Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 630 Ashina Helu (First Update)
In Liuguang Palace, Li Chengqian suddenly looked at Xu Yi and nodded, saying, "My beloved, please go and rest first. I have something to discuss with your elder sister."

"Yes!" Xu An looked at his sister Xu Hui with some concern, and then returned to the inner hall in Xu Hui's reassuring eyes.

Li Chengqian heard Xu Yi's footsteps entering the inner hall, and then he waved gently to Xu Hui.

Xu Hui took two steps forward and stood in front of Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian suddenly reached out and pulled Xu Hui into his arms, then whispered in her ear, "Do you still remember Huijue?"

Xu Hui suddenly looked up, looking at Li Chengqian in surprise. She nodded slowly and said, "Huijue came to Ganye Temple from Qiyun Pagoda in Luoyang. I recognized her Muzhou accent, so I kept her by my side and took care of her. What happened to her?"

"She's dead. The Qianniu Guards were investigating the traitors and found her in the Baiyun Pagoda. She was killed on the spot for resisting." Li Chengqian looked at Xu Hui deeply, then whispered, "Her secular name was Chen Shuozhen... Of course, you're more used to knowing her as Chen Dani."

"Yes!" Xu Hui nodded. Huijue had told her that her real name was Chen Dani. As for Chen Shuozhen or something like that, she didn't know.

"Chen Dani has a younger sister named Chen Erni." Li Chengqian sneered softly, "Chen Erni's husband is Zhang Shuyin. He was the one who raised an army in Quzhou and proclaimed himself Emperor Wenchang."

"Quzhou, isn't Chen Dani from Muzhou?" Xu Hui was a little unresponsive for a moment.

"Zhang Shuyin is from Quzhou, and Quzhou and Muzhou are separated by only a mountain." After a brief pause, Li Chengqian said, "You're right. Zhang Shuyin is from Quzhou, and Chen Shuozhen is from Muzhou. It's strange that Chen Shuozhen's sister married into Quzhou, but Zhang Shuyin has now proclaimed himself emperor in Quzhou, and Chen Shuozhen had previously gone to Chang'an..."

"She came to investigate the situation in the country." Xu Hui suddenly raised her head, looked into Li Chengqian's eyes and said, "She came to Chang'an to prepare for a rebellion."

Li Chengqian nodded, and Xu Hui agreed with him.

In his early years, before Wu Meiniang came to his father's side, it was Xu Hui who helped his father review memorials.

This went on for a long time, so Xu Hui has such a broad vision.

She also had a keen eye for judging this matter.

"You just said that the Zhang family is very likely the descendants of Chen Baxian's queen Zhang Yaoer, and if Chen Shuozhen's family is the descendants of Chen Baxian, then it makes sense." Li Chengqian's eyes were cold.

In her previous life, Chen Shuo ascended the throne and became emperor, and Zhang Shuyin was the one who stood by and helped her.

It is not easy for a woman to become emperor.

It is easy to say but extremely difficult to do to adjust the people's hearts and minds inside and outside the party, to straighten out the upper and lower structures, and to transport food and grass.

Requires extremely rich experience.

But Chen Shuozhen, an ordinary woman who had only had some contact in the Ganye Temple in Chang'an, dared to proclaim herself emperor. This was simply ridiculous.

Unless, she is a descendant of Chen Baxian.

They are the remnants of the Southern Chen Dynasty.

They are all people of the same status, and as members of the Zhang family, they naturally have to prioritize the Chen family. So since she is a woman, it is acceptable to regard her as the empress.

"Your Majesty, there is a problem here." Xu Hui looked at Li Chengqian and said seriously, "Zhang Yaoer has his own brothers, so the Zhang family has its own descendants, but Your Majesty, Chen Baxian has no descendants!

After Chen Baxian's death, his nephew, Chen Qian, the Prince of Linchuan, succeeded him as emperor. After Chen Qian's death, Empress Zhang deposed Chen Qian's son, Chen Bozong, and enthroned Chen Xuan Emperor Chen Xu instead.

