My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 299 The Prince's Letter to the World
After Li Shimin issued the edict to depose the crown prince, the news exploded in Luoyang City like thunder, instantly disrupting the original tranquility of the city.

Inside Luoyang City, the faces of the people were filled with shock and disappointment. They gathered in twos and threes, talking among themselves, their words full of dissatisfaction and blame for Li Chengqian's behavior of holding his own troops.

At the market, a hunchbacked old man was sitting on the side of the street, surrounded by several people who also had sad faces.

The old man sighed heavily, his eyes full of sorrow. "Alas, I never thought the prince would do such a thing. He seemed quite wise on weekdays, inventing the curved plow to make life easier for us farmers, but who could have thought that he would now command an army and become so powerful? Isn't this pushing our Luoyang City into the fire pit?"

A middle-aged woman next to him also shook her head, her face full of resentment: "Yes, my wife was still talking about the goodness of the prince a few days ago, but what about now? The prince is making such a fuss, and His Majesty will definitely not let it go. When the war starts, how can ordinary people like us survive?"

A young man frowned and said with a hint of anger: "I used to admire the prince. I thought he was good at fighting and was the hope of the Tang Dynasty. But now he has his own army. Isn't this a blatant defiance of Your Majesty? If this gets out, where will the face of the Tang Dynasty be?"

At this time, an old man with gray hair slowly spoke, his voice full of helplessness: "We ordinary people hope to live a stable life, but after the prince's tossing, I'm afraid this stable life is gone. I just can't understand why the prince can't just listen to your majesty? Why does he have to make such a fuss?"

"That's right! If my boy dares to be so rebellious, I will break his legs! The prince is your majesty's eldest son and your majesty has high hopes for him, but he did such a thing. It's really heartbreaking." Another citizen echoed, his eyes full of disappointment.

I humbly wish that the holy dynasty would govern the world with filial piety.

Filial piety was also given great importance during the Tang Dynasty.

In the eyes of most people, Your Majesty is the father and the Prince is the son. Shouldn’t the son listen to his father?

If you think of yourself as the other person, if your son was rebellious like this, no one would be able to stand it.

Therefore, when the edict to depose the crown prince spread, people in Luoyang were in a panic.

King of Han Li Yuanchang was the most anxious.

After hearing the news, he hurried into the palace to ask for an audience.

He hurried all the way and entered the palace in a hurry.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the palace was depressing and solemn, like the calm before a storm.

Li Chengqian was wearing casual clothes, sitting in the study, looking at the sky outside the window with deep and complex eyes, as if thinking about something.

When he heard the guards report that the King of Han wanted to see him, he frowned slightly and said, "Let him in."

Li Yuanchang walked into the study quickly. When he saw Li Chengqian, he didn't even bother to greet him. He said anxiously, "Prince, do you know how critical the situation is now? His Majesty has issued an edict to depose you. People in Luoyang are in a panic. The people and officials have complaints against us. How can you remain so calm?"

Li Chengqian turned around slowly, without much emotion on his face. He just looked at Li Yuanchang calmly and said, "Yuanchang, I know the situation is serious. But now that things have come to this, what's the point of panicking?"

Li Yuanchang stamped his feet anxiously and said, "Prince, we can't just sit there and wait for death! His Majesty has been deceived by villains and believed in slander, so he deposed you. But you have your own army, which is difficult for people to understand. The people think you are defying His Majesty, which is very disadvantageous to us."

Li Chengqian said calmly: "Then what do you think we should do now?"

This sentence immediately blocked Li Yuanchang's way.

My face almost turned red and I didn't know how to answer for a long time.

Li Chengqian continued, "There is no point in being anxious, but I have already made arrangements for this matter. Now is the time to see what people think."

Hearing this, King of Han Li Yuanchang immediately relaxed.

"As long as the prince is prepared."

Then he paused: "I don't know how to deal with it?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "You'll see then."

Li Yuanchang nodded: "Yes, Your Highness."

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "I am no longer the crown prince."

Han Wang Li Yuanchang immediately said: "In my heart, Your Highness has always been the Crown Prince."

Li Chengqian chuckled and said, "I don't want to be the crown prince forever."

How could Li Yuanchang not understand the profound meaning behind these words?

Li Yuanchang had a mysterious confidence in Li Chengqian, especially in the past two years, it seemed that nothing was impossible as long as the prince wanted to do it.

Naturally, the prince had already made plans to occupy Luoyang.

It seemed that he was worrying too much.

However, I still couldn't help but feel a little worried.
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The impact of the edict deposing the crown prince was huge. Before Li Chengqian responded, Luoyang City had already gradually become chaotic.

Especially the impact on officials.

In Luoyang, inside the governor's mansion, the atmosphere was so solemn that it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of it.

