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

Chapter 171 Is this all His Majesty's instruction?

Li Daozon's expression flashed with surprise.

"If this is the case, Prince, you should wait patiently instead of taking action now. It will be the right time to carry out reforms when you ascend the throne one day." Li Daozon said earnestly.

In Li Daozon's view, since Li Chengqian wanted to centralize power, the right time would be when all the power of the empire was concentrated in one person.

After all, Li Chengqian is just a prince now. Even if he is the emperor, it is impossible for him to directly confront all the aristocratic families in the world.

However, Li Chengqian shook his head:

"King Jiangxia, do you think that the current emperor has never thought about dispersing the power of the aristocratic families? But what was the result?"

As a member of the royal family, Li Daozon must have known about Li Shimin's actions.

Revising the clan records is an obvious move, but it is only a temporary solution and does not address the root cause.

Because as time goes by, these suppressed aristocratic forces will slowly recover.

"Although your Majesty's actions have had little effect, they are still better than your impulsive actions now, Prince. It is not too late to turn back now, otherwise it will only make your enemies happy and your loved ones sad."

After Li Daozon learned of Li Chengqian's purpose, he felt very sorry.

I also understand why Li Chengqian would choose this path of no return after he had firmly established himself in power.

It can only be said that Li Chengqian's ambitions were too great. He really wanted to concentrate all power in one person and wanted to destroy the barriers built by the aristocratic families through war.

"Yes, Your Highness, it is not too late to turn back now. Otherwise, not only will it fail to deal a blow to the clan, but it will also put Your Majesty in a passive position, and all previous efforts will be wasted."

Li Ji also gave advice, saying that this is not the way to deal with clans and powerful families, and that one should not stand in opposition to the entire Tang Empire.

"Two old generals, what do you think of my implementation of the land tax distribution and contract system in Goguryeo?"

Li Chengqian suddenly changed the subject.

"Very good, a move that benefits the country and the people."

Li Ji and Li Daozon nodded at the same time. With their vision, they could see the pros and cons at a glance.

"But do you think it is possible to achieve this within the territory of the Tang Dynasty? Or, how can we do it?"

Li Ji and Li Daozon both fell silent. The answer was affirmative. Not only could it not be implemented, it was not even allowed to be mentioned, otherwise everyone would be killed.

The result is obvious. Li Chengqian's governing direction was not tolerated by the aristocratic clans.

A mortal enemy.

"It is not impossible for the Tang Dynasty to achieve this. Goguryeo is the template. Destroy and rebuild, and crush and destroy all the opposing clans. Then there will be no more opposing forces."

"Your Highness, you are going to make an enemy of the entire Tang Empire. Do you think this is feasible? Using the power of Goguryeo to challenge the mighty Tang Empire is undoubtedly like hitting a rock with an egg."

Li Daozon immediately denied it, saying that the rebellion might still have hope of success, but if he wanted to start a national war, Li Chengqian would have absolutely no chance of winning.

"Prince, this is absolutely not feasible. We went to Goguryeo to solve the external threat. If you want to do this, then the people of Tang and Goguryeo will never have peace."

Li Ji was shocked. The situation was more serious than he had imagined. It was going to bring down the Tang Dynasty.

This is not eliminating harm for the Tang Dynasty, but causing disaster.

"You are all wrong. I am not the enemy of the Tang Dynasty. I am only the enemy of the powerful families in the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, it is not just me who is the enemy, but also all the poor people in the Tang Dynasty."

Li Chengqian believed that once his banner was raised, countless people would respond.

The Bad People have now taken action and introduced the new policies of equalizing the land tax and the contract system into the territory of the Tang Dynasty in order to resonate with the people of the Tang Dynasty.

"Your Highness, please think twice."

The three of them have an unbridgeable generation gap and each holds his own opinions.

"Seeing that the two old generals are safe, I feel relieved. I will come to bother you again in the future."

Li Chengqian stood up and left. He came here today to persuade these two big guys to join his camp.

But the result was not satisfactory. After a debate, the two were almost forced to the opposite side of each other.

Li Ji and Li Daozon looked gloomy as they stared at Li Chengqian's receding back and fell into deep thought.

If it was just a simple case of the prince's rebellion, they could ignore it, but Li Chengqian's actions were already shaking the foundation of the Tang Dynasty and were about to drag it into an endless abyss.

"Duke Ying, His Royal Highness's idea is very dangerous. We can't just sit there and wait for death."

Li Dao Zong said.

"What does King Jiangxia mean? Is he trying to lend a helping hand to the Crown Prince?" Li Ji wavered.

