My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 88 The prototype of the Tang Dynasty Jinyiwei was established

"live!"

"Brother, I want to live."

In the face of death, King Li You of Qi no longer had any self-respect.

He quickly hugged Li Chengqian's thigh and begged bitterly.

Treason is a capital crime.

He was now thinking that the prince had not yet told his father about this matter, so he still had a chance to survive.

"Get out of my way."

Li Chengqian kicked Prince of Qi Li You away.

As luck would have it, the leg he was holding was the lame one.

Isn't this asking for a beating?

"Yes, yes, big brother, I will listen to you from now on."

"I will do whatever my elder brother tells me to do. If you want me to go east, I will never go west."

"Brother, you must not tell Father about this."

Regardless of the pain in his body, Prince Qi Li You was all smiles and flattering.

Li Chengqian sneered: "Father already knows about your rebellion."

When Li You heard this, he was struck by lightning and collapsed to the ground, his face pale as a bloodless ashes.

His eyes widened, his lips trembling, "Father has already known! My life is over!"

After that, he remembered what the prince had said before and pleaded, "Brother, you will save me, right?"

Li Chengqian was too lazy to talk too much and said bluntly: "You can live, but Yin Hongzhi must die. He is the mastermind. If I hadn't begged my father, you would have been thrown into prison now."

"The reason why I haven't taken action yet is just to temporarily stabilize him and you."

Li You immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Things had come to this point, so he naturally couldn't care less about his uncle Yin Hongzhi. It was enough for him to save his own life.

"Alright, go back to your Prince Qi's mansion. Don't go out until your father's imperial edict comes down. Stay in the mansion."

The greatest benefit of keeping Prince Li You of Qi alive is that it makes His Majesty feel that his prince is a man who values ​​brotherhood and he is reluctant to sentence his half-brother to death even if he is the one who plots treason.

Show magnanimity and kindness to consolidate your position as crown prince.

Li You, as if he had been pardoned, quickly got up from the ground and bowed respectfully to Li Chengqian: "Thank you, brother. I will return to the Prince of Qi's mansion now and will follow your instructions and stay indoors."

Li Chengqian nodded, and Prince of Qi Li You hurriedly turned and left, fearing that Li Chengqian would change his mind.

In fact, he wanted to beg his elder brother again, if the emperor wanted to exile him, please arrange a slightly better place for him.

Not long after Qi Wang Li You left, the eunuch Wen Zhong reported: "Your Highness, I just received news that Yin Hongzhi went to the palace."

Li Chengqian was not surprised. Prince of Qi Li You was fighting outside last night and trying to escape. If Yin Hongzhi still didn't understand the situation, he would be an idiot.

"It saves us some effort. The King of Qi has already confessed his guilt. Send someone to report to His Majesty and have Yin Hongzhi arrested."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Tai Chi Palace.

As Concubine Yin's younger brother, Yin Hongzhi could visit his sister in the palace at any time.

The laws of the Tang Dynasty were not as strict as those of later generations and were relatively more relaxed.

However, whether to meet him or not depends on Concubine Yin's intention.

After waiting for a long time, Yin Hongzhi didn't see anyone coming, and he couldn't help feeling a little panicked.

You know, on normal days, my sister would come to meet him in just one stick of incense. Today, it's already been three sticks of incense, why hasn't she come yet?

Yin Hongzhi became more and more anxious while waiting. He paced back and forth, secretly speculating on various possible situations in his mind.

King Li You of Qi was captured and his situation was already very dangerous. Now his sister has not shown up, which fills him with fear.

"Could it be that my sister has already known about my situation and doesn't want to see me anymore?"

Yin Hongzhi said secretly in his heart.

The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed. After all, treason was a serious matter. If his sister knew what he had done, she would definitely be extremely disappointed in him.

Yin Hongzhi stopped, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down.

He knew that he couldn't panic now and had to find a way to deal with the crisis at hand.

I wondered if there were any other ways to save myself, but after thinking it over, I found that I was in a desperate situation.

Just when Yin Hongzhi was falling into despair, he suddenly heard footsteps.

I was delighted, thinking that it was my sister coming, and looked up quickly.

However, what appeared before him was a group of guards.

"Yin Hongzhi, you are suspected of treason, please come with us." The guards said coldly.

Yin Hongzhi's face turned pale in an instant, but he could only allow himself to be taken away.

at this time.

At the entrance of Liangyi Hall.

Concubine Yin Yue'e was kneeling in front of the hall.

After a long time, Zhang Ananda walked out of the hall.

"Princess Yin, please leave. His Majesty does not want to see you."

"Also, His Majesty said that Concubine Yin should not leave Deyun Palace during this period of time."

Deyun Palace is the palace where Concubine Yin lives, and this is where she is under house arrest.

Hearing this, Concubine Yin Yue'e's eyes were filled with despair, but she could only get up and leave.

Inside the hall, Li Shimin looked somewhat ugly.

He didn't know whether Concubine Yin was involved in the rebellion.

