Chapter 56: The Imperial Throne Belongs to Our Family!

The imperial guards dragged away the corpses of Zhangsun Anye and Li Xiaochang.
Those ministers who had been injured were also carried out by the guards.
As for the elder officials of the Wude era and the enfeoffed princes who had participated in the rebellion, they all knelt in the center of the grand hall, awaiting Li Shimin's verdict.
Just moments ago, they had been as ecstatic and jubilant as could be; now, they were filled with apprehension and dread.
However, Li Shimin's mind was clearly not on them at the moment.
Because the rebellion instigated by Zhangsun Anye and Li Xiaochang implicated the Retired Emperor, Li Yuan, he was forced to carefully consider how to handle the matter.
Although Li Yuan had not made an appearance from start to finish, Zhangsun Anye's prior statements had been delivered with absolute conviction.
Coupled with his own lingering suspicions that Li Yuan was the mastermind behind this insurrection, determining how to proceed gave him a profound headache.
The best course of action, naturally, was to summon Li Yuan to the Taiji Hall.
For no amount of suspicion or mistrust could compare to a face-to-face, candid clearing of the air.
Yet, to directly summon Li Yuan to the Taiji Hall would carry the implication of interrogating him under a cloud of blame. After all, there was still no tangible proof linking Li Yuan to the rebels.
Surely he could not summon Li Yuan to the Taiji Hall based solely on the one-sided words of traitors?
If he did that, Li Shimin would likely be condemned by all the civil and military officials, and indeed, by the entire realm.
Therefore, after a prolonged silence, Li Shimin ultimately decided to temporarily shelve the matter concerning Li Yuan. Once he finished dealing with the affairs of the court, he would personally pay a visit to the Da'an Palace.
"My lords, do any of you have anything to say regarding this rebellion?"
Li Shimin's voice rang out through the silent throne room like a spring thunderclap, jolting the minds of the courtiers, each harboring their own secret thoughts.
Seeing this, Yuchi Gong took the initiative to step forward and confess his fault, saying, "Your Majesty, the blame for this rebellion lies in my failure to conduct a rigorous inspection. Otherwise, Zhangsun Anye and his faction could never have smuggled fire-thunder into the Taiji Hall. I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
"When the General learned that the Xuanwu Gate had been seized by Liu Deyu and his companion, you were able to adapt to the circumstances on the spot and bring Li Xiaochang and his cohort into the Taiji Hall. That alone is a great merit; what crime is there to speak of? Had fighting broken out outside the city of Chang'an, the consequences would have been far graver!"
Li Shimin shook his head, then smiled and said, "The world is full of treacherous scoundrels and petty thieves. If every single contingency could be guarded against, then the General would not be a mere mortal, but an immortal!"
"Hahaha!"
The gathered ministers burst into laughter, and the atmosphere instantly eased considerably.
These words from Li Shimin not only filled the officials with deep emotion, but also brought tears of gratitude to Yuchi Gong's fierce eyes.
It was said that a gentleman would die for one who truly knows him. Li Shimin's treatment of his former followers from the Prince of Qin's Mansion and the Tiansheng Bureau genuinely commanded their wholehearted allegiance.
It was no wonder they could unite as one heart to launch the Xuanwu Gate Incident.
"Although this matter is no fault of General Yuchi's, it must be brought to a definitive conclusion. How do you all think those who participated in this affair should be dealt with?"
After the laughter subsided, Li Shimin swept his gaze over the ministers once more and asked in a deep voice.
"This..."
At these words, the ministers exchanged glances, then cast their eyes toward the elder Wude-era officials and the enfeoffed princes.
Fang Xuanling was the first to speak up, reporting, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject believes that since this matter involves treason of the highest magnitude, we must execute a few as a warning to the rest!"
"Indeed! If we do not execute them, we cannot uphold the laws of the state!" Du Ruhui chimed in.
Li Shimin nodded, waved his hand, and declared, "Then drag them all out and behead them!"
