Chapter 58: Erlang, I Will Dash My Brains Out Right Before Your Eyes!

As evening approached, the sky gradually turned overcast. A dull rumble of thunder rolled in from the southern mountains, and the wind swept across the battlements of Chang'an City, causing the banners to flutter loudly.

Yuchi Gong and Qin Qiong were waiting anxiously inside the city for news from the outside.

They repeatedly dispatched scouts to look out, but even as darkness fell, the large army outside showed no signs of retreating.

With Chang'an's current garrison, it was clearly impossible to withstand the twenty-hundred-thousand-strong army stationed outside the city. Therefore, Li Ji and Hou Junji immediately led their men to communicate with the seven imperial princes.

At this very moment, the garrison troops outside the city were brimming with a murderous aura, while the opposing imperial guards stood at strict attention, swords drawn and bows notched.

One of the imperial princes stepped forward, gripping his sword, and shouted fiercely, "Who is so bold as to dare lead troops to block us from coming to the rescue of the sovereign? Are you accomplices of the rebels?"

Li Ji stepped forward and replied, "We are acting under the Emperor's command to guard the city gates, and we have received no word that His Majesty is in danger. By whose command have you princes come to protect the sovereign?"

"Absurd! To rescue the sovereign is naturally to act on the imperial decree!"

"Yet, this general has heard no mention of such an order from His Majesty. Could there be some misunderstanding?"

"A misunderstanding?" Another imperial prince sneered. "Li Ji, do not think this prince does not know you. Can an imperial decree be subject to misunderstandings?"

Li Ji stood firm and unyielding, asking gravely, "Since you princes claim to act on an imperial decree, do you have the Emperor's personal writ?"

"Naturally we do!"

With that, one of the princes produced a personal writ from the Emperor, handed it to a nearby guard, and had it passed to Li Ji.

"This..."

Li Ji frowned as he looked at it, his face immediately sinking. "This is not His Majesty's personal writ! It is a forgery!"

"Nonsense! The imperial seal is stamped right on it! Is the seal forged as well?"

"But this..."

Li Ji could not figure out what was truly happening, but the handwriting on the document was definitely not that of Li Shimin.

As for the seal...

Ah, besides the reigning Emperor, who else had the authority to use the imperial jade seal, if not the Retired Emperor?

Could it be that this seal had been retained by the Retired Emperor from the past?

At the very beginning of the Great Tang dynasty, the Heirloom Seal of the Realm had been taken to the Turks by Empress Xiao, leaving Emperor Gaozu's reign without the true imperial seal, though Gaozu had crafted a seal of his own. Although inferior to the legendary Heirloom Seal, it still represented the orthodox authority of the state.

Since Li Shimin had seized the throne from Li Gaozu, the jade seal had naturally become his.

If Li Gaozu had kept several impressions or a reserve seal, it was entirely possible for him to issue fake edicts in Li Shimin's name.

However, such matters could not be spoken of openly by Li Ji. He could only raise his voice to the seven princes and say, "I must report this matter to His Majesty. I beg you princes to refrain from taking any rash actions!"

Turning to Hou Junji, he added, "Duke of Lu, go and inform His Majesty of this at once!"

"Let me see who dares to move!"

Seeing Hou Junji prepare to spur his horse away, one of the princes roared in fury, "Do not think we are unaware! Li Xiaochang has already fought his way to Chang'an! Would he have reached the city if no one inside was secretly cooperating with him?"

"You wish to go and tip off Li Xiaochang—do you take us for fools?"

"Indeed! Whoever dares to make a rash move, this prince will execute without pardon!"

Another prince chimed in, raising his hand to give the order: "Prepare the whole army!"

Sabers flashed on both sides, and the atmosphere grew abruptly tense, on the verge of erupting at any moment.

"You, you..."

At this sight, Li Ji and Hou Junji were so enraged they almost spat blood.

Were these princes' heads filled with excrement?

They were being deceived and didn't even realize it!

......

