My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 292 Qingjun’s Side

Prince Wei's Mansion.

Li Tai was originally waiting for his father to send troops to attack Luoyang and depose the crown prince.

But what he found out was that the expedition to Luoyang would be temporarily put on hold.

He was looking forward to the crown prince being deposed so that he could naturally ascend to the throne. But now the court ministers were unanimously opposed to his father sending troops. Even Fang Xuanling, who had a similar stance to his in the past, was no exception. How could he not be angry?

Li Tai was feeling depressed and became increasingly confused while eating, so he overturned the table.

Chai Lingwu and Fang Yiai were already used to holding the bowls.

Anyway, this happens every time the King of Wei has almost finished eating.

So the two of them also developed the ability to eat quickly.

Finally, I was full.

The servant came in to clean up.

Li Tai took two confidants to the study.

"Hmph, those ministers always say they are doing this for the sake of the Tang Dynasty, but in fact they are afraid of disrupting their peaceful lives. Now that I want the position of Crown Prince, I can no longer sit and wait for death. Lingwu, tell me, what good strategy do you have that can make father make up his mind to send troops to attack Luoyang?"

Li Tai did not ask Fang Yiai, and let him eat Sushan.

As the ice-making method became more popular, Bingsi was no longer exclusive to the prince, and the price also dropped.

In this hot weather, ice shops are everywhere.

Chai Lingwu bowed his head slightly, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "King of Wei, in my opinion, the court is now opposed to sending troops, mainly because they are worried that civil war will cause great suffering and shake the foundation of the country. If we can make the situation extremely unfavorable to the crown prince and make His Majesty feel that it is necessary to send troops, perhaps this matter can be accomplished."

Chai Lingwu thought this was the reason why Fang Xuanling suddenly stood on the prince's side and spoke.

Naturally, he and the King of Wei didn't care.

But if the Tang Dynasty really fell into chaos, these important officials would not be well regarded in history.

At this point, who wouldn't care about reputation?

Li Tai frowned slightly and asked, "How can we make the situation unfavorable to the prince? Tell me."

Chai Lingwu came closer and lowered his voice, saying, "King of Wei, the Five Surnames and Seven Families have great power in the world. If we can persuade them to suppress the prince, it will definitely cause some waves."

"We can let them impose an economic blockade on Luoyang, and then widely publicize the fact that the crown prince disobeyed the imperial order and raised troops to defend himself, so that everyone in the world will think that the crown prince is a traitor. In this way, Your Majesty may send troops to maintain the dignity of the royal family."

Li Tai was a little hesitant. If he did this, it would probably be hard for his father.

Any simple check will reveal that he is up to something.

Seeing the King of Wei hesitate, Chai Lingwu persuaded him, "Your Majesty launched the Xuanwu Gate Incident, leaving Emperor Gaozu with no choice. Now the Crown Prince is clearly plotting a rebellion. Even if Your Majesty knows that it was the King of Wei who did it, so what?"

"The crown prince has rebelled. The crown prince position can only fall to the King of Wei."

Li Tai's eyes lit up.

"That makes sense. Let's do it."

Therefore, Li Tai quickly summoned the representatives of the Five Surnames and Seven Families in Chang'an, headed by Cui Shengyu, the eldest son of Qinghe Cui family, and Lu Zhijie, the eldest son of Fanyang Lu family, to gather in the palace.

After everyone sat down as host and guest, Li Tai spoke first, "I invited you all here today because I have something important to discuss. The Crown Prince is disobeying the order and leading troops to Luoyang, which is a heinous act. As a member of the royal family, I am wholeheartedly concerned about the country and the people of the Tang Dynasty, and I want to help Your Majesty quell this chaos. However, many ministers in the court are trying to stop Your Majesty from sending troops, which is really a mistake for the country."

After the words fell, Lu Zhijie bowed and said, "What the King of Wei said is very true. The prince's actions are indeed against moral principles. I just don't know why the King of Wei is looking for us?"

In fact, no one knows more about these things in the court, especially the situation on the prince's side, than the Five Surnames and Seven Families.

They even received some of the news faster than the King of Wei.

Now the Five Surnames and Seven Families are extremely happy, as the development of events is going in the direction they hoped.

Li Tai smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Lu is a straightforward person, so I won't beat around the bush."

"If we want Father to send out troops now, we need to let everyone in the world see the Crown Prince's true face. The Five Surnames and Seven Families have a great reputation in the world and have extensive connections. If we can impose an economic blockade on Luoyang and then attack the Crown Prince in public opinion, Your Majesty will definitely have no choice."

"Especially the newspaper, which was not created by the prince. Then we should print the prince's crimes in the newspaper and distribute it widely so that everyone knows about it."

