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

Chapter 122 Summer Sacrifice Banquet, Princess Chang Le

At Ba Bridge, I broke off a willow branch and wrote a poem as a farewell gift; half of this masterpiece remains in Chang'an.

Sun Fujia rode south to Shangzhou to take up his post. Although he left the capital, he left behind a beautiful story of parting despite the age gap, which was left on the banks of the ancient bridge of the Ba River.

In Chang'an during the Zhenguan era, people have always valued elegance and cherished farewells. From then on, those seeing off guests at the Ba Bridge ferry all imitated this scene, breaking off willow branches to express their feelings and composing poems to bid farewell. The line "Do not worry about having no friends on the road ahead, for who in the world does not know you?" spread throughout the streets and alleys of Chang'an overnight, with scholars and military officers vying to recite it, already showing signs of becoming an eternal masterpiece.

Li Xiang's reputation soared once again thanks to this poem, making him the most talked-about figure in Chang'an during the seventeenth year of the Zhenguan era.

The common people talked about it with great interest, and the scholars from humble backgrounds took it as their heartfelt sentiment. Only those aristocratic families who had always disliked Li Xiang and had been repeatedly humiliated by him felt increasingly resentful and uncomfortable, yet helpless.

Spring has passed and summer has arrived. The warm winds are growing stronger, and the sun in Chang'an is getting hotter day by day, with the atmosphere of midsummer sweeping over the capital.

With no troubles for days, Li Xiang enjoyed a rare period of leisure. Aside from meeting with Wang Xuance and others, he stayed home, peacefully spending time with Su Shi, Li Chengqian, and Li Jue, while also contemplating his next move to provoke Li Shimin into killing his grandson. He spent a peaceful and tranquil time.

Time flies, and the day of the Midsummer Festival arrives in the blink of an eye.

According to the Tang Dynasty's ritual system, the ancestral temple sacrifices were to be held in midsummer. The emperor would personally go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to burn incense and worship the ancestors, in order to pay homage to them and pray for a peaceful year.

After the Imperial Ancestral Temple ceremony concluded, following the old system of the Zhenguan era, a grand banquet was held in the palace, inviting members of the imperial family, princes, dukes, and other imperial relatives from both inside and outside the capital.

This palace banquet was fully supervised by the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs. The list of members of the Li clan was verified one by one according to the genealogy. All registered members of the imperial clan were summoned to the palace to attend the banquet in accordance with the imperial edict.

Li Xiang and Li Jue, who were members of the imperial clan, were also among those invited.

Li Xiang was too lazy to go. He had figured it out: from top to bottom, there were very few things in the Zhenguan Tang Dynasty that were delicious and suited his taste. Going to the palace for a royal banquet was less appealing than staying in the courtyard and munching on a few baskets of mooncakes sent by Aunt Pang and the others.

But Li Jue was very much looking forward to it. The poor little brother had been imprisoned in Longqing Ward with Li Chengqian since April and had never left the courtyard.

Although he still holds a place in the imperial clan, he is ultimately the son of the deposed Crown Prince Li Chengqian, so how could he be so easily released?

Not everyone is as reckless as Li Xiang.

"Elder, take Jue'er with you. Jue'er is still young—if Father sees him more often, perhaps he will soften his heart and give Jue'er a good path—" This is what Madam Su said to Li Xiang in private, pulling him aside with earnest expectation.

"The seasonal sacrifice is a momentous event. You should go." This was Li Chengqian saying to Li Xiang as he sat in the backyard, admiring the flowers. "—Although that person is cold, there may still be some members of the imperial clan who feel pity for you two brothers."

"Brother? —" Little Li Jue tugged at his sleeve, wanting to speak but not daring to, afraid that he would refuse. His expectant yet uneasy look softened Li Xiang's heart.

He could be willful, reckless, and disdain the palace's extravagance and empty formalities, but Li Jue could not.

This child belongs to this era, yet he has been bound by the shackles of his identity since childhood. Because of Li Chengqian's mistakes, he bears endless burdens, living a humble and cautious life. This palace banquet, which others see as mere formalities, is, in Li Jue's eyes, an opportunity for him to temporarily break free from his shackles, step out of his cage, and breathe some fresh air.

Li Xiang sighed softly, raised his hand and ruffled Xiao Li Jue's hair, his tone casual yet resolute.

"Alright, stop pulling."

"Go, I'll take you there."

"It's just a royal banquet. With your elder brother here, no one will dare to look down on you, and no one will dare to make things difficult for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Li suddenly looked up, his eyes instantly lighting up with a faint light. All his timidity vanished, leaving only joy in his heart. He nodded vigorously.

The next day, Li Xiang, holding the invitation from the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, hired a carriage to take Li Jue to the capital.

Along the way, Li Jue frequently lifted the curtain to curiously observe the buildings and pedestrians along the street, his eyes sparkling with excitement, finding everything new and exciting.

When the carriage arrived at the Imperial City Gate on Zhuque Avenue, the two disembarked and saw that both sides of the street were densely packed with carriages and horses, with fine horses, carved saddles, brocade canopies, and flowing tassels; the accompanying servants were dressed in brocade, and the princes and nobles wore jade pendants and luxurious clothes, showing the grandeur of the imperial family everywhere.

The brothers, however, rode in a cheap, unassuming carriage that could be found anywhere in the city. Their simple and plain appearance made them stand out among the luxurious carriages and horses.

