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

Chapter 623: Chen Shuozhen is dead, will the inertia of history still exist? (First update)
In the Zhenguan Hall, officials of all kinds were walking back and forth.

Piles of memorials were sent to the palace.

Secretary Pei Yan, Secretary Xiao Deyan, Zhongshu Sheren Zhao Hongzhi, Imperial Censor Li Yifu, Shangshu Youcheng Lu Chengye, Huangmen Shilang Xu Jingzong and Zhongshu Shilang Gao Jifu were selected through layers of selection and finally presented to the imperial desk.

Memorials from Guanzhong, Longyou, Anxi, Xichangzhou, Bashu, Jingzhou, Yangzhou, Hebei Dao and other places that required the emperor's urgent review were all placed in front of the emperor.

Li Chengqian quickly browsed through the memorials one by one.

The contents of the memorial instantly flowed through the mind of this emperor who had been in office for many years.

For many things, he only needs to take a glance to know what is going on and how to deal with it.

Before I knew it, the sky outside the palace had darkened.

Li Chengqian finished processing the memorial, then looked aside and said, "Okay, that's it for today."

"We shall take our leave." Pei Yan, Xiao Deyan, Liu Hongzhi, Li Yifu, Lu Chengye, Xu Jingzong, Gao Jifu and others stood up together, bowed and left.

Only at this time did Li Chengqian breathe a sigh of relief.

There are currently no major problems in the provinces, prefectures, and counties across the country.

Yes, after all, the historical inertia of the Zhenguan period continued, and with Zhangsun Wuji suppressing it, even in many places that Li Chengqian could not see, it was enough to ensure clean administration.

Li Chengqian leaned back, but his eyes narrowed slightly.

But why would Chen Shuozhen appear in Luoyang at this time?

Since Li Chengqian left Chang'an, he was unable to take care of many things, and even allowed Chen Shuozhen to escape from Chang'an to Luoyang.

But we can't blame them. After all, they didn't know that Chen Shuozhen had the power to incite the people to rebel in the local area.

But why did Chen Shuozhen have the power to incite the people to rebel in the local area?

Li Chengqian has checked out Muzhou today and found that the weather is good and the people are living in peace and contentment.

Although a few places suffered disasters in the past two years, they were quickly rescued.

If this trend continues, Chen Shuozhen should not have such an opportunity.

Li Chengqian pressed his eyebrows and thought again.

In the previous life, the person in Ganye Temple was Wu Meiniang, and the possibility of Wu Meiniang using Chen Shuozhen cannot be ruled out.

At this time in her previous life, Wu Meiniang had already entered the palace and competed with Queen Wang for the position of queen.

The unrest in Muzhou, far away in the south of the Yangtze River, did not bring any direct benefits to her, so Chen Shuozhen must have someone behind him.

Before, Chen Shuozhen was backed by Yuan Tiangang and the Hongnong Yang family.

In her previous life, Wu Meiniang wanted to compete for the position of queen. Both Yuan Tiangang and Yang would work hard in the palace to help Wu Meiniang sit on the throne.

After all, she is the granddaughter of the Yang family.

Under such circumstances, there was no need for either Yuan Tiangang or the Yang family to instigate a rebellion in Muzhou.

Could it be that something really happened in Muzhou that forced Chen Shuozhen to rebel?

Or is there someone still controlling Chen Shuozhen behind the scenes?

No way, Yuan Tiangang and Yang Sina are dead, but there is still a force behind Chen Shuozhen that can support her rebellion.

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes slightly.

Whether it is the current Tang Dynasty under Li Chengqian or the Tang Dynasty under Li Zhi in the previous life, both have just come out of the Zhenguan period.

Especially with Zhangsun Wuji in charge, the administration is far from collapsing.

So there are still people who care!
interesting!
……

"Your Majesty!" Zhang Ananda stood beside the imperial desk and said with a folded hand, "News came from the Shang Pharmacy that Prime Minister Tang and Prime Minister Liu are not feeling well and need treatment. The others are doing better, but they are also exhausted."

Li Chengqian leaned to one side and nodded, saying, "Prime Minister Tang and Minister Liu are old, and it's normal for them to be in poor health. Let Zhang Baozang take good care of them. As for the affairs of the Secretariat, let Gao Jifu take more charge of them. As for the Ministry of Justice, the laws should be relaxed for the people in recent years. The Ministry of Justice and the local Sima Facao will have less time, so he can take a break."

