Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

The hearts of the civil and military officials were cleansed again and again, but when they heard that His Majesty's newly established Privy Council had such great power, they couldn't help but tremble once more.

too crazy!

Is Your Majesty planning to completely relinquish your responsibilities as a ruler?

Fortunately, these civil and military officials and members of the Li clan knew the truth and that this was His Majesty's own decision.

Those who don't know the situation might think that His Majesty's power has been usurped by the King of Han.

Moreover, everyone had a premonition that the newly established Privy Council by His Majesty would definitely be handed over to the King of Han.

When it comes to handling important matters like major memorials, His Majesty only chooses the person he trusts most, and the King of Han is that person.

The Prince of Han probably held a higher place in the Crown Prince's heart than Li Zhi and Li Ke, among other princes!

On the imperial platform.

Li Chengqian's gaze swept over the officials, then he said loudly, "Come to Jinan to announce the appointments of the officials of the Privy Council!"

"promise!"

Lai Ji responded, took a new imperial edict, and then opened it and read it aloud.

"By imperial decree, Prince Han, Du He, is appointed as the Privy Councilor, overseeing all important affairs of the Privy Council. All other officials remain unchanged!"

"By imperial decree, Ma Zhou, the Grand Secretary, is appointed as the Left Vice President of the Privy Council, with his other official positions remaining unchanged!"

"By imperial decree, Pei Xingjian, Minister of Personnel, is appointed as the Right Vice President of the Privy Council, with his other official positions remaining unchanged!"

"By imperial decree, Prince Ji, Li Shen, is appointed as the Inspector General of the Privy Council to supervise the illegal activities of all officials of the Privy Council!"

"By imperial decree, Gao Jifu, Shangguan Yi, Wang Fuzhi, Lai Ji, and Dai Zhide are appointed as staff members of the Privy Council; all other officials remain in their current positions!"

"By imperial decree, Di Renjie, Pei Yan, Xue Yuanchao, and Wang Fangyi are appointed as students of the Privy Council, while their other official positions remain unchanged!"

hum~

As Lai Ji finished reading the imperial edict appointing the officials, a loud buzzing sound erupted once again inside the Taiji Hall.

The civil and military officials and the various vassal kings looked at each other in bewilderment, and then began to complain in their hearts.

"The Privy Council is indeed under the control of the King of Han!"

"These people are really lucky. They managed to build a good relationship with the King of Han and have now become His Majesty's most trusted people."

"Di Renjie and Pei Yan, those young men, are quite remarkable too!"

"His career path is smooth sailing!"

Currently, apart from the four young people, Di Renjie, Pei Yan, Xue Yuanchao, and Wang Fangyi, all the other members of the Privy Council hold important positions.

They were either commanders, adjutants, or generals of the Sixteen Guards.

Amidst the envious gazes of the crowd, Du He, Ma Zhou, Pei Xingjian, Li Shen, and others stood up and shouted together.

"I accept the decree!"

Behind the Taiji Hall.

Li Shimin's face was as black as charcoal, his hands gripped the armrests of the chair tightly, and his teeth were grinding together.

"Rebel!"

"He started slacking off as soon as he became emperor!"

"I...I'll have to take the whip and give him a good thrashing to wake him up!"

When he was emperor, he personally reviewed all the memorials that were handed to him, working from dawn till dusk.

But when Li Chengqian became emperor, he handed over all these matters and didn't want to suffer any hardship.

Doesn't this rebellious son know that this will cause him to lose all his rights?

"Hey!"

"Why isn't my son that scoundrel Du He?"

When Li Shimin thought of Du He, who was both literate and skilled in martial arts, and then of his rebellious son Li Chengqian, who had started acting recklessly as soon as he became emperor, this idea suddenly came to mind.

Du Ruhui was really good at having sons!

After some emotion.

Li Shimin thought of his rebellious son Li Chengqian and appointed Li Shen as the Inspector of the Privy Council, which made Li Shimin somewhat approving of the appointment.

He's not completely out of his mind; he knows to have members of the royal family act as a check and balance!

Inside the Tai Chi Hall.

Li Chengqian said with a serious expression, "The Privy Council is the department that handles the most important matters of the Tang Dynasty. You must be impartial and ensure that you act with integrity!"

