Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 110 Let him pretend, let him pretend!
"Ganye Temple..."

Li Chengqian murmured as he read the plaque.

He had some impression of this place. There was indeed such a Buddhist temple in the Forbidden Garden.

When the retired emperor passed away, all the imperial concubines became nuns in Ganye Temple.

After all, those ladies are higher in seniority than the emperor.

If you start to interfere in the government's affairs, you will have a hard time getting through.

For example, there was Concubine Zhang, who was not only incompetent but also loved to play, and indirectly caused the quarrel between Li Shimin and his brothers.

But if we want to bury all the concubines alive with the emperor and let them die together, it would be too cruel. We don’t practice such things in the Tang Dynasty.

So, just stuff those ladies into Ganye Temple and forget about it.

"They are all Aong's concubines..."

A group of white-haired old ladies posing coquettishly automatically emerged in Li Chengqian's mind.

Suddenly I felt nauseous.

Just then, there was a squeak.

The side door of the Buddhist temple opened.

A pilgrim walked out from it.

"How come there are pilgrims in a nunnery in the forbidden area?"

Li Chengqian was confused, so he pulled the reins and watched from a distance.

The pilgrim was a young woman dressed in black and white. She looked plain, but the material was indeed fine silk.

The autumn wind blew, and her clothes stuck to her body, outlining her graceful figure.

Li Chengqian was fascinated by the scene, and an unprecedented impulse rose in his heart.

The strange female pilgrim also caught a glimpse of the rider in front of the woods out of the corner of her eye.

The rider had disheveled hair and was wearing rough armor. At first glance, he looked like a Turk.

She immediately recalled the ominous incident in Jiucheng Palace. She was so scared that she whimpered and sat down on the ground.

"Don't be afraid!"

Li Chengqian was afraid of complications, so he consoled her in a low voice, rode his horse slowly to the front of the female pilgrim, and lifted up his long, flowing hair.

"Look, it's Gu!"

Female Turk? ... the female pilgrim almost blurted out.

But she had been slapped in the face several times by an unnamed Liaodong governor, so she was more cunning than before.

I learned the life-saving philosophy of watching more, thinking more, and talking less in the palace.

Can appear in the forbidden garden, with a male and female appearance, curious and dressed in strange clothes, good at riding, calling himself a loner...

With these factors combined, she recognized the identity of the strange rider in front of her.

He immediately straightened his appearance, stood up and greeted:

"I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

"Oh? You know Gu?"

Li Chengqian raised one eyebrow with interest and was quite satisfied with this clever girl.

"Who are you and why are you entering Ganye Temple?"

The female pilgrim bowed her head and answered humbly:

"My surname is Wu, my name is Mei Niang, and I am from Bingzhou. Fortunately, I have been blessed by the emperor and have been awarded the title of a talented person."

Yes, she is the "Fifth Aunt" who used to come to Lide Hall and speak badly, the future Empress Wu Zetian, Wu Meiniang.

After witnessing with her own eyes how Yang used the power of the naughty boy to ascend to become Concubine Yang, she suddenly realized that she had become the lowest-ranking person in the harem.

She realized that she probably had no way out in the hands of the current emperor.

As a result, she became disheartened and spent her days sitting in Ganye Temple, facing the wall and thinking about life.

It is not only to adapt to the retirement environment in advance, but also to establish relationships with the imperial concubines.

It won’t be awkward when we move in together as roommates in the future.

She gradually faded out of the harem, and was only mentioned occasionally when Yang and Li Ming were chatting.

I didn't expect to run into the prince outside the temple today...

Li Chengqian's face changed:
"Talented woman? Are you my father's concubine?"

Unexpectedly, this young girl was a generation older than him, and Li Chengqian subconsciously wanted to get off his horse.

Although he was absurd in big things, his body still instinctively followed the doctrines of etiquette in small matters.

"Please make yourself at your leisure, Your Highness!"

Wu Meiniang quickly stopped Li Chengqian from getting off the horse.

She knew that the prince had difficulty walking and was quite self-conscious about it.

If she sits idly by and watches the prince dethrone, her status in his eyes will be greatly reduced.

She changed her tone to a sad one:
“I am useless. Although I am one of the concubines in the harem, I have not been able to expand the imperial family.

"I can only come to Ganye Temple often to pray for the Tang Dynasty. Unfortunately, I have fallen ill recently, so I will miss the autumn hunting event.

