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

Chapter 54 Your Highness, please observe three years of mourning for the late Crown Prince!
"Wei Xuancheng, Your Highness, you don't even bow to me in person!"

The middle-aged man in the green robe was none other than Wei Zheng, the famous "Mirror of Men" in later generations.

However, at this moment he was still on the opposite side of Li Shimin.

After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, many people in the Prince of Qin's mansion wanted to kill him.

If Li Shimin hadn't been careful and had all the servants in his household armed, things would have turned dangerous once Wei Zheng and Xie Shufang arrived.

The Prince of Qin's mansion is likely to be stained with blood.

The martial prowess of those guards of the Eastern Palace was not much inferior to that of the Xuanjia Guards.

He is a loser now, but he has no awareness of what it means to be a loser.

After he entered the hall, he stood ramrod straight, glaring angrily at Li Shimin above him.

Changsun Wuji was furious and rebuked him.

"Hmph, I bow to the Emperor above and the Crown Prince below, but I will not bow to a mere prince!"

"You are presumptuous!"

Changsun Wuji roared and strode toward him.

But at that moment, Li Shimin above stopped him.

He knew Wei Zheng was a talented person, and he had been eager to recruit him back then.

Unfortunately, his father transferred Wei Zheng to the Eastern Palace.

This is a person who is always a spoilsport and never knows how to please others.

But it was precisely because of this personality that Li Shimin both loved and hated him.

"His Majesty has already issued an edict to depose Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and establish Prince Qin in his place. After tomorrow, His Highness will be the Crown Prince of the Great Tang!"

Although Du Ruhui's movements were slow when he got up, his voice was strong and clear.

Wei Zheng turned his head, his eyes blazing as if they could spit fire.

"If your name is not righteous, your words will not be proper. Aren't you afraid that the officials and the people will not be convinced?"

"The Emperor's decree is law; anyone who dares to disobey is committing treason!"

Fang Xuanling also joined in.

By gaining control of the Taiji Palace, Li Shimin had secured the advantages of timing, location, and popular support.

Who dares to speak out against this at this time?

Wei Zheng dared not.

Li Shimin did not speak, nor did he blame Wei Zheng.

Since the latter came in, even though he had been questioning him, there was one thing he ultimately didn't say.

He knew Wei Zheng well; if the latter were truly dissatisfied, he would have already pointed at his nose and cursed him: "You fratricide!"

But he wasn't doing that now; instead, he was just debating with Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling.

"What if I could give you a reason why I should be the crown prince?"

Li Shimin suddenly spoke up and asked a question, and everyone in the hall fell silent.

Wei Zheng squinted, looking at the King of Qin who was walking towards him from above.

If he could, he wouldn't want to be enemies with this prince.

But since he entered the Eastern Palace, he has had no other choice.

"If the Crown Prince had listened to my advice back then, things wouldn't have come to this."

Wei Zheng let out a soft sigh.

Li Shimin paused, his eyes turning cold.

"Wei Xuancheng, you once asked my brother to transfer me away from Chang'an, thus sowing discord between brothers. I'm already showing you kindness by not killing you. Don't push your luck!"

"Ha, Your Highness King Qin, my head is right here, you may take it!"

Wei Zheng's stubborn temper also flared up.

He was never someone who could be threatened.

"Wei Xuancheng, how dare you!" Changsun Wuji angrily rolled up his sleeves and was about to go over, but Li Shimin stopped him again.

He looked at Wei Zheng and chuckled, "I will not kill you. I want you to see with your own eyes that the Tang Dynasty will reach its golden age under my rule."

"You want me to give you a legitimate reason to silence the gossip, right? Fine, I'll tell you."

He walked to Wei Zheng's side, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the gradually darkening night sky outside the hall.

"On the third day of the sixth lunar month, which is tonight, Venus will once again appear in the sky over the Qin region to the south. This is a warning from Heaven to the Tang Dynasty, indicating that I will become the ruler of the Tang Dynasty!"

Wei Zheng was taken aback.

He had heard about this before.

That's how he learned that the emperor might secretly plot against the Prince of Qin and drive him out of Chang'an. "A warning from Heaven? I don't believe it!" Wei Zheng stubbornly shook his head.

"Your Highness actually believes in such superstitious beliefs. If so, you are truly inferior to His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Wei Zheng flicked his sleeves, seemingly looking down on Li Shimin.

The latter was not in a hurry, but simply smiled faintly: "How about I make a bet with you?"

"Betting on Taibai Jingtian?"

"Exactly."

What is the stake?

Wei Zheng asked, his brows furrowed.

Seeing that he had fallen for the trick, Li Shimin was overjoyed, but he did not show it on his face. He said calmly, "If I win, you, Wei Zheng, should submit a memorial tomorrow urging me to ascend the throne."

"This..." Wei Zheng was stunned. He did not expect Li Shimin to make such a bet with him.

If he really did that, the former crown prince's people would hate him to the bone, and he would have no way out.

But he didn't believe it, thinking that Li Shimin was deliberately deceiving him.

The King of Qin was not one of those sorcerers or Taoists, so how could he predict changes in celestial phenomena?

"Very well, I agree, but if I win, Your Highness, please observe three years of mourning for the late Crown Prince!"

"presumptuous!"

His words enraged the three people in the hall who were watching the spectacle.

Wei Zheng has gone too far!

They actually wanted the King of Qin to observe mourning for his brother!

Wei Zheng ignored them and instead looked at Li Shimin.

He had expected the latter to at least be angry, but to his surprise, he remained completely unmoved.

"Okay, I promise you."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zheng pondered the smug look on Li Shimin's face with suspicion.

Is the King of Qin really that confident?

Could it be that the people at the Imperial Observatory had already figured it out?

Seeing Wei Zheng's surprise, Li Shimin found it amusing. He was now increasingly looking forward to seeing Wei Zheng's expression when Venus appeared.

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't help but chuckle.

Let's attribute some credit to that brat Wen He for this.

"Achoo~"

Inside the Qin Prince's mansion, Wen He, having finished dinner, was telling stories to Wen Rou and Li Lizhi in the courtyard.

He didn't know where the cool breeze came from, but it made him sneeze.

"Is my brother ill?"

Wenrou panicked a little and hurriedly reached out to touch his forehead.

She and the original owner's parents died of typhoid fever back then, and she herself was sick for a while, so what this little girl fears most is Wen He getting sick.

"Is he sick? There are doctors in the manor. I'll go and fetch them."

Li Lizhi quickly stood up, but because she was in such a hurry, she lost her footing and was about to fall. Fortunately, her maid was quick-witted and caught her.

"I'm fine. Go quickly and fetch the physician. If Young Master Wen is sick, there will be no one to tell me stories."

"I'm not sick."

Wen He smiled wryly.

If we really have to call the physician, I'm afraid the Prince of Qin's residence will be in chaos again tonight.

That virtuous Princess Consort will surely come to check on him personally.

It will be chaotic and noisy then, which will definitely be a headache.

"Is Wen Xiaolang sick?"

A surprised voice suddenly came from outside the door, and the courtyard door was pushed open, with a group of people hurrying in.

Empress Zhangsun, who was in the lead, looked at him with concern and quickly instructed the maid beside her, "Go and fetch the physician."

Thank you to the following readers for their monthly tickets: Boss Withering, Reader 20221212220900738, Dongpo Shining Star, and Hometown Long An.

——

Thank you all for your support. If you like it, please leave your monthly votes, add it to your favorites, and follow the story.



(End of this chapter)