People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1480: The method of destroying people, swapping legitimate and illegitimate children

The sixteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, early morning.

In front of the main gate of the East Palace, Li Xian, wearing a black round-collar robe with nine pythons and nine emblems, walked towards Chengtian Gate, surrounded by dozens of palace guards in front and behind.

After walking a few steps, Li Xian suddenly saw Li Zhu walking quickly from the front.

Li Xian subconsciously stopped, and sure enough, Li Zhu quickly came up to him and handed him a letter.

Li Xian opened it and raised his eyebrows. He then looked at Li Zhu and said, "Tell King Peng that I know."

Li Zhu bowed solemnly, then walked quickly towards Duanmen, then turned west and headed towards the west of the city.

Li Xian restrained his expression and continued forward. He soon entered Chengtian Gate and came to Zhenguan Hall, where he took the jar of medicine prepared in the pharmacy.

The moment he stepped into the Zhenguan Hall, Li Xian couldn't help but pause.

The Zhenguan Hall was much warmer than yesterday.

Li Xian walked into the Zhenguan Hall with a solemn expression. Although his footsteps were extremely light, they still startled the emperor sitting on the imperial couch.

"Father!" Li Xian's voice was very soft, and then he knelt heavily on the ground.

Behind the curtain, Li Zhi raised his hand slightly.

"Thank you, father." Li Xian bowed earnestly, then stood up, walked to the imperial bed, carefully poured out a bowl of medicine from the medicine jar, and at the same time looked closely at the color of the medicine soup in the bowl. After doing all this, Li Xian breathed a sigh of relief.

The medicine bowl was handed to Wang Fulai who was behind the curtain. Wang Fulai took the bowl, drank a sip himself, and then carefully fed it to the emperor.

Li Zhi finished a bowl of medicine, closed his eyes slightly to rest, and then slowly spoke: "What was the reaction of the court to the silver charcoal you sent down in the name of the palace yesterday?"

"I don't know about other things, but the ministers in the Eastern Palace have become much more stable." Li Xian looked excited but answered cautiously.

Li Zhi nodded and said softly, "Losing the royal family, appeasing the officials, and indirectly suppressing the price of silver and charcoal in Luoyang, King Peng can always come up with some tricks in this regard."

"After all, it is my son who benefits." Li Xian cupped his hands and said, "Now that the snow is gradually disappearing, we can mobilize the soldiers to go to the mountains to cut down some trees to make up for the damage in the palace."

"Yes!" Li Zhi nodded and said, "Did Prince Peng say how to solve the Zheng family issue?"

"No." Li Xian bowed and whispered, "Uncle Wang doesn't have a good solution for the time being. Now it seems that he should make a fuss about the marriage between his son and Zheng Jiuniang."

"Don't worry, he will definitely find a way." Li Zhi lay on the bed, feeling the coldness on his body gradually dissipating. He said calmly: "You should watch carefully this time to see how King Peng will deal with such a thing. When you take action in the future, you can follow his example."

"Yes!" Li Xian responded, and then said, "Just now, when I entered the palace, Uncle Wang sent me a letter, saying that I should visit Taiping every day until she gets married or gives birth."

Li Zhi pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled and nodded, saying, "See, he is starting to take advantage of the situation. I think he has already made some plans in mind. But the outcome depends on the difficulties he faces."

Li Xian nodded, then raised his head and asked, "Father, I have a question."

"Speak!" The emperor's voice was calm.

"The matter of Wugong Su's family." Li Xian hesitated for a moment and said cautiously: "Su Gui is indeed talented, but he is Li Jue's uncle after all."

Li Jue was the third son of Li Chengqian, Prince of Hengshan, but also the legitimate son.

Li Xiang was the eldest son of Li Chengqian, Prince of Hengshan, but he was a concubine's son.

After Li Chengqian passed away, Li Xiang was granted the title of Duke of Xun as the eldest son of the Duke of Hengshan County, but Li Jue had nothing.

Li Zhi sighed and said, "Although my brother has a son to inherit the throne, Li Jue has not been a talented person for many years. He is now over 40 years old. As long as he is not allowed to return to the court, nothing will happen."

Li Zhi raised his head slightly and said seriously: "Sanlang, remember, if someone wants to move up, then someone else must step down. Su Gui was appointed as the left secretary, and Dou Sitai was pardoned. If he wants to go further, he must find a way.

Pull down one person, and as for who this person is, it depends on whether he suits your taste or not."

Taking a deep breath, Li Zhi said, "This is a knife. It will be a very sharp knife."

