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

Chapter 427 You have no favor towards Li Junxian, you should show him favor (Part )

In Ganlu Palace, Li Shimin was leaning back on the couch.

The memorial was opened and spread across his legs.

"Emperor, do you know what prophecy is?" Li Shimin turned and looked at Li Chengqian.

"I know." Li Chengqian bowed and said, "Prophecies are divine revelations of the future, foretelling the future of heaven and earth. However, there are also ambitious people who fabricate prophecies to achieve ulterior motives."

Prophecies were not unfamiliar to the Li Tang Dynasty. When Emperor Gaozu rebelled against the Sui Dynasty and conquered the world, there was a prophecy that always followed him.

"Peach and plum trees, floods surround Yangshan." Li Shimin sighed softly and said, "The prophecy was right. In the end, the Li family did indeed gain the throne. However, Li Mi of Wagang and Li Hongzhi, the King of Tang, were both pioneers who led the way. The world was once deceived by them, but in the end, destiny fell upon our lineage."

"Your son knows that this prophecy appeared when Yang Guang first ascended the throne. However, Yang Guang was very proud of himself when he first gained the throne. Even when a sorcerer advised him to kill all the people with the surname Li, he ignored him." Li Chengqian bowed slightly.

"It's not that Yang Guang doesn't want to, but he can't." Li Shimin raised his head slightly and said, "The Longxi Li family, the Zhaojun Li family, and all the Li descendants throughout the country are not so easy to kill, not to mention that they are related by marriage. Even Yang Guang and my Li family are related by marriage."

Li Shimin nodded.

"Even so, it's difficult to determine the true destiny." Li Shimin shook his head calmly, looking at Wu Meiniang who was kneeling outside the palace and said, "The Tang Dynasty lasted for three generations, and each time a female ruler, King Wu, ruled the country. If that's the case, I should kill everyone with the surname Wu, male or female..."

Wu Meiniang outside the palace suddenly shuddered, then kowtowed heavily.

Li Shimin turned to look at Li Chengqian and asked calmly, "Emperor, if it were you, would you kill Li Junxian now?"

Li Junxian, also known as Li Wuniangzi, was the Duke of Wuchang County. He was previously granted the title of Duke of Wulian County. He was from Wu'an County, Hebei Province, and served as the General of the Left Jinwu Guard.

No matter how you look at it, the so-called "Tang Dynasty lasted for three generations, and the female ruler Wu Wang ruled the world" cannot be a real queen ruling the world, so it is either someone with the surname Wu or Li Junxian.

"No!" Li Chengqian knew very well that this prophecy actually referred to Wu Meiniang.

Li Junxian, to put it nicely, is the king's pioneer, to put it bluntly, he is a scapegoat.

"The Duke of Wuchang has followed my father since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. He defeated Song Jingang in Jiexiu, campaigned against Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, and Liu Heita in the east, and reached the Turks in the north. He served as the Lieutenant General of the Left Golden Guard, commanding the Imperial Guards, guarding the Xuanwu Gate, and campaigning against the Tuyuhun. For many years, he has served as a protective guardian and performed outstanding deeds." Li Chengqian bowed, saying, "How could I, your son, arbitrarily kill a meritorious official because of a prophecy?"

Li Shimin glanced at Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling on both sides, then nodded and said, "You continue!"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian took a deep breath and said seriously, "Putting aside what happened before, the Duke of Wuchang is already quite old. In ten years, I will have him completely give up his military power and return home to retire."

"Cao Rui thinks so too." Li Shimin glanced at Li Chengqian lightly.

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "That's different. Sima Zhixin seems sinister and ruthless now, with astonishing schemes. But Li Junxian, during his many years of fighting, was known for his bravery and strength. In many battles, he was always at the forefront. To say that he has Sima Zhao's ambitions and schemes is hard for me to believe."

Li Shimin nodded, then continued, "This is the situation now. What about you? Will you continue to let him be the General of the Right Guard?"

After saying this, Li Chengqian fell silent.

Among the sixteen guards, the left and right guards are the strongest.

Although the Left and Right Qianniu Guards and the Left and Right Jinwu Guards had other duties and were trusted by the emperors, in foreign wars, no matter which emperor it was, the main force used to conquer the world was the Left and Right Guards.