"Your Majesty!"
No sooner had Li Shimin's words fallen than one of the enfeoffed princes kneeling in the center cried out in sheer terror, "This subject is wronged!"
"That's right, Your Majesty! We are wronged!"
The cry of this prince struck a chord with all the others, and they too began shouting their grievances.
At that moment, Changsun Wuji sneered, "Didn't you all just now support Zhangsun Anye and his cohort in 'clearing the imperial court of bad ministers'? Having participated in a rebellion, why are you all crying foul now?"
"You speak falsely! We were clearly bewitched by Zhangsun Anye's words, believing that he was acting under the Retired Emperor's decree!" an elder Wude official argued with a tongue as slick as a reed.
Several princes immediately echoed him, "Yes! What we supported was welcoming back the Retired Emperor! It was not a rebellion!"
"We are loyal ministers, Your Majesty!"
"Heh..."
Li Shimin laughed, a laugh that chilled the bone.
Once his laughter died down, he abruptly called out, "Wei Zheng!"
"This subject is here!"
"I ask you, what is a loyal minister?"
Wei Zheng pondered for a moment before replying, "In this subject's view, so-called loyal ministers can be divided into two kinds: those who are loyal to the state, and those who are loyal to the sovereign."
Li Shimin raised an eyebrow, "What is the difference?"
"In former times, during the Spring and Autumn period, Guan Zhong of the state of Qi stated that loyalty to the state takes precedence over loyalty to the sovereign. For if the state perishes, a minister may die with it, but if the state endures and only the sovereign dies, it is merely a matter of grief."
"Ah, I understand."
Li Shimin nodded in sudden realization, then smiled as he looked toward the group of elder Wude officials, saying, "Just now, you all claimed with your own mouths that you were bewitched by Zhangsun Anye and thus supported welcoming back the Retired Emperor. Then let me ask you: when the Retired Emperor abdicated, did you grieve?"
"This..."
Not a single person dared to answer Li Shimin's question.
None of them could have anticipated that Li Shimin would ask such a thing.
Historically, Li Shimin adopted this uncompromising, face-slapping attitude toward Li Yuan.
The *Zizhi Tongjian* recorded that Li Shimin once stated in front of all the civil and military officials: "During the Wude era, bribery was rampant, the laws and institutions were in chaos, the administration and penal system were flawed, and officialdom was in disorder..."
In short, his message was: My father was an incompetent ruler.
Under normal circumstances, while the former emperor was still alive, such words would virtually never be spoken by the reigning emperor.
Yet, Li Shimin uttered them righteously nonetheless.
What did this indicate?
It showed that the historical Li Shimin held a grudge against Li Yuan that was profound indeed.
Seeing that the elder Wude officials and princes were left speechless by his questioning, Li Shimin continued, "Since you claim you were loyal to the Retired Emperor, why did you not resign from your posts and retire into seclusion when he abdicated?"
"We, we..."
Those elder Wude officials and enfeoffed princes stammered, unable to finish their sentences.
At that moment, an elder official who recovered his wits more quickly hastily interjected, "Although we were loyal to the Retired Emperor, we were also loyal to the state of Great Tang!"
"Yes! Exactly! The state of Great Tang still stands, so naturally we had to remain in court to serve loyally!"
"Hahaha!"
Li Shimin could not help throwing his head back and laughing aloud.
He had truly never seen such brazenly shameless officials in all his life.
When his laughter subsided, he asked coldly, "You claim loyalty to the state of Great Tang, but when the rebels threatened that very state, why did you fail to show your loyalty?"
"You claim you supported the rebels in welcoming back the Retired Emperor, but was the slaughter of ministers in the imperial court by those rebels the intended result of that welcome?"
"If the likes of you can be counted as loyal ministers, then Great Tang has none left!"
With those words, he issued a direct command: "Guards! Drag these accomplices of the traitors away and execute their entire households!"
Boom!
