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

Chapter 4 Your Majesty is truly perplexed!

"Shut up!!!" Li Shimin roared suddenly, his voice shaking the palace!
He completely lost control, sweeping all the memorials and writing implements off the imperial desk, the loud crashes filling the hall!

“You unfilial son! You beast! How dare you do this! How dare you do this!!!” Li Shimin trembled all over, pointing his finger at Li Chengqian, his eyes bloodshot.

"What a blasphemous and outrageous argument! You scoundrel! Who taught you this? Who taught you such nonsense? Speak!"

Zhang Xuansu collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down his face, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down! His Highness the Crown Prince must be possessed by an evil spirit, speaking nonsense. It is not his true intention! Your Majesty, please see the truth! Your Majesty, please see the truth!"

Li Chengqian seemed not to hear Zhang Xuansu's cries; his eyes were fixed on Li Shimin, and his excitement grew stronger and stronger, almost making him tremble.

He spoke again, and his voice was surprisingly steady.

"Your Majesty, please address me as Crown Prince."

These words struck Li Shimin like another heavy blow to the heart.

Li Shimin gasped for breath and felt a wave of dizziness.

He steadied himself on the imperial desk, his eyes fixed on Li Chengqian as if he wanted to devour him alive.

"Crown Prince? You dare call yourself Crown Prince?" Li Shimin's voice was distorted with extreme anger.

"I think you've gone mad! Utterly mad! How dare you question me about the Xuanwu Gate Incident? How dare you compare me to Emperor Shun? You disloyal, unfilial, inhuman, and unjust wretch!"

“Your Majesty,” Li Chengqian said without pausing, continuing to follow Li Yichen’s script.

He ignored all the insults and focused only on the core issue.

"I would like to ask again, the Analects says, 'The son conceals the father's wrongdoing, and the father conceals the son's wrongdoing.' This is the teaching of the sages. However, in the Xuanwu Gate Incident of that year, Your Majesty's actions were more about concealment than anything else. How should we interpret this?"

“Master Zhang teaches me loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness every day. Your Majesty, I humbly request that you also ask Master Zhang to dispel my doubts.”

"Your Majesty's actions back then—were they loyalty or filial piety? Benevolence or righteousness? I am truly perplexed!"

He threw the question back at Zhang Xuansu, along with her.

Upon hearing his own name, Zhang Xuansu nearly fainted; he could utter no sound except for kowtowing.

Li Shimin's anger had reached its peak, and he instead let out an extremely terrifying laugh, low and hoarse.

"Good...very good...my good crown prince...my good son..."

His gaze swept across Li Chengqian's face like a knife.

"Are you determined to discuss the proper relationship between ruler and subject, father and son, with me today? To discuss my merits and demerits?"

Li Chengqian met his gaze: "Your Majesty, I dare not comment on Your Majesty's merits and demerits. I only seek the learning of the Crown Prince and the way to distinguish right from wrong. Your Majesty often teaches me to learn from history and to use the past to guide the present. I keep this in mind, hence this question."

"If Your Majesty finds my question inappropriate, I am willing to accept your reprimand. However, the historical records are indistinct, and the words of the sages are absolute, yet the doubts in my heart remain unresolved. If I cannot understand this, how will I govern the world in the future? How will I face the historians' pens?"

He silenced Li Shimin with Li Shimin's own words, transforming what might have been seen as a simple act of defiance into a persistent pursuit of the way to govern the country, even though the content of this pursuit was extremely fatal.

Li Shimin stared intently at him, his chest heaving violently.

He realized that this was not a simple foolish act or a slip of the tongue in a moment of impulse; there was something behind it, a calculation.

This is not something his impulsive and easily angered son would say!

But those words really came from his mouth!
who is it?

Who was teaching him behind the scenes?
This thought instilled a chilling sense of vigilance in Li Shimin's anger.

