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

Chapter 281 Why has Li Er's old problem relapsed again?! [Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets]

"Guanyinbi!! Guanyinbi!!! I want to kill that peasant!! Kill him!!"

A thunderous roar echoed from the Taiji Hall all the way to the Lizheng Hall, frightening the surrounding palace servants into trembling and kneeling in retreat.

Although this was not the first time Li Shimin had roared like this, each time he did, it sent chills down people's spines.

After all, this emperor was a powerful general on the battlefield, capable of causing millions of corpses to fall with a wave of his hand, demonstrating his formidable power.

"What's wrong with Your Majesty this time?"

Xiangling glanced at the composed Empress Zhangsun and muttered something to herself.

Li Lizhi, who was helping Empress Zhangsun prune the flowers and plants, stopped what she was doing with amusement and said with a pursed mouth, "What else could it be? I suppose it was that Lord Wei who angered Father again."

"Sigh, Father Emperor really is something. He simply couldn't stand it anymore and banished Lord Wei to a foreign land."

"What do you know!"

Empress Zhangsun, who had been silent until now, immediately glared at Li Lizhi upon hearing his words and said sternly, "The Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince is a virtuous minister, a pillar of your father's court, and a key figure in the nation. How can he be allowed to fall into such a position?"

"But he's being too outrageous! He keeps provoking Father like this. If this happened in another dynasty or under another emperor, his entire clan would have been wiped out long ago!" Li Lizhi pouted, still somewhat unconvinced.

Empress Zhangsun immediately adopted a stern motherly demeanor and lectured Li Lizhi, saying, "As the saying goes, honest advice is hard to hear but beneficial. Throughout history, which loyal minister or general did not have a heart devoted to the country? If one blindly flatters and obeys the emperor, the emperor will lose his basic judgment. In this way, the court's channels of communication will be blocked, the people's problems will not be solved, and if this continues, the country will surely decline, and it will be too late to regret it!"

"This"

Li Lizhi paused for a moment, then put down the scissors and bowed respectfully to Empress Zhangsun: "Mother, you are very kind, I have learned a lot."

"Alright, go to the back hall and bring over a bowl of lily and lotus seed soup, so your father can calm down!"

"Yes!"

Li Lizhi responded and turned to leave the main hall, while Xiangling, under a glance from Empress Zhangsun, quickly put away Li Shimin's sword.

Soon, Li Shimin strode into the hall, his face contorted with murderous intent. He looked around and exclaimed, "Where is my sword?! I'm going to kill that Sheep-Nosed Duke!!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."

Empress Zhangsun smiled gently, then slowly rose and walked tenderly to Li Shimin, stroking his chest and saying with a smile:
"It's nothing, why are you so angry? I recently read the 'Chinese Language and Literature' book published by the Information Administration. There's a proverb in it that says, 'A prime minister's belly can hold a boat.'"

The story tells of a prime minister who, widowed in middle age, married a beautiful young woman. Later, the woman had an affair with a servant in his household, which the prime minister discovered. However, he didn't make a scene. Instead, at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, he subtly revealed the affair with a poem: "The sun rises in the east and returns to the east; the crow doesn't caw, the bamboo pole doesn't poke." The woman replied with a poem: "My lord, please don't be offended by this humble woman; a prime minister's belly can hold a boat." The prime minister was deeply moved and gave her two thousand coins, allowing them to elope and marry in a distant land. This story spread and became a symbol of magnanimity.

"After reading it, I was also quite moved. Just imagine, if the prime minister's belly can hold a boat, then Your Majesty's belly must be able to hold the vast land. Why should such a trivial matter be mentioned?"

"This"

After hearing Empress Zhangsun's comforting words, Li Shimin was stunned, and even his anger subsided by more than half. He asked in confusion, "Which dynasty's prime minister is this? How come I have never heard of his story before?"

"hehe."

Empress Zhangsun smiled faintly and said, "I don't know which dynasty or which prime minister he was, but this 'Chinese Language' textbook is really very interesting. It is divided into three volumes, upper, middle and lower. The upper volume is for young children and includes the 'Three Character Classic,' the 'Thousand Character Classic,' poems and songs, reading comprehension, 'A Hundred Schools of Thought,' and 'Loyalty, Filial Piety, Benevolence, and Righteousness,' among other things."
The middle-level curriculum consisted of classics, history, philosophy, and literature studied after age eight; the lower-level curriculum consisted of current affairs policy discussions and public safety knowledge studied after age twelve. This covered the subjects required for the imperial examinations for those under eighteen.

