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

Chapter 554: Nine-fold Palace, Nine-fold Emperor's Heart (Part )
Countless guards were lined up in an orderly manner in the Da Ci'en Temple, staring at every corner with eager eyes.

Li Chengqian met Su Shu, Su Yi, Li Xiang, and Li Miao in the main hall.

Looking at Li Xiang, who looked a little nervous but still calm, Li Chengqian patted the back of his head and said with a smile, "The Crown Prince has some of the calm demeanor of me and my father, which is quite good."

Zhang Sun Wuji and others bowed and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, the Tang Dynasty has a successor."

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian nodded with a smile and looked at Li Miao in Su Yi's arms. The little guy seemed to have noticed nothing and was sleeping soundly.

"Since there is nothing wrong, let's go back to the palace." Su Shu said calmly.

"Okay." Li Chengqian nodded, then turned and walked out of the temple.

He held a knife in his right hand, held Li Xiang tightly with his left hand, and strode out.

Su Shu pulled Su Yi and followed closely behind.

Her gaze fell from Li Chengqian to Li Xiang, and she couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

Back when he was in the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian broke his leg. During that period, not only her, but also Li Xiang and Li Jue had a hard time.

Later, Li Tai attacked the palace and tried to frame the Eastern Palace for witchcraft.

Li Zhi also plotted a rebellion in Mount Li and tried to lure them out of the palace.

Until the end, the late emperor abdicated due to an accident. Although the late emperor became the emperor emeritus, Li Chengqian's position was never completely stable.

Li Xiang experienced all these things personally.

Although something happened today, Li Chengqian had Su Shu take Su Yi, Li Xiang and Li Miao to the main hall from the beginning, and there were dozens of guards guarding inside and outside, so the incident did not affect them at all.

Although Li Xiang heard some fighting sounds and was a little scared, that was all.

Over the years, although I cannot say that I have experienced life and death, my temperament has indeed been tempered a little.

Countless guards, like a stream of water, escorted the emperor, empress, crown prince, and all the important officials of the court out of the Da Ci'en Temple.

Sun Wukai, the General of the Imperial Guard, stayed behind.

Yuan Tiangang looked at the vigilant Sun Wukai from afar, and then he realized that the emperor had not allowed the queen to go to the backyard from the beginning.

This means that the emperor had already noticed today's assassination in advance.

Yuan Tiangang couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Today, he was really defeated completely!

……

A long sword with a black sheath was placed on the side of the imperial couch.

Li Chengqian sat on the imperial couch, looked up at the ministers on either side, and said, "Although the assassin at the end of today's incident shouted in Turkic, in my opinion, it was just an attempt to sow discord between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks. It was meaningless."

"Your Majesty, we must be on guard!" Fang Xuanling stepped forward and said, cupping his hands. "While Your Majesty is unfazed by this matter, the Turks may not be so. If they are already dissatisfied and then become guilty after hearing these words, and suddenly mobilize their forces, if the court is not prepared, disaster will ensue."

"Duke Liang is right." Li Chengqian's expression grew serious as he nodded and said, "I'm not worried about the Eastern Turks. I've ordered the Bingzhou Governor's Office to secretly prepare for this. I've also ordered the chiefs of each Eastern Turkic tribe to send their sons to study at the Imperial Academy.

He ordered the Anxi Protectorate to guard against the Western Turks, and at the same time issued an order to the Western Turks, the Uighurs, and all the vassal states in the Western Regions to purge all Zoroastrians.

"Yes!" Fang Xuanling bowed and then returned to the train.

"Issue an edict to the whole country: Zoroastrianism is banned in the Tang Dynasty. This evil cult is not allowed to have any place to survive in the Tang Dynasty." Li Chengqian suddenly waved his hand.

All the ministers bowed and said, "Yes!"

"Dismiss the court." Li Chengqian looked up directly.

"Your Majesty, we respectfully obey you!" The ministers bowed their heads again.

