Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Li Chengqian slammed the table heavily, his face full of anger.

He ignored Du He's previous instructions, and didn't pay attention to Ma Zhou's astonished expression. He gritted his teeth and spoke indignantly.

"Emperor Wu of Han was so foolish in his later years that he actually believed the slander of the sycophant Jiang Chong and suspected that his legitimate son Liu Ju was using witchcraft to curse him!"

"Could it be that the position of my legitimate son in his heart is not as important as a few slanderous words?"

"Emperor Wu of Han, a power-hungry and incompetent man, and his treacherous ministers such as Liu Qumao, Li Guangli and Jiang Chong are the root of the scourge of the country!"

"Not only did it bury the hardworking Liu Ju, but it also caused the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people!"

The reason why Li Chengqian was so excited was that the powerful Han Prince Liu Ju was framed by witchcraft and did not choose to surrender like Fusu.

Instead, he chose to mobilize the Changshui and Xuanqu Hu cavalry, release the prisoners in Chang'an, and conscript the common people into the army, preparing to control the city of Chang'an and become emperor.

However, the Northern Army guarding Chang'an at that time was unwilling to follow Liu Ju in the rebellion, and was eventually suppressed by the old fox Prime Minister Liu Qumao.

Li Chengqian was full of admiration for Liu Ju, who dared to rise up in rebellion, but he also felt regret and resentment for the hero Liu Ju's final failure.

Li Chengqian clenched his fist and said, "If Liu Ju had enough soldiers to support him, how could he be framed by just a few villains?"

"Even if we can't accomplish our goal, there will definitely be no problem in ceding territory to protect ourselves!"

"I believe that a prince who does not hold military power is destined to be a puppet at the mercy of others!"

Emperors with outstanding abilities will have a stronger desire for control than other emperors. They hope that their successors will be wise and courageous, but they do not want their own imperial power to be affected.

However, such a wise and brave prince is bound to attract a large number of ministers to join him, and the emperor will certainly feel strongly threatened.

Li Chengqian's self-perception was that he was such a wise prince.

Now he has a large number of supporters under his command, including Du He, Hou Junji, Wang Jun'e, Su Dingfang and Xue Rengui, and his power is expanding rapidly.

I'm afraid that when his father reaches his old age, he will also suppress him extremely.

Hearing Li Chengqian's personal indignant remarks again, Du He couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, and then spoke out to stop him.

"Your Highness, you can't put yourself in my shoes!"

"We might as well listen to Brother Ma's opinions and see what mistakes these princes who didn't ascend the throne made, and how to avoid them."

He also ceded territory to protect himself and held military power instead of being a puppet. If Ma Zhou had reported him to Li Shimin, Crown Prince Li Chengqian would be finished.

It's fine for ordinary people to say this, but it's not okay for Prince Li Chengqian to say it.

After hearing Du He's reminder, Li Chengqian's expression eased a little, but looking at his dull eyes, it was obvious that he was still immersed in it.

Du He shook his head helplessly, then clasped his fists towards Ma Zhou and said.

"Brother Ma, please tell us some cases where the prince successfully ascended the throne."

"It would be great if a prince who looks like Liu Ju ascended the throne!"

Since these failed cases make Li Chengqian empathize, let’s list some successful cases to ignite the hope in his heart.

If Li Chengqian's knot in his heart cannot be untied, problems will definitely arise as time goes by.

Ma Zhou nodded and said, "Then I will tell you how Liu Qi, who served as the crown prince for 24 years, became the wise and capable Emperor Jing of Han!"

There are not many cases to mention during the chaotic Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and although the crown princes of the Han Dynasty reigned for a long time, only a few of them could eventually become emperors.

Emperor Jing of Han, Liu Qi, is the most suitable case.

As for Emperor Hui of Han, Liu Ying, and Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, both ascended the throne when they were only 16 years old. If we cite their examples again, I'm afraid the prince's mind is even more complicated.

This time Ma Zhou deliberately guided Li Chengqian, so when introducing Liu Qi's story, he intentionally brought in his personal subjective emotions.

When Li Chengqian heard this positive case, he became much more cheerful.

Two hours later.

The door of Mingde Hall slowly opened.

Du He, with a calm expression, and Ma Zhou, with a worried look on his face, walked out side by side.

As they walked out of the East Palace, they remained silent until they reached a place where there were no pedestrians or guards, and then they started talking in low voices.

"Hey~"

Ma Zhou sighed softly, then frowned and said to Du He.

"Brother Du, judging from the Crown Prince's reaction just now, there may be something wrong with his current thinking. You must guide him more."

"He is now worried about the position of Crown Prince and always thinks of being persecuted by Your Majesty. If this continues, there will definitely be big problems!"

Just now when he was in Mingde Hall, he felt that Li Chengqian was just as rebellious as he was a few years ago, and was completely immersed in his own world.

Things that had not happened before were believed to be bound to happen in his mind.

Ideas are like a spell, they will be deeply imprinted in your mind and you never know when they will be reactivated.

Du He replied softly, "Brother Ma, rest assured, I will definitely guide His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"The prince is insecure right now, which is why he is so sentimental. Praise him more and give him confidence, and he will get better slowly."

Although Du He said it lightly, he was not sure he could convince Li Chengqian. He could only remind him more to prevent him from doing anything reckless.

After all, the person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. How can an outsider easily solve something like a mental illness?

If it is so easy for individuals to overcome their own psychological barriers, wouldn't everyone be like Confucius?

Ma Zhou nodded slightly and didn't say anything more on this topic.

Now Du He is the person the prince trusts the most, and what he says is more effective than what others say. If even what Du He says is useless, no matter how much others say, it will be in vain.

After the two walked for a while, Ma Zhou suddenly remembered something else and spoke curiously.

"Brother Du, are you on good terms with Fang Yiai and Chai Lingwu?"

Hearing Ma Zhou's words, Du He's expression paused slightly, and then he asked with a somewhat surprised tone.

"Brother Ma, why do you say that?"

He and Fang Yiai had been feuding with each other for many years, and especially in the past two years, they had been openly confronting each other in the court. It was impossible for a smart man like Ma Zhou, who was in charge of the Censorate, not to see it.

Moreover, Fang Yiai was a loyal follower of Li Tai. As the number one aide under the prince, how could he possibly be on good terms with him?

Ma Zhou said with a strange look on his face, "This morning, an official reported to the Censorate that Du Zheng, the deputy secretary of the Imperial Household Department's Chenghuang Office, was reselling horses and oppressing the people."

"Li Yifu, the censor who took over the case, told me a piece of gossip that this official was instructed by the son-in-law Fang Yiai."

what's the situation?

Did Fang Yiai take action against the people from the Jingzhao Du family?