In the middle of June of the seventh year of Wude of the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Li Yuan went to the Renbi Palace in Yijun County for cultivation, and Li Yuan took away Li Yuanji, the king of Qi, and Li Shimin, the king of Qin, leaving the crown prince Li Jiancheng to handle government affairs. And then, just after everyone thought it was just an ordinary trip, suddenly a group of fast horses ran back.

"The emperor ordered that all the palace guards should be assembled, and all the troops in the North Gate would obey the dispatch of the soldiers holding the talismans. The emperor ordered that all the talismans of the military department should be confiscated for the time being. The officials in the palace were ordered to temporarily prohibit entry and exit, and all remained in the palace to wait for inspection. ”

"The emperor ordered the prince to stay in the East Palace and think about it behind closed doors. The government affairs of the imperial court were handled by the left servant of Shangshu Pei Lian. ”

"All soldiers and horses in Chang'an must not be transferred without authorization, otherwise they will be punished according to the theory of rebellion, and they will be killed."

As one order after another was delivered, this made countless officials feel as if the sky had fallen. Because Li Yuan not only wanted to gather the palace guards, but also mobilized the Beimen Tun army, and even confiscated all the talismans of the military department to prevent anyone from using them to transfer troops. even forced the crown prince Li Jiancheng to return to the palace, and thought about it behind closed doors, which was too surprising. And at this time, it feels simply incredible. And this kind of thing, I'm afraid the matter is really huge, because now the prince is actually forced back to the East Palace, and he is not allowed to continue to deal with government affairs.

"Director Zhang, what's wrong with this? What's wrong with this, Your Majesty? Liu Renliang asked.

Zhang Chao immediately said: "It's okay, it shouldn't be a big problem!" ”

Zhang Chao knew that this should be a famous event in history, the Yang Wengan incident. This incident was actually a political battle in the court in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, a dirty conspiracy for the sake of power at all costs. However, Zhang Chao thinks that this incident should have nothing to do with him, because he probably knows the cause and effect of this incident. Some historians in later generations have also analyzed all the things in this period, so he naturally knows the causes and consequences of this period.

"Director Zhang, the emperor asked the left and right Qianniu guards, and the left and right prison guards to gather, and then obeyed the emperor's dispatch. Even, even the Beimen Tun army has been mobilized, and now the prince is not able to mobilize any troops at all. It was not enough for the emperor to do this, and he actually asked the military department to confiscate the yo tiger talisman, so that no one in the world could mobilize soldiers and horses. Who is the emperor aiming for, is he attacking the prince? What did the prince do, does the emperor think that the prince is rebelling? But the prince has been very honest recently, and he hasn't heard of any changes? Liu Renliang said.

Zhang Chao immediately said: "Actually, things are not too complicated, and you will naturally know what happened next." You can't talk about this kind of thing, you have to listen and watch more, and you won't need to say that you will understand it when the time comes. ”

"I'll understand it myself?" Liu Renliang asked suspiciously.

This time, Zhang Chao knew that Li Jiancheng had been plotted, so he must have had a big problem. Zhang Chao knew the cause and effect, but other people didn't know the cause and effect, so everyone in Chang'an began to talk about it.

"What's wrong with the emperor, he actually relieved the prince of the power to handle the affairs of the court, and then let Pei Lin handle it?" "Yes! Originally, it wasn't supposed to be the crown prince to be in charge of handling the government affairs, but now Ang Pei Lian, a scholar and servant, came to Yue Yu to act on behalf of him, what is this for? "Could it be that the emperor doesn't believe in the crown prince?" "What's going on, the emperor doesn't believe the prince anymore?" "The emperor sent someone back to take over the military power of the palace guards, and also confiscated the military talismans of the imperial court, combined with these two points, I am afraid that the prince rebelled!"

Soon, the news of the rebellion of the crown prince Li Jiancheng also spread everywhere, as if it was really like that. Chang'an was full of rumors that the crown prince Li Jiancheng colluded with Yang Wengan, the governor of Gyeongju, to rebel. This rumor spread so quickly, and it is obvious that someone is preparing for it, and it has long been prepared to implement it according to the plan.

"This is the main matter, do you really think that the prince is rebelling?" Liu Renliang asked.

Zhang Chao immediately asked: "What do you say?" ”

"Could it be that the emperor is ...... now, and now it is the king of Qin...... Edict? Liu Renliang asked in shock.

Now there are some people with serious conspiracy ideas who have begun to speculate whether it could be Li Yuan burping outside, and then Li Shimin, who was following him, thought that this was an opportunity to seize the throne, and then deprived Li Jiancheng of his power in the name of Li Yuan, and asked him to go to the East Palace to think about it behind closed doors. In this way, Li Shimin may be able to seize the throne by some means. And now these orders are actually Li Shimin's edicts, which makes everyone feel scared.

