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

Chapter 597: The Way of Man: Take from the insufficient to support the abundant (Part )

Southwest of Chang'an and northeast of Huxian County.

Mount Zhongnan stands majestically in the south of the sky. The Yu River flows out of the mountains and eventually merges into the Wei River.

Princess Gaoyang's villa.

Princess Gaoyang, wearing a dark red waist-length dress and with her long hair tied back, strode into the backyard.

Standing in front of a soft open space in the backyard, she turned sideways with a cold face and asked, "Is the person buried here?"

"Yes!" The housekeeper bowed and said, "Zhang Jian personally brought people here, took him to the backyard and dealt with him, then dug a pit and buried him. I was incompetent and powerless to stop him."

"It's none of your business. If Zhang Ananda steps forward, even I can't stop him." Princess Gaoyang couldn't help but shake her head slightly.

Zhang Ananda was an old man brought out from the Qin Palace by the previous emperor. He had served as a eunuch in the palace for many years. The people and secrets he controlled were beyond the imagination of Princess Gaoyang.

"Your Highness!" The housekeeper lowered his head and asked, "Should we dig the body out at night and bury it somewhere else? Otherwise, this villa will be ruined."

"The emperor has issued an order, and Zhang Ananda has done it personally. Are you sure you dare?" Princess Gaoyang raised her head and glanced at the housekeeper, who forced a smile.

Princess Gaoyang turned her head and said, "Actually, it's okay to offend Zhang Ananda, but my royal brother, you still have to give him some face."

Jia Ling couldn't help but lower his head.

Is Zhang Ananda so easy to offend?
They also came from the palace, and many things are not that simple.

Of course, the most important person is the emperor.

This is true.

"Your Highness." The housekeeper came back to his senses, looked at Princess Gaoyang, and said worriedly, "Are we just going to bury the body here?"

"Of course." Princess Gaoyang glanced back at him calmly and said, "Go find someone to build a three-meter-high rockery here with heavy stones, and then build a pagoda on the top of the mountain. I have a handwritten calligraphy from Master Xuanzang in my room, which is perfect for offering it."

"Yes!" The housekeeper breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his head with a stern look on his face.

Using heavy stones to build a rockery is to press down on others and make them unable to be reborn forever!
"Oh, right." Princess Gaoyang's face suddenly turned cold. She looked at the housekeeper and said, "Although it's not surprising that Zhang Ananda knows about the family situation, the emperor just returned to Chang'an, and Concubine Xu gave birth to a child. The news leaked too quickly. There must be something wrong. Go and check..."

"Yes!" The housekeeper became serious.

Princess Gaoyang nodded and headed towards the front yard.

Although the emperor did not forbid her from going out, nor did he ask her to reflect on her mistakes behind closed doors, he did ask her to clean herself up and completely conceal the secrets in the manor.

It was okay if Zhang Ananda and the emperor knew about it, but if other people in Chang'an City knew about it, it would be Princess Gaoyang's own fault.

……

Under the night sky, Princess Gaoyang sat in front of the dressing table. She turned sideways to look at the housekeeper beside her and asked calmly, "Have you found out what happened?"

"We've checked it out." The housekeeper bowed solemnly and said, "Your Highness, the problem isn't with other things, but those people were stuffed in by others."

Princess Gaoyang looked up in astonishment and said, "Aren't they famous monks from other places?"

"Your Highness, yes and no!" The family steward shook his head and said, "They are famous monks, but they have only become famous in the past year or two. Before that, they were completely unknown. It was because someone gave them the momentum that they became what they are today."

Princess Gaoyang understood instantly. She narrowed her eyes and said, "You mean someone is plotting against me, and it started two years ago. Now it's the third year of Yongwei, so it must have started in the first year of Yongwei, when my father just passed away... Damn it, who are they?"

"Your Highness." The household steward bowed solemnly and said, "I have investigated for a long time and found that the person behind this is from the Hongnong Yang family."

"Yang, what are they going to do?" Princess Gaoyang's expression suddenly turned cold.

"The other ministers don't know, but there's some news from the palace today." The housekeeper bowed and said, "The prince consort is discussing marriage with the people from the Hongnong Yang family."

"Discussing marriage?" Princess Gaoyang couldn't help but stand up and looked at the housekeeper and asked, "Why, are they going to take a concubine for the prince consort?"

Gao Yang and Fang Yiai do not have a very good relationship, but they have a tacit understanding on many things.

Gao Yang played with himself, and Fang Yiai also played with himself.

Princess Gaoyang didn't care that Fang Yiai had some women outside.

As long as Fang Yiai doesn't bring the person back to the princess's mansion, doesn't bring the person in front of the Fang family, and doesn't have a child, Princess Gaoyang will let him do as he pleases.

However, since the daughter of Hongnong Yang was going to marry Fang Yiai, it was impossible for her to be raised outside.

Princess Gaoyang's mind instantly flashed with Fang Yiai bringing a woman, accusing her of having affairs in the other courtyard, and always looking for a reason to divorce her...

"Your Highness, that's not the case!" Seeing that Princess Gaoyang was mistaken, the household official quickly said, "It's not about finding a concubine for the Prince Consort, but about arranging a marriage for the young master. After all, the young master is not young anymore."

"He's not young. Dalang is only nine years old, how can he not be young?" Princess Gaoyang glared at the housekeeper fiercely, and then said, "Do the people of the Yang family do things so simply?"

