My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Li Shimin was speechless.

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "My beloved consort, whether it is Li Tai or Li Ke, they are both my sons."

I treat everyone equally, so how can there be any favoritism?

and,

Li Ke looks a lot like me.

I like him very much.

However, there can only be one crown prince, not for any other reason than that Chengqian is the eldest son, therefore, Chengqian was made crown prince.

Consort Yang crossed her arms and said, "Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand. I had no intention of making Li Ke the Crown Prince."

Being the crown prince has far too many things to worry about. I think it would be better for him to be a vassal king.

but,

The Shu region is relatively close to the Western Regions, and if the vassal king is weak, he is easily invaded by foreign enemies.

Take the last time Yanqi sent troops to attack Dunhuang as an example. If Li Ke's territory were large enough and his army large enough, and if you gave him the authority to mobilize troops...

He could then seize the opportunity to repel the Yanqi army and protect the local people from harm.

but,

Li Ke was too weak to be a match for them.

You might say again that I'm settling old scores with you.

Not bad, this time.

The Tuyuhun were conquered by troops sent by the imperial court.

but,

Do you remember how powerful Tuyuhun was under the rule of Fuyun Khan?

At that time,

My father dispatched Yuwen Shu and Prince Yang Xiong, among others, to lead a large army to conquer the city. After years of bloody battles, they finally drove away Fuyun Khan and occupied Fusi City.

My father divided Tuyuhun into four commanderies: Xihai Commandery, Heyuan Commandery, Shanshan Commandery, and Qiemo Commandery.

The Tuyuhun and Shu regions are not far apart.

As His Majesty just said, he treats everyone equally.

Since you have already assigned the Dangxiang to Li Tai,

Therefore,

Your Majesty, I humbly request that you cede Tuyuhun to Li Ke.

Is my request unreasonable?

What is Your Majesty's opinion?

This is another pointed question.

Li Shimin immediately realized that Consort Yang and Consort Yan were completely different types of women.

Consort Yan would cry, make a scene, or threaten suicide at the drop of a hat.

but,

Consort Yang spoke with reason and evidence, her words were gentle yet firm, and her speech contained a sharp edge.

Her meaning was already very clear.

Although Tuyuhun was conquered by Li Chengqian, it was not solely Li Chengqian's achievement; the historical contributions of Emperor Yang of Sui also played a role.

In other words, Consort Yang's implication was that Tuyuhun originally belonged to the Yang family, but now it had become the Li family's territory.

Li Shimin had read many history books and felt that what an emperor should worry about most was not which minister was too powerful, nor which prince was too strong.

What I'm worried about is that if one company becomes too dominant, it will become too big to handle!

At the beginning,

Wasn't Emperor Wu of Han just like that?

Li Guang became powerful.

Emperor Wu of Han then sent Wei Qing to restrain Li Guang.

After the Li family fell from power, Wei Qing became the Grand General, wielding absolute power.

Emperor Wu of Han then promoted Huo Qubing to counterbalance Wei Qing;

Emperor Wu of Han saw it very clearly: although Huo Qubing was Wei Qing's nephew, Huo Qubing would not back down in the face of power.

After Huo Qubing died, Emperor Wu of Han began to promote Li Guangli. Li Guangli led a western expedition to Dayuan and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Haixi, thus counterbalancing Wei Qing.

Emperor Wu of Han enfeoffed Liu Hong as King of Qi, Liu Dan as King of Yan, Liu Xu as King of Guangling, and Liu Bo as King of Changyi, to create a system of checks and balances.

Li Shimin believed that an emperor must be adept at using Tai Chi and leveraging the opponent's strength against them.

For example, the power held by Grand Secretary Fang Xuanling grew increasingly greater.

Therefore,

Li Shimin planned to promote Chu Suiliang to a higher position to counter him.

As for the princes...

In fact, Li Shimin did not want anyone to be the most powerful.

If that's the case, it could become too powerful to control in the future!

How did the Rebellion of the Seven States come about? Wasn't it because the power of Liu Bi, the King of Wu, and Liu Wu, the King of Chu, was too great?

By then, Emperor Jing of Han could no longer command them.

In addition, Li Shimin could also sense that Tuyuhun, Tubo, and Silla were now all under Li Chengqian's command, which was not what he wanted to see.

