The Fierce Teacher of Zhenguan: Starting with Teaching the Crown Prince to Make a Comeback

Chapter 23: A Sudden Visit?

In the side hall of the Liangyi Hall, wisps of smoke curled from the incense burner.

Li Shimin shed his imposing demeanor from court assemblies, leaned against the imperial couch, and glanced at Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Li Ji sitting below him.

There were no other attendants in the hall, only Wang De, the chief eunuch of the Inner Palace Service, standing with his hands at his sides in the shadows in the corner, like a clay or wooden sculpture.

"At today's court assembly, the Crown Prince proposed a plan to relocate prisoners to strengthen the border regions. What do you all think of this?" Li Shimin began, his voice flat, revealing neither praise nor criticism.

Fang Xuanling pondered for a moment before speaking first: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's proposal is indeed well-thought-out and far more comprehensive than before. In particular, the three policies of reducing sentences and granting land to death row inmates, providing preferential relocation for sons of good families, and allowing civil officials to gain experience and be promoted are quite feasible, taking into account punishment, border defense, and governance. I believe that the Secretariat and the Chancellery should discuss the details."

Li Ji took over the conversation, his tone steady: "Your Majesty, I also believe this strategy is prudent. The land of Xizhou truly requires such a long-term plan; merely transferring prisoners cannot achieve complete success. The fact that the Crown Prince could consider this is truly beyond my expectations." There was a hint of barely perceptible astonishment in his words.

Changsun Wuji nodded slightly, his gaze lowered as he looked at the patterns on his robes: "Your Highness the Crown Prince has been studying behind closed doors recently, and it seems he has made great progress. To be able to share Your Majesty's burdens and offer such practical solutions, I congratulate Your Majesty and the Crown Prince."

His tone was respectful and his wording precise; there was not a single fault in his speech.

A brief silence fell over the hall.

Li Shimin unconsciously tapped the armrest of the imperial couch twice.

"Yes," he said with a sigh, "the Crown Prince has indeed become much more composed recently. His words and actions are also quite different from before. I find this quite surprising."

His gaze seemed to casually sweep across the faces of the three high-ranking officials.

"Especially today, when dealing with the questions from Wei Cong, Zhang Xingcheng and others, he quoted classics and remained calm and composed, which was quite... methodical."

These words sounded like a father's relief, but to veteran officials like Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling, who had been navigating the political landscape for decades, they carried a different meaning.

Your Majesty is saying that the Crown Prince's change is too fast and too thorough, to the point that it is... illogical.

His Majesty is suspicious.

It is suspected that the Crown Prince's "advancement" was not entirely spontaneous, and that there may have been careful manipulation by others behind the scenes.

Fang Xuanling lowered his eyes, seemingly not having heard, and slowly said, "His Highness the Crown Prince is personally taught by His Majesty and is naturally intelligent. In the past, he may have occasionally gone astray due to his youthful impetuosity. Now, he is studying diligently and has calmed down. It is only natural that he has integrated what he has learned in the past and made progress. This is the result of His Majesty's guidance and a blessing for the country."

He attributed the crown prince's transformation entirely to the emperor's teachings and the prince's own "understanding," thus skillfully avoiding the potential, dangerous problem.

Li Ji nodded in agreement: "What Chancellor Fang said is absolutely right. His Highness the Crown Prince's ability to suddenly realize his mistakes and study diligently is truly due to His Majesty's benevolent teachings and Heaven's blessing."

Changsun Wuji sneered inwardly.

These words might fool outsiders, but how could they possibly deceive His Majesty?
He watched Li Chengqian grow up and knew that his character could not be completely changed by a few days of hard study.

The impeccable responses in the imperial court, and the shrewd and sophisticated strategies hidden within the Western Regions plan, were not something a crown prince who had suddenly "seen the light" could accomplish.

There must be someone behind this.

Moreover, this person is extremely skilled, and has a thorough understanding of the sacred texts, court rules, and even the emperor's thoughts.

Who is this person? What is their purpose? Are they genuinely trying to help, or do they have ulterior motives?
These questions lingered in his mind, but he wore an expression of deep agreement and followed Fang Xuanling's words, saying, "His Majesty has selected renowned teachers for the Crown Prince for many years and taught him with great care. His efforts have not been in vain. The Crown Prince is now able to understand His Majesty's heart and apply what he has learned. This is truly a blessing for the Tang Dynasty."

