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

Chapter 384 Can you hand over Li Chengqian's body to me? [Seeking monthly votes]

Deep in the Zhongnan Mountains, there is a huge natural karst cave.

From the outside, there is almost nothing unusual about it.

But once you go about a hundred meters deeper, you'll see a vast underground palace complex that has been carved and arranged over many years.

And this is the headquarters of Shutoro.

In the central hall of the cave, the dome hangs high, inlaid with countless fluorites that emit a faint blue light, transforming the originally pitch-black dome into a star map.

In addition, there are twelve stone benches, each about one meter high, placed on the left and right sides of the hall below, six on each side.

The two stone benches on the lower right side are empty.

On the other stone benches sat ten people of all kinds.

Some of them had cold expressions, some were laughing and joking, some sat like stone Buddhas, and some looked sickly.
In short, everyone gives off an unusual and unfathomable feeling.

But then a cold-looking man sitting on the stone bench on the right spoke first in a deep voice: "Wu Bing, is there something you need to report to the Garrison Commander after you've returned this time?"

"Reporting to the Right Protector, Prince Li Ke of Shu has successfully returned to Chang'an. Our plan can begin now."

The soldier standing in the center of the hall spoke respectfully to the cold-faced man.

"Hasn't our plan already begun?"

A fox-faced woman sitting on the stone bench on the left said in a clear, green voice, "Three days ago, the garrison commander sent Gui Jiu and Tie Shan to invite the Crown Prince of the Great Tang."

"This"

Wu Bing was visibly surprised, then frowned and asked, "Are there only two guardians, Tie Shan and Gui Jiu?"

"What, you think they can't take down the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty?" The man, who sat like a stone Buddha and was as burly as Iron Mountain, asked expressionlessly.

Wu Bing quickly turned around and saluted: "I dare not! I just feel that Li Chengqian's martial skills are beyond the reach of ordinary people. I wonder if Your Majesty is aware of Li Chengqian's performance on the battlefield?"

"Heh, so what if he's a little stronger? With Tieshan's strength, is he really weaker than a teenager?" The sickly man sneered. "Besides, Guijiu even brought my concocted Formless Soft Bone Smoke!"

"If he can resist the poison of Corrupting Heart Powder, can he also resist the Formless Soft Bone Smoke?"

"this."

Upon hearing this, Wu Bing was speechless.

At that moment, beams of sunlight suddenly appeared in the previously dark space ahead, and after being reflected by the bronze mirror, they converged on a tall stone chair in front of them.

"Lord Garrison Commander!"

Upon seeing the stone chair appear, everyone immediately stood up from their seats, faced forward, and bowed respectfully.

A figure shrouded in a large black cloak embroidered with dark gold stars, its face hidden in the hood, slowly sat down on the stone chair. The voice, neither male nor female, with a strange, resonant quality, said, "Sit!"

"Lord Garrison Commander!"

The soldier bowed respectfully once again.

But then the figure sitting on the stone chair said calmly and indifferently, "You don't need to say anything more. I already know. Guijiu and Tieshan have failed."

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present, except for Wu Bing, was astonished.

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence, with only the fluorite on the dome flashing its light.

The air seemed to freeze, so oppressive it was suffocating.

Especially the few guardians who were arguing with Wu Bing just now, their expressions were incredibly interesting.

Until the garrison commander's voice rang out again: "Li Chengqian's strength is even greater than we imagined, but that's not the most worrying thing. What's most worrying is his growth rate!"

"In just a few years, his growth rate has been outrageous. Now, I am increasingly suspicious that he is the one who disrupted destiny!"

"Then, in the opinion of the garrison commander, how should we respond?" Wu Bing asked cautiously.

"Even Tieshan's strength is inferior to his. If he continues to grow like this, won't he become invincible?"

Before the guard could speak, the Dharma protector named Buddha spoke first.

Following that, the other Dharma protectors also expressed their opinions.

"Excellent! This boy must not be allowed to live! We must eliminate him at all costs!"

"The mandate of Heaven that I, the Guardian, uphold cannot be defied. He has repeatedly defied the mandate of Heaven and is no different from a demon. He must be eliminated as soon as possible!"