Zhang Chao said vaguely: "Not necessarily, anyway, the water in here is too mixed, let's not mix it." ”

Now, although many people have begun to think about whether to join Li Shimin, or want to obtain a dragon skill, so that they can also get benefits. Now many ministers have also begun to think in their hearts, should they start standing in line now, and then obtain a great fortune from the dragon's work? But Zhang Chao has to focus on stability in everything, because he wants to fight the scholars, not to get rich. If he was simply an official, he would naturally definitely not have a dragon skill. But now his goal is to fight the scholars, and he wants to form an alliance with the imperial power, but he is not attached to the imperial power, which means that no matter which emperor he is, he must cooperate with him to form an alliance. Zhang Chao formed a party in the Hanmendu, and then fought with the scholars with the support of the imperial power. So he doesn't worry about the emperor, because no emperor wants him to help the emperor and the scholars compete for power, so he is not afraid of whoever is the emperor, as long as the emperor still wants to fight the scholars, it is natural to rely on Zhang Chao's gang. Therefore, Zhang Chao will not be stupid enough to join a certain prince, which is very stupid.

"The emperor has an order to order Zhang Chao, the head of the ministry, to go to Renzhi Palace in Yijun County to see the emperor!"

"What? Let a principal go? "What is the emperor doing here? At this time, if you don't go to see the prince, you still come to see a principal? "What does the emperor mean by this?" ……

Zhang Chao didn't expect that Li Yuan wanted to see him at this time, which was simply surprising. Because Zhang Chao originally thought that he could stay out of the matter, he should not mix this Yang Wengan incident by himself. But now that Li Yuan actually wants to see himself, this is simply making him secretly unlucky. This Yang Wengan incident is too mixed, it is not so easy to get involved, once it is mixed in, it is easy to be involved in the battle between the two sides, and his little arms and legs are simply easy to be swallowed.

However, the emperor's order was difficult to do, and Zhang Chao could only follow the eunuch who gave the order, and then rode over on a fast horse. In the evening, Zhang Chao finally arrived at Renzhi Palace in Yijun County, and then met Li Yuan.

"Minister Zhang Chao has seen the emperor!" Zhang Chao said.

Li Yuan immediately said, "Please get up!" ”

"Thank you, Emperor! The emperor asked his ministers to come over, is there anything important? And what really happened today? Zhang Chao asked.

And although Zhang Chao already knew what was going on, he had to pretend to be stupid, otherwise there would definitely be problems next. And Li Yuan naturally said it quickly, what happened.

"Today, I met with three people, one is called Erzhuhuan and the other is Qiaogongsan, and these two people came together to report the prince and asked them to go to Gyeongju with five hundred pairs of armor, contact Yang Wengan, the governor of Gyeongju, and then rebel against me with the prince. And next, they want to murder Yu Zhen, so that the crown prince can also take advantage of the situation to ascend the throne. At the same time, there was also Du Fengju from Ningzhou who also came to report, and the content was similar, all of them were the prince colluding with Yang Wengan to rebel. I was furious on the spot, gave those orders in the morning, relieved the crown prince of power, and then directly took control of the army. Li Yuan said.

Zhang Chao then asked; "Your Majesty, what's the point of letting the ministers come over?"

"The more I think about it, the more wrong it becomes, I feel that there is an article here, so I hope you will investigate it for me." Li Yuan said.

Zhang Chao knew that Li Yuan must have been so angry when he first heard that his son had rebelled, and immediately issued a package order to deprive the crown prince Li Jiancheng of his power. But Li Yuan is the founding emperor after all, after all, he is the old fritter who has been mixed in the officialdom of the Sui Dynasty for many years, and after the anger at the beginning, he immediately smelled the smell, as if he found that there was a problem here! This is actually a report full of loopholes, this plan is actually not perfect, Li Yuan obviously smells it.

"Your Majesty, since you think there is a problem, why don't you directly restore the rights of the crown prince?" Zhang Chao asked.

"It's better to believe what you have than what you don't!" Li Yuan replied.

Zhang Chao understood, although Li Yuan already thought that the crown prince Li Jiancheng did not plan to rebel this time, but in the end, there was still a possibility that two percent existed. Li Yuan really didn't want to take some risks, so he chose to continue to temporarily withhold Li Jiancheng's power, and then let Zhang Chao investigate this matter.

"Your Majesty, why did you ask me to investigate?" Zhang Chao asked.

"Because you are a cold family, you also represent a cold family, unlike the crown prince and the king of Qin, the background behind it is too complicated!" Li Yuan said.

