My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 161 Are we forcing the prince to kill his father?

Wubenfang, Fangfu.

Fang Xuanling was exhausted when he returned from his shift.

There have been a lot of things happening recently, especially the assassination of the crown prince, which involved too many people, so His Majesty asked several important ministers to take charge of it.

Government affairs in the court cannot be delayed too much.

Fang Yizheng had already asked someone to prepare hot water and hot dishes.

Soak my father's feet to drive away the cold, give him hot food to warm his stomach, and have the maid give him massage to relax his muscles and bones.

"Father, there's news from the King of Wei, saying that the King of Qi went to the East Palace today."

Fang Xuanling nodded. This was within his expectations.

The King of Wei is too naive, thinking that Your Majesty's favoritism is destiny.

In addition, successful successions to the throne were common in various dynasties in history, but it was rare for the eldest son to succeed smoothly. In the past and present dynasties, the second son succeeded to the throne, which gave the King of Wei great confidence.

Little did they know that vying for the throne was not such a simple matter. If the prince had been in the same situation as in previous years, there would have been a good chance.

In recent days, within less than a year, the prince has frequently built up momentum and even taken control of the military power.

Since ancient times, the life of a prince who holds military power has never been easy.

In the past years during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, there was a witchcraft disaster, and both the crown prince and the emperor fought each other to a bloody end.

"Hou Changyan should have been persuaded by Daxingshan Temple. Maybe Helan Chushi will be released in the next two days."

"Father, should we send someone to make contact first?"

Hearing this, Fang Xuanling shook his head slightly.

"Not yet. Helan Chushi hasn't been to the East Palace for a long time. When he comes out, he will definitely pay his respects to the Crown Prince first."

"Based on the current situation, it is clear that the Crown Prince is not satisfied with Helan Chushi. It will be more effective to wait until he is ignored by the Crown Prince before sending someone to contact him."

Fang Yizhi asked hesitantly, "What if the prince didn't snub Helan Chushi? Should we still send someone to contact him?"

Fang Xuanling sighed: "This is the trouble that the King of Wei is going to cause for the King of Qi."

"After the Crown Prince learned about the King of Wei's intentions through the King of Qi, he was able to guess it. On that day, I went to the Dali Temple."

Fang Yizhi said: "Although the prince's father-in-law Su Tan is the Minister of the Dali Temple, he should not be able to find out about my father's actions."

"I have been keeping an eye on Butler Chen the whole time. He should not have passed on the news about my father to the East Palace."

Fang Xuanling said: "The prince is very scheming. Even if he hasn't verified the facts, he would have guessed this and taken precautions."

"Nominally, it was Hou Changyan who imprisoned Helan Chushi under the pretext of humiliation, but in reality it was the intention of Hou Junji and the Crown Prince. Otherwise, how could the East Palace Qianniu be imprisoned by a mere woman?"

"I'm sure Helan Chushi has some ideas about these things."

"Even if the crown prince doesn't deliberately ignore Helan Chushi, people's hearts are fickle, and Helan Chushi will naturally feel the crown prince's changes."

"This is the best time for us to reach out to him."

Fang Yizhi asked: "Father, does Helan Chushi have any evidence of the prince's rebellion?"

Fang Yizheng was worried that after spending so much effort, Helan Chushi would end up with nothing in his hands, which would be embarrassing.

After all, all the current situations are based on my father's speculation.

Fang Xuanling said calmly: "Who is Helan Chushi? He is a descendant of Helan. His family has fallen into poverty. He has some abilities and arrogance."

"Although he is not a married woman, the father and daughter of the Hou family treat him like a servant, coming when they call and leaving when they wave."

"If not for this, why would Helan Chushi linger in such places of entertainment?"

"This kind of people are the most cautious, so as to leave themselves a way out."

"On the surface, Hou Junji had almost no interaction with the Crown Prince, but after the ice shop was opened, he hurried to the East Palace to ask the Crown Prince for ice, hoping to make a fortune."

"Most people think that Hou Junji is so reckless because he is greedy for money, but they don't think about why he dares to go directly to the East Palace to ask for it, even if he is reckless."

"It can be concluded from here that Hou Junji and the crown prince have had many secret dealings, and the one they have dealing with is Helan Chushi, the son-in-law, who has been paving the way for them."

Fang Yizheng admired his father for being able to analyze all the situations based on just some clues and then formulate corresponding countermeasures.

Unfortunately, a good father produces a bad son, although Fang Yizheng has always taken his father as his goal and role model.

However, the closer we get, the farther away we feel.

Maybe in the eyes of many people, Fang Yizheng is already doing well, but Fang Yizheng himself knows that he can't even see his father's back.

Fang Xuanling pondered and said, "Today in the Imperial City, I asked about Du He's news. He did meet with the Royal Guard Commander Li Anyan privately many times."

At this point, Fang Xuanling sighed and said, "Last year, I reported the news about Hegannuo to Your Majesty."

"That day, it was Li Anyan who was guarding outside the palace."

"Now that I think about it, Li Anyan seemed a little nervous. I didn't think much about it at the time, but now it seems that he was probably worried that the prince's rebellion would be exposed that day."

