Chapter 97 Welcoming the Crown Prince

Chang'an, in the Ministry of Shangshu.

"Prime Minister Fang, the governor of Fangzhou has sent someone to the capital to ask to see you." An official from the Ministry of Shangshu reported to Fang Xuanling. The

envoy sent by Governor Wang to Chang'an arrived in Chang'an within one day at an express speed of 800 miles. Without even a break, he went directly to the Ministry of Shangshu and asked to see Fang Xuanling.

"Governor of Fangzhou Wang Xu? Why did he send someone here? Now is not the time to report to the court." Fang Xuanling asked suspiciously.

"It seems that something big happened in Fangzhou. I heard from the people below that the governor of Fangzhou rushed to Chang'an at an express speed of 800 miles." The official said.

Fang Xuanling was shocked!

You should know that the Tang Dynasty had clear regulations for delivering intelligence. A fast horse on land could travel 6 stations a day, or 180 miles. The fastest required a daily distance of 300 miles, and the fastest required a daily distance of 500 miles. Other water stations and walking personnel also had clear regulations.

What level of intelligence should be delivered in what way, that was a dead rule, and no mistakes were allowed.

Once there was a mistake, the messenger and related personnel would be severely punished.

It was no wonder that Fang Xuanling was so surprised!

What happened in Fangzhou? Wang Xu actually used an 800-mile express! It was enough to prove the seriousness of the situation.

Fang Xuanling didn't have time to think about it, and hurriedly said, "Where is the person? Bring him to me quickly."

"Yes!" The official took the order, stood up and trotted out of the Shangshu Province, and brought the envoy of the Fangzhou governor who had been waiting to see Fang Xuanling to Fang Xuanling.

"Something happened in Fangzhou?" Fang Xuanling didn't bother to be polite with him and asked directly.

"Governor Wang asked me to come to Chang'an and have a letter to pass on to Prime Minister Fang." The envoy said, taking out a sealed letter from his body and handing it to Fang Xuanling.

"Letter? What's written in it? What did Wang Xu say to you?" Fang Xuanling took the letter and didn't rush to open it.

"Governor Wang said that this matter is serious, and everything is written in his heart. After Prime Minister Fang read it, he knew it clearly." The envoy said.

"Wang Xu didn't say anything else!" Fang Xuanling said.

"No." The messenger affirmed.

Fang Xuanling peeled off the seal and opened the letter. After reading it, Fang Xuanling was very shocked, followed by a burst of ecstasy.

The letter only had five big characters written on it - the prince is in Fangzhou.

Fang Xuanling put away the letter and said, "I know what Wang Xu meant in the letter! You go down first!"

"Yes!" The messenger stood up and said goodbye, and left the Ministry of Shangshu under the guidance of the officials of the Ministry of Shangshu.

"Come here!" Fang Xuanling shouted outside.

"What do you want, Prime Minister Fang?" Immediately, a clerk walked in and saluted.

"Quickly go and invite the Minister of the Central Secretariat Yang Shidao, the Minister of Works, the General of the Right Guard, and the Prince's Right Guard Li Daliang." Fang Xuanling ordered.

The prince's affairs in Fangzhou were very important, and he could not make a decision alone, so he asked these two people to come and discuss how to welcome the prince back to the palace.

Fang Xuanling was worried whether Li Chengqian would come back, but it was obviously too much of a worry. At this time, Li Chengqian, who was far away in Fangzhou, had already thought about returning to Chang'an.

"Yes!" The clerk took the order and left!

Soon, Yang Shidao and Li Daliang appeared in front of Fang Xuanling, and Yang Shidao asked.

"Xuanling, why are you so anxious to call me Daliang here?"

"Look for yourself!" Fang Xuanling did not say it directly, and handed the letter from the governor of Fangzhou to Yang Shidao.

After reading it, Yang Shidao exclaimed: "Is the prince in Fangzhou?"

