Chapter 5: The Impossible (Second Update, Vote Requested)

  As for Li Chengqian, Du He also couldn't be said to be unfamiliar with him.

  When studying the history of the Tang Dynasty, he also specially studied Li Chengqian, a tragic figure.

  Li Chengqian said he was a tragic figure, and that's absolutely right, he is indeed a tragic figure.

  Li Chengqian was highly expected by Li Shimin since he was young, and his name "Chengqian" means "to inherit the heaven". He can be said to be a crown prince with almost perfect natural and acquired conditions.

  He was born in the prosperous Tang Dynasty, his father was a just and strong monarch, his mother was a wise and gentle queen, his parents' relationship was solid and stable from start to finish. He himself was also the undisputed eldest son by birthright, and had been specially nurtured since childhood.

  At that time, the court was also a righteous official, and there were no treacherous officials. The ministers sent by his parents to his side were all clean and honest, brave and good at advising him. Among his close attendants, there were only a few petty people, and no one actively taught him evil.

  The only one who is inferior is Changsun Wuji, but although Changsun Wuji is despicable and sinister, he is only greedy for power and wealth, and can only be said to be a petty person, not a treacherous minister. He is still loyal to the Tang Dynasty.

  All these signs indicate that Li Chengqian was a perfect and flawless crown prince.

  But in the seventh year of the Zhenguan era, Li Chengqian changed and became fond of jests and games, violating rituals and laws.

  Moreover, it even shocked Li Shimin. Li Shimin expressed understanding for the changes in Li Chengqian and said to those around him: "I was still among the people at 18 and knew their hardships. Since I took office, there have been mistakes. The Crown Prince was born in the palace and does not understand the world. It would be strange if he did not make mistakes!"

  Only increased control over him, without punishment.

  In the ninth year of Zhenguan, when Li Yuan passed away, Li Shimin, who was in mourning, handed over state affairs to Li Chengqian for handling. Li Chengqian won the recognition of all civil and military officials with his perfect performance. Historical records also recorded that he was quite understanding of the overall situation and quite able to listen and make judgments.

  Li Shimin was also greatly comforted by his father, so whenever he left Chang'an, Li Chengqian would inevitably take charge of the country and handle state affairs.

  Li Shimin's original intention was to train Li Chengqian, but in reality it had a counterproductive effect.

  Perhaps due to his unsettled nature, Li Chengqian changed within less than a year after coming into contact with imperial power. He began to associate with petty people, indulging in lust and debauchery, stopping at nothing. After getting tired of women, he started playing with men, and since falling off a horse while stealing a cow and becoming crippled, his nature had greatly changed. As long as his several masters reported to Li Shimin, Li Chengqian would inevitably send people to secretly harm them, even going so far as to murder his teachers.

  As his behavior became more and more wicked, the position of crown prince naturally also became further and further away from him.

  The crown prince stole a cow, Du He had already known about it, but he never thought that one day the theft would be on his own head.

  "How many people know about this?" Du He's eyebrows also furrowed slightly, and indeed, the matter was a bit tricky. If it were just Li Chengqian's affair, he wouldn't have minded, but this concerned the reputation of the Tang Dynasty, especially with the New Year approaching, when all nations would come to pay their respects. If such a scandal were to spread, the Tang Dynasty would lose face greatly.

  "Don't worry, only I and Old Zhao know about this matter. Even his family members are unaware of it!" Ling Chen said coldly.

  "It's just..."

  "What's going on?" Du He had already vaguely guessed where the problem lay. "Does that thief know you've discovered his identity?"

  Ling Chen Ice nodded reluctantly: "When the thief's waist card fell and was picked up by Zhao Bo, the thief had been watching. Not long ago, the thief let the official yamen take him away."

  The crown prince, as the heir to the throne, is involved in such despicable and shameful acts. If this gets out, it will undoubtedly be a huge blow to Li Chengqian. If he finds out that his identity has been exposed, he will absolutely not let the matter drop.

  Severe cases will be killed and silenced, while lighter ones will also be subject to the most severe punishment, making them dare not speak out of turn.

