Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 180 Li Shimin's tricks, one after another! [Seeking monthly tickets]

"Using copper as a mirror, one can adjust one's attire; using history as a mirror, one can see the rise and fall of one's life; using people as a mirror, one can understand one's gains and losses." This is a famous saying of Li Shimin.

So, as an emperor who was good at introspection, why didn't Li Shimin draw lessons from the Xuanwu Gate Incident?

It even established for future generations an image of the "Dirty Tang" as a country that liked to kill each other, seize power by force, and even engage in promiscuity between men and women?
In fact, this mainly stems from Li Shimin's understanding of imperial power.

Although Li Shimin was born into a noble family, his understanding of imperial power was not clear from the beginning. It was only through later learning that he gradually realized the essence of imperial power.

Among them, the book that benefited him the most was "A Brief Discussion on Emperors" compiled by Yu Shinan during the Qin Palace period.

According to the records in the New Book of Tang Dynasty, Yiwenzhi and the research of historians, the book "A Brief Discussion on Emperors" compiled by Yu Shinan summarizes the gains and losses of emperors from the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties to the period of Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty in chronological order, so as to find a way to govern the country and ensure its security.

So, what did Li Shimin see in this book?

Either the emperor kills his ministers, or the ministers depose the emperor, or the emperor kills the generals, and the generals usurp the throne, or the emperor kills the prince, and the prince rebels against his emperor and father.

It can be said that the screen is full of bloody lessons from the past such as abolition, killing, murder, and usurpation.

So, what kind of history do later generations see?

As people who have experienced the Ming and Qing dynasties, when imperial power was highly centralized, it is basically difficult to understand the social structure before the Tang Dynasty, in which the Tang emperor, royal family, gentry, nobles, and powerful people coexisted and governed together, and no one was submissive to anyone else.

Some people even think that scolding the emperor in the court or not kneeling to the emperor is disrespectful. What's worse, some people think that the emperor cannot salute the empress.

In fact, this is just imagination.

The reason why the Sui Dynasty perished in the second generation was that Emperor Yang of Sui broke the rules, wanted to rule as a dictator, and wanted to establish great achievements.

The Tang Dynasty was established by overthrowing the Sui Dynasty. Could Li Shimin follow the same path as Emperor Yang of Sui?
Obviously not.

Therefore, he also needs to follow this rule and rule the world together with the aristocratic families.

It is precisely because of this social structure that the struggle for power is more fierce than one can imagine.

It is said that summarizing history can help us see the present more clearly, but standing in Li Shimin's position, in that era, having witnessed hundreds of years of chaos and disputes, with one party taking the stage after another, wouldn't he have thought that he would be deposed by ministers, killed by generals, and rebelled against by his son?

Not to mention how great his achievements were and how powerful he was, he would not be afraid of such a situation. For example, Emperor Wen of Song, Liu Yilong, killed the four ministers who supported him to ascend the throne. Even Emperor Wu of Zhou killed Yuwen Hu who helped him to the throne.

He wants to count on his sons and ministers to give him respect. He has been a son and a minister before. Doesn't he know whether a son and a minister can give him respect?

Therefore, he had to balance the power of his son and the power of his ministers in order to consolidate his rule.

Remember what Li Yuan said?

Power is the magic sword that cuts off family ties!

In the face of power struggles, family ties are very fragile.

What Li Shimin did now was to sever family ties and limit the power of the prince with the power of the emperor.

You know, the relationship between the prince and the emperor is very delicate.

Once the prince truly exercises his power, even the emperor will be wary.

The emperor hoped that the prince would have the qualities of a ruler and be a qualified heir to the throne, but he also did not want the prince to exercise his power and threaten his rule.

It can be said that the emperor was very conflicted towards the prince.

This stems from the lessons of history and also from the fact that power cannot be offended or challenged.

And now, Li Shimin openly asked Su Dingfang and Xue Rengui to take sides, which was actually telling everyone.

You'd better think clearly about who is the one in charge of the Tang Dynasty.

Who can give you the power, wealth and status you want?

If you want to join the prince, you'd better think carefully first.

However, as Li Chengqian finished speaking, Su Dingfang and Xue Rengui stood up without any hesitation and said in unison: "Your Majesty, I obey your order!"

Wow!
The whole place was in an uproar again!

Some people were stunned and looked at a loss.

Some people have an epiphany and their thoughts become clear.

