My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 347: Inciting Fang Xuanling to rebel?
A villa outside the imperial city.

Across the street from here is the East Palace.

"Your Highness, we have already found out that Yeonhee Gate has added a large number of imperial guards, and even the city walls have been specially reinforced."

The eunuch Wen Zhong said in a low voice.

Li Chengqian nodded: "It seems that father is afraid."

"If I move into the East Palace, I'm sure Father won't be able to sleep all night."

The walls of the palace are very high and solid.

But the walls of the East Palace and Taiji Palace were very fragile and could be directly destroyed by artillery fire.

Li Chengqian also understood that no matter how much Li Shimin compromised, he would not joke about his own safety out of consideration for family affection.

Because once the palace was really broken, Li Shimin would have no choice but to move to the Daming Palace.

The eunuch Wen Zhong said in surprise: "Your Majesty is afraid of Your Highness, why doesn't he let Your Highness live in Daming Palace?"

The crown prince was regent, but he lived in Laitingfang outside the palace. According to etiquette, it should be the Daming Palace.

This is in keeping with the status of a crown prince.

At that time, there was no Xingqing Palace; it was built later.

There are only Taiji Palace and Daming Palace in Chang'an City.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "That's because my father is also afraid of Xuanwu Gate."

"The Daming Palace is located at a high altitude and northeast of the Taiji Palace. If I move into the Daming Palace, I can directly lead an army to attack the Xuanwu Gate."

"The Taiji Palace may seem indestructible, but the Xuanwu Gate is its biggest flaw. As long as we break in through the Xuanwu Gate, we can take the Taiji Palace directly."

"Back then, my father also knew this, so he left through Xuanwu Gate. Later, he was worried about Xuanwu Gate, so he appointed the eunuch Zhang Anan as the General of the Right Guard Gate, and arranged a large number of elite troops and confidants at Xuanwu Gate."

"Most of the soldiers at Xuanwu Gate are from the Xuanjia Army that once followed my father. Only the most trusted ones can be stationed at Xuanwu Gate."

When Wen Zhong heard this, he finally understood.

Your Majesty knows best the path you have walked yourself.

Wen Zhong was a little confused: "Your Highness, what should we do next?"

Li Chengqian frowned slightly.

The current situation is actually what he doesn't want to see, but no one is a saint, and he is not omniscient and omnipotent.

To get to where we are today, we have relied on the help of future generations.

But relying on a little understanding of history.

After all, no matter what era you are in, you still have to rely on yourself in the end.

Only if you are strong can you succeed in any era.

Never underestimate the ancients. Those who can leave their names in history have never had an easy life.

What’s more, there was an emperor like Li Shimin who was the greatest in history, and so many ministers in the court.

After all, Li Chengqian's status as a crown prince played a big role in his ability to remain stable.

Even to this day, Li Chengqian is not completely opposed to Li Shimin.

It does not mean that he stood completely against these famous historical officials of the court.

Fang Xuanling would not kill him, and Changsun Wuji was his uncle, so he would not allow anyone to kill him.

In Li Shimin's eyes, Li Chengqian's actions might make him very angry, but he was still his son after all.

Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs, let alone the fact that Li Chengqian was the first child of Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.

On Suzaku Street.

The emergence of Yulin Guard was the protection that Li Shimin provided to his sons.

From the beginning to the end, Li Shimin hoped that all his sons would live well, not die.

After all, what Li Chengqian faced was never the Tang Dynasty at full power.

In addition to some of his previous achievements, Li Shimin himself was seriously ill, and he still hoped that Li Chengqian would inherit the throne.

Li Chengqian knew all of this.

But the biggest key is whether Li Shimin's health will recover.

If Li Shimin had died of illness, Li Chengqian would probably have succeeded him.

But what if Li Shimin recovered?

There is no way to mediate the power struggle between the emperor and the crown prince.

Li Shimin did not want to abdicate when he was in his forties and in good health.

But can the prince wait another twenty years?

Li Chengqian didn't really want to be emperor, but could his subordinates wait for twenty years?

The most important thing is, is King Li Tai of Wei willing to live peacefully as a king and a fiefdom?

At this point, is Prince of Jin, Li Zhi, still willing to return to his fiefdom?

Many things cannot be done the way you want them to be.

The general trend forces everyone to fight.

If you take a step back, others will not take a step back, but a step forward.

Li Chengqian wanted to preserve and expand his power, but there were only so many positions in the court.

As he became more powerful, Li Shimin became smaller.

If neither of them is willing, then we can only fight.

But this fight also requires a balance, rather than going all out.

