My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 91: I have a great scholar to argue for me
The princes in the early Tang Dynasty still had great power, such as the right to establish their own government.

You can lead troops independently, participate in military operations, and even control local troops.

They can also hold official positions and directly participate in local management.

Within their own fiefdoms, they also enjoyed certain judicial powers.

But this does not include their direct participation in court affairs, which is strictly prohibited.

This is to prevent the prince's power from becoming too powerful.

Early morning today.

Originally, Wei Zheng and Chu Suiliang were preparing to denounce the prince, but because of the bamboo paper, it turned into a personal commendation for the prince.

However, when Li Chengqian rode a four-wheeled cart to the Taiji Hall, he saw a fat figure.

King Li Tai of Wei was looking at him triumphantly.

Li Chengqian immediately felt that his good mood was ruined.

In the court, the ministers were whispering to each other, their eyes shifting back and forth between the Crown Prince and the King of Wei.

They also realized that the presence of the King of Wei in the court was a sign of something. Did His Majesty want the King of Wei to participate in government affairs?

This is probably even more outrageous than the King of Wei moving into the Wude Hall.

"Greetings, big brother." Li Tai bowed with a smile.

"Ah."

Li Chengqian sneered, which counted as his reply.

Prince Li Tai of Wei did not pay much attention to this, but some civil officials frowned secretly, feeling that the prince was really ignorant of etiquette.

Changsun Wuji winked at the prince, indicating that he would stand firmly on the prince's side.

The ice shop business made Changsun Wuji a lot of money. Although it was winter and the weather was getting cold, the ice shop business was not very prosperous, but it would definitely be hot again in the spring and summer of next year.

At this time, Li Shimin had not arrived yet, but the atmosphere in the court became increasingly tense.

The ministers watched the undercurrents between the Crown Prince and the King of Wei, and each of them speculated on the Emperor's intentions.

Some ministers who supported the prince looked worried, while those officials whose positions were not yet clear observed the situation cautiously and did not dare to express their opinions easily.

Li Tai felt a little annoyed when he saw Li Chengqian was so cold to him, but he quickly suppressed his emotions and still had that smug smile on his face.

No matter how powerful you are, I have my father's support.

Just as everyone was thinking about their own things, the emperor's procession slowly appeared and the ministers knelt down in salute.

At the beginning of the morning court session, all the ministers first praised Crown Prince Li Chengqian for the bamboo paper incident.

However, Li Tai suddenly stood up and said, "Father, although the Crown Prince has made great achievements in making bamboo paper, I think this should not be praised too much."

"The Crown Prince is the heir to the throne of the country. His virtue and ability to govern the country should be valued. Such small achievements should not be publicized too much."

Li Shimin remained silent. This time he asked the Prince of Wei to come to the court in order to strike a blow against the Crown Prince and to reduce his dominance.

Li Chengqian sneered. In such a situation, letting the King of Wei be a cannon fodder was really out of his mind for Erfeng.

Sure enough, just after the King of Wei finished speaking, Gu Nalu, the Imperial Counselor and Scholar of the Hongwen Academy, stood up and angrily refuted, "The King of Wei is wrong."

"The creation of bamboo paper is no small feat."

"There are many students in the Tang Dynasty today, and the demand for books is huge. The emergence of bamboo paper has made it easier to make copies of books, and it has also enabled poor students to have more books to read. This is a great achievement that will last for thousands of years."

"The prince made bamboo paper for the benefit of the Tang Dynasty and the people of the world, and he deserves praise."

Li Tai frowned and retorted, "Hmph, even if that's the case, the Crown Prince, as the heir to the throne, should focus on governing the country. How can you be complacent over such a small matter?"

"This king is also thinking about the Crown Prince. Don't let this small achievement blind your eyes and make you forget your more important duties."

Immediately, other civil officials stood up to refute, "King Wei, this is not true."

"The prince's move shows that he cares about the world and is brave enough to innovate."

"Governing a country is a serious matter, but this seemingly insignificant but far-reaching matter should not be ignored."

