Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 278 Prince Guarding the Border? Or Brothers Fighting? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Li Keping rarely took the initiative to visit Li Shimin, but Li Shimin's attention to this son never diminished.

In fact, among all the princes, Li Shimin treated Li Ke with the second-highest level of respect, after Li Chengqian and Li Tai.

Therefore, when Li Shimin learned that Li Ke had taken the initiative to request an audience, he was first surprised, and then genuinely pleased.

After all, he hadn't seen Li Ke for a while.

He immediately gestured for Yun Duan to leave, then instructed the people outside the hall, "Let Ke'er in!"

"promise!"

A voice answered from outside the door.

Soon after, Li Ke cautiously entered the Ganlu Hall.

Although this was not his first time entering the hall, he understood that after this, he might not be able to step into the Ganlu Hall again for a long time, or even lose this opportunity forever.

Therefore, his feelings were extremely complicated, and he acted with extra caution.

Upon seeing Li Shimin, Li Ke respectfully performed a grand salute: "Your subject Li Ke pays respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!"

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing Li Ke's manners, Li Shimin burst into laughter and jokingly asked, "Where did you learn these flattering words?"

Li Ke smiled shyly and replied, "Your subject learned it from the Crown Prince."

"Hmph, why don't you learn from others, but instead follow that rebellious son?"

Upon hearing that Li Ke was imitating Li Chengqian, Li Shimin snorted twice in dissatisfaction, and then carefully examined Li Ke.

It must be said that Li Ke was remarkably similar to Li Shimin in his youth.

Looking at Li Ke, Li Shimin seemed to see a reflection of his own youth. The more he looked, the more he appreciated and liked him.

Under Li Shimin's gaze, Li Ke appeared somewhat uneasy and whispered, "Father, you haven't visited Mother for some time."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin chuckled and said, "You came to me for this? How is your mother?"

"Fortunately, my mother took me to pay my respects to the Empress beforehand."

"What did your mother and the Empress say?"

"I didn't say much, just chatted about old times, and I also gave him a gift from my aunt!" Li Ke answered truthfully.

That's no secret.

If Li Shimin wanted to know, he could easily find out.

But Li Shimin asked with a puzzled look, "Your aunt?"

“She is Princess Guanghua, who married into the Tuyuhun Kingdom during the Sui Dynasty. She is now the Khatun of Fuyun, the Khan of Tuyuhun,” Li Ke explained.

"Oh, it's her!"

Li Shimin suddenly realized what was going on, and then asked, "Why did she give the Empress a gift?"

"I don't know the details. I only know that she asked my mother to deliver a gift to the Empress, saying it was a holy chalice obtained on behalf of the Empress."

"Holy Grail?"

"Yes! It is said that drinking water from this holy cup can prolong life and prevent all diseases."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin couldn't help but chuckle, thinking to himself, how could such a thing possibly exist in the world?
However, upon hearing Li Ke say this, he seemed to remember something and pressed on, "Does your mother have connections with the Tuyuhun?"

"No, it was Princess Guanghua who asked someone to find my mother and said many nice things. My mother agreed because of our sisterhood."

As Li Ke spoke, he seemed to remember something and continued, "But there is one more thing that I feel is necessary to report to Father Emperor?"

"What's the matter?"

Li Shimin frowned and pressed for an answer.

Li Ke pondered for a moment and said, "According to Princess Guanghua, the Khan of Tuyuhun, Fuyun, seems to have contracted some incurable illness, and his condition is not good."

"Oh?"

Li Shimin's eyes lit up: "Are you serious?"

But then Li Ke said earnestly, "Although I don't know if it's true, Princess Guanghua did indeed reveal this. It seems she's a bit anxious now, wanting to rely on our Great Tang to solidify her position."

At this point, she glanced at Li Shimin again and added, "It seems the Crown Prince of Tuyuhun doesn't get along with her either."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was deeply moved, but on the surface he pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Yes, I understand."

After saying this, the father and son fell silent, and the atmosphere gradually became awkward.

"Father, the reason I have come here today is to discuss something with you, and I hope that you will grant my request," Li Ke finally said cautiously.

"What's the matter?"

Li Shimin asked without any concern.

In reality, aside from needing to use his brain when dealing with Li Chengqian, he usually didn't want to put much effort into dealing with his other sons.