Li Chengqian fell into deep thought, thinking about how to fight Li Shimin.

Wen Zhong was careful not to make any sound and disturb His Highness's thoughts.

Li Chengqian looked at the night scene outside the window.

"He has to protect the King of Wei and the King of Jin. This is the bottom line."

"Before I succeeded to the throne, killing the King of Wei and the King of Jin was meaningless."

"But now the King of Wei and the King of Jin are no longer strong enough to fight. Before her health recovers, Erfeng will probably have to give in."

"Once he recovers, he will definitely find a way to help the King of Wei and the King of Jin get back on their feet."

"Erfeng doesn't want to be involved in this incident herself, right?"

'Even though I've finished now, I still have to go back later.'

Li Chengqian frowned.

Because of the current situation, although he seems very strong, his weaknesses are actually also obvious.

Apart from the 30,000 Shenwu troops, there is nothing else.

But in the city of Chang'an, if there was no fighting, the Shenwu Army would not play a big role in other aspects except protecting him.

To break through, you must get support from others.

Changsun Wuji?

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly.

This old fox will not release the eagle until he sees the rabbit.

It seems that Changsun Wuji has always been on Li Chengqian's side, but Li Chengqian knows in his heart that Changsun Wuji is actually just on the side of the general trend.

As long as it wasn't the King of Wei, it didn't matter to Changsun Wuji whether the crown prince or the King of Jin succeeded to the throne. Wei Zheng?

It's okay to bicker, but it's useless if it comes to fighting for imperial power.

After thinking for a while.

Li Chengqian suddenly thought of someone.

Fang Xuanling!
"Wen Zhong."

"The minister is here."

Li Chengqian ordered: "Well, go and arrange for someone to check Fang Xuanling's recent situation."

Wen Zhong hesitated a little: "Prince Fang? What does the prince mean?"

Li Chengqian whispered: "In this world, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests."

"Although Fang Xuanling said his wife was from the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Families, his Fang family was not."

"What he wants is not the orderly inheritance of the Five Surnames and Seven Families, but his Fang family."

"The second son of the Fang family followed the King of Wei, but the eldest son of the Fang family is not the King of Wei's man."

Wen Zhong hesitated a little: "But Fang Xiang had been here before."

Li Chengqian said, "It was the past because he had no choice. But it is different now. Father is seriously ill and he is old. He should consider the family."

"In all these matters at court, Fang Xuanling seemed to have always been on the side of the King of Wei, but in fact, he did not completely target me."

With Fang Xuanling's ability, if he had gone all out, the Wei Wang Party would not be in its current state.

Li Chengqian could feel that he was leaving himself a way out.

Of course, Erfeng would not allow Fang Xuanling to go all out.

Erfeng asked Fang Xuanling to help King Wei, not to overthrow the prince, but to suppress him.

If Erfeng really wanted to depose the prince, there would be no need to go through so much trouble.

"Is this possible?"

Wen Zhong felt a little unbelievable.

After all, Fang Xuanling has always been against the prince.

In this situation, the prince actually wants to join forces with Fang Xuanling.

No matter how I think about it, it feels unreliable.

"Stop talking nonsense, just do it."

Li Chengqian naturally could not contact Fang Xuanling rashly. He had to at least find a suitable time and know Fang Xuanling's recent situation before he could talk to him.
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Fangfu.

"Father, the situation is now clear. The prince has his own army and intends to rebel. This is known to everyone in the world."

Fang Yizhi was the first to break the silence: "The Prince of Wei is wise and favored by His Majesty. He also has the support of many ministers. This time he will definitely be able to overthrow the Crown Prince in one fell swoop. Father is the Prime Minister. If he can fully support the Prince of Wei, the Fang family will be even more glorious when the Prince of Wei ascends the throne."

He couldn't understand why his father was still wavering and unwilling to give his all even at this point.

As the eldest son of the Fang family, he knew better than his younger brother Fang Yiai how powerful his father was.

It can be said that most of the officials in the court today have more or less a relationship with my father.

Once they take action, the Wei Wang Party will inevitably increase its power.

But it has been so long, and the crown prince has even raised an army, but my father still thinks that the King of Wei will not be able to succeed in his bid for the throne.

Fang Xuanling gently put down the memorial. It was not easy to manage the affairs of state. Li Shimin could play around, but he couldn't. It had become a habit for him to work overtime at night to read memorials from all over the country.

Then he looked at his son with deep eyes.

He sighed and said, "Yizhi, you are too young and think things are too simple. The situation in the court is unpredictable, so how can there be absolute clarity? Although the prince is radical, he has 30,000 Shenwu troops in his hands, and weapons such as artillery. His strength should not be underestimated."

