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

morning.

Li Daozong received Li Shimin's decree: the court agreed to Ashina Simo's two demands and allowed the surrender of the Turkic army led by Ashina Simo.

At the same time, he ordered Li Daozong to lead the Tang army to surround Fuyu Fengzhang's army, and to arrest Fuyu Fengzhang and take him to the Dali Temple in Chang'an for interrogation.

Li Chengan is urged to return to Chang'an immediately, without delay! So be it.

Li Daozong dared not delay and immediately took action.

……

Yuelai Inn.

Li Chengan is resting in the inn.

He barely slept last night; he tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

He thought about many things that had happened recently.

Objectively speaking, his mission to the Wa (Japan) was somewhat successful.

They found the Snow Lingzhi on Mount Liujia, which enabled Sun Simiao to cure his mother's illness.

He also blocked several agreements reached between Wa (Japan) and Goguryeo, Baekje, and Yeongi.

This is very beneficial for stabilizing the situation in the east of the Tang Dynasty.

This written exam,

Chu Suiliang won the top scholar title, while he achieved second place, which is quite an achievement.

However, what chilled him to the bone was that...

He couldn't understand why his father, the Emperor, had ordered the Imperial Guards to arrest him, given that he had made so many contributions and achieved good results in the exams.

He fled to Luoyang, but unexpectedly won over Ashina Simo, completely resolving the problem of the remaining Turkic forces. The Tang army suffered almost no losses.

Logically speaking, this was quite an achievement, but the Emperor didn't mention it at all.

Li Chengqian felt a vague unease, wondering if being the crown prince was such a bad fate.

Just as he was lost in thought, a semi-transparent virtual panel appeared in front of him, displaying: "Although Fusu has not been formally named Crown Prince, he is the eldest son and the recognized heir to the throne."

Ying Zheng was cruel and tyrannical, bringing ruin to the world, while Fusu was extremely benevolent and filial.

The burning of books and burying of scholars alive caused a great deal of unpleasantness between Ying Zheng and his son Fusu.

Enraged, Ying Zheng sent Fusu to Meng Tian's army to fight against the Xiongnu, thus preventing the Xiongnu from crossing the Hetao region.

Fusu made outstanding contributions.

However, he became somewhat blindly loyal and filial, and in the end, he was ordered to commit suicide by Li Si and Zhao Gao through a forged imperial edict.

Countless descendants lamented the death of Fusu.

Crown Prince Liu Ju was also very wise and enjoyed a high reputation throughout the court.

However, in his later years, Emperor Wu of Han became very suspicious and did not trust the crown prince much.

Until later,

Even if Liu Ju wanted to see Emperor Wu of Han, it wouldn't be so easy.

A rift developed between father and son, and with the instigation of Jiang Chong, the eunuch Su Wen, and others, the witchcraft scandal ultimately erupted.

Liu Ju committed suicide after his defeat.

Sima Yu of Jin was also very capable and intelligent from a young age. He was the grandson of Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan.

He was deeply loved by his grandfather.

However, he was not born to Empress Jia Nanfeng and suffered persecution from her.

Jia Nanfeng falsely accused him of treason, stripped him of his title, and imprisoned him in Xuchang.

Later, Jia Nanfeng summoned the wicked eunuch Sun Lü to force Sima Yu to commit suicide by poison. Sima Yu refused and was ultimately beaten to death with a pestle in the latrine by the eunuch.

Upon seeing this, Li Chengan felt a chill run down his spine and his heart pounded with fear.

Li Chenggan thought to himself that he had only wanted to experience being the crown prince after traveling to the Tang Dynasty.

He originally thought that the Crown Prince would be surrounded by beautiful women and have endless money, allowing him to live a life of extravagance and debauchery.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving in the Tang Dynasty, they discovered that it was not the case at all.

Li Chengan couldn't help but ask, "How can we avert the Crown Prince's tragic fate?"

Please wait, this system is searching...

However, after a long while, the system finally responded: "Sorry, so far, no effective solution has been found."

"Then, can I travel back in time?"

That won't do. Your ordeal has only just begun...

"What did you say? I've already come to this point, and my suffering has only just begun. Why not just kill me already?"

[Host, you cannot die now.]

at this time

Qin Ying arrived in a flustered state, looking travel-worn: "Your Highness, something terrible has happened!"

