Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Du He only stayed in the Secretariat for a short while and then went to the East Palace.

Inside the East Palace Hall.

Du He told Li Chengqian in detail about the public discontent that occurred at the poetry gathering yesterday.

"Haha, great!"

"Li Tai wanted to use this opportunity to improve his reputation, but he ended up losing more than he gained."

"Tens of thousands of people's gossip will completely ruin Li Tai's reputation this time!"

Li Chengqian clapped his hands happily.

A rare smile also appeared on his face.

Moreover, Li Tai was cheated by Du He and spent 350 million yuan but was unable to restore his reputation.

What a turn of events!

Over the years, Li Tai was very scheming and the reputation he had accumulated was gone overnight.

It turns out that letting your opponent make mistakes is sometimes more useful than making achievements yourself!

After a moment of excitement, Li Chengqian gradually calmed down.

He asked curiously, "Du He, Li Tai caused such a big mess, how will the emperor punish him?"

Du He shook his head: "After the court session, His Majesty summoned Wei Ting and Du Chuke to Ganlu Palace. I'm afraid one of them will be blamed for this infamy."

"Your Majesty did not mention the people's grievances in the court, and I'm afraid he will not punish the King of Wei in private."

The only punishment Li Shimin gave to Li Tai was a verbal reprimand, which was not too harsh.

The father and son drove back to the palace in the same car last night.

How could he punish Li Tai, his beloved one, in private?

"this..."

Li Chengqian's face darkened.

Unexpectedly, even though Li Tai made such a big mistake, his father did not punish him, but let the ministers in the court take the blame.

The emperor really favors Li Tai!

It's unfair!

Du He saw that Li Chengqian was a little angry, so he explained with a smile.

"Your Highness, the King of Wei is still a prince no matter what. When the people attack him with words, they will also bring the royal family with them."

"Your Majesty, in order to preserve the reputation of the royal family, can only let the staff of the Prince of Wei's Palace bear this infamy."

"As for not punishing the King of Wei any more, I'm afraid it was because he spent 350 million coins, so we let him off the hook."

Li Chengqian nodded gently.

Although he felt that Du He was right, he just didn't feel happy.

If the emperor could just pretend to punish the King of Wei, it would also show his attitude.

But, my father didn't even pretend to do anything.

Hey!

Li Chengqian's eyes suddenly lit up: "Du He, you said we should send some people out to the wine shops and teahouses to guide public opinion."

"It is said that the people could not get any food at the poetry gathering yesterday because Li Tai was reluctant to give it away."

"What do you think of this method?"

There were nearly 70,000 people who witnessed it last night, and their dissatisfaction with the King of Wei must be extremely high.

As long as anyone takes the lead in inciting, the criticism will be directed at Li Tai.

Du He shook his head slightly: "Your Highness, if His Majesty intends to let Du Chuke and Wei Ting bear the blame, I'm afraid His Majesty has already sent spies to spread the news."

"If we also try to guide public opinion, we will be going against His Majesty. Once discovered, His Majesty will surely be displeased."

"In the end, I'm afraid you, Prince, will be punished by His Majesty. It won't be worth it."

"Besides, the people are not fools. No matter how Your Majesty spreads rumors, the King of Wei's reputation has fallen. This is a fact."

This scandal has been deeply engraved in the hearts of the people.

It is impossible to erase.

If the matter is brought up again at a critical moment in the future and someone is sent to lead the conversation, the people will instantly remember it and continue to curse Li Tai.

Li Chengqian pondered for a moment and slowly figured it out.

His face regained its composure and he said, "Okay, then let's just be a spectator."

Not making mistakes now is also a good way to hit your opponent.

After talking about Li Tai, Li Chengqian asked curiously, "Du He, were you the first place winner in yesterday's Mid-Autumn Poetry Festival?"

Du He patted his chest and said with a smile: "Your Highness the Crown Prince is right in his guess. I am the first place."

Getting first place by copying from memory is a strength in itself.

Li Chengqian gave Du He a thumbs up: "You are worthy of being my military advisor!"

Du He clasped his fists towards him and said, "No, no, it was all thanks to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's guidance."

The two of them complimented each other and smiled knowingly on their faces.

Du He continued, "Your Highness, from the scholars who participated in the poetry meeting yesterday, we can select a group of talented people to enter the Chongwen Hall."

"Train them well for a few years, and when you succeed to the throne, you can place them in the positions of county magistrates in various counties."

"It can help you quickly take control of the counties of Datang."

The struggle for power is not only in the court, but also in the states and counties below.

These provincial governors and county magistrates were responsible for specific regional management and were in charge of a certain number of people and taxes.

If these people collude with the powerful officials in the court and openly oppose the new emperor Li Chengqian, Li Chengqian's actions will be greatly restricted in the future.

Li Chengqian nodded thoughtfully.

Those who can participate in poetry competitions are basically well-educated and have relatively wealthy family backgrounds.

Although they cannot be compared with Du He, Wu Meiniang, Wang Fuzhi and others, they are much better than ordinary scholars.

A typical case of being not as good as the best but better than the worst.

Among thousands of people, we can at least select twenty or thirty people who have the talent of a county.

"Knock knock knock."

There was a sudden knock on the door of the hall.

The guard came in and saluted, saying, "Your Highness, the spy has something to report."

"Let him in."

"promise!"

Not long after the personal guard walked out, he quickly led in an unremarkable middle-aged man.

Du He glanced at the middle-aged man and nodded secretly.

As expected of a spy, his appearance has no distinctive features and people quickly forget him after seeing him.

The middle-aged man bowed respectfully and said, "I greet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Prince Consort Du."

Li Chengqian waved his hand: "But is there any new news from the King of Wei?"

This middle-aged man was a spy leader who was specifically responsible for gathering information about the Prince of Wei's Palace.

The middle-aged man whispered, "Reporting to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the King of Wei is sending people to Pingkangfang to invite the scholars who will be attending the poetry meeting to the Literature Museum."

"what!"

Li Chengqian raised his brows.

I didn’t expect Li Tai to act so quickly. The poetry meeting just ended yesterday, and he sent people to recruit scholars today.

Li Chengqian frowned and asked, "Any other news?"

"None yet."

"Okay, I understand. You continue to send people to monitor the King of Wei and see how they recruit scholars."

"promise."

After the middle-aged man bowed, he left the hall without looking around.

Li Chengqian clenched his fists tightly and asked in a deep voice: "Du He, these scholars cannot be recruited by Li Tai. Do you have any solution?"

Du He smiled and said, "Your Highness, you should also send someone to Pingkangfang to recruit them in your name."

"At the same time, tell them that the court has ordered that the better poems from the Mid-Autumn Festival be compiled into a collection of poems."

"Those who enter the Chongwen Pavilion of the Eastern Palace will not only have the opportunity to participate in the compilation of poetry collections, but will also be given priority to have their poems selected into the collections!"

This group of scholars came to participate in the poetry meeting in pursuit of fame and fortune.

The advantage of the Eastern Palace in attracting talent is both profit and fame, which can fully meet their needs.