Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 195 Someone Plans to Use the Retired Emperor to Cause Rebellion

"The Prince of Yi'an has rebelled?"

Xu Jingzong was taken aback.

Huang Chun stared at Wen He with his eyes wide open, as if they were about to pop out: "Young master, what makes you say that?"

Um, does this mean Li Xiaochang hasn't rebelled yet?

Wen He cleared her throat and chuckled dryly.

"I'm just guessing, otherwise why would you suddenly bring him up, Lao Xu?"

The two breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Xu Jingzong said with lingering fear.

"Fortunately, there were no outsiders present. If someone had overheard this, they would have surely charged you with slandering the imperial family, and even His Majesty wouldn't have been able to protect you then."

"Alright, alright, Lao Xu, tell me first, what happened to Li Xiaochang?"

Li Yuan's affair broke out ahead of schedule, which is why Wen He thought that Li Xiaochang had also plotted a rebellion in advance.

It turned out to be a false alarm.

"Alas, I find this strange too. The son of the Prince of Yi'an, a man of great stature, actually became a bandit, robbing merchants in the Youzhou area disguised as a horse bandit."

"what!"

Huang Chun was shocked and could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"Is he insane? Is there any evidence to prove it?"

“There are three merchants to testify, and Li Yuan also knows about this matter. A letter of accusation was also found in Wang Junkuo’s possession. This matter is indeed true.”

"Furthermore, according to the investigation, it is not only Youzhou, but also from Lizhou to Liaodong, that they have their own forces. It is said that there are as many as 3,000 of them, and they are all cavalry."

Xu Jingzong glanced at Huang Chun and Wen He with a solemn expression.

Three thousand cavalrymen—that's no small matter.

Although Li Xiaochang was the governor of Lizhou, he did not have the right to recruit cavalrymen on his own.

Not to mention his son.

"Who is it? I will immediately report to His Majesty!"

Li Xiaochang had many sons, including several legitimate sons.

"Li Yizong, the heir apparent of the Prince of Yi'an."

After Xu Jingzong finished speaking, Wen He remained expressionless, but her heart still skipped a beat.

Li Yizong, a man who left only one sentence in the history books, stirred up a bloody storm during the Zhenguan era.

Li Xiaochang, the governor of Lizhou and Prince Yi'an, harbored resentment because his son Li Yizong was executed for robbery. He conspired with Liu Deyu, the Right General of the Imperial Guard, his nephew Yuan Hongshan, the Commander of the Army, Changsun Anye, the General of the Imperial Gate, and others to rebel with the help of the Imperial Guard.

But Wen He knew that the matter was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

Li Xiaochang and his accomplices rebelled, using Li Yuan's name as a pretext.

Moreover, the people they organized were either neglected members of the imperial clan or frustrated former subordinates of Li Yuan.

Moreover, Wen He would never believe that Li Yuan hadn't pulled strings behind the scenes to bribe a portion of the Imperial Guards.

However, he is more worried about something else now.

Those aristocratic families and Guanzhong regions were just pressured by Li Shimin.

If Li Xiaochang were to invoke Li Yuan's name at this time, would those people develop ambitions?

For them, if the benefits are large enough, it's worth the risk.

Just like how the Sui dynasty overthrew Yang Guang.

In the original history, Li Shimin did indeed easily defeat Li Xiaochang.

But there are too many uncertainties now.

If something unexpected happens, he doesn't know if Li Er will push him out to maintain balance.

Even if Li Shimin didn't do that, the alliance between the aristocratic clans and Guanzhong was enough to throw the Tang Dynasty into chaos for a while.

Wouldn't his peaceful life be disrupted then?
Wen He suddenly stood up, and Xu Jingzong and Huang Chun both looked up at him.

The two assumed that Wen He was so agitated because she had heard that someone had broken the law.

Xu Jingzong advised, "They are, after all, members of the imperial family. We should report this matter to His Majesty first."

“Yes, Prince Yi’an only recently agreed to return to Chang’an. If we take his son down now, I’m afraid there will be some trouble.”

Huang Chun also felt that this matter should not be rushed for the time being.

After saying this, he was about to get up and go into the palace, but Wen He stopped him.

“I will handle this matter. You two stay here and gather the men. The brothers of the Hundred Riders may have to work a bit harder for the next period of time.”