"Moreover, the prince has not become proud of making bamboo paper. The king of Wei may be biased in judging him like this."

Li Tai's face darkened slightly, and just as he was about to speak again, another civil servant stepped forward.

"King Wei, you only see the smallness of this matter, but fail to understand the profound meaning behind it."

"The emergence of bamboo paper is not only beneficial to students, but also can promote the prosperity of Tang culture."

"When culture flourishes, a country prospers. The fact that the Crown Prince has personally promoted this matter shows his sense of responsibility, which is what a crown prince should have."

For a moment, King Wei's words were like stirring up a hornet's nest, and a large number of originally neutral civil servants stood up to refute King Wei.

However, the members of his Wei Wang party lowered their heads and dared not speak.

Li Chengqian smiled but said nothing. When the momentum reaches a certain level, there will be great scholars to debate for me.

Li Tai was immediately furious when he saw the Crown Prince's expression, and he shouted at the civil officials, "You are so partial to the Crown Prince, have you forgotten the rules of the court?"

"What I said was all for the sake of the stability and future of the Tang Dynasty. Although the Crown Prince has made this contribution, you should not praise him too much, lest he become proud and complacent and make mistakes in national affairs."

Gu Nalu said in a deep voice: "King Wei, we are not biased towards the Crown Prince, we are just discussing the matter based on facts."

"The fact of bamboo paper is worthy of praise, and it has great significance for the development of the Tang Dynasty."

"Moreover, the Crown Prince has always been diligent and hardworking, and has devoted all his energy to the Tang Dynasty. We have seen it with our own eyes and have kept it in mind. The King of Wei should not accuse His Royal Highness the Crown Prince without reason."

In this first round of confrontation, the prince had already completely defeated the King of Wei before he even opened his mouth.

Wei Zheng, Chu Suiliang and other civil officials who loved to speak the most remained silent.

In terms of justice, they should stand on the side of the prince, but the events of the past few days made them feel aggrieved.

Speaking for the prince at this moment is no different from swallowing back the golden juice that you have spit out.

Furthermore, the King of Wei was also speaking for them when he made innuendos.

Fang Xuanling shook his head secretly. It was unwise for the King of Wei to criticize the Crown Prince on this matter. He was just asking for humiliation.

At this time, the atmosphere in the court became even more tense. All the ministers were paying attention to Li Shimin's reaction, waiting for the emperor to make a decision.

Li Shimin frowned slightly, glanced at the ministers, and said in a deep voice: "The Crown Prince invented bamboo paper, and his contribution is indelible."

"But you must also pay more attention to your own conduct, and not be arrogant because of your achievements, or look down on others."

This light sentence was equivalent to an explanation to Wei Zheng, Chu Suiliang and others.

It is also a secret warning that I have already reprimanded the prince and your matter is over.

The ministers bowed and said, "Your Majesty is wise and wise."

Li Shimin looked at the King of Wei and said, "King of Wei, you should know your limits and stop blaming your brother without reason in the future."

Li Tai felt aggrieved, and could only bow and say, "Yes, Father."

Li Shimin nodded slightly, and then instructed Wei Ting: "Wei Siqing, summon the Japanese envoy to the court."

Wei Ting bowed and said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty has ordered the Japanese envoys to come to the audience."

"Announcement, the Japanese envoys are here to see you."

This is Li Shimin’s arrangement.

Just as Li Chengqian knew that using a bigger hotspot to cover up a smaller hotspot, Li Shimin was also very familiar with this method.

In his early years, Wei Ting was valued by Crown Prince Li Jiancheng.

After the Kunming Lake coup, Wei Ting, Du Yan, Wang Gui and others were implicated and exiled to Yuexi.

After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he thought Wei Ting was quite talented, so he recalled Wei Ting and others, and now he has been promoted to the position of Honglu Temple Minister. Although Wei Ting is somewhat ambiguous with the King of Wei, he has not completely stood in the camp of the King of Wei and does not belong to the King of Wei's party.