After careful consideration, Li Shimin nodded in agreement: "Alright, let's transfer the land originally occupied by Tuyuhun to Li Ke's jurisdiction."

Upon hearing Li Shimin's words, Consort Yang smiled and said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Please, Your Majesty, draft another decree.

Li Shimin picked up his pen, quickly wrote another imperial edict, and handed it to Consort Yang.

Consort Yang put away both imperial edicts.

Li Shimin pulled Consort Yang into his arms again: "My dear consort, it's getting late, we can rest now."

Consort Yang declined again: "Your Majesty, the night is still long, and I have something to say to you."

"Oh, what do you have to say?" Although Li Shimin was already a little tired of it, he still listened with reluctance.

"I heard that Xu Hui did well in the written exam, tying for third place with Lu Zhaolin."

So,

Your Majesty, may I ask...

"Has Xu Hui already gone to work at Chongwen Academy?" Consort Yang gently stroked her temples.

"Yes." Li Shimin nodded.

"I think this is probably inappropriate."

"Oh, is there something wrong?"

"Chongwen Hall was opened for the Crown Prince, who is about the same age as Xu Hui."

Your Majesty must not forget what happened between Li Jiancheng, Consort Zhang, and Consort Yin back then.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's expression changed slightly.

He certainly knew about that scandal.

Li Jiancheng had affairs with two of his father's favorite concubines.

This incident almost made Li Yuan die of anger.

Li Shimin waved his hand: "My dear consort, you're overthinking it."

Cheng Gan isn't that kind of person.

Consort Yang pursed her lips: "Your Majesty, what can I say about you?"

People don't start out as bad; they gradually change as they grow older, over time, and with changes in their environment.

Did Li Jiancheng have any idea from the beginning that he would have something going on with Consort Zhang and Consort Yin?

I doubt it.

However, things turned out that Li Yuan was biased, leaving Li Jiancheng to guard the rear while Li Jiancheng fought bravely on the front lines, conquering all sides.

but,

Li Jiancheng, staying in the rear, developed lewd thoughts.

and,

I heard that Li Chenggan and Xu Hui had a close relationship, even exchanging poems and letters.

Doesn't this violate the regulations of the imperial court?

The imperial court had explicit regulations that princes were not allowed to have close relationships with their concubines.

Their prolonged association is probably not a good thing for His Majesty and the court.

Li Shimin waved his hand to interrupt her: "My beloved consort, let's not talk about this anymore. I have already made my decision, how can I change it so easily?"

"Your Majesty, have you issued an order to arrest Li Chenggan?"

"Yes." Li Shimin nodded, his expression becoming serious.

"Why does Your Majesty do this?" Consort Yang asked deliberately.

"It's because Li Chengqian is secretly cultivating his own power and army. What exactly he's thinking is currently unknown."

Therefore,

"Summon him to come see me and explain."

"So, has Li Chenggan arrived?"

"No," Li Shimin shook his head, "I heard he has already fled Chang'an."

"You summoned Li Chengan to see you, but he ran away. Doesn't that say something?"

"Did Li Chenggan order Ashina She'er to lead 1 cavalry to garrison on the border of Gaochang?"

"Yes."

"Could it be that he went to the Japanese kingdom this time and won over King Yamashiro Ōe again?"

"Moreover, King Yamashiro has tens of thousands of naval troops under his command."

Li Shimin was taken aback: "My dear consort, your information network is quite impressive."

Consort Yang shook her head: "It's not that I have good information, but that there are no secrets in this world."

People will naturally find out about what Li Chenggan did very quickly.

Your Majesty, it's not that I'm trying to sow discord between you and your son.

I think this is a very bad sign.

To be frank, figures like Murong Shun of Tuyuhun, Songtsen Gampo of Tibet, Kim Deokman of Silla, and Prince Pongjang of Baekje probably only had Li Chenggan in their hearts.

There is no His Majesty.

If Li Chenggan wanted to mobilize their troops, it would probably be a simple matter of a word.

Your Majesty, please consider this: Ashina She'er's 1 cavalry, and the tens of thousands of naval forces of the Great King of the Mountain Back...

Adding the Tuyuhun, Tubo, and Silla, gathering an army of 10 shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?

