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

Chapter 283 Li Tai: I want to go to my fiefdom too! [Seeking monthly votes]

"Let me out! Let me out now!!"

A near-mad roar suddenly erupted.

Those around him all looked sullen and kept their distance.

Just as everyone was wondering what to do, a burly middle-aged man slowly walked out of the passage.

Upon seeing the middle-aged man, everyone immediately bowed and paid their respects.

But the middle-aged man ignored it and walked straight toward the source of the roar.

It was a prison cell belonging to the Imperial Clan Court, neither too big nor too small.

In this cell, there was a boy who was noticeably thin and emaciated.

"How long are you going to keep making a scene?!" the middle-aged man shouted in a deep voice.

The boy was startled and quickly looked over. His face lit up with joy, and he stepped forward, saying, "Uncle Wang! Uncle Wang, you've finally come! Please let me out!"

"Without His Majesty's decree, no one can let you out!"

Has my father mentioned me recently?

The boy stared longingly at the middle-aged man, seemingly hoping to get the answer he wanted from him.

But the middle-aged man's gaze was indifferent, and he simply said two words: "No."

"How...how could this be?"

The boy was struck dumb, collapsing onto the grass in disbelief, the light of hope extinguished from his eyes. He muttered to himself, "Wasn't Father the one who loved me the most? Why is this happening? I clearly..."

At this point, as if remembering something, he mustered his spirits, grabbed the cell railing, and asked expectantly, "When can I get out?"

"Didn't you come in by yourself?"

The middle-aged man chuckled and said, "You've only been in here a short time, and you're already thinking about leaving?"

"I...I...I regret it."

"That won't do!"

The middle-aged man's expression turned serious, and he said coldly, "This is the Imperial Clan Court, not your Prince Yue's residence. How can you come and go as you please?"

"But I really don't want to stay here anymore, please, Uncle Wang, let me out!"

"Qingque, do you know what His Majesty cares about most?"

"What?" Li Tai looked up at Li Xiaogong in a daze.

But Li Xiaogong said calmly, "It's brothers fighting amongst themselves!"

"Ah? But Father Emperor..."

"It is precisely because His Majesty has done things he shouldn't have done that he cares if his son does the same thing. Even if you formed cliques for personal gain, His Majesty would at most be displeased, but you made a fatal mistake, which was getting involved in the Crown Prince's affair!"

"But I had no intention of harming the Crown Prince. I merely lent a carriage to Wang Gui and the others; who knew they would..."

"Alright, Qingque, you know better than anyone what you're thinking. You don't need to explain to me. I just want to tell you to stay in the Imperial Clan Court and reflect on your actions!"

Before Li Tai could finish speaking, Li Xiaogong interrupted him and said seriously, "When you have reflected on your actions, His Majesty will naturally release you, and the Crown Prince will forgive you."

"but."

At this point, he changed the subject and continued, "If you remain stubborn and inflexible, you will only bring about your own destruction. Uncle Wang has said all he has to say. You are a smart man, and I believe you can understand."

"This"

Li Tai reacted for a moment, then got up from the ground, bowed to Li Xiaogong, and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Uncle Wang."

"Alright, I didn't come to see you for anything else. I just heard you were causing trouble in the jail cell and wanted to see what was going on."

After speaking, he glanced at the desk behind the chubby boy and nodded, saying, "Hmm, you should be the most literary person in my Li Tang royal family. If you can use this intelligence to govern the local area, you will surely be a good vassal king."

"what?"

Li Tai was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "May I ask, Uncle, what do you mean by this? Does Father intend to send me to my fiefdom as he sees fit?!"

"Why, you're still not happy?"

Li Xiaogong's face immediately darkened, and he said, "Even the Prince of Han knows that 'the prince guards the country's gate,' how come you haven't made any progress at all?"

"What prince guarding the country's gate?" Li Tai asked, looking completely bewildered.

Li Xiaogong slapped his forehead: "Oh right, you probably don't know yet, but Prince Li Ke of Han has already been granted his fiefdom. I heard that he even asked His Majesty for it himself, saying that a prince should guard the country's gate and protect the granaries of Sichuan and Chongqing for our Great Tang!"

"Ah? This"

Upon hearing this, Li Tai froze on the spot.

He never expected that Li Ke would actually take the initiative to request Li Shimin to grant him a title.

Is he crazy?

Didn't he know that once he went to his fiefdom, he would never have another chance?
Thinking of this, Li Tai seemed to snap out of his daze and immediately said to Li Xiaogong, "Uncle, I want to see my father!"

"No, I mean, what's wrong with your brain?"

