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

Chapter 190 Li Chengqian: This rain! I said it would come! Even God can’t stop it! [Seeking monthly votes]

Inside the Taiji Hall, Li Shimin teased the Jie Li envoy kneeling on the ground with a face full of joking, saying:
"I remember that the last time Jie Li sent an envoy to our Tang Dynasty, it was a man named Zhishishili. Why is it that this time, it's someone else?"

Just three days ago, good news came from Li Jing. They set up an ambush according to Li Shimin's plan and defeated Jie Li again.

Now, Jie Li seemed to have reached the end of his rope and had no choice but to send people to the Tang Dynasty to seek peace.

But then the Jie Li envoy kneeling on the ground laughed and said:

"Your Majesty met with Zhishisili in the autumn of the year before last, and this time you met me in the summer. Although I don't know much about Zhishisili, Jie Li Khan sent me to the Tang Dynasty to pay tribute to His Majesty the Emperor!"

"Oh, just a tribute?"

Li Shimin nodded as if suddenly realizing something, then he looked around at his ministers and said with a smile, "It seems that you are in trouble."

"Ah? This"

The Jie Li envoy was stunned for a moment, then said awkwardly, "Your Majesty, don't you know? Our troubles are caused by your generals. If your Majesty can stop them, our Khan is willing to defend the northern part of the Tang Dynasty."

"hehe."

Li Shimin smiled noncommittally, then said calmly and indifferently: "If you can stop the other tribes on the grassland and stop causing us trouble, it is not impossible to negotiate peace with you."

"but."

Then he changed the subject and continued, "As far as I know, only the Great Khan of the grassland can stop the other tribes of the grassland."

"Your Majesty, don't you know? Our Khan is actually the Great Khan of all the tribes on the grassland!"

"Of course I know, I thought you didn't know!"

Li Shimin's expression suddenly grew serious. He then looked at the Jie Li envoy with a cold gaze and said, "I originally thought you could stop the other tribes on the grassland, but you have greatly disappointed me. It's as if your Khan is not the Great Khan!"

"Uh"

Upon hearing this, the Jie Li envoy looked embarrassed, but he still said, "I dare not deceive His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang. In fact, we have reached the final stage. We need to cease fire."

Boom!

As soon as these words were spoken, all the ministers were excited.

Everyone clenched their fists excitedly.

They have waited too long for this day.

Especially after the Weishui Alliance, they always wanted to avenge their previous humiliation.

Even Li Shimin stood up excitedly, then walked step by step to the Jie Li envoy, looked down at him condescendingly, and said calmly and majestically: "Tell me! Why don't you surrender?!"

"Ugh!"

The Jie Li envoy sighed and said bitterly, "When our Khan said he would defend the north for the Tang Dynasty, he actually meant surrender."

"Humph!"

Li Shimin snorted coldly, obviously not accepting such a subtle way of surrender. Then he said in a domineering tone: "I want to see Jie Li kneel before me and surrender in person!"

"Ah? This"

The envoy Jie Li had never expected that Li Shimin would make such a request, and was immediately at a loss. However, before he could open his mouth, Li Shimin turned around and walked towards the throne, sat down again, and said solemnly: "Go back and tell Jie Li my conditions. If he can agree, we can discuss other things!"

"But Your Majesty."

"Let's go back"

Before the envoy Jie Li could finish his words, Li Shimin waved his hand to interrupt him.

Soon, he left the court accompanied by several imperial guards.

After watching him leave, Li Shimin looked around at his ministers and asked calmly, "My dear ministers, what do you think? Should the Tang Dynasty accept Jie Li's surrender?"

"This"

The ministers exchanged glances, and Pei Ji was the first to speak: "As the saying goes, to conquer the enemy without fighting is the best of all strategies. Since Jie Li is willing to surrender, we can sacrifice less and gain more. Therefore, I, this old minister, believe that we should accept Jie Li's surrender."

"His Majesty!"

As soon as Pei Ji finished speaking, Du Ruhui's voice rang out.

But he said in a serious tone: "Jie Li is a man who never keeps his word. This surrender is probably just a delaying tactic. Don't trust him!"

