My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 386 Li Zhi: I Want to Be the Crown Prince
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month in the 19th year of Zhenguan, at the first quarter

Icicles hung from the eaves of the Main Hall of Ci'en Temple. The sunlight passed through the glazed windows, casting colorful spots of light on the fingertips of Jin Wang Li Zhi as he held the scriptures.

He was counting his Buddhist beads intently when he heard hurried footsteps coming from the corridor. Looking up, he saw Chang Sun Chong's head was covered with snow and his fur coat was still stained with unmelted ice crystals.

"Why did Chang Sun Chong invite me here?"

Li Zhi greeted him with a smile. Chang Sun Chong sent a visiting card last night and asked him to meet at Ci'en Temple.

Chang Sun Chong, however, was not as relaxed as usual and looked serious.

"Because the prince doesn't like Buddhism."

The meaning of this statement is very clear. The prince does not like Buddhism, so there is probably no one from the prince in this Ci'en Temple.

Li Zhi frowned and asked, "What does this mean?"

Chang Sun Chong shook his head slightly, not intending to gossip, and went straight to the point: "The Crown Prince mobilized troops from Liaodong, under the guise of merchants, and to date, tens of thousands of elite troops have sneaked into Chang'an."

"Among them, the one who protected the prince was the Right Jinwu General Lu Tong."

Li Zhi's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly explained, "Brother Changsun, you should know that Lu Tong is under the command of the Crown Prince and never obeys my orders."

He was really scared. The prince sent troops into the city. Was he going to put the blame on himself?
The prince had used this method before to arrest officials in Chang'an, dragging down the left and right Jinwu Guards. Is he doing it again now?

Chang Sun Chong was slightly stunned. He didn't expect that Prince Jin would first shirk his relationship, which made him a little disappointed.

Doesn’t the Prince of Jin realize what will happen now that the Crown Prince has so many elite troops?

But his father had already chosen the King of Jin, and they didn’t have many choices.

I can only comfort myself that Prince Jin is still young.

If Changsun Wuji were here, he would not think so. Changsun Chong is still too young.

From Changsun Wuji's perspective, Prince Jin being too smart is not a good thing.

The ministers need an emperor who is not so smart.

"Don't worry, Prince Jin. Lu Tong is the prince's man. This is known to everyone in the court and the public."

Hearing this, Li Zhi felt relieved.

Then he shuddered again and said, "Tens of thousands of soldiers sneaked into Chang'an, what is the prince going to do?"

Chang Sun Chong said in a deep voice: "It is time to do something to change the world. The prince can't wait any longer."

Li Zhi hurriedly said: "This is an important matter, we must report it to our father as soon as possible."

Chang Sun Chong nodded, and then said: "Your Majesty has already known about this matter. Yesterday, my father and Prime Minister Fang entered the palace to discuss countermeasures with Your Majesty."

At this point, Chang Sun Chong paused, and without waiting for Li Zhi to reply, he continued, "Your Majesty has lost his patience with the Crown Prince, and it is decided to strike first."

"We are currently investigating the Crown Prince's infiltrating troops. Once we confirm that they are true, we will first launch a surprise attack with the Imperial Guards, and then use the main army to besiege the Daming Palace."

"My father has proposed to His Majesty that King Jin mobilize the Right Jinwu Guard to assist in the investigation."

"Your Majesty has agreed."

At this point, Li Zhi naturally understood what was said and was immediately excited.

When the crown prince rebelled, Changsun Wuji asked him to help deal with the crown prince. This was a great achievement. With this achievement, he would have a great advantage when the choice of crown prince is discussed again in the future.

And since Changsun Wuji made the suggestion, it was obvious that the Changsun family had now taken sides.

This seems to be the rhythm of supporting him to become the crown prince.

After so many failures before, Li Zhi had no choice but to lie dormant and wait for the opportunity.

Now that things have taken a turn for the better and the time has come, it has finally fallen on his head.

However, Li Zhi was still a little worried.

"The Crown Prince's artillery is sharp. The Daming Palace is so close to the Taiji Palace. If the Crown Prince attacks the Xuanwu Gate, my father's safety will be in danger."

