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

Chapter 331 The King of Wei, who personally entered the game! He was driven out of Chang'an! [Seeking monthly votes]

"Father!"

When Li Tai heard that Li Chengqian wanted him to go to the front line, he was dumbfounded and couldn't help but look at Li Shimin.

Although under normal circumstances, even if he went to the front lines, he would not be able to charge into battle, but there is no one who can say for sure what will happen in an accident.

If the Tang army were suddenly attacked and he had an accident during the retreat, wouldn't he have died in vain?

It should be noted that even Li Shimin was shot in the left arm by a stray arrow when he was fighting against Wang Shichong. Later, when he personally led an expedition against the Eastern Turks, he was shot in the right shoulder. Even when he was pacifying Liu Wuzhou, his left leg was shot and almost crippled.

Moreover, a fat man like him with limited mobility would be a human target.

Therefore, Li Chengqian's suggestion was tantamount to taking his life.

But Li Shimin said with some displeasure, "What does the Crown Prince mean by this? How old is Qingque? How can he go to the battlefield?"

"Why not?"

Li Chengqian smiled and countered, "I went to the battlefield when I was even younger than him!"

"you!"

Li Shimin was taken aback, then said irritably, "How can you compare to Qingque? He hasn't received any training, while you at least had teachers to teach you martial arts since you were a child!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian was speechless, thinking to himself that he had not received any training when he went to the Shuofang battlefield.

As for learning martial arts, he only started learning after returning to Chang'an. How is that different from the chubby boy?

However, given Li Shimin's habit of making excuses for the chubby boy, he was too lazy to argue with Li Shimin any further.

Anyway, he was determined to take this opportunity to send the chubby boy away.

But then he sneered, "So, according to Father Emperor, Qingque plans to stay in Chang'an for the rest of her life and never go anywhere else?"

"What do you mean by that? Isn't he still young? What's wrong with him staying in Chang'an?"

"But according to the decree issued by Father Emperor, a prince must be enfeoffed in his fiefdom when he turns twelve. Qingque will be twelve in two months, right?"

"you!"

Li Shimin was once again speechless after Li Chengqian's retort, and couldn't help but turn to look at Fang Xuanling.

Fang Xuanling's expression changed immediately, thinking to himself, "Don't drag me into your father and son's affairs! I really don't want to get involved!"

"Left Minister, come and explain to the Crown Prince what my decree means?"

Although Fang Xuanling prayed that Li Shimin would not involve him in the affairs of him and his son, Li Shimin still dragged him into it.

After all, most of Li Shimin's decrees were issued by him.

Fang Xuanling, however, forced himself to explain: "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Majesty has indeed issued an edict regarding the enfeoffment of princes to their fiefdoms. However, to be enfeoffed as a prince to his fiefdom, two conditions must be met: one is that he must be at least twelve years old, and the other is that he must be granted special permission by the Emperor, and he will not be given an official position."

"As for His Highness Prince Wei, even if one of the conditions is met in two months, the other will not be met. Therefore, there is no need to go to the fiefdom to grant him the fiefdom."

Upon hearing this explanation, everyone, including Li Chengqian, gained a new understanding of Li Shimin's favoritism towards Prince Wei, Li Tai.

Li Tai, in particular, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that his father still loved him the most!

However, Li Chengqian did not agree with Fang Xuanling's explanation.

He declared righteously, "They are all sons, so why does Father Emperor favor one over the other? Is there something special about Prince Wei? Why does he deserve such honor?!"

"presumptuous!"

Li Shimin was finally angered by Li Chengqian: "This is not something you should be considering. I have my own arrangements!"

After saying this, Li Shimin prepared to leave.

But Li Chengqian suddenly stopped smiling and said coldly, "What if I insist on sending him to his fiefdom?"

"What did you say!?"

Li Shimin swept his gaze across them with an air of authority.

Changsun Wuji, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward, trying to smooth things over for the father and son.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, the matter of the Prince of Wei's enfeoffment requires further consideration. In my opinion, we should return to the palace to discuss it. What do you think?"

His meaning was very clear: family scandals should not be aired in public.

After all, there are so many ordinary people, students, civil and military officials, and foreign envoys here.

But Li Chengqian said nonchalantly, "Just now, the King of Wei kept denying that I was working for the country and the people. I want to see how the King of Wei is working for the country and the people."

"Moreover, the King of Wei has already completed the Guanzhong chapter of the 'Kuodi Zhi' (Records of the Land), and it's time to go out and see the outside world and compile the remaining two volumes!"

