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

Chapter 586: Your Majesty Needs a Big Case (Part )

The winter night is shrouded in darkness, and the long street is cold and deserted.

Wu Yuanqing rode his horse and rushed into Yong'anfang at the moment when the gate was closing.

Sitting on the horse, he breathed a sigh of relief, then rode slowly towards a mansion deep in Yong'anfang.

Xiangli Mansion.

Wu Yuanqing turned over and came down. When the doorman saw Wu Yuanqing, he bowed and said, "Young Master, the master said that since you are here, please go directly to the study."

"Yeah!" Wu Yuanqing nodded, then quickly walked towards the study.

The maids and servants around all stopped and bowed.

When he reached the door of the study, Wu Yuanqing knocked on it first, and then pushed it open.

Xiangli Xuanjiang, the Junior Minister of the Honglu Temple, dressed in a green robe, had just put down the book in his hand.

Wu Yuanqing entered the study, then bowed earnestly to Xiangli Xuanjiang and said, "Uncle!"

Xiang Lixuanjiang glanced at his nephew, then raised his head and asked, "How is it? Has the transfer been processed?"

"It's all done. His Majesty has issued an imperial decree, and the Ministry of Personnel has completed the formalities that same day. They have instructed my nephew to depart for Shanzhou to take up his post three days later." Wu Yuanqing came over and offered a cup of tea to Xiangli Xuanjiang, then whispered, "My nephew has some doubts, and I would like to ask for your guidance, uncle."

Xiang Lixuanjiang took a sip of tea, then raised his head calmly: "You say!"

Wu Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief and stood up and said, "This time, my nephew was transferred from the Imperial Household Department to the Chief Clerk of Shaanxi. Although his rank has only been raised by half a level, his future prospects have immediately become brighter. This is a good thing, but my nephew always feels that something is wrong."

Xiangli Xuanjiang looked at Wu Yuanqing indifferently.

Wu Yuanqing forced a smile and said, "From the beginning, this matter was a message from the Concubine's Palace. I thought it was related to the renovation of Luoyang Palace, but I didn't expect it to be a transfer to Shanzhou."

Wu Yuanqing's father, Wu Shigui, initially married Xiangli Xuanjiang's sister, Xiangli.

After Xiangli died, he remarried Yang, and that's how the three sisters Wu Meiniang were born.

Later, Wu Shigui died of illness, and Wu Yuanqing sent Yang Shili back to Hongnong. At the same time, Wu Meiniang and her two sisters were also sent back.

Wu Yuanqing did not have a good attitude towards his stepmother and three younger sisters at first.

To be honest, you can't blame him too much.

After all, when Xiangli died, the Wu Yuanqing brothers had already started to remember things, so they naturally didn't feel very good about their stepmother.

Moreover, Yang came from a prominent family, and to be honest, she was not the type to please her stepson.

Of course, it was also Wu Yuanqing's fault that he completely ignored his three younger sisters.

But to be honest, it's not that he completely ignored it. When Yang wanted to return to Hongnong, Wu Yuanqing thought about it for a long time before agreeing.

After all, following the Hongnong Yang family is much better than following their brothers.

Of course, Wu Yuanqing also had his own selfish motives involved.

……

Recalling his memories, Wu Yuanqing looked at Xiangli Xuanjiang and said, "I know that my nephew and the Yang family have a bad relationship, but now His Majesty wants my nephew to rely more on the Hongnong Yang family when he is transferred to Shanzhou... Uncle, His Majesty should know about this, right?"

Wu Meiniang was the granddaughter of Hongnong Yang. Although Wu Yuanqing was nominally the stepson of Wu Meiniang's mother, the relationship between the two had actually ended long ago.

The reason why Wu Yuanqing is still able to maintain his face now is because Wu Meiniang is a concubine in the palace, and the Yang family has the Hongnong Yang family behind her; and the reason why Wu Meiniang's mother is like this is that in addition to a daughter in the palace, she has two daughters outside the palace, and the lives of these two daughters are not going well.

Yang was already old, and she didn't know when she would pass away, so she naturally hoped that Wu Yuanqing could take better care of her two daughters by then.

Xiangli Xuanjiang has nothing to do with the Yang family, and actually has nothing to do with Wu Meiniang.

