The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 237: Opening up ideas
"Your Highness divorced Du Liangdi and Concubine Wei, although it was for the sake of the overall situation and out of helplessness, but there are many ordinary people in the world who would not understand this. They would think that Your Highness was taking off his clothes to avoid fire and had no thoughts of friendship." Li Jingzhong straightened up and said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner what everyone knew but dared not say.

Li Heng felt overwhelmed when he heard this and asked impatiently, "Then what?"

Li Jingzhong said: "I am giving jewelry to Du Liang Di in public to let the world know that Your Highness deeply cares about the friendship between you and Du Liang Di."

"We've already divorced, how much can this help us to make up for it?" Li Heng's anger subsided a little. "Your actions are just like the pot calling the kettle black. It's unnecessary."

"No." Li Jingzhong shook his head. "Your Highness has always been kind and righteous. I know that Your Highness divorced Du Liangdi and Concubine Wei not for yourself, but for them. If Your Highness did not divorce, but insisted on saving them, he would fall into Li Linfu's trap. Then Du Youlin would not only be caned and exiled, Wei Jian and Wang Nandai would not only be demoted, and Concubine Wei and Du Liangdi would not be safe. They would be wrongly killed by Li Linfu for serious crimes."

Li Heng had been in a very low mood these days and had not thought about this matter seriously. Now Li Jingzhong's words undoubtedly opened his mind.

"That's true." Li Heng stood up, helped Li Jingzhong up, and his tone softened. "It's still the caring people who understand me the best. Others don't understand. But what does this have to do with you giving Du Liangdi jewelry on the street?"

Li Jingzhong said: "Du Liangdi was just in trouble for a while and couldn't react. People in the world can't tell right from wrong for a while, but as time goes by, I believe Du Liangdi will understand, and people in the world will understand too. By then, everyone will know that His Highness was willing to bear the blame in order to protect them, and he suffered a great injustice alone!"

As Li Jingzhong spoke, his eyes turned slightly red and he almost cried.

Seeing Li Jingzhong like this, Li Heng couldn't help but ask, "Why are you crying?"

"When I think of a kind person like Your Highness having to endure such grievances, I can't help but feel sad." Li Jingzhong's tears fell, "Du Liangdi is also a sentimental person. When she understands, she will surely go through fire and water to repay Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Li Heng's mind was now completely opened.

If he could really make Du Liangdi and everyone in the world believe that his behavior was as Li Jingzhong expected, then why couldn't he use these people for his own purposes?
Li Heng could not help but feel secretly delighted, and secretly said: "Eighteenth brother, you thought that by taking Du Liangdi away, you were slapping me in the face, but you didn't expect that you were planting a thorn in your side! And Li Linfu, you thought that you weakened me, but you didn't expect that you were actually protecting me..."

Li Heng thought for a while before saying to Li Jingzhong, "You did the right thing. You will be the one to contact Du Liangdi from now on. You must make sure she understands my feelings."

Li Jingzhong said: "I obey your command."

"Well, very good." Li Heng patted Li Jingzhong on the shoulder, "You can go down and rest first."

"Yes." Li Jingzhong stepped back.

After Li Jingzhong left, Li Heng went to Zhang Liangdi's room.

At this time, Zhang Liangdi was sewing clothes. When she saw Li Heng, she quickly stood up and saluted.

Li Heng glanced at the clothes in Zhang Liangdi's hand and said, "As a Liangdi, why are you doing this? Aren't there enough things in the Eastern Palace for you to use?"

Zhang Liang Di said, "I have nothing to do anyway, so I can save some money by making some clothes."

Li Heng thought after hearing this that even if she didn't rely on the Crown Prince's Palace but only on Zhang, Zhang Liangdi could still have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of her life. This was a manifestation of Zhang Liangdi's care for the family.

However, Li Heng did not dwell on this and asked, "Have you prepared all the birthday gifts for Father tomorrow?"

"Your Highness, everything is ready." Zhang Liangdi said respectfully.

Li Heng said, "I am very confident in your work. Now that Concubine Wei and I have divorced, the position of Crown Princess is vacant. I want to make you the Crown Princess, but this requires the consent of my father."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Liangdi hurriedly bowed to Li Heng and said, "I thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I am not talented enough to hold such a high position."

Li Heng said: "If you are not virtuous and talented, where can you find a virtuous and talented woman in the world? You don't have to be modest, but I am a nobody now. If you want to be the Crown Princess, you still need the support of your Zhang family."

Li Heng said, looking out the door, lost in thought. To Li Heng, it didn't matter who became the Crown Princess. What mattered was that if Li Longji appointed a new Crown Princess for him, it would be like reaffirming his status as the Crown Prince.

At present, the one with the best chance is Zhang Liangdi.

When Zhang Liangdi saw that Li Heng fell silent after he finished speaking, she also started to think about it.

She has completed the first step to becoming the Crown Princess, and it is time to think about the second step.

……

The next day, the fifth day of August, was the Qianqiu Festival.

Li Longji held a grand banquet for all his ministers in Hua'e Tower. All the officials in Beijing and the border generals who had returned to Beijing were present.

Li Longji was sitting in the hall, accepting birthday greetings from everyone, with Concubine Wu Huifei and Jiang Caiping on both sides of him.

The first seat in the hall is Li Heng.

In the front left were the princes, in the front right were the senior officials headed by Li Linfu, followed by envoys from various countries, and the rest of the officials were seated in order.

At this moment, everyone who was supposed to sit down had already done so, leaving only Li Heng standing.

Li Longji looked at Li Heng and asked, "Why don't you sit down? Are you feeling unwell?"

Li Heng said: "Father is wise and brave, and he has worked hard to bring peace to the world. As the crown prince, I have tried my best to emulate you, but I am still not as good as you. I often think about my own mistakes and feel guilty, so I dare not take a seat."

Li Heng said this in order to retreat in order to advance.

Li Longji understood Li Heng's intention, but he did not want to let Li Heng succeed easily. He pondered for a moment and said, "You can think of this, which shows that you are a wise man. However, the peace of the world is not the achievement of me alone. It depends on the efforts of the loyal and good people, and the cooperation of the people inside and outside. If you really feel guilty, please share the venison on the table with the loyal and good people on my behalf to thank you for your dedication to the Tang Dynasty."

"Yes." Li Heng took the order and went to cut the venison.

While Li Heng was cutting the venison, Li Longji talked eloquently, saying, "I hunted this deer myself half a month ago and have been keeping it in the palace, waiting to host a banquet for you all today."

When the envoys from various countries who came to congratulate heard that Li Longji could still go hunting at the age of sixty, they immediately started talking about it and then began to flatter him.

Li Linfu waited for everyone to finish speaking before adding, "I still remember that in the autumn of the 23rd year of Kaiyuan, the sage was hunting in Xianyang Plain. A large deer appeared before him, quite unusual. The sage drew his bow and shot it, hitting it with one shot. Later, he lit a bonfire in the wild and roasted the deer meat himself."

When Li Longji heard Li Linfu talking about the past, he laughed heartily and said, "The Right Prime Minister has a good memory."

While everyone was talking, Li Heng had already cut the lean meat from the deer's front legs.

The lean meat from the front legs of a deer was Li Longji's favorite. In order to cut the meat, Li Heng's hands were covered in oil, so he picked up the Hu pancake next to him to wipe his hands before presenting the deer meat to Li Longji.

Li Longji took a look and said, "I asked you to distribute the meat to the ministers, so you should give it to the Right Prime Minister first."

"Yes." Li Heng responded and presented the venison to Li Linfu, looking very respectful.

(End of this chapter)