Traveling through the early Tang Dynasty starts with hanging

Chapter 1168 Court meeting!

After nearly half a month of chaos, Renzhi Palace gradually returned to calm, and Li Yuan was preparing to return to Beijing soon, around August [-]th, after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

But before that happens, there's still much to decide.

Therefore, although Cuiwei Hall is far less grand than Taiji Hall, Li Yuan still held his first court meeting here in a long time. Although it was a bit crowded, it was not without its benefits... At least the people in the front row said a word and stood at the end. You can also hear clearly.

In fact, there were not many officials who could participate in this court meeting, because they were not in Chang'an after all, and officials from administrative agencies such as the Nine Temples and Five Supervisors were not present. Therefore, many subordinate officials and generals from Tiance Mansion and East Palace were able to participate.

For example, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Ling Jing are slightly better, but Changsun Wuji, Duan Zhixuan, and Hou Junji are already in high spirits, which makes Wang Gui, Wei Ting, Wei Zheng and others not far away dim.

Er Zhuhuan, who had been released for several days, stood in the corner and glanced at His Majesty, who was in the first place. According to the usual practice, the two positions on the left and right should be the prince and the King of Qin. However, today the King of Qin still sat on the right, not because the seat on the left was vacant. He stepped over...Prince Li Jiancheng is still under house arrest.

The remaining officials are divided into two rows on the left and right. The first one on the left is Pei Ji. Although the prime minister, whom Li Yuan affectionately calls "Pei Jian", is attached to the East Palace, during Yang Wenqian's rebellion, from the beginning to the end of house arrest, he still stood. ranked first.

Behind them were the other prime ministers and ministers, including Yang Gongren from Zhongshu Ling, Chen Shuda from Menxia Province, and Xiao Yu from Shangshu Province... In general, it was no different from the previous court gatherings.

The person standing at the front on the right is a new figure, Wei Si Wang Li Huairen, followed by Zhaojun Wang Li Xiaogong and Huaiyang Wang Li Daoxuan.

This is surprising, but not surprising either. King Wei Si rushed over when Cuiwei Palace was about to be breached, put down the rebellion, captured Yang Wenqian alive, and was ordered to investigate... regardless of his role in this incident. It still depends on how much His Majesty attaches importance to it, but it should be placed first.

Even in terms of rank, the heir king should stand in front of the county king... Li Shan did not attend many court meetings before, and even if he did, he would hide behind him with the rank of Sinong Qing.

Er Zhuhuan licked his lips, thinking that his nephew... really flew with the wind to the sky.

In fact, Li Shan himself is not willing to stand in the first place, which is inconsistent with his personality. He does not like to stand in the sun and look dazzling, and prefers to stand in dark corners and calculate.

Originally, Li Shan was planning to hide in the middle of the opposite team as Zong Zhengqing, but unfortunately Li Yuan directly ordered him to stand here.

After the court meeting started, Li Yuangang said some nonsense, and the prince Xima Wei Zheng had already stood up and shouted in an indignant and passionate tone: "The heir of Wei, Li Huairen, Prime Minister Xiao, and the censor Zhongcheng Sun Fujia have found out that the prince If he is not guilty, please Your Majesty to release him."

Li Shan clicked his tongue twice, this guy is really tough.

Li Yuan's face was slightly gloomy, and Changsun Wuji over there came out and said: "As we all know, Yang Wengqian is the prince..."

"This is nonsense!" Wang Gui stepped out and said sternly: "If the prince had evil intentions, why did Qiao Wenshan rush to Renzhi Palace, and why did Du Fengju report him?!"

This was the first public and confrontational discussion about Yang Wenqian's rebellion... or rather a quarrel. Li Yuan simply stopped talking and watched coldly as the aides of Tiance Mansion and East Palace stood up and started quarreling with each other.

Li Shan watched the excitement with boredom, but soon discovered that the officials of King Qin's line were mostly passive, while the prince's subordinates spoke fiercely and held Qiao Gongshan and Du Fengju tightly and refused to let go.

Perhaps because of Li Shimin's instructions, later on, the officials under King Qin no longer tried to connect Yang Wenqian with the prince, but Wei Zheng and Wei Ting still bit Du Fengju and refused to let go.

In the end, two heavyweights, Pei Ji and Luo Yi, came forward... This surprised Li Shan, but not unexpectedly.

Some people are just for the prince because they are officials of the East Palace, such as Wang Gui and Wei Zheng. They also hope to display their ambitions and realize their political goals, but they are not willing to abandon the prince and lose their integrity.

Some people are trying to survive. If the King of Qin comes to power, think about the fate of those officials in the East Palace when Yang Yong was the prince in the former Sui Dynasty. The most typical one is Luo Yi.

Luo Yi knew very well that based on the whip marks on the faces of Cheng Yaojin, Zhang Gongjin, Hou Junji, and Fang Xuanling's broken fingers, he would definitely die without a burial place once the King of Qin entered the East Palace.

Not to mention that he still has an enemy in King Si of Wei.

There are also some people who are doing it for their own future. They have gained a lot of power by virtue of their contacts with the East Palace, which makes them unbearable to lose these powers.

