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

Chapter 709 Di Renjie, I Grant You Special Privileges (First Update Today)
In mid-June, at Zhenguan Hall.

Li Chengqian stood before the huge map of Songmo Road, his expression solemn.

Wu Meiniang, dressed in a silver-white robe with peacock patterns and men's attire, walked in from the East Upper Hall, carrying several thick books in her hands, and came to the side.

Looking at the vast grasslands and hills on the map, Li Chengqian turned to the side and asked, "Meiniang, why do you think the Khitans suddenly rose up against the Tang Dynasty? Is it because of the Goguryeo affair that they felt their lips were gone and their teeth were cold?"

Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla were all vassal states of the Tang Dynasty. Although Li Chengqian used various means, he could not hide the fact that the Tang Dynasty had annexed its vassal states.

Therefore, it's understandable that other countries would have some concerns upon seeing these developments.

"Is Your Majesty still pondering why the Khitans were persuaded by the Tibetans?" Wu Meiniang walked over, glanced at the map, and after a moment's thought, said, "I believe it's not that complicated. Perhaps it's simply because Your Majesty has migrated to Liaodong in recent years, and most of the Hebei garrison troops were also relocated there?"

"You mean Hebei was vulnerable, so the Khitans saw this opportunity and acted recklessly?" Li Chengqian looked at Wu Meiniang with some disbelief.

Wu Meiniang calmly shrugged and said, "That should be the general reason. And doesn't Your Majesty think that if the Khitans had made their move in the autumn, they might have gained more? But now they are making their move, and I think it is more due to the death of Dahekuge... If Dahekuge had died of illness in the autumn, it would have been a different story."

Li Chengqian nodded in realization and said, "Indeed, in the Tibetans' calculations, it would have been more in their interest for the Khitans to make their move in the autumn. But unfortunately, the death of Dahe Kuge caused an unexpected turn of events. Dahe Abugu was worried about the news being leaked, so he raised an army ahead of schedule."

Wu Meiniang curtsied slightly and said, "Although the bandits are cunning, Your Majesty's arrangements are extremely appropriate. Ashina Zhong is a Turk and is familiar with the terrain of the grasslands. There is also Zhang Yanshi from Yingzhou, and Fang Yizhi, the Right General of the Golden Guard and the Prefect of Weizhou, who supervises from behind and controls the overall situation. It is a stroke of genius."

Fang Yizhi was Fang Yi'ai's eldest son. Although he was a bit dull, he truly inherited Fang Xuanling's abilities.

With him involved, any unexpected events that might occur will be detected in advance and resolved quickly.

This is Li Chengqian's true guarantee of victory or defeat on the battlefield.

“If it weren’t for Xue Rengui and Su Dingfang, I would have used my talents on Tibet. Otherwise, why would I have gone to such lengths on the Khitan matter?” Li Chengqian shook his head and said, “There’s something Meiniang saw correctly: I sent Qiu Shenji to the Khitan to kill people.”

"Your Majesty!" Wu Meiniang lowered her head slightly. She had deliberately ignored Qiu Shenji before because she was subconsciously wary of Qiu Shenji, who was bloodthirsty by nature.

“In the past, if the Khitan rebelled alone, I might have given them some face, but not now. The focus of the Tang Dynasty for the next few years will be on Tibet, and I do not want any other party to take away the focus of the Tang Dynasty.” Li Chengqian’s eyes were cold as he said, “No one will do.”

"Yes!" Wu Meiniang gave a slight curtsy.

Li Chengqian smiled and said calmly, "Meiniang has a keen eye; you even noticed things that I didn't see. That's truly impressive."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Wu Meiniang bowed her head slightly. For some reason, although the emperor's expression clearly showed approval, Wu Meiniang still felt something was off.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

Xu An appeared before the palace with a solemn expression, cupped his hands to Li Chengqian and said, "Your Majesty, a report from Chang'an states that a caravan transporting ironware to Tibet has been discovered in Lanzhou."

Li Chengqian turned to the side in confusion and asked, "This matter should be handled according to the law. Why did it have to be reported to me?"

Xu An bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it is a merchant caravan from Consort Xu's household."

