My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 82 Chapter 81: Why did the prince rebel! (Please subscribe for the first time and vote for the monthly ticket)

rebellion!!!

When this word came out of Li Chengqian's mouth, the whole hall suddenly became dead silent.

Li Shimin raised his hand and pointed at the prince. His fingers were trembling and the corners of his mouth were shaking.

He has always been skeptical. Li Shimin believes that he has never treated the prince badly.

At most, it's in the past few years that I have favored Qingque a little bit, but this is also compensation for Qingque, and the prince should understand it.

Gao Shilian looked incredulous.

He would never have thought that the prince would actually rebel.

And you have to say it in front of His Majesty.

Even if you want to rebel, you can't say it to my face.

unless
Gao Shilian's pupils contracted as he suddenly thought of something.

Unless the prince is well prepared.

Could it be that all the people outside are the prince's men?

Gao Shilian became a little nervous, and even a little expectant. After all, half of his body was already buried in the ground, and it would be nice to be able to see two big scenes.

Compared with Hegannuo who was trembling with fear, Li Tai's face was full of excitement, and the corners of his mouth were about to curl up.

What does it mean when you think there is no way out, you will find a new village just around the corner?

That's it.

I thought that at most it would make my father suspicious of the prince, but I didn't expect the prince to just blow himself up on the spot.

"Why did the prince rebel!!!"

Li Shimin's anger level was close to bursting.

This was what he had always been most worried about, but he never expected it to become a reality.

The roar echoed throughout the entire hall. Li Anyan, who was eavesdropping outside the door, was startled and his hand subconsciously rested on the hilt of the sword.

Is this moment finally coming?

He would just wait for the prince's order and then break in.

Inside the palace.

Li Chengqian's expression was natural, as if he had not experienced any major emotional fluctuations because of the rebellion.

The reaction of the crowd was within his expectations.

"What is Father talking about? I am rebelling? Why would I rebel?"

"Oh, it was Father who misunderstood. I was talking about Hegan Chengji's rebellion."

This explanation immediately calmed Li Shimin's rising anger.

He asked, "What do you mean by that, Prince? Isn't Hegan Chengji your confidant?"

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Yes, he was my trusted guard, so when I found out about his rebellion, I executed him immediately."

Things seemed to have taken a turn for the worse. Li Shimin frowned and said, "Prince, please explain your words more clearly."

Li Chengqian looked around at everyone and then explained, "Some time ago, probably at the end of last year, I discovered that Hegan Chengji seemed to be hiding something from me."

"I didn't pay much attention to it at first, until a while ago, when I discovered that Hegan Chengji seemed to have suddenly gained a lot of money."

"This made me a little curious. I originally thought he was taking bribes, but after investigation I found out that he was actually planning a rebellion."

"So I gave him death."

When these words were spoken, people naturally did not believe them, mainly because they were too mysterious.

Hegan Chengji was just a guard of the Eastern Palace. How could he be plotting a rebellion?
Isn't this pure nonsense?

Li Tai said sullenly, "Brother, your words are somewhat untenable."

"Hegan Chengji is my eldest brother's trusted guard and has received many rewards from my eldest brother. Why would he rebel and what ability does he have to rebel?"

Although Li Tai's words were unpleasant to hear, there was truth in them.

Things like treason are serious crimes punishable by the execution of nine generations of the clan, and not everyone can do it.

Gao Shilian heard some clues at this time and said, "Prince, you'd better explain it clearly."

Li Shimin did not speak, but just looked at the prince, waiting for what he would say.

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Tai, and then said: "Hegan Chengji is certainly not the mastermind. The mastermind is someone else."

Li Shimin asked: "Who is it?"

Li Chengqian met Li Shimin's gaze without avoiding it, then he sighed softly and said, "It's my fifth brother."

As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked.

Li Tai even said: "Brother, please don't talk nonsense. My fifth brother is still in Qizhou, how can he do such a rebellious thing?"

Gao Shilian felt much more relaxed when he heard this. After all, King of Qi Li You had no blood relationship with him.

Li Shimin had a strange look on his face. If the prince had said something about someone else, he would definitely not believe it, but if it was said by Prince of Qi Li You, it was really possible.

Li You's maternal grandfather, Yin Shishi, stayed in Chang'an with Dai Wang Yang You at the end of the Sui Dynasty.

After Li Yuan started his rebellion in Taiyuan, his youngest son Li Zhiyun was killed by Yin Shishi at the age of fourteen.

Li Yuan attached the most importance to family affection. When his fourth son Li Xuanba died young, he wanted to adopt Li Shimin's son Li Tai, let alone his beloved youngest son Li Zhiyun.

In addition, Yin Shishi and Gu Yi ordered Jingzhao County to visit and excavate the five tombs of Li Yuan's family.

Digging up someone's ancestral grave is an irreconcilable feud.

