A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1247: The King's Uncle Returns and Starts a Killing Spree

"Your Highness, the Saint is resting and should not be disturbed."

At the gate of the Purple Palace in the Daming Palace, Crown Prince Cheng Qian suddenly arrived and asked the eunuch at the door to pass on the message. The eunuch saw that the crown prince had an unhappy expression on his face and replied cautiously with some uneasiness.

"I have something urgent to tell you, and I need to see you immediately."

The eunuch was in a difficult situation. The emperor had been in a bad mood recently, and everyone was walking on thin ice, fearing that they would accidentally anger the emperor and be punished.

Without Empress Wende by the emperor's side, no one could calm him down when he got angry.

"Get out of the way," Cheng Qian was about to rush in.

"Your Highness, no."

Amid the noise, a majestic voice came from the palace, "Let the prince in."

Cheng Qian entered the palace.

"Father,"

Li Shimin's eyes were a little red. He just lay down and wanted to rest for a while, but was woken up again.

"What's the matter?"

"Your Majesty, I heard that there are new developments after the teacher was assassinated."

Li Shimin looked at Cheng Qian several times and said, "How can you be so flustered when something happens?"

"Your Majesty knows?"

Li Shimin knew what the prince was talking about. In the case of Wu Huaiyu's assassination in Luoyang, the Luozhou Military Governor's Office, the three judicial departments, and the emperor's secret spies were all unable to find any results. Finally, under pressure from public opinion, the emperor had to instruct Xu Luoren to make a false report, saying that the assassins were from Goguryeo and Xueyantuo.

The emperor had no choice but to put the blame on them, which could also lay the groundwork for the Northern Expedition and future conquest of Liao.

This matter seems to be coming to an end.

People in the court began to discuss the Northern Expedition, and some even started talking about conquering Liao to avenge the Chinese people.

But before I could catch my breath,
There was new progress in the assassination of Wu, and the case that was originally about to be shelved also encountered changes.

The incident happened to Hegan Chengji, a general of the Zuotun Guard. More than a decade ago, Hegan Chengji was a guard of the Eastern Palace of Crown Prince Chengqian and served as a general of the Luben Army.

But later, because of his close contacts with Hou Junji, Wu Huaiyu, the prince's teacher who was in charge of the Eastern Palace affairs at that time, found an opportunity to demote him from the Eastern Palace. After leaving the Eastern Palace, Hegan Chengji was silent for a while, but with Hou Junji around, he was promoted step by step and finally became the fifth-rank General of the Left Tunwei.

Just a few days ago, someone reported that Prince of Qi Li You was plotting a rebellion. When Li You was in Qizhou a few years ago, he caused a lot of trouble, which eventually led to the killing of his uncle. He was also recalled to Chang'an to reflect on himself.

In the past few years, the older royal brothers and princes, such as the King of Wu, the King of Han, and the King of Jing, have been successively granted fiefs and sent to their own fiefdoms. Only the fifth brother, the King of Qi, Li You, has remained in the capital and has not been granted a fiefdom. However, he is a man of change, and he behaved recklessly while staying in Chang'an. He was even impeached for preparing for a rebellion.

Li You was plotting a rebellion, and the emperor ordered officials to investigate, and then many people involved were found, and Hegan Chengji, the general of the Zuotun Guard, was implicated.

He was directly stripped of his post and sent to the Dali Temple Prison.

Participating in treason was an unforgivable crime punishable by death. Hegan Chengji did not want to die, so he reported in prison that his superior, Li Anyan, the General of the Left Guard, had conspired with Hou Junji to launch the Xuanwu Gate Rebellion, forcing the emperor to depose Chengqian and enthrone Li Tai, and then have the emperor abdicate in favor of the new crown prince.

When Xu Jingzong, the Acting Minister of the Dali Temple, saw the letter written in blood by Hegan Chengji, he naturally reported it to the emperor immediately.

It is true that Li You was plotting a rebellion, but Li Shimin didn't take it too seriously except for being disappointed. Li You was a complete bastard, and the so-called rebellion was nothing but drunken nonsense and the flattery of a few people under his command.

