Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 223 Li Ming: Planting a big mine for the brothers

"The ministers who should be evacuated have already gone to Liaodong, and the hidden stakes that should be planted have also been planted.

"My backup plan is basically ready, mother, we can set out north tomorrow."

Li Ming said.

He is lying. No matter how well prepared you are, there is always room for improvement.

But Li Ming vaguely realized that the timing was very urgent.

The situation of the mother and son is probably very dangerous.

Although battle reports from the front were still being sent out normally every day, Li Shiji, Hou Junji and others did not send out secret reports that "Your Majesty and the Tang army were stabbed in the back."

It seems like the years are peaceful.

However, the transmission priority of ordinary battle reports is low, and there is a time difference of several days between them and the real battlefield frontline.

After all, His Majesty the Emperor himself is at the front line, and the personnel in the rear only need to devote themselves to operations and food transportation, and there is no high demand for real-time understanding of the actual situation on the front line.

In other words, within this time difference of more than ten to twenty days, there is a possibility that a major change may suddenly occur on the front line and Li Ming may still be kept in the dark.

The rumors instigated by Li Tai and others that "Li Ming colluded with Xueyantuo and Turks and intended to assassinate the king by borrowing a knife" made his sense of crisis even stronger.

Except for Li You, a reckless man with muscles all on his brain, no other princes would dare to spread rumors about the emperor.

Combined with Li Tai's repeated attempts to murder the king...

Their rumors may not be groundless.

After all, the real mastermind behind the emperor's backstabbing was their good brother Li Tai.

To put it another way, even if these rumors are really just rumors.

The desperate attitude shown by the other party should also serve as a warning.

Because if Li Tai joined forces with the other seven kings and really gave him a fight to the death, he would really be unable to withstand it.

"Therefore, mother, for the sake of caution, we should avoid the sharp edge and go to Liaodong for a 'survey'."

Li Ming's tone was urgent.

Yang listened carefully to her son's thoughts, her eyes a little dazed.

"You are only one step away from reaching the summit..."

She couldn't help but murmur.

Although it was an "inspection", Li Ming's move was tantamount to cutting off his own path to becoming the crown prince.

The Emperor asked you to look after the house, but you ran off to some corner by yourself. Isn't this telling His Majesty that you want to resign?

Life is precious, and Yang herself is well aware of this.

However, when the weight on the other side of the scale is the whole world.

Even someone as calm as her couldn't help but be shaken and feel nostalgic.

What a pity, what a pity!

"What a pity?" Li Ming said with a light smile:

"At worst, I can come back and take the world back. It's not like I haven't done this before.

"The territory is still safer if it is conquered by one's own hands."

Yang looked at her son's excited eyes and laughed:

"In terms of being free and easy, I am far inferior to you."

The matter was happily decided.

Tomorrow, run away.

"There's one more thing you haven't had time to finish." Yang reminded.

There are so many things I haven't had time to finish, which one is it...

“This matter is the Tang Dynasty.

"The left and right ministers of the Shangshu Province and the Zhongshu Ling and Zhongshu Shilang of the Zhongshu Province had already left.

"Now that you, the regent, have left, what will happen to the country?"

Li Ming smacked his lips and smiled helplessly:

"I have already prepared for this. It's just..."

I just really don’t want to hand over the power to “him”.

…………

Duke Zhao's Mansion.

Zhang Sun Wuji's face turned pale:

"Madam... Eunuch, His Majesty the Regent... His Highness summoned me?"

The eunuch looked at him strangely:
"Exactly. Is there anything wrong, Duke Zhao?"

"Keke...but it's night time now." Changsun Wuji couldn't control his teeth chattering.

The eunuch's expression became even weirder:

"Your Majesty the Regent is diligent in his duties and often summons ministers at night. The Duke is not the first one."

"oh oh……"

"Then... I'll be waiting for you outside. Can you tidy up?"

"Oh ah?"

Changsun Wuji watched the eunuch walk out of the room with empty eyes, his body like mud, slumped in his seat in a daze.

It's over, it's over!
His Highness Li Ming will kill him tonight!
Because of his "traitorous" nature, although Changsun Wuji held the title of the emperor's uncle and the chief secretary of the Prince of Jin's Palace, he was not trusted by his nephew Li Zhi.

He was essentially excluded from Li Zhi's core circle.

Therefore, Zhang Sun Wuji was not aware of the latest situation of the four princes competing for the throne.

However, he was fully aware of the bad things he had done.

Since Li Ming came to power, he has used all his life's knowledge, and the special moves he used against Li Ming include but are not limited to:
They pretend to obey but actually disobey, distort the understanding of policies, fail to report the situation in a timely manner, maliciously flood the market with trivial issues, delay the implementation of policies, maliciously expand the scope of government orders or fail to implement them, etc.

