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

Chapter 306 is simply too incredible! [Seeking monthly votes]

"His Royal Highness!"

Zhao Deyan knelt carefully before Li Chengqian, his attitude extremely respectful.

This was the first time Li Chengqian had summoned him since he arrived at the Crown Prince's residence.

Although he was greatly frightened by Princess Baling's injury last time, Li Chengqian did not blame him for it.

This rekindled his hope of being valued by Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian smiled at him, neither telling him to get up nor saying anything, until sweat slowly dripped from Zhao Deyan's temples, before slowly saying, "Zhao Deyan, do you still remember the scene when we first met four years ago?"

"I remember, I remember."

Zhao Deyan wiped the sweat from his temples and said with trepidation, "If it weren't for His Highness the Crown Prince giving me this opportunity, I'm afraid I would have already become a peasant."

"So, in that case, I've done you a favor, haven't I?"

"Yes, yes, yes, we are grateful, we are very grateful!"

"it is good!"

Li Chengqian nodded and smiled: "With your words, I am relieved."

"I wonder what His Highness the Crown Prince has in mind when he summoned me?" Zhao Deyan asked tentatively.

Li Chengqian smiled at him and said calmly, "I heard that you had a gold seal carved for Jieli so that you could stay in the Turkic Khaganate, is that right?"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Deyan's back instantly straightened.

When he first joined the Turks, he offered many ideas to Jieli on how to deal with the Tang Dynasty, and even devised many ways to change the Turkic government.

That golden seal was his most important tool for seizing power.

Unfortunately, the Turks were far less powerful than he had imagined, and were defeated by the Tang Dynasty not long afterward.

Later, he escaped the grasslands and secretly traveled all the way to Puzhou, where he met Pei Ji. Only then did he learn from Pei Ji that the person who had arranged for him to go to the grasslands was none other than Li Chengqian.

Because Li Chengqian had long seen through him that he was a "talent" who was more likely to cause trouble than to accomplish anything, he specifically sent him to bring disaster to Jieli.

Although Zhao Deyan almost broke down when he first heard the truth, he never imagined that he would be manipulated by Li Chengqian from beginning to end.

But after hearing about Li Chengqian's deeds in Chang'an, he suddenly realized the truth.

You're nobody!
So many cunning old foxes in Chang'an, including Emperor Taizong of Tang, were all played to death by Li Chengqian. It would be strange if he himself wasn't played too!

So, he's finally at peace with it.

There's nothing wrong with being Li Chengqian's dog.

Some people want to do it but can't.

But then he chuckled and said, "Your Highness is wise. All the things I did in the Turkic Khaganate were to show my loyalty to Your Highness. It's laughable that Jieli actually regarded me as a trusted minister. Little did he know that my heart has always been with the Tang Dynasty."

"hehe."

Li Chengqian smiled, then said, "If I were to give you another task, could you do it well?"

"Yes! Absolutely!"

Zhao Deyan answered without hesitation, "Whatever Your Highness asks me to do, I guarantee I will complete the task!"

"it is good!"

Li Chengqian nodded, then said directly, "You should know that although the Tang Dynasty defeated the Turks and captured the Khaganate of the Eastern Turks, it did not completely control them. Therefore, the Tang Dynasty still maintains a large military presence in the Turkic region."

“However, I do not want this to continue. Therefore, I want to establish the Anbei Protectorate in the Turkic Khaganate to oversee the entire Turkic Khaganate. Do you understand what I mean?”

Zhao Deyan hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "This humble servant understands. Your Highness's intention is to divide and weaken the potential threat from the Turks, so that they will no longer resist the Tang Dynasty!"

"Ah!"

Li Chengqian laughed to himself, thinking that Zhao Deyan was a fence-sitter, but he was definitely not brainless.

If one lacked intelligence, it would have been impossible for Jieli to value them in the Turkic environment.

Therefore, Li Chengqian directly told him his plan.

These methods included the wool trade, cultivating "traitors," and weakening the fighting spirit of the Turks.

When he finished speaking, Zhao Deyan was completely stunned, staring at Li Chengqian as if his mouth could fit an egg.

Without a doubt, this plan was far too outrageous for him.

Even though he gave Jieli many ideas that he considered unparalleled, none of them could compare to this plan.

