The night was as dark as ink.
In Li Jiancheng's tent, he was still full of energy and didn't feel sleepy at all. When Du Qi was here, Li Jiancheng listened to Du Qi's words and felt that he had found a direction.
He thought that Mu Qi's plan was correct.
He shouldn't suppress Li Shimin for the time being.
Li Jiancheng couldn't sleep, so he arranged for someone to inform Wei Zheng to come for a meeting.
It was late at night, and Wei Zheng was already asleep.
Especially when it was close to dawn, Wei Zheng was sleeping soundly. Being woken up in the middle of the night, he felt quite helpless. He could only come to Li Jiancheng's tent with sleepy eyes, respectfully bowed, and then stood below listlessly.
Li Jiancheng was very energetic and excited, saying, "Xuancheng, I saw Mu Qi earlier."
Mu Qi?
Wei Zheng heard and suddenly woke up.
All his sleepiness disappeared.
Mu Qi was Li Shimin's strategist. He helped Li Shimin devise strategies. Mu Qi had even predicted that Liu Heita would break out of the encirclement via the water route. As a result, Liu Heita was killed and his army was completely wiped out.
He was an extremely powerful strategist.
Wei Zheng said in a deep voice, "Crown Prince summoned Mu Qi, what did you say?"
Li Jiancheng said excitedly, "Previously, I recruited Mu Qi, and he has already expressed that he is willing to submit to me and plan for the East Palace. After this battle, Mu Qi will leave Li Shimin and join the East Palace. Now, he is temporarily lurking by Li Shimin's side to inquire about Li Shimin for me. "
Wei Zheng said, "Really?"
This was a doubtful tone.
After Li Jiancheng heard, he was quite unhappy and said in a deep voice, "Xuancheng, would I lie to you? This is naturally true, how can it be false? What I can give Mu Qi, Li Shimin can't. As the saying goes, a fine bird chooses a tree to nest in, a virtuous minister chooses a master to serve. Mu Qi submitting to this Crown Prince is a very normal thing. "
Wei Zheng saw that Li Jiancheng's attitude was very tough and said, "Your Highness is wise, I admire."
However, Wei Zheng had some doubts in his heart.
Li Shimin was an extremely powerful person. His subordinates such as Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Duan Zhixuan, Liu Hongji, and other civil and military officials had been sent by the Crown Prince's Residence to recruit them, but they had all failed.
It was clear that Li Shimin's ability to manipulate people was extremely powerful. Mu Qi had chosen to submit to the Eastern Palace so easily, which made Wei Zheng feel that it was inappropriate. It seemed that Mu Qi had ulterior motives.
Li Jiancheng had worked with Wei Zheng for many years, so he understood Wei Zheng quite well.
As soon as he saw Wei Zheng's expression, he knew that Wei Zheng wasn't telling the truth. "After Mu Qi submitted to this Crown Prince, he said that this Crown Prince's previous direction was wrong. He mentioned three things that this Crown Prince thinks are very reasonable."
Wei Zheng asked, "What three aspects?"
Hearing this, Li Jiancheng quickly explained the three points that Du Qi had mentioned. From Li Jiancheng's position as the eldest son of the Crown Prince's first wife, to how Li Jiancheng should keep a low profile and bide his time to accumulate strength, to the third point, not to suppress Li Shimin, and even to elevate Li Shimin.
Li Jiancheng explained the three aspects in detail.
After Li Jiancheng finished, he said, "Xuancheng, this Crown Prince thinks that Mu Qi's words are reasonable. This Crown Prince is the heir to the throne, especially since my father is the founding emperor. As the heir to the throne, my position cannot be easily shaken.
"Otherwise, the later generations will all follow this example and follow suit."
"This Crown Prince also believes that there is no need to target the Duke of Qin's residence. All we need to do is hide our strength and bide our time. Let the world think that this Crown Prince is honest and benevolent, and that I am the most suitable heir to the throne.
"On the contrary, by elevating Li Shimin's strength, the world will think that Li Shimin is arrogant and domineering, and that the Duke of Qin's residence is scheming against him.