Li Chengan jumped off the couch in a flash and asked, "What happened now?"

"Fuyu Fengzhang's 10,000 troops were surrounded by the Tang army, and Fuyu Fengzhang himself was arrested and taken to the Dali Temple for interrogation."

Why?

Li Chenggan suddenly felt his head spin. "Who went to arrest Fuyu Fengzhang?"

"Li Daozong".

"What? Uncle, why would he do that?"

"How would I know?" Qin Ying shrugged.

Li Chenggan realized that the problem was already very serious.

He paced back and forth in the room, his hands behind his back, thinking that Li Daozong dared to attack the ten thousand troops brought by Fuyu Fengzhang, he must have received an imperial decree.

Otherwise, Li Daozong wouldn't have done it this way.

Li Chengqian couldn't understand why his father, the emperor, would do this.

Although Buyeo Pungjang was a prince of Baekje,

However, he is different from Buyeo Ui-ja.

He was utterly loyal to the Tang Dynasty.

If things continue like this, the conflict between the Tang Dynasty and Baekje will become irreconcilable, and Baekje will surely side with Goguryeo.

Li Chenggan was extremely anxious, thinking that Fuyu Fengzhang had led 1 troops from so far away to rescue him.

If something were to happen to Buyeo Pungjang and his army, how would I explain myself?

Wouldn't that be letting my friends down?

at this time,

Suddenly, a creaking sound was heard, the door opened, and a person entered the room.

Wang De arrived at Yuelai Inn.

He shouted loudly, "The imperial edict has arrived!"

Li Chenggan quickly knelt on the ground: "I kowtow to receive the imperial edict."

Qin Ying also knelt down behind Li Chenggan.

Wang De opened the imperial edict and read aloud: "By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Several days ago, I had Wei Zheng deliver an oral edict summoning Li Chenggan back to Chang'an. Why has he not returned yet?"

He ordered Li Chenggan to immediately return to Chang'an and explain the whole story.

"Your subject obeys the decree."

Wang De handed the imperial edict to Li Chenggan.

Li Chenggan accepted it with both hands.

Wang De reached out and helped Li Chenggan up: "Your Highness, please get up."

Li Chengan stood up and said, "Eunuch Wang, you must be tired from your journey!"

"This old servant is not tired!"

Li Chengan ordered Qin Ying to take two gold bars and give them to Wang De.

Wang De feigned reluctance, saying, "Your Highness, how could I possibly accept this? I've spent quite a bit of your money over the years."

"Eunuch Wang, please accept this. Use it to buy some tea," Li Chengqian said with a smile.

"Then this old servant will not stand on ceremony," Wang De said, stuffing the two gold bars into his pocket.

"Please have a seat!"

Qin Ying brought Wang De another chair, and Wang De sat down without being polite.

Li Chengqian personally poured Wang De a cup of green tea and handed it to him.

Wang De took the teacup, took a small sip, and said, "Your Highness, this old servant knows that you have made a great contribution this time."

Li Chenggan waved his hand: "Eunuch Wang, I do not seek merit, but only to be free from guilt."

in fact,

Li Chenggan was also having doubts. Luoyang had suddenly been besieged by the Turkic army and was in imminent danger.

Li Daozong was at a loss.

If I hadn't been in Luoyang, it would probably have already been occupied by the Turkic army.

How easy would it be to subdue Ashina Simo?

Even Wang De could see this merit, so how could the Emperor not see it?

but,

However, the emperor did not mention his own merits at all in the imperial edict, but instead blamed him for not returning to Chang'an in time. Is there nothing suspicious about this?

Li Chengqian looked at Wang De and asked, "Do you know if Father Emperor summoned anyone before issuing the decree?"

Wang De sighed: "Your Highness, there are some things this old servant shouldn't have said."

I watched you grow up and know you are a kind-hearted person.

Is Fang Yi'ai in Luoyang?

"yes."

"You should know that although Fang Yi'ai is Princess Gaoyang's husband, he is probably not of one mind with you."

He sent a message to his father via carrier pigeon about what was happening in Luoyang.

Fang Xuanling was the Grand Secretary; could your father, the Emperor, not consult with him when making decisions?

"Has anyone else been summoned?"

