My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 186 Who wants to capture all the people in Chang'an City?
June twenty.

Chang'an City, Wubenfang.

"Father, why don't we take action now? In ten days, the prince will go to war."

“Now is the best time.”

Fang Yizheng asked.

He knew that his father already had very favorable evidence that could largely prove that the prince was plotting a rebellion.

Before going to war, the prince was planning a rebellion.

Then Your Majesty will definitely take back the Crown Prince’s military power and not allow him to go to war.

Even if the crown prince cannot be deposed directly, his power can be curbed to a great extent.

Your Majesty will certainly not allow the Crown Prince, who is suspected of treason, to lead the troops into battle.

Then the King of Wei has a great chance of winning.

Fang Xuanling heard his eldest son say this.

Become hesitant.

Indeed, judging from the current situation, if he wants to help King Wei win the throne, now is the best time to act.

Now the entire Tang Dynasty’s army and civilians have been mobilized.

The Eastern Expedition to Goryeo would certainly not be stopped.

If the prince is kicked out at this time, the King of Wei will have a huge advantage.

But Fang Xuanling still has to consider one issue.

If we accuse the prince of treason, Hou Junji must be involved.

And Hou Junji has been appointed by Your Majesty as the commander-in-chief of the Liaodong Road.

And now, Hou Junji has already set off.

If the crown prince was accused of treason, would Hou Junji be likely to rebel directly when he got the news?

This will cause turmoil to the entire Tang Dynasty.

Your Majesty will certainly take these factors into consideration.

At this moment, Fang Xuanling was repeatedly deducing and weighing in his mind the possible consequences if he made this decision.

Seeing his father remain silent, Fang Yizhi said, "Father, we have no way out."

Fang Xuanling thought about it for a long time, and finally shook his head and said, "Wait a little longer, it's not the right time yet."

Fang Yizhi was puzzled: "When will that be?"

Fang Xuanling sighed: "Now the prince has five thousand cavalry in his command, and he keeps them in the military camp for a long time."

"There are also many spies of the prince in Taiji Palace."

"Once I go to the palace to report to His Majesty, given His Majesty's temperament, he will probably not take away the Crown Prince's military power right away."

"If the news leaks out, the prince will most likely set out on an expedition to the east."

"Those cavalrymen are all led by students from the Prince's Military Academy. They are extremely loyal to the prince."

"At this time, he will definitely follow the prince in rebellion."

"Five thousand heavy cavalry. Given the Crown Prince's character, will he cooperate with Your Majesty's investigation?"

"If they join forces with Hou Junji, there will be chaos in the world."

After all, Fang Xuanling still did not make up his mind to directly expose the prince's rebellion.

These words were more of an excuse he made for himself than a reflection of his concerns.

Fang Yizhi looked anxious and tried to persuade his father again: "Father, if we don't act now, when will we act?"

"The King of Wei has high hopes for my father. If I miss this opportunity, I'm afraid there will be no such good opportunity to help the King of Wei win the throne in the future."

"Although there are risks in the matter of Hou Junji that father is worried about, it is not uncontrollable. Your Majesty is wise. If we expose the prince's rebellion in time, Your Majesty will be able to respond quickly and will not necessarily give Hou Junji the opportunity to rebel."

"Even if Hou Junji really gets the news and wants to rebel, the armies may not follow him."

"Furthermore, although the prince has five thousand cavalry under his command, if Your Majesty learns of his rebellion, you will certainly take measures."

"There are still many troops in Chang'an City that can be deployed, and they may be able to stop the prince. And although those heavy cavalry are loyal to the prince, your majesty's power is known to the world, and they may not dare to really follow the prince in rebellion."

"Father, we have come this far. If we retreat now, not only will all our efforts be wasted, but we may also be retaliated by the Crown Prince in the future."

"If the King of Wei cannot ascend the throne, the future of our Fang family will be full of uncertainties. For the honor of our family and for the stability of the Tang Dynasty, father should act decisively and expose the prince's rebellion."

Fang Yizheng looked at his father with burning eyes.

Fang Xuanling raised his eyes slightly, looked at Fang Yizhi who was full of anxiety, and slowly said: "Zhi'er, you only see that the current situation is favorable to King Wei, but you don't think deeply about the dangers involved."

"Your Majesty's thoughts are deep and unpredictable. If we act rashly and something goes wrong, the Fang family will be doomed."

Fang Yizhi said anxiously: "Father, I understand the risks involved, but if I don't take the risk, how can I win the supreme position for the King of Wei?"

"The Crown Prince is very powerful now. If we allow him to go to Korea, he will be at the peak of his power when he returns victorious. What chance will the King of Wei have then?"