Therefore, even though Wu Meiniang entered the palace as the daughter of Wu Shihuo and is now a concubine, it has nothing to do with him.

Looking at Wu Yuanqing who looked confused, Xiang Lixuanjiang sighed and said, "You, you always take things too lightly."

Wu Yuanqing quickly calmed down and said, "Uncle, please enlighten me."

"First, you must understand that your relationship with the Hongnong Yang family is not good." Xiangli Xuanjiang glanced at Wu Yuanqing and whispered, "If you didn't hold a title and official position, you would have been killed by the Hongnong Yang family long ago. Your relationship is very bad. You must understand this."

Wu Yuanqing was stunned, and then had to nod.

What he did back then was indeed not righteous.

It's understandable if he does it at home, but outside of home, what he did was inappropriate.

"Now that you understand this, consider the situation." Xiangli Xuanjiang sneered and said, "Your Majesty's Eastern Tour to Luoyang this time. Inspecting the local area is a minor matter. The real problems are two: one is the Lu Wencao case, and the other is the Li Hongtai case."

"Are these two cases related?" Wu Yuanqing was very surprised for a moment.

"Here in Chang'an, I'm afraid everyone's attention is on the Li Hongtai case." Xiangli Xuanjiang's expression became serious.

"After all, Duke Zhao was accused of treason. Although Your Majesty beat the man to death on the spot, Duke Zhao actually rushed to Hangu Pass to see Your Majesty after receiving the news." Wu Yuanqing nodded. If Changsun Wuji was accused of treason and it really came true, who knows how many people would die.

"If I tell you that it was because Lu Wencao was investigated that Li Hongtai accused Duke Zhao of treason, what would you think?" Wu Yuanqing was stunned by Xiangli Xuanjiang's words.

He quickly reacted: "Uncle, are you saying that someone is taking revenge?"

"Hmm!" Xiangli Xuanjiang nodded solemnly and said, "There are people behind Lu Wencao. Or rather, even though Lu Wencao has been executed, there are still people who are afraid that Your Majesty will follow up on that line of investigation. So, they sent a death squad to accuse Duke Zhao of treason."

"Who is it? The Fanyang Lu clan? That's not right. This doesn't fit the Fanyang Lu clan's style." "It's not the Fanyang Lu clan." Xiangli Xuanjiang shook his head and said, "But your transfer has given me a rough idea of ​​who it is."

"Ah!" Wu Yuanqing understood instantly and lowered his voice as much as possible, "Is it the Hongnong Yang family?"

"It should be them." Xiangli Xuanjiang nodded and said thoughtfully, "There are countless important matters at court. After His Majesty returned to Chang'an and rested for a few days, the first thing he did was to summon you to the palace through Concubine Wu. It's even more interesting that Concubine Wu personally summoned you to the palace, and she even transferred you to Shanzhou."

Xiang Lixuan looked at Wu Yuanqing and said, "Your Majesty wants revenge!"

"But the Yang family, why did they do that?" Wu Yuanqing looked puzzled.

"Who knows?" Xiangli Xuanjiang shook his head and said, "We can't understand the affairs of the aristocratic families, but if we work our way back from this point, we can actually deduce something... You know Lu Wencao is Fang Xiang's nephew, but do you know who the current governor of Shanzhou is?"

"Fang Renyu!" Wu Yuanqing's face turned serious as soon as he finished speaking.

"Look!" Xiangli Xuanjiang smiled as if to predict the outcome, and said softly, "Isn't this all connected? That's why His Majesty wants revenge, and you're just the first step. I believe that soon, all the officials in Shanzhou will be transferred, and eventually even the governor of Shanzhou will be appointed."

Wu Yuanqing nodded solemnly.

Xiang Li Xuanjiang glanced at him and asked, "Then the question is, Dalang, between the Hongnong Yang family and Your Majesty, who do you choose... No, between the Hongnong Yang family, Your Majesty, and the Duke of Zhao, who do you choose?"

"Your Majesty and Duke Zhao." Wu Yuanqing no longer hesitated. The emperor was the supreme being, and Zhangsun Wuji was the most powerful person in the world!

"Yes, that's the Duke of Zhao, the uncle of the late emperor who served him till today. So, the Hongnong Yang family is in big trouble." Shaking his head, Xiang Li Xuanjiang gathered his emotions and looked at Wu Yuanqing and said, "Da Lang, Your Majesty has only temporarily tolerated the Luoyang situation for the sake of political stability, especially since the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo is imminent, so chaos cannot occur. But that doesn't mean Your Majesty can't do anything."

