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

Chapter 374 The Wind Rises! It's Time for This King to Return to Chang'an! [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Seeing the atmosphere growing increasingly tense, Fang Xuanling coughed lightly, timely interrupting the debate among the officials, and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, let's examine this list carefully first! It's not too late to raise questions after we've finished reading it."

Upon hearing this, the officials, though unwilling, could only suppress their dissatisfaction for the time being and carefully examined the list.

Ma Zhou and his entourage quickly flipped through the list in their hands and read it line by line.

The list was long, filled with the names of many meritorious individuals.

After the officials had finished reading the list, Fang Xuanling spoke again: "Gentlemen, the list has been reviewed. Please feel free to share your opinions."

"Left Minister, why is this list mainly composed of officials from Yizhou?"

An official from the Censorate was the first to raise a question, which drew nods of agreement from many ministers.

Fang Xuanling, however, remained calm and explained, "The early bestowal of these rewards was requested by the Prince of Shu to His Majesty, with the aim of better overseeing the grain supply matters!"

"As you probably know, most of the supplies for the Liaodong battlefield were collected from Yizhou. The local officials did their best and never delayed the battle, always delivering the supplies to Liaodong ahead of schedule!"

"Therefore, His Majesty was very satisfied with Yizhou and thus agreed to the King of Shu's memorial to bestow rewards upon the local officials ahead of schedule."

"Since the purpose of this reward is for the officials in Yizhou, why compile a list of other officials?" Ma Zhou asked, frowning.

Liu Ji sneered, "His Majesty will not show favoritism, rewarding this person while omitting that one. If he's going to reward someone, he'll reward them all!"

“That’s right! I’ve heard about it. Both fought to the death, but the Crown Prince rewarded the Ganzhou army but not the Liangzhou army, and he didn’t even reward his own six guards of the Eastern Palace. I wonder if this is considered favoritism?” another censor chimed in.

"Are you out of your mind?!"

Sun Fujia was furious: "Why do you always drag the Crown Prince into everything? If you're so capable, go and say it to the Crown Prince face to face!?"

"you!"

The censor was left speechless after being rebuked.

How could he dare to say that in front of Li Chengqian?

Back then, Li Chengqian killed several imperial censors in front of Li Shimin!
However, he dared not say it, but Liu Ji did.

Liu Ji immediately put on a stern face and said, "What the Crown Prince did was not in accordance with the procedure. Even if the Crown Prince were here in person, I would still have to say it!"

"Then go talk to the Crown Prince! Why keep bringing him up here?" Cen Wenben was getting a little angry.

But then Yu Zhining said from the side, "Director Cen's words are a bit much. As court officials, do we not even have the right to speak?"

“Yes! Director Cen, you manage the Information Department. Doesn’t your Information Department’s newspaper advocate freedom of speech? I’ve seen some newspaper editors even commenting on our Ministry of Personnel’s performance evaluation system. Logically speaking, this shouldn’t be the case.”

Gao Shilian couldn't help but say, "But His Majesty has always said that we should broaden the channels for expressing opinions, and haven't I accepted their suggestions?"

"That's right! We felt that the Crown Prince had acted improperly, which is why we offered our opinions. We did not disrespect the Crown Prince, so why are you all so agitated?"

"The crown prince is the heir apparent of the country, the future of the nation. As his subjects, isn't it our duty to offer advice?"

"His Majesty often says that water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. How can the Crown Prince accept such honest advice?"

Hearing more and more people arguing about the wrong topic, Sun Fujia finally couldn't help but stand up, looked around at the assembled officials, and said, "I think it doesn't matter whether we're here or not. I'll take my leave now!"

After saying this, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture and walked straight out the door.

Immediately afterwards, Ma Zhou, Cen Wenben, and other officials from the Crown Prince's faction also went out.

"This"

For a moment, the neutral ministers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Meanwhile, Liu Ji and other ministers from Li Shimin's faction watched coldly from the sidelines.

Fang Xuanling, in particular, neither stopped them nor said much. He simply said, "Let's start voting now. Vote for the main officials to be rewarded this time, and I will report to His Majesty!"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a jolt in their hearts and instinctively looked at Li Jing.

Li Jing frowned slightly but remained silent.

As for Wei Zheng, he also remained silent at this time.

Thus, the cabinet meeting ended in discord.

Although the voting results still favored the meritorious officials from Yizhou, a deep rift was completely torn between the old and new forces.

This situation is similar to the conflict between Fang Xuanling and Pei Ji when Li Shimin ascended the throne.