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Chen Baxian was an unlucky man. He wasn't childless. He had six sons, five of whom died young. The only one who survived to adulthood, Chen Chang, was held hostage in Northern Zhou in his early years. That's why he was also in Northern Zhou when Chen Baxian died. Later, when Chen Qian succeeded to the throne, Northern Zhou released him, but he was pushed into the Yangtze River on the way and died."

"Chen Qian did it." Xu Hui nodded and said, "So after Chen Qian died, his son Chen Bozong ascended the throne and became emperor. Later, when Chen Xu deposed Chen Bozong, Empress Zhang supported him."

"The Zhang family has a very close relationship with the Chen Xu family, and Chen Xu's son is Chen Shubao." Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes slightly.

Xu Hui glanced at Li Chengqian and said, "But Your Majesty, when the Southern Chen Dynasty was destroyed, more than 30 Chen princes were escorted to Luoyang. Four or five of them survived to the Tang Dynasty. Even Yiyang Prince Chen Shuda became the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Chengqian nodded. Chen Shuda served as prime minister during the Wude and Zhenguan periods.

Even now, the Chen family has branched out in the Tang Dynasty. To be honest, Chen Shuozhen is not the only one who is missing.

The same is true for the Chen family and the Xiao family.

Li Chengqian looked at Xu Hui and asked, "So, what is your opinion, my beloved concubine?"

Xu Hui took a deep breath, closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then said, "I think the Chen family is either an inconspicuous branch of the Southern Chen family, or they simply forcibly attached themselves to it.

As for the Zhang family, they may not have been unaware of this, but in the end they chose to acquiesce. It's even possible that the Chen family was raised by the Zhang family; it was always the Zhang family that truly wanted to be emperor."

"Chen Shuozhen is just a pitiful chess piece." Li Chengqian suddenly understood.

The aristocratic families have always liked to hide behind the scenes and push their chess pieces to the front, and then at the end, they can easily grab the fruits of victory.

This kind of thing is common in history.

Aren’t the remnants of Prince Yin from a few years ago all like this?
Only the aristocratic families truly want to transform their families into a country.

"The Zhang family is actually quite foolish." Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said, "At this time, I still have a lot of strength left. I really don't understand how they dared to start an uprising at this time."

Indeed, Li Chengqian made some wrong judgments.

He focused his defenses on Muzhou, Chen Shuozhen's hometown.

He even started planning this many years ago and transferred Su Tan to be the governor of Hangzhou. After Su Tan was transferred to Yangzhou, Li Chengqian transferred Du Gou there.

Su Tan was the father-in-law of the emperor, and Du Gou was Du Ruhui's eldest son.

There is also Shezhou. The former governor of Shezhou is Liu Shi, and the current governor of Shezhou is Hu Yan, the former Shaoqing of the Dali Temple.

Especially since he had killed Chen Shuozhen before.

All preparations were made, but the Zhang family launched an uprising in Quzhou.

However, despite Li Chengqian's extensive preparations, the scale of the Zhang family's uprising was far from comparable to the scale of Chen Shuozhen's uprising in their previous life.

They will fail faster than anyone thinks.

……

"Your Majesty!" Xu Hui hesitated, but still said carefully: "I think the Zhang family may have been forced into a corner."

"Are you desperate?" Li Chengqian was a little surprised.

"Yes!" Xu Hui lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty occasionally brings music to Liuguang Palace, and I have sorted out some of it."

Li Chengqian nodded calmly. Not only Xu Hui from Liuguang Palace, but also Wu Meiniang from Qiufangyuan, Li Chengqian would deliberately let them read some memorials and then ask for their opinions on some uncertain matters.

The opinions of the two of them may not be as good as those of a minister in the court, but there is always something special about their perspectives.

And most importantly, they all looked at the problem from Li Chengqian's perspective.

This is very different from the fact that the ministers in the court always unconsciously carry some local interests.

