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

Chapter 616: Gao Yang, There is No Place for You in Zhaoling (Part )
In the princess's courtyard, Princess Gaoyang was lying on the bed in a disheveled state.

Li Yuanjing was imprisoned in the Forbidden Garden, while Gao Yang was imprisoned in the Princess Courtyard from the Zongzheng Temple.

But this time, Princess Gaoyang was not treated as well as last time.

Last time, Princess Gaoyang just made a mistake.

This time, she was plotting rebellion.

No one takes care of their clothes, and even their food is not as good as before.

A sound of heavy footsteps was heard outside the palace, and Princess Gaoyang suddenly sat up from the bed.

She only had time to tidy up her clothes and hair before the palace door was pushed open.

Li Chengqian, dressed in a black robe with gold threads, walked in from outside the hall. He raised his head calmly, then glanced at Princess Gaoyang indifferently.

Gao Yang immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Li Chengqian took a deep breath and walked to the long couch in the hall and sat down. He turned sideways, looked outside the hall and said, "Come here."

Three maids immediately walked out of the hall.

One of them held a basin of water, one held soap nuts and a towel, and one held a wooden comb and a bronze mirror.

Two eunuchs lifted a low table and placed it in the center of the hall.

The basin was placed on the low table, and three maids immediately helped Princess Gaoyang to tidy up her appearance.

Princess Gaoyang looked confused, but she still obediently began to tidy up with the help of others.

After her appearance was tidy, three maids left with basins and other sundries, and a eunuch came in with a small basket and placed some of Princess Gaoyang's favorite dishes on the low table.

Princess Gaoyang subconsciously looked at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian said calmly, "The day after tomorrow, I will be leaving Chang'an. I won't be back for at least two years."

Princess Gaoyang's expression turned slightly grim. She raised her head and asked, "Will your younger sister be imprisoned in the Northern Garden today?"

Li Chengqian glanced at Princess Gaoyang and said calmly, "I'm sure you've heard that I recently issued an edict allowing you and Fang Yiai to divorce, and he has already been sent to serve as a soldier in Liaodong... He's always wanted to join the military, and I've finally granted him his wish."

Princess Gaoyang lowered her head, a trace of sadness flashed in her eyes, and she didn't know what to say.

"I didn't hold Fang Yizhi responsible for this matter." Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "I will have your and Fang Er's children sent to Weizhou and have Fang Yizhi take care of them. This is one of the reasons why I didn't hold Fang Yizhi responsible."

"Why not leave them in Chang'an and let the Zongzheng Temple take care of them?" Gao Yang couldn't help but raise his head and look at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian's eyes flashed with disdain as he asked, "Do you think it's really a good idea to leave them in Chang'an and let them live under the strange gazes of others?"

Princess Gaoyang was slightly stunned, and then her face turned ugly.

Her mother died early, and she was later raised by Empress Zhangsun. However, there was a short period of time during this period when Gao Yang was cared for by a wet nurse and palace maids.

Although those days were already vague in her memory, the bad feeling would uncontrollably surge out from the depths of her memory just by thinking about it.

Princess Gaoyang took a deep breath and asked, "So what happens next?"

"Afterwards!" Li Chengqian sighed and said, "If Fang Er is still alive after the Goguryeo War, it means he has established a firm foothold there. I will let the children go there to see him. If he is willing to let the children stay, then they will stay there forever and have many children."

"What if he doesn't want to?" Gao Yang couldn't help but stand up and said, "Royal brother, you have to consider the future of these children."

"If you don't want to, then stay in Weizhou, or return to Chang'an to prepare for the imperial examination. The imperial examination is their only future." Li Chengqian stood up and looked at Gao Yang. "You are the one who did all this."

Gao Yang's face turned ugly in an instant, but what could she say?

"Fang Er and the children have been settled, the King of Jing has been imprisoned in Beiyuan, and Yang Sina has just been executed. You are the only one left." Li Chengqian sighed and said, "I came to say goodbye to you today. The day after tomorrow I will leave for Luoyang to prepare for the war against Goguryeo."

Gao Yang raised his head and forced a smile, then looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Then I wish my brother a great victory in this battle."

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian nodded, then turned and walked towards the entrance of the hall.

The afternoon sun falls on the threshold and spreads out, making people feel a little warm in their hearts.

