Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 285 It doesn't matter, the Crown Prince will take action! [Seeking monthly votes]

"Hoohoo!"

"Ha ha!"

"boom--!"

Li Chengqian, holding an iron spear, sweated profusely in the training ground of the Crown Prince's residence.

The women in the Crown Prince's residence all turned their heads in surprise, but quickly walked away with smiles on their faces.

Just then, a guard rushed in to report that Pei Xingjian, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was requesting an audience. He then calmly stopped what he was doing, stood still, and took the towel that Lai Fu handed him, while instructing, "Let Pei Xingjian in!"

"Yes!"

The guard responded respectfully, and Pei Xingjian soon entered.

"His Royal Highness!"

"Well, how's it going?"

“Some Confucian scholars and intellectuals in various prefectures revolted because of the imperial examination reform, but they were suppressed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard not long afterward!” Pei Xingjian answered truthfully.

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction and said, "It seems that the phased reform approach is correct. However, we still need to be vigilant at all times and closely monitor any resistance in various places. In addition, the new teaching materials should be transported to each prefecture in a timely manner, and it would be best to establish printing workshops in each prefecture and transfer the teachers from Jiangling there to teach basic subjects!"

"Yes!" Pei Xingjian responded, then secretly glanced at Li Chengqian, who was standing close by, and was secretly surprised.

He never imagined that the crown prince would have such a side to him.

You should know that even someone as skilled in martial arts as him couldn't split a boulder in two with a single spear thrust, yet this prince actually did it.

What kind of power is this?
Could it be that another bloodline of the Li royal family has awakened?
He knew that the Li family had a formidable figure like Li Yuanba, but he didn't know that Li Chengqian was just as formidable.

"I know I have a sexy figure, but you shouldn't keep staring at me, right?"

Just when Pei Xingjian thought he could watch secretly without being discovered, Li Chengqian, who was shirtless, said something leisurely.

"Ah? This..."

Pei Xingjian was startled and quickly lowered his head in embarrassment, bowing and saying, "Your Highness, please forgive me!"

"Alright, you've already seen it all. Do you think I'm going to gouge your eyes out? I heard you're a good shot, wanna practice?"

"My subordinates dare not!"

"You dare not? Are you underestimating me?"

"No, no, it's just that I didn't bring a gun, so..."

"Ha! That's easy! Here you go! Use this gun of mine!"

Before Pei Xingjian could finish speaking, Li Chengqian casually tossed the iron spear in his hand to him.

Upon seeing this, Pei Xingjian hurriedly took the iron spear. Unexpectedly, as soon as he touched the spear, he felt as if his arm had been crushed by something weighing a thousand pounds, and his body suddenly sank down.

I rub!

What the hell is this!

Pei Xingjian was terrified. He quickly knelt down to steady himself and firmly grasped the iron spear that was about to slip from his hand.

"No, Your Highness, you..."

He looked at Li Chengqian with a surprised and still frightened expression.

"What? You can't even hold a gun properly?" Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow, amused.

Pei Xingjian blushed, but without uttering a word, he steadied himself, got up from the ground, and solemnly cupped his hands, saying, "Your Highness, please enlighten me!"

"it is good!"

Li Chengqian immediately said "good", and then launched a dragon claw attack on Pei Xingjian.

Pei Xingjian was surprised by Li Chengqian's arrogance, who actually fought him bare-handed. He immediately felt underestimated and, regardless of whether Li Chengqian was the crown prince or not, he quickly began to fight him.

The two men moved with the strength of dragons and the power of tigers, their punches landing squarely.

The battle raged for nearly 45 minutes before a victor emerged.

Although Pei Xingjian had more combat skills, Li Chengqian's strength was extraordinary. Every time Pei Xingjian used skillful force to force Li Chengqian back, Li Chengqian would always use his strength to relentlessly pursue and attack, eventually forcing Pei Xingjian to surrender and admit defeat.

"Your Highness is valiant; I am no match for you!"