However, now it's Ma Zhou's turn to have a conflict with Fang Xuanling's group.

Of course, this does not mean that Fang Xuanling and his group had any doubts about Li Chengqian's position as crown prince, but rather that they did not want to be replaced too early.

This mentality is the same as Li Er's.

They've finally climbed to the top, and before they can even realize their ambitions, they're about to be pushed down by younger people. No one would want that.

Therefore, although Fang Xuanling was the host of this meeting, he did not have a direct conflict with Ma Zhou and his group.

He did not mock or criticize Li Chengqian, but by letting Liu Ji and his group go, he was actually expressing his attitude.

He also did not want to be replaced.

“We must report this to the Crown Prince immediately!” Sun Fujia broke the silence first, speaking in a deep voice.

Cen Wenben and Ma Zhou both nodded upon hearing this.

They all knew very well that the information revealed at today's meeting was definitely not good news for Li Chengqian.

The attitude of the senior officials in the court towards Li Chengqian was particularly worrying to them.

If Li Chengqian is not informed of this matter in time, more complications may arise.

However, besides this, there is another thing that also worries them.

But then Ma Zhou frowned and asked, "What do you think about what happened in the Empress's palace?"

"I don't think that palace maid died of illness; it seems more like she was poisoned!" Cen Wenben pondered.

Sun Fujia, standing nearby, echoed in agreement, "I also think it's like she's been poisoned! But when I first went there, I asked the other palace maids, and they all said that the maid was fine a few days ago, but in the last two days, she suddenly complained of a headache, then a stomachache, and soon after, she fainted."

"Later, the imperial physicians came to treat him, but they couldn't find the cause of his illness, and he died the next day."

"But who would poison the palace maids in the Empress's palace?"

"this."

The three looked at each other, but remained silent.

After a moment, Ma Zhou said in a deep voice, "The Empress means that we should not make a fuss and should investigate secretly. But I have a feeling that strange things have been happening one after another lately."

"Moreover, you all saw what happened just now. Even Gao Shilian stood up! He is the Crown Prince's maternal uncle. How could he stand up against the Crown Prince?"

“Yes, I also think it’s not quite normal.” Cen Wenben chimed in, “Our news department has been collecting news about a lot of strange things lately. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but now that I think about it, aren’t they all too coincidental?”

Sun Fujia thought for a moment, then suddenly thought of something and squinted, saying, "Why don't we have the Embroidered Uniform Guard investigate and see if it was the garrison commander who did this?"

"Hmm, that's possible. Let's go find Commander Yang right now!"

With that thought in mind, the three of them quickened their pace and headed towards the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters.

Meanwhile, in Yizhou, at the Shu King's Palace.

Li Ke looked at Prince Liang, Li Yin, whom he hadn't seen for a long time, with a face full of joy.

Li Yin smiled and introduced the gifts he had brought from Chang'an to Li Ke.

"Big brother, look at this osmanthus cake. Mother made it for you herself. She said you must have missed it while you were in Yizhou, so she told me to bring it for you to try. I originally wanted to bring other delicious food, but Mother wouldn't let me, saying I should bring more osmanthus cake!"

"Hehehe, my mother still loves me the most. You have no idea how much I've been craving her osmanthus cakes since I got here!"

"Then, brother, eat more!"

Li Yin picked up a piece of the best-looking osmanthus cake and handed it to Li Ke.

Although according to Li Ke's birth order, he should call Li Ke the third brother, the two brothers always addressed each other as the eldest brother and the youngest brother in private, to show their closeness.

Li Ke didn't stand on ceremony. He picked up the osmanthus cake that Li Yin handed him, stuffed it into his mouth in one bite, and then smiled contentedly, saying indistinctly, "It's so delicious, it tastes just like before."

"Brother."

When Li Yin saw Li Ke like this, his nose tingled and his eyes even reddened.

"What's wrong, little brother? Is it because your older brother is eating too rudely?"

Li Ke looked at Li Yin with some doubt, then laughed self-deprecatingly, "Don't let my casual demeanor in front of you fool you. I'm quite impressive outside, and I've received praise from Father Emperor many times."

"My elder brother should have been by my mother's side, but recently, my mother fell ill and kept calling your name in her sleep."

With red eyes and choked sobs, Li Yin spoke to herself.

Li Ke's smile froze, then he sighed helplessly, patted Li Yin's shoulder, and asked, "Is Mother's illness any better?"

"Yes, much better, just coughing occasionally."