Luozhou Governor Pei Huaijie paced back and forth in the hall with a frown on his face. Luoyang County Magistrate Zheng Chonggu and Henan County Magistrate Cheng Liang also had gloomy expressions. All three of them were upset by the news that the crown prince had been deposed.

At this time, an official hurried in and reported in a panic: "Pei, several more officials have resigned, saying that they don't want to get involved in this mess again."

Pei Huaijie stopped and smiled bitterly, "It's expected. The crown prince has been deposed and the situation is unclear. Who would be willing to risk their life and property on such an uncertain future?"

Zheng Chonggu frowned slightly, cupped his hands and said, "Governor Pei, although the Crown Prince now has his own army, His Majesty has already issued an edict to depose him, which is clearly a break with the Crown Prince. We are in Luoyang, and I'm afraid we won't end well if we follow the Crown Prince."

Cheng Liang also quickly echoed, "Yes, Governor Pei. The prince has lost the support of the people with this move. The people are accusing him of holding on to his own troops and disregarding the safety of the world. Moreover, your majesty is the legitimate emperor. If you really raise an army to attack, how long can Luoyang City hold out?" Pei Huaijie sighed and said slowly, "I know what you two said. I, Pei Huaijie, have been deeply blessed by your majesty and should have been loyal to my duties. But a few days ago, the prince was in Luoyang and we cooperated with him. Now your majesty is furious. If we continue to follow the prince, your majesty will not let us off easily."

Although Pei Huaijie and the prince had been secretly good friends because of Pei Xingjian before.

But now it’s different, this is a rebellion.

The imperial edicts from Chang'an have come down.

Now, when the officials in Luoyang City saw His Majesty's edict, they all left.

They are all smart people.

Judging from the current situation, it is obviously difficult for the Crown Prince to confront Your Majesty.

Following the prince in a rebellion, apart from anything else, just his reputation alone was completely ruined.

To take a step back, even if the prince's rebellion succeeded, would it really be impossible for officials like them to embark on a career in politics again?

The prince can't possibly do without officials to govern the country.

In such a comparison, the risk of following the prince in rebellion is too great.

Zheng Chonggu hesitated for a moment and said, "Pei, what should we do now? Should we continue to wait and see, or..."

Pei Huaijie interrupted him and said with a firm look: "Wait and see? The situation is urgent now, there is no time for us to wait and see. I have made up my mind to resign from the post of governor and no longer be in cahoots with the crown prince."

Cheng Liang's eyes flashed with surprise after hearing this, and he immediately said, "Has Governor Pei really made up his mind? Resigning from the post of Governor is no small matter. Your future..."

Pei Huaijie waved his hand and said, "Future? In the current situation, there is no future to speak of. If I follow the prince in rebellion, my future will be ruined and my family may even be implicated. I can't do something disloyal and unjust for the sake of temporary glory and wealth."

Zheng Chonggu nodded slightly and said, "Gao Yi, I, Zheng Chonggu, am willing to follow the governor's footsteps, resign from the post of county magistrate, and make my stand together with the governor to plead guilty to Your Majesty."

Cheng Liang also said quickly: "I am willing too, Governor Pei, Magistrate Zheng. We can't make any more mistakes. Now that we have turned back in time, perhaps His Majesty will still remember our past friendship and give us a lighter sentence."

Pei Huaijie looked at the two of them with a gratified look on his face. "Okay, I am not alone with you two accompanying me. Let's prepare the resignation documents and leave Luoyang together to express our intentions to His Majesty."

The news of officials' continuous resignation soon spread to the palace.

The departure of Pei Huaijie, the governor of Luozhou, had an even greater impact.

The eunuch Wen Zhong walked into the study room in a hurry with a furious look on his face, and said indignantly: "Your Highness, this Pei Huaijie is simply a ruthless person! At the beginning, because Pei Xingjian was your confidant, he kept saying that the Pei family fully supported you, and his attitude was so sincere. But now? Your Majesty issued an edict to depose the crown prince, and he ran away faster than anyone else with a group of officials. Isn't this a typical betrayal?"

Li Chengqian looked calm, and gently waved his hand, signaling Wen Zhong not to get angry, and said in a gentle voice: "Wen Zhong, don't be so angry. Things in this world change rapidly, and people's hearts are even more unpredictable. I had expected Pei Huaijie's behavior today."

Wen Zhong was puzzled and asked, "Your Highness knew that he would betray you? But he was so confident at the beginning and expressed his support for Pei Xingjian. He doesn't look like someone who would flee from the battlefield."

Li Chengqian slightly raised his head and looked into the distance, as if he saw a wider world through the palace walls. He slowly said, "Wen Zhong, in the vortex of power, there are very few people who can truly stick to their original intentions. Pei Huaijie expressed his support before, largely because of Pei Xingjian, but now the situation has changed drastically, and his first consideration must be the safety of the Pei family and his own interests. Your Majesty, if you abolish my edict, the situation in Luoyang will be unclear, and he will naturally lean towards Your Majesty, who seems to be more powerful and more orthodox."

