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

Chapter 585: I can't deal with you directly, but I still can't make you sick to death? (First update)
Zhenguan Hall, inside the inner hall.

Li Chengqian sat on the main couch, looking at the memorial in his hand, then at Li Xiang who had left the hall, and sighed softly, "The Crown Prince is still too young."

"While His Majesty is away from Chang'an, even the most tolerant officials would not leave the affairs of state to the Crown Prince." Su Shu placed a cup of tea on the table and asked, "What exactly is going on in Luoyang? My uncle's impeachment has caused unrest in Chang'an."

"It was just a counterattack. I cleaned out Lu Wencao in Luoyang, and the people behind him were naturally dissatisfied, so they turned around and hit me hard." Li Chengqian chuckled and shook his head, saying, "It's not a big deal."

"Who is so bold?" Su Shu looked up at Li Chengqian in shock and worry, and said, "Your Majesty, if this happens again..."

"No, my uncle won't let them come again." Li Chengqian took a sip of his teacup and said, "As for who it is, who else could it be except the Hongnong Yang family?"

"Hongnong Yang family!" Su Shu's expression immediately became serious, and she repeatedly asked, "Which Hongnong Yang family?"

"There is only one Hongnong Yang clan in the world." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "In fact, it's not all of the Hongnong Yang clan, but only the lineage of Duke Guanguo Yang Gongren."

"The Yang family, the lineage of Yang Gongren?" Su Shu nodded slowly, her eyes slightly cold as she whispered, "So they were the ones who had been causing trouble for Your Majesty in many of the previous incidents?"

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "After all, the Yang family is a member of the former Sui Dynasty royal family. It's natural that they feel some resentment."

"Why should they be unwilling? The Tang Dynasty has been in the hands of Your Majesty for the third generation." Su Shu couldn't help but show a trace of hatred on her face.

"Queen, put yourself in their shoes." Li Chengqian put down his teacup and said seriously, "Every year when they go to worship their ancestors, they look at the tablets of their ancestors, one by one, they are all princes or dukes, while you are only a duke at best, and your title may even be reduced. Anyone who has experienced this kind of thing would feel uneasy."

Su Shu was stunned and nodded slowly.

If we were to ask when we feel the deepest respect for our ancestors, it would be when we offer ancestor worship.

"Yang Jian's lineage was practically wiped out by the end of the Sui Dynasty. Aside from the rumored few unimportant descendants of Yang Yong, that's pretty much it." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "There were a few who changed their names and surnames, blending in with other surnames, and they're even less important."

"Does Yang Jian have any brothers?" Su Shu asked subconsciously.

"Yes, Prince of Cai Yang Zheng, Prince of Teng Yang Zan, and even Prince of Guan Yang Xiong all have descendants. Especially Yang Xiong, the Hongnong Yang lineage is now in their hands." Li Chengqian sneered softly and said, "The ones most likely to have disloyal intentions right now are only the legitimate sons of Yang Xiong's eldest son Yang Gongren."

The second son basically has little interest in this kind of thing.

After all, no matter what, the throne will never be theirs.

Of course, once Yang Xiong's lineage succeeds in ascending to the throne, these people will not mind enjoying the treatment of royal family members, and maybe someone will be crowned king.

Everyone has ambitions and desires.

Not everyone is so clear-headed.

"Since they have evil intentions," Su Shu said, looking at Li Chengqian, "Your Majesty, why don't you just take drastic measures and punish them severely for the crime of treason? That way, the noble families in the world won't say anything!"

Li Chengqian looked at Su Shu and nodded gently, saying, "The Queen is right. Dealing with the Hongnong Yang family isn't difficult. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that the court is planning an eastern expedition to Goguryeo, I would have taken ruthless action against them long ago, fearing that a dirty treatment of the Hongnong Yang family would affect the expedition."

"Your Majesty is worried about Yang Xuangan." Su Shu understood a little.

"After Yang Su's death, Yang Guang stripped him of his title and changed his posthumous title. Rumors also circulated that Yang Su's death was suspicious. Furthermore, Yang Su's expedition to the south left his main force far away in Liaodong, leaving the Central Plains empty. This is why Yang Xuangan joined forces with Li Mi in a rebellion." Li Chengqian suddenly laughed and shook his head, saying, "In reality, it was Yang Su himself who was restless. If Yang Guang really wanted to kill him, why would he have allowed him to suppress the grain supply route?"

Li Chengqian's eyes flickered slightly. Although what he said here was mostly true, he concealed some selfish motives.

For example, land, for example, population.

