Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4952 The drug takes effect
"Li Shenfu, the Prince of Xiangyi, often speaks wildly and slanders the late emperor, and has no respect for his parents. As a member of the royal family, he does not care about the country and covets the sacred artifacts, committing the crime of usurpation. Now that the evidence of his crimes is conclusive and irrefutable, I order the three judicial officials to imprison him, list his crimes and announce them to the world, and punish him according to the law..."

As Li Chengqian recited the evidence of Li Shenfu's crime word by word, Li Siliang's whole body was shaken. Although he lowered his head and wrote word by word on the silk, his palms were shaking and sweat was dripping, which made the handwriting crooked. The cold sweat on his forehead dripped onto the silk and stained the handwriting...

Li Chengqian's gentle words rang in his ears: "Love's hands are shaking badly, but did you accidentally catch a cold and feel unwell?"

Li Siliang was so frightened that he could not speak. He stammered, "Your Majesty...Your Majesty..."

But I don’t know what to say.

Why did they choose to issue an imperial edict to punish Li Shenfu at this time?

Li Chengqian's attitude has always been passive defense. He would rather lose the initiative than bear the infamy of slaughtering royal family members. But now Li Shenfu's crimes are suddenly made public to the world. Does it mean that every move of Li Shenfu is under the control of Your Majesty?
Then, has His Majesty already known about my collusion with Li Shenfu and my "presentation of medicine"?

Should I pretend to be confused and retain the last glimmer of hope?
Or should I confess my guilt quickly to seek forgiveness from His Majesty and save my life?

For a moment, Li Siliang was torn between inner and outer feelings, his mind was in turmoil and he couldn't make a decision. He just stood there with his right hand tightly holding the brush.

Li Chengqian asked again: "Why, my dear minister, don't you have anything to say to me?"

Li Siliang's heart seemed to be hit hard by a sledgehammer. His whole body was shaking violently. He knew that there was no chance of luck. All his previous ambitions and firm will were shattered in an instant, leaving only endless fear.

His knees softened and he knelt on the ground. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a "gulp" and then Li Junxian shouted, "Your Majesty!"

Li Siliang looked up blankly, his eyes suddenly widened, and he saw that Li Chengqian, who was originally sitting behind the imperial desk, had fallen to the ground with his chair, his eyes closed and unconscious. He let Li Junxian rush forward to support him and call him, but he was completely unconscious...

This, this, this... the medicine is taking effect!

Li Siliang, who was originally on the verge of despair, was so happy that he almost exploded. Who could have thought that he could survive in such a desperate situation?

Li Junxian shouted at Wang De who ran in in shock, "Send someone to the East Palace immediately to invite the Queen and the Crown Prince to come, invite the Grand Marshal, the King of Han, the Prince of Hejian, and the Minister of the Central Secretariat to the palace, and go to the Imperial Hospital to invite the Imperial Physician to treat him. Send an order to the Hundred Cavalry Division and the palace guards to seal off the Wude Hall. No news can be leaked and no one can enter or leave without permission!"

Fortunately, Li Junxian remained calm in the face of danger and issued a series of orders. The chaotic situation in the entire Wude Hall due to the emperor's fainting was slightly stabilized. Wang De immediately assigned his trusted eunuchs to go to various places to pass on the message.

Li Siliang got up from the ground, took two steps forward, and asked with concern: "General Li, how is His Majesty?"

"presumptuous!"

Li Junxian glared at him: "You are a foreign minister, why are you still staying here? Spying on the emperor is a crime that will kill your entire clan, why don't you leave immediately!"

The king's illness can easily cause political turmoil or even a change in imperial power, so it is the most taboo for foreign officials at this time. Anyone who has no ambition and keeps himself clean will never approach the emperor, so as to avoid being confused and unable to distinguish between the two.

Li Siliang seemed to suddenly realize something and said, "I am concerned for the moment, and I dare not spy on your Majesty..."

Then he walked out the door.

Behind him, Li Junxian shouted, "Come here, seal the palace gates, no one is allowed to enter or leave without permission!"

The imperial guards, eunuchs, and the "Hundred Cavalry Division" all came forward, blocking the Wude Hall inside and out.

Li Siliang came out of the Wude Hall and walked all the way to the armory on the east side. At this time, the armory had been transformed into a barracks, where a team of guards was stationed. They were not only responsible for protecting the safety of the Wude Hall, but also for guarding against possible surprise attacks from the Eastern Palace, which was separated by a wall.

Li Siliang stood in the shadow of the wall between the armory and the East Palace. He looked around and saw no one. Then he pursed his lips and imitated three bird calls. Then he listened carefully until he heard a bird call from the East Palace courtyard on the other side of the wall... Then he turned around and walked back to the outside of the Wude Hall and stood under the corridor, his face full of worry and anxiety.

Teams of imperial guards and soldiers from the Hundred Cavalry Division came rushing in one after another, surrounding the Wude Hall like an iron barrel. Not even a fly could get in.

Li Siliang's heart beat faster. His Majesty was indeed well prepared. If he hadn't taken the "aphrodisiac" in advance and the hidden poison in it hadn't taken effect at this moment, Li Shenfu and his brothers would have been exposed and fell into an irretrievable situation.

Fortunately, fortunately, I took action first.

He knew the truth that "Man proposes, God disposes". Many great events in history books actually have an element of luck involved. A little earlier would lead to failure, and a little later would lead to death. Only by being impartial and just right can one accomplish great things that will go down in history.

People have "destiny" and countries have "national destiny". This is true for all.

Perhaps, I am standing on the side of "fate" at this moment, and everything will come to fruition naturally...