Those elder Wude officials and enfeoffed princes felt as though they had been struck by lightning; their minds buzzed and rang.
Originally, only they themselves would have had to die, but now their entire families were condemned to perish along with them!
Truly, those who bring disaster upon themselves cannot live.
A wave of sighs swept through the entire grand hall.
...
"Li Shimin! You shall come to a wretched end! You unjust executioner of loyal ministers! We demand to see the Retired Emperor!"
"We are wronged! We are wronged!"
Amidst a chorus of curses and cries of grievance, those elder Wude officials and enfeoffed princes were dragged out of the hall one by one by the imperial guards.
The remaining ministers, watching them leave, held their breath in absolute terror.
Especially Peiji, Li Shentong, and their faction—fine layers of cold sweat immediately beaded upon their foreheads.
Although those elder Wude officials and princes certainly deserved to die, this incident also reflected from another angle that Li Shimin's resentment toward Li Yuan had grown even deeper.
It even caused Peiji to harbor lingering doubts: could this affair truly be connected to Li Yuan?
However, before Peiji could puzzle it out, Li Shimin's voice rang out once more:
"As the saying goes, merits must be rewarded and offenses must be punished. Just now, I punished those who committed crimes; now, I shall reward those who rendered meritorious service!"
With these words, he smiled and cast his gaze upon Wusha, saying, "Wusha, you performed admirably this time and rendered a great service. I hereby appoint you as Director of the Palace Attendants Directorate, and bestow upon you two hundred strings of gold and fifty bolts of fabric."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Wusha trembled all over, threw himself flat onto the stone floor, and kowtowed heavily to express his gratitude.
One must know that although the Director of the Palace Attendants Directorate was only of the fourth rank, it was the highest official post within the Palace Attendants Directorate.
In other words, this position was the absolute peak an eunuch could ever hope to attain.
Wusha had never dreamed that he could reach such lofty heights. After kowtowing in thanks, he glanced discreetly toward Li Chenqian standing in the corner.
Had it not been for Li Chenqian giving him the idea, he would likely neither have had the ability nor the courage to pull off such a feat.
Therefore, his gratitude toward Li Chenqian at this moment went far beyond words.
Yet, facing that glance, Li Chenqian maintained a completely calm expression and even subconsciously retreated a bit further into the shadows of the corner.
For at a time like this, he had no desire to court the limelight.
Li Shimin gave a faint smile, then, as if recalling something, asked, "Wusha, let me ask you: how did you ever think to use water to extinguish Zhangsun Anye's fire-flint?"
"Ah? This..."
Wusha was startled for a moment, but his reaction was swift. "Replying to Your Majesty, when Zhangsun Anye produced the fire-flint and ignited the fire-thunder a moment ago, this subject wondered if we could use water to quench that flame so that he could not detonate the explosives and endanger all the ministers and Your Majesty."
Pausing here for a moment, he glanced toward Empress Zhangsun and continued, "It was also thanks to the Empress appearing in the nick of time that this subject dared to coordinate with her..."
"Meaning that what you just did was done under the Empress's instruction?"
"This..."
Upon hearing this, Wusha's expression betrayed a trace of hesitation.
However, Empress Zhangsun smiled and intervened, "It was I who instructed Chenqian to inform him!"
"Chenqian?"
Li Shimin was slightly taken aback, thinking to himself: *When did this rascal sneak in? How come I didn't know?*
His attention earlier had been entirely focused on Zhangsun Anye and Empress Zhangsun; even when Li Chenqian tossed out his sachet to stop Li Xiaochang from igniting the fire-thunder, he had missed it entirely.
For the grand hall at that moment had been far too chaotic—so chaotic that he simply dared not let his focus wander.
However, before he could call out for Li Chenqian, a report came echoing in from outside.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, seven enfeoffed princes, under the banner of 'protecting the sovereign and saving the dynasty,' have gathered an army of two hundred thousand and are now pressing upon the city gates!"
A gasp!
