Chapter 274 The Temptation of the Throne
The emperor died without any warning, leaving the princes with little preparation or even the knowledge of the news.
Therefore, even though more than half of the core forces under the prince were killed, the prince was still bigger than a horse. With absolute information advantage, he captured several princes who were still in the capital in a swift and fierce manner.
Then he took the imperial seal and issued a forged imperial edict ordering all the princes in their fiefdoms to return to the capital. As for the King of Kucha, he had no fiefdom and no power, so the prince was too lazy to pay attention to him and threw him back to the Taiji Palace.
And who could Li Jian be waiting for at this time?
You can steal treasure once and you can do it a second time, but if you miss a secret, you will miss it completely. Zhao Yushu didn't need to explain much, the wolf girl decisively squatted in the shadows with him.
Not long after, a man in a cloak came over led by a palace servant. Li Jian bowed, and the two of them walked in together.
Wearing a cloak in the summer, he tried to hide his identity like trying to cover up one's own faults. This person couldn't be the prince's man, but it also showed that the power behind this person was enough to compete with the prince in the Taiji Palace, which had poor surveillance.
"Let's go and see who he is." The wolf girl took the lead, and she flashed and went straight in through a window in the side hall, with Zhao Yushu following closely behind.
Li Jian and the mysterious man walked into a dark room where only a small lamp was lit, barely illuminating the faces of the two people sitting opposite each other. To light such a lamp in a place like the palace would be considered to undermine the royal dignity to say the least.
The mysterious man pulled down his cloak, and Zhao Yushu frowned, not recognizing him.
But the wolf girl was shocked: "It's him!"
"Who?"
"The envoy sent by Liao, Yelu Yan."
The envoy of Liao State secretly met with the King of Kucha late at night. Considering the Liao army's southward advance, if anyone said there was no trick here, he would be killed.
"Listen to what they say."
Zhao Yushu did not ask the wolf girl why she knew the Liao envoy. From what she had said before, it could be seen that although she was not a household name in Liao, her status must be quite high. However, it was not known whether this status was positive or negative.
"Your Highness, please forgive me for disturbing you so late at night." Yelu Yan took off his hood and greeted him first.
The two of them exchanged a few pleasantries before gradually getting to the point.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will soon ascend the throne. Our Emperor has issued an edict that the Liao Dynasty's gift will arrive soon."
Li Jian cupped his hands and said, "On behalf of my brother, I would like to thank the Emperor of Liao."
Yelu Yan smiled and said, "When the time comes, the foreign ministers will also go back with the delegation, but..."
Li Jian shuddered: "Is there anything wrong?"
"Haha, maybe His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was too busy ascending the throne to give a clear explanation of the details of the Liao Dynasty's loan of troops. These tens of thousands of soldiers will eat up all the food and grass. What if something goes wrong?"
Zhao Yushu frowned. Then he should ask the prince about this matter. Why would he come to Li Jian in the middle of the night?
Li Jian narrowed his eyes and said, "I'm afraid I can't say anything about this in front of my brother."
Yelu Yan took a sip of tea and said, "Since the foreign minister is here, he naturally wants to let the prince have a say."
Li Jian couldn't sit still anymore, his body tensed up: "Why me?"
"When the prince came to me before and talked about the Sixth Master of the Academy, I, although a dull minister, understood a little of the prince's, or rather the late emperor's, intention. Otherwise, why would Master Zixiao come out of seclusion? At that time, I knew that the late emperor had never set his sights on His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but on you, the prince."
Zhao Yushu was stunned for a moment. It turned out that it was his good friend who had brokered the matter for Master Zixiao to come out to deal with his teacher.
Li Jian was obviously a little nervous. In Zhao Yushu's eyes, his whole body was even shaking almost imperceptibly.
"Ambassador Yelu, this is a bit presumptuous."
Yelu Yan took in Li Jian's expression, but did not respond to him. He continued to speak in fluent Chinese: "My emperor has always praised you, Your Highness. He has repeatedly said in front of foreign ministers that you are smart and clever, and have the appearance of a benevolent monarch. If the Tang emperor could be your Highness, our two countries would stop fighting, the people would live in peace, and we would share what we have, ushering in eternal peace between the Tang and Liao countries. Isn't this a Fengshan act?"
Li Jian stood up suddenly: "Ambassador Yelu! If these words get out, our lives will be in danger!"
Yelu Yan still sat upright: "I dare to come here to see you at this time, so I am sure that nothing can be spread. Your Majesty, the late emperor borrowed 30,000 cavalry from my Liao Dynasty, using five years of taxes from the four counties in the south of the Yangtze River. Although this money is heavy, my Liao Dynasty does not care. Before coming here, my emperor made it clear that if you need it, let alone 30,000, it would not be difficult to add another 30,000 or 50,000 cavalry. That's all. I can't stay here for long. It's late at night, your Majesty, please rest early."
Yelu Yan didn't even wait for Li Jian to answer. He stood up, put on his cloak, and walked straight out of the palace.
As soon as Yelu Yan left, a palace servant came forward and knelt in front of Li Jian.
Li Jian knew at this time that this palace servant was the spy left behind by Yelu Yan. He pointed at him with a trembling finger for a long time, and finally sighed and blew out the lights.
Zhao Yushu and the wolf girl quietly left the side hall.
"Liao wants to support Li Jian."
"Well, if Li Jian agrees, the prince will be attacked from all sides and it will be difficult for him to keep the throne." Zhao Yushu nodded. Thirty thousand cavalry will go to the south to quell the rebellion, and another thirty to fifty thousand will be stationed on the border, and then attacked from the north and south. With the prince's current ability, he will probably not be able to withstand it. At least he can't mobilize the troops and food in the southeast.
Is that the end? No, the prince might flee westward or southward, find a new foothold, call on all regions to support the king, and then Li Jian would be alone and weak, and would have to continue to rely on the Liao Kingdom. Apart from anything else, the entire Guanzhong region, including Chang'an, would probably have to be handed over.
Then the South will most likely compromise with the Red Lotus Sect, and both sides will become independent in fact. The southeastern nobles will also support a royal family member for independence. As for the Eastern Capital, perhaps Prince Fu will be the first to raise the banner of rebellion before that day comes.
The Tang Dynasty is about to repeat the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms after the fall of the previous Tang Dynasty.
"Will Li Jian agree?" The wolf girl blinked.
"meeting."
Zhao Yushu closed his eyes. He knew very well how obsessed his friend was with the throne. It was both naive and bold. Thinking about it this way, the emperor must have protected him by naming him the King of Kucha. Otherwise, he would definitely not be alive today.
Could Li Jian have thought of these? Of course he could. As a prince, and not the kind of unlearned prince, Li Jian was a little naive, but his knowledge and experience were even outstanding among the princes. What Zhao Yushu, a keyboard warrior in his previous life, could think of, Li Jian must have thought of, and even thought of more details and more.
"What do we do now?"
"According to the original plan, after rescuing the teacher, I will deal with these beasts."