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

Chapter 394 Slaughter all these rioters! [Seeking monthly votes]

"Stop the Crown Prince! Don't let him in!"

"Protect His Highness the Prince of Shu! Protect the divine physician of the Prince of Shu's residence!"

"To survive! We must stand with the Shu King's Mansion!"

The moment the city gates opened, the mob, which had been incited by the Plague Doctor and his gang, froze in place.

It was as if the mute button had been pressed instantly.

This resulted in a deathly silence in the surrounding area.

A stern-faced young man, wielding a meteorite spear, rode alone on horseback, slowly passing through the passage inside the city gate, and suddenly appeared before them.

"Tell me, who should we stop? Who should we stand with?"

A calm and indifferent voice suddenly rang out the moment the horse's hooves stopped.

Those who knew the boy couldn't help but swallow hard, their legs trembling.

Some people who didn't recognize the boy gripped their kitchen knife and hoe tightly, their faces showing wariness.

Until Pei Xingjian, Lai Fu, and other Imperial Guards rode up and followed.

"Yes, Your Highness Prince Liang!"

Someone recognized Li Yin, who was bound like a dead dog by the Imperial Guards, and exclaimed in surprise.

Then the whole crowd seemed to explode.

"The Crown Prince has barged in! He has defeated His Highness Prince Liang!"

"The Crown Prince, despite being ill, has forced his way into the city! We must stop him!"

These two voices were clearly shills, planted by the plague doctor among the crowd.

Their goal was to constantly agitate the nerves of the people of Chang'an, plunging them into endless panic and causing them to act irrationally.

The result was exactly as they had predicted.

Although Li Chengqian's sudden appearance did disrupt their rhythm, as soon as those two voices rang out, voices denouncing Li Chengqian immediately rose from the crowd.

"The Crown Prince is abandoning us common people!"

"Yes, Your Highness! How can you not abide by the epidemic prevention regulations? We've been following them for two or three months now. You can't just ignore it because you're the Crown Prince!"

"That's right! Your Highness, you can't do this."

"Quick! Everyone, line up and stop the Crown Prince from entering the city!"

"presumptuous--!"

Before Li Chengqian could speak, Pei Xingjian, standing behind him, sternly rebuked the crowd: "Are you trying to rebel by openly obstructing His Highness the Crown Prince from entering the city?"

"Hmph! You meet His Highness the Crown Prince! Instead of paying your respects, you slander him and incite public opinion. Are you courting death?" Lai Fu echoed with a cold snort.

"This"

The people of Chang'an looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing the two voices.

But soon, the voices of the two shills rang out again from the crowd.

"The Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the country; he would never disregard the lives of the people! This Crown Prince is an imposter! He is a demon possessed by evil spirits!"

"That's right! We must trust the divine physicians of the Shu King's Palace! Their newly developed miraculous medicine will soon help us escape this sea of ​​suffering! We must not let evil spirits ruin it at this time!"

Upon hearing these words, the people of Chang'an, who had been intimidated by Pei Xingjian and Lai Fu, immediately became restless again.

They formed a human wall, blocking the passage from the city gate to Chang'an city.

"Quickly! Stop the evil spirits!"

"Don't let him in! Never let him in, even if it kills you!"

"Your Highness, this..."

Pei Xingjian's face turned ashen, and he immediately turned to look at Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian glanced ahead expressionlessly, then looked at Li Yin, who was tied up like a dead dog, and said coldly, "Did you brothers do all this?"

"Ho ho."

Li Yin, bound and struggling to breathe, appeared unusually excited in response to Li Chengqian's question: "Li Chengqian, do you think you've won? There are hundreds of thousands of people in this city; they can be mobilized without military tallies. And you, do you think you can do anything about them?"

"So, it really was you brothers who did this?"

"Humph!"

Li Yin snorted coldly, about to refuse to answer the question, when suddenly a large slap landed on his face.

"Snapped!"

He was instantly slapped so hard that he saw stars and his vision went black. Then, with an incredulous rage, he looked at the Imperial Guard beside him and said, "How dare you hit me?"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is asking you a question; you must answer truthfully!"

"How dare you hit me?!"

"Snapped!"

Another big rip-off.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is asking you a question; you must answer truthfully!"

"You actually..."

"Snapped!"

"you"

clap clap-

A series of large blows turned Li Yin's originally fair and handsome face into a pig's head.

