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

Chapter 290 This is absolutely the Crown Prince's revenge! [Requesting monthly votes]

On his way out of the palace, Li Chengqian thought about many things, especially what had happened recently.

And Li Er's change in mindset led him to a very important conclusion.

That is, Li Er's patience with him is gradually disappearing.

The problem now is that he has embarked on a path he must take, and even if it means a complete break with Li Er in the end, he will persevere to the end.

Therefore, when it came to the matter of military reform, he had actually seen through Li Er's ideas, but he still accepted Li Er's task.

Because military reform is important not only to Li Er, but also to him.

There's a saying: "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."

And the army is the barrel of a gun.

If a person in power cannot control the army, his fate is predictable.

Of course, even if Li Chengqian helped Li Er reform the army, he still wouldn't be able to obtain military power. But just because he can't obtain it now doesn't mean he can't obtain it in the future.

Back then, if Li Er hadn't proclaimed "I want to control all the armies in the land" in front of Li Yuan, wouldn't he have failed to obtain it?
So there's no need to worry about this; it's bound to happen sooner or later.

"Sigh, now it all depends on whether General Li Jing will cooperate. I hope that, as Zhang Ping brought, Li Jing and his wife also need my help. Otherwise, things will be difficult."

With a sigh, Li Chengqian rested his hand on the back of his head and lay back to take a nap. Suddenly, he heard Lai Fu, who was driving the carriage, say, "Your Highness, when I was waiting for you outside the palace, I ran into that eunuch named Gao Yao. He has now been transferred to Lizheng Palace to serve the Empress. Did you know that?"

"Gaoyao?"

Li Chengqian, who was just about to close his eyes, suddenly opened them and asked in confusion, "Who is it?"

"Your Highness, don't you remember? It's the eunuch His Majesty sent to summon you to pray for rain when we were in Jiangling. He's said to be a confidant of Wu She, the Director of the Inner Palace Secretariat!"

"Oh, I remember now, it's him!"

Li Chengqian nodded in realization, then asked, "What, do you think there's something wrong with him?"

"No, this servant didn't see anything wrong with him. I just ran into him outside the palace. According to him, the Empress sent him to pick someone up outside the palace."

Lai Fu paused here, drawing out a long syllable, and added thoughtfully, "It seems to be the daughters of several officials."

"What's wrong with that? Doesn't my mother often meet with the daughters of officials?"

Li Chengqian pursed his lips, somewhat speechless, and was about to continue his nap without a care in the world, when suddenly he remembered something and quickly straightened his posture: "What did you say?! Which officials' daughters did my mother meet?!"

"Uh, well, this servant doesn't know either. We were at the palace gate at the time, and it wasn't convenient for this servant to talk to him much. If Your Highness wants to know, this servant will send someone to investigate immediately."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Forget it, never mind. My younger sister said she would help me, and I trust her!"

"Alright, shall we head straight back to the manor now, or..."

"Instead of going straight back to the manor, let's go to the Prince of Yue's manor first!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Laifu was startled and almost instinctively pulled the carriage to a stop.

Because he never expected that Li Chengqian would go to Li Tai at this time.

It should be noted that ever since Li Tai was exposed at the Double Ninth Festival banquet for being suspected of plotting against the Crown Prince, Li Chengqian has not spoken a single word to him.

Even though Li Tai requested to be imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, Li Chengqian never visited him once. Now, Li Chengqian suddenly wants to see Li Tai, which seems rather strange.

Has something happened between His Majesty and the Crown Prince again?

Or is it that the Crown Prince is finally planning to take action against the King of Yue?

Just as Lai Fu was racking his brains, Li Chengqian suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Let's go buy something from the roadside later. After all, my younger brother just moved to a new residence, and as the older brother, I should give him something, just like when I moved to the Crown Prince's residence, he came to congratulate me."

"Uh, what exactly does His Highness mean by 'just buying something'?"

"Just buy whatever's available on the street, do I need to teach you that?"

"No, Your Highness, there's only one stinky tofu stall by the roadside."

"Then let's buy a few packs of stinky tofu!"

"what?"

"What are you 'ah' about! Go now!"

