Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 243 Li Shimin: Prince, what are you going to do? [Seeking monthly votes]

Li Chengqian practiced the "Taixuan Health Preservation Sutra" and became almost immune to all poisons.

But the result was that he still fell into the trap.

Therefore, he suspected that the so-called immunity to all poisons should be directed against poisons rather than viruses.

But when faced with the sudden appearance of the poisonous insect, it slapped him in the face again.

It turned out that he was not infected with the virus, but was poisoned by someone.

Sometimes he wondered, is this a world of immortal cultivation? How could such a thing exist?

Later, he asked Xue Rengui and found out that Gu had existed in the Central Plains for thousands of years.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, "Zuo Zhuan: The First Year of Duke Zhao" recorded that the monarch of Jin sought doctors from Qin to treat Gu diseases, and "Records of the Grand Historian: The Basic Annals of Xia" also recorded the story of Duke De of Qin using dogs to tame Gu worms.

From this we can see that Gu can not only be used to save people, but also to harm people.

However, there is still one thing that puzzles him to this day.

The mysterious woman who cast the curse on him, why didn't she hurt him directly, but instead chose to hurt him on the Double Ninth Festival.

Could it be that the mysterious woman is in cahoots with the people who set up the trap to harm him today?

Do they want to control Crazy Horse to kill themselves or injure themselves during a polo match?
Thinking of this, Li Chengqian suddenly recalled his original body's experience, and then it suddenly dawned on him. It turns out that so-called accidents can be artificially created.

If you use poisonous insects to cause trouble, you can do it without anyone noticing.

Because he suddenly had a headache while riding a horse, causing dizziness and then "accidentally" falling off the horse, no one would associate it with the work of a poisonous insect.

Even if an imperial physician examined the patient afterwards, he would only treat the external injuries first and would not check whether the patient had been poisoned.

This is also why doctors in later generations have specialists. For example, if you have worms in your brain, doctors elsewhere will recommend surgery, but if you go to a place with a specialist, you can just hang an IV and the problem will be solved.

The same is true for poisonous insects. Unless there is an imperial physician who has a deep understanding of poisonous insects, it is difficult to detect their existence.

Therefore, the method of using poisonous insects to harm people can be said to be very clever.

After all, no one would have thought that the great Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty would be cursed. Or rather, someone would actually dare to curse the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

"Humph, you are so bold, how dare you harm my grandson!"

Li Yuan snorted coldly and stood up, saying solemnly, "If we don't get to the bottom of this today, none of you will be able to leave safely!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he walked past Li Shimin beside him, walked to the front of the Chrysanthemum Terrace, and ordered loudly: "Pass on my decree, seal the palace gates, and don't let anyone leave Taiji Palace!"

Wow!
The whole place was in an uproar!

The civil and military officials, foreign envoys, including their entourage and families, who had been frightened and had no intention of attending the banquet, were suddenly shocked when they heard Li Yuan's words.

"Emperor, we have nothing to do with this matter!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, our people were injured by a crazy horse and need immediate medical treatment. Please let us go!"

"Your Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, we are innocent!"

"Heavenly Khan, please make the decision for us!"

Faced with Li Yuan's order, some people complained and knelt down to beg, while others turned their attention to Li Shimin, hoping that he would let them go.

After all, if something like this happens and you are innocently implicated, it would be a dead end.

But when Li Shimin heard Li Yuan's order, he did not stand up to object.

Because he also wanted to know the ins and outs of this matter.

Although Li Chengqian had just said that "tonight is a night for killing", which made him feel a little uncomfortable, but if someone was really behind this chaos, he wouldn't mind killing someone tonight.

But he said coldly, "Japanese envoys, I give you a chance to confess. Tell me, is this riot related to you?"

"The Khan of Heaven is wise!"

Upon hearing this, the Japanese envoy, Inujou Odenkumi, quickly knelt down and argued, "We are innocent. This riot has nothing to do with us. Even if it does, it was Princess Sakura's own decision, and it has nothing to do with our delegation!"

Li Chengqian laughed: "You're trying to get away with it pretty well. Didn't you guys participate in the competition just now? Logically speaking, anyone who participates in the competition is suspected. Why can you be excluded?"

"What do you mean, Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty? Am I, Tuyuhun, also a suspect?" Murong Shun was unhappy at the time.