Hide the fields and hide the households.

These are the things that really make the aristocratic families feel sensitive and alert.

That's why we need to be more careful.

"Furthermore, aristocratic families are best at hiding behind the scenes. Once something goes wrong, they hide quickly and clean up faster than anyone can imagine. Although the Yang family has the intention of rebellion, it is not easy to catch them with evidence." Li Chengqian turned to look at Su Shu and said with a smile: "Of course, now that they have offended my uncle, this matter will not be so easy to resolve."

Su Shu immediately understood.

Emperor Li Chengqian might be very cautious about some things, but Changsun Wuji did not have so many concerns.

"They thought that accusing my uncle of treason would make me suspicious of him, but they didn't understand that offending my uncle would be the most unfortunate thing for them." Li Chengqian smiled lightly. Zhangsun Wuji was the representative of the Guanlong family in the court. It would be strange if the Yang family didn't retaliate if they secretly targeted him.

"As long as Your Majesty understands what's going on," Su Shu said, feeling relieved. "By the way, what's going on with that person outside?"

Su Shu's mind was previously on Li Chengqian, but she soon realized that there was a woman in blue who she had never seen before following Li Chengqian.

And she's obviously not a maid.

"Xu Yi, Xu Hui's younger sister." Li Chengqian briefly introduced her, then continued, "The incident with Lu Wencao has made me realize that Luoyang's grain merchants could be exploited. Therefore, I have brought in grain merchants from Jiangnan, and the Xu family from Huzhou is one of them."

"Your Majesty wants to target the Hongnong Yang family." Su Shu looked up at Li Chengqian and said, "I have a good idea."

"Oh!"

……

The central hall of Lizheng Hall.

Crown Prince Li Xiang and Prince Yong Li Jue had been taken away, and Princess Yongkang was playing with her younger brother Li Yu nearby.

Wu Meiniang and her maids were on both sides of the hall.

Wu Meiniang's eyes kept falling on the woman in blue standing opposite her.

It seemed that Wu Meiniang's change of expression outside the palace before made the woman in green realize something, and her expression also became indifferent.

Young people always show their joy easily.

At this moment, footsteps were heard, and the emperor, dressed in a black robe with a golden dragon pattern, calmly walked out of the inner hall.

The Queen followed closely behind.

Li Chengqian walked to the imperial couch and sat down, and Su Shu followed and sat beside him.

Li Chengqian looked up at the woman in green standing on his right and said, "This is Xu Yi, the second daughter of Xu Xiaode, the governor of Lizhou, and the younger sister of Xu Hui, the late emperor's deposed concubine!"

After Li Chengqian finished speaking, Wu Meiniang and Xu Yi's faces turned pale at the same time.

When Xu Yi entered the palace, he inevitably had to face the past of Xu Hui. However, Xu Hui had been demoted to a commoner when the previous emperor was still alive. According to etiquette and law, Xu Hui was no longer the previous emperor's concubine.

Moreover, Xu Hui had no children.

As for Xu Yi, although she was Xu Hui's sister, her marriage into the palace did not violate etiquette, but it was a means for the emperor to win over the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River.

It will only be praised by scholars.

Wu Meiniang looked unhappy because she was the one who falsely accused Xu Hui of being deposed.

Now, the emperor brought Xu Hui's sister into the palace, and Wu Meiniang's situation suddenly became awkward.

Under the complicated gazes, Xu Yi stepped forward and bowed solemnly to Su Shu, saying, "Your servant Xu Yi greets the Queen."

"Sure enough, she's still a virgin." Su Shu carefully examined Xu Yi's features, then looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "What are your plans, Your Majesty?"

"If the Empress has no objection, then I will confer the title of Concubine upon her and temporarily keep her in Ganlu Palace to help me with some paperwork." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "Before Concubine Xu was deposed, she was also known for her virtue."

"Alright." Su Shu nodded, stood up, and said, "I'll take her to Ganlu Palace and teach her some palace rules."

"Excuse me, Queen." Li Chengqian turned to look at Xu Yi and said, "The Queen is the master of the harem. If you have any questions, you can talk to her directly."

"Your servant...I obey your command." Xu Yi immediately changed her address.

Li Chengqian smiled with satisfaction.

Wu Meiniang stood aside and watched Xu Yi being led out of Lizheng Hall by the Queen.

Only then did she understand that the emperor had never touched Xu Yi, allowing her to meet the queen as a virgin, and immediately won the queen's favor.

This was certainly the emperor's respect for the queen, but it was also a kind of love for Xu Yi.

