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

Chapter 82 Your Highness, I'm still a child

The sudden noise interrupted Wen He, who was giving a lecture.

Li Tai, who was dozing off on the soft cushion, suddenly woke up with a start. When he looked up, he saw his father's face, which was so dark it looked like it could squeeze water out of it.

He stood up abruptly, but the force was too great, his legs gave way, and he sat back down with a thud.

"what!"

This earth-shattering cry left Li Shimin, who was already in a depressed mood, feeling somewhat helpless.

Li Tai cried out in pain, "Mother!"

"You little rascal, how could you be so careless?" Li Shimin stepped forward with a hint of annoyance, picked him up, and Li Tai, with tears in his eyes, leaned on his father's shoulder in grievance.

He pouted and didn't say anything, tears streaming down his face.

"Alright, alright, you just want to raise pigs, right? When you establish your own residence in the future, I will allow you to raise two."

Li Shimin, who was invincible on the battlefield and in the court, was at a loss for what to do at this moment.

From his teens onward, he was away fighting for many years, and the children at home were entrusted to Empress Zhangsun, so he had almost no personal interaction with his children.

Little did he know that Li Tai didn't care about raising pigs at all; what he felt wronged about was being beaten up.

But Li Shimin was unusually easy to talk to, and Li Tai's grievances dissipated considerably. He nodded and hummed in agreement.

"I have met Father."

Li Chengqian and Li Ke, who had been lost in thought, came up to pay their respects.

Li Shimin smiled kindly at them, showing no favoritism, and patted their heads.

Then he asked about their situation.

The two brothers performed the etiquette perfectly.

To Wen He, this scene didn't seem like an interaction between father and son at all.

It's more like a superior visiting a subordinate.

In fact, Li Shimin and Li Yuan are quite similar in one respect.

That means they can't be fathers.

After a short while, Li Shimin put Li Tai down and gave instructions to Huang Chun.

"Send the three of them to Yichun Palace, and mobilize three hundred Thousand Cavalry Guards. No one is allowed to approach Chongwen Hall without my order."

"promise."

Huang Chun, whose clothes were already soaked with cold sweat, bowed and responded, his head almost touching the ground.

Upon seeing this, Wen He narrowed her eyes.

It seems that Li Shimin overheard what he just said.

Otherwise, why would Huang Chun be so terrified?

After everyone left, Wen He breathed a long sigh of relief and found a place to sit down.

Seeing his reaction, Li Shimin did not blame him. He sat down in the same spot where Li Chengqian had been sitting, right opposite him.

After the two sat down, Li Shimin pondered for a long time before slowly asking a question.

"Will the Tang Dynasty become like the Former Han Dynasty in the future?"

"It was even worse. In the Han Dynasty, at least until Liu Hong, the power of the eunuchs was in the hands of the emperor. But in the later Tang Dynasty, the eunuchs held military power."

Wen He knew what he was going to ask.

Wen He guessed it from the gloomy look in his eyes when he came in.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's eyes widened immediately.

"Damn it! They've forgotten all the lessons learned from the Former Han and Northern Wei dynasties!" Li Shimin's eyes seemed to spit fire.

But then he noticed Wen He's somewhat ambiguous gaze.

What do you mean by looking at me this way?

"Ahem, is there someone named Zhang Anan next to you?" Wen He asked awkwardly.

Li Shimin immediately understood what he meant.

“Zhang Anan was wounded on the battlefield, which is why he entered the palace and helped me manage the Inner Palace. How can he be compared to those eunuchs!” He seemed very dissatisfied with Wen He’s analogy.

Upon seeing this, Wen He quickly changed her tune: "Yes, it was all that Li Longji. He was the instigator. The Tang Dynasty's eunuchs seized military power, starting with him. But there were good people too, like Yang Sixu."

"He was the son of Su Li, the barbarian chieftain of Luozhou in Lingnan. He first distinguished himself in the campaign against the rebel general Li Duozuo, and later helped Li Longji seize power. After that, he accumulated military achievements and became the General of the Cavalry, with the title of Duke of Guo... Zhang Shigui was later enfeoffed as Duke of Xun, so..."

Wen He was about to explain when Li Shimin interrupted her, saying, "I know this."

"Perhaps Yang Sixu was a loyal and capable general, but he was, after all, a eunuch. If he were to start, future generations would likely have an excuse to allow other eunuchs to continue leading troops."

A chill ran through Li Shimin's eyes.

Wen He swallowed hard, worried that Li Er might go mad and kill all the eunuchs in the palace.

"Your Highness, please don't act rashly."

"I am not the kind of person who indiscriminately kills the innocent." Hearing Wen He's words, Li Shimin knew what he was going to say.

After a moment of contemplation, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Well, that's a matter for the future. I will issue a decree in the future that no palace eunuch may lead or supervise troops..."

He suddenly hesitated.

It is indeed harmful to let eunuchs hold power, but if all their power is stripped away, how will they counter the powerful ministers and relatives of the empress if the emperor becomes weak in the future?
"I ask you," Li Shimin said, "does the future have a method for monitoring officials, preferably one that is discreet?" He then changed the subject.

They're trying to set up an intelligence agency.

Wen He immediately thought of the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard, but he froze as soon as he opened his mouth.

Slowly closing her mouth, Wen He looked at Li Shimin with a smile.

"Is it a bit inappropriate for Your Highness to ask me about this?"

"Humph."

Seeing his appearance, Li Shimin snorted in dissatisfaction: "You rascal, you are indeed cunning. I'm sure this will be recorded in later generations."

"Yes, although His Highness's Hundred Cavalry Division is not as famous as the Ming Dynasty's Embroidered Uniform Guard, they still played a significant role during Emperor Li Zhi's reign."

Wen He had just thought of the Hundred Cavalry Division, which made her realize something.

Li Shimin had just deliberately lured him, trying to get him to reveal the organization that would later monitor all officials.

Then Wen He offered his advice, which he "reluctantly" agreed to after "deep consideration."

"Jinyiwei?"

Li Shimin did not focus his attention on the Hundred Cavalry Division.

In fact, Wen He misunderstood one thing: Li Shimin did have the idea of ​​establishing an intelligence organization and had already selected people from the Imperial Guards, but he felt it was too slow.

He wanted to refer to later dynasties.

Since Wen He blurted out the name "Jinyiwei," then this Jinyiwei must have something extraordinary about them.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard, used by the Zhu family of the Ming Dynasty to monitor officials and gather intelligence, was historically known for its cruelty. It only obeyed the emperor. However, in the later stages, the Embroidered Uniform Guard also became corrupt, and its power was even less than that of the eunuchs."

Another eunuch.

Li Shimin gets a headache just hearing those two words now.

He could only be thankful that he hadn't pressed for details about what happened next.

Wen He, that brat, didn't continue.

Otherwise, he would probably be too angry to eat today.

Seeing his agitation, Wen He immediately shut her mouth and looked outside as if it were none of her business.

This kind of thing bothers Li Er anyway, it has nothing to do with him.

But he soon noticed that Li Shimin's gaze was gradually focusing on him.

"Huh?" Wen He suddenly felt her hair stand on end and quickly said, "Your Highness, I'm only ten years old. I'm still a child."

"Yes, I know." Li Shimin smiled meaningfully, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth.

"I have my own plans."

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(End of this chapter)