After speaking, Wen He ignored Xu Jingzong and Huang Chun's surprise and left the government office.

"This young man is truly righteous and hates evil," Huang Chun chuckled, but when he turned his head, he noticed that Xu Jingzong's expression was a little off.

"Old Xu, what's with that expression?"

Xu Jingzong frowned and asked, "Old Huang, apart from the Luo Yi incident last time, when have you ever seen Wen He so eager to take on responsibilities? He even took the initiative to go see His Majesty."

"Um, this..."

Huang Chun was stunned after thinking about it.

Yes, when will Wen Xiaolang be willing to do anything?
……

Li Shimin, who had returned to the Lizheng Hall, was watching with delight as the palace maids learned how Wen He brewed tea.

A eunuch walked in respectfully with small, quick steps.

"Your Majesty, the magistrate of Gaoyang County requests an audience."

"Ok?"

Li Shimin was stunned.

Gao Yue, who was standing to the side, also thought she must have misheard.

Gaoyang County, isn't that Wenhe?

Why would someone so lazy take the initiative to see His Majesty?
Li Shimin frowned involuntarily.

He just sent Wen He to the Hundred Cavalry, but that brat has now turned back. Could it be that something has changed in Youzhou?
His face turned cold, and he nodded, saying, "Let him in. Everyone else, step back. Call in the Xuanjia Guards. They are not to approach within a hundred paces."

Li Shimin had a gut feeling that Wen He, that brat, definitely had something important to say to him this time.

It would be better to send everyone away first.

So when Wen He arrived outside the Lizheng Hall, he was surprised to see the fully armed Xuanjia Guards.

'This is practically become standard practice when I, Li Er, meet.'

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, then strode into the Lizheng Hall.

The Xuanjia guards were all familiar with Wen He, and they greeted him with smiles when they saw him arrive.

After greeting them with a smile, Wen He entered the Lizheng Hall in a carefree manner.

Even Gao Yue wasn't there, and no one was there to inform him.

"What, has Xu Jingzong brought me some bad news?"

Seeing Wen He's worried expression, Li Shimin knew that something big must have happened.

Upon hearing this, the former frowned, sighed deeply, and bowed to Li Shimin, saying, "Your Majesty, I wish to lead a hundred cavalry to guard the Da'an Palace." "What?"

Li Shimin thought he had misheard.

Wen He has always been lazy whenever possible, but now he is actually asking to do things.

Furthermore, it is said to protect the Da'an Palace.

"Is Li Yuan backed by the Emperor?"

Li Shimin tightened his grip and stared coldly at Wen He.

"No," the latter replied decisively.

"Why is that?"

"Some people are planning to use the retired emperor to cause trouble."

"Who?"

"Li Xiaochang".

"Snapped!"

As soon as Wen He finished speaking, Li Shimin raised his hand and slammed it heavily on the table.

He recalled that before investigating Li Yuan, Wen He had listed out the people who would rebel in the future.

When he sent Xu Jingzong to investigate Li Yuan, he issued an edict to recall Li Xiaochang to the capital.

They secretly sent people to Lizhou, but found absolutely no clues.

Li Xiaochang also readily agreed to return to Chang'an and is currently on his way.

But this brat Wen He is now telling him that Li Xiaochang will use his father, the emperor, to rebel.

Li Shimin never questioned Wen He.

But today...

However, Li Xiaochang and Wen He had never even met.

He didn't think this brat would be like Wang Junkuo, doing something like slandering the imperial family in order to gain merit.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a cold voice, "What's your basis?"

Wen He was not surprised by Li Shimin's attitude.

He continued calmly.

"Xu Jingzong discovered in Youzhou that Li Xiaochang's son, Li Yizong, had disguised himself as a bandit to rob a merchant caravan. Wang Junkuo has already investigated this matter thoroughly."

"Historically, the death of Emperor Yizong was the cause of this incident. Subsequently, in the first year of the Zhenguan era, Your Majesty reformed the imperial clan system, reducing their privileges and threatening their interests. Therefore, they began to miss the retired emperor."

"After Li Xiaochang arrived in Chang'an, there was nothing unusual at first, but later he suddenly contacted Liu Deyu, the Right Martial Guard General, Changsun Anye, the Gatekeeper General, and others, using the theory of 'divine mandate' as a tool of thought to plot to mobilize the capital's guards to rebel."

