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

Chapter 59 How absurd it is for a child to be granted the title of county magistrate!

Daxing Palace, Sherenyuan.

The oppressive atmosphere made the eunuchs outside the door and the palace maids coming and going afraid to breathe loudly.

The burly young man had a gloomy face, disheveled hair, and wore a dark blue cloth robe.

He stared wide-eyed at the little old man sitting in front of him.

"Wei Zheng, the Crown Prince regards you as his teacher, yet you have dared to betray him and join a traitor!"

His anger, which had been building up inside him, erupted like a volcano, and he slammed his fist heavily onto the floor tiles.

The eunuch standing behind him clearly felt the tremors beneath his feet.

Seeing Xue Wanche's furious outburst, Wei Zheng was speechless for a moment, feeling utterly helpless.

This morning, after he got up, he received news that Venus was crossing the sky. At first, he did not believe it, but His Highness the Prince of Qin had someone take him to the Imperial Observatory to verify it.

He had originally thought he would have to humiliatingly urge the emperor to ascend the throne during today's court assembly.

To his utter surprise, His Highness the King of Qin told him that the bet was null and void.

But at this cost, he had to persuade Xue Wanche, Xie Shufang, and others to surrender.

Before he could even agree, the King of Qin had him taken to the Imperial Household Department, where Xue Wanche had been waiting for quite some time.

After a long silence, Wei Zheng's myriad thoughts turned into a long sigh.

"Lord of Wu'an County, things have come to this point, the overall situation is settled, and the Tang Dynasty must not be thrown into chaos."

He had advised Li Jiancheng to strike first, but the crown prince hesitated, worried that the Prince of Qin's faction was too powerful and that even if he went to Luoyang, it would become the biggest threat after he ascended the throne.

He was determined to kill the King of Qin in Chang'an, using the Emperor's hand.

Unfortunately, His Highness the Crown Prince never understood the Emperor's thoughts.

His Majesty does not want either the Crown Prince or the King of Qin to win, but rather for them to check and balance each other.

Unfortunately, Your Majesty underestimated the King of Qin's determination.

"You're just making excuses for yourself!"

"Then what do you intend to do? Kill the King of Qin and plunge the world into chaos. Will Guanzhong allow it? Will the Guandong gentry tolerate it?"

Wei Zheng was not one to passively accept his fate; his previous silence stemmed from a sense of guilt.

But Xue Wanche is ungrateful, so don't blame him for turning against him.

That’s it anyway.

The meaning behind the King of Qin's summoning him to this residence is quite clear.

Regardless of whether he was a staff member of the Crown Prince or a close friend of the Crown Prince in the past.

They will all be his subjects in the future.

Xue Wanche suddenly stood up, and his heel was thrown off because of the excessive force he exerted, smashing into a pillar and breaking into pieces.

But he opened his mouth, looked at Wei Zheng, and couldn't utter a single word.

He was indeed a warrior, but he wasn't truly stupid.

Back then, when he and his elder brother Xue Wanjun attacked Dou Jiande, they dug a tunnel outside Youzhou City that led directly into the city, and then led a hundred men into the city.

They routed Dou Jiande's 200,000 troops.

In the original history.

Seeing that the attack on Xuanwu Gate was unsuccessful, Xue Wanche immediately thought of attacking the Prince of Qin's mansion instead.

Unfortunately, they encountered Qin Qiong, and in the end, seeing that the situation was not good, he led his army away from Chang'an.

They hid in the mountains and forests outside the city.

Later, Li Shimin sent someone to persuade him to surrender. He saw that Li Jiancheng's old party members were all alive, and even Wei Zheng, that old scoundrel, was being given important positions.

They ceased resistance and returned to Chang'an to accept the offer of amnesty.

This shows that he is not a stubborn person and understands how to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

"What's going on?"

Outside the courtyard, Wen He, who had arrived not long ago, was peering cautiously through the door frame.

Before he could even enter the room, he heard a loud "bang" from inside, and without hesitation, he hid behind Huang Chun.

He thought it was Li Shimin and Xue Wanche fighting.

Going in at this time might result in accidentally injuring yourself.

Seeing that the guards at the door didn't react, he hid here to spy.

Wei Zheng and Xue Wanche both heard the commotion and turned to look.

The two men looked so different that Wen He could tell them apart almost without thinking. "Greetings, Lord Wei, Lord Xue."

Wen He revealed half of her body, chuckled awkwardly, and bowed to the two of them in greeting.

"Hmph." Xue Wanche glared at him and snorted indignantly, "What, does the Prince of Qin look down on me and think that sending a child is enough to deal with me?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Chun immediately became anxious and hurriedly stepped forward to explain in a fawning manner.

"No, no, Your Highness did not mean that. Young Master Wen was summoned by Your Highness. Your Highness is changing clothes and will arrive shortly."

He also dared not confront Xue Wanche directly.

I heard that this guy at Xuanwu Gate could take on more than a dozen people by himself and was not at a disadvantage, and almost killed Jing Junhong with a single blow.

If Qin Qiong, Cheng Zhijie, and others hadn't arrived, no one would have been able to subdue him.

Although he is not wearing armor or carrying a knife, his imposing presence has not diminished in the slightest.

"Why should Lord Wu'an get angry with a child?"

Wei Zheng knew that Xue Wanche was deliberately picking a fight to vent his anger.

But these are all grudges between him and the King of Qin, why would he take it out on a child?

"That's right, Wei Gongming is the most reasonable."

Wen He found herself developing a liking for the old man, Wei Zheng.

At least it was different from the rigid and methodical person he remembered.

Upon hearing this, Xue Wanche's eyes widened even more.

Is this brat implying that I lack magnanimity?!
"However, I am also very curious as to why Your Highness invited a child here today. Is there something special about this child?"

Wei Zheng squinted; he was looking at Wen He, but he was asking Huang Chun.

"This servant does not know, but His Highness promised to appoint Young Master Wen as a county magistrate."

he whispered.

The matter of appointing Wen He as a county magistrate had not yet been officially issued by the Secretariat, and it was not something a mere eunuch could discuss.

But he revealed this privately.

Huang Chun didn't have the guts.

That means it was Li Shimin who gave the order.

But why did Li Er do this?

Wen He didn't understand.

But when he turned his head, he saw the look of horror in Wei Zheng's eyes.

"How absurd it is for a ten-year-old child to be granted the title of county magistrate!"

He suddenly flew into a rage and roared.

It was as if the sky was about to collapse.

Wen He, who had just praised Wei Zheng for being reasonable, was completely dumbfounded.

Who stepped on you? Why are you so agitated?

"Does Xuan Cheng mean that I fail to distinguish between rewards and punishments?" A clear, cold voice suddenly came from the other side.

The east side gate of the Sheren Courtyard opened, and Li Shimin's figure was sitting there.

There was tea and snacks in front of him, and judging from his appearance, he had been sitting there for quite some time.

When Wei Zheng saw him, he seemed to have thought of this as well, and was immediately stunned.

Xue Wanche, on the other side, wasn't much better off.

Because they both noticed that behind Li Shimin stood more than a dozen heavily armored Xuanjia guards, each holding a horizontal sword.

Wen He couldn't help but take a deep breath.

This is what I've seen.

I wonder how many more are hidden in that small side hall.

Moreover, given Li Shimin's cautious nature, he must have stationed people on all four sides of this small residence.

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(End of this chapter)