"Oh!" Li Chengqian responded indifferently, then walked to the imperial couch, sat down, and looked up, asking, "Are you sure?"

“Confirmed!” Xu An cupped his hands and said, “The Xu family caravan has smuggled excessive amounts of ironware to Tibet three times. This is just the first time we’ve discovered it. We are still investigating other, more in-depth cases.”

“The Xu family!” Li Chengqian sighed softly, turned to look at Wu Meiniang, and asked, “Meiniang, do you think they were blinded by greed, or were they framed and used?”

Wu Meiniang paused slightly, but still bowed and said, "I believe the Xu family was being used."

"Oh!" Li Chengqian looked up in surprise.

Wu Meiniang thought for a moment and said, "Although I am not knowledgeable about foreign affairs, I know that the Xu family is from Huzhou. Huzhou caravans should go through Andong. Why did they go to Tibet? Moreover, the journey is too far. The Xu family should not have the ability to open up this trade route. Therefore, the Xu family should be wronged."

"Wu Meiniang has truly impressed me!" Li Chengqian never expected that Wu Meiniang would plead for the Xu family.

Based on Li Chengqian's understanding of Wu Zetian, Wu Zetian would have preferred to have Xu Hui and Xu Yi disappear completely from the palace.

but……

In the end, the Xu family made a mistake.

The status of Xu Hui and Xu Yi in the palace could no longer be improved.

In this way, when Yang Mi becomes Consort De in the future, Wu Zetian can use Yang Mi's power in the palace to suppress the Xu Hui and Xu Yi sisters.

Careful and meticulous, yet directly addressing the core issues—that's the essence of Wu Zetian.

Everyone misjudged her.

Wu Zetian never intended to fight Xu Hui to the death right under Li Chengqian's nose.

Li Chengqian found it somewhat amusing. Luo Binwang's view of the hatred between Wu Meiniang and Xu Hui was based on the situation during the Zhenguan era. However, things were different now; Li Chengqian was now the emperor.

Especially now, at this critical moment when the Tang Dynasty is at war with Tibet, Li Chengqian will not allow this matter to escalate.

Whoever expands it will suffer the consequences.

Wu Zetian saw this, while Luo Binwang was merely guessing based on his exceptional intelligence; only Li Chengqian truly held the reins of power.

Li Chengqian turned to Xu An and said, "Issue an imperial decree to send Dai Zhide to Lanzhou to investigate personally. Also, all members of the Xu family involved in this matter shall, from today onwards, remain secluded and not make any contact with the outside world."

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

Li Chengqian looked at Wu Meiniang and said, "Meiniang, you should go back now. Someone will be here soon."

"Yes!" Wu Meiniang curtsied carefully and then withdrew from the Zhenguan Hall.

……

In front of the Zhenguan Hall, Li Chengqian looked past the Qianyuan Hall and across the entire city of Luoyang. He then raised the memorial in his hand and said, "Urgent report from Lanzhou: The Wu family has been caught smuggling ironware to Tibet. I have ordered Lanzhou to conduct a full investigation to find out whether it is only the Wu and Xu families involved, or whether more powerful families are involved in the smuggling to Tibet."

Changsun Wuji, Yu Zhining, and Sun Fujia stood behind Li Chengqian and exchanged glances.

Finally, Changsun Wuji stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, I feel something is amiss. It seems someone here is trying to instigate a conflict."

Nobody's stupid. Why did this have to happen now of all times?

Changsun Wuji was a cunning old fox; he quickly sensed something amiss.

"Investigate," Li Chengqian sighed softly and said, "Issue an imperial edict that all members of the Wu family involved in this matter should immediately shut themselves off from now on. Also, send Liu Shi to Lanzhou. All cases should be based on facts. Investigate one person and punish them. If there is no evidence, no punishment will be imposed. I will not implicate others."

"Your subjects obey the decree!" Changsun Wuji and the others bowed in unison.

Li Chengqian stood in front of the palace, his gaze passing over Luoyang City and looking towards the east of Luoyang City, upstream of the Luo River.

It seemed as if a shimmering light could be seen.