"However, this expedition is a victory for the soldiers, not because the national strength of our Tang Dynasty is strong enough to solve the problem of the Eastern Turks in one fell swoop. To solve the problem of the Eastern Turks in one fell swoop, I think it will take several more years!" Fang Xuanling said thoughtfully.

Li Shimin hummed a sound, then turned his gaze to Tang Jian and asked calmly, "Minister of Rites has been keeping an eye on the grasslands. What are your thoughts on Jie Li sending an envoy to surrender?"

Tang Jian thought for a moment, then held up his hut and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that what you all say makes sense. However, based on my understanding of the grassland situation, Jie Li is not at the end of his rope yet. If he is pushed to the limit and fights to the death with the Tang Dynasty, it will not be a good thing for the Tang Dynasty."

"What's more, things are not going smoothly in the Tang Dynasty either. We still need to be cautious."

"Therefore, my opinion is that if peace is possible, it is better to make it first, but the conditions for peace should be strict to prevent future recurrences that would be detrimental to our Tang Dynasty."

"Um"

Hearing this, Li Shimin nodded thoughtfully, then looked around at his ministers and said, "I am unwilling to make peace. Without peace, our military strength is not enough. If we can achieve the peace that the Minister of Rites has proposed, and the vitality of the military is still there, then we will not be afraid of their rebellion."

As he spoke, he seemed to have made up his mind and said in a deep voice: "How about this, Minister of Rites!"

"Chen is here!"

"You should go to the grassland yourself and see what's happening in other tribes. It would be best if you could meet with Jie Li and Tu Li to get to know each other better!"

"Yes!"

Tang Jian respectfully accepted the order and was about to retreat to the formation when he heard Yuchi Gong behind him suddenly say, "As far as I know, the Crown Prince should have some credit for the victory over the Turks. Why don't you ask for his opinion?"

Wow!
The whole place was in an uproar!

When the ministers heard what Yuchi Gong said, their faces changed and they all looked at a small stool under the emperor's throne. They suddenly remembered that Crown Prince Li Chengqian was attending court according to the emperor's order.

Even Li Shimin had forgotten about this matter. He looked at Li Chengqian with embarrassment, coughed lightly, and said, "If the Crown Prince has any opinions, please speak up!"

"Your Majesty, I have no objection."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian turned around and bowed respectfully to Li Shimin.

Seeing this, the ministers looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering what had happened to the Crown Prince? Why had he suddenly changed his ways? Logically speaking, given the Crown Prince's personality, he shouldn't have agreed to peace talks!

Just as the ministers were greatly surprised, a royal envoy from the Cui family stepped out from the ranks, holding a sceptre and saying, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to make!"

Li Shimin frowned slightly, and looked at Li Chengqian with a strange look, then waved his hand and said, "Play it!"

"Your Majesty, yesterday we received an impeachment memorial from Qizhou. Qizhou officials impeached Chencang County Magistrate Liu Rengui for his lawless and abusive use of force, beating Qizhou Cavalry Commander Lu Ning to death in court. Your Majesty, please investigate!"

"what?!"

The ministers were shocked when they heard this.

Even Li Chengqian couldn't help but feel a little surprised. He didn't expect that there would be such a ruthless person in the Tang Dynasty.

Wait, why does this Liu Rengui sound familiar?
Oh yes! He seems to be a famous official in the Tang Dynasty!
But how could such a famous official do such a thing?

Just as Li Chengqian was filled with doubts, Li Shimin's face turned pale and he immediately flew into a rage: "How dare a county lieutenant kill my chariot and cavalry commander? How can this be allowed?"

As he spoke, he immediately ordered Dai Zhou, the Minister of Justice, "Dai Zhou, I order you to send someone to bring Liu Rengui to Chang'an. I want to ask him face to face, who gave him the courage!?"

"Yes, I obey!"

Dai Zhou responded respectfully and then retreated to the queue.

At this moment, another official stood up, holding a sceptre and said, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to make!"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes, wondering what was going on today? One thing after another, this had never happened before. Could it be because he had summoned the crown prince to court?

Are these people trying to show off in front of the prince?
Thinking of this, Li Shimin couldn't help but feel a little angry, and then his face darkened and he asked coldly: "What's the matter?"