The King of Qi had no ability to rebel. Even if he did, a local commander or a governor would be able to quell the rebellion.

But Hegan Chengji revealed that Hou Junji and Li Anyan had conspired to stage another Xuanwu Gate Incident and to support Li Tai, the Prince of Wei. This was an extraordinary matter.

Even though Wei Wang Li Tai had gone to Liuqiu Island to serve as his hereditary governor of Taizhou, Li Shimin did not even call him back for the New Year.

But the emperor still did not dare to take it lightly.

The emperor ordered the three secret service agencies to conduct a full investigation, and then the whole matter would be exposed.

Not only did they find out that Li Anyan and Hou Junji had conspired to rebel when Hou Junji was seriously ill from poisoning from the elixir offered by the Indian monk,

They even accidentally discovered something related to the assassination of Wu.

Although there are only some clues and not enough solid evidence yet, for Li Shimin, these are enough.

Two cases are combined into one, or even three cases are combined into one.

The case of rebellion by Prince of Qi Li You, the case of rebellion by Hou Junji Li Anyan and Prince of Wei, and the case of assassination of Wu Huaiyu.

Li Anyan, Hou Junji, then Zheng Renji of the southern ancestral branch of the Xingyang Zheng family, and Zheng Xuanxu of the northern ancestral branch of the Xingyang Zheng family. They even dug deeper and deeper and found the brothers Xue Wanche.

Surprisingly.

"How do you know this?"

The investigation was still being conducted in secret, but the prince already knew about it.

"Your Majesty, many people now know about this matter. Soon the whole Chang'an, and even the whole world, will know about it."

Li Shimin frowned.
With his rich life experience, he could see that this matter was not simple.

Not all things are so coincidental. If one thing is a coincidence, then if several things are coincidental, it is not really a coincidence.

Li Shimin thought of Wu Huaiyu first.

He used Goguryeo Quan Gaisuwen and Xueyantuo Yinan as scapegoats.

But if Wu Huaiyu found out the real culprit who tried to assassinate him, he would never give up, so it would be reasonable for him to expose them.

But Li Shimin was a little confused. He tried his best but couldn't find any results. Could Wu Huaiyu really find it out on his own?

Or was it really just because someone reported Li You's treason, and then Hegan Chengji was dragged into it because of his connection with the case. In order to survive, he confessed Li Anyan and Hou Junji's treason. When the officials were investigating Li Anyan and others, they accidentally revealed the truth about their assassination of Wu Huaiyu?

It's like seeing flowers in the fog and I can't understand what they are.

But the most important reality facing Li Shimin now is that the assassination case, which should have been settled, is now before everyone again.

Previously, the imperial court insisted that it had been thoroughly investigated and it was the Goguryeo Quan Gaisuwen and Xueyantuo Yinan who did it. Now it has been revealed that it was Li Anyan, Hou Junji and Xue Wanche who did it.

Where is the credibility of this court and where is the authority of the emperor?

The most important thing is, what will Wu Huaiyu think, and what will the ministers and nobles in the court think?
It was not easy to clear himself of the suspicion of being too successful and hiding his master's money, but now the situation is becoming more and more unclear.

Li Shimin was furious.
I was so angry that I didn't sleep well last night.

Just when he was about to take a break, the prince broke into the palace again with an accusatory attitude, which made Li Shimin even more angry.

"May I ask, are the real murderers who assassinated the teacher really Li Anyan, Hou Junji, the Xue brothers, and the Zheng family of Xingyang?"

Li Shimin did not answer, Cheng Qian nodded, "I understand, Your Majesty, how do you plan to deal with them?"

Li Shimin's eyes were red, and he said in a low voice, "Rebellious ministers and traitors should all be killed."

"Your Majesty, I have a suggestion,"

"Speak," Li Shimin glared at his son.

"The court previously said that the teacher was assassinated, and the real culprit behind the plot was Goguryeo's general Lu Quan Gaisuwen and Xueyantuo Khan Yinan. If we now say that the real culprit was Li Anyan, Hou Junji, Xue Wanche and others, I am afraid that people in the world will find it hard to believe, and the court's prestige will be greatly reduced.
I suggest that we first arrest Li Anyan, Hou Junji, Xue Wanche, Zheng Renji and others to clarify the facts.
Then they announced to the public that these people were colluding with foreign countries, colluding with Xueyantuo and Goguryeo, and working together to assassinate the teacher.

