Chapter 55: On the Eve of the Coup

Chapter 55: The Eve of the Coup

After dealing with Wu Chonglie and amidst the deafening cheers of "Long Live," Li Qing vanished into the Zhaoling Mausoleum together with Li Shimin and his two descendants.

The trip to Chang'an needed to be kept strictly confidential. What would happen if treacherous ministers like Wu Sansi got wind of the news in advance and fled? Therefore, it was better to let everyone simply regard this event as a divine manifestation.

The people of the Great Tang in the third year of Shenlong were fortunate, for they truly waited for Emperor Taizong to return like a flash of lightning, clearing the entire universe of dust and mist.

Today we cheer for the Great Sage Sun, solely because the demonic mists have risen once again.

At this moment, Li Shimin was not the only one setting his sights on Wu Sansi. Another pitiful person, long subjected to bullying and cold stares, was also sharpening his blades, aiming a slaughter knife directly at Wu Sansi.

...

Chang'an City, the Eastern Palace.

"Guo'er."

Having concluded a day of "tutoring," Wu Chongxiong wiped the sweat from his brow and smiled at Princess Anle, who was seated nearby.

As the preceptor to the Crown Prince, Wu Chongxun should have remonstrated with the Crown Prince and guided him onto the right path. Instead of leading him astray from righteousness, however, he walked further and further down the road of uninhibited self-indulgence.

Indeed, today's lesson was none other than cuju.

"The Prince Consort's footwork is becoming more and more refined." Princess Anle, Li Guo'er, smiled charmingly, though her gaze grew increasingly disdainful when she looked at Crown Prince Li Chongjun standing behind them.

She held virtually no favorable impression of Li Chongjun. For the longest time, she had wanted to cajole her imperial father into appointing her as Crown Princess, but every single time, her imperial father used Li Chongjun as a shield to brush her off.

This led her to regard Li Chongjun as a thorn in her side and a nail in her flesh, wishing she could get rid of him as quickly as possible.

"What are you looking at, you thief-like slave!" Seeing that Li Chongjun was also looking in their direction, Li Guo'er could not help but curse angrily.

"Why ruin your health over a petty slave? It doesn't look good when you're angry." Wu Chongxun reached out to gently stroke Princess Anle's back, offering soothing words of comfort.

In reality, however, the derogatory names Princess Anle used for Li Chongjun had all been instigated by Wu Chongxun himself. It was hard to tell what kind of ulterior motives he harbored, but he was definitely no good person.

Li Chongjun's expression remained calm, as though he had already grown accustomed to the insults from Princess Anle and her husband.

Beneath his robes and sleeves, however, his fingernails had almost dug into his flesh.

Watching Princess Anle and her husband leave the Eastern Palace with playful banter, Li Chongjun took a deep breath and silently etched today's humiliation into his heart.

He remembered that someone had once told him that even a person of the humblest status, given the right timing, could take revenge on the most noble individuals in this world.

Not to mention that he was the Crown Prince; he already had a far greater head start than most people.

This statement was certainly correct. Didn't we see that after wild imaginations and sweeping changes, even a foot soldier with a matchlock could hunt down the Taikoo lord, making his heart bloom with joy?

Abe was also broad-minded (physically); even under such circumstances, he did not blame Yamagami. He truly—I could cry to death for him.

The glow of the setting sun spilled over the palace city, casting long shadows. Li Chongjun squinted as he looked up at the setting sun, standing erect against the slanting rays for a long time.

"Your Highness."

Li Chongjun snapped out of his reverie and looked toward the newcomer.

It was his trusted confidant and eunuch.

"General Li is waiting for you."

"Understood." Li Chongjun gave the setting sun one last deep look and turned to walk into the depths of the palace.

The General Li mentioned by the eunuch was Li Duozuo, Grand General of the Left Guard of Feathers. He was one of the primary contributors to the Shenlong Coup; back then, it was precisely because he led troops to secure the entire Luoyang Palace for Zhang Jianzhi and the other four princes that the success of the Shenlong Coup was guaranteed.

