Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 252 always involves plotting a rebellion.
Wen He staggered back a few steps.

The eunuch was not seriously injured, but when he saw the person he had bumped into, he was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and admitted his mistake: "This servant was rude, please forgive me, Your Excellency."

"Uh, it's okay, it's okay. Get up first, don't kneel down all the time." Wen He said helplessly as she went forward to help him up.

"What happened? Why are you in such a panic?" Li Shimin's voice suddenly rang out.

The eunuch bowed and stepped forward, hurriedly replying, "Your Majesty, the Dukes of Su, Fan, Jiang, and Xue request an audience."

Four dukes came together!

Moreover, they were all generals of the Sixteen Guards.

Wen He glanced at Li Shimin, who remained calm and seemed unresponsive.

"Let them in," Li Shimin said, and then sat down.

"Ahem, Your Majesty, should I make way?"

Wen He knew without a doubt that these people were here for Lü Shiheng.

"Weren't you waiting for Cheng Zhijie and his men to come knocking on our door? Well then, you stay here. I'd like to see if they'll actually attack you!"

Li Shimin sneered.

Wen He immediately curled her lip.

This Li Er.

However, there seemed to be some resentment in what you just said.

It seems he was still angry, but he was just acting calm.

Seeing this, Wen He had no choice but to obediently find a seat and sit down.

Before long, the eunuch led Cheng Zhijie and the others to the main hall.
The group consisted of four people, three of whom were acquaintances of Wen He, and one burly old man whom Wen He did not recognize.

But Wen He knew something about his identity.

"Your subject is Cheng Zhijie."

"Your subject is Duan Zhixuan."

"My lord, I respect you."

"Your subject is Changsun Shunde."

"I have met His Majesty."

The four of them exchanged gifts together.

Li Shimin, sitting on the throne, deliberately held a document and looked at it, seemingly unaware of the arrival of the four of them.

Cheng Zhijie and the other three remained in their bowing posture, not daring to move, and simply continued bowing.

After a long while, Li Shimin said calmly, "No need for formalities."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The four of them secretly breathed a sigh of relief before getting up.

As soon as I looked up, I saw Wen He sitting not far away.

"The magistrate of Gaoyang County is here too," Cheng Zhijie asked with a grin.

"Greetings, Duke Su." Wen He stood up and bowed to the four of them.

Duan Zhixuan winked at him secretly, and Jing Junhong also frowned, as if hinting at something.

But Wen He acted as if she hadn't seen anything, sat down by herself, and then looked down at the hem of her clothes.

"What brings you here today, gentlemen?" Li Shimin put down the letter in his hand and took a sip of tea.

They seemed unaware of the purpose of their visit.

The four of them looked at each other.

In the end, they all focused their attention on Changsun Shunde.

"Your Majesty, we have heard that the magistrate of Gaoyang County has gone to the Dali Temple to investigate a case of embezzlement of military funds, so we have come to inquire about it. We wonder if Lü Shiheng..."

Changsun Shunde paused for a moment after saying this.

He suddenly looked at Wen He, his eyes slightly narrowed, as if to signal Wen He to continue his sentence.

This is a tacit understanding that exists behind the scenes within the imperial court.

If Wen He were to speak at this point and mention Lü Shiheng's verdict, these people would then plead for leniency.

At least don't let Lü Shiheng be exiled; just dismiss him from his post and we can find another excuse to reinstate him later.

But Wen He was unaware of such unspoken rules.

Even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

Who are you? Do I know you?
But believe it or not, Wen He actually knew Changsun Shunde.

He was the great-grandson of Changsun Zhi, the Prince of Shangdang in the Northern Wei Dynasty, the son of Changsun Kai, the Grand Master of the Sui Dynasty, and the cousin of Empress Wende, Changsun Wugou. He was also one of the "Twenty-Four Meritorious Officials of Lingyan Pavilion".

Such a background was considered one of the best in the Tang Dynasty.

During the Sui Dynasty, he entered officialdom through family connections and started as a Right Imperial Guard.

However, in order to escape Yang Guang's campaign against Goguryeo, he sought refuge under Li Yuan.

After the uprising in Jinyang, he served as the commander of the army and participated in the pacification of Huoyi, the capture of Linfen, the capture of the famous general Qu Tutong, and the capture of Shanxian, achieving numerous military exploits.

After Li Yuan became emperor, he appointed Changsun Shunde as the Left General of the Valiant Guard and granted him the title of Duke of Xue.

During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Wen He met him once at the Prince of Qin's residence, but at that time he did not know that this person was Changsun Shunde.

"Cough cough."

Cheng Zhijie suddenly coughed lightly.

"That Wen County boy, I wonder how that scoundrel Lü Shiheng was sentenced?"

He and Wen He had some contact, and he considered their relationship to be quite good.

"Duke Su, please don't ask me. I don't know anything," Wen He said with a smile.

He was telling Cheng Yaojin, "Don't make things difficult for me. The one who can make the decision is sitting right here."

"Your Majesty."

Duan Zhixuan suddenly bowed and called out.

"You've just been enfeoffed as Duke of Fan, and your voice has gotten louder already." Li Shimin's casual remark instantly suppressed the imposing aura that Duan Zhixuan had just displayed.

Li Er's words were somewhat like killing someone's spirit.

He was telling Duan Zhixuan.

I just granted you the title of Duke, and you dare to come with these old geezers to interrogate me?

"Your subject dares not!" Duan Zhixuan immediately lowered his head in fear.

The three seasoned veterans behind him couldn't help but feel helpless.

