Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Li Chengqian's worries were not groundless, because as the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, the issue of imperial power was a hurdle he had to overcome.

Even if he voluntarily resigned from the position of crown prince and stayed away from the complicated court, he might not be able to escape completely.

Because he is the eldest son of the current emperor, even if he has no intention of fighting for power, there will always be a group of ministers pushing him towards that position.

But Du He was different. If he wanted to escape from the struggle for imperial power, he only needed to resign and retire.

As long as Du He no longer holds power, no one will pay attention to him.

This is the biggest difference between the prince and the ministers.

Du He changed the subject and asked, "Your Highness, you asked me to come to the East Palace. You didn't ask me to just talk about this matter, did you?"

"I am now the Minister of Industry, and I have to review 1,800 memorials every day. I am extremely busy every day!"

"If I cannot finish reviewing the memorials that day, I will move them to the East Palace and ask you to help review them."

Forehead...

Li Chengqian looked at Du He's weird look, and the muscles on his face couldn't help but twitch.

Stunned for a few breaths.

Li Chengqian pointed at the pile of memorials on the desk, then glanced at Du He and said.

"How dare you complain in front of me? Look at the memorials I have to review every day!"

"If you are too free, you can come and help me review the memorials, and you can also share some of my work."

Now the government affairs of the Ministry of Works fell on the shoulders of the Minister Yu Chang. Li Chengqian didn't even want to expose the little things Du He did every day.

Moreover, in the following period of time, except for the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites, the other six ministries were not too busy.

Because the Ministry of Personnel was busy with assessments and imperial examinations, the Ministry of Rites had begun preparing for my father's Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai next year.

Du He smiled and said, "Your Highness, you are a capable person and should do more work. This memorial is not a difficult task for you."

"Besides, how dare I, a minister of industry, review the memorials on your desk? It would be troublesome if someone reported me."

Although the memorial submitted to Li Chengqian was not a very important matter, Du He did not have the authority to review it.

Li Chengqian also knew that if he asked Du He to review the memorials, he would be impeached by the people in the Censorate, so he just talked about it.

He adjusted his mood and then told another story.

"Du He, my father intends to call back all the princes who are serving in the vassal states to Chang'an for a reunion during the New Year's Day this year."

"Do you think it's possible for our father to allow Li Tai to continue to stay in Chang'an?"

As for the fact that Li Shimin summoned the prince back to Chang'an, Li Yi had learned about it in advance from Li Shimin when he brought Du Ping'an back to the palace.

In Du He's opinion, Li Shimin simply missed his sons and there was no special reason.

Du He shook his head and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. Since Li Tai has been driven to his fiefdom, he can't stay in Chang'an for a long time without special reasons."

"Besides, Li Tai is staying in Chang'an. He can't start a rebellion, so there's no need to worry."

Li Tai, the Prince of Wei, committed treason and not only offended the crown prince Li Chengqian, but also a group of military generals.

If Li Shimin had kept him in Chang'an, he would definitely have been opposed by a group of civil and military officials.

In addition, Li Tai is now busy preparing for a rebellion. If he stays in Chang'an, the rebellion will not be able to proceed.

Moreover, even if Li Tai could stay in Chang'an, he would not pose any threat to Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian nodded: "Du He, your guess coincides with mine."

Hearing Li Chengqian's words, Du He smacked his lips.

He finally understood why Li Chengqian asked him to come over. This guy simply thought too much and scared himself.

Then he asked me to come over and analyze it, just to make him feel more at ease.

Before Du He could speak, Li Chengqian continued,

"Du He, Prince Teng will be 15 years old tomorrow. After he completes the ceremony of coming of age, he will leave Chang'an and go to his fiefdom."

"Remember to arrange more spies to accompany him to the fiefdom."

The coming of age ceremony was a rite of passage in ancient China. When the princes of the Tang Dynasty reached the age of 15, they would usually hold a coming of age ceremony and then go to their allocated fiefdoms to take up residence.

Of course, not all princes and kings follow this standard.

Li Tai and Li Zhi, the two legitimate sons, were already past the age of becoming a fiefdom, but Li Shimin still kept them by his side.

Li Yuanying, who was not loved by his father, was sent to his fiefdom at the age of 12. Finally, because he loved to make trouble too much, he was recalled to Chang'an by Li Shimin for education.

Du He clasped his fists and replied, "As you wish!"

Not long after the two men finished discussing their business, Qin Huaidao, who was stationed outside the hall, walked in and respectfully reported.

"Your Highness, the Imperial Censor Ma Zhou is here. He is waiting outside the palace."

"Ma Zhou?" Li Chengqian raised his eyebrows, then frowned and said, "Isn't it the turn of Zuo Shuzi Cen Wenben to teach today?"

There are currently three ministers who come to the East Palace to teach, namely Ma Zhou, who also serves as the Prince's Secretary, Cen Wenben and Liu Li, who also serve as the Prince's Left Secretary.

The three of them took turns coming here, and the wind and rain never stopped.

Moreover, the contents of the lectures were also different. Ma Zhou mainly lectured on historical events, Cen Wenben mainly lectured on classics, and Liu Li mainly lectured on how to govern the people.

Qin Huaidao shook his head and said, "Your Highness, Ma Zhou didn't say anything."

Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "Huai Dao, please invite Ma Zhanshi in, and ask the palace maids to serve fruits and cakes."

"promise!"

Qin Huaidao responded and then quickly walked out of Mingde Hall.

Du He, who was standing aside without saying anything, shook his head helplessly when he saw Li Chengqian's reaction.

Not long after, Ma Zhou walked in, looking energetic.

As soon as he walked in, he explained, "Your Highness, because Zuo Shuzi's Cen Wenben has just been promoted to Zhongshu Ling, he is now busy handing over government affairs."

"Therefore, Cen Zuo Shuzi entrusted me to come here and give lessons to His Highness and Prince Consort Du."

Hearing this was the reason, Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief.

He also thought that after Cen Wenben was promoted to the position of Zhongshu Ling, his father would not allow him to come to the Eastern Palace to teach, and even dismissed him from his position as Zuo Shuzi.

Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Ma Zhanshi, let's get started now."

"I have been feeling confused lately, and I need your help, a great historian."

Because Ma Zhou was well-versed in classics and history, and Li Chengqian was now worried about the succession of the crown prince, he also wanted to get some confidence from Ma Zhou.

Ma Zhou's expression changed slightly, then he clasped his fists respectfully and asked.

"Your Highness, what is confusing you?"

He has been teaching in the Eastern Palace for so long, but this is the first time that Li Chengqian has taken the initiative to tell him about his inner confusion.

Li Chengqian thought for a moment and said, "Why couldn't the four of them, Fusu, the crown prince of the powerful Qin, Liu Ju and Liu Rong, the crown princes of the powerful Han, and Yang Yong, the crown prince of the former Sui, become emperors?"