"Tie Shan was born with superhuman strength, and his ability to shake mountains was unmatched. It's unbelievable that he was killed so easily!"

"Lord Garrison Commander, why don't you let me go? I'll go and confront this monster!"

"Heh heh. Interesting body. I really want to cut it open and take a look."

Hearing the various guardians express their opinions one after another, the guard, sitting upright on the stone chair, remained silent.

Only when no one else spoke in the hall did he reveal a pale, bloodless chin and say in a low voice, "Why don't you take charge?"

Boom!

These words struck the entire audience like a thunderbolt.

Especially the Buddha, who spoke first, felt the stone bench he sat on burning hot, and immediately knelt down before the garrison commander; "Governor, please calm your anger. I am indignant at Tieshan's death. As you know, Tieshan was my good friend, and now he has died tragically at the hands of that brat. I am truly... truly..."

By this point, cold sweat had already broken out on his forehead, because a pair of unwavering eyes were staring intently at him, making his scalp tingle and his mouth dry.

I didn't dare say anything more after that.

“Your Excellency, Li Chengqian is no longer a variable, but an anomaly. His strength is superhuman, and his intelligence is almost demonic. The deaths of Guijiu and Tieshan prove that this person is no longer controllable.”

Just as the garrison commander was staring intently at the Buddha, an elderly man with white hair, sitting in the first seat on the left, stroked his beard and said calmly, "It can be said that his existence has seriously interfered with the course of history."

"Furthermore, according to my disciple, his five elements and facial features, as well as his bone structure and destiny, are not in their proper positions. In other words, he may be a dead man or a substitute for someone else."

Upon hearing this, the garrison commander slowly withdrew his gaze, then looked at the white-haired old man: "Old Man Tianji, do you know about Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng's Tui Bei Tu? It shows nothing unusual?"

"Perhaps this is due to the substitution of fate, because its powerful destiny has obscured the secrets of heaven!"

"So, we have no choice but to eliminate him?"

“Protecting the normal course of history is my destiny as a guardian.” The white-haired old man smiled faintly, then glanced at Wu Bing and continued, “His appearance not only changed his fate, but also the fate of those around him.”

"The stars and celestial phenomena never lie, so we must uphold the righteous path and set things right!"

"Yes, that makes sense!"

Upon hearing this, the garrison commander nodded, then turned to the soldiers and asked, "How is Li Ke doing?"

"this."

Wu Bing hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "Reporting to the Garrison Commander, Li Ke has returned to Chang'an and is currently assisting in the fight against the epidemic. However, this is only a facade; his true goal is to control the entire city of Chang'an and infect Empress Zhangsun and Li Shimin's other children with smallpox."

"Furthermore, I have entrusted him with all the people he can use, and I believe he can accomplish our plan!"

"Yes, well done! We must help Li Shimin complete all his plans before he returns, so that the Tang Dynasty will be completely under our control!"

The garrison commander nodded in satisfaction.

Wu Bing couldn't help but ask again, "What about Li Chengqian?"

"Buddha, Snake Shadow, Heart Fox, Broken Water, the four of you go and stop Li Chengqian. Don't capture him alive now, kill him if you can, spare no effort!"

"Yes!"

The four guardian generals whose names were read by the guard immediately stood up from the stone benches and respectfully accepted the order.

But then the guard said thoughtfully, "Plague Doctor, the smallpox in Chang'an needs someone to be cured. Go and assist Li Ke in gaining the trust of the people of Chang'an!"

"it is good"

The sickly-looking general responded with a hint of regret.

Because he didn't want to go to Chang'an at all; instead, he wanted to intercept and kill Li Chengqian.

After all, Li Chengqian's constitution, which is immune to all poisons, is truly rare in the world.

As an unconventional doctor, he naturally wanted to see for himself.

However, he dared not disobey the garrison commander's orders, so after agreeing, he couldn't help but ask, "Could you hand over Li Chengqian's body to me?"

"Ha, if he dies, you'll have everything he has."

"That's good."

Meanwhile, in Chang'an, Li Ke went to see his mother as soon as he returned to the city.

