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

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, who were leisurely enjoying their holiday in Taiyuan Prefecture with several old friends after finishing their medical examinations, received news from Wang Ming, the prefect of Taiyuan Prefecture.

The group of people stared at each other in disbelief.

Wang Ming pounded his chest and stamped his feet: "Prime Minister Fang, Prime Minister Du, how could I speak carelessly on such a matter of national importance?! I have just received an order from the Crown Prince to mobilize the new army of Bingzhou!"

Yu Shinan stood up in astonishment, looking at the imperial edict from the Crown Prince handed to him by Wang Ming.

His whole face looked terrible.

"Wouldn't that mean there's no one in the court who can stop the Crown Prince?!"

At this moment, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Yu Shinan and Kong Yingda, all former ministers of Li Chengqian, realized that something was wrong.

People who were chatting and laughing, discussing the beautiful scenery of a place or the artistic conception of a certain calligraphy and painting, all revealed fear and anxiety in their eyes.

"Hiss... Governor Wang, tell me, what other orders did the Crown Prince issue!"

Fang Xuanling anxiously grabbed his arm. Wang Ming looked distressed. With such incidents occurring in Jiangnan and Huainan, even if the unrest in both places is quelled, the Crown Prince will inevitably issue many harsh decrees regarding the control of merchants.

Whether it's as a warning or to fill in the gaps...

"For several years, the tax revenue and various political achievements of Jiangnan Circuit and Huainan Circuit have been mediocre. However, recently, the Embroidered Uniform Guard suddenly discovered particularly serious collusion between officials and merchants in these two regions. The situation under the jurisdiction of Zhang Zhenzhou, the governor of Hongzhou in Jiangnan Circuit, and Li Xiyu, the governor of Shuzhou in Huainan Circuit, is the most absurd..."

Wang Ming began to recount the things he had learned.

When everyone heard that merchants from Jiangnan and Huainan had colluded with officials to set a trap under the guise of encouraging people to engage in commerce, causing thousands of households to go bankrupt and become homeless.

Casinos and brothels were set up everywhere, and decadent lifestyles flourished.

Everyone's face was deathly pale.

Wang Ming sighed: "This time, Your Highness doesn't even trust the officials in the court anymore. There are already seven or eight ministers and vice ministers of the six ministries who have been imprisoned, and officials from the two provinces have all been arrested and sent to the imperial prison."

"Even... this time the Crown Prince directly issued orders to the various vassal kings, instead of ordering the court to send troops or dispatching imperial envoys to investigate."

Even those who have been immersed in officialdom for many years are now visibly trembling as they stroke their beards or hold their teacups.

Kong Yingda's voice trembled: "If, if the situation in both regions deteriorates to an extreme degree, I'm afraid Your Highness's trust in the court will crumble to the extreme. At that time... I'm afraid we'll have to increase our support for the various vassal kings!"

This is what worries Wang Ming and other officials who are not involved in the affairs of the two factions the most.

The current crown prince has always been least concerned about what happens after his death or his personal reputation.

The circle of trust among the nobility was limited to the sons of the old ministers of the Prince of Qin's mansion, and a few people like Xiao Rui and Lawyer Pei who had followed him since the early days of the Taiyuan Prefecture reforms.

After that came the poor students from impoverished families who came through the new imperial examination system.

If the court fails to perform its duties at the beginning of this conflict and then performs poorly in quelling local problems, then once the conflict ends, a large number of officials with noble and aristocratic backgrounds will be swept out of the court.

Remove from official rank and title...

"Quickly! Return to Chang'an at once! We must immediately summon all officials and resolve the local issues and apprehend the ringleaders before His Highness and the vassal kings take action against the two factions, otherwise... the court will be in grave danger!"

.......

"Your Highness, although Li You has performed well over the years, you still can't give him too much power. Otherwise, he'll definitely do something outrageous, and that would be a real problem..."

Who would have thought that such words came from Consort Yin, who was always willing to criticize everything and even the emperor?

Since Li You took up his post in Lingnan Province and gained real power, he couldn't be more proud when he mentioned his son every day.

However, she has now taken the initiative to approach Li Chengqian, subtly and overtly advising him not to give the princes too much power.

Li Chengqian gave a half-smile.

"Your Highness, these words don't sound like they came from your mouth; they sound more like my mother advising me..."

He shook his head slightly, a direct and unequivocal refusal that left no room for doubt.

“Li You is my brother, he has the blood of the Li family flowing through his veins. I know who I should trust. Your Highness, Consort Yin, you don’t need to get involved in this matter anymore. Also, tell my mother and the others…”

"The empress and concubines must not interfere in politics!"

These days, the entire palace, or rather the whole of Chang'an, exudes a tense atmosphere as if a storm is brewing.