“Even, be prepared.”

Fang Yizhi was a little bit unbelievable: "How dare he do that?"

Fang Xuanling smiled faintly and said, "Why not? If the Crown Prince's rebellion is exposed at that time, it would be impossible for Li Anyan to break into the palace and force Your Majesty to abdicate."

Hearing this, Fang Yizheng took a deep breath. Even though several months had passed, he still broke out in a cold sweat.

In other words, if the prince fails, he will be accused of treason.

Was there going to be a palace coup?
This is too...horrible.

If you think about it carefully, this situation is really very possible.

According to my father, the prince has also colluded with Hou Junji. If a coup occurs, the guards of the Eastern Palace can directly take control of the entire Taiji Palace.

Then let Hou Junji lead the troops into the palace and imprison Your Majesty, just as Your Majesty imprisoned the late emperor.

"The Crown Prince is actually going to follow your majesty's example and carry out the Xuanwu Gate Incident!"

Fang Yizheng's teeth were chattering when he said this.

Fang Xuanling shook his head and said, "The prince can't do it."

Fang Yizhi was a little confused: "Isn't that the case?"

Fang Xuanling explained: "Your Majesty carried out the Xuanwu Gate Incident because you already had ministers who could suppress the court, and most of the Tang Dynasty was conquered by your Majesty."

"There are some things you don't understand. In fact, Your Majesty did not imprison the late emperor. The late emperor still has a great influence in the court."

At this point, Fang Xuanling's tone became somewhat sad, as if he was remembering the day when the Xuanwu Gate attack was launched.

"Back then, the late emperor was afraid of Your Majesty and actually took away a lot of Your Majesty's military power, including the generals who led the troops, and many of them have been replaced."

"Many people only see that Your Majesty has won victory after victory in various places, but they don't know that this is due to the efforts of the previous emperor to plan and form alliances."

"It is said that those who are good at fighting do not have great achievements. It is because the late emperor controlled the overall situation that Your Majesty was able to have a smooth journey and win battle after battle."

"Your Majesty originally had little chance of winning, but the hidden Crown Prince Li Jiancheng launched a coup in Kunming Lake, which was treason."

"It was also because of this incident that the late emperor was very disappointed with Crown Prince Yin, but he did not depose him." "At that time, your majesty only had 800 people, while the East Palace had 2,000 guards. The situation was very dangerous."

"Did the late emperor really know nothing about the fight between Your Majesty and Crown Prince Yin? Of course not. He may have been discouraged."

"I didn't expect that Your Majesty would be so decisive and kill Crown Prince Yin and Prince Qi, as well as their offspring, leaving the late emperor with no choice. So he finally decreed that Your Majesty would be the crown prince."

Fang Yizheng suddenly realized, and said: "So, if the prince wants to seize the throne, he must also be like Your Majesty, have his own followers, and force Your Majesty. Uh, the prince is already the prince, so the prince wants Your Majesty to support him."

Fang Xuanling asked: "Do you think His Majesty will agree?"

Fang Yizhi thought about it seriously and said, "He should agree. Even if His Majesty disagrees, after being placed under house arrest by the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince will issue an imperial edict in His Majesty's name."

"Besides, for the sake of the royal family's inheritance, His Majesty does not want to cause any more scandals."

Fang Xuanling asked: "Then what? Then the prince can sit firmly on the throne."

Fang Yizheng became a little uncertain.

Fang Xuanling sighed and said, "The crown prince's throne is unstable. Maybe in two days, maybe three days, a large army will break through the Daming Palace and ask Your Majesty to restore the throne."

"After that, the crown prince will be deposed, and your majesty will still be your majesty."

Fang Yizheng didn't know what to say. He felt that if this was the case of treason, it would be a farce.

Fang Xuanling then asked: "Why do you think your majesty succeeded and the prince failed?"

Fang Yizheng thought about it but couldn't figure it out.

The reason my father asked this was definitely not because of the reasons His Majesty had given me before, but for other reasons.

Fang Xuanling sighed, "It's because when Your Majesty launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident, the late emperor was already old."

"And now, Your Majesty is in the prime of life."

"Can't the late emperor be restored to power? The entire Chang'an Sixteen Guards are all subordinates of the late emperor. Even if some of them have surrendered to Your Majesty, can Your Majesty really win with just one imperial edict?"

"The fundamental reason why the late emperor abdicated was because the Tang Dynasty had just been established, and the new Tang Dynasty could not afford to experience further turmoil."

"As for Crown Prince Yin, the King of Qi is dead. Your Majesty is the only legitimate son of the late emperor, and also the most outstanding and famous legitimate son."

"So the late emperor abdicated the throne of Daming Palace for the sake of Tang Dynasty."

"But now, will Your Majesty be willing to abdicate the Daming Palace? Your Majesty will not."

Fang Yizhi couldn't help but ask, "Will the prince not understand these things?"

Fang Xuanling was silent for a moment, and then he said, "With the prince's intelligence, he naturally understands these things."

"He also knows that even if he forces His Majesty to abdicate, it will be meaningless."

