Chapter 4969: Qian Gang is arbitrary and has no scheming

Chapter 4969: Qian Gang is arbitrary and has no scheming
Having just experienced a mutiny, the army that should have been the pillar of stability and the king's henchmen was now outside the central government and even far away from His Majesty. This situation was extremely unusual. Everyone would guess that the military might be expressing dissatisfaction with His Majesty, but was it really that simple?

The civil officials standing in the hall and witnessing this situation could not help but speculate and whisper.

And everyone actually ignored Li Siliang who was still kneeling beside him for a moment...

Li Siliang, who was ignored, was not resentful at all. Instead, he was secretly happy. Although His Majesty had many suspicions about him, he thought there was no solid evidence. Perhaps when His Majesty's anger subsided, he could be spared from death by virtue of his thoughtful service...

However, if others could ignore him, how could Li Chengqian really ignore him?
The reason why it was left aside and ignored was that this person's crime was unforgivable, but it was not important.

He was a civil official with little background, and his only brother had committed suicide. He could be dealt with in any way he wanted, and there would be no future trouble.

"How to deal with this person?"

Li Chengqian stood up and planned to go to the East Palace to comfort the Queen, the Crown Prince, and his two sisters. He pointed at Li Siliang who was kneeling on one side of the hall.

Upon hearing this, Li Siliang trembled all over and fell to the ground, not daring to make a sound, not even to beg for mercy, because he could not be sure how much the emperor knew about his secret poisoning. What if the emperor was not aware of it and he blurted out that he admitted it, wouldn't that be unfair?
At this time, when His Majesty pointed at me and asked me what to do with me, I felt like I was struck by lightning. I dared not wait for the punishment to come, and quickly spoke out to defend myself: "Your Majesty, please understand that my brother was rebellious and disregarded the grace of the emperor. He deserves death. I know that my crime is serious, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

"Ah,"

Li Chengqian sneered and said to the ministers in the palace: "This beast is as vicious as a snake and scorpion, and his crimes are extremely evil. He still refuses to repent even when facing death. If I can't peel off his skin and pull out his tendons, and cut him into pieces, how can I eliminate the hatred in my heart?"

Hearing the words "cut into pieces", Li Siliang's face turned pale and he trembled. He tried to argue: "Although I failed to detect my brother's rebellion in advance, which led to a serious mistake and deserves death, I am loyal to Your Majesty and have never been disrespectful. I hope Your Majesty will show some mercy."

He didn't dare to play tricks now. He was not only afraid of death, but also afraid of being flayed...

Li Chengqian waved his hands impatiently: "Do I have to call the imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital to come here and prove the truth about what medicine you got from there and what medicine you presented to me before I will give up? You mixed a chronic and severe poison into the medicine you gave me, which can delay the onset of the poison after many days. Do you think I don't know? For this reason alone, it is not excessive to cut you into pieces!"

"Come here, push this beast outside Chengtian Gate, and chop him into pieces in front of the people of Chang'an tomorrow morning to serve as a warning to others!"

Fang Jun hesitated for a moment but did not say anything to dissuade him.

The so-called "light knife cutting" is a kind of flaying punishment. At that time, there was no term "lingchi", but this kind of flaying punishment was very close to lingchi.

Logically speaking, Li Siliang deserved to be put to death, but executing him with such torture would be against the harmony of nature. Moreover, once this step is taken, the bottom line will become shallower and shallower, and harsh laws will most likely prevail.

But now Li Chengqian is riding on the momentum of a great victory, his reputation is skyrocketing and his self-confidence is also rising. Anyone who goes against his wishes at this time and gives him advice that "honest words are unpleasant to the ear" will not only fail to achieve the desired effect, but will anger him instead.

The relationship between the two of them is very delicate. They trust each other, but also check and balance each other. It needs to be handled with caution.

Li Siliang was completely paralyzed and was dragged out by the guards. All he could do was shout "Help!" However, Li Chengqian's face was as hard as an iron stone and he remained unmoved.

In the crowd, Dali Temple Minister Dai Zhou hesitated for a moment, stepped out of the crowd, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, Li Siliang is indeed guilty of a thousand deaths and is unforgivable. However, whether it is being torn apart by a chariot or being torn apart by five horses, the punishment of 'cutting with a light knife' should be used with caution. In the prosperous times of ancient times, taxes were light and punishments were lenient. There was no such thing as harsh laws."

Even though he had been in charge of the Tang Dynasty's judicial system for many years and was accustomed to various tortures and executions of criminals, he was still terrified of the "light knife cutting" of flesh and blood. Although such punishment was written in the law, no criminal had been executed in this way since the founding of the Tang Dynasty. Once this precedent was set, it would be followed in the future, which would not only harm the harmony of nature, but would also leave a reputation of being "cruel".

Imperial Censor Liu Xiangdao also came out to advise: "According to the law, beheading, quartering, and being torn apart by five horses are already extremely harsh punishments. After being executed, the body is incomplete and it is unbearable to watch. The torture of flaying is even worse. How can a benevolent monarch carry it out? I hope Your Majesty will revoke the order."

Punishments such as quartering, being torn apart by five horses, etc. were also very cruel, but fortunately, the pain for the prisoner was extremely short. Even the beheading, which took the longest time, only prolonged the pain. However, the flaying punishment was much more than that. The flesh was cut off one by one, revealing the white bones, causing the prisoner to writhe and cry for days. It was really too cruel.

