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

Chapter 613: Apart from the Queen, who else can persuade His Majesty at this time? (Part )

"I know you won't acknowledge the will, but..." Li Yuanjing sneered at Yang Sina, then turned to look at the Danbi and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, think about it. If Yang Sina didn't have anything to rely on, why would he rebel against me, a vassal king serving in a distant place?"

Li Yuanjing's last words were almost a roar.

The sound continued to echo throughout the Liangyi Hall.

The faces of all the ministers in the hall suddenly turned cold.

Indeed, no edict from the late emperor was found in Yang Sina's house, nor were there any other letters contacting Prince Jing, Fang Yiai, or Princess Gaoyang.

Just now, Yang Sina admitted in front of all the ministers in the hall that he, Prince Jing, Fang Yiai, and Princess Gaoyang were plotting a rebellion.

That is to say, those letters of communication must have existed, but they were simply burned by Yang Sina.

In other words, the so-called will may very well be real, or it may have been burned by Yang Sina.

What's more, when the word "last will" came out of Li Yuanjing's mouth, everything was different.

In the court, the most sensitive nerve of almost all the heroes of the Zhenguan period was aroused.

Yang Sina knelt there, wanting to argue, but didn't know how to say it.

He was fine, why did he want to rebel against Li Yuanjing for no reason?
You have to know that Emperor Li Chengqian has been on the throne for more than four years and his throne is stable. Why would the Yang family of Hongnong rebel for no reason?

Do they really have a copy of the late emperor's will in their hands, or did they forge one themselves?

If the latter.

It was not excessive to exterminate the entire Hongnong Yang family.

……

Above the imperial couch, there were knocking sounds of "bang bang bang".

All the ministers in the hall turned around and bowed solemnly to the Danbi, saying, "Your Majesty!"

"Last Will." Li Chengqian leaned back, squinting his eyes as he tapped the imperial desk. Finally, he stopped and asked, "Uncle, you were by my father's side on the day he passed away. Besides the last will he left for the people of the world, did he leave any other last wills?"

"No!" Changsun Wuji stood up nervously and bowed solemnly.

But when he lowered his head, a hint of fear flashed deep in his eyes.

Li Chengqian raised his head and continued, "Duke Ju, Master Yu, Lord Zhang, Lord Ma, Lord Lai, you were all there that day. Did the Emperor leave any last words?"

Tang Jian, Yu Zhining, Zhang Xuansu, Ma Zhou, and Lai Ji all stood up and said, "Your Majesty, no!"

Li Chengqian continued, "Prince of Han, Prince of Wu, Prince of Ji, Prince of Zhao, you were all there that day. Did the Emperor leave any other wills?"

"Your Majesty, no!" Li Yuanchang, Li Ke, Li Shen, and Li Fu all stood up and bowed in reply.

"Duke of E, Duke of Lu, Duke of Guo, Duke of Wushui County, what do you say?"

Yuchi Jingde, Cheng Zhijie, Zhang Shigui, and Chang He.

The four generals stood up at the same time and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, no!"

Li Chengqian continued, asking, "Duke Pengcheng, Duke Da'an, my cousin, Lord Cui, Lord Li, what do you say?"

"Your Majesty, no!" Liu Dewei, Yan Lide, Changsun Xiang, Cui Dunli, Li Baiyao and others all stood up and bowed in reply.

Yang Sina knelt on the ground and her breathing stopped at this moment.

Of course he had the will, but he had hidden it somewhere else a long time ago, a place no one else could have imagined.

A long time ago, Yang Sina realized the danger of the will.

Indeed, they could take out the will at a critical moment, depose Li Chengqian at the best time, and then enthrone Li Yuanjing as emperor.

However, before that, if even a single word of the will was leaked, the entire Hongnong Yang family would be in danger of being completely massacred by the emperor.

Especially this time, Princess Gaoyang met with an accident without any warning, and Yang Sina didn't even mention the word "will".

But he didn't expect that Li Yuanjing actually lied to him when he was drunk.

Now, Yang Sina couldn't even figure out whether she was drunk when she drank with Li Yuanjing that night?
Or is it that all of this was made up by Li Yuanjing?

Listening to the emperor calling out the names of the ministers who were present on the day the late emperor passed away, his heart gradually sank and his expression became increasingly ugly.

There was another person present at the scene that day.

That was Yang Shidao, who was the Minister of Personnel at the time.

