In the Crown Prince Residence of the Daming Palace, the Crown Prince of the Tang dynasty, Li Heng, was anxiously waiting. He was waiting for Ang Lee's arrival. The secret letter from Tibet was very important, and he had to obtain it as soon as possible.
As the Crown Prince, Li Heng should have lived in the Eastern Palace. However, since the founding of the Tang Empire, there had been frequent coups, and Li Longji had also ascended to the throne through a coup. For this reason, he was very worried that his children and grandchildren would grow wings and pose a threat to his throne. In order to make it easier to monitor his children and grandchildren, he built the Ten Kings Residence and the Hundred Sun Courtyard. He also abandoned the Eastern Palace and had the current Crown Prince live with him. The Crown Prince's residence was called the Crown Prince Residence.
As the Crown Prince of the Tang dynasty, Li Heng grew up in a peaceful and prosperous era. It was difficult to say that he was the successor of an emperor who had a great sense of accomplishment and confidence.
Of course, Li Longji did not completely forbid Li Heng from interacting with outsiders. As long as it was not a private meeting with important officials or generals on the border, it was fine. However, no matter who Li Heng met, Li Longji would be the first to know. This made Li Heng feel somewhat pressured.
"Your Highness, Yan Zhenqing is waiting outside with Ang Lee."
Li Jingzhong bowed and reported softly.
Hearing this, Li Heng abruptly stood up. "Let Li An come in alone."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Outside the hall, Ang Lee was slightly nervous. The person he was about to meet was the Crown Prince of the Tang dynasty. It was impossible for him not to be nervous. Although he had some understanding of Li Heng from the history books of later generations, the content recorded in the history books might not be completely true.
"Uncle, that old eunuch just now was really ugly. Nephew has never seen such an ugly person before, haha!"
Ang Lee joked to ease his mood.
Yan Zhenqing was shocked and reprimanded, "Don't be impudent. This is the imperial palace."
"Cough cough, who is Ang Lee?"
Li Jingzhong walked out with a stern face.
Ang Lee hurriedly clasped his hands and said, "This one is Ang Lee."
"Who is Ang Lee?"
Li Jingzhong looked up as if he did not hear Ang Lee's reply.
Li An was infuriated. Not only was this old eunuch extremely ugly, but he was also a deaf person.
"I'm fine. Take it."
Ang Lee was stunned. He took a piece of jade from Yan Zhenqing's hand and immediately understood what was going on. This ugly old eunuch was asking for a bribe.
"Ambassador Ang Lee, this is just a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."
Ang Lee wasn't a stubborn person. He could still do things like giving gifts.
Li Jingzhong took the jade and touched it. He grinned, "You're Ang Lee? Why didn't you say so earlier? His Highness the Crown Prince wants to see you alone. Come with me."
Ang Lee and Yan Zhenqing looked at each other and followed Li Jingzhong into the main hall.
"Officer Li, this is your first time meeting the Crown Prince. When you meet the Crown Prince later, you have to pay your respects, understand?"
Li Jingzhong warned.
Ang Lee nodded repeatedly, "Ambassador Li, don't worry. Ang Lee will remember."
"Also, you're not allowed to contradict His Highness the Crown Prince. You're not allowed to speak disrespectfully. You're not allowed to look around."
F * ck, there are so many rules when meeting the Crown Prince. If I were to meet the Emperor, I would have to learn etiquette for a few months first.
Ang Lee complained in his heart, but he didn't dare to say it out loud.
Of course, Ang Lee knew that the reason why Li Jingzhong told him so much was because of that piece of jade. He was concerned about him, and it could be considered good intentions.
Li Jingzhong was later the famous Li Fuguo. He was a vicious villain. However, at this time, Li Jingzhong didn't have much power, so he didn't show any signs of heinous crimes.
Sometimes, a good person and a bad person could be decided with a single thought. Once a person suddenly had power, they would forget themselves and even forget their surname. Many evil people only became evil after they had power.
"Subordinate Ang Lee pays respects to His Highness the Crown Prince."
Ang Lee knelt on the ground and bowed to Li Heng.
Li Heng narrowed his eyes and carefully sized up Ang Lee kneeling on the ground. He asked softly, "You are Li Wu's son, Ang Lee?"
"Replying to His Highness the Crown Prince, it is this subordinate."
Li Heng waved his hand, "Stand up and speak."
"Thank you, His Highness the Crown Prince."
Ang Lee slowly got up and looked at the Crown Prince of the Tang dynasty. He found that Li Heng's appearance was not bad, but his expression was slightly dispirited. He didn't seem to be in good spirits. With such a powerful father like Li Longji, it would be strange if he was in good spirits after being watched in the palace all day.
"Li An, you defeated the Buddhist army in Yuzhou and rendered great service to our Great Tang. Father's conferment of Commandant Xuan Jie is only temporary. In the future, you will definitely be conferred an official position, and the rank will definitely not be low."
Li Heng praised Ang Lee before going straight to the point, "Ang Lee, Imperial Censor Yan said that you intercepted a secret letter from Tibet. Did you bring the letter?"
Ang Lee hurriedly took out the letter from Tibet and respectfully said, "Crown Prince, the secret letter is here."
Li Jingzhong took the letter from Ang Lee and presented it to Li Heng with both hands.