Cui Shengyu frowned and said, "King Wei, this matter is of great importance. An economic blockade of Luoyang may cause unrest in the world. Although we, the Five Surnames and Seven Families, have power, we must act with caution. Moreover, if a civil war is triggered and lives are lost, we will also be blamed."

As soon as these words were spoken, the others nodded in agreement.

The Five Surnames and Seven Families are most concerned about their reputation, and things like this can have a huge impact on their reputation.

Li Tai was unhappy in his heart, but he still kept a smile on his face and said, "Mr. Cui, you only see the risks in front of you, but not the benefits."

"If I can ascend to the throne of the Crown Prince, I will definitely treat the Five Surnames and Seven Nobles differently and give them many benefits. Moreover, the Crown Prince has his own army and will have a great impact on the business of the Five Surnames and Seven Nobles in Luoyang. Don't you want to take this opportunity to get rid of this major threat?"

Cui Shengyu and Lu Zhijie looked at each other and thought about it. Cui Shengyu said, "King Wei, this matter is of great importance. We need to make a long-term plan. Not to mention the manpower and material resources required for the economic blockade of Luoyang, just the public opinion attack, if not handled properly, it may backfire."

Seeing that they still had concerns, Li Tai was a little anxious and said, "Everyone, the situation is urgent now. If we don't act quickly, it will be too late when the prince recovers. I promise you that as long as I can successfully get His Majesty to send troops and depose the prince, I will never let you down in the future."

Chai Lingwu also echoed, "Yes, gentlemen, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we can help the King of Wei ascend to the throne of the Crown Prince, the status of the Five Surnames and Seven Families in the Tang Dynasty will be more secure."

After intense discussions, the representatives of the Five Surnames and Seven Families finally decided to cooperate with Li Tai, the Prince of Wei. Cui Shengyu said, "Prince of Wei, since we have decided to help, we will do our best. I just hope that you will keep your promise and give us due rewards after the success."

In fact, Cui Shengyu didn't want to pay much attention to King Wei, but he was not the head of the family after all, and many decisions could not be made by himself.

Perhaps the only thing he could do was to reveal this information to the crown prince. Even now, Cui Shengyu still wanted to bet on both sides.

This way, even if you lose, it won't be too bleak.

Li Tai was overjoyed and said quickly, "Of course, I always keep my word. Now there is no time to lose, please act as soon as possible."

a few days later.

The Five Surnames and Seven Families began to mobilize their vast network of power and launched an economic blockade on Luoyang.

They cut off Luoyang's trade with the outside world and controlled the supply of important materials such as grain, grass, and cloth. Luoyang soon suffered from a shortage of supplies, prices soared, and the people were in a panic.

At the same time, in terms of public opinion, the Five Surnames and Seven Families also spared no effort to attack the prince. They spread rumors that the prince was recruiting troops in Luoyang with the intention of rebellion, and that disobeying the order was a blatant challenge to the authority of His Majesty.

These rumors quickly spread among the people, and the people's attitude towards the prince gradually changed from initial admiration to dissatisfaction and fear.

However, Li Chengqian was not at all panicked.

In Luoyang City, Li Chengqian sat in his study with a gloomy face and a military book tightly grasped in his hands.

Wen Zhong was full of worry beside him.

"Your Highness, the Five Surnames and Seven Aristocrats have imposed an economic blockade on Luoyang. Prices are soaring, the people are in a panic, and rumors are spreading. The people's attitude towards Your Highness has also changed. The situation is becoming more and more critical. What should we do?" Wen Zhong couldn't help but speak.

Li Chengqian slowly raised his eyes, his gaze was fierce and resolute, and he said in a deep voice: "Why are you panicking? Since I have decided to lead my own army, how can I be afraid of their little tricks. This is just the last struggle of the King of Wei and the Five Surnames and Seven Families."

Su Dingfang frowned and said, "Your Highness, although that is true, there is a shortage of supplies and the people are in turmoil. If this continues, something bad may happen in the city. And if Your Majesty really believes those rumors and sends troops to Luoyang, we..."

Li Chengqian stood up suddenly, slammed his fist on the table, and shouted angrily: "Father? Since he is already suspicious of me, why should I have any illusions about him? I have a powerful army and occupy a city as important as Luoyang. Do I still fear him?"

"Pass the order down, strengthen the city defense, and all soldiers go on alert. Anyone who dares to leave the city without permission will be killed!"

There was unquestionable majesty in Li Chengqian's voice.

Political power comes from the barrel of a gun, and this is the time to implement martial law.

If we allow the people to be instigated to act recklessly, Luoyang City will be in chaos first, and there will be no way we can have our own army.