Because he didn't believe they had any ill intentions.

But Li Ke solemnly said, "Your Majesty, I would like to request permission for me to go to my fiefdom to assume my duties!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's face immediately darkened, and he coldly asked, "What did you say?"

"Father."

Li Ke opened his mouth, hesitated, but finally made up his mind and said solemnly, "Your subject wishes to do my part for the Tang Dynasty, just like my elder brother, the Crown Prince!"

"You insolent brat! When did our Great Tang Dynasty fall so low that we need a greenhorn like you to do our best?"

Before Li Ke could finish speaking, Li Shimin angrily interrupted him.

Li Ke bowed solemnly to Li Shimin again and said seriously, "My elder brother, the Crown Prince, went to his fiefdom when he was eight years old, my father joined the army when he was a teenager, and I am about to turn twelve. According to the rules of the palace, I should also go to my fiefdom."

"Moreover, my elder brother, the Crown Prince, once said that the Crown Prince would guard the nation's gates while the monarch would die for the country. Although I am not the Crown Prince, I am still a prince and have a patriotic heart. I am willing to guard the nation's gates!"

"you!"

Li Shimin looked at Li Ke with some surprise, as if he saw a reflection of his own youth in Li Ke, the heroic ambition he had when he traveled thousands of miles to save Emperor Yang of Sui.

Although the Sui Dynasty had already shown many problems at that time, his patriotism did not waver.

So, for some reason, he suddenly had a slight understanding of Li Ke's actions.

"Ke'er, have you really thought this through?"

Although Li Shimin understood Li Ke's actions, he was truly reluctant to let Li Ke suffer in his fiefdom.

Even though the fiefdom he granted to Li Ke was not far from Guanzhong, where Chang'an is located.

But Hanzhong is a place that borders Sichuan and Chongqing, and its culture and economy are not very developed. You would definitely suffer if you went there.

But Li Ke's determination seemed unusually strong.

Then he solemnly said, "Your Majesty, I have thought it through. If my elder brother, the Crown Prince, can develop in Jiangling, I should be able to as well."

"Furthermore, Hanzhong borders Sichuan and is the southwestern gateway of our Great Tang. If I can protect Hanzhong well, the Great Tang will have no worries about its rear!"

"Moreover, isn't Father Emperor's ambition to conquer Goguryeo? Sichuan and Chongqing are important granaries for our Great Tang Dynasty, and we absolutely cannot afford to lose them!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin couldn't help but sigh.

She thought to herself, "Finally, I have a son who cares about me!"
However, Li Ke is not yet twelve years old, and he still hesitated: "Father has already understood Ke'er's patriotism and is very proud of you, but Ke'er is too young. Perhaps we should wait a few more years."

"Father!"

Before Li Shimin could finish speaking, Li Ke mustered his courage and interrupted him: "Why can Father Emperor give the Crown Prince and my elder brother a chance, but not your son? Your son also wants to share Father Emperor's burdens!"

"This"

Li Shimin was startled, as if he no longer recognized the son before him.

But soon, he realized that something was wrong.

Because in his heart, Li Ke had always been a calm and composed prince.

Why would he say that Li Ke was "as brave and decisive as I am"?

It's because Li Ke's temperament, appearance, and even personality are very similar to his when he was young. It's as if they were made from the same mold.

So why would Li Ke, who is usually calm and collected, act so out of character?
Thinking of this, Li Shimin gradually came to his senses, stared calmly at Li Ke, and asked indifferently, "Is there something you are hiding from me?"

"Ah, my son."

Li Ke panicked and hurriedly said, "Your subject would not dare to deceive Your Majesty."

"Is that so? Guards, investigate for me!"

"Father!"

Before Li Shimin could finish speaking, Li Ke knelt down with a thud.

At the same time, a painting fell from his arms with a "thud".

Li Shimin's gaze immediately sharpened as he stared intently at the painting on the ground.

After a long pause, he coldly asked, "Who painted this picture?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, I was unaware."

"You don't know?"

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes: "You still want to deceive me?"

"I wouldn't dare! Your Majesty, I truly don't know who painted this picture; I only know that it was a gift from the Crown Prince to my mother."

As he spoke, Li Ke seemed to realize something and hurriedly explained, "Father, please don't misunderstand. I didn't go to the fiefdom because of this painting. I originally intended to hide it secretly so that Mother wouldn't see it, but I accidentally lost it."