"I understand, son." Li Xian bowed solemnly.

"Go and get busy." Li Zhi waved his hand slightly.

Li Xian bowed again, then backed away from the Zhenguan Hall.

Li Zhi was lying on the bed. As he talked with Li Xian, all the coldness in his body disappeared.

A trace of worry flashed in Li Zhi's eyes.

Although this medicine made him full of energy during the day, it made him feel even colder at night.

Taking this medicine is not a good thing.

But the previous plan has been interrupted. If I suddenly change the medicine, it might cause harm to my body again.

Even now he didn't know how long he could hold on.

……

The black horse-drawn carriage was swaying slowly on the official road west of Luoyang City.

Two teams of right guard cavalry escorted from the front and back, all with swords hanging on their waists, long spears hanging on the sides of their horses, crossbows on their backs, and they were out of breath as they walked.

Li Xuan sat calmly in the carriage, breathing slowly, eyes slightly closed, as if his mind had shifted to other places.

I don't know how long it was before the carriage suddenly stopped.

At this moment, Li Zhu's voice rang out from outside: "Prince, we have arrived at Zheng's Manor."

"Yeah!" Li Xuan responded softly, opened his eyes calmly, then lifted the car curtain with a solemn expression and walked down calmly.

Li Xuan was wearing a black robe with gold threads and a long sword in a black sheath hung at his waist. As soon as he got off the carriage, a group of Zheng clan members wearing white linen mourning clothes came to greet him.

Two middle-aged men walked out first.

The young, slightly taller Zheng family member, with tired eyes and a serious expression, bowed to Li Xuan and said, "I am Zheng Xuankai, the Sima of Daizhou, to greet the prince."

"Greetings, Sima Zheng." Li Xuan bowed in return with a solemn expression. This man was Zheng Jiuniang's father.

The younger brother of Zheng Rentai, Duke of Tongan, and the son of Zheng Renshan, and Li Xian's future father-in-law.

"This is my cousin, Zheng Xuan'an!" Zheng Xuankai took a step back and let Zheng Xuan'an out.

Although Zheng Xuan'an was the son of Zheng Rentai, he was not the son of Cui, so he was just a bastard's son.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Zheng Xuan'an bowed to Li Xuan with a sad face.

"Brother Zheng!" Li Xuan bowed in return, but his eyes kept falling on Zheng Xuan'an.

This person looks sad, but a hint of falsehood can still be seen on his materialistic face.

As expected, he was just a bastard's son, so how could he have much affection for his biological mother, not to mention that Cui still had the same temper.

"My condolences, both of you." Li Xuan nodded slightly, and then said, "I am here by order to offer condolences on behalf of His Majesty. I should have offered condolences for three consecutive days, but yesterday's events... were really inconvenient, so please forgive me." "Your Highness is too polite." Zheng Xuankai bowed and said, "I'm afraid that none of the ministers in the court would be in the mood to do anything about what happened yesterday. Your Highness, please come in."

"Yes!" Li Xuan nodded and said, "Let's burn incense first."

"please!"

In Zheng’s manor, white banners were hung high, yellow paper was scattered all over the ground, incense was burning, and white candles were always lit.

The whole place is in mourning.

Li Xuan walked in the manor with a heavy expression.

After Zheng died, her body was to be sent back to Xingyang for burial, but the funeral was planned to be held outside the city and could not even be carried into the houses within the city.

There was no other way. Zheng Xuankai's daughter Zheng Jiuniang was going to marry into the Eastern Palace on the 19th, so Cui and Zheng Qinnan had to bear the brunt of the situation.

……

After the two coffins were placed in the mourning hall, Li Xuan burned incense and bowed solemnly in front of the altar, then walked out.

Zheng had already prepared a quiet room. Zheng Xuankai personally led Li Xuan to the quiet room, while Zheng Xuanan continued to entertain the guests.

Walking on the gravel road, Li Xuan casually asked, "Sima Zheng, do you know where the Duke of Tongan is now?"

Zheng Xuanguo, Duke of Tongan, was the governor of Yizhou and the legitimate son of Lady Cui of Tongan.

"Your Highness, you are joking. Although the news of my aunt's death has been transmitted to Yizhou yesterday, it will probably take some time for it to arrive in Yizhou. Even if we rush back later, we will still need to make some handovers." Zheng Xuankai's face showed a trace of worry.

"Just wait a little longer in Xingyang." Li Xuan nodded slightly and stepped into the side courtyard.

