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

Chapter 428 Emperor, Please Meet Li Chunfeng (Part )

In a blink of an eye, a month has passed.

The emperor made an eastern tour to Mount Li.

Hot Spring Palace, in the Hall of Eternal Life.

Li Junxian kowtowed to the ground and said with shame: "I am guilty of not being able to investigate the prophecy."

Li Shimin sat back on the soft cushion and frowned slightly at Li Junxian. "The Emperor has appointed you as General of the Left Jinwu Guard. The General of the Left Jinwu Guard is in charge of the security of the capital. You used to be the Lieutenant General of the Jinwu Guard. Why can't this matter be investigated?"

"I tracked down all the people and finally found the source. Who knew that the person had left Chang'an for Shuzhong a month ago? I sent people to Shuzhong to investigate, but there has been no reply so far." Li Junxian looked helpless.

The other party was obviously coming for him. After spreading the prophecy and nursery rhymes, they immediately ordered people to leave Chang'an.

This brought his subsequent investigation to an abrupt halt.

"Emperor, what do you think about this matter?" Li Shimin turned to look at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian sat on the edge of the imperial couch, looking at Li Junxian and sighing softly, "Duke of Nanchang, I want to ask you, the Jinwu Guards have been conducting a thorough investigation for a month. Do you have any suspects?"

Changsun Wuji, who was standing on the side, glanced at Li Chengqian and lowered his eyes slightly.

Not only the Jinwu Guards, Yongzhou Prefecture, Chang'an's Wannian Second Line, the Dali Temple, and the Ministry of Justice, Li Junxian mobilized almost all the forces he could mobilize.

What's more, in the entire Chang'an, countless common people and powerful people were all watching this matter.

When Li Junxian found a place, no one tried to stop him, and more people went to help.

But in the end, nothing was found.

"I have some suspicions, but I'm not sure." Li Junxian looked up at Li Chengqian and said with a stiff face, "I've checked. Where those people appeared, there were some people who spoke normal Mandarin, but their accents were strange. So I suspect they are from other ethnic groups. In my early years, I had contact with the Turks..."

"Alright." Li Chengqian couldn't help but look at Li Junxian and asked directly, "I guess you've investigated the Turkic nobles in Beijing. How's it going? Any results?"

"I am guilty!" Li Junxian lowered his head.

"You!" Li Shimin interrupted, shaking his head, and said, "You thought about the Turks, but didn't you think about the Tibetans?"

Li Chengqian, Li Junxian, Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and others all looked at Li Shimin in surprise.

"That's not necessary." Li Shimin shook his head and said, "The foreign tribes are nothing more than the Eastern and Western Turks, Goguryeo and Tibetans.

Although the Eastern and Western Turks also have ambitions, their tribes are being closely watched. There are some figures in Chang'an now, but few can achieve this. Goguryeo is too far away, and the only one in Chang'an who has the ability to manipulate all this is the Tibetan Prime Minister Lu Dongzan.

Lu Dongzan was the prime minister of Tubo.

With just one word, everyone became solemn.

Prime Minister, that is the position of Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling in the court.

"A person like this stayed in Chang'an for months, even staying until the end-of-year Fengshan ceremony. He should have been closely watched, but he kept a low profile and was forgotten by everyone." Li Shimin turned to look at Li Chengqian and asked, "Your Majesty, you are keeping an eye on him, right?"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Lu Dongzan rarely goes out and stays at the post station. The occasional trip is to accompany Emperor Wencheng's sister. As for his son, Gar Qinling, he still hasn't passed the Imperial College exam and is still being watched outside."

"Didn't he pass the Imperial College exam?" Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian in surprise and asked, "I remember he was very capable!"

"He is capable!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Except for the last policy essay, he answered the other parts very well, but the last policy essay is the only one he always writes poorly."

"This question has nothing to do with you, right?" Li Shimin frowned slightly.

"I asked someone to come up with this question, but it wasn't difficult. I just wanted him to think from the perspective of a Tang citizen and come up with some great strategies for the court." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "If he was willing to put his heart into it and write something, I would have let him enter the Imperial Academy, but he refused."

Gar Qinling is the son of Lu Dongzan, the prime minister of Tubo. He will certainly devote himself to Tubo in the future. If you ask him to write something beneficial to the Tang Dynasty now, he will naturally refuse.

Moreover, he is not as experienced as Lu Dongzan, who can write an article that deceives the world.

After all, Li Shimin is still alive.

"So what do you think, was this matter arranged by Lu Dongzan or by Gar Qinling?" Li Shimin asked directly.

"It's Lu Dongzan!" Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes slightly and said seriously, "Gar Qinling's study at the Imperial College is probably just a deception. Lu Dongzan must have other unknown forces in Chang'an City. He took decisive action this time because of the matter of the Duke of Nanchang."

"There's no evidence, nothing at all." Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "What are you going to do next? Will you continue investigating?"

Li Junxian looked up at Li Chengqian pleadingly.

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Lu Dongzan is the Prime Minister of a country. He is working hard in Chang'an City. It is difficult to find his whereabouts. Apart from framing him, further investigation will probably be futile. Therefore, I think that the Duke of Nanchang should be temporarily suspended from his post and let him reflect on his mistakes."

