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

Chapter 520: Songzan, is he also dying? (Part )
In the Taiji Hall, Li Chengqian put down the thin bamboo gold pen in his hand and looked at Zhangsun Wuji standing in the hall: "Uncle, have you already known about Qingque's situation?"

"Yes!" Zhang Sun Wuji stood in the hall, sighed softly, and said with a cupped hand, "The princess said this after returning home. I guess His Majesty didn't specifically instruct the princess to keep it secret, so I got to know it."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Indeed, I don't just want to let my uncle know, I also want to let all the ministers know. Next year, I will let Xin'er leave the palace as a disguised warning to them not to target Xin'er."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji nodded and said with emotion, "Your Majesty is so broad-minded. Looking through all the history books, few can match you."

"I'm not as good as my uncle says." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "What I really want is for the spirits of my father and mother in heaven to see that Qingque and Zhinu have descendants who can travel the world and go to Zhaoling to offer sacrifices every year. In this way, the family will be complete, and they will not blame me."

"Your Majesty is benevolent and filial." Changsun Wuji bowed and sighed in his heart.

He actually knew that the current matter was far from as simple as it looked and sounded.

The emperor's tolerance towards Li Tai and his and Li Zhi's descendants greatly united the people.

The human hearts here especially refer to the hearts of the kings.

There are three hundred and sixty states in the Tang Dynasty.

The kings, dukes, imperial princes, their wives' families, and the emperor's own wives' families account for at least one-third of the provincial governors.

Just for this matter, the kings will serve the emperor wholeheartedly, which in turn will strengthen the emperor's control over the government.

In addition, there are the three brothers Yan Lide, Yan Liben, and Yan Lixing.

Because they have seen Yan Wan again, the subtle gap between them and the emperor will completely disappear, and they will serve the emperor with all their strength.

Yan Lide was the Minister of Revenue. The emperor controlled the entire Ministry of Revenue through him. The Ministry of Revenue alone could see through too many local affairs.

The emperor couldn't hide it at all.

The emperor's control over the world gradually deepened through these events, and the influence and control of others on the emperor also weakened rapidly.

It won't be long before the emperor becomes like Taizong, a true emperor who controls the world.

……

"Speaking of Xin'er!" Li Chengqian sighed, looking at the imperial desk in front of him, and said softly, "Xin'er has been under my watch since he was a child. He looks filial, honest and calm, but he is actually very sensitive and knows right from wrong in many things. He is a rare good child."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji bowed and nodded, "Your Majesty is right."

"So!" Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Xin'er will leave the palace to take the imperial examination next year. Although I will make arrangements for everything, it's inevitable that some messy people will do something rash. Uncle, please keep a close eye on her and make sure nothing goes wrong."

Hearing Li Chengqian's voice gradually turn colder, Zhangsun Wuji's expression froze and he said with a bow, "I understand."

Li Chengqian's expression softened again, and he said with emotion, "Speaking of which, ever since I ascended the throne, I haven't paid enough attention to my sons. Xiang'er and Ju'er are fine, but although I've spent some time with the other children, the time we've spent together has been short, and my understanding of their character is much less."

"Your Majesty is working for the country and it is inevitable that you will not be able to take care of everything, but with Zhang Xuansu watching over the inner school, the princes will not be bad in character." Changsun Wuji smiled easily.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Mr. Zhang's character is rare. Yan'er is also in the inner school now, right?"

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji nodded with a smile.

Changsun Yan was his eldest grandson and the emperor's nephew. He was gentle in nature and filial. He was Changsun Wuji's most beloved treasure.

"Yan'er will be eleven soon. In two years, it will be time for him to be engaged. Uncle, please have your younger sister visit the palace more often and meet the Empress. We can discuss the matter together when the time comes." Li Chengqian paused briefly, shook his head, and said, "It's a pity that Fuchang'er is only six years old. He's still a long way from being able to marry. Otherwise, I would have become your in-law."

"Your Majesty has many descendants, so this one time won't make a difference." Changsun Wuji smiled and bowed, feeling relieved.

"That's true." Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly and said, "The Queen has a lot of things to do on a daily basis, so I'll ask my younger sister to help her take care of some of the affairs of the royal family's female relatives."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji nodded seriously. After the mourning period for the late emperor was over, the princesses of Princess Changle and her generation would be given the title of eldest princess.

Since the Han Dynasty, there has been a tradition of the eldest princess helping the queen to manage the female members of the royal family.

During the generation of Emperor Gaozu, when Princess Tongan got married, the Tang Dynasty had not yet been established. She spent most of her time in Taiyuan and had little influence on the government.

In the generation of the late emperor, Princess Pingyang Zhao passed away during the Wude period. Later, Princess Xiangyang assisted Empress Wende in handling matters concerning the female members of the royal family.

Princess Xiangyang's husband was Dou Dan, the former Minister of the Imperial Clan Affairs Bureau.

The emperor said today that he wanted Princess Changle to help the queen deal with matters concerning the female members of the royal family. In other words, he had the idea of ​​letting Zhang Sun Chong be the Minister of the Imperial Clan.

Changsun Wuji felt completely relaxed.

Chang Sun Chong is his eldest son. Although he has served as the Secretary General very early, it is precisely because of this that he has remained the Secretary General for so many years.

The Secretary General is a third-rank official position. It is basically impossible to go further and become the Minister of Six Ministries.