"Yes!" Jialing bowed quickly.

Princess Gaoyang narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "I always feel that they are using some trickery to blackmail me and my husband... By the way, who did you say was the matchmaker?"

"It's King Jing!" The housekeeper bowed his head.

"Uncle Prince Jing!" Princess Gaoyang tapped lightly on her dressing table, muttering to herself, "Dalang is only nine years old. How could he even be in need of marriage? And if he wants to, then just discuss it. Why act so furtively? And... Prince Jing isn't in Chang'an right now. How can he be a matchmaker? Is he writing a letter? Why is he so eager?"

The housekeeper looked up and said, "Originally, the prince consort kept this matter secret, but Your Highness has been in the villa these days, so the servants saw the letter." Fang Yiai lived in the princess's mansion. Although he had his own people, Princess Gaoyang had more people around him.

Princess Gaoyang nodded nonchalantly and said softly, "Engagement and matchmaking are not something that can be decided with just a letter. They still have to meet in person."

"Prince Jing didn't come to the Duke's anniversary ceremony. He should be back at the end of the year." The household official looked at Princess Gaoyang cautiously and whispered, "Princess, will this matter be settled by the end of the year?"

"Decide? How?" Princess Gaoyang shook her head and said, "This matter cannot be decided in a short time. Although Dalang has finished the mourning period, his husband is still here. So it will take at least two years to decide. The end of this year, the middle of next year, the end of next year, and then..."

A flash of inspiration suddenly exploded in Princess Gaoyang's mind, and her expression changed slightly.

Turning around, Princess Gaoyang said to the housekeeper, "Send someone to carefully monitor the whereabouts of the prince consort. Remember, just keep an eye on him."

"Yes!" The housekeeper bowed, and then saw that Princess Gaoyang had closed her eyes, so he carefully bowed and retreated.

Hearing footsteps in the distance, Princess Gaoyang slowly opened her eyes.

Glancing in the direction of Jialing, Gao Yang shook his head slightly.

The Yang family, King Jing, and Fang Yiai.

The royal family's natural political acumen made Princess Gaoyang smell something unusual.

Fang Yiai, Prince Jing, and the Yang family seemed to be discussing the marriage of her Dalang. However, if her Dalang wanted to get engaged, it would take at least two years.

Next year, the emperor will launch an eastern expedition against Goguryeo.

The year after that, the war on the front was in full swing.

Also, Princess Gaoyang had not cared about the fight between the emperor and the Hongnong Yang family before, but the bloody smell hidden in it really made her scalp tingle when she thought about it now.

Two years later, Yang, Fang Yiai, and the King of Jing joined forces...

Ha ha!

Princess Gaoyang sneered.

Regardless of what others say, no one knows better than Princess Gaoyang what Fang Yiai is thinking in his heart.

Compared with Du He, Zhao Jie and other people who were deeply trusted by the emperor, Fang Yiai, who followed Wei Wang Li Tai, was naturally not trusted by the emperor.

He had a lot of complaints in his heart, but he never showed them in front of others.

And there is King Jing.

Prince Jing is the oldest member of the royal family today, especially after the death of Prince Xiangyi not long ago, his position in the royal family has become extremely important.

So, the three of them met privately...

This year is fine, next year will be fine too, but what about the year after? When the war is in full swing on the front line, what do they want to do?

Princess Gaoyang took a deep breath and said softly, "The way of heaven is to reduce the excess and make up for the deficiency; the way of man is to reduce the deficiency and serve the excess."

Princess Gaoyang's breathing became heavier.

Outside the house, the late autumn wind began to blow heavily.

……

The north wind whistled past the city of Chang'an.

The ground was covered with thick white snow.

In a blink of an eye, it is already the twelfth lunar month.

A group of hundreds of riders set out from the direction of Luoyang, walking on the white snow and braving the cold wind, passing the ancient Qiaohan Road, Hangu Pass, and Tongguan, heading straight for Chang'an City.

Outside the city of Chang'an, the eunuch Dou Zhijie, dressed in a crimson official robe, a cypress hat, and a black cloak, stood at the Chunming Gate with a dozen Qianniu guards.

The hundred riders slowed down their horses when they were a hundred meters away from Chunming Gate.

A group of people came to Chunmingmen, and the leader was Su Dingfang, the general of Youtunwei who was supposed to be stationed in front of the Liaodong army.

Following closely behind Su Dingfang was Pei Xingjian, a doctor from the Ministry of War.

"Dou Jian!" Su Dingfang dismounted and bowed, his face stiffened by the cold wind without any expression.

Dou Zhijie nodded at Su Dingfang and said, "Your Majesty has ordered General Su Dingfang of the Right Tunwei to return home and rest for three days. After three days, he will report to the Liangyi Hall."

"I obey your order." Su Dingfang immediately bowed.

"Let's go." Dou Zhijie came over to help Su Dingfang hold the reins, and then said, "Your Majesty has already bought a house for General Su."

Seeing Dou Zhijie's actions, Su Dingfang nodded vigorously, then bowed and said, "Thank you, Dou Jian, thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Let's go." Dou Zhijie watched Su Dingfang mount his horse, then said, "Your Majesty has many questions to ask about the Liaodong army. General, please be prepared."

"Yes!" Su Dingfang bowed solemnly.

(End of this chapter)