Pei Xingjian, enduring the pain from being slapped by Li Chengqian, bowed and greeted him.

Li Chengqian smiled, then raised his hand to help him up, saying, "I'm just a little stronger than you. If we were evenly matched, I wouldn't be your match either."

“That’s not how it is, Your Highness. Although martial arts training focuses on skill, strength is fundamental. Without sufficient strength, even the best martial arts skills are just for show. Therefore, I have indeed lost.”

Pei Xingjian was quite frank, after all, losing to Crown Prince Li Chengqian was not shameful.

Li Chengqian smiled noncommittally, then said to Laifu, who was not far away, "Laifu, go and give my bottle of medicine for treating bruises and sprains to Commander Pei, so he can go back and apply it!"

"Yes!"

"Ah, no need, no need, I'm fine."

"It's alright, you still have things to do for me, don't let this delay you!"

Before Pei Xingjian could finish speaking, Li Chengqian interrupted him without any room for argument, then, as if remembering something, asked, "How is that Yang Nannan? Is she alright?"

Pei Xingjian nodded and said, "She's doing well. She even helped investigate the matter of the Five Tigers and One Grand Duke and the King of Han a while ago!"

"Oh?" Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow, then said calmly, "Have you found anything?"

"Yes. According to her, apart from Chai Zhewei and Li Zong, no one else involved in the Hu Ji Tavern incident knew about the Prince of Han. In addition, the Prince of Han had two purposes: one was to help Lu Dongzan deceive the Crown Prince with a fake letter so that the Crown Prince would anger His Majesty with the fake letter; the other was to add some fun for the Crown Prince and lead him astray."

"Uh,"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but twitch his lips, thinking to himself, "This little brother of mine is really cunning!"
Although there is no historical record of your struggle for the throne, I only saw what I witnessed with my own eyes, so we've now formed a grudge.

After a brief silence, Li Chengqian coldly ordered, "Send men to Hanzhong to keep a close eye on him! Report any of his actions to me! I refuse to believe that my father will tolerate him again if he makes another mistake!"

"Yes!"

Pei Xingjian respectfully accepted the order and left quickly.

Li Chengqian lost interest in practicing martial arts and immediately said to Laifu, "Laifu, go and call Sun Fujia and Liu Rengui here!"

"promise!"

Lai Fu acknowledged and was about to leave when Li Chengqian suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "I heard that you sent Chang Wei to Jiangling?"

"This"

Lai Fu hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "Yes, Your Highness, because there wasn't enough charcoal before the New Year, I heard that there was new progress in the production of charcoal stoves in Jiangling, so I asked Chang Wei to go to Jiangling to transport charcoal stoves to Chang'an for sale."

"How is the result?"

"Although the coal stoves were manufactured, there wasn't enough coal, so sales weren't good."

"Is there no coal around Chang'an?"

Li Chengqian asked with some doubt.

He seemed to remember that there should be coal around Chang'an.

Lai Fu nodded and said, "There is coal around Chang'an, but the amount mined is not large, and transporting coal to Chang'an requires a lot of manpower and resources, so it is not an easy task."

"So, this matter wasn't accomplished?"

"Yes"

"What about Chang Wei?"

He said he wanted to study in Jiangling, so he stayed there for the time being.

"Heh, he does have some ambition."

Li Chengqian smiled but didn't say anything more. He waved his hand and said, "Go and call for help first!"

"Yes!"

Lai Fu responded.

About half an hour later, Sun Fujia and Liu Rengui arrived at Li Chengqian's study.

But then they all bowed to Li Chengqian in unison and said, "Your subjects pay their respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Yes, no need for formalities. Please have a seat!"

Li Chengqian was writing something at his desk at the time, so he greeted them without looking up.

They didn't stand on ceremony and immediately found a place to sit down, quietly waiting for Li Chengqian.

Only after Li Chengqian stopped writing did he finally break the silence, looking up and smiling, "I've kept you both waiting!"

