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

Chapter 266 The boss is always the one to take the blame! [Seeking monthly votes]

On the way back to the Prince's Mansion from the palace, Li Chengqian kept recalling what happened today.

Although Du Ruhui's request to Li Shimin to preside over tomorrow's grand court meeting surprised him, it was not difficult to see from Du Ruhui's perspective that he had selfish motives.

One reason is that his illness has indeed reached a life-threatening level, and there is no one in the family who can take on the responsibility.

Although Li Shimin would not treat the Du family unfairly, the Du family's decline was inevitable after him.

Fortunately, Du He appeared beside Li Chengqian in time, giving him a glimmer of hope.

If he could consolidate Li Chengqian's position in the final period, or help Li Chengqian gain more power, perhaps the future of the Du family would be better than after he left.

The second is the strong rise of Li Chengqian, which not only made Li Shimin feel wary of him, but also made other forces begin to fear Li Chengqian.

Otherwise, Li Chengqian would not have been assassinated so frequently.

In this case, his request for Li Chengqian to preside over tomorrow's grand court meeting is equivalent to pushing Li Chengqian completely to the forefront.

No matter what Li Shimin thinks or what other forces do, Li Chengqian's position as the crown prince will be unbreakable.

Therefore, this can be considered as a layer of insurance for his son and the Du family.

As long as Li Chengqian's position as the crown prince is unbreakable, their Du family will never decline.

Of course, Li Chengqian did not feel uncomfortable with Du Ruhui's selfishness. Instead, he liked his selfishness very much.

Because presiding over tomorrow's grand court meeting was what Li Chengqian was originally aiming for.

Now with Du Ruhui's help, he saved himself a lot of worries.

just
What was the purpose of the party Chang Sun Chong invited him to, as well as Li Ke, Lu Dongzan and the others? And was the fire tonight an assassination attempt by Shou Zhuolang?

This series of doubts made Li Chengqian frown deeper and deeper, and he couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Just as Li Chengqian was puzzled, a voice suddenly came from outside the carriage: "Your Highness, Prince Changsun's carriage is blocking our way!"

Changsun Chong?
Li Chengqian was slightly stunned, then frowned and asked, "Is there something wrong with him?"

"I don't know, but judging from his appearance, he seems to be here to apologize for his crime!"

"Pleading for forgiveness?"

Li Chengqian's mouth twitched, and he thought to himself that this guy is quite sensible!

However, it’s good that this guy is here, as he can answer some of my doubts.

"Then let him come over!"

"Yes!"

Chang Wei responded and immediately said to Chang Sun: "Master Chang Sun, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants you to come over!"

"Oh oh oh, okay"

Upon hearing this, Chang Sun Chong, covered in thorns, ran to Li Chengqian's carriage and said with a grin, "Chengqian, I was wrong. Don't blame me. I really didn't know it would turn out like this!"

"Also, don't tell my father about this, he will beat me to death!"

"Also, don't tell Li Zhi, I'll do whatever you ask me to do."

"Alright! Why are you so slow?"

Before Chang Sun Chong could finish his words, Li Chengqian interrupted him impatiently and said in a calm voice, "Let me ask you, whose idea was it to invite me to your party?"

"Ah? This"

Chang Sun Chong hesitated for a moment, considering how to answer.

Suddenly, Li Chengqian said in a cold voice, "If you don't answer honestly, you will be guilty of murdering the Crown Prince! Think it over carefully!"

"Ah? Murder no no no, Cheng Qian"

"Please call me Prince, cousin!"

Boom!

Chang Sun Chong was struck by lightning and fell to his knees with a thud. The thorns on his body pricked him and made him bleed.

He never imagined that things would turn out like this.

But he also knew that Li Chengqian was really angry, so he didn't dare to hesitate any longer and immediately told everything:

"To be honest, Your Highness, it was indeed my idea to invite you. But I met the King of Han and his companions at the Huji Tavern. They said they also wanted to get together with Your Highness. I thought we were all not outsiders, so I agreed to let them get together."

“I didn’t expect so many things to happen.”