The envoys from Goguryeo and Western Turkic also expressed their dissatisfaction.

"Yes, Prince of the Tang Dynasty, you can't wrongly accuse a good person! This matter has nothing to do with us!"

"Prince of the Tang Dynasty, are you targeting us?"

"No, no, no, you misunderstood!"

Li Chengqian waved his hands repeatedly: "I'm not targeting you! I'm targeting everyone present!"

"what?!"

When everyone heard this, they were stunned.

But then Li Shimin said coldly: "Come here, call the imperial physician and veterinarian from the palace to carefully examine those horses and those insects!"

"Also, summon the officials in charge of the polo field and horses, as well as the Minister of Rites and the Minister of Justice, and have them all here for a thorough investigation!"

"promise!"

After watching the palace servants leave with their promises, Li Chengqian walked over to Princess Sakura and asked with a smile, "Princess Sakura, are you still not going to tell me?"

"Your Highness, I really don't know what pink powder is. Please forgive me." Princess Sakura turned her head to Li Chengqian with difficulty and said pitifully.

"Ah!"

Li Chengqian snorted, then said meaningfully, "Didn't you say you wanted to learn about Central Plains culture from me? I'll teach you an old saying from our Central Plains: 'Don't cry until you see the coffin!'"

After saying this, he immediately turned to Li Shimin and said, "Father, I, your son, would like to inspect the carriages of the envoys entering the palace!"

"allow!"

Li Shimin uttered a word without thinking.

Soon, Li Chengqian ordered Sun Fujia to take people to inspect the carriages of the envoys from various countries.

The envoys from the twenty-nine countries in the audience looked extremely nervous.

Although they were all sure that they were not involved in this matter, there were many things on their carriages that were strictly prohibited by the Tang Dynasty.

For example, spices that entered the country through informal channels, and goods they smuggled from the Tang Dynasty.

Normally, the Tang Dynasty would not care about these things. After all, guests are guests, so everyone would just turn a blind eye.

But at this time, something like this has happened again, and there is no guarantee that the Tang Dynasty will not make things difficult for them.

Therefore, they are now afraid of causing displeasure to the Tang Dynasty, and each of them is as honest as a quail, not daring to make any objection.

In contrast, the civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty acted as if it had nothing to do with them, whispering to each other, and there was no sign that they had anything to do with the matter.

After all, this incident happened from beginning to end in a match with foreign envoys. They didn't even have a chance to play, so it's hard for people to suspect them.

Just when everyone was thinking different things, Dali Temple Minister Dai Zhou, Honglu Minister Tang Jian, the palace's imperial doctors, veterinarians, and officials in charge of the polo field and horses were brought to the Chrysanthemum Terrace.

But Li Shimin said bluntly: "Have you checked the bodies of those crazy horses? Were they drugged?"

"This"

Several officials exchanged glances, and the veterinarian spoke first: "Your Majesty, we have carefully examined the bodies of the crazy horses and found no signs of poisoning. They probably weren't drugged."

"How could they go crazy if they weren't drugged?" Li Shimin obviously disagreed with this result.

But then the imperial physician explained, "Your Majesty, although our examination showed that the mad horses had not been drugged, it was not the poison that really made the horses go mad, but the bugs!"

"Bugs? You said those bugs can drive horses crazy?"

"Yes, they're called scorpions. There's a record in the Huayang Guozhi (Chronicles of the Huayang Kingdom) from the Jin Dynasty that Nanzhao witches used corpse oil to feed scorpion bugs, which would go mad when exposed to stone fat. Those horses were driven mad by the scorpion bugs!"

"I see."

Li Shimin nodded in sudden realization, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "What is this stone fat you're talking about? Why are there insects in the palace?"

"How could there be a gnat in the palace? I don't know, but lithosphere, also known as 'lithosphere water,' is flammable and inky black, as recorded in the 'Yuanhe County Chronicles.'"

"I know, you're talking about oil!"

Before the imperial physician could finish his words, Li Chengqian interrupted him, "Is it coming out of the ground? It smells very pungent, and it emits black smoke. Water can't put out the fire."

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is well-read and has a wide range of knowledge. This is exactly the characteristic of Shizhi!" The imperial physician saluted Li Chengqian with admiration on his face.

Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian with suspicion: "How do you know about this stone fat?"

How should I know?