……

In the underwater reflection, a covered boat is moored in the middle of the water.

Above the water, Luo Binwang was already wearing a bamboo hat, seemingly to shield himself from the scorching sun overhead.

A fast boat approached from afar, and finally the man in black handed a secret letter to Luo Binwang.

Luo Binwang glanced at the secret letter, squinted, and said, "Not imprisoning him, but merely keeping to himself, Li Chengqian, you truly have the demeanor of the late emperor."

Smuggling ironware to Tibet is no small matter, especially at this critical juncture when war between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet is on the verge of breaking out.

But he was still able to handle the situation calmly, a composure that is rare among ordinary people.

By keeping to themselves and their own doors closed, they can minimize chaos, prevent mutual impeachment, and avoid escalating infighting.

At the same time, by holding back and not acting, one can firmly grasp the final authority to handle matters.

This is the emperor's imperial power tactics.

The man in black bowed slightly and said, "Young master, could this be a trap set by the emperor?"

“No.” Luo Binwang shook his head and said, “If he wanted to make a plan, he should have imprisoned the person. That would make it seem more real. Right now, he is actually trying to maintain the balance. As long as no more solid evidence is found, he can delay things indefinitely.”

After a slight pause, Luo Binwang sneered and said, "There's no need for indefinite delay. He only needs to delay until Tibet makes its move in the future."

"Unfortunately, there is no news from the palace." The man in black bowed with some remorse.

"Don't blame yourself. The emperor's harem is not so easy to spy on." Luo Binwang shook his head and said, "Besides, nothing can happen in the emperor's harem. Wu Meiniang and Xu Hui are, in the end, just the late emperor's concubines. In fact, Xu Hui is no longer the late emperor's concubine. So even if the two of them are imprisoned, outsiders will not know."

The man in black nodded slowly, then cupped his hands to Luo Binwang and said, "My lord, what should we do next?"

"Send a letter." Luo Binwang looked up and said, "The newly appointed Censor Di Renjie has impeached more than a dozen officials since he was transferred back to the court, and all of them have solid evidence. He is incredibly audacious. In that case, let him test the waters for us."

"Yes!" The man in black bowed, then turned to leave.

"Wait a moment." Luo Binwang raised his hand and said, "Don't come here again in the future. I'm leaving."

"Is my lord leaving Luoyang?" the man in black asked, somewhat surprised.

“That’s right!” Luo Binwang nodded and said, “The news about Li Zhi will soon reach Chang’an. If we don’t leave now, we might not be able to leave at all.”

"Yes!" The man in black bowed, then asked, "And what about your subordinate?"

Luo Binwang took out a letter from his sleeve and said, "Are you also leaving Luoyang and heading south to Jingzhou? When news of Li Zhi's appearance in Luoxie reaches your ears, you should secretly deliver this letter to Chu Suiliang."

"Yes!" The man in black raised an eyebrow and bowed respectfully.

“Remember, if you don’t receive this message, do nothing.” Luo Binwang sighed and said, “Then it means that the Tibetans have completely failed in their war on the plateau, and everything will be in vain.”

Luo Binwang looked solemn.

All these plans he made had only one purpose: to drive the Tibetans down from the plateau, and then for the Tang Dynasty to launch a fierce counterattack. Only then would the Tibetans need him even more.

However, if the Tibetans failed to drive the Tang Dynasty off the plateau from the very beginning, then the future would be uncertain.

It's not necessarily that they were outmaneuvered by the emperor, but rather that something went wrong somewhere in the relationship between the Eastern and Western Tuyuhun.

After all, their understanding of the strength of the Eastern and Western Tuyuhun Tang dynasties came from the Tuyuhun people. If the Tang dynasty had any secret arrangements that they were unaware of, that would be fatal.

"Yes!" The man in black cupped his hands and said, "This subordinate takes his leave."

Luo Binwang waved his hand gently, watching the fast boat sail away into the distance, and sighed softly.

No one could guarantee that the plan would be completed; it required a sudden move by the Khitans.