The prince’s strength is too strong, so strong that it is terrifying.

Although Li Zhi also went to the Liaodong pacification event, he did not see it with his own eyes and was not deeply impressed.

Moreover, in the minds of most people, foreign races are just like that. The prince was able to win because of the terrifying power of gunpowder. When outsiders first saw gunpowder, it was like thunder and lightning, and their hearts and minds were terrified and their morale was completely lost.

Now that gunpowder has been discovered, the mystery and unknown are gone and naturally it is not so scary anymore.

However, the capture of Tongguan made Li Zhi truly feel the ferocity of the prince's army and the sharpness of their artillery.

That is Tongguan guarded by Li Weigong, and there are also powerful Tang Dynasty generals such as Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin.

Now the prince wants to attack Xuanwu Gate by force, and Li Zhi feels that Xuanwu Gate may not be able to resist.

Chang Sun Chong explained: "Your Majesty will then temporarily avoid the limelight and move to another place."

After hearing this, Li Zhi felt relieved.

He was really afraid that his father would stay in Taiji Palace for the sake of face.

If my father falls into the hands of the crown prince, it will be hard to say who will win or lose.

After a slight hesitation, Li Zhi asked again: "Does the King of Wei know about this?"

The crown prince has rebelled, so of course there is no need to consider the issue of winning the throne. The only one left is the King of Wei.

It was obvious that after his father pacified the crown prince, the King of Wei would become his biggest enemy in his bid for the throne.

In fact, Chang Sun Chong didn’t know the situation of King Wei. After all, each family had its own channels, and his father didn’t tell anyone about King Wei.

Of course, the fact that the King of Wei was colluding with the Turks could not be said openly. After all, the King of Wei was your majesty's legitimate son and was favored by many. If we said it directly, wouldn't that be a slap in the face of your majesty?

After thinking for a while, Chang Sun Chong said, "The King of Wei probably doesn't know about this matter, and the King of Wei has no troops, so it's difficult for him to get involved in such matters."

When Li Zhi heard this, he agreed.

At the same time, he was glad that he had the position of General of the Right Jinwu Guard. Normally, this position was useless and far inferior to that of King Wei, whose party had great say in the court.

But at this critical point, having soldiers in hand is the most practical thing.

If not for this, he would not have been able to participate in the event of pacifying the prince.

Every peck and every sip seemed to have been destined.

"My eldest grandson, my uncle, told me what to do."

Li Zhi was also a smart man. He had previously called Changsun Situ because Changsun Wuji had always been ambiguous with him and never too close to him.

Now that Changsun Wuji wants to support him to take the throne, his intention has been made very clear, and he deserves this title.

When Chang Sun Chong heard the Prince of Jin call him uncle, he understood that the Prince of Jin was on the safe side.

The cooperation between the Changsun family and the Prince of Jin was originally a win-win situation.

However, Chang Sun Chong had no intention of controlling Prince Jin because of this. Once Prince Jin became the crown prince, or even ascended the throne, the situation would be completely different.

The emperor is ruthless, and this is not just talk.

"King Jin just needs to cooperate."

Li Zhi nodded: "Okay."

At the same time, he was delighted. Since entering Chang'an, he felt that he had never been so close to the position of crown prince as he was today, as if it was within his reach.

Good mood should be shared.

Li Zhifei was a person who could not hide things, but he was young after all, and he felt very uncomfortable when he encountered such happy events suddenly.

After Chang Sun Chong left, he paced back and forth, thought again and again, and decided to go into the palace to share his joy with Mei Niang. He also wanted to ask Mei Niang to find out what was missing and see if there was anything else he could do about it.

This time when he entered the palace, Li Zhi did not go to pay a visit to his father, but went to the Hongwenguan under the pretext of checking classics.

In front of the Taiji Hall, there were offices such as the Secretariat, the Ministry of Personnel, the Sherenyuan, and the Hongwenguan.

You don't necessarily have to enter the Tai Chi Hall.

However, the news of entering the palace would naturally reach Li Shimin's ears.

