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

Chapter 611 Uncle Wang, is the dream of holding the sun and the moon beautiful? (Part )
sunset.

The afterglow illuminates the entire palace.

In the Liangyi Hall, piles of memorials were placed on the imperial desk.

Li Chengqian sat on the imperial couch, carefully processing each memorial.

Suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, and Li Chengqian subconsciously looked up.

Ma Zhou, dressed in a purple official robe, entered the hall with a memorial in his hand.

"Your Majesty." Ma Zhou handed the memorial to Zhang Ananda, then bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Jing has been imprisoned in the Zongzheng Temple. The Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, the Censorate, and the Zongzheng Temple have all begun a comprehensive investigation of the Prince of Jing's mansion overnight. I believe there will be results soon."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian looked at Ma Zhou and nodded, saying, "That's all for today. My dear, go back and rest. You can't stay up all night because of your illness."

"Yes!" Ma Zhou bowed seriously with a look of gratitude.

Ma Zhou was diagnosed with diabetes in the first year of Yongwei. It was Li Chengqian who personally participated in the treatment, and his condition gradually improved.

However, it is only an improvement and diabetes cannot be cured.

Fortunately, under Li Chengqian's deliberate care, Ma Zhou did not have to handle much court affairs every day. In addition, with a reasonable diet and proper exercise, his diabetes did not continue to worsen.

Ma Zhou turned to leave, but after taking two steps, he turned back and bowed, "Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian put down the memorial in his hand, looked at Ma Zhou and asked, "What's going on? Is there anything else?"

Ma Zhou took a deep breath, then bowed earnestly and said, "May I ask Your Majesty, how do you plan to deal with the matter of the King of Jing?"

"They will probably be imprisoned in Beiyuan forever, and their sons will be exiled to Zhenzhou. The county ladies, their husbands, their relatives, and the officials inside and outside the court will not be implicated. Of course, the premise is that they have no involvement and are unaware of what is going on." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and asked, "Why, is there a lot of noise outside now?"

"Yes!" Ma Zhou bowed and said, "After Princess Gaoyang and her husband were arrested, officials inside and outside the court began to discuss the matter. When Prince Jing was arrested, the royal family began to feel uneasy, especially Prince Han. He is a member of the royal family and Fang Yiai's brother-in-law, so he was a little worried about being implicated."

If only Princess Gaoyang and Fang Yiai were arrested, then the officials and ministers in Chang'an would wonder if Princess Gaoyang had done something ridiculous again.

But when King Jing Li Yuanjing was also involved, sensitive people immediately began to suspect that someone was planning a rebellion?

Li Yuanjing was Fang Yize's father-in-law and was also a relative of Fang Yiai.

However, Li Yuanjing had a very special identity: he was the eldest of Emperor Gaozu's surviving sons.

This identity is enough for him to have the power to represent the royal family on some sensitive issues.

It is definitely not a coincidence that a princess and a prince were arrested one after another. Someone was really plotting a rebellion.

"What else?" Li Chengqian asked calmly.

"The King of Han has already shut himself in, and the Kings of Wu and Shu have also begun to do the same." After a brief pause, Ma Zhou continued, "Some of the other kings have gone to the Kings of Ji, Zhao, and Shu to inquire about the situation, while others have managed to reach the Crown Prince. Furthermore, Princess Tongan has just gone to request an audience with the Queen."

Now, it has only been a few days since the prince's wedding, and the princes and princesses are still in Chang'an. The incident suddenly became a hot topic and spread everywhere immediately.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "The royal family is already in such a state of panic, and I'm afraid the situation outside will become even more chaotic. Now is the time to gradually announce the news."

"I think so too." Ma Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Chengqian turned sideways and looked to the side, saying, "Mr. Liu."

Liu Rengui stood up solemnly and said, "Your Majesty!"

"Draft the official document. Detail the details of Chen Xuanyun, the eunuch who spied on the palace and observed the celestial phenomena. Also include his confession that it was Princess Gaoyang who ordered him to do so. Also include the connection between Princess Gaoyang and the Prince of Jing. But that's all." Li Chengqian looked at Liu Rengui seriously and said, "Don't mention anything else about the involvement of Xue Wanche, the Duke of Wu'an, and Yang Sina, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice."

"Yes!" Liu Rengui bowed solemnly.