Luo Binwang knew that the Tibetans had contacted not only the Uyghurs, but also the Khitans and the Xi tribe, agreeing to act in the autumn. However, he hadn't expected the Khitans to act ahead of schedule. Now, it was even less likely that the Xi and Uyghurs would make a move.

He's gone; it's time for him to leave too.

If he doesn't leave, and news of Li Zhi's disappearance reaches Luoyang, the emperor might go mad.

Fortunately, he still had one last trick up his sleeve.

……

On the fifteenth of June, in the Qianyuan Hall.

Li Chengqian sat on the imperial couch and looked at his ministers, saying, "The autumn harvest is just around the corner. All the prefects and magistrates must seize this opportunity and not delay it."

"We obey your orders." All the ministers bowed in unison.

Li Chengqian slightly raised his hand and looked to the side.

The Palace Attendant stepped forward and announced loudly, "If you have something to report, please do so; otherwise, the court may adjourn."

"Your Majesty, your subject, Censor Di Renjie, has a report to submit." Di Renjie stepped out from behind the assembled officials, stood in the hall, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the other day I received a letter from someone who said that the Xu family's profits from smuggling ironware included those of the Xiao family, as well as the Zhang family and other clans, and that the Wu family's profits from smuggling ironware included those of the Dou family, the Su family, and other clans."

The hall fell silent for a moment, and everyone looked at Di Renjie in astonishment, their eyes filled with disbelief.

Di Renjie actually brought this matter up directly.

Li Chengqian looked up and asked, "Has this matter been verified?"

Di Renjie cupped his hands and said, "I have investigated and found that the Xu family's trade routes have a fixed monthly dividend paid to the Xiao and Zhang families, and the Wu family's trade routes have a fixed monthly dividend paid to the Dou and Su families. According to the court regulations, this should be investigated strictly."

Li Chengqian sensed a different tone in Di Renjie's words and asked, "If so, what do you mean?"

"Your Majesty!" Di Renjie cupped his hands and said, "I have inquired about the profit-sharing ratio and it is as usual, without much increase or decrease. Therefore, I conclude that the Xiao family, the Zhang family, the Dou family, and the Su family are unaware of this matter. However, according to the Tang law, the relevant persons are guilty of negligence."

Li Chengqian smiled gently and nodded with satisfaction, saying, "Minister Di is astute, which pleases me greatly. Let's leave it at that for now. All those involved will be temporarily suspended from action and surrender themselves to the authorities. We will wait until the matter in Lanzhou is thoroughly investigated before taking any action according to the facts and the law."

"Your Majesty, I obey the decree!" Di Renjie cupped his hands, then took out two letters from his sleeve and looked up, saying, "Your Majesty, these are two letters of accusation that I have received... Even the authorities in Lanzhou have not been able to investigate the matter thoroughly, yet someone has brought up the details. I believe that someone is trying to disrupt the court and seek personal gain for Tibet. I request Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly."

"To benefit Tibet." Li Chengqian waved his hand at Zhang Anan to the side, then looked at the assembled officials and said, "The war between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet is different from that between the Eastern and Western Turks and Goguryeo. Uncle, what do you think is the reason for this?"

Changsun Wuji stepped forward from among the officials, cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, as early as the eighth year of Zhenguan, Songtsen sent Lu Dongzan with his people to the Tang Dynasty to plead for mercy. He had been living in Chang’an for a long time. The late emperor had promised him half a year to study at the Imperial Academy. When he came again in the thirteenth year of Zhenguan, his speech had greatly improved, and at the same time, the actions of the entire Tubo had changed.”

“They are learning from us!” Li Chengqian sighed softly, glanced at the memorial that Zhang Anan had taken from Di Renjie and placed on the table, and said calmly, “I think they have already studied a lot of Sun Tzu’s Art of War, and it has spread throughout Tibet.”

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji bowed seriously.

"Issue an imperial decree that all under heaven be allowed to report any Tibetan spies. If the report is verified, the informant will be granted the rank of Wenlin Lang, a ninth-grade official." Li Chengqian raised his hand and said, "Let the people of the world search for the Tibetan spies. I want them to be unable to move an inch."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Changsun Wuji bowed respectfully.

