bayedsolid Chapter 123 5 years ago
Chapter 123 5 years ago
Xie Beiheng looked slightly stunned, but his heart was already filled with turmoil.
It’s not because Li Chenghe openly said that he wanted to be the crown prince, but because he actually knew that Li Chengrui was colluding with Beirong?
Then... does he also know that He Lingyue and Xie Beiyu are members of the Beirong royal family?
If so, the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion...
Xie Beiheng suppressed his panic and feigned surprise, "The Crown Prince is colluding with the Northern Rong? Why does Your Highness say that?"
Li Chenghe looked at him, raised his eyebrows, and said, "General Xie, don't you know? I thought General Xie knew that Li Chengrui was collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, so he disdained to associate with him, which is why what happened last night happened!"
Don't bother to associate with them?
Xie Beiheng found that he couldn't see through Li Chenghe for a moment!
Although she knew that he was a member of the prince's party, she seemed very sure that if she knew that the prince was collaborating with the enemy, she would no longer follow and be loyal to him.
The most important thing is that he and Li Chenghe didn't have much contact before, so why was he so unguarded and spoke frankly to him when they met today?
"Your Highness... seems to trust me very much?"
Hearing this, Li Chenghe laughed out loud, "Why wouldn't I trust the general?"
"The general is valiant and loyal, and the marquis is even more valiant and fearless, ready to face death. You and your son have defended Dayue and made countless contributions. You are the backbone of Dayue's capable officials and the country. This king sincerely admires the general!"
"The Northern Rong have invaded Dayue for twenty-seven years. When I was young, I vowed that when I grew up, I would take up arms and mount a horse, slay the bandits, and bring peace and prosperity to the people of Dayue. Therefore, when I was thirteen, I asked my father to allow me to join the Northern Suppression Army and fight alongside them..."
Having said this, Li Chenghe paused for a moment, then sneered, "I never thought that my father would reject it outright!"
Xie Beiheng naturally understood that the current emperor was sensitive and suspicious, and would never allow the prince to join the Zhenbei Army!
"This king actually has no interest in the throne. I just believe that as a man, it is his duty to protect his country, not to mention that I am a prince!"
"General, you just asked me, do you seem to trust me?" Li Chenghe looked at him with a burning gaze. "I shouldn't say I trust you, General. I trust you, who fought bloody battles and risked your life to defend Dayue. I believe you wouldn't tolerate a traitor, let alone follow him!"
"Besides, even if the general tells Li Chengrui what we talked about today, I have no fear. Li Chengrui is the crown prince, but he has colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, disregarding the lives of the people. If he were to ascend the throne, it is conceivable that Dayue would be devastated and the land would be filled with starvation."
"Therefore, I swear to my death that I will dethrone him from the throne of Crown Prince!"
Xie Beiheng met his firm and passionate gaze, and it would be a lie to say that he remained unmoved.
Put family and country first, take the people as the most important, have a global vision and love the people like one's own children.
Recalling Xiangxiang's question, "If Li Chenghe becomes emperor, will he be a good emperor?"
If what we see today is true and without falsehood, then if Li Chenghe becomes emperor, he will undoubtedly be a benevolent and wise ruler!
"So, Your Majesty, the reason why you asked me to see you today is...?"
Help him seize the throne?
Li Chenghe did not answer directly, but asked: "General, do you know how the prince colluded with the Northern Rong and betrayed the country?"
Xie Beiheng's heart tightened. He was not sure whether Li Chenghe knew that the person the prince was colluding with was Xie Beiyu.
"I don't know!"
Li Chenghe's expression grew solemn as he recalled, "Five years ago, our father delayed appointing a crown prince on the grounds that none of us princes had any military achievements. Therefore, Li Chengyan and Li Chengrui were both eager to establish a prominent achievement."
"At that time, a group of extremely vicious and violent bandits suddenly appeared in Beilin County, Puzhou Prefecture. Within three days, they burned, killed, looted, and bloodbathed more than a dozen villages, slaughtering more than 8,000 villagers. Afterwards, a group occupied Tianlang Mountain and established Tianlang Stronghold. When the imperial court learned of this, they sent troops to attack the stronghold several times, but not a single person survived!"
Xie Beiheng frowned. Although he didn't know why Li Chenghe suddenly brought up this matter, he was still furious when he mentioned it. Five years ago, he and his father were fighting against the Beirong at the border. When he heard the news, he was so angry that he wanted to lead the Zhenbei Army to flatten Tianlang Mountain immediately!
Li Chengrui continued, "At that time, the imperial court was helpless and the people were in panic. In Beilin County, every household stayed at home and refused to go out. At this time..." Li Chenghe paused.
Xie Beiheng took over his words, "Just then, the Third Prince Li Chengrui volunteered to lead the suppression of the bandits and wiped out the Tianlang Village in one fell swoop!"
It was because of this incident that he concluded that Li Chengrui was not afraid of life and death, and was concerned about the country and the people, and he also firmly became a member of the prince's party.
But Li Chenghe suddenly mentioned this matter at this time. Could it be that the collusion with Beirong he mentioned was referring to...
Thinking of this, Li Chenghe's face was filled with anger, and he gritted his teeth. "General, do you think Li Chengrui is brave and fearless, not afraid of life and death? It's not true. He knows that even if he goes, he will definitely come back alive."
"Because, that group of bandits are all Northern Rong's death warriors!"
"Northern Rong's death warriors?" Xie Beiheng stood up suddenly, his face full of shock.
"How is this possible? Why would the Northern Rong warriors sneak into Dayue, disguised as bandits..."
Xie Beiheng stopped talking halfway. Is it Li Chengrui?
Xie Beiheng held onto the table with one hand, too shocked to speak.
For the throne of the crown prince, more than a dozen villages, more than 8,000 lives, and soldiers sacrificed...
Li Chengrui, Li Chengrui!!
Xie Beiheng clenched his fists. "How did the prince know about this? Do you have any evidence?"
It's not that he didn't believe what Li Chenghe said, but he thought about the conspiracy between Li Chengrui and Xie Beiyu. If Li Chengrui was not deposed as soon as possible, history might repeat itself.
Li Chenghe's eyes were filled with rage. "Back then, Li Chengrui brought five thousand men up the mountain. To silence them, he teamed up with the Northern Rong warriors and killed them one by one on Tianlang Mountain. He only brought ten men back to the capital."
After he finished speaking, a hint of unnaturalness flashed in his angry eyes, and he added: "He thought these ten people were his confidants, but... one of them is my man."
Although he has no interest in the throne, as a prince he will always be a threat to others and he must protect himself.
Xie Beiheng didn't care about this, his face lit up with joy, "So there is a witness?"
Li Chenghe shook his head, frowning tightly. "After he returned to the capital, he told me the truth. Before I could even plan how to expose Li Chengrui, he died. Furthermore, eight of those ten people have already died in the past five years."
Murder?
Xie Beiheng asked hurriedly: "What about the other two people?"
"There's a man named Qing Xiao who's beside him. He's very loyal to Li Chengrui. Even if we capture him, we won't be able to pry him open."
Xie Beiheng's heart sank, "So there's only one person left?"