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

Chapter 21 The Xuanwu Gate is Summoning
dawn.

Taiji Palace, above Xuanwu Gate.

Dark clouds loom over the moon, and the wind and clouds surge.

The firelight flickered on the city wall, where thousands of armored soldiers stood solemnly.

The firelight reflected off the spears, casting a scorching glow on their faces.

Although it was not yet time, the gates of Xuanwu Gate were already wide open.

Three or five soldiers were washing the bloodstains on the ground with clean water.

Before an incense stick had burned, Lei Zegong Changhe, the garrison commander of Xuanwu Gate, and Jing Junhong, the general of the Left Battalion, suddenly launched an attack, killing six people in succession and taking custody of all the soldiers under their command, thus completely controlling Xuanwu Gate.

The two stood there together, staring at the pitch-black road ahead, holding their breath and remaining silent.

"Tap!"

In the darkness, a muffled sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from afar.

Chang He frowned, his right hand gripping the hilt of his knife, looking at the faintly visible firelight in the distance.

"Is this Your Highness?" Jing Junhong asked in a low voice, his hand unconsciously gripping the knife.

Chang He did not answer him. Looking at the figure gradually approaching in the distance, he took a few steps forward.

"This is a heavily guarded area of ​​the palace. It is not yet time for the gates to open. Please return!"

"His Highness the Prince of Qin, I have urgent business to discuss with you at the palace!"

He heard someone reply from afar, and Chang He's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled down.

He quickly released his grip on the knife hilt and strode forward to meet it.

Not to be outdone, Jing Junhong, who was behind him, quickly caught up with him.

"General Chang He (Jing Junhong) greets Your Highness."

The two bowed to each other with their hands clasped in greeting.

After waiting for a while, they still didn't see Li Shimin tell them to get up. Just as they looked up in confusion, the two of them were taken aback.

Li Shimin dismounted and came to the two men, shaking their hands with gratitude.

"I will remember your great deeds today, and I will never fail you in the future!"

Jing Junhong's lips trembled with emotion.

Chang He simply knelt down and bowed, saying, "This humble general respectfully welcomes Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Before Li Jiancheng was deposed and before the emperor issued an edict, he was already addressed as the crown prince, which was a way of showing his loyalty to Li Shimin.

Although Jing Junhong was a step too late, he still managed to do it in the same way.

Li Shimin, looking touched, helped the two of them up.

"Knowing that Jing Junhong will die today, I wonder what decision the King of Qin will make?"

At that moment, right in front of the group, Wen He, who was riding a warhorse alongside Yuchi Gong, stroked his chin and looked around curiously.

On the way, he already knew who Lü Shiheng was.

However, judging from Li Shimin's attitude, it seems that he did not intend to keep him at Xuanwu Gate.

Instead, he specifically summoned Zhang Gongjin and Liu Shili to his side and gave them some instructions.

Both of them are recorded in official history as having clearly followed Li Shimin in the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Although their achievements were not as great as Li Jing's, they still made foreign tribes tremble with fear.

However, Liu Shili was not selected for the Lingyan Pavilion.

This seems to indirectly prove the matter of Qin Qiong.

"Waaah!" A sobbing sound suddenly interrupted Wen He's thoughts. He looked up and saw Yuchi Gong staring at him, holding a wooden stick in his hand.

"Is it necessary?" Wen He asked with a bitter face.

He didn't want to come, but Li Shimin insisted on bringing him.

Come on, but you still have to have a stick in your mouth.

Everyone except Li Shimin was treated the same way; even the horses' hooves were wrapped in cloth, and their mouths were sealed.

Yuchi Gong glared at him, as if to say there was no room for negotiation.

He pursed his lips but had no choice but to do as he was told.

Li Shimin, Chang He, and Jing Junhong had already finished giving instructions.

Changsun Wuji waved his hand, signaling them to go first.

Hou Junji led the two men slowly forward from the side.

Changsun Wuji followed behind them, along with Chang He and Jing Junhong.

Finally, it was Yuchi Gong, Li Shimin, and Wen He's turn.

At such a critical juncture, one has to be so careful. Even Wen He, who knew the outcome, couldn't help but feel nervous.

The journey was fraught with danger, but all 800 people successfully entered the barbican through the main gate of Xuanwu Gate.