Li Chengqian looked at Di Renjie, placed his hand on the secret letter, and said, "Minister Di, you discovered the strangeness in this matter, so you shall continue to investigate along this line. I grant you special privileges, and the Court of Judicial Review, the Ministry of Justice, and the Luozhou Prefecture shall all cooperate!"

"Your subjects obey the decree." All the relevant personnel stepped forward, cupped their hands, and accepted the order.

"Alright, let's adjourn the court." Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief and was about to stand up when hurried footsteps came from outside the hall.

The expressions of the officials in the hall changed slightly.

what's going on.

Now is the time of the Emperor's grand court session. According to the court system, it is not allowed to disturb the emperor except for major events. Therefore, if anything happens, it must be a major event.

Li Chengqian had already sat down on the imperial couch again, his face now terrifyingly cold.

A weary-looking Imperial Guard entered the hall from outside, then knelt on one knee and kowtowed, saying, "Your subject Zhang Jian, Left Imperial Guard, pays respects to Your Majesty!"

Beneath the imperial crown, Li Chengqian spoke indifferently, asking, "What is it?"

“Your Majesty,” Zhang Jian bowed and said, “Your Majesty, an urgent report from Qianzhou states that someone has raided the residence of commoner Li Zhi and then abducted him.”

"What did you say?" Changsun Wuji couldn't help but step forward, his face turning terrifyingly gloomy in an instant.

“A hundred enemy soldiers stormed into Qianzhou and kidnapped the commoner Li Zhi. Thirty of the Thousand Bull Guards who were protecting his residence were killed in battle, and eighteen enemy soldiers were killed.” After a slight pause, Zhang Jian cupped his hands and said, “The ones who kidnapped the commoner Li Zhi were Tibetans, and the bodies of the killed have been confirmed to be Tibetans.”

Changsun Wuji couldn't help but turn around, cup his hands in greeting to Li Chengqian, and say, "Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian asked, "What's the situation now?"

"Your Majesty, I have gone north. The Prefect of Qianzhou has personally led men to pursue you, but the outcome is still unknown." Zhang Jian bowed deeply.

Li Chengqian looked up and said, "An Yan, take him away and find out the details inside."

"Yes, sir!" Li Anyan, the Left General of the Thousand Bull Guard, dressed in red robes and golden armor, with his hand on the Thousand Bull Blade, stepped out from the left side of the steps, cupped his hands, and then led Zhang Jian away.

……

The heavy footsteps gradually faded away, and Li Chengqian then looked up and said, "Issue an imperial decree ordering Duke Liang Jianfang of Dai to return to Xichang Prefecture immediately to prepare for war."

"Yes!" Changsun Wuji stepped forward, cupped his hands, and his expression calmed down.

He knew that Liang Jianfang had already secretly returned to Xichang Prefecture, and that the emperor's current arrangement was probably to mislead the Tibetans.

However, when Changsun Wuji lowered his head, his expression was extremely solemn.

The emperor has confirmed that Li Zhi cannot be brought back.

Although Zhang Jian didn't say much, we could still get some clues out of his words.

Those who guarded Li Zhi in Qianzhou were mostly skilled guards from the Qianniu Guard, totaling fifty men.

He fought against a hundred men with fifty men, suffering thirty casualties himself, but killed eighteen.

The only force in the world comparable to the Great Tang's Thousand Bull Guards is the Tibetan Shadow Army.

There are no shadows under the light, hence the name Shadow Army or Light Army.

Li Chengqian continued, "Issue an imperial decree to immediately cease all communication between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet. All city gates and checkpoints in Xichang Prefecture, Guanzhong, and Heluo should be thoroughly investigated for Tibetan spies. The court should prepare for war in full force, and supplies and weapons should be sent to Xichang Prefecture as quickly as possible."

Han Yuan, the Vice Minister of War, stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your subject accepts the decree."

"Issue an order to all prefectures and counties throughout the land, instructing local officials to oversee the autumn harvest and ensure that this year's autumn taxes are delivered to Luoyang and Chang'an ahead of schedule." Li Chengqian's gaze was cold.