"Nephew understands." Wu Yuanqing nodded seriously.

"Just go ahead and do it." Xiangli Xuanjiang patted Wu Yuanqing on the shoulder and said, "Whether it's your Wu family or our Xiangli family, compared to a large clan like the Hongnong Yang family, we are, after all, from a humble background. Therefore, we can only stand on your side and keep an eye on the Hongnong Yang family for you, and deal with them bit by bit."

"Yes!" Wu Yuanqing gritted his teeth and nodded. He had always been at odds with the Hongnong Yang family, so he didn't hesitate about what to do.

"Also, my uncle was able to see through this matter so quickly because of your mobilization. But as time goes on, more and more smart people will see through it... In this kind of situation, smart people will know what to do. When the time comes, these people will also follow suit to deal with the Yang family." Xiangli Xuanjiang looked at Wu Yuanqing and said, "Dalang, can you imagine that scene?"

Wu Yuanqing nodded seriously. Although the Hongnong Yang family was a powerful family in the world, if he offended the emperor and Zhangsun Wuji at the same time, it would be equivalent to declaring war on the entire founding group.

"Your Majesty needs a big case!" Xiangli Xuanjiang looked at Wu Yuanqing deeply.

Wu Yuanqing's eyes narrowed, and then he nodded heavily.

Xiangli Xuanjiang smiled gently and looked out the window.

Outside the window, light snow is falling.

……

It’s sunny after snow.

Miyagi is white.

Before I knew it, it was already the fourteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Xiangli Xuanjiang got off the carriage, glanced in the direction of Chengtian Gate, then turned and headed towards the Honglu Temple.

At this moment, a young man in a thick green robe, led by a eunuch, walked from the Suzaku Gate towards the Chengtian Gate.

Xiangli Xuanjiang was slightly stunned and took a subconscious look. He felt that the young man looked familiar.

Suddenly, Xiangli Xuanjiang froze and muttered, "Prince Wei, Li Xin!"

Li Xin did not realize that Xiangli Xuanjiang recognized him, but calmly followed the eunuch towards the Liangyi Hall.

He was very familiar with this road, but now, in an instant, he no longer had the qualifications to set foot on it.

Inside the Liangyi Hall, Li Chengqian sighed inwardly at the sight of Li Xin, who had a slight mustache on his lips and bowed earnestly. He then asked, "Xin'er, how have you gained from your travels this year?"

Li Xin bowed earnestly and said, "Your Majesty, although it is raining heavily and the people are suffering, their lives are not difficult at all, but rather full of hope."

"What are you looking forward to? I'm looking forward to my exemption of taxes for all the people next year." Li Chengqian smiled and said, "I won't exempt all taxes next year. After all, it's not that easy to find a reason. But I can send people to inspect the country to identify the areas that are truly affected by the disaster, and then reduce taxes more."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Xin bowed gratefully.

Given his status, he shouldn't have said what he just said. He just mentioned it a little, but the emperor understood it and agreed to reduce or exempt taxes for the disaster-stricken counties next year. That was enough.

"The Ministry of Personnel will begin registering the list of candidates for next year's imperial examinations tomorrow. You must do well in the exam next year." Li Chengqian looked at Li Xin seriously.

"Yes!" Li Xin bowed seriously.

"Alright, go back and rest." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "Also, on New Year's Eve, come to the palace. I will arrange for someone to take you to the harem to meet your father."

Li Xin looked up in surprise and joy, then knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great grace."

"Go visit the Yan family more often. Yan Qing is your grandfather after all." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "If anyone asks, just tell me what I said."

"Yes!" Li Xin kowtowed again and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian waved his hand, and Li Xin stood up and bowed as he left.

When Li Xin left the main hall, a figure walked out from the side hall. It was none other than Changsun Wuji.

Zhang Sun Wuji looked at Li Xin deeply, then turned to Li Chengqian and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is benevolent."

"They're all our own children, that's how it should be." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Uncle, it's the end of the year now. Fang Renyu has been the governor of Shanzhou for many years, so it's time to move on. Who do you think is suitable?"

(End of this chapter)