"Besides, the arrangement of Hu Ji Tavern was not made by me, but by the King of Han and his men. I was just greedy for a small advantage at the time, thinking that since they arranged it, I wouldn't have to spend any money. I didn't expect that the King of Han..."

Having said this, Chang Sun Chong could not continue because he saw Li Chengqian's head sticking out of the window, as if he wanted to eat him alive.

It's really scary.

"Prince, I really don't know anything."

Chang Sun Chong buried his head in his crotch, trembling.

Li Chengqian angrily scolded him, "Stupid!"

Then he got back into the carriage and ordered coldly, "Chang Wei, let's go!"

"promise!"

Chang Wei agreed, then drove away in the carriage without saying a word.

Only Chang Sun Chong was left kneeling on the ground, his face ashen and limp.

at the same time.

In Changshoufang, a neighborhood away from Xishi, there is a bookstore that has not yet closed and is serving two customers who are obviously not there to buy books.

At this time, on the second floor of the bookstore, in the dim candlelight.

A younger guest calmly and indifferently questioned the older guest: "Tell me, why did it turn out like this?"

"I underestimated him, but don't worry, our plan has not been exposed."

"How do you know he hasn't been exposed? Are you still underestimating him?"

"This"

The older guest hesitated for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Shouzhuolang has always been thorough and efficient in his work, so there shouldn't be any mistakes."

"and."

Having said this, he paused and continued, "Hasn't he suffered losses repeatedly at the hands of Shouzhuolang?"

"Now that Shouzhuolang has lost the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Clans, he can only rely on us, the vassal states and foreign countries!"

"So, you are very confident about this plan?"

The younger guest looked at the other person with a joking expression on his face.

But I heard the other party say with some displeasure:

"Your Highness, the King of Han, we are just partners. Please don't treat me as your subordinate!"

"Ah!"

Li Ke sneered, then stood up from his seat, staring at Lu Dongzan calmly and said, "Murong Shun wanted to ask me for help with Princess Guanghua's secret letter, but my mother told me not to get too close to people from the previous dynasty."

"However, I am very optimistic about your Tubo. I believe that the country that can form an alliance with the Tang Dynasty is none other than your Tubo."

"Thanks to His Royal Highness the King of Han for his appreciation, I am very confident about the marriage." Lu Dongzan smiled.

But Li Ke changed the subject and said, "However, with my brother, the Crown Prince, obstructing you, Tubo, it will be difficult for you to succeed."

"Why? Does the Crown Prince really have the final say in the Tang Dynasty?" Lu Dongzan's face darkened.

Li Ke gave him a somewhat amused look, then shook his head helplessly, sighing, "If it was before the Double Ninth Festival, perhaps my father could still make the decision, but after the Double Ninth Festival, my father's prestige has gradually declined. Perhaps he hasn't figured it out yet. The Crown Prince's killing of those people from the Five Surnames and Seven Families not only helped him, but also helped the Tang Dynasty, and also established his prestige."

"Don't underestimate this power building. If he hadn't preemptively killed Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji, do you think General Tiance could have truly become emperor?"

"Didn't you see that my grandfather could mobilize an army of 200,000 kings with just a forged imperial edict?"

"To put it bluntly, my grandfather doesn't want to kill each other anymore. He's intimidated by my father's ruthless killing!"

"It seems that His Royal Highness the King of Han sees it very clearly."

Lu Dongzan narrowed his eyes slightly and couldn't help but look carefully at this King of Han who was somewhat similar to Li Shimin.

Among Li Shimin's sons, the King of Han is probably the most low-key.

But as he was well aware of power struggles, he understood best the power of low-key people, such as their Songtsen Gampo.

Li Ke slowly walked to the window, pushed open the closed window, looked at the still-burning Hu Ji Tavern, and continued, "My grandfather was the emperor, and my father was also the emperor. Why can't I be the emperor? Is it because I have Sui Dynasty blood flowing in my body? Mother always says that I don't have that fate, but my family are all nobles!"

"Why does she, a daughter of a poor family who was kicked out of her home, have authority over my mother? Why does the son she gave birth to have authority over me?"