There's another point: Li Xiaochang was a meritorious official who helped Li Yuan rise to power and supported Li Jiancheng.

Now that Li Shimin has ascended the throne, he must be afraid that he will be resented.

Wen He didn't even need to look at Li Shimin's expression to know that he was definitely filled with murderous intent.

"Changsun Anye!"

Upon hearing this name, the veins on Li Shimin's forehead bulged out.

Changsun Anye was the half-brother of Changsun Wugou and Changsun Wuji. After Changsun Sheng died, he drove his younger siblings out of the house and sent them to Gao Shilian's home.

Later, Empress Zhangsun repaid evil with kindness, and Zhangsun Wuji did not hold a grudge. After all, if it weren't for this incident, they might not have met Li Shimin.

Li Shimin then appointed him as the Right General of the Imperial Guard.

But he actually dared to rebel!
"Did the Emperor Emeritus participate in this matter?"

Li Shimin's voice trembled.

His relationship with Li Yuan had improved considerably today, but if his father really did that...

"Your Majesty does not know, but in later analyses, there is one person who is of paramount importance." History does not record whether this matter was related to Li Yuan, so Wen He dared not make a judgment.

However, Li Xiaochang used Li Yuan as an excuse, and this matter is true.

"who!"

"Du Caigan, if I may be so bold as to ask, when he came to Chang'an to report on his duties, did he see the Emperor Emeritus?"

This is merely Wen He's speculation.

This period of history is written too generally, but when some pieces of evidence are put together, everything points to Li Yuan.

After Du Caigan returned to the Tang Dynasty, he was highly valued by Li Yuan. In the second year of the Wude era, he was granted the title of Duke of Wenxi County, a second-rank official.

He also achieved the titles of Governor-General of Huazhou, Governor of Zongbei and Beizhou, Grand Pillar of State, and Duke of Pingyu.

Moreover, this man is extremely loyal and trustworthy. Now that his former master is under house arrest, given his character, it's not impossible that he might do something for Li Yuan.

You must understand that some people in this era value integrity and loyalty more than their own lives.

Otherwise, the powerful families and landlords of Hebei would not have held a grudge for centuries because Li Yuan killed Dou Jiande.

Li Shimin did not answer Wen He immediately, but pondered for a long time, his deep eyes becoming increasingly sharp.

"You will go to handle this matter personally, leading a hundred cavalry and five hundred Xuanjia Guards. I will later issue an edict to the Ministry of War, ordering Yuchi Gong and Li Daozong to lead five thousand men to guard Da'an Palace with you. Tell the outside world that Chang'an is not peaceful and that there are thieves threatening the Emperor Emeritus!"

"Go and deliver an imperial edict to Xu Jingzong, instructing him to go to the Ministry of Justice and arrest Du Caigan, Changsun Anye, Liu Deyu, and others on charges of incitement. As for the palace guards..."

Since these people were able to persuade the Imperial Guards, it means that there must be some of his father's men among these guards.

"Investigate thoroughly, but let Xu Jingzong and Huang Chun handle this matter. You just need to guard Da'an Palace!"

"The minister obeys the order."

Wen He breathed a long sigh of relief.

The best outcome would be to bring the situation under control now.

Perhaps Li Yuan had no idea what Du Cai and his men had done.

Wen He didn't know how this event actually happened in the original history.

Perhaps Li Yuan truly hoped to regain his throne.

But Li Yuan in this timeline probably didn't have this idea.

After all, there's Wen He, the butterfly, around.

However, just in case, Wen He still wanted to talk to Li Yuan.

So after leaving the Lizheng Hall, he went to the Hundred Riders to convey Li Shimin's oral decree.

Xu Jingzong and Huang Chun were taken aback.

They originally thought it was just Li Yizong's matter, but they never expected that Wen He, who had returned, would bring such an imperial edict from His Majesty.

Ignoring their shock, Wen He led the Hundred Riders and the Xuanjia Guards straight to Da'an Palace.

At this moment, Li Yuan was lying in a bed of pleasure.

A scantily clad concubine lay in his arms, a mouthful of wine in her mouth, seductively teasing Li Yuan.

Seeing this, Li Yuan, who was in high spirits, could no longer control himself and was about to make a move.

Suddenly a noise came from outside.

He was startled and jumped up, grabbing the knife from under the table.

(End of this chapter)