Everyone, including Li Chengqian, was greatly surprised.

But then the Imperial Guard said coldly, "If you don't confess honestly, you'll be in big trouble when you get to the Imperial Prison!"

"you"

Li Yin mumbled something, trying to sound tough, but the next moment he was startled by the other person's raised hand, causing him to shrink back and mutter under his breath, "It was the Plague Doctor's people who did it."

"Who is the plague doctor?"

Li Chengqian frowned and said.

"The general of the guard."

"Li Ke has colluded with the commander of the Shouzhulang?"

"I don't know. Even if you beat me to death, I still won't know!" Li Yin's brotherly affection for Li Ke was self-evident.

Li Chengqian didn't expect him to betray Li Ke, so he didn't press the matter further. Instead, he turned to the Imperial Guard who had hit him and asked with a smile, "What's your name?"

"Your Highness, this humble servant is Xi Junmai!"

Mr. Xi, would you buy it?
Li Chengqian was slightly surprised, thinking to himself, "Isn't this a famous general from the early Tang Dynasty? How come I didn't know he had followed me all this way?"
Moreover, how did he even get into the Embroidered Uniform Guard?!

"What is wrong, Your Highness? Is there something wrong with my subordinate?"

Seemingly noticing Li Chengqian's surprise, Pei Xingjian quickly asked him, while looking at Xi Junmai with a wary expression.

"No, no, he's very nice!"

Li Chengqian hesitated and shook his head, then looked at the people blocking his way and said in a deep voice, "Do you really want to stop me from entering the city?"

"This"

The people of Chang'an exchanged glances, then immediately revealed resolute expressions and shouted loudly, "Your Highness, please put the common people first!"

"Your Highness, please leave immediately! Do not harm yourself or others!"

"Please, Your Highness."

"Where is the gatekeeper general?!"

Before the leading crowd could finish shouting, Li Chengqian coldly interrupted them.

Soon, hurried footsteps and a reply came from the city gate exit: "The gatekeeper is here!"

"Mobilize the city's defense forces and drag these ignorant mobs out to be massacred!" Li Chengqian ordered in horror.

"What!?"

The people of Chang'an were shocked to hear this, their faces filled with disbelief.

Even the gatekeeper general Hu Deli was so frightened by Li Chengqian's shocking order that his eyes widened in astonishment.

"What, you're not even obeying my orders anymore?"

Seeing Hu Deli standing there dumbfounded, not knowing what to do, Li Chengqian expressionlessly raised the meteorite iron spear in his hand and pointed it at him, saying, "Do you want to die?"

"No, Your Highness, this...how could this be?"

"Oh!"

Before he could finish speaking, a gunshot rang out at his feet.

He jumped up in fright.

At the same time, the Imperial Guards behind Li Chengqian drew their muskets and aimed them at the Chang'an civilians blocking their way.

"I'll count to three. If you still don't move aside, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Li Chengqian tightened the reins, gripped his meteorite spear, and prepared to charge: "Three!"

"Gulu!"

The people of Chang'an who were blocking the way had never seen such a murderous aura before, and they couldn't help but swallow hard.

"two!"

As the voice faded, some people began to flinch, hesitating whether to move aside. But Li Chengqian gave them no time to hesitate, and immediately called out another number: "One!"

"Your Highness! You mustn't!"

"Oh!"

The person who was speaking was shot in the head.

Brain matter splattered outwards instantly, splattering blood all around.

"Ah!! Murder!"

The intense visual impact caused the surrounding people to scream in fright.

Many people even vomited on the spot.

It can be said that the ruthlessness and decisiveness displayed by Li Chengqian completely exceeded everyone's expectations.

This might be a case of extraordinary times requiring extraordinary measures.

He knew the results of Li Ke and his men's hard work in Chang'an over the past two months, and he also knew that the hearts of the people of Chang'an were with the Prince of Shu's mansion.

If he were to use the method of fighting the will of the people against the will of the people, it would not only be slow but would also create an unequal contest with Li Ke, which would be unnecessary.

Therefore, he had to enter the fray with swift and decisive action.

As for the so-called public opinion?

Ah!
In Li Chengqian's view, it was nothing more than the memory of a fish!

They may remember your kindness today, but tomorrow they may hate you with all their hearts. It's just that ignorance makes up the majority, and Li Chengqian doesn't care at all!