"."

Hearing this, Lu Dongzan didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Although he knew that the Great Tang Han King had ambitions, he did not know that his ambitions were so great. However, it was precisely because of the Great Tang Han King's ambitions that they could further cooperate.

But Li Ke suddenly asked, "What plans do you Tibetans have for Tuyuhun?"

"This"

Lu Dongzan's heart moved, and then he asked tentatively: "What does His Royal Highness the Prince of Han mean?"

"According to the information I have received, the Tuyuhun Khan, Fuyun, may not have much time left. The reason Murong Shun is so eager to marry a Tang princess is that he plans to use the Tang's influence to help him fight for the throne!"

"What!?"

Lu Dongzan was shocked when he heard this: "You said Fu Yun is about to die?"

"Why make such a fuss about such a small thing? Aren't we all mortal?"

"No, I mean..."

"Even if he doesn't die immediately, I will make sure he doesn't die soon!"

Li Ke turned to look at Lu Dongzan with a half-smile, and continued, "If I can help Tubo and the Tang Dynasty to make peace, I hope Dalun can also help me control Tuyuhun. Can Dalun do it?"

"This……"

Lu Dongzan hesitated for a moment and asked tentatively, "I wonder how His Royal Highness the King of Han plans to control Tuyuhun?"

"Let Murong Shun sit on the throne, and let Princess Guanghua rule the country from behind the curtain!" Li Ke said calmly, "And all you have to do is put pressure on Tuyuhun to stop them from causing internal strife!"

"That's impossible. Murong Shun is only a prince. Even if Fu Yun died, it would be Fu Yun's crown prince who would take the throne. It would never be Murong Shun's turn. Besides, didn't the King of Han say that only Tubo could marry a Tang princess? Without the Tang princess's help, how could Murong Shun fight for the throne?"

Lu Dongzan said with a puzzled look on his face: "As for Princess Guanghua, does she have the ability to rule the country from behind the scenes?"

Li Ke smiled in silence, then said meaningfully, "What if that Tuyuhun prince is also dead? What if I can find a way to make Princess Guanghua obey my orders?"

"What!?"

Lu Dongzan was shocked again and could no longer describe his current mood in words.

It would have been fine if the Tang Dynasty had produced an extremely powerful prince, but now it has also produced a mysterious and unpredictable King of Han. This is too terrifying!
How did he do that?
Just when Lu Dongzan was wondering, there was a knock on the door.

"Boom boom boom, boom boom."

"It's one of our own!"

Lu Dongzan reacted instantly and shouted outside the door: "Let him in!"

Soon, a Tibetan wearing a headband came in and bowed, saying, "Da Lun, Xiao Lun is dead."

"it is good!"

Lu Dongzan was shocked, then suddenly looked at Li Ke and said, "They really didn't let me down. The plan worked!"

"Ha!" Li Ke smiled, then looked out the window at the flames rising to the sky, his eyes hazy as he said, "Tomorrow's grand court meeting is such an exciting day!"

"The firearm"

"You should succeed first!"

Before Lu Dongzan could finish his words, Li Ke interrupted him, frowned, glanced at the bookstore, and said coldly: "I don't want anyone else to know that I have been here. I will leave the rest to you!"

After saying this, he went downstairs on his own and disappeared into the stairwell.

Lu Dongzan, who watched him leave, was silent for a while before he said to his subordinates calmly, "Do it cleanly, don't let the Tang people find out!"

"Yes!"

Several subordinates responded and quickly followed him downstairs.

the other side.

The Jinyiwei led by Pei Xingjian are chasing a black shadow.

Pei Xingjian chased after him, shouting, "Stop! You can't get away!"

The black shadow in front sneered, without responding, and kicked the earthen walls on both sides of the street. Taking advantage of the small pits on the earthen walls, he jumped up and was about to jump onto the top of the wall.

At this moment, a huge spherical object appeared in the sky, and a command came from above: "Quick! Cast the net--!"

As soon as he finished speaking, before the black shadow could react, three or four fishing nets were thrown down from the sky towards him.

