Chang'an, Tai Chi Palace.
Snapped!
Snapped!
Snapped!
The great eunuch held a long whip in his hand and blew it in front of the palace.
After three whips, the civil and military ministers entered the main hall in an orderly manner.
The civil servants were headed by the emperor's favored minister Zuopu She Pei Ji, followed by Xiao Yu, Feng Deyi, Yuwenshi and others.
The military generals are headed by General Tiance, King of Qin Li Shimin, followed by Li Jing, King of Qi Li Yuanji and others.
Logically speaking, Li Shimin also held the position of Shangshu Ling, and was both the head of civil servants and the top military generals. However, the emperor preferred to place him among the ranks of military generals.
On the steps, Prince Li Jiancheng stood with his back to the ministers and bowed towards the dragon chair at the top.
"Your Majesty is here!"
Following the eunuch's shrill voice, Li Yuan, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, came out of the back hall and climbed the steps at a fast pace.
Snapped!
Sitting down on the dragon chair, he faced the ministers with a calm expression.
"Your Majesty, long live our emperor."
The prince and his ministers bowed down and saluted Li Yuan, shouting long live the mountain.
In the Tang Dynasty, kneeling was not popular at this time. Even when facing the emperor, he only had to bend his waist.
"My lords, please excuse me."
Li Yuan raised his hand and spoke loudly.
The prince stood up and then stood sideways, half facing Li Yuan and half facing the ministers, as if to inherit the superior's intention and enlighten the subordinates.
The ministers stood up, all with respectful expressions and bowed their heads in silence.
Everyone knows that something big is going to be announced today! A thing that everyone knows, but everyone keeps secret!
"Since I went to Yuhua Mountain to escape the summer heat, I haven't held a court meeting for a long time."
Li Yuan's posture was casual, his fingers gently tapping the dragon chair, looking down at the ministers, and said calmly,
"After a tiring journey and a hurried return, I wanted to rest for a few more days before doing business again."
"But there are some things that make me feel like I have a lump in my throat, and I can't help but feel unhappy!"
"I believe all the ministers know about the rebellion case of Yang Wenqian in Qingzhou."
The ministers were silent.
Li Jiancheng's heartbeat quickened and he squeezed his hands subconsciously. His hands were already slippery with sweat.
Li Shimin's head was buried even lower.
Only King Li Yuanji of Qi looked normal, and even looked around to observe the expressions of everyone.
"I have been thinking about it for days and nights but still can't figure out why Yang Wenqian wanted to rebel?"
"Have I ever treated him badly? Does he think he has this strength? Or...is there someone behind him?"
Li Yuan's voice was cold,
"I have only been away from Chang'an for a few days. Is there someone out there who can't help but want to make a big fuss?"
"Prince!"
When he shouted, Li Jiancheng was immediately frightened!
"Father..." Li Jiancheng bowed down in fear.
"I heard that Wei Ting, the commander of the left guard of the East Palace, together with Zhongyun Lang Wang Gui, secretly sent people to Yang Wenqian in Qingzhou to transport weapons and armor, hoping to join forces with Yang Wenqian to raise troops to rebel."
Li Yuan looked down at his eldest son and said in a deep voice,
"Do you know this?"
When Li Jiancheng heard this, he shook his head like a rattle!
"I don't know! I really don't know! Father..."
Li Jiancheng fell to his knees with a pop, with tears in his eyes and a look of fear on his face,
"Er Chen has no interaction with Yang Wenqian at all, and he has never even met him!"
"What Wei Ting and Wang Gui did, I was kept in the dark and completely unaware of!"
Li Yuan snorted coldly.
"You don't know? As the prince of the prison country, you don't even know what the people under your command are doing. Are you, the prince, just a decoration?! Is it a vase in the palace?!"
He reprimanded mercilessly,
"Today they can plot against me behind your back. If I leave in the future, and someone else does the same thing, wouldn't it mean that the entire Tang Dynasty will be ruined in your hands?!"
"I am extremely disappointed in you for being so incompetent!"
Li Jiancheng was so angry that he could only shed tears.
"...It's my son who is incompetent!"
He put his head on the steps and whimpered,
"My son is so confused that he frightens and makes his father sad!"
"Father, please punish me severely!"
For a moment, tears flowed down his face, making the steps covered with his snot and tears.
This pitiful appearance also made the ministers sigh with emotion.
Being a prince... is really not easy!
Li Shimin still lowered his head, and no one saw that his expression had become indifferent.
Originally, he still had a sense of luck, but looking at it now——
Father, the thunder is loud and the raindrops are sure to be light.
This is 100% no longer pursuing the eldest brother...
Now that the eldest brother has been forgiven, what about myself?
Li Shimin was thinking wildly, but Li Yuan's expression on the dragon throne had softened.
"That's all! The people below have evil intentions. At most, you are guilty of negligence, and you won't be punished severely."
He raised his hand and said,
"Get up."
"Thank you... thank you, Father."
Li Jiancheng choked, stood up, and wiped his tears and nose.
"Tell me, what should we do with these people?"
Li Yuan looked at Li Jiancheng and asked calmly.
"They...they are so audacious and do such disobedient things. It is really a crime that cannot be punished!"
Li Jiancheng gritted his teeth and said bitterly,
"Although Yang Wenqian was defeated and committed suicide, I thought it was necessary to kill his nine tribes. This could deter the disobedient people in Yu Nei and serve as a warning to others!"
"It's accurate." Li Yuan nodded.
This punishment result has already been tacitly decided in his mind, and no one will have any objections.
The scholar on the side quickly drafted the imperial edict. After going to court, Yang Wenqian's entire family was beheaded!
"Wei Ting, where is Wang Gui?" Li Yuan asked again.
Li Jiancheng showed a trace of hesitation.
These two are his confidants, his right-hand man! And it is absolutely impossible to have a disobedient heart!
If he kills the two of them, he will undoubtedly reduce his own wings to a great extent!
But now in the court, he was already riding a tiger and couldn't get off even after talking about it.
If you don't be ruthless, you won't be able to explain...
After some struggle, Li Jiancheng finally gritted his teeth and stamped his feet, and said bravely:
"As for Wei Ting and Wang Gui, my minister... I think they have no disloyal intentions, but have been deceived and deceived, so they did such ridiculous things!"
"Their loyalty to their father is definitely evident from the sun and the moon! This, my son, is willing to vouch for them!"
"If my father doesn't believe it, he can hand them over to the Dali Temple of the Ministry of Punishment for interrogation. If they are really found to be disobedient, I am willing to face the crime together without any hesitation!"
He had to grit his teeth to protect these two people!
At the very least, their lives must be saved!
If these two swords click, he will almost become a bare commander. The princeling's vitality will be seriously damaged, and no one will be willing to sacrifice his life for him in the future!
Only death protection can preserve his power and make people's hearts linger!
Snap, snap.
Li Yuan's fingers tapped on the dragon chair habitually, and his eyes stared at his eldest son, with no trace of joy or anger on his face.
Those sounds were like knocking on Li Jiancheng's heart, making his liver and gallbladder tremble!
ps: Whipping was part of the emperor's ceremonial guard and existed before the Tang Dynasty. In addition, please collect and recommend!