"No, even if I were to compile the remaining two volumes, I wouldn't need to leave Chang'an!" Li Tai panicked and hurriedly explained, "I've already collected all the materials from outside Guanzhong. I just need to integrate them to compile the book."

"Qingque!"

Before Li Tai could finish speaking, Li Chengqian interrupted him sharply: "Aren't you the wise prince of our Great Tang? Don't you want to study politics? Isn't it good to govern a region well for the Great Tang?"

"I"

Li Tai's face turned pale, and he was speechless for a moment.

Zhang Wenguan, standing beside him, frowned, then stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, serving the country and its people doesn't necessarily require going to remote areas. Even in Chang'an, the Prince of Wei can do many things that benefit the country and its people!"

"Oh? Then, Scholar Yang, please elaborate. What can the King of Wei do in Chang'an that would benefit the country and its people?" Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow, somewhat amused.

"this."

Zhang Wenguan hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Li Tai.

Li Tai, as if summoning his courage, said, "Even if I don't know how to serve the country and its people for the time being, I can enter the cabinet and learn from the court officials!"

"what!"

Li Chengqian laughed, then said, "What a clever scheme! Neither I nor my father are in Chang'an, and you, a mere prince, have entered the cabinet. What, do you intend to usurp the throne?"

Boom!

As soon as this statement came out, the whole audience was shocked!

Even Li Shimin was shocked by these words.

Yes!

With neither the emperor nor the crown prince in the capital, how could a prince like him enter the cabinet and participate in important court affairs?
Could this kid really have ulterior motives?
That shouldn't be the case. He has always been well-behaved and sensible, and devoted to his studies. How could he have such ambitions?

Clearly, Li Shimin did not believe that Li Tai would dare to usurp the throne!
However, Li Chengqian's words did indeed serve as a wake-up call for him, making him somewhat hesitant about Li Tai's entry into the cabinet.

Li Tai's face turned ashen, and he immediately retorted to Li Chengqian, "You're talking nonsense! I just want to go in and learn how to handle political affairs so that I can serve the country and its people!"

After saying this, he quickly assured Li Shimin, "Father, I have no other ill intentions. Please see the truth!"

"Ha, you say you want to learn how to handle politics? Who would believe that?"

Li Chengqian sneered, "You're building literary academies, recruiting talent, and training warriors in your residence. What others know is that you, the Prince of Wei, cherish talent; what others don't know is that you, the Prince of Wei, have ulterior motives."

"enough!"

Before Li Chengqian could finish speaking, Li Shimin interrupted him in a fit of rage.

Even though Li Shimin had some doubts about Li Tai's motives, Li Chengqian's constant accusations against Li Tai still made Li Shimin very unhappy.

After all, Sima Zhao was a person despised by the world, how could he be compared to his son?

Even if those present did not believe that Li Tai harbored any ill intentions like Sima Zhao, comparing Li Tai to Sima Zhao would still be a disgraceful matter.

But then he said in an icy tone, "I am the Emperor of the Great Tang! Family matters are state matters. I will make this clear right here today to avoid further trouble!"

After he finished speaking, he looked around at everyone and said, "To be honest, the Prince of Wei is my favorite son. I don't want him to suffer, so I don't want him to be sent to his fiefdom. I want him to stay by my side and keep me company!"

"I believe that all parents in the world understand my feelings. Confucius said: 'While your parents are alive, do not travel far; if you must travel, tell them your destination.' This means that while your parents are alive, you should not travel far, and if you must travel far, you should tell them your destination. As parents, isn't it only natural that they want their children to stay by their side?"

At this moment, Li Shimin fully demonstrated his love for his children.

For emperors, the lofty and unapproachable status of being called "the lonely one" seems to preclude them from having much affection. However, in Li Shimin's case, his love for his children was truly unparalleled.

This is why many people say that he was a qualified emperor, but a failure as a father.

Because of his excessive pampering, almost all of his children were spoiled and ruined.

But his words left everyone present speechless with emotion.

As everyone fell silent, Li Shimin looked helplessly at the two brothers, Li Chengqian and Li Tai, and said, "I am the emperor. I gave you the status of imperial nobles, the power and treatment second only to me, and the wealth and honor that you will never lose for hundreds of years. Is this how you repay me?"

"Yes, I have set a bad precedent, but as the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, my first priority is the well-being of the Tang Dynasty. Only from my position can you know what it means to be alone and helpless, and what it means to have no other choice!"

"However, what's the use of me telling you these things?"

"I only hope that you brothers will live in harmony and not repeat my mistakes."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin couldn't help but burst into tears, moving everyone present to tears.

"His Majesty."

