Chapter 697: Who can compete with Chang Sun when he appears?

When the eldest grandson appears, who can compete with him?

The news that the Zheng family had a grown-up daughter who looked and sounded exactly like Empress Zhangsun spread quickly.

Huaqing Palace, Chang'an City, and even the dignitaries and aristocratic families from all over the Tang Dynasty were all discussing this matter hotly.

In fact, the world is so big that there are all kinds of strange things.

The Tang Dynasty had a population of over ten million, so it was normal for several people to look similar.

The problem now is that Zheng's daughter is similar to Empress Changsun.

Empress Changsun was the first wife whom the current emperor never forgot, and she was also the biological mother of the current crown prince, Prince of Wei, and Prince of Jin.

It can be said that the sudden appearance of Zheng's daughter broke the psychological balance of many people at once.

In the blink of an eye, it was already mid-August.

Outside the Hanyuan Palace, there was an urgent report:

"Your Highness, the Duke of Xiangyang wants to see you!"

"Xuan!"

Li Chengqian, who was processing a memorial, was startled when he heard the words "Duke of Xiangyang" and dropped a drop of ink on the memorial.

Zhang Ananda, who was serving nearby, quickly took out a silk scarf to absorb the ink.

The Duke of Xiangyang is Du He, the second son of Du Ruhui in "Fangmou Duduan" and the consort of Princess Chengyang.

Du He and Li Chengqian grew up together and are considered to be very close childhood friends.

"Your Highness, great joy, great joy."

Du He's face was full of joy. He ran into the hall, knelt on the ground with a plop, and congratulated Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian looked at this childhood friend who had always been fond of making noises since childhood and was also his most loyal confidant, and smiled:

"Where does joy come from?"

"Xiao Cong..."

Du He was about to report when he suddenly remembered that this was not the East Palace, but the Hanyuan Palace.

The eunuch who served Li Chengqian was Zhang Ananda, the eunuch chief who was a close confidant of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, where did the "joy" come from? He just kept it to himself.

"Your Highness, I will take my leave now."

Zhang Ananda took his leave and left the hall, his face remaining calm.

As for what he was thinking in his heart, Li Chengqian and Du He could not guess.

"Tell me, where does happiness come from!"

Li Chengqian waited until Zhang Ananda had gone far away before letting Du He continue his report.

Du He then came to the imperial desk with a smile, leaned close to Li Chengqian's ear, and reported in a low voice:

"Your Highness, Princess Chengyang sent a message from Huaqing Palace that His Majesty is preparing to personally lead an expedition to Goryeo, and is also preparing to abdicate the throne to Your Highness before the expedition."

"Father is planning to abdicate to me?"

Li Chengqian was also stunned by Du He's news. He was a little bit unbelievable and asked repeatedly:

"Is the Emperor really going to abdicate to me?"

The important officials in the court did not actually care too much about the appearance of Zheng's daughter.

Because they believe that the current emperor is wise and will not do anything detrimental to the country because of a woman.

However, Li Chengqian was very worried about himself.

Since ancient times, being a prince has been a high-risk profession.

Haven’t you seen Emperor Wu of Han’s Crown Prince Liu Ju?
Haven't you seen Emperor Wen of Sui's 'deposed crown prince' Yang Yong?

Haven't you seen Emperor Gaozu's 'hidden prince' Li Jiancheng?
All the eunuchs and maids in the palace knew that although the current emperor was nearly forty years old, he was still as vigorous as a dragon and a tiger. He could sleep with several women at night and still be energetic when he went to court the next day.

Compared with his father, Li Chengqian is only 20 years old this year, but he often feels weak in the waist and knees.

So, sometimes, Li Chengqian was very scared.

He was afraid that he would not live longer than his own father.

He was even more afraid that one day he would be unable to endure the torment and shout out:
"In this world, there are emperors who last for thirty years, but there are also princes who last for thirty years."

Li Chengqian could not bear the torment as his heart was filled with endless worries. As if by some strange coincidence, he asked Du He to persuade Princess Chengyang to go to Huaqing Palace to check the extent of the emperor's favor for Zheng's daughter.

See if this daughter of Zheng will become the "Lady Qi" or "Yin Lihua" of the Tang Dynasty.

As a result, Princess Chengyang brought news that her father wanted to abdicate.

This is such a pleasant surprise.

"It's true! Chengyang asked again and again, and His Majesty said in person that he wants to abdicate the throne to Your Highness by the end of this year!"

As Li Chengqian's close confidant and childhood friend, Du He is well aware of the pressure Li Chengqian has been under since childhood.

That's why, the moment he got the news, he hurried to report to Li Chengqian.

Seeing that Du He spoke so decisively, Li Chengqian believed him.

Of course, if it weren't for the dignity of being an heir, Li Chengqian would have wanted to go to Huaqing Palace in person and ask his father for everything.

Li Chengqian could only suppress his excitement now. He stood up from his chair, patted Du He on the shoulder, and said excitedly in a low voice:

"Thank you for your hard work. Please don't make this public first."

"Your Highness, I'm afraid this matter cannot be kept secret."

Seeing how excited Li Chengqian was, Du He quickly told him more details: "When His Majesty announced this news, there were many concubines around him, including Concubine Yang, Concubine Wei and others."

"Concubine Yang, Concubine Wei and the others are all here?" When Li Chengqian heard the news, he could no longer suppress his excitement. His eyes were filled with endless brilliance. He stood up from his chair and paced back and forth.

He wanted to shout and scream to express his joy and happiness.