He pressed down on his chest, which felt like it was about to burst, and his voice uttered slowly and deliberately through clenched teeth.

"I will not discuss these matters with you today. You have already committed a crime by angering your master and uttering such arrogant words. Go back! Return to your Eastern Palace! Close the palace gates tightly! Reflect on your actions! Without my decree, you are not to step out of the palace!"

This is a stay-at-home order.

Upon hearing this punishment, Li Chengqian felt more at ease.

There was no immediate severe punishment, no dragging him out for caning, and not even the threat of deposing him as crown prince; he was simply confined to his quarters.

what does this mean?
This means that his "seeking advice" had an effect!
At least it made the Emperor reconsider!

Excitement almost overwhelmed him. He struggled to control the muscles in his face and lowered his head: "Yes, Your Majesty, I obey."

He paused, then added, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."

He did not admit his mistake, only saying that he accepted the decree and thanked Li Shimin for his instruction. Li Shimin waved his hand, extremely tired and disgusted, as if he did not want to look at him again.

"Get off!"

Li Chengqian kowtowed, then struggled to his feet.

His ankle hurt, but he stood very straight.

He turned around and limped out of the hall.

He could feel two gazes on his back: one was the emperor's cold and angry stare, and the other was Zhang Xuansu's terrified and fearful scrutiny.

He didn't look back.

Stepping outside the palace gate, the sunlight was blinding.

He took a deep breath, the air filling his lungs, carrying the scent of freedom.

He did it; he really did what that crazy tutor told him to do.

He withstood his father's raging fury, asked those heart-wrenching questions, and requested the title of Crown Prince.

He was not defeated; he even felt an unprecedented power.

He walked down the steps one by one, heading towards the East Palace, his steps becoming more and more steady.

Inside the Liangyi Hall, there was a deathly silence.

Li Shimin remained seated on his throne, his face so dark it seemed to drip water, his fingers unconsciously tapping the bare imperial desk.

Zhang Xuansu remained kneeling on the ground, too afraid to get up or make a sound.

After a long silence, Li Shimin slowly spoke, his voice hoarse: "Minister Zhang."

Zhang Xuansu was startled: "This old minister is here."

"What do you think of today's events?" Li Shimin paused for a moment.

Zhang Xuansu felt a chill run down his spine. He knew the question itself was a trap, so he lay prone on the ground.

"This old minister is foolish...Your Highness's words today are shocking...This old minister believes that Your Highness may have been misled by treacherous people..."

"Bewitchment?" Li Shimin's voice was devoid of emotion. "What kind of treacherous person could teach such 'the art of being a crown prince'?"

Zhang Xuansu dared not answer.

Li Shimin didn't press the matter further. He remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "You've suffered today. Go back and rest. The matter of instructing the Crown Prince will be postponed for now."

"Yes, thank you for your compassion, Your Majesty..." Zhang Xuansu felt as if he had been granted a pardon, kowtowed to express his gratitude, and hurriedly retreated from the hall, his back view showing a flustered state.

In the empty hall, only Li Shimin remained.

He slowly leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

The treacherous son...

Those questions, like poisoned needles, precisely pierced his most hidden pains, wrapped in the words of the sages he valued most, preventing him from reacting as easily as he would to ordinary acts of disobedience.

This was not something Li Chengqian could have come up with on his own; it was definitely not.

There's someone behind them.

An extremely dangerous man is teaching his prince how to deal with him.

Li Shimin's eyes snapped open, their light flashing coldly.

"Investigate! Find out for me who has recently joined the Eastern Palace and who the Crown Prince has been seeing."

An invisible wave seemed to respond to his command in the air.

Then footsteps sounded.

Li Shimin looked out of the palace again, his gaze seemingly penetrating the palace walls and landing in the direction of the East Palace.

The Crown Prince... his good Crown Prince.

It seems that he, as the father, had underestimated this "rebellious son" in the past.

(End of this chapter)