Chang'an, brilliant and splendid.

The ancient majesty of the imperial capital is carved between the bluestone ancient city walls, drunk on the high glazed cornices, and outlined in the drawings of the canal that stretches for 3,000 miles.

The faces of the people of Chang'an all revealed their pride as subjects of a great country and their satisfaction with their current life.

Although it is winter now, under the dazzling lights at night, the temperature is like half-hot rice porridge in a soup pot, and there is an orderly and neat street street, but the wine house and teahouse are chaotic and lively, and the atmosphere is as hot as boiling water on the stove.

It's just that compared with the bustle and prosperity in Chang'an City, the East Palace of the Prince, located on the east side of the imperial city, is deserted and desolate at this time. Because the crown prince Li Hong has been weak since he was a child and does not like night banquets, the entire East Palace has always been in a pungent medicinal soup and cold solemnity.

It's already early days, but Li Hong hasn't gone to bed yet.

He wandered alone in the "Tang Garden", sometimes frowning, sometimes sighing, and his figure looked haggard and lonely under the dim candlelight.

Because, he is no longer the real Tang Prince Li Hong, but a traverser.

Two months ago, he inexplicably crossed over to the body of Li Hong, the prince of the Tang Dynasty.

At first he didn't believe it was all real, and he was always immersed in great shock. But slowly, he found that not only did his appearance change, but he also had more memories of Li Hong in his mind.

At this time, he finally accepted the reality in front of him, his soul really returned to more than a thousand years ago, and the body of Li Hong, the thirteen-year-old prince of the Tang Dynasty, the fifth son of Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty and the eldest son of the Empress Wu, fused together!

Today, he has come to the "Tang Garden" for the eighteenth time.

In two months, he has adapted to his current identity and life in Datang, but when he thinks of the tragedy that will happen in the future as Li Hong, he is restless.

"In the second year of the last century, the prince was from the palace of Xinghebi, looking for a sting, twenty-four years old." These simple seventeen words were like seventeen mountains, pressing on his body, making it difficult for him to breathe.

He knew that no matter whether he died of natural causes and was killed by his mother like folklore, he only had eleven years left to live, and eleven years later he would die at the night banquet in Luoyang Hebi Palace, and he would get the nickname of "Honoring the Emperor".

It's just that the current Li Hong is no longer the Li Hong of the past, he already knows his tragic ending, will he let such a tragedy repeat itself again?

No, absolutely impossible.

Since God allows him to live again, he must not let such a tragedy happen to him again, and his fate must be rewritten by himself.

……

"Your Highness, it's not early, it's time for you to rest!" Just when Li Hong was stunned, someone suddenly stepped forward and said to him.

This man is about thirty years old, and he is handsome and handsome, and he is a talent.

His name is Yan Zhuang, the official position of the prince's family order, and he is the chief manager of the crown prince Li Hong, who is in charge of the East Palace's food, warehouse, slaves, etc. And because he has been following Li Hong when he was made the crown prince in the first year of Gaozong Xianqing, he is also Li Hong's confidant.

"Yan Zhuang, has the matter that Gu asked you to do is done?" Li Hong asked without answering, with more anxiety in his tone.

"It's done, Sun Simiao is on his way back to Chang'an, and it is estimated that he will be able to reach it in two days." Yan Zhuang replied cautiously.

The prince has been weak since he was a child, and he has been recuperating with medicine all year round, and this time he can find Sun Simiao's traces, so that this old medicine king can come to Chang'an to diagnose and treat the prince's stubborn disease, Yan Zhuang is very concerned about this matter. It's just that what surprised him was that the prince had never left the imperial city since he was a child, how did he know that Sun Simiao was in Zhongnan Mountain?

"Well, with the medicine king's personal treatment, Lone's illness will be better!" Li Hong said with a slight sigh.

What he was most worried about now was not what his mother, Empress Wu, would do to him, but his weak body. Because if it is true as the history books say, he died violently in the palace because of illness and not death. So even if he keeps the crown prince through scheming in the future, can he wait until the day he ascends the throne and becomes the emperor? Even if you can wait until the day you ascend the throne and become emperor, how long can you sit on the throne?

