RPAGF Chapter 21 Su Wan's Assassination Attempt
Chapter 21 Su Wan's Assassination Attempt
Analysis of Yang Yong's cause of death:
Firstly, they are mindless and tend to handle things in a simplistic and crude manner, lacking in methods;
Secondly, they don't know how to hide or present themselves effectively;
Empress Dugu was extremely jealous and firmly opposed the prince taking a concubine. However, he did as he pleased, neglecting the Crown Princess Yuan and favoring Yun Zhaoxun. Later, he angered the Crown Princess to death, which greatly enraged Empress Dugu.
Third, they underestimated their opponent, Prince Yang Guang of Jin. Yang Guang was two-faced, outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, and adept at self-promotion. He portrayed himself as a filial son, and in Empress Dugu's eyes, he was very devoted to Empress Xiao.
Fourth, Yang Yong did not know how to win over the ministers in the court. The main ministers, such as the brothers Yang Su and Yang Yue, and Zhang Heng, secretly sided with Yang Guang.
Fifth, his behavior was eccentric. When he was placed under house arrest in the Eastern Palace by Emperor Wen of Sui, he climbed a tree and shouted loudly. Emperor Wen of Sui believed that he was mentally deranged.
Sixth, he lacked military merit and had no foundation within the army. During the pacification of the Southern Chen dynasty, Yang Guang served as the commander-in-chief, establishing high prestige within the army.
The Death of Yang Zhao: Yang Zhao was very wise, filial, brave and skilled in both literature and martial arts. He was originally the ideal successor of the Sui Dynasty. However, he was too fat.
When he arrived in Luoyang, Emperor Yang of Sui ordered him to return to Daxing City. He did not want to go back, so he kowtowed and begged to stay. Unexpectedly, he kowtowed and died.
Based on common sense, he likely suffers from cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease.
Analysis of Li Jiancheng's cause of death:
Firstly, his personality was a factor. On the surface, he was wise and brave, but in reality, he was indecisive. He had many opportunities to kill Li Shimin, but he always hesitated and could not bring himself to do it.
Secondly, he had military achievements, but not as many as Li Shimin's. The pacification of Xue Ju, Xue Rengao and his son, Liu Wuzhou, Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande and Liu Heita were mostly done by Li Shimin alone. Generals such as Cheng Yaojin, Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong all wholeheartedly submitted to Li Shimin.
Fourth, he was not good at accepting advice. Wei Zheng had always been loyal to him and had repeatedly advised him to kill Li Shimin, but he never listened.
Fifth, he should not have colluded with Li Yuanji. In fact, Li Yuanji was not sincere towards him. Li Yuanji was using him to deal with Li Shimin. After Li Shimin was overthrown, it would be much easier to deal with him.
Fifth, he was addicted to wine and women, and even cuckolded Li Yuan. He liked Consort Yin and spent a lot of money on Consort Yin and Consort Zhang. The two consorts slandered Li Shimin, which caused Li Shimin a lot of trouble and almost cost him his life.
Sixth, he was careless during the Xuanwu Gate Incident and made a wrong judgment about the situation. He did not expect Li Shimin to actually kill him.
[The above is an analysis of the causes of death of several typical eldest sons who served as crown princes, provided by this system for reference only.]
After reading it, Li Chengqian was filled with emotion. It seemed that these people all had their own shortcomings and deficiencies, and if they could improve, they might be able to break the deadlock.
First, the old emperors lived too long. Emperors as long-lived as King Zhaoxiang of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han were few and far between. Therefore, this first objective condition does not exist.
Secondly, the Crown Prince's health was too poor and his lifespan too short. It would be an anomaly if someone like Yang Zhao had kowtowed so many times that he died. Li Chengqian's good health is also not an issue.
Secondly, in terms of personality, Li Chengqian was neither as cowardly and unable to distinguish truth from falsehood as Fusu, nor as flamboyant as Yang Yong, nor as entangled with his father's concubines as Li Jiancheng, who was practically courting death.
Finally, there's the relationship with the court officials and the control over a portion of the military power.
Undeniably, due to the emperor's favoritism, many ministers have switched their allegiance to Qingque. However, such things have always been uncontrollable. It is impossible for all ministers to support the crown prince; some ministers will always support other princes.
However, Li Chengqian believed that most of the ministers still supported him, and as for military power, it was still firmly in his father's hands.
This is a problem.
At this moment, Chengxin walked in from outside and bowed.