After Li Yuan entered Chang'an, he also killed Yin Shishi, Gu Yi and others on the grounds that they resisted the righteous army, but he did not go all the way and spared the Yin siblings.

Because of her beautiful appearance, Yin was given to Li Shimin as a concubine.

However, the Yin family and the Li Tang family could be said to be a national hatred and a family feud.

After all, he was his own son, and Li Shimin did not treat him unfairly because of the grudges of the previous generation.

Moreover, Yin Yue'e was quite favored and was granted the rank of Yin Fei, and Yin Hongzhi made great contributions in exposing the conspiracy of the hidden crown prince Li Jiancheng in the Kunming Lake Rebellion.

With the care of his sister, he was promoted to the positions of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and Chief Censor.

He was extremely honored and favored, and was even on par with Sikong Zhangsun Wuji. Many sons of noble families tried to associate with him.

"Does the prince have any evidence?"

Li Shimin already had some guesses in his mind that the prince was so calm, he must have had solid evidence in his hands.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Of course there is. It is also because I saw the correspondence between Hegan Chengji, Yin Hongzhi, and my fifth brother. The evidence is irrefutable, so I sentenced Hegan Chengji to death."

Li Shimin had already believed it at this moment, and felt a little annoyed inside.

Although it was not the crown prince who rebelled, Prince of Qi Li You was also his son.

He asked, "The King of Qi was planning a rebellion, why did the Crown Prince help him conceal it?"

Li Chengqian was a little unhappy with this repeated questioning.

"Does your majesty think that I am plotting a rebellion with my fifth brother?"

Li Shimin also felt that his tone was a bit too much, so he softened his tone: "Of course I don't mean that. The evidence is still in your hands."

Li Chengqian nodded: "Yes, I'll have someone bring it over right away."

Then he looked at Zhang Ananda, who had been standing beside Li Shimin like a wooden man.

"Please go to the East Palace and ask the Crown Princess to come to my bedroom and bring the letters from the box I hid earlier."

Zhang Ananda did not answer, and then looked at His Majesty.

Li Shimin nodded, and Zhang Ananda left.

There is solid evidence from correspondence, and it is clear that Prince of Qi Li You was really preparing for a rebellion.

Looking back, everything made sense. The Crown Prince suddenly ordered Hegan Chengji to be executed because he discovered that he and the King of Qi were conspiring to rebel.

Hegannuo may have heard some words, but he did not know what happened, and it was impossible for Hegan Chengji to rebel with his son.

So he subconsciously believed that his father was sentenced to death because it exposed the possibility of the prince's rebellion.

As for Hegan Chengji's assassination of the King of Wei, in Li Shimin's eyes, it was a secret instigation by the King of Qi, who intended to provoke and deepen the conflict between the King of Wei and the Prince, thereby causing chaos in Chang'an and giving him an opportunity to take advantage.

In this case, the prince was completely wronged.

Li Shimin felt a little guilty.

Because before this, he always felt that there was a high possibility that the prince would rebel, so he didn't believe it.

Now that there is a reversal, I feel sorry for the prince.

"I know that you care more about brotherhood, but you shouldn't cover up such a big thing as treason. You should tell me in time."

At this time, Li Shimin's tone had become very gentle.

Compared with Li Tai's secret gnashing of teeth, Gao Shilian was in a good mood, as if a huge stone had been lifted off his chest.

"I am not trying to conceal the rebellion for the King of Qi, but I don't want to cause too much unrest and make the matter too big."

"I have sent people to Qizhou some time ago to ask the King of Qi to return to Chang'an secretly. I did not explain the reason to him. I believe that although the King of Qi is hesitant, he will still come back at this time."

"I plan to arrest him and bring him before my father. This way, we can easily put an end to the rebellion without letting anyone know about it."

"He is my brother after all. I can't bear to see him do such a treasonous thing."

"I also have some understanding of the King of Qi's affairs through Hegan Chengji. Rebellion was not his original intention, but was instigated by Yin Hongzhi."

"Before the King of Qi was enfeoffed, Yin Hongzhi asked him to secretly recruit guards. It was at that time that Hegan Chengji was bribed heavily by Yin Hongzhi."

"After the Prince of Qi was enfeoffed, Yin Hongzhi continued to give him advice and instigated him, which led to the current situation."

After Li Chengqian finished speaking, Li Shimin was both happy and angry.

The good news is that the prince did not disappoint his expectations.

What made him angry was that Yin Hongzhi was so cunning and had lost his trust.

The Kunming Lake coup was a Hongmen Banquet arranged by Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince of Qi Li Yuanji.

Li Jiancheng held a banquet at Kunming Lake and invited Li Shimin to practice the army that Li Yuanji was going to quell the rebellion, but in fact he wanted to kill Li Shimin.

At that time, Li Yuan had transferred generals Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao and others from the Qin Palace to Qi Wang Li Yuanji to help quell the rebellion.

The killing of these generals was also part of the coup.