At this moment, he shrank his body as much as possible in the shadow of the corridor, trying to make himself less conspicuous, and it would be best if no one noticed his existence from beginning to end.

When my brother and Li Shenfu kidnapped the prince and entered Taiji Palace as planned, I would stand out and welcome the victory...

*****
Zheng's house.

Zheng Rentai returned home from the government office, changed his clothes, and sat in the study drinking tea when a steward came to report that an "old friend came to visit."

Zheng Rentai asked curiously, "You don't recognize him?"

The steward shook his head and said, "I have never seen this person before. He refused to reveal his name, only saying that he was an old friend. The master of the house will definitely meet him."

He had been living in Chang'an. As the general manager of the Zheng family in Xingyang, he was responsible for the family's interpersonal relationships and various miscellaneous matters. He was very familiar with the officials, nobles, and royal family members in Chang'an City, but he had never seen this so-called "old friend"...

Zheng Rentai laughed and said, "How strange! If I don't want to see him, how can I know which old friend he is? If I don't know who he is, why should I see him? You go and tell him. If you are so secretive, please go back. I'm sorry I won't see you."

The steward nodded: "Yes."

Turn around and walk outside.

"and many more……"

Zheng Rentai had an idea in his mind, frowned, hesitated for a moment, waved his hand and said, "Let him in."

The situation in Chang'an is now turbulent and tense, and it can be said that the situation is tense and ready to explode. At this time, a person who claims to be an "old friend" comes to visit mysteriously. Perhaps there is only one explanation...

"Here."

The steward left quickly.

Soon, he came to the study with a person and knocked on the door and entered.

Zheng Rentai stood up and looked at the newcomer. He was stunned at first, then smiled bitterly and said, "Brother, you are a rare guest. I will welcome you at the door if you tell me your name. Why do you have to tease me like this? Come on, come on, please take a seat!"

Li Fuhu laughed loudly. Although his hair and beard were all white and he looked very old, his expression was very open and heroic, and he had an extraordinary aura.

You're welcome, I happily sat down.

Then he smiled and said, "The general is still your majesty's close minister, in charge of the military power and guarding the Forbidden City. He is doing well and more prosperous than before. I am old and frail and I am afraid that I will be turned away if I visit you rashly. So I have to act mysterious, hoping to arouse the general's curiosity so that he can bring me in to meet you."

Zheng Rentai smiled calmly, without any polite greetings, and got straight to the point: "Brother, you have been living in seclusion in the mansion for 10 to 20 years, enjoying your grandchildren and living out your old age. It is really enviable. It is snowing hard and windy in Chang'an at night, and the weather is cold and the roads are slippery. What if something goes wrong... why bother?"

The tone was quite impolite.

Li Fuhu was not annoyed. He stroked his beard and smiled, "There is really no need to test me like this. The reason why I didn't announce my name and kept it a secret is clear to you, General. If you don't have any intention, you should just stay away from me. But since we are going to meet, why do you need to test me like this? The situation is urgent and the arrow is on the string. Such meaningless means are useless except for wasting time."

Zheng Rentai pondered in silence, but his heart was filled with turbulent waves.

Although I knew that those people would not be able to endure it and would revolt sooner or later, when it really came to this critical moment, I was still tense and nervous...

Li Fuhu was even more direct than him. He leaned slightly towards Zheng Rentai, his eyes flickering and his voice low, "I came here today as a lobbyist. I only want to ask the general, can you follow the righteousness, rectify the chaos, and join us in this great cause?!"

Zheng Rentai suppressed his nervousness, his face was as gloomy as water, and he said calmly: "The bloodline of Prince Yin has long been cut off, so where is the righteousness?"

This was exactly the intention of His Majesty Li II when he ruthlessly destroyed the Eastern Palace. Although Li Jiancheng had many supporters who would rather die than surrender, and some even couldn't forget their former master, Li Jiancheng didn't even have a son. What was the point of you fighting to the death?

Although cutting the weeds at their roots may bring bad reputation, it can also solve the problem once and for all and prevent future troubles.

Li Fuhu shook his head: "General, you are wrong. Justice is always justice. It has not disappeared because the prince's bloodline has been cut off. As long as the inheritance of the false emperor is overthrown, no matter who the throne finally belongs to, it will be the hope of the world to restore order!"

Zheng Rentai was stunned: "You have done such a big thing, but you haven't even decided who will succeed you?"

Li Fuhu said calmly: "We only care about reputation and righteousness, and the rest is nothing to worry about."

Zheng Rentai suddenly realized and sneered, "What a reputation and righteousness, it's so hypocritical! If I'm not mistaken, Li Shenfu has the intention to ascend to the throne and rule the country, right?"

He was reluctant to decide on the successor, saying on the surface that any of Taizong's sons could be the candidate and he just needed to overthrow the "fake emperor" and things would come naturally. But in fact, Li Shenfu did not dare to show his usurpatory intentions before then, and could only wait until major events occurred and then use the situation to intimidate all parties and create a fait accompli.

Li Fuhu said with a smile: "What does this have to do with us? All we care about is the merit of following the dragon."

What righteousness and what is right are nothing but slogans. All people care about is their own interests.

As long as the benefits are sufficient, why fear the risks?
The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish!

Inside the Buddhist temple, there is a small lamp.

Li Shenfu, Li Junxian and others were all in the front hall, while more than a hundred assassins were hiding in the back hall. Messengers who were going to contact the clan assassins were constantly coming and going, but fortunately they were hiding in the western inner courtyard and were not discovered.

The snow fell silently outside the window, and the hall was completely silent.
(End of this chapter)