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

Chapter 607 Princess Gaoyang's Rebellion (Part )

Under the night sky, the palace lanterns are bright.

The imperial carriage landed, and Li Chengqian, who was dozing off on it, finally came to his senses.

Looking around, he had already appeared outside the Lizheng Hall.

Taking a deep breath, Li Chengqian stood up, stepped down from the imperial sedan chair, and then walked into the Lizheng Hall.

Across from them, Su Shu had already led people out to greet them. She bowed and said, "Your Majesty!"

"Queen, please stand up." Li Chengqian helped Su Shu up with one hand, then walked towards the main couch in the center and sat down.

Su Shu stood aside, picked up a cup of tea from the tray, and handed it to Li Chengqian, who looked a little tired after a busy day.

Li Chengqian took the tea and gestured with his eyes.

Su Shu sat down obediently.

"How are the preparations for the Crown Prince's wedding going?" Li Chengqian leaned back slightly and closed his eyes slightly.

He has been dealing with court affairs for some time.

This time, I won’t be able to return from my eastern tour in a short time.

The number of officials brought to Luoyang from the three provinces and six ministries alone was much greater than before.

Every time someone is moved, all government affairs in the court have to be rearranged.

So not only him, but all the officials in the three provinces and six ministries were very busy these days, and Li Chengqian had no choice but to leave the matter of the prince's wedding to Su Shu.

"It's basically been handled." Su Shu gently patted Li Chengqian's shoulder, asking him to relax as much as possible.

Li Chengqian nodded gently and said, "That's good."

A hint of surprise flashed in Su Shu's eyes, and she whispered, "How come Your Majesty doesn't seem as happy as I am about the Crown Prince's wedding?"

"Of course I'm happy, but my feelings are a little complicated." Li Chengqian opened his eyes, looked at Su Shu, and said with emotion, "The Queen should still remember that the Eastern Palace is where you and I lived for more than ten years. We are familiar with every detail of that place, but now it has become the Crown Prince's residence. Even you and I would be inconvenienced if we went there again. I have some complicated feelings."

Before Li Xiang got married, Li Chengqian felt that the entire palace belonged to him.

But now, the prince is getting married.

Donggong immediately felt as if something was being cut out of his hand, which made him feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

He himself was surprised at the emotions in his heart.

"Your Majesty, you're just daydreaming all day long." Su Shu rolled her eyes at Li Chengqian and said, "If the Crown Prince doesn't live in the Eastern Palace, where can he live? He can't just continue living in the palace. Besides, there are so many officials in the Eastern Palace. He can't just live in the Ye Ting."

Li Chengqian smiled bitterly and nodded slightly. Indeed, it was the best solution for the prince to live in the East Palace.

The crown prince who has reached adulthood is not allowed to live in the harem. The only places he can live are the Eastern Palace and the Ye Ting.

As for outside the palace, it is even more impossible.

Even if the prince is not bewitched, if he is accidentally kidnapped, the problem will be much more serious than carving out an Eastern Palace from the imperial palace.

Why has no one changed this point throughout the dynasties? It is because this is the only solution that can be achieved through compromise between the inside and the outside.

Su Shu calmed down, took Li Chengqian's wrist and said, "In fact, the Eastern Palace has never been a personal bedroom. It is essentially an official residence, part of the entire court. The rest is the prince's bedroom. In fact, the imperial palace is not the same."

Li Chengqian calmed down completely.

That's true.

The biggest function of this palace is not to allow the emperor to rest, but to allow the emperor to handle major affairs of the world.

The same goes for the Eastern Palace; its natural function is to be the place where the Crown Prince performs his duties as the heir apparent.

Li Chengqian understood this in his heart.

However, because he was a little sensitive, he felt a little unnatural and uncomfortable when he thought that the six guards of the Crown Prince in the Eastern Palace would be nominally under the command of the Crown Prince.

He knew very well that the prince had no power over the six guards of the Eastern Palace.

Even when he was the crown prince, he had never actually controlled the six guards of the crown prince.

This unnatural feeling of awkwardness was deeply rooted in his heart and was difficult to remove.

Li Chengqian's mind was slightly wandering.

Did his father have the same emotions back then?
Actually, it was after Li Chengqian's wedding that my father began to favor Qingque.

The emperor was wary of the prince.

Li Chengqian felt a little funny for a moment. It turned out that he also had this kind of vigilance.

In other words, any emperor would be on guard like this.

Emperor Wu of Han towards Crown Prince Liu Ju.

