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

Chapter 72: Grandpa, don’t let your imagination run wild. My father is not a masochist! [Please subscribe]

Anger, pain, frustration, resentment, all kinds of emotions surged in Li Shimin's heart.

He understood, he finally understood.

Concubine Zhang, the second concubine, is also a pawn.

They said that there was a master behind Changsun Anye, but in fact it was to remind themselves to solve the mystery step by step.

That’s right, in Li Shimin’s opinion, this was definitely Li Yuan’s intentional arrangement.

Because Zhang Jieyu and the other concubines were brought by Li Yuan, if they wanted to save their sons, they had to obey Li Yuan's arrangements.

The reason why Li Yuan did this was to take revenge on himself.

After he settled accounts with his ministers, he finally settled accounts with himself.

He wanted to use his own sons to torture himself and make him feel the pain of losing his two sons.

"Hahaha!"

Li Shimin suddenly threw his head back and laughed, tears streaming down his face again: "Retribution! My retribution!"

"His Majesty!"

When Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling saw this, their eyes also turned red.

However, before they could comfort Li Shimin, Li Shimin held back his tears and said with gritted teeth: "I want to depose the prince."

"Your Majesty, you can't!"

Changsun Wuji interrupted Li Shimin in shock, "The crown prince's position is no joke. How can it be deposed? Moreover, it's not clear that Cheng Qian was responsible. How can a crown prince who has done nothing wrong be deposed?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, please think twice!" Fang Xuanling quickly echoed.

Li Shimin glanced at them coldly and asked solemnly, "You keep defending that rebellious son. Did he ever do you any favors?"

"This"

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling looked at each other in bewilderment.

In terms of actual benefits, they did not get anything from Li Chengqian, but in terms of indirect benefits, Li Chengqian did give them considerable benefits.

But they did not support Li Shimin in deposing the crown prince, not because of the benefits, but because, as Li Yuan said, deposing and enthroning the crown prince was no longer something the emperor could decide.

Unless, His Majesty Li II intends to make enemies with all the royal families in the world.

Obviously, they don't want to see this happen.

Just as they fell silent, Du Ruhui stood up and said solemnly, "Your Majesty! The crown prince is the foundation of a country and cannot be deposed or enthroned lightly!"

"Your Majesty, you asked us to preside over the revision of Tang Law, which should be concise and fair. Now, the appointment of a crown prince is in accordance with national law. How can Your Majesty easily violate the law?" Dai Zhou also echoed.

Li Shimin frowned slightly and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

In fact, he understood that after this incident, Li Chengqian's position as crown prince was as stable as Mount Tai.

Even if he wanted to depose the prince, he would not have the chance.

What's more, he was only guessing that Li Chengqian was the "expert" and had no actual evidence, so how could he talk about deposing the crown prince?

So, after listening to everyone's advice, he had to suppress his reluctance, looked up at the sky outside, and said, "Prepare the horses, I want to leave the palace!"

"His Majesty."

Changsun Wuji was startled and quickly called out to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin looked up at him, then at the others, frowned and said, "I don't want to mention this matter anymore. Just pretend you know nothing."

"but."

Having said that, he paused, his eyes gradually becoming firm: "There is one thing I must get back!"

Hearing this, everyone looked at each other and instantly understood Li Shimin's thoughts.

Immediately afterwards, the emperor and his five ministers, each riding a horse, left the palace and Chang'an City without any guards.

……

the other side.

Qujiang Pavilion outside Chang'an City.

Li Yuan and Li Chengqian were drinking tea, enjoying the scenery and chatting in the pavilion. They looked very comfortable and relaxed.

There was no tension of running away at all.

Behind them stood Cen Wenben and Du Caigan.

Li Yuan smiled and looked at Cen Wenben, then asked him curiously, "Wenben, I didn't expect you to be so bold as to act so recklessly with Cheng Qian!"

"I……"

Cen Wenben opened his mouth, wanting to say something but stopped, and finally just smiled bitterly.

In fact, when he learned that Li Chengqian was planning to become the crown prince again by relying on the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he knew that he had no choice.

If you move forward, there may be a glimmer of hope; if you retreat, there is only the abyss.

So, he could only take a gamble.

But judging from the results, he made the right bet.

Li Chengqian became the crown prince without any danger, and he was also appointed by Li Chengqian as the Minister of the Eastern Palace.

Although the prince's eastern palace is in Jiangling, not in Chang'an, he now dares not stay in Chang'an.

Because when Emperor Li II comes to his senses, he will be furious.

By then, anyone involved in this matter will probably be punished by His Majesty Li II.

Therefore, he could only follow Li Chengqian and others to Jiangling.

But there was one thing he couldn't understand. They had clearly escaped from Chang'an City, so why were they still staying here, enjoying the scenery, drinking tea and chatting?

Could it be that the Emperor and the Crown Prince have other plans?
Thinking of the Xuanwu Gate Incident between the grandfather and grandson, and Li Chengqian's ingenious arrangement for him to deal with the bodies of Changsun Anye and others, Cen Wenben admired the grandfather and grandson from the bottom of his heart.

If he had the chance again, he would probably choose this path.

Because this road is so thrilling and exciting.

It is truly wonderful to have such an opportunity in life.

Now, he could also understand the feelings of Li Shimin's ministers firsthand, and it was no wonder that those ministers were valued by Li Shimin. After all, they had been through life and death together.

