A Good Landlord in the Tang Dynasty: Emperor Yuan Cong

Chapter 1313: Deathbed
"Prime Minister Xiao broke into the palace to make a suggestion."

"Prime Minister Xiao was demoted to the governor of Shangzhou."

"Prime Minister Yang has been summoned by His Majesty,"

"Prime Minister Yang has been demoted to Minister of Works."

······
This day was the tenth day of October in the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, and the situation in Youzhou was turbulent.

Within one day, the emperor killed two prime ministers and then demoted two more.

Wu Huaiyu felt a little puzzled, as if the emperor had suddenly gone crazy.

The emperor did not summon Wu Huaiyu, he was waiting.

Xiao Yu broke into the palace to remonstrate with the emperor, but ended up being demoted to Shangzhou. Yang Shidao was summoned by the emperor, but ended up being dismissed from his position as prime minister and demoted to Minister of Works.

No one knows what happened and why the situation suddenly changed.

Who on earth offended the emperor?

But something big must have happened that outsiders don't know about yet.

Even Crown Prince Cheng Qian didn't know about this.

The entire Youzhou was in a state of anxiety, and all the ministers were waiting.

Wu Huaiyu did not go to look for Li Jing or Qin Qiong again. At this moment, the situation was unclear, so the more cautious he was, the better.

Could it be that the emperor suddenly fell seriously ill and was making arrangements for his funeral in advance?
By the afternoon.

Prime Minister Li Ji was summoned to the palace.
Then, with everyone paying close attention, they soon learned the latest decree from the palace.

Li Ji, the third rank official of the Secretariat and the Minister of War, was transferred to be the Minister of Rites, and still served as the third rank official of the Secretariat.

When this news came out, countless people were shocked again.

Li Ji was summoned, and indeed he was demoted when he came out. Although he still held the title of prime minister, the Minister of War who had made great contributions as the military commander of Pyongyang Road during the Liao expedition was now the Minister of Rites.
Everyone knows that this is a demotion.

Being demoted despite having made great contributions?
What does the emperor mean?
Wu Huaiyu couldn't understand the emperor's actions, but he had a vague feeling that Li Shimin seemed to be making arrangements for future generations.

That night,

The emperor summoned the crown prince to an audience.

Wu Huaiyu was a little worried about the prince.

He was confused because even in history, Li Shimin still had six years to live.

What's more, Li Shimin is in much better health now than in history. Not only has his rheumatism been cured, but he has also long since gotten rid of his habit of taking elixirs indiscriminately.

Although she was ill and could not have children, the emperor was still able to personally lead the expedition to Goguryeo and was in good health. On the way back, she did not seem to be feeling unwell.

Palace.

The prince came with an uneasy mood.
bedroom,

The emperor was lying on the sickbed, and a group of imperial doctors were busy treating him.

"Da Lang, come here."

When the prince stepped forward, he discovered that the emperor had a naked back with a large sore on his back. It was red and swollen, and a large abscess was visible inside with the naked eye.

"Father, what is this?"

Cheng Qian was shocked to see his father lying there weakly, and hurried forward to ask.

Li Shimin was feverish and thirsty. He forced a smile and waved to his son, "Da Lang, I was on my way back. I was tired from the march and the weather suddenly turned cold. I caught a cold and have had a headache for the past two days.

Then, I don't know why, a carbuncle suddenly appeared on my back. At first, it was just a little red, swollen, hot and painful, but soon it turned into a big pustule."

"Honey water,"

The emperor said that he only felt hot and painful all over and was very thirsty.

Cheng Qian quickly prepared a cup of honey water and handed it to his father.

"Imperial Physician, how do you treat your Majesty's carbuncle?"

Several imperial doctors accompanying the emperor said that the emperor's carbuncle was different from other carbuncle. It started suddenly and worsened rapidly. Now they could only treat it with heat-clearing, detoxifying, blood circulation and blood stasis-removing treatment. They dared not touch the big abscess lightly.
"A deep and evil sore is called a carbuncle. It is caused by the obstruction of Qi and blood by toxic evils. It occurs between muscles, tendons and bones. There are two types of carbuncle: head carbuncle and headless carbuncle. Your Majesty has a head carbuncle..."