He stopped there.

Li Shimin's face was extremely pale, and the temperature in the entire hall seemed to have dropped several degrees. Only when Li Ke could almost hear his own heartbeat did Li Shimin bend down to pick up the painting from the ground, silently walk back to the rocking chair, and sit down, asking, "What does the Prince of Han think of the Crown Prince?"

"This"

Li Ke was taken aback, because Li Shimin did not address him as "Ke'er" or "you," but as "King of Han." This meant that the person speaking to him now was not his father, but His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

So, how should he deal with this now?
After a moment's thought, he said thoughtfully, "The Crown Prince is a very insightful person."

"What makes you have this idea?" Li Shimin asked calmly.

Li Ke thought for a moment, then said succinctly: "Not disturbed by external affairs, not burdened by fame, with the world in mind and ambitions as high as the sky."

"Heh, that's a good compliment!"

Li Shimin sneered, then said quietly, "So, you plan to follow his example?"

"what?"

Li Ke was startled and quickly kowtowed, saying, "Your subject dares not."

"Don't you dare?"

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow, then said expressionlessly, "If you truly resemble me, you should fully demonstrate your abilities; otherwise..."

He paused here, then looked intently at Li Ke and said, "His ambitions were higher than the sky, but his fate was as thin as paper!"

Upon hearing this, Li Ke was deeply shaken.

He never expected that Li Shimin would say such a thing to him.

Could it be that Father already knows about my affairs?
impossible!

If the Emperor knew about my affairs, then he wouldn't have had that attitude when I came in just now.

Thinking of this, Li Ke steadied himself, calmed his mind, and cautiously asked, "What does Father mean?"

"Go to your fiefdom if you wish, I will not stop you."

Li Shimin gave Li Ke a deep look, then changed the subject: "However, if you plan to do anything underhanded in your fiefdom, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Li Ke froze on the spot.

Because Li Shimin's attitude was unusually cold, as if he were facing not his beloved son, but a minister he did not particularly like.

This left Li Ke in a daze.

He wondered if he had made a mistake by bringing that painting.
Just then, Li Shimin unexpectedly said, "The Crown Prince once said that the world is vast and his ambition is to dominate the world. Therefore, I would like to remind you that if you really want to learn from him, you should broaden your horizons and not make a mistake for yourself."

"This"

Li Ke hesitated for a moment, then stood up and bowed respectfully: "Yes, Father Emperor."

After saying that, he left without another word.

After watching him leave, Li Shimin picked up the painting again and examined it calmly.

"That rebellious son wouldn't do something like fighting among brothers, would he?"

On the other side, at the Honglu Temple Inn, in the room of the Tuyuhun envoy.

Murong Shun looked at Bartow with a worried expression and said listlessly, "Ambassador, what should I do? That Crown Prince of Tang is no human being; he actually wants to castrate me!"

"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have come to the Tang Dynasty to ask for a princess's hand in marriage."

After saying this, he seemed to remember something, and his face turned fierce: "That Lu Dongzan is a complete waste! He actually colluded with the garrison commander to assassinate my own Xiao Lun! Even if he wanted to do this, he shouldn't have kept it from us! He put us in such a passive position! He deserves to die! He deserves to die!"

"Alright, Prince, calm down first."

"How can I calm down! It wasn't you who was castrated!"

Before Bartow could finish his persuasive words, Murong Shun roared and interrupted him.

His expression changed several times before he said in a deep voice, "No matter how much you complain, it won't change the cruelty of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty!"

"This"

Murong Shun paused for a moment, then, feeling uneasy, said listlessly, "Then what do you suggest we do? We can't just sit here and wait to die, can we?"

"Ah!"

Seeing that Murong Shun had calmed down, Bartow became assertive again and sneered, "What's so difficult about this? It's not like my Tuyuhun didn't submit to the Tang Dynasty before, but so what? Didn't we still attack the Tang Dynasty?"

"Ok?"

Murong Shun was taken aback again, then said with some anticipation, "You mean, we should first feign compliance with the Tang Dynasty, and then take revenge on the Tang Dynasty tenfold once we return to Tuyuhun?"

"If things were really that simple, that would be great. Given that Tang Dynasty Crown Prince's personality, do you think he would agree unless there were absolutely certain benefits?"