The entire audience was thrown into uproar!
Some stood frozen in shock, their faces locked in utter astonishment.
Others leaped straight to their feet from their seats, cursing aloud.
The entire grand hall plunged once more into chaos.
This news could truly be described as earth-shattering.
If the rebellion of Zhangsun Anye and Li Xiaochang could be considered mere child's play, then seven enfeoffed princes marching an army of two hundred thousand to the city gates was an absolute tidal wave of catastrophe.
"They've rebelled? They've all rebelled?!"
At this moment, Li Shimin felt a mixture of profound shock and anxiety.
Though the insurrection of Zhangsun Anye and his faction had taken him somewhat by surprise, everything had still been within his control.
Yet, the appearance of these seven princes was completely beyond his anticipation.
What "protecting the sovereign and saving the dynasty"—such fine-sounding words! Under heaven, when has a force ever marched on the capital without an imperial command to "protect the sovereign"? Stripped of its pretense, was it not simply treason?
Gazing at the whispering courtiers, each harboring their own hidden agendas, Li Shimin's gaze suddenly grew distant. He wondered who among these people were loyal ministers and who were accomplices to the rebels?
For a fleeting moment, he even began to regret initiating the Xuanwu Gate Incident, feeling that perhaps he ought not to have claimed this throne.
Yet, when his eyes fell upon Empress Zhangsun and those loyal ministers from the Prince of Qin's Mansion and Tiansheng Bureau who had shared life and death with him, he was forced to steel his resolve once more.
Even if he had chosen a wrong path at the very beginning, he had to walk it through to the end.
Meanwhile, Li Chenqian was also somewhat surprised.
For the affair of the seven princes was not part of his plan, nor did he possess the capability to incite seven princes to rebel.
The only logical explanation was that, alongside his own contingency plan and countermeasures against Zhangsun Anye, Li Yuan had laid down countermeasures of his own.
In other words, regardless of whether the seven princes rebelled or not, the imperial throne would forever remain within the Li family.
*Heh, Grandfather is truly formidable! Playing for the highest stakes indeed!*
Just as Li Chenqian was inwardly rejoicing, Li Shimin's voice suddenly cut through the air: "Yuchi Jingde! Qin Shubao!"
"This subject is here!"
Yuchi Gong and Qin Qiong immediately stepped forward.
"Both of you, hurry to the city gates, rally your respective forces, and defend the gates!"
"Understood!"
"Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Duh Ruhui!"
Watching Yuchi Gong and Qin Qiong depart, Li Shimin issued his commands in a ringing voice, "You are to immediately coordinate forces from all quarters to secure Chang'an, and see to it that the common people of the city are not alarmed further!"
"Understood!"
The three men promptly acknowledged the command and withdrew.
Li Shimin swept his gaze once more over the ministers within the hall, saying coldly, "Whatever thoughts you may harbor in your hearts, I advise you to behave yourselves honestly. Otherwise, I shall show no mercy whatsoever!"
As he spoke, his gaze lingered particularly upon Peiji and the other elder Wude officials, as well as Li Shentong and the other princes.
The warning terrified them so much that they hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to meet Li Shimin's eyes.
Clearly, following this rebellion, Li Shimin's trust in them had plummeted to an absolute nadir.
As long as they dared to make any rash move, Li Shimin would undoubtedly launch a wholesale slaughter against them.
Even so, they could not help speculating inwardly: were these enfeoffed princes truly coming to "protect the sovereign"?
And if so, who on earth had notified them to come?
One had to realize that "protecting the sovereign" was not something one could simply do on a whim; one had to receive an imperial decree or a secret order before marching to the rescue.
Otherwise, it would be treated entirely as high treason.
Yet, was not the Emperor right here?
If Li Shimin himself had summoned the seven princes, he would hardly be acting as if facing an existential crisis!
Just as the ministers were left trembling in doubt and uncertainty, another report rang out from outside the hall:
"The Retired Emperor has arrived—!"