Li Chengqian sighed inwardly, stopped, and without turning back, asked directly: "Gao Yang, let me ask you, if you hadn't met Bian Ji back then, would you have lived a happy life with Fang Er?"

In the palace, when Princess Gaoyang heard Bian Ji's name, she suddenly clenched the chopsticks in her hand.

After a long while, Gao Yang said quietly, "Brother Emperor, if you hadn't killed Bian Ji back then, how could this happen today?"

"Hahahahahahaha..." Li Chengqian suddenly burst into laughter, then strode out of the hall.

Princess Gaoyang sat in the palace, looking at the table full of her favorite food, and suddenly she felt that everything was tasteless.

Bian Ji, Bian Ji.

It would be great if you weren't dead!
……

The black-covered carriage carrying Princess Gaoyang swayed out of the Princess Courtyard, passed through Anren Gate and entered the harem, and continued all the way out of Xuanwu Gate.

In early autumn, the grass and trees in Beiyuan are lush.

The carriage continued to move northward, gradually going deeper into Beiyuan and gradually disappearing from everyone's sight.

Princess Gaoyang sat in the carriage, looking sad all the way.

Bian Ji, Bian Ji.

Ever since the emperor mentioned Bian Ji's death again, Bian Ji's figure kept appearing in Gao Yang's mind and was difficult to disappear for a long time.

The carriage tripped over something and suddenly shook, waking Gao Yang from his memories.

She restrained her expression, then lifted the car curtain and asked, "Why, we haven't arrived yet..."

Gao Yang stopped talking halfway.

Because what she saw before her was not a forbidden palace, but a dense forest.

At this time, the carriage slowly stopped.

Princess Gaoyang suddenly looked at the guards on the side and shouted, "What is this place?"

The guards ignored Princess Gaoyang and rode away on horseback.

Princess Gaoyang was a little dazed. Was the emperor going to let her go?

"Your Highness!" A horse came up from behind. Xu An, who was sitting on the horse, dismounted and saluted Princess Gaoyang.

"It was you?" Gao Yang stared at Xu An and asked directly, "Did my brother ask you to send me here?"

Xu An bowed and said, "Your Majesty's oral instructions."

Gao Yang was about to bow, but Xu An ignored her and said directly, "I have been offering sacrifices to my father in the Taimiao for three days. I have been extremely hesitant, but I have finally made a decision. Gao Yang, if you want to blame someone, blame me or Bian Ji, just don't blame my father. After you die, I will bury you in Gaoyang Plain, next to Crown Prince Yin."

Gao Yang looked up in surprise. At this moment, a white silk thread fell directly from behind and landed on the back of Gao Yang's neck.

Before Gao Yang could react, the white silk was already tightly wrapped around her neck.

A huge force came from above, and Gao Yang was pulled into the air uncontrollably.

Only then did she realize that there was a big tree above her head.

A white silk was hung on it, and then she was hung up tightly.

Gao Yang grabbed the white silk with both hands, trying to untie her neck from the silk, but she was too spoiled to do so.

He could only let his neck become tighter and tighter, and breathing became extremely difficult.

In an instant, Gao Yang's mind emerged the scene in the princess's courtyard where the emperor had people wash her and prepare meals for her.

It turned out that the emperor was seeing her off.

Gao Yang felt extremely regretful for a moment.

She knew that she still had one last chance. When the emperor asked her about Bian Ji, if she only had to say that she regretted it, she would have a great chance of survival.

However, she missed it.

Bian Ji, Bian Ji...

Gao Yang wanted to call out Bian Ji's name, but there was only a intermittent "cluck cluck" sound coming from her throat.

Xu An calmly walked forward, looked at Princess Gaoyang, and continued, "Your Majesty has ordered: I will have the ashes of Monk Bianji returned to his hometown in Wuzhou. I will have Fang Yiai die and be buried in Liaodong. As for you, you will accompany Prince Yin in the underground. There is no place for you in Zhaoling."

"Ugh!" Gao Yang suddenly struggled violently, using all his last bit of strength.

However, after only three or five breaths, Gao Yang stopped all movements.

With his eyes wide open, Gao Yang stared fixedly at the front, with Jiuyi Mountain at the end of his sight.

Jiuyi Mountain is where Zhaoling Mausoleum is located.

Letting her take a look at Zhaoling Mausoleum before her death was Li Chengqian's last kindness to her.

