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

Chapter 2 This is not rebellion, but self-protection (Please collect, recommend, and vote for the monthly ticket)
"Li Chengqian...you!"

Li Shimin's eyes widened and he suddenly swallowed back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Yes, according to etiquette, my behavior is indeed not in accordance with etiquette.

After a long time, Li Shimin gradually calmed down and his complexion returned to normal. He straightened his back, his eyes became deep and sharp, and he once again showed the majesty and dominance of the greatest emperor of all time.

"What I am asking is why you want to...rebel? This is not your reason for rebellion."

Li Shimin's voice was low and powerful, like a sharp sword, piercing people's hearts. His eyes were as sharp as a knife. He stared at Li Chengqian closely, trying to find a flaw in his expression and words.

However, Li Chengqian was not afraid at all and looked Li Shimin in the eye.

"I have said before that I have not committed treason!"

Li Chengqian's voice was sonorous and powerful, and extremely firm. He knew that at this moment, he must not lose momentum, otherwise Li Shimin would see through it.

"Very good, very good, you are worthy of being a descendant of my Li family!"

Li Shimin nodded slightly, with a hint of admiration in his eyes. As a member of the heavenly family, one should have such courage.

"Someone, bring Hou Junji to the palace."

Li Shimin suddenly shouted loudly, his voice revealing an unconcealable helplessness. At this moment, he looked strong on the outside but was actually weak on the inside, and could only force himself to maintain his apparent calm.

How could one not feel heartbroken to see the father and son end up like this? For a moment, Li Shimin was overwhelmed with emotions and fell silent. He couldn't help feeling guilty towards his son.

However, treason is unforgivable and is the most taboo word that cannot be mentioned.

Li Chengqian also remained silent. In his head, he recalled the details of the original owner's memory. This meant that he and Duke Chen Hou Junji were going to go to court.

Neither of them spoke, but in such an empty hall, they seemed to be able to hear each other's heartbeats.

It was terrifyingly quiet and extremely depressing.

"Your Majesty, the person has been brought here!"

Outside the hall, a hoarse voice was heard, breaking the silence. It was like an evil ghost whispering in the ear, urging Li Chengqian.

"Your Majesty, I feel so ashamed of myself!"

An old man with disheveled hair and dirty face staggered into the hall, fell to his knees with a thud, and hit his head against the ground with a thud.

Li Shimin raised his hand, wanting to say something but stopping himself, his eyes full of struggle.

Although Hou Junji was not executed, his head full of white hair spoke of his misery.

He achieved fame throughout his life, but lost his integrity in his later years.

"Prince, are you willing to plead guilty now?"

Li Shimin slowly closed his eyes, unable to bear to watch all this.

"I am innocent, what crime can I confess?"

Li Chengqian's eyes were so determined that Hou Junji's arrival did not cause him the slightest ripple.

"You are refusing to plead guilty, Hou Junji, please speak."

Li Shimin was extremely disappointed, and any sense of guilt he had felt disappeared at this moment.

"Prince, your deeds have been exposed. You should admit it and try to get His Majesty's forgiveness."

Hou Junji sighed quietly.

"The matter has been exposed? May I ask Duke Chen, what is it?"

Li Chengqian became increasingly calm, which gave Li Shimin the illusion that Li Chengqian was an outsider.

"Treason!" Hou Junji shook his head. He had already been investigated and interrogated, and he no longer wanted to resist.

"Rebellion? Then may I ask, Duke Chen, what year, month, and day will we start the rebellion, how many soldiers will we have, and which gate will we enter the imperial capital from?"

Li Chengqian has found some flaws in the original owner's memory.

There was actually some injustice in the original owner's case of treason. With the rebellion of Prince of Qi Li You, Li Shimin became alert and suspected that other princes might also have the intention of rebellion.

So they asked Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling to investigate secretly, and they found out that Li Chengqian had secret connections with Chen Guogong Hou Junji and Han Wang Li Yuanchang.

That's why the current interrogation took place. If there was real conclusive evidence to prove that they had rebelled, Li Chengqian would have been thrown into prison long ago.