"Let the Crown Prince try this case as soon as possible and make sure to find out whether Concubine Yin was involved in the rebellion."

"Yes, Your Majesty."
-
The harem has never been peaceful.

Since the death of Empress Changsun, Li Shimin did not appoint another empress.

Empress Changsun had a deep relationship with Li Shimin. She was virtuous and played an important role in Li Shimin's political career and harem management.

Although Li Shimin still had other concubines in his harem, such as Concubine Wei and Concubine Yang, who had higher status, he never formally appointed a queen.

It may be because Empress Changsun held an irreplaceable position in his heart, or it may be due to political and other considerations.

After all, Gao Shilian is still around, and Changsun Wuji is also the most powerful minister.

No matter who is made queen, it will have a significant impact on the existing political structure.

It is precisely because there is no queen to manage the harem that the power of the harem is divided into four parts and managed jointly by the four concubines.

Concubine Wei first married Li Min, the son of Li Zixiong, the Minister of Civil Affairs of the Sui Dynasty, and later married Li Shimin, the mother of Prince Ji Li Shen and Princess Linchuan.

Concubine Yang, a princess of the previous dynasty, daughter of Emperor Yang of Sui, and mother of Li Ke, Prince of Wu, and Li Yin, Prince of Shu.

Concubine Yan De was born into a prominent family in the Northern Dynasties and was the biological mother of Li Zhen, King of Yue, and Li Xiao, King of Jiang.

Now that something has happened to Concubine Yin, the structure of the harem will naturally change.

Many concubines were eager to replace Concubine Yin.

The harem, which seemed calm on the surface, was now undercurrent.

Wu Zhao naturally wanted to get to the top, and she was not willing to be just a talented person.

"Haruyuki, how have you been in contact with the East Palace lately?"

Chunxue replied, "Madam, the Crown Prince's eunuch Wen Zhong has shown goodwill to us. This must be because of the tip-off last time."

"But I feel that Eunuch Wen doesn't seem to care much about this. Perhaps the East Palace has already arranged someone to be by Your Majesty's side."

Wu Zhao narrowed her eyes slightly and fell into deep thought.

She knew that in this treacherous harem, every step had to be carefully planned. Now that Concubine Yin had lost power, it was a rare opportunity, but it was not easy to seize it.

"Chunxue, bring me my glazed eight-treasure exquisite tower and give it to Eunuch Wen."

"See if you can get any information about Concubine Yin from him."

Chunxue subconsciously said, "Madam, that was given to you as a dowry by your old master."

Colored glaze was extremely precious in the Tang Dynasty, and Chunxue felt it was not worth it to give such a precious thing to a eunuch.

Wu Zhao said: "Should I give it to the Crown Prince? But the Crown Prince would never look down upon these little things."

Chunxue bowed and said, "I understand."

Wen Zhong was a greedy man, perhaps this was the nature of almost all eunuchs.

Eunuchs have no children or grandchildren to take care of them in their old age, so they need to accumulate a lot of wealth to ensure their own life in their later years.

Palace life is full of risks. Eunuchs are always in the vortex of power struggles. Once they lose power, they may face the fate of being expelled, punished or even executed.

To cope with this risk, they need to accumulate wealth so that they can use money to buy security and a chance of survival in times of crisis.

But as the prince's eunuch, he also knew what to say and what not to say. Although he really liked this glazed eight-treasure exquisite tower and couldn't let it go, he still chose to return it to Chunxue.

"My wife said that once a gift is given, it is not reasonable to take it back."

Hearing this, Wen Zhong hesitated slightly and said, "Okay, then I'll accept it. Please thank Wu Cairen for his kindness on my behalf."

"The main reason is that this matter involves too much. If I say anything without the Crown Prince's permission, I will be severely punished."

Although she didn't say it, she was telling Wu Zetian implicitly that the matter was very serious and Concubine Yin's position might be in jeopardy.

Holding the glazed eight-treasure exquisite tower, Wen Zhong kept stroking it, but walked towards the main hall of the East Palace with sincere steps.

If he were an ordinary eunuch, he might have taken it for himself.

But he was the prince's eunuch, and he was bound by honor and disgrace, so he naturally could not act like this.

"Your Highness, this is a generous gift from Wu Cairen. She wants to ask about Concubine Yin."

"I dare not make the decision on my own, but this Liwu talent insisted on sending it over."

Wen Zhong did not say that it was for himself, but instead said that it was for the prince.

Li Chengqian naturally looked down on this glazed eight-treasure exquisite tower. There were so many precious things in the East Palace that any one of them was rare among the common people and was worth thousands or even tens of thousands of coins.

I was interested at first, but after watching it so many times, that was it.

"This tower is a reward for you. It's okay to tell Wu Cairen about Concubine Yin."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Li Chengqian was hoping for chaos in the harem, which would actually be a good thing for him.

However, we must speed up the handling of the case of Prince of Qi Li You.

In fact, there is not much to judge. Prince of Qi Li You has already pleaded guilty, and Yin Hongzhi will probably explain clearly. It all depends on whether there is any exchange of interests.

