The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 302 Entering the game
Li Longji looked at Li Heng again and said, "I feel sorry for you, but the Northwest cannot do without you. I cannot allow you to resign, but I can reduce your burden and allow you to resign from the post of Jiedushi of Longyou, the governor of Longyou, the governor of Shanzhou, the herdsman of Longyou, and the military envoy of Lintao Army. How do you think?"

Li Longji dismissed Li Heng from all his positions in Longyou.

Li Heng hurriedly said, "Thank you, father, for your understanding."

Li Longji smiled slightly, called Li You, who was nearly five years old, to come forward, held Li You in his arms, and said, "According to the law, you must be ten years old before I can make you a king. I cannot violate the law, but you are like your grandfather, and people like you very much. I will grant you the food and fiefdom of a county king first. How about it?"

Li You looked back at Li Heng and said to Li Longji: "Grandson dare not, grandson..."

Li Longji interrupted: "Don't you want to listen to me?"

Li You was stunned for a moment, and said, "Grandson, I accept your order."

"So good!" Li Longji touched Li You's head and asked, "Who are your masters?"

Li You said: "There is Wang Mojie, the Master Wang, Liu Shian, the Master Liu, and General Gao, the Master Gao."

"Yes." Li Longji nodded, "He is both civil and military, no wonder he is so polite and sensible."

After Li Longji finished speaking, he put Li You down and turned to the ministers and said, "The Right Prime Minister and the various departments have advised me to respect the heaven and report to my ancestors. I have approved it. You can choose a date and make preparations."

"Yes." Everyone obeyed the order.

……

Li Ying's residence.

Wei Xianyi served tea to Li Ying and sat beside her in silence.

Li Ying took a sip of tea and asked calmly, "Is Xianyi worried about something?"

"Ah?" Wei Xianyi came back to her senses and said, "No, nothing happened."

Li Heng asked, "Have you ever met General Wei?"

"Not yet." Wei Xianyi shook her head.

Li Heng said: "Even if you have a grudge against General Wei, it is still polite to return to Chang'an to pay respects to your relatives. You can't be impolite just because you follow me."

"Your Highness, I..." Wei Xianyi lowered her eyebrows, hesitated for a while, stood up and said, "I have failed..."

"Shh..." Li Heng interrupted, stretched out his hand to hold Wei Xianyi's hand, and said: "I remember everything you said in the bridal chamber. I believe you are not lying. There are many things that don't need to be said."

"Eh?" Wei Xianyi was stunned, looking confused.

Li Heng said, "It's rare to be confused. Sometimes being too smart is not a good thing. Listen to me. Go back and visit your grandpa and mom. Pretend you know nothing. Follow your grandpa's instructions and let him do whatever he wants to do."

Wei Xianyi asked, "Your Highness, do you know what my grandfather wants to do?"

Li Ying picked up the teacup, looked at the tea inside, and said, "If you only drink tea from one place, how can you know where the tea is good? Okay, go ahead."

"Yes." Wei Xianyi bowed to Li Ying and looked up at Li Ying.

Li Ying said, "Remember to come back before curfew. Shouwang Mansion will always be your home. I'll ask Shi Shouyi to take you back."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Wei Xianyi smiled and walked away slowly. When she went out, she met He Jin who came in.

He Jin came up to Li Ying and asked, "Your Highness, won't you go with Xianyi?"

Li Xian said: "It is a serious crime for a border general to meet with a minister in the capital privately."

"Is it not possible to meet my own father-in-law?" He Jin frowned.

"At least not now." Li Heng sighed slightly, "Besides, I still have things to do."

"Brother, what do you want to do?" Li Qi's voice came first, and then he walked in quickly, without any greeting, and sat casually on the chair next to Li Heng.

When He Jin saw Li Qi coming in, he stepped aside and arranged for the servants to serve tea and cakes to Li Qi. Li Ying said, "Of course I have to ask you if I have anything to ask."