"His Highness is very busy, so it's alright for us to wait a bit."

"Yes, Your Highness, please feel free to give your orders!"

"hehe."

Li Chengqian smiled noncommittally, then looked at Liu Rengui: "Dean Liu, the construction of the Academy of Sciences is complete, and the decoration is finished. Have you chosen a date to open the academy?"

Liu Rengui replied truthfully, "Your Highness, I have already communicated with Li Chunfeng of the Imperial Observatory and we have decided to hold the event on the tenth day of the second month. It happens to be the first day off in February, so it will be more lively with more people."

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction and said, "You chose a good date. The tenth day of the second month is indeed a good day. That day happens to be my birthday."

"Huh? This..." Liu Rengui was startled, thinking to himself, "This is too much of a coincidence! Isn't this just a lucky accident? His Highness the Crown Prince shouldn't find out, right?!"

But then Li Chengqian laughed and said, "However, February is the time for spring plowing. Holding a ceremony would interfere with the farming season and affect the livelihoods of the people. Therefore, I have decided that there is no better time than the end of this month!"

"But Your Highness, the end of this month is not an auspicious time, I am worried."

"Dean Liu! Our Academy of Sciences emphasizes science, not feudal superstition!"

Before Liu Rengui could finish speaking, Li Chengqian interrupted him with a smile, and then leisurely gave an example: "Putting aside other things, just take fighting as an example. It's not like we choose a good day to fight. Does fighting on a good day guarantee victory in every battle?"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Liu Rengui was speechless.

But Li Chengqian immediately declared, "Alright, it's settled then. The hospital will open at the end of this month!"

"Yes!" Liu Rengui replied helplessly, without saying anything more.

At this moment, Li Chengqian asked Sun Fujia, "Lord Sun, how is the matter of the death row inmate being handled?"

"Your Highness," Sun Fujia hesitated for a moment, then quickly cupped his hands and said, "The three hundred and ninety death row inmates have all been escorted back to their hometowns by the constables of the Dali Temple. The local authorities have been very cooperative, and we are just waiting for these three hundred and ninety death row inmates to return to Chang'an to be executed in a year."

"Lord Sun, you don't actually think they can return to Chang'an smoothly to be punished, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but look at Sun Fujia with amusement.

Sun Fujia looked bewildered and asked in confusion, "What does Your Highness mean by that?"

"Ugh"

Li Chengqian raised his hand to his forehead, sighed helplessly, and said, "It seems that when I entrusted this matter to you, you didn't understand the political significance behind it!"

"This"

Sun Fujia and Liu Rengui exchanged glances, then bowed respectfully and said, "Please enlighten us, Your Highness!"

"Alright, it's not your fault. I didn't explain it clearly to you. Actually, the principle is very simple: to create a false image of prosperity. So, why create this false image of prosperity?"

"On the surface, I was trying to establish an image of benevolence and tolerance for my father. But in reality, I was trying to increase the credibility of my decisions."

Because others don't know much, they only believe what they see. So, once I gained their trust, no one objected when I proposed bigger initiatives.

"To put it bluntly, this is a political stunt, do you understand?"

"minister"

Sun Fujia's expression froze again.

But Liu Rengui said thoughtfully, "Is His Highness the Crown Prince worried that if the 390 death row inmates cannot return to Chang'an on time, this political show will fail?"

"That's right!"

Li Chengqian immediately said solemnly, "Therefore, we absolutely cannot allow any of these 390 death row inmates to break the agreement!"

“But how is that possible?” Sun Fujia came to his senses and couldn’t help but say, “Even if each of them keeps their promise, accidents can happen. It’s impossible to guarantee that all 390 death row inmates will return to Chang’an without a single one missing!”

"Yes! You're right! But we can find a way to solve this problem!"

"How to deal with it?"

"No way, don't you guys know how to use your brains?!"

Li Chengqian angrily rebuked the two men.