Therefore, Li Hongcai was eager to heal his body. Because as long as he has a healthy body, he will compete with his mother, Empress Wu, for the capital of power in the future.

And if he wanted to completely cure his stubborn disease, the first person Li Hongneng thought of was Sun Simiao, the king of medicine, so he asked Yan Zhuang to go to Zhongnan Mountain to ask Sun Simiao to treat him.

However, Yan Zhuang couldn't understand what Li Hong was thinking now, he saw Li Hong's serious expression, and he stopped talking.

Yan Zhuang has been following Li Hong for ten years, Li Hong understands Yan Zhuang's personality and temperament, and now seeing Yan Zhuang's appearance of wanting to speak and stopping, he asked, "Yan Zhuang, what's wrong with you?" Is there anything else you can do? ”

Yan Zhuang glanced at Li Hong a little apprehensively, and saw that Li Hong's expression was still the same, and he was looking at the southern sky, so he opened his mouth and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, this time we found Sun Simiao in Zhongnan Mountain according to what you said, and also handed over the letter you wrote to him, but he just didn't want to come to Chang'an to treat your Highness." Therefore..."

"Huh?"

Yan Zhuang took a deep breath and continued, "Therefore, this time we are tying Sun Simiao to Chang'an. ”

"Oh, what?" No matter how calm and calm Li Hong was, he was taken aback when he heard Yan Zhuang's words, and tied the Medicine King to Chang'an City? You can do it! This is something that he, a prince, can't even think of! Li Hong looked incredulous, and once again confirmed, "Yan Zhuang, have you really tied up the Medicine King back to Chang'an?" ”

Yan Zhuang didn't dare to look at Li Hong, just lowered his head and said, "Your Highness, the minister also knows that this is wrong, but..."

Li Hong knew that Yan Zhuang was also doing this for the sake of his body, how could he blame Yan Zhuang? said lightly, "Forget it, since the matter has come to this, you don't have to blame yourself, when Sun Simiao arrives in Chang'an City, Lone will apologize to him again!" ”

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Yan Zhuang hurriedly thanked him.

However, Li Hong frowned again. Sun Simiao was eighteen years old and determined to study medicine, and in 579 AD, he began to live in seclusion in Taibai Mountain to learn the Tao, refining qi, cultivating shape, and studying the art of longevity, and then hidden in Zhongnan Mountain, is a legendary figure, how could he be tied back to Chang'an City by a few people sent by himself?

Didn't Li Hong dare to continue thinking about it, but asked in a deep voice, "Yan Zhuang, how many people have you gone this time?" ”

"Back to Your Highness, a thousand iron horses. It was Li Duoqi who personally led the right prison gate to lead the 1,000 iron horses of the palace to Zhongnan Mountain. Yan Zhuang replied truthfully.

"You..."

Li Hong couldn't hold back anymore when he heard Yan Zhuang's answer, he reprimanded with a gloomy face, "Yan Zhuang, why are you so reckless this time. Don't you know that the people in Chang'an City are unstable at the moment, and the court is turbulent, in this case, we need to be low-key rather than public? ”

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, there was a special armed force to protect the safety of the prince, known as the Ten Rates of the East Palace, but the real control of this force was in the hands of the emperor. This is manifested in the crown prince Zhan Shi appointed by the emperor, who is the official of the three temples of the Tongdong Palace and the Ten Rates Mansion. However, in these ten rate mansions, the prince leads the government on the left and right, and the prince leads the government on the left and right, and they are the prince's direct soldiers, and they can be directly led by the prince.

Therefore, people are accustomed to calling the East Palace guards the six rates of the East Palace, and do not count the prince's pro-army prince left and right prison gate rate and the prince's left and right inner rate mansion in it.

And this time, Yan Zhuang mobilized his own personal guards, and the prince's right prison led the house. How could this not make Li Hong angry?

For such a small matter, his own personal guards were dispatched, and the prince's right prison led a thousand men and horses.