"Of course, Chinese is just one subject in the imperial examination. It is said that there are nine subjects, each of which is crucial. It is much more difficult and practical than the current imperial examination."

"This"

Li Shimin was once again bewildered by Empress Zhangsun's words. Even his remaining anger subsided, leaving him only with a face full of questions: "How do you know these things? Even I didn't know."

"His Majesty is extremely busy and naturally has no time to pay attention to so many things."

Empress Zhangsun smiled faintly again, thinking to herself, "Who am I? I'm his mother! Of course I have to be the first to know about what he's done!"

What Empress Zhangsun didn't say was that this was the result of her interrogation of Laifu.

She asked Li Chengqian about his daily cravings and activities before finally allowing Laifu to return to the Crown Prince's residence.

But then Li Shimin frowned and said, "So, according to you, Chengqian has already completed the reform of the imperial examination system?"

"The book is finished, and the general framework should be fine. It's just a few details that need attention. Your Majesty, I don't interfere in politics."

"But you said you wouldn't get involved."

Li Shimin muttered something in dissatisfaction, then seemed to remember something and said, "I heard from Ke'er that he and Consort Yang came to pay their respects to you?"

"Yes, I sat for a while and then left."

Empress Zhangsun, her beautiful eyes glistening, helped Li Shimin loosen his dragon robe while speaking softly, "Actually, it's not just Consort Yang and her son who have come; Consort Yin and her son have also come."

"Yin Concubine mother and son?"

Li Shimin frowned, clearly surprised: "What are they doing here?"

"Nothing much, just regret for what happened back then, and we also talked about Chengqian and You'er!"

"The matter between You'er and Chengqian?"

"Does Your Majesty not know? You'er has always liked playing with Chengqian since he was little. Last time he accidentally got caught in a hot air balloon, he was the one who ran to the Crown Prince's residence to play with Chengqian. So, the two have a pretty good relationship." Empress Zhangsun said, smiling with satisfaction, "Our Chengqian cares a lot about his younger brothers and sisters. He's a good older brother."

"Even Gao Yang and Li An's younger siblings received gifts from him, including winter quilts, heaters, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other toiletries. He had them delivered from Jiangling, which was very thoughtful."

"This"

Li Shimin was stunned speechless by Empress Zhangsun's words.

He had initially thought that Li Chengqian's gift of the painting to Consort Yang was a sign of fratricide, but after hearing Empress Zhangsun's words, he felt that he might have misunderstood Li Chengqian.

But why would he send Consort Yang that painting out of the blue? And that painting is clearly of Li Ke as an adult!

Furthermore, his order for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate Li Ke—isn't that an attempt to harm his own brother?
Just as Li Shimin was racking his brains, Li Lizhi gracefully carried a bowl of steaming lily and lotus seed soup to him, bowed and said, "Father, this is the lily and lotus seed soup that Mother made for you. Please try it. I added some sugar, and I think it tastes even better with sugar!"

"Oh?"

Seeing Li Lizhi's obedient appearance, Li Shimin's face lit up with a smile. As he took the lotus seed soup, he asked with a smile, "Lizhi, do you also like sweets?"

"I love it!" Li Lizhi blinked her beautiful eyes, which narrowed into crescent moons as she smiled. "My daughter loves the cane sugar and milk candy that my older brother sends. They're so delicious!"

"Cane sugar and milk candy?"

Li Shimin looked at Empress Zhangsun with a puzzled expression.

Empress Zhangsun raised her hand and beckoned, and soon Xiangling came up with a string of sugar cane.

Li Shimin looked at the snow-white sugar inside and was taken aback: "This is sugar?"

"Yes!"

"But this color..."

Empress Zhangsun said with a smile, "Although the color of this sugar is different from the sugar we are familiar with, it is indeed sugar. Your Majesty can try it if you don't believe me!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin didn't say much. He immediately pinched a small amount of cane sugar and put it in his mouth. It melted in his mouth, was very sweet, and made him feel happy.

This is a prominent characteristic of sugar consumption.

Li Shimin was immediately attracted by the cane sugar and said with a smile, "The sweetness is pure and delicious, better than any sugar I have ever eaten before!"

"Right, Father? I like to eat it too!"

Li Lizhi smiled sweetly.

Li Shimin affectionately stroked her hair, then smiled and scooped a spoonful of lotus seed soup into his mouth, praising with great pleasure, "Guanyinbi's cooking skills are still so good."

"As long as your Majesty likes it."

