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

Chapter 128 King Wei, you're finished!

Chu Suiliang bowed his head respectfully and remained silent.

Your Majesty is tolerant and receptive to advice, truly a wise ruler. However, since the passing of Empress Wende, Your Majesty's illness has worsened, and your temper has become increasingly unpredictable. You often use your wit to reject advice and your words to cover up your mistakes.

Wei Xuancheng once advised Your Majesty not to overuse the people's labor, but Your Majesty argued that "the people become arrogant and complacent when they have nothing to do, and they are easy to manage when they are forced to work."

Fang Xuanling and Gao Shilian once asked His Majesty about the construction of the North Gate, but His Majesty angrily rebuked them, saying, "You only know about the affairs of the South Office. The construction of the North Gate is none of your business!"

In the thirteenth year of the Zhenguan era, Wei Xuancheng submitted another memorial entitled "