Li Heng took the letter and gently opened it. He carefully read it and occasionally glanced at Ang Lee from the corner of his eyes.
Ang Lee was shocked. Looking at Li Heng's frowning expression, could it be that he could read the Tibetan language?
"His Highness the Crown Prince can read the Tibetan language?"
Ang Lee was shocked and muttered softly.
"Impudent! His Highness the Crown Prince has been well-versed in poetry since young. How could he not recognize the insignificant Tibetan language?"
Li Jingzhong glared and loudly reprimanded.
Li Heng faintly smiled. He did not bother about Ang Lee's rudeness and continued reading.
"Ang Lee, this Tibetan letter was really obtained from a carrier pigeon by accident. Could it be a scheme by the Tibetans to let you guys obtain it?"
After reading the letter, Li Heng asked with a frown.
"His Highness the Crown Prince, my brother Li Feishou was hunting outside the city and accidentally shot down a carrier pigeon. There was no one around, so it shouldn't be a scheme by the Tibetans."
Li Heng lightly smiled, "The last time the Tibetans tried to assassinate the Queen of the East, it was foiled by you. If they want to assassinate her again, it won't be so easy. If they purposely revealed this letter to make us lower our guard, the success rate of the assassination will greatly increase, right?"
F * ck, the hole in the crown prince's brain is too big. To think that he could even think of such a situation.
Ang Lee ridiculed in his heart, but on the surface, he respectfully said, "His Highness the Crown Prince's considerations are thorough. However, if this matter is just an accident, then the content of the letter is very likely to be true. No matter what, we just need to make two preparations and nothing will go wrong."
Being praised by Ang Lee, Li Heng seemed to be happy. He raised the letter in his hand and said seriously, "Other than Li Xiaowei and Censor Yan, who else knows about the content of this letter?"
Hearing this, Ang Lee was shocked, "Replying to the Crown Prince, no one else knows about the content of the letter. My brothers don't even know the language of the Tang dynasty, needless to say, the Tibetan language."
Li Heng grinned and stared at Ang Lee, "Censor Yan doesn't know the Tibetan language and Li Xiaowei doesn't know either. Then, how did you know that the content of the letter is a scheme by the Tibetans?"
F * ck, Li Heng's intelligence is really not low. It is very difficult to fool him.
Ang Lee ridiculed in his heart. The reason why he didn't reveal Yan Ruyu's identity was because he was worried that Ang Lee wouldn't trust Yan Ruyu and kill her.
"His Highness the Crown Prince, Uncle Yan's niece, Ruyu, is proficient in the languages of various foreign countries. However, she is just a little girl and almost never leaves the house. It is impossible for her to speak of this matter."
Li Heng smiled and lightly nodded his head, "This matter is extremely important and must not be leaked. Alright, I will leave the letter here. You can return first."
"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince. I will take my leave."
Ang Lee lightly clasped his hands and took his leave.
"Li Jingzhong, bring me the brush and ink."
The moment Li An left the hall, Li Heng picked up a brush and began writing.
####
In front of Emperor Li Xian's coffin, a large number of members of the Imperial clan and officials of various ranks had gathered. Since Li Longji had given the order, none of the fifth-rank officials or members of the Imperial clan dared to not come. In addition, the seventh-rank and ninth-rank officials all came uninvited, weeping bitterly to express their grief at the death of the Emperor. Even the number one Prime Minister of the court, Li Linfu, paid his respects and consoled the grieving family members.
The Prince of Qing, the Prince of Yong, and the other members of the Imperial clan repeatedly wiped away their tears. The Prince of Shou, Li Mao, was even more exaggerated, his tears streaming down his face as if his own father had died. No, if his own father, Li Longji, had died, he might not have grieved. Who told Li Longji to steal his wife?
Only Li Mao himself knew what he was truly thinking about having his wife stolen by his own father. Outsiders would never be able to guess. However, this sort of inexplicable humiliation was definitely not pleasant to bear.
Li Linfu led a group of officials and respectfully paid his respects in front of Emperor Li Xian's coffin. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed that the Crown Prince, Li Heng, did not appear. This made him slightly surprised.
Prince of Qing, Prince of Shou, Prince of Yong, and the others were all present. Why was only the Crown Prince missing? Had he already come or not?
"Li Zhonglin, ask if the Crown Prince has come."
"Yes, Alang."
Li Zhonglin asked and then returned to report, "Alang, His Highness the Crown Prince has not come."
How could the Crown Prince not come? Prince of Qing and Prince of Yong could not come. How could the Crown Prince not come? What was going on?
Li Linfu was greatly surprised. After a pause, he softly said, "Prepare the carriage and prepare to enter the palace."
Surrounded by some officials, Li Linfu walked out of Li Xian's residence, got on the carriage, and rushed toward the Imperial Palace.
Li Linfu's carriage was made of high-quality wood. Ordinary arrows could not penetrate it. In addition, in order to ensure safety, there were more than one hundred fully armed guards accompanying him.
The reason for such strict protection was that Li Linfu had offended too many people and was afraid of revenge from assassins. When the Tang dynasty was just founded, the Prime Minister only needed to take two or three attendants with him when he went out for a stroll. Such a big contrast also reflected the deteriorating morals of the Tang dynasty and the increasing distance between the officials and the common people.
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