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

Chapter 415 Occupation: Emperor (First Update)
Inside the carriage, Changsun Wuji saw Li Chengqian reading a memorial and stepped forward, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian put down the memorial, waved his hand, and pointed to the left.

Only then did Changsun Wuji stand up, walk to Li Chengqian's left side and kneel down.

Li Chengqian casually raised his head and asked, "Uncle, has Chang'an City been relatively quiet these past two days?"

"Everything is calm." Zhang Sun Wuji lowered his head and asked with concern, "Your Majesty, how is the emperor?"

"Is my father in good health?" Li Chengqian glanced in the direction of Cuiwei Palace and said, "It's much cooler up in the mountains, with a gentle breeze, perfect for escaping the summer heat. Next time I go up the mountain to pay my respects, I'll have my uncle come with me."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern." Changsun Wuji felt a little relieved. In fact, he knew a lot about the situation on the mountain.

Li Chengqian escorted the retired emperor to Cuiwei Palace. The relationship between father and son was harmonious. There were hundreds of imperial guards on the mountain and five thousand right guards at the foot of the mountain. Having learned the lesson from the Wenquan Palace, the right guards were also included in the defense scope.

There is no need to worry about the safety of the emperor in Cuiwei Palace, especially since it is very close to Chang'an City.

Changsun Wuji could keep an eye on the imperial palace and Cuiwei Palace at any time.

However, Changsun Wuji was not worried about anything. The emperor emeritus had given up his power and was no longer a threat to the emperor. Now, the emperor needed to rely on the emperor emeritus even more.

The emperor can then rest assured and recuperate.

"Uncle, there is something that I have discussed with my father." Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Wuji and told him in detail what he and the emperor had discussed about using military force against Tubo.

Outside, the imperial carriage moved forward slowly, entered the Mingde Gate, walked along Suzaku Avenue, and finally entered the Suzaku Gate.

He had been at the Tai Chi gate until Yu Cheng stopped.

The imperial carriage stopped and Li Chengqian walked out of it. He took a look at the Taiji Hall in front of him before getting down from the carriage.

Changsun Wuji followed beside Li Chengqian, and Li Yifu and Xu Jingzong followed behind them.

Zhang Sun Wuji looked at Li Chengqian and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, have you really made up your mind to go to war with Tubo?"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "My father and I have already agreed that this is a good opportunity to demonstrate the power of the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, the most important thing is that the Tang Dynasty will have six months longer to prepare than Tubo. Once Songtsen descends from the plateau, he will not only be ill-prepared but also have to travel a long distance. I can wait for him to tire himself out."

Changsun Wuji nodded. He knew that one side had traveled a long distance while the other side was well rested, which was a great strategic advantage.

"If that's the case, then there are many things that need to be discussed here." Changsun Wuji looked up at Li Chengqian.

"Let's ask Prime Minister Fang to come and discuss this together." Li Chengqian paused for a moment, then said, "Let's ask the Imperial Censor to come as well."

"Grand Censor?" Changsun Wuji was a little stunned. Why was it the Grand Censor?
He originally thought that for such matters, either Li Ji or Chu Suiliang would be called, or at most Yu Zhining would be called over, so why would Sun Fujia be called?

There was nothing special about Sun Fujia, the Imperial Censor. He might be good at impeachment under criminal law, but he was probably not good at marching and fighting.

Li Chengqian glanced at Changsun Wuji gently.

A hint of depth flashed in his eyes.

……

Taiji Hall, on the steps outside the hall.

Li Chengqian calmly walked to the front of the palace door and looked at the tall imperial couch inside with a solemn expression.

Taiji Hall was where the emperor held court on New Year's Day, the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, and the fifteenth day of the lunar month. Except on special occasions, the emperor seldom came here.

It is too solemn and dignified here. Except for the emperor, no one here can relax at all.

Therefore, the emperor held his regular court sessions in the Liangyi Hall.

On weekdays, matters are often discussed in the Liangyi Hall.

But Li Chengqian likes Taiji Hall.

He turned sideways, looked at Dou Zhijie beside him, and said, "Send someone to bring a short couch and three cushions. I, my uncle, and the Duke of Liang will discuss this matter together."

"Yes!" Dou Zhijie immediately led his men into the Liangyi Palace.