This matter is not a big deal, because it is reasonable for him to mobilize his own personal soldiers; It can be said that it is not small, and it is a taboo for the king to transfer troops privately in this imperial city, if he is used as an excuse by someone with a heart in turn, he writes to impeach himself, isn't it equivalent to teaching himself the truth?

He, Li Hong, is no matter how much he is deeply respected by Gaozong, he can't bear it!

Moreover, some time ago, Shangguan Yi, Wang Fusheng, and Li Zhong were killed because of the turmoil after the abolition, so that the relationship between Gaozong and Empress Wu has been in tension.

As the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, his every move at this time not only represents his personal emotions and likes and dislikes, but will inevitably have a strong political color. In other words, regardless of whether one's personal motives are politically related or not, people in both the government and the opposition will make all kinds of politically relevant interpretations of their actions.

Therefore, Li Hong's current idea is to keep his head in obscurity, not to participate in the struggle between the emperor and the queen, he just wants to develop his strength secretly, and he doesn't want to show his political tendencies prematurely, and now Yan Zhuang's actions are exactly contrary to his original intention.

"Your Highness, it's the minister who is reckless, and I ask Your Highness to punish you!" Yan Zhuang is not stupid, as soon as he was reminded by Li Hong, he knew the seriousness of his mobilization of the prince's right prison gate to lead a thousand people in the government.

"Okay, you can't be blamed entirely for this matter, Lone is also at fault, but in the future, you must learn a lesson, and you must not be as reckless as this time." Now that the matter has happened, Li Hong can only say this.

There are not many cronies around him who can be used, Yan Zhuang is one, Li Duoqi is one, and Yan Zhuang is not only loyal to him, but also has an uncle Yan Liben who is the secretary of the Ministry of Works. Li Hong didn't want to waste such a good resource.

"Wechen understands!" Yan Zhuang said in a low voice.

"Hey!" Thinking of the current battle between the emperor and queen in the court again, Li Hong couldn't help but sigh heavily.

"Your Highness, are you thinking about how to write to Your Majesty about King Liang?" Seeing the melancholy look on Li Hong's face, he hesitated for a moment, but Yan Zhuang still asked. The King of Liang in his mouth is the late prince Li Zhong, who was killed in his residence half a month ago.

"Well, yesterday Dai Xiang told Gu that King Liang had been given to die in his own place, but after his death, the corpse was in the wilderness, and no one was buried. What he meant was to let Lone go to the emperor and ask for a thick burial of Li Zhong. Li Hong said lightly.

"Li Zhong, the king of Liang, rebelled against Shangguanyi, Wang Fusheng and others, and they have been ordered to be killed. This is the will of His Majesty himself. Wei Chen didn't know what Dai Xiang meant, how could he let His Highness make such a recital to His Majesty in this situation? Yan Zhuang frowned.

Li Zhong is the abolished prince, how he died, I am afraid that there is no one in the Manchu Dynasty who does not know. Because only a dead and deposed prince will not threaten the current crown prince's position. And Li Hong doesn't have the ability to get rid of Li Zhong now, so there is only one person left.

But in this case, Dai Zhide, as the prime minister, wanted Li Hong to write a letter suggesting a thick burial of the late crown prince Li Zhong, wouldn't this make Li Hong go against Empress Wu, the mastermind behind the case?

"Yan Zhuang, you have to know that Dai Xiang is the emperor's person!" Li Hong said quietly.

"Could it be that it is His Majesty's intention to let His Highness write a letter suggesting a thick burial of Li Zhong, the King of Liang?" Yan Zhuang was taken aback, at this moment he suddenly understood what the prince meant, and he also understood the worries of His Royal Highness the crown prince at the moment.

Because, on one side is the son of today, and on the other side is the queen mother who is not weaker than the son of heaven at the moment, no matter what the prince does, he will evil another person.

This problem is really not easy to solve.

Li Hong did not answer, but remained silent.

As the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, now he can no longer be a bystander in this matter, and he has to make his own choice in the fate of his future political career!