Meanwhile, in the Taiji Hall, Li Shimin and the others had no idea they had been completely bluffed and overwhelmed by the momentum projected by Li Gaozu.

One by one, they were scolded by Li Gaozu to the point where none of them dared to draw a full breath.

There was simply no help for it. Outside the city, imperial princes were threatening Chang'an, and inside the hall, court historians were recording every word.

Li Gaozu wasn't even calling them out by name; he was merely cursing Changsun Anye and that band of rebels. If they dared to talk back to Li Gaozu, it would be an act of insubordination, tantamount to treason.

Naturally, they did not dare utter another word of complaint.

Having been scolded, they could only swallow their grievances.

"Father, what on earth are you trying to do?"

Seeing that no one else in the hall dared to speak, Li Shimin finally could no longer contain his emotions, and with a darkened expression, he questioned Li Gaozu.

"What am I trying to do?"

Li Gaozu sneered coldly, then gestured to Du Caigan: "Bring them in!"

"As you command!"

Du Caigan acknowledged the order and quickly led Consort Zhang and Consort Yin into the main hall.

The ministers looked on in utter bewilderment.

Even Li Shimin wore a look of incomprehension.

Then Li Gaozu said coldly once more, "Speak! Confess everything you have done, right here before Erlang and all the civil and military officials of the court!"

"Yes."

Consort Zhang bowed respectfully and said, "Replying to the Retired Emperor, replying to His Majesty: this concubine knows her crimes are grave. I beg the Retired Emperor and His Majesty to punish me alone, and spare my children. It was this concubine who harbored wild delusions, coveting the position of Empress, and thus contacted Changsun Anye, Li Xiaochang, Li Youliang, Li Yi, and others to plot a rebellion, hoping to restore the Retired Emperor to the throne!"

As her voice trailed off, Consort Yin also spoke up, "It was this concubine who used the Retired Emperor's name to have Changsun Anye contact them, privately promising them rewards so that they would assist Consort Zhang..."

"What?!"

Hearing the words of Consort Zhang and Consort Yin, the assembled ministers were utterly stunned.

In their wildest dreams, they never could have imagined that the masterminds behind this rebellion were two imperial concubines from the inner palace.

Even Li Shimin and Empress Changsun were deeply shaken by this revelation.

Especially Li Shimin—at that moment, he felt as though his cheeks were burning with a searing pain!

Earlier, he had suspected that Changsun Anye's rebellion was connected to Li Gaozu, and had even planned to go to the Da'an Palace to confront Li Gaozu and take the opportunity to mock him after the court session concluded.

Now, however, Li Gaozu had slapped him hard across the face right in front of everyone.

One had to remember that he had just ridiculed Li Gaozu in this very hall.

In the corner, the court historian writing furiously with his brush would record every bit of it faithfully.

In history, if he mocked Li Gaozu, it was because Li Gaozu's reign had indeed suffered from numerous flaws; his words, recorded by the historian, would at best be seen as speaking out with righteous indignation.

Yet Changsun Anye's rebellion had absolutely nothing to do with Li Gaozu, and yet he had chosen to mock Li Gaozu in front of all the civil and military officials.

What did that make him?

It was nothing less than sheer, unadulterated rebellion against filial piety and propriety!

"Father, this... what is the meaning of all this?"

Recovering from his shock, Li Shimin asked Li Gaozu with an expression of profound embarrassment.

Li Gaozu cast a cold glance at him and said,

"Are you still harboring resentment over what I did back then? Do you still hold a grudge in your heart against me? Do you wish to prove to me that I was wrong?"

Slowly rising from the imperial throne, he walked expressionlessly to one of the great pillars of the hall, swept his gaze over the ministers, and declared,

"Today, before all the civil and military officials, I ask you: who was truly wrong? If I was wrong, I will smash my head against this pillar and die to show my accountability to the world!"

"Father—!"

"Retired Emperor—!"

Li Shimin and the officials were utterly terrified by Li Gaozu's words.

Li Chengqian was trembling all over with excitement!

Thrill!

This was too damn thrilling!

Grandfather is magnificent!