After consulting with Li Shimin, Chang He closed the three main gates and then opened the gate leading into the palace.

"Shi Li and Hong Shen will lead two hundred men to stay behind and assist Chang Qing." This was unexpected by Chang He and Jing Junhong.

His Highness the Prince of Qin actually left troops at Xuanwu Gate?

However, after thinking it over, the two of them realized that this was not meant to warn them.

There are over a thousand guards at Xuanwu Gate. Even if they were the Xuanjia Guards, they wouldn't be able to threaten the two of them if they stayed here.

But why did His Highness the King of Qin do this?

Chang He was puzzled, but he didn't ask. After watching Li Shimin and the others leave, he went to Zhang Gongjin.

"Brother Hongshen, did His Highness give any instructions?" Chang He cautiously probed.

Although his rank was higher than Zhang Gongjin's, the latter was a confidant of the King of Qin.

Therefore, it is not wrong to treat them with some courtesy.

Zhang Gongjin dared not presume and quickly returned the greeting: "Lord Lei Ze, do not worry. His Highness's actions are out of concern that the traitors might resort to desperate measures. These two hundred Xuanjia Guards will be of assistance to you."

"I see."

Chang He was half-believing and half-doubting, but he put on a grateful face.

"Your Highness's kindness is something I will never forget."

"Hehe, you have worked hard today, my lord. Now that the great undertaking is accomplished, you deserve the greatest credit."

"Don't dare."

The two laughed it off.

Liu Shili and Jing Junhong, who were standing nearby, pretended not to hear.

Although Chang He controls the Xuanwu Gate, if we're really talking about who deserves the most credit, he probably wouldn't be the one.

The one who killed Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Qi deserves the greatest credit.

It's just a question of who will get the credit.

"General Yuchi, did you bring your bow and arrows?" Wen He asked quietly as soon as they entered the inner gate, taking the wooden stick out of her mouth.

He suddenly remembered something: in history, after Li Shimin killed Li Jiancheng, he almost died at the hands of Li Yuanji because he fell off his horse. Just then, Yuchi Jingde arrived and shot Li Yuanji dead with an arrow.

Yuchi Gong glanced down at Wen He, took out a longbow from behind the saddle, and gave a soft hum.

Wen He's eyes lit up, and she nodded with a smile.

Li Yuanji, oh Li Yuanji, although we've never met, you've ruined my dream of getting rich.

Today I've finally gotten my revenge!
……

Tai Chi Palace.

Li Yuan got up very early today; he was startled awake.

The concubine who was serving him was kicked off the bed and dragged out by the eunuchs. For a long time to come, this imperial concubine would not be seen in the palace.

He had a nightmare.

In my dream, a phoenix was fighting with two ferocious beasts.

The phoenix looked down from its high perch, spitting out a sharp sword that severed the heads of the two beasts. Then, it used its claws to throw the two beast heads in front of it.

Li Yuan looked closely and suddenly realized that the beast's head had turned into two human heads.

Before he could see the head clearly, he heard a loud cry from above.

He suddenly looked up and saw the phoenix swooping down on him.

Sharp claws came toward his chest, and just then, he suddenly awoke.

"Sage, what's wrong with you?"

Seeing that he was covered in sweat, the Grand Chamberlain quickly ordered a palace maid to bring him some clean silk cloth.

Li Yuan wiped his sweat and let out a long breath.

"Have Xuanzhen and the others arrived yet?"

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Wei, the Duke of Song, the Duke of Jiang, and others entered the palace before dawn and are already waiting at the sea pond," the Grand Eunuch reported respectfully, bowing slightly.

Li Yuan threw the silk back into the golden basin, then stood up and let the palace maids help him put on his long robe and outer garment.

The three people mentioned by the Grand Censor were none other than Zhao Peiji, Xiao Yu, and Chen Shuda.

When he seized power, these three were his most trusted advisors.

Today, he has brought his three sons to stand before him, and they will be the witnesses to determine who will become the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty in the future.

He looked outside at the sky, which was just beginning to brighten.

From this day forward, the future of the Tang Dynasty will be completely clear.

Erlang, I'm so sorry, Father.

"Arrange your carriage to the sea pool!"

(End of this chapter)