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

Chapter 401: A Corpse, a Cruel Plan (Part )

On the ninth day of May, the sky cleared up after the rain.

Outside the Jinguan Gate, under the tall yellow canopy, Li Chengqian, dressed in a black robe with golden python threads, gazed at the hundreds of cavalrymen gradually approaching from the distance.

In the center of the cavalry was a purple-canopied carriage.

The moment he looked at the carriage, Li Chengqian's face was filled with joy.

"Royal brother, the royal sister is finally coming back!" Prince Ji Li Shen, who was standing aside, couldn't help but sigh.

In the 15th year of Zhenguan, Li Shen was still young. He stood among the ministers and watched the emperor and Li Chengqian bid farewell to Princess Wencheng.

It was originally thought that Princess Wencheng would never come back in her lifetime, but unexpectedly, seven years later, she finally came back.

Li Shen, with his handsome figure, turned sideways and looked at Li Chengqian.

There are rumors in the court and the country now that the Tibetan King Songtsen had no intention of coming to Chang'an to attend the 30th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Tang Dynasty.

Especially since his son died, he had even more excuses.

Not to mention getting the princess back.

But at the beginning of the year, the prince sent 8,000 cavalrymen to make a circle on the north bank of Tongtian River. At the same time, Wang Xuance, the prince's right minister of praise, led 3,000 cavalrymen to pacify Northern Tianzhu, and Songtsen was directly afraid.

Only then did he allow the princess to return to Chang'an when his only son died.

When it comes to the death of Songtsen Gampo's only son, the people of Chang'an have much more to say.

Especially since the prince said that Songtsen Gampo would never have any more children.

Seven years later, everything came true.

Although the princess's affair was regrettable, the prince's sharp eyesight was even more admirable and awe-inspiring.

"We're here!" Li Chengqian's voice came from the side.

Li Shen looked up and saw that the carriage in front had slowly stopped.

……

Lu Dongzan and Gar Qinling escorted the carriage to Li Chengqian's side, one on the left and one on the right.

Behind them, there were hundreds of Tibetan cavalry guards.

On both sides, five hundred Left Jinwu Guard cavalrymen dispersed directly to both sides.

All Tibetans wore a light yellow chrysanthemum on their right lapel, which was particularly eye-catching.

Lu Dongzan and Gar Qinling dismounted and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Highness the Crown Prince is here to see us."

Li Chengqian's gaze fell on Lu Dongzan, who was just over forty years old and already had gray hair on his temples. He nodded calmly and said, "Prime Minister, please step aside. I haven't seen you for several years. You must have been overworked."

Gar Qinling stood aside, his face slightly gloomy.

The Zamp was in poor health, and his father had to take care of many of Tubo's affairs. It was common for him to be busy day and night.

"I am fine as an external minister, but Your Highness is becoming more and more heroic." Lu Dongzan lowered his head.

"I heard that my brother-in-law is not in good health. I'm sorry to bother you, Prime Minister." Li Chengqian glanced at Gar Qinling indifferently, and Gar Qinling's face changed instantly.

"Zanpu is in good health, but he is too sad in his heart. He cannot come to Chang'an to see Your Majesty in person. I hope Your Highness will forgive me." Lu Dongzan bowed deeply.

"My condolences." Li Chengqian nodded slightly, then looked towards the carriage and said, "Since my sister has returned to Chang'an, please take my carriage back to the palace. My father is still waiting for you in the palace."

"Yes!" Lu Dongzan and Gar Qinling bowed together.

Then the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and Princess Wencheng in a black skirt appeared in front of Li Chengqian.

"Imperial sister, you have lost weight!" Li Chengqian said softly.

"My Royal Highness!" Princess Wencheng's eyes immediately filled with tears, but she then forced a smile and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I greet you. May you live long in peace."

……

The yellow-roofed carriage drove calmly along Chang'an Avenue. Li Chengqian looked across at Princess Wencheng and said softly, "It's hard for you."

"I'm fine." Princess Wencheng's expression had calmed down by now, and she said happily, "I'm in Lhasa, living in the red palace on Red Mountain. It's just me and the Zamp, and he treats me very well."