Li Daozon was stunned for a moment. Wasn’t his meaning very obvious?
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince is a man of both civil and military skills. Isn't the battle against Goguryeo enough to explain everything? Who in the Tang Dynasty can be a match for us? The Duke of Wei is old, and Your Majesty has been ill in bed for a long time. It is not impossible to rebuild after the destruction!"

Li Ji analyzed that, on the contrary, he was more optimistic about Li Chengqian.

"King Jiangxia, I think we should just play chess properly."

Nothing is absolute. For Li Ji, being able to stay out of it now is the best thing.

"Duke Yingguo, can you really still play chess?" Li Daozon asked in annoyance.

"Otherwise, what else can we two old men do now? We have underestimated our Crown Prince from the beginning to the end."

"Now that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince can appear in Pyongyang, it means that the Liaodong army has been controlled by him. Goguryeo is under his absolute control. Do you think we can escape?"

Li Ji continued talking to himself, and soon the chessboard was set up again.

"Your Highness, this is for the sake of the royal family and your Li family. How can you say that? Shouldn't you support me?"

Li Ji raised his hand and placed a piece.

"Oh, Duke of England, do you think highly of the prince? Then why don't you lend a helping hand to the prince?"

Li Daozon also felt relieved and quietly thought about the feasibility of Li Chengqian's plan.

"My eldest son serves under the Crown Prince. Are you blind?"

"You old fox, Li Zhen's position does not represent your position."

Upon hearing this, Li Daozon shook his head and thought to himself that Li Ji was cunning.

"It can't represent my position, but it can represent the attitude of our government. Things in the world are unpredictable, and who can tell for sure? However, I think you can lend a helping hand to the prince in private, and don't show up, then nothing will happen."

Li Ji said that he wanted to drag Li Daozon into the water with him.

"This is a heinous act. If the person in Chang'an knew what we did, he would skin us alive."

"How can you be sure that all this was not what that person meant?"

Li Ji had other intentions.

Upon hearing this, Li Daozon's eyes became sharp.

It's not impossible.

It was that person's idea that the prince should lead the entire army, and it was also that person's will that he should deal with the clans and powerful families.

If it was that person who instigated the prince's rebellion, then it would make sense because it was a setup.

A big network carefully woven for the clans and powerful families.

If Li Shimin could get involved, the situation would be much more controllable. However, Li Shimin's attitude was ambiguous. He kept a wait-and-see attitude towards the letter sent by Li Chengqian and did not directly choose to intervene.

At this time, Li Shimin was more concerned with stability. Standing in his position, he certainly did not want major turmoil to occur in the Tang Dynasty.

"Duke Zhao, what is your Majesty's attitude? Is all this your Majesty's doing?"

Wei Ting looked at Changsun Wuji and asked, it was indeed unexpected that Crown Prince Li Chengqian took the initiative to rebel. Coupled with the policies implemented in Goguryeo, people could not help but wonder whether Li Shimin was also involved.

All the criticisms were directed at these powerful families.

The system of state-owned land contracting was implemented specifically targeting them.

"Your Majesty has already taken action to arrest the Crown Prince. News will be received in the next few days. Your Majesty was not present in the entire incident."

Changsun Wuji said with certainty that he had been appointed under Li Chengqian and knew that these were all Li Chengqian's decisions.

Li Shimin was also very angry about Li Chengqian's rebellious intentions.

"In this way, things will not be so difficult. However, we must be on guard against Crown Prince Li Chengqian. His methods are cruel and he has killed our clan members again. The Liaodong Army has been taken under his command. I am afraid that your majesty's decree will no longer have such an effect. We need to think of another countermeasure."

Xiao Yu, with gray hair, stood up trembling. He represented the Xiao family, which was once the royal family and was extremely powerful. Today, they are also considered as foreign relatives and are among the best among all the aristocratic families.

"Since Li Chengqian has already committed treason, his title of crown prince should be abolished and all his posts should be dismissed."

Cui Yi spoke viciously. This plan was extremely vicious. If it happened, Li Chengqian would no longer have the power to command Goguryeo.

"That is indeed the case. We should give advice to His Majesty, and we can also understand His Majesty's intentions from the side."

Wei Ting agreed.

"In that case, which prince should be enthroned?"

An unfamiliar old man spoke, but no one dared to ignore his words.

He represented the Zheng family of Xingyang. The old man was named Zheng Yuanshou, the governor of Yizhou and a high-ranking official.

Without special circumstances, you cannot return to Chang'an.

