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

Chapter 232 Li Shimin: How much sorrow can one have? [Seeking monthly votes]

The national jade seal!

The famous imperial seal in history!
When Li Chengqian learned the whereabouts of the imperial seal, he was a little dazed.

If we were to say, the most fascinating thing in history, apart from the legendary ancient artifacts, it would probably be the imperial seal.

Unfortunately, the imperial seal had been lost long ago in Li Chengqian's previous life.

Even in the Tang Dynasty today, there is no real imperial seal.

Because when Emperor Yang of Sui died outside, he did not carry the imperial seal with him, and when Li Yuan attacked Chang'an, he did not find any trace of the imperial seal.

Therefore, even though the Tang Dynasty had been established for more than ten years, according to orthodox literati, the Tang Dynasty was not considered an orthodox dynasty even though it had been established for more than ten years.

The throne of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was also not legitimate.

Therefore, when Li Yuan learned the news from Pei Ji, he naturally thought of Pei Ji's good points.

But then Li Yuan continued, "Originally, Pei San didn't know the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal. It was Zhao Deyan who told him!"

"Zhao Deyan?"

Li Chengqian was slightly stunned and almost forgot about this person.

After a moment's pause, he questioned Li Yuan in confusion, "Didn't Zhao Deyan join Jie Li? How did he end up with Pei Ji?"

"I don't know anything about this either. Pei San only said that Zhao Deyan told him the news. He also said that he wanted to return to Chang'an to be with me."

"This"

Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment, then looked at Li Yuan calmly and said, "Grandpa, do you want Pei Ji to return to Chang'an?"

Li Yuan thought for a moment and shook his head, "When I came to see you just now, I did have this thought. After all, Pei San has been with me for a long time, and I don't want him to have a miserable old age. But after hearing what you said, I think it's better to forget it."

As he spoke, he stood up from his seat, slowly walked to the door, looked at the sun in the sky, and sighed, "When people reach old age, they always have to give up things. Pei San's current situation is the best result of my protection. If I let him go back to Chang'an, I'm afraid he will not end well."

"Ah!"

Li Chengqian smiled: "Grandpa, if you can think this way, I won't waste my breath."

"What? Do you think grandpa is really senile and confused?" Li Yuan glanced at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian chuckled, then took Li Yuan's arm and said affectionately, "Grandpa, how could you be so senile? I know you value friendship and loyalty, so I won't let your old friend live a miserable old age!"

"Oh?"

Li Yuan raised his eyebrows: "How do you plan to arrange for him?"

"How about letting him retire to Jiangling?"

"This"

Li Yuan thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's fine. Jiangling is indeed a good place to retire."

"but."

After saying this, he changed the subject and said with narrowed eyes: "That Zhao Deyan can't stay with him!"

"Grandpa is wise!"

Li Chengqian smiled and complimented, then said to Du Caigan beside him: "General Du, please go to Puzhou!"

"Yes!"

Du Caigan glanced at Li Yuan and immediately retreated.

But then Li Yuan said, "Now that you know the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal, what are you going to do?"

"I'm planning to"

"His Royal Highness!"

Before Li Chengqian could finish his words, an urgent shout came from outside the door.

His brows furrowed instantly, and he asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, King Li Tai of Yue has been captured by the King of Hejian!"

"What!?"

Li Chengqian was stunned and looked at Li Yuan subconsciously.

Li Yuan was also surprised.

After a while, Li Chengqian seemed to react and asked, "What crime did the King of Yue commit? Why was he arrested by the King of Hejian?"

"Return to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince"

Soon, the person who reported it gave the details.

After hearing this, Li Chengqian and Li Yuan looked at each other in surprise.

But Li Yuan sneered and said, "Erlang's judgment of people is really not good. This guy is simply brainless!"

After saying this, he looked at Li Chengqian and said, "It was originally a trap set for them, but they didn't fall for it. Your stupid brother fell for it. What are you going to do?"

"Ugh!"

Li Chengqian helplessly raised his hand to his forehead, shook his head and sighed, "What else can I do? I definitely can't hide this from my father. I can only settle for the next best thing!"

"What do you mean?"

"Use the little fat guy to make my father compromise, and then give him a big gift to make him cooperate with us willingly!"

"Can you explain it more clearly?"

"This"

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Yuan, then at the letter in his hand, and said thoughtfully, "I plan to tell my father about the news of the imperial seal!"

"Why is this again?"

Li Yuan's face darkened.