Zhao Yuankai, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Du Zhenglun, the Grand Secretary, and Xue Renfang, the Minister of Revenue, stepped forward together and bowed, saying, "Your subject receives the decree."

"Issue the imperial decree," Li Chengqian continued, "Summon Duke Li Ji of Yingguo and Duke Su Dingfang of Wuyi County to Luoyang to discuss the strategy for sending troops."

Li Chengqian looked at Changsun Wuji, who stepped forward with his hands clasped: "Your subject obeys the decree!"

……

As night fell, the entire Northwest gradually returned to tranquility.

In the manor at the foot of the mountain, south of Dingxi city.

Zan Xiruo put down the urgent report in his hand, looked in the direction of Chang'an, and said, "The emperor has summoned Li Ji and Su Dingfang to Luoyang."

“Li Ji’s trip to Luoyang is probably to stabilize public sentiment and keep Changsun Wuji in check,” Luo Binwang said calmly as he poured tea. “After all, Changsun Wuji is the Prince of Jin’s maternal uncle, so the emperor should be wary of him.”

"In other words, Li Ji will not be the commander-in-chief of the western expeditionary army." Zan Xiruo nodded slightly.

If we were to say who the Tibetans feared most on the battlefield besides Li Jing, it would be none other than Li Ji.

"Li Ji's achievements are too great, and the emperor will not easily allow him to make new contributions, so there is no need to worry about Li Ji, but we need to be careful of Su Dingfang."

Luo Binwang's expression turned serious. He said, "Liang Jianfang is now the Left Guard General, while Su Dingfang is the Left Garrison General. More than ten years ago, he was the emperor's confidant. Back then, he was the first to storm into Jieli's camp and destroy Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje. Although Su Xu was the commander-in-chief, he was actually the one who made the move."

"Are you worried that he will replace Liang Jianfang?" Zan Xiruo shook her head and said, "There's no time to lose."

Luo Binwang paused and said, "Liang Jianfang has already set off. If nothing unexpected happens, he will arrive in Lanzhou in three days. As for Su Dingfang, we have completely lost contact with him in Luoyang. We don't know how he is doing there now."

“Once Li Zhi’s incident happens, the emperor will definitely become vigilant.” Zan Xiruo looked at Luo Binwang and said, “I may not understand the others, but the emperor’s suspiciousness is recorded in history books. Li Ji went to Luoyang because the emperor began to suspect Changsun Wuji, and there are more Guanlong nobles.”

Luo Binwang nodded. Yes, this time they were betting on the emperor's suspicious nature.

No one could have imagined what a suspicious emperor might do.

They don't even need to do much; the emperor himself will slaughter everyone in Luoyang.

Wu Zetian and Xu Hui were, in the end, just concubines of the late emperor. They were well aware of the iron smuggling.

The Wu family, the Xu family, the Yang family, the Su family, the Xiao family, the Zhang family—all those involved—were at most confined to their homes.

Things didn't escalate at all.

What truly changed the emperor's expression was Li Zhi's disappearance.

Li Zhi was, after all, the son of the late emperor.

“His strict investigation of people traveling between Guanzhong and Heluo shows that he has begun to be wary of people making trouble in Guanzhong and Heluo.” Luo Binwang shook his head and said, “It’s a pity that our communication channels have been cut off as a result, otherwise we would have known more details.”

Li Chengqian issued an edict to strictly investigate all checkpoints in the country, but this was only on the surface. Even the carrier pigeons that had been trained in the mountains and fields were completely cut off from communication.

At present, Luo Binwang and Zan Xiruo are essentially in complete darkness regarding the Heluo region, and even in Chang'an, they don't know much.

If they hadn't arranged for people at the post stations in Guanzhong, they wouldn't be getting any news at all.

“Liang Jianfang doesn’t need to worry. Tianshui is his only way through.” Zan Xiruo looked up at the direction of Tianshui Post Station and said softly, “It won’t be easy for him to return to Xichang Prefecture alive.”

"You plan to assassinate Liang Jianfang in Tianshui?" Luo Binwang immediately understood.

The Tuyuhun people are about to make a move.

Only by killing Liang Jianfang can Xichang Prefecture be completely leaderless.

(End of this chapter)