But now that the clans have gathered together, he, the leader of the Zheng family, has to find an excuse to return to Chang'an.

During the Tang Dynasty, the Zheng family produced more than a dozen people who served as prime ministers, and many other clansmen served as Jiedushi, generals, Sima and military assistants and other powerful military positions, hence the title "Zheng Half Dynasty".

"Prince Li Ke is both intelligent and brave, and has a great reputation. He is a good choice."

Xiao Yu stroked his white beard and recommended.

"Prince Li Ke is indeed very capable, and is most similar to the current emperor. He is quite courageous. After he ascends to the throne, he will surely suppress the aristocratic families like us, just like the emperor did."

Cui Yi sneered. What they need is not a heroic ruler, but a mediocre and weak king.

"In fact, I think that Prince Li Zhi is the best candidate. First, he is a legitimate son, which is in accordance with the etiquette, and Your Majesty can't find an excuse to refute. Second, Prince Li Zhi has a weak personality, and there will be no more turmoil for the Tang Dynasty."

Chu Suiliang took over the conversation.

A group of bigwigs from the aristocratic families couldn't help but nod secretly.

Prince Li Zhi indeed met their standards, was easy to control, and was in line with the interests of the aristocratic clans.

And this is what Changsun Wuji hopes for. If other princes want to ascend to the throne, they still have to pass this hurdle.

"Since no one has any objection, then let's make this arrangement. Tomorrow morning, we will all make a joint appeal to Your Majesty to abolish the title of Crown Prince Li Chengqian and appoint another one."

Cui Yi glanced around and saw that no one else spoke, so he made the decision.

The next day, a group of ministers led by Xiao Yu made a statement to Li Shimin, listing several crimes of Li Chengqian and requesting Li Shimin to abolish Li Chengqian's position as crown prince and appoint Li Zhi as crown prince.

However, Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang remained silent, showing an attitude of not helping either side.

Li Shimin was forced to issue an order to revoke all of Li Chengqian's privileges and only convict him after the evidence was conclusive.

Horses rushed back and forth towards Liaodong, and the situation became increasingly tense.

"Your Highness, this is bad. Recently, we have discovered that someone has been infiltrated among the top brass of the Bad People."

Lin Zhi was sweating profusely as he encountered an unsolvable situation.

The screening of the lower levels of the Bad People is not strict, so infiltration is certain.

However, such a thing happened to the high-level bad guys, which is very dangerous.

"Have you checked it out?"

Li Chengqian also had a serious look on his face. The Bad Guys was a trump card in his hand and he used it in too many places.

"It must be the work of His Majesty!"

Lin Zhi had already pried out some information, otherwise it wouldn't have been so difficult.

"That's no wonder. This is good. Once one of them jumps out, we'll know which one it is."

The hunter hiding in the dark is the most dangerous, but now that he has been exposed, his threat is not that great.

"You and Wu Xing should filter out the high-level bad guys again. If you find any suspicious ones, it is better to keep them than to use them." Li Chengqian countered the move.

However, Yuan Tiangang's infiltration was beyond Li Chengqian's imagination.

Not only among the top leaders, but almost the entire Bad People system is now filled with Yuan Tiangang's Bad People, like a leech attached to their bones.

"Who are you? How dare you break into this general's residence?"

Inside Xiongjin City, Liu Rengui held the sword at his waist and looked vigilantly at the soldier who suddenly appeared.

The city lord's mansion is heavily guarded, and ordinary people cannot enter or leave without Liu Rengui's order.

Now, a stranger appeared in front of him. How could Liu Rengui not feel suspicious?

"Liu Rengui, the commander-in-chief of the Baekje Army, received the order."

The soldier took out a piece of bright yellow cloth from his sleeve and looked at Liu Rengui righteously.

"You daring thief, don't try to fool me. Look at my sword."

There was no need to be so secretive in conveying the imperial decree, so Liu Rengui immediately drew his sword and stabbed out.

"Liu Rengui, you are disobeying my order!"

The soldier shouted angrily, drew the dagger at his waist and chopped down.

With a clang, Liu Rengui was knocked back a few steps.

"There is an assassin!" Liu Rengui shouted loudly.

"Liu Rengui, this is the will of the saint, you can see for yourself."

The soldier threw the yellow cloth on a chair and rushed out.

Later, the sound of fierce fighting was heard in the courtyard.

It only lasted for a moment before returning to calm.

Several soldiers rushed into the room and protected Liu Rengui in the middle.

Liu Rengui stepped forward quickly, grabbed the yellow cloth and began to read it carefully.
(End of this chapter)