Li Chengqian turned to look at Ma Zhou and said, "Ma Qing, pass on the message. This time, in the case of Princess Gaoyang's treason, all charges will be based on solid evidence. As long as there is no one involved, even if it is Fang Yizhi, I will not pursue any further action."

"Your Majesty is benevolent." Ma Zhou was completely relieved, then he bowed and said, "I'll take my leave."

……

Looking at Ma Zhou's leaving back, Li Chengqian smiled gently.

He turned sideways and asked, "How's Yang Sina doing?"

"Your Majesty!" Xu An stepped forward and bowed earnestly, saying, "Zhang Jian is personally watching over there. Outside the palace, the Qianniu Guards, Jinwu Guards, and Yongzhou Prefecture are all keeping a close watch. Inside the palace, the Baiqi Division is also lurking in place. The others are just waiting for Your Majesty's order. If there's any unusual movement within the palace, they're to arrest immediately."

"In other words, there has been no unusual movement on Yang Sina's side so far?" Li Chengqian couldn't help but raise his eyes.

"Yes!" Xu An cupped his hands and said, "Perhaps he has noticed something?"

Li Chengqian raised his head slightly, then smiled faintly and said, "Either he really didn't notice anything, or he has destroyed everything in advance. In all likelihood, there will be nothing to gain from his house."

"Yes!" Xu An nodded. He asked carefully, "Your Majesty, do you want to do something?"

"No need." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "It's inevitable that he's conspiring with Gao Yang, Fang Yiai, and the King of Jing. For this reason alone, I can exile him to Zhenzhou. His two brothers will also be implicated, and this is enough. With the war imminent, stability is the most important thing."

"Yes!" Xu An bowed and retreated.

Li Chengqian looked at Xu Jingzong, Liu Rengui, Li Yifu, Pei Yan and others and said, "Once the official document is completed, release it directly."

"Yes!" Everyone stood up and bowed, saying, "Farewell, Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian walked down the imperial steps, and just as he was about to leave, he stopped and said, "Pass the message down. I will leave for Luoyang on July 1st. The time remains unchanged. Don't delay the affairs of the court."

"We obey your order." Liu Rengui, Li Yifu, Xu Jingzong, Pei Yan and others bowed and accepted the order.

When they looked up, Li Chengqian had disappeared.

Pei Yan looked at the other people carefully with a questioning look in his eyes. A case of treason ended so simply.

Liu Rengui, Li Yifu, and Xu Jingzong calmly handled the last things at hand.

The calmness made Pei Yan feel a chill.

……

Night enveloped the entire palace.

Li Chengqian stood on the steps in front of the Lizheng Hall, looking out over the entire Chang'an City.

Even though a major case of treason had occurred, the entire city of Chang'an had already skillfully entered the silence of the night.

It was as if the entire case of treason had nothing to do with them.

A cloak was draped over Li Chengqian from behind. Li Chengqian turned slightly to the side, looked at Su Shu and asked, "Did my great-aunt come here today?"

"Hmm!" Su Shu nodded gently and said, "My great-aunt is hinting at something about the King of Jing, but I don't know much about it, so there's nothing much to say."

"I've already made the arrangements. My great-aunt should have received the news when she returns home." Li Chengqian turned around, took Su Shu's wrist, and walked into the Lizheng Hall. He said, "The reason we didn't tell the Queen about this matter in advance is because my uncle and I had already made arrangements."

Su Shu nodded obediently. In fact, Li Chengqian had already hinted at something, but he just didn't say it clearly.

"In fact, even I didn't expect that Gao Yang would actually order the Eternal Palace Commander Chen Xuanyun to spy on the palace." Li Chengqian sat on the couch, squinting his eyes and said, "Spying on the palace is secondary. The key is that he is the Eternal Palace Commander."

"It's easy to tamper with the diet." Su Shu sat aside and nodded slightly. She understood Li Chengqian's concerns.

The reason why it was difficult to poison the emperor was that outsiders did not know the emperor's dietary mechanism.

However, once officials such as the Ye Ting Ling, the Shang Shi Feng Yu, the Nei Shi Shao Jian, and the Nei Shi Jian were bribed, the chances of successfully poisoning the emperor would greatly increase.