Upon seeing this, Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and the others immediately shouted, "Long live the Tang Dynasty!"

"May the Tang Dynasty last ten thousand years!"

The surrounding people and students also chimed in.

This completely stumped Li Chengqian.

As expected, he underestimated Li Shimin's affection for Li Tai.

"Alright, let's leave it at that for today. As long as our Great Tang unites as one, there is no difficulty we cannot overcome."

"Father!"

After calming himself down, Li Shimin prepared to end this farce.

But Li Tai refused to accept it.

Because of what had just happened, he also felt Li Shimin's favor towards him.

Given this, how could he possibly tolerate Li Chengqian's repeated suppression of him?

If he tolerates this today, how will he ever recruit talented people from all over the world again? If he doesn't retaliate against Li Chengqian, he'll probably never be able to hold his head high in front of Li Chengqian again!

After all, Li Chengqian had even pinned the accusation of "Sima Zhao's ambitions" on him. Forget about entering the cabinet; he would probably have to be extremely cautious and walk on thin ice in Chang'an from now on.

How could he possibly tolerate that?

Therefore, he felt it necessary to take advantage of Li Shimin's deep affection for him and retaliate against Li Chengqian.

Even if they couldn't remove Li Chengqian from the position of crown prince, they still wanted to make Li Shimin completely despise Li Chengqian and even be wary of him forever.

"What's the matter?"

Li Shimin frowned and looked at Li Tai.

Although he did like his son, he did not want Li Tai to cause trouble again at this time.

Li Tai looked conflicted and said, "Your subject has something to say, but I'm not sure if I should."

If you're unsure whether you should say something, then don't say it!

Li Shimin interrupted him irritably, then strode towards the carriage.

"Oh, Father, I haven't finished speaking yet."

Seeing that Li Shimin was leaving so abruptly, Li Tai became anxious: "Your Majesty, I have something here that concerns the Crown Prince's origins!"

"What did you say!?"

Li Shimin paused and immediately looked in the direction of the sound.

The people around him also looked at Li Tai with surprise.

What's going on?
The Crown Prince's background?
Could it be that the Crown Prince isn't His Majesty's biological son? How could that be!?
Seemingly sensing everyone's thoughts, Changsun Wuji decisively stepped forward and rebuked Li Tai, saying, "Prince Wei, watch your words! The Crown Prince is the eldest legitimate son of Empress Changsun and His Majesty! What questions could there possibly be about his birth?!"

"Uncle has misunderstood!"

Li Tai explained with a smile, "I'm not saying that the Crown Prince isn't my father and mother's biological son. It's just that I recently heard a rumor that the Crown Prince seems to be possessed by an evil spirit, which is why he's displaying abilities that are not those of ordinary people!"

Wow!
The whole place was in an uproar!

It seems no one expected that Li Tai would reveal such a shocking secret.

Good guy!
One said the other had ulterior motives, while the other said the other was possessed by an evil spirit!
These two brothers are really evenly matched!
The Li Tang royal family is quite surreal; all sorts of bizarre things happen!

"You unfilial children! You are all unfilial children!"

Li Shimin, who was already on edge after hearing the news, was now completely on the verge of losing his composure.

I thought to myself, what terrible things have I done?!
Why is it that none of my sons are easy to deal with?

why!
Why is this happening?!
At this moment, Li Shimin wished he could unleash a massacre.

Killing brothers is killing, killing sons is also killing, so might as well kill them all.

Anyway, I, Li Shimin, already have enough bad karma to carry, so one more won't make a difference.

"Where is my sword?!"

Li Shimin couldn't help but roar, and everyone around him trembled.

"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down!"

Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji, Yuchi Gong, and Cheng Yaojin all knelt down and stepped forward to comfort Li Shimin.

Seeing that the ministers were in such a state of panic and fear, the others around them also panicked and knelt down, shouting, "Your Majesty, please calm down!"

But the more this happened, the more Li Shimin felt a surge of anger that he couldn't vent.

"Evil spirits, is that it? You're plotting something too? Very well, I'll give you justice today!"

"Today I will see if this world truly belongs to me, Li Shimin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he gave Li Tai a cold look; "Produce your evidence! If you have no evidence, I will punish you severely!"

"this."

To be honest, Li Tai was a little scared at this moment.

Because he didn't expect Li Shimin to be so angry.

But when he subtly glanced at Zhang Wenguan, the latter also subtly gave him an affirming look.

Although this move, by personally getting involved, would make Li Shimin deeply resent the conflict between the brothers, if successful, even if it only increased Li Shimin's suspicions, it would make things difficult for Li Chengqian in the future.