Li Shimin was a little surprised.

"What else?" he asked in a low voice. "How do you plan to deal with the King of Qi and the King of Wei?"

"What about the Li family of Dunqiu and the Zheng family of Xingyang?"

Prince of Wei Li Tai was the fourth son of the emperor and the second legitimate son, while Li You was the fifth son born out of wedlock.

We are all human beings. They are indeed involved in a case of treason, but Li You was not considered a real treasoner, and Li Tai was not entirely the mastermind.

Li Shimin couldn't bear to execute his two sons.

“Aye, the King of Wei and I are brothers from the same mother. Although the King of Qi is not born from the same mother, he is also my brother. Now they have made a big mistake, but I believe that they have good intentions and have been bewitched and led astray by some people.

I beg you, father, to show leniency to me,"

"What do you think we should do?" Li Shimin asked.

"Demote them to the rank of prince, and relocate them to the area west of Lancang River in the south, so that they can guard the southwest forever and serve as a barrier for the imperial court for generations."

"Don't you hate Qingque?"

"We are brothers from the same mother. I know Qingque is not a bad person."

Li Shimin asked again, "Aren't you afraid that Qingque will rebel against you again in the future?"

"Your Majesty has been constantly improving the feudal system over the years. The princes have been granted fiefdoms and established kingdoms, but there are also various institutional norms. Now that my fourth brother has arrived in Southern Xinjiang, he will have no chance to rebel."

Li Shimin asked again, "If Qingque rebels again in his fiefdom in the future, how will you deal with him?"

"He was demoted to a county duke and given a fiefdom in Hezhong or Tokharistan, thousands of miles away. His fiefdom was changed from a state to a county."

"Not killing him?" Li Shimin asked.

"I believe that even if they rebel again, they will not be able to endanger the country and society of the Tang Dynasty, and will not cause much damage."

Li Shimin shook his head and said, "You are too soft-hearted. If they rebel once, they can be forgiven. But if they rebel again, they can be killed." Having said that, Li Shimin was actually very satisfied with Cheng Qian's answer. After all, they were all his sons.

Although he ruthlessly killed Jiancheng and Yuanji, it also became a psychological pain that tormented him for many years.

"What about the Li family of Dongyu and the Zheng family of Xingyang?" Li Shimin asked again.

"Only those who are guilty, such as Li Anyan, Zheng Renji, and Zheng Xuanxu, will be held accountable, and other members of the Dongqiu Li family and the Xingyang Zheng family will not be implicated."

The Zheng family of Xingyang was one of the Five Surnames and Seven Families and was once the leader of the gentry in the world. Although it is not as prosperous as before, its reputation among the people is still very high.

Li Anyan was from the Dongqiu Li family, which was also a powerful and famous family.

The Dongyu Li family is a patriarchal clan of the Li family formed in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The family was originally from Meng County of the Liang State. They entered the Northern Wei Dynasty from the Liu Song Dynasty in the Southern Dynasties and rose to power by virtue of their status as foreign relatives.

Li Fangshu served as the prefect of Jiyin County during the reign of Emperor Wen of Song. Later, he entered the Northern Wei Dynasty. His daughter was posthumously honored as Empress Wencheng Yuangong by the Northern Wei Dynasty, and Li Fangshu was also posthumously honored as King of Dongyu.

His son Li Jun was successively promoted to the position of Prime Minister and was conferred the title of King of Dunqiu.

After several generations of efforts by Li Jun, his father and son, brothers, nephews, and nieces, the Li family of Liang State successfully entered the list of county names through the Ding surname clan. As a new county name of the Li surname, the Dongqiu Li family went through the Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, and continued until the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

He had a very high status among the gentry, which was why Li Anyan was able to become a brother-in-law to Jiancheng and marry Zheng from Xingyang.