Seeing that he looked unwell, Li Chengqian asked, "Have you found out anything?"
"Your Highness, the person who reported to the Emperor that the Eastern Palace had buried a wooden figurine has committed suicide in prison."
"Oh, is that so? Is the information reliable?"
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian's face also changed color.
How could he not be shocked that someone had died because of this incident?
"Absolutely reliable."
Was that person's death a suicide or a homicide?
"It's hard to say, but on the surface, it looks like suicide!"
Li Chengqian gazed out the window: "So, Qingque is ruthless enough."
"Your Highness, we have also learned that the people at the Literature Academy are planning to submit a memorial impeaching you."
"Impeach me?"
"Yes."
"What mistake have I made? What are they trying to impeach me for?"
"There are regulations in the court that the Crown Prince must not have close contact with the generals of the Imperial Guards, and he is even more forbidden from sending his own confidants into the Imperial Guards."
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian slammed his hand on the document in anger: "The Imperial Guards are recruiting soldiers. Su Gui went to sign up and passed the test smoothly. I happened to be practicing archery there. How is that considered placing my confidant in the Imperial Guards?"
Besides, Su Gui was just an ordinary soldier.
"Your Highness, please calm down. Su Gui is Su Wan's younger brother."
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian understood and thought to himself that Qingque was quite clever.
Taking this opportunity, Qingque left Chang'an. On the surface, he appeared to be uninvolved and had nothing to do with what was happening in Chang'an. In reality, he could still remotely control the situation.
This incident also shows that Qingque is very attentive to her whereabouts and movements.
Otherwise, how did he know that he was practicing archery at the military training ground?
Li Chengqian sneered: "These so-called learned scholars should just focus on compiling the 'Kuodi Zhi' (Records of the Land), instead of meddling in these other things."
"The people in the Literature Academy were all recruited by Li Tai according to his own preferences. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. I really can't say how high their level is. Since they have joined Li Tai's tutelage, they will naturally have to offer him advice and strategies."
This reminded Li Chengqian of the Four Lords of the Warring States period: Lord Xinling of Wei (Wei Wuji), Lord Mengchang of Qi (Tian Wen), Lord Pingyuan of Zhao (Zhao Sheng), and Lord Chunshen of Chu (Huang Xie). They all liked to support scholars, and some had as many as several thousand retainers.
Among these retainers emerged many insightful individuals who helped the four princes achieve their fame and success, such as Mao Sui, Hou Ying, Zhu Hai, Feng Xuan, and Zhu Ying.
"Among the four lords of the Warring States period, Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, admired Lord Xinling the most. Lord Xinling stole the tally to rescue Zhao and later led the five-nation coalition to force the Qin army to retreat from Hangu Pass, where they dared not come out again."
Lord Xinling's remarkable achievements were closely related to his retainers, including Hou Ying, Zhu Hai, Mao Gong, and Xue Gong.
"Your Highness is absolutely right. I believe that Lord Xinling is far superior to Lord Mengchang."
Lord Mengchang can only be described as a powerful figure. In the end, he even turned against his own country, and most of the retainers he recruited were petty thieves and scoundrels.
In my humble opinion, Li Tai and Lord Mengchang have many similarities; the people they recruit are of varying quality.
Li Chengqian put his hands in his sleeves and said, "I'm afraid Qingque will not become Lord Mengchang."
As expected, Xiao Deyan submitted a memorial to Li Shimin, which roughly stated that Li Chengqian had close ties with Chang He, the commander of the Imperial Guards, and that Li Chengqian had placed his own confidants in the Imperial Guards, which seemed to be a way of cultivating his own faction.
Li Shimin believed that Chang He could not possibly betray him, and that Su Gui was merely a lowly soldier who would not cause any serious harm. Therefore, he suppressed the matter.
night.
Su Wan's boudoir.
Su Wan was taking a bath in a large wooden tub, with curtains drawn around her.
Xue'er took a white towel and rubbed her back.
"Put some effort into it, it's like you haven't eaten," Su Wan said irritably.
"Master, your body is just like the radish from our hometown, so white and tender, it looks like you could squeeze water out of it if you pinch it. Who would dare to use force?"
Besides, I shower every day, where would I get dusty?
"Do you only feel a sense of accomplishment when I have to rub off the ash?"
Su Wan rolled her eyes at her: "You little hussy, can't you talk properly? Why does my body look like a radish? Or an eggplant?!"