And now, he and the prince have been through life and death together.
"Haha." As if seeing through Cen Wenben's mood, Li Yuan smiled and said, "Wenben has a kind character and his writing is his forte, but he is used to quoting classics, which sometimes makes him detached from reality..."

"This……"

Cen Wenben was shocked. He didn't expect Li Yuan to have such a sharp vision and to grasp his weakness so accurately.

He couldn't help but turn his head to look at Li Chengqian, only to hear Li Chengqian smile and say, "Mr. Cen is willing to work with me, isn't it because he's practical? No one is perfect, so we judge by the heart, not the deeds. Grandpa, please don't make things difficult for Mr. Cen!"

Hearing this, Li Yuan smiled noncommittally, then picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, and asked curiously, "Are you so sure that Erlang will come to negotiate with us instead of hunting us down?"

Li Chengqian curled his lips and said, "Grandpa is using me to anger my father. It's a surefire way to deal with it! Given my father's personality, he'll definitely be furious."

"but."

Then he changed the subject and continued, "My father's greatest strength is his willingness to accept advice!"

"Accepting advice is easier said than done. People are all about prestige and don't like being criticized. Even an ordinary person wouldn't want to be gossiped about or dictated to, let alone an emperor. Throughout history, most emperors have been unwilling to listen to any discordant voices."

"However, my father is willing to listen."

“Not only are they willing to listen, but they are also eager to learn about it and are happy to learn.”

"Uh"

Li Yuan's mouth twitched: "Why do I feel a little weird when you say that?"

"Hahaha!"

Li Chengqian laughed and waved his hands: "Grandpa, don't let your imagination run wild. My father is not a masochist!"

"He simply understood one principle: 'If a man wishes to reflect on himself, he must use a mirror; if a ruler wishes to recognize his faults, he must rely on loyal ministers.' What does this mean? He possessed a strong sense of crisis."

Having said this, he looked at Li Yuan meaningfully and said, "After all, the Sui Dynasty fell in the second generation, right before our eyes. My father wanted to be a wise ruler, so he naturally didn't want to be the second Emperor Yang of Sui!"

"Ah!"

Li Yuan snorted and was about to respond when he heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance. He looked in the direction of the sound and narrowed his eyes slightly: "They are coming!"

Soon, Li Shimin came into the pavilion with a complicated expression.

Although he didn't say anything, Du Caigan and Cen Wenben both tactfully left the pavilion.

When only the father and his two sons were left in the pavilion, Li Shimin took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and turned his gaze to Li Chengqian with difficulty: "Chengqian, my good son, can you tell me why you did this?"

"This"

Li Chengqian looked embarrassed and turned to look at Li Yuan.

But Li Yuan smiled faintly: "Erlang, now that things have come to this, why, is it really that important?"

"I don't understand. He was the one who requested the abolition of the crown prince, and he was also the one who schemed to reinstate him. What exactly does he want?"

As he spoke, Li Shimin took a deep breath and said with some pain, "Father, I already understand you!"

"Ah!"

Li Yuan snorted, neither sympathizing with Li Shimin nor attacking him again, but waved his hand impatiently and said:

"This matter has passed, and our goal has been achieved. Now let's talk business!"

"No! I must have an answer today! Otherwise, I will do whatever it takes!"

Li Yuan was speechless and turned to look at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian's expression changed for a moment, and he finally sighed helplessly and said, "There is good news and bad news. Which one would you like to hear first, Father?"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, frowned and said, "Bad news!"

"The bad news is that in a while, our Tang Dynasty may experience an unprecedented disaster!"

"what!"

Li Shimin was shocked and asked, "How did you know?"

"Your Majesty, you should know about Prince Changle's collusion with the Turks in smuggling, right? Although I used Changsun Anye, I also got a lot of useful information from them."

At this point, Li Chengqian turned his head to glance at Li Yuan, then continued, "To curry favor with Grandpa, Prince Changle gifted him a pair of deer-tendon pipa strings. I used Grandpa's mouth to ask Changsun Anye about border affairs. He learned that there have been heavy snowfalls on the border recently, resulting in many deaths. The snowstorm may affect several surrounding states."

"This"

Li Shimin's eyes widened when he heard this, and he couldn't help but continue to ask: "What about the good news?"

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "The good news is that Yuan Junzhang should soon surrender to the Tang Dynasty!"

"what?!"

Li Shimin was surprised for a moment and asked quickly, "Are you serious?"

"Whether it's true or not, I don't know, but based on my inference, since there's a snowstorm on the border of the Tang Dynasty, then the situation in the Turkic region is probably even worse!"

"This"

Li Shimin was overwhelmed with excitement. Without time to think, he quickly asked, "Is Yuan Junzhang's surrender related to the Turkic snowstorm?"

"If I guess correctly, it should be!"

"Then what other purpose do you have in going to Jiangling?"

"I advise your Majesty not to interfere in this matter!" Li Chengqian said calmly.

Li Shimin frowned, thinking to himself, "Why don't you tell me to stay out of this? I'm your father, how can I not control you?"
But he snorted coldly: "The whole world belongs to me, and so does your position as crown prince."

"Alright, Father, stop bragging. Grandpa made me the Crown Prince! You can't do anything to me!"

"puff"

Li Yuan couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Yes, no matter how funny it is, he won't laugh unless he can't help it.

Li Shimin's face darkened and he was about to lose his temper.

But then Li Chengqian suddenly said, "Father, I want the autonomy of my fiefdom!"

"hiss!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin couldn't help but take a breath.

　There is one more chapter. Please slow down for a few minutes. I am revising it.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)