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

Chapter 57 The one who looks most like the emperor is the prince
Under the night, on the sedan chair.

Li Chengqian returned to the Eastern Palace calmly.

His expression was one of deep thought.

In the previous life, Li Jing did not appear in Hou Junji's case from beginning to end.

In fact, since the tenth year of Zhenguan, after being falsely accused of treason, Li Jing has basically been in a semi-retired state. Except for the grand court on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month and special matters, he basically stays at home. This time, he did not participate in Hou Junji's affairs in his previous life.

Hou Junji was once ordered by the emperor to learn military tactics from Li Jing, but Li Jing had a very low opinion of Hou Junji.

What I have taught is enough to control the four barbarians, but those who seek to use my skills to the fullest will have other intentions.

Hou Junji is very ambitious, even rebellious.

Because of this, the emperor no longer asked about it.

Therefore, this time Hou Junji took treasures privately and allowed his soldiers to plunder. Li Jing would not have any good opinion of Hou Junji.

This is almost inevitable.

But if that’s the case, why did the emperor still let Li Jing participate?
Could it be because of his changes?

Li Chengqian couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Your Highness, Your Highness." Helan Chushi's voice sounded from behind. Li Chengqian subconsciously turned around and saw Helan Chushi chasing after him quickly.

Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly, and the sedan chair stopped immediately.

Helan Chushi came over breathlessly and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Highness."

"Helan, why don't you go home? I'm afraid the mansion of Duke Chen is in chaos." Li Chengqian looked at Helan Chushi with surprise. He originally thought he would go home.

"I'm afraid it will be difficult to find peace if I return home tonight. My father-in-law has been imprisoned. It's useless to comfort my family. The right thing to do is to find a way to save him." Helan Chushi bowed solemnly to Li Chengqian, then pleaded, "Your Highness, please give me some advice."

Li Chengqian smiled. Helan Chushi came to him for help just like in his previous life.

But think about it, Helan Chushi is now the leader of the Eastern Palace's Thousand Bull Guards, and he has also done a lot of things for Li Chengqian in secret. Tomorrow, Li Chengqian will go to the meeting again, and he may even have considerable say.

At this time, who else can I ask for help if not him?

"Helan, you're one of us, so I won't beat around the bush." ​​Li Chengqian tapped the armrest gently, then said, "Do you remember how, in the fourth year of the Zhenguan reign, the Duke of Wei defeated the Eastern Turks and was impeached by the Duke of Song?"

Helan Chushi was slightly taken aback, then he said thoughtfully, "In the fourth year of the Zhenguan reign, the Duke of Wei returned from defeating the Eastern Turks. The Imperial Censor, Duke of Song, Xiao Yu, impeached the Duke of Wei for his poor military management. During the attack on Jie Li Khan's tent, the soldiers looted valuable treasures and cultural relics. I request an investigation by the various government departments."

"Afterwards, the Emperor reprimanded the Duke of Wei, who kowtowed and apologized. His Majesty then pardoned him for his mismanagement of the army and promoted him to the rank of Zuo Guanglu Dafu. In August, the Duke of Wei was promoted to Shangshu You Pushe."

Li Chengqian paused for a moment, then looked down at Helan Chushi and said, "Helan, tell Duke Chen everything about this matter, and he will naturally understand."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Helan Chushi was slightly stunned, then he breathed a long sigh of relief and bowed again.

"Okay, let's go quickly. The palace gates will be locked soon." Li Chengqian waved his hand quickly.

"Yes!" Helan Chushi bowed gratefully and said, "I'll take my leave."

"Your Highness!" Li Anyan walked to Li Chengqian's side.

Li Chengqian nodded calmly and said, "Let's go back. If you have anything to say, we can talk about it later."

"Yes!" Li Anyan was slightly stunned. He glanced at Helan Chushi who was walking away, turned around and signaled the sedan chair to start moving towards the East Palace.

……

In Lizheng Hall, Li Anyan poured a cup of hot tea and asked carefully, "Your Highness, was Duke Chen's alarm really just a false alarm this time?"

Li Chengqian looked up at Li Anyan and said indifferently, "Do you believe what I said?"

"Isn't that so?" Li Anyan was stunned. Wasn't it Li Jing who was impeached by Xiao Yu for his military mismanagement, and then pleaded guilty, and six months later was appointed Shangshu You Pushe? Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said, "Back then, the Duke of Wei was impeached for his military mismanagement. It was during the attack on Jie Li Khan's tent that the Duke of Wei lost control, resulting in the looting of some treasures and cultural relics by the soldiers. But what about the Duke of Chen now?"

"When you defeated Gaochang, you stole precious treasures. When the officers and soldiers knew about it, they competed to steal. You were unable to stop them, so you condoned them and it took three days for them to stop." Li Anyan's face looked a little ugly for a moment.