Just as Li Xiaogong was about to lose his temper, he heard Li Tai say impatiently, "I want to go and get a fiefdom too!"

"What!?"

This time, it was Li Xiaogong's turn to be surprised.

For some reason, he had a vague feeling that he had made a big mistake.

On the other side, the imperial palace, Ganlu Hall.

"Your subject, Li Jing, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

"Hehe, General Li, no need for formalities."

Li Shimin smiled and gestured to Li Jing, then instructed a palace attendant to place a soft cushion for Li Jing.

After Li Jing was seated, he asked with a smile, "How was the battle? Was it enjoyable?"

"It was alright, but Jieli was defeated too quickly, it wasn't very satisfying!"

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin couldn't help but laugh heartily. Then, pointing at Li Jing with a smile, he said with a sigh, "You! There are probably very few people in the whole world who can give you such a satisfying experience!"

"but."

At this point, he changed the subject and asked with a smile, "Some time ago, an imperial censor impeached you for arbitrarily deploying troops and generals, suspecting you of treason. What do you think of that?"

"Ha, those censors, let them be."

"No!"

Before Li Jing could finish speaking, Li Shimin interrupted him with a smile: "General Li, you mustn't insult my imperial censors!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing couldn't help but look embarrassed.

But then Li Shimin laughed and said, "The strictest officials in the court are the censors. Even I find them difficult to deal with, so you should be even more careful."

"Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty."

Li Jing cupped his hands in greeting and said sincerely, "To be honest, Your Majesty, I believe the censor's impeachment is unreasonable. Your Majesty should know that Qikou is over a thousand miles from Chang'an. Jieli is currently on the run. If I were to request Your Majesty's permission, how much time would be wasted going back and forth?"

"As the saying goes, speed is of the essence in war, and opportunity must not be missed. I have no choice!"

"Yes, if Jieli had escaped and regrouped his forces, the situation would be very different today."

"but."

Li Jing pondered for a moment, then replied, "The Crown Prince contributed a great deal to our victory over Jieli this time, especially his Wolf Fang Guards."

"General Li, do you know Shi Wansui of the Sui Dynasty?"

Before Li Jing could finish speaking, Li Shimin interrupted him again: "Shi Wansui defeated Datou Khan and made great contributions, but Emperor Wen of Sui did not reward him and even beheaded him. So-called military law is military law. What do you think?"

"minister"

Li Jing opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

But Li Shimin continued, "I am not Yang Jian. I only remember your merits. You have made great contributions to the Tang Dynasty!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing was deeply moved, and then sighed, "If the censor impeaches me for violating military law, I will accept the punishment. At worst, this battle will be fought in vain, and I will atone for my crime with meritorious service. Is that alright?"

"Hahaha!"

Li Shimin laughed again, then shook his head and said with a smile, "No, I said I would remember your merits. Your battles will not be fought in vain, nor can they be fought in vain!"

"Then your Majesty means..."

"I will take care of this matter, don't worry. Now, tell me, has that thing been brought back?"

"Bring it back!"

"real?!"

Li Shimin suddenly stood up from the emperor's throne and stared straight at Li Jing.

But Li Jing smiled and nodded, then clapped his hands.

A woman dressed in plain clothes carrying a box walked in from outside.

Although the woman was not wearing any makeup, judging from her face and figure, she did not look like a woman in her sixties at all, but rather a mature woman in her thirties or forties.

"This sinful woman, Xiao, pays her respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty!"

"This"

When Li Shimin saw the woman, he was stunned for a moment, but he was quickly attracted by the box in her hand. He immediately took three steps forward and stroked the box with slight hesitation.

A moment later, he opened the box again, revealing a jade seal about four inches in diameter with five dragons intertwined on the top. "This is the Imperial Seal of the State?"

“Your Majesty can have someone examine it. Surely there are many learned scholars around Your Majesty who should know very well what the Imperial Seal of the State looks like. I, your humble servant, need not explain further.”

"Ok?"

Li Shimin paused for a moment, then looked deeply at the woman before picking up the imperial seal and examining it closely.

It is said that the Imperial Seal of the State was made by the First Emperor using the He Shi Bi jade. Li Si personally engraved the eight characters "Received the Mandate of Heaven, and May it be forever prosperous" on it. Later, when Wang Mang usurped the Han throne, he demanded the Imperial Seal of the State. In a fit of anger, Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun smashed a corner of the Imperial Seal of the State, which was then repaired with gold by Wang Mang.

The jade seal in Li Shimin's hand was exactly the same as the one in the legend, which made his heart pound. He gripped the jade seal tightly in his hand as if afraid that it would suddenly fly away. After a moment, he was somewhat dazed and ordered someone to bring ink to test the seal.