"Also, open the granaries and give priority to supplying the soldiers in the army. As for the civilians, you can release an appropriate amount of grain to stabilize the people's hearts, but not too much. I want to see what those rioters dare to do under the deterrence of my army." Li Chengqian ordered coldly.

Su Dingfang and Li Dejian were worried after hearing Li Chengqian's words, but they did not dare to disobey. They took the order and started to get busy.

Li Chengqian continued to pace in the study, thinking about his next plan. Now that he had decided to lead his own troops, there was no turning back.

At this time, in the Prince of Wei's Mansion in Chang'an, Li Tai was proudly discussing the next plan with Chai Lingwu, Fang Yiai and others.

"Haha, Luoyang City is in chaos right now, and the Crown Prince must be extremely worried. As long as we hold out for a while longer, my father will definitely send troops to depose the Crown Prince, and I will be able to take the position of Crown Prince easily."

Li Tai's face was full of smiles, with greed gleaming in his eyes.

Fang Yiai also echoed, "The King of Wei is wise. The Crown Prince is really in a desperate situation this time. The means of the Five Families and Seven Nobles are indeed powerful. They have adopted a two-pronged approach of economic blockade and public opinion attack. No matter how many troops the Crown Prince has, it will be difficult to resist this situation of internal and external difficulties."

Chai Lingwu frowned slightly and said, "King of Wei, although the situation is favorable to us now, we must not let down His Majesty's side. His Majesty has always been wise. If the Crown Prince can find evidence to prove our conspiracy, I am afraid we will also be in trouble. Moreover, since the Crown Prince has his own troops, he will definitely be on guard. Your Majesty may not be able to win easily if he sends troops."

Li Tai's face darkened, and he said, "What are you afraid of? As long as the crown prince is deposed and I take the crown prince's position, who will dare to say anything? As for evidence, it's not that easy for the crown prince to find it. Even if he has his own troops, how long can he hold out under the majesty of my father?"

"Besides, the Five Surnames and Seven Families have always been cautious in doing things and will not leave any handles. I have already sent people to closely monitor the prince's every move. If he makes any unusual movements, I will know it at the first time." Li Tai said confidently.

However, Li Tai did not know that Cui Shengyu had already revealed some information to the prince.

After receiving the news, Li Chengqian in Luoyang sneered in his heart: "Cui Shengyu, you are really betting on both sides. However, this news is useful to me."

"Come here, send someone to Chang'an immediately to closely monitor the every move of the King of Wei and the Five Surnames and Seven Nobles. At the same time, continue to collect evidence of collusion between the Five Surnames and Seven Nobles and the King of Wei, and make sure it is conclusive." Li Chengqian ordered.

At the same time, in the Chang'an Palace, Li Shimin was also closely watching the situation in Luoyang.

Changsun Wuji would report the progress of the investigation to him every day.

"Your Majesty, after investigation, I found that there were indeed frequent contacts between the Five Surnames and Seven Families and the King of Wei, but there is no conclusive evidence to prove that they colluded with each other to deal with the prince. Moreover, the prince has strengthened the city defenses in recent days, and seems to be able to command his own troops." Changsun Wuji reported truthfully.

Li Shimin frowned and said, "I have long expected that Qingque was behind this. He did whatever it took to get the position of Crown Prince and colluded with the Five Surnames and Seven Families. I am really disappointed. Chengqian is so foolish. Is he really going to embark on the path of rebellion with his own army?"

"Your Majesty, there is a shortage of supplies in Luoyang City right now, and the people are suffering. I suggest that you send someone to Luoyang first to comfort the people, and at the same time try to communicate with the Crown Prince to see if you can get him to return to the right path. As for the King of Wei and the Five Surnames and Seven Families, we will deal with them after we have solid evidence."

Changsun Wuji said.

Li Shimin nodded slightly and said, "Okay, let's do as you say. Send someone to Luoyang immediately to stabilize the situation and not let the people suffer. At the same time, tell Cheng Qian that if he can let go of his obsession and turn back, I will forgive him for his past."

Changsun Wuji took the order and left.

At this time, Li Chengqian in Luoyang had already started to implement his plan. He personally went to the military camp to review the soldiers and boost morale.

"Soldiers! Now the saint has been deceived by the villains, believing the rumors, and wants to harm us."

"That King of Wei, Li Tai, colluded with the Five Families and Seven Nobles, and attempted to seize our crown prince's position and put our soldiers to death. How can we just sit there and wait for death? Today, I swear here that if anyone dares to invade Luoyang and our soldiers, he will never return!"

Li Chengqian's voice echoed in the military camp.

Rebellion is not allowed.

However, there is naturally no problem in clearing out the imperial court.

(End of this chapter)