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

Chapter 58 You've made me so happy?

These fools dare to claim credit for teaching the crown prince.
I simply don’t know how to live or die!
If it were up to him at this moment, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to beat to death all those who were bewitching the crown prince and were arrogant.

However, reason quickly prevailed over anger.

He took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, and slowly leaned back onto the dragon throne.

Do not move at this moment.

The Crown Prince has just managed to turn public opinion around a bit, and his image has improved somewhat.

If the officials of the Crown Prince's palace are severely punished at this time, it would be tantamount to telling the world that the "virtuous ministers" around the Crown Prince are all treacherous and that the Crown Prince's "acceptance of advice" is all hypocrisy. All the vicious rumors about the Crown Prince would then be confirmed.

This will cause a major upheaval in the imperial court and completely shake the foundations of the nation.

He cannot afford the price.

What alarmed him even more was that the results of his secret investigation into the poetic talents of Li Yichen and others all showed that these people were absolutely incapable of producing lines of poetry with the spirit of "carved out from the deep mountains by a thousand hammers and chisels".

The poem itself, according to scholars well-versed in phonetics, does indeed differ from the currently popular poetic forms and is ancient, vigorous, and unique.

This further confirms that the poem's origin is suspicious and could not possibly have been written by the officials who accompanied the Crown Prince.

It seems we have no choice but to shift our investigation from inside the Eastern Palace to outside officials who have close ties with the Crown Prince.

Li Shimin hoped that the crown prince would make progress, but he could not accept that his son would become a puppet and be controlled by others.

A day later, rumors spread like wildfire that the Crown Prince's dog could tell fortunes.

"Dogs can tell fortunes?"

When this rumor, even more bizarre than "a rooster laying golden eggs" and "a cat composing poetry," spread through the streets and alleys of Chang'an along with a specific prediction of an earthquake in Bingzhou, even the most curious common people felt a sense of unbelievable absurdity.

"That greyhound in the Eastern Palace can use its paws to pull out divination sticks and predict good or bad fortune? It even predicted that in April, a dragon would rise up in the Jinci area of ​​Bingzhou, destroying crops but not harming people?"

Inside the teahouse, someone scoffed and shook their head.

"This is ridiculous! At least the first two are 'laying eggs' and 'scratching,' does this dog know anything about the I Ching?"

"Exactly! The earth dragon turning over is a secret of heaven, how could a beast possibly fathom it?"

Those around him echoed, feeling that the rumor had gone beyond anecdotes and slid into pure nonsense.

However, unlike the pure mockery of the past, this time the rumors were mixed with some unusual voices.

Some people, who are simple-minded or believe in ghosts and gods, have had their mindset subtly changed after experiencing the successive shocks of "golden eggs" bringing wealth and "cat poems" expressing their aspirations.

“Hey, you can’t say that.” A more mature businessman stroked his beard, his eyes flashing with shrewdness and a hint of awe.

"The series of unusual phenomena appearing in the Eastern Palace are surely not accidental. First, there was the golden egg, symbolizing wealth; then the cat poem, demonstrating integrity; and now this greyhound is intelligent and foresees heavenly secrets... Could it be... that Heaven is giving a warning, that the Eastern Palace possesses the aura of a true dragon, hence the many auspicious omens?"

"An auspicious omen?" The bystander was taken aback.

“That’s right!” The businessman felt more and more certain that he had grasped the truth.

This argument was initially weak, but it found some supporters amidst the shocking aftermath of the "cat poetry".

Especially among some lower-ranking officials and frustrated scholars, they were more inclined to believe that this was a sign of the Crown Prince's virtue moving heaven and earth, and an auspicious omen for the stability of the nation's foundation.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has recently opened the Eastern Palace, listened to advice and studied diligently. His behavior is quite different from before. Perhaps he has truly repented and changed his ways, which has attracted the attention of the heavens?"

"If the earthquake prophecy comes true, then this 'dog fortune-telling' is not absurd, but divine! It is Heaven's affirmation of the Crown Prince!" As a result, public opinion in the city showed a peculiar division.