"Yes!" Zhang Ananda bowed seriously.

"The Household Department is quite busy, but it's a pity that Xue Renfang stayed in Chang'an." Li Chengqian couldn't help but sigh.

Xue Renfang, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was a close confidant of Li Chengqian who had been promoted step by step since the 15th year of Zhenguan.

At that time, he was still the Langzhong of the Ministry of Revenue, in charge of the country's income and expenditure. It was Li Chengqian who promoted him step by step to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

In the future, he will also be Li Chengqian's Minister of Revenue, supervising the taxes of the world for him.

"Zhang Daxiang is in Zhengzhou again. Forget it, let Wang Zhenru take on more important responsibilities." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and said, "As a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue, he will eventually come to the fore."

"Yes!" Zhang Ananda bowed seriously. Wang Zhenru was the Langzhong of the Ministry of Revenue after Xue Renfang, the core of the world controlled by the emperor himself.

Wang Zhenru's father was the son of the former Grand Historian Wang Xiaotong. Wang Xiaotong was very proficient in mathematics. Wang Zhenru inherited his father's ability and was also proficient in mathematics. He was one of the few people in the court who could communicate with the emperor in this area.

"The Ministry of Revenue!" Li Chengqian sighed lightly. The Ministry of Revenue was the core of the six ministries. It was the first department he took control of and the one he controlled the most deeply.

A burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, interrupting Li Chengqian's thoughts.

He restrained his expression and looked outside the hall.

Xu An walked in quickly from outside the hall.

Walking closer, Xu An bowed to Li Chengqian with a serious expression and said, "Your Majesty!"

"Have you found out?" Li Chengqian asked calmly.

"Yes!" Xu An bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Huijue was sent back to Luoyang after making some mistakes in Ganye Temple. She was originally recommended to Ganye Temple from Qiyun Pagoda, which is part of White Horse Temple."

"White Horse Temple?" Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes, turned to look at Zhang Ananda, and asked, "Do you think the White Horse Temple is related to the Hongnong Yang family?"

Zhang Ananda bowed and said, "The Hongnong Yang family sends a large amount of offerings to the White Horse Temple every year. At the same time, many of the Hongnong Yang family's children become monks and attend the White Horse Temple every year. Now it seems that they should also adopt orphans from all over the world and send them to the White Horse Temple."

"Buddhism is naturally able to avoid certain detections." Li Chengqian nodded gently and said softly, "I don't know how many people have been deceived by the saying 'Put down the butcher knife and become a Buddha instantly'."

"Your Majesty, do you want to take this opportunity to attack the White Horse Temple?" Zhang Ananda bowed with a serious expression.

Li Chengqian thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The White Horse Temple has a huge influence. Any rash action will only lead to chaos. Besides, the Yang family members entered the White Horse Temple with the intention of influencing the world through Buddhism. This is the right path, and there's no need to act rashly."

"What about Huijue?" Zhang Ananda bowed cautiously.

"Your Majesty!" Xu An followed suit, bowing and saying, "Your Majesty, although Huijue is in Qiyun Pagoda Courtyard, according to investigation, she only has contact with a small number of people in Qiyun Pagoda Courtyard, but outside, she has close relationships with another group of people."

"Who is it?" Li Chengqian looked up and asked anxiously.

"It seems that these people came out from the depths of Taihang Mountain and Mang Mountain. Their identities are still under investigation." Xu An bowed and said carefully: "Your Majesty, follow these people and we can catch all the bandits in Taihang Mountain in one fell swoop."

"Those people in Taihang Mountain are nothing more than the remnants of Yuan Tiangang." After thinking for a moment, Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Ever since the deaths of Yuan Tiangang and Yang Sina, the Yang family has completely cut off contact with these people. Nowadays, the world is in a state of stability. There is no need to distract our attention and disrupt the overall situation because of these people."

"Yes!" Xu An and Zhang Ananda bowed at the same time.

Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and continued, "First, arrest them. Tell the White Horse Temple to cooperate and round up everyone connected to Qiyun Pagoda and Huijue. Do the same in Luoyang City. First, arrest them and interrogate them rigorously. We'll capture as many as we can. Then, send people to seal off the mountain passes in Mangshan and Taihang Mountain. Winter is coming soon!"

It's winter now, and there's a shortage of supplies in the mountains. When the mountain roads are blocked and the channels below the mountain are blocked, even if people inside don't freeze to death, they will start a fight among themselves.