"This is one reason. Another reason is that things are still in the planning stage and fewer people are involved. I can kill fewer people, and it will be difficult for others to take advantage of this time to make a big move." Li Chengqian looked up and sighed softly.

In the case of Princess Gaoyang's rebellion, not many people were involved in the two lives before and after.

But in the previous life, because Zhangsun Wuji wanted to consolidate Li Zhi's throne, he implicated Li Ke, Li Yin, Li Dao Zong and others.
This seemed to consolidate Li Zhi's throne, but on another level, it also made Li Zhi realize the threat posed by Zhangsun Wuji.

Immediately afterwards, Li Zhi gradually began to plan to deal with Changsun Wuji.

As a result, the Changsun family was almost completely confiscated and exterminated.

This is what Li Chengqian didn't want to see.

Apart from other things, Zhang Sun Wuji was really good to him. Especially when Li Chengqian began to restrict Zhang Sun Wuji's power in the army, Zhang Sun Wuji cooperated very well and completed it.

Therefore, Li Chengqian did not want Changsun Wuji to suffer the same tragic fate as in his previous life.

"This matter will basically be resolved before I leave." Li Chengqian turned sideways to look at Su Shu and said seriously, "After I leave, in another month and a half, it will be the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Queen can summon all the consorts, princesses, and the wives and dowagers of each family to the palace to enjoy the moon. This will completely resolve the matter, and the families will be more respectful of the Queen."

"I understand." Su Shu nodded. She could clearly feel Li Chengqian's concern.

Li Chengqian stepped back slightly and said softly, "Don't tell the Crown Prince too much. I will talk to him before I leave. I've been away for many years, and there are some cruel things he must face alone."

"Yes!" Su Shu took a deep breath, her expression solemn.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

Li Chengqian looked up subconsciously.

Zhang Ananda had already appeared at the palace entrance. He bowed earnestly to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Majesty, Princess Gaoyang's husband and the Prince of Jing have confessed. A lot of things were confiscated from the Prince of Jing's mansion. Has this implicated Yang Sina, the Minister of Justice?"

"So soon?" Li Chengqian glanced at Zhang Ananda in surprise, then turned to look at Su Shu and said, "Queen, I'm afraid I'll be busy tonight. You should go to bed early. Don't worry, nothing serious will happen."

"Yeah!" Su Shu nodded slightly, then stood up and walked Li Chengqian to the door of the palace, watching him leave.

It seems that she will have a hard time getting a good rest tonight.

……

The Tai Chi Hall was brightly lit.

Zhangsun Wuji, Tang Jian, Yu Zhining, Sun Fujia, Liu Dewei, Yin Jun, Li Baiyao, Qiu Xinggong and others stood on both sides.

Changsun Wuji handed the memorial to Zhang Ananda and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Your Majesty, when I searched the Prince of Jing's mansion and interrogated his servants, I learned that over the past three years, there have been five auspicious events in the mansion, yet the Prince of Jing has not submitted any of them to the memorial."

"Auspicious sign, five times?" Li Chengqian couldn't help but dilate his pupils. He turned around and took the memorial while glancing at Zhang Ananda. Zhang Ananda bowed and retreated.

Li Chengqian then turned to look at Zhangsun Wuji and said, "Uncle, this really shocked me."

"Me too." Changsun Wuji and other court officials all bowed with serious expressions.

To conceal an auspicious sign is already a crime.

Concealing five auspicious signs is an even greater sin.

If anyone fabricates an auspicious sign to gain personal advantage, then he will be guilty of treason punishable by beheading.

Especially the prince in the court.

Everyone knows that the case of treason committed by Prince Jing Li Yuanjing has been completely nailed down.

Li Chengqian took a deep breath and raised his hand, "What about the others?"

Zhangsun Wuji raised his head and said, "Your Majesty, Fang Yiai has confessed that he did conspire with Prince Jing and Yang Sina. Although most of the correspondence has been burned, some was hidden under Prime Minister Fang's bed."

Li Chengqian was stunned. Under Fang Xuanling's bed, he really dared to think and do it.

"Compared to me, King Jingcun has more correspondence." Changsun Wuji couldn't help shaking his head.

Fang Yiai was too cautious, while Li Yuanjing was too confused.

"Can those letters nail Yang Sina to the head?" Li Chengqian's eyes grew serious.