No matter how agile the black shadow was, it could not escape the overwhelming and sudden fishing net.

He first jumped up with the fishing net, and then was pulled down by the Jinyiwei on the hot air balloon, like a piglet, and flew for a distance before dropping him heavily on the street.

"Pooh!"

Pei Xingjian spat, strode over to the black shadow, raised his foot and kicked him, saying sarcastically: "Shou Zhuolang must repay favors and pay debts, right? He hasn't even paid his debt yet, so why is he killing his own people first? Where's the so-called favor? You're useless!"

The black shadow, who was kicked and mocked by Pei Xingjian, lay on the ground silently and motionless.

At this time, Su Dingfang walked out from the darkness, holding a horsewhip, his eyes gleaming with sharp light. He asked, "Is this the assassin who killed the Fire Master?"

"Not bad!"

"do you died?"

"do not know!"

Upon hearing this, Su Dingfang also raised his leg and kicked the black shadow. Seeing that the black shadow still did not react, he increased his strength and kicked it several times in a row.

But Pei Xingjian said hurriedly: "Don't kick him hard, I still have something to ask him."

"To ask questions, all you need is a mouth, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"This group of people repeatedly assassinated the crown prince. It's truly despicable."

Having said that, without waiting for Pei Xingjian to stop him, he took out a rifle from his waist and fired a shot at the black shadow's leg with a "bang".

The black shadow only groaned, but did not make any other sound.

"Oh, a last-ditch effort, huh?"

Su Dingfang sneered, immediately took out the ammunition, prepared to load the musket, and prepared to fire the second shot.

But at this moment, the Jinyiwei outside the alley ran in hurriedly, shouting that a large number of Wuhou were gathering here.

"Huh? Who reported it to the authorities? Why are they here?" Su Dingfang frowned and looked at his subordinates, only to see them shaking their heads to indicate they didn't know either.

Pei Xingjian glanced coldly at the fishing net.

This killer has never been just a killer. He took advantage of every environment he could.

His mission may have begun from the moment he interrogated the guard named Liu Si, until Li Chengqian went to the Hu Ji Tavern, until the Hu Ji Tavern caught fire, until he arrived at the small house inside the Hu Ji Tavern, all of this may have been part of the plan.

He successfully completed his plan and made all the Jinyiwei follow his lead.

As for the attack on the prince, it was probably one of the links.

Now, Pei Xingjian was even sure that Li Chengqian was absolutely fine.

The arrival of these martial marquises might not be due to the killer, but something else must have happened.

So, what exactly happened?
No matter what, this killer must not fall into Wu Hou's hands before Wu Hou arrives.

Thinking of this, Pei Xingjian immediately said to Su Dingfang: "I'll leave the rest to you. I'll take my men away first!"

"No, you're chasing the killer and disturbing the peace, and you want me to take the blame for you?"

"You're the boss, if you don't take the blame, who will? Didn't His Royal Highness the Crown Prince say that the boss always takes the blame!"

"you!"

Su Dingfang was furious.

But before he could finish his curse, Pei Xingjian brought his subordinates and carried away the black shadow, the net, and the people.

At this time, a group of Wu Hou also rushed over.

"Put down your weapons, and don't move—!"

"Who are you? How dare you stop me, the Jinyiwei, from investigating the case?"

"Hou Junji, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice and General of the Right Guard! By order of His Majesty, I am investigating the murder of the Tibetan scholar Anubi!"

what? !

The Tibetan Vice Prime Minister is actually dead?!
Su Dingfang was shocked, and then he saw Hou Junji walking out of Wuhou with a serious face.

It is obvious that the death of the Tubo deputy prime minister will definitely be the headline news in Chang'an City tomorrow!

But isn’t there a grand court meeting tomorrow?
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince probably doesn't know about this happening?!

Thinking of this, Su Dingfang hurriedly said: "General Hou, we are the prince's men. Do you think we should notify the prince first..."

"Stop talking nonsense, bring your people and help us with the investigation!" Hou Junji interrupted Su Dingfang coldly.

Immediately afterwards, countless warriors surrounded them.

(End of this chapter)