Li Yin nodded heavily, then suddenly seemed to remember something, walked to another large box, opened it and said, "These are clothes that your mother made for you by hand. She always said that she didn't know if they would fit, but she would make clothes for you every time the seasons changed. Whatever new styles came out in Chang'an, she would make new styles for you!"

“Sometimes, I would ask her to make something for me, and she would say that Yizhou is not like Chang'an. Whatever I want, the Imperial Wardrobe will make it for me, but you don’t.”

He stopped there, because Li Ke's face was already lined with tears.

And he couldn't help but shed tears.

Then a voice came from outside the door: "Your Highness! Registrar Cheng and Commandant Chai are requesting an audience!"

"This"

Li Ke reacted for a moment, then immediately turned away, wiping away his tears, as did Li Yin. Once the two brothers had composed themselves, they returned to their seats, exchanged a knowing smile, and looked at each other casually.

But then Li Ke calmly said, "Let them all come in!"

"Yes!"

A voice answered from outside the door, and soon Cheng Huailiang and Chai Zhewei walked in.

"Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Highness the King of Shu and Your Highness the King of Liang!"

"Ha! When did you two become so polite? There are no outsiders here!"

Before Li Ke could even speak, Li Yin couldn't help but laugh and tease the two of them.

The two of them just chuckled.

But Chai Zhewei spoke first: "We had known for a while that Prince Liang had come to Yizhou. We originally planned to come and catch up with Prince Liang, but then we thought that you brothers haven't seen each other for a long time, so we were too embarrassed to bother you!"

"Then why are you here again?" Li Yin looked at Chai Zhewei with a half-smile.

Chai Zhewei awkwardly twitched the corner of his mouth, then looked at Cheng Huailiang.

But then Cheng Huailiang interjected, "To be honest, Your Highness Prince Liang and Your Highness Prince Shu, we have urgent news to report!"

"Oh?"

Li Ke raised an eyebrow, then said seriously, "What's the urgent matter? Tell me!"

"Your Highness, we have just received news from the Liaodong front that something seems to have happened on His Majesty's side!" Cheng Huailiang said solemnly.

"What's happening?"

"According to news from the Liaodong front, His Majesty had a big argument with Changsun Wuji, apparently over the matter of bestowing rewards!"

"But what about the rewards we're receiving?" Li Ke narrowed his eyes.

“No.” Chai Zhewei shook his head and said, “It is said that it was because of Baiyan City! It seems that after attacking Liaodong City, the city lord of Baiyan City feigned surrender. His Majesty was very angry and ordered the army to loot Baiyan City. However, halfway through the battle, the city lord of Baiyan City surrendered again.”

"His Majesty could not bear to commit further bloodshed, so he accepted the portrait, but the promised benefits to the army have not materialized."

"Changsun Wuji then went to argue with His Majesty, and the two parted on bad terms."

"Ha! This Changsun Wuji really thinks he's someone important! He even dares to interfere with Father Emperor!" Li Yin couldn't help but sneer.

Li Ke frowned slightly, seemingly lost in thought, and said, "The relationship between Father and Changsun Wuji is extraordinary. Even if they occasionally have disagreements, it doesn't affect their relationship!"

"However, recently, His Majesty's attitude towards the Crown Prince seems to have changed significantly. Don't you think it's possible?"

"will not!"

Before Chai Zhewei could finish speaking, Li Ke interrupted him decisively: "The Crown Prince's position is still very secure! He destroyed two countries in one battle, something even my father, the Emperor, could not do!"

“It’s not that I think the Crown Prince’s position is unstable, but rather that I feel His Majesty might be suppressing the Crown Prince,” Chai Zhewei said, shaking his head.

What kind of suppression are you referring to?

Li Ke looked at Chai Zhewei with a puzzled expression.

But then Chai Zhewei said, "His Majesty sent Hou Junji to attack Gaochang. Isn't that a way of dividing the Crown Prince's military power? Logically speaking, His Majesty should have made a gesture after the Crown Prince destroyed two countries in one battle. However, we haven't heard any new decrees from His Majesty yet. Isn't this deliberate suppression?"

"Yes, as far as I know, there are quite a few people in the court who are dissatisfied with the Crown Prince. It seems that the Crown Prince has privately rewarded the border soldiers, which has violated the original rules for rewarding merits." Cheng Huailiang nodded in agreement.

Li Ke glanced at him, then at Chai Zhewei, and then chuckled: "We don't need to worry about the Crown Prince's affairs. Let's talk about Yizhou first. How are the provisions I asked you to prepare going?"