"First, he stole the treasures." Li Chengqian looked outside the hall and said softly, "After conquering Gaochang, every blade of grass and every tree in Gaochang belonged to the imperial court, especially the Ministry of Revenue. You should know how much the Ministry of Revenue paid for this expedition.

A hundred thousand troops, marching for a year, is equivalent to the loss of a whole year's harvest for three hundred thousand households and millions of people."

Li Anyan nodded slowly.

"The Ministry of Revenue is waiting for Gaochang's harvest to make up for this year's deficit. If Duke Chen had not gone too far, then perhaps nothing would have happened. But he went too far, and the Ministry of Revenue could not stand it, so this matter broke out. So this matter will not be resolved so easily." Li Chengqian couldn't help shaking his head.

At the very beginning, the emperor might have been giving Hou Junji a chance.

As long as Hou Junji did not make any serious mistakes during the Ministry of Revenue's seizure review, it would be just a minor incident.

The reason why Li Jing was not severely punished was that he did not gain any personal wealth when he conquered the Eastern Turks.

But Hou Junji is different, he is greedy for money!
"The second is to allow the soldiers to loot for three days." Li Chengqian couldn't help but sneer and said, "When the Duke of Wei defeated the Eastern Turks, it was just a few soldiers who stole some treasures and cultural relics from Jie Liya's tent. Such things are uncontrollable, but what about the Duke of Chen?"

Li Anyan's face looked a little ugly.

"He allowed his troops to plunder Gaochang for three full days, especially after Gaochang surrendered." Li Chengqian couldn't help but shake his head quickly and said, "If he had conquered Gaochang before it surrendered and captured the Gaochang nobles within three days; or if he had allowed his troops to plunder and only robbed a few of Gaochang's nobles during the plundering, it would have been easier to explain it, but he..."

"So, Duke Chen is going to be in big trouble this time?" Li Anyan looked at Li Chengqian seriously.

Li Chengqian turned sideways to look at Li Anyan, shook his head, and said, "An Yan, I know what you are thinking, but the final decision on this matter lies with the Emperor. He has already made up his mind about what he wants to achieve. If we act rashly, he will turn his attention back to the Eastern Palace."

Li Anyan's expression couldn't help but change slightly.

"We have finally achieved some success in the Qingque matter. If we anger our father again and make him support Qingque, we will lose more than we gain." Li Chengqian shook his head seriously.

"Yes!" Li Anyan suddenly became stern.

The Crown Prince has finally managed to stabilize his reputation in the court and the country. If he angers His Majesty again at this time, even if His Majesty changes his stance, the people's support that the Eastern Palace has worked so hard to win back will collapse again.

You know, the emperor's favor towards the King of Wei is the greatest among all the kings. Who knows when he will change his ways again?

Moreover, the emperor has three legitimate sons, not just one.

In addition to the Crown Prince and the King of Wei, there is also a King of Jin.

"Oh, right." Li Chengqian knocked lightly on the table and raised his head with a serious expression, "How are things going with the Lu family?"

"The Lu family?" Li Anyan was slightly stunned, but quickly reacted and said, "The Yongzhou government has been investigating the Lu family for half a month and has found nothing. But just when the Lu family was about to give up and return to Fanyang, for some reason, Yongzhou Chief Clerk Yin Jun refused to let them leave."

"Master Yin has always been a stickler for truth." Li Chengqian bowed his head slightly, then asked calmly, "What happened next?"

"Shangshu Lu Zuocheng also seemed unwilling to intervene. Finally, Lu Hu's wife wanted to go to the Eastern Palace, but for some reason, Lu Hu's father and brother refused to allow it. Finally, they went to the Dali Temple." Li Anyan sighed and said, "After all, Lu Hu's last position before his death was Dali Temple Secretary."

"In other words, they will go to the Dali Temple in the next few days?" Li Chengqian glanced slightly upwards.

"Yes..." Li Anyan was stunned. He looked at Li Chengqian in disbelief and said, "They...should have been going to the Dali Temple...every day...in the past few days."

"Very good. Tell Helan that no matter what the outcome of Duke Chen's case is, he will at least be subject to temporary punishment. Ask him to go to the Dali Temple more often every day." After Li Chengqian finished speaking, he stood up and headed towards the backyard of the East Palace.

"Yes!" Li Anyan bowed slowly.

But his eyes were fixed on Li Chengqian, with an unbelievable look, and a hint of panic and uneasiness in them.

Prince, has he calculated this day long ago?
Suddenly, all this gave Li Anyan an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

It all seems just like back then!
It turns out that the person who has always looked most like the emperor has never been the King of Wei, but the Crown Prince.

(End of this chapter)