Fang Xuanling shook his head slightly and said, "You only think about the future of the King of Wei, but forget that Your Majesty also has a father-son relationship with the Crown Prince."

"Even if Your Majesty learns that the Crown Prince is suspected of treason, he may not immediately depose the Crown Prince and enthronize the King of Wei."

"Your Majesty may choose to stabilize the situation first and make a decision after finding out the truth. In the process, our Fang family may become a thorn in the eyes of the crown prince."

"If the prince gets angry, he might attack our Fang family directly."

This is what Fang Xuanling has always been worried about.

The prince's previous behavior was obviously without any taboos.

If you report the prince during the investigation stage, you will most likely suffer crazy revenge from the prince.

Fang Yizhi gritted his teeth and said, "Father, are we just going to sit there and wait for death? And watch the prince's power grow stronger and stronger?"

Fang Xuanling sighed and said, "I am not going to sit there and wait for death, but this matter needs to be considered in the long run."

"We can't just think about the immediate situation without considering the long-term consequences."

"Besides, there are many talented and ambitious people around the prince. If our evidence is not conclusive enough, we may be bitten back."

Fang Yizhi frowned and asked, "What are your plans, father? Are you going to let this opportunity go?"

Fang Xuanling was silent for a moment, then said, "Wait until the prince leaves Chang'an."

"The prince will be on the march by then, so he will naturally have no time to take care of the situation in Chang'an City. Your Majesty can arrange an investigation."

"Even if the news reaches the prince, he will be unable to do anything."

Fang Yizhi said: "But if the prince gets the news, he will still rebel."

Fang Xuanling said: "But it can't affect us."
-
June twenty-third.

Chang'an was in a turmoil.

Because a portrait of the prince appeared in the latest edition of the court bulletin.

You should know that no matter whether it is the statue of the emperor or the prince, according to the provisions of the Tang Dynasty law, it is strictly prohibited for the people to keep or sell it privately.

Privately storing and selling portraits of the emperor or the crown prince would be charged as usurpation at the lightest and treason at the worst.

But now, the prince's portrait appeared in the official newspaper so openly.

When I first started buying court newspapers.

In fact, many people do not know that this is the statue of the prince.

Because they were illiterate and had never seen what the prince looked like.

I was just very curious when I saw a portrait suddenly appear in the official newspaper.

The characteristic of Byzantine painting is religion. Its purpose is to deepen believers' understanding and belief in religion. It has strong religious educational significance and spiritual appeal.

Although the people did not know who the person in the portrait was, his dignified posture, solemn expression, and eyes looking into the distance gave people a solemn and sacred feeling.

Subconsciously, you will feel very noble.

When the storyteller in the teahouse said that this was the portrait of His Royal Highness Prince Shengrui Nongze.

Suddenly, a large group of people knelt down in the entire teahouse.

The people were all terrified.

Keeping the prince hidden seems like a crime.

Buying the prince's statue is even more of a crime.

Who on earth is this person who has the guts to sell the prince's statue in this way?

Are they going to round up all the people in Chang'an and send them all to prison? "Don't panic, don't panic."

"It was reported in the court newspaper that this portrait of the crown prince was copied on the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

After hearing what the storyteller said, the people finally felt relieved.

However, there was even more discussion about this matter.

After all, why would the prince suddenly have a rubbing of the portrait published in the official newspaper?

Many smart people have already rushed to the newsstand, wanting to buy more newsletters.

If the prince allowed his portrait to circulate among the people, then the value of the portrait would be truly immeasurable.

No one knows whether this edition of the court bulletin is the only one that has the prince's portrait.

If there is only this edition, then the prince statue that you bought for ten cents may be resold for several thousand or even tens of thousands of coins.

For a time, all the newsstands in Chang'an Fang were looted.

Officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Censors all submitted petitions.

They believed that the prince's actions were against etiquette.

I implore Your Majesty to immediately recall all reports of privately storing the Crown Prince’s portrait in Chang’an City.

Li Shimin actually felt that it was not very appropriate.

The prince is the prince now and will be the emperor in the future.

How could the emperor's portrait be circulated among the people and allowed to be sold and privately kept by the common people?

Since ancient times, the emperor has been regarded as the Son of Heaven, with supreme status. Maintaining a mysterious image helps to strengthen this authority. If the people can easily see the emperor's appearance, they may think that the emperor is just an ordinary person, thus reducing their awe of the emperor.

The emperor's mysterious image can make people have more imagination and respect for him, which is conducive to the stability of the rule.

Qin Shi Huangdi's whereabouts were often kept secret and he seldom appeared in public. People were full of awe and speculation about him. This mysteriousness enhanced his ruling authority, and later emperors followed his example.

Then in terms of security, keeping the emperor's face unknown to the public can increase his safety to a certain extent.

