That night.
In the city of Jinling, at the residence of Chen Qingzhi, Duke of Han.
The news that "Prince Jin committed a crime in the street" had already reached the ears of Duke Chen Qingzhi of Han State. Furthermore, the news that Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin had secretly brought the former Empress Dowager Su Wan'er back to the capital was also sent back to the Duke's mansion.
Inside the study, Chen Qingzhi, the Duke of Han, sat in the main seat with a gloomy face and remained silent.
On either side sat Duke Wang Jian of Qin and Duke Qi Jiguang of Dingguo, their expressions extremely solemn, not even bothering to savor the fine West Lake Longjing tea beside them.
Indeed, with such a major event occurring in Jinling City, these three dukes, as the "parties involved," had no time for tea; their minds were filled with thoughts of how to clean up the mess.
However, the three of them sat in the study of Chen Qingzhi, the Duke of Han, for almost an hour without coming up with a perfect solution.
Finally, it was Qi Jiguang, the Admiral of the Tang Dynasty Navy and Duke of Dingguo, who could no longer remain calm and spoke first: "Duke of Han, Duke of Wei, I believe this matter should be handled as soon as possible and must be reported to the Emperor tonight."
"His Highness Prince Jin has made such a huge mess; all three of us here share responsibility."
"Of course, when it comes to responsibility, mine is the greatest!"
After a pause, Qi Jiguang continued, "Back when His Highness Prince Jin was accompanying my Tang Dynasty navy on its eastern expedition against Goguryeo, I had already noticed something amiss between His Highness Prince Jin and that former empress Su Wan'er;"
"However, at that time, it was a crucial moment for the navy's attack on Nanpu Port. In order not to affect the morale of the vanguard general before the great battle, I chose to keep this matter a secret."
"If only I had reported the truth about the affair between Prince Jin and the former empress Su Wan'er to the Emperor immediately, things wouldn't have turned out this way."
"Oh, it's all my fault—"
Duke Dingguo, Qi Jiguang, was consumed by deep self-reproach.
"Duke Dingguo, now is not the time to assign blame!"
At this moment, Chen Qingzhi, who was in the main seat, waved his hand and said, "If we really have to determine whose responsibility it is, I can't escape responsibility either."
"Before returning to the capital to report, I specifically met with His Highness Prince Jin alone, and bluntly instructed him to immediately resolve his relationship with the former dynasty's infamous empress, Su Wan'er."
"Furthermore, it was through my connection with the Duke of Wei that I acted as matchmaker for His Highness the Prince of Jin;"
"Now it seems like a joke!"
After saying that, Korean official Chen Qingzhi couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly.
In the end, it was Duke Wang Jian of Qin, who bore "relatively less responsibility," who stood up and said, "I say to you two dukes, what's the use of saying all this now that we've reached this point?"
"Now, the most pressing matter before us is whether our naval officers and soldiers can intercept His Highness Prince Jin before his Wowo warship enters the East China Sea."
"Once the Prince of Jin returns to the Goguryeo capital, there will be no room for maneuver!"
Wang Jian continued, "Think about it, after what happened to that former empress in Jinling, she must harbor resentment towards the emperor and the entire court."
"Furthermore, she is carrying the child of the Prince of Jin in her belly. I am worried that the Prince of Jin will not be able to resist her pillow talk and will do something treasonous!"
"Think about it, even now, there are still 500,000 Tang troops stationed in the entire Goguryeo capital, and those in charge of military power are all deputy generals. Among the centurions and chiliarchs who command the troops, there are quite a few who admire the King of Jin."
"If, if the Prince of Jin were to raise the banner of rebellion in Goguryeo, the consequences would be unimaginable!"
Eh—
Upon hearing this, the three dukes of the Tang Dynasty in the study couldn't help but let out a long sigh in unison.
Clearly, they all knew that if Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin were to raise the banner of rebellion under the influence of the former empress Su Wan'er, the consequences would be dire!
Regardless of whether the 500,000 Tang troops left behind in Goguryeo would rebel with the Prince of Jin, or how many of them would follow him in rebellion;
The terrifying martial prowess of Prince Chen Longxiang alone, who was the bravest in the army, was enough to make everyone wary!
It is no exaggeration to say that if Prince Jin really did raise an army to rebel, no one in the entire Tang Dynasty could match Prince Jin Chen Longxiang in terms of individual combat strength.
Even if they used their superior troop deployment and manpower to suppress the enemy, they couldn't withstand the devastating blows of the pair of golden hammers in the hands of Prince Chen Longxiang!
During the campaign against Goguryeo, Chen Longxiang, as the vanguard general, used two hammers to fight against tens of thousands of Goguryeo soldiers on the battlefield. There were many battles in which he chased after tens of thousands of Goguryeo heavy infantrymen and smashed them with his hammers.
To be fair, none of the three Dukes of Tang present were willing to face Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin on the battlefield!
Now, they themselves have handed this hot potato back to Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an.