"Yes!" Xu An and Zhang Ananda accepted the order at the same time.

Li Chengqian sighed softly, then waved his hand and said, "Huijue is from the south, so it's inevitable that these people have some connections with the south. If we completely cut them off in Luoyang, we'll prevent them from getting involved with the south again. Go, arrest them now, call Qiu Shenji, and capture as many as you can."

"Yes!" Xu An and Zhang Ananda bowed, then turned around immediately.

Li Chengqian looked at their backs as they left and his expression calmed down.

He wanted to see who was behind Chen Shuozhen.

……

With a "bang", the door was kicked open, and four monks holding sticks rushed in.

Chen Shuozhen, who had heard the sound in advance, was already standing at the window.

She glanced back and jumped out of the window. Before she could stand up, two swords were already at her neck.

Chen Shuozhen's face turned pale, and she subconsciously looked up and looked around.

Torches are held high and swords and spears are wielded.

Countless Jinwu guards in red and golden armor stood on the walls and traffic arteries inside and outside the Qiyun Pagoda, holding torches, separating the inside and outside.

Dozens of Qianniu Guards, together with the vindicated monks from the White Horse Temple, searched room by room.

Neither the Qianniu Guards nor the Jinwu Guards entered the room.

Only the disciplinary monks from the White Horse Temple entered the room and drove the nuns out, but those who had evil intentions had already jumped out of the window and fell into the hands of the Qianniu Guards, so the disciplinary monks ignored them.

Chen Shuozhen watched as the temple abbot took the list and handed over the nuns named one by one to the Qianniu Guards to take away, while the rest were sent back to their rooms to rest.

Only then did she realize that the host knew everything but just never cared about it.

But so what.

Chen Shuozhen lowered her head. Although she didn't know why the White Horse Temple cooperated with the government to arrest people, she knew that she would probably have to spend the rest of her life in the Discipline Institute.

……

Ziwei Palace, Ye Ting.

Outside a remote courtyard, countless guards stood solemnly holding swords and spears.

At this moment, the imperial carriage came from the east and finally landed outside the courtyard.

Xu An, who was guarding the door, immediately stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian stepped down from the imperial sedan chair and asked, "What do they say at the White Horse Temple?"

"The White Horse Temple said they would continue their investigation to ensure that no suspect escaped." Xu An looked up and said, "The White Horse Temple asked them to deal with the suspect themselves."

"Hmm!" Li Chengqian paused, pondering for a moment before speaking, "Don't worry about it. This kind of treason has little to do with the White Horse Temple. They'll do their best to clean it up... Of course, if someone escapes from the White Horse Temple, keep an eye on them. If they try to commit any misconduct in the future, they'll easily implicate the White Horse Temple."

"Yes!" Xu An bowed solemnly. He knew that the emperor was interested in the bronze Buddha and land in the White Horse Temple.

"What happened to the people involved inside and outside?" Li Chengqian stepped forward.

"General Qiu killed a lot of people, but fortunately we captured Huijue alive." Xu An looked solemn.

"Well, Qiu Shenji has never disappointed me when he does this kind of thing." Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief, then strode forward and said, "Let's go and see Huijue. It's rare for someone to be a pawn of both Yuan Tiangang and Yang Sina at the same time."

"Yes!" Xu An's face became serious, and then he stood behind him and led Li Chengqian.

In the silent courtyard, guards stood everywhere.

Li Chengqian walked to the outside of the central room, stopped for a moment, his expression became solemn, and then he pushed open the door directly.

……

There was silence in the room.

Just as Li Chengqian had expected, Chen Shuozhen was not tied up with ropes, chains, or even shackles.

Chen Shuozhen was wearing a dark grey nun's robe and a grey nun's hat. She sat with her head lowered behind a low table on the west side.

Hearing the sound of the door, Chen Shuozhen subconsciously looked up.

Seeing Li Chengqian in a black dragon robe, Chen Shuozhen's expression changed slightly and she quickly lowered her head.

Li Chengqian stopped in some confusion.

Xu An bowed seriously and said, "Your Majesty, her joints and jaw have all been removed."

"Send her jaw up." Li Chengqian looked at Chen Shuozhen calmly, walked to the opposite side of Chen Shuozhen calmly, and said lightly: "She is useless now. If she wants to die, don't stop her."

"Here!" Xu An bowed, then walked to Chen Shuozhen's side and gently lifted her neck. Chen Shuozhen's jaw was lifted up.

