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

Chapter 629: Quzhou Rebellion, Chen Shuozhen's Brother-in-law Zhang Shuyin Proclaims Himself Emperor (Part )
"Yes!" Li Ke lowered his head and nodded, "I heard that Uncle Jing was also involved in the plan. It was because of Your Majesty's strict order not to interfere without solid evidence that this little brother of yours was able to avoid danger."

"I didn't order anyone to investigate further because I know you weren't involved at all, and they were just using you for their own harm." Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "Sanlang, I understand your nature, but many things are beyond our control, not even mine. I can only give you six words."

"Your Majesty, please teach me!" Li Ke kowtowed again.

Li Chengqian raised his head and said seriously, "Be close to virtuous ministers and stay away from villains. This is the way to be a good minister and also the way to avoid disaster."

"Yes!" Li Ke wrote it down seriously.

Li Chengqian nodded gently, then said, "Villains always have grand ambitions, which are often beyond the reach of the law. Virtuous ministers are able to control their desires and act in accordance with the law. If you surround yourself with virtuous ministers, then your behavior will remain within the bounds, and naturally, nothing will happen to you."

"Your Majesty's instructions will be followed faithfully." Li Ke bowed solemnly.

"Okay, go ahead and be careful on the road." Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly.

"I'm taking my leave!" Li Ke bowed, then stood up and walked out of the hall.

Looking at Li Ke's back, Li Chengqian couldn't help but sigh.

Li Ke can be said to be the most unlucky one. He knew nothing when he was young. Although he was quite smart and talented, he lost himself in the praise of others.

Looking back now, Li Ke’s little talent is nothing compared to the whole world.

So, he made a mistake when he took office as the governor of Anzhou.

One mistake caused a huge uproar.

Li Ke was dismissed from his post as governor of Anzhou and impeached by officials in the court. He was out of office for more than a year.

Although he was reinstated a year later, he began to act cautiously, even too cautiously.

Although many people were wary of Li Ke's threat to the throne, Li Chengqian knew that Li Ke would not make much move at all.

Therefore, many times, it was others who were plotting against Li Ke.

Li Chengqian was wary of Li Ke for a while, but after Li Xiang's wedding, Li Chengqian's vigilance towards Li Ke suddenly decreased a lot.

Now, Li Chengqian still hopes to make use of Li Ke, as he is a capable person.

Of course, Li Ke still needs to be a lone minister here.

He needed to isolate himself from the royal family.

In the past, Li Ke would hesitate and refuse, but this time, he accepted it.

Li Chengqian raised his head slightly, looked at Xu Jingzong on the side, and said, "Bring over the memorials from the provincial governors."

"Yes!" Xu Jingzong immediately bowed.

Li Chengqian took it calmly and read it carefully.

When it comes to state affairs, Li Chengqian's most direct responsibility is to oversee the governors of the country.

He asked the provincial governors of the country to restrain the officials in the prefectures and counties, the law officers and the local county magistrates, and to let go of some minor violations of the law by the people, and then let the people focus more on farming, so that there will be good weather this year and the country will be peaceful and prosperous!

……

"What? Someone in Quzhou is rebelling?" Li Chengqian suddenly sat up from his bed, glanced at the stormy June sky outside, then looked toward the palace gate and asked, "What's going on?"

"Your Majesty, news has just been sent back from Shezhou that someone led troops to attack Shezhou. The news was sent back immediately, but more news will have to wait." Zhang Ananda stood outside the hall and bowed with a solemn expression.

"Understood. Send the order to Prime Minister Yu, Duke of Pengcheng, Minister Cui of the Ministry of War, Duke of Yanmen and Qiu Shenji to come to the emperor together." Li Chengqian raised his hand directly.

"Yes!" Zhang Ananda bowed, then turned and left.

"Your Majesty!" A worried voice came from the side.

Li Chengqian turned sideways and looked at Cui Luan, whose face was filled with worry. He patted her cheek gently and said, "Don't worry, it's okay. Quzhou is located in Huainan, at the junction of Jiangzuo and Jiangyou. That place has no impact on the overall situation."

"Yes!" Cui Luan felt relieved, and then said, "I will help Your Majesty change his clothes."

"Yeah!" Li Chengqian nodded slightly, then stood up.

With Cui Luan's service, Li Chengqian quickly changed his clothes, then left Feixiang Hall and headed towards Zhenguan Hall.

Sitting on the imperial carriage, Li Chengqian frowned slightly: "Why is it Quzhou?"

He raised his head and looked above the yellow cover, where the wind and rain were beating down.

Although this year is not absolutely blessed with good weather, there is much less rain than in previous years.

It was definitely a good year.

But why would someone suddenly start a rebellion at such a time, and in such an awkward place as Quzhou?

However, Quzhou is just south of Muzhou.

Chen Shuozhen's hometown is in Muchou.

The night of wind and rain passed quickly.

The next day, when the sky brightened, more news came from the south.

"Half a month ago, Quzhou was hit by a severe storm, destroying countless farmlands. Seven days ago, the prefecture began collecting the autumn tax. Because the collection was urgent this year, the yamen runners in Changshan were a bit hasty, and who knew they would clash with the people." Liu Dewei looked at the emperor on the imperial couch and said, "There was no news in between. Then the people captured Xin'an County, and then they attacked Longqiu, but were stopped there. They then headed towards Shezhou."