He also attributed the credit to the emperor, and at this moment, he showed no doubt or intention to investigate the crown prince's "abnormal" behavior.

Before the situation becomes clear, they refrain from making hasty statements and from taking advantage of others' misfortunes; this is the survival strategy of those at the pinnacle of power.

Especially when it comes to the crown prince, every word and action must be taken with utmost care.

Li Shimin watched as the three senior officials unanimously attributed the credit to themselves, his gaze deep, and said no more.

He could naturally hear the caution and reservation in those words.

He knew that they also had doubts, but they were unwilling and unable to point them out at this moment.

"In that case, the matter of Xizhou shall be handled according to the consensus of all the ministers. The Secretariat and the Chancellery shall take the lead, together with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the Ministry of War, to discuss and submit a detailed report to me." Li Shimin concluded the topic.

"Your Majesty, we obey." The three replied in unison.

After discussing a few other government affairs, Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Li Ji finally took their leave.

Stepping out of the Liangyi Hall and into the spacious palace courtyard, the afternoon sun was somewhat dazzling.

The three walked in silence for a while. Fang Xuanling and Li Ji exchanged a glance, both seeing a lingering look of surprise and solemnity in each other's eyes.

The two men didn't say much, but simply cupped their hands in greeting and walked towards the government office.

Changsun Wuji stood there, watching the two leave. The gentle expression on his face gradually faded, and his brows furrowed slightly.

He looked up towards the direction of the East Palace, his gaze sharp.

This is very unusual.

He felt the emperor's suspicions deeply.

The strategy for Xizhou may seem like just a political suggestion, but the insight and skill it reveals are far beyond what Li Chengqian could have possessed in the past.

And the counterattacks in the imperial court were precise, ruthless, and hit the nail on the head, requiring an extremely calm mind and accurate judgment of the situation.

This was definitely not the work of his impulsive nephew.

His Majesty has clearly become suspicious and is trying to get confirmation or clues from them.

But would these old foxes easily get caught up in such a vortex?

"The person behind it all..." Changsun Wuji muttered to himself.

Their own people investigated for several days but found nothing.

The Eastern Palace is like an iron barrel; it is difficult to obtain information about it.

This is unusual in itself.

Li Chengqian absolutely lacked such control.

The person behind it all not only taught the Crown Prince how to speak and act, but also how to block information and maintain strict control.
Who is this person?

Du He and Li Anyan have been transferred, and the remaining Li Yichen has an excessively clean background, which makes him suspicious.

Changsun Wuji was filled with doubts, and a strong sense of unease drove him forward.

He had to go and see for himself.

He was not visiting His Majesty's spy, but rather as the uncle, to "visit" his diligent and studious nephew who had been offering advice to the country.

Perhaps we can glean some clues from this.

He straightened his clothes, his expression returned to calm, and he strode towards the East Palace.

Inside the main hall of the East Palace, sunlight streamed through the window lattices, illuminating the mountain of books.

Li Chengqian was sitting opposite Li Yichen.

The Book of Han was spread out on the table, but Li Chengqian's mind was clearly not on the book.

With barely suppressed excitement on his face, he recounted in detail to Li Yichen everything that had happened at the court assembly, especially how he had refuted the censors until they were speechless.

"Yichen, I saw those censors staring in disbelief..." Before Li Chengqian could finish speaking, a eunuch's urgent and clear voice came from outside the hall.

"Your Highness, Duke Changsun Situ of Zhao has come to visit you."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian's face immediately lit up with a smile: "Uncle has arrived? Please come in!"

He was feeling very pleased with himself and eager to share his joy with others.

Changsun Wuji was not only an important minister in the court, but also his maternal uncle, so he was naturally closer to him than other court officials.

My uncle's visit is a good opportunity to hear about his "achievements" and perhaps even receive some praise.

However, Li Yichen, sitting opposite him, frowned almost imperceptibly.

Changsun Wuji?

At this hour, shortly after the court assembly had ended, a sudden visit?
(End of this chapter)