Chapter 232 Conspiracy in the Eastern Palace (Part 2)
Chapter 232 The East Palace Conspiracy (Part 2)
Author: gusty wind
Chapter 232 The East Palace Conspiracy (Part 2)
During the Li Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan... well, when he ascended the throne, his father and ancestors had long since disappeared, and the reputations of his peers, such as Li Shentong and Li Shenfu, were too low, so Li Yuan chose Chen Guogong Dou Kang from his wife's group as Zong Zhengqing.
From this point of view, Li Yuan is really not as magnanimous as his uncle Yang Jian.
Yang Jian claimed to be from the Hongnong Yang family. Well, whether it was true or not, he appointed Yang Xiong, a direct descendant of the Hongnong Yang family, as Zong Zhengqing.
Li Yuan wanted to gain access to the Li family in Longxi, but he was reluctant to give it to even Zong Zhengqing...
Chen Guogong Dou Kang served as Zong Zhengqing for four years, and Wude died of illness in November of the fifth year. Li Jiancheng wondered whether Dou Cong could be used to replace Zong Zhengqing.
"It is not appropriate to supplement the general of the Twelve Guards and concurrently serve as the Zongzhengqing." Wang Gui shook his head and said: "The Duke of Anfeng is more suitable."
Li Jiancheng nodded and said: "It is appropriate for Dou Dan to serve as Taichang Qing and also serve as the prince of the country."
Anfeng County Duke Dou Dan was the third son of Chen Guogong Dou Kang. He had a weak temperament and had a good relationship with Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji. Moreover, most of Li Yuan's sons were young, and Dou Dan was in charge of family affairs. It was indeed more suitable to take over as Zong Zhengqing.
The three of them discussed for a long time and were almost certain that the next step would be to adapt to any changes. As long as the East Palace does not trouble itself, Li Jiancheng only needs to be diligent in political affairs, and his position as prince will not be shaken... After all, Li Yuan is backing him.
After all, Dong Gong just wants to shrink his head and push Li Yuan out to fight with Li Shimin... Big brother like me can't beat you, but father can always suppress you!
But Li Jiancheng's face still showed doubts, and he whispered: "What if there is a sword war?"
Wang Gui was startled, "Isn't this the case with King Qin?"
Li Jiancheng was silent, this attitude said everything.
It is written in the history books of later generations that Prince Li Jiancheng did not consider that Li Shimin would fight to the death in a desperate situation and would be overturned by his opponent suddenly.
I won’t say whether Li Shimin was in a desperate situation at that time, but it would be a bit biased to say that Li Jiancheng did not consider Li Shimin’s use of force to seize the throne. The Changlin Army under the command of the East Palace was in Chang’an City and always maintained a strength of several thousand.
If it weren't for Li Shimin's sudden attack, it would be too taboo for Li Jiancheng, the prince, to have thousands of troops in the city.
As the prince, Li Jiancheng was suppressed by Li Shimin. There were many reasons for this, but the key was his military power.
Li Jiancheng once calculated in his mind that the combined military strength of his direct lineage and that of his father Li Yuan might not be able to defeat his second brother... This was the main reason why the position of the East Palace was shaky.
Of course, this is also the main reason why Li Yuan is afraid of rejecting Li Shimin.
Wei Zheng said softly: "I will inspect Hebei this time and go north to Mozhou. The Prince of Yan County has the intention of joining the dynasty."
The so-called Prince of Yan Commandery is Li Yi, who guards Youzhou. Last year, he exchanged letters with the East Palace frequently. Li Jiancheng agreed with him to send troops to pacify Hebei and then summon him to the court.
Li Jiancheng nodded slightly, stood up and opened the window, glanced at the green pines outside the window for a few times, and said in a low voice, "The two gentlemen just now said that they should make decisions based on public opinion and recommend talents..."
"What do you mean, Your Highness?"
"Among the children of the clan, in terms of merit, the second brother is the leader." Li Jiancheng looked deeply and said slowly: "But in the eyes of my father, there is one person who is not weak to the second brother."
Wei Zheng and Wang Gui looked at each other, both a little confused. There were many members of the clan who led troops in battle. Apart from King Qin, the most praised one was King Li Xiaogong of Hejian, but he was still far behind King Qin.
"Children of the clan, there are boys and girls." Li Jiancheng said softly: "Three sisters have been stationed in Bingzhou for several years. They have worked hard and made great achievements. They should be transferred back to Guanzhong."