"Your Majesty, the drought in Guannei Road is becoming increasingly severe. Many victims have flocked to Chang'an. It is said that chaos has begun to appear in the disaster area. Hundreds of thousands of victims are gathering and shouting."

Seeing that the official was hesitant and unable to speak at the end, Li Shimin angrily scolded him: "What are you yelling about! Speak quickly!"

When the official heard Li Shimin's rebuke, he knelt down with a plop and said with a bitter face: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I dare not say anything."

"What are you afraid to say?!"

When Li Shimin heard this, he burst into laughter: "Who can stop you from saying this in front of me and the entire court?!"

But the official trembled and said, "Your Majesty, I am worried that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will kill me because of what I said, so I dare not speak."

Wow!
The whole place was in an uproar again!

When the ministers heard this, their scalps tingled and they all looked at Li Chengqian.

Even Li Shimin looked at his son in surprise.

Because Li Chengqian had killed a fourth-rank imperial envoy who impeached him in the court, now this official said he was afraid that Li Chengqian would kill him and did not dare to say it openly, which simply pushed Li Chengqian to the forefront.

If Li Chengqian fails to handle this matter properly, his future reputation will be in jeopardy.

After all, punishing people for their speech has been a taboo for those in power in every dynasty.

Once a person in power commits the taboo of punishing people for their opinions and fails to deal with the matter properly, his ministers will think that he is unwilling to accept advice. A person in power who does not accept advice is often a model of a tyrant.

This is also the reason why Li Shimin opened up the channels for communication as soon as he ascended the throne, and allowed Wei Zheng and Sun Fujia to criticize him, but he was reluctant to kill them.

After all, killing censors does damage the emperor's image.

Li Chengqian's previous actions were indeed a big taboo.

Logically speaking, as a father, when a child faces difficulties, he should stand up decisively and help the child solve the problem.

But Li Shimin did not stand up to help Li Chengqian.

Because Li Chengqian took the initiative to ask him for power, which touched his bottom line, he had to teach Li Chengqian a profound lesson.

Because he is not only a father, but also an emperor.

As an emperor, Li Shimin hoped that he would have a qualified heir, to whom he could safely hand over everything he cherished when he grew old.

However, there is a prerequisite for this, which is that you hand it over willingly, rather than being forced to do so.

Now, Li Chengqian's growth rate is getting faster and faster, so fast that Li Shimin has no time to react.

This made him very angry, and he always felt a sense of déjà vu.

Therefore, he must let Li Chengqian know that it is easy to stand in front, but the prerequisite is that you can withstand the pressure.

If you can't stand it, just be good and go back to be a good boy.

Don’t think about power or not. That’s not something a child like you can play with.

"Ah!"

Li Chengqian smiled, then set his eyes on the official and jokingly asked, "Are you afraid of me?"

"This"

The official was speechless and did not dare to look Li Chengqian in the eye.

From his expression, it was clear that he was afraid of Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian looked at him with great interest, then stood up from his stool and slowly walked up to him, saying with a half-smile, "If I'm not mistaken, you're probably saying that those hundreds of thousands of disaster victims who are gathering here are all here for me, right?"

"Since Your Highness knows everything," the official heard, mustering up his courage and looking directly at Li Chengqian, "May I ask Your Highness, how should we respond? They are clamoring for justice from you!"

"Ah!"

Li Chengqian laughed again: "What justice? When did I ever owe them justice?"

"May I ask, Your Highness, how is the rain prayer you prepared going?"

"Still in preparation, not ready yet, what's wrong?"

"Humph!"

The official snorted coldly, then ignored Li Chengqian and said to Li Shimin, holding his hu tablet:
"Your Majesty, those hundreds of thousands of disaster victims who have gathered here are indeed here for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. They are shouting that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has deceived them and that he doesn't know how to pray for rain. They want justice from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"This"

Li Shimin was shocked when he heard this.

This pressure was obviously beyond his expectations.

However, before he could ask Li Chengqian for his response, the ministers in the court stood up one after another and said in unison:

"Your Majesty, please give an explanation to the people of the world!"

"Your Majesty, please give an explanation to the people of the world!"

"Your Majesty, please give an explanation to the people of the world!"