But then he coldly surveyed the crowd of Chang'an citizens and asked, "Who else?"

"Who else dares to stand in my way for the divine physician of the Shu Prince's mansion?!"

No one agreed!
There was only more frantic pushing and shoving, and footsteps breaking away from the human wall!
As for the plague doctor's subordinates hidden in the crowd, they were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they wished they could bury their heads in their crotches. They dared not make a sound.

"Buy it, Mr. Xi!"

Seeing that the human wall had collapsed, Li Chengqian immediately turned his gaze to Xi Junmai and said in a deep voice, "I want you to assist the city defense army in arresting all those who instigated the recent riots and incited the people to riot, and dragging them outside the city to be buried alive. Can you do that?"

"Your Highness, rest assured! Your subordinate guarantees that not a single thug will escape!"

Xi Junmai stood up straight, his eyes sharp as an eagle's.

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Li Yin, who was bound like a dumpling and whose face resembled a pig's head, and said mockingly, "See? Li Yin, this is the public support you and your third brother have cultivated for more than two months. It's utterly vulnerable in the face of absolute power!"

"They are ordinary people; they fear the plague, and they are indeed afraid of death! But they fear even more that I will disregard everything!"

"This"

Li Yin was speechless; he was already trembling like a leaf, his face ashen with fear.

But then Li Chengqian looked coldly at Hu Deli: "Gatekeeper General!"

"Your humble servant is here!"

Hu Deli was jolted awake and scrambled to his knees, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

"Did you understand my command?"

Li Chengqian's voice struck him like a heavy hammer, and he said in a deep voice, "Xi Junmai will assist you in arresting those rioters who stormed the city gate and intended to cause chaos!"

"The primary instigators shall all be executed by being cut in half at the execution ground; the secondary participants shall all be buried alive outside the city! The rest shall be severely punished according to the law! Any further hesitation is unacceptable."

He paused, the tip of his gun 0.01 centimeters from Hu Deli's forehead, and said with unwavering certainty, "The next person to get a headshot is you!"

"Yes, sir! Your humble servant obeys!"

Hu Deli was so terrified that his voice trembled as he spoke.

He dared not hesitate any longer. He immediately moved carefully away from Li Chengqian's spear tip, then roared at the city guards behind him, who were also stunned with fear: "What the hell are you all standing there for! His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered! Take down the rioters! Take them all down! Anyone who dares to resist! Kill them without mercy!"

"Crash!"

Amidst the clash of swords and armor, the entire Mingde Gate garrison charged towards the rioting civilians like wolves and tigers.

In order to distance himself from the Shu King's Mansion, he even became ruthless towards some of the city defense army leaders who had previously assisted Li Yin in suppressing the medical school, the academy, and the military academy, and began to frantically attack the plague doctor's subordinates whom he knew.

Li Chengqian ignored the chaos and wailing behind him and immediately turned to Laifu and Pei Xingjian, saying, "Laifu, go back to the Crown Prince's residence first and tell Ma Zhou and the others that I'm back! Tell them to wait for me and not to make any rash moves! Pei! Immediately summon the Embroidered Uniform Guards and go to the Medical Academy to bring out Physician Sun and the others! I need to go to the palace to see my mother and grandfather!"

"Yes!"

Lai Fu and Pei Xingjian exchanged a glance, then Lai Fu immediately accepted the order and withdrew.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace, at the Lakeside Hall.

Due to the pandemic, Empress Zhangsun, along with her concubines, princes, and princesses, were housed in palaces around Taiji Lake.

Empress Zhangsun lived in Linhu Palace.

At this moment, on several soft couches, lay several small figures, ravaged by illness.

Those were Li Zhi, Li Ming, Princess Xiangcheng, Princess Changle, and several other princes and princesses.

The once beautiful and refined Li Lizhi now has her face covered with scarlet rashes and blisters.

The high fever even tormented them, causing them to groan in pain and murmur incoherently from time to time.

"Mother, I feel so uncomfortable, so itchy."

Li Zhi called out to Empress Zhangsun in a weak voice, his small hand instinctively reaching to scratch the festering blisters on his face.

"My dear child, don't catch him!"

Empress Zhangsun practically threw herself at her son's bedside, grabbing his burning little hand while choking back tears as she tried to stop him.