……

In Ganlu Palace, Li Chengqian sat alone on the steps in front of the palace, holding a wine glass in his hand, watching the gradually darkening night and the gradually brightening Chang'an City, with a hint of pain in his calm eyes.

He originally thought that he would not feel the slightest bit of heartache after killing Gao Yang, but after hearing the news of Gao Yang's death, he still felt a kind of sadness that came from nowhere.

Maybe it was because she was his blood sister after all, or maybe it was because they lived together for several years when they were children.

But in the end, Gao Yang died at his hands.

He let Li Tai go, and he also let Li Zhi go.

The only person he couldn't let go was Gao Yang.

A familiar sound of footsteps sounded in front. Li Chengqian looked up and saw Su Shu approaching, and smiled softly: "The Queen is here."

"I heard about Princess Gaoyang's situation and knew that Your Majesty was in a bad mood, so I came to accompany Your Majesty." Su Shu walked to Li Chengqian's side and sat down.

Xu An from behind immediately brought a wine glass.

Su Shu picked up the wine pot and poured herself a glass, then looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Things have already happened, Your Majesty. After a glass of wine, forget it."

"Haha!" Li Chengqian smiled, clinked glasses with Su Shu, and then drank the wine in the glass.

Li Chengqian sighed and said, "The Queen must be asking, since I have already let the King of Jing go, why can't I let Gao Yang go, whose crime is even less serious?"

"Why?" Su Shu picked up the wine jug and poured another glass for herself and Li Chengqian.

"Every rebellion always requires the death of someone. Only when someone dies will the survivors remember the lesson." Li Chengqian looked up at Su Shu and said, "The Yang family, I killed Yang Sina. The royal family, I killed Gao Yang. I think that no matter whether it is aristocratic family or royal family, they will be more peaceful in the future."

Su Shu nodded slightly with a serious expression. Only blood can make people remember the lesson.

"As for why it was Prince Jing and not Gao Yang?" Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "Prince Jing still has some respect from his elders. Killing him would be somewhat unsettling to the people. But Gao Yang is not only a traitor, but also harbors resentment. She can't get over what happened to Bian Ji."

Su Shu nodded again. Princess Gaoyang rebelled because of Bian Ji. Everyone who had read Princess Gaoyang's confession knew this.

Li Chengqian took a deep breath and said with a stern look in his eyes, "In the past few years, Gao Yang has done too many absurd things. I have been extremely tolerant of her, but she still doesn't know how to restrain herself and even resorted to rebellion.

Every day she lives in this world, she brings shame to me and my father, so I have no choice but to kill her."

"Your Majesty, please calm down!" Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian with some concern.

Li Chengqian downed the wine in his cup before looking at Su Shu and saying, "I've released the King of Jing this time. The royal family will be grateful to me for being a benevolent ruler. At the same time, I killed Gao Yang, so they'll be more cautious. Furthermore, I've treated Fang Yiai leniently, so the meritorious officials will also be grateful."

After all, Fang Xuanling was a meritorious official in the Zhenguan period and an old official in the Qin Palace who started his career at Xuanwu Gate.

A small number of their group of people still hold office in the court and occupy high positions.

Not only that, the descendants of this group of people will be the biggest supporters of Li Chengqian's rule over the world.

It had only been a few years since the Zhenguan period, and even after Li Chengqian ascended the throne, he was still working hard to reform the civil service.

The whole world will gradually move towards a more positive and upward direction.

This is what Li Chengqian wants.

"What about the Yang family?" Su Shu looked at Li Chengqian curiously and asked, "Why did Your Majesty show leniency to the brothers Yang Siyi and Yang Sixun after killing Yang Sina?"

"First!" Li Chengqian raised his head, looking towards Chang'an City ahead, and said with a serious expression: "The court has now found all the evidence, and none of it can implicate the brothers Yang Siyi and Yang Sixun. If I were to kill them, there would definitely be someone who would plead for them and spare their lives, and the others would be unable to say a word."

"Yeah!" Su Shu nodded. Indeed, after the brothers Yang Siyi and Yang Sixun were demoted, no one said a word against the emperor. People only praised the emperor's benevolence.

"Second," Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Queen, believe it or not, I have issued an imperial decree today to execute Yang Siyi and Yang Sixun. Even if they are killed, one or two of their family members will escape and seek revenge against me day and night."

