The rebellious grandson of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty: Please, Your Majesty, be called Cro

Chapter 116 Trouble? The more the better!

At this point, Li Xiang had completely turned the tide.

"You don't need to think about sneaking away." Seeing that some people had already begun to quietly move back, Li Xiang poured himself a cup of wine and said calmly.

"I will give you this cup of wine to drink. If you finish this cup and still haven't spoken, I will send your charges to the Censorate or even to the Emperor."

"Those who abscond without permission will be treated the same way. You should all reflect on this."

After Li Xiang finished speaking, he lowered his head and took a small sip of wine from his cup.

Ugh—this tastes awful.

However, in order to solidify the hatred, we drank the wine.

It's definitely not about putting on an act.

These are all resources!

The more deeply these forces are offended, the more likely they are to incite Li Er to kill Sun.

You all better put in the effort, hate me as much as you want, and when you get back, go to your respective elders and add fuel to the fire, contributing to my death wish.

Li Xiang looked at the scions of noble families who were caught in a dilemma, his eyes filled with encouragement.

But to those young masters, that look in his eyes made Li Xiang seem like a madman.

Sweat immediately dripped down Sima Yuanjing's forehead.

Those who served Prince Li Xin were all scions of top aristocratic families. They might be able to deny it to the death and wait for their families to intervene on their behalf.

And what about Sima Yuanjing? The Sima clan had long since fallen, utterly incapable of turning the tide. And those poems he recited at home—

If someone is seen as having loyalty to their ancestors and harboring disloyal intentions, they will surely face certain death!

"Enough. You've already offended the Prince of Wei's mansion by implicating the young master."

Sima Yuanjing gritted his teeth and steeled his heart. "Your Highness, I am a lowly official and have offended Your Highness the Prince of Wei by using your name. His Majesty will not tolerate this." Sima Yuanjing asked Li Xiang cautiously.

"Could you—be a little less direct, and perhaps a little more tactful?"

"It's alright." Li Xiang waved his hand and took a sip of wine. "As long as you can distance yourselves from the King of Wei, it will be fine."

""

"In that case—" Sima Yuanjing coughed twice, turned his back, and refused to look at Li Xin's angry expression, which made him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles. After a moment of preparation, he said, "This humble official believes that His Highness Prince Wei—is seeking fame and fortune, and is fond of extravagance. He is truly not fit to be the crown prince—"

"Your Highness, is this alright?"

"You scoundrel, how dare you!" Li Xin's eyes were bloodshot.

How utterly disrespectful it is for a son to scold his father!

"Good, good, good!" Li Xiang laughed heartily when someone spoke up.

"I knew you were a genius! Since you were the first to speak, let's go."

"Don't worry, your problem isn't serious. I'll pretend I didn't see it and won't make things difficult for you."

"—Thank you, Your Highness. Well then, this humble official will take his leave—" Sima Yuanjing forced a smile, not daring to look at Li Xin, and with his head down, quickly slipped away with a group of clerks.

—Those things have come to the attention of that mad prince, it's a real disaster. We need to clean up the mess quickly—damn it, how did I end up like this?

After Sima Yuanjing nearly cried, he certainly wouldn't be able to hold onto his lucrative position as county magistrate for so long.

Seeing Sima Yuanjing lower his head and slip away, Li Xin couldn't help but rush forward half a step, trying to stop him.

He fully expected that the people around him would share his righteous indignation.

But those scions of noble families who had just been fawning over him now all had strange expressions, and not one of them followed him forward.

"Your Highness, if we just tell you—will you really let us go?" Instead, someone bowed and asked Li Xiang with a fawning expression.

"Of course." Li Xiang took another sip of wine and hefted the wine cup slightly. "However, you'd better hurry."

"Time is running out!"

"Wait! Your Highness, I must speak! The Prince of Wei—he covets the throne and falsely accuses the Crown Prince!"

"I—I also say that the King of Wei—he has amassed a large following and harbors treacherous intentions!"

"Me too—"

With the first and second such instances, the long-suppressed crowd finally broke down, and voices rose and fell as everyone spoke up to express their opinions.

One accusation after another was uttered, and the flattery and praise he had shown to Li Tai and his son Li Xin in the past were now all turned into words of avoidance.

Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet Li Xin's gaze, hoping to quickly sever ties and gain a chance to escape. They all knew that the booklet in Li Xiang's hand was a sword hanging over their heads.

Compared to offending the Prince of Wei's mansion, losing face now would at least buy time to settle things and give them a glimmer of hope. "You?"

"A bunch of sycophants! Ungrateful scoundrels!"

Li Xin roared loudly, but those present had no time to care about his anger. After someone finished speaking, seeing Li Xiang wave his hand in approval, they hurriedly bowed and slipped out of the crowd as if their feet were greased, fearing that any delay would cause trouble.

Before long, Li Xiang finished his wine, and most of the people present had already left. Only Fang Yi'ai, who was trembling in the corner with his head down, pretending to be a drinker, and Zhang Shenji, who was still hesitating, had not left.

The once bustling restaurant was now empty, with only a crowd of onlookers pointing and whispering outside, but none daring to enter.