Some people also pointed fingers and secretly cursed Su Dingfang and Xue Rengui for being stupid.

After all, in their minds, although the prince has performed well during this period, he is only a nine-year-old child after all. It is not a good thing for him to go to the Eastern Palace so early.

Because the emperor is in his prime, the crown prince will have to wait at least 20 to 30 years before he can inherit the throne. If he chooses a crown prince now, his future path will basically be blocked.

It is even possible that you will be mediocre all your life, which is really not worth it.

However, Su Dingfang and Xue Rengui's attitudes were very firm.

Even though Li Shimin's face turned a little ugly because of their choice, they retreated back to the ranks of court officials without any care.

"His Majesty!"

Just as Su Dingfang and Xue Rengui retreated to the ranks of courtiers, Imperial Censor Wang Fu stepped forward, holding his hut and saying, "I have a memorial to make."

"What's the matter?"

Li Shimin frowned and asked.

Then Wang Fu continued, "Your Majesty, I am impeaching the Crown Prince for ten crimes, including disregard for law and order, extravagance and debauchery, meddling in local military affairs, allowing the Eastern Palace guards to disobey orders, stirring up public opinion, and excessive greed."

As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers looked over in surprise.

They never imagined that someone would dare to target the prince as soon as he returned, and each charge of impeachment was more serious than the last.

Even Li Shimin couldn't help but sit up straight.

"As the Imperial Censor, I have the duty to report any rumors I hear. As far as I know, rumors have been circulating in Chang'an recently. It's been rumored that the Crown Prince and the Retired Emperor are colluding with the traitors Changsun Anye and Li Xiaochang to harm the officials in the court in order to achieve their ulterior motives. Your Majesty, please investigate."

Boom!

When these words were spoken, all the ministers were shocked and their scalps went numb.

It's not that they haven't heard about the recent rumors in the city, including Yunduan's thorough investigation of the matter, which they knew very well, but none of them dared to mention it.

Unexpectedly, this censor was so brave that he not only impeached the prince for ten major crimes, but also dared to bring this matter to light.

So, all the ministers looked at the Imperial Censor Wen Yanbo.

Wen Yanbo was stunned and at a loss, with cold sweat on his forehead. He thought to himself, "I'm going to impeach your mother! If you want to die, die far away and don't drag me to the Censorate!"
However, when Li Chengqian heard Wang Fu's impeachment, he smiled faintly: "What a rumor!"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin was slightly startled, then he said calmly and majestically: "What do you want to say, Prince?"

"Father, I have a few words to ask this gentleman."

Even a clay man has temper, let alone Li Chengqian, who was already unhappy about being suppressed by Li Shimin.

He looked coldly at the Censor Wang who had impeached him and asked, "What is your name, and what is your current official rank?"

His question was obviously meant to humiliate him, but Wang Fu suppressed the humiliation and said calmly, "Your Majesty, I am Wang Fu, the Imperial Censor, of the Fourth Rank."

"Oh, so he's only from the fourth rank!"

"What do you mean, Your Highness?"

Li Chengqian sneered, "Do you have sufficient evidence for the ten charges you just accused me of?"

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince may not be aware that the Censor has the power to report rumors and inspect all officials!"

"So you have no concrete evidence, only hearsay, correct?"

"minister"

"Answer me! Who am I?"

Before Wang Fu could finish his words, Li Chengqian interrupted him harshly.

Upon seeing this, all the ministers sat up straight in an instant, each one of them silent as a mouse in fear.

This was the first time they saw Li Chengqian lose his temper.

Even Li Shimin couldn't help but look at his son in surprise.

Wang Fu's face turned pale, and he said tremblingly, "The prince is the heir to the throne of the Tang Dynasty."

"Humph, you still know that I am the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty!"

Li Chengqian snorted coldly, then looked around at the ministers, and set his gaze on Wang Fu again: "I am the emperor, not a minister. Even if you, the censor, inspect the officials, you can't inspect me! You need to understand this clearly before you speak!"

sensation!

The whole audience was shocked!

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Li Shimin frowned.

This incident was completely beyond his expectations.

However, Li Chengqian had not finished speaking.

He walked step by step to the front of the censor, turned his back to Li Shimin, and said solemnly: "Where is the censor?" "Your Majesty, I am here!"

Wen Yanbo stood up hesitantly and explained: "Your Highness, I don't know about this matter.

"Grand Censor, I want to ask you, what is a rumor?"

