Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 72 My brother, the prince with precise swordsmanship (Please read it, go to Sanjiang!)
August.

The emperor left the capital and went to Jiucheng Palace in Qizhou, 300 miles away, to escape the summer heat.

Accompanying him were Crown Prince Li Chengqian, Prince of Wei Li Tai, Prince of Jin Li Zhi, Princess Jinyang Li Mingda, and the legitimate sons' uncle Changsun Wuji.

All other concubines' sons will remain in Beijing.

The court was governed by Fang Xuanling, the Left Prime Minister of the Shangshu Province and Duke of Liang.

"You should stay in Lizheng Hall for the next few days. Elementary school classes are temporarily suspended. Don't run around anywhere.

"Your mother will come to take care of you."

Before leaving, Li Shimin gave careful instructions to Li Ming, the person he was most worried about.

"Okay." Li Ming agreed readily.

Li Shimin treated the boy's words as bullshit and looked at Li Daozon.

"I will definitely keep a close watch on His Royal Highness Prince Lu and will not cause any trouble."

Li Dao Zong answered seriously.

He always kept Li Tai's unintentional words in mind.

He was afraid that there really was some danger recently.

If the prince really met with an accident, regardless of what would happen to His Majesty, he himself would have no face to live in this world.

"I'm not the Prince of Lu yet, so why should you, the Prince of Lu's tutor, control me? You are giving orders beyond your authority!"

Li Ming howled like a wolf, just like he was notified to be on duty during a short holiday:

"Father, this thief is abusing his power. Please kill him!"

Li Daozong: =_=+
He also disregarded the emperor's face and punched His Highness Li Ming hard on the butt in front of Li Shimin.

"What a loyal minister!"

Li Shimin was very satisfied and gave Li Ming earnest advice:
"When I come back, I will hold a ceremony to crown you King of Lu.

"Dao Zong is your third-rank prince tutor. You must listen to his teachings carefully and not be rude."

"Great! Just wait for grandpa to come back." Li Ming looked forward to it sincerely.

Being crowned king was one of the few good news he had received recently.

Times have changed. He was afraid of being the first to stand out, so he refused to be crowned king.

Now that we have made it out, finding a base is the key to breaking the impasse.

"Very good." Li Shimin was also very pleased.

This idiot has finally grown up and stopped saying nonsense like "Father, can I resign?"

He got in the car and left with peace of mind.

After walking a few steps, Li Shimin could not help but pull open the carriage curtain and waved to Changsun Wuji who was riding behind him:

"I don't want to ride in a car. I also want to ride a horse. I am not a dead bone in a tomb."

The uncle looked at the willful child in silence:
"Your Majesty, the purpose of our trip is to secretly investigate possible thieves who may be plotting to assassinate you, and the excuse is to escape the summer heat and recuperate.

"If you act so heroically and confidently, without any signs of illness, the thieves might notice you."

Li Shimin had no choice but to give up, leaning his elbow against the car window in boredom, and asked casually:
"Jun Ji is still unwilling to submit to the Crown Prince? What price does he want to ask?"

Chang Sun Wuji sighed and said:
"I'm afraid it's not about the price."

Li Shimin looked up in astonishment and stared at Zhangsun Wuji:

"If he refuses to be bribed with a high price, is he still Hou Junji?"

His expression was uncertain, and it was unclear whether he was happy or sad. After a long while, he seemed to have made up his mind and said:
“Send someone to the Dali Temple and bring Hou Junji to Jiucheng Palace.

"I will interview him."

Zhang Sun Wuji curled his lips and reined in his horse:
"I will go find Sun Fujia right now."

…………

Where is Changsun Wuji going... Li Ming muttered as he watched his uncle leaving the team.

At this time, a smaller but exquisite carriage passed by Li Ming and suddenly stopped.

Li Mingda stuck his head out of the car window and waved at Li Ming with a smile.

Li Ming moved over obediently and had a date stuffed into his mouth.

"Be good and obedient, don't be afraid to look for your mother when there is thunder~"

I'm not a three-year-old child... Li Ming said indignantly:
"Okay."

After Li Mingda's carriage left, a third low-key and elegant carriage stopped in front of him:
Li Zhi poked his head out and promised Li Ming earnestly:
"I will take good care of Ah Sizi, don't worry, brother Xiao Ming."

"Oh... then thank you?" The topic turned a bit strangely and Li Ming didn't know how to respond for a moment.

There's actually no need for you to report this to me specifically. And why did you also call me Xiao Ming...