"Jieyu Wu." Li Chengqian's voice suddenly came from above.

Wu Meiniang immediately came back to her senses, turned around and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian nodded and asked, "I know that the Wu family was once a wealthy merchant family in Taiyuan. Duke Ying has been gone for over ten years. Is the Wu family still as powerful in business as it was back then?"

Wu Meiniang blinked her eyes. She didn't know why the emperor suddenly asked about her family.

After thinking for a moment, Wu Meiniang said frankly, "The Wu family's affairs are no longer what they used to be. After all, they were just merchants, and were extremely restricted. After my father was granted the title and appointed as a provincial governor, he basically stopped caring about family affairs. After my father passed away, the Wu family's business in Taiyuan was severely squeezed, but now it has shifted to the officialdom."

Wu Meiniang's brother, Wu Yuanqing, Duke of Ying, is now the Shangmu Supervisor, a fifth-rank official.

In the early years, it was just a nominal position called Shangyi Fengyu.

"Wu Yuanqing, he should still have some ability, right?" Li Chengqian turned sideways and looked at Wu Meiniang with a serious expression.

Wu Meiniang instantly became cautious. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Although my brother has some abilities, they are not outstanding. He is just a little better than mediocre."

"How can you say that about your own brother?" Li Chengqian looked at Wu Meiniang with a bit of amusement, then pondered for a moment and said, "How about this, in three days, I will meet with the Concubine's brother. The Concubine sent a message in advance, asking him to make more preparations."

"Yes!" Wu Meiniang bowed seriously, and the moment she lowered her head, her eyes were thoughtful.

Wu Yuanqing, business matters, is there any connection here?

Li Chengqian, sitting on the imperial couch, looked at Wu Meiniang deeply.

His eyes were slightly cold.

……

Tai Chi Hall.

Li Chengqian sat on the steps, looking at Wu Yuanqing, who was about forty years old and standing in the hall. He was wearing a light crimson official robe and had a respectful look on his face.

"The Wu family started out as a timber trader, and later branched out into other businesses, including grain, grass, and cloth." Li Chengqian put down the memorial in his hand, looked at Wu Yuanqing, and asked, "Mr. Wu, considering your age, you should remember the Taiyuan uprising."

"Yes." Wu Yuanqing bowed and said, "I was thirteen years old at the time. Unfortunately, I was still young and could not participate in anything."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly. The Wu family was a noble family that had started the uprising in Taiyuan, and Wu Yuanqing was also a little bit behind.

Wu Yuanqing raised his head slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Although I am not as good as my father, my family still has some materials left by the old man, and our caravan is still running. If Your Majesty needs any wood, I can still provide it."

"That's not what I'm saying." Li Chengqian shook his head and looked at Wu Yuanqing. "For the past two years, there have been severe floods all over the country. Shanzhou, due to its low-lying terrain, has a lot of flooding every year. The court has allocated a large amount of grain relief every year, so I want to transfer you to Shanzhou as the Chief Secretary."

"The Chief Secretary of Shaanxi?" Wu Yuanqing looked up in surprise. Why was he asked to be the Chief Secretary of Shaanxi?

"Why, you don't want to?" Li Chengqian's expression became indifferent.

"Your Majesty, I am willing to do so." Wu Yuanqing bowed his hands, then knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I, Wu Yuanqing, accept your command and thank you for your grace!"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly, then said, "Your main purpose in going to Shanzhou this time is to cooperate with Huang Rensu, the Junior Supervisor of Water Resources, to inspect all the canals within the prefecture, and then fill in all the gaps in the canals. Remember, all of them."

Having said this, Li Chengqian's body has completely leaned forward.

Wu Yuanqing bowed solemnly and said, "I obey your command."

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, saying, "The Wu and Yang families are relatives. If you go to Shanzhou, the Yang family will surely provide you with all their assistance. If there are any deficiencies, you and Mr. Huang can report them directly to me."

"Yes!" Wu Yuanqing bowed solemnly, countless questions flashing through his mind.

Does he have a good relationship with the Hongnong Yang family?
Also, what about the governor of Shanzhou?

Aren’t many of these things something that should be done by the Governor of Shanzhou?

"Okay, go ahead and get busy." Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly.

"Yes!" Wu Yuanqing kowtowed heavily, then bowed and left the Liangyi Hall.

Li Chengqian looked at Wu Yuanqing's back, a sneer flashing in his eyes.

Now that I can't deal with you directly, won't I make you sick to death?
(End of this chapter)