Empress Zhangsun responded gently, then picked up a thick cotton coat and draped it over Li Shimin's shoulders, saying softly, "The weather in Chang'an is getting colder every day. Your Majesty must be careful not to catch a cold these days. I have made a cotton coat for you. Please try it on. If you like it, I will have the Imperial Workshop make a few more for you!"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin tucked the cotton-padded coat he was wearing into his pocket and immediately felt much more comfortable. It was even warmer than wearing several layers of dragon robes. He couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Now I finally understand why Cheng Zhijie and Yuchi Jingde were fighting over that military uniform in the main hall. This cotton-padded coat is indeed warm!"

"Yes! With this cotton coat, we can get through this cold winter even if we're not in a warm room!"

Empress Zhangsun replied with a smile.

Li Shimin nodded and said, "Starting next year, I will promote cotton on a large scale so that every citizen of my Great Tang can afford cotton clothing. That way, even if we encounter another snow disaster, we won't be afraid." "Your Majesty has the people of the world in your heart; you are a benevolent ruler. Your concubine thanks you on behalf of all the people of the world!"

"hehe."

Li Shimin smiled noncommittally, then looked around and suddenly noticed many portraits on the table. He walked forward with a puzzled look and asked, "What are these portraits?"

“That’s the Crown Princess that Mother chose for my elder brother, the Crown Prince!” Li Lizhi quickly interjected.

Li Shimin was taken aback, thinking to himself, "You're being way too hasty, mother! Choosing a crown princess for that rebellious son so early?!"
But Empress Zhangsun disagreed, saying, "Chengqian's maturity far surpasses that of his peers. His Majesty should know that choosing a Crown Princess sooner would put our minds at ease, wouldn't it?"

"But isn't this too early?"

"Actually, it's not too early. According to the rites, the emperor must be of legal age at twelve or fifteen. That is to say, twelve years old can be considered adulthood and one can get married."

"This"

Li Shimin was stunned by these words again, thinking to himself that this was outrageous.

However, Empress Zhangsun did not intend to force Li Chengqian to choose a crown princess. She smiled and changed the subject, saying, "Your Majesty need not worry too much. I am just looking and I have not said that Chengqian must marry. Moreover, you know Chengqian's temperament. The one I choose may not be the one he wants. The final decision is probably not up to me."

"That's impossible! How can I disobey my parents' orders?"

Li Shimin immediately retorted, "We still need to decide on the Crown Princess for him!"

"Hehe, Your Majesty is right. Why don't we take a look together?"

"Hmm, alright, I'll accompany you to take a look. Do you have any that you like?"

"Have"

Empress Zhangsun smiled excitedly, immediately stepped forward, picked up a painting, and introduced it to Li Shimin with a smile: "This woman is beautiful and intelligent, with a graceful demeanor. She is the Secretary Assistant, the daughter of Su Dan."

"Yes, Not Bad."

"And this woman? Who is she? She seems very dignified!"

"Speaking of this woman, Your Majesty should remember her; she is the daughter of Wu Shihuo."

"Samurai Go?"

Li Shimin frowned, immediately showing displeasure, and said, "Isn't that the retired emperor's man? No way!"

"Your Majesty, even though Chengqian is close to the Emperor Emeritus, it doesn't mean that the Emperor Emeritus's people are necessarily unusable. Have you forgotten what I told you before? A prime minister's belly can hold a boat, and an emperor's belly can hold a vast empire."

"This"

Li Shimin still didn't like it, but not wanting to spoil Empress Zhangsun's mood, he vaguely waved his hand and said, "Let's talk about this one later, next one!"

Soon, the couple began to select a crown princess for Li Chengqian with great interest. Li Lizhi, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but look strange. She bit her red lips and finally secretly slipped out of Lizheng Palace.

Although she felt a strange sense of estrangement from Li Chengqian because of what happened at the Double Ninth Festival banquet, her repeated reflections over this period of time, coupled with the occasional thoughtful gifts Li Chengqian sent to her palace, made her feel that no matter what kind of person her elder brother, the Crown Prince, became, he would always be her good older brother.

Therefore, while Empress Zhangsun and Li Shimin were chatting and laughing as they selected a crown princess for Li Chengqian, she felt it was necessary to tell Li Chengqian about this matter.

This would also allow Li Chengqian to prepare.

And so, after leaving the Lizheng Palace, she jogged back to her own palace, found the palace decree that Li Shimin had given her, and resolutely left the palace.

Meanwhile, Li Chengqian also received news at the Crown Prince's residence.

