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

Chapter 399 Princess Wencheng Returns to Chang'an (Part )
Li Chengqian handed the secret report to Fang Xuanling and, looking at the other ministers, said, "Songtsen's son died six months ago. The news was kept secret until now. Now that things are stable, we are arranging the funeral."

"He's dead. Who killed him?" Li Ji on the right couldn't help but ask.

The death of the only son of the Tubo King Songtsen Gampo was a big deal in the entire Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, even in the eyes of Li Chengqian.

"I don't know, but it wasn't me who did it." Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said, "I, as for the Hundred Cavalry Division and the Military Affairs Department, there's been no news from Lhasa."

Li Chengqian was in charge of all affairs concerning Tuyuhun, Tubo, and the entire Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The news will eventually reach his hands.

This has been the case for years.

"The news reached Songzhou from the Tanguts when Princess Wencheng crossed the Tongtian River." Li Chengqian looked at the ministers and suddenly couldn't help but smile. "My lords, Princess Wencheng is returning to Chang'an. After seven years, she is finally back."

All the ministers bowed to Li Chengqian at the same time and said, "Congratulations, Your Highness."

They all knew that Li Chengqian had a very good relationship with Princess Wencheng.

Although they were not biological siblings and had not even lived together for long, the prince showed great respect for Princess Wencheng, who married to the distant Tubo, from the very beginning.

Everyone can see this.

This has nothing to do with Jiangxia King Li Daozon, the Minister of Rites and a great general of the imperial clan.

Now that Princess Wencheng has returned, it is an extremely joyful event for Li Chengqian.

His chest almost exploded with joy.

Li Chengqian smiled and waved his hand, saying, "This matter must be reported to the emperor immediately."

"Yes!" Dou Zhijie, who was standing on the left, bowed and turned around to arrange for someone to pass on the message.

……

"Your Highness!" Zhangsun Wuji, calming down a bit, bowed and asked, "Your Highness, wasn't it said that the Tibetan king's only son had passed away? Why did the princess return to Chang'an at this time to attend the 30th anniversary ceremony of the founding of the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Chengqian took a deep breath and then whispered, "Although Songtsen's only son is dead, his only son just gave birth to a son last year, which means that he now has an only grandson in Lhasa.

He asked Wencheng to come to Chang'an on his behalf at this time, which may be a sign of caution."

Songtsen Gampo was the core of Tubo, but he had only one son in recent years. Last year, his son finally gave birth to a grandson for him, but his son died again.

"Over the years, I've been spreading the news of Songtsen's lack of offspring across the plateau. Even though Eastern and Western Tuyuhun, Yangtong, and Subi were all deeply influenced by Tubo, this incident may have sown seeds in their hearts. Now that Songtsen only has a one-year-old grandson left, they're even more restless."

Li Chengqian suddenly sneered and said, "When Songtsen's only son died, he might have suspected that his son was killed by someone I sent."

The ministers were slightly stunned, and then they couldn't help but look at Li Chengqian, with a hint of doubt in their eyes.

The prince is really suspicious!
"Right!" Li Chengqian suddenly slapped his forehead, looked at Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling, and said, "If I remember correctly, at the beginning of the year, after discovering the Tibetans were involved in the Zhinu incident, I sent Wang Fangyi and Pei Xingfang with 8,000 cavalrymen to approach the Tongtian River. That should have happened right after Songtsen's only son died, right?"

"Your Highness, did you really not send anyone to harm Songtsen's only son?" Li Ji couldn't help but bow, and there was a hint of solemnity in his eyes when he looked at Li Chengqian.

This prince is quite resourceful.

"No, Lhasa is Songtsen's territory, it's too difficult to take action." Li Chengqian shook his head. It really wasn't him who did it, because he had known for a long time that Songtsen's son would not live long.

Li Ji was speechless for a moment, because it could be seen from these words that Li Chengqian really thought about taking action.

"That's not right, Your Highness." Changsun Wuji bowed and said, "It's the same question. Songtsen's only son is dead, so he has reason not to come to Chang'an. But why did he send the princess, and only the princess, to come?"

"First of all, he was worried that I would use Wencheng to murder his grandson." Li Chengqian couldn't help but laugh, an inexplicable smile.

Everyone looked at this and was slightly stunned.

They were instantly certain that if Li Chengqian had known about this matter in advance, he would have made such arrangements.

"Secondly, there's the matter of Zhinu. I sent people to force him to a halt at Tongtian River. Perhaps that's why he kept the news secret for six months." Li Chengqian raised his head calmly and said, "He's probably figured it out by now. Wencheng will know the details once he asks him in Chang'an."

All the ministers nodded in agreement.

"It should be Tianzhu's business. Wang Xuance's battle in Tianzhu last year certainly enhanced the power of the Tang Dynasty and even threatened Tubo from behind, but it probably also gave Songtsen an opportunity.

He might be interested in Tianzhu, but he didn't want me to see it, so he asked Wencheng to return to Chang'an in his place. After all, my father and I have been talking about his heir. "

Li Chengqian sneered softly. The Tianzhu incident was probably the real reason. Nothing could compare to one's own strength. "Your Highness, what about the Tianzhu incident?" Fang Xuanling couldn't help but ask.

