Chapter Twenty-Four: The Assassination of Qin King Li Shimin
"To be honest, unless Li Shimin can kill Li Jiancheng and control Li Yuan in a very short time, he will surely die if either of these two processes is missed!" Cai Yan said confidently.
In Cai Yan's view, this was almost an impossible task. Unless Li Jianchen and Li Yuan were completely insane, how could they possibly allow Li Shimin to succeed?
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang couldn't help but chuckle. "Hehe, maybe they really are all brain-dead."
It's worth noting that historical records show Li Yuan didn't react at all after Li Shimin killed Li Jiancheng. He then directly made Li Jiancheng the crown prince, and soon after, abdicated in favor of him, even relinquishing the throne. Ha! Is this the behavior of a normal emperor? So detached, even giving up power?
You see, Li Yuan had many sons. It's just that he only had one legitimate son left, Li Shimin. If he had still held absolute power at that time, he could have imprisoned Li Shimin and made another son the crown prince. If that didn't work, he could have had more children.
Therefore, what exactly happened in between is a matter of opinion. All I can say is that it's chilling to think about, truly chilling.
“However, in my opinion, Li Shimin will only make his move when Li Jiancheng and Li Yuan are together. Moreover, he must know Li Jiancheng’s whereabouts in advance. In short, such an opportunity will definitely come,” Lin Yang said coldly.
“I think we should store more weapons and armor in our storage rings, just in case. After all, there is no spiritual energy in this world, so we can’t directly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and our internal energy is dwindling with every use,” Shi A said.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang nodded; it was a good suggestion. Although his internal energy couldn't be restored due to the world's circumstances, at his peak, before exhausting his Longevity True Energy, as long as he wasn't surrounded by a large army, and then, fully armored and wielding his treasured sword, Lin Yang could easily fight his way in and out seven times.
Even if, just like in history, they were ambushed by Li Shimin at Xuanwu Gate, Lin Yang was still able to lead Li Jiancheng and fight his way out of the encirclement! That's how confident he was; that's the impact of strength.
...
June 2nd, today is only two days away from the Xuanwu Gate Incident.
"Hey, Xuancheng, what's wrong? Why do you look so sullen?" Lin Yang asked, seeing Wei Zheng's unhappy expression.
At this time, Wei Zheng dressed very simply, probably because he had been a Taoist priest. Even the hairpin on his head was a small Tai Chi symbol.
Thinking about this person's future fate, Lin Yang felt that history could be truly absurd at times. Who could have imagined that the Crown Prince's advisor would, without hesitation, become a loyal minister of Li Shimin after the Crown Prince's death?
It is said that Wei Zheng was moved by Li Shimin's powerful personal charisma. Furthermore, they left behind a historical tale of harmonious relations between ruler and minister. However, after Wei Zheng's death, Li Shimin personally ordered his grave to be dug up and his tombstone destroyed. It can only be said that this is a truly tragic story.
“Alas, it’s all because His Highness the Crown Prince is too soft-hearted. Just now, the Prince of Qin actually submitted a memorial to falsely accuse the Crown Prince, saying that the Crown Prince had an affair with a concubine in the palace,” Wei Zheng said, shaking his head.
At this time, Wei Zheng was one of Li Jiancheng's advisors, and Lin Yang was also one of his trusted and beloved generals. Therefore, it was perfectly acceptable to discuss these matters with Lin Yang.
"Oh, such an absurd thing, how could it be possible? Do you really think the guards in the palace are all dead? Those concubines, no matter where they are, are always accompanied by more than one palace maid and eunuch. How could they possibly have the opportunity to be alone in a room with the Crown Prince?" Lin Yang shook his head and said.
A lone man and a lone woman in a room for at least half an hour—did they really think the guards were blind?
“Yes, it’s obvious that the King of Qin is panicked. This kind of thing is simply impossible. When the time comes, as long as the Crown Prince and the King of Qin confront each other, the King of Qin will definitely lose,” Wei Zheng nodded.
"Oh, then Xuancheng, what are you worried about?" Lin Yang asked, pretending not to know anything.
Looking around and making sure no one was nearby, Wei Zheng whispered, "Ah, of course I'm worried about internal strife. What if that guy gets desperate and does something rash? The Crown Prince would be in danger. You know, he rose through the ranks of the military and is known for his decisive and ruthless nature. Better safe than sorry."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang feigned sudden realization. "Yes, that's quite possible. After all, the King of Qin is a general; it's normal for him to take a desperate gamble when there's no other hope."