Su Shu nodded vigorously, it was indeed true.

The two brothers Yang Siyi and Yang Sixun are now one in Hongzhou and the other in Guizhou.

Their children and grandchildren are scattered all over the world. It is not easy to capture them, let alone kill them all.

The Hongnong Yang family is an 800-year-old family with so many intermarriages that even Li Chengqian couldn't keep up.

If a key figure escapes, it will be a big trouble.

"Now, one of them has been demoted to Jiaozhi and the other to Nanping. Both are poor and barren places. I have also moved their families there, so they will be bound there. I have also allowed their descendants to participate in the imperial examinations, so they will not resist even more." Li Chengqian smiled lightly.

He once heard that middle-aged people with children are the easiest to deal with.

"In a few days, when I arrive in Hongnong, I will bestow the title of Duke of Guanguo upon Yang Sizhi. He and those who support him have profited greatly from the downfall of the Yang Gongren lineage." Li Chengqian turned to look at Su Shu and asked, "Queen, who do you think will be most vigilant against the Yang Gongren lineage if they make a comeback in the future?"

"Yang Sizhi." Su Shu nodded with a complicated expression.

"Yes, it's Yang Sizhi." Li Chengqian raised his head, looked towards the southeast, and said softly, "In the end, not only will he send people to suppress Yang Siyi and Yang Sixun's every move in Jiaozhi and Nanping, but even if their descendants return to Chang'an to take the imperial examinations in the future, Yang Sizhi will completely block their path to the examinations. After three generations, they'll be finished."

"The most brutal and bloody internal struggle in the aristocratic family." Su Shu closed her eyes and nodded slightly.

"In this way, Yang will no longer be a threat to me, the Empress, or the Crown Prince." Li Chengqian raised his head, looked at the night sky above, and said softly, "This way, without killing too many people, we can ensure the peaceful and rapid progress of the Tang Dynasty. This is already the best method."

"Your Majesty is wise." Su Shu nodded in admiration. This was indeed the best way to deal with the situation at the moment.

Li Chengqian reached out and pulled Su Shu into his arms, then whispered, "I will be leaving the day after tomorrow. Although Duke E and Duke Lu have gone to stabilize the army's logistics, Duke Guo, Duke Tianshui, and Duke Wushui are still in Chang'an. The overall situation of the Sixteen Guards will be fine."

Su Shu pondered Li Chengqian's words. There was no mention of Changsun Wuji's name in his words.

"Li Xuansi, the General of the Imperial Guard, will guard the Xuanwu Gate. Yin Yuan, the General of the Left Thousand Oxen Guard, and Li Xiaoyi, the General of the Right Thousand Oxen Guard, will stay in the palace." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "My cousin will guard the Chengtian Gate. Since Chai Er is fine, he is not at risk."

The reason why Li Chengqian was worried about Chai Zhewei before was because he was worried that he would be implicated by Chai Lingwu.

Now that Chai Lingwu is fine, Chai Zhewei is fine too.

Su Shu looked up and asked worriedly, "So many people are staying in Chang'an, and His Majesty is in Luoyang?"

Li Xuansi, Yin Yuan and Li Xiaoyi are all Li Chengqian's confidants whom he trusts absolutely. What should Li Chengqian do if they stay in Chang'an and he has no confidants available?
"Don't worry, Qiu Shenji and Liang Jianfang will arrive in Luoyang in a few days." Li Chengqian's expression was terrifyingly calm.

Su Shu opened her eyes wide in an instant.

……

"With this, combined with the other arrangements I've made, the Empress should be as safe as a rock in Chang'an." Li Chengqian smiled and said, "The rest is to take care of the concubines and the health of the sons. I've been away for two years, and I don't want to find the palace empty when I return."

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I saved it." Su Shu finally nodded slowly.

"Finally, you should keep an eye on the Crown Prince. If he encounters any difficulties, please show some concern for him. I will leave Liang Si in Chang'an for you. If you have any questions, just ask him."

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

"As for the end, if there really is some unimaginable upheaval," Li Chengqian looked at Su Shu and said with an extremely serious expression, "At that time, the person the Queen can trust most, besides her uncle, is Li Baiyao, the Minister of the Imperial Clan Affairs Bureau. The Queen must remember this."

Su Shu nodded with a grim expression.

(End of this chapter)