  Du He sighed and said, "You've come to the right person. Although I don't want to get involved, you are my subjects after all, and I can't just sit back and do nothing!" Upon hearing Du He's words, Ling Chen also let out a sigh of relief. He thought to himself that he was well-read and resourceful, but being from a poor background, if the crown prince wanted to deal with him, not even ten lives would be enough to save him. Therefore, he had taken the risk to come seek Du He's help, for only he could assist them in this situation.

  It's just that the other party is the crown prince, and Ling Chenbing isn't sure if Du He will take this risk, but hearing him speak in a calm tone also made her breathe a sigh of relief, and she felt even more grateful!

  After all, he is the crown prince, and it's not something ordinary people can do to offend the crown prince for the sake of these commoners.

  "Alright, before things get any worse, I'll arrange for you to leave Chang'an. The Crown Prince isn't the one who offended you!" Du He chose a compromise, not because he was afraid of offending Li Chengqian, but because he didn't want another scandal to erupt and become a laughingstock.

  That year, over seventy-year-old Zhao Bo said: "The old man wanted to leave, but when the Lord of Long History took away the thief, he also brought the child along for questioning. Until now, they haven't come back yet!"

  Du He suddenly realized that Ling Chen's icy words were calm and clear, with extraordinary abilities. He had also thought of leaving as the best option, but Zhao Bo's son was still in the government office and couldn't leave!

  "Follow me to the provincial capital, I reckon that within this imperial city, the provincial governor's chief historian doesn't have the guts to cause trouble!" Du He knew time was of the essence and led the two directly to the provincial capital.

  The Tang Dynasty did not establish the Jingzhao Prefecture. The administrative organ of the capital was under the Yongzhou Prefecture, with a high-ranking prince serving as the Yongzhou Mu, but in fact these princes were mainly nominal, and the actual person in charge of Yongzhou affairs was the prefecture's long history.

  The person in charge of handling civil administration in Chang'an is the Long History of the Prefectural Government.

  Arriving at the government office of Yongzhou Prefecture, he coincidentally encountered the prefecture's chief historian publicly interrogating a case involving a lost cow in Wannian County.

  The provincial governor handled it fairly, listened to the case, inquired about the reason and gave a suitable reward to the cow thief. However, he did not involve the prince in the matter, which was also reasonable.

  The provincial governor released Zhao Bo's son, and the father and son were reunited, overjoyed to see each other. After a brief reunion, Ling Chen said, "Chang'an is a place of right and wrong, it's not suitable for long-term stay, it's better to leave quickly!"

  Du He also nodded in agreement and led the three of them to hail a horse carriage, planning to return to Wan Nian County for some rest and personally see them off from Chang'an.

  Out of the North Gate of Chang'an, came to a remote place outside the village of Wannian County, a large group of people had already blocked the road.

  The first one is actually Crown Prince Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty!

  Du Helema stopped his horse and dismounted, bowing from a distance: "I've seen the prince!"

  Li Chengqian's face was gloomy, with a flash of anger in his eyes. He liked to steal cows and cook them for food, but he also knew that this was not quite right, so he was extremely careful when doing it. Unexpectedly, last night he was ambushed by someone, suffered a loss, and even let the other side capture one person.

  Today, I sent someone to the prefectural government of Yongzhou to gather information, and unexpectedly learned that my identity had been exposed!

  Upon hearing this news, Li Chengqian also became terrified. If this matter were to spread and become known to all, his position as crown prince would inevitably be shaken!

  Under the slander of others, he had the idea that no matter what, he could not let others know about this matter!

  But who would have thought that Du He would intervene, this is enough to prove that he already knew about his own misdeeds.

  Li Chengqian's face was unpredictable, but he finally spoke: "Du He, you and I have no grudges in the past or present. Hand over the three people behind you. From now on, we will not bother each other again. What do you think?"

  "Impossible!" Du He didn't even think about it and immediately refused with a single word.

  PS: Recommend to friends "Datang Army Soul", the author of this book is very good, helped a lot for newbies like me! [bookid=1669865,bookname="Datang Army Soul"]

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