Yang Guang to Yang Yong and Yang Jian.

Li Zhi to Li Zhong, Li Hong, and Li Xian.

Li Longji's extreme vigilance towards Li Ying and Li Heng even reached the point of being abnormal.

Killing three sons in one day was rare even among emperors of all dynasties.

Li Chengqian's expression calmed down. He turned to Su Shu and nodded gently, saying, "The Queen is right. I was unable to come to terms with it for a while, but I'm much better now."

"Your Majesty is wise." Su Shu finally felt relieved. While gently massaging Li Chengqian, she asked, "Who from the harem will accompany your Majesty to Luoyang this time?"

Li Chengqian paused for a moment and said, "This trip to Luoyang is to stabilize the food supply for the An Dong army. Most of the food in recent years has come from Shandong, so take along all the concubines from Shandong noble families.

Concubine Xiao, Concubine Zhang, Lan'er and Luan'er, Concubine Xu, plus Concubine Pei and Concubine Xue, that's all, plus Concubine Zheng, she's the Imperial Concubine, in the Empress's absence, she's the head of the harem."

"I knew Your Majesty would bring these people, but in my opinion, Your Majesty should take Concubine Wei with you as well." Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian and said, "The Du family is trusted by Your Majesty and doesn't need to do anything more, but the Wei family still needs to do something. If Your Majesty takes Concubine Wei to Luoyang, the Wei family in Chang'an can also do their best."

"Indeed, with the Wei and Du families joining forces, plus the Dou family and my uncle, no one in Chang'an City can take over." Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction at Su Shu, put his arm around her, and said, "The Queen is truly thoughtful."

Su Shu leaned against Li Chengqian's arms and asked in a low voice, "Then how long will it take Your Majesty to go to Luoyang this time?"

"If I go this year, I definitely won't be back in the winter. Next year, the war will be raging, so I definitely won't have time. To be lenient, we should be able to conquer Goguryeo in the next two years." Li Chengqian paused, looked at Su Shu, and said with a wry smile, "The next time I return to Chang'an will be two years from now, in the winter of the sixth year of Yongwei."

"I'll be gone for two years." Su Shu raised her head, looked at Li Chengqian uneasily, and said, "Your Majesty, nothing will happen, right?"

"It probably won't happen, but who knows what might happen." Li Chengqian helped Su Shu up and looked at him and said, "This time when I leave, Zhang Ananda and Xu An must go to Luoyang with me, and Dou Zhijie will stay. This way, if the Queen needs help, she can contact the Dou family directly besides her uncle."

After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said seriously, "Yin Yuan, Du He, and Li Xuansi should all stay. Although these three may not be very prominent, they can stabilize the situation to the greatest extent at critical moments. Together with Qiu Xinggong, the governor of Luozhou, Chang'an should be as stable as a rock."

"Yeah!" Su Shu breathed a sigh of relief.

"With my uncle here, there's no need to worry about the overall situation." Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "Although it might be a little unkind, Xiang'er can supervise the country from Chengtian Gate every day, and have him go through the Tongxun Gate to Lizheng Hall every morning and evening to pay his respects. The Empress can ask him about his understanding of state affairs every day. At the same time, with Xiang'er acting as a buffer between the Empress and my uncle, there won't be any problems."

"I know what to do." Su Shu smiled gently.

Li Chengqian continued, "Also, although I have arrived in Luoyang, the Queen can still send me a letter every day. Yin Yuan and Dou Zhijie will report to the Queen on what is happening in Luoyang City. If the Queen feels there is anything wrong, she can write it down in the letter."

"I understand." Su Shu nodded gently, her expression growing more serious. "Since the Dou family is the Crown Prince's maternal family, then the Crown Princess's mother is our in-law. When the Empress is free, she can summon her mother-in-law to the palace for a casual chat. The Dou family's influence in Chang'an is comparable to that of the Wei and Du families. If there's anything the Hundred Cavalry Division doesn't know about, the Empress can also learn about it through the Dou family. Furthermore..."

After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "In addition, during festivals such as Mid-Autumn Festival, Double Ninth Festival, Winter Solstice, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, and Lantern Festival, the Empress can invite the families of the concubines, the princesses, and the princesses to the palace to celebrate the festival. In fact, these families have become the entire Chang'an City."

Zhangsun Wuji's eldest daughter-in-law was Li Chengqian's younger sister, Princess Changle.

"I understand." Su Shu nodded seriously.