"Although Your Majesty has been strict with the local authorities over the past year, many things have been relaxed at the time of autumn harvest. Some local officials will inevitably become even more aggressive at this time. The common people don't have much money, but the local aristocratic families are the ones who suffer from exploitation." Xu Hui said this and it was difficult to continue.

"You mean to say the government is forcing the people to rebel?" Li Chengqian glanced at the somewhat nervous Xu Hui, gently pinched her chin, and then whispered, "Although the fighting in front of the army is not fierce right now, the daily loss of food and fodder is already a considerable amount. If we want to deliver food and fodder quickly and in a timely manner, we must sacrifice some."

She acted like this because she had ambitions in her heart, and the Zhang family also had ambitions.

"Your Majesty!" Xu Hui looked up at Li Chengqian and said seriously, "Your Majesty may not know much about the tax situation in Jiangnan. Jiangnan has always been a heavily taxed area for the court. The taxation imposed by the court on Jiangnan is probably second only to Hebei in the entire world. Perhaps the cumulative effect of these two factors led to the incident in Quzhou."

"My beloved concubine is right. I understand that, too." Li Chengqian shook his head slightly and said, "But regarding the situation in Jiangnan, from the founding of the Tang Dynasty until now, although the court has increased taxes on Jiangnan, in reality, half of the taxes go to the Jiangnan noble families and officials. Otherwise, why has Jiangnan remained peaceful all these years?"

Xu Hui wanted to say something, but swallowed the words back when they came to her lips.

Yes, it was actually the Jiangnan nobles themselves who really helped the imperial court suppress the Jiangnan region.

"Take the Quzhou incident for example," Li Chengqian said calmly, his expression calm. "The cause is unimportant. This time, the Quzhou uprising has already involved three thousand strong men and tens of thousands of civilians. If the war breaks out, more than half of these civilian casualties will be minor. After the war, they will be reduced to slavery."

Xu Hui nodded slightly. The consequences of a failed uprising were so cruel.

Li Chengqian continued, "Plus, during this battle, the aristocratic families of Quzhou have suffered heavy losses, and much of Quzhou's land will be vacant. The imperial court will relocate civilians from Hangzhou, Muzhou, Wuzhou, Kuazhou, Yuezhou, and Taizhou... Of course, the aristocratic families and officials will benefit as well, and the overall situation in Jiangnan will improve."

Xu Hui suddenly looked up and looked at Li Chengqian in disbelief.

"Du Gou will be in charge of all this, and the court will benefit from it, but the people of Quzhou will suffer." Li Chengqian shook his head.

Quzhou was not the main food supply point for this eastern expedition, and the terrain of Quzhou was not very dangerous, so Zhang Shuyin could not hold out for long.

A trace of pain flashed in Xu Hui's eyes, and she asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, are the people of Quzhou really going to suffer such an unprovoked disaster this time?"

"That depends on how many of them can survive." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly and said, "As for the rest, although they will be reduced to slaves, I will incorporate half of the elderly and weak among them into the Shouwang Mansion."

Prince Shou Li Yu was the daughter of Zhang Xuan, who came from the Zhang family of Jiangnan.

"The Prince of Shou's Mansion is in Shouzhou, not far from Quzhou." Li Chengqian approached Xu Hui and whispered in her ear, "Of course, Concubine Xiao and Fan'er can get me pregnant in the next few months. Or, you can do the same."

Xu Hui blushed immediately. At this moment, Li Chengqian suddenly stood up. Xu Hui subconsciously raised her head and looked at Li Chengqian expectantly.

Li Chengqian gently touched her chin, then calmed down and whispered, "There's a rebellion in Quzhou. I have to deal with things there first, and then come to find you."

"Yes!" Xu Hui took a deep breath and nodded seriously.

Li Chengqian stroked it gently, then strode out of the hall, not paying any attention to the two pairs of eyes chasing him from behind.