Li Chengqian waved his hand to interrupt Wen Yanbo's explanation and spoke word by word.

Wen Yanbo was stunned for a moment, subconsciously glanced at Li Shimin, and said cautiously: "Your Highness, regarding the so-called hearsay, the censor has the right to report based on hearsay, without providing solid evidence."

"Okay, good point!"

Li Chengqian nodded, then set his gaze on Wang Fu again and asked coldly, "Censor Wang, how old are you this year?"

"Uh,"

Wang Fu hesitated for a moment, then estimated and said, "Your Highness, you should be nine years old this year."

"You know I'm only nine years old! When you impeached me, did you ever consider how a nine-year-old could be so extravagant and licentious? Who did I commit licentiously?"

"Hahaha!"

As soon as Li Chengqian finished speaking, Yuchi Gong couldn't help but burst into laughter: "I think Wang Yushi is gifted and can be lustful at the age of nine!"

"General Yuchi, please don't go too far!"

When Wang Fu heard this, his face turned red and he couldn't help but glare at Yuchi Gong.

"So what if I bully you? If you dare, you can also molest Lao Cheng!"

"Hey! What does this have to do with me? He can be lewd at the age of nine, but I can't!" Cheng Yaojin stood up angrily.

Wang Fu gnashed his teeth in anger, but he didn't dare to argue with these two rogues. He saluted Li Shimin again and said, "Your Majesty, even if my words were inappropriate, I was speaking the truth. Please understand!"

"Just talking about the matter?"

Before Li Shimin could open his mouth, Li Chengqian's voice rang out: "You listed ten major crimes of mine, slandering me for colluding with the retired emperor and plotting evil, yet you couldn't produce sufficient evidence. You just said something inappropriate, and you think you can let it go?"

"Your Majesty, I am only fulfilling my duties as an Imperial Censor. I have no intention of disrespecting the Crown Prince or the Emperor!" Wang Fu explained with a stiff upper lip, "Your Majesty, please investigate this matter!"

"Look, I can give you a verdict without your Majesty's scrutiny!"

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said something, then shouted outside the hall: "Come here! Strip him of his official uniform, remove him from his post, drag him out and chop him off!"

"What!?"

The ministers were stunned and their eyes widened.

They never imagined that Li Chengqian would kill the censor who impeached him in front of all the civil and military officials in the court.

Even the fat boy Li Tai and the King of Han Li Ke couldn't help but tremble all over and looked at Li Chengqian in fear and horror.

Is the Emperor so cruel?!
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

When Wang Fu heard Li Chengqian's verdict, he was so frightened that he fell to his knees and cried out, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! Please investigate!"

"His Majesty."

When some court officials wanted to stand up and plead for Wang Fu, Li Chengqian gave them a cold look and said solemnly, "Censor Wang has slandered me and the Emperor, which is a crime of great disrespect. He has impeached me for ten major crimes without any evidence, and is simply a false accusation!"
If I am really guilty of a heinous crime, then what does it mean that I assisted Lord Changsun in pacifying Shuofang and defeating the Turkic reinforcements, and was named the Great General of the Nation by His Majesty?
If all the censors slandered the meritorious officials under the guise of hearsay, how could the meritorious officials continue to serve the court?

Having said this, he paused, then slowly turned to look at Li Shimin: "If I forgive him today, where will my dignity be?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Shimin's eyes fixed and he looked at Li Chengqian in disbelief, feeling extremely angry.

You are still sitting on the throne, how dare you ignore your imperial majesty in front of all the ministers?

This is a great offense.

But thinking about it the other way around, what Li Chengqian meant was that he felt that asking Su Dingfang, Xue Rengui and others to take sides was also an offense to his dignity as the crown prince?

Is he planning to use Censor Wang to fight back against him?

Thinking of this, Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian with a gloomy expression, and then looked at Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, Du Ruhui and other ministers.

They all looked at each other, their eyes fixed on their noses and their noses focused on their hearts. They all sat upright and remained silent.

It was obvious that the prince was full of anger when he returned to Chang'an, otherwise he would not have written that angry poem.

To provoke him now would be like asking for death.

What's more, this guy Wang Fu really deserves to die, and it's unnecessary to bring up this matter.

It's a rumor without any evidence, so everyone should just keep it to themselves. Why do you insist on bringing it up openly?

Isn't this courting death?