Some people still scoffed, believing that the Crown Prince had gone to any lengths to salvage his reputation, and that his methods were becoming increasingly despicable and laughable.
Another group of people began to have doubts, and even secretly looked forward to news from Bingzhou in April, as if it were a prophecy that would be verified.

Prince Wei's Mansion, study.

"Crack-!"

With a crisp sound, the fine Yue kiln celadon teacup was violently swept to the ground by Li Tai's fat arm, shards and warm tea splashing everywhere, staining the hem of his magnificent prince's robe.

He paid no heed to the rage, his chest heaving violently, his fat face turning purplish-red as he gasped for breath.

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

Li Tai's voice was sharp and shrill due to extreme anger.

"Liu Shi is a good-for-nothing! Those who spread rumors are also good-for-nothings! And those who confidently predicted that the Crown Prince would fall this time, they are all good-for-nothings!"

"First it was the rooster that laid golden eggs, then the cat that could write poetry, and now even the dog has become a divine dog that can predict the future and foresee earthquakes! Will that lame man produce a Qilin that can plow the fields tomorrow, and a phoenix that can only bring good news the day after tomorrow?"

He grew angrier as he spoke, veins bulging on his forehead. He kicked away a shard of broken porcelain at his feet and growled.

"There must be someone behind this! I only suspected it before, but now I can confirm that there is definitely someone by Li Chengqian's side! A master who is extremely good at manipulating people's hearts and guiding public opinion! This person, I will exterminate your entire family!"

Compared to Li Tai's furious outburst, Du Chuke appeared unusually calm.

Instead of showing any worry, his face revealed a confident, almost eerie smile.

“Your Highness,” Du Chuke’s voice was steady, even carrying a hint of unsettling leisure.

"Please calm down. In my opinion, not only should we not be troubled by this matter, but we should...rejoice."

"Celebrating with joy?" Li Tai was taken aback, thinking he had misheard. He pointed outside the door and raised his voice even higher.

"Du Chuke! Have you lost your mind? Everyone outside is praising the Crown Prince! Saying that the lame man was framed! Saying he has integrity! You expect me to be overjoyed?"

"Indeed, this is cause for celebration."

Du Chuke nodded firmly, his smile unwavering.

"In my opinion, not only is all previous efforts in vain, but on the contrary, the Crown Prince... and even the person behind him who came up with this terrible plan, have severed themselves from Your Majesty's sight and are now doomed to an abyss."

The anger on Li Tai's face was instantly replaced by immense confusion, and he frowned.

"What...what do you mean? Explain yourself! They've clearly gained the upper hand and turned the tide of public opinion, so how come they're the ones who are doomed?"

Du Chuke did not answer but asked a question in return.

"Your Highness, please calm down and think carefully. What is the core purpose of the rumors we have spread, such as the Crown Prince forming a faction, colluding with the Turks, cursing His Majesty, and behaving improperly?"

Li Tai was taken aback for a moment, then subconsciously replied, "Of course, it's to ruin his reputation, to make the Emperor and the court officials despise him, and to make the people of the world think that he is unworthy to be the Crown Prince!"

"Yes, but not entirely." Du Chuke shook his head slightly.

"The more crucial role is to provide His Majesty with a reason, a reason that can be openly discussed and even implemented to depose the Crown Prince. These charges, whether true or false, as long as they create public pressure and make His Majesty feel that the Crown Prince has indeed 'lost virtue' to the point of shaking the foundation of the country, then the matter of deposing and establishing a new one will proceed naturally."

He paused, looking at Li Tai's thoughtful expression, and continued, "Then, Your Highness, does the Crown Prince's response fundamentally deny or clear him of these charges? For example, can they prove that the Crown Prince did not associate with Hou Junji? Can they prove that he did not imitate Turkic customs? Can they prove that he harbors no resentment towards His Majesty?"

(End of this chapter)