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

Chapter 436: The One Who Shook Changsun Wuji's Position (Part )

At the foot of Mount Hua, the imperial carriage moved slowly.

Li Chengqian knelt under Li Shimin's long couch, with Changsun Wuji and Li Ji sitting below him.

"Speaking of Xincheng's marriage," Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

"Father!" Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and said, "Over a hundred governors and provincial governors from all over the world have arrived here, as well as young people from aristocratic families. We'll be happy to observe and recruit them when the time comes."

"Lu Zhaolin." Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian and asked with a half-smile, "You're not still thinking of making Lu Zhaolin the princess's consort, are you?"

"That's right and that's not." Li Chengqian paused for a moment and said, "I do admire her talent and am willing to marry Xincheng into the Lu family, but everything depends on Xincheng's opinion. If another suitable wife is chosen by Xincheng first, then Lu Zhaolin can only blame his bad luck."

Li Shimin smiled gently and nodded, saying, "Just wait and see. Your sister's marriage is her lifelong affair. You will also marry a princess in the future, so consider this as an early experience."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian's heart suddenly became heavy.

He also has a daughter. If he were to choose a husband for his daughter, it would be much more strict.

As for Li Shimin, he was not too worried. Even if the candidate chosen by Li Chengqian was bad, he would not be too bad.

Besides, Li Shimin had already married off several daughters, three of whom were legitimate.

As for the others, it is not easy to marry the daughters of the royal family.

Li Shimin inexplicably thought of Princess Gaoyang.

"By the way, will Lu Chengqing come back this time?" Li Shimin suddenly asked.

"I won't come back." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "I will do my best to not move the Yizhou officials. Lu Qing is now the Chief Secretary of the Yizhou Grand Commandery. He also served as the Minister of the Left. If anything happens, he can quickly mobilize Yizhou's food, fodder, and military equipment to reinforce the army... And if he doesn't move, Songzan will be even less likely to dare to target Songzhou."

Since Lu Chengqing entered the officialdom, he has served as a military officer in Qinzhou, a deputy minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a reviewing vice minister of the Ministry of War, a deputy governor of Yongzhou, and a left chancellor of the Ministry of Shangshu.

Perhaps he is not qualified to be the commander-in-chief of an army, but he is the most suitable one to be the general manager of a rear army.

With him in Yizhou, all forces can be combined together.

Moreover, Lu Chengqing has another task.

Monitor Li Junxian.

"Songzan!" Li Shimin smiled, looked out of the carriage, and said softly, "Lu Dongzan might use Wencheng to test my situation. Don't let Wencheng know."

"I understand, son." Li Chengqian nodded and looked outside the car.

Mount Hua is majestic and its five peaks are steep.

The mountains are undulating and the scenery is spectacular.

Before they knew it, the group had passed Huashan, Tongguan, and Hanguguan.

Arrived in Henan Province.

……

On the mountain wall in winter, an old man, so thin that he was almost skin and bones, was holding a chisel in his hand and hitting the mountain wall in front of him hard again and again.

The figure of a Buddha statue gradually appeared between the mountain walls.

There were more than a dozen people around him who looked the same as him.

These people, all wearing only shorts, revealing their skinny bodies, were hand-carving Buddha statues in the cold winter.

Li Chengqian glanced outside, then turned to Li Shimin and said, "The monthly salary and craftsmen provided to Sanmen Temple by the court are limited. This month, all construction has stopped because of the Fengshan ceremony. Those people outside are all devout Buddhists, willing to sacrifice everything for the Buddha."

"Buddhism!" Li Shimin sighed softly, then looked at Li Chengqian: "Chengqian, what do you think of Buddhism?"

"Buddhism can be used!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Although Taoism is not very useful in the world, once something happens, unless it is a matter of life and death, they basically retreat to the mountains and wilderness. Buddhism is different. When faced with a matter of life and death, Buddhism is completely useless. On the contrary, in ordinary matters like this, which the court is not convenient to do, Buddhism can mobilize believers and gain their loyalty and dedication."

All the craftsmen on the mountain wall are Buddhist believers.

When they founded Sanmen Temple, the Buddhists only gave them a chisel, three meals a day, and a place to sleep, nothing else.

But these people are still willing to risk their lives to carefully carve these things.

This is the power of Buddhism.

"You have to be careful." Li Shimin shook his head and said, "Once the power of Buddhism is used by others, it is very terrifying. Therefore, you must control this power yourself."

"I understand. Even in Buddhism, there's a saying about the Son of Heaven. Who knows, someone might actually do something." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "The Buddhist Da Ci'en Temple will be completed in Dunyifang, Xicheng District, in March next year. By then, it will be the base for Master Xuanzang, perfectly positioned to compete with the Zen Buddhism of the Central Plains."