Li Chengqian turned around and looked at Zhangsun Wuji. Fang Xuanling and Sun Fujia said, "Liangyi Hall is a bit stuffy and not as comfortable as Taiji Hall."

"Yes!" Although Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and Sun Fujia were a little confused, they all bowed.

What the emperor said made some sense. It was indeed more comfortable to be in the Taiji Hall.

However, the emperor did not enter the hall to discuss matters, so it was not considered a violation of the rules.

Li Chengqian looked forward, his expression a little emotional for a moment.

On the east side of the Taiji Hall are the Menxia Neisheng, Hongwenguan and History Hall, and on the west side are the Zhongshu Neisheng and Sherenyuan.

These places were where the prime minister and the emperor's close ministers worked, ready to advise the emperor at any time. They also wrote documents and imperial edicts according to the emperor's will and conveyed them to the world.

In fact, if Li Chengqian worked in the Taiji Hall, he would be able to contact the officials of the Menxia Province and the Zhongshu Province more quickly and help them work quickly.

If Li Chengqian was a young boy, he would definitely do this to strengthen his control over the court.

But he has matured a bit after all, and knows that many times, the extra time here allows people to think more and regret, which is of great significance.

……

Dou Zhijie quickly brought over the short couch and cushion.

Li Chengqian sat on a short couch, while Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling knelt on both sides.

Sun Fujia knelt and sat below Fang Xuanling.

Xu Jingzong sat below Changsun Wuji.

On both sides are the Secretary of the Central Secretariat Dou Dexuan and the Attendant Li Yifu.

Li Chengqian looked at the Chang'an City in front of him, sighed lightly, and said, "I like Taiji Hall, because Taiji Hall allows me to see the whole world." "Your Majesty is virtuous." The ministers all bowed their hands. They didn't quite understand how the emperor felt, so they let the emperor say whatever he wanted, as long as he didn't violate the court system.

Li Chengqian raised his head slightly, looked northwest, and said, "Songtsan's only son died, leaving only his grandson, Mangsong Mangtsan. So he sent Lu Dongtsan to cause trouble in Chang'an. He was the one who caused my father's health problems. Therefore, I've asked Li Anyan to find evidence. Once he finds it, he will execute these two according to Tang law."

"Your Majesty!" Fang Xuanling couldn't help but look up and said to Li Chengqian, "If this is the case, the retired emperor's illness can no longer be concealed."

"There's no need to hide it. Once these two are dead, Songtsen will undoubtedly lead his troops down from the plateau. Then, a war will inevitably break out between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "The Tang Dynasty's only advantage is that the Tubo people don't know that I plan to execute Lu Dongzan and his son in six months. This gives the Tang Dynasty six months, or even more, to prepare."

"Furthermore, it was Songtsen who took the initiative to lead his troops down from the plateau, giving the Tang Dynasty a huge strategic advantage." Changsun Wuji looked up at Fang Xuanling and said, "We can make some moves against Tuyuhun ahead of time. As long as we can defeat Tubo this time, there will be no major wars in the Western Regions for at least ten years. This is extremely beneficial from a broader perspective."

When Fang Xuanling heard this, he did some calculations in his mind and immediately nodded, saying, "No wonder both the Grand Emperor and Your Majesty calculated in this way."

"The news must be kept secret for now." Li Chengqian smiled and said, "At least for now, only the ministers present, I, and my father know about it."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

……

"And then there's the matter of next year's trial." Li Chengqian looked at Sun Fujia and said, "My dear minister, please personally inquire about Li Anyan's progress, know the case facts and evidence in advance, and finally hold a public trial. I want everyone in the world to know that the Tang Dynasty's use of military force against Tubo is their own demise."

"Yes!" Sun Fujia bowed.

Li Chengqian suddenly smiled, looked at Sun Fujia and said, "My dear, you are now a third-rank Imperial Censor. Please be promoted a little bit to the position of Imperial Attendant, a third-rank official."

When Li Chengqian said this, everyone around him was slightly stunned.

The Chief Censor was a third-rank official, a custom that had been in place since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, because once the Chief Censor became a third-rank official, he would have the power to supervise the Prime Minister.

The prime minister in the court would never agree to this.

Generally speaking, the emperor would not agree. If the Chief Censor became a third-rank official, he would divide the power of the Menxia Province.