That is, Li Jing brought back Empress Xiao of the Sui Dynasty, Princess Yicheng, Jieli Khatun, and Yang Zhengdao, the grandson of Emperor Yang of Sui, to Chang'an.

Among them, the most attention-grabbing item is not the three of them, but the Imperial Seal of the State that they brought back with them.

It should be noted that since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, as well as other regimes established at the same time, all emperors were newly appointed and did not possess the orthodox imperial seal of the Chinese nation.

Even though the Tang Dynasty eliminated other regimes and unified the country, it still did not have a true Imperial Seal.

Therefore, in some people's minds, the current Tang Dynasty emperor is nothing more than a slightly larger, newly established emperor.

He was not the emperor of the legitimate dynasty in their minds at all.

This caused Li Yuan and Li Shimin to suffer in silence, unable to express their grievances.

After all, the real Imperial Seal of the State was not something they couldn't obtain, but rather something they simply didn't know where it was.

Even Yuwen Huaji, who killed Yang Guang, did not obtain the real Imperial Seal of the State.

The whereabouts of the Imperial Seal of the State has become the biggest unsolved mystery since the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Fortunately, perseverance pays off, and the real Imperial Seal of the State finally appeared, hidden on the body of Empress Xiao of the Sui Dynasty.

It turns out that before Yang Guang was captured by Yuwen Huaji, he had already fled with the Imperial Seal of the State and his grandson Yang Zhengdao.

Unfortunately, he fell into the hands of Jieli and was imprisoned in the Eastern Turkic Khaganate.

It wasn't until the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Eastern Turks and General Kang Sumi kidnapped Empress Xiao that the whereabouts of the Imperial Seal were revealed.

"So, my father not only brought back the Imperial Seal, but also Empress Xiao, Yang Zhengdao, and Princess Yicheng?"

Li Chengqian looked at Su Dingfang with a strange expression and asked, thinking to himself, "Why has Li Er's old habit relapsed again?"
Su Dingfang respectfully replied, "Yes, Your Highness, His Majesty did indeed have General Li Jing secretly bring the three of them back. However, the three of them pose little threat to the Tang Dynasty, so Your Highness need not worry."

“No, I’m not thinking about them being a threat. I’m thinking about how my father plans to deal with them. You know, their identities are not simple. If things are handled poorly, it will cause another public outcry.” Li Chengqian shook his head.

Su Dingfang frowned slightly, then pondered for a moment and said, "Then, according to His Highness the Crown Prince, should our Embroidered Uniform Guard take some action to prevent..."

"Not for now, let's see how it goes."

Li Chengqian waved his hand to interrupt Su Dingfang, and then changed the subject, saying, "Murong Shun's sincerity is quite good. Not only did he get Tuyuhun to withdraw its troops, but he also presented defense maps of two large cities. Go and make preparations, and plan a detailed strategy. Put the matter of the Embroidered Uniform Guard aside for now and leave it to Pei Xingjian to handle."

"Does His Highness mean we should send troops against Tuyuhun?" Su Dingfang's heart skipped a beat. This was his forte.

While intelligence work isn't as tiring as being on the battlefield, it's not as enjoyable either.

But Li Chengqian smiled and said, "As the saying goes, sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping wood. It's good to prepare early. Besides, even Li Ke is eyeing Tuyuhun. How can we be content to lag behind? Don't you think so?"

"Hmph! The King of Han is overestimating himself! What ability does he have to control Tuyuhun? Does he really think those Tuyuhun nobles are idiots?"

"hehe."

Li Chengqian smiled noncommittally, then waved his hand and said, "In any case, proceed according to plan!"

"promise!"

Su Dingfang acknowledged, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Oh right, there's one more thing. Governor Zhang has also returned with General Li Jing, and he said he wants to visit you!"

"Zhang Ping?"

Li Chengqian pursed his lips and pondered, "Let's talk about it when he gets back!"

"Yes!"

Su Dingfang responded and was about to leave when he suddenly heard Chang Wei's voice from outside the door: "Your Highness, Princess Chang Le urgently needs to see you!"

Urgent!

Li Chengqian was slightly taken aback and subconsciously looked at Su Dingfang.

Su Dingfang shook his head blankly, thinking to himself that nothing major had happened recently!

But then Li Chengqian reacted and asked, "What is it?"

"Princess Chang Le said that His Majesty and the Empress are selecting a Crown Princess for you!"

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian abruptly stood up from his seat.

Damn!

How come I didn't think of that? That cripple had a baby at twelve!
Fuck!
(End of this chapter)