"If anyone is found to have engaged in favoritism or corruption, the first punishment will be the extermination of their entire family!"

"You must all remember this!"

He knew that with Du He leading the way, these officials wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

But if this goes on for too long, those guys might get their hands dirty, so it's better to give them a heads-up beforehand.

Sensing the murderous aura emanating from Li Chengqian, Du He, Ma Zhou, Pei Xingjian, Shangguan Yi, and others responded in unison.

"The minister obeys the order!"

Du He continued, "Your Majesty, please rest assured that we will firmly engrave the four words 'fairness and integrity' in our hearts!"

The officials of the Privy Council also chimed in with their own voices.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly and said, "I believe that the department led by the Prince of Han will certainly uphold justice and integrity!"

Upon hearing His Majesty's words, the expressions of the officials shifted slightly.

Your Majesty truly trusts the King of Han!

Xu Jingzong and Li Yifu, in particular, looked at the King of Han, who stood at the forefront of the officials, with anticipation in their hearts.

"We must latch onto the King of Han's coattails!"

"Otherwise, you'll have no future in this life, and someone else might even take your place!"

"How can we seek refuge with the King of Han?"

Not only Xu Jingzong and Li Yifu thought so, but the rest of the officials also wanted to get on the big ship of the King of Han.

After announcing the rewards and honors for key officials.

Li Chengqian turned to look at the group of vassal kings, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke loudly.

"The Great Tang Dynasty will continue its campaigns in the south and north, conquering all the territories of the seven continents. Therefore, this time only four kings will be appointed!"

"All you princes and officials need not worry, I will bestow even more titles upon you in the future!"

Hearing His Majesty say this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Very good!

His Majesty will further enfeoff princes and vassal kings!

Those feudal lords and high-ranking officials were initially worried that His Majesty would not continue to bestow titles upon kings, but they never expected that they were judging a gentleman by their own petty standards!

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Lai Ji, announce the appointment of the Four Extreme Kings!"

"promise."

After arriving in Jinan to receive the order, he held the imperial edict and read it aloud.

"By imperial decree, Prince Li Tai of Wei is appointed Prince Zhen Dong, with the entire territory of Japan as his fief!"

"By imperial decree, Li Ke, Prince of Chu, is appointed Prince Zhenxi, with the entire territory of Tibet as his fief!"

"By imperial decree, Li Zhi, the Prince of Bingzhou, is appointed as the Prince of Zhenbei, with the fiefdom encompassing the Yanran Protectorate and the entire territory of the Xueyantuo!"

"By imperial decree, Li Daozong, Prince of Jiangxia, is appointed Prince of Zhennan, with his fiefdom encompassing the entire territory of Linyi, Zhenla, Pyu, and Srivijaya!"

Of these four Princes of the East, the one with the largest territory was Prince Li Zhi of the North, whose territory encompassed the lands of the Eastern Turks and the Xueyantuo.

The smallest fiefdom belonged to Li Tai, the Prince of Zhen Dong, but his territory was separated from the Tang Dynasty by the sea.

Since Li Ke was still in Tibet and Li Daozong was still leading troops to attack Srivijaya, only Li Tai and Li Zhi stood up to accept the order.

"The minister obeys the order!"

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty. I am willing to guard this region for you!"

Looking at his two grown-up younger brothers, Li Chengqian's face showed a touch of emotion.

If these two hadn't been vying with him for the throne, their fiefdoms would probably have been even more fertile, and they wouldn't have needed to travel thousands of miles away.

Seeing the envious and jealous faces of the princes, Li Chengqian spoke loudly.

"My lords, the imperial court will continue its campaigns against the seven continents in two years. During this time, you may also form your own troops and fight alongside the army."

"As for how much territory you can acquire, that depends on how much territory you can conquer in the future!"

There was a pause.

Li Chengqian raised his voice and said, "If you conquer two countries, I will grant you those two countries as fiefdoms. If you conquer ten countries, I will grant you all ten countries."

"You need not worry, the main force of these foreign countries will be dealt with by the imperial army!"

Upon hearing His Majesty's words, the dozens of representatives of the vassal kings all began to breathe rapidly.

How large a territory can one conquer, and how powerful a vassal king can one become?

"Done!"

"I will conquer the vast territory of the former 360 prefectures of the Great Tang Dynasty!"