Li Junxian is now the General of the Right Guard. According to his authority, he is in charge of 5,000 cavalrymen around Chang'an City and can mobilize 800 cavalrymen at any time.

If the imperial edict was false, I am afraid that all the tens of thousands of Right Guard cavalry in Chang'an and Luoyang would be under his command.

If he really thought about it...

"The scariest thing about prophecies isn't their ability to predict the future." Li Shimin looked out of the hall calmly, then said softly, "What's most frightening is their ability to sway people's hearts. The 'Peach and Plum' prophecy existed when Yang Guang ascended the throne. Why did it only erupt in the late Sui Dynasty? On the one hand, it was Yang Guang's excessive taxation, and on the other hand, it was likely that some people had taken the prophecy for themselves, allowing it to confuse their minds."

"Your Majesty, what you say makes sense, but if someone were to die for this, I'm afraid it would be seen as punishing someone without even teaching them." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and said with some concern, "If anyone fabricates prophecies and frames others from now on, wouldn't that mean the strife within the court will never end?"

This is how Li Junxian died in his previous life.

It would be fine if the emperor could control the infighting in the court, but once the emperor loses control and the infighting in the court continues, any means can be used.

"What are you going to do?" Li Shimin stared at Li Chengqian.

"First, transfer Li Junxian to the position of General of the Left Golden Guard. This prophecy is related to him. It first arose around Chang'an City and then spread into the city. This is why it was impossible to stop it. So, let him investigate and see if he can find out who is secretly plotting." Li Chengqian's expression turned cold.

At this moment, there are actually not many targets for these conspiracy tactics in Chang'an City.

"Who do you think it might be?" Li Shimin asked calmly.

"I won't speculate. Let Li Junxian investigate on his own. Whoever he finds out will have his entire clan exterminated." Li Chengqian looked at Li Shimin sternly and said, "Anyone who makes false predictions deserves death."

"Okay!" Li Shimin nodded. All the conspirators deserved to die.

"There are already two Left Golden Guard Generals in the Left Golden Guard. Who do you plan to transfer out?"

"Li Junxian is now the General of the Left Jinwu Guard. It's better to have someone to check and balance him in Chang'an City. Duke Dai should not move. The Duke of Susong is now in Anxi and may invade Tuyuhun at any time. It would be more appropriate to transfer him to the position of General of the Right Guard at this time." Li Chengqian looked up with a thoughtful look.

"Let's do it this way." Li Shimin nodded.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed and said, "I will go and summon the Duke of Wuchang right away."

"Wait!" Li Shimin shook his head, stopped Li Chengqian, and asked, "What is your relationship with Li Junxian?"

Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment, then said, "We've worked together a few times, and he listens to me, but that's all."

"It's not that those surrendered Wagang generals can't be used, but you have to know how to use them." Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Take Duke Ying. He's been your Crown Prince's Left Guard for many years, and your mark is very heavy on him, so there's nothing to worry about. But Li Junxian, you should wait until he hears these prophecies and see what he's thinking. If he comes to apologize, then you can go see him. But if he doesn't..."

"I understand." Li Chengqian's expression became serious.

If Li Junxian thinks he is not guilty and doesn't even apologize, then he really deserves to die.

Don’t talk about being open-minded. When encountering such things, no one has ever been open-minded. Some people are just confused by prophecies.

A guilty conscience.

How to kill Li Junxian in that case? Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling had countless ways to do it.

"In that case, I will take my leave." Li Chengqian stood up, bowed slightly, and then turned to walk out of the hall.

Wu Meiniang knelt on the ground and kowtowed, watching Li Chengqian's footsteps pass by. Her heart, which had been tense all the time, finally relaxed a little. The thought of killing her flashed through the mind of the retired emperor.

Wu Meiniang's body trembled slightly.

On the contrary, the emperor was more tolerant.

"Your Majesty is benevolent and filial." In the inner hall, Zhangsun Wuji raised his head and looked at Li Shimin and said, "I still ask Your Majesty for advice on all matters."

"He has never experienced this kind of thing." Li Shimin shook his head and said softly, "In this kind of situation, no one knows what the final outcome will be."

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling looked at each other with serious expressions.

The last prophecy that appeared was the Golden Sword Prophecy, because of which Liu Lan died and had her heart and liver eaten by Qiu Xinggong.