"I was a general myself. The so-called 'winning by using both orthodox and unorthodox methods' is exactly what this situation is about. Anyway, by normal means, the King of Qin was already doomed to lose. At this point, we have to resort to underhanded methods."
"No, I have to go and explain to the Crown Prince." With that, Lin Yang stormed off in a huff.
"Sigh, I hope Feipeng's words can bring His Highness to his senses," Wei Zheng sighed.
...
"Oh, Feipeng, you're here. Come, sit down and have some snacks and rest for a bit," Li Jiancheng said kindly.
At first glance, Li Jiancheng was tall and had a gentle and refined demeanor, making him look more like a scholar.
However, considering that the country is now at peace, as the saying goes, "to secure a country, one must use force; to govern, one must use culture." Now is the time to lay down arms and focus on civil administration, allowing the people to rest and recuperate. Wasn't that how the Han Dynasty did it? After Liu Bang conquered the country, several subsequent emperors focused on allowing the people to recuperate.
Therefore, Li Jiancheng's scholarly demeanor was actually more popular. After all, as a monarch, it was better to be benevolent and righteous towards his subjects.
Beside Crown Prince Li Jiancheng stood Prince Qi, Li Yuanji. At this moment, he was a genuine muscular man.
Just by looking at his palms, you could tell they were covered in calluses. Those were the marks left from long periods of using long weapons like the lance. His martial arts skills were quite impressive. At least, neither Li Jianchen nor Li Shimin could defeat him.
Furthermore, while he wasn't exactly handsome, he wasn't ugly either. It just shows that Li Shimin has rewritten history again. After all, he himself was handsome, and Li Jiancheng was handsome; there's no reason for their half-brother Li Yuanji to be an ugly monster, unless he was a bastard!
"Greetings, Your Highness, Prince Qi." After saying this, Lin Yang glanced at the maids around him. Seeing this, Li Jiancheng smiled slightly and dismissed the unrelated people.
"It is so, Your Highness, as the art of war says, 'Victory is achieved through conventional warfare and by surprise attacks.' Now..."
“Yes, elder brother, you treat Shimin like a younger brother, but he doesn’t treat you like an elder brother. Now, he’s even falsely accusing you of having an affair with a concubine in the harem. He’s completely turned his back on you. If he had even a shred of kinship in his heart, he wouldn’t have done such a thing,” Li Yuanji said impatiently.
To be honest, in his opinion, why bother with a confrontation? Isn't the truth of the matter obvious? He could just write to his father and ask him to go to his fiefdom.
Hearing this, Li Jiancheng said somewhat impatiently, "We're all brothers. Even if Shimin is in the wrong right now, there's no need for a life-or-death struggle. Besides, Shimin will naturally come to his senses after he ascends the throne. We're all brothers; what hatred can't be resolved?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang was utterly shocked. "You're so friendly and brotherly, but have you considered the tragic consequences you might face in the future?"
"Then, just in case, Your Highness might as well prepare an inner armor to wear under your clothes. You can take it off after the King of Qin takes up his kingdom. Although one should not have the heart to harm others, one should not be without the heart to guard against others, Your Highness," Lin Yang continued to suggest.
“Yes, it’s good to prepare a set of inner armor in advance, just in case, brother,” Li Yuanji nodded.
Hearing this, and looking at the two of them, and remembering Wei Zheng's suggestion to strike first, Li Jiancheng nodded. "Alright, then I'll prepare a set of inner armor."
Seeing this, Lin Yang felt much more relaxed. As long as Li Jiancheng didn't die immediately, he and Shi A, working together, were confident they could lead him out of the palace.
...
"Come, Brother Lin, have a drink," Feng Li from the Eastern Palace said with a smile. He was, in fact, a close confidant of the Crown Prince, and commanded the Eastern Palace's direct troops.
"Yes, this time Prince Qin is finally finished. Even the Emperor will probably despise him. For that position, he didn't hesitate to ruin the reputation of the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the royal family. Didn't he even consider that if word got out about the Crown Prince and the Empress, even if it was false, the common people would believe it?" said Xie Shufang from Prince Qi's residence. This man was a general in Prince Qi's residence, and in a sense, he was part of the Crown Prince's faction.
"Hehe, of course. Just wait a few more days, and our days of wealth and honor will begin." After that, Lin Yang got drunk and lay down on the table.