The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 152 Killing Three Sons in One Day
Cao Lingzhong tied up Cao Lingyi and took him to see Li Heng.

When Cao Lingyi arrived in front of Li Ying, he knelt down and said, "Your Highness, please punish me!"

Li Ying glanced at Cao Lingyi and said to Cao Lingzhong, "How do you think we should deal with him?"

Cao Lingzhong said: "According to the law, we should determine how much Cao Lingyi has accepted in bribes before convicting him."

"I don't think so." Li Heng pondered, "Anxi's commerce is becoming more and more prosperous, and the South City can no longer accommodate it. I want to expand the South City. I wonder if the Cao family is interested in donating some money for the expansion of the South City?"

"Of course I am willing." Cao Lingzhong quickly agreed, "Your Highness, please tell me how much money you need."

Li Heng looked at Liu Yan beside him and said, "Since Lingzhong has agreed, let Shian decide how to expand the South City. By the way, the deputy assistant general of the Household Department of the Protectorate has always been short of people, so Shian will be the deputy assistant general of the Household Department first."

"Ah?" Liu Yan had never expected that Li Heng would give him such a high position. He was surprised and delighted, and quickly bowed and said, "I would like to thank you, Your Highness. I will do my best to repay you."

"We are all working for the Tang Dynasty." Li Heng smiled and continued, "Then I'll trouble Shi'an and Lingzhong to complete the expansion of the South City first."

"Yes." Liu Yan and others said in unison.

Wang Zhihuan, who was standing by, was surprised and impressed when he saw Li Heng solve a problem just by going out for a walk.

Wang Zhihuan was somewhat suspicious as to whether Li Heng had known about Cao Lingyi's actions for a long time and had come out today specifically to "reap" him.

But no matter whether Li Heng came here specially today or not, everything Li Heng did was for Anxi's benefit. Being able to do this is completely enough.

After giving the instructions, Li Heng continued to choose jewelry with Yang Yuhuan.

Yang Yuhuan held the jade hairpin and looked at it for a while, then said, "My dear, this jade hairpin looks like it came from Chang'an."

"Really?" Li Ying asked curiously.

The shopkeeper next to him said, "Your Highness, you have a good eye. This is the jade hairpin from Chang'an. It's a pity that it will be out of print soon."

Li Ying asked: "Why does it have to be out of print?"

The shopkeeper said, "The craftsman who made this jade hairpin was called Guo Ding. For some unknown reason, Guo Ding disappeared."

Li Heng didn't know much about the hairpin, but he knew Guo Ding, because he was Li Ju's subordinate and had been one of the people Hongyue focused on monitoring in Chang'an.

Thinking of this, Li Heng couldn't help but look towards Chang'an.

……

Changan.

Li Longji was reading the secret report in the Purple Palace.

There are two secret reports.

One letter was sent by his spy, which stated that after Li Ying and the other two were exiled, they not only sang and danced all the way with the money they had hidden, but also cried out for justice and spread the news of Li Longji's harsh treatment of them.

Another secret report came from Ying Wang Li Yu. Li Yu secretly reported that after Li Ying was demoted, he wrote to him to ask for two thousand armors.

Li Longji was furious after reading it.

He thought of the first half of his life and his father Li Dan.

Li Dan was cowardly and timid throughout his life, but it did not bring peace of mind to Wu Zetian, who still executed Li Longji's mother.

Later, during the Shenlong coup, Li Dan helped Li Xian ascend the throne, but Li Dan was not reused for his merits. Instead, he was always humble and yielding in order to avoid disaster.

Afterwards, Li Xian was poisoned to death by Empress Wei.

Because Li Xian was killed, Li Longji joined forces with Princess Taiping to launch another coup, killing the Wei Empress group and pushing Li Dan to the throne.

Li Dan, who ascended the throne, was quite indulgent towards Princess Taiping. Li Longji launched another coup for power.

What Li Longji saw, heard, and did since he was a child were all centered around the mutual slaughter among the royal family of the Tang Dynasty.

He didn't want to be like his father. He felt that he had been tolerant enough towards Li Ying.

However, his tolerance did not win Li Ying's gratitude, and Li Ying still regarded him as an enemy.

There will never be reconciliation between them, father and son, as long as they remain together, alive or dead.

Li Longji wanted to kill him.

However, he still needs a reason to explain to the world.

Li Longji thought about it calmly again.

He believed that no matter who would become the crown prince in the future, his power would not be as strong as Li Ying's. If Li Ying were alive, the Li Tang dynasty would most likely be in turmoil in the future.

Just like Princess Taiping, if her father had been a little more "powerful", Princess Taiping would not have become so powerful, and he would not have had to launch a coup.

Therefore, for the sake of his descendants and the Tang Dynasty, Li Ying must also die.

Having read this, Li Longji successfully convinced himself.

He said to Gao Lishi in a cold voice: "Pass the order to execute Li Ying, Li Yao, and Li Ju."

"Saint..." Gao Lishi thought he had heard it wrong and couldn't believe it.

Li Longji said: "I have been extremely tolerant of them, but not only do they not repent and have no gratitude, they also sing and dance all the way, slandering me. I want to tolerate them, but God cannot tolerate it. Moreover, these three people have always had evil intentions. If my successor is weaker, the world will surely be in turmoil again. How can I face my ancestors in this way?"

Gao Lishi wanted to persuade him, but he saw that Li Longji had made up his mind and knew that if he said more, he might get into trouble, so he could only say, "Yes, I will obey your order."

Li Longji nodded, said nothing more, and walked out of the Purple Palace in a daze.

……

Chengdong Posthouse.

Li Ying, Li Yao and Li Ju were wearing coarse linen clothes and were playing their favorite game of pitching pots on the ground.

But the difference from before was that they threw stones.

Li Ju threw the stone into the circle and said happily, "Second brother, fifth brother, I won."

Li Yao handed her only jade pendant to Li Ju and said with a smile: "You win, this is yours."

"Brother Wu, keep it." Li Ju waved his hand. "What do I need your jade pendant for? Let's go to a tavern some other day. Brother Wu can pawn it and treat me to a drink."

Li Yao said, "If you lose the bet, take it. I'll treat you when the time comes."

"That's fine." Li Ju took the jade pendant from Li Yao.

Li Ying also took out his jade pendant, but he did not give it to Li Ju. Instead, he asked Li Yao, "Fifth brother, did we really lose?"

Li Yao did not answer directly, but sang a ballad in a lively manner: "My lord, it was clearly your horse's hoof that kicked over my bamboo basket. Look at this broad road that goes straight up to the blue sky, but you let this beast splash stains all over me. How can you blame me for my mistake..."

Li Yao sang with a smile, but Li Ying cried while listening to her.

When they were young, they lived with Li Longji, who was just their father at that time. Li Longji especially liked listening to this ballad, and Li Ying's mother, Concubine Zhao Lifei, sang it especially beautifully.

But later, everything changed. Li Longji became the emperor and he no longer liked this piece of "Tayao Niang". He thought it was vulgar.

Li Ying's eyes were filled with tears as she scolded him, "Fifth brother, how could you sing such a vulgar voice?"

Li Yao continued singing and ignored Li Ying.

Li Ying was a little annoyed, so she pushed Li Yao and said, "Stop singing!"

(End of this chapter)