"I haven't said that, but His Highness did say that when His Highness rules the country one day, he will grant me the position of the Great General and Minister of the Empire."

Hou Junji was completely confused. Was he wrong? Or was he the only one who was rebelling?

"Now, Your Majesty, do you still think that I am plotting a rebellion?"

Hou Junji was a great helper, otherwise it would be hard to explain.

"You are trying to win over the ministers in the army. If you are not trying to rebel and usurp the throne, then why are you trying to win over the ministers in the army? And Xu Houjun is the prime minister."

Li Shimin said coldly that he was very familiar with treason. He had done it twice. The first time was a rebellion against Emperor Yang of Sui, and the second time was a rebellion against his father.

As Li Chengqian said, there are also loopholes. Before the incident, no one who is plotting a rebellion will be notified in advance. Only on the day of the act will they be informed and confined to their homes. No one is allowed to leave to prevent the news from leaking out.

"Your Majesty, a hundred years from now, when I ascend the throne, will I be granted the position of Duke of Chen and General? Is that not possible? Or has Your Majesty always believed that I cannot ascend to that position?"

"That position originally belonged to me. Why would I rebel? If I were to rebel, it would be the King of Wei. Your Majesty, have you ever seen Crown Prince Yin... Li Jiancheng rebel?"

"If I want to rebel, why do I need to rely on others? I can just follow your majesty's example of the Xuanwu Gate Incident and come to see your majesty with the heads of Wei Wang Li Tai and Jin Wang Li Zhi."

Li Chengqian shouted loudly and forcefully,

"you…"

Li Shimin's eyes widened and he almost couldn't catch his breath. Several heavy blows hit Li Shimin's heart.

"What I want to tell Your Majesty is that I am not plotting a rebellion." "And now all the criticisms are directed at me. Don't Your Majesty find it strange? If a prince plots a rebellion, isn't that a rebellion against himself?" Li Chengqian continued.

Hou Junji, who was kneeling on the side, was trembling with fear. Could he hear these words? Just now, he thought that there was some turning point, and His Majesty would consider his merits and show mercy.

Now I hear things I shouldn’t hear. I’m completely hopeless.

"impossible!"

In an instant, Li Shimin seemed to have aged ten years. The wrinkles on his face became deeper and his eyes were filled with fatigue and disbelief.

At this moment, Li Shimin suddenly realized that he might have made a huge mistake.

"Your Majesty, do you still remember the Crown Prince Liu Ju of the Han Dynasty?"

Li Chengqian looked at Li Shimin's horrified expression and felt relieved. He knew that Li Shimin had begun to doubt whether he had really wronged him, so he continued to exert pressure.

Emperor Wu of Han's Crown Prince Liu Ju was forced to rebel because he was framed by treacherous ministers such as Jiang Chong. He did not rebel originally but was forced to do so.

"If Your Majesty doesn't remember, then you should still remember the Crown Prince Yang Yong of the Sui Dynasty? Did he really rebel?"

Li Shimin was shocked when he heard Li Chengqian's words. He certainly remembered Yang Yong, the prince who was framed by Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty.

Yang Yong had done nothing wrong, but because of Yang Guang's conspiracy he lost his throne and even his life.

Could it be that all this was caused by Prince Wei Li Tai?

"boom!"

Li Shimin suddenly felt a black screen in front of his eyes, and his body fell backwards involuntarily. He sat down on the ground, holding his chest tightly with both hands, gasping for breath.

His face was as pale as paper, and cold sweat was dripping down his forehead. At this moment, he was completely at a loss, not knowing how to face this sudden truth.

Li Shimin's eyes widened, his gaze dazed and bewildered, as if he had lost focus. He tried to make sense of what was happening.

He tried hard to figure out whether Li Chengqian was actually plotting a rebellion, or Prince of Wei Li Tai was plotting to murder him, or whether some other prince was reaping the benefits.

However, in the end, he found that he had no way to judge.

"Your Majesty, if you depose me and enthronize the King of Wei or the King of Jin instead, whose fault is that?"