Very good, but I won’t give you a child.

That palace was originally his betrothal gift.

Li Chengqian had a lot to say, but he suppressed it in the end. He smiled gently, "As long as you feel good, that's good. However, I see that you've lost a bit of weight. The palace has prepared a lot of your favorite food. You should stay in Chang'an for a while."

"Yeah!" Princess Wencheng nodded vigorously, with a playful look on her face, like a young girl.

Li Chengqian felt a little distressed.

She is only twenty years old now!

"As for what happened to the son of the Zamp, our people are in Lhasa, but they haven't done anything." Li Chengqian brought the topic to the point.

"It was the Bon believers who did it." Princess Wencheng sighed and said, "For many years, the Zamp has strongly supported Buddhism, but his support for Bon has weakened. Some extreme believers chose to attack Gongsong Gongzan, who was still a child."

"It shouldn't be...those people are crazy." Li Chengqian shook his head. Logically speaking, it was Songtsen who was bad to Bon religion, and they should have killed him.

This way, Gongsong Gongzan would be able to treat them better when he inherited the throne of Zamp in the future, but these people chose to attack Gongsong Gongzan...

"No!" Li Chengqian suddenly looked up at Princess Wencheng and said, "Those people are probably just pawns. There must be someone behind them... Zamp has killed a lot of people in Lhasa in the past six months, right?"

"Ah!" Princess Wencheng looked at Li Chengqian in surprise, then nodded slowly: "That's what happened, but why?"

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "This is their own conflict. It has nothing to do with the Tang Dynasty or the imperial sister. You should be more careful when you go out in the future. They might attack you."

"Yes!" Princess Wencheng nodded solemnly.

"Okay, let's not talk about this anymore." Li Chengqian smiled and said, "There aren't many people coming to greet you today, but there will be quite a few people in the palace soon. Also, for a while, Wei Daijia has been appointed as my deputy commander of the Crown Prince's cavalry."

"Ah!" Princess Wencheng's face suddenly showed a hint of joy. Wei Daijia was her sister's husband. Now Wei Daijia was the deputy commander of the crown prince Li Chengqian. At least, the future of her sister's family would not be a problem.

"Now that you're back, take a walk around Chang'an City." Li Chengqian lifted the carriage curtain slightly, looked outside, and said softly, "Chang'an City is much more prosperous now than when you left. The population alone has increased by over a hundred thousand."

"Hmm!" Princess Wencheng nodded with some longing. ...

When the wine glass was put down, all the laughter and joy in the entire Tai Chi Hall was immediately reflected in the wine glass.

Lu Dongzan looked at Princess Wencheng, who was sitting on the steps with a smile on her face, and the prince and his family sitting opposite her.

Three sons and one daughter.

Lu Dongzan could even see a hint of envy in Princess Wencheng's eyes.

This time when he came to Chang'an, Lu Dongzan could vaguely sense that the entire Tang royal family and the people of Chang'an were not welcoming them.

Lu Dongzan couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

This is not a good thing.

Lu Dongzan's gaze fell on the emperor above him.

It had only been a few years since he last saw the emperor, but he had already aged visibly.

Lu Dongzan looked more keenly. The family on the Danbi seemed to be harmonious, but vaguely, he could see a little bit of imperceptible caution.

Be careful not to touch upon certain topics that should not be mentioned.

King of Jin.

that power.

Prince Jin is the emperor's third son. He was exiled after his rebellion failed. Most people didn't dare to mention it, but today the princess returned to the capital, and everyone was afraid that the princess would suddenly bring it up.

There is also power. It can be clearly seen that the prince's aura is much greater than before.

In the early years, he was a little timid and cautious, but now he is like a sword gradually being unsheathed.

The sharpness not only made Lu Dongzan feel uncomfortable, he was almost stable, and the emperor was also uncomfortable.

But the Khan was enduring it, and the prince was also enduring it.

However, if there is a trigger point, the father and son may immediately turn against each other.

At this moment, Lu Dongzan suddenly raised his glass because the emperor raised his glass to him.