Oil is an important strategic resource!
No one in later generations doesn’t know this!
Li Chengqian criticized Li Shimin in his heart, and then said in a condescending manner: "As long as you read more books, there will be nothing you don't know!"

"Humph!"

When Li Shimin heard Li Chengqian's words, he snorted coldly and then said with a stern face, "Since you know everything, then tell me, what does this have to do with Princess Sakura?"

"Before answering Father, I would like to ask you a question. How many types of polo fields do we have?"

"Of course, there are two kinds of nature: grassland and oil fields."

Li Shimin reacted instantly, and then looked at the polo field in disbelief, and said in a daze: "You mean, the polo field in the palace has been paved with asphalt?"

“Even if we knew the polo field was paved with asphalt, it would have been burned down!”

"But who laid the asphalt? Shouldn't we be able to find out?"

"Your Majesty, the craftsman who built the oil field for the polo field returned home half a month ago and died of plague." The official in charge of the polo field hurriedly reported upon hearing Li Shimin's words.

Li Shimin's face instantly darkened: "Why didn't you report it earlier?!"

"Your Majesty, I just learned about this."

Li Chengqian sneered upon hearing this, then walked up to Princess Sakura again and said calmly, "Two months ago, the Dali Temple uncovered a smuggling case involving a variety of Tang Dynasty items, most of which were porcelain, calligraphy and paintings, and medical books. Half a year ago, the Dali Temple discovered several missing persons cases, mainly involving skilled craftsmen from the Tang Dynasty. All of these cases are related to Japan."

"Or rather, it's related to the Soga clan of Japan, right, Soga Shizuka?"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Princess Sakura's pupils shrank and her face turned pale.

But Li Chengqian had not finished speaking.

But he smiled and said, "Then who colluded with the Soga family to smuggle? And who helped them cover up those missing persons cases?"

After saying this, he turned to look at Dali Temple Minister Dai Zhou and raised his eyebrows and asked, "Has Dali Temple Minister investigated thoroughly?"

"Your Highness, thanks to the help of Sun Fujia, the Secretary of the Eastern Palace, I have thoroughly investigated these cases!"

Dai Zhou clasped his hands and said, "The man who colluded with the Soga family to smuggle is named Feng Xiu, the nephew of the late Shangshu You Pushe Feng Deyi. When he was the Taifu Temple Secretary, he had many contacts with the Japanese envoy Inugami Ota!" "What!?"

Inugami Otagi's face changed drastically, and he tried to explain himself, but suddenly Li Shimin gave him a cold look and said gravely, "Inugami Otagi, I remember that in the first year of the Zhenguan era, in the letter you presented to the emperor, you specifically mentioned wanting to learn the horse training techniques of the Tang Dynasty. So you've been plotting something like this for a long time?"

"No, no."

Inuue Otagi stammered for a long time and couldn't say anything, and sweat gradually soaked through his clothes.

Dai Zhou then continued, "During the search of Feng Xiu's residence, the Dali Temple discovered a large amount of unidentified herbs in his home. With the help of the Honglu Temple, they discovered that the herb is called 'Drunken Horse Grass' and is grown on Tsushima Island in Japan. When heated, it emits a strange fragrance that drives horses mad."

"And those missing craftsmen were all seconded to the Imperial Household Department and disappeared unexpectedly after their horses traveled."

"Ah!"

Li Chengqian laughed when he heard Dai Zhou's words. He then looked at Princess Yinghua with interest and said, "I guess Princess Yinghua sprinkled this powder on Commander Xue's horse just now, right?"

"I, I didn't"

Princess Sakura is still stubborn.

Li Chengqian's smile grew even wider: "It doesn't matter if you don't admit it. You're not the mastermind behind this anyway!"

"but."

As he spoke, he changed the subject and set his gaze on Murong Shun again, jokingly saying, "You may not be so sure!"

"What!?"

Murong Shun was startled and quickly said to Li Shimin: "Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, I have nothing to do with this matter. I just want Princess Sakura to help me win the game at all costs. Please..."

"What do you want?"

Li Shimin interrupted him with a sneer: "Would you like me to marry Changle to you? Or would you like me to help you ascend the throne?"

"This"

Murong Shun was speechless when he heard this.

Because he really thought so, but he didn't expect Li Shimin to expose him so directly.

