My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 199 Wei Zheng: The Crown Prince's Rebellion Is Your Majesty's Fault

Zhang Ananda was in a very heavy mood.

Looking at the preparations in the military camp, it is a complete state of preparation for war.

What on earth is the prince going to do? Is he preparing to rebel?

What happened and who suddenly pushed the prince to this point?

Is it the King of Wei?

There is no doubt that Zhang Ananda is on the side of His Majesty. He has promoted a eunuch like himself to his current position. His Majesty's kindness is something I cannot repay even if I die.

But the Crown Prince is your Majesty's eldest son, why do you do this?

Zhang Ananda knew very well that this time when he returned to report, it would inevitably cause the emperor's wrath.

But he cannot deceive Your Majesty.

The wind whistled, leaving only a sigh.

After returning to Taiji Palace, Zhang Ananda narrated what happened on his way to the prince's military camp.

"Even you were stopped outside!"

Li Shimin felt unwell all over.

The prince's claim of illness was false.

If the prince really had taken medicine and was resting, would Su Dingfang and his men alone dare to stop the imperial edict?

This was clearly the prince's instruction.

"What are you going to do, Prince!"

"What does the prince want to do!"

"Is the prince planning a rebellion?"

In the Liangyi Hall, Li Shimin roared angrily.

His own eldest son rebelled against him.

This is arguably the biggest royal scandal.

"Perhaps the prince has some unspeakable secret." Zhang Ananda tried to persuade him.

Li Shimin shouted, "What unspeakable secrets can lead to such a path as starting a rebellion?"

"Does he really think that he can do whatever he wants with five thousand cavalry in his hands?"

Zhang Ananda was speechless in response.

Indeed, no matter what the reason is, starting a rebellion is completely different.

The Crown Prince was in the military camp and even refused to obey His Majesty's edicts. This was already a heinous crime.

No matter how I explain it, it seems pale and powerless.

After being angry for a while, Li Shimin began to calm down gradually.

As an emperor, he inherited the throne through military merit and the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

When faced with major events, Li Shimin was always able to remain calm.

The reason why he was so angry was mainly because the prince was his eldest son.

After calming down, Li Shimin began to think about how to eliminate the problems brought by the prince.

Or ask the prince why he does this.

But now the prince didn't even want to see his own eunuchs, and it was obvious that he had no intention of talking.

"Ananda, pass on."

Li Shimin originally planned to invite Yuchi Jingde into the palace, but suddenly remembered that Yuchi Jingde was already on his way to Goryeo.

However, there is another general in Chang'an, Cheng Yaojin.

He's also a good fighter.

At this time, letting Cheng Yaojin lead his troops to attack the prince's camp at night should be able to catch the prince off guard.

Even if the prince is already prepared for war, it won’t be a problem to take the initiative and surround the prince.

Just this thought made Li Shimin silent again.

After all, he is the prince, his eldest son.

"Tell Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Wei Zheng, and Chu Suiliang to come to the palace to discuss the matter immediately."

In the end, Li Shimin couldn't bear it and took action against the prince directly.

Instead, he called a few trusted ministers to discuss and analyze the matter.

At this time, all government offices in the imperial city had already been on duty.

Four carriages went to the homes of the ministers to pick them up.

Except for Wei Zheng who lived a little further away, the other ministers lived in the streets near the imperial city.

The carriage going to pick up Wei Zheng naturally had to run faster.

This is also to allow several ministers to go together.

Otherwise, it would be impolite if everyone entered one by one.

Soon, the four of them were taken to Liangyi Palace by carriage.

"My ministers, please pay homage to Your Majesty."

"Without courtesy, I will give you a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Except Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Wei Zheng and Chu Suiliang were somewhat strange.

I haven't heard of any major event, so why did His Majesty suddenly summon me for a meeting without even waiting until tomorrow?

Could something have happened in Goryeo?
Fang Xuanling lowered his head and remained silent, but in fact he was thinking in his heart how to persuade His Majesty not to take action against the Prince.

He already knew what happened with the King of Wei after he got off duty.

Fang Xuanling didn't say much about this.

He knew very well that the King of Wei would not force the Crown Prince to rebel just for the sake of his country and his people.

On the contrary, the King of Wei would do anything as long as he could force the Crown Prince to rebel.

"Now, the prince is in the military camp outside the city, commanding 5,000 cavalrymen, and intends to start a rebellion."

"Gentlemen, what do you think?"

Li Shimin said coldly.

"The prince is raising an army to rebel?"

"How can this be."

"Your Majesty, is there any misunderstanding here?"

"Your Majesty, you must investigate the situation and not arbitrarily accuse the Crown Prince of such a crime."

Several people were shocked and exclaimed.

Fang Xuanling is also a veteran actor. At this time, he certainly cannot show an expression that shows he already knew the situation.

His eyes widened, full of disbelief.

Li Shimin observed carefully, but could not find any clues from the four ministers.