In this way, he would have no worries about not having a chance to replace Li Chengqian.

"Your Majesty, I have evidence!"

After exchanging a glance with Zhang Wenguan, Li Tai quickly made up his mind.

"Since you have evidence, then show it to me!"

"Yes!"

Li Tai respectfully responded, then turned to look at Su Xu behind him.

Su Xu immediately understood and ran to a carriage. Soon after, he came to Li Tai's side carrying a box.

Li Tai slowly opened the box, took out a scroll, and handed it to Li Shimin while saying to himself:
“Father, this was given to me by a wise man. At first, I didn’t believe it, but after what just happened, the more I think about it, the more unbelievable it seems. The Crown Prince and I grew up together. Even though he is two years older than me, he didn’t have any outstanding qualities before he was eight years old. But in recent years, the Crown Prince seems to have become a different person, making me really unsure whether he is the older brother I know.”

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin frowned deeply, but he did not refuse the scroll presented by Li Tai. Instead, he slowly picked up the scroll and unfolded it to examine it.

It would have been better if he hadn't looked. As soon as he did, his pupils contracted sharply, and then he swept a cold glance at Li Chengqian, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

Although he had suspected Li Chengqian more than once, he had never been so shocked as this time.

This scroll clearly and explicitly provides detailed evidence, based on physiognomy, bone-weight analysis, and celestial phenomena, of the changes in Li Chengqian before and after the age of eight.

So much so that the murderous intent emanating from him frightened even the ministers around him, causing them to take a half-step back.

"Chengqian, are you my Chengqian?"

Li Shimin took a deep breath and asked in an icy tone.

Li Chengqian calmly retorted, "Does Father think I am not?"

"Now I am asking you, are you my Chengqian?"

"No! I am the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty!"

"you!"

Li Shimin was momentarily speechless, then rushed to his side, shoved the scroll into his hand, and shouted sternly, "Take a good look at this yourself! How long can you keep this from me?!"

"Ah!"

Li Chengqian laughed, but his laughter was very eerie.

But then he said in a low voice, "If these so-called masters really have something on me, they should come and subdue this evil spirit of mine, instead of secretly bewitching Qingque and spreading heresies!"

After saying this, he did not take the scroll from Li Shimin's hand, but walked slowly to Li Tai's side and said coldly, "Originally, I planned to deal with you after I returned from the expedition, but since you have jumped out again and again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"You, what are you going to do!?"

Li Tai's face turned pale, and he subconsciously took half a step back.

Clearly, he did not expect Li Chengqian to dare to attack him in front of Li Shimin.

Li Chengqian sneered again, "What? Didn't you say I'm an evil spirit? Evil spirits are bound to harm people!"

"Now, as the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, I hereby banish you from Chang'an. From this day forward, without my decree, you shall not set foot in Chang'an even once!"

“Why do you do that?!”

Li Tai was furious and immediately turned to Li Shimin: "Father! Are you really going to condone this evil spirit? He's not my elder brother at all! He's possessed by an evil spirit."

"Snapped!"

Before Li Tai could finish speaking, Li Chengqian slapped him across the face, exuding domineering arrogance, and said, "What elder brother? You should call him Crown Prince elder brother!"

"you"

Li Tai was completely bewildered after being hit, and subconsciously looked at Zhang Wenguan.

After Li Chengqian slapped Li Tai, he whispered to him, "I'll let you in on a secret: Zhang Wenguan is actually one of my men. You've been tricked."

Boom! ! !

Li Tai felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his head was buzzing.

Li Chengqian kicked him two meters away again!

"what!"

Li Tai fell to the ground, screaming in agony.

Li Chengqian then sternly rebuked him: "The eldest brother is like a father! You do not respect your father's authority, which is unfilial. The crown prince is the most respected, and you do not respect the relationship between ruler and subject, which is disloyal. Brothers are bound by blood, yet you frame your brother, which is unrighteous and unkind. How can someone as disloyal, unfilial, unkind, and unrighteous as you have the face to live in this world?"

After saying this, he prepared to go forward and give Li Tai a good beating.

At this moment, Li Shimin roared angrily, "Stop—!"

"Alright, I understand!"

Li Chengqian waved his hand impatiently, then looked around at everyone present and said coldly, "If any of you suspect that I am an evil spirit, then come and subdue me!"

"If you can't take me in, then wash your neck clean and wait for me!"

"I'm going to take you all in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and said, "Guards! Send the King of Wei to his fiefdom!"

Wow!
A group of Imperial Guards filed out, grabbed Li Tai, and ran.

The speed is jaw-dropping.

(End of this chapter)