If that rumor were to be proven true, how would the Li Tang imperial family save their lives? Oh, the Xuanwu Gate Incident happened twice?

Damn it! Who would save you, a nine-year-old idiot who can still have sexual relations?

As if he had seen through the thoughts of his ministers, Li Shimin could not help but raise his hand to his forehead. Finally, under tremendous pressure, he had to make a cold decision: "Drag him away!"

These four simple words determined Wang Fu's fate.

When Wang Fu was forcibly dragged away, all the officials from the noble families couldn't help but break out in cold sweats on their backs.

No matter how much Wang Fu shouted and screamed, no official from the aristocratic family dared to plead for him.

Even the officials of Wang Fu's own family, the Wang family of Taiyuan, had grim faces and said nothing.

It was originally just a tentative impeachment, but unexpectedly it resulted in a loss of life.

The old ministers of Wude, including Pei Ji, looked at Li Chengqian many times, with a lot of thoughts in their minds.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a little unexpectedly strong!
He did not defend himself against the so-called ten major crimes, nor did he defend himself against the so-called rumors. He simply asked a few questions and killed a fourth-rank minister.

So domineering!
Even His Majesty Li II couldn't stop him!
What does this mean?
This shows that the prince and the emperor are leaders with two different personalities. One you can offend, and the other you will die if you offend.

After this somewhat disharmonious episode, the ministers became more harmonious than ever before, there was no debate in the court, and everything was proceeding in an orderly manner.

As the court session drew to a close, an official in his fifties slowly stepped out of the queue, holding a sceptre and saying, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to make!"

"What's the matter, Lord Yang? Just tell me!"

Li Shimin smiled faintly, as if all the depressed mood of losing more than what he gained was swept away.

But then the official from the Guanlong Yang clan trembled and said, "Your Majesty, I am old and I am afraid I can no longer handle this important position. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to retire and return home!"

When these words were spoken, all the ministers were surprised.

You must know that this official of the Guanlong Yang family is the uncle of the little Yang Fei. Now the little Yang Fei is enjoying the favor of His Majesty, and this is also the opportunity for the Guanlong Yang family to rise. If he retires and returns home at this time, wouldn't he be giving up this opportunity in vain?
However, Li Shimin was not surprised to hear his resignation, but calmly asked: "Have you thought it through?"

"Your Majesty, I have already made up my mind. However, I still have one unwelcome request. I hope Your Majesty will grant it!"

"Oh?"

Li Shimin raised his eyebrows: "What kind of unreasonable request is that?"

"Your Majesty, the Hailing King plotted evil and was ordered to be executed by the Emperor. However, there is no clear arrangement for the Hailing King's fiefdom. The Emperor intends to hand it over to my Yang family. However, I believe that the Yang family's reputation is not right and its words are not reasonable. Your Majesty, please take it back!"

sensation!

The whole audience was shocked!

All the ministers looked at the official from the Guanlong Yang family in astonishment.

They never imagined that someone would actually ask the emperor to take back his property.

You must know that Li Yuan gave Li Yuanji's fiefdom to the Yang family to manage in order to compensate Li Yuanji. This was a well-known fact in the court, and no one would say anything about it.

What's more, Concubine Yang is now favored by Li Shimin, and no one dares to bring bad luck to Li Shimin.

However, this official from the Guanlong Yang clan rejected Li Yuan's kindness, which is really puzzling.

But after hearing his words, Li Shimin remained very calm and said calmly, "Have you thought it through?"

"Your Majesty, I have discussed this with my family and they agree with this matter."

"But I don't agree!"

Li Shimin waved his hand to interrupt the other party, then looked around at the ministers and said, "Prince Hailing made a serious mistake and was ordered to be executed by the Supreme Emperor. It was his own fault."

"but."

As he spoke, he changed the subject and continued, "We are brothers, so of course I cannot let him lose his incense!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, the ministers looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what the emperor was up to.

Li Shimin paused, then set his gaze on the official from the Guanlong Yang clan and said, "You said that your management of the fiefdom is not legitimate. Well, then, I will give you a legitimate title!"

"From today on, I will adopt Princess Chao's son, Li Ming, to Yuanji, conferring upon him the title of Prince Cao and granting him the fiefdom of Yuanji!"

"What!?"

The ministers were shocked, wondering what kind of outrageous move was this, Your Majesty?!
　There will be another chapter later, please vote for me, please vote for me, please vote for me

　　
　
(End of this chapter)