Li Chengqian grabbed the black-sheathed sword, walked down from the Danbi, glanced at Changsun Wuji, and raised his hand slightly.

Changsun Wuji nodded slightly.

After Li Chengqian left the hall, Changsun Wuji turned around, looked at the ministers and said, "Except for government officials at all levels, all major families must eliminate the Zoroastrians. If there are any hiding, they will be treated as treason."

"Yes!" Everyone bowed solemnly.

When the ministers looked up, Changsun Wuji had disappeared.

……

In front of the Ganlu Hall, a table was placed on the steps.

The black-sheathed long sword was placed in the middle of the table. Li Chengqian gently pulled out the blade and looked at his face reflected in the blade. He said softly, "This time, Yuan Tiangang really gave me a surprise."

"Your Majesty!" Zhangsun Wuji bowed and said solemnly, "He is still in Chang'an City. We will definitely be able to catch him."

"Uncle, just go ahead and do it." Li Chengqian smiled and looked up, saying, "The Hundred Cavalry Division has obeyed your orders this time, taking action on my mother's birthday. Yuan Tiangang seized the rare opportunity when I had to leave the palace. He has truly studied me."

Although Li Chengqian was the emperor, he seldom left the palace. Apart from occasionally visiting the residences of court officials, the rest of the time he went out to perform sacrifices and other matters.

Today I went to Taiyi Qinghua Temple and Daci'en Temple to worship his mother.

"He dares to take action today, he deserves to die." Changsun Wuji gritted his teeth. This time today was also a taboo in his heart.

"Yuan Tiangang is a Taoist priest. Let the Louguan Daoist sect investigate all the Taoist temples in Chang'an. They'll know best where the problems are." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian looked at the blade in front of him as it was like water and said, "And this time, Yuan Tiangang took action at the Da Ci'en Temple. Let Master Xuanzang inform the Buddhist community to investigate!"

"Your Majesty, now the news that Yuan Tiangang is still alive can no longer be hidden." Changsun Wuji's expression grew solemn. "His actions today have completely confirmed that we know he's still alive. Even so, let's expose this matter thoroughly. At the same time, let's also spread the news that the prophecy was fabricated by Yuan Tiangang out of ambition." Li Chengqian raised his head, gazing at Chang'an City before him, and whispered, "This will also effectively destroy the prophecy."

The Tang Dynasty lasted for three generations, and a female ruler, King Wu, succeeded the Tang Dynasty.

Even when the late emperor was still alive, he was still very concerned about this prophecy.

Now, secretly revealing the truth about this prophecy is equivalent to telling the world that this prophecy was deliberately fabricated by Yuan Tiangang for his evil conspiracy.

No one would believe a prophecy that was fabricated for the purpose of conspiracy.

Without the basis for spreading among people's hearts, this prophecy was completely destroyed.

The destiny that was born because of this prophecy will also completely disappear.

"I understand." Changsun Wuji bowed and said, "Once Buddhism and Taoism intervene, Yuan Tiangang will have no chance of survival."

"With a population of one million in Chang'an, it's hard to say." Li Chengqian calmed down and looked at Zhangsun Wuji and said, "There is also the matter of the Hongnong Yang family."

"Your Majesty!" Zhangsun Wuji bowed and said, "Yesterday, Your Majesty asked me to meet with the Duke of Ande, who in turn met with Yang Sina. Given the nature of the aristocratic families, they should not have been involved in this matter."

"I know." Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly and said, "From what's happening now, it can be seen that the Hongnong Yang family has their own plans, and Yuan Tiangang has his own plans. Moreover, Yuan Tiangang is not alone. There is a huge organization behind him. Otherwise, it would not be so easy to place nearly a hundred such assassins."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji suddenly became stern.

In order to assassinate the emperor today, Yuan Tiangang mobilized more than eighty death warriors. Although they were hiding on the edge of the Hundred Cavalry Division, they were able to hide without being noticed. It was enough to see that there was a huge force supporting Yuan Tiangang behind the scenes.

And the supporting force was not from the Hongnong Yang family.

