Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 194 Another Rebellion?
But do they have a choice?
"I will obey your orders!"

Yuwen Shiji set an example, and the Guanzhong region members all bowed their heads.

Then came the gentry.

"In that case, on behalf of all the people of the world, I thank you, my lords."

Li Shimin laughed heartily, seemingly oblivious to the sorrowful faces of those below.

The smile on his face never faded.

Even during meals, he unusually ordered a plate of grilled beef, specifically for Wen He.

"Jiaying, you've worked hard today. Eat more. A man should not be weak. He should stand tall and upright. In the future, he should be able to fight on horseback and govern the world on foot."

Although Empress Zhangsun did not know the specifics of what had happened, she had heard some news.

The fact that her second son was so happy meant that things were going very smoothly.

Wen He glanced at the beef in front of her, and said with a bitter face, "Your Majesty, your expectations of me are too high. I just want to be able to sleep for five hours a day from now on."

"You're such a jerk!"

Li Shimin glared at him irritably.

Empress Zhangsun covered her mouth and chuckled.

At this moment, the little girl Li Lizhi suddenly ran from her seat to Wen He's side, blinking and pointing at the plate of beef with a smile.

"I want to eat."

She muttered something under her breath, then stared intently into Wen He's eyes.

"Just a little." She held up one finger.

Then he timidly looked towards Changsun Wugou, who was not far away.

Without hesitation, Wen He pushed the beef in front of her towards her and whispered, "I have some at home."

He raised an eyebrow slightly after saying that, and the little girl immediately said happily, "Then I want to go play with Xiaorou."

She thought that no one else knew what she was thinking.

But this clumsy lie couldn't possibly fool the Queen.

"Fifth Sister, be careful of indigestion," Empress Dowager Changsun reminded her helplessly.

She used to be pampered by Erlang, and now there's Wen He too. I wonder if this girl will be spoiled in the future.

These past few days she has noticed that her second son has become increasingly strict with his daughters, even hiring etiquette tutors when they are three or four years old, but he is lenient with his fifth daughter.

She was also worried that if things continued this way, Li Lizhi would become the target of public criticism.

Fortunately, Li Lizhi doesn't live in the Princess Palace much these days; she either lives in her own palace or goes to Wen He's house.

But when they grow up a bit, they can't be so willful anymore.

After the meal, Wen He planned to take her leave from Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun, and also took some snacks from the palace to bring back to Wenrou.

Just as he finished speaking, a palace attendant rushed in from outside.

At Li Shimin's signal, Gao Yue walked over. The eunuch whispered something in his ear, and Gao Yue was immediately surprised. He quickly went to Li Shimin's side.

"Xu Jingzong is back?"

Li Shimin frowned, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

But he quickly relaxed his brows, concealing his anger, and spoke to Wen He as if nothing had happened.

"The investigation into the water conservancy matter that I sent Xu Jingzong has already yielded results. He's returning to the Hundred Cavalry, so you should go there."

Send Xu Jingzong to investigate water conservancy?
Wasn't he supposed to go to Youzhou to arrest people?

Wen He was puzzled, but then noticed that Empress Zhangsun, Li Chengqian, and Li Lizhi were there, and immediately understood Li Shimin's thoughts.

He didn't want them to worry about this awful mess.

Upon hearing this, Wen He said helplessly, "Your Majesty, there are specialized people to handle water conservancy matters. I am already very tired from dealing with those people today."

He genuinely didn't want to go.

That's treason!

Wang Junkuo must have died on the way, but what about Li Yuan and the officials of Yuanzhou?

It must be bloody.

He had just finished eating and was afraid he would throw up if he saw that scene.

"You lazy bum, if you continue to be so lazy, I'll hang you..."

"Hanging it in Wanchun Palace? Fine, I'll go there. But Your Majesty, let me make this clear first: I know absolutely nothing about 'water conservancy' matters."

Wen He reminded him. Let him go, but don't expect him to interfere in this matter.

"roll!"

Li Shimin picked up the wine cup on the table and smashed it over.

Wen He dodged, causing the wine cup to miss its target.

He's become much stronger and more agile since he started practicing martial arts.

He waved goodbye to Li Chengqian and Li Lizhi and left in a carefree manner.

Looking at his retreating figure, Li Shimin felt both amused and exasperated.

"That brat, we need to find him more things to do in the future."

"Your Majesty, Jiaying is only ten years old this year," Empress Zhangsun reminded him, worried that Li Shimin was anxious.

The latter was taken aback and couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, he's only ten years old."

After saying that, he turned to look at Li Chengqian.

The latter noticed his gaze and stiffened, thinking he had done something wrong.

Li Shimin didn't pay attention to his appearance and spoke softly.

"With your husband's temperament, you'll be in trouble in the future. But remember, don't force him. This brat is impulsive. If you treat him well, he'll treat you a hundred times better."

"He's also unambitious."

Speaking of Wen He, he couldn't help but think of Changsun Wuji.

This was his brother-in-law, who had once been both his mentor and friend.

Hopefully, history will not repeat itself in the future.

However, Changsun Wuji did a very satisfactory job today.

……

On the other side, after leaving Wanchun Hall, Wen He headed straight for Wude Gate.

When he arrived, he saw a group of 100 dusty-looking horsemen and several prison carts at the gate.

"Xiao Langjun!"

Upon seeing Wen He, the hundred riders all bowed in salute.

"Brothers, you've worked hard. I'll have the kitchen prepare some mutton for you later. Huang Zhongguan will pay for it."

Wen He waved to them and made a funny joke.

Everyone smiled knowingly.

Just then, Huang Chun and Xu Jingzong arrived.

Upon hearing this, the former wore a bitter expression. Seeing that all the riders were looking at him, he could only reluctantly agree.

There was nothing he could do; Wen He couldn't afford to treat everyone.

"Brother Xu, it's been a long time, you've gotten quite tanned."

When Wen He saw Xu Jingzong, she was surprised to see that he had transformed from a handsome scholar into a country bumpkin in such a short time.

Xu Jingzong had just returned to Chang'an, and before he even went home or washed his face, he went to report to Li Shimin.

He saw Wen He making a joke, but he couldn't laugh.

"My dear brother, please don't tease me. Something terrible has happened."

"What do you mean?"

Wen He was puzzled.

Could it be that Li Yuan and Wang Junkuo ran away?
"This is not the place to talk."

Xu Jingzong looked mysterious, his face full of worry.

Seeing his expression, Wen He also stopped smiling.

The three leaders of the Hundred Cavalry exchanged a glance and went together to their official residence.

As soon as he entered, Old Xu closed the door and asked Wen He with a serious expression, "Brother, do you know Li Xiaochang?"

Wen He was stunned, his eyes widening. He had just sat down when he suddenly stood up, exclaiming in surprise, "He's rebelled too?"

(End of this chapter)