But Li Chengqian hurriedly explained, "Grandpa, please don't get excited. Please let me finish what I'm saying!"

"I laid my cards on the table with my father before my two uncles and Yun Duan. This was to give him some peace of mind and prevent him from falling out completely with me."

"But my father has risked everything for power and status, and he will never tolerate me threatening his position and power."

"So, even if what I do benefits him later, he might make me work harder to keep me in check!"

"This way, even if I eventually achieve my goal, I won't get the result I want. And it will only further deepen the conflict between him and me."

"Then why don't I give in to him on certain matters, such as letting the little fat man go, or the whereabouts of the imperial seal, so that he will willingly compromise with me?"

"This"

After listening to Li Chengqian's thoughts, Li Yuan's expression gradually softened. He then asked solemnly, "But are you really willing to just give the Imperial Seal away like this?"

"hehe."

Li Chengqian smiled: "I know what Grandpa is thinking, but things must be done one by one, and meals must be eaten bite by bite. Even if we get the imperial seal, we can't seize the throne."

"Also, the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal cannot be known only by Zhao Deyan. This means that this matter will soon no longer be a secret."

"If my father knew that the Imperial Seal was in our hands, given his character, what do you think he would do?"

At this point, Li Chengqian noticed that Li Yuan's expression had returned to calm, so he concluded, "So, the Imperial Seal falling into my father's hands is actually more beneficial than harmful to us."

"Well, grandson's analysis makes sense."

Li Yuan nodded in approval, then asked thoughtfully, "How can you be sure that Erlang will compromise?"

"hehe."

Li Chengqian laughed again, but did not explain further. Instead, he instructed Lai Fu, "Lai Fu, prepare the pen, ink, paper, and inkstone. I want to personally write a secret memorial to my father!"

"Yes!"

Lai Fu responded and immediately retreated.

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

On the other side, the imperial palace, Lizheng Hall.

"Rebellious son! Rebellious son! I'm so pissed off!"

After Li Shimin told Empress Changsun about Li Chengqian's ambition, he sat down on the chair angrily and sulked.

Since Li Chengqian invented the chair, the furniture in the palace has gradually changed.

Unconsciously, the nobles and dignitaries in the palace had all gotten used to the feeling of sitting on chairs when they returned home, and Li Shimin was no exception.

Although he was very unhappy with what Li Chengqian did, he did not reject the things created by Li Chengqian at all, and even felt comfortable using them.

Seeing him so angry, Empress Zhangsun was helpless and speechless. She could only follow his temper and complain to Li Chengqian, "Chengqian is really something. He is becoming more and more unreasonable. Your Majesty, please don't be angry. I will ask him to come over later and teach him a lesson!"

"Lawless! He is lawless!"

Li Shimin slammed the table and said angrily, "Look at what he has done recently. Do you really think I can't be cruel? He actually plotted against me again and again with my father. He even said in front of Xiaogong and Daozong that the Tang Dynasty would have two people in charge. What does he want to do? Is he trying to seize my power?!"

Empress Changsun was shocked when she heard this and quickly said, "Your Majesty, this is impossible. Don't let your imagination run wild. Cheng Qian is still a child, only eleven years old. How could he have such thoughts? Perhaps he just said something out of turn!"

"Are you messing around?"

Li Shimin laughed in anger, "Guanyinbi, why are you still deceiving yourself? He's done so many things, which one could a child do? He took advantage of the rebellion of Changsun Anye and his men to establish the image of a perfect crown prince, manipulated the wealthy families of Jiangling into his own hands, pacified Shuofang, split the Eastern Turks, prayed for rain to win the hearts of the people, and then used newspapers to kill locusts and suppress the aristocratic families. Are you sure this was all done by a child?"

"If a child can do such things, then all the high-ranking officials in the court must be good-for-nothings, aren't they?"

"Now he says that the Tang Dynasty will have two leaders. Do you think he's joking?"

Li Shimin talked on and on for about a quarter of an hour. Finally, he sighed and fell silent.

Deep down, Li Shimin was very satisfied with Li Chengqian as his successor, and it could even be said that he was 100% satisfied.

It's just that this unruly son is growing up too fast, so fast that he is caught off guard.

Even before he was ready, his position and power were threatened.

In fact, Li Shimin understood that he had set a bad example by launching the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

Li Chengqian did this because he didn't want to repeat the mistakes of the former crown prince Li Jiancheng.