The matter of Quzhou was completely clarified after a conversation with Xu Hui.

All that remains is to make careful arrangements.

Of course, there are still some issues that need to be clarified here.

Is there anyone behind the Zhang family?

……

It’s July in a blink of an eye.

The world is prosperous.

In the Zhenguan Hall, the dusty Zhang Daxiang bowed and said, "Your Majesty, all arrangements for the autumn harvest in Hebei have been made. The military operations will not be greatly affected."

"Yes!" Li Chengqian nodded and said, "The autumn harvest doesn't need to be as stressful as the spring planting. Liaodong has a good harvest this year, and the Jiangbei Protectorate can also provide a certain amount of food and fodder. We can just ship the food and fodder from all over the country."

"Yes!" Zhang Daxiang breathed a sigh of relief.

During the spring planting season this year, he organized civilians from all over Hebei to rush to deliver food, and then stepped up transportation so that the food would not be delayed to reach the army.

When it comes to the autumn harvest, there is no need to be so nervous. Firstly, it is because there is a good harvest everywhere. Secondly, it is also because they know that the harvest is good all over the country and the food will definitely be transported to the army. Therefore, even if it is delayed for one or two days, the soldiers in the army will not care.

"And then there's the matter of Quzhou." Li Chengqian's expression calmed down, and he said, "I was originally worried about some unexpected events, but Du Gou and Hu Zhan mobilized their forces quickly, and Cui Yixuan quickly switched from defense to offense. In just two weeks, the chaos in Quzhou was settled, and even some of the autumn harvest could be salvaged."

"Yes!" Zhang Daxiang bowed, then whispered, "Your Majesty, could you please transfer some of those rebellious men to me to use for transporting military rations?"

"No." Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Those people have knives and blood on their hands. Once they reach the front of the army, the desire for rebellion will spread throughout the north. I have decided to have them build ditches in the area."

"Your Majesty, aren't the locals afraid?"

"That's all right!" Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "The people there have gained a little bit after the battle in Quzhou. Plus, with the cleanup of the bureaucracy, their lives have become much more comfortable. They all know that what happened in Quzhou back then wasn't even close to a situation where the officials were forcing the people to revolt. Although there are some conflicts, there's a strong sense of deliberateness here."

Li Chengqian's expression became serious.

The events in Quzhou were entirely driven by the Zhang family.

However, they never expected that the court would react so quickly.

"Your Majesty!" A eunuch in blue appeared outside the palace and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "General Qiu has returned."

"Qiu Shenji is back? So soon?" Li Chengqian couldn't help but stand up. He glanced outside the hall, then looked at Zhang Daxiang and said, "You should rest for a while before going back to Hebei to get busy. Winter is coming soon. Have the laborers work harder in the fall so they can rest earlier in the winter."

"Yes!" Zhang Daxiang bowed solemnly.

Li Chengqian nodded, then strode out of the hall.

Qiu Shenqi is not somewhere else, he is in the Ye Ting.

It was just outside the Ye Ting courtyard where Li Chengqian had imprisoned Chen Shuozhen.

The imperial chariot landed, and Qiu Shenji, dressed in black clothes and armor, holding the Qianniu Guard, stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I am Qiu Shenji, and I pay my respects to you!"

"Stand up." Li Chengqian glanced around the courtyard and looked at Qiu Shenji seriously: "How was your journey back? Did you have a smooth journey?"

"It went smoothly!" Qiu Shenji bowed and said, "No one was intercepted along the way, which proves that my judgment was correct. No other Jiangnan families participated in this rebellion."

Li Chengqian was slightly stunned, then looked up and sighed, "What a pity."

Qiu Shenji breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and said, "What a pity!"

Li Chengqian smiled, patted Qiu Shenji's shoulder, and said, "Go back and rest. You've been hard-pressed for the past month, running back and forth."

"Yes!" Qiu Shenji bowed and said, "I will take my leave."

Li Chengqian nodded and watched Qiu Shenqi leave.