But then Li Chengqian said with a smile, "This plan doesn't need to be fully realized; even if only half of it is achieved..."

"No! If we achieve just 30%, the Turkic people will be completely wiped out. Do you understand?"

"hiss--"

At that moment, Zhao Deyan couldn't help but gasp.

Now he finally understood why he and Jieli couldn't outmaneuver the Tang Dynasty: because behind the Tang Dynasty was an unparalleled ruthless figure.

The more he learned about Li Chengqian's ruthlessness, the more horrified he became.

When someone defeats a country, it's to conquer it.

This crown prince, however, completely eradicated the foundations of others.

so horrible!

Is this really a scheme that a twelve-year-old boy could come up with?

Looking at the completely stunned Zhao Deyan, Li Chengqian smiled and calmly said, "Well, this shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"

"This"

Zhao Deyan reacted for a moment, then said very respectfully, "To be honest, Your Highness, with my understanding of the Turks and Your Highness's plan, it shouldn't be too difficult. However, there are still two difficulties that I must consider."

"What's the difficulty?" Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow: "Tell me about it!"

"Yes, Your Highness." Zhao Deyan cupped his hands and said, "In my opinion, establishing a small Protectorate is not a difficult task, but the safety of the Protectorate must be considered."

"Although the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Turks, it only destroyed the Turkic Khaganate under Jieli Khan. The Turkic Khaganate under Yabghu Khan still poses a certain threat. In addition, the Hukawng Khanate established by Tuli Khan is also not to be underestimated. If Your Highness wants to implement this plan, you must take them into consideration."

"Yes, you're right. So, what's the second difficulty?"

"Your Highness, the second difficulty, in my opinion, is the issue of money. Although the Changsun family has invested, it is still far from enough."

Zhao Deyan said, "Moreover, His Highness the Crown Prince also wants to develop the mineral resources within the Turkic territory, which will require a considerable investment."

"Yeah, that's true."

Li Chengqian nodded thoughtfully and asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

"Uh, this."

"Just say what you have to say. Why are you beating around the bush?"

"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhao Deyan bowed respectfully and quickly said, "To be honest, Your Highness, during my time back in Chang'an, I noticed an interesting phenomenon: when people go to money shops to exchange for banknotes or deposit money, they always like to ask, 'What is the interest rate today?'"

Sometimes, when people got tired of asking, the money shop manager would put up a sign outside the shop showing the interest rates for long-term and short-term deposits, making it easy for them to see.

"Therefore, I have a bold idea. If the people like to make money from money, we might as well set up more chambers of commerce, raise funds in the name of these chambers, and then distribute the profits to the investors according to their proportions. In this way, we can solve the funding problem and spread the risk. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"

"This"

Li Chengqian was so shocked by these words that his eyes widened in disbelief.

Isn't this a stock?!
Good guy!
A person from the 7th century AD actually came up with the primitive form of stocks that only emerged during the Age of Exploration!
Don’t be too outrageous!

"What's wrong, Your Highness? Is my idea too bold? I actually have other methods, but I feel that this one might be more suitable."

Seeing Li Chengqian looking at him like he was a monster, Zhao Deyan's heart was in his throat, and he spoke in a softer and softer voice.

It wasn't until Li Chengqian recovered from his shock that he looked at him with a complicated expression and said, "Did you come up with this yourself?"

"It wasn't exactly my own idea; it came about after I read the new textbooks and frequently visited the money exchange and the Crown Prince's residence."

Li Chengqian nodded in realization, thinking to himself, "You scared me! I thought you came up with this yourself."

However, it's quite impressive that someone could figure out the basics of stocks after reading the new book.

"Yes, your idea is indeed good. Go back and write a plan, then submit it to me for consideration. If there are no problems, I will propose to the court that you be appointed as the Protector-General of Anbei Protectorate."

"Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Zhao Deyan was overjoyed and immediately kowtowed to Li Chengqian.

But Li Chengqian didn't finish his sentence.

Li Chengqian then said in a deep voice, "Don't be too happy yet. I am not Jieli, and I am not easily fooled. I am telling you clearly that there are Jinyiwei people by your side. If you have even the slightest disloyalty, your head will roll."

"Don't dare!"

Zhao Deyan's face turned pale, and he immediately pledged his loyalty to Li Chengqian, saying, "My wife, children, and elderly parents are all in Chang'an. Please, Your Highness, understand!"