I believe that Li Yuan, who was always by his side, also reminded Li Chengqian of the same thing.

But things had already happened, and Li Shimin couldn't make Li Chengqian believe in himself and never let him repeat the same mistake.

Because Li Chengqian was unwilling to open up to him at all, and he didn't know why, it was as if Li Chengqian had seen through him long ago.

This feeling really made him very depressed. In addition, Li Chengqian's development in recent years.

Although he rarely interfered in court affairs, his presence was always present in both military and political affairs.

In addition, although the court had undergone a major purge, the old ministers of Wude were basically cleared out.

However, these newly appointed ministers of the Qin Palace and the Tian Ce Palace are not young anymore. I believe that in a few years, they will be eliminated from the court.

On the other hand, Li Chengqian's ministers, including Su Dingfang, Xue Rengui, Ma Zhou, and Cen Wenben, a new generation of ministers, are gradually rising.

Li Shimin could not help but realize that once these ministers rose to power, they would soon replace the ministers of the Qin Palace and the Tian Ce Palace.

How can he feel at ease about this?

Looking at his current group of ministers, there's no need to say much about Zhangsun Wuji. If he and Li Chengqian were to fight, at most, neither side would help the other. Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong, two men who appear foolish despite their great wisdom, are also intriguing.

Maybe he will end up being the same as Changsun Wuji.

Li Jing has never participated in struggles for imperial power, and he probably won't interfere either.

As for the others, according to Li Shimin's estimation, at least half of the military would remain on hold.

As for the civil service group, although Li Chengqian tried his best to suppress the aristocratic families, not all of them were suppressed. For example, the gentry in Jiangnan had been secretly supporting him.

If the conflict between him and Li Chengqian really reached an irreconcilable point, the Jiangnan gentry would definitely become the backbone of supporting Li Chengqian.

What a powerful force this is! Li Shimin is unable to estimate it for the time being. At least all the civil and military officials in the court are on strike. Li Chengqian does not have to be afraid, but he, Li Er, needs to be wary.

Moreover, Li Chengqian was only eleven years old. If he waited until he was seventeen or eighteen years old, what kind of power would he be able to accumulate? Li Shimin still couldn't estimate it.

For Li Shimin, who attached great importance to power, he would never allow anyone to challenge his power.

But now the problem is that Li Chengqian has already made his cards clear to him. Even if he wants to use Li Chengqian's younger brother to check and balance Li Chengqian, he can't find a suitable candidate.

Therefore, facing his son's relentless pressure, he was really worried!

I was so worried that I even had a few more white hairs.

In silence, Li Shimin stayed in Empress Changsun's bedroom until the sun went down. Just as Empress Changsun was about to have dinner served, Yun Duan hurried in and reported, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Hejian has arrested His Royal Highness the Prince of Yue!"

"What!?"

Li Shimin suddenly stood up from his chair, then glanced at Empress Zhangsun in confusion. Noticing that she was also filled with surprise, he couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"

"Your Majesty, it is said that someone intended to assassinate Dang Renhong. Fortunately, the Prince of Hejian discovered it in time and prevented Dang Renhong from dying in prison."

"Then what does this matter have to do with the King of Yue?"

"It is said that before Dang Renhong was assassinated, the King of Yue had brought people to visit Dang Renhong, and the assassin was one of those people the King of Yue brought with him. Therefore, the King of Hejian suspected that the assassination was related to the King of Yue."

"That's unreasonable!"

Li Shimin shouted angrily and was about to order someone to summon Li Xiaogong to an audience when he heard another voice from outside the hall: "Your Majesty, Prince of Hejian Li Xiaogong and Dali Temple Minister Dai Zhou request an audience!"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin was slightly stunned, then turned to look at Empress Changsun.

Empress Changsun retreated without saying a word.

Li Shimin sat back in his chair and said calmly, "Let them in!"

"promise!"

There was a response from outside the hall.

Soon, Li Xiaogong and Dai Zhou walked in.

"I will see you, Your Majesty!"

"No gift!"

Li Shimin raised his hand to signal the two of them, and asked calmly, "I wonder why you two dear ministers have come to see me?"

"This"

The two exchanged glances, only to hear Li Xiaogong speak first: "Your Majesty, the King of Yue is suspected of murdering the criminal Dang Renhong. I do not know how to decide. I ask Your Majesty to make the final decision!"

"absurd!"

Li Shimin's face darkened. "The King of Yue had no grudge against Dang Renhong, so why did he assassinate him?"