The courtyard is elegantly decorated, making people feel comfortable.

Li Xuan nodded and said, "Sima has been in Daizhou for many years. I wonder if you have any idea of ​​transferring him back?"

"Transfer back?" Zheng Xuankai was slightly stunned.

Li Xuan smiled and said, "The position of Zhongshu Sheren in the court is vacant now. If Sima has any ideas, why not come to the East Palace to discuss it in detail someday."

Zheng Xuankai raised his eyebrows and instantly understood Li Xuan's thoughts.

Once his daughter marries into the Eastern Palace, he will be one of the prince's father-in-laws.

But even so, he can borrow the power of the East Palace.

After a brief pause, Zheng Xuankai nodded and said, "In that case, I'll trouble you, Your Majesty."

"Sima, you're too polite." Li Xuan smiled and said, "But this time the position of Zhongshu Sheren is vacant, and there are many people watching in the court. If Sima can persuade one or two people to leave in advance, then things will be very convenient."

Zheng Xuankai was stunned for a moment, but then he understood what Li Xuan meant.

Among the Zheng family, he needs to communicate with others and make his position of alliance with the Eastern Palace clear.

Although his daughter married into the Eastern Palace, it did not mean that he was willing to get close to the Eastern Palace.

Once he publicly expresses his willingness to get closer to the Eastern Palace, the resentment of the Zheng family and the royal family will be greatly alleviated.

Looking up and seeing Li Xuan smiling, Zheng Xuankai's heart skipped a beat.

People say that King Peng has a profound influence on the Crown Prince. If this has affected my daughter...

"If it is convenient at that time, I will trouble you again, Your Highness." Zheng Xuankai bowed slightly. He had already made the decision.

"Good!" Li Xuan nodded with a smile.

……

Zheng Xuankai walked out of the side courtyard. On the side, four maids carrying cakes and tea bowed slightly to Zheng Xuankai.

Zheng Xuankai didn't even look at them and just walked past them.

Four maids entered the side courtyard, then went into the inner room and placed cakes and tea on the table.

The leading maid turned to Li Xuanfu and said, "We are ordered to serve the prince. We are just outside the door. If the prince needs anything, please tell him."

Li Xuan waved her hand calmly, and the four maids immediately retreated and stood outside the door waiting.

Two quarters of an hour later, Li Xuan's voice rang out: "Someone come."

The leading maid immediately turned around and entered the room, then turned to Li Xuanfu and said, "Your Majesty."

Li Xuan looked at the other person deeply and said, "Send someone to check if Prime Minister Cui has arrived."

"Yes!" The leading maid bowed, but did not leave or even move.

Li Xuan quickly took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over.

The maid opened it without hesitation, and saw the following words written on it: "The assassination of Yuan Wanqing has been suspended; the assassination of Dou Xuantai has been suspended; the assassination of Dou Xiaochen has been suspended, and the main focus is on infiltrating the Eastern Palace."

After reading it, the maid immediately handed the paper back, bowed quickly, and turned away.

Li Xuan was the only one left in the room. Holding a piece of paper in his hand, he sat on the couch and gently closed his eyes.

Yuan Wanqing was originally going to be demoted to the position of Taiyuan magistrate, and Dou Xuantai was originally going to be transferred to Jianzhou. Li Xuan's original plan had not intended to let these two people survive.

This was intended to stir up conflicts between the aristocratic families and the imperial court, but unfortunately, the emperor was too sensitive and almost instantly realized the viciousness of Li Xuan's plan.

The decision was made in a very short time to behead Yuan Wanqing.

This made it impossible for Li Xuan to carry out her subsequent plans.

The key is that the emperor began to open his eyes and look at everything.

Therefore, all actions had to be stopped and restrained to avoid being caught by the emperor. The only way left was to sneak into the East Palace...

……

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Cui is here."

　According to Cefu Yuangui, "On Yiwei day of December in the fourth year, the crown prince was born. A banquet was held in Linhua Palace for officials above the third rank, and silk was given to each official of different ranks."

　　It is known that Li Chengqian had a son born in the fourth year of Zhenguan, and Li Xiang was his eldest son. Therefore, Li Xiang should have been born in 630 and should have been a concubine's son.

　　On the 635st day of the first month in the th year of Zhenguan ( AD), Li Chengqian married Su Tan's eldest daughter as the Crown Princess.

　　In the 638th year of Zhenguan (), Crown Princess Su gave birth to a son, who should be Li Chengqian's third (youngest) son Li Jue.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)