Xue'er laughed: "Actually, I think your body is more like silk, smooth and soft to the touch. Not to mention men, even I would want to touch it a couple of times."
"Look how greedy you are. Tomorrow, I'll find you a man to satisfy your lustful heart."
"Master, are you telling the truth or not? You'd better find me someone stronger."
Su Wan laughed too: "Look at you, so flirtatious. I didn't hear you say you wanted to find a handsome guy, but you want to find a strong one."
"You don't know this, but handsome men are often good-looking but not practical. I like the kind with good muscle definition and strength."
"Looks like you know men pretty well. This way you're more satisfied, right? How about I find you someone like Li Tai?"
Xue'er wrung out the towel and began to wipe the water droplets off Su Wan's body: "Master, you misunderstood me. I meant I like strong men, not fat men. Can someone like Li Tai be called strong?"
He was covered in fat, especially his belly, which practically sagged on the ground. He walked with a swaying gait, looking incredibly weak. Besides, the fatter a man is, the shorter his penis tends to be. I don't like men like that at all.
"You even know all this! So which one do you like?"
Xue'er smiled and said, "Just like the Crown Prince. I heard he's really good at push-ups."
Su Wan looked at her with a questioning gaze: "Does this have anything to do with doing push-ups?"
Xue'er smiled: "Master, you don't even understand this? Men doing that is also physical work, and the movements are very similar to doing push-ups."
Let me tell you a secret: if a man can do two or three hundred push-ups in one go, then when you're in bed with him, wouldn't his thrusts make you feel like you're floating on air?
Ok?
"You're such a slut, how could you say something like that?"
"You seem so refined, but you're actually a sly fox, always scheming like this. Tomorrow I'll sell you to a brothel, making you a bride every night, just to satisfy you!"
"Master, you're so mean!" Xue'er said as she went to find new clothes for Su Wan. "You're so heartless, how can you bear to let me leave you?"
"What's there to be reluctant about? You'll get married sooner or later anyway."
"Let's not talk about me for now. I think you should cherish the Crown Prince."
By this time, Su Wan had wiped the water droplets off her body and was rubbing her wet hair with a towel: "This is not something I can decide alone. However, you do have something to be praised. Not only do you know how to flirt, but you can also write beautifully."
I've heard that Li Tai's calligraphy is top-notch; even he's impressed with you.
"My skills are nothing but trifles. They're not worth mentioning."
"You think Li Tai can just let this go after we humiliated him?"
"Hasn't he already left Chang'an?"
Besides, he doesn't know what you look like, and he has no idea who you are.
"He's gone, but his henchmen are everywhere in and out of the court. He may not have seen what I look like, but he has seen you, and he has seen the madam."
"This—," Xue'er felt a little nervous upon hearing this, "It shouldn't be, right? We didn't do anything to him, we were just joking with him."
The two women, mistress and servant, were chatting and laughing when suddenly a figure burst through the window.
"Master, someone has broken in."
"What?"
At this moment, Su Wan was completely naked.
She was so shocked that she didn't have time to put on her clothes. She quickly grabbed a bath towel and wrapped it around her body.
Then the dark figure rushed through the curtains and saw Su Wan wrapped in a bath towel. Su Wan's body was vaguely visible, her snow-white breasts full and firm, as if they were about to burst the towel: "So she's quite the beauty. Let me enjoy her for a bit!"
As he spoke, the man lunged at Su Wan.
Because it happened so suddenly, Su Wan didn't have time to think and forcefully pushed him aside.
"Wow! You're pretty strong!"
The man lunged at Su Wan again, but unexpectedly received a resounding slap across the face from her.
Enraged, the man slapped Su Wan.
Su Wan was ultimately a weak woman, powerless to even kill a chicken, how could she possibly dodge?
Xue'er was looking for clothes for Su Wan when she saw that Su Wan was in danger. She quickly put down the clothes she was holding and jumped in front of Su Wan, taking the blow for her.
The man struck Xue'er on the left shoulder with a palm strike. The force was so great that Xue'er staggered backward a few steps, fell to the ground, and lost consciousness.
Su Wan was shocked: "Xue'er, what do you think?"
Xue'er has lost consciousness.
The man was furious when he saw that his palm strike had hit Xue'er instead of Su Wan.
He then kicked Su Wan in the waist with his right foot.
It looked like the kick was about to land, and if it hit her, Su Wan's waist would definitely break.
Su Wan realized it was too late to hide and closed her eyes in fright.