Li Jiancheng even thought about how to deal with Li Yuan afterwards. He colluded with the King of Qi and said that Li Shimin died suddenly of illness, while he himself tried to persuade Li Yuan to give up the throne to him.

In fact, it is the same method as Li Shimin, forcing the emperor to abdicate!

However, all this was heard by Wang Chao, a minor figure in the Eastern Palace. Even more unfortunately, he was Li Shimin's undercover agent.

Therefore, this plan failed and instead became the fuse for Li Shimin's "Xuanwu Gate Incident".

Having said that, whether it was Li Shimin's "Xuanwu Gate Incident" or Li Jiancheng's "Kunming Lake Coup", both were aimed at putting the other to death.

The most tragic thing was Emperor Gaozu Li Yuan. No matter who succeeded, he would be driven out of power by his son.

From this perspective, treason and succession to the throne is indeed the ancestral law of the Tang Dynasty.

This is also one of the reasons why Li Yuan did not take action against Li Shimin after Li Shimin killed Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince of Qi Li Yuanji.

After all, all the sons are the same. Even if Li Shimin is eliminated and replaced by another son, things will not be much better.

Feeling disheartened, Li Yuan simply let go, allowing Li Shimin to become the crown prince and handing over all power in the court to him.

In fact, Li Yuan had the ability to get rid of Li Shimin. Although Li Shimin had made great contributions and was supported by the generals in the army, there were only 800 guards in Chang'an City.

If Li Yuan was cruel enough to kill his son and simply mobilized a few thousand soldiers to surround the Prince of Qin's Palace, Li Shimin would have no ability to resist.

This is the characteristic of the Li family. They are good at killing, but they also attach great importance to family affection.

Just like Li Shimin now, isn't it the same?

Yin Hongzhi's contribution was that he stood up at that time and exposed to Li Yuan the conspiracy of the Kunming Lake coup by Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and others.

This also led to Li Yuanji, who was originally going to lead troops to quell the rebellion, being stripped of his power to command troops by Li Yuan, thus saving the generals under Li Shimin who were originally going to be killed.

At this time, Li Tai felt very depressed.

He tried every means to thwart the prince's plan, but ended up helping him.

He saw that his father looked at the prince with a look of satisfaction and guilt.

If we want to attack the prince by accusing him of treason, it won't be as easy as it is now.

The prince actually hid the truth so deeply about the matter of Hegan Chengji.

Li Tai glanced at Hegannuo. He had originally guessed whether he was an undercover agent specially sent by the prince. Now it seems that he is clearly a chess piece used by the prince to stir up trouble.

When the whole thing unfolded, Li Tai realized that not only he, but also Fang Xuanling, had been plotted against by the prince.

This scheme had already been planned when the Crown Prince obtained the correspondence between Hegan Chengji and the King of Qi and ordered Hegan Chengji to be executed.

No, it might be even earlier. The prince might have already known about Hegan Chengji's relationship with the King of Qi.

Li Tai originally thought that even if he could not depose the crown prince, he could at least make his father suspicious of the crown prince. But now, all of it has gone down the drain.

In my father's heart, any suspicion he might have had towards the crown prince must have disappeared completely.

Even the assassination attempt on his own part was completely used as a shield by Prince Qi Li You.

After listening to the prince's words, Li Tai even felt that Hegan Chengji was secretly instigated by the King of Qi to assassinate him.

The King of Qi had this need and motivation, and his purpose was very clear.

But he knew that it must have been done by the prince.

However, Hegan Chengji was already dead and there was no evidence to prove his guilt, so there was nothing that could be done.

By then, even if the King of Qi denies it, it will be of no use, because my father has completely lost trust in him.

I just think that he wanted to make a fuss before he died.

Outside the hall, Li Anyan's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he put down his hand that had been on the hilt of the sword. His palms were already full of sweat, and his back was a little wet.

He had been eavesdropping at the door on what was happening inside the hall, and he had a general idea of ​​the situation. These twists and turns made his heart beat faster.

No wonder Du He told him not to worry, the prince had his own plan to deal with it, it turns out to be like this.

The person who plotted rebellion was actually the King of Qi, not the Crown Prince.

At the same time, Li Anyan also changed his impression of the prince. Such planning and scheming were simply dazzling.

Even if Fang Mou and Du Duan are combined, they are not inferior.

With such a prince, there is no need to worry about not achieving great things.

"Big brother?"

Li Anyan's confidant beside him asked in a low voice with some doubt.

After all, this temporary change of post was arranged by Li Anyan.

Although they did not know about the prince's rebellion, they vaguely sensed that something big might happen.

Li Anyan was eavesdropping outside the palace, and his trusted aides nearby were watching.

"Nothing, just be on duty."

"Yes."

Not long after, Zhang Ananda also returned from the East Palace.

At the same time, there was a stack of letters in his hand, more than ten in total.

Li Shimin took the letter with a grim expression and began to read it.

(End of this chapter)