After confirming that his mother was safe and sound, he spontaneously organized manpower and resources to fight the epidemic together with the court, which won him a lot of praise.

Even Empress Zhangsun praised him several times.

It should be noted that Yang Nannan did not tell anyone that Xiangling had contracted smallpox because of that cup.

Therefore, only Li Chengqian and the other members of the Eastern Palace faction knew this secret.

The main reason Yang Nannan didn't reveal this secret was Chang'an's previous unusual behavior, especially towards Li Chengqian, which made her afraid to act on her own in this matter.

Furthermore, based on her understanding of Shouchuro, she knew that Shouchuro was definitely involved in this matter, so she dared not alert him.

This is why Empress Zhangsun praised Li Ke repeatedly, because she had no idea that Li Ke was the mastermind behind the smallpox plague.

Even if she knew that the cup was a gift from Li Ke and his mother on behalf of Princess Guanghua, she would not suspect Li Ke and his mother.

After all, in her heart, Li Ke and his mother had always been 'good people' who were uncontested by the world.

"Ke'er, I am truly happy for your father that you returned at such a critical moment, disregarding the danger!"

Empress Zhangsun looked at Li Ke, who was covered in sweat, and praised him with a smile while having a palace maid hand him a towel and some tea.

But Li Ke said righteously, "When the country is in trouble, how can I stay in one corner? Besides, my mother, my younger brother and sister, and the Empress are in Chang'an. How can I sit idly by?"

"Hehe, this child is so filial and righteous, no wonder His Majesty always mentions him!"

Empress Zhangsun smiled and praised Li Ke to the surrounding concubines and Consort Yang.

Consort Yang was also very pleased, with a constant smile on her face.

But then Li Ke said seriously, "Your Majesty, I observe that the epidemic in Chang'an is becoming increasingly severe. Why are there so few doctors involved in the treatment? Could it be that this smallpox plague is truly incurable?"

"Alas, it's not that there are no doctors to treat patients, but that the smallpox epidemic is so fierce that we have very few doctors to mobilize."

Upon hearing this, one of the concubines sighed and added, "In addition, the medical school obtained the Crown Prince's secret formula, claiming it had a way to control the smallpox plague, and transferred most of the doctors away, which is why it has become what you see now."

"Is this true? Does the Crown Prince really have a way to cure smallpox?" Li Ke asked with a look of surprise.

Li Yin, standing to the side, sneered and interjected, "Whether it's a cure for smallpox or not, who knows? Right now, we're just sitting here waiting to die!"

"Yin'er! Don't talk nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Yang's expression changed, and she immediately and sternly stopped Li Yin. Then she quickly apologized to Empress Zhangsun, "Your Majesty, Yin'er is still young and doesn't understand."

"Mother! Am I wrong? Everyone is waiting for the treatment he promised, and now half a month has passed! Where is the treatment? There isn't one at all! Instead, the number of infected people is increasing! Isn't this just telling us to sit here and wait to die?!"

Li Yin suddenly flew into a rage: "I remember when Father Emperor summoned Third Brother back to Chang'an, he also summoned him! Now Third Brother has been back for several days, where is he? Is the distance between Tuyuhun and Chang'an so far that there's not a single word from him?!"

"I think he's just scared! He's too afraid to come back!"

"Snap—!"

Before Consort Yang could stop Li Yin's outburst, Li Ke slapped Li Yin across the face and shouted angrily, "Shut up! You're not allowed to talk about my elder brother, the Crown Prince, like that!"

"Third brother."

"I told you to shut up! Didn't you hear me?!"

Seeing that Li Yin was about to argue, Li Ke raised his hand again.

The princes, princesses, and concubines around them all looked at each other in bewilderment.

Even Empress Zhangsun couldn't help but try to calm Li Ke down, saying, "Ke'er! Calm down. Yin'er is just worried about the epidemic and the people of Chang'an. He means well, and I won't blame him."

"Your Majesty, on behalf of my younger brother Yin, I apologize to you and my elder brother, the Crown Prince."

Upon hearing this, Li Ke knelt down without saying a word.