The Honglu Temple was mainly responsible for ceremonial reception and handover of foreign countries, which was equivalent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in later generations.

Following Wei Ting's summons, everyone in the court turned their eyes to the palace gate.

A moment later, a group of envoys dressed in Japanese costumes slowly walked into the court.

The leading envoy saluted respectfully to Li Shimin and said in unskilled Chinese: "Foreign ministers pay their respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Our country admires the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty and has come to pay tribute to you."

The Japanese envoys and more than ten followers stood in the court. Everyone's eyes fell on them, and they carefully looked at these Japanese people from afar.

The Japanese are generally short and have a slightly yellow-brown complexion. Their facial features are relatively flat, their eyes are small and slightly upturned, and their eyes reveal a hint of curiosity and awe.

The nose is small, the lips are slightly thick, and the hair is mostly black, either tied on top of the head or hanging down naturally, looking a little messy.

Their clothing is also unique, with bright colors, mainly white, blue, and red.

Men usually wear long robes with narrow sleeves, wide belts around their waists, loose trousers and wooden clogs.

The material of the robe is mostly cotton or linen, which is relatively rough. The collar and cuffs are embroidered with simple patterns, adding a bit of decoration.

Women wore more colorful long gowns that reached the ground with wide sleeves, swaying gracefully as they walked. Their hair was usually tied into a complicated bun with various hair accessories such as hairpins and flower ornaments.

The clothing style of these Japanese people was very different from that of the Tang Dynasty, and they were particularly eye-catching in the solemn court.

Li Shimin nodded slightly, signaling the Japanese envoy to stand up. The envoy stood up straight, a smug look on his face, and began to brag.

"Your Majesty, although our country of Japan is located overseas, it has also been growing more and more prosperous in recent years."

“Our country’s craftsmen have superb skills and are able to create exquisite objects.”

"Our country's warriors are brave and fearless, and they can keep our territory peaceful."

"Our people are hardworking and intelligent, making our country prosperous."

"The monarch of our country has long admired the Tang Dynasty and often teaches his subjects to take the Tang Dynasty as a role model."

"Our country has also actively learned from the culture and system of the Tang Dynasty and worked hard to improve itself. Today, our country has made great progress in many aspects, which should not be underestimated."

The envoy raised his chin slightly and continued, "Your Majesty, the king of our country regards the sky as his brother and the sun as his brother. He sits cross-legged when it is still dark and stops handling affairs when the sun rises, entrusting them to my brother."

"The dignity of our king is comparable to that of a god. The power of our country is feared by all the world. The prosperity of our country is known to all the world."

After saying this, the envoy looked around, as if expecting everyone to admire Japan.

Pfft!

Li Chengqian couldn't help laughing out loud, which immediately attracted the attention of the court.

Li Chengqian's smile instantly made the atmosphere in the court a little subtle. The complacent look on the Japanese envoy's face froze, and a hint of anger and confusion appeared in his eyes.

Li Shimin frowned slightly and looked at Li Chengqian with a questioning look in his eyes.

Li Chengqian coughed lightly, cupped his hands and said, "Father, I lost my composure. It's just that what the Japanese envoy said was really hilarious."

Li Tai took the opportunity to say, "Brother, it is inappropriate to behave like this in the court. The Japanese envoys have come from afar, we should treat them with courtesy and not look down on them."

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Tai and said, "Fourth brother, I don't look down on the Japanese envoys."

"It's just that they are exaggerating too much, which is hard to accept."

"Wakoku is just a tiny country, how can it be compared with the Tang Dynasty?"

"Their craftsmanship, warriors' bravery, and people's intelligence, what are they compared to my Tang Dynasty?"

"As for their monarch regarding the sky as his brother and the sun as his brother, this is even more absurd."

After hearing what Li Chengqian said, the Japanese envoy's face flushed and he said quickly, "Your Highness, this is wrong."

“Although our country is small, it also has its own strengths and characteristics.”

