The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 649 Return to the East Palace
"In that case, I will stay in the palace for a few days and keep my mother company."

He was touched by the care of Empress Changsun. All along, no matter which world he was in, he had been fighting alone. He could only rely on himself, except for the system. But this time, he had his parents' care, which made Li Yan feel surrounded by a strong family affection, and his heart was also very moved.

Unable to bear the embarrassment of his mother, Li Yan took the initiative to cooperate and said, "Since I was six years old, I left my mother and went to Zhongshan County. I was gone for more than three years. Later, I returned to Chang'an and was held hostage in Luo Yi's army, which made my mother sad and upset."

"Thanks to the blessing of my mother, not only did I return safely, I also became the crown prince and shouldered the heavy responsibility of the future of the Tang Dynasty. I study in the East Palace all day and rarely come to the palace to accompany my mother. I am an unfilial son. This time, let me stay here for a few days, spend time with my mother day and night, and accompany her by her side!"

Seeing Li Yan's initiative, Changsun Wugou nodded lovingly, but thinking of Fang Xuanling's worries, he was curious and concerned and asked: "What about your errand? Didn't your father give you the task of transporting grain and grass? Wouldn't it delay things?"

“No delay”

Li Yan explained: "The matter of dredging the Tongguan Pass has already been determined. I have sent officials from the Eastern Palace to keep an eye on it."

"Repairing the breach of Yongtong Canal is also a laborious task. There are officials from the court canal office and conscripted laborers there. After my third brother was dismissed by my father, the Zuotun Guards were leaderless. I asked Changsheng to help manage it there first. I also recruited a tutor to report the progress of the project and various difficulties to the East Palace every day."

"In fact, except for a trip to Yongtong Canal on the first day of the mission, I have been idle in the East Palace during this period. If there is any urgent matter on either side, they will naturally come to the palace for instructions. Don't worry, mother."

Zhangsun Wugou smiled and nodded, then reached out to stroke Li Yan's forehead, and pinched his fat face, praising him: "Qian'er sits in the East Palace, making plans for the four directions. This is something that only a wise man can do. In this respect, he is no less than your father, the emperor."

"Um"

With the help of Empress Changsun's caress, Li Yan gently leaned his head on his mother's legs, enjoying the long-lost maternal love. Every time he was with the Empress, Li Yan felt that no matter how upset his heart was, it would calm down instantly, as if with his mother around, he didn't have to worry about anything, no matter how big the problem was.

Although Li Yan also knew that this was a kind of psychological comfort, he was still extremely obsessed and nostalgic, and ignored the situation outside. Even if there was a huge chaos, Li Yan would first pull himself out, and wait until the chaos was settled and everyone's attention was withdrawn, and then he would slowly and calmly deal with it according to the situation.

As soon as he relaxed, a feeling of fatigue from the bottom of his heart surged over him. After a while, Li Yan fell asleep, snoring softly.

Zhangsun Wugou was talking softly about family matters, but heard no response for a while. She looked up and saw that her son had fallen asleep on her legs. Her heart ached. The fact that he could fall asleep in such a short time showed that she was very worried and tired.

Come to think of it, being the crown prince of a great country is not an easy task. At such a young age, he has to shoulder the future of the Tang Dynasty and the expectations of countless court officials. It is not that easy. Empress Chang Sun stroked her son's little face, her eyes emitting endless love.

She quietly ordered the maid standing next to her to bring a blanket and drape it over Li Yan.

In this way, Li Yan stayed in Qiyun Palace for four or five days without being distracted, and didn't care about what was happening outside at all, until Li Shimin came to visit Empress Changsun.

Seeing that Li Yan was still here, he frowned and asked, "Why are you still here?"

"Father, your Majesty, your mother is not feeling well. I am worried about her, so I am here to serve her day and night. Your mother's health is a serious matter and cannot be taken lightly." Li Yan explained with a look of grievance.

Li Shimin's expression eased a little, and he said, "Okay, I see your mother is fine, you should leave the palace quickly. A lot of things have happened outside these days. Although the construction of Yongtong Canal is progressing well, there have been some changes. The transportation of grain and grass can't be delayed any longer. It is important to repair the canal as soon as possible and ensure the normal operation of the grain transport."

"Okay, I'll take my leave now!"

Li Yan nodded slightly, bowed to Li Shimin and Zhangsun Wuji, and said, "I will leave the palace now. Please take care of your health, father and mother."

Then, under the strict and kind gaze of his father, Li Yan stepped out.

When he returned to the Cheng'en Hall of the Eastern Palace, Wang Xuance came up to him and said with a serious face, "Your Highness, you are finally back."

"Well, what happened outside these two days? Report them one by one!"

Wang Xuance was shocked and asked in confusion, "Your Highness, didn't you hear about it in the palace?"

"My mother is seriously ill, and I'm taking care of her day and night. How can I have the time to care about what's happening outside?" Li Yan waved his hand and said.

Wang Xuance nodded in understanding. Indeed, the outside events were a big deal for them, but compared to the health of Empress Changsun, it was nothing in public or private. As the first secretary who would gradually replace Henglian, Wang Xuance thought about it and said according to the priorities: "On the afternoon of the day when the prince entered the palace, the emperor ordered the Right Guard General Yuchi Jingde to lead 20,000 16 guards in Beiyuan to the Yongtong Canal construction site in Longwang Temple, Huazhou."

