The two of them traveled through the Tang Dynasty to open a supermarket, and the little Sizi was sup

Chapter 144 The Crown Prince Regent!

Xiao Ran nodded, "Yes!"

Neither Li Shimin nor Li Lizhi had considered this issue before, believing that Li Chengqian's ascension to the throne was a foregone conclusion.

On the surface, Li Chengqian still seems quite stable.

The princes born out of wedlock posed no threat to Li Chengqian, and the legitimate son Li Zhi was too young to pose a threat either.

Li Tai and Li Chengqian seem to have a good relationship.

"What exactly happened next? Chengqian shouldn't have done this!" Even Li Shimin found it hard to accept this outcome.

"The relationship between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Yue is getting worse and worse. After His Highness passed away, the relationship between His Majesty and the Crown Prince also deteriorated, and the conflicts are getting bigger and bigger."

"His Majesty has bestowed great favors upon the Prince of Yue, causing the Prince to covet the throne and believe that by deposing the Crown Prince, the throne will be his."

"The two men behind him were like oil and water, and the crown prince was driven to a dead end, so he rebelled."

"The result will definitely be failure." Rebelling against Li Shimin is like showing off your axe skills in front of Guan Yu.

Li Chengqian was also forced into this situation.

"Alas, it still came to this." Li Shimin was also feeling bad.

The one who suffered the most was Empress Zhangsun.

“Your Majesty, you’ve known about these things all along, haven’t you?” Xiao Ran asked Li Shimin directly.

Li Shimin did not deny it.

"So the culprit behind this tragedy is Your Majesty!"

Li Shimin's lips twitched; Xiao Ran's words were far too blunt.

No one else would dare to speak of Li Shimin like that.

"I never expected it to turn out this way," Li Shimin continued. "If this is the case, and Chengqian rebels, I will not give the throne to Qingque...that throne...Zhinu!"

Li Shimin suddenly thought of Li Zhi; under those circumstances, Li Zhi was the only choice.

"Yes! His Highness Prince Jin is destined by Heaven to inherit His Majesty's throne." Xiao Ran didn't mention the matter of inheriting his stepmother's throne; it wasn't appropriate to joke about it now.

"Your Majesty is an emperor and has your own considerations. You don't want the tragedy of Xuanwu Gate to happen again, but your approach of indulging the Prince of Yue will not work in the long run and will only lead to a repeat of the same mistakes."

Many emperors treated their sons with the same suspicion as they treated thieves.

"Such things are normal in imperial families. There have been many in the past, Your Majesty is aware of this, and there will be no shortage in the future. It has always been this way."

"I'd like to tell Your Majesty something a little different."

Li Shimin nodded. "Alright, go ahead."

"Several hundred years later, there was a crown prince named Zhu Biao. All the civil and military officials, princes, and founding fathers were his supporters."

Xiao Ran briefly explained Zhu Biao's relationship.

"Zhu Biao wields immense power, and while the other princes are not mediocre or incompetent, none of them dare to covet the position of crown prince."

"Throughout the Hongwu reign, there was no so-called struggle for the crown prince, nor was there any fratricide."

“Once Zhu Biao’s eldest son establishes his authority, the brothers will naturally live in harmony.”

"Does Your Majesty not wish for this?"

"With His Majesty's influence, how could you possibly fear that the Crown Prince will usurp your power?"

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, then asked, "So how did Zhu Biao perform later?"

Li Shimin was very curious about this.

It must be something extraordinary to have so many people supporting it.

"Zhu Biao was probably too lucky. He had the right timing, the right place, and the right people. He died young and never ascended the throne."

Li Shimin: "."

"I didn't expect Chengqian Qingque to be like this. I was wrong." Li Shimin held Empress Zhangsun's hand, seemingly apologizing to her.

"Your Majesty did not want it to be this way, but things are unpredictable." Empress Zhangsun did not blame Li Shimin.

Li Shimin truly did not want to see his brothers kill each other.