Your Majesty is well-versed in classics and history, and understands history better than I do.

At the beginning,

Touman Chanyu appointed Modu as the crown prince of the Xiongnu.

Then, Maodun was sent to the Yuezhi Kingdom as a hostage.

later,

Touman Chanyu fell in love with other concubines.

He planned to make the son born to that concubine the crown prince.

Touman Chanyu, in a moment of folly, ordered his generals to lead troops to attack the Yuezhi Kingdom.

This is clearly a case of using someone else to do the dirty work.

However, to everyone's surprise, Maodun was very alert.

He received prior warning, stole a horse, and fled back to the Xiongnu.

Touman Chanyu felt that Modu was mighty, brave, and resourceful, and then regretted his decision. So he appointed him as the commander of 1 cavalry.

No one could have imagined that from that moment on, the seeds of hatred would be sown in Maodun's heart.

He trained the ten thousand cavalry day and night.

finally,

Those ten thousand cavalrymen were absolutely obedient to him.

On one occasion,

Touman Chanyu and Modu went hunting together. Modu then commanded his 1 cavalry to shoot and kill Touman Chanyu, and declared himself the Chanyu of the Xiongnu.

Whose fault is it that a son kills his father?

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han,

Crown Prince Liu Ju was falsely accused of cursing Emperor Wu of Han.

Emperor Wu of Han actually believed it to be true.

Forced into a corner, Liu Ju forged an imperial edict to mobilize the guards of Changle Palace and execute Jiang Chong.

The rebels then organized the citizens of Chang'an to fight the imperial army for five days, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and injuries, and almost dethroning the emperor.

As for Liu Shao, he served as regent for a long time and commanded the Eastern Palace Guard. While the emperor was on an outing, he led his personal troops to raid the palace, killed Emperor Wen of Song, Liu Yilong, and declared himself emperor.

Yuan Xun opposed Emperor Xiaowen's Sinicization policies.

Taking advantage of the emperor's tour,

They allied with Xianbei nobles and planned to return to Pingcheng to launch a coup and seize the throne.

Although he did not officially start the war, he had secretly plotted to assemble an army and almost succeeded.

These are lessons learned in blood.

"Your Majesty is wise; you should know better than I do what needs to be done."

Li Shimin naturally knew that what Consort Yang said were historical facts.

Things that have happened in history

Therefore, emperors throughout history strictly controlled the power of the crown prince in commanding the core military forces.

This is the game between father and son.

Consort Yang was indeed no ordinary woman; she also loved reading.

Her implication was that Li Shimin should ruthlessly kill Li Chenggan, but she phrased it rather euphemistically.

This was also a headache and a source of worry for Li Shimin. To say that Li Shimin had placed high hopes on Li Chengqian...

When Li Chengqian was very young, two tutors, Kong Yingda and Lu Deming, were hired to specifically teach the crown prince his studies.

these years,

No matter how busy Li Shimin was, he never forgot to educate the crown prince.

Because Li Shimin deeply understood that the crown prince was the foundation of the nation and could not be easily moved. If the crown prince proved himself capable,

The Tang Dynasty would have avoided many detours, become prosperous and powerful, and its people would have lived in peace and contentment.

Conversely, if the crown prince were an incompetent and ignorant person, it would be very difficult to say where the Tang Dynasty would end up.

They had been eagerly anticipating Li Chengqian's coming-of-age ceremony, which marked him as an adult, but unexpectedly...

So many things have happened recently.

Li Shimin was also conflicted.

As for disposing of Li Chenggan, he was his beloved son.

How could I bear to do this to the crown prince whom I had painstakingly raised?

but,

If Li Chengqian is not punished, then what Fang Xuanling and Consort Yang said is not without reason.

Just when Li Shimin was troubled,

A maidservant entered from outside the door and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, I have important matters to report."

Li Shimin looked down and saw that the maid was none other than Cai Xiang.

Na Caixiang was a maidservant to Empress Zhangsun.

Li Shimin asked, "What is it?"

"Your Majesty, Empress Zhangsun has suddenly experienced abdominal pain. Please come to her immediately."

"What?" Li Shimin exclaimed, standing up abruptly. "Such a thing has happened? What happened to the Empress?"

"This servant does not know, Your Majesty, please go and see."