"Disarm the entire Zuotun Guards, and then conduct a large-scale on-the-spot interrogation and investigation?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yan nodded slightly. Once Wu Qing was exposed, the power of the old East Palace would emerge. It was reasonable that the Zuotun Guard would face a major purge.

"Did you say what the reason was?"

"I've heard that there are remnants of the Hidden Crown Prince in the Left Guard, and their intentions are not treacherous. I heard that the breach in the Dragon King Temple was the work of these people, who intended to cut off the grain transport, create a food shortage crisis in the capital, and then wait for an opportunity to plot chaos. The Lieutenant General of the Left Guard was brutally killed by Wu Qing because he discovered this."

Wang Xuance explained, "It was because Duke Lu suspected the true cause of his son's death that he tied up Wu Qing's confidant for interrogation, and accidentally discovered this shocking secret. Duke Lu handed this man over to the emperor on the day you, the crown prince, entered the palace. In Chengqing Hall, the emperor personally tried the case, and the truth was revealed to the world."

"It's just that Wu Qing is too cunning. He left the Zuotun Guard the night before and has disappeared. The court has drawn a picture of him and issued a warrant for his arrest. He has been promoted three levels and a reward of 1,000 gold is offered for his capture, comparable to Sun Da before."

Li Yan took a deep breath. Sure enough, things had developed to this point. He just didn't expect Wu Qing to slip away so early.

But it's normal to think about it. The Zuotun Guards can't rebel, and they are far away in Huazhou. As long as they are targeted by the court, they can basically do nothing. Wu Qing's early departure is equivalent to cutting off the most important link, which is the wisest choice.

If the court had not noticed his plot, perhaps the other remnants of the old Eastern Palace could have been saved.

Even if they were discovered, since no major damage had been caused and the law did not punish the masses, at most they would just be kicked out of the army and would not lose their lives. However, rebellion would definitely lead to death.

Li Yan wanted to ask Chang Sheng, but he was hesitant, so he asked tactfully: "How is the Zuotun Guard now?"

"Your Highness, General Yuchi has found that nearly 200 members of the Left Tunwei were colluding with Wu Qing and participated in the digging of the Yongtong Canal. The Emperor was furious and arrested more than 1,000 members of the Left Tunwei who were originally from the old Eastern Palace."

"Those who were directly involved in the canal cutting incident have been thrown into the Tianlao prison to await trial. Those who were not directly involved, as long as they had any connection with the old East Palace, were all dismissed and sent back to their hometowns, and will never be employed again. The emperor also transferred more than a thousand people from the Jingzhou army to make up the number of Zuotunwei."

"Now the Zuotunwei has been transferred back to the capital and reorganized in Beiyuan. It will no longer participate in the canal construction. The court has transferred several troops led by the Donggong Zuowei to the outer prefecture and put them in the temporary command of Changsheng. Will he continue to supervise the construction of Yongtong Canal?"

"Ah, Changsheng was not caught?" Li Yan was stunned and asked subconsciously.

Wang Xuance looked at Li Yan with some doubt and asked, "Your Highness, Chang Sheng was originally the Lieutenant General of the Imperial Household of our Eastern Palace and had nothing to do with the Zuotun Guard. After Cheng Huailiang died in the line of duty, the Crown Prince temporarily appointed Chang Sheng to help manage the Imperial Guard when the court did not appoint a commander for the Zuotun Guard. Why did you arrest Chang Sheng?"

Li Yan was stunned. Yes!

Chang Sheng started to prosper in Zhongshan County, and later came to his side. He then went to Yunzhong to attack Liang Shidu, and returned to Beijing to serve as the General of the Left Guard of the Eastern Palace, the General of the Imperial Household, and the Minister of the Honglu Temple. On the surface, he had nothing to do with Li Jiancheng's forces.

Li Yan knew the plot, so he subconsciously regarded Chang Sheng as someone like Wu Qing, which made him worry unnecessarily.

Think about it again, now that the truth has been revealed, Wu Qing will not let Chang Sheng be exposed in vain, otherwise there will be no one to hide for him.

For so many days, Li Yan was a little scared of himself. No one in the court associated Chang Sheng with the former subordinates of Prince Yin, and Cheng Yaojin and Fang Xuanling were even less likely. Because if Chang Sheng was Prince Yin's subordinate, Li Shimin would not dare to put such a deadly enemy next to his own prince.

Therefore, no one had any doubts, thinking that this was equivalent to the emperor personally endorsing Changsheng's identity.

Li Yan was blind to the dark, and was purely using his own perspective to speculate on everyone. Thinking of this, he breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously. Chang Sheng Wuyou, no one would think of Cheng Huailiang's matter, just a little motive, it was a bit far-fetched
Shaking his head, Li Yan asked with some tiredness: "By the way, I have been away for the past few days. Is the Tongguan Pass normal during this period?"

"Your Highness, everything is normal. The grain that was blocked outside Tongguan has been transported to the capital by land under the order of the emperor. The Yongtong Canal is also being monitored by Changsheng, and all materials are ready. The matter of the Zuotun Guard has not affected the normal repair of the canal."

(End of this chapter)