"In addition to summoning Fang Xuanling, the Emperor also summoned Changsun Wuji."

"My uncle?"

"Yes," Wang De paused, then sighed, "they feel that you made too much of a splash in Luoyang, that your contributions were too great."

Furthermore, you can mobilize a massive army, posing a threat to the imperial court.

"I threaten the imperial court? What makes you say that?"

"I only know how to protect the imperial court."

"I completely believe what you say, but others may not think the same way."

"Father Emperor ordered Li Daozong to lead troops to suddenly surround the army brought by Buyeo Pungjang and capture Buyeo Pungjang."

Was it Fang Xuanling who instigated this?

"Your Highness, you are a smart man. You understand many things in your heart."

This old servant doesn't wish to say much more; after all, I'm quite old and don't want to get involved in any more troublesome matters.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan understood that Wang De's words were quite apt.

Li Chengan expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

"You should go and rest now."

"Your Highness, the Emperor is waiting for me to return and report. This old servant will head back now. You should also hurry back to Chang'an, otherwise, if your father is enraged, things will get complicated."

"I understand."

After seeing Wang De off, Li Chengan returned to his room and said to Qin Ying, "Pack your things, I'm going back to Chang'an now."

Qin Ying said, "Your Highness, I don't think you can return to Chang'an now."

Why?

"Oh dear, Your Highness, haven't you seen the situation?"

Now, Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji are stirring up trouble in front of your father, saying that you wield too much power and can mobilize a large army.

Furthermore, the Emperor ordered Li Daozong to surround the army brought by Buyeo Pungjang, and to arrest Buyeo Pungjang and send him to the Dali Temple.

Isn't this making you look bad?

"Fuyu Fengzhang came here to protect you."

Li Chenggan, with his hands tucked into his sleeves, said, "You're right. That's precisely why I must return to Chang'an to rescue Fuyu Fengzhang."

"Can I stand idly by and watch Fuyu Fengzhang be imprisoned in the Dali Temple's jail?"

"There's something I don't know whether I should say or not," Qin Ying said hesitantly.

Li Chengan found Qin Ying's hesitant manner strange, because Qin Ying had always been a very outgoing and carefree person.

"What are you trying to say?"

"You are not the same person you were before. Whether it's the five-nation alliance or Ashina Simo and Ashina Jieshe who surrendered, they are all willing to pledge their loyalty to you."

This is a beneficial thing for us.

Why don't you take Li Daozong by surprise, seize his military power, and occupy Luoyang?

With nearly 20 soldiers at your command, who dares to do anything to you?

Only in that way could Buyeo Pung-jang be rescued.

If you return to Chang'an now, not only will you be unable to save Fuyu Fengzhang, but you yourself will likely be arrested.

You have subdued the remaining forces of the Turks and lifted the siege of Luoyang, which is a good thing. But do your father and Fang Xuanling think so?

They'll just think you're too powerful and have too much prestige.

Li Chengan felt utterly exhausted. He never imagined that his victory in eliminating the remaining Turkic forces, which should have been a great achievement, would instead become a crime.

Qin Ying's words were not without reason. The Emperor's decree was very clear. It did not mention anything about his task of wiping out the remaining Turkic forces. It only questioned him about why he had disobeyed the decree.

Li Chengan thought for a moment and said, "I have to go back. Father is already very angry."

If we don't go back this time, won't Father be furious?

Furthermore, you must never mention such treasonous words again from now on.

"I'll pretend you never said that. If these words were to spread, your entire family would be exterminated."

"Your Highness, I know you are very loyal to the court and very filial to your father, but don't forget the saying, 'The royal family has no relatives.'"

Although I am not well-educated, I have heard about the story of Emperor Wu of Han and his son Liu Ju.

Does this mean Liu Ju really intends to rebel?

He was forced into this situation; he had no choice but to rebel.

"You must act decisively now. What you need to do is to seize Li Daozong by surprise and take him out of his military power."

Li Chengan waved his hand: "No, no, no, I would rather die than do such an unfaithful and unfilial thing."

at this time,

Two people suddenly burst in from outside and knelt on the ground: "Greetings, Your Highness!"

Li Chenggan was taken aback. He looked down and saw that the two people who had entered were none other than Chengxin and Wei Lingfu.

The two looked tense and were covered in sweat.