As long as Yang Sina reveals Yang Shidao's name, he can prove the authenticity of the will.

But he didn't dare, he couldn't.

It was impossible for the emperor to acknowledge the authenticity of the will, and it was impossible for the ministers in the palace to acknowledge the authenticity of the will.

Because for a period of time before the late emperor passed away, he was not in a clear mind and even said that he wanted to summon the King of Jin and the King of Wei.

Many of the ministers in the palace knew about this matter.

Yang Sina took out the will, which could indeed prove its authenticity, but the state of the late emperor before his death could directly deny his legitimacy.

Yang Sina deliberately kept the will. What exactly did he want to do?
How many people in the entire Hongnong Yang family knew about the will?

If nothing is explained clearly, the entire Hongnong Yang family may be completely eradicated by the emperor.

It was precisely because he wanted to avoid this from happening that Yang Sina stood up and made the conviction alone. Now, how could he possibly admit to this?

Only by thoroughly exposing this matter can he save the entire Yang family.

At this time, Yang Sina suddenly realized the huge power gap between himself and the emperor.

If the emperor had not endured for the sake of the Eastern Expedition, the entire Hongnong Yang family would have been killed bit by bit by the emperor.

……

Li Chengqian swept his gaze over the ministers in the hall, finally looking to one side. "Mr. Xu, you are still serving as the Recorder. Tell me, during the time when my father passed away, were there any other written instructions in his diary?"

Xu Jingzong stood up and said, "Your Majesty, no."

Li Chengqian nodded gently, then looked at Yang Sina, who was kneeling on the ground. "Mr. Yang, for a long time before my father passed away, he was attended to every day by a prime minister, a minister of six ministries, a prince, and a general, and a recorder was there to record his words. Tell me, where did you get that edict?"

Yang Sina gritted his teeth and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, there has never been any such thing as a will. I don't know why the King of Jing said that. Perhaps he heard it wrongly after getting drunk."

Li Yuanjing knelt aside and was about to speak when Li Chengqian waved his hand to stop him.

Li Yuanjing immediately stepped back and knelt quietly aside.

Li Chengqian looked at Yang Sina and continued to ask, "Mr. Yang, you said there was no will. So now there is only one question left: why would you, a Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and a descendant of the Hongnong Yang family, support the Prince of Jing's rebellion?
Have I made any major mistakes in the past few years since I ascended the throne, causing you to be disgusted with me to the point of wanting to overthrow me?"

Yang Sina subconsciously opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his mind was blank. "Speak!" Li Chengqian suddenly shouted angrily, his roar echoing throughout the hall.

Yang Sina couldn't help but shiver, and lowered his head uncontrollably.

"Your Majesty, please calm down!" All the ministers bowed at the same time with serious expressions.

Li Chengqian sat on the imperial couch, breathing heavily, and the sound was clearly heard throughout the hall.

After a moment, Li Chengqian took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and said, "I hereby order that Fang Yiai be implicated in treason. However, due to Princess Gaoyang's fault and the influence of Duke Liang, all official titles and ranks shall be stripped away, and he shall be exiled to Liaodong as a soldier. His treatment shall be the same as that of a soldier who dared to die in battle.

Fang Er, are you willing?"

Fang Yiai looked up in surprise, then kowtowed solemnly and said, "Your Majesty, I, Fang Yiai, thank you for your great grace."

Li Chengqian nodded, looked at Fang Yiai and said, "If you dare to die in the army, you can be transferred to an ordinary soldier after accumulating military merits. I will give you a chance. After accumulating military merits, you can also be transferred to an ordinary soldier, but in the future you will stay in Liaodong forever. You can get married or have children, but don't return to Chang'an."

"I obey your command." Fang Yiai bowed his head and said with a choked voice, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."

Li Chengqian sighed softly and continued, "Fang Yizhi's stewardship was lax. An imperial decree is issued to suspend Fang Yizhi's Duke of Liang's salary for ten years. After ten years, his salary will be restored based on his performance. Fang Yize and Fang Yiyi will be demoted to county magistrates, and the other sons will not be held accountable."

"Your Majesty is benevolent." Fang Yiai finally couldn't help crying.

Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly, and two guards strode into the hall, then helped Fang Yiai up and took him away.

"King of Jing." Li Chengqian's eyes gradually turned cold.

"I'm here." Li Yuanjing bowed with some trembling.

