got down from the carriage.

Standing on the long street and watching the carriage going away, Wu Shun finally felt completely relieved.

At that moment, her heart was about to jump out of her chest. The prince's warm fingers almost...

A blush suddenly appeared on Wu Shun's face, and then she couldn't help but look towards the carriage.

At this moment, the rear curtain of the carriage was suddenly lifted, and a pair of bright eyes looked directly over.

Wu Shun's cheeks flushed completely red in an instant.

The rear curtain was lowered, and Li Chengqian sat in the carriage, smiling calmly.

He looked forward and his expression became serious.

Now he should no longer be obsessed with fighting with the emperor.

His previous plans have not been exhausted and are enough to deal with the emperor.

Now, he needs to deploy his power even more throughout the world. Controlling the world is his foundation.

……

Qizhou.

West of Chang'an, an important town in Guanzhong.

From Qizhou, you can go to Chang'an to the east, to Bashu to the south through Chencang Pass, to Longyou to the west, and to the grassland to the north.

In a remote courtyard in the northwest corner of Qizhou City.

Luo Binwang, who had just rested, came to the main hall in the backyard and knelt down to greet the inner room behind the pearl curtain. He said, "Chang'an made a mistake. I have failed Uncle Gongsun's expectations. I beg for your forgiveness."

Behind the beaded curtain, a graceful figure sat up from the bed. After a few coughs, he turned to look at Prince Luo Bin and said, "Your Highness, I already know about your affairs, but it's not a big deal. The King of Wei and the King of Jin have rebelled one after another, and the King of Jin has even been exiled. Although the traitor is still alive, he won't be able to hold out for much longer after so many attacks!"

"My nephew knows about this, but he is still unwilling to give in. I originally planned to sneak into the prince's side after the imperial examination, and then persuade the prince to raise an army and force the old thief to abdicate, so that he can also enjoy the pain of his grandfather, and then kill him and frame the prince..." A series of vicious plans came out of Luo Binwang's mouth.

After Luo Binwang finished speaking, the voice from the inner room was heard again.

"Although I am crippled and unable to walk, I know that nothing in the world can be accomplished overnight. Your Highness's safe return is my great fortune." The figure raised his head slightly and said, "I have followed the Crown Prince for many years and have fought against his traitorous minions for many years. Now my body is gradually failing. I may even die before the traitor..."

"Uncle!" Luo Binwang's eyes were full of worry.

"Now that Your Highness has returned, I, this old minister, shall hand over everything I have to Your Highness. In this way, I, Gongsun Chang, will have done my duty to the Crown Prince." Gongsun Chang finished speaking and couldn't help coughing twice. Prince Luo Bin subconsciously tried to stand up, but Gongsun Chang waved his hand and said, "My illness is contagious, Your Highness, please don't come in."

"Yes!" Luo Binwang knelt down worriedly. He looked at Gongsun Chang and said, "Uncle, the situation in Chang'an won't end so easily. The traitor is in poor health after all, and has been forced to hand over power to Li Chengqian. But he is the emperor after all, so how can he be willing to accept this? Therefore, he will definitely take power back in the future. Li Chengqian has been in power for many years, so how can he give up easily? Then father and son will fight again..."

"Your Highness, do you know how you were exposed?" Gongsun Chang suddenly interrupted Luo Binwang.

Luo Binwang's expression changed slightly, and he whispered, "Uncle, please give me some advice."

"It was your actions in Bashu that alerted them, and they sent a full force of men to Jingzhou to investigate." Gongsun Chang shook his head and said, "Your Highness is too impatient."

"My nephew knew that something would go wrong in Bashu, but I only thought that after the imperial examination, I could sneak into the Crown Prince's presence and control the investigation. I didn't expect..." Luo Binwang sighed softly and said, "One wrong move, and the whole game is lost."

"Your Highness, do you still remember the way I taught you to act?" Gongsun Chang looked at Luo Binwang calmly.

"Remember, if you fail once, you are not allowed to do it again within a year." Luo Binwang sighed helplessly.

"The reason why we have been able to survive the encirclement and suppression of the Hundred Cavalry Division for many years is because of this principle. So, this time, no matter whether the traitor wants to die or his father and son kill each other, Your Highness is not allowed to do it again." Gongsun Chang looked at Luo Binwang seriously.

"Yes!" Luo Binwang nodded helplessly.

"But your highness, don't be discouraged." Gongsun Chang raised his head slightly, looked towards the northwest, and said softly, "Even if we don't take action this time, others will."

"Tibet?" Luo Binwang naturally knew what Gongsun Chang was referring to.

"The son of Tubo King Songtsen is dead." Gongsun Chang's words rang in Luo Binwang's ears like thunder.

Luo Bin Wang came to his senses and quickly said, "My nephew heard that the Tibetan king Songtsen only had one son."

"He has a grandson, but he's not even a year old yet." Gongsun Chang finally sneered, "Tubo is about to be in turmoil, but he doesn't want to see the Tang Dynasty in peace, so he'll send people to Chang'an soon. When the time comes, we don't need to do much, just give him some information. He'll do better than we expect."

"Even, killing the emperor."

(End of this chapter)