"this."

Cheng Huailiang and Chai Zhewei exchanged a glance, but then Chai Zhewei said with a wry smile, "His Majesty's needs are growing, and relying solely on Yizhou to gather provisions may be insufficient."

"What do you mean?"

Li Ke's face darkened: "You mean, you're not prepared?"

“Your Highness, it’s not that we weren’t prepared, but we’re worried that if things are the same next year, the major families and the people of Yizhou might have objections,” Cheng Huailiang replied.

"Didn't I promise them that I would ask the Emperor for credit? Why are you still having objections?" Li Ke said somewhat displeased.

Chai Zhewei and Cheng Huailiang looked at each other again, but remained silent.

At this moment, Li Yin couldn't help but speak up: "Brother, I don't think you need to force yourself! Yizhou is the base you have painstakingly built up. There's no need to exploit the people and families of Yizhou for the sake of Father."

"Moreover, besides Yizhou, there are other places with grain. You can petition the Emperor to coordinate the other granaries in the country. Since the Emperor trusts you now, why not give yourself some power?"

Upon hearing this, Chai Zhewei and Cheng Huailiang's eyes widened, as if they were looking at Li Yin with new respect.

Li Ke was also somewhat surprised.

But then he couldn't help but look at Li Yin and ask, "Who told you all this?"

"Hehe, how about it? My method works, right?" Li Yin laughed, seemingly unrelated to the question.

Li Ke frowned and pressed on, "Answer me, who told you that!"

"Oh, brother!"

"Say it!"

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you."

Seeing that Li Ke was taking this matter very seriously, Li Yin quickly exhorted him and called out to the palace attendant outside the door, "Wang De, go and invite Mr. Wu in!"

"Yes!"

The palace attendant outside the door responded and quickly invited in a man dressed in black.

The moment the man in black entered, he greeted him with a smile, "Your Highness, it's been a long time!"

"It's you!"

Li Ke's expression changed, and then his gaze turned cold.

But then Li Yin said with some surprise, "Brother, you know Mr. Wu!"

"Little brother, Huailiang, Zhewei, all of you get out!"

Without saying much, Li Ke directly ordered Li Yin and the other two to leave.

Li Yin and the other two looked at each other in bewilderment.

However, seeing that Li Ke's words were unquestionable, they didn't say anything more and soon left tactfully.

Once only Li Ke and the man in black remained in the room, Li Ke roared furiously, "Wu Bing! What exactly do you mean? Why did you approach my little brother?!"

"Hehe, Your Highness, please calm down!"

Wu Bing smiled, then casually found a seat and sat down, saying, "I have no ill intentions towards His Highness Prince Liang. I came here because I missed my old friend and wanted to visit."

After saying this, she picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and played with it, saying, "The skills of Consort Yang are truly extraordinary. I never would have guessed that someone of her noble status would know how to make such things."

"Put it down! Don't ruin my mother's dessert!"

"Hehe, Your Highness, why do you do this? Didn't we cooperate quite well before?"

"you!"

Li Ke's expression changed again, and he hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

But then Wu Bing devoured the osmanthus cake in his hand, smacked his lips, and said, "Actually, I came here because I have some good news to tell Your Highness!"

"What good news?" Li Ke asked coldly.

Wu Bing didn't hide anything and immediately told Li Ke the good news.

Li Ke was stunned for a long time before he finally recovered from his shock and asked, "Is this true?"

"Absolutely true!"

Wu Bing immediately said solemnly, "As long as Your Highness continues to cooperate with us, we can not only return to Chang'an, but also accomplish great things!"

"this."

Li Ke hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but ask, "Why should I believe you?"

"You'll see when the time comes. I don't need to prove it to you. Whether you can seize the opportunity depends on yourself."

Wu Bing said with a half-smile, then slowly stood up and added meaningfully, "Things in Chang'an have already started working on it. We're just waiting for Your Highness to return so we can present you with another grand gift."

After saying this, he walked straight out the door.

After watching him walk out the door, Li Ke quickly called out to him, "Wait a minute!"

"What? Has Your Highness made up your mind?"

Wu Bing paused, then asked calmly.

After a moment, Li Ke slowly walked to his side, looked at the trees in the courtyard, and frowned, asking, "How confident are you?"

"Seventy percent!"

"call!"

Li Ke took a deep breath, his face filled with disbelief.

Just then, a sudden gust of wind swept through the courtyard. After a moment, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, squinted, and said, "I really should go back!"

I'm asking for guaranteed monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)