"Are you asking me?" Li Qi was startled. "What do you mean, brother?"

Li Yan said, "You have deliberately caused a lot of trouble in the past, but you also know the severity of the situation. This time you calculated the time of my return and deliberately offended Wang Yu. I guess you wanted to deliberately attract my attention, right?"

"How could that be?" Li Qi scratched his head and smiled.

Li Heng asked, "Do you know why my father kept me in Beijing for two months?"

Li Qi shook his head and said, "Please teach me, brother."

Li Heng didn't care if Li Qi was playing dumb or not, and explained: "Father nominally kept me in Beijing to recuperate, but there are actually two more meanings."

"Which two floors?" Li Qi asked.

"One is that they need me to take them with them to pay tribute to the great victory over Tubo. Another," Li Heng stood up, "the power in the court is about to change, and my father wants to see my position."

Li Qi looked at Li Heng, sighed, and said, "My brother's position is also my position."

"Then can you tell me why you did this?" Li Heng met Li Qi's eyes.

Li Qi said: "Wang Yu holds more than 20 positions, and his power in the court is second only to that of the right prime minister. Unfortunately... although they are talented, they have no moral integrity. Now the court is full of corruption. As a prince, I can do nothing to stop this situation."

Li Heng was startled when he heard this and asked, "Are you worried about the country and the people?"

Li Qi said: "Perhaps he has enjoyed wealth and splendor for too long and is worried that chaos will break out in the Tang Dynasty and disrupt his wealth and splendor."

Li Heng said: "You can rest assured about this. After all, you are a prince. The Tang Dynasty will continue to exist during your lifetime. As long as you don't get into trouble, your wealth and honor will not end."

Li Qi said, "Brother, you are really unforgiving. Well, I will just tell you straight. Wang Yu's younger brother, Wang Han, a doctor of the Ministry of Revenue, has colluded with underground forces in Chang'an and Luoyang and has done all kinds of evil. I am powerless to control him, so I hope you can take care of him."

"Is that all?" Li Ying asked.

Li Qi said, "In public, I just want you to help me get rid of harm for the people. In private, the Right Prime Minister and Wang Yu are on good terms on the surface, but secretly they have been at odds with each other for a long time. This is a favor for the Right Prime Minister, so that he will not want to kill you."

Li Heng asked: "So, you hope that I will help the Right Prime Minister?"

Li Qi said: "The Right Prime Minister has been in control of the government for more than ten years. Wang Yu cannot defeat him. Brother, you are just following the trend. In the name of getting rid of harm for the people, it is reasonable. Why not do it?"

Li Ying asked, "Do you really want me to join the game?"

Li Qi said: "I just gave an introduction, it was you who wanted to join the game."

Li Heng looked at Li Qi, and suddenly sighed, saying: "It is easy to do nothing for a while, but it is so difficult to do nothing for a lifetime."

Li Qi said: "I just hope that our family will be safe and sound."

"I made you worry." Li Heng turned around and sat down. After a pause, he said, "But the person who had the dispute with you was Wang Yuankang. What does he have to do with Wang Han?"

Li Qi said, "The person behind that restaurant is Wang Han. Wang Yuankang paid ten thousand gold to invite that Tianshui Singing Fairy for a night, but it was just to raise his status and build his reputation. With my ability, as long as we start from this point, we can quickly find evidence of Wang Han's crime."

"Okay, I know what to do." Li Heng nodded.

Li Qi said: "In this case, I will take my leave first."

"Aren't you going to stay for dinner?" Li Ying asked.

"I have an appointment with a beautiful lady. I will go to pay my respects to my mother tomorrow, and then I will accompany my brother for dinner." After Li Qi said this, he got up and left.

Li Heng watched Li Qi walk away, thinking: "Wang Han was the fuse for Wang Yu's death, the beginning of Li Linfu's downfall, and also the beginning of Yang Guozhong's true entry into the center of power. This scene must not go wrong."

(End of this chapter)