Li Shimin turned to Consort Yang and said, "My dear consort, the Empress has something to attend to, and I need to go there."

Consort Yang sighed: "Your Majesty, I knew long ago that you would not stay in my palace tonight."

Since Guanyinbi is unwell, you should go quickly.

If I arrive late and something goes wrong, I cannot bear the responsibility.

Li Shimin had no interest in listening to her and strode towards the door.

Su Wan's boudoir.

Su Wan paced back and forth in the room, her hands behind her back, her heart filled with anxiety.

She sensed that the Crown Prince's situation was deteriorating rapidly.

Originally, the Crown Prince risked his life to climb Mount Liujia, pick the snow lingzhi, and cure the Empress's illness, which was a great achievement.

Secondly, the crown prince prevented the seemingly equal but actually malicious transactions between Wa, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Yanqi.

It stabilized the situation around the Tang Dynasty;

Thirdly, Li Chenggan conquered the Great King of Yamabe with his wisdom and talent, and the Great King of Yamabe willingly surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Li Chenggan was worried that he would repeat the same mistake, so he did not accept the Great King of Yamabe's surrender.

Instead, he suggested that King Yamashiro go to Silla to suppress the pirates.

This served as a deterrent to both Goguryeo and Baekje.

This was originally a win-win situation.

But somehow, when it reached the mouths of Fang Xuanling and other ministers, it took on a different meaning.

They claim that Li Chenggan secretly built his own army, cultivated his power, and plotted a rebellion.

What's most infuriating is that the Emperor seemed to firmly believe this, without even investigating, and simply accepted what Fang Xuanling and other ministers said.

He also issued an imperial edict ordering Chang He to arrest Li Chenggan.

If it weren't for Master Xuanzang's timely arrival, Li Chenggan would probably already be imprisoned in the Dali Temple.

Don't even mention becoming emperor in the future.

I'm afraid he won't even keep his head.

Sometimes, Su Wan really couldn't understand how things had turned out this way.

Li Chengan nearly lost his life during his fierce battles in the Western Regions.

Li Chengan also faced near-death experiences upon arriving in the Wa (Japanese) kingdom.

He was loyal to the Tang Dynasty, so why did he end up like this?

Su Wan thought that the most important thing now was not whether she could keep her position as crown prince, but how to save Li Chengqian's head.

but,

Xue'er has been gone for a while now.

Su Gui still hasn't arrived. I really don't know what he's doing.

Just then, a creaking sound was heard, the door opened, and a person walked in from outside.

Su Wan turned her head to look and saw that it was not Su Gui, so who else could it be?

"Sister, you were looking for me?" Su Gui was dressed in full military uniform, travel-worn and covered in sweat.

"Why did you only arrive now?" Su Wan rolled her eyes at him.

"I was just assembling the army."

How many men did you bring?

"Two hundred people?"

"Is that all? Don't you have 2000 men under your command?"

"Usually, yes, but this time, for some reason, they were all moved away by Chang He."

Su Wan nodded after hearing this: "It seems Chang He has become smarter. He knows you are my brother, and he knows you will definitely side with the Crown Prince."

"You didn't even bother to capture Chengxin and Wei Lingfu, so how could you possibly capture the Crown Prince?"

"Sister, you're right," Su Gui walked to the table, poured herself a bowl of tea, and then drank it all in one gulp.

He wiped the water from the corner of his mouth with his hand. "Has Chang Datou become this smart now?"

"I'm telling you, never underestimate anyone."

When it comes to their future and their lives, they don't mince words.

"But the Crown Prince's condition is very bad, extremely dangerous," Su Wan said earnestly.

"I've heard about this too, what exactly happened?"

"Has His Majesty taken the wrong medicine?"

"Who knows what's wrong with him?" Su Wan was so angry she didn't know what to say.

At that moment, a burly man burst in from outside.

He announced loudly, "The Crown Prince is in Luoyang."

Su Wan turned her head to look and saw that it was none other than Qin Ying.

Su Wan quickly asked, "Qin Ying, have you made contact with the Crown Prince?"

"We've made contact. I used a carrier pigeon to locate the Crown Prince's position." Qin Ying wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"How is the Crown Prince doing now?"

"He's with Xue Rengui, so he's fine for now."