Li Chengqian smiled, then waved his hand and said, "In that case, you may leave now!"

"Yes!"

Zhao Deyan responded and then slowly retreated.

A short while later, Pei Xingjian entered again, cupping his hands in greeting, "Your Highness!" "Hmm, how did things go?"

Li Chengqian nodded and asked.

But Pei Xingjian laughed and said, "It went very smoothly. Just as His Highness the Crown Prince predicted, when Changsun Chong saw the love letter from 'Princess Chang Le,' he went to see Duke Zhao that very night and said that he must take up a post in the Protectorate!"

"Moreover, Madam Meng also supports him going!"

"Hehe~"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but smile slyly: "Then let's wait until he goes to the Protectorate, and then find an opportunity to steal that love letter and burn it. Just make sure we don't get caught!"

"But."

"But what? That kid almost got me scammed, shouldn't I teach him a lesson?"

"Yes, I understand."

Pei Xingjian said helplessly, cupping his hands in greeting.

Although this Crown Prince is sometimes wise and powerful, he can also be childish at times.

However, his age is considered normal.

If someone is too cunning and calculating, it can actually be creepy.

But then Li Chengqian seemed to remember something and said, "Oh right, how's the investigation of Yin Hongzhi that I asked you to do? Has he been in frequent contact with Li You?"

"Your Highness, I was just about to report this matter to you. Yin Hongzhi is probably in big trouble!"

"Oh?"

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Tell me about it!"

"Yes!"

Pei Xingjian responded and immediately told Li Chengqian about Yin Hongzhi's matter.

Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment, and finally frowned: "So, you suspect that Yin Hongzhi is colluding with the garrison commander?"

"Yes! I have recently placed many spies around Yin Hongzhi's residence, but the situation inside and outside the residence has remained normal. As the saying goes, there must be something fishy about abnormal things. So I started investigating from the Yin residence's expenditures and found that the Yin residence's candle consumption far exceeds that of ordinary residences. Even the Crown Prince's residence does not consume such a large number of candles."

"Later, I investigated the interrogation records of that fire master and found that he had mentioned something: the wolf master who colluded with the court officials had a faint smell of wax on him. Therefore, I suspect that Yin Hongzhi is the court official who colluded with the garrison commander."

"Ha, I didn't expect that!"

Li Chengqian sneered, then slowly stood up from his seat and said thoughtfully, "Although what you said is indeed a clue, it cannot completely prove that it is Yin Hongzhi."

"After all, since it involves members of the royal family, we need more evidence to handle it properly."

"So, what does His Highness the Crown Prince mean?"

"I heard you say earlier that Li You has been frequently visiting Yin Hongzhi's residence recently, and even went to Da'an Palace with Li Yuanchang?"

"Your Highness, not only did Li You and Li Yuanchang go to Da'an Palace, but Li Tai also went, and on the same day!"

"Ah!"

Li Chengqian laughed: "That's interesting. It seems my imperial grandfather has been quite busy lately!"

"That"

"Continue investigating along this lead, but don't alert them yet. You might just catch a big fish!"

"Yes!"

Pei Xingjian responded and was about to leave when he suddenly heard Li Chengqian say again, "The military academy will start in a few days. Remember to do a good job of screening and don't let any Tom, Dick, or Harry sneak in!"

"promise!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Xingjian immediately agreed and withdrew.

At the same time, in the Imperial Palace, Ganlu Hall.

Li Shimin has been unable to eat or sleep properly these past two days.

The reason is nothing more than that imperial aura.

Fortunately, Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang did not disappoint him. After more than a day of preparation, they finally performed the divination of the world's trends for him today.

Yuan Tiangang was seen holding a copper coin, chanting incantations, and calculating with his fingers.

Li Chunfeng unfolded the blueprints and concentrated on drawing.

Before long, he had drawn up the sixty-image riddle.

Each image is accompanied by a picture, a poem, and a prophetic text, containing profound secrets of heaven.

After reading it, Li Shimin couldn't help but exclaim, "Your Taoist arts are profound and mysterious. One of you is proficient in astronomy and calendrical calculations, and the other is skilled in Qimen Dunjia. With you by my side, how could I not have a clear understanding of the general situation of the world?"

"only."