"Your Majesty, the Prince of Jin went to the East Sea Pool." East Sea Pool, North Sea Pool, South Sea Pool.

The three pools in the Taiji Palace were where the emperor and his concubines went boating.

Li Shimin waved his hand: "Let him be."

How could Li Shimin hide the fact that Prince Jin frequently had contact with Concubine Wu?

A long time ago, perhaps when Li Zhi met Wu Meiniang once or twice, the eunuch Zhang Ananda had already reported the matter.

After all, Wu Meiniang is a talented woman and nominally the emperor's concubine.

It’s just that the Tang Dynasty was open-minded, and Li Shimin himself was also very open-minded. He didn’t have much opinion about his son falling in love with Wu Cairen.

For example, Concubine Wei was first married to Li Min, the son of Li Zixiong, the Minister of Civil Affairs of the Sui Dynasty, and gave birth to Princess Dingxiang.

Then, in the fourth year of Wude, she married Li Shimin and gave birth to the tenth son, Prince Ji Li Shen, and the twelfth daughter, Princess Linchuan Li Mengjiang.

There is also Wei Zhaorong, who is a cousin of Concubine Wei. She first married Wang Shichong's eldest son Wang Xuanying, and later married Li Shimin in the fourth year of Wude.

So it’s just a small matter that King Jin likes Talented Lady Wu.

Moreover, Li Shimin was also very optimistic about Wu Cairen. He knew that Wu Cairen had some talent and courage, and if Zhinu ascended the throne in the future, he could provide more assistance.

Li Zhi excitedly entered the palace and met Mei Niang to share his joy.

Wu Meiniang naturally had no way of knowing such confidential matters. After listening to Li Zhi's words, she only felt that the road ahead was bright.

"Congratulations, King Jin, you finally got this God-given opportunity."

Li Zhi was also very happy and said, "Please help me, Mei Niang, to see if there are any omissions in this."

Wu Meiniang hesitated for a moment, and then said seriously: "When investigating the Crown Prince's hidden troops, the King of Jin must be extremely careful and it is best not to show up in person."

Li Zhi frowned: "If I don't show up in person, how can I please my father if I'm timid?"

Wu Meiniang advised: "Prince Jin, please don't forget what happened at Xuanwu Gate."

Li Zhi didn't quite understand: "What does Mei Niang mean by that?"

Wu Meiniang looked serious: "Could it be that Prince Jin has forgotten that it was your majesty who killed his brother at Xuanwu Gate, which forced the late emperor to commit the crime?"

"So the King of Jin must be on guard. The Crown Prince will do something desperate. Your Majesty must temporarily avoid the Crown Prince's attack. The King of Jin has seen the elite troops of Liaodong. They are no worse than the imperial guards. The Crown Prince has artillery. Your Majesty must be cautious and launch a surprise attack first before encircling him."

"But the prince's army will certainly be fierce at first. After breaking through Xuanwu Gate, the prince will not be able to find your majesty. Will he act the same way as your majesty did in the beginning?"

"If the King of Jin and the King of Wei both fall into the hands of the Crown Prince, what will Your Majesty do?"

Hearing this, Li Zhi suddenly panicked.

Yes, if the prince captured him and the King of Wei, or even killed them both, what would his father choose?

Just as he had thought at the beginning on Suzaku Street, when the King of Wei attacks the Crown Prince, he will attack the King of Wei himself, and then he will be the only legitimate son of his father.

Can’t the prince do this?

No, the prince has always wanted to do this.

Before he entered Chang'an, the prince had ordered his confidant Hegan Chengji to assassinate the King of Wei, but the King of Wei happened to escape.

Later, when the prince came to power, he did not want to let them go.

During the eastern expedition to Goryeo, the crown prince captured Liaodong City and gained control of the army. He and the King of Wei then hurriedly fled back to Chang'an for fear that the crown prince would take forceful action in Liaodong.

In Chang'an, with the protection of his father, the prince would not take action as long as his father did not completely turn against him or it was impossible to kill both of them at the same time.

But now the situation is different. The prince wants to lead a large army to rebel. By then, tens of thousands of troops will be rampant in Chang'an City. The King of Wei doesn't even know about it. If he falls into the hands of the prince, his life will definitely be in danger.