……

In the backyard of the embassy, ​​Gar Qinling asked everyone in the room to leave, and then he said to Lu Dongzan with some concern: "Father, they left the princess in the palace, will anything happen?"

Princess Wencheng stayed in Tubo for seven years. She was the queen of Songtsen Gampo. Even though she did not deliberately get involved in many things, she still knew a lot of secrets.

If Princess Wencheng told the Tang Dynasty all these things, the Tang Dynasty would have a deeper understanding of Tubo.

"The princess is the princess now, she knows the limits better than you." Lu Dongzan rolled his eyes at his son in annoyance. Princess Wencheng was only going back to her parents' home when she returned to the Tang Dynasty. After that, she would still have to go back to Tubo.

"That's good." Gar Qinling breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's not good." Lu Dongzan shook his head and said, "From what happened today, it can be seen that the prince's dislike for Tubo has deepened. And from the transfer of Songzhou after the New Year, it can be seen that the prince is still paying attention to Tubo."

"Father means that the prince will launch an attack on Tubo in the future?" Gar Qinling was shocked.

Li Chengqian's attitude towards Tubo was not good from the beginning, because he saw from the beginning that Princess Wencheng could not be pregnant with Songtsen's child, and Songtsen's health was not very good, and this marriage would not even last more than ten years.

This is a fire pit.

"Of course he will, but I can't say on what scale." Lu Dongzan shook his head and said, "I'm worried he has other means. After all, destroying a country doesn't necessarily require war."

Gar Qinling's expression changed slightly.

"So, we need to act in advance." Lu Dongzan turned around, took out a piece of paper from the table, and handed it to Gar Qinling: "Tomorrow, you go to this place to meet this person."

"Xu Shouyi?" Gar Qinling looked up and asked, "Who is this?"

"He is the only son of Xu Shimo, the Prince's attendant of Li Jiancheng, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. He is now the chief clerk of the Imperial College, an official of the seventh rank, and is almost fifty years old." As soon as Lu Dongzan mentioned his age, Gar Qinling immediately understood that this person must have been suppressed very badly.

"Then why would he still be an official given his status?"

"After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Xu Shimo was pardoned and served as Sima of Jinzhou, Friend of the King of Lu, and Sima of the King of Han. He died in office in the tenth year of the Zhenguan reign." Lu Dongzan sneered softly and said, "This man had some connections with the King of Han, and the King of Han had a good relationship with the Crown Prince."

Gar Qinling immediately understood Lu Dongzan's idea, but he was still a little puzzled and asked, "Why did he come to see us?"

"You know, Dad has been keeping an eye on every caravan arriving in Luoshui from Chang'an. Many of them have spies as their lead." After a brief pause, Lu Dongzan said, "Every merchant caravan from the Tang Dynasty to Luoshui is actually managed by a Tang Dynasty family. After all, Chang'an is too far away from Luoshui, and ordinary people can't afford the cost of such a caravan."

Gar Qinling nodded slightly.

"Of course, there are some small families that rely on the big families, but most of them are related by marriage." Lu Dongzan shook his head and said, "But there is a caravan that relies on the Jingzhao Wei family. They have no relatives by marriage."

"But isn't that enough suspicion?"

"The scale of their caravan is very large, far exceeding the scale of an ordinary small family."

"There is something behind them." Gar Qinling immediately understood what was going on.

"Father has contacted them, but they want him to send someone to Chang'an for talks." Lu Dongzan looked at Gar Qinling and said, "Go tomorrow and meet these remnants of the Tang Dynasty's Crown Prince Yin. Tell them about the dance troupe we've prepared in Dunhuang and ask them if they have any ideas about what to do in three days."

Three days later, a celebration banquet was held.

"Yes!" Gar Qinling looked excited.

……

In the darkness, Lu Dongzan came to the ice cellar in the backyard of the embassy.

A gust of cold air hit his face, but Lu Dongzan still walked calmly into the depths of the ice cellar.

He calmly opened a box that had been prepared long ago, and a corpse covered in frost appeared before his eyes.

The face of this corpse was strangely familiar.

Lu Dongzan smiled gently, but his smile was very cruel.

(End of this chapter)