Li Chengqian's voice rose a few notches, and he felt a little excited, as if he saw a glimmer of hope. As long as he exerted a little more strength, he could save his life.

Li Shimin couldn't help but raise his head, staring into the distance, and this sentence kept echoing in his mind: "Whose fault is it?"

"If it is really me who is plotting a rebellion, then it is naturally my fault."

"But what if it's not? Is it the conspiracy of the King of Wei, or the cunning plan of the King of Jin? Or is it due to your favoritism, Your Majesty?"

Li Chengqian's words were like a sharp knife, piercing Li Shimin's heart. He knew that if he wanted to survive, he had to drag everyone down with him.

Especially Li Zhi's sixth son, he must not be allowed to stay out of it.

He seemed to be hinting to Li Shimin that all this might have been instigated by Prince Jin behind the scenes.

"Or, Your Majesty, do you intend to tell future generations that the throne can be obtained through struggle and calculation?"

This sentence was like a heavy hammer, hitting Li Shimin's heart hard, because it not only concerned his personal authority, but also the future of the entire Tang Dynasty.

If the succession to the throne caused chaos, the foundation of the country would be shaken. Therefore, every dynasty would establish a crown prince as early as possible to stabilize people's hearts.

"I'm leaving now! Your Majesty will decide whether to kill or give life, to depose or not, but I won't accept the accusation of treason."

Li Chengqian turned and left, his steps staggering, each step carrying an extremely heavy pressure. He knew that he was now walking on the edge of life and death.

The atmosphere in Taiji Palace was so solemn that it was suffocating. The words of life and death, whether to appoint or dismiss, whether to depose or not, were like a sharp blade, deeply hurting Li Shimin's heart.

"What exactly happened? Did I really wrongly accuse Qian'er?" Li Shimin murmured.

But Hou Junji at this time had become numb. There were too many tricks involved. How could a mere military man like him handle it? He couldn't help but have the same thoughts as Li Shimin.

Li Chengqian was wronged.

Li Chengqian walked very slowly and limped because he suffered from a foot disease.

Li Shimin was very distressed by this scene. Everything Li Chengqian said made sense, except for one thing he couldn't get over.

"Stop, I have one last question for you. You secretly contacted the Duke of Chen and the King of Han. If it's not treason, then why?"

This is the most crucial point. One holds a large army and the other is a prince in power. This is a very terrifying military force. In this prosperous era, what else can they do except rebel?
"hehe!"

Li Chengqian smiled bitterly and turned around, meeting Li Shimin's gaze. This time, his voice became much softer, but his tone was still as firm.

"I have said that the position originally belonged to me, so I just need to wait. However, some people cannot wait, because the position was not theirs in the first place, and they need to rebel to obtain it."

"I don't want to replicate the Xuanwu Gate Incident, but I have to guard against it. I contacted Duke Chen and King Han just to protect myself."

"The Duke of Chen and even the King of Han are just taking sides. How can they be said to be treasonous?"

"If this is also considered treason, then why doesn't Your Majesty investigate the King of Wei and the King of Jin to see if they have any dealings with important officials in the court? Then are they also treasonous?"

The original owner had plans for rebellion, but they were exposed before they could be implemented, and he did not specify when the rebellion would start. This is the key point of Li Chengqian's rebuttal now, and he attributed all of this to self-protection.

Hearing this, Hou Junji's eyes flashed with a gleam of light. He was not stupid, so he immediately got up and kowtowed repeatedly to Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, please check clearly. We have contact with the Crown Prince and have met with him privately, but we have never talked about raising an army."

Hou Junji also participated in the Xuanwu Gate Incident that year, so he naturally knew the process of rebellion. No one would dare to talk about starting a rebellion unless it was absolutely necessary. The decision was made on the day of the incident, otherwise who could guarantee that no one would inform on him? Therefore, the matter of starting a rebellion was not made clear.

But it is true that the number of soldiers in the palace has increased, but Li Chengqian has already explained that it was for self-protection.

As long as their alliance is not classified as treason, there is still hope.

(End of this chapter)