"We need to find a way to thoroughly track them down." Li Chengqian looked up and said, "I hope some old fellow hiding in the mountains has escaped and used the secret agents he's kept hidden for over a decade. Otherwise, Chang'an City isn't as safe as we thought."

"I understand." Changsun Wuji nodded seriously.

There are millions of people in Chang'an City, and anyone hiding here could be...

For some people, it is possible to achieve this step if they plan many years ago.

"I hope no other aristocratic family gets involved again." Li Chengqian sighed softly.

"No." Zhangsun Wuji bowed and said, "Now that Your Majesty has ascended the throne, everything is new. The Guanzhong clans need stability at this time. Even the Hongnong Yang clan has their own plans and definitely does not want to see chaos. Moreover, if the world is in chaos, they will have the least chance of success."

"That's true." Li Chengqian nodded and said, "But what happened today also reminded me of something."

"Your Majesty!" Changsun Wuji looked up curiously.

Li Chengqian grasped the long sword in his hand and said softly, "In the past, I was too obsessed with the kingly means of checks and balances. Now it seems that these means are still too gentle. Sometimes, it is necessary to be more domineering. This may be a more direct solution to the problem."

Changsun Wuji was a little surprised for a moment when he looked at Li Chengqian, who was holding a sharp long sword and had sharp eyes under the plaque of Ganlu Hall.

He couldn't help but think of the early days of the late emperor's reign.

In fact, there are not so many schemes.

Killing is the best political strategy.

Xuanwu Gate is the most obvious example.

Li Chengqian slowly sheathed his long sword before looking at Changsun Wuji and saying, "Uncle, today's incident may have nothing to do with the Hongnong Yang Clan, but in essence, they are just bystanders. It's time to put some pressure on them to completely sever their ties with Yuan Tiangang."

"I understand." Changsun Wuji bowed solemnly. Yuan Tiangang was able to act freely, and nothing would happen later, but in the early days, the Hongnong Yang family provided great help. It could even be said that the Hongnong Yang family was the one who understood Yuan Tiangang best.

Whether they wanted to kill Yuan Tiangang completely or for something else, now was the best time to put pressure on the Hongnong Yang family.

"The Duke of Ande has resigned as the Minister of Personnel." Li Chengqian looked at Zhangsun Wuji and said, "Uncle, the selection of the new Minister of Personnel will be discussed after the matter of Yuan Tiangang is resolved."

"Your Majesty, do you want to threaten Yang Sina?" Changsun Wuji immediately understood the meaning of Li Chengqian's words.

"Duke Ande has retired. Over the past six months, my uncle and I have transferred all Yang clan members above the fourth rank out of Chang'an." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and said, "If the Hongnong Yang clan remains without a key position at the center for a long time, their influence among the aristocratic families will decline. That's why Yang Sina came to the capital to seek a position in Chang'an. However, they need to have made achievements."

"Or rather, they need to clear themselves of suspicion." Changsun Wuji nodded slowly.

"Do everything possible to capture Yuan Tiangang. Killing him would be best." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and said, "As for those behind him, it will be enough to just force them into the mountains."

"Yes!" Zhangsun Wuji bowed, glanced at Li Chengqian, and said, "Then I will take my leave."

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian nodded.

Changsun Wuji bowed solemnly again, then turned around and walked quickly down the Ganlu Hall.

Walking out of Ganlu Gate, Changsun Wuji couldn't help but look back at the harem.

The palace has nine levels.

The Nine Layers not only refers to the imperial palace, but also the emperor's mind.

Changsun Wuji had a feeling that after today's assassination, Li Chengqian became more profound and more dangerous than before.

This is probably the worst consequence of the assassination of the emperor by the Hongnong Yang family.

……

Outside Ganlu Hall, Li Chengqian looked at Zhang Ananda standing beside him and said, "Send someone to Wugong County to control the news that Yuan Tiangang is still alive and don't let it reach Master Yuan Ke's ears."

"Here!"

(End of this chapter)