"The Duke of Qin's residence is powerful, and their achievements can shake the emperor. Even if I don't do anything, my father will. You should know that this has always been the case. My father has always helped me suppress Li Shimin. "
Li Jiancheng sighed with regret. "Now, my father no longer values me as much as before. Instead, he oppresses me everywhere, causing my prestige in the court to be reduced to nothing."
When Wei Zheng heard that, he raised his eyebrows and looked surprised.
Mu Qi's three points made sense.
Even Wei Zheng agreed.
As the Crown Prince's steward and Li Jiancheng's strategist, Wei Zheng didn't agree with targeting Li Shimin. Wei Zheng also believed that the Crown Prince's position was stable, and he only needed to accumulate strength in secret. There was no need to jump out and make an enemy out of Li Shimin.
The stronger Li Shimin was, the more the emperor favored Li Jiancheng.
Of course, Du Qi was the main reason Li Jiancheng was suppressed by the emperor.
Du Qi was the root.
However, Du Qi was a member of the Duke of Qin's residence. Suppressing Du Qi was equivalent to suppressing the Duke of Qin's residence. Making things difficult for Du Qi was equivalent to making things difficult for the Duke of Qin's residence. In the end, the Eastern Palace was in a difficult position.
However, Wei Zheng thought about it carefully and felt that something was amiss.
He still felt that Mu Qi's submission wasn't appropriate.
There seemed to be something fishy.
Even though Wei Zheng agreed with the three points Mu Qi mentioned, he still felt that there was something wrong. Wei Zheng suddenly said, "Crown Prince, Mu Qi's submission is a good thing. However, I think that we can invite Prince Qi and Duke Huai 'an over. We can talk about Mu Qi and see what they have to say. "
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Li Jiancheng hurriedly replied.
His face was full of agreement.
Even though it was late at night, Li Jiancheng still sent someone to inform them. After a while, Li Yuanji and Li Shentong arrived with sleepy eyes. Both of them had already fallen asleep.
They were unhappy to be woken up.
Li Yuanji rubbed his tired eyes and said in a low voice, "Big Brother, what are you doing instead of sleeping at night?! It's almost dawn, yet you called me over. Did something big happen? Or even the Turks who have been hiding in Quzhou County have already led a group of people to attack. "
Li Shentong was slightly older and in his forties. He wasn't as sleepy as before. He said with a smile, "Your Highness summoned me. Did something big happen?"
Both of them asked in unison.
They were even more confused.
Li Jiancheng's heart was filled with joy. He said with a smile, "Fourth Brother, Duke Huai 'an, I summoned Mu Qi earlier. Now, he has pledged his allegiance to me. He thought he was working for me. "
Li Yuanji was excited. He said with a smile, "This is good news!"
Li Yuanji was in charge of informing Mu Qi.
Previously, he failed to inform Mu Qi. In the end, he had no choice but to send someone to the city to pass on the message. Although Mu Qi agreed to come, Li Yuanji didn't know the specific result.
Now that it was a success, Li Yuanji felt that he had contributed to it.
Li Shentong said with a smile, "This is good news. Mu Qi is working for Your Highness. Your Highness's strength will rise to another level. It will be easier to suppress Li Shimin in the future. "
Li Jiancheng smiled.
He seemed very proud.
After all, he believed that with Mu Qi's allegiance, he had truly won against Li Shiming this time. He could be considered to have suppressed Li Shiming.
Li Jiancheng changed the topic and talked about Mu Qi's analysis. He said that he would promote Li Shimin and stop suppressing him. Li Yuanji didn't react after he finished, but Li Shentong widened his eyes in disbelief.
Li Shentong felt that Mu Qi had bad intentions. He said that he couldn't suppress Li Shimin, but once Li Shimin's strength increased, the one who would suffer in the end would be Li Jiancheng himself.
Moreover, the relationship between Li Shentong and Li Shimin was already broken.
At this time, Li Shentong couldn't wait for Li Shimin to be suppressed and for Li Jiancheng to inherit the throne. Only then would his position be stable. Therefore, Li Shentong didn't want to see this happen.
Li Shentong said, "The Duke of Qin's Residence is already very strong. If we let it grow, it won't be good once it goes out of control. Your Highness, Mu Qi has bad intentions. "
Li Jiancheng's face darkened when he heard this.
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