The old man, Shangyao Fengyu, explained to the prince and told him the bad news.

The emperor had more than one carbuncle on his back. In addition to the swollen and festering carbuncle, there were several more carbuncles. They didn't look obvious now, but like the big one, they were rapidly deteriorating.

Now the emperor couldn't even stand up or walk, and could only lie on the bed.

Moreover, the emperor's stroke recurred.

I had a high fever, headache, and body aches.

"Father, why don't you quickly summon the general to come and treat him?"

Li Shimin held Cheng Qian's hand and said, "These imperial attendants are all great doctors in the country. They are experienced and their medical skills are no worse than Wu Huaiyu's."

"Your Majesty," Cheng Qian interrupted his father, "Please summon the Grand Marshal as soon as possible."

It’s not that Cheng Qian doesn’t trust those great doctors, there are even disciples of Sun Simiao among them, but at this time, it won’t hurt to have more people to see him.

It's better to try every possible means to save the situation.

"Cheng Qian, listen to me first."

Li Shimin patted the back of his son's hand, then said to the imperial doctors, "You go out first."

When only the father and son were left in the palace,

Li Shimin asked for the honey water and drank a few more sips before he slowly said, "You must be wondering why I killed Liu Li and Zhang Liang, why I dismissed Xiao Yu and Yang Shidao, and why I demoted Li Ji, right?"

Cheng Qian looked at his father and asked, "Is it related to my father's dragon body?"

"The carbuncle I suffer from this time is not an ordinary one. It is possible that..." "In short, I have to prepare for the worst."

The worst-case scenario is that if his condition deteriorates rapidly, he may pass away at any time. Before he leaves, he has to clear the obstacles for the crown prince to succeed to the throne.

"I summoned Liu Li to ask about his assistance to you in guarding Dingzhou for the past six months. I originally considered making Liu Li one of the ministers of state in case of an emergency."

"But Liu Li's answer disappointed me."

At that time, Li Shimin told Liu Li that he was seriously ill and asked you to assist the prince. The safety of the country is of great importance to you, and you should understand my intention deeply. This was somewhat like entrusting me with the care of the prince.

Liu Li replied, "Your Majesty, please do not worry. If any minister commits any fault, I will execute him immediately."

Li Shimin felt that Liu Li's words were too arrogant and not mature advice for state affairs. He also warned him that if the ruler is not discreet, he will lose his ministers, and if the minister is not discreet, he will lose himself, so he should act with caution.

Not long after Liu Li left the palace, Prime Minister Chu Suiliang asked for an audience. He reported to the emperor in secret that after Liu Li returned, he said that the emperor was dying and that there was no need to worry about state affairs. He said that it was just right for Master Fu to follow the example of Yi Yin and Huo Guang and to execute any minister with dissenting ideas, and the situation would naturally be resolved.

Chu Suiliang also told the emperor that Liu Li said that if the emperor died, he would ask General Wu to take charge of the overall situation, and any minister who dared not be loyal to the new emperor would be killed immediately.

These words made the sick Li Shimin so angry that he almost fainted.

He summoned Liu Li to confront Chu Suiliang. Liu Li said that he had only told Chu Suiliang that the emperor had carbuncle, which was worrying and that preparations should be made early. Chu Suiliang was completely slandering him.

However, Chu Suiliang insisted on his statement, saying that those words were spoken to him by Liu Li himself.

Since there was no third person present in the conversation between the two, each of them had his own reasons.

But the emperor was so angry that he directly ordered Liu Li to commit suicide. He chose to believe Chu Suiliang instead of Liu Li.

Liu Li was forced to commit suicide.

Cheng Qian was shocked when he heard what his father said.

Unexpectedly, Liu Li died because of this. He didn't know who was real and who was fake between Chu Suiliang and Liu Li, but one of them must have lied.

But Liu Li was killed because of this, which must have been due to the secret report by Chu Suiliang.

Cheng Qian thought quickly. He felt that Liu Li had said in front of the emperor that if a minister was guilty, he would be punished immediately. Although the emperor warned him in person, it was just a warning. But after Chu Suiliang reported him, he immediately forced him to commit suicide.
It was obvious that there was something in Chu Suiliang's words that the emperor could not accept.