Li Chengan quickly helped them both up and asked, "Where did you two come from?"

Cheng Xin steadied himself and said, "The Emperor has ordered Chang He to arrest us. We dare not remain around Chang'an, so we broke up our forces at Lijing Gate and hid."

later,

We learned that you are in Luoyang and that you have subdued the Turkic army.

The Turks, including Mujishe, Tujishe, and Shuijishe from Lijing Gate, were very happy.

Therefore,

We then moved to Luoyang.

Li Chengan nodded slightly: "I see. Did you find out anything along the way?"

Chengxin swayed her hips and said, "We were just about to tell His Highness about this."

"Chang'an, you absolutely cannot go back."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan was startled and asked, "Why?"

"Oh dear, you're still in the dark! Let me tell you this..."

The emperor's personal guards were stationed throughout Chang'an city and along the roads.

It's possible that because Su Gui is now one of the leaders of the Imperial Guards, your father was worried that Su Gui might leak information, so he replaced them all with his own personal guards.

As soon as you arrive in Chang'an, they will arrest you and imprison you without any explanation.

Moreover, if you dare to resist, kill you without mercy!

Is this really true?

"Absolutely true! Would we dare joke about something like this?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan slumped into a chair, remaining stunned for a long time.

He couldn't figure out what mistake he had made, or why his father was treating him this way.

Was it wrong of me to accept the surrender of the Turkic army and lift the siege of Luoyang?

and,

It wasn't them who went to accept the surrender; it was Li Daozong who went to accept it.

Li Chenggan thought to himself, "My father is so cruel. Is he really going to poison me?"

Li Chengan felt a sharp pain in his heart and fainted to the ground.

When everyone saw this, they were terrified. They quickly lifted Li Chenggan onto the bed, patted his chest, pounded his back, and pinched his philtrum, fussing over him for a long time.

Li Chengan finally caught his breath.

Seeing that Li Chengan had recovered, Qin Ying breathed a sigh of relief: "Your Highness, you must hold on."

"You're the pillar of strength now; if you fall, everything will be in complete chaos."

Chengxin brought Li Chenggan a bowl of ginger soup, which Li Chenggan took and drank in one gulp, feeling much better.

Her originally pale face gradually became rosy, and a little sweat appeared on her forehead.

Qin Ying continued, "Your Highness, did you hear that? Perhaps your father has been misled by others."

Because you didn't return to Chang'an last time,

So, use this as a pretext to exaggerate things in front of your father.

Your father didn't distinguish right from wrong and simply believed what others said.

Therefore,

"Chang'an, you definitely can't go back for now."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengan sighed deeply: "Life and death are predestined, and wealth and honor are determined by fate."

now,

Perhaps I can understand how Liu Ju felt back then.

If I do not return to Chang'an, wouldn't that be disobeying the imperial decree again?

"Your Highness, don't think too much. Saving your life is the most important thing."

If you ask me, Luoyang is a good place. Didn't the Zhou emperor establish his capital in Luoyang back then?

After Liu Bang seized power, he also considered establishing his capital in Luoyang.

Later, Zhang Liang and Liu Jing advised him to move the capital to Chang'an.

By the Eastern Han Dynasty,

Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, established his capital in Luoyang.

Later, Cao Wei also established its capital in Luoyang.

During the Sui Dynasty, Luoyang served as a secondary capital. Emperor Yang of Sui and Crown Prince Yang Zhao resided in Daxing City and Luoyang City, respectively. I think you can do the same.

Your father is based in Chang'an, and you occupy Luoyang. Isn't that a good thing?

Chengxin also said, "Your Highness, we all know that you are a very loyal and filial person."

However, whenever you make a contribution, the court not only fails to reward you, but also punishes you. Almost every time, the greater your contribution, the heavier the punishment you receive.

There is a saying that the eyes of the masses are discerning and justice resides in the hearts of the people. It is precisely for this reason that the five-nation alliance and the Turkic army are loyal to you.

Only then will people be willing to follow your commands.

When Ashina Simo surrendered, he made it very clear that he would maintain the independence of his army and obey only your orders.

Your father has already agreed to these requests.

"If you leave Luoyang now, Luoyang will fall apart. The armies of the five kingdoms, plus the Turkic army, numbering over 100,000, could easily descend into chaos. That's no joke."