The two men exchanged an awkward glance, and then Sun Fujia said, "I have an idea. Why don't we secretly tell those death row inmates that as long as they return to Chang'an as promised, the court will pardon their death sentences? If they dare to break the promise or try anything funny, they will be killed as soon as they return in the fall!"

"Hmm, that's a good idea," Li Chengqian nodded, his emotions calming down a bit.

But then Liu Rengui seemed to remember something and said, "But even so, the journey from Chang'an to their hometown is long. What if they fall ill or encounter danger during the year? No one can predict what will happen."

"No, did you come here specifically to nitpick?"

"But Your Highness, I must also consider all possibilities! Moreover, there is another situation: what if they change their minds halfway through, and don't believe the court will pardon them, and try to escape? That's a big problem too!"

"Uh"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but raise his hand to his forehead again.

Sun Fujia also began to frown.

After a long pause, Li Chengqian said thoughtfully:
"I think we should do this: I'll get Lord Sun into the position of Minister of the Court of Judicial Review first. Regardless of whether they come back or not, we'll prepare a list of 390 death row inmates. Anyway, the Court of Judicial Review has plenty of files. We can fill in whoever is missing and make the whole show of it!"

"what?"

When Sun Fujia heard Li Chengqian's suggestion, he almost burst out laughing. He thought to himself, "No way! Am I going to be promoted again for no reason? I've only been reinstated for a short time!"
But wouldn't doing this be a crime of deceiving the emperor? Your Highness, please don't do this to me!

This is probably the moment he least wanted to be promoted!

However, Liu Rengui strongly agreed with Li Chengqian's method.

His eyes lit up, and he quickly interjected, "Your Highness, I believe that in addition to putting on a convincing show in Chang'an, the local governments in the prisoners' hometowns should also put on a convincing show. For example, they should send people to visit them from time to time, which is actually a way of monitoring them. Furthermore, their freedom should be restricted, and they must endure until the autumn execution a year later!"

"Finally, upon their return to Chang'an, His Majesty, along with his ministers and the people, must go outside the city to greet them. In this way, a glorious scene of keeping promises will surely be recorded in history!"

"This!"

Having said that, he glanced meaningfully at Sun Fujia, then looked at Li Chengqian, and smiled as he cupped his hands in a salute, saying, "It's all thanks to Your Highness's wise decision!"

"Excellent! Our Dean Liu is truly brilliant!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian threw his head back and laughed heartily, immediately declaring, "Good! It's settled then. A year from now, I will put on a grand show for them!"

"Hmm, it would be best to find another 'plant' who can act well, to drag things out until the last minute before entering the city, making them unable to resist!"

……

On the other side, Suzaku Avenue.

Prince Li You of Yan was being chased by his uncle, Yin Hongzhi.

"Uncle! Can you please stop bothering me?"

Li You has been very depressed lately.

Li Shimin refused the little fat boy's request to be granted fiefdoms, but this also strengthened Li Shimin's determination to grant fiefdoms to the princes.

Especially after the return of the Imperial Seal, Li Shimin's confidence soared to unprecedented heights.

He even felt that he, who was destined by Heaven, was absolutely able to promote the concept of "rule by the king" like Confucius and the King of Zhou.

It extended the Tang Dynasty's national fortune for eight hundred years.

Although his previous proposal of a feudal system was still opposed by his ministers, he did not give up and instead changed his approach.

That is to first enfeoff his own sons, and then, when the time is right, enfeoff trusted ministers.

It was precisely because of this line of thinking that Li You became increasingly worried that he would be driven out of Chang'an by Li Shimin.

However, not everyone is like Li You, hoping to stay in Chang'an.

For example, his uncle Yin Hongzhi.

Recently, whenever Yin Hongzhi had time, he would come to persuade Li You to grant him the fiefdom, forcing Li You to avoid him.

But then Yin Hongzhi said with a smile, "Your Highness, slow down and listen to your uncle say a few words. Just a few words, and your uncle will stop bothering you!"