In recent years, however, the meritorious officials who participated in the Shenlong Coup—such as Wang Tongjiao, Zhang Jianzhi, Cui Xuanwei, and Jing Hui—had either been executed or demoted, while the imperial court was gradually taken over by Wu Sansi's faction. Li Duozuo began to feel increasingly anxious and fearful. As the saying goes, when the lips are gone, the teeth feel cold; with the principal meritorious officials like the five princes dead, he would be next in line.

Li Duozuo never knew when Wu Sansi would come looking for him to exact revenge, and he spent his days living in constant terror.

Finally, some time ago, Li Chongjun had found him.

Sharing the same fate as fellow castaways, the two hit it off immediately, and Li Duozuo agreed without even a fraction of hesitation. Furthermore, he brought additional generals of the Feathered Guards into the coup faction, including Li Sichong, Li Chengkuang, Dugu Huizhi, and Shazha Zhongyi.

While political opportunism certainly played a part, it was driven far more by anxiety over their own perilous situations.

No one wanted to live in perpetual fear. Li Duozuo was a military man, and he firmly believed that rather than entrusting his fate to others, it was better to fight tooth and nail—at least he could drag a few unlucky bastards down with him before dying.

In the front hall of the Eastern Palace, waiting for him alongside Li Duozuo was Prince Cheng, Li Qianli.

Li Qianli was the son of Li Ke, Prince of Wu. Because his maternal grandmother, Consort Yang, and Empress Wu's mother, Lady Rongguo, were both members of the Sui Dynasty imperial clan, and because he himself was quite adept at bending and stretching to survive, he managed to escape Emperor Wu's massacres unscathed.

Now, having finally shaken off the shadow of Wu Zetian, another Wu Sansi had emerged, with Empress Wei lurking and watching like a tiger eyeing its prey, eager to emulate Wu Zetian. No one knew whether Empress Wei, upon ascending the throne, would once again launch a massive slaughter against the Li-Tang imperial clan. Therefore, Li Qianli logically joined forces with Li Chongjun.

After dismissing the attendants, Li Duozuo stepped forward and spoke in a low voice to Li Chongjun, "Your Highness the Crown Prince! The brothers are all prepared!"

"Tomorrow, rise in revolt with Us! First kill Wu Sansi, then kill that demonic concubine Shangguan Wan'er, and then the demonic Empress Wei and Princess Anle!" Li Chongjun's voice was low, yet his expression remained as calm as usual, as though he were discussing something utterly mundane.

"And... what about His Majesty?" Li Duozuo asked hesitatingly.

Li Chongjun pondered for a moment and said in a low voice, "His Majesty is my sovereign and father; we are only here to eliminate the traitors of the state."

"This..."

Li Duozuo wanted to say more, but Li Chongjun pressed a hand down to stop him.

"There is never a wrong sovereign or father under heaven. Our uprising is solely to purge the nation's traitors. If we enter the palace first, and the uprising fails while the Wu family father and son manage to escape by luck, I would die with everlasting regret!"

"This..." Li Duozuo exchanged a glance with Li Qianli and sighed inwardly.

"Very well, we shall follow Your Highness's command!"

Li Qianli unclasped the long sword from his waist and handed it to Li Chongjun, saying, "Your Highness, this is the personal sword of Emperor Taizong. Your subject prays that this sword may bless Your Highness to achieve success on the first attempt!"

Receiving the sword hailed as "the Son of Heaven's sword used by Taizong," Li Chongjun felt a mysterious surge of power welling up within his body.

Hiss... The father is a monarch, the son is a crown prince, and there's even a divine sword. With these elements, I'm not just on steady ground—I've practically secured absolute victory!

"There is... one more matter that requires Your Highness's cooperation," Li Duozuo requested cautiously.

"What matter?" Li Chongjun put away the long sword.

"I have brought several physiognomists to read Your Highness's fortune," Li Duozuo said deferentially. "Please forgive Your subject's presumption. I know Your Highness is benevolent and filial, but we still need some prophetic auspicious signs to steady the morale of the army..."

Li Chongjun took a deep breath. He knew full well the importance of troop morale; without painting a picture of future rewards, how could anyone be expected to risk their lives for him? Especially for a high-stakes gamble like a coup that could cost them their heads.

Thus, he slowly nodded and consented, "Bring them in!"