Throughout history, many emperors would take strict security measures when traveling, and even use stand-ins or disguises to prevent being recognized.

Everyone knew what the emperor looked like, and he also knew about traveling in plain clothes and making secret visits.

Statues of the emperor and the prince are both sacred objects. How can they be sold casually?

So Li Shimin summoned the prince and asked him the reason.

Naturally, Li Chengqian had expected such a situation to happen.

"absurd!"

"Why did the prince do such a ridiculous thing?"

Li Shimin's tone was reprimanding, but he was not too angry.

After all, the prince has been making contributions to the Tang Dynasty recently, and he did not reward the prince with anything.

By this calculation, the merits and demerits can be considered to offset each other.

"What's absurd about this? Please explain clearly, Father."

Li Chengqian replied calmly.

Li Shimin frowned and said, "Isn't it absurd to print my portrait in the official newspaper and let it circulate among the people?"

"You are the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, the heir apparent to the throne. If you allow your portrait to circulate among the people, wouldn't that be a loss of royal dignity?"

Li Chengqian replied: "Why does Father feel that if the portrait is circulated among the people, it will lose the dignity of the royal family?"

Li Shimin's eyes widened: "Do you even need to ask this?"

Li Chengqian showed no sign of weakness: "Of course I have to ask."

Li Shimin said: "Your portrait will be sold by merchants and even marked with a price."

Li Chengqian said: "It should be quite valuable."

Li Shimin was so angry that he almost choked.

He took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in his heart: "As the crown prince, how can you be so ignorant of the seriousness of the matter!"

"How can the royal dignity be trampled upon like this!"

To put it another way, you have no shame, but I still have some.

Li Chengqian explained: "The Buddha statues in the temples and the deities in the Taoist temples, their faces are also displayed to the world."

"As a prince, if my actions are recognized by the people, they will burn incense for me."

"If I have lost my moral character, then it is only natural that the people would despise me."

Li Shimin was silent after hearing this, and his tone slowed down: "Even so, this is not in accordance with etiquette."

Li Chengqian said: "Father, the etiquette system should also change with the times."

"Since ancient times, the ritual system has been passed down to the present day. No matter how many changes there have been, there has never been a static ritual system."

"The rules of this world and the laws of the court have never been static."

"Throughout the ages, any dynasty, rules and regulations have always kept pace with the times, just like the dynasties that have been constantly replaced."

"Ever since the First Emperor swept across the six kingdoms and unified the world, the general trend of the world lies in unification."

"Your Majesty calls himself a saint, and your status is comparable to that of gods and Buddhas. Why can't the face of this saint be seen by the people of the world?"

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes slightly: "What if someone with ulterior motives uses me?"

This refers to the assassination.

After all, whether it is the emperor or the prince, they can easily become targets of assassination.

The spread of the portrait undoubtedly gave the assassin a specific target.

Li Chengqian said: "Even if there is no portrait, is there nothing we can do to stop people with ulterior motives?"

The assassinations that Li Shimin and Li Chengqian encountered obviously had little to do with the portraits.

After saying this, Li Shimin felt that he could not convince the prince.

After a moment of silence, he said, "This is just the first time. It won't happen again."

Li Chengqian bowed and said, "Thank you, Father."

Li Shimin was an enlightened monarch and was more receptive to advice.

The spirit of the Tang Dynasty was open and inclusive.

The prince's actions may seem absurd, but when you put it this way, they do make some sense.

At present, Li Shimin still doesn’t know what impact it will have, whether it is good or bad.

Let’s wait and see what happens next.

What touched Li Shimin the most was the prince's words: Even gods and Buddhas show dignity, so why should saints avoid being honorable?

Are saints inferior to gods and Buddhas?

night.

Wubenfang.

After Fang Xuanling returned home, he looked at the image of the prince in the official newspaper and fell into deep thought.

Why at this time, when he was about to launch an expedition to the east, did the prince want to have his portrait printed on the official newspaper?

Fang Yizheng looked at his father who was still looking at the prince's portrait and couldn't help but say something.

"I don't know what the prince was thinking, but he printed his own portrait on the official newspaper."

"I heard that many people are paying high prices to buy the prince's statue, and many people have even specially set up longevity tablets for the prince at home."

What does the prince think?

These words flashed through Fang Xuanling's mind like a ray of light.

He immediately understood what the prince was thinking.

He exclaimed: "Oh no, the prince is planning a rebellion."

Fang Yizhi was a little confused: "What does father mean by this?"

Fang Xuanling stared at the portrait and murmured, "The prince is trying to learn from Liu Ju."

"No, I will enter the palace immediately."

"I can't wait until later."

(End of this chapter)