The next day, Dali Temple.

When the prince arrived, officials from the Dali Temple greeted him at the door.

Sun Fujia took the lead in bowing: "We respectfully welcome the Crown Prince."

He looked at the prince with complicated eyes, ever since the prince arranged for his father-in-law to be the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.

The originally peaceful Dali Temple became turbulent.

Although Sun Fujia was from a famous family, he had no power in the court. He was able to serve as one of the Nine Ministers because he had tasted the sweetness of being the first number one scholar in the imperial examination of the Tang Dynasty.

After Su Tan became the Shaoqing of Dali Temple, officials of Dali Temple vied for favor with him. Sun Fujia was nominally the chief official, but in reality a lot of power was taken away from him. However, he did not dare to say much.

After all, he is the prince's father-in-law.

"Your Highness, Yin Hongzhi has been detained in prison and can be brought to trial at any time."

After the ceremony, Su Tan walked past Sun Fujia and spoke directly.

Sun Fujia lowered his head and ignored such impolite behavior.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, glanced at everyone, and said, "Just interrogate Yin Hongzhi."

"Due to special circumstances, this case is not suitable for public disclosure and will be tried in secret by a solitary judge."

Everyone bowed: "Yes, Your Highness."

In the back hall of the government office, the guards of the Eastern Palace strictly guarded it and prohibited anyone from approaching.

Yin Hongzhi was brought in.

In just one day, Yin Hongzhi, who was originally full of vigor and vitality, now looked haggard and listless. He looked at Li Chengqian who was sitting above him, and his heart was filled with fear and uneasiness.

Li Chengqian looked at Yin Hongzhi expressionlessly and said in a deep voice, "Yin Hongzhi, do you admit your guilt?"

Yin Hongzhi knelt down and kowtowed, saying in a trembling voice: "Your Highness, I know my crime. I was confused for a moment and made a big mistake. I beg Your Highness to spare my life."

Li Chengqian snorted coldly: "You instigated the King of Qi to rebel, your crime is unforgivable. Now you have to tell the truth, maybe you can get a lighter sentence."

Yin Hongzhi's heart tightened. He knew he had no way out and could only tell the truth.

So he began to tell the story of how he and King of Qi Li You planned the rebellion, including how they planned it, how they contacted various forces and their specific plans.

Li Chengqian didn't care at first, but after hearing it, he was a little surprised.

Yin Hongzhi has had the idea of ​​rebellion not just in the past two years, but has been preparing for more than ten years.

It can be said that the planning began in the early years of Zhenguan, when his sister Yin Yue'e served as Yin Fei and gave birth to Prince of Qi Li You.

However, Li Shimin's power was too strong, and trying to rebel while Li Shimin was alive would be almost hell.

Yin Hongzhi also understood this logic, so his plan was to seize the throne after Li Shimin's death and the court succession was handed over.

Li Chengqian asked, "Is it because your grandfather killed your father that you want revenge?"

Yin Hongzhi smiled bitterly and said, “I don’t resent the emperor for killing my father. After all, my father killed the King of Chu and dug up his grave. The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. This has been the case since ancient times.”

King of Chu, Li Zhiyun, was the fifth son of Li Yuan. His mother was Concubine Wan. Although he was a bastard's son, he was very much loved by Li Yuan.

Similar to Li Tai's situation, after establishing the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan chose one of his concubine's sons and adopted him under the name of Li Zhiyun, the King of Chu, so that the bloodline would not be cut off and he would enjoy incense and sacrifices.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly. If it was not an old grudge, then it was a desire for power.

But now, it's all gone.

"For treason, you will be sentenced to death, but the King of Qi can live."

"Your Majesty asked me to conduct a secret investigation. The most important connection is whether Concubine Yin was involved."

"I won't hide it from you. As for the matter of Concubine Yin, it depends on how I tell His Majesty."

Yin Hongzhi was a smart man, so he naturally knew what the prince meant, and asked, "What does the prince want?"

Li Chengqian said: "Those assassins, and your spy list."

Yin Hongzhi spent more than ten years training three hundred death warriors.

In addition, a huge intelligence network was cultivated.

This intelligence network covers the areas around Chang'an and Luoyang, and involves more than a dozen states.

Deliver information for Yin Hongzhi and collect evidence of officials' crimes.

These spies did not know who they were working for, and communicated in secret languages ​​and through single lines.

Most of Yin Hongzhi's money is used to maintain the operation of this intelligence network.

Among them was the prince's confidant Hegan Chengji.

Yin Hongzhi was a far-sighted person. He was preparing to stabilize the situation after Prince of Qi Li You seized the throne.

After all, he didn't want the Tang Dynasty to be too turbulent after Prince Qi Li You's rebellion succeeded, so he had to find a way to stabilize the situation.

When Li Chengqian heard about this intelligence network, he immediately thought of its use.

I have always wanted to establish the Tang Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard, but the foundation was too weak.

Now that we have a ready-made team, it can be packed and delivered here.

(End of this chapter)