Li Junxian's expression changed slightly.

Li Shimin looked up and asked, "And then?"

Li Chengqian turned to look at Li Junxian and said, "Set up a substitute in the Nanchang County Duke's Mansion and let him study behind closed doors in the study room of the mansion. However, the Nanchang County Duke himself left the city after the curfew and went directly to Songzhou." Li Junxian raised his eyes and his expression became serious.

He was the General of the Right Guard, and he knew that the Northwest was preparing for a war.

Lu Dongzan himself was a key figure in this battle.

When the emperor was still the crown prince, he had no good feelings towards Tubo, especially since Princess Wencheng had been childless for many years, which made the people of Chang'an even more dissatisfied.

It was believed that the Tibetans deliberately prevented the Tang princesses from having children, so as to avoid the emergence of a Tibetan royal family with Tang blood.

The emperor was particularly dissatisfied.

Especially now that the emperor has ascended the throne, and in Tubo, Songtsen's only son suddenly died of illness, leaving him with only one grandson.

Once something happens to Tubo, the emperor will definitely take action against Tubo, so Lu Dongzan came to Chang'an as the prime minister to cause trouble in Chang'an.

And they have achieved results.

The emperor, who is leaning on a soft cushion and only has his head moving, is their masterpiece.

The Tang Dynasty naturally wanted to retaliate, and was still investigating the incident that caused the emperor's illness step by step.

Once the blame is brought back to Lu Dongzan and Gar Qinling, they, father and son, will surely be killed.

Once the father and son died, Princess Wencheng would most likely be detained in Chang'an.

It depends on whether Songtsen is willing to bear this kind of loss.

If he is unwilling, it is best to send troops to rescue people.

It happened that at the end of the year, the emperor was going to hold a grand ceremony in Luoyang for the retired emperor at Mount Song. The most powerful people in the world were all in Luoyang at that time.

The military and political situation was lax and the response was slow, which was the perfect opportunity for Songtsen to take action.

Based on this, the Tang Dynasty set a trap. Li Jing, Zheng Rentai, Guo Xiaoke, Li Xiyu, Xi Junmai, and Xue Wanbei were all in the northwest.

"Although we have Pei Xingfang in the southwest, he's still somewhat insufficient." Li Chengqian looked at Li Junxian and said, "The Duke of Nanchang should go to Songzhou. Although Songzan suffered a loss there once and won't go there again, we still need to be prepared for any eventuality. Also, if he really goes to Tuyuhun, then the Duke of Nanchang should cut off his retreat from Songzhou."

What a great idea!
After hearing what Li Chengqian said, all the ministers present couldn't help but flash a hint of excitement in their eyes.

Lu Dongzan was plotting against Li Junxian, but Li Junxian quietly rushed to Songzhou.

Once Songtsen Gampo really mobilized his troops, Li Junxian would completely cut off his retreat, and even Songtsen Gampo would die at his hands.

Thinking of this, many people couldn't help but grit their teeth.

Songtsen deserves to die for deceiving a Tang princess into marriage.

"Let's go." Li Shimin nodded calmly, looked at Li Junxian, and said, "Duke of Nanchang, you also participated in the destruction of Tuyuhun, and you are familiar with the terrain. Transfer some mountain troops from Jingzhou. As for the rest, be careful and be patient. Wait until the battle of Shanzhou begins before you take action, so that they won't turn around and destroy you first."

The corner of Li Junxian's mouth twitched slightly, and then he kowtowed and said, "I understand."

In military matters, no one dared to disobey the emperor when he spoke.

Li Junxian glanced at Li Chengqian carefully. The emperor might not be as good as the emperor emeritus in fighting on the battlefield, but his ability in strategic layout was better than that of the emperor emeritus.

"In that case, I'll take my leave." Li Junxian bowed carefully and stood up.

"Don't get too excited when you get back." Li Chengqian glanced at Li Junxian and said, "Lu Dongzan is probably watching you from somewhere. Try to keep it a secret from your family. As for the replacement, General Zuo Qianniuwei and Duke of Dunqiu, Li Anyan, will contact you."

"I understand. I will obey your order." Li Junxian's expression suddenly became solemn.

Li Chengqian waved his hand, and Li Junxian bowed and took his leave.

……

"It's not him." Li Shimin looked at Zhangsun Wuji standing beside him, shook his head, and said, "He lacks the ability and the scheming. The prophecy couldn't possibly be about him."

"The sage's words make sense." Changsun Wuji nodded and said, "Either Li Chunfeng's prediction was inaccurate, or this 'female warrior replacing the Tang Dynasty' theory is just like the Golden Sword Prophecy, a perpetual hoax."

Li Shimin nodded, looked at Li Chengqian, and said, "Emperor, when you return to the capital in two days, go see Li Chunfeng and see what he has to say about this matter."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian's expression became serious.

Meet Li Chunfeng.

In Li Chengqian's heart, some emotions were churning for a moment.

He knew about the "Tuibei Tu", but the problem was that Li Zhi was no longer the emperor, and the emperor was Li Chengqian. The future had undergone fundamental changes. Was the "Tuibei Tu" still useful?
(End of this chapter)