Everyone naturally knew who the brothers were, and there were bound to be strange looks and gossip. Li Jue's expression immediately became unnatural.

But Li Xiang was thick-skinned! Seeing a group of relatives looking at him and his brothers with disdain, Li Xiang rolled his eyes and pulled Li Que to glare back at them one by one from left to right.

—You're all so proud of yourselves, riding in a shabby horse-drawn carriage.

Have you ever been on an airplane? Have you ever ridden a high-speed train? Do you even know what it means to have worldly experience? A bunch of bumpkins from feudal society, yet they look down on others.

The transmigrator's sense of superiority instantly overwhelmed everyone present. The clansmen who had been whispering amongst themselves awkwardly turned their heads away.

Who doesn't know this guy? He's none other than Li Xiang, the infamous mad prince of the emperor, who's famous throughout the entire city of Chang'an.

If you anger this man, he'll even dare to berate His Majesty. It's best not to provoke him lightly.

"Hahaha, it's Elephant and Jue'er who have arrived."

The sacrificial ceremony had just concluded when the civil and military officials held a banquet in the Taiji Hall, while the imperial relatives were invited to the Liangyi Hall. Li Xiang led Li Juefang into the Liangyi Hall, and before they even sat down, they saw many imperial relatives chatting amongst themselves.

Among them, the one who was fawned over and acted like the master of the house was naturally Prince Wei, Li Tai. As the most popular prince at the moment, and the rightful eldest son of the deposed Li Chengqian, Li Tai was riding high.

Furthermore, after his conversation with Li Shimin that day, Li Tai believed that his succession to the position of crown prince was a foregone conclusion.

When he met Li Xiang and Li Jue in front of everyone, he did not hesitate to show the magnanimity of an elder prince and deliberately displayed the harmony of the imperial family, even smiling as he greeted them.

"—Is this fatso having a relapse?"

Li Xiang naturally didn't have a good impression of Li Tai. In Li Xiang's plan, the more powerful a force was, the more he wanted to provoke it. In his mind, Li Tai was just like the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families, all of whom needed to be provoked as much as possible so that they would slander and kill Sun Quan to Li Erjin.

Li Jue, though frightened, still timidly called out "Fourth Uncle." Li Tai chuckled and tried to pat Li Jue's head, but Li Jue fearfully hid behind Li Xiang.

"The King of Wei's appearance is such that it's easy to frighten a child. It's best not to feign kindness," Li Xiang said sarcastically, causing Li Tai to freeze for a moment. Just as he was about to say something, Li Xiang ignored him and pulled Li Jue away.

"You—Your Highness Prince Wei, this boy is extremely rude!" A lackey shouted angrily as he looked at Li Xiang's retreating figure.

"Oh, it's alright, it's alright!" Li Tai chuckled and pulled back the "righteously indignant" lackey, waving his hand with great composure. That brat clearly had no intention of backing down.

Originally, he wanted to reveal that his succession was already decided, and then make a deal with this brat, using the excuse of treating Li Chengqian well, to get back the list of names that made the powerful families hesitant to act against him.

After this brat's antics, the powerful families began to lose faith in the Prince of Wei's household. After all, his nephews had publicly insulted him, the Prince of Wei, at Chengguang Tower. The heads of each family were starting to worry that their families might incur the Prince of Wei's wrath because of this.

This matter is undoubtedly a scheme by that scoundrel to sow discord, but Li Tai is powerless to do anything about it. Even if he pats his chest and guarantees it, those cautious and shrewd aristocratic families will not easily believe that he will not seek revenge later.

The only and best way is to get hold of that booklet and then bestow favors upon those aristocratic families so they can smooth things over. Otherwise, with that booklet in Li Xiang's hands, the aristocratic families will have to sleep with one eye open every night—who knows if that brat will secretly gather evidence point by point and suddenly launch a thunderous attack before the emperor at some point?

Only by resolving those loose ends can they wholeheartedly assist the King of Wei.

Unfortunately, that scoundrel Li Xiang is unlikely to yield.

A cold glint flashed in Li Tai's eyes, but he quickly concealed it and resumed chatting and laughing with the other clan members.

Li Xiang held Li Jue's hand tightly with one hand and carried his wooden box with the other, his eyes scanning the scattered seats in the Liangyi Hall.

The seats in the hall were arranged according to rank. The princes of the imperial family and the older princes were seated at the head of the hall near the throne, while the distant relatives of the imperial family and the younger generation were seated on the side seats in the corridors. The relatives of the imperial family gathered in twos and threes to chat, and many eyes still seemed to be on the two brothers, implying scrutiny and distance.

Just as they were finding their seats according to their numbers, a soft, gentle female voice suddenly came from the seats diagonally to their side: "Xiang'er, Jue'er, come sit here."

Hearing the sound, Li Xiang looked up and saw a woman dressed in a light purple embroidered silk palace robe holding a young child on a brocade rug, smiling and waving at them. The woman had a beautiful and gentle appearance, with the unique elegance of the Li royal family in her brows. The pearl hairpins in her hair swayed gently with her movements, and her whole demeanor was graceful and composed.

Li Jue, who was standing beside him, was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes lit up. The awkwardness and timidity he had shown in front of the entire royal family disappeared, and he broke free from Li Xiang's grasp and ran towards the woman.

"Aunt Chang Le!"