Da Ci'en Temple was built by Li Zhi in the previous life on the site of Wulou Temple in Jinchangfang, but Li Chengqian seized that place from the very beginning and converted it into Taiyi Qinghua Temple.

Now that Xuanzang has returned, the Buddhist community requested to build the Da Ci'en Temple for Xuanzang to translate Buddhist scriptures. Li Chengqian then selected a piece of land in Dunyifang, Chang'an County, Xicheng District.

Coincidentally, the center of Jinchangfang and Dunyifang is Zhuque Street.

With Zhuque Street as the central axis, Da Ci'en Temple and Taiyi Qinghua Temple stand side by side on the left and right.

"You've chosen a good place." Li Shimin smiled and said, "I can go there to burn incense next year!"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian bowed slightly.

Standing up, he couldn't help but look outside the hall.

On the mountain wall, the poor and skinny craftsmen were concentrating on carving Buddha statues and did not even notice the arrival of the emperor and his entourage.

Li Chengqian couldn't help but sigh softly in his heart.

Some people!

……

The emperor drove through Shanzhou, took the ancient road of Qiaohan, and entered the Heluo Plain.

Cross the Luo River and arrive at the southern city of Luoyang.

Outside Dingding Gate, Fang Xuanling, Xiao Yu, Gao Shilian, and a group of civil and military officials were waiting behind the gate.

One of them was right behind Gao Shilian.

He was dressed in a purple official robe and a three-beam crown on his head. He looked cautious, but his eyes were full of longing as he looked at the imperial carriage approaching in the distance.

The provincial governors around couldn't help but look at this man.

The attention paid to him was no less than that paid to Fang Xuanling, Xiao Yu and Gao Shilian.

Luozhou Chief Clerk Xiao Jun was even one step behind him. This man was none other than the current emperor's father-in-law, the Empress's father, the Governor of Hangzhou, and the Duke of Wugong County, Su Tan.

Over the years, Su Tan has been promoted from Secretary to Governor of Taizhou, and finally to Governor of Hangzhou. Now he has become the father-in-law of the emperor and has not returned to Beijing for many years.

But as soon as he came back, he immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Even Fang Xuanling personally entertained him and chatted for an hour.

Su Tan was not only Su Xu's younger brother, his father Su Kui was the Minister of the Ministry of Rites of the Sui Dynasty, and his grandfather Su Wei was the Prime Minister and Shangshu Zuo Pushe of the Sui Dynasty.

Su Wei is certainly extraordinary, but Su Kui is not bad either.

Su Kui presided over the marriages of the first two kings of Gaochang, Qu Boya, the father of Qu Wentai, and Yuwen Yubo, the former Princess Huarong of the Sui Dynasty.

Yuwen Yubo was a descendant of the Yuwen clan of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. After entering the Sui Dynasty, she was granted the title of Princess Huarong. After entering the Tang Dynasty, she was granted the title of Princess Changle, and was given the surname Li and included in the clan register.

Unfortunately, he has passed away.

Su Kui's mother was Princess Xinxing of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the daughter of Yuwen Hu, and a cousin of Princess Changle.

Qu Wentai's two sons, Qu Zhisheng, are now the General of the Left Guard and the Duke of Jincheng County. When the retired emperor attacked Goguryeo, Qu Zhisheng fought bravely for him; his other son, Qu Zhizhan, is the General of the Right Guard and the Duke of Tianshan County.

Su Tan returned to Chang'an and did nothing, but he had already caused a lot of unrest.

The emperor's father-in-law and the queen's father.

Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there has not been a living father of the queen.

But if you look at the Dou family, the Changsun family, and Gao Shilian, you will know that his official career is definitely not limited to this.

It may even shake Changsun Wuji's position.

The imperial carriage finally stopped in front. The emperor and the empress, supporting the retired emperor, stood outside the imperial carriage and at the gate of Dingding.

All the ministers bowed and said, "We pay our respects to Your Majesty, may Your Majesty live forever; we pay our respects to the Sage, may Your Majesty's blessings and fortune continue; we pay our respects to the Empress, may Her Majesty be merciful and peaceful forever."

"Be flat!"

……

The Ziwei Palace stands majestically in the northwest of Luoyang, on the banks of the Luo River, overlooking the entire Luoyang city.

There is a Purple Palace in the sky, where God resides.

The king built his palace based on the image.

Fang Xuanling arrived in Luoyang ahead of time and arranged everything properly.

The retired emperor lived in Huiyou Hall, and the emperor and empress lived in Zhuangjing Hall.

