Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

"Whoo~"

Zhang Xuansu let out a long sigh.

He clenched his fists, his face solemn as he spoke, "Duke Zhao, whether you will become king or be killed depends on your actions tomorrow!"

"Ah."

Changsun Wuji also nodded solemnly.

Ever since he had dinner with His Majesty yesterday, his heart had been beating wildly, and it still made him feel uneasy.

When I followed Your Majesty in launching the Xuanwu Gate Incident, I did not feel that a disaster was about to happen.

...

noon.

East Palace.

Inside Mingde Hall.

Apart from Li Chengqian and Du He who were eating, there were no other palace maids or attendants.

Li Chengqian said softly, "Du He, my father sent me a handwritten letter, asking us to perform a play tomorrow."

acting?

What does Li Shimin want to play?

Seeing Du He's puzzled expression, Li Chengqian spoke directly.

"My father ordered the Xuanjia Army to disguise themselves as the Qianniu Guards and accept Li Junxian's command to surround all of us."

"See if the other princes have any intention of rebelling!"

Good guy!

Li Shimin is still good at having fun!

It would be interesting if Li Zhi, Li Ke, Li Tai and others could not hold back and jumped out to take over the throne tomorrow.

Think about it.

Du He whispered, "Your Highness, to avoid any accidents, I suggest that Xue Rengui, Xi Junmai, Fang Yiai, Cheng Huailiang and others bring weapons, and that my guards also participate in the garrison."

"I'm afraid the fake will become real!"

This action plan was controlled by Li Shimin, and they were in a completely passive situation.

In order to avoid accidents, he still had to bring a group of generals and his guards with him.

The 70 men under his command are much more powerful than the prince's personal guards.

Li Chengqian said solemnly, "Du He, your concerns are not without reason. I will write a letter to explain the whole matter to my father."

Yuhua Palace is his father's territory. He asked Du He to bring the guards into the banquet venue and to greet his father in advance.

Du He bowed and said, "Your Highness is wise."

After a cup of tea.

Li Chengqian quickly wrote a handwritten letter and sent someone to deliver it to Yuhua Palace at full speed.

After making arrangements.

Li Chengqian said softly, "Du He, the scale of the Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival to be held tomorrow is the largest since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. Father is very much looking forward to the surprise you will prepare tomorrow."

"My father and I have been waiting for this for months. You must not let us down!"

There was a pause.

Li Chengqian then reminded him, "The theme of tomorrow's poetry gathering will inevitably involve the Mid-Autumn Festival and the moon. You should think about it in advance."

Well...

Du He's expression paused slightly.

He had already prepared the surprise, but writing the poem was a bit of a headache.

I have copied so many poems that now there is almost no more poetry to copy.

Or the knowledge reserve is not enough!

Hey!

In order to maintain his identity as the immortal poet of the Tang Dynasty, he had to pull out all his hair tonight and recall a famous poem through the ages.

Du He bowed and replied, "Don't worry, Your Highness. Tomorrow I will definitely give you an unprecedented shock."

No one who has seen fireworks for the first time can remain calm.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Du He, I'm confident in your work."

So far, nothing has gone wrong in anything Du He has asked him to do, and most of it has been completed beyond his expectations.

The two chatted in whispers for half an hour before Du He left the East Palace.

...

in the afternoon.

Just as Du He was about to go to the manor, a familiar voice came from outside the gate.

"Reporting to Minister Du, I'm back!"

Hearing Lu Chengqing's familiar voice, Du He suddenly raised his head and saw Lu Chengqing with tanned skin coming back.

Good guy!

This is a completely different person!

Du He smiled and waved his hand: "Minister Lu, please come in and sit down."

After some pleasantries.

Du He asked softly, "Minister Lu, what new discoveries have you made while directing the land survey and population census?"

As those princes were demoted to commoners, these two major national policies were implemented very smoothly.

Unless there were major obstacles, Lu Chengqing rarely wrote to him.

Lu Chengqing reported, "Replying to Minister Du, since you innovated the Zhenguan plow, the princes, noble families, and common people have reclaimed a large amount of wasteland."

"Especially in the paddy fields in the south, the people plowed the fields quietly and quickly."

Then he reported the land measurement in detail.

There were no major surprises. Except for a small amount of newly reclaimed land that was not included in the statistics, the area of ​​other land was the same as recorded by the Ministry of Household Affairs.

When talking about the census.

Lu Chengqing said solemnly, "Du Shangshu, the princes, the noble families, and the temples have hidden a large number of people."

"Like the Jiahe Puji Temple, which is hiding 586 monks!"

"The Yingchuan Chen family has hidden 134 tenant farmers and their followers!"

"Li Chongji, Duke of Hanyang, hid 886 civilians!"

The hidden population was not included in the household registration of the Tang Dynasty. They were the private property of these officials, gentry families and temples, and they did not need to pay taxes.

Good guy

It really can hide people!

After the census is completed, it is estimated that the Tang Dynasty will have an additional population of two to three million.

Du He asked solemnly, "When will the land survey and population census be completed?"

Lu Chengqing bowed and replied, "It is expected to be completed before December."

At present, the imperial court has not only mobilized officials from various states and counties to do this, but the Ministry of Revenue has also sent a large number of officials to assist and supervise.

It’s just because the territory of the Tang Dynasty was too large and the population was sparsely distributed, so the speed became slower and slower as time went on.

"it is good."

Du He nodded slightly and said with a smile, "After the Mid-Autumn Festival, I will lead my troops to attack Tubo and the Indian states. All matters concerning the Ministry of Revenue will be left to you."

"Liu Xiangdao, the Right Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, will fully cooperate with you."

Lu Chengqing had already received notice about the appointment of an assistant minister to the Ministry of Revenue, and he had been in frequent contact with Liu Xiangdao.

In addition, they have known each other for many years and have a tacit understanding with each other.

Lu Chengqing said solemnly, "Don't worry, Minister Du, the Ministry of Revenue is under the joint management of this humble official and Minister Liu, so there will definitely not be any major chaos!"

"it is good."

Du He responded with relief.

He called Liu Xiangdao in and gave them both some instructions before rushing to the manor under the escort of his personal guards.

After finding Wang Kang, Du He gave him an order.

"Wang Kang, have the Imperial Guards escort the Taoist priests and bring the fireworks to Yuhua Palace tomorrow afternoon."

"We also need to leave some imperial guards behind to guard the thunder bombs and artillery!"

Hearing the orders given by Du He, Wang Kang nodded repeatedly in response.

Du He went to check the fireworks and cannons, explained to the Taoist priests what they were going to do tomorrow night, and then left the manor with peace of mind.

...

It's quiet at night.

Duke Zhao's Mansion.

In the side hall with the door closed.

Zhang Sun Wuji said in a deep voice: "Everyone, when we go to Yuhua Palace with the Crown Prince tomorrow, we won't be able to bring the assassins in."

"I have ordered Zhang Sunxun to lead all the assassins and hide in the mountains outside Yuhua Palace!"

"After Li Junxian has controlled His Majesty, the Crown Prince, and the others, I'll have Chang Sunxun bring his assassins to control the situation."

Everyone agreed with the suggestion put forward by Changsun Wuji.

The winner will be the king and the loser will be the bandit in this battle!

They whispered to each other for a long time before leaving Duke Zhao's mansion through the back door one after another.

And their every move had long been seen clearly by people hiding in the darkness.