"You're from the Zhang family of the Duke of Xun's mansion?" Li Xiang stood up and patted Zhang Shenji on the shoulder. "Indeed, a fine fellow."

.

"I took money from the Zhang family, so I'll let you go today."

He couldn't really control the Zhang family, because Li Chengqian's booklet was specifically aimed at those aristocratic scions who had ties with Prince Wei, Li Tai.

Duke Xun, Zhang Liang, was a newly appointed prince of Wei. Before Li Chengqian's downfall, he was still a member of the emperor's faction.

"Li Xiang, I've remembered what happened today." He spoke each word slowly and deliberately, through gritted teeth: "Today you relied on unorthodox methods to humiliate me and sow discord among the people. One day, I will repay you a hundredfold!"

"Oh?" Li Xiang raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise, and said with a grin, "I'll be waiting anytime. But before that, I hope you'll refrain from following your father's example and trying to trip me up from the shadows."

"If your father doesn't teach you to be good, I, as the eldest brother, will certainly teach you, this not-so-bright cousin, a proper lesson."

Li Xiang patted Li Xin's face, then led Wang Xuance and the others, parting the curious crowd at the door, and strode away.

"Li Xiang! I want my father—no, I want my imperial grandfather!"

"I'll punish you severely! I'll punish you severely!"

Outside the restaurant, hearing Li Xin's angry roar inside, Wang Xuance walked to Li Xiang's side and whispered, "Your Highness, today we have offended the Wei King's lineage and a host of aristocratic scions. I'm afraid there will be endless trouble in the future."

"trouble?"

Li Xiang clicked his tongue, a nonchalant smile on his face: "The more trouble the better."

Having traveled through time, the thing he fears least is causing trouble.

Those who didn't die are fine. But those who robbed people of their property or neglected human life, he has no intention of letting them off so easily.

If this is all the trouble he's looking for, he'd like to create even bigger trouble!

Imperial City, Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin was discussing important matters of state with several ministers and his two sons, Li Tai and Li Zhi.

"Father, I believe that the reform of the imperial examination system should be based on these five measures: anonymous grading, transcription, closed examination rooms, separate examinations, and the palace examination."

"The separation of the two subjects, knowledge and policy essays, is a drastic change compared to previous imperial examinations. Confucianism is profound; how can it be tested simply with a question bank?"

"Furthermore, using a question bank to generate questions is too rigid. What if someone answers randomly and guesses?"

"Could it be that he is exceptionally lucky, and the imperial court intends to recruit him as a scholar?"

In the hall, Li Tai spoke eloquently, listing various shortcomings in the examinations for the subjects of knowledge and policy essays.

How to reform the imperial examination system is undoubtedly one of the two most pressing issues in the court today. The other issue is the selection of an heir apparent.

Influenced by Li Xiang, Li Shimin intended to reform the imperial examination system and even downplay the influence of Confucianism. However, taking too big a step could easily backfire, and he was also wary of the deeply entrenched nature of Confucianism. Therefore, Li Shimin only discussed his intention to reduce the Confucian content in the examinations with Changsun Wuji.

The only topic of discussion in the court was how to reform the imperial examination system.

Even so, Li Xiang's proposal to "test knowledge using a question bank to prevent the power of grading from falling into the hands of aristocratic scholars" was still opposed by both the court and the public.

Led by Prince Li Tai of Wei, the officials opposed the radical plan that almost completely excluded ministers from reviewing examination papers. In comparison, methods such as anonymizing names and transcribing became acceptable.

Li Shimin's expression was rather unpleasant.

He was an emperor who cared a great deal about his reputation. His policies often required the agreement of all his officials before they could be implemented.

In the past, he believed that this was what a wise ruler should do, and that his ministers were "mirrors of humanity." Listening to their opinions would help him better correct the merits and demerits of his governance.

But now, as he looked at those ministers who were quoting classical texts and opposing the two policies of "learning and strategy," he couldn't help but recall the words of that rebellious grandson.

One can't help but wonder if these officials wanted to limit the emperor's power to "select officials," which is why they were vying for the right to review the examination papers.

Especially his own son, Qingque—

He glanced at Li Tai, who was still talking animatedly, and a hint of detachment flashed in his eyes.

Qingque—did he really believe that being too radical might shake people's hearts?

Or is it because of those powerful ministers?

"Xuanling, what do you think of what Qingque said?" After Li Tai finished speaking, Li Shimin noticed Fang Xuanling, his most trusted minister, sitting below him, who remained silent and made no comment. So he asked with a gentle smile.

"Your Majesty," Fang Xuanling said, rising shakily from his seat.

"Your Majesty, I am old and my mind wandered just now. I did not hear what you said—please forgive me." He smiled and bowed to Li Tai.

Li Tai's face stiffened, but he couldn't say anything and could only awkwardly return the greeting.

This Fang Xuanling—should have been one of his most trusted backers. But—he always chose to protect himself during discussions, remaining silent.

Even though his most beloved son was a well-known member of the Wei King's faction, he always pretended to be impartial and incorruptible.

"Old fox!" Li Tai cursed inwardly.

"Your Majesty." Just as Li Shimin was about to say something, a young eunuch came to his side and whispered, "The heir apparent of the Prince of Wei is outside the palace, claiming to have urgent business to discuss."