"Your Majesty, I also believe that the King of Yue had nothing to do with the assassination, but the evidence now..."

"I don't want to hear any evidence. I just want to know why Dang Renhong is in the Zongzheng Temple."

Before Li Xiaogong could finish his words, Li Shimin interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

Dai Zhou then bowed and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, this is the arrangement of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

As he spoke, he handed over a memorial to Li Shimin, saying, "It contains the details of the Crown Prince's transfer of Dang Renhong!"

Hearing this, Li Shimin frowned even deeper.

Yunduan took the memorial without saying a word and presented it to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin silently unfolded the memorial and examined it carefully.

It would have been fine if he hadn't looked at it, but once he did, his expression changed again and again. Finally, he suppressed the shock in his heart and said in disbelief, "Is this true?"

"At first, I didn't quite believe it, but after learning that Dang Renhong was murdered to silence him, I became convinced."

"So what does the prince plan to do?"

"This"

Dai Zhou and Li Xiaogong exchanged a glance, then said solemnly, "The Crown Prince's intention is just one word: kill!"

Li Shimin: "."

Li Xiaogong: “.”

Dai Zhou: “.”

Cloud: "."

The four of them were silent for a while, not knowing what to say.

At this moment, another report came from outside the palace: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has a report!"

"What's the matter?" Li Shimin asked in a deep voice.

But then someone outside the palace reported, "Your Majesty, this is a secret report!"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin was stunned again, then looked at everyone present with doubt and said, "Bring it in!"

"promise!"

The person outside the hall responded and immediately brought in Li Chengqian's secret report.

Li Shimin took the secret report and started to check it without avoiding other people.

The content inside made me both surprised and relieved. In short, my mood was extremely complicated.

After a long while, he finally calmed down and said solemnly, "Regarding Dang Renhong's matter, let's follow the prince's plan. Don't alert the enemy!"

"His Royal Highness the King of Yue"

"Humph!"

Li Shimin snorted coldly, then suddenly said with a stern face, "Let him be locked up in Zongzheng Temple for a while, so that he can learn his lesson!"

"As ordered!"

At the same time, at Cui Renshi’s residence.

Wang Gui roared at Cui Renshi, "Cui Erlang, what do you mean by this? Why are you framing His Royal Highness the King of Yue?"

"Do you know how important he is to us?"

"Master Wang, calm down! This matter..."

"Okay, no need to explain, this was my mistake!"

Cui Renshi waved his hand to interrupt what Lu Chengqing wanted to say, then turned to look at Wang Gui, frowning and said, "Master Wang, I didn't mean to frame His Royal Highness the King of Yue. I really didn't expect that kid to be so cunning!"

"And Li Xiaogong, a dignified prince, was so despicable and shameless that he even betrayed his own nephew."

"What's the point of saying this now!"

Li Shushen interrupted Cui Renshi angrily: "First, think of a way to overcome the difficulties!"

"That's right!" Li Zhen echoed, "Even if the King of Yue committed a heinous crime, His Majesty would not kill him. But if His Majesty discovered what we had done, not only would we suffer, but our families would suffer as well!"

"Humph, so what if they find out? The worst that can happen is that we'll just quit being officials under Li Tang and retire together!"

Zheng Shanguo snorted coldly, "I just don't believe that Li Tang dares to touch our family!"

Hearing this, everyone was silent.

Although Zheng Shanguo's words were a bit arrogant, they were basically true for them.

Even though they suffered repeated setbacks at the hands of Li Chengqian, if it really came to a desperate situation, the energy they would unleash would still be considerable.

At least in their hearts, Li Shimin would never fight to the death with them for the sake of the stability of the world and his own reputation.

Even if Li Chengqian wanted to move against them, he had to see whether Li Shimin agreed.

Thinking of this, the family heads looked at each other tacitly and nodded to each other.

After a moment, Cui Renshi said again: "Although we can't kill Dang Renhong for the time being, we can't let the prince get hold of us!"

"Then according to Patriarch Cui's opinion, what should we do?" Wang Gui said expressionlessly.

Cui Renshi glanced at him and said calmly and indifferently, "Isn't the Crown Prince going to host the Chongyang Banquet? Let's make this Chongyang Banquet his nightmare!"

"what do you mean?"

"Can a deposed prince still hold on to the throne?"

"What!?"

Hearing this, several family heads were suddenly shocked.

　Please give me a monthly ticket. Please give me a monthly ticket.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)