Therefore, when King Jian of Qin broke the ice, the three people present sighed in unison.
at the same time.
While the three Dukes of the Tang Dynasty were preoccupied with the matter of Prince Chen Longxiang's "bloodbath in Jinling City," the residence of Liu Huaiyi, the Censor of the Tang Dynasty's Supervisory Council, just three streets away from the Dukes' mansion, was also brightly lit and filled with distinguished guests.
Among them, officials from the Censorate, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Ministry of Rites made up the majority.
These civil officials were all those in the imperial court who firmly opposed Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's granting of the title of king.
The reason they gathered at the residence of Liu Huaiyi, the Censor of the Censorate, was twofold: firstly, because of the incident in which Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin committed violence in the street; and secondly, because they wanted to take this opportunity to openly advise the Emperor in court to stop bestowing titles upon princes in order to ensure the exclusivity of imperial power.
Inside the study, a group of civil officials were chatting animatedly, creating quite a lively atmosphere.
Liu Huaiyi declared with righteous indignation: "Gentlemen, as I have said before, throughout history, the practice of emperors bestowing titles upon the people and the nation has brought nothing but harm and no benefit."
"Whether it was the rebellion of princes in the Han Dynasty, the War of the Eight Princes at the end of the Jin Dynasty, or the usurpation of the throne by non-royal princes in previous dynasties, all these events have repeatedly proven that if the emperor indiscriminately bestows titles upon princes, granting them military power, it will inevitably lead to chaos and disorder in the country."
"Look, Prince Jin, Chen Longxiang, has now gone so far as to cause a ruckus in the capital city and commit violence in the streets. Moreover, his targets are the Imperial Guards stationed in the capital and the Dragon City Inner Guards under the Emperor's command. He has no regard for the laws of the Tang Dynasty or the dignity of the royal family!"
"The Censor is absolutely right!"
Liu Huaiyi's words immediately drew agreement from the officials present.
Guo Chun, the Vice Minister of Rites, stood up and said, "I have heard that after committing the crime, His Highness Prince Jin went directly to the docks outside the city and ordered the naval warship 'Anti-Japanese' to be moored on the Yangtze River."
"To mobilize naval warships without the order from the Ministry of War—what is the meaning of this act if not open rebellion?"
"Yes, Lord Guo is right. This is clearly a rebellion!"
"That's right, this is rebellion!"
"......"
On the spot, at the suggestion of Guo Chun, the Vice Minister of Rites, this group of civil officials immediately labeled Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin as a rebel, defining his behavior as open rebellion.
After the characterization was established, the next step was to launch a scathing and eloquent denunciation of Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin, citing classical texts and speaking at length.
This group of civil officials in the court were mostly from the previous dynasty's civil service system. They were all old Confucian scholars who considered themselves "unyielding and upright." Even though they were fortunate enough to be allowed to continue serving in the new dynasty, they were still not grateful for the emperor's favor. Instead, they used the pretense of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism to contradict Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an.
Both Chen Huai'an's reforms to the imperial examination system and his intention to confer titles of nobility were met with strong opposition from these old men.
Although they couldn't pinpoint right or wrong;
However, as long as it is a policy outline proposed by the emperor, they will inevitably find fault with it and argue about it.
It seems that they can't demonstrate their existence without arguing.
Before this, Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an's other policies were all implemented by him with iron-fisted methods, showing no respect for these old Confucian scholars.
Therefore, when these old Confucian scholars seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they couldn't help but make a big fuss about it, hoping to gain favor with the emperor.
That night, this old Confucian scholar, at the residence of Liu Huaiyi, the Censor of the Censorate, listed dozens of crimes committed by Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin, as well as the reasons for opposing the inheritance of the title of Prince of the Western Tang by the son of the Imperial Noble Consort Yue Qiluo, and prepared to present it to the court.
The next day.
Originally, it was a day of annual leave for the Emperor and all the civil and military officials, but because of this matter involving Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin, the Emperor had to issue an imperial edict overnight to convene an emergency court meeting.
Inside the Golden Palace, civil and military officials dressed in court attire lined up early on both sides of the palace, waiting for Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an to begin his court session.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
As Cai He, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, announced the arrival of Emperor Zhaowu, Chen Huai'an, dressed in a bright yellow five-clawed dragon robe, ascended the dragon throne in the Golden Palace, symbolizing the supreme authority of the Tang Dynasty, amidst the homage and shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" from his courtiers.
Then, addressing the kneeling officials in the hall, he said, "My beloved ministers, rise!"
After the ministers had taken their places, the meeting began.
Liu Huaiyi, an imperial censor of the Censorate, was the first to step forward and submit a memorial regarding Prince Chen Longxiang's "bloodbath in Nanjing".
Liu Huaiyi said, "Your Majesty, Prince Chen Longxiang of Jin has committed treason and massacred Nanjing. I believe that Prince Chen's actions should be considered treason."
"According to the law, he should be executed!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com