Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Inside the Tai Chi Hall.

After Li Chengqian led his civil and military officials back to the Taiji Hall, they sat down in their respective seats under the guidance of his attendants.

As the commander-in-chief of the army and the chief strategist of the Crown Prince, Du He was directly assigned to the position of deputy commander.

His seating arrangement was higher than that of Hou Junji, Li Ji, and Li Jing.

Generals such as Su Dingfang, Xue Rengui, and Xi Junmai were seated very close to the front, second only to a few high-ranking officials.

On the imperial platform.

Li Chengqian raised his wine cup and said, "Generals, your feat of destroying Tibet and India within four months is truly a wonder of the ages!"

"Everyone, fill your glasses! I'd like to offer you all a toast!"

In recent years, the Tang Dynasty has fought very well in its wars of annihilation against foreign tribes, and almost all of them were wiped out with the speed of autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

However, this great battle still surprised him.

After all, Tibet, located on the snowy plateau, has always been a major headache for the Central Plains dynasties.

The generals raised their wine cups and gestured to Li Chengqian.

"Your Highness, please!"

After a few drinks, the atmosphere in the main hall became even more lively.

Cheng Yaojin, Xue Wanche, Zhang Shigui, and others, fueled by a bit of alcohol, vividly recounted the battles they had fought.

The civil and military officials also cooperated fully, clapping and shouting.

"Well done!"

"Truly worthy of being a fierce general of our Great Tang Dynasty, invincible!"

"Korean Gongzhen truly deserves to be called the new war god of the Tang Dynasty. He actually led an army of over 100,000 to launch a surprise attack on Qunu City, and then launched a surprise attack on Lhasa City of Tibet. The two major battles directly wiped out Tibet!"

"Our Tang Dynasty's military genius has a worthy successor!"

As the officials talked, they all began to flatter Du He.

Sitting on the imperial platform, Li Chengqian smiled more broadly than anyone else when he heard the officials praising Du He, their top advisor.

As for Li Jing, the military genius, he remained calm, showing no displeasure whatsoever.

He didn't care much about these empty titles, and besides, Du He was indeed a good fighter. If he were to become the commander of the army, the battle probably wouldn't end so quickly.

On the imperial platform.

Li Chengqian nodded and stroked his beard, saying, "Du He truly deserves the title of the new God of War of the Tang Dynasty!"

"Moreover, Du He's decision to take the monk Xuanzang to India was a brilliant one. We can take over West India and South India without shedding a drop of blood!"

"My esteemed ministers, let us raise a toast to Du He!"

Everyone raised their wine cups and toasted Du He, who was sitting in the second-in-command position.

Hearing the praise from Li Chengqian and the court officials, Du He's face beamed with a bright smile.

He didn't actually like being flattered, but in this situation, he had no choice but to cater to Li Chengqian and the officials' ideas.

Amidst the flattery of the court officials, Du He became the center of discussion at the banquet.

A moment of flattery.

Li Chengqian ordered musicians and court dancers to be brought out to perform, and this time the dancers' performance was exceptionally wonderful.

In addition to the original large-scale court dances, Li Chengqian also organized the creation of distinctive dances from Goguryeo, Baekje, Japan, Eastern Turks, Xueyantuo, and Western Turks.

The dancers performing were all from these countries that had been destroyed by the Tang Dynasty.

As the civil and military officials watched the performance by these women from different ethnic groups, they pounded on the table and cheered loudly.

"Not bad!"

"That was a great jump!"

"The women of the Western Turks are truly captivating; their alluring charm is enough to get your blood pumping!"

"These Japanese women dance quite well; the Prince of Zhendong is truly blessed!"

After they finished their performance.

Du He remarked with a sigh, "Your Highness, it's quite interesting to have these dancers from destroyed nations perform in the order they were destroyed."

"If the Tang Dynasty were to conquer all the kingdoms, the performance would be even more spectacular!"

I have to say, Li Chengqian really knows how to play the game.

The performance he put on completely exceeded his expectations.

Li Chengqian chuckled and said, "Du He, whether you can gather dancers from all the countries to perform depends on how quickly you can conquer them with your army."

Upon hearing Li Chengqian's praise, Du He simply smiled and nodded.

After three rounds of wine, the five flavors of food are over.

Li Chengqian stood up and said, "My dear ministers, the banquet ends here today. Everyone should go back and get some rest."

"Let's discuss serious matters tomorrow!"

He was even more eager than these officials. Now that Du He had led his troops in triumph, the next step was to prepare for his coronation ceremony.

After serving as crown prince for twenty-three years, he is finally going to become emperor!

This day came sooner than he had imagined!

The civil and military officials all stood up and shouted in unison.

"Congratulations to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

After Li Chengqian left the Taiji Hall, a group of ministers surrounded Du He, their words full of flattery.

On the day the crown prince ascends the throne, he will also announce the reappointment of civil and military officials.

The only people who could decide their positions in the new dynasty, besides His Highness the Crown Prince, were Du He, a favorite of the Crown Prince.

Half an hour later, the group finally finished their chatter.

Du He shook his head and said, "Gentlemen, you don't need to come to me. His Highness the Crown Prince will definitely make arrangements according to your merits and abilities."

"I am also a subject, and I do not know what position I am qualified to hold."

He didn't linger in the Taiji Hall, but instead strode out of the hall surrounded by a group of officials.

Return to the princess's mansion.

Du He saw a brazier at the gate and, at Li Yi's prompting, stepped over it. Then she absorbed the water that had been soaked in pomelo leaves.

After all that commotion, Du He finally led his wives and concubines back to the main hall.

For the next hour or so, Du He chatted with his wives and concubines about the recent events, both big and small.

Li Yi said with a smile, "Husband, do you know how much silver we've earned from our printing and weaving workshops lately?"

Du He whispered a guess: "1000 strings of cash?"

"not enough."

3000 strings of cash?

"It's still not enough, my husband, you can take a guess."

"Could it be 2 strings of cash?"

"It's still not enough."

Li Yi shook his head with a smile on his face.

Even Yin Yushan, Linglong, and Su Liya had faint smiles on their faces.

Li Yi covered her mouth and said, "Husband, these two workshops have earned a total of 62942 guan. If we recruit another batch of people next year, the money we earn will definitely be several times higher!"

Good guy!

He earned over 6 guan in just a few months!

It seems that the scholars and women of the Tang Dynasty were really willing to spend money!

Du He praised, "You are all really amazing. Here, I will reward each of you with a kiss."

Du He kissed the cheeks of his four wives and concubines so passionately that they blushed deeply.

After some playful fighting...

Du He asked softly, "How much longer until you give birth?"

Li Yi touched his belly and said with a loving expression, "The palace maid has examined all four of us and estimates it will be in early to mid-January."

"Ah."

Du He nodded slightly.

That evening, a grand banquet was held at the Princess's residence. In addition to inviting the Du families, Li Yi also had his elder sister, Li Lizhi, invited over.

...

The next day.

A meeting of hundreds of officials.

As with the usual court assembly, officials from various departments reported on the major events of their respective departments, but there was no mention of the crown prince's succession to the throne or the bestowal of titles and rewards upon the officials.

Just as the court assembly was coming to an end, Lai Ji walked quickly into the main hall with his head down.

"Your Highness, the Prince of Zhendong requests an audience."

"The Prince of Zhendong brought with him the Imperial Edict of Abdication handwritten by His Majesty!"