Wei Zheng and Wang Gui immediately knew who they were referring to, the third daughter of the saint, Princess Pingyang.
In terms of status, Queen Taimu's Dou family only had four sons and one daughter. Among them, Li Yuanba died young, and the remaining prince, King Qin, and King Qi, was Princess Pingyang.
In terms of meritorious service, Li Yuan raised an army in Taiyuan and crossed the river into Guanzhong. He had no more than 100,000 troops under his command. Princess Pingyang, who was hunted by the Sui Dynasty, gathered her forces and defeated the enemy several times, leading an army of 70,000 to meet her.
In Li Yuan's mind, Princess Pingyang should be the number one performer in Conglong.
"Yes, yes..." Wang Gui murmured: "In the eyes of the saint, Pingyang is not weak to King Qin."
Wei Zheng whispered: "Consort Chai Shao, the commander-in-chief, made meritorious service in the battles of Qianshuiyuan, Luoyang, Hulao, and Luoshui. He was led by General Xiaowei on the right and was given the title Duke Huo."
It cannot be said that Chai Shao belongs to the lineage of the Qin king. After all, there were too many officials in the court who fought under Li Shimin, and Li Jiancheng had a good relationship with Chai Shao.
Chai Shao's position...even if he was slightly biased towards the Qin Palace before, when Princess Pingyang returns to Beijing, her position will only be neutral.
Because for Princess Pingyang, she will not be biased between the two brothers, the prince and the king of Qin. They are both direct brothers, and no one who ascends the throne can affect her status.
"At least Chai Shao..." Wang Gui murmured: "Princess Pingyang cannot stay idle forever... when she returns to Beijing and leads the army to garrison in Jingzhao."
In fact, summoning Princess Pingyang back to the capital would not bring much benefit to the East Palace. Wang Gui was a little disappointed in his heart, but then he heard Li Jiancheng whisper softly: "This way, father can rest assured."
Wei Zheng nodded and said: "Chen Guogong passed away two months ago. His Highness asked the saint to summon Princess Pingyang back to the capital. It is natural."
Wang Gui suddenly coughed violently, "That's right... yes, tell me... Xuan Cheng is right!"
Li Jiancheng helped Wang Gui sit down and brought a glass of water with his own hand. Wang Gui wanted to stand up to thank him, but was pushed down by Wei Zheng. The three of them seemed to have completely forgotten the topic.
This is a topic that doesn't need to be discussed again.
Princess Pingyang will not be biased towards the East Palace, but she will not be biased towards the Qin Palace either. She will only be loyal to the saint.
In other words, the saint has an army in his hands that can be mobilized at any time. Even if Princess Pingyang is not in Chang'an, as long as it is stationed in Jingzhao or on the Guannai Road close to Chang'an, it can form a check and balance on the Qin Palace.
Previously, Li Yuan had a similar figure in his hands, namely Chen Guogong Dou Kang. This man was deeply trusted by Li Yuan and participated in several wars. He was quite prestigious in the army and his sons held military power and high positions.
Now that Dou Kang is dead, if Li Jiancheng proposes to transfer Princess Pingyang back to the capital, Li Yuan is likely to make her Dou Kang's successor.
Li Jiancheng didn't care whether Princess Pingyang would help the East Palace, he just needed her to be loyal to his father.
As long as Princess Pingyang returns to Beijing, the possibility of the Qin Prince's palace to rebel and ascend to power can be eliminated.
If Li Jiancheng followed the historical track, wiped out Liu Heita and pacified Shandong, he wouldn't care if he had some prestige in the army, but now there is a time traveler causing trouble, so he thought of Princess Pingyang.
After all, since ancient times, there have been women who have taken power but no women who have ascended the throne...Wu Zetian still couldn't speak at this time.
At this time, murmurs sounded not far away. Wei Ting rubbed his head and got up dizzy, still shouting, "Good wine, really good wine!"
Seeing Wei Ting staggering a few steps and almost falling, Li Jiancheng grabbed the guy's shoulder and asked angrily: "Where are we going to drink?"
"Even if I drank dozens of bowls, I wouldn't be so drunk..."
"Your Highness."
Li Jiancheng turned around and saw Wei Zheng placing a box on the table.
"It's snowing tonight, can you have a drink?" Wang Gui blinked, "I seem to have heard of it somewhere..."
"Today's trip to Zhujiagou was a gift from Li Huairen." Wei Zheng blushed a little and encouraged himself in his heart. I am not advertising, but recommending talents for the prince!