However, Li Chengqian was not only unmoved, but even became furious, saying in a hateful voice: "This beast has a vicious heart and wants to poison me and put me to death. This crime of violating human ethics and being as vicious as a snake is the ultimate crime in the world, and it must be dealt with with the ultimate punishment. In your eyes, my life and death are dispensable, and those who want to murder me can just be hastily executed?"

Dai Zhou and Liu Xiangdao were terrified and knelt down to plead guilty.

No one can stop it anymore.

Li Siliang was immediately dragged out of the Taiji Palace and hung in mid-air by a rope from the Chengtian Gate Tower. They would wait until dawn to announce the matter to the entire city and then execute him.

In the palace, although the rebellion was quelled and the rebels were wiped out, the ministers did not look happy. They were all worried and the atmosphere was solemn.

As the saying goes, "He who first created clay figures for burial will have no descendants." Although Li Siliang deserves to be put to death today, once the precedent of punishment by flaying is set, it will surely continue to be used in the future.

Today it is Li Siliang, will it be my turn tomorrow?
However, at this moment, Li Chengqian's reputation soared due to his success in suppressing the rebels. He became more and more arbitrary and willful. He turned a deaf ear to anyone's advice and ignored them. He decided to execute Li Siliang with the most cruel punishment in the world to deter public opinion and serve as a warning to others.

The "forgiveness" and "benevolence" that were once touted disappeared at this moment...

Li Chengqian took in the looks of the ministers and was very satisfied. He smiled and said, "There are these people lurking in the royal family who are stirring up trouble and refusing to settle down. Today we will wipe them out and eradicate them completely. In the future, the government will be smooth and people will be loyal to us. This is a great opportunity for us, the monarch and his ministers, to create a glorious and prosperous era. I and you all should encourage each other!"

"Let's go to the East Palace to see my prince. Don't let him be disturbed by the bandits and cry."

Li Chengqian said with a smile, and walked ahead surrounded by the imperial guards.

But his words set off a huge wave in the hearts of the ministers.

It was a bit harsh to leave the crown prince in the East Palace and let him suffer the attacks of the rebels. After all, he is your flesh and blood. You can use your own life to lure the snake out of its hole and put it in a desperate situation to survive, but how can you let the crown prince take such a risk?
After the prince has endured great danger, the emperor should express his guilt and make amends to the prince, and it is normal to commend him.

But what did Li Chengqian say?
"Don't be disturbed by bandits and start crying"?
Is this denigrating the prince's image?
What do you want to do?!
Following closely behind Li Chengqian, Li Ji and Fang Jun looked at each other and saw the confusion and worry in each other's eyes.

Li Chengqian did not go to the Eastern Palace from Chengtian Gate and Jiafu Gate as usual. Instead, he followed the direction in which Li Wenliang and other rebels fled, all the way to the armory, and entered the Eastern Palace at the palace wall that was collapsed by Fang Jun.

Looking at the collapsed palace wall under his feet and the shadowy palace of the East Palace in the wind and snow ahead, Li Chengqian took a breath and said as if talking to himself: "The two palaces are only a stone's throw away, so it's convenient to travel back and forth, which is conducive to the love between father and son and the relationship between the monarch and his subjects."

After saying this, he walked across the palace wall, entered the East Palace, and headed towards the Lizheng Hall.

Including Li Ji and Fang Jun, everyone felt a little nervous and chilled.

Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, a total of four crown princes have lived in the Eastern Palace.

Li Jiancheng was killed in Xuanwu Gate, but his achievements were not accomplished and he died. The good situation was ruined overnight. Emperor Taizong led his troops into the palace to kill the crown prince and forced Emperor Gaozu to appoint him as the crown prince. He lived in the East Palace and later moved into the Taiji Palace. Your Majesty lived in the East Palace for many years, but there was no peace for a single day. He was persecuted, suspected, and suppressed every year. With his noble status, he was in awe, trembling with fear, and worried about his future...

When you think about it carefully, none of the three crown princes had a safe and sound life.

How can there be love between father and son, and harmony between ruler and minister?
So, can the current crown prince break past conventions and inherit the throne smoothly?
When the couples met and the fathers and sons embraced each other in Lizheng Hall, they were all in love and harmony...but the ministers could not hide their worries: although the scene before them was harmonious and friendly, after all, His Majesty was the one who attracted the rebels with the crown prince, so he must have some guilt in his heart.

If this guilt is transformed, it is possible that the other person will be doted on and made amends with, or it is possible that a thorn will grow in the heart and suspicion will continue, and the two will be physically together but spiritually apart from then on.

Even the thought of Yichu came into being...

Li Chengqian sat in the main seat with a smile on his face, holding Crown Prince Li Xiang in his arms, and asked with a smile, "The bandits are rampant, are you afraid, my son?"

Li Xiang shook his head: "I'm not afraid. Master has arranged the 'Shenjiying' in the palace. When the battle started, the firearms of the 'Shenjiying' were unstoppable. The rebels were beaten back repeatedly. I know that Master's arrangement is foolproof, so I can sleep peacefully."

Despite his young age, he is articulate and speaks clearly, and looks like a wise ruler.

However, the ministers did not feel happy about "meeting a wise leader" because the rapidly gloomy expression on Li Chengqian's face was almost impossible to conceal.

In the past, everyone said that His Majesty had a pure heart and was gentle and pure, but now it seems that he is too cunning and vindictive.

The Crown Prince attributed the credit to Fang Jun alone, which made His Majesty very dissatisfied.