Traveling through Du He, Li Chengqian's rebellion begins

Li Shimin slammed the memorial in his hand heavily on the table, then turned around and gave orders to the eunuch.

"Go to the Shang Pharmacy right away and send two imperial doctors to Princess Chengyang's residence to treat Du He!"

"Send someone to Chang'an County's Changshoufang to invite Dr. Sun, and have him check Du He as well. Don't leave any hidden disease behind!"

Du He has the talent to assist the king, and is also the core official he left behind to assist the next emperor. He cannot be harmed in any way.

If the internal injuries Du He suffered this time shorten his life and he dies early like his father Du Ruhui, it will be a great loss to the Tang Dynasty.

Shortly after the eunuch guarding the hall received the order and left, a eunuch guarding outside the hall suddenly ran in to report.

"Your Majesty, Duke Liang requests an audience."

When Li Shimin heard Fang Xuanling coming, his face suddenly showed a complicated expression.

After a few breaths of silence.

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Please invite Fang Xuanling in!"

After this major incident, Li Shimin had no way of giving face and forgiving Fang Yiai, otherwise he would not be able to explain to Du He, the prince and others.

Now that the prince has grown up and the Eastern Palace is becoming more powerful, he cannot ignore the prince's feelings.

"promise!"

The eunuch responded, then lowered his head and walked out quickly.

Not long after, Fang Xuanling, with an anxious look on his face, hurried in.

He walked into the hall without looking around, and saluted Li Shimin with a respectful look.

"I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Li Shimin frowned and said, "Lord Fang, are you here today to plead for Fang Yiai?"

After hearing Li Shimin's angry words, Fang Xuanling hurriedly bowed and replied.

"Your Majesty, my rebellious son has committed a heinous crime. I wish I could beat him to death with a stick. How dare I plead for him?"

"I have come to see Your Majesty today and would like to ask Your Majesty to punish him severely and temper his lawless nature!"

this...

The people present did not expect that Fang Xuanling would take the initiative to propose severe punishment for Fang Yiai, and their faces suddenly became confused.

Li Shimin frowned and stared at Fang Xuanling for a while, then raised his eyebrows and asked uncertainly.

"Lord Fang, are you sure you want me to severely punish Fang Yiai?"

He had already thought of many ways to reject Fang Xuanling's plea, but he didn't expect that his right-hand man would play such a trick on him.

Fang Xuanling said solemnly, "Your Majesty, this rebellious son of yours has attacked Minister Du more than once, and this time he even ordered his servants to draw their swords and commit treason."

"I have tried to discipline him many times but to no avail. I cannot bear to see him go astray, so I can only ask Your Majesty to punish him severely."

"Only by letting my rebellious son suffer a little can he change his ways and continue to contribute his talents to the court in the future!"

Li Shimin looked at Fang Xuanling with a look of disappointment, and then nodded thoughtfully.

He looked at Fang Xuanling's face with his deep gaze for a long time, then turned to look at Sun Fujia with a look of relief and asked.

"Lord Sun, how does the Dali Temple intend to punish Fang Yiai?"

Sun Fujia first glanced at Fang Xuanling, then clasped his fists and replied to Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, the Dali Temple's punishment for Fang Yiai and Chai Lingwu is to demote them by three ranks, fine them one year's salary, and detain them in the Dali Temple prison for half a month!"

"In addition, all losses caused by this incident will also be borne by Fang Yiai and Chai Lingwu."

Although Fang Yiai and Chai Lingwu had caused quite a disaster, they were of extremely noble status after all, and such punishment was already very severe for both of them.

If it were an ordinary official, the first step would be dismissal from office and serving a ten-year prison sentence.

If it were an official without a powerful backer, the Dali Temple might directly take him to the East Market and behead him.

Publicly beating an important official of the imperial court is a serious act of insubordination. How can it be easily forgiven?

If he is not severely punished, and others follow suit, where will the dignity and prestige of the court be?

Before Li Shimin could speak, Fang Xuanling spoke first.

"Your Majesty, I think the Dali Temple's sentence on the two of them is too light!"

Sun Fujia and Yang Gan suddenly turned their heads to look at Fang Xuanling, with expressions of extreme astonishment on their faces.

"The penalty is too light?"

"Could it be that Duke Liang really wants to kill his own relatives for the sake of justice?"

At first, Sun Fujia was worried that the punishment he imposed was too severe and would offend Fang Xuanling, a senior official, and would have a serious impact on his career.

What he never expected was that Fang Xuanling actually thought the penalty was too light!

Li Shimin had already guessed what this old fellow was thinking at this moment, and he asked with a smile.

"Xuan Ling, how heavy a penalty do you think should be imposed?"

Fang Xuanling quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I think the other sentences are fine, but imprisoning them for half a month is a bit too light."

"I think that the half-month detention should be changed to a prison sentence for both of them, and two to three years would be more appropriate!"

"Only by experiencing this kind of suffering can they change their ways!"

what!

A sentence of two to three years in prison?

Sun Fujia and Yang Gan thought they had heard it wrong. After exchanging glances for a while, they were sure that they had not heard it wrong.

"What on earth has provoked Duke Liang?"

"Could it be that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has already put pressure on Duke Liang?"

This idea suddenly popped up in the minds of Sun Fujia and Yang Gan.

It is impossible for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince not to know about such a big thing, and only if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince puts pressure on Duke Liang would Duke Liang decide to sacrifice his own relatives for the sake of justice.

Otherwise, if it were an ordinary father, it would be impossible for him to kill his own offspring.

Li Shimin was silent for a moment, then nodded and said.

"I think Xuanling's suggestion is very good!"

"Then temporarily dismiss Fang Yiai and Chai Lingwu from their posts, sentence them to two years in prison in Sishui, and let them participate in the construction of the newly conquered territory!"

"If the two of them behave well in Sishui Road, I will grant them official positions at my discretion after their sentences are completed!"

Chai Lingwu, the Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household Department, and Fang Yiai, the Secretary of the Imperial Guard Department, were extremely important. It was impossible for them to occupy these two posts and be sentenced to imprisonment.

The only way is to dismiss them and then re-employ them based on the situation.

Fang Xuanling also knew Li Shimin's intention. He was very satisfied with the judgment, so he knelt down and saluted Li Shimin.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!"

Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Xuanling, your health is not very good, get up quickly."

After Fang Xuanling thanked him and stood up, Li Shimin turned to Sun Fujia and said.

"Sun Fujia, just close the case according to my judgment!"

With such a severe penalty, no one, whether it is Du He, the Crown Prince, or the people from those aristocratic families, would have any objection.

After all, the injured attendants were all Fang Yiai and Chai Lingwu's men, and the injuries of these two troublemakers were not light.

When Sun Fujia saw that the case could be closed, he quickly clasped his fists in response.

"The minister obeys the order!"