Of course Zhang Chao understood what Li Yuan was talking about, Li Yuan's meaning was very obvious, and only Zhang Chao could investigate clearly during this period. Because this is to be compared from the political structure of the Tang Dynasty, that is, Li Yuan and Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin are actually a cooperative relationship, not the traditional father-son relationship between monarchs and ministers. Li Yuan is a line, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin are each a line, Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin actually have their own support backgrounds, Li Jiancheng's crown princess is Zheng Guanyin of the Zheng family, the daughter of the Zheng family in Xingyang, and the Zheng family in Xingyang supports Li Jiancheng. And although Li Shimin doesn't seem to have anything on the surface, he is backed by the Guanlong Group. Li Shimin's wife, the eldest grandson, and the side concubine Yan are all members of the Guanlong Group. And Fang Xuanling, who was reused by Li Shimin, is the representative of the Shandong Shi clan, but Fang Xuanling's mother family is from the Li family in Longxi, and his wife is from the Fanyang Lu family, it can be said that Fang Xuanling represents the interests of several Shi clans, and is the general representative of the Shandong Shi clan under Li Shimin, and Du Ruhui is a representative of the Guanlong Group under Li Shimin.

Later, after Li Shimin became emperor, the reason why Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were able to be one of the two most important prime ministers, in addition to their ability, was more importantly because of their background, they represented the two largest political groups in the Tang Dynasty of China, the Guanlong Group and the Shandong Shizu Group. These two groups have existed since the period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and their existence history spans several dynasties, so their strength is not bad.

However, the heart invested in Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin respectively in these two groups, and they invested in Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng respectively, hoping that they could become emperors in the future and finally get benefits. Although the scholar clan will not easily perish with the change of dynasty, but every time the dynasty is changed, it actually has a lot of impact, and the scholar clan will not perish, but it will suffer very serious losses. And if they can invest in whoever becomes the emperor, then they will also get the opportunity to develop the family. Therefore, they invested in Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin respectively, not to keep the family, but to be able to develop the family's opportunities.

Li Yuan's meaning is very obvious, if any minister in the court is allowed to investigate this matter, I am afraid it will become the result of the party's disagreement. Which of the officials above the court is not a scholar, even if they are not a scholar, they all have a deep background of the scholar, if they are allowed to investigate, then I am afraid that in the end it will be a confused account, and even the result of a violent conflict between Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin. At that time, an internal turmoil in Datang will also break out, and Datang doesn't know what the result will be.

And Zhang Chao represents the interests of the landlord class of the Hanmen Shu clan, and has nothing to do with those scholars, so Zhang Chao came to investigate, which naturally means that he can maintain an impartial attitude to investigate, so that the real result can inevitably be obtained.

Zhang Chao asked with a wry smile: "Your Majesty, is this kind of thing so clear to investigate?" ”

Zhang Chao felt that this Li Yuan was really looking for trouble by himself, Li Yuan knew that the water was very deep during this period, but he still had to let Zhang Chao investigate. Because the results of this investigation are nothing more than several, one is that everyone is harmonious and light is the same dust, and then the contradiction is covered up, and in the end there is nothing at all. This possibility is the greatest, this Zhang Chao can already be deduced, according to the original history, didn't Li Yuan finally play fifty boards each? As for the second type, that is, Li Jiancheng really rebelled, but is this interesting? Li Jiancheng really rebelled, and it was Li Yuan, who was sad, as a father. The last result, that is, Li Shimin deliberately framed Li Jiancheng, hoping that Li Yuan would abolish Li Jiancheng's position as the crown prince.

But this is not the result that Li Yuan wants, because if Li Shimin frames his eldest brother for the throne, then this result is enough to make Li Yuan sad, his son and brother cannibalize, and no father will be happy. So no matter what the result of this kind of thing is, it is not the result that Li Yuan wants.

"Your Majesty, it's rare to be confused!" Zhang Chao said.

Zhang Chao wanted to make Li Yuan "rare and confused", anyway, the final result of this kind of thing is likely to be a mess, and there is no way to find out what is going on. So Zhang Chaocai doesn't want to do this kind of thing, anyway, since it's all thankless, why bother?

"No, I want to check! I want to know the truth! Li Yuan said.

Zhang Chao asked again: "Okay, Your Majesty, what do you want to know?" ”

Zhang Chao knew what he could find out, and it was entirely up to Li Yuan what you wanted to know. If Li Yuan wants to clean up Li Shimin, it is to find out what is unfavorable to Li Shimin, and if Li Yuan wants to clean up Li Jiancheng, it is to pit Li Jiancheng. Of course, if Li Yuan wants to be with the light and treat it as if it hasn't happened, then naturally Zhang Chao will hurry up and find trouble, and then then write a bullshit report casually, anyway, write this kind of bullshit and ambiguous report, Zhang Chao was very good at it when he was an official in his previous life, and he was familiar with it. Therefore, all this is to see what Li Yuan wants to do, the truth of this matter is not so important, the key is what kind of "truth" Li Yuan wants.