Meanwhile, deep within a natural cave in the Zhongnan Mountains.

Countless torches, soaked in pine resin, lit up every corner of the cave, illuminating the once dark and damp cave as bright as day.

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

Accompanied by the sound of fine iron being struck, a group of bare-chested craftsmen came into view.

They kept striking the iron objects on the iron pillow, sending sparks flying everywhere.

Each strike was delivered with remarkable precision, making it easy to guess that these craftsmen were far more skilled than ordinary craftsmen.

Just then, an old blacksmith suddenly stopped working, and the sound of falling stones came from outside the cave.

The craftsmen held their breath instantly, and the torchlight cast trembling snake-like patterns on the ironware.

They knew exactly what had happened, so they dared not make a sound until a familiar yet cold voice echoed from inside the cave: "The defector has been dealt with. Resume work!"

Upon hearing this sound, the craftsmen breathed a sigh of relief, yet their eyes were filled with sorrow.

Ever since they were captured by this group of people of unknown origin and brought to the cave, they have been working day and night to forge weapons for them.

Although they didn't know what the weapon was for, its unique design made them feel that it was something special.

At that moment, a supervisor in charge of them hurriedly came out from a passage deep in the cave, and soon welcomed in a young man in black.

The young man in black glanced at them coldly before following the overseer slowly into the depths of the cave.

"Lord Wu, why have you come in person? If you have any instructions, just let me know!" the foreman said with a smile to Wu Bing.

Wu Bing glanced at him coldly and said indifferently, "Have you successfully copied all the weapons I asked you to make?"

"It's a perfect replica, guaranteed to be exactly the same!"

The foreman nodded repeatedly, then turned and walked to a box, opened it, took out a musket, and handed it to Wu Bing, saying, "Lord Wu, do you think it's exactly the same?"

"Um"

Wu Bing took the musket, examined it carefully, but couldn't see anything different. He then said to the foreman, "Bring out the muskets from the Musketeers, so I can compare them again!"

"no problem!"

The foreman readily agreed and immediately went to another box, took out the musket from the Musketeer, and handed it to the soldier.

The soldier picked up the two muskets, first adjusting their weight, then carefully compared every detail, even examining the inside of the barrels with a bronze mirror. Finding no difference, he smiled with satisfaction and nodded, saying, "You did a good job!"

"Hehe, thank you for the compliment, Lord Wu!"

The foreman smiled modestly, then heard the soldier ask, "How many of these muskets can you make in a day?"

"this."

The foreman estimated for a moment and said, "At the current pace, we can probably make about five of these muskets a day!"

"Only five strokes?"

Wu Bing's face immediately darkened.

The foreman was startled and quickly held up three fingers, saying, "That's a conservative estimate. If we work day and night, it could at least triple in value!"

"Even at three times the odds, it's only fifteen strokes!"

Wu Bing's face darkened even more.

But the foreman looked troubled and said, "Treating it three times is already the limit."

"Then I don't care!"

Before the overseer could finish speaking, the soldier interrupted him coldly, saying, "According to the garrison commander's orders, five thousand muskets must be manufactured before June, otherwise, you, me, and all the craftsmen outside will die!"

"what!"

The foreman turned pale with fright and exclaimed, "Lord Wu, how is this possible! You have no idea how difficult it is to make these muskets. We only have less than sixty craftsmen. How could we possibly have made five thousand muskets before June!"

"Hmph! That's your problem, not mine. If you think there aren't enough craftsmen, I can send people to rob or kidnap them for you, but not a single one of the five thousand muskets can be missing!"

"But."

"Alright, I want to see a test shot now. Arrange for someone to test the gun immediately!"

Before the supervisor could speak again, Wu Bing interrupted him without any room for argument.

With no other option, he could only arrange for the craftsmen to test the guns, his face full of worry.

Soon, a man who had witnessed the musketeers firing came up to the soldier and respectfully saluted, saying, "Sir, please give me the musket you are holding!"

"Ok!"

Wu Bing gave a nonchalant reply and handed him the musket.

He loaded the gunpowder and the bullets one by one, then raised his gun and aimed at the target fifty meters away, as if he were possessed by a musketeer.