The Zhenguan Hall was where the grand court was held. The emperor and his concubines lived on both sides of the Zhenguan Hall, while the concubines of the retired emperor lived in the palaces around the Huiyou Hall.

In the Huiyou Hall, Li Chengqian knelt beside Li Shimin's bed.

Li Shimin finally couldn't help but said: "Qianyuan Hall really needs to be repaired."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Your Majesty is right. The Tang Dynasty has received tributes from all nations and the barbarians are in submission. In addition, the harvest has been abundant over the past two years. This means that I will ascend the throne this year. We must also prepare for the war with Tuyuhun. Otherwise, we can start rebuilding the Ziwei Palace next year."

Li Chengqian did not object to rebuilding the Ziwei Palace.

In his previous life, not long after Li Zhi ascended the throne, he began to rebuild the Ziwei Palace. He even made an eastern tour to Luoyang to visit the Ziwei Palace almost every summer and autumn.

On the one hand, it was necessary to relieve the food pressure in Chang'an; on the other hand, it was also because the world east of Qiaohan was gradually becoming prosperous and needed to be controlled.

The Tang Dynasty gradually transitioned from a system of one capital and four capitals to a system of two capitals.

"After the war is over next year and the Daming Palace is renovated, I will begin construction on the Ziwei Palace." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "But before that, let Lord Yan begin planning and spread the word. The people of Luoyang should feel more at ease."

"Be careful of opposition from officials in the court." Li Shimin sighed lightly. He had planned to build the Ziwei Palace ten years ago, but was strongly opposed by court officials.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I know what I'm doing." Li Chengqian nodded.

"Alright, call someone." Li Shimin leaned back on the couch, looked outside the hall, and said, "Call the Duke of Wugong County, the Governor of Hangzhou, Su Tan."

Zhang Ananda bowed, then walked outside the hall and said, "The Duke of Wugong County and the Governor of Hangzhou, Su Tan, are here to see you."

Li Chengqian's expression became solemn, and for some reason, his back also felt slightly tense.

Soon, Su Tan walked into the hall with a solemn expression, then bowed to Li Shimin and Li Chengqian and said, "I am Su Tan, the Duke of Wugong County and the Governor of Hangzhou. I pay my respects to the sage and to Your Majesty!"

"My dear minister, please stand up. It has been many years since we last met, right?" Li Shimin nodded slightly and looked at Su Tan.

Su Tan bowed and said, "I have served in foreign posts for many years and have seldom returned to the court. I miss Your Majesty very much. However, Your Majesty has treated me very well, so I have been working in the local areas to understand their sufferings and to understand the people..."

……

Xiushanfang, the backyard of the embassy.

In the stone pavilion, Lu Dongzan sat on a stone bench, looking at Gar Qinling across from him, and said, "I met Su Tan today, and he doesn't seem like an ordinary person!"

"He's a man of action." Gar Qinling bowed slightly and said, "Su Tan was originally a fifth-rank secretary, a close minister to the emperor. Later, his daughter was chosen by the late empress dowager as the crown princess, and he was promoted to the governor of Taizhou. He has been a man of extraordinary literary talent and has achieved many achievements in local governance over the years, ensuring the well-being of the people. He was promoted to the governor of Hangzhou."

"It's not easy. Ensuring the well-being of the people is not something that can be easily achieved." Lu Dongzan shook his head slightly, then smiled and said, "As soon as this man returns to the court, I'm afraid that Duke Zhao will immediately feel threatened."

"As members of the Guanzhong clan, the division of power and influence is inevitable." Gar Qinling nodded and said, "But that's a matter for the future. Now we still have to wait and see about the battle in the northwest. Father, when will the Zamp mobilize the troops? If the emperor lets us go back, will the Zamp have no excuse to mobilize the troops?"

"If you don't move, you'll be fine. If you move, you'll be like thunder. The Zamp's march doesn't need you or me to worry about." Lu Dongzan smiled softly and whispered, "As for excuses, don't worry, there are plenty of them."

"Yes!" Gar Qinling lowered his head. It was already December.

"What do you think about the health of the retired emperor?" Lu Dongzan looked up.

"I don't know. The emperor only showed up once this time from Chang'an to Luoyang." Gar Qinling frowned.

"After returning to Chang'an, the emperor summoned ministers and foreign envoys in Huiyou Hall instead of Zhenguan Hall. This is interesting." Lu Dongzan sneered lightly.

"Father, what do you mean?" Gar Qinling seemed to understand something.

"Fengshan is never a simple matter." Lu Dongzan raised his head and said softly, "Please don't let anything go wrong!"

Gar Qinling's pupils dilated instantly.

(End of this chapter)