Back then, when they conquered Chang'an, they almost dug up the entire city for this jade seal, but in the end they still couldn't find it.

Therefore, even though the Tang Dynasty has been established for more than ten years, according to orthodox scholars, the Li family emperors are not legitimate and their rule is not in accordance with the law because they do not have the Imperial Seal.

Now, twelve years later, the Imperial Seal of the State has finally fallen into the hands of the Li Tang dynasty.

Do not!
To be precise, it fell into the hands of Li Er.

After all, what Old Li couldn't do, Li Er did.

Only Li Er deserves the eight characters "He received the mandate of Heaven and is blessed with eternal prosperity".

"call"

Li Shimin took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, and calmed his mind. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he immediately shouted, "Guards! Summon Xiao Yu, Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Yu Shinan, Kong Yingda, Chu Suiliang, Yan Shigu, and others to come to an audience!"

"promise!"

A voice responded from outside the door, and soon someone left.

But Li Shimin's gaze fell on the woman once again.

He simply said, "Raise your head!"

Upon hearing this, the woman did not hesitate at all and immediately raised her head to look directly at Li Shimin.

Although this was Li Shimin's first close encounter with Empress Xiao, he was still very curious about her, after all, Empress Xiao's life story was quite dramatic.

"Answer me, what do you want?" Li Shimin asked calmly and authoritatively.

Empress Xiao smiled faintly and said, "This sinful woman has no other wish but that Your Majesty, in consideration of the Imperial Seal you have presented, allow this sinful woman and her grandson to live out their remaining years in peace in the Tang Dynasty and end their wretched lives!"

"Ah!"

Li Shimin smiled, seemingly surprised that Empress Xiao's wishes were so simple.

If it were anyone else, Li Shimin might have thought the other party was being insincerely polite, but if it were Empress Xiao, Li Shimin thought it was perfectly normal.

After all, what this woman had experienced was truly indescribable; wealth and glory were nothing but fleeting clouds to her.

"In that case, I will grant your request and bestow upon you an old garden in Chang'an. As for your grandson Yang Zhengdao, I will appoint him as a Gentleman Attendant at the Palace Gate!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Empress Xiao bowed respectfully and was quickly led away by palace attendants.

After watching her leave, Li Shimin narrowed his eyes slightly and turned to Li Jing, asking, "What's your opinion on Princess Yicheng?"

"Stubborn and unyielding, he deserves to die!"

Li Jing summarized it simply in eight words.

Li Shimin calmly nodded and said, "Leave this matter to the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review!"

"Yes!"

Li Jing responded and stood up to leave.

At this moment, Li Shimin seemed to remember something and asked, "How is Zhang Ping?"

"Your Majesty, Zhang Ping has shown great bravery and made many contributions on the battlefield against the Turks. I believe he is a promising talent!" Li Jing replied, bowing.

Li Shimin frowned, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and then waved his hand, saying, "You may leave now!"

"promise!"

Li Jing agreed and withdrew.

Li Shimin picked up the Imperial Seal of the State again and examined it once more.

Although he was certain that Empress Xiao would not lie to him, he did not know whether Empress Xiao had been deceived.

After all, the Sui Dynasty was in chaos at the time, and she had been wandering for so long, so it was possible that the Imperial Seal of the State was switched.

Therefore, Li Shimin needed to find some well-known figures in cultural circles to conduct an inspection before he could feel at ease.

As time passed, Li Shimin's emotions reached their peak. He was filled with a complex mix of worry that the imperial seal was fake, yet also unsure if it was genuine, and how he should present it to the world.

It wasn't until he could no longer contain his emotions and urged them seven or eight times in a row that Xiao Yu and the others finally arrived at the main hall, panting heavily.

"Your humble servants pay their respects."

"Come on, enough talk, come and see if this thing is real!"

"what?"

The ministers stepped forward with puzzled expressions.

But then Li Shimin mysteriously dragged them to the table and pointed to the Imperial Seal of the State on it, saying, "It's this stone!"

"Stone?"

The ministers were stunned for a moment, then looked closely.

It would have been better if I hadn't looked; once I did, my eyes widened in disbelief.

"The Imperial Seal of the State?" Xiao Yu was a high-ranking official in the Sui Dynasty. After all, his sister was Empress Xiao, so he had naturally seen the Imperial Seal of the State. Thus, he was the first minister to recognize the Imperial Seal of the State, and his pupils shrank sharply, his face full of surprise.

The other officials were also shocked and speechless when they heard him say that it was the Imperial Seal of the State.