He suspected that the prince's rebellion might be related to a few ministers.

That's why I took the initiative to test it.

Zhangsun Wuji was the first to stand up and said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is kind and benevolent. He has always ruled with kindness and virtue, and he has no intention of rebellion. There must be something fishy about this matter. Your Majesty, please investigate it thoroughly and do not easily convict the Crown Prince."

Wei Zheng also stood up and said earnestly: "Your Majesty, the prince has been doing his duty for many years, sharing your worries and working for the welfare of the people. Now he is accused of rebellion, which is hard to believe. I implore your Majesty to investigate this matter in detail and not to convict the prince based on one side's words."

Chu Suiliang also hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the virtue of the prince is known to the world. If he is accused of rebellion without reason, it may chill the hearts of the people. I hope Your Majesty will think twice and do not act impulsively."

Fang Xuanling also spoke slowly at this time: "Your Majesty, I think that the prince has always been steady and loyal to Your Majesty. There may be suspicion of being framed by others. Your Majesty should put the country first and not deal with the prince lightly, so as not to fall into the trap of the traitors."

When Fang Xuanling spoke, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

He felt like he was scolding himself for being the traitor.

Li Shimin looked at Fang Xuanling with a little surprise and relief. After all, Fang Xuanling now belonged to the Wei Wang Party, and the prince's rebellion would naturally benefit the Wei Wang.

But I didn't expect Fang Xuanling to support the prince so much.

Sure enough, Fang Xuanling still puts the overall situation first.

Then he said, "Ananda, please tell us the reason behind this."

Zhang Ananda began to tell the story of the prince claiming to be ill.

After several people learned about the prince's situation, they all fell silent.

No matter what the reason was, what the prince did at this time was too sensitive and too exaggerated.

"Your Majesty, there must be something going on here that caused the Crown Prince to misunderstand."

Changsun Wuji said with some uncertainty.

No matter from which angle you look at it, there is really no need for the prince to rebel.

Wei Zheng considered it and expressed his thoughts: "I think so too."

"Perhaps it's something that Your Majesty did that made the Crown Prince feel threatened."

"At the moment, it seems that the prince does not want to participate in the sacrifice."

"Is there something fishy going on with the sacrifice?"

"It made the Crown Prince fearful and he did not dare to return to Chang'an even though he claimed to be ill."

Li Shimin's eyes widened, and he looked at Wei Zheng and said, "According to what you said, the Crown Prince is preparing to raise an army in the military camp, and it is because of me?"

Wei Zheng nodded seriously: "If a son is not taught well, it is the fault of his father. Since the prince is afraid of Your Majesty, it must be Your Majesty's fault."

Li Shimin was so angry that he almost laughed.

The Crown Prince is preparing to rebel. It would be fine if I didn't hold him accountable, but now I come to point out my faults.

According to Wei Zheng's logic, if a son is not well educated it is the fault of his father. If the prince rebels, it will be all the fault of himself as his father.

"Then tell me, what did I do wrong that caused the prince to act like this?"

Wei Zheng shook his head slightly: "You should ask your Majesty yourself."

"Maybe it's related to the King of Wei, maybe it's related to the King of Jin."

"I heard that your majesty has summoned the Prince of Jin to the palace many times recently. Now the Crown Prince and the King of Wei are both going to march east to Korea. Maybe in some aspects or in some matters, the Crown Prince has a misunderstanding."

"In order to protect himself, the prince refused to return to Chang'an."

“That’s very possible.”

Li Shimin raised his head and pointed at Wei Zheng, shaking with anger.

"Okay, okay, since Wei Zheng thinks so, then tell me how I should act now to avoid the Crown Prince's suspicion."

Wei Zheng turned a blind eye to His Majesty's anger.

He had experienced such scenes countless times in front of His Majesty.

I have long been immune to your majesty's wrath.

After thinking it over carefully, he said, "I think Your Majesty should not provoke the Crown Prince for the time being."

"The Crown Prince is like a frightened beast right now. If Your Majesty forcibly issues an imperial edict, the situation will only become more difficult to control and will also lead to greater misunderstandings."

"The Crown Prince refused to meet the person sent by Your Majesty. I think the reason why the Crown Prince did this is that he was afraid of irreparable rift with Your Majesty, so he kept this last bit of face."

"The Eastern Expedition to Goryeo is imminent, and we must not allow unrest to occur in the Tang Dynasty, lest it benefit the foreign races."

"Since the prince doesn't want to go back to the city, then he shouldn't go back."

Li Shimin shouted, "Wei Zheng, didn't you hear that the crown prince is about to start a rebellion?"

Wei Zheng calmly replied: "The fact is, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is not rebelling now."

"Your Majesty cannot assume that the Crown Prince is going to raise an army just because he shows signs of doing so."

Li Shimin said again: "The prince does not respect my edict!"

Wei Zheng said calmly: "This goes back to the previous question. The Crown Prince and Your Majesty had a misunderstanding, so this happened."