Changsun Wuji himself was already the Sikong and the Censor-in-Chief of the Left, the most powerful person in the court. In addition, his cousin Changsun Xiang was the Minister of Works, so it was already difficult for the court to maintain such a situation.

If he really let his son be the minister of six ministries, even if the emperor agreed, the court officials in the palace would not agree. Even people like Tang Jian and Yan Lide would not agree.

Changsun Wuji himself had even made preparations to transfer Changsun Chong to a local position as a governor of a state in two years.

In the future, after I retire, I will transfer him back to the court to serve.

But now, the emperor gave Zhangsun Yan the opportunity to serve as the Minister of Zongzheng Temple.

The eldest princess's husband was appointed as the Minister of the Imperial Clan's Imperial Household. This was an internal matter within the imperial clan and had precedents, so it had nothing to do with Zhangsun Wuji.

Being the Minister of the Imperial Clan Affairs Bureau is much easier than being a local governor.

It is too easy for a local governor to drown someone.

……

"Let's talk about other things." Li Chengqian's expression calmed down. He pulled a memorial from the table and handed it to Changsun Wuji. He said, "News has arrived from Xichang Prefecture. Tubo learned of my father's death and sent people to mourn. They brought fifteen kinds of gold, one hundred horses, and three thousand slaves to offer sacrifices at the Zhaoling Mausoleum. They also sent an advance of twenty thousand taels of gold."

Changsun Wuji frowned, took the memorial from Zhang Ananda, and said, "Three thousand slaves?"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Since the Spring and Autumn Period, China has gradually abandoned the bad custom of burying people alive with the dead, but Tubo still has barbaric customs, and human sacrifice is the mainstream. That's why they sent slaves here."

"But His Majesty has just issued an edict banning human sacrifice. Do you want to use Tibetans?" When Changsun Wuji said this, he frowned.

"At the funeral of our Tang emperor, even our own people are not needed, so why would we let those Tibetans serve my father in the underworld?" Li Chengqian sneered and waved his hand, saying, "When the time comes, have someone take over these slaves and have them each make a small clay figurine. We can then find a random place to dispose of it in Zhaoling Mausoleum."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji nodded. This kind of thing could indeed be justified.

"Also, since these 3,000 men were able to make it to the Tang Dynasty from the Tibetan Plateau, they must be in good health." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "Send them quietly to Suzhou and have the Duke of Wei train them. These people were sent to the Tang Dynasty to die. Aside from a few brainwashed individuals, the rest of them should hate Tibet."

Suzhou is located in the north of Qilian Mountain, and even if Tubo has spies, it cannot tolerate it.

These people who were sent to the Tang Dynasty by Tubo to die were enough to become the killer weapon for the Tang Dynasty to defeat Tubo in the future.

"Your Majesty is wise." Changsun Wuji nodded, pondered for a moment, and said, "This time, Tubo sent people here to offer sacrifices, and I'm afraid they are also trying to test Your Majesty's intentions."

Emperor Taizong died, and Li Chengqian took complete control of the power.

How did he come to power?
How is the trust of the ministers in the court?

Have any irreconcilable conflicts occurred?

Can he still maintain the rule of the Tang Dynasty?

These are what the Tibetans want to make clear.

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "That's fine. Let them come. What I really care about is Songzan's health. Is he dying?"

"Your Majesty!" Zhangsun Wuji bowed and said, "We haven't heard from Luosi since the battle with Tuyuhun. Perhaps Songtsen's health has improved."

"It's impossible. If his health really had a chance to get better, how could he let others pretend to be the commander of an army of 100,000? In that situation, there can only be one possibility." Li Chengqian looked up at Changsun Wuji with a serious expression.

"His condition has become so serious that a body double has to be used." Changsun Wuji nodded seriously and said with certainty, "He is dying. Especially since the late emperor passed away, I'm afraid he will also breathe his last. It won't be long."

"They will keep the death a secret." Li Chengqian pondered for a moment and said, "Since Tubo has sent people, I will also return the favor by granting Songtsen the title of king and carving his stone statue among the stone carvings of chiefs to the north of Zhaoling."

Changsun Wuji's eyebrows jumped.

The Zhaoling Stone Carvings are located outside the Beisima Gate to the north of Zhaoling. In addition to the carvings of the Six Horses of Zhaoling, there are also stone carvings of Jie Li, Tuli, Ashina Simo, the kings of Gaochang, Yanqi, and Khotan, the leaders of Xueyantuo and Tuyuhun, Queen Seondeok of Silla, King Fan Toli of Linyi, and the Brahmin Dinayauti Anashun.

Most of the people here have died, and even those who are not dead are prisoners of the Tang Dynasty.

These are the achievements of the late emperor.

Now, Li Chengqian wants to add a stone statue of Songtsen in it. Even if it is not a mockery, it has a bit of a curse flavor.

Curse him to a quick death.

"Let's try it first." Li Chengqian looked at Zhangsun Wuji and raised his head and said, "On the one hand, send more manpower to have them carve the stone statue overnight. On the other hand, send someone to test the attitude of the Tubo envoy. If his attitude is not so tough, it means..."

"Songtsen is really going to die, or he is already dead." Changsun Wuji came to a horrible conclusion.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly. What he wanted was to test Songtsen's true physical condition.

If Songtsen had not died, it is unclear whether he would have been really angry to death if he knew the real purpose of Li Chengqian carving the stone statue.

Thinking of this scene, Li Chengqian couldn't help but laugh from the bottom of his heart.

(End of this chapter)