Regardless of whether it was Zheng from Xingyang or Li from Dunqiu, even if they were involved in treason, Li Shimin had to handle them carefully. Over the years, the emperor had suppressed and won over these aristocratic families.
At that time, Li Anyan was Jiancheng's confidant, and Li Shimin still appointed him to be in charge of the palace guards after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, which was also an attempt to win over the Li family of Dongyu.

The suggestions for handling the matter now given by the crown prince are still in line with Li Shimin's thoughts. It is necessary to deal with Li Anyan and others who have committed treason according to the law, but not to take the opportunity to expand the matter.

If Cheng Qian said that he wanted to take the opportunity to carry out a major purge of the Li family of Dongyu and the Zheng family of Xingyang, Li Shimin would be very disappointed.

Just like the emperor has been secretly suppressing Wu Huaiyu and the Wu Party in the court in recent years, but the emperor also pays attention to strategy and uses relatively mild means.
"Tomorrow you will go to the Taiwei Mansion to see how Huaiyu is recovering from his injuries and inform him of what you have found out."

Li Shimin sighed, "Then go to Situ Mansion to see your uncle. Have a good talk with your uncle about these three major cases and explain your opinions to him. Let your uncle be responsible for the trial of these three cases."

The next day,

The prince went to the Taiwei Mansion to visit his teacher Wu Huaiyu at the order of the emperor. He not only told him the latest findings in the assassination case, but also told him about the rebellion case of the King of Qi and the King of Wei.

After the prince left, the Tongshi Sheren came to announce the imperial decree.

Wu Huaiyu, the Grand Marshal, Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince, Grand Minister of the Three Departments, Senior Pillar of the State, and Duke of Song, was appointed as the Right Pushe of the Shangshu, and was given the titles of Grand Scholar of the Chongxian Hall and Editor of National History, and General of the Left Guard. His other honors and titles remained the same.

On the same day,
The Tongshi Sheren also went to the Duke of Zhao's mansion to announce the decree.

He was appointed as Si Tu, Tai Tutor of the Crown Prince, Kai Fu Yi Tong San Si, Duke of Zhao Changsun Wuji, and co-minister of the Secretariat, in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, and was also appointed as Grand Scholar of the Hongwen Academy and concurrently editor of national history. His other honors and titles remained the same.

The emperor also issued an edict, ordering Zhangsun Wuji to take the lead in leading the three courts to try the three major cases of Wei Wang's rebellion, Qi Wang's rebellion, and the assassination of Wu Huaiyu.

Changsun Wuji took the imperial edict and his eyes turned red with excitement.

Sixteen years.
It had been sixteen years, he had waited for sixteen years, and finally he got the position of Prime Minister Baima Xuan, and finally he returned to the Council of State.

He, Changsun Wuji, is back again.

In addition to the excitement of reuniting after 16 years,
Changsun Wuji was also very happy that his suspicion of assassinating Wu Huaiyu was finally cleared.

Unexpectedly, it was the Xue Wanche brothers, Hou Junji, Li Anyan and others who planned the assassination. I never expected this.

Changsun Wuji sneered, very excited. He stroked his big belly, and couldn't wait to have a big fight.

He had always been at odds with the Xue brothers, and had no good feelings towards Hou Junji. As for Li Anyan, he looked down on him even more.

As for Prince of Wei Li Tai, he is also his nephew, but so what; the Crown Prince is also his nephew.

Hearing that Wu Huaiyu was appointed Shangshu You Pushe, Zhangsun Wuji didn't care too much. With his understanding of the emperor, it didn't matter if Wu Huaiyu was appointed You Pushe this time.

It is estimated that Wu Huaiyu’s illness will not be cured in a short time, just like Li Jing’s leg disease.

After this, Changsun Wuji judged that Wu Huaiyu might become like him before and have to live in idleness from then on.

Li Tai, Li You, Xue Wanche, Xue Wanjun, Xue Wanshu, Hou Junji, Li Anyan, Zheng Renji, Zheng Xuanxu, Changsun Wuji was reciting that long list of names in his mind, let them become stepping stones for his comeback!
After returning to the court, he must solve a shocking case.

(End of this chapter)