Seeing this, Li Yin, who was standing nearby, quickly called out to him, "Third Brother!"

"Your Majesty!"

Li Ke gave them a cold look.

Although Li Yin looked aggrieved, he still obediently knelt down.

Seeing her son kneel down, Consort Yang also knelt down, saying, "It's all my fault as a mother for not teaching my son well. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

"Oh dear, little sister! What are you doing? Get up quickly!"

Seeing this, Empress Zhangsun quickly stepped forward to help them up, and called to the other concubines nearby to do the same: "Sister Yinfei, quickly help me help them up!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Yin wanted to step forward, but then stopped.

The rest of the group looked at Empress Zhangsun with complicated expressions.

Although Empress Zhangsun's position in the harem was unmatched, Li Chengqian's position among the princes and princesses was equally unshakeable.

But that doesn't mean everyone admires them, mother and son.

Even Consort Yin and Consort Zhao harbored deep resentment towards Empress Zhangsun and her son, let alone others.

However, since no one could confront them, they remained silent and lived in peace.

But now, the Yang mother and son have done nothing wrong, yet they have no choice but to bow their heads and admit their mistakes out of fear.

This caused the other concubines in the palace, including some sensible princes and princesses, to begin to feel resentful towards Empress Zhangsun and her son.

Empress Zhangsun seemed to sense the strange looks around her, and looked helplessly at Li Ke, sighing, "Ke'er is sensible, as everyone knows. Now that the epidemic is serious, we still need to rely on Ke'er for everything in Chang'an!"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not let any opportunity slip by!"

Li Ke quickly interjected, "Furthermore, on my way back to Chang'an, I recruited many physicians. I would like to have them enter the city to treat the people. What does Your Majesty think?"

"Ke'er is so thoughtful! Now that you have an idea, let's do it your way!"

"On behalf of the people of Chang'an, Your Majesty the Empress!"

After saying this, Li Ke got up from the ground and said to Li Yin, "Li Yin, go and inform Zhewei, Li Zong, Huailiang and the others immediately, and have them come to my residence. Also, inform the Left Minister, the Right Minister, and all the cabinet ministers to hold a meeting in the Wude Hall. Tell them that I have a few matters to attend to regarding the epidemic prevention and control, and I need their cooperation!"

"Yes!"

Li Yin responded and was about to leave.

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose from the crowd.

"Third Brother! Let us join the fight against the epidemic!"

"Yes! Third Brother, we want to go too!"

"My dear brothers and sisters, I thank you for your kindness on behalf of the people of Chang'an. However, the smallpox plague is extremely dangerous."

"Third Brother! We're not afraid to die!"

Just as Li Ke was about to persuade the princes and princesses, Li Lizhi suddenly stood up and said seriously, "We participated in the fight against the epidemic before! Since Third Brother can go, why can't we go?"

“Yes, Third Brother! We are all Father’s children, and it is only right that we think of the people of the world!” Prince Tan, Li Yun, echoed.

“Indeed! Father Emperor once said, ‘The people are the water, and the ruler is the boat. Water can support a boat, but it can also capsize it.’ How can we abandon the people?”

"Third Brother! Please let us go!"

For a time, all the princes and princesses made petitions, which made their mothers both worried and gratified.

Although they didn't want their children to take any risks, at this point, they had no choice but to comply.

Li Ke frowned slightly, then turned to Empress Zhangsun and said, "Your Majesty, what do you think of this?"

Empress Zhangsun hesitated for a moment, but finally agreed reluctantly: "You all be careful! Don't be reckless!"

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will take good care of my younger siblings!"

Li Ke's expression turned solemn, and he immediately bowed to Empress Zhangsun.

Immediately afterwards, the other princes and princesses also bowed to their respective mothers and Empress Zhangsun, and then followed Li Ke and his brothers out of the safe house.

Empress Zhangsun, who watched them leave, subtly clenched her sleeves, hoping that Li Chengqian would return soon.

For some unknown reason, she felt uneasy.

Hopefully, everything will be alright.

Empress Zhangsun prayed silently in her heart.

(End of this chapter)