As he spoke, he looked through several pictorial riddles, then asked with a puzzled expression, "Since you can predict the secrets of heaven, why can't you accurately find the origin of that imperial aura?"

Li Chunfeng cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, the secrets of heaven are mysterious, but not entirely unfathomable. As long as one grasps the rules, one can glimpse them. However, the aura of the Son of Heaven is a sign of destiny. When it is successful, the destiny is like a dragon; when it is not successful, it vanishes like smoke. There is no rule to speak of, so it is very difficult to find out its origin.”

"So, that imperial aura has dissipated?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, it has vanished without a trace!"

"Then why did it dissipate? Do you know the reason?"

"this."

Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang exchanged a glance, and the latter smiled faintly: "It is said that during the time of the Yellow Emperor, Feng Hou taught the Grand Historian Wei Xiao the method of divination. This method takes celestial phenomena as its foundation, geography as its basis, takes into account the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements, integrates the changes of the Eight Trigrams, and predicts the general trend of the world."

"My and Chunfeng's prophetic techniques were based on this method."

"Therefore, in my view, the disappearance of the emperor's aura is similar to the interaction of the five elements."

Li Shimin suddenly realized and laughed, "Does Prime Minister Yuan mean that this imperial aura has been suppressed?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. The way of Heaven is cyclical, and things will turn around when they reach their extreme. Just like spring, summer, autumn and winter, there is prosperity and decline. With a wise ruler on the throne, there is naturally nothing to fear."

"but."

At this point, Yuan Tiangang added: "If a wise ruler and virtuous minister can follow the will of Heaven and understand the people's sentiments, they can prolong the prosperous era. Conversely, if they go against the will of Heaven and disregard the people's hearts, they will be replaced."

“Haha, that makes sense.”

Li Shimin smiled knowingly and said, "I often say that the people are the water and the court is the boat. Water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it."

Clearly, after hearing Yuan Tiangang's explanation, Li Shimin suddenly understood and felt that it was his own wisdom and martial prowess that made that imperial aura disappear in shame.

But then he asked curiously, "I see that your riddles have sixty images. Is there a strategy for long-term stability among them?"

"This"

Yuan Tiangang was speechless for a moment when asked the question.

Because such questions are really difficult to answer.

The so-called long-term stability and security measures are no different from how many years my country can last.

But who dares to answer such a question?
If you say too much, people will criticize you behind your back sooner or later; if you say too little, those in power will probably complain that you are cursing their country.

They might even hold a grudge against you and take it out on you someday.

But since Li Shimin had asked, he couldn't very well not answer.

But Li Chunfeng, forcing a smile, replied, "Your Majesty, the general trend of the world ultimately depends on the will of the people. If we can put the people first and implement benevolent governance, we will naturally gain the right timing, the right place, and the right people."

“Indeed, Lao Tzu left behind five thousand words after leaving Hangu Pass, and Confucius compiled the Spring and Autumn Annals, which contained profound meanings. For thousands of years, many prophecies have been passed down. Even when a wise ruler is in power, it is difficult to avoid the changes of the world.” Yuan Tiangang echoed.

Li Shimin frowned, somewhat disappointed.

But just as he was about to ask a few more questions, a voice suddenly came from outside the hall: "Your Majesty, the envoy to the court, Wu Shihuo, is requesting an audience outside the hall!"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin frowned, then looked at Yuan Tiangang and the other man.

"Your Majesty, please leave!"

Yuan Tiangang and his companion immediately understood and quickly left the main hall.

However, just as they were about to leave, a young girl outside the hall suddenly caught Yuan Tiangang's attention.

He stared intently, and was greatly surprised: "Dragon eyes and phoenix neck, an extremely auspicious sign!"

"what?"

Li Chunfeng was slightly taken aback, and seemed to be about to look at the girl as well.

But Yuan Tiangang grabbed him without saying a word and hurriedly left.

The samurai, Go, and the girl, who were preparing to enter the palace, were left with puzzled expressions.

After they had walked a distance, Wu Shiyue turned to look at the girl and asked, "Do you know them?"

"I don't know her." The girl shook her head blankly.

Wu Shiyue frowned, then said seriously, "Stay away from these people in the future. Your father will ask His Majesty to allow you to stay in the palace and take good care of your mother at home."

The girl nodded obediently, a fleeting look of disappointment flashing in her eyes.

(End of this chapter)