"And who is Xue Rengui?" Su Wan couldn't help but ask.

"Your Highness, Xue Rengui is quite remarkable." Qin Ying then recounted some of the things about Xue Rengui.

"Really? Is Xue Rengui's martial arts skill that high?" Su Wan was very surprised after hearing this.

"Yes, he's probably even taller than I said. Just think about it, even the three assassins working together wouldn't be a match for him."

Su Wan then handed the token given to her by Empress Zhangsun to Su Gui: "You two take your men and leave the city immediately to go to Luoyang to find the Crown Prince. No matter what, you must ensure the Crown Prince's safety."

"understood."

Qin Ying cursed and said, "Let me tell you, this whole thing is that old bastard Fang Xuanling's fault. He's the one who spoke ill of the Crown Prince to the Emperor."

If it weren't for him,

Even the emperor wouldn't do that.

You saved Fang Yi'ai last time, and this is how he treats the Crown Prince? He's a real scoundrel.

Su Wan waved her hand: "Let's not talk about that now. You should set off quickly. As long as the Crown Prince is alright, nothing else matters. We can deal with the future later."

"promise!"

that's it,

Su Gui and Qin Ying led two hundred brothers and rode at full speed to Luoyang.

quickly,

They then found the Yuelai Inn.

Just then, Li Chengan and Xue Rengui had just escaped from Xianren Palace.

Li Chengan looked nervous, thinking that Zhang Shigui and Li Daozong had sent men to catch up.

Xue Rengui went downstairs to inquire, only to find that it was Qin Ying and Su Gui.

Su Gui ordered her men to stand guard outside.

Su Gui and Qin Ying came together to pay their respects to Li Chenggan.

Li Chengan was pleased to see Su Gui and Qin Ying arrive and asked, "How did you two get here?"

Su Gui then briefly recounted what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan was deeply moved, thinking to himself that Su Wan truly cared about him.

Li Chengan laughed heartily: "You don't need to worry too much. Look, I'm perfectly fine now, aren't I?"

Qin Ying looked at Li Chengan and asked, "Your Highness, did you and Xue Rengui just go to see Li Daozong and Zhang Shigui?"

"Yes, I even fought with Zhang Shigui." Li Chenggan gestured with his hands.

"Are you alright?"

No, not at all.

"I'd heard long ago that old bastard Zhang Shigui was no good."

Xue Rengui applied to join the army twice, but was refused both times.

He is blocking a worthy person for the sake of the country, which is a capital offense.

He actually dared to poison you.

"I'm going to go and twist his head off right now." Qin Ying said, taking big strides towards the door.

Li Chengan quickly stopped him: "Right now, we're on someone else's small piece of land. Li Daozong's army, plus Zhang Shigui's army, numbers in the tens of thousands."

"We only have two hundred men, how can we possibly be a match for them?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Ying blinked and felt that what Li Chenggan said seemed to make some sense.

Li Chenggan, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, said, "We can't act impulsively."

We need to stay calm.

and,

Li Daozong and Zhang Shigui are not the same.

We need to treat them differently.

After all, Li Daozong is my father's cousin.

He also had to consider some of the potential consequences.

Su Gui suddenly remembered something and said to Li Chenggan:

"Didn't Songtsen Gampo return from the Wa (Japanese) Kingdom with you?"

"Yes. Yakushi Eri also came back with us."

Where are they?

"They should be resting at the inn in Chang'an now." Li Chengqian's gaze was fixed on the view outside the window.

Su Gui suggested:

"Your Highness, isn't Princess Wencheng Li Daozong's daughter?"

"Yes."

"Princess Wencheng and Songtsen Gampo are already engaged. We invite Songtsen Gampo to go and find Princess Wencheng."

Send Princess Wencheng to persuade Li Daozong.

Tell Li Daozong and Zhang Shigui not to make things difficult for you.

After the Empress persuades your father to rescind the decree ordering your arrest, you can return to Chang'an.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan thought it was a good idea: "Then, who will go to find Songtsen Gampo?"

Qin Ying blinked: "I'm more familiar with Songtsen Gampo."

"We went to the Wa Kingdom together last time, I'll go find him instead."

Li Chenggan was a little worried: "With your personality, so carefree and easygoing, you must speak to Songtsen Gampo properly after you meet him."