"It is an undeniable fact that our country's craftsmen are highly skilled and produce exquisite objects."

"The bravery and fearlessness of our warriors in protecting the peace of our territory are also obvious to all."

"Our people are hardworking and intelligent, and our country is prosperous, which is beyond doubt."

"The monarch of our country regards the sky as his elder brother and the sun as his younger brother. This is our belief and tradition, not absurd."

Li Chengqian sneered and said, "Huh, your artifacts are exquisite?"

"From the perspective of the Tang Dynasty, they are nothing but crude things. Are your warriors brave and fearless? How well can they resist the iron cavalry of the Tang Dynasty?"

"Your people are hardworking and intelligent? What does that mean in the prosperous Tang Dynasty?"

"As for your monarch regarding the sky as his brother and the sun as his brother, this is even more ridiculous."

"Only the Emperor of the Great Tang is the Son of Heaven in this world. He is appointed by Heaven and rules over all the people."

"You, the monarch of Japan, are only the ruler of a small country, yet you dare to claim that the sky is your brother and the sun is your brother. You really don't know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is."

Li Chengqian had a natural aversion to Japan.

Li Chengqian was well aware of the great pain that Japan brought to the Chinese nation in later generations.

The repeated invasions, the brutal atrocities, the blood and tears of countless compatriots were like sharp blades engraved deep into his soul.

Even though he is now in the Tang Dynasty and the trajectory of history has not yet reached that tragic moment, his vigilance and disgust towards Japan have already been deeply rooted in his bones.

Japan has always been ambitious, trying to gain big gains with small efforts, and coveting land and wealth that do not belong to them.

Their hypocrisy, greed and cruelty made it impossible for Li Chengqian to have any good feelings towards them.

Once this tiny country gets the chance, it will pounce on the Tang Dynasty like a hungry wolf.

Besides, Japan is not yet a fanboy of the Tang Dynasty.

After the first establishment of diplomatic relations in the fourth year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin sent Gao Biaoren, the governor of Xinzhou, to visit Japan.

The Japanese Kingdom attached great importance to it and sent 32 large red ships out to sea to welcome the visitors, and held a grand welcoming ceremony on the shore.

However, when presenting the letter of credence, the Japanese side refused to allow the king of Japan to step down from the throne and bow to the north, and only accepted that the two countries establish diplomatic relations based on equal understanding.

How dare you, a small country, be compared with the Tang Dynasty?

Gao Biaoren immediately demanded that Japan follow the etiquette of a vassal state and submit to the Tang Dynasty.

The two sides were in a stalemate, and Gao Biaoren finally tore up the letter of credence, refused to negotiate and returned home alone.

Historically, it was not until the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang that the Battle of Baekgang took place in the third year of Longshuo.

After the victory of the Tang Dynasty and Silla coalition forces and the crushing defeat of Japan and Baekje, they realized the power of the Tang Dynasty and gradually became fans of the Tang Dynasty.

As for now, Japan, which has never been beaten, is very arrogant.

The Japanese envoy was speechless after hearing what Li Chengqian said, his face flushed but he didn't know how to refute.

At this time, there was silence in the court, and each minister had his own thoughts.

The military officer nodded secretly at Li Chengqian's tough attitude, believing that the dignity of the Tang Dynasty could not be violated.

Civil servants, however, worried that the move could cause diplomatic trouble.

As the two countries were far apart and information was blocked, and the Japanese envoy was so confident, there were actually quite a few people who believed what he said.

"Your Highness, it is really biased to belittle our country based on your imagination. Although our country is not as vast as the Tang Dynasty, it also has its own unique features. It is not as bad as your Highness said."

The Japanese envoy looked very unconvinced.

Li Chengqian raised his chin slightly, with a provocative look in his eyes, and said loudly: "Since you said that Japan is not as bad as this prince said, then good. Next year, my Tang Dynasty will send troops to attack Goryeo. I wonder if you dare to send troops to help?"

ps: Day 2, please give me a monthly ticket
(End of this chapter)