Since not many officials from the Ministry of Rites were involved in the case of the two lakes, newspapers such as the Tang Daily and the Tang New Daily published reports about the events that the Embroidered Uniform Guard had uncovered in Jiangnan and Huainan.

At the same time, the orders of Crown Prince Li Chengqian also reached the common people.

The common people of the Tang Dynasty were in an uproar, the officialdom was shaken, and the business community was in an uproar...

On the streets of Chang'an, the military officers patrolling the city were posting notices everywhere announcing the reinstatement of the curfew.

Every now and then, a few people dressed as imperial messengers would ride fast horses out of the city, creating a tense atmosphere as if a storm was brewing. The people, however, were more focused on criticizing the merchants of Jiangnan and Huainan.

Teahouses, taverns, and even brothels and other places of entertainment could be heard with scholars and common people discussing this matter loudly.

"The current Crown Prince is too benevolent. In order to implement the new policies, he abolished agricultural taxes and encouraged commerce on a large scale. Now our Great Tang has so much arable land, and many people have their own farms or ranches. Even if we collect agricultural taxes, what difference will it make?"

"Exactly! If you ask me, we should continue to restrict those merchants, prevent their children from taking the imperial examinations, prevent them from wearing fine silks and satins, and prevent them from riding in carriages!"

"Hmph! Incompetent scoundrels occupy the court, and the two institutions are so corrupt that it took the Crown Prince's Imperial Guards to find out! It's utterly ridiculous! Your Highness should behead all these incompetent officials!"

Merchants of the Tang Dynasty, especially those with large headquarters and businesses in Chang'an or Taiyuan, were able to clearly perceive this extremely unfavorable public opinion atmosphere.

“Sir, as you instructed, we have not accepted any of the gifts from officials or merchants... This matter seems to involve a wide range of people.”

At the Duke of Ying's residence, Wu Shihuo looked worried. Beside him, Madam Yang, who had been promoted to the rank of wife and received an imperial decree two years ago, looked at him with concern.

Wu Shiyue shook his head and sighed, "Only today have people finally realized the meaning of fear! Even the Prince of Da Ning wrote to me to inquire about this matter... Alas!"

Lady Yang frowned: "Could it be that the Prince of Da Ning is also involved in the Two Lakes case?"

Wu Shiyue leaned back in his chair, and Yang Shi walked behind him and gently rubbed his forehead. He then spoke with a sigh, his voice filled with melancholy.

"The Two Lakes Case is indeed a big deal, but it can only be said to be a big deal in an ordinary dynasty. But now in the Tang Dynasty... those people can't cause any trouble at all. What the ministers are worried about is precisely what will happen after the Two Lakes Case."

"The current Crown Prince has always been very protective and supportive of the various vassal kings. The ministers all want to persuade him, but even Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, and even His Majesty, dare not speak up. Now that the court has failed in its duties to such an extent, Your Highness's trust in the officials in the court will probably drop to rock bottom."

Samurai paused, then, with a troubled expression, used the court report in his hand to massage his aching knees.

Madam Yang reached out to stop him, then sat down beside him and gently massaged his legs: "Is Master worried that His Highness the Crown Prince no longer trusts the court and instead blindly supports the vassal kings, which could lead to a rebellion by the vassal kings a hundred years from now?"

"Heh, a hundred years from now..." Wu Shiyue smiled bitterly, his smile carrying a hint of self-deprecating sarcasm.

"We don't even have the right to worry about what will happen a hundred years from now. If this matter is not handled properly... even figures like Chancellor Fang and Chancellor Du will probably be swept out of the court!"

"Crack!"

A clap of thunder boomed over Chang'an.

The first spring rain fell in Chang'an in the eighth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. However, the atmosphere in Chang'an under the cover of this spring rain was extremely oppressive.

Li Chengqian stood atop the palace wall of Xuanwu Gate.

His tall and imposing figure, accentuated by the black and gold belted robe of the crown prince, exuded a sharp and rude murderous aura.

"Ninth Prince, Eighth Prince, you two stay in Chang'an to oversee the country. If anyone dares to rebel... you may kill them at will."

Prince Li Zhi of Jin and Prince Li Zhen of Yue stood to the side, their faces devoid of their usual laughter and unruliness.

They all nodded solemnly.

As the commander who defended Xuanwu Gate during the palace coup, Chang He looked at the three people's backs with mixed feelings.

The hidden prince of that year could not convince his brothers, and at Xuanwu Gate, the brothers turned against each other and killed one another.

But this crown prince, who was born into the family of the King of Qin, is completely different.

However, this time he led his vassal king brothers to direct their attacks at the court officials and the imperial court...

There was a commotion in the sky. Li Chengqian looked up and saw a golden eagle fly out from the direction of the Lizheng Palace and head towards Jiannan Road.

He understood his mother's thoughts, but unfortunately, this time he was one step ahead.

Golden eagles, carrying his orders, flew to the hands of the various vassal kings who were far away.