"Your Highness, just treat me as a commoner."

In this sentence, she put herself in a very humble position, beautifully explained why she was there, and stated her identity as a concubine in the cold palace, but her tone was not sad.

Li Chengqian felt very comfortable listening to it.

He said "No, no, how dare I be disrespectful to my aunt", but he still sat on the horse with a clear conscience.

According to etiquette, adult princes must avoid their father's harem.

But as everyone knows, the family relationships in the Li family of the Tang Dynasty are rather...unrestrained.

For example, the hidden Crown Prince Li Jiancheng developed a pure relationship between a man and a woman with his father's concubine Zhang Jieyi.

At this time, there was no one around in the dense forest of the Forbidden Garden.

There was only a young couple of the right age.

Li Chengqian suddenly felt a little overwhelmed.

I felt itchy in my heart, and could only secretly admire my stepmother's beauty.

But Wu Meiniang pretended not to know. She lowered her head, still holding the pipa and half covering her face, and half-reluctantly let him look at her with a blushing face.

After a while, Li Chengqian forced himself to suppress the impulse in his heart.

calm down!

Father is still here!
Don't let yourself be accused of having a defiled harem!
I have been worried and frightened for the position of crown prince all my life!

Don't let your success fall through because of a woman!
Isn’t it enough to look at yourself in the mirror?
"Cough cough!"

Li Chengqian suddenly came back to his senses and said seriously:
"I have to go back, the autumn hunt is in progress.

"Madam Wu, please rest and recover from your illness."

Wu Meiniang sighed softly and bowed:

"Mei Niang respectfully sends His Highness off."

Li Chengqian spurred his horse forward a few steps, but then reined in his horse and turned back.

"You said you often pray at Ganye Temple?"

Wu Meiniang answered respectfully, with a hint of resentment in her tone:
"Your Highness, the harem is quiet and peaceful. This is the only thing I can do for the Tang Dynasty."

“Is this temple effective?”

“It works.”

"it is good!"

Li Chengqian threw down this word and rode away on his horse.

Huh... When Wu Meiniang heard the sound of horse hooves gradually fading away, she let out a long sigh and raised her head high.

The submissive expression vanished. "Bah, you have the will but not the guts!"

Wu Meiniang said with contempt.

There was a hint of smile at the corner of his mouth.

The ambition that had gradually cooled down in the cold palace, burned fiercely again after a gust of autumn wind.

She was young, and so was he.

She can wait...

…………

Li Chengqian's experience was just a minor episode, and he soon reunited with the servants who were looking for him.

The autumn hunt continues.

Li Ming sat in his father's arms, with half of his buttocks touching the dragon throne, eating seasonal grapes and admiring the performances of his royal brothers.

Mother Yang was sitting nearby, fanning and driving away insects for the father and son, who were quite good at enjoying life.

The family of three was enjoying themselves.

No matter how unhappy the princes and concubines were, they could only pretend not to see it and perform a scene of brotherly love and harem harmony for His Majesty the Emperor.

By the time Li Ming's belly was bulging, it was getting dark and the joyful autumn hunt was over.

The princes put away their bows and arrows, dismounted, and led their horses back to their father.

As for the prey they captured, there were special servants to collect it for them, so the masters didn't have to do it themselves.

Only then did Li Shimin put Li Ming down and walked forward with his hands behind his back.

Li Ming's little butt finally left the dragon throne, and he kicked his slightly numb calves.

I can only say that the left half of the dragon throne is not very comfortable either.

It would be great if I could sit on it with my whole butt.

"Ok?"

Li Shimin only took a quick glance at the prey and couldn't help but frowned:

“Why is the harvest this year so much less than in previous years?
"Is the autumn harvest bad this year?"

The princes were almost crying.

Who would have the heart to hunt when being watched the entire time by a kid sitting on half of the dragon throne...

"Your Majesty," Li Chengqian said defensively.
“As my brother Li Ming said, we no longer lack meat.

"God is merciful to all living things, so why doesn't he allow the creatures in the forest to rest and recuperate?"

For some reason, his speech today was particularly Zen-like.

But his harvest was zero. He worked hard all day but didn't catch any animals.

Li Ming noticed that the prince's face was flushed and there was a trace of regret in his eyes.

It was as if it had discovered some prey, but could only watch it run away.