"Ah...hiss!" Chen Shuozhen couldn't help but scream in pain. It was obvious that her joints were dislocated, which was very painful for her, but she couldn't move her whole body, which made her even more uncomfortable.

Li Chengqian looked up at Chen Shuozhen and asked calmly, "Should I call you Master Huijue or Chen Shuozhen?"

As soon as the three words "Chen Shuozhen" came out, Chen Shuozhen fell silent instantly.

The next moment, she raised her head calmly and said, "Since I have become a nun and am no longer in the world, Your Majesty, please address me as Huijue."

"Master Huijue." Li Chengqian nodded and looked at Chen Shuozhen and asked, "Master, may I ask how you came to Ganye Temple in the first place, and why are you back now?"

Chen Shuozhen opened her mouth slightly, wanting to say something, but finally she closed her eyes and said calmly, "Your Majesty already knows everything, why ask when you already know the answer?"

Li Chengqian looked at the calmness on Chen Shuozhen's face and could tell that just based on this composure and composure, it was not unreasonable for Chen Shuozhen to become emperor in the future.

"The nun is from Muzhou," Li Chengqian said calmly, "As far as I know, Hou Yuanzhen, the governor of Muzhou, is an honest official and a strict ruler. Although some counties and towns did have problems in the past few years, they have been thoroughly cleaned up since then. Why are you so angry, nun?"

"Purge, can purge bring the dead back to life, or can you kill those who harmed others?" Chen Shuozhen suddenly stared at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "So, you know what you are doing, and you also know what Yuan Tiangang and the others are doing?"

"In this turbid and evil world, a ball of fire will surely fall from the sky in the future and burn it completely. In this way, we can create a new thing based on the ruins." Chen Shuozhen's face was full of hatred, but her eyes were full of determination and longing.

"Burn my broken body, the blazing holy fire, what is the joy of life, what is the pain of death? To do good and eliminate evil, only because of light, joy, sorrow and worry, all return to dust; pity us, the world, there are so many worries! Pity us, the world, there are so many worries!" Li Chengqian sighed lightly, then raised his head to look at Xu An, and shook his head calmly.

Xu An bowed, then suddenly walked behind Chen Shuozhen. A roll of white silk appeared in his hand, and then the white silk was put around Chen Shuozhen's neck.

"Let me go, let me go." Chen Shuozhen struggled hard, but all the joints in her body were dislocated and she had no strength at all.

In the last moments of her life, she raised her head with all her strength and looked across.

However, Li Chengqian had already stood up and even walked to the door at this time.

With a "uh" sound, Chen Shuozhen lowered her head weakly, and her vision became completely dark.

……

Xu An quickly walked to Li Chengqian's side in the courtyard and said with a bow, "Your Majesty, the man is dead."

"Don't just throw it away somewhere, or else someone might be able to revive you." Li Chengqian glanced at Xu An, whose expression was slightly grim, and said calmly, "Burn it in the palace, and then scatter the ashes on Mangshan Mountain."

"Yes!" Xu An bowed, then quickly turned and left.

Li Chengqian raised his head and looked at the gloomy weather, feeling a sense of emotion in his heart.

Chen Shuozhen rebelled and even proclaimed herself empress. Although this incident was put down in a very short time, the truly far-reaching impact lay in the word "empress".

Li Chengqian even suspected that Wu Meiniang's later enthronement was due to the influence of Chen Shuozhen.

Now that Chen Shuozhen is dead, all this will never happen again.

Of course, what really prompted Li Chengqian to kill was the current situation.

He didn't need Muzhou to be in chaos at this time, which would affect the entire Jiangdong area and then affect the war situation in Andong Road.

To be more precise, he no longer has the heart to play cat and mouse.

Of course, if there was still unrest in Jiangnan after Chen Shuozhen's death, it would mean that there was a powerful force supporting Chen Shuozhen behind the scenes.

He really wanted to know who this force was.

Li Chengqian walked out of the courtyard, then got on the imperial sedan chair and headed towards the inner palace.

At the last moment, Li Chengqian couldn't help but look back at the courtyard.

Who could have thought that a top figure who could have caused such a huge stir and even been called an empress would die so silently in the palace.

Suddenly, drizzle fell from the gloomy sky and finally fell to the ground.

Rain cannot be controlled by humans.

Will the wheel of history turn?
(End of this chapter)