Wen Zhong was still indignant, muttering, "Even if that's the case, he shouldn't change his attitude faster than turning the pages of a book. After all, the Pei family has expressed their stance before, and Your Highness has also taken good care of them."

Li Chengqian chuckled and said, "He may be caring, but in the face of life and death, honor and disgrace, all these will be thrown out of the window. I don't blame him, this is human nature. Besides, since I have chosen this path, I have already prepared for all kinds of changes."

At this point, Li Chengqian paused for a moment, then said, "It's time to notify everyone and report it."

Hearing this, Wen Zhong was a little excited: "Yes, Your Highness."

Li Chengqian really didn't care about the officials' departure.

In fact, being an official in this era is not a troublesome thing at all. In most cases, you just need to follow the procedures.

Of course, we must also fight back against public opinion.

Otherwise, not only the people's morale but also the military's morale will be shaken.

Fortunately, most of them are from Liaodong, so the impact is not significant.

Three days later.

The Luoyang newspaper was published, and the prince announced the letter to the world.

I have heard that the way of heaven is clear, good and evil will be rewarded; the moral principles of human relations should not be violated lightly. Today, our Tang Dynasty seems peaceful, but in fact, undercurrents are surging and crises are everywhere. I, Li Chengqian, am the eldest son of the Tang Dynasty and the crown prince. Since childhood, I have been taught by my father and emperor to serve the country, to seek the welfare of the people of the world, and to plan for the long-term development of the Tang Dynasty.

Looking back on the past, I invented the curved plow, promoted agriculture and sericulture, and made the people of the world prosperous; I led my army to Liaodong, and with the power of thunder and fire, I broke the strong city of Goryeo, annihilated Silla and Baekje, and spread the prestige of the Tang Dynasty beyond the borders. These achievements were witnessed by the world and praised by all the people. I thought that I could inherit the throne and live up to my father's expectations and the trust of my subjects.

However, the heavens are full of unexpected changes, and people are subject to misfortunes and blessings at any time. Recently, my father was deceived by villains and listened to slander. He did not examine my loyalty and achievements, and rashly issued an edict to abolish my position as crown prince and demote me to a commoner. This decision is really unfair and absurd!
I think carefully, this must be a treacherous person, coveting the throne, and wanting to get rid of me as soon as possible. They framed me with false accusations, causing the father and I to fall out, and the emperor and his subjects to be alienated. What's worse, I am afraid that the Tang Dynasty will repeat the fate of the Western Han Dynasty. In the past, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was bewitched by villains such as Jiang Chong, which led to the unjust death of Crown Prince Liu Ju. The whole world was shocked and the Han Dynasty was almost overthrown. If the father does not investigate the truth and insists on his own way, the Tang Dynasty will be in danger!

Although I have suffered this great disaster, my original intention has not changed and my ambition remains. I am holding my own army in Luoyang, not for rebellion, but for self-protection. I want to clear the court, punish the treacherous and corrupt, and restore peace and prosperity to the Tang Dynasty. The soldiers under my command are all loyal and righteous, willing to follow me through life and death, just to seek justice and protect the Tang Dynasty.

Look at the court today. Chu Suiliang and his ilk, for their own selfish interests, cling to the powerful and bewitching the emperor; Fang Xuanling and his ilk, ganging up on dissidents, disregarding the overall situation, want to establish someone else as the heir. Such behavior is truly disloyal and unjust, and is truly a disaster for the country and the people. And my father was deceived by them and made such a wrong decision, which makes me feel deeply saddened.

I hereby solemnly declare to the world: I, Li Chengqian, am the legitimate prince of the Tang Dynasty and the one who should inherit the throne. I am not raising an army to rebel, but to fight for justice and for the people of the world. I am willing to join the heroes of the world in this cause, to punish the treacherous and support the country.

All the people of the Tang Dynasty should distinguish right from wrong and not be deceived by treacherous people. If you can recognize the situation and turn from darkness to light, I will forgive you and reward you according to your merits. If you are stubborn and help the tyrants to commit atrocities and collude with the treacherous, I will punish you severely and will not show any leniency.

I firmly believe that justice will eventually triumph over evil, and the truth will eventually be revealed to the world. After I have cleared the emperor's court and punished the treacherous, I will definitely return a clean and upright court to my father and a peaceful and prosperous world. I hope that the people of the world will share the same heart and mind with me, face the national crisis together, and revive the power of the Tang Dynasty!
Nongze Shengrui Prince Li Chengqian, October 10, the 18th year of Zhenguan.

(End of this chapter)