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

Chapter 6 So, Li Zhi and Si'er are gone?
"Did Guanyinbi... die young?"

Li Shimin made a great decision, leaning on the table, and solemnly looked at Wen He.

The latter was somewhat surprised; why were they suddenly talking about Empress Zhangsun?
"If Guanyinbi were here, how could she sit idly by and watch Gaoming and Qingque fight? She would surely have reminded me that I had done something wrong." His expression was somewhat gloomy.

He had a premonition from the moment Wen He mentioned that Li Chengqian would rebel.

His future wife will leave him many years before him.

Just like the current situation, if his mother hadn't passed away, how could he have watched Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji treat him like this?

He will surely persuade his father to let the brothers live in harmony.

"Empress Wende, née Changsun, passed away in the Lizheng Hall in June of the tenth year of Zhenguan."

"Only ten years?"

He remembered that Wen He had just said that he would ascend the throne this August and change the era name to Zhenguan next year.

So, it would only take about ten years.

"Do you know the reason?" Li Shimin asked, unwilling to give up.

"Later records state that he died of illness. Historical records say that he was overwhelmed with grief because the death of the retired emperor and the passing of Lady Zhao, the mother of the empress, triggered his asthma, which was a relapse of his asthma."

“Guanyinbi suffered from a ailment since childhood, and Fuji sought out many famous doctors for her, but none of them could cure her… Wait, since you come from the future, does the future have such a thing?”

"No." Wen He knew what he was going to say and interrupted him directly: "This disease can only be treated with recuperation in later generations. Although there are emergency medicines, I am not a medical student and do not know how to prepare them."

"Then what use are you to me!" Li Shimin slammed his hand on the table, glaring angrily.

Wen He shuddered in fright, feeling somewhat embarrassed, and muttered to herself, "Damn, Li Er is about to lose his temper, what should I do?"

He thought for a moment, then quickly said.

"Well, there are actually ways to prevent this, but I must remind you that doing so will change the fate of some people in the future."

"I don't care if it changes the future. I just want Guanyinbi to live well. Tell me what you want, and I will send someone to do it immediately. No, I will do it myself!"

Li Shimin excitedly grabbed Wen He's shoulder, as if he was afraid that if he let go, Wen He would run away.

With him pressing her down like that, Wen He felt like her collarbones were about to shatter.

"Your Highness, please let go of me first. This matter is not urgent."

"I'm in a real hurry!"

"Then don't rush."

"you say!"

Li Shimin released his grip, but still glared at him with his tiger-like eyes.

"Well, this matter..." Wen He wasn't deliberately keeping him in suspense; he was genuinely hesitant.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin sneered: "What do you have to hesitate about? Since you came before me, history has been changed because of you."

"Wow, Your Highness, what you said makes so much sense, I'm speechless." Wen He's eyes lit up.

Yes, after he appeared here, Li Shimin was already preparing to launch the Xuanwu Gate Incident ahead of schedule. History had already been changed because of him.

"However, even though that's what they say, this matter involves four lives."

"You mean...?" Li Shimin's eyes were somewhat gloomy as he stared at Wen He, feeling a chill run down his spine.

"You want Guanyinbi to drink human blood and eat human flesh?"

"No, no, no, it's not that perverted. What I mean is, you and Empress Zhangsun have one son and three daughters who haven't been born yet. The son, cough cough, is the one who comes after you."

After he finished speaking, Li Shimin stared at him with a serious expression and replied calmly, "I still don't understand."

"Sigh, this is because people of your generation know too little about physiology. Childbirth is extremely taxing for women; they have to go through the gates of hell. After having four children in a row, their bodies definitely couldn't take it."

Li Zhi was born in the second year of the Zhenguan era. Li Mingda, also known as Si'er, was born and died around the fifth or sixth year of the Zhenguan era, although the exact dates are unknown. He also had two younger daughters, Princess Xincheng and Princess Chengyang.

Even with the medical conditions of later generations, few women could withstand such frequent childbirth, let alone in the Tang Dynasty where medicine was not advanced.

"Wouldn't it be better if we didn't have children?" Li Shimin thought as if he had grasped at a lifeline.

Wen He hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "At least it won't take too much to her body. With proper care and rest later, even if she doesn't live to be a hundred, at least we can grow old together."

"Very well, I understand. I will remember this matter. If Guanyinbi can grow old with me, I will surely reward you handsomely."