Her once dignified and gentle face was now pale and haggard, and her eyes were bloodshot.

"Your Majesty, why don't you take that 'Qingwen Powder'? It's said to cure smallpox."

A palace maid couldn't help but whisper a reminder.

Empress Zhangsun immediately refused: "This 'Qingwen Powder' tastes wrong and is not a good medicine. I have already had Imperial Physician Zhen examine it, and he also thinks there is something wrong with this 'Qingwen Powder'!"

"But wasn't this something that His Highness the Prince of Shu and his people did? Many people in Chang'an were infected with smallpox, but they were all cured by 'Qingwen San,' which they claimed was a miracle drug."

"Hey! You"

"Mother. Water."

Just as Empress Zhangsun was about to explain, Li Lizhi, who was standing next to her, let out a hoarse voice, and her body was even twitching slightly due to the high fever.

"It's here! Chang Le! The water's here!"

Empress Zhangsun hurriedly put down Li Zhi's hand, almost staggered and fell to the side of Li Lizhi's bed. She picked up a chipped porcelain bowl next to her and fed Li Lizhi water with trembling hands.

As soon as the water entered her mouth, Li Lizhi coughed violently, and a little blood was even swallowed back into the bowl.

Immediately afterwards, with a loud "waah," he vomited the little water he had just drunk, along with the contents of his stomach, all over Empress Zhangsun.

Seeing this, a palace maid nearby quickly said, "Your Majesty, let us do it!"

"Need not."

Empress Zhangsun shook her head, then looked at Li Lizhi with exhaustion and sighed, "Lizhi, do you really believe in Physician Sun and his team's smallpox vaccine?"

"That's the crown prince's hard work, but my third brother and the others don't believe it."

Li Lizhi calmed her cough, glanced apologetically at the Empress Zhangsun's robes that she had soiled, and then said with a firm look in her eyes, "I believe you!"

"But what will happen to your health if this continues?"

"What about Physician Zhen and the others? Have they been lost contact?"

"Hey!"

Empress Zhangsun sighed. Although she did not answer directly, the answer was already obvious.

At this moment, Li Lizhi mustered her spirits and said indignantly, "I misjudged my third brother and his brothers. I never expected them to be so heartless and ungrateful."

"Mother, will we die?"

Princess Xiangcheng, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but ask a question when she heard Li Lizhi and Empress Zhangsun's questions.

This question, like a poisoned dagger, pierced Empress Zhangsun's heart.

She trembled, turned around abruptly, and hugged Princess Xiangcheng tightly: "No! Xiangcheng won't! Zhinu won't! Lizhi won't! None of you will die!"

She seemed to be reassuring Princess Xiangcheng and the others, while also comforting herself: "Once your elder brother, the Crown Prince, returns, you will be saved! You must hold on until he comes back! You must hold on!"

Hot tears finally broke free, dripping large drops onto her daughter's burning forehead.

"Medicine."

Li Ming, burning with fever, began to delirious, his hands flailing unconsciously in the air: "Third Brother, miracle medicine, save Ming'er!"

Upon hearing "Third Brother" and "miracle medicine," Empress Zhangsun's brows furrowed instantly, and she even stopped crying.

Back then, she trusted the Li brothers just like Li Lizhi, but as the medical school came under their control, the entire epidemic prevention work in Chang'an went awry.

Especially that 'Qingwen San'.

If she hadn't practiced the "Tai Xuan Yang Sheng Jing" given to her by Li Chengqian, she probably wouldn't have noticed that there was a problem with the "Qing Wen San".

Even so, even if she knew there was something wrong with 'Qingwen San', how long could the children endure it if she didn't give it to them now?
Despair, like a tidal wave, crashed against her already crumbling defenses.

She looked around, and in the dim light, all she saw were the children's pained faces.

This is no longer the imperial palace that everyone admires; it is clearly a living hell.

She was an empress, a mother of the nation, yet now she couldn't even protect the lives of her own children. Looking at her children's faces and arms covered in pustules, her heart ached.

"Ke'er. Yin'er"

Empress Zhangsun clenched her fists tightly, as if she had made up her mind. Her phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent as she hissed, "Guards! Summon Lady Yang to an audience! Tell everyone outside that I am not complying with the epidemic prevention regulations! Quickly summon the imperial physician! Otherwise! I will die right here!"

(End of this chapter)