Perhaps it was Chu Suiliang's words that Liu Li said he would ask Wu Huaiyu to take charge of the overall situation and any ministers with different ideas would be executed immediately that touched the emperor's sore spot?

"Liu Li is too arrogant. I misjudged him before. I must not let him support you."

Cheng Qian thought for a moment and whispered, "Liu Li refused to admit what Chu Suiliang reported. Could it be that Chu Suiliang framed him?"

The emperor waved his hand and said, "Chu Suiliang has been with me for more than 20 years. I understand him and I trust him."

Cheng Qian was silent for a long time.

"What about Zhang Liang's rebellion?" the prince asked.

Li Shimin was silent for a long time before he said, "Zhang Liang has followed me for many years and is loyal to me. I trust him and have let him handle secrets for many years..."

Li Shimin told the prince the truth. Although many people had accused Zhang Liang of treason over the years, there was no definite evidence. Raising a fake son and believing in sorcerers were actually nothing.

The real reason why Li Shimin killed Zhang Liang was that Zhang Liang had been in charge of the secret intelligence agency for Li Shimin over the years. Li Shimin was worried that after his death, Cheng Qian would not be able to control Zhang Liang.

So I decided to just take Zhang Liang away.
Zhang Liang himself was not an honest man. He was very ambitious and indecisive. Li Shimin could control such a person, but the crown prince might not be able to do so.

So he simply killed Zhang Liang on the charge of treason, which cleared some obstacles for the crown prince. At the same time, many of the shameful things that Li Shimin had asked Zhang Liang to do were taken to the underground and buried forever.

"What about Prime Minister Xiao and Prime Minister Yang?"

"Xiao Yu is too old, and Yang Shidao has no ability. There is no point in leaving such people to you. I might as well take them away for you."

"What about the Duke of England?"

Li Shimin said to his son, "Li Ji is talented, but you have not done him any favors, and he may not be loyal to you. I am now going to demote him to a foreign position. If he can leave immediately after receiving the imperial edict, after I die, you can summon him back to the court to resume his position as prime minister and rely on him as your confidant."

"This is another test for Li Ji. If Li Ji hesitates, I will kill him and leave no hidden danger for you."

finished,

The emperor took out an imperial edict.

This was an imperial decree to demote Li Ji to the position of governor of Diezhou and to take up the post immediately.

"Father, Li Ji is the prime minister and has just made great contributions during the Liaodong expedition. If he is suddenly demoted now, it will surely lead to criticism from the world." Cheng Qian said.

"You don't have to worry about this. I will tell the public that someone has reported Li Ji for treason."

Cheng Qian was shocked.

"Da Lang, the Tang Dynasty is yours to inherit. You must shoulder this heavy responsibility."

Cheng Qian couldn't help but hug his father and cry. He truly felt how his father felt when he was arranging his final affairs.

Thinking that his father might be dying, he could not help but kneel down and plead, "Let the general come and treat your majesty again. The general will definitely be able to cure your majesty. It's just a few carbuncles."

"This is not an ordinary carbuncle!" Li Shimin shook his head.

The emperor paused, and took the prince's hand again, "I know that you and Huaiyu are both teachers and friends, but I hope that after you inherit the country, you can distinguish between public and private affairs."

"I intend to let Huaiyu return to Luzon to retire,"

As he spoke, the emperor took out another edict, dismissing Wu Huaiyu from his posts as Tongzhongshumenxia Pingzhangshi and Shangshu You Pushe.

Wu Huaiyu, Duke of Chu, was appointed as the Luzon Observation Envoy to inspect Luzon and observe its customs and habits.

Cheng Qian opened his mouth, wanting to keep Wu Huaiyu to assist him.

But the emperor shook his head.

"I know you trust Wu Huaiyu, but after I die, Wu Huaiyu cannot stay in the court,"

"As for your uncle Wuji, I will also arrange for him to be the envoy to Jiangnan to observe the situation."

"I will leave you ministers to assist you. They are Fang Xuanling, Gao Shilian, Ma Zhou, Chu Suiliang, Zhang Xingcheng, and Li Ji. These six people are enough to assist you."

(End of this chapter)