"It should be true! This was sent by the governor of Fangzhou in an emergency at a distance of 800 miles." Fang Xuanling said: "You two, tell me what we should do?"

"What else can we do! Of course, we should bring the prince back to Chang'an." Li Daliang said.

He was in charge of guarding the two palaces and the personal safety of the emperor and the prince. The prince suddenly left Chang'an, which caught him off guard. It

was Li Daliang's fault that he did not look favorably upon the prince. Naturally, he hoped to invite the prince back to Chang'an as soon as possible.

Li Daliang was not the only one who hoped that the prince would return immediately. Yang Shidao and Fang Xuanling did not want the prince to return to Chang'an safely.

Bringing the prince back to Chang'an was their common goal.

The crown prince was in the palace outside, and they were worried that without the protection of the imperial guards, it was inevitable that something dangerous would happen to the few people around the crown prince.

If something happened to the crown prince outside, it would be a major event that would shake the foundation of the country, so welcoming the crown prince back to Chang'an was their primary task.

But here comes the problem! How should they make the crown prince willingly return to the palace? What if the crown prince is unwilling? We can't just use force against the crown prince!

"Take the crown prince back to Chang'an, that's for sure. The key is how we can make the crown prince willingly come back to Chang'an with us." Fang Xuanling said.

Li Daliang was a little embarrassed. As a military general, leading troops to fight was his strong point. If he relied on his eloquence to convince others, he really couldn't do it.

Li Daliang had no choice but to look at Fang Xuanling and Yang Shidao, as they were both good at talking.

When it came to big principles, Li Daliang was really no match for them. Li Daliang's eyes went back and forth between the two, and finally settled on Yang Shidao, the Minister of the Central Secretariat.

He, Li Daliang, had to stay in Chang'an, guarding the Imperial Palace and the Eastern Palace, and could not leave Chang'an.

Fang Xuanling was appointed by His Majesty Li II to stay in Chang'an, to assist the Crown Prince in supervising the country and handling state affairs. Fang Xuanling also had to operate the state machinery, and could not get away.

Therefore, among the three of them, only Yang Shidao could leave Chang'an and go to Fangzhou to bring the Crown Prince back.

Yang Shidao was the current Minister of the Central Secretariat, and the Crown Prince's uncle. He was the best candidate both in terms of identity and relationship with the Crown Prince.

Yang Shidao himself also had this idea. After all, the prince had slipped away from him if there had not been hunting outside the city.

The prince would not have left Chang'an and gone out to play. If he had not agreed to go hunting or to follow the prince, this would not have happened.

Without waiting for Fang Xuanling and Li Daliang to speak, Yang Shidao took the initiative to ask for leave: "I'll go! No matter what, if it weren't for my negligence, the prince would not have run out of Chang'an and gone out to play. I have the responsibility to bring the prince back."

"Okay! The matter of bringing back the prince will be handed over to the Minister of the Central Secretariat." Fang Xuanling said. Yang Shidao was able to take the initiative to ask for leave, which saved him a lot of trouble.

"Then I will pick out a group of elite soldiers from the Imperial Guards to escort you to Fangzhou, and on the way back, we can also ensure the safety of the prince." Li Daliang said.

The main reason was that he was afraid that Li Chengqian would run away again. With so many Imperial Guards following him, even if Li Chengqian did not come back, they could protect his safety.

"There is no time to delay! You should prepare immediately. It is urgent to welcome the prince back." Fang Xuanling said.

"Goodbye!" Li Daliang and Yang Shidao stood up and saluted, turned around and left the Shangshu Province, and went back to prepare.

After Li Daliang returned, he immediately assembled a thousand elite soldiers in the Imperial Guards, prepared carriages, etc., and waited for Yang Shidao to come over.

After Yang Shidao returned, he simply packed up his things and took his wife Princess Changguang to Fangzhou together.

With Princess Changguang on his side, Yang Shidao became more confident in persuading the prince to return to Chang'an.