In his opinion, since his father said this in front of everyone, then the matter was 80% settled.

After all, you never joke.

However, things have not been implemented yet.

Li Chengqian knew that he shouldn't be happy too early.

Historical experience tells Li Chengqian that anything can happen until the last moment.

After calming down, Li Chengqian issued several orders in succession:

"Tell Zhao Jie and the others not to make any mistakes recently, to keep the Sixth Officer of the Eastern Palace under control, and not to be stingy with money..."

Li Chengqian was afraid that his brothers would learn from his father and take risks, so he generously rewarded those who could protect him.

Not to mention how hard Li Chengqian worked.

The court officials soon received news that the emperor wanted to abdicate.

The emperor would abdicate the throne to the crown prince at the end of the year, and then lead his army to invade Goryeo the following year.

It was originally agreed that the crown prince would be the chief military commander and lead the army in the eastern expedition, but now the emperor has become the one leading the army in person.

Ministers such as Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Gao Shilian, and Yang Shidao were all overwhelmed by Su Mingzhe's sudden change.

However, the emperor has already given the order, and everyone can only continue to work hard to cooperate.

The city of Chang'an was in chaos.

Su Mingzhe, however, was still in Huaqing Pool, drinking and having fun with the newly promoted Concubine Zheng every day.

Zheng Jieyushi, whose maiden name was Zheng Wanyan, was the younger sister of Concubine Zheng and was now given the title Jieyushi.

Since the emergence of Concubine Zheng, the status of the Wang sisters, Master Fadeng, and other concubines have all regressed by more than one step.

Zheng Jieyu's favor naturally aroused hostility from other women.

Unfortunately, with Su Mingzhe watching over them, other women had no chance to do anything tricky.

Time flies and it is September.

The heat is gradually subsiding.

Su Mingzhe returned to Chang'an City with a group of concubines, princes and princesses.

Ministers such as Fang Xuanling and Zhangsun Wuji all asked for an audience.

Hanyuan Hall.

Su Mingzhe summoned all the ministers.

When a group of ministers came into the hall with solemn eyes and serious expressions, Su Mingzhe was overjoyed, but he had to pretend to be helpless on his face:
"My dear ministers, if there is anything so urgent, can't we wait until the grand court meeting?"

"I have doubts and cannot be at peace, so I have come here to ask Your Majesty to clear up my doubts."

The other ministers sat on the cushions and kept silent. In the end, Fang Xuanling had to speak first and asked:
"Your Majesty is in your prime, why do you want to abdicate?"

Asking His Majesty why he wants to abdicate would be to offend the future emperor.

So, the other ministers pretended to be deaf and dumb, waiting for someone else to ask this question.

What's worse, there are people like Gao Shilian, Zhangsun Wuji, Wei Zheng, Wang Gui and others.

They are all relatives and teachers of the prince, and it will be of great benefit to them if the prince succeeds to the throne.

So they don't want to get involved in this matter.

However, as the first prime minister of the Tang Empire, Fang Xuanling had to get things straight.

"Is this also the problem for you, my dear ministers?"

Su Mingzhe did not let Fang Xuanling serve as a gun alone, but directly asked others to be pulled into the trench.

Wang Gui, Wei Zheng, Yang Shidao, Tang Jian and others all spoke up to agree, saying that they also disagreed with the emperor abdicating so early.

As for Changsun Wuji and Gao Shilian, they simply did not speak and remained silent.

"Well, since everyone wants to know, I will explain it."

As Su Mingzhe spoke, he waved to the Crown Prince Li Chengqian who was pretending to be reserved beside him, motioning him to come and sit next to him.

Li Chengqian's heartbeat quickened, but he remained calm on the surface. He walked a few steps to Su Mingzhe's side and sat side by side with his biological father.

"Crown Prince Chengqian has been regent for many years and has done nothing wrong. I originally wanted him to follow the army to attack Goryeo, and then abdicate after he knew the cruelty of the war."

Su Mingzhe expressed his attitude with just one sentence.

He had long wanted to abdicate, but now he had done it ahead of schedule.

Then, Su Mingzhe explained:

"There are two reasons why I abdicated early and canceled the Crown Prince's expedition to the east. The reason I abdicated was because I remembered the old story of the 'Cruel Crown Prince' during Emperor Wu of Han. And I canceled the Crown Prince's expedition to the east because I remembered that since I ascended the throne, the Tang Dynasty has been at war constantly, and I don't want my successor to be a warmongering person. Therefore, I simply abdicated the throne to the Crown Prince, and I personally led the expedition to pacify Goryeo, the Western Regions, and Tubo, laying a foundation for future generations. All the merits and demerits are on me."

"My dear ministers, this is why I want to abdicate early."

Su Mingzhe spoke and looked at Fang Xuanling.

Fang Xuanling sighed inwardly, knowing that the situation could not be reversed. He could only take a deep breath and solemnly bowed to the father and son behind the imperial desk:
"I am willing to follow Your Majesty on the Eastern Expedition and serve as a grain transport officer."

Fang Xuanling knew that he was an old minister of the Zhenguan period, and he had offended the prince today. When the new emperor ascended the throne and the Zhenguan emperor passed away, wouldn't the new emperor Li Chengqian cause trouble for him?

When Fang Xuanling thought of this, he felt that he could no longer stay in this court.

Therefore, he simply took the initiative to abdicate and left the court with Su Mingzhe.

The ministers present also came to their senses and followed suit, saying:
"We are willing to follow your majesty in person."

(End of this chapter)