Now Li Junxian has been transferred to be the General of the Left Jinwu Guard, but he has a lot to do with the affairs of Yongzhou Prefecture, and now he is the Governor of Yongzhou.

It was Qiu Xinggong.

……

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Chengqian sat on the imperial couch and continued to review memorials.

The world is full of places, not just Chang'an.

Now that Li Chengqian is the emperor, what he can do, in addition to the memorials from various places, is to rely more on his confidants in various places, as well as the memorials from local officials at all levels.

There were provincial governors, chief secretaries, and military officers, as well as a Zhechoufu (Zhechoufu), and even retired old officials, military officers of the six departments, and even local county magistrates.

Compare them with each other and find out the real situation in the place.

Not to mention, in some places, there are the Hundred Cavalry Division, the Thousand Bull Guards, and local spies.

Now that it is autumn harvest time, the situation in various places cannot be missed.

"Your Majesty!" A burst of hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall. Cen Changqian, the attendant, stood outside the hall and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Wuchang is outside Chengtian Gate, kneeling to see you."

"Let him in." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly.

"Yes!" Cen Changqian immediately turned around and left.

Li Chengqian followed his back and looked towards Chengtian Gate.

In just a few days, the news about the female protagonist King Wu replacing the Tang Dynasty three generations later has spread like wildfire.

Although Li Shimin is still alive, the person living on the imperial bed is Li Chengqian.

Although he became the emperor, except for the time when he took advantage of the Yang Yuzhi incident to make a fuss, he always handled the affairs of state with caution.

He did not have the same prestige as Li Shimin, and everyone wanted to see how he would handle this matter and how he would deal with Li Junxian.

A handsome figure in black clothes and armor walked quickly into the hall and knelt down in the hall: "Your Majesty, I am General Li Junxian of the Right Guard. I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty live forever."

Li Chengqian sat on the imperial couch and looked at Li Junxian for a long time without saying a word.

Li Junxian kowtowed to the ground, trembling slightly under the emperor's invisible gaze.

"Do you know about the prophecy?" Li Chengqian finally spoke.

"I am guilty!" Li Junxian lowered his head, a chill enveloping his whole body.

Li Chengqian raised his gaze from Li Junxian, looked outside the hall, and asked, "How is the investigation going?"

"I am guilty!" Li Junxian raised his head slightly and said, "I didn't find out anything. The person who framed me was very cautious."

"Want to get to the bottom of this?"

"I do!" Li Junxian nodded with gritted teeth.

"Okay, I'll give you a month." Li Chengqian smiled softly and said, "Issue an order. From now on, Li Junxian, the Duke of Wuchang, will be transferred to the position of General of the Left Jinwu Guard to investigate the prophecy case. All departments must cooperate and make no mistakes."

"Yes!" Li Junxian kowtowed again and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great grace... Your Majesty, I have overstepped my bounds. Please change your title."

"It's so rare that you've spoken up." Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say. I'll change the title of Duke of Wuchang to Duke of Nanchang, and the Duke of Nanchang will be Li Junxian!"

"Your Majesty, thank you for your grace!" Li Junxian kowtowed vigorously with gratitude.

"Alright, let's investigate." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Investigate the matter thoroughly."

"Yes! I'll take my leave." Li Junxian kowtowed, then stood up, took three steps back, and then turned around and left the hall.

Li Junxian's figure quickly disappeared from Li Chengqian's sight. Behind the curtain to one side, Qiu Shenji stood up and said with a bow, "Your Majesty!"

"Don't tell him about that, just keep an eye on him secretly." Li Chengqian raised his head with an indifferent expression.

"Here!"

　As long as the law and morality exist, the emperor with a white flag will emerge from the East China Sea.

　　Peaches and plums, don't talk nonsense. Yellow swans fly around the mountain and circle in the garden.

　　The peach garden is full of winding flags.

　　Peaches and plums, swans fly around Yangshan Mountain, winding through the flower forest. Don't talk nonsense, who will say it?

　　Peaches and plums, floods surround Yangshan.

　　Willow trees grow in the south of the Yangtze River, and plum blossoms bloom in the north of the Yangtze River. Where do the willows go?

　　The plum blossoms will bear fruit naturally.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)