Is this young man so easily intimidated by His Majesty?
I should have brought a few old guys with me.

"Your Majesty, I wish to plead for Lü Shiheng."

Jing Junhong spoke up.

Moreover, he didn't beat around the bush and directly began to list Lü Shiheng's achievements: "Since the beginning of the Wude era, Lü Shiheng..." It's hard to say whether to say that Jing Junhong has a good memory or that he likes to be serious.

He listed all of Lü Shiheng's military achievements, as if afraid that they were not enough, even including things like feeding Li Shimin's horses.

However, this could also be an attempt to appeal to emotions.

He turned to look at Li Shimin and saw that the latter's eyes were slightly red.

People later said that Li Shimin cried more than Liu Bei. Wen He didn't believe it before, but now he does.

Even this rambling account of his military achievements moved him to tears.

She's so easily moved to tears.

"Jiaying, what do you think?"

As Wen He was reminiscing, Li Shimin suddenly changed the subject and kicked the ball to his feet.

"what?"

He didn't react for a moment.

"I am asking you, what should be done with Lü Shiheng? Has he returned all the embezzled funds? If so, then let him be treated leniently."

Li Shimin was also somewhat troubled, but in reality, he also wanted to take the easy way out.

However, he was afraid that someone in the court would take it seriously.

That's why he needed to use Wen He's words.

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhijie and the others secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then turned their gazes to Wen He.

"I don't know. The seizure of stolen money is under the jurisdiction of the Dali Temple. The Hundred Cavalry are only responsible for interrogation and arrest."

Even a hundred cavalrymen cannot steal all the credit from the Dali Temple.

So Xu Jingzong did Dali Temple a favor.

Wen He had no objections. In the end, the money would be recovered and given to the guards.

As for killing Lü Shiheng, he never intended to do so from the beginning.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have come to find Li Shimin.

"Then let the people from the Dali Temple investigate..."

"Your Majesty."

Before Li Shimin could finish speaking, Changsun Shunde suddenly spoke up.

Everyone in the hall was puzzled.

His Majesty intends to be lenient, so what is this old fellow going to say?
"Your Majesty, I believe that if we consider Lü Shiheng's merits, we should treat the portion he embezzled as a gift to him."

Changsun Shunde's sudden suggestion surprised Cheng Zhijie and the others.

Changsun Shunde had not mentioned this matter before he came.

Li Shimin's brows immediately furrowed.

Changsun Shunde naturally sensed something amiss and immediately explained, "Your Majesty, I have heard that Lü Shiheng was extravagant for a period of time. If we ask him to repay everything, I'm afraid he will find it difficult to do so. Wouldn't that require a severe punishment?"

'I see. ’

Cheng Zhijie and Jing Junhong exchanged a glance and both agreed that it made sense.

The money was embezzled and spent, and Lü Shiheng certainly didn't know how much he had spent, so it was impossible for him to return it all.

"If that's not possible, then confiscate his property to make up for it. As for him, he'll be spared exile, but he can be dismissed from his post and go home."

Li Shimin was getting annoyed.

He had already backed down, but Changsun Shunde was still taking advantage of the situation.

If it weren't for the fact that these meritorious officials had risked their lives for him, he would have exiled Lü Shiheng long ago.

"promise."

Seeing Li Shimin's anger, Changsun Shunde dared not say anything more.

Cheng Zhijie and the others also breathed a sigh of relief.

Dismissal from office is not a big deal, as long as I am not exiled and am still in Chang'an, I still have a chance.

This exile doesn't mean you're simply sent there.

Instead, they wouldn't pay you any money, but would have officials escort you across, a journey fraught with peril, where you might die on the roadside at any moment.

The result is already quite good.

"Your Majesty, I thank you on behalf of that scoundrel Lü Shiheng." Cheng Zhijie bowed deeply with a simple smile.

Jing Junhong and Duan Zhixuan quickly echoed their agreement.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. After that scoundrel comes out, we will give him a good scolding and make him come to apologize to Your Majesty."

Li Shimin couldn't help but chuckle and waved them away.

It was also because they knew their limits that only a few people came; if all the generals of the Sixteen Guards had come...

That would be considered a coup.

At that point, it won't just be Lü Shiheng anymore.

Even Li Shimin had no choice but to take action against these meritorious officials.

However, what pleased Li Shimin the most today was that Yuchi Jingde, Qin Qiong, and Li Shiji did not come.

This shows that they still understand his good intentions.

After they all left, he turned to Wen He and said, "This is a troublesome matter that I solved for you. What's wrong with you?"

Li Shimin was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly noticed that Wen He's expression was a little off.

But Wen He seemed not to hear, so he raised his voice and called out.

"Wen Jiaying!"

"what."

Wen He was startled and looked at Li Shimin in confusion.

"Your Majesty, did you call me?"

"What are you thinking about, so absent-minded?" Li Shimin glared at him.

I just helped him solve his problem, and he was daydreaming. It's outrageous!

Wen He felt embarrassed. Recalling what he had just remembered, he asked hesitantly.

"Um, I just thought of something, but I'm not sure if I should say it."

"Are you suggesting that one of those people was plotting a rebellion?"

It's been a long time since Li Shimin inquired about his ministers' resumes, mainly because he was somewhat afraid.

Every time the question is raised, it always brings up who is plotting a rebellion.

"It's not that bad," Wen He shook her head.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief, but then Wen He added, "It means someone was found to be embezzling and was subsequently dismissed from office."

(End of this chapter)