Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"Today's meeting will only discuss one thing, which is the next step in the management of Youzhou."

"When I returned from Yanmen County this time, the irrigation canals and diversion channels there were already in normal operation. The downstream areas of Hedong Road were also prepared. Now that our Great Tang is experiencing a rainy year, I am determined to take this opportunity to develop agriculture and infrastructure in Hedong Road, especially in Youzhou."

"Please feel free to share your opinions..."

Early morning at Yangcheng Palace, during the weekly Monday court assembly.

After Li Chengqian finished speaking, the officials from Taiyuan Prefecture present looked at each other in bewilderment.

Not only were officials like Wang Ming, the head of Bingzhou, present, but even Zheng Jiang, the head of the Zheng family of Xingyang and an official under the Chang'an government, was seated in a relatively back position.

Meanwhile, the other young officials of the Eastern Palace, such as Li Gang, Yu Shinan, Kong Yingda, and Xiao Rui, looked at each other in bewilderment.

Li Chengqian looked at everyone calmly.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had already reported everything clearly about what Wei Zheng did yesterday and whose house he visited.

Li Chengqian didn't care at all.

However, it was clear that not everyone present shared his lack of interest in that position.

The merit of following the emperor is not something anyone can refuse.

Shortly after Li Chengqian finished speaking, a figure stood up.

"Your Highness, is it too early to invest in the Youzhou campaign? The situation in Goguryeo is still uncertain, and His Highness the Prince of Han and His Highness the Prince of Liang are also keeping an eye on things. There is probably no need to rush into it... In my humble opinion, Your Highness could reform the Guannei Circuit."

Li Chengqian glanced at the other person.

He is a young official from the Pei clan of Hedong, and is now the chief official in charge of inland waterway transportation in Bingzhou.

The other party did not explicitly state that they wanted Li Chengqian to return and inherit the throne.

However, it's one thing for Taiyuan Prefecture to issue some minor decrees that require the cooperation of officials from various parts of Guannei Circuit on ordinary days, but if it comes to managing Guannei Circuit, it will inevitably require a lot of sweeping changes.

In that case, there is no legal jurisdiction.

Ultimately, it doesn't make sense.

The jurisdiction over the capital region undoubtedly belonged to the emperor.

Seeing that Li Chengqian remained silent, he simply looked calmly at the others.

Pei Ruocai's face couldn't help but show a hint of nervousness.

"Your Highness, I believe that what Lord Pei said is reasonable. The northern border of our Great Tang is now stable in all aspects, and the various policies have been implemented. We only need to wait a few years for them to bear fruit."

"In terms of timing, Youzhou is indeed at an excellent time for development, but in terms of advantages and disadvantages, it is ultimately inferior to Guannei Dao... Your Highness, I urge you to move to Chang'an to preside over the country!"

Yet another person eager to claim credit for the emperor stepped forward solemnly.

The Guo family of Jinyang was once a prominent clan in the region. If they could gain merit by supporting the emperor, they would surely be able to advance the family further and restore its former glory.

However, Li Chengqian remained unmoved.

One by one, officials from Taiyuan Prefecture who were on the periphery of the power circle of Yangcheng Palace stepped forward.

One after another, voices of "I second that proposal" rang out.

In just a short while, most of the officials who had been sitting neatly in rows on both sides of the conference table had already stood up.

This time, Li Chengqian finally gave some response.

He calmly looked at Wang Ming beside him.

"Governor Wang, what do you think? Should we take charge of Youzhou or Chang'an?"

The ambiguous smile in his eyes made Wang Ming feel quite pressured.

Hearing the question, he dared not pretend not to hear, so he took a deep breath, stood up, and bowed.

"Your Highness, I believe we should adopt a two-pronged approach."

Li Chengqian looked at the other person quietly, and Wang Ming quickly continued to speak.

"At present, Goguryeo, as well as Baekje and Silla on the peninsula, are in chaos, with a large number of people displaced. Many people want to come to our Great Tang and become our citizens. Based on this alone, I cannot agree with what you just said about the strategic advantage of Youzhou.

