Li Xiang breathed a sigh of relief only after he walked out of the hall. Fortunately, Li Shimin did not wake him up. If he had woken him up, he probably would not know how to face it.
"Is your grandfather plotting against you now?"
After returning to the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian quickly asked everyone to leave.
"So who are you targeting with this action today? Isn't it directed at me? I know in my heart that even if we both agree, will those important officials in the court be willing to do it in the future?"
After Li Xiang finished speaking, Li Chengqian nodded beside him. Everyone knew that Concubine Yang Shu was virtuous, but the problem was that she could not be made queen. We robbed the Yang family of their kingdom, and then made their daughter the queen. What's going on?
"Then how did you figure that out?"
Li Chengqian asked, somewhat puzzled. "In that situation just now, almost everyone was fooled. How did Li Xiang figure it out? Is he smarter than the rest of us? But he's only fourteen years old."
"I can tell from you, my second uncle, and my ninth uncle. After my grandfather finished speaking, you three brothers immediately went out to oppose him. I immediately thought of my third uncle. If we were to oppose him, we would definitely fall out with him."
What Li Xiang said was right. When the uncles knelt down just now, Li Xiang immediately thought of what would happen next. The third and fifth uncles were a family, and the eldest, second and ninth uncles were a family. These five brothers would probably start fighting soon.
Although Empress Changsun had three sons, if they really fought, her three sons might not be able to defeat Concubine Yang's two sons.
"But...is there a possibility that your grandfather really thinks so? If so, you must stand on our side. Your Second Uncle, your Ninth Uncle, and I have fought so hard, but just now we also felt like brothers sharing a common hatred for the enemy. This is related to our status."
Li Chengqian said very seriously that since the birth of Wu Wang Li Ke, Li Shimin had said in many places that this son was the most like him, which also brought a crisis to the brothers. If Wu Wang Li Ke's birth was not problematic, he would have been the crown prince long ago. Li Shimin also said this after being drunk, and it was spread from the palace. The brothers couldn't help but be nervous. Once Concubine Yang Shu became the queen, Wu Wang Li Ke would also be a legitimate son, no different from them.
"Father, how could you be so confused? It's not our turn to intervene in this matter. Even when my grandfather was discussing something, he never had such a grand gesture as today, calling all the clan members here. There has never been such a meeting before. Whether it was a major event of the royal family or the country, it was always discussed within my grandfather's small circle, and only after the discussion was over would it be brought up."
A word of advice can wake a person up from a dream. There are many strange things today. The so-called emperor's small circle refers to Fang Xuanling and his people. Although those people have no blood relationship with the emperor, they have always been the emperor's think tanks. No matter big or small things, the emperor likes to discuss them with them first. Today, he discusses directly with the royal family members. Isn't it just to let this big fuss happen without affecting the government?
"Since you didn't let your grandfather plan it today, will he think of other ways?"
Li Chengqian swallowed his saliva. When it comes to political matters, even if the brothers were tied together, they would probably not be as powerful as Li Shimin. When Li Shimin wanted to plot against someone, that person would probably not live long.
"Father, please submit a memorial for me tomorrow. I want to resign as the commander of the Imperial City Division."
Li Xiang thought about the several positions he held, and realized that he would have to quit them one by one in the next few days.
"This isn't good. Although you're not an official in the capital, the Imperial City Bureau sends a copy of every report to the Eastern Palace. It's crucial for us to control the entire capital. If it were to disappear, where would we get our information from? Furthermore, after you're gone, the Imperial City Bureau will become your second uncle's personal office. His influence will be even greater than ours."
When the Imperial City Bureau was first established, no one in the court or the country thought it was anything special. It was just a department for catching spies, and there were no spies in their families anyway. However, in the few months since its establishment, while they were gathering information about spies, they could also receive other information at any time, which was very important for the dignitaries in the capital.
But unfortunately, the yamen was already well-established at that time, and there was no way to squeeze people in. Even if the major families were jealous, they could only watch from the sidelines. If you had any ulterior motives, the person above was no fool.
"Father, why are you so confused? My second uncle was sent in as the commander to contain me. If I'm not in there, who will he contain? My grandfather has a sharp eye. He will never let my second uncle's family dominate the family. He will also find a way to kick my second uncle out. If he sees the truth and resigns with me, that should be the best outcome. But if he continues to stay there, I'm afraid he will be punished."
After hearing his son's words, Li Chengqian smiled. It was indeed as his son analyzed. The second son could not take advantage either. Don't think that you are happy just because our East Palace is suppressed. In fact, you will also be affected.
"But what if it still doesn't work after you resign?"
The smile on Li Chengqian's face didn't last for even a breath before it immediately turned into nervousness again.
"Then keep resigning until I become an idle member of the royal family."
Li Xiang said very firmly that in fact, the level of official positions was of no use. In the feudal dynasty, the emperor's preferences were the most important. If he was happy, you could rise from the ground at any time. If he was unhappy, even if you sat in the position of prime minister, you could become a commoner at any time. So Li Xiang did not care about these official positions.
"What about the Zuo Shenwu Army?"
Li Chengqian was the same as all the other princes. They all dreamed of controlling the military and political power of Chang'an City like their father. Once it came to that point, even if their father asked them to step down, they probably wouldn't be able to. Although there wouldn't be another Xuanwu Gate Incident, at least their father wouldn't be able to do whatever he wanted as he did now.
"Same words."
After Li Xiang's words came out, Li Chengqian felt as if his heart had died. He had finally had the opportunity to take control of the military power, but now he had to resign. It was really worse than death...