Li Chengqian then pondered, "The little prince should have come to Chang'an in July, right? It's September now, which means he's been in the Tang Dynasty for two months. He hasn't submitted a letter of credence to my father, nor has he formally requested an audience with him. So, what has he been doing these past two months?"

"Or rather, who has the little prince been in contact with in the past two months?"

"In fact, as long as we look carefully, we can still find it."

Having said this, he turned to the silent Western Turkic and Goguryeo envoys and said calmly, "I'm sure your visit to the Tang Dynasty is not a simple one. So, who did you come into contact with?"

"I, we."

Upon hearing this, Gao Jianshou and Li Siyuan subconsciously glanced at the Western Turkic envoy and were speechless for a moment.

At this time, Sun Fujia, who was in charge of investigating the carriages of envoys from various countries, and Ma Zhou, who was in charge of traffic management, came to the Juhuatai together.

"Your Highness and I pay our respects."

"okay!"

Just as Sun Fujia and Ma Zhou were about to salute Li Shimin, Li Shimin interrupted them with a wave of his hand and urged, "What are the results of the investigation? Tell us quickly!"

"This"

Sun Fujia and Ma Zhou exchanged a glance, but Ma Zhou spoke first, "Your Majesty, we have discovered unidentified drug powder on the carriages of twenty-nine nations! However, we have found nothing unusual on the carriages of Goguryeo, Japan, Western Turkestan, and Tuyuhun."

"What!?"

Everyone was surprised when they heard this.

Even Li Shimin, Li Chengqian and Li Yuan widened their eyes in surprise.

What's the situation?
How come there was unknown powder in their carriage?

"Hahaha!"

The middle-aged man beside Murong Shun suddenly threw his head back and laughed heartily. He then loudly mocked the audience, "You twenty-nine nations, you keep saying you want to become vassal states of the Tang Dynasty, but in the end you are secretly plotting to murder the Tang Crown Prince. You deserve to die!"

"Fu Zhen! Stop talking nonsense here. We have no intention of murdering the Crown Prince of Tang!" Zhishisili was the first to stand up when he heard this.

What a joke!
How could I possibly murder His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!

However, Fu Zhen had no intention of arguing with him. He turned to Li Shimin and said, "Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, I, Tuyuhun, wish to form an alliance with the Tang Dynasty to jointly conquer these 29 countries!"

"Heavenly Khan, Western Turks are also willing to send troops!"

"And us."

The moment Fu Zhen finished speaking, the other three countries also echoed him.

The scene instantly caused a sensation.

Almost no one expected the situation to turn out like this.

However, just as the twenty-nine nations were at a loss, the ministers of the Five Surnames and Seven Eminences, represented by Cui Renshi, stood up in unison and shouted, "Your Majesty, the twenty-nine nations have gone too far and dared to murder the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. We petition Your Majesty to send troops to suppress the twenty-nine nations!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! The twenty-nine nations cannot bear to see our Tang Dynasty have such a mighty prince. They harbor evil intentions and deserve death!"

"Anyone who offends our Tang Dynasty will be punished no matter how far away!"

"I second the proposal!"

Hearing these ironic echoes, Li Chengqian's face instantly darkened.

It was obvious that he didn't believe that the 29th Congress would conspire to murder him.

Moreover, it was impossible for Li Shimin to go to war with twenty-nine countries for him.

But the current evidence actually points to twenty-nine countries, which is really strange.

Could it be that there is something I have overlooked?
Thinking of this, Li Chengqian couldn't help but fall into silence.

Although the powder of "Drunken Horse Grass" can make horses crazy, the examination results given by the imperial physician and veterinarian have already explained everything.

The madness of those horses had nothing to do with the "drunken horse grass" but was related to the "bugs".

In other words, "Drunken Horse Grass" may be a deception.

They colluded with Princess Sakura and asked her to spread the "Drunken Horse Grass" powder in order to put the blame on the 29 countries and cover up the truth about the "Bug".

However, the 'Bug' had been burned down by the fire.

It was not easy to investigate how these "insects" were brought into the palace, because the asphalt that caused the "insects" to go crazy was also burned.

Even the craftsmen who built the oil fields for the polo field died.

In this case, saying that the horse's madness is related to "worms" will definitely not convince people.

and many more!

It seems I have overlooked some details!
How did that mysterious woman enter the palace?
Normally, it is difficult for a strange woman to enter the palace, unless
Thinking of this, Li Chengqian's gaze swept over the people in the audience, and finally fell on the polo field.

