Traveling through the early Tang Dynasty starts with hanging

Generally speaking, when coming to Chang'an from the east, you take Chunming Gate, which is the widest road in Chang'an City. It passes in front of Zhuque Gate, connects with Zhuque Street, and leads directly to Jinguang Gate in the west of the city.

This road passes through Dongshi and Pingkangfang one after another. It has both business and entertainment activities, so the flow of people is the densest. Li Shan usually takes this road.

However, many officials do not take this road because they live on the east and west sides of the Imperial City. Instead, they take the road that crosses Chengtianmen Street. On both sides of the Imperial City are Anfumen and Yanximen, and beyond that is Chang'an City. The gates are Tonghua Gate on the east side and Kaiyuan Gate on the west side.

Tiance Mansion, where Li Shimin lives, is located in Jinchengfang on the west side of the imperial city, so naturally he takes this road on weekdays.

After passing Tonghua Gate, they passed Xingningfang and Anxingfang, and then passed the intersection of Yongxingfang and Yongchangfang. That intersection was the Yanxi Gate of the Imperial City. Li Shimin turned around and told Yuchi Gong to bring ten relatives. Wei went to Beiya to ban the military officers, and the others returned to Tiance Mansion first.

Until this time, Yang Gongren and Su Zai's perfect performances prevented Li Shimin, who had always been vigilant before, from noticing the danger... But one thing puzzled Li Shimin. His father secretly summoned him back to Beijing, but instead sent Zhongshu Ling. , the palace supervisor came out to greet him, and after just asking, it seemed that there was nothing strange in the palace.

Behind them, Cheng Yaojin and Qin Qiong had already begun to deploy their manpower, preparing to go south at the intersection in front of them, bypassing the imperial city and returning to Tiance Mansion in Jinchengfang.

Yuchi Gong named ten personal guards and asked casually, "Who is on duty in the Beiya Imperial Army today?"

"Since the day of His Highness's expedition to Hedong, Huo Guogong has been living in the official office and guarding him day and night." Su Zhi explained: "Today, the guard generals Ma Sanbao and Wang Junkuo of the right prison are on duty."

Yang Gongren said with a smile: "I just left the palace, and Lord Peng Guogong was outside Chengtian Gate."

Li Shimin suddenly had an idea, and reflexively pulled the reins of the horse in his hand, slowing down the horse. He suddenly noticed something strange... He had felt this way before, but Li Shimin didn't react until just now.

Today, Su Zhi and Yang Gongren arrived at Changlepo to greet them. No matter what questions they asked, their answers were orderly and logical, as if they had been prepared for them.

Even Yuchi Gong just casually asked who was on duty, a palace supervisor who was usually in the palace, and a Zhongshuling who was not involved in military power, all said in unison... they all pointed out the most critical Wang Junkuo.

Various thoughts flashed rapidly in Li Shimin's mind. The words Su Zhi and Yang Gongren said from beginning to end were nothing more than hints that there was no danger, no danger...

At this moment, the sound of gongs and drums, like a thunderbolt from the blue, suddenly sounded in Yongchangfang on the right. Li Shimin suddenly turned his head, and loud shouts came. Yu Chigong and Qin Qiong became nervous, and rushed forward reflexively. They squeezed to both sides of Li Shimin and forced Yang Gongren and Su Zhi out.

"Is the water leaking?" Yang Gongren kept a calm expression. After listening for a while, he frowned and said, "Fortunately, there is no wind today..."

"Uh, you actually got lost!" Su Zhi pointed to the black mist rising in the sky not far away, "Your Highness should not stay in a dangerous place. It is better to enter the palace first."

Li Shimin glanced at the increasingly dense black smoke. Although it was already dark, Yongchang Square was still visible due to its rich land and bright lights. The gongs and drums in the square were getting louder and louder.

And although there was no strong wind today, the blazing flames had already ignited, making the night bright and bright, with a blood-like color.

At this time, Cheng Yaojin reached out and took the horse spear from the guard behind him. The tip of the spear was tilted downward, ready to go.

Faced with Su Zao's suggestion, Li Shimin remained silent. He first turned to look at Yanxi Gate, and then his eyes fell on the faces of Yang Gongren and Su Zao, with rather indifferent expressions. It is not uncommon for water to break out in the 108 squares of Chang'an City, but the chances of water leaking are relatively small in the squares close to the imperial city.

But it happened to be the day when he was secretly ordered to return to Beijing by his father. The most important thing was that he had just arrived in Chang'an. Before he was about to enter the palace, something happened in Yongchangfang on the east side of the East Palace... This was too much of a coincidence.

The most likely possibility is that there is a sudden change in the palace, and someone is warning... Li Shimin's face has turned cold, and his gaze is full of intimidation. Although he is young, he leads the three armies to attack the world and is invincible. Yang Gongren, a famous general who can't be defeated, is relatively stable, but Su Zhi, the supervisor in the palace, is already sweating on his forehead and his legs are trembling.

"Mr. Guan Guo, did Huairen really have an audience today?" Li Shimin asked softly. He now regretted not sending his personal guards to visit Sun Moon Lake.

Yang Gongren smiled and nodded, "In the afternoon, the palace supervisor will summon you."

"Why did the palace supervisor summon me?" Li Shimin's eyes fell on Su Zhi, whose expression had changed greatly. "That's because you know that Wei Siwang would not dare to enter the palace without your presence."

Li Shimin suddenly smiled and said, "That's all, since I'm back in Beijing, I should pay my respects to my father first."

Before Su Zhi could breathe a sigh of relief, Li Shimin immediately said: "It's just a tiring journey and a lot of dust. The lonely king will go back to the house first, take a bath and change clothes, and then enter the palace."

"Mr. Guan Guo, there is still more than an hour before the keys to the palace gate are dropped. It should be in time, right?"

Yang Gongren finally couldn't help but change his expression. He smiled dryly and looked at the sky, "Maybe it's too late, right?"

"That's good!" Li Shimin looked at Yanxi Gate in front of him and shouted: "Jingde, turn south to the outside of Zhuque Gate and return home first."

Yuchi Gong was stunned for a moment, first responded, and then looked at Yanxi Gate. Cheng Yaojin on the side pulled his hand, and then angrily directed his guards to turn south.

Something must have happened. Li Shimin knew it in his heart. Yuchi Gong, Cheng Yaojin, and Qin Qiong were not stupid, so they naturally figured it out. The fastest way back to Tiance Mansion in Jinchengfang was through Yanximen and Anfumen... But the four The hundred personal guards entered the imperial city, which was too eye-catching.

And the most important thing is that Li Shimin is unwilling to take risks now that the situation is unclear.

In Li Shimin's own opinion, no matter what, as long as he does not enter the palace alone, he will be invincible. Although he only has four hundred personal guards at his disposal, they have followed him on the battlefield for many years, whether in terms of loyalty or combat power. They are all top-notch elites, and it is impossible for all of the Beiya Imperial Guards to rebel.

Su Zhi and Yang Gongren stood blankly at the intersection, watching the King of Qin lead his guards southward from the side of Yongxingfang and bypass the imperial city. Everything before was perfect, but at the most critical moment, a sudden fire changed the direction. .

A moment later, in the Manlu Hall, Li Jiancheng suddenly stood up, kicked the small case in front of him away, and cursed in a low voice with a ferocious face, "Li Huairen, Li Huairen, Li Huairen!"

Obviously, there was no need for inspection and screening. Li Jiancheng could immediately tell that the fire must be related to Li Shan who disappeared in the harem last night.