The events at Xuanwu Gate were still vivid in Li Shimin's mind.

Since he knew this wouldn't work, Li Shimin was bound to change it. This remonstrating minister, Bai Yueguang, who readily accepted advice, had one major virtue: he listened to reason.

"Ananda, convey my decree: starting tomorrow, the Crown Prince will begin overseeing the state... The appointment and removal of officials below the fifth rank, as well as matters concerning criminal justice and finances, will no longer require prior approval; they may act expediently."

"Furthermore, Fang Xuanling, Li Jing, and Wei Zheng will be appointed to the Eastern Palace as Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, and Grand Protector of the Crown Prince."

"Qingque's side..." Li Shimin really liked this son, and Li Tai knew too well how to please Li Shimin.

"Issue an imperial edict to the King of Yue: I bestow upon him ten copies of the 'Table of Princes and Kings' from the Book of Han, and order him to study the etiquette and laws of the princes behind closed doors."

His voice suddenly softened, “No one may enter the Taiji Palace except on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. His subordinates must report their itinerary to the Eastern Palace at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) every day.”

Li Shimin completely extinguished Li Tai's hopes for the position of crown prince.

Upon hearing the imperial decree, Li Chengqian was overjoyed, knowing he could happily return to the Eastern Palace.

Li Tai's world collapsed!
"I hope that this time, the brothers can get along peacefully, or at least not fight each other!" Li Shimin said with a sense of helplessness.

"I have already done it once, and I do not want them to do it again." Li Shimin looked at his hands.

These are things Xiao Ran can do; Li Shimin can make the corrections himself.

"My dear nephew, now that Chengqian is regent, I wish to have Wuji assist him. The two of them are familiar with each other, and this will allow them to better assist Chengqian."

Xiao Ran's lips twitched.

It's clear that Empress Zhangsun is still against Zhangsun Wuji holding a high position, and Li Shimin is still determined to change that.

Changsun Wuji was highly capable and a great contributor to the Zhenguan era.

Li Shimin had no reason not to use it.

When Li Shimin asked, Empress Zhangsun was not surprised. She knew Li Shimin too well and knew that he had not given up on this idea.

Now Li Shimin wants to ask Xiao Ran.

"Your Majesty, according to the normal course of history, you will later appoint the emperor's brother-in-law as the regent of the Prince of Jin."

"How is the situation?" Li Shimin asked hurriedly.

"Later, the emperor's brother-in-law and the Changsun family lost the political struggle and were all exiled!"

This result greatly surprised Li Shimin, leaving him somewhat at a loss for what to do.

He looked at Empress Zhangsun with a face full of self-reproach and guilt.

Empress Zhangsun's worst fears came true.

"Empress, it is I."

Empress Zhangsun shook her head, "These are not His Majesty's faults, but my brother's fate!"

Empress Zhangsun was well aware of Zhangsun Wuji's thirst for power.

Hearing that the Changsun family had been exiled still left him feeling very uneasy.

Empress Zhangsun truly had foresight in this matter.

Upon hearing this result, Li Shimin completely abandoned the idea of ​​appointing Changsun Wuji.

Changsun Wuji only returned home to relax in the seventh year of the Zhenguan era, and he hadn't been idle for very long.

He'll probably be idle for the rest of his life, and Li Shimin will ensure the Changsun family's long-term wealth and prosperity.

It is impossible to allow Changsun Wuji to serve as an official in the court again.

The results of the investigation into consanguineous marriage have also come out, and they are largely consistent with what Xiao Ran said.

There is a significant difference between marriages between close relatives and those between close relatives.

This can be intuitively felt from the survey data.

Empress Zhangsun immediately provided Li Shimin with the data from these investigations.

With this data, Li Shimin could convene a court meeting to discuss this matter.

Before that, Li Shimin had to meet with Changsun Wuji.

Slowly setting down the survey data, "Ananda, announce the Duke of Qi!"

(End of this chapter)