"Finally, I have already taught the Queen how to kill people. If anything happens to my uncle, whoever the Queen thinks is responsible should be imprisoned or strangled to death without hesitation." Li Chengqian looked at Su Shu solemnly.

"I know." Su Shu took a deep breath with a nervous look on her face.

The last time Li Chengqian taught him how to kill someone, she had checked the history books. There were many people who did this kind of thing in history. The most classic one was Empress Lu killing Han Xin.

Li Chengqian gently hugged Su Shu and whispered, "In recent years, the one most likely to cause trouble is Ashina Helu of Western Turkestan. Even if something happens, the Queen can stabilize the situation. I have my uncle in Chang'an, and I am in Luoyang. If a crisis really comes, I can return to Chang'an in one day and one night."

"Yes!" Su Shu nodded slightly. Li Chengqian seemed to have gone to the eastern capital Luoyang, but in fact it was not far away.

"Really, if everything goes well at the front, I might go to Mount Li to relax, and the Queen and the Crown Prince can go with me." Li Chengqian smiled easily.

"Okay!" Su Shu smiled with satisfaction.

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian raised his head and his face became heavy.

There is only one person who would really mess around in the harem.

That is Princess Gaoyang.

She would try to control Changsun Wuji by controlling the queen and the prince.

She is the most threatening person in the entire Chang'an.

At this time, Su Shu's voice rang out in his arms: "Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian lowered his head and looked at the expectant look in Su Shu's eyes, and he smiled gently.

The next moment, Li Chengqian had picked up Su Shu and strode towards the bed.

For a moment, the spring scenery is charming.

……

"Worship heaven and earth!"

"Two thanks to the high hall!"

"Husband and wife bow to each other."

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Xiang and Dou Xin stood in the hall, bowing to each other.

Looking at Dou Xin, whom he met for the first time after the round fan, Li Chengqian nodded with rare satisfaction.

Indeed, although the Dou family was too powerful, which made Li Chengqian a little worried that Li Xiang would be out of control in the future, he felt relieved when he saw Dou Xin.

Even if Li Xiang can't control it, Dou Xin can.

After all the formalities were over, Li Chengqian turned sideways to look at Su Shu beside him, and they both smiled with relief.

Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly.

The Minister of Rites Du Xingben, who was standing to the upper left of the guests, immediately shouted, "The ceremony is over. Send her to the bridal chamber."

"Congratulations to Your Majesty, congratulations to the Queen, and congratulations to the Crown Prince." All the kings, princesses, and their husbands, as well as the Manchu civil and military officials and their families in the hall, bowed their hands in congratulations.

"Stand up." Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Come on, let's start the banquet!"

Princess Gaoyang stood beside Chai Lingwu and bowed along with everyone else, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

……

The crown prince got married and the emperor held a grand banquet for all his ministers.

Chang'an City was exempt from curfew for three days.

……

In late June, the night wind is already cool.

The palace, which had been noisy all night, gradually became quiet.

Princess Gaoyang walked beside the Liangyi Palace.

He looked up and looked around.

She was not anxious to leave.

This was where she used to live.

Unfortunately, it is difficult for her to come again.

Princess Gaoyang walked past the corner with nostalgia.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in a dark corner. Seeing Princess Gaoyang, he whispered, "Your Highness!"

"Yeah!" Gao Yang nodded calmly, stuffed a note into the other person's hand, and then walked towards the Liangyi Gate as if nothing had happened.

Only after Princess Gaoyang disappeared outside the Liangyi Gate did the figure in the darkness emerge.

Chen Xuanyun, the eunuch of the palace.

Chen Xuanyun looked up and saw that the nobles in the palace were gradually dispersing, and the palace maids in the inner court were cleaning up in the Liangyi Hall.

Chen Xuanyun walked towards the Liangyi Hall calmly, and no one around paid any attention to him.

Standing in the corner outside the Liangyi Hall, Chen Xuanyun looked at the note in his hand in the light of the fire in the hall: The emperor is on an eastern tour to check the weak points of the palace restrictions.

Chen Xuanyun swallowed the note into his mouth.

The night wind gradually grew colder.

Chen Xuanyun's heart gradually became hot.

He raised his head and looked at the night sky above, where the stars were shining brightly.

The Purple Star is exceptionally bright.

how come?
Chen Xuanyun lowered his head and looked in the direction of Ganlu Gate. Unconsciously, he took a few steps forward.

"Who, who is there?" A loud shout came from the front.

Chen Xuanyun subconsciously took a few steps back.

The next moment, he turned around and ran.

(End of this chapter)