"Abundant rainfall is the opportune time; Goguryeo is preoccupied with other matters, which is the geographical advantage; the people of the peninsula and the people of Youzhou in our Great Tang are eagerly awaiting the spring breeze of new policies and reforms, which is the advantage of human harmony!"

"This humble official believes that His Highness the Crown Prince's suggestion to manage Youzhou is appropriate! And it should be done swiftly!"

A faint smile finally appeared on Li Chengqian's face.

He cursed Wang Ming inwardly, thinking he was a cunning old fox who managed to offend neither side.

But he asked aloud again, "What did you mean by 'strategist of Chang'an'?"

"Is my father, the Emperor, still in charge of Chang'an...?"

"Your Highness!" Wang Ming's voice suddenly rose a notch.

"Although His Majesty has now repented and is very diligent in replying to various memorials and documents, it is clear that His Majesty's heart is not in governing the country. In the end, the affairs of Chang'an will inevitably require Your Highness to share some of the burden."

"Leaving aside the current railway construction, the reform of the Imperial Academy and commercial taxes in Chang'an requires Your Highness's personal oversight."

"I believe that we should petition Your Majesty to grant us the authority to manage the Hedong Circuit and Chang'an!"

Everyone looked at each other.

He understood Wang Ming's meaning perfectly well.

The emperor was no longer comfortable sitting on the dragon throne, and His Highness the Crown Prince clearly did not want to be imprisoned in the Chang'an Palace so early, locked on the dragon throne.

Then you can only appease both sides.

The emperor transferred power in Chang'an to Taiyuan Prefecture, and the crown prince took on more of the emperor's responsibilities.

"Heh..." Li Chengqian let out a soft, ambiguous laugh.

“Prefect Wang does have a good plan, but there is one problem… I only have your team. Although the authority in Chang’an is said to only govern Chang’an, it is, after all, the capital of our Great Tang. Various policies and decrees will inevitably be imitated by other provinces of the Great Tang, and one move will affect the whole situation.”

"Who can take charge?"

Immediately, Wang Ming, who had already met the requirements for speaking at today's meeting, silently chose to mute himself and pretend to be dead.

"Lord Zheng, now that you are an official in Chang'an, are you likely in charge of governing Chang'an?"

Zheng Jiang was startled and quickly waved his hands and shook his head.

"Your Highness, this old man's abilities are limited, and he is not qualified for such a great responsibility. Moreover, all the members of the Zheng family are currently serving as officials in Bingzhou, and we simply cannot spare any manpower to assist in the administration of Chang'an..."

Li Chengqian looked at Kong Yingda, who also quickly refused.

"Your Highness, we are also short-handed here..."

As Li Chengqian's gaze swept over the core members of Taiyuan Prefecture present, they all shook their heads, indicating that they had no energy.

Previously, those officials who hoped that Li Chengqian would go to Chang'an to inherit the throne...

His face immediately showed bitterness and anxiety.

Guo Bingzheng, the official in charge of the road construction, reluctantly stepped forward and bowed to the Guo family of Jinyang.

"Your Highness, we beg you to consider the well-being of the people and the fate of the nation!"

"Inheriting the throne will certainly be arduous at first, but by ruling the world, you will ensure that the people of our Great Tang, regardless of whether they are in the north or south, or whether they are in remote or mountainous areas, can all enjoy your wise and virtuous policies."

"The people will surely be grateful for Your Highness's great kindness and virtue, and Your Highness will surely become a sage ruler for all time, worshipped by our Chinese people for generations to come!"

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Very well, Lord Guo is indeed a good official who cares about the country and its people. In that case... I will send you to take charge of the affairs of Chang'an. The various construction projects in Bingzhou cannot be stopped, nor can they be done wrong."

"But if the progress in Chang'an doesn't keep up either... I'll charge you with dereliction of duty, drag you to the execution ground, and let the executioners give you a quick death!"

"how?!"

Guo Bingzheng's previously generous expression froze on his face.

Li Chengqian, however, had no intention of letting him off the hook, a cold smile on his face.