"I just want to know the truth, I just want to know the truth. I want to see how I am a failed father. Li Yuan said heavily.

Zhang Chao was silent, Li Yuan asked him to investigate this time, there was no real political purpose, he just wanted to know the truth. Li Yuan is not an emperor now, but a father, a heartbroken father, he wants to know how far his son has fought for the throne, and how far he can go for the throne. This investigation is not about politics, but only about Li Yuan, as a father, who wants to know how far his family has fallen apart.

"Alright! Your Majesty, I will give the Emperor a 'truth'. Zhang Chao replied.

Zhang Chao took the initiative to answer and promised to give Li Yuan the truth. And this time, it was just Li Yuan who wanted to get the truth out of his father's identity, and he didn't have his own political purpose. Since there is no political purpose, there is nothing to worry about. Zhang Chao knew that even if the investigation was clear, Li Yuan would not use this as an excuse to attack Li Jiancheng or Li Shimin, and this time the incident would only record a record of fifty boards each, and would not cause changes in the political situation of the imperial court. However, as a father, Li Yuan wanted to know how far his son could fight for the throne. The most is the Infinite Emperor family, of course Li Yuan understands this truth, so he knows that his son has a fight, but he doesn't know what his son can do for the throne, and whether there is a bottom line.

Zhang Chao left quickly, and then took advantage of the night to rush to Chang'an, and after arriving in Chang'an, it was already dawn.

"Director Zhang, what's wrong this time?" Liu Renliang asked.

"Call all our old brothers, this time they're coming in person!" Zhang Chao said.

"What the hell is going on?" Liu Renliang asked.

Zhang Chao replied: "Don't ask more, anyway, the water is too deep this time." ”

Soon, Li Yuan's holy decree was immediately transmitted to Chang'an, and a shocking news came.

"The emperor received a report that the prince intended to collude with Yang Wengan, the governor of Gyeongju, to rebel. Of course, the emperor will never believe it, the emperor and the crown prince are father and son after all, so naturally they will not be so suspicious. However, this is a major case of rebellion after all, and if it is not investigated, the prince's reputation will be damaged. Therefore, the emperor temporarily asked the crown prince to stop dealing with court affairs, and Zhang Chao, the head of the Ministry of Officials, investigated the case. During Zhang Chao's investigation, the major yamen must try their best to cooperate, and the power cooperates with Zhang Chao's dispatch. ”

"In order to make Zhang Chao's presiding officer justifiable, the emperor crowned Zhang Chao as the palace servant."

The palace attendant Yushi is a seventh-rank official, which can be regarded as a promotion for Zhang Chao, and he has been promoted by a big level.

"Command!" Everyone said together.

And then, everyone was also shocked by this matter, because the news came that the prince was actually suspected of rebellion, which was simply terrible. Even if it is the crown prince, once it is involved in a rebellion case, the lightest will be abolished as the crown prince, which is really terrible. A large group of people from the prince's faction were also shocked, obviously almost unable to stand on their feet. If this matter is implicated, the prince may not die, after all, he and Li Yuan are father and son. But those ministers who follow the crown prince are all going to lose their heads, and this is the most dangerous thing. Therefore, many officials of the Prince Li Jiancheng's faction were also frightened, afraid that they would lose their lives in this turmoil!

"Everyone, since I have been appointed by the emperor to investigate this matter, I still hope that you will cooperate!" Zhang Chao said.

And everyone knows that their fate is in the hands of Zhang Chao, if Zhang Chao thinks that they colluded with the prince to rebel, then I am afraid that the final result will inevitably be to be beheaded. Therefore, everyone looked at Zhang Chao, their eyes were full of pleading, and they felt very scared.

"Now, a few people have been brought in to form the team responsible for this investigation. The first, Liu Renliang. The second, Liu Chun. The third, Zhou Yang. Then let's investigate this matter together, and then we can return the prince's innocence, and then let the prince not be implicated! Zhang Chao said.

Zhang Chao got a few of his friends out and came together to investigate the matter. And this Yang Wengan incident is absolutely inseparable from the Shi clan, so you must definitely be careful. These friends are all children of the poor family, and they are all people who can be trusted, so let them join in the investigation, so as not to get involved in the battle between the scholars and the throne. Anyway, this time it's all about Li Yuan wanting to know the truth, not a political reshuffle, so this is the most important thing. If those Shi clan officials were to join in, I am afraid that things would have become very complicated.

"Wait for the order!" Liu Renliang, Liu Chun, and Zhou Yang also came out one after another to receive their orders.