"Follow the arrangements." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "The matter of India is a matter of time. After the Tang Dynasty has dealt with Tubo, it will also focus on India. It is more convenient to go from Tubo to India through the Western Regions. Let Tubo pave the way for the Tang Dynasty first."

After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "But right now, I have noticed some of Tubo's weaknesses."

"The vital point?"

"I just have a feeling, let's talk about this later." Li Chengqian looked up and said, "Songtsen asked the princess to return to Chang'an. At the same time, he also asked Lu Dongzan and Gal Qinling to accompany her. I'm afraid they have some bad intentions when they come here, such as disrupting Chang'an.

After all, Songzan's only son is dead, so he should be most afraid that I will set my sights on Luosi."

"Your Highness!" The expressions of all the ministers became stern.

"The death was kept secret for half a year." Li Chengqian smiled softly and said, "Although the death of Songtsen's only son has been investigated, many people in Tubo must have died. He was afraid, so he sent people to Chang'an to cause trouble. So, uncle, send people to secretly monitor them. I must know if they come into contact with anyone."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji immediately bowed.

Li Chengqian looked at the ministers and said, "My Lords, this is probably an opportunity. Let's see if we can use this incident to infiltrate Lu Dongzan's side..."

Songtsen was about to die, and Lu Dongzan was the core of Tubo in the future.

……

The fleet quietly left Qizhou and headed straight for Chang'an along the Wei River.

Under the night sky, Lu Dongzan stood at the bow, his eyes looking at the ship in the center of five or six large ships.

Then, he raised his eyes slightly and looked towards Qizhou City in the distance.

"Father!" Gar Qinling stepped forward and bowed to Lu Dongzan, saying, "It's been confirmed. They sent troops to Tongtian River at the beginning of the year because they discovered our involvement in the Prince of Jin's rebellion. The Crown Prince was furious, so after becoming Regent, he sent people to patrol the Tongtian River."

"What happened to Chang'an? Why was it exposed?"

"I don't know. Someone set fire to the embassy. I don't know what they found out afterwards, and then Yizhou was raided." Gal Qinling shook his head helplessly.

"We were used." Lu Dongzan shook his head calmly and said, "There were too many people watching Prince Jin. They discovered us long ago and threw us out at the critical moment."

"Father, who is it?" Galqinling's face suddenly became fierce.

Lu Dongzan waved his hand and said, "As for who it is, Father only has a guess in his mind. We can verify it when we get to Chang'an. The key now is to thoroughly understand the current situation in Chang'an."

"According to reports, the Heavenly Khan has completely handed over power to the Crown Prince. He has retreated to Mount Zhongnan to recuperate. He's not involved in anything other than Goguryeo's war preparations." After a brief pause, Garqinling said, "My father and the Zamp said that the Heavenly Khan's eastern expedition to Goguryeo was just a cover, so he's completely recuperating."

"Prince Jin is plotting treason. How traumatic do you think this is for him? Or, how long can he live?" Lu Dongzan's breathing became lighter.

How long the emperor can live is a concern not only for the people of the Tang Dynasty, but also for the Tibetans and even for the barbarians all over the world.

"It's hard to say. He's old, after all, and he's been ill for years since the Goguryeo war. Although government affairs have been handed over to the Crown Prince for years, the Prince of Jin's incident must have been a huge trauma for him." Gal Qinling looked at Lu Dongzan and whispered, "It should be similar to the Zamp's situation."

Songtsen Gampo's only son died. Although he had a grandson, he aged a lot overnight.

The emperor's problem was that Li Zhi was plotting rebellion, which made people think of the Xuanwu Gate Incident that year, and that incident had the greatest impact on the emperor.

"The Zamp is currently busy with affairs in India." Lu Dongzan shook his head slightly and said, "Although the palace physician has kept the news a secret, my father believes the Zamp will only live for another two to three years. I'm afraid the Khan will also die around the same time. They will both die soon after."

"But the Tang Dynasty still has a crown prince." Galqinling looked at his father worriedly.

Lu Dongzan smiled softly, shook his head, and said, "We don't have enough information about the situation in the Tang Dynasty, but the situation in China is clear to both you and me. The Zanpu is also using the young prince while being on guard. The Tang Dynasty is even more so. After all, there was the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and Emperor Gaozu was the retired emperor for ten years."

"Father means that although the prince is in power in Chang'an now, the Khan will find a way to take power back." Gal Qinling understood a little.

"Now that the Crown Prince has seized power, how could he let it go?" Lu Dongzan looked towards Chang'an City and said softly, "There will inevitably be one final struggle between them, father and son. This will also be our chance."

"Father, can we intervene?" Garqinling was full of doubts.

"Yes." Lu Dongzan sneered and said softly, "It won't even take too long. In seven days it will be the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Tang Dynasty. Someone will take action then."

"Who?"

　Tomorrow night

　　
　
(End of this chapter)