"My brother is wrong."

Li Tai, with his belly sticking out, retorted with a smile:
"My Li family ancestor, Laozi Li Er, once said something.

"Heaven and Earth do not value so-called 'benevolence'. Heaven created all things equally and treats them all as straw dogs for sacrifice.

"The forests are home to all kinds of creatures, and they can all be used by humans. Just as wild animals in the mountains can eat humans.

"This is a yin-yang cycle between heaven and earth."

He had a reason for making this argument.

Because among all the princes, he gained the most.

Li Tai doesn't know how to ride a horse, nor does he need to ride a horse.

He sat on the cart, released the hunting dog "Tashiexueyan" to restrain the hunters, and shot arrows from the back.

The prey is coming.

His royal brother implied that he was bloodthirsty, so he had to fight back.

Li Chengqian talked about "Buddhism" and Li Tai used "Taoism", and the two competed with each other.

Moreover, Li Tai also brought up his father Li Er.

It is still questionable whether the Li family can be connected to the Longxi Li family, and it is even more ridiculous to trace the roots back to Li Er.

But the emperor couldn't stand it and insisted on becoming a relative.

Therefore, Li Tai's use of "Li Er" as his cheap ancestor was politically correct and better than the prince.

Unconsciously, the Crown Prince and the King of Wei began to compete with each other.

The level was too high, so the other princes just thought it was a fight between gods. They lowered their heads and kept silent.

Li Shimin was also happy to stand by and watch.

It is also very good to use Li Tai as a whetstone to hone Li Chengqian's character.

When the prince ascends the throne in the future, those buzzing ministers will be much more eloquent than Li Tai.

"Besides," Li Tai said eloquently, taking advantage of the victory:
"In all the autumn hunts, Father has obtained the most prey.

"Brother, are you trying to say that our father is bloodthirsty and cruel?"

Li Chengqian continued to use the quotations of Li Ming and Wei Zheng, and instead of getting entangled with Li Tai, he gave advice to Li Shimin:
“You can conquer the world, but you cannot rule it.

"Your Majesty, I must speak out and give you my advice. Hunting is just a pastime for idlers. Your Majesty, please do not indulge in it. You should focus on state affairs."

A set of smooth combos not only neutralized Li Tai's attack, but also made the image of a prince with independent ideas and backbone emerge.

It was just that a certain King Qi who was addicted to hunting and who did not want to reveal his name was affected by the aoe and became so angry that veins on his temples bulged.

But Li You had no reason to refute.

He was no longer even a prince, and his status was far behind that of the crown prince, so he could only get angry for a moment.

Li Shimin listened to the conversation between his two sons and suddenly found a bright spot:
"Qingque, is it true that I have gained the most in all the autumn hunts?
"There are many people in the royal family who are good at hunting."

"This..." Li Tai was stumped.

He couldn't count them one by one, but he couldn't just make up a number either, because everyone's catch in the autumn hunt was recorded.

He felt that he was flattering the horse but ended up hitting the horse's hoof.

Li Shimin taught earnestly:

"Qingque, you can't make up stories just because I'm your father.

"Every word and action of the royal family must be recorded in history books."

Li Tai was extremely embarrassed and his face turned red.

"Brother Li Tai is right. Grandpa is indeed the hunter with the most harvests in the Tang Dynasty!"

At this time, a crisp and childish voice sounded.

Someone chimed in, and Li Tai's eyes immediately lit up.

Li Shimin looked in the direction of the voice and saw the person who was speaking with his hands on his hips, looking very arrogant.

Who else except Li Ming would dare to call him "Grandpa" in public?
"Oh? You are very confident." Li Shimin looked at his hateful yet lovely little son with amusement:
"Why, have you ever counted my prey?"

"Of course I counted them!"

Li Ming is full of confidence.

Then, in front of everyone's surprised gaze, Li Ming fluently read out a long list of prey, just like reading out the names of dishes:

"After my grandfather ascended to the throne, he personally participated in autumn hunting thirteen times, hunting two bears, four tigers, nine leopards, twenty-five wolves, and eighty-three deer..."

"Wait! You...don't make up stories!" Li Shimin was stunned and surprised, and the corners of his mouth were harder to suppress than that of a local snake.

He didn't remember the other decimals.

But he remembered the two bears and four tigers very clearly.

This kid didn't talk nonsense!
(End of this chapter)