"shot!"

At the soldier's command, the man pulled the trigger without a word. "Bang!"

Just heard a loud noise.

Immediately afterwards, a sound of "Ah!" made Wu Bing's eyelids twitch.

He never expected that such a thing could happen when the muskets were exactly the same as those of the Musketeers, and even the gunpowder was stolen from the Musketeers' storeroom.

Before even hitting the target, they've already blown up their own men?

"Liu Si! What exactly is going on? I need an explanation!"

"Ah? This"

The foreman, Liu Si, was also completely bewildered, because he only cared about having the craftsmen imitate the muskets, without caring whether the muskets could actually be fired.

Today was also the first time he had someone test-fire a gun.

"Lord Wu, I...I...I don't know!"

"Useless! Try again!"

The soldier roared angrily.

Soon, Liu Si arranged for other people to test the gun, and without exception, they all exploded.

"Ahhh-"

Screams came and went.

Meanwhile, at the Yue King's Palace.

Through Su Xu's introduction, Li Taizheng got to know the sons of officials who came to Chang'an from all walks of life.

These people were summoned to Li Tai's residence either because of their family's influence or because of their own talents, with the intention of befriending them and expanding his own influence.

Li Tai knew that in this game of power, connections were one of the most important resources.

Su Xu introduced each of the young men to Li Tai, and whenever he introduced a young man with a good background or who was exceptionally talented, Li Tai would smile and nod, showing great interest and enthusiasm.

His words were gentle yet powerful, like a spring breeze, making one feel as if all unpleasantness had vanished with the wind.

However, beneath this seemingly harmonious atmosphere, Li Tai harbored a lingering worry.

He knew that he had been alienated by Li Shimin because of what happened at the Double Ninth Festival banquet that night, and the position of crown prince was even more out of reach.

But he was unwilling to accept it, truly unwilling to accept it.

"Your Highness, this is Liu Yuan, the eldest son of Liu Xu, the governor of Yangzhou. He is also a famous scholar in Jiangnan, and his poems and essays are widely circulated in the Jiangnan area."

Su Xu's voice interrupted Li Tai's thoughts, and he turned his gaze to the young man beside Su Xu.

"Oh? So you are Young Master Liu? I've heard so much about you."

Li Tai quickly got up to greet him and exchanged pleasantries with Liu Yuan.

He knew that recruiting such talent would greatly benefit his future.

For a time, the Yue King's Mansion was filled with laughter and joy, and the atmosphere was harmonious.

However, behind this joy lies an unseen undercurrent.

In Li Tai's heart, the dream of power was quietly growing. He vowed that no matter the cost, he would take back what was rightfully his.

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats broke the tranquility outside the mansion.

A guard rushed into the mansion, knelt before Li Tai, and said breathlessly, "Your Highness, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.

Everyone turned their gaze to Li Tai, whose expression instantly became complex and difficult to decipher.

Li Tai pondered to himself, what could be the purpose of Li Chengqian's visit at this time?
Was it because of what happened at the Double Ninth Festival banquet that night? Or...?
Regardless of the circumstances, Li Chengqian was still the Crown Prince, and even if he was unwilling, he still had to go to greet him.

He quickly composed himself, got up, and went out to greet them.

Upon arriving at the gate, they saw Li Chengqian, dressed in fine clothes, standing outside with a smile on his face.

Behind him followed a servant carrying a gift box.

"Brother Crown Prince, what brings you here?" Li Tai asked, feigning surprise.

Li Chengqian smiled slightly and said, "What, doesn't Qingque welcome me? I heard you recently moved to a new residence, so I came here to offer my congratulations."

Upon hearing this, Li Tai was secretly on guard, but he remained outwardly calm and said, "I am naturally delighted that my elder brother, the Crown Prince, has come. Please come in and have a seat."

The two walked into the mansion as they talked. Li Chengqian looked around and couldn't help but joke:
"This Prince Yue's residence looks rather simple. Why didn't Father Emperor grant you a better mansion? It should at least be more impressive than my Crown Prince's residence!"

Li Tai, unaware of Li Chengqian's true intentions, hurriedly bowed respectfully and said, "How dare I! Qingque knows she has made a grave mistake and dares not harbor any further hopes."