"How are things, my esteemed subjects?"

Li Shimin was very satisfied with the reactions of his ministers, because it was the first time he had seen the Imperial Seal of the State, and it was not much different from theirs. However, the more he saw it, the more worried he became that the Imperial Seal of the State was fake, so he couldn't wait to ask, "Is this Imperial Seal of the State real?"

"This"

Upon hearing this, the ministers exchanged glances, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Although Xiao Yu had seen the Imperial Seal of the State, he had not examined it closely. Judging from its appearance alone, it was absolutely identical to the Imperial Seal of the State.

However, for something so important, it's far from enough to just look at its appearance, since it's easy to imitate its shape.

Therefore, when Li Shimin eagerly inquired, he did not make the first judgment on the authenticity of the jade seal.

As for ministers such as Yu Shinan, Kong Yingda, and Chu Suiliang, although they had never seen the Imperial Seal of the State in person, they had read detailed descriptions of it in various historical records.

But Kong Yingda spoke first: "Your Majesty, I believe this imperial seal is genuine!"

"Oh?"

Li Shimin raised an eyebrow and asked, "How do you, Minister Kong, make this judgment?"

No, is that even a question?

You, an emperor, holding a jade seal that no one in the world has ever seen, what do you say it is, then it is what it is, isn't it?

Even if it's fake, who dares to say it's fake?
Kong Yingda rolled his eyes inwardly, but outwardly remained confident, saying, "I have read many historical records about the Imperial Seal of the State, and this one is very similar to the one in the records. Therefore, I believe it to be genuine!"

“But didn’t the Crown Prince say that it’s better to have no history books than to believe everything in them?” Li Shimin retorted.

Kong Yingda was so angry he was practically spitting out his nose. He thought to himself, "If you trust the Crown Prince so much, why don't you let him come and see for himself? What are you doing here? You won't believe me even if I tell you!"

"hehe."

Seeing that Kong Yingda was driven to despair by Li Shimin, Yu Shinan smiled and interjected, "Your Majesty, I believe that although historical records cannot be entirely trusted, they can be used for deduction. By deducing the history of the Imperial Seal of the State, we can distinguish its authenticity."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately became interested and asked, "How do you deduce this?"

Yu Shinan thought for a moment and said, "The Imperial Seal of the State was made by the First Emperor, and Li Si engraved the eight characters 'Received the Mandate of Heaven, and May it be eternally prosperous,' which I believe everyone knows. However, the Imperial Seal of the State was passed down from the end of the Jin Dynasty and was eventually obtained by the Shi family of the Later Zhao. This Shi family was very ingenious. Nineteen years after obtaining the seal, they added the four characters 'Heavenly Mandate of the Shi Family' to the right side. The seal that Your Majesty obtained also has these four characters engraved on it. Therefore, I also believe that this seal is genuine!"

"What do you, my esteemed ministers, think?"

Although Yu Shinan's words were reasonable and well-founded, Li Shimin was still somewhat hesitant and couldn't help but look at Xiao Yu, Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and others.

Xiao Yu and the others exchanged glances, and then Changsun Wuji spoke first:

"Your Majesty, I have noticed a trace of water stains in the seam of this imperial seal. It is said that the First Emperor once traveled to Dongting Lake and encountered a lake monster. He then threw the Imperial Seal into Dongting Lake to pray for divine protection. Later, someone presented the Imperial Seal to him, and from then on, the Imperial Seal returned to Qin."

"Therefore, I suspect that the scale on this jade seal is very likely scale from Dongting Lake!"

"Yes, it should be true!"

false!
That excuse is so damn fake!

Upon hearing Changsun Wuji's excuse, the officials immediately rolled their eyes.

As everyone knows, things with crevices can easily become filled with dust and form something similar to limescale if they are not wiped clean for a long time.

However, Li Shimin smiled broadly upon hearing Changsun Wuji's assessment, seemingly finding it quite reasonable. He then looked at Xiao Yu with a smile and asked, "What do you think, Minister Xiao?"

"Uh, this."

Xiao Yu hesitated for a moment, but quickly realized what was happening.

He figured it out: Li Er probably already knew the Imperial Seal was real, but just wanted his ministers to come up with a plausible reason so he could show off.

So he awkwardly laughed and said, "I also believe it to be true. It is said that back then..."

Soon, the courtiers fabricated various stories to prove that the Imperial Seal of the State was genuine, which made Li Er laugh heartily and almost grant a general amnesty.

Fortunately, Fang Xuanling and others persuaded him in time and suggested that he publish an announcement in the newspaper, which might have a better effect.

(End of this chapter)