"Forehead……"

So does this mean that Li Zhi, Li Mingda, Princess Xincheng, and Princess Chengyang are all gone?
Holy crap, wouldn't all those writers of time-travel novels set in the Tang Dynasty who marry Si'er be cursing me to death?
Seeing his astonishment, Li Shimin assumed he didn't trust him and snorted in dissatisfaction, saying, "Your suggestion has been helpful. I am not a stingy person, but it would be disadvantageous for you to suddenly be granted an official position as a commoner. I promise you a county baronship."

"A fifth-rank official, will he be given land?" Most titles in the Tang Dynasty were nominal and had little meaning.

It mainly depends on how much land is allocated.

Li Shimin was speechless. This was the first time he had ever seen such a rogue youth. He had granted him a title, and not only did the youth not express his gratitude, he even asked how much land he would be given.
Even Cheng Zhijie wouldn't dare to do that.

"In the future, I will provide you with land in Chang'an County. Since you are from Gejiazhuang, I will provide you with three hundred acres of land there. However, you will still live in the city and may not leave Chang'an without my permission."

Li Shimin meant that he would not imprison Wen He, but he would also not give him too much freedom.

Wen He was not surprised; he was more concerned about his three hundred acres of land.

"Then I can be considered a small landlord now, and finally I can settle down in the Tang Dynasty."

He breathed a sigh of relief and immediately felt much more relaxed.

"Are you satisfied with this?" Li Shimin was somewhat surprised, as he felt that Wen He could ask him for more.

"A little wealth is enough. With you, the Heavenly Khan, around, the Tang Dynasty can be stable for at least twenty years. I'll be a small landlord in your prosperous Zhenguan era, marry a few wives and concubines, have a whole football team's worth of children, and then find a good family for my sister to marry into. Just thinking about it makes me feel wonderful."

He's from the South and has a friend from Shaanxi. When the friend is happy, he'll blurt out his hometown dialect, so he learned a few phrases from him.

"Hmph." Li Shimin snorted lightly, smiling without saying a word.

Wen He caught a glimpse of the expression on his face and immediately understood what he meant.

With someone who can know the future in front of him, how could he possibly let Wen He do nothing?

Wen He sighed and shrugged helplessly.

"I was just daydreaming. I know I'll help you avoid the mistakes that the Tang Dynasty might make in the future. But let's make it clear, I'll only be an advisor. Don't ask me to do anything for you. I'm a very lazy person."

"You don't need to worry about this. I have enough capable ministers under my command, so there's no need for you to share my burdens."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence, as if he had thought of something, and then continued.

"However, if you want some leisure, I do have something leisurely for you to do."

"Do you have money?"

"The annual salary is one hundred stones."

"One hundred shi a year, let me do the math. Right now, one dou of rice costs one hundred coins, and one shi equals ten dou. One hundred shi is one thousand dou. Holy crap, that's one hundred thousand! Your Highness, if you have any requests, just give them to me, and I will definitely take care of them for you."

I'm rich!

By the way, Li Er said he found me a relaxing job.

I like jobs that are low-paying and low-stress.

Even if you worked yourself to the bone in your past life, you still wouldn't earn this much money in a whole year.

But after waiting a while, he noticed that Li Shimin didn't speak, but just stared at him blankly.

"Your Highness, is there something on my face?" Wen He asked, puzzled.

Li Shimin snapped out of his surprise, looked at him, and asked hesitantly, "How did you calculate it so quickly?"

"Is it that difficult? Isn't it enough to just have a brain?"

Wen He was puzzled.

Surely the ancients weren't that bad at arithmetic.

Li Shimin, who was about to speak, was stunned and didn't know what to say.

He suddenly thought of something and laughed self-deprecatingly.

"That's right. I always thought of you as a ten-year-old child. Judging from your appearance, you must have been educated."

“Of course, a proper undergraduate graduate.” Wen He snorted smugly.

In later generations, undergraduates were everywhere.

In the Tang Dynasty, that was like a scorpion defecating—unique.

Li Shimin didn't know what "undergraduate" meant, but he could guess from Wen He's appearance that it must be a title that required a lot of knowledge to obtain.

He nodded with a smile and said.

"Very well, then I can entrust Gaoming, Qingque, and Sanlang to you with peace of mind."

Upon hearing this, Wen He's smile visibly froze on her face.

(End of this chapter)