Li Ming looked at Li Zhi's carriage going away, with a lot of complaints in his heart but nowhere to vent.

Li Tai's carriage passed by, opened the curtain, smiled at him gently, and left three short words:
"Caged bird."

Li Ming's face froze.

This metaphor is surprisingly appropriate for his current situation.

It's just that this guy always likes to talk in a roundabout way...

At this time, a group of Turkic guards riding tall horses passed by him.

"Royal brother, you have performed well these days. Keep looking after the house!" The leading female Turkic leader greeted Li Ming familiarly.

"what?"

Li Ming was stunned.

It turns out that this "female leader" is Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

Because of his disheveled hair and strange clothes, he was not recognized at first glance.

When it comes to cosplay, who can beat you... Li Ming waved stiffly at the prince.

Although Li Chengqian had a foot disease and was unable to move easily, he still looked very heroic on horseback.

And what he said was much more direct than Li Tai's, literally -

He was very satisfied with Li Ming's current state of being restrained and waiting to be slaughtered.

"Your Highness Prince Lu, we will meet again."

The prince said this with a half-smile, then kicked his horse's belly, left the stiff Li Ming and rode away.

At the end of the long procession were the left and right gate guards, led by General Ashina Jieshe, who served as imperial guards.

He kept his head down all the way, as if he had something on his mind, and did not say anything when he passed by his old rival Li Ming.

Li Ming didn't have a good impression of the Turkic man.

I feel like he is an ungrateful person. Even though we have been dealing with each other for such a long time, he is still like a stranger to me and I can never get familiar with him.

In contrast, his predecessor Wei Daijia was simply a pastoral dog who would be completely devoted to someone as long as he was given some leftovers.

"If Li Jing were here, he would probably say that Ashina wanted to rebel." Li Daozon smiled rarely and joked.

Li Ming raised a question mark: "Why do you say that?"

"This matter is also related to Hou Junji." Li Daozong recalled:
"One day, Hou Junji rode his horse without getting off the horse and passed the government office. Li Jing said that Hou Junji was not interested in people and must be thinking of rebellion.

"Haha, Li Jing's subordinate is also a wonderful person."

"Haha, his paranoia is even worse than mine." Li Ming laughed and looked at the billowing smoke and dust.

The long team has gone into the distance, leaving only a line of silhouettes in the smoke and dust.

…………

"This is the last class." The elementary school was dismissed in the morning.

Fang Xuanling said goodbye to all the children who studied hard and respected their teachers with a businesslike smile:
"From this afternoon, you and I will be concentrating on state affairs and will not be able to teach you.

"I hope that during our absence, all the princes, crown princes, and young masters can continue to work hard and delve into the ways of the sages."

"Wow~Master, I can't bear the Lis~" Hou Baolin cried beautifully.

Fang Xuanling almost lost his concentration, but he resisted the urge to twitch his lips and said word by word:

"It's just that there won't be classes during the days when His Majesty is away. Everything will resume as usual after His Majesty returns."

The other students who were about to cheer were poured a bucket of cold water on their heads, and their eyes were filled with tears just like Hou Baolin.

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Li Ming suddenly felt more lonely than ever before.

He could not go to school, could not leave the palace, and even had difficulty taking a step out of the Lizheng Palace.

Wouldn't that mean he has been cut off from all external contacts and is essentially under house arrest?
He inexplicably felt as if he was possessed by three magical gods: Duke Huan of Qi, King Wuling of Zhao, and Emperor Wen of Sui.

"Wait a little longer. As long as my father comes back and makes me the King of Lu, everything will be fine."

Li Ming kept comforting himself. Seeing Hou Baolin sitting in a daze, he asked casually:

"Pauline, how is your uncle these days?"

Hou Baolin sniffed and muttered:

“I don’t know, the uncle who manages the Dali Temple suddenly didn’t let me in.

"I can't go to school anymore, and I can't visit my grandfather. It's so boring~"

Li Ming's heart skipped a beat and he asked:
"Did Uncle Sun reveal any reason?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't tell me when I asked him." Hou Baolin said truthfully.

A snake-shaped flash passed through the sky, followed by a muffled thunder explosion.

The children were in a hurry to go home and said goodbye to Brother Ming one by one.

Chang Sunyan dragged his feet until the end.

After everyone else had left, he came up and whispered to Li Ming:

"During dinner, I heard from Aung that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is going to appoint Hou Junji as an official of the Eastern Palace, and Hou Junji has gladly accepted the offer. In a few days, we will go to Jiucheng Palace to discuss the specific position and treatment."