Fang Yizhi was a little anxious: "But father, His Majesty has woken up. Will he let the prince go? Will he forgive the prince? The prince didn't even hand over Tongguan."

"The King of Jin is young, and His Majesty has always favored the King of Wei. The Crown Prince is now in Chang'an City and cannot even live in the East Palace."

Fang Xuanling shook his head slightly and rubbed his temple with his hand: "Your Majesty's thoughts, is it so easy to guess?"

"Do you think His Majesty really wants to depose the Crown Prince?"

"If His Majesty really wanted to take action against the Crown Prince, more than half of the Imperial Guards would have come to Suzaku Street today."

"Let me tell you, His Majesty bypassed us ministers and secretly mobilized tens of thousands of palace soldiers outside the city to ambush if the prince wants to escape Chang'an City after seizing Qixia Gate."

"Then the palace soldiers outside the city and the imperial guards inside the city will surely attack the prince from both sides."

"It's just that the prince may have guessed His Majesty's intention. Even though he knew that His Majesty had woken up, he still chose to stay in Chang'an City."

Fang Xuanling didn't know about the military mobilization before, but he naturally got the news after that.

After learning the news, Fang Xuanling became a little conflicted.

Having been with His Majesty for so many years, he knows His Majesty very well.

To say that Your Majesty is broad-minded can also be said to be soft-hearted.

Even at this point, he still couldn't bear to kill the prince.

Also because of the illness.

During this serious illness, Fang Xuanling could sense that His Majesty would prefer the Crown Prince to inherit the throne.

As for the heinous act of rebelling, it is not a big deal.

After all, Your Majesty himself has come this far.

Compared to Your Majesty, starting a rebellion is nothing.

But what Your Majesty is worried about now is the lives of the King of Wei and the King of Jin.

Because if the prince really ascends the throne, there is no guarantee that he will not attack the King of Wei and the King of Jin.

Fang Yizhi frowned, a puzzled look on his face: "Father, you mean that the prince still has a chance to turn the tables? But now most of the ministers in the court stand on the side of the King of Wei. Even Lord Zhangsun Wuji, although he remains neutral on the surface, is actually secretly supporting the King of Jin. If father does not seize this opportunity, the Fang family may be in a passive position in the future."

The fact that Changsun Wuji supports Prince of Jin is actually not a big secret.

Although he did not show up in person, Chang Sun Chong's relationship with Prince Jin was too good.

We are not fools, so we can all see it.

"Changsun Wuji?" Fang Xuanling sneered, "How can I not understand what he is thinking? His so-called neutrality is just waiting and watching the situation. He wants to make a choice after the situation becomes clearer. He is the uncle of the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin. No matter who ascends the throne, his status will not be affected. But our Fang family is different. If we stand on the wrong side, the consequences will be disastrous."

Fang Yizhi said unwillingly: "Father, are we going to watch the King of Wei miss this opportunity?"

"If the prince really ascends the throne, the Fang family will definitely be retaliated against because of his previous dissatisfaction with father. Father, don't forget that we opposed the prince's ideas many times in the court before, and we also had a huge conflict with the prince because of his rebellion."

Fang Xuanling stood up and paced back and forth in the study, his steps heavy and slow: "Why am I not worried about this too?"

"But have you ever thought about it? If the prince can really control the situation and ascend the throne smoothly, what does he need? He needs talents who can help him stabilize the court and govern the world. Even if the prince is angry, he will not easily attack the Fang family for the sake of the country."

Fang Yizhi said excitedly: "Father is gambling!"

"I'm betting that the prince will let bygones be bygones, and that he will tolerate our Fang family. But what if I lose? If the King of Wei succeeds, he will certainly use those ministers who support him. And our Fang family, because of our hesitation, will miss this opportunity, and our status in the court will probably plummet."

Fang Xuanling shook his head slightly: "I'm not gambling, but weighing the pros and cons."

"Yizhi, remember, in this court, there are no eternal enemies, only eternal interests."

"Although the prince had conflicts with us, they were all for national affairs. The situation is critical now. If he wants to secure his throne, he needs the support of forces like our Fang family."

"And King Wei, is he really capable of controlling the overall situation?"

Fang Yizhi was silent for a moment, then said: "Father, I understand your concerns. But now the prince is full of hostility towards us. If we take the initiative to show goodwill, will he accept it?"

"Besides, my second brother Yiai has completely surrendered to the King of Wei and is offering advice to him. If we suddenly change our stance, what will happen to my second brother?"

(End of this chapter)