After a moment, he suddenly remembered something and slapped his forehead: "How could I forget it!"

After saying this, he immediately turned his head and looked at Ma Zhou: "Ma Zhou, is your nose very sensitive?"

"what?"

Ma Zhou was bewildered, but nodded seriously: "My nose has always been very sensitive!"

"it is good!"

Li Chengqian clapped his hands for no apparent reason, then turned to Li Shimin and said, "Father, I will thoroughly investigate all carriages used by civil and military officials entering the palace!"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin frowned and asked in a deep voice, "What are you planning to do? Are you suspecting that my ministers are colluding with foreign tribes?"

"Oh, who knows? Anyway, it's already this late, there's no harm in checking."

"His Majesty!"

Before Li Shimin could agree to Li Chengqian's request, a voice from the audience remonstrated: "I suspect the Crown Prince is deliberately throwing dirty water on us in order to eliminate dissidents!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! The evidence is clear and conclusive. It was a conspiracy by the twenty-nine nations to murder him! Yet he is still holding on to us! I beg Your Majesty to investigate!"

"We didn't, we didn't harm the Crown Prince of Tang!"

"You still dare to say no? Now that the evidence is irrefutable, do you dare not admit it?!"

"Heavenly Khan, we are wronged"

"enough!"

Li Shimin heard the commotion from the audience, his face darkened as the bottom of a pot. He shouted, then glared at Li Chengqian, "Prince! What on earth do you want to do?"

"I'm not doing anything else but trying to find out the truth!" Li Chengqian said seriously.

Li Shimin said impatiently: "Then investigate privately and let them go back first. Look at what a mess this has become!"

"No! I must find out the truth tonight, otherwise I won't be able to sleep or eat!"

Li Chengqian said resolutely.

Li Shimin's anger suddenly flared up: "I am the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and I have the final say here!"

"I am the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, I have the right to make the decision!"

"Rebel!"

Li Shimin was so angry that he rushed forward and was about to hit Li Chengqian.

But Li Yuan, who was not far away, suddenly shouted: "Rebellious son! How dare you!"

Wow!
The whole place was in an uproar again!

Li Shimin's hand froze in mid-air for an instant.

But Li Chengqian ignored him and directly ordered Ma Zhou: "Ma Zhou, let Xue Rengui take you to smell the poisonous insect and the tray, and then carefully inspect the carriages of the civil and military officials!"

"promise!"

Ma Zhou agreed and left without saying a word.

Seeing this, the people in the audience wanted to stop him, but Li Shimin and Li Yuan were fighting again, and they didn't dare to offend the father and son at this time.

　Forget about asking for votes today, I'm going to talk about two things. One is that after yesterday's chapter update, people have been accusing me of being watered down, saying I'm writing some kind of immortality fantasy. The other is about the recent plot. To answer the first question first, this is a system-based story, and system-based stories are bound to have extraordinary things. Otherwise, how can they be justified? I just wrote about a Gu worm and a killer organization. I didn't write about flying, escaping the earth, or cultivating immortality. Is that necessary? Don't you understand history by reading it? Gu worms existed for thousands of years before the Tang Dynasty. Have you ever heard of the witchcraft disaster? Is this also fantasy? What a load of rubbish! And the second point, the accusation of watering down my story makes me laugh. We've been laying the groundwork for so long, and the plot has been climaxing recently, with one mystery after another, followed by a killing spree. Those who say they can kill without evidence, or just say you're guilty, think about it. Is that even possible? Are you treating it like a tyrant story? If it were that simple, why all the foreshadowing? The protagonist should be able to kill with justification, right? If you're just killing for the sake of fun, then you don't need to read it. Just write it yourself, killing this person today, killing that person tomorrow! Anyway, I won't write like that. If I have to kill, I have to kill them for a reason. Otherwise, what's the point of causing so much trouble, forcing the Five Surnames and Seven Families to plot an assassination? And what's the point of pushing them to this point, step by step, for hundreds of chapters? Isn't it just to kill people?!
　　To be honest, I wanted to post a separate chapter explaining this several times today, but I held back in the end because the climax of the story will be finished this month and there is no need to waste time on it. Finally, I would like to thank my readers who have always supported me. It is your patience that allowed me to write the story I wanted to write.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)