Huh?
Li Ming didn't react for a moment.

Where is the Sima of Prince Lu’s Palace?
You can't have a part-time job in both the palace and the Eastern Palace, right?

In other words, Hou Junji, Hou Junji...

"Hou Junji is greedy and betrayed Brother Ming, fuck him!" Chang Sun Yan was filled with indignation and said goodbye to Li Ming passionately.

Li Ming stood there in a daze.

"I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it..."

I didn't expect that the princelings were not only quick in action, but also so precise in their knife moves.

Start with the wings, then move the meridians, and finally the bones and flesh.

Expert...

"Your Highness, it's time to go back." Li Dao Zong appeared at the right time:
Although Ashina was no longer with the group, Li Daozon stayed close to Li Ming, which further compressed his freedom.

You can't blame him for that.

The information provided by Li Tai made this prince of the royal family very alert, and he always felt that the possibility of "there is a thief" could not be completely ruled out.

In line with the spirit of rather killing a thousand people by mistake than letting one go, he decisively raised the security level for Li Ming.

"What about the other person?" Li Ming murmured, as if talking to himself.

"Hmm?" Li Dao Zong was startled.
Li Ming slowly raised his head, his eyes dull:

"There's still one person who hasn't said goodbye to me yet!"

"Who?"

"Wei Daijia. Is he still on leave? Why haven't I seen him in the past few days?"

Ever since he solved the Yongzhou flood case with his wisdom, Wei Daijia has disappeared from Li Ming's sight as if he had evaporated from the face of the earth.

This official, whose original job was to monitor the princes for the emperor, has been transformed by Li Ming into his right-hand man.

In his plan, Fang Xuanling's status was too high to be invited, and Wei Daijia was the best candidate for civil administration.

With the previous experience of Hou Junji, Li Ming's uneasiness increased sharply.

Could it be...

"He will be promoted soon, and he will be appointed as a provincial governor. These days, he has been locked up at home by the Wei clan, and is learning how to be an official."

As a father-in-law, Li Dao Zong was very pleased, and a smile appeared on his meticulous face:
"I have to thank you, Your Highness. If he wasn't by your side, he would still be a clumsy young man. How could he become the great man he is today?"

Thunder rumbled in the distance, striking Li Ming's heart again and again.

Hearing Li Daozon's sincere compliments, he didn't feel happy at all.

There was only a premonition of impending disaster.

Nightmare, come true.

His tender wings are being plucked out bit by bit!
The planned Hou Junji and Wei Daijia's civil and military wings turned out to be all...

Indeed, he is still far from being a match for the Crown Prince and Zhangsun Wuji!
Just by sending troops, the foundation he had worked so hard to build was already crumbling.

In addition, the suspension of the primary school has effectively isolated him from the other members of the 14th Party, and his contact with the outside world has been completely cut off…

Li Ming's eyes were empty and he looked at the sky out of focus.

On a summer afternoon, dark clouds gathered in the strong wind, surging like an ink painting.

"Can you let me leave the palace because I have trained your son-in-law to be a successful person?" he asked indifferently.

Li Daozon subconsciously wanted to give this naughty kid a slap in the face.

But seeing the child's serious expression, he also answered seriously:

“I’m afraid not, it’s too dangerous outside.

“You don’t have to feel too lonely, just bear with it for a few days.

"When His Majesty returns from the summer vacation, I will confer upon you the title of King of Lu, and the classes will resume. Isn't everything the same as before?"

Nothing can be the same as before... Li Ming murmured in his heart.

All the major forces in the court cast their eyes on him at the same time, trying frantically to poach his talents.

After being shaved bare, he was crowned king...

Damn, what’s the use of just having a piece of land?

People, and only people, are everything!
If you keep the land but lose the people, both the people and the land will be lost!
Without a team of trusted followers, being a vassal king is nothing more than being a puppet at the mercy of others.

In history, Li Ming and many of his brothers were killed so easily.

"I can't go back to the palace yet." Li Ming said firmly:
"There's still one person I haven't said goodbye to."

"Oh?" Li Daozon stretched his muscles and bones, ready to strike with a heavy punch at any time.

This time, Li Ming did not run away. Instead, he walked quietly to the ignored podium.

Fang Xuanling was packing books slowly and methodically.

"Master Fang, you are also an official in my palace."

Li Ming sat beside Fang Xuanling and said sincerely:

"I am in trouble now, please help me, Mr. Fang."

(End of this chapter)