Datang: Rebirth of Li Chengqian, the beginning of the treason interrogation

Chapter 146: The ministers advised Li Chengqian that there was solid evidence of rebellion

Li Shimin flipped through the victory report in his hand, and the smile on his face became brighter and brighter. This time, his prince had made great military achievements and destroyed a country. Under his rule, the Tang Dynasty once again made history and successfully solved the northeastern border issue that had troubled generations of previous dynasties.

"My prince is a good commander, both wise and brave. He led the army to launch a surprise attack on Pyongyang and pacified Goguryeo in one fell swoop. His contribution is unparalleled in the world. My dear ministers, how do you think we should reward the prince?" Li Shimin was in high spirits, leaning forward, his eyes flashing with excitement and his face full of pride.

However, as the future emperor, the prince already possessed extremely high status and power, and it was difficult to find a suitable way to reward him.

It's already a status that can't be sealed any more.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has made such a great contribution this time, and we should convene a court meeting to discuss the reward."

Zhang Sun Wuji raised his head, his face gloomy, his heart full of worries. He knew Li Chengqian's purpose very well, which was to weaken the power of the aristocratic families.

All the civil and military officials in the court were well aware of Li Chengqian's intentions. Now that he had made such a great contribution, his influence would undoubtedly be further enhanced, posing a greater threat to the aristocratic families.

"Then let's discuss it in court. Ma Zhou, pass down the report of Crown Prince Li Chengqian's conquest of Goguryeo in a graded manner, and the whole country will celebrate together and grant amnesty to the world."

Li Shimin said that he was still paving the way for Li Chengqian, and he was doing favors to the world in the name of Crown Prince Li Chengqian. In the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo, Li Chengqian had indeed submitted a perfect answer sheet to Li Shimin.

The celebration bell rang nine times, coming from the Taiji Palace. In Chang'an, every household hung up lanterns and decorated houses, and the atmosphere was filled with joy. One family was happy, while another was sad.

This is not all good news for the aristocratic families.

Outside the gate of Chang'an city, today, a few dusty riders came galloping and finally disappeared into the alley.

The next day, before dawn, hundreds of officials had gathered in the Taiji Palace, and all those who served in the capital attended the meeting.

Li Shimin stood in the main hall with his arms open as if embracing the four seas. His dragon eyes shone with brilliance, making him look even more oppressive.

"My ministers, you must have heard about the achievements of Crown Prince Li Chengqian in conquering Goguryeo. How should we reward the Crown Prince for his great achievements?"

Li Shimin put his hands down, sat upright on the dragon throne, his eyes bright.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's merits and demerits have not yet been determined. I think we need to discuss this further!"

Duke Xiao Yu of Song stepped out and spoke in an unconventional way.

"Duke Song, do you know what you are saying? Slandering the crown prince is tantamount to treason."

Li Shimin said in a cold voice, making the air in the hall a little colder.

"Your Majesty, everything I said is true. The Crown Prince wantonly massacred civilians in Goguryeo and Baekje. Now someone in Baekje has already filed a complaint in Chang'an."

"In Baekje, he allowed his soldiers to burn, kill and rob. Eight out of ten wealthy families were looted, and the families were destroyed. He pocketed all the wealth of the country."

Xiao Yu was not afraid of the situation, but listed Li Chengqian's crimes.

Li Chengqian's actions in Baekje had long been known to these clans.

It's just that the time has not come yet, so we haven't taken action.

"Your Majesty, not only that, but His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has no respect for the Sovereign, has committed acts of rebellion, has appointed officials, and has sat on the throne. This is extremely treasonous, and his merits are beyond measure. I believe that the Crown Prince should be recalled immediately to be held accountable."

Wei Ting also stood up at this time and launched an attack one after another.

Before Li Shimin could come to his senses, Assistant Minister Cui Yi also stepped forward.

"The crimes committed by the Crown Prince are not limited to this. Your Highness brutally killed more than 10,000 soldiers of Goguryeo who surrendered. How can you be the crown prince if you are so brutal and cruel?"

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has no respect for the emperor and no discipline. This is not unintentional, but intentional. I and the Ministry of Justice have learned from the treacherous crimes that Crown Prince Li Chengqian wants to use this opportunity to control the military to commit treason. The evidence is solid, and I hope Your Majesty will make the decision."

Minister of Justice Zhang Liang stood up and handed over a thick stack of transcripts.

Ministers came in one after another, not to seek credit for the prince, but to question him.

The matters he reported were more serious than the last, culminating in the case of the crown prince's rebellion.

All officials were silent.

Xu Jingzong opened his mouth, but the words that were about to come out of his mouth were swallowed back by him.

He had no source of information, did not know the whole story, and had no way to refute it.

Even Li Shimin only knew a few of these rumors.

"You are so confident, but do you have any evidence?"

Li Shimin's momentum remained the same, staring at the few people who stood up.

His eyes swept over Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang.

"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince has the merit of destroying a country, and he has the right to act at his own discretion when marching. When a general is on the battlefield, he may not obey military orders."

"From my perspective, the people of Baekje and Goryeo you call are just rebels. Why not kill them?"

"What you call transgression is even more ridiculous. After conquering a country, don't you need to govern it? What's wrong with the crown prince enfeoffing officials? That was to stabilize the territory and was a meritorious act. How can you all make it a crime?"

Cheng Zhijie cursed loudly and scolded several people.

Of course, he also received letters from Cheng Chumo and was one of the few people who had a general idea of ​​the situation in Baekje and Goguryeo.

Of course, these are all sophistry.

"You have all been to the battlefield, how can you bring these things up? What's wrong with the prince killing a few rebels? You are all experienced people, you have massacred cities, why are you pretending to be good men and women?"

Yuchi Jingde took a look and saw that Li Shimin could not handle the situation alone, so he also came out to join in.

"Duke Lu, Duke E, please stop confusing us. The Crown Prince did not ask for permission, which is treason. If it was an emergency, it would be understandable, but prisoners of war and official appointments are post-war matters, how can they be handled in this way?"

"The Crown Prince has shown that he is plotting rebellion. Now that he holds military power, I hope Your Majesty will make a decision as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous."

Cui Yi argued vigorously with reason and had a sincere desire to serve his country.

"The prince did have the merit of destroying the country, but he killed prisoners of war, massacred civilians, enfeoffed meritorious officials, divided states and roads, reorganized taxes and land, and united the court and the people to die. These were all acts of rebellion, and his rebellious heart was obvious."

Zhang Liang added that he is a professional whistleblower.

"Your Majesty, please make your decision!"

Except for a few people, everyone else knelt on the ground.

This was a premeditated action.

Compared with what Li Chengqian is doing now in destroying the country, the crime that Hou Junji committed when he destroyed Gaochang and took some money for himself was still too small.

Now, everything Li Chengqian did could only be decided by the emperor and the three provincial governors, and he, Li Chengqian, had finalized it.

The power still lies above the emperor.

Looking at the appearance of the officials, Li Shimin couldn't help but feel a sense of powerlessness.

(End of this chapter)