Yang Sina is the key person Li Chengqian needs to deal with, not Fang Yiai and Li Yuanjing.

"It's difficult." Changsun Wuji cupped his hands and said, "The Minister of Justice is very cautious. Although he has spoken a lot about the inadequacy of tax exemptions and disaster relief in recent years, there is little in his mind that could truly accuse him of treason."

"In that case, we can only use the testimonies of Gao Yang, Fang Yiai, and Prince Jing to convict Yang Sina of the crime of being an accomplice in treason?" A trace of disappointment flashed in Li Chengqian's eyes.

"It's natural that Yang Sina and the Prince of Jing had close ties, but to say there's no evidence isn't necessarily true." Changsun Wuji smiled and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I found a Nine Dragon Wall in the Prince of Jing's mansion. The Prince of Jing wrote on it himself. "Sent by Yang Sina, the Assistant Minister of Justice, dated the 30th day of the twelfth month of the first year of the Yongzheng reign."

Li Chengqian looked up in surprise. "If that's the case, then we can find relevant witnesses and physical evidence. Prince Jing... is Prince Jing so talented but lacking in ambition?"

"Prince Jing may never have imagined that Princess Gaoyang would be so foolish." Changsun Wuji couldn't help but sneer. Then he bowed seriously and said, "Your Majesty, now that the evidence is complete, I request that the Minister of Justice, Yang Sina, be arrested and his entire family investigated."

Li Chengqian's breathing paused for a moment. He took a deep breath and said, "Go."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji bowed, then turned and walked out of the hall.

Tang Jian, Yu Zhining, Sun Fujia, Liu Dewei, Yin Jun, Li Baiyao, Qiu Xinggong and others all bowed to Li Chengqian, and then left with Changsun Wuji.

Li Chengqian stood up and walked out of the hall.

After planning for a long time, we finally took a crucial step today.

The night wind blew on his face. Li Chengqian stopped on the steps and looked sideways.

Li Anyan stood up and bowed.

Li Chengqian nodded lightly with an indifferent expression.

Li Anyan bowed solemnly, then turned and left to watch.

Li Chengqian turned sideways, looked at Xu An, and said, "Tell the Queen that I won't be going over tonight."

"Yes!" Xu An immediately bowed and accepted the order.

Li Chengqian strode towards Ganlu Gate. After entering Ganlu Gate, he did not return to Ganlu Palace, but went to Shujing Palace.

Seeing Li Chengqian arrive, Wei Wei was a little surprised, but she didn't ask any more questions.

She quietly helped Li Chengqian take off his clothes, then quietly lay down on the bed and gently helped Li Chengqian press his temples on both sides.

Before he knew it, Li Chengqian had fallen into a deep sleep.

Wei Wei also lay down quietly and fell asleep sweetly.

The night is quiet.

……

In the Liangyi Hall, the emperor sat high on the imperial couch.

The princes, their husbands, prime ministers, and all the civil and military officials above the fourth rank in the court all stood on both sides with their hands clasped in front of their chests.

"Issue an imperial decree to summon Princess Gaoyang's husband, Fang Yiai, Prince of Jing, Li Yuanjing, and Yang Sina, the Minister of Justice, to the audience."

As the eunuchs shouted, three embarrassed figures walked up the steps of the Liangyi Hall and then stepped into the hall.

Although the three of them looked disheveled, their clothes were still freshly washed, and their hair and nails were all cleaned.

Yang Sina stood on the far right. When he entered the hall, he couldn't help but look at both sides of the hall.

Kings, ministers, civil officials, military generals, and almost every noble family had someone present to participate in the trial.

Yang Sina knelt down with Li Yuanjing and Fang Yiai. For a moment, he felt extremely regretful. Why did he choose such a fool like Princess Gaoyang?

"Your Majesty, I, your humble servant, pay my respects. May Your Majesty live forever." The three of them kowtowed in unison.

Li Chengqian looked at the three people, did not ask them to stand up, and did not say anything.

The expressions of everyone in the hall gradually became solemn.

My breathing also became lighter little by little.

At this time, Li Chengqian slowly said, "Uncle Wang, tell me about your dream of holding the sun and the moon in your hands. Was it beautiful?"

Li Yuanjing's lips immediately began to tremble.

(End of this chapter)