Yes, it’s a pity. They originally thought that some other people would be implicated, but they didn’t expect that.

Yes, there shouldn't be.

The real upper-class families have a clearer view of the current situation in the court.

Although there is a great battle going on in Anton now, the court's internal strength has not been forced out yet. Even if they want to test it, it is not now, but in two years.

Li Chengqian turned around and walked into the inner courtyard.

With a "squeak" sound, the door was pushed open.

A woman wearing a light yellow skirt and looking a little embarrassed was kneeling on the ground, right where Chen Shuozhen had originally been.

She was not bound in any way, nor had her joints been removed.

Because she didn't have much power at all, she was just an ordinary weak woman, completely different from someone like Chen Shuozhen.

Li Chengqian calmly walked in front of her. Chen Shuozhi subconsciously looked up, and then her body shuddered. She quickly kowtowed and said, "I, a commoner...a sinner, pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

"I heard that you are still a queen?" Li Chengqian asked indifferently.

Chen Shuozhi kowtowed with some trembling, saying, "I was completely unaware of my husband's conspiracy to rebel. In the end, everything was already a foregone conclusion."

"From your conversation, I can tell you have some experience." Li Chengqian nodded and said, "I have only one question: whether you live or die depends on whether your answer satisfies me."

"Your Majesty, please ask!" Chen Shuozhi kowtowed quickly.

"Why did Zhang Shuyin rebel this time? Doesn't he know that he has no chance at all?" Li Chengqian asked the question he wanted to ask most.

"I, the guilty woman, don't understand either." Chen Shuozhi lowered his head and said, "It's just that my husband once said that with the Liaodong War, the imperial court would be in a state of emergency. If we could mobilize everyone, we might be able to achieve the same success as Chen Sheng and Wu Guang."

Li Chengqian frowned, then he understood.

The reason why Zhang Shuyin rebelled was not because of anything else but the war between the court in Andong and Goguryeo.

Even during the previous emperor's eastern expedition to Goguryeo, there was constant chaos, let alone now.

What Zhang Shuyin actually wanted was to start the first anti-Tang movement in Jiangnan, and then he hoped that others would respond.

A single spark can start a prairie fire.

At that time, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were more motivated by the fact that the world had long been dissatisfied with the tyranny of the Qin Dynasty, which led to the rebellion against the Qin Dynasty.

But now, the rule of the Tang Dynasty is as solid as a fortress, how could he have a chance?

The logic here makes sense.

The fall of the Sui Dynasty was also caused by foreign wars, and the fall of the Qin Dynasty was due to the 300,000 troops guarding the Great Wall defense line.

Li Chengqian now has an army of 100,000 to conquer Liaodong. Although it is not as large as the previous Sui and Qin dynasties, he is not the previous emperor.

That's why Zhang Shuyin became ambitious.

In addition, from the time Zhang Shuyin started the rebellion to the end, no one in the entire Jiangnan region responded, which is enough to show that the reason was only this.

Of course, Chen Shuozhen’s death was also one of the reasons.

Chen Shuozhen was unable to return and report the actual situation of the court, which led to Zhang Shuyin's misjudgment.

……

Li Chengqian looked at the trembling Chen Shuozhi and said calmly, "I will have someone arrange a quiet place for you to spend your time alone in peace. Remember not to tell anyone about what happened before!"

"Yes!" Chen Shuozhi immediately kowtowed and cried, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Li Chengqian turned and walked towards the palace gate. He looked at Xu Zhi at the door and raised his hand gently...

"Your Majesty!" Chen Shuozhi's voice suddenly rang out from behind Li Chengqian. As if she had just remembered something, she knelt and turned to Li Chengqian, saying, "There's one thing. When my husband first took action, our family wasn't fully prepared... No, we hadn't planned on starting a rebellion at all. But one day, a servant suddenly pulled up a box of gold from the well."

"What did you say?" Li Chengqian turned around suddenly, his eyes filled with horror.

(End of this chapter)