"You're lucky. I don't want to be stained with the blood of a royal family member just yet." Li Chengqian looked up and said indifferently, "I decree that Jing Wang Li Yuanjing, guilty of treason, be stripped of all official titles and nobility from this moment on. He will only retain his clan membership and be imprisoned in Beiyuan, never to be released."

"I obey your order!" Li Yuanjing kowtowed tremblingly.

Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "All the sons will be stripped of their titles and demoted to local county magistrates. The grandsons will also be ordinary royal family members. The other daughters of outsiders will not be held accountable."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!" Li Yuanjing bowed his head solemnly, tears streaming down his face. "Your Majesty's saintly virtue is so great, benefiting all living beings. Even Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang cannot even compare to you."

"Okay." Li Chengqian waved his hand again.

Two more guards came in, then took Li Yuanjing and strode out of the hall.

……

Li Chengqian withdrew his gaze and finally looked at Yang Sina. His eyes gradually became cold.

"Pass the order!" As Li Chengqian's voice fell, Li Anyan stood up from the side and bowed.

"Yang Sina, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice, is guilty of instigating treason. He is guilty of the unpardonable crime and will be thrown into death row immediately." Li Chengqian gave Yang Sina a deep look and continued, "His son, his grandson, his brother, his brother's son, and his brother's grandson, regardless of where they are, will be imprisoned immediately."

"Yes!" Li Anyan bowed seriously.

Li Chengqian took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth, "From now on, all descendants of the Hongnong Yang family, whether in Chang'an or elsewhere, must stay indoors and not go out."

The expressions of the ministers in the hall changed slightly, and things were gradually becoming uncontrollable.

The entire Hongnong Yang family may be implicated.

At the head of the court, Changsun Wuji stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Yes!"

"Issue an imperial decree to reinstate Liu Shi, the governor of Shezhou, as the vice minister of the Ministry of Justice, and to investigate the matter of the will. No matter what, this matter must be resolved."

Li Chengqian slammed his fist down on the imperial desk. All the ministers in the hall bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I obey your order."

"Okay, let's adjourn the court." Li Chengqian stood up directly.

"Farewell, Your Majesty." All the ministers bowed their heads.

Heavy footsteps came from the Danbi, and the ministers clearly felt a heavy pressure coming.

At this moment, the emperor suddenly paused and said in a cold voice, "We will set off for Luoyang in five days. Nothing can be delayed. Duke Ju, you will be in charge of everything!"

Tang Jian immediately bowed and said, "I accept your order."

The emperor's footsteps sounded again, and then quickly disappeared at the door of the side hall.

All the ministers in the hall couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The atmosphere just now was really terribly low.

What they feared most was that the emperor would suddenly issue an order to imprison and convict all members of the Hongnong Yang family.

If that happens, things will become really serious.

The sound of footsteps was heard again in the hall. The ministers looked up and saw Changsun Wuji walking out from his seat.

At this moment, Yang Sina was no longer in the hall.

Changsun Wuji walked to the center of the hall, looked at the ministers and said, "Everyone, please go about your business. His Majesty will handle the matter appropriately."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed.

Only after Changsun Wuji arrived did they walk out of the Liangyi Hall one after another.

Standing at the temple gate, as the sun set, everyone inexplicably felt as if the coldness in their bodies had been driven away.

……

In the long and dark corridor, Changsun Wuji walked towards Chengtian Gate.

The Secretariat was outside Chengtian Gate.

"Sikong, Sikong, please stay." A familiar voice came from behind.

Changsun Wuji stopped and turned around, looking at Xu Jingzong who had caught up with him, and asked in surprise, "Minister Xu, what's the matter?"

Xu Jingzong bowed, then asked carefully, "Prince, Your Majesty is extremely angry about what happened today, but no one wants to see rivers of bloodshed. May I ask, Prince, is there anyone who can advise Your Majesty in this situation?"

Changsun Wuji blinked, and his gaze unconsciously passed Xu Jingzong and looked behind him. Many people stopped not far away, listening to the conversation here with their ears perked up.

Zhang Sun Wuji suddenly understood and nodded calmly, "Of course it's the Queen. Apart from the Queen, who else can persuade His Majesty at this time?"

"Thank you, Sikong, for your guidance." Xu Jingzong bowed solemnly.

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji nodded, then turned around calmly and walked towards the outside of Chengtian Gate step by step.

For some reason, Changsun Wuji felt a little funny.

The emperor really calculated every inch of people's hearts.

That’s amazing!
(End of this chapter)