Cui Dunli bowed and continued, "Quzhou has three counties: Changshan, Xin'an, and Longqiu. Longqiu is formed by adding part of the original Xin'an and part of Jinhua. It's very close to Jinhua, but slightly further from Xin'an. Wuzhou Governor Cui Yixuan acted quickly and sent his subordinate, Gongcao Canjun Cui Xuanji, to lead troops to Longqiu that night."

Yu Zhining looked up at this time and said, "Your Majesty, Cui Xuanji is the son-in-law of Duke Jiang."

Duke Jiang, the former General of the Left Guard, Minister of War, and Governor of Luozhou Qu Tutong.

"That should clear the problem." Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the hall, followed by a secret letter delivered. Li Chengqian glanced at it and frowned, saying, "Zhang Shuyin, from the Zhang family of Quzhou, after failing to capture Longqiu, Shezhou, and Raozhou, proclaimed himself emperor in Xin'an."

The ministers in the hall were a little surprised and unbelievable for a moment. He proclaimed himself emperor with only two counties.

"Your Majesty, this is a good strategy." Liang Jianfang stood aside and said with a bow, "If you become emperor, you can reward your ministers, inspire people, and then attack from all sides... In addition, Quzhou is located south of the Huai River, on both the left and right sides of the Yangtze River, a no-man's land. How to send troops to quell the rebellion has probably not been discussed yet."

Li Chengqian's expression grew serious, and he nodded, saying, "Issue an order that Liu Chuxian, the governor of Yuezhou, lead the troops of Kuaiji Zhechongfu to suppress the rebellion. Hangzhou Governor Du Gou, Muzhou Governor Hou Yuanzhen, Shezhou Governor Hu Yan, and Wuzhou Governor Cui Yixuan will assist in suppressing the rebellion. Raozhou must remain silent and guard the mountain roads to prevent the bandits from entering Jiangyou."

"Yes!" All the ministers bowed their hands, and just when they lowered their heads, everyone felt that they were all familiar people.

Du Gou, the eldest son of Du Ruhui.

Hu Yan, former Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.

Cui Yixuan, former Zuosi Langzhong,
Liu Chuxian, former Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

The first two were transferred just in the past two years.

Li Chengqian calmly looked at the ministers and said, "Also, tell Liu Chuxian to quell the rebellion as quickly as possible. This year's autumn harvest in Jiangnan cannot be delayed. As for how to handle the aftermath, let him decide for himself."

"Yes!" The ministers bowed again.

Weigh it yourself. Is it really that easy to weigh it yourself?
However, with Du Gou, Du Ruhui's eldest son, and Hu Yan, the former Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, it was not difficult to settle all this.

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Okay, that's it."

The ministers bowed and said, "We will take our leave."

A moment later, Qiu Shenji, who was called back, bowed to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Majesty!"

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Take one hundred Qianniu Guards, one hundred Jinwu Guards, and one hundred Zuowei Cavalry, and rush to Yangzhou immediately. Find the emperor's father-in-law and have him help you keep an eye on the entire Jiangnan area to see if anyone will cause any trouble during this period."

Qiu Shenji's expression suddenly became solemn, and he immediately bowed and said, "I obey your command."

Li Chengqian waved his hand directly, and Qiu Shenqi bowed and took his leave.

……

Li Chengqian slowly stood up from the imperial couch and looked outside the hall with a cold expression.

Chen Shuozhen died, but unexpectedly, her brother-in-law raised an army and proclaimed himself emperor in her place.

Really interesting.

Judging from the events of the previous life, when Chen Shuozhen started the rebellion in the previous life, Zhang Shuyin and his family probably provided a lot of help.

But why did Zhang Shuyin, who seemed to be from a noble family, marry Chen Shuzhen's sister?

There is also Chen Shuozhen. She is indeed beautiful and capable, but the fact that she was able to make Zhang Shuyin the empress in his previous life must have some problems.

Things in Jiangnan!

Zhang family?

Could it be Zhang?
Li Chengqian frowned, thought for a moment, and then walked out of the hall, saying, "Let's go to Liuguang Hall!"

"Yes!" Xu An immediately sent someone to deliver the message, while he himself followed the emperor all the way to Liuguang Palace.

Sisters Xu Hui and Xu Yi were already waiting at the entrance of the palace.

Seeing Li Chengqian, they both bowed and said, "Your Majesty."

"Stand up." Li Chengqian walked to the long couch in the hall and sat down. Then he looked at Xu Hui and said, "Do you know the Zhang family of Quzhou?"

"The Zhang family of Quzhou?" Xu Hui took the teacup from the maid beside her and handed it to Li Chengqian, saying thoughtfully, "I haven't heard much about them. They must be a small local clan."

"How dare a small local clan rise up and declare themselves emperor?" Li Chengqian looked straight at Xu Hui.

Xu Hui was stunned and said, "It was last night... Zhang, Zhang, could it be?"

"What's the matter?" Li Chengqian couldn't help but ask?

Xu Hui bowed, then asked seriously, "Your Majesty, do you know Chen Baxian?"

"Of course, the founding emperor of Southern Chen." Li Chengqian frowned slightly!

"Your Majesty!" Xu Hui looked at Li Chengqian and said seriously, "Chen Baxian had two empresses, one surnamed Qian and the other surnamed Zhang. Empress Xuan, Zhang Yaoer, was the Grand Empress Dowager who deposed the deposed Emperor Chen Bozong. Her posthumous title was Empress Xuan, and her surname was Zhang."

Zhang family, Chen family.

Zhang Shuyin, Chen Shuozhen?
(End of this chapter)