Especially the Menxia Shizhong.

The Grand Censor was originally an official in charge of supervision. If he became a third-rank official, he would be able to supervise even the Minister of the Interior.

Originally, the power to supervise the prime minister lay in the Menxia Province.

The Zhongshu drafted the imperial edict, the Menxia reviewed it, and finally the Shangshu Province executed it. The three provinces had a situation of checks and balances between them.

Now that Sun Fujia was suddenly appointed as the Inspector of the Palace Attendants, he also had the power to supervise the Prime Minister.

But he was only promoted to the third rank of Palace Attendant, not the third rank of Imperial Censor.

"I thank Your Majesty for your grace." Sun Fujia bowed quickly and calmly, then returned to his seat calmly.

When Fang Xuanling and Zhangsun Wuji saw this scene, they only needed to think about it for a moment before they realized that the emperor was targeting them.

Yu Zhining was too weak in front of Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji, but with the help of the fearless Sun Fujia, he was able to successfully restrain them and restore the balance of the court.

Just one move and the political situation changed immediately.

Fang Xuanling glanced at Changsun Wuji gently, with a smile on his face.

Now Fang Xuanling is only the prime minister. Although he is in charge of the provincial government, the actual power in the court is in the hands of Zhangsun Wuji, the minister of the left.

The emperor's current move is aimed at Zhangsun Wuji.

Changsun Wuji turned his eyes slightly and looked at Li Chengqian's gentle gaze, but he couldn't help but feel a little doubtful in his heart.

Was this the emperor's idea or the emperor emeritus's?
The emperor's thoughts were somewhat difficult to understand, but if they were the thoughts of the retired emperor, then Changsun Wuji was sure that the retired emperor was trying to protect him.

All that remains is to test the emperor's thoughts.

Zhangsun Wuji looked up at Li Chengqian and asked, "Your Majesty, if we really decide to go to war with Tuyuhun next year, then the Duke of Weiguo is only an inspector, which is probably not enough."

"That's fine." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "The most important thing right now is the autumn harvest. Lu Dongzan's matter will also be after next year's Fengshan ceremony. Even after next year, there might still be half a year to prepare. There's still time for everything. Right now, I don't want the Tibetans to be too alert."

"Yes!" Zhang Sun Wuji nodded, then asked, "Then what do you plan to do about Tuyuhun?"

The Tang Dynasty and Tubo were about to go to war, Tuyuhun was the key, and the queen of Tuyuhun was Princess Honghua of the Tang Dynasty.

How does the emperor plan to treat this son-in-law of the Tang Dynasty?

"The war between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo must be made known to Tuyuhun, but the timing of this notification will be determined by the generals themselves." Li Chengqian raised his head and said softly, "If this Tang consort fully supports the Tang, then I will keep Tuyuhun. However, if he hesitates, then we will destroy him all at once."

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but hold their breath.

Zhang Sun Wuji continued, "Your Majesty, if we destroy Tuyuhun, what will happen to the hundreds of thousands of Tuyuhun people?
Are they all going to be incorporated into the Tang Dynasty? With hundreds of thousands of additional mouths to feed, the Ministry of Revenue can’t handle it all! "

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Over the years, I have carefully studied the vassal states of the Tang Dynasty. The Turks in Bingzhou and the Dangxiang people in Songzhou are very different in details. The Dangxiang people are less dependent on the Tang Dynasty, while the Turks are more dependent on the Tang Dynasty. Moreover..."

Li Chengqian looked at Zhangsun Wuji and said helplessly, "Uncle, if the Murong clan really tries to vacillate between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo, would you be able to tolerate it if it were you?"

Changsun Wuji fell silent.

Just at this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came from the direction of Liangyi Gate.

The attendant Cen Changqian came quickly and walked to the bottom of the golden steps. He bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Majesty, the Tubo Prime Minister Lu Dongzan requests an audience."

In an instant, everyone looked at the emperor.

They were just discussing how to start a war with them, and then they came.

Li Chengqian raised his head slightly, looking towards the outside of Chengtian Gate, and said calmly, "Since he's here, I have to meet him. But tell him that I'm discussing matters with my ministers. Let him wait for half an hour."

"Haha!" All the ministers couldn't help laughing.

(End of this chapter)