"Your Majesty, think about it. His Royal Highness's military camp has already been prepared and is just waiting to go to Goryeo, right?"

"If the prince wanted to rebel, why did he resort to the tactic of feigning illness? Why not just start the rebellion directly? What is he waiting for? Waiting for Your Majesty to make the first move?"

"I don't think so, because the prince also understands that starting a rebellion is a bad idea, and he is unwilling to do so, so he wants to avoid it."

"Moreover, the Crown Prince is your Majesty's eldest son, the heir apparent, and the future sage of the Tang Dynasty. What could possibly be so worthy of the Crown Prince turning against your Majesty?"

"There must be something big going on here, something very big."

"However, Your Majesty doesn't know that the Crown Prince himself may not be sure, which is why the current situation has occurred."

Li Shimin was a person who could listen to advice and admonition, otherwise there would not be the prosperous Zhenguan era today.

What Wei Zheng said made some sense, and Li Shimin began to think about it.

What kind of thing could it be that would make the prince afraid to speak and make him feel that he would only be safe if he stayed in the military camp outside the city?

After thinking deeply, Li Shimin said hesitantly, "Are you saying that the prince is plotting a rebellion?"

Wei Zheng corrected him: "Your Majesty, someone framed the prince for treason."

"The prince may have discovered something, but the person who framed him is very smart. He dared to frame the prince for treason. He must have made sufficient preparations to make it impossible for the prince to prove his innocence."

"Now that the Korean expedition is imminent, if the prince is involved in a treason case, he will definitely not be able to march east."

"So in order to protect himself, the prince can only stay in the military camp outside the city to prevent the villain from succeeding."

Li Shimin asked hesitantly, "Are you talking about the King of Wei?"

Wei Zheng shook his head: "I don't know about this. I am just analyzing and speculating based on the current situation."

"There are only a handful of things that can make the Crown Prince afraid, and this is the only thing that can involve Your Majesty."

Wei Zheng's words were clear in thought and well-founded in analysis, and sounded quite convincing.

Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang also nodded frequently, agreeing with Wei Zheng's point of view.

In fact, after some thought, Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang were also able to think of the issue related to the prince's rebellion.

But I don't know how to start talking about treason.

Wei Zheng had a great advantage in this regard. He had already gained confidence and experience by confronting His Majesty.

It seemed so natural for him to say that the prince was plotting a rebellion.

It is also enough to attract His Majesty's attention.

At this time, Fang Xuanling admired Wei Zheng a little.

What is a remonstrant minister?

Those who dare to speak, know how to speak, and are able to speak, are ministers of remonstration.

Wei Zheng can be a role model for ministers of remonstration.

Only he dared to suppress His Majesty's anger at such a critical moment.

At this time, Li Shimin was already hesitating.

Fang Xuanling took the opportunity to persuade him: "Your Majesty, recalling the great talent and strategy of Emperor Wu of Han, whose achievements were unparalleled in history, he was deceived by treacherous ministers in his later years and suspected that Crown Prince Liu Ju was plotting a rebellion."

"Liu Ju was terrified and helpless, so he raised an army to protect himself, which eventually led to the killing of his father and son, and the country was in turmoil. This is a pain that will last forever."

"The situation between your Majesty and the Crown Prince today is very similar to that time."

"The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne, your Majesty's eldest son, and is known throughout the world for his benevolence and filial piety. The current situation is unclear. If your Majesty makes a hasty decision, you may repeat the mistakes of Emperor Wu of Han."

"Moreover, a gentleman will not be respected if he is not serious, and his learning will not be solid. The master should be loyal and trustworthy, and have no friends who are not as good as himself. If he makes a mistake, he should not be afraid to correct it. Your Majesty is the master of the world, so you should be steady and prudent, and distinguish right from wrong."

"If the prince really has the intention of rebellion, he should be severely punished. However, it is not wise to convict him based on speculation without any solid evidence."

"The position of the crown prince is related to the foundation of the country. If it is abolished due to misunderstanding, people will be in panic and treacherous people will take advantage of the situation. Now that the Eastern Expedition to Goryeo is imminent, the Tang Dynasty must not allow chaos to occur. Your Majesty should learn from history and be vigilant."

Zhangsun Wuji also bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I think what Lord Fang said is very true. The importance of the crown prince is related to the future of the Tang Dynasty."

"It would be inappropriate to convict the prince based on just a few signs. Your Majesty should think carefully about this."

Chu Suiliang said: "The prince has been taught by your majesty since he was young, and he is based on benevolence and filial piety. He has many wise ministers to assist him. It is hard to convince people if you say he is plotting a rebellion. The situation is unclear now, your majesty should remain calm and not act rashly. If this incident causes the father and son to turn against each other, and the country is in turmoil, wouldn't it give rise to disasters?"

The four trusted ministers were all giving advice and remonstrances, which made Li Shimin's original determination to support the crown prince waver.

Could it be that it is really my fault?
(End of this chapter)