For example, Pei Ji is one.

Pei Ji has been attached to the East Palace for many years. Even if he wants to change his mind, he has to think about whether Li Shimin is willing to take it... Even if Li Shimin doesn't care, there are many people in the Qin King's lineage who are eyeing the position under his butt.

Li Shan was a little suspicious. He glanced at Li Yuan, who was watching coldly, and then at Li Shimin, who was expressionless. He vaguely guessed that this was a test from the East Palace lineage.

Obviously, Pei Ji, Wang Gui, and Wei Zheng all guessed something, guessed Li Yuan's thoughts, and guessed how the Renzhi Palace Incident would end.

The rebellion of King Qi is already confirmed. It is unlikely that Li Yuan will depose two legitimate sons at the same time. One of them is the prince who has been in the East Palace for nearly ten years... This time Yang Wengan's rebellion can only be blamed on Li Yuanji. .

Li Shan knew this very well, because Li Yuan had not deliberately concealed his attitude, and Li Shimin also knew it... Li Shan's eyes swept over the faces of Pei Ji, Wang Gui, and Wei Zheng one by one, speculating on this. Whose plan is it?

Suddenly, Li Shan couldn't help but shudder. It had been several days since these East Palace officials were released to move around freely. Pei Ji was freed after Feng Lun arrived at Renzhi Palace. It was possible for them to exchange letters with Chang'an. .

After all, there are nearly ten thousand people inside and outside the Phoenix Valley, so it is impossible to block them to death like that.

Couldn't it be the plan of that old fox Pei Shiju?
Does Pei Shiju still want to find a chance to fight to the death?
Is this possible?

It is no exaggeration to say that Tiance Mansion occupies one-third of Jinchengfang. Once Li Shimin moves to Tiance Mansion, there will be hundreds of personal guards. Li Jiancheng can't attack even if he mobilizes all the Changlin Army troops. will be defeated.

And it is impossible for Pei Shiju to let the Beiya Forbidden Army rebel. Li Shan at least has Su Dingfang, Hou Junji, and Kan Ling, plus Li Keshi, Zhang Cong, and Ma Sanbao. No matter who controls the Beiya Forbidden Army, they will It is impossible to have a reverse.

Li Shan thought about it in his mind, and it was possible that Pei Shiju didn't know that Li Shimin would move to Tiance Mansion... Indeed, apart from Li Yuan, Li Shimin and his son, only a few staff members of Tiance Mansion and Li Shan knew about this matter.

After a while, Li Yuan ended the argument.A haggard-looking Li Jiancheng appeared at the entrance of Cuiwei Palace. His Highness the Crown Prince's eyes were dull, his face was pale, and his back was slightly bent. He still had the demeanor of a prince who had been in charge of the East Palace for nearly ten years.

Li Shan muttered a few words in his heart. I heard that Li Yuan was so angry at the beginning that he refused to even see him. He was imprisoned in a tent and was only given a bowl of wheat rice every day... The person guarding him at that time was Li Shan. of personal guards.

Afterwards, the context of the whole incident gradually became clear. Li Yuan considered that he could not immediately depose the prince, but his attitude softened. Although he still refused to see him, Li Jiancheng's treatment became better.

Unfortunately, after Zhang Pinggao, Li Shiji, Liu Hongji, and Huang Junhan arrived with troops from the Shangfanfu, although Li Shan nominally controlled the troops, in fact he presided over the investigation of Yang Wenqian's rebellion and ignored the specific affairs... The personal guards around him They have all left Phoenix Valley.

Well, it was Huang Junhan and Li Shiji's soldiers who took over. Li Jiancheng's salary... said it was rising, but in fact, according to Ling Jing's private words, he only had one or two bowls of wheat rice every day, and sometimes it was still sour.

Countless eyes fell on the prince, some sympathetic, some resentful, and some very disdainful... Nowadays, not many people know the specific details of Yang Wenqian's rebellion, but the general story of this incident has long been spread. opened.

It doesn't matter that you are bad, but stupidity... is unforgivable. As the prince of the prison country, you are stupid enough to be taken advantage of by the recognized incompetent King Li Yuanji of Qi. You are really stupid and couldn't be more stupid.

Well, this idea mainly comes from Li Shimin.

Li Yuan stared at his eldest son expressionlessly. After a moment, he pointed to the bench on the left and motioned for Li Jiancheng to sit down.

Li Jiancheng sat down silently without saying a word. He had never seen his father look at him like that, strange and disgusting... not even when he rushed to Tiantai Mountain last year.

Li Yuan stood up slowly, "Is there anything immoral about me?"

Li Shan, who received Li Shimin's look, came out and said: "Your Majesty raised troops from Jinyang and pacified the world for several years. He stopped fighting at home, controlled the barbarians externally, and did not allow the Han Dynasty to gain glory."

"Then why are there ministers and even princes plotting rebellion?"

As soon as the word "prince" came out, Li Jiancheng, Pei Ji, Wei Zheng and other members of the Donggong family were all convinced. Although Changsun Wuji had known about it for a long time, he was inevitably disappointed... This was to put the blame on Li Yuanji's head.