"Luckily Mei Niang taught me, otherwise it would have been a big mistake and I would have regretted it too late."

Li Zhi said thankfully.

If he had not told Mei Niang about this matter today, when the time came to investigate the prince's hidden troops, Li Zhi would have really planned to show up in person in order to show his merit to his father.

Now it seems that even if I avoid it, it might make my father unhappy.

But at least you can save your life.

If you lose your life, you will lose everything, and who knows, the prince might succeed.

Wu Meiniang said softly, "Of course I have to consider the King of Jin, and the King of Jin does not have to worry about His Majesty's thoughts. If the Crown Prince cannot find His Majesty and the King of Jin, he will definitely take it out on the King of Wei. In that situation, it is not uncommon for him to kill the King of Wei in a rage."

"If such a thing happened, Your Majesty would not blame the King of Jin for it. Instead, he would think that the King of Jin knew how to recognize the current situation and how to protect himself."

After hearing this, Li Zhi suddenly became happy again.

"It's Mei Niang who makes me happy."

Now he had no worries. Instead, Li Zhi hoped that the King of Wei would fall into the hands of the Crown Prince. In that way, as long as His Majesty pacified the Crown Prince, there would be no one left to compete with him for the throne.

As the only legitimate son of his father, the position of crown prince can only fall into his hands.

Li Zhi felt that this trip to see Mei Niang was totally worth it.

But Li Zhi and Mei Niang didn't know that outside the wall, a young eunuch was eavesdropping. When he heard this, his face changed drastically and he hurriedly tiptoed away.

This young eunuch belongs to the King of Wei.

As Li Shimin's favorite son, Prince of Wei Li Tai had his own spies in the palace.

Li Zhi thought that his relationship with Wu Meiniang was a secret, but in fact many people knew about it.

Li Shimin knew it, Li Tai knew it, and Li Chengqian knew it.

Or perhaps important officials like Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji also knew it.

But no one took it seriously. After all, the Tang Dynasty was an open-minded society, and Li Zhi's affair with the emperor's concubine was an internal matter of the royal family and nothing serious.

However, Prince of Wei, Li Tai, had already arranged people to keep an eye on Wu Meiniang.

In the palace of King Wei.

Li Tai naturally didn't know about Li Shimin's plan, nor did he know that the prince had transferred troops from Liaodong to sneak into Chang'an.

Li Tai is actually in a very awkward situation now. Ever since the incident with Chu Suiliang, he has not been taken seriously by Li Shimin. Even in many subsequent meetings between the emperor and his ministers, Chu Suiliang was not mentioned.

This means that Chu Suiliang is losing the favor of Li Shimin.

After all, forced buying and selling is too unkind. Although we can forgive it, it is impossible to say that we have no grudges in our hearts.

Although the Wei Wang Party seems to be very powerful, it has few members among the ministers close to Your Majesty.

It was only later on because of the Five Surnames and Seven Aristocrats that Chu Suiliang was able to support the King of Wei.

Fang Xuanling had been like this for a while before, but Li Tai didn't know why Fang Xuanling was no longer interested in him.

Especially after the invasion of the Western Turks, even Fang Yiai rarely came to the Prince of Wei's Palace.

This also made Li Tai realize that if he didn't want others to know, he had better not do it.

Although there seemed to be no evidence, everyone knew it clearly, which made him very regretful.

However, these things are only known to a few people.

The young eunuchs in the palace were still very loyal to the King of Wei. In the eyes of most people, the King of Wei was the most favorable contender for the crown prince, and the key was that the King of Wei gave a lot.

Moreover, they had already defected to the King of Wei long ago and were gathering information about the palace for him.

When the young eunuch reported the news he had heard to the Prince of Wei's palace.

Li Tai suddenly panicked.

He had never expected that the situation in Chang'an would change so drastically all of a sudden.

During this period, Li Tai had been thinking about how to please his father, suppress the crown prince, and seize the throne.

And he didn't take King Jin seriously at all.

Who knows, the situation changes suddenly.

(End of this chapter)