"So once the rebellion is discovered, there can only be one outcome for the prince."

After hearing this, Fang Yizheng suddenly understood and his breathing stopped.

"Father, you mean, the prince wants..."

Fang Xuanling looked deeply at his son Fang Yizhi and nodded solemnly: "That's right, on that day, if the crown prince had no backup plan, and the King of Qi had not rebelled, he would have been convicted of treason."

"Then the prince will have only one choice, and it is the only choice."

"Patricide!"

When Fang Yizheng heard these two words, he froze.

My mind was in a state of confusion.

Your Majesty carried out the Xuanwu Gate Incident, killing his brothers and imprisoning his father, which makes him a ruthless person.

Is the Crown Prince going to do something even more cruel than Your Majesty?

Fang Xuanling said calmly: "Only by killing your majesty can the prince secure the throne and truly become the emperor."

Fang Yizhi said: "The lesson from the past is still fresh in our minds. If the prince kills his father and becomes emperor, can he really hold the throne securely?"

The precedent that Fang Yizheng mentioned was the incident of Liu Shao of the Liu Song Dynasty murdering his father during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Liu Shao was the eldest son of Emperor Wen of Song, Liu Yilong. After being made crown prince, he was reprimanded by Liu Yilong for the witchcraft incident. Liu Shao was worried that he would be deposed.

Liu Shao was eager to succeed to the throne soon, so he and his younger brother Liu Jun, under the instigation of the witch Yan Daoyou, secretly practiced witchcraft, hoping to curse Emperor Wen of Song to die early.

After the matter was exposed, Liu Yilong decided to depose Crown Prince Liu Shao and kill Liu Jun.

After Liu Shao learned the news, he decided to strike first. In the 453th year of Yuanjia ( AD), Liu Shao led the Eastern Palace Guards to break into the palace and killed Emperor Wen of Song, Liu Yilong.

After Liu Shao killed his father, he proclaimed himself emperor, but his actions were opposed by other clan members and ministers.

Soon, Liu Shao's younger brother Liu Jun led an army to attack, and Liu Shao was eventually defeated and killed.

It has been less than two hundred years since Liu Shao murdered his father.

Therefore, in Fang Yizhi's view, if the prince really killed his father and proclaimed himself emperor, his fate would be the same as Liu Shao's.

Fang Xuanling said, "If it really comes to that, you will see the crown prince as Liu Shao, but the crown prince himself will think he is Shang Chen."

Throughout history, the practice of patricide to become emperor has only happened twice.

The second time was when Liu Shao of the Liu Song Dynasty during the Northern and Southern Dynasties murdered his father.

The first historical precedent was when Prince Shangchen of Chu murdered his father during the Spring and Autumn Period.

When Crown Prince Shangchen was still young, King Cheng of Chu made him Crown Prince despite the opposition of his ministers. When Shangchen grew up, King Cheng of Chu found that he was cruel by nature and would do anything to achieve his goals, so he wanted to depose him and make another Crown Prince.

After Shang Chen learned of King Cheng of Chu's intention, in order to prevent himself from being deposed, he decided to take the initiative, rebel and break into the palace.

King Cheng of Chu was captured by Shang Chen. Knowing that his life was in danger, he asked to eat steamed bear paws before dying. Shang Chen was worried that the bear paws would take too long to make and would change, so he refused his father's request and gave King Cheng of Chu three white silks to force him to commit suicide.

Eventually, Crown Prince Shangchen forced the emperor to abdicate and killed his father, becoming King Mu of Chu. He reigned for twelve years and died of illness.

However, during Shang Chen's reign, he worked hard to govern the country and reformed state affairs, which enabled Chu to maintain its upward momentum and further develop its national strength, although his act of killing his father to ascend to the throne was controversial.

But he also made certain political achievements, such as expanding the territory of Chu State and successively annexing Jiang, Liu, Liao State, etc., which led to a north-south confrontation between Chu State and Jin State.

His eldest son, Xiong Lu, succeeded to the throne normally and became King Zhuang of Chu.

After King Zhuang of Chu ascended the throne, he led the State of Chu towards a more powerful path, and the national strength and prestige of the State of Chu reached its historical peak.

Fang Xuanling sighed deeply and said, "If it really comes to that, who knows whether the crown prince will be Liu Shao or Shang Chen."

Fang Yizhi felt something was wrong when he heard this, and couldn't help asking, "Father, are we forcing the prince to become Liu Shao or Shang Chen?"

"So, are we forcing the prince to kill his father?"

According to his and his father's current plan, they are supporting the King of Wei and constantly looking for, or even fabricating, evidence of the Crown Prince's rebellion.

Once the evidence is conclusive, Your Majesty will have no choice but to depose the crown prince, and the crown prince will definitely rebel.

My father has said before that if the prince wants to ascend the throne as he wishes, he can only resort to patricide. Otherwise, with Your Majesty's prestige, restoration is imminent.

In this way, Fang Yizheng felt that he and his father had become the culprits who pushed the prince to kill his father.

Hearing this, Fang Xuanling also fell silent.

(End of this chapter)