"What do you mean?"

Bartów hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Let's give him the defense map of Fue City!"

"What?! Are you crazy?"

Murong Shun suddenly stood up from his seat, roaring furiously, "Are you going to betray your country, Bartholomew?!"

"Why is the prince making such a fuss? You intend to seize the throne with the help of the Tang Dynasty. Isn't that treason?"

Bartóu coldly retorted to Murong Shun, then said in a deep voice, "Don't forget what will happen to you if the Crown Prince ascends the throne?"

"I"

Murong Shun opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

But Bartóu continued, "Actually, if the Tang Dynasty could use this map to attack Fu'e City, do you think the Crown Prince could hold it? And if he couldn't hold it, could he still smoothly ascend the throne?"

Upon hearing this, Murong Shun immediately fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he looked at Bartow with a complicated expression and hesitated, saying, "But if that's the case, I'm afraid my Tuyuhun will be split up again."

"Hmph! Prince, this is womanly compassion! Even if you didn't do this, the Crown Prince would never let you off the hook. Besides, there's a saying in the Central Plains: the struggle for the position of heir apparent has always been like this."

Bartau sneered, "Even the Heavenly Khan ascended the throne by killing his own brother, what are you afraid of?"

"This"

Murong Shun was speechless, then covered his face in pain and said, "Although Dayan Mangjiebo and I have always had a grudge, he is my only brother, and we share the deepest bond of blood."

"Since the prince is unwilling to betray his brothers, then..."

"No, what I mean is, why don't we give the Tang Dynasty the defense map of Shanshan City as well? Since we've already done it, let's go all the way. That way, the Tang Dynasty's crown prince will be more convinced of our sincerity. What do you think?"

"Uh,"

Bartóu's lips twitched, thinking to himself, "You always know how to escalate things."

Tuyuhun only had two major cities, and you handed them all over just to save your lifeline?!
To be honest, if Bartóu's wealth hadn't already been tied to Prince Murong Shun, he would have liked to stay as far away from that idiot as possible.

However, Murong Shun's approach was actually quite prudent, given that Li Chengqian was indeed a ruthless man.

He really didn't want to play mind games with Li Chengqian anymore.

But Bartóu decisively said:
“Since the prince has made his decision, I will send someone to contact King Tianzhu and tell him about our situation. If he agrees to withdraw his troops, we will immediately represent Tuyuhun to submit to the Tang Dynasty and hand over the defense maps of Shanshan and Fu'e City!”

"it is good!"

Meanwhile, in the room of the Goguryeo envoy.

The Goguryeo envoys, Lee Sa-won and Go Yeon-soo, stared blankly at the blank paper before them, unable to put pen to paper for a long time.

"Brother Gao, are we finished?"

After a long while, Li Siyuan asked in a dejected tone.

Upon hearing his question, Gao Yanshou smiled bitterly and said, "Even if we return to Goguryeo, won't we still be finished?"

Do you think the king will spare your uncle and us?

"But."

"Ugh!"

As they spoke, they both sighed in unison.

But then Gao Yanshou said with a sigh, "Actually, given the current situation, I really hope that the Tang Dynasty can defeat Goguryeo. That way, we might be able to return to our homeland."

No, how come?

Upon hearing Gao Yanshou's remark, Li Siyuan's eyes widened, and he was speechless.

It's important to know that Gao Yanshou came from a military family in Goguryeo. His grandfather and father were great contributors to the resistance against the Sui Dynasty. They were heroes of Goguryeo.

How could someone with such a family background say such a thing?
Seemingly seeing through Li Siyuan's thoughts, Gao Yanshou smiled and asked him again, "If you had the chance, wouldn't you want to go back to your hometown? To see your parents and sister?"

"I"

Li Siyuan opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

But Gao Yanshou continued with a sigh, "For some reason, I suddenly have a feeling that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty is from a different world than us."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"What? Can't you see? It's as if all the luck is on his side; he succeeds in everything he does! It's absolutely terrifying!"

Upon hearing this, Li Siyuan was stunned.

Yes!

It seems that ever since the Double Ninth Festival banquet, the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty has been winning.

What exactly is going on?

Is this divine intervention to protect the Tang Dynasty? Or is it a sign that Goguryeo is about to perish?!
(End of this chapter)