The high-pitched and aggressive voices made the atmosphere in the entire hall freeze.

Even Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng, Zhangsun Wuji and others were shocked by this momentum.

They never imagined that things would happen so suddenly.

It was fine before, how did it suddenly become like this?

Moreover, they had no idea about it beforehand.

But as the ministers in the court stood up one after another, they suddenly discovered that these ministers who stood up were basically from aristocratic families. Even they did not dare to compete with them or speak a few words to help Li Chengqian.

After all, if the people from the aristocratic families work together, even Emperor Li II would be a little wary of them.

"Hahaha!"

Just when the atmosphere became extremely tense, Li Chengqian suddenly threw his head back and laughed.

All the ministers sighed.

At this moment, Pei Ji was the first to speak: "Why is your highness the Crown Prince laughing?"

"When I think of something funny, I laugh naturally."

Li Chengqian glanced at Pei Ji sideways and stopped laughing.

Wei Jin, the Minister of Revenue, frowned and asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, what is so funny? Why would you lose your composure in the court?"

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "I heard that there was a mountain called Wozhen Mountain. In the mountain there was a temple called Wozhen Temple. In the temple there was a monk called Wozhen Monk. The monk had a sword."

Having said that, he looked at Wei Jin with a smile and said, "May I ask, Minister Wei, what is the name of this sword?"

"Needless to say, it's my real sword!" Wei Jin blurted out.

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Gong burst into laughter: "Hahaha! Lord Wei is such a ruthless man, he even scolds himself!"

"Yes! Lord Wei is so despicable!" Cheng Yaojin echoed with a laugh.

The ministers also laughed.

Wei Jin's face flushed red, and he glared at Li Chengqian angrily, saying, "Why does Your Highness the Crown Prince humiliate me?"

"Because you're a bitch!"

Li Chengqian glanced at him coldly: "If you don't know, don't ask. It makes you look like you have a mouth, doesn't it?"

"I!"

"What are you talking about! What are you laughing about? It's none of your business!"

"His Majesty!"

"Father!"

Before Wei Jin could complain to Li Shimin, Li Chengqian interrupted him and bowed to Li Shimin, saying, "Your Majesty, I beg your Majesty to grant me permission to pray for rain immediately!"

"What!?"

The ministers were shocked when they heard this.

Especially those officials from aristocratic families who stood up, all looked at Li Chengqian in amazement.

The reason they all dared to come forward was because Li Chengqian himself admitted that he was not yet ready to pray for rain.

In other words, they can take this opportunity to change their failure to be prepared to pray for rain into not knowing how to pray for rain, or even being unable to complete the prayer at all.

In this way, they could take the hundreds of thousands of disaster victims hostage and, under the banner of speaking for the people of the world, dethrone Li Chengqian.

Even if Li Chengqian's position as crown prince cannot be abolished, all the power he currently possesses must be deprived.

Once Li Chengqian loses his current power, he will be a useless child in their eyes and will not pose any threat to them.

Even Jiangling, which Li Chengqian and Li Yuan had painstakingly built, would become a meal for these aristocratic families to divide up.

But now, Li Chengqian actually said that he wanted to pray for rain immediately!
What does it mean?
Isn't he ready?
Doesn't he know the consequences of failing to pray for rain? !

Just as the officials of the noble families were in a state of surprise, Li Shimin looked deeply at Li Chengqian, and then said word by word, "Are you ready?"

"Does your Majesty believe me?" Li Chengqian asked with a smile.

"Answer me!"

Li Shimin's face turned serious.

Li Chengqian curled his lips and immediately spread his hands, saying, "Since the people can't wait any longer, then why not make it rain today? Let them see if I, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, Li Chengqian, have ever lied to them!"

As he spoke, he glanced around at the officials of the noble families and said with a half-smile, "Let the emperor give an explanation to the people of the world!"

"Look who's lying to them"

Boom!

When the officials from the noble families heard this, they were struck by lightning.

　I originally said I would come back today to add more chapters, but looking at the time, I can't finish it. I will see if I can finish it and post it tomorrow morning. In addition, if you have monthly tickets, remember to vote for me. I guarantee that I will finish the chapters.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)