"For Lord Guo to utter such heartfelt words, he must possess the same dedication and selflessness as Zhuge Liang, truly embodying the saying 'the capable are often burdened with more work.'"

"You must take charge of the construction of the Chang'an Railway, and the construction of the official roads is also your specialty, so you can't stop there either."

"In addition, the Imperial Hospital, University, Transportation and other departments in Chang'an will also be put into operation."

"If Lord Guo can handle this, I can appoint you to govern Chang'an right now, what do you say?"

Guo Bingzheng: "..."

Seeing that the latter was speechless, he blushed, clasped his hands, and slunk away.

Li Chengqian then let out a cold snort.

His gaze swept around the room, lingering for a moment on the young officials he had just chosen, those whom he desperately wanted to crown.

"I know you all want to achieve some merit by following the emperor, and such merit has always been tempting, but... it won't work here!"

"Those with such thoughts should keep them to themselves as soon as possible!"

"Here, I only recognize political achievements and military merits! If you want to rise to the top in one step based on your merits as a new emperor... get out of here now!"

He stood up, and his icy aura made some people in the room afraid to even breathe.

"Regarding the administration of Youzhou, each department should, according to their respective functions, discuss and formulate a set of regulations, which should be sent to me in three days! Meeting adjourned!"

Li Chengqian walked towards the back of the Shougong Hall, and the officials could still hear him issuing a cold command to Wang De.

"Go and bring that old bastard Wei Zheng to me!"

Everyone looked at each other.

Aside from Wang Ming, Zheng Jiang, and Kong Yingda, who were among the core members of the Eastern Palace who had almost anticipated that the Crown Prince would not be interested in the throne, there were others.

All the officials who had previously been preoccupied with the merits of following the emperor's rise to power.

They were all taken aback by Li Chengqian's decisive refusal.

The backyard of Shougong Hall.

When Wei Zheng, looking disheveled, was brought here by several men from the Eastern Palace's Six Guards, what came into view was Li Chengqian's eyes, which seemed to be faintly flashing with fire.

"Wei Zheng, I underestimated you. You've only been in Taiyuan for a day, yet you already know who the officials at my Shou Gong Hall court are, and you've even visited them all. Heh..."

"Should I say, 'Truly, you are worthy of being called Wei Zheng!'"

"You want me to go back and inherit the throne? Aren't you afraid I'll order you to be beheaded?!"

thump!

Wei Zheng immediately knelt on the ground, his old face contorted with grief.

"Your Highness!!! I am innocent! It was not that I intentionally forced you, but... it is... His Majesty has bound my relatives and family to Chang'an. If you do not return to Chang'an to ascend the throne, they... they..."

In the end, Wei Zheng was unable to say anything more.

She began to sob and weep.

This surprised Li Chengqian, who paused for a moment.

"What?"

Seeing that Li Chengqian seemed not to believe him, Wei Zheng, whose face was covered with tears of grievance, hurriedly explained.

“Your Highness, everything I said is true. My son, Shuyu, has already been sent to the Imperial Academy by His Majesty. I heard that he has been assigned a rather strict tutor and has been given a rattan whip.”

"And some of my Wei family relatives, even those with very distant ties, from county magistrates and prefects to clerks and merchants, have all been taken to Chang'an by His Majesty's Hundred Cavalry Division."

“If you don’t return… His Majesty will find various reasons to send my relatives to remote border regions…”

"Your Highness, please save this old minister and let him return to the throne! Waaah!"

Seeing Wei Zheng in such a state, Li Chengqian felt for the first time the trouble he had encountered from his father, the emperor.

In order to ensure that he could inherit the throne and lead troops into battle, they really had no shame.

Even he, who originally disliked Wei Zheng, that old scoundrel, was affected.

Now, the way he looked at the other person even carried a hint of pity.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Wei Zheng, back when I held a knife to your neck in that prison, did you ever imagine this day would come... You think you're a benevolent emperor, but I'm threatening you with your whole family, forcing you to persuade me, this tyrannical crown prince, to go back and take the throne."

"...This world is truly wondrous."