"This is a wishful thinking of a traitor." Li Shan raised his voice and said: "Your Majesty has the hope of the world, and no rebellious minister can touch it."

Li Shanneng could only say these words. Who was he who rushed to the rescue at the last moment?
Li Yuan nodded slightly and said sternly: "Huairen, who is the first culprit?"

"Yang Wenqian, the governor of Fangzhou."

"The clan was executed, Yang Wenqian and his brothers were killed, and his three sons and two nephews were all beheaded!" Li Yuan said coldly: "The rebel generals and officials of the Fangzhou governor's office were all beheaded. The family was exiled to Lingnan, thinking that they would be recommended by the next generation."

It doesn't sound like a serious punishment. After all, except for the leader Yang Wenqian, the others were just beheaded and their families were exiled... But don't forget that Yang Wenqian was a confidant of the prince. A large number of former Sui officials and children of aristocratic families were attached to the East Palace. Since Li Jiancheng used Yang Wenqian to train private soldiers in Fangzhou, so he naturally wanted to force his own people through.

Li Shimin calculated in his mind that even if he did not count Feng Lun's son-in-law, there was still a descendant of the Zhao family in Tianshui, a descendant of the Zheng family in Xingyang, a descendant of the Guo family in Taiyuan, a descendant of the Liu family in Jiexian County, and a descendant of the Pei family in Wenxi.

Such a punishment is already very severe. The key is that the families of the aristocratic families are all married to each other. For example, Li Shimin remembers that the governor of Fang came from the Liu family of Jie County. His wife was the daughter of the Wen family of Taiyuan and was Wen Yanbo's niece. His mother It comes from the Li family in Zhaojun.

Under normal circumstances, even if he had imperial power in his hands, the emperor would not use such drastic measures against the aristocratic families. This could easily lead to a big rift between the two parties and break the balance between them.

But after all, the imperial power is in hand, and the rebellion can be tolerated. What is the point of Li Yuan still being the emperor?
Speaking of which, Li Yuan was already polite enough to the family members. If it were Yang Jian and Yang Guang who were former Sui Dynasties, his methods would only be more brutal... Back then, Yang Xuangan conspired to rebel, and Yang Guang killed a large number of rebellious children of the family.

Li Shan didn't care about this, he was just a little sorry... He had promised to intercede for Yang Wenqian that day to prevent his heirs from being cut off.

Forget it, anyway, I just promised to intercede in front of His Majesty... but they don't agree, what can I do?
Li Yuan continued: "Du Yan, who joined the army in the Tiance Mansion's office, Qiao Gongshan, Du Fengju, the captain of the East Palace, and Wei Zheng, the prince's horse, were all exiled to Lingnan."

As soon as these words came out, there was quite a commotion below. Some insiders remembered that it was these four people who accused the prince of treason twice in a row that day, and who immediately defended the prince.

Li Shan thought to himself, it seems that Du Yan in the original time and space was also exiled to Lingnan because of the Renzhi Palace Incident. Qiao Gongshan and Du Fengju were unknown, but in history, Wang Gui and Wei seemed to be exiled to Lingnan with Du Yan. quite.

Why is it Wei Zheng?
Li Shan turned around and looked, and Li Shimin gave him a comforting look... Don't worry, it was arranged by Gu.

Wei Zheng was exiled to Lingnan, which is not a bad thing if you think about it. He just missed the upcoming deposed crown prince, and Li Shimin, who had already decided to make great use of Wei Zheng, would definitely recall him to the court... By that time, the crown prince had already been deposed. , Wei Zheng will naturally serve the King of Qin.

This is actually the case for Wang Gui and Wei Ting in history. After being exiled to Lingnan, they were recalled by Li Shimin after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, and both served as prime ministers.

After a pause, Li Yuan's face became increasingly gloomy, "Qi King Li Yuanji was deposed as a commoner and exiled to Yizhou Road."

Someone glanced at Li Shimin and said, "Yizhou Road is the territory of the King of Qin. They want to send Li Yuanji to the King of Qin for disposal. It is estimated that he will die of illness, fall, or fall."

But Li Shan was wondering whether Li Shimin, a Cao thief, would snatch Princess Qi back.

"The subordinate officials Rong Jiusi, Li Sixing, and Yu Wenbao were all beheaded, and their families were exiled to Lingnan."

A descendant of the Wu Zhongrong family and a descendant of the Li family in Zhao County. The latter was also one of the heroes of Taiyuan Yuanmou. He had the privilege of being exempted from death once, but he could not avoid death for treason. Otherwise, Liu Wenjing, who was exempted from death twice, would not be punished. Beheaded.

"Sinong Shaoqing Yu Wenying was beheaded, and his family was exiled to Lingnan. Sinong Shaoqing Zhao Yuankai was dismissed from office and exiled to Lingnan. Zuo Qianniuwei general Yu Wenshao was beheaded and his family was executed."

There was silence below. This was the biggest case since the founding of the People's Republic of China. So many people were beheaded, so many people were exiled, so many people were killed by their clans, and blood flowed like rivers.

(End of this chapter)