"Hey, we're all brothers, I trust you, don't overthink it!"

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness."

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Chengqian was ushered into the living room by Li Tai.

"We, your humble servants, pay our respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

As soon as Li Chengqian stepped into the living room, the sons of officials hurriedly bowed to him.

"Ok?"

Li Chengqian was taken aback for a moment, then looked at Li Tai with some doubt and said, "Is Qingque hosting a banquet? Did I come at the wrong time?"

"No, no, you're joking, brother!"

Li Tai quickly waved his hand, then introduced with an embarrassed smile: "These are all talented individuals who came to participate in the imperial examination. They came here after learning that I am involved in compiling the 'Zhenguan Encyclopedia', and they wanted to exchange ideas with me on literary matters!"

After saying this, she couldn't help but steal a glance at Li Chengqian. Seeing that Li Chengqian had no other expression, she said self-deprecatingly, "My elder brother, the Crown Prince, should also know that I have no other skills; I just like reading, so..."

"I understand, I understand."

Li Chengqian nodded as if he suddenly understood, then looked around at the group of officials' sons with a forced smile and said, "I hope you all achieve good results in this imperial examination!"

"Thank you, Your Highness."

The sons of officials exchanged glances and quickly bowed again.

But then a son of an official spoke up, saying, "Your Highness, you may not know this, but we have come to participate in the imperial examinations in response to your call, hoping to serve the country."

"Yes, Your Highness, your words, 'Those who offend our Great Tang, though far away, shall be punished,' have always been hanging by my bedside, inspiring me to strive for excellence!"

"Your Highness, I've heard so much about you."

Hearing the sons of officials eagerly trying to strike up a conversation with Li Chengqian.

Li Tai sensed something was wrong and quickly interjected, "May I ask what brings you here today, Your Highness?"

"Nothing much, I just heard you moved to a new residence, so I came to check on you and also to let you know that the Academy of Sciences opens at the end of the month, remember to come!"

Li Chengqian casually remarked, then suddenly seemed to remember something, turned around, took the gift box from Lai Fu's hand, and handed it to Li Tai, saying, "This is a small token of my appreciation, little brother, please don't find it offensive!"

"Not at all, not at all. It is my honor that my elder brother, the Crown Prince, has come to my residence!"

Li Tai waved his hand repeatedly.

Although he didn't know what was in the gift box, a strange feeling arose in his heart. He wondered to himself, "When did Li Chengqian become so brotherly and respectful?"

Could it be that he took the wrong medicine?
"Alright, I have something to do, so I won't stay here any longer. You guys have fun, and you must come to the Academy of Sciences' opening ceremony!"

Before Li Tai could react, Li Chengqian shoved the gift box into Li Tai's hand, then turned and left with Laifu.

"No, Crown Prince."

Li Tai realized what was happening and tried to call out to Li Chengqian, but Su Xu grabbed his sleeve. Only after Li Chengqian and Lai Fu disappeared from sight did he look at Su Xu with a strange expression: "Minister Su, this..."

"Your Highness, there's no need for further words. Let's take a look at the gifts the Crown Prince has sent!"

Su Xu interrupted Li Tai before he could say anything, and then looked at the gift box that Li Chengqian had brought with a solemn expression.

Li Tai hesitated slightly, then looked around at the group of officials' sons. He knew that Li Chengqian's visit was no accident and that he must have some ulterior motive.

So he carefully placed the gift box on the table and asked the official's son named Liu Yuan to open it for him.

The official's son named Liu Yuan thought it was something good and immediately opened the gift box with great excitement.

"This is."

Liu Yuan's eyes widened when he saw what was inside the gift box.

At the same time, an indescribable stench filled the entire living room.

"Holy crap! It stinks!"

"Ugh! What is this filthy stuff?! It stinks!"

As the sons of officials pinched their noses and complained, Li Tai and Su Xu were also driven out of the living room by the stench and began to gag while leaning against a pillar.

At the same time, their faces turned ashen.

This is clearly revenge!

This is absolutely Crown Prince Li Chengqian's revenge!!
(End of this chapter)