"I won't listen, I won't listen, Uncle, please go back!"

"Your Highness, don't you really care about your mother?"

“My mother is doing well in the palace, so I don’t need to worry about her. Besides, if I leave Chang’an, who will take care of my mother!”

"Your Highness is foolish! Your mother has placed all her hopes on you, how can you be so oblivious!"

"Ok?"

Li You paused, looking at Yin Hongzhi with a puzzled expression, and asked, "What do you mean by that, Uncle?"

Yin Hongzhi smiled and took a few steps forward, then looked around and said, "This is not the place to talk. Come with your uncle to another place, and your uncle will explain everything to you in detail!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Li You couldn't help but show a look of hesitation.

But then Yin Hongzhi sighed and said, "Ever since His Majesty had Consort Yang, he hasn't visited any of the other concubines except for the Empress's palace. Do you know what that means? You don't want to disappoint your mother, do you?"

"I"

Li You was stunned for a moment, his bewildered mind unable to comprehend the complexities of adulthood. In the end, out of concern for his mother, he yielded to Yin Hongzhi, bowing and saying, "Please enlighten me, Uncle!"

"We're family. As the saying goes, family members don't speak like strangers. Your uncle wouldn't harm you!"

Yin Hongzhi patted Li You on the shoulder with a smile, then seemed to remember something and said, "I heard that the Prince of Yue has been released from the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, did you know that?"

"Ah!"

Li You sneered and said disdainfully, "So what if he's out? Does he think he's still the Prince of Yue who was once so favored by the Emperor? Times have changed!"

"But didn't His Majesty refuse his request and then grant him the title? Doesn't that mean His Majesty still favors him?"

"What? My father has already banished him from the palace, saying he must build the Yue Prince's Mansion outside the palace, just like my elder brother, the Crown Prince, who is not allowed to enter the palace without an imperial edict!"

"Then what about the King of Yue?"

“Oh, Uncle, why are you so concerned about him? No matter what he does, the Crown Prince will step in!” Li You disliked mentioning Li Tai and interrupted Yin Hongzhi, saying, “If you want to talk about my mother, then hurry up and do it. Uncle Yuanchang has invited me to watch a rugby match!”

"Oh, oh, oh, alright, alright, it was my fault for being nosy, Your Highness, this way please!" Yin Hongzhi seemed to realize his mistake and quickly greeted Li You.

Li You didn't argue with him and immediately left with him.

Before long, they arrived at Yin Hongzhi's residence in Chang'an.

Although Yin Hongzhi was Consort Yin's younger brother, his status was clearly not comparable to that of a relative of the emperor like Changsun Wuji.

His residence was only slightly larger than that of an average fourth-rank official in the capital; it wasn't particularly luxurious.

"Uncle, why do you have so many candles in your house? Are you afraid of the dark?"

As Li Yougang entered the hall of Yin Hongzhi's residence, he looked around curiously and noticed a strange phenomenon: there were many bronze candlesticks in the hall, each with more than ten candles.

But Yin Hongzhi chuckled and said, "Yes! Uncle, I'm very afraid of the dark. I've been afraid since I was little, and your mother knows that too. It's not surprising."

After saying this, he waved his hand to signal the servant to serve Li You tea.

Upon hearing this, Li You didn't ask any further questions. He simply found a seat and sat down, then said, "Now you can talk about my mother, right?"

"Your Highness, please don't worry!"

Yin Hongzhi smiled and comforted Li You, then gestured to a middle-aged man who looked like a steward, saying, "Uncle has something good to show you!"

"What good stuff?"

Li You blinked his bewildered eyes, looking puzzled.

Before long, a group of beautiful women dressed in revealing outfits walked in from outside the hall with graceful steps.

Instantly, the entire hall was filled with fragrant aromas, and the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air.

"Uncle, what is this?"

Li You's eyes widened when he saw this.

Yin Hongzhi, on the other hand, stood to the side, smiling without saying a word.

(End of this chapter)