In a nutshell, Changsun Wuji used all the bureaucratic tactics of "non-violent non-cooperation" on Li Ming.

Finally, the extreme, radical, bloodthirsty and violent Prince Li Ming could no longer tolerate his mischief and was determined to kill the person who caused the problem in one fell swoop!
"Aunt, what are you thinking about?"

Chang Sunyan came up and said:
"Why don't you go to the palace?"

Zhangsun Wuji suddenly came to his senses and said to his eldest grandson sadly:

"Looking back to the good old days when you and I held the yellow dog in our left hands and the goshawk in our right hands and went out of the city gate to hunt, they are gone forever!"

Chang Sunyan was full of questions:
"Aunt, what are you talking about? Aren't you going to the palace to discuss important matters?"

Why does it sound like you are leaving your last words?
"Oh, you don't understand!"

Zhang Sun Wuji sighed:

"Your brother Ming wants to kill your uncle by asking me to come to the palace so late at night!"

"How is that possible?" Chang Sun Yan used the same look as the eunuch, looking at his neurotic grandfather strangely.

"Brother Ming asked me to enter the palace as well. How could he possibly do something bad to you in front of me?"

"How is it impossible? Alas...'that' tyrannical prince...what is impossible?"

Zhang Sun Wuji was worried and said to his grandson in a low voice:
"You know nothing! His Highness Li Ming dared to kill even his father, so what else can he not dare to do?"

Chang Sunyan folded his arms:

"Aunt, are you talking about the rumors that have been spreading wildly in other states and counties recently?

"What do you mean His Highness Li Ming colluded with the Turks, Xueyantuo and other foreigners to try to kill the emperor, causing the emperor's whereabouts to be unknown?"

As the chief secretary under Li Ming, he was well aware of the intelligence collected by Lai Junchen, Di Renjie and other partners.

"This is not a rumor, it is absolutely true!" Changsun Wuji said solemnly.

Although Li Zhi kept it secret, he still managed to find out a lot of gossip through his connections in the court and in the local area.

Chang Sunyan waved his hand lightly:

"It must be false and not worth refuting."

Changsun Wuji shook his head in disappointment: "You don't understand politics."

Chang Sunyan also followed suit and shook his head:
“It’s Aung that you don’t understand Li Ming.

"If this game was really planned by Brother Ming, how could he have done it so badly?"

"Then what do you think he will do?" Old Duke Zhao was quite disapproving.

Chang Sunyan began to deduce:

“First, he should make public the fact that Your Majesty is in danger, and immediately take control of the military power of the world in the name of regent.

"Then, under the pretext of 'going north to quell the rebellion', he ordered the southern army to go north and the Red Turban Army in Liaodong to go south. In the name of protecting the capital, he entered Beijing to suppress opposition and consolidate his regime.

"Finally, just in case, he should summon all the princes to the capital in the name of discussing how to rescue his father, and put them all under house arrest. If any of them disobey, he should accuse them of treason and conspiracy to assassinate the emperor, and send troops to attack them."

Chang Sunyan spoke in a series of ways, which made Chang Sun Wuji's mouth twitch.

Where is my dear grandson, my gentle, well-behaved and obedient grandson?

How come not only did the person become darker, but even the heart became darker!
How come you are so skilled! How many times have you practiced this process of usurping the throne in your mind?

Without a father, without a king, and without laws, who did you learn this from?

"There is not even a rumor in the palace, and not even a single soldier has been mobilized in Chang'an.

"So, this is a complete rumor. Li Ming definitely has no intention of regicide."

Zhang Sunyan comforted Aong:

"So, Li Ming didn't break up with you, so it won't be bad for you, Aung."

Reasonable and convincing.

"But he doesn't dare to touch the emperor. Who knows if he will touch me..."

Changsun Wuji was still muttering there.

Chang Sunyan glanced at the anxious old man:

"The eunuch is still waiting outside. If you delay any longer, His Highness the Regent may really be dissatisfied with you..."

Under the persuasion of his eldest grandson, who was a treacherous man, Changsun Wuji finally went out and entered the palace anxiously.

For some reason, there is a solemn atmosphere in the Taiji Palace tonight.

It is sparsely populated and seems like a deserted city.

The palace servants that were occasionally encountered all walked quickly with their heads down, while the guards had a vigilant look in their eyes, checking and checking.

This was completely different from what he had imagined.

Could it be that His Highness Li Ming really wanted to give him to...

"Aunt, where are you going?"

Chang Sunyan called him:
"Liangyi Palace is in that direction."

"okay."

Changsun Wuji responded vaguely and continued to follow his grandson and the eunuch. He was fuzzy-headed and subconsciously took the old road to Lizheng Hall.

I almost forgot that during the time Li Ming was regent, he had always been working in the study in the side hall of Liangyi Palace, and had not presumed to use his father's bedroom.

People who are usually good at forbearance are often the most terrifying when they indulge themselves... Changsun Wuji muttered to himself, and arrived at Liangyi Hall with the feeling that going to work was like going to the grave.

Under the skillful guidance of his grandson, they took several turns and finally arrived at the study.

Li Ming was sitting at the desk, writing furiously with his head down. Documents were piled up like a mountain beside him.

His devoted appearance reminded Changsun Wuji of His Majesty, and his eyes became dazed for a moment.

"You're here?" Li Ming didn't even raise his head:
"Chang Sunyan, please wait aside. I want to talk to your grandfather."

"Okay."

Chang Sun Yan was not shy either. He bowed to Grandpa and went to the lounge nearby.

In the room, Changsun Wuji faced the ruling of the empire alone, standing aside nervously, not daring to move.

Even when facing His Majesty, he had never been so timid as he was now facing Li Ming.

The young prince in front of him is Changsun Wuji's biggest political enemy and also the biggest enemy the king's uncle has ever encountered.

As the head of civil officials, he, Changsun Wuji, once had great power over the world.

Which of the stumbling blocks he wanted to remove would not be reduced to ashes?
However, when he met Li Ming, he was disappointed.

Over the past year or so, Changsun Wuji has really used all his tricks and spared no effort to oppose Li Ming.

However, the result is obvious.

Not only was Li Ming not killed by him, but he became the regent and was about to ascend to the throne.

And his son, Zhangsun Wuji, was marginalized step by step and would sooner or later be swept into the dustbin of history.

Although I don’t want to admit it.

But Li Ming did win...

"Hmph, although I don't want to admit it, you win."

Li Ming put down the pen in his hand and spoke to Changsun Wuji in a cold tone.

"Huh?" Changsun Wuji was stunned.

Isn't this what I wanted to say?

"Uncle, why are you standing? Come, sit, sit." Li Ming pointed at the cushion in front of him, his tone full of teasing and self-mockery.

Chang Sun Wuji's head was full of questions. He followed Xiao Li's finger and sat opposite him in confusion.

"This is the document from the Shangshu Province, this is from the Zhongshu Province and the Menxia Province, as well as the financial statements of various places this month... and so on. I will hand them all over to you."

Li Ming was too lazy to beat around the bush with him, so he went straight to the point, pointed to the pile of documents beside him, and casually stuffed the piece of paper he had just written on in front of Changsun Wuji.

"Please sign for the handover form."

Changsun Wuji: “???”

He had been prepared to go to the grave, but he didn't expect that he would actually be asked to go to work!

"These are the most recent important proposals. You should handle them first. You can put the others aside for now..."

Li Ming didn't care whether the other party could digest it or not, and continued to talk non-stop.

Chang Sun Wuji was stunned the whole time.

At first he had no idea what his mortal enemy was talking about.

But gradually, he heard two words between the lines.

Two words that make any political animal's heart beat fast:

Hand over power.

His Highness Li Ming is handing over the power of regent to him!
But why?
Isn't there a lot of swordplay and tension between them?

Wasn't he just on guard against the stubborn and cruel little prince chopping him to pieces?
Why is it that now, his good nephew is turning around and handing over the power of regent to him?
Isn’t Xiao Li doing a pretty good job as the acting emperor?

Li Ming took a deep look at the confused Changsun Wuji, and snorted with resentment:

"Oh, you and your master are awesome. You took the lead."

Changsun Wuji: “???”

How did I win again?

This familiar feeling of being caught in a trap for no apparent reason...

“Ah… Anyway, I need to inspect the place.

"Prime Minister Fang and other good ministers are not here, so I'll hand it over to you, Grand Marshal."

Li Ming said with half of his face.

Changsun Wuji inexplicably sensed a sense of tsundere.

Weren't those good ministers all sent away by the good nephew himself...

"Grand Minister, whether you know the whole story or not, please warn your young master, my brother Li Zhi."

Li Ming looked directly into Changsun Wuji's eyes and said word by word:

“We are not enemies.

“The real villain, the one who tried to kill my father, the crown prince, Li Zhi, and me many times, is none other than the traitor.

"It's Li Tai."

How did the King of Wei get involved again? Wasn't the King of Wei eliminated long ago and settled down in his fiefdom... Changsun Wuji felt like something was off.

"That's all I have to say..."

Li Ming looked around the room, his eyes filled with a faint, lingering melancholy:
"Go back."

Chang Sun Wuji is full of lawsuits.

But he didn't dare to ask in detail, for fear of causing trouble, so he agreed and left the study room which seemed a little cramped and small due to the clutter of paperwork.

He didn't know what happened exactly, but first of all, he could rule out the possibility that Li Ming "stepped down in favor of someone more capable."

He's just a bit crazy, not stupid.

"My dear nephew is acting so abnormally, maybe it has something to do with the rumor that 'Your Majesty has met with an accident'...

"If he didn't do it, who did it?

"King Wei..."

Changsun Wuji muttered to himself and returned to the corridor with a complicated expression.

"Aung, look, didn't I tell you? He won't touch you."

Zhang Sunyan looked "not unexpected":
"Rumors are just rumors after all. If he really wanted to usurp the throne, he wouldn't do it in such a convoluted way."

"But the rumor may not be just a rumor..." Changsun Wuji was still immersed in shock. It took him a long time to recover and he gave his disrespectful grandson a slap in the face.

"Why are you imitating him and becoming so fatherless, kingless and lawless!
"Go, go, go, His Highness the Regent wants you to come in and answer!"

"Oh." Chang Sun Yan touched the bump on his head and walked in angrily.

Then it came out right away.

"Did you drop anything?" Changsun Wuji asked his grandson while hugging his arms.

"No, Brother Ming has already explained everything to me~" Chang Sun Yan said happily.

Changsun Wuji: "So soon? What did you say?"

Chang Sunyan: "He asked me to go back to Liaodong with him tomorrow!"

Zhang Sun Wuji: "Reply... You were born in the capital! You are not from Liaodong!"

Chang Sunyan: "Ah, yes, yes. Anyway, hurry home, because we have to get up early and travel tomorrow."

…………

"One peach kills two warriors, this is my last trick.

"Li Tai, Li Zhi, do you also want to be emperor? If you do, come and get it."

Li Ming sat at the desk with a visibly raised corner of his mouth.

Since his two legitimate sons were making big news behind his back, he didn't hold back and retaliated with a big bomb before leaving.

That is to hand over the ruling power to the weak Li Zhi.

Li Tai is now the active party and has the advantage in military strength, so he will definitely come to rob.

Once Li Zhi holds power, will he be willing to give it to his brother Li Tai?
Can you do the same as Li Ming and retreat in order to advance?
Based on Li Ming's understanding of Li Zhi, the sinister Brother Shan Ji probably does not have such great wisdom and magnanimity.

If one side refuses to give in and the other side wants to fight, the conflict between the two sides will quickly intensify and become completely antagonistic.

Using the power of regent as bait could avoid the worst outcome of peace between Li Zhi and Li Tai, forcing both sides to have no way out and face off head-on.

In this way, Li Ming could sit on the mountain in Liaodong and watch the fight between two tigers, and reap the benefits.

"You two are doing it on the first day, so don't blame me for doing it on the fifteenth. Wait, wash yourself and wait for me to come back."

Li Ming thought for a while, then bent over his desk to finish the last bit of official documents.

…………

At the same time, to the north of Taiji Palace, Xuanwu Gate.

Under the cover of night, the heavy door opened a gap wide enough for one person to pass through.

A group of Tang troops entered one after another.

They were neither imperial guards nor members of the Beiya Guard stationed at Xuanwu Gate.

Judging from the color of the feathers on their backs, this unit belonged to the Zuo Wuhou Guard.

The position of general of this army was led by Prince of Wei Li Tai, who was responsible for the security of the capital.

Generally speaking, these senior "police officers" are not qualified to enter the palace.

However, these are unusual times.

"Quick! While the guards are rotating, enter quickly and don't let other soldiers find you!"

At the door, General Li Junxian of the Garrison Army waved his hands anxiously.

"Thank you General Li for your assistance."

In the darkness, a tall and strong veteran bowed to Li Junxian.

He was the General of the Left and General of the Guard, Su Dingfang.

Tonight, he will personally lead the troops through the palace gate and into the Taiji Palace to carry out the "mission" assigned by General King Wei.

"All this was the idea of ​​Concubine Wei and King Wei. It has nothing to do with me."

Li Junxian immediately read out a disclaimer.

From the moment you open the door, you can't escape this cause and effect, and so can I...Su Dingfang did not expose the self-consolation of his political ally.

After he counted the heads of people entering the palace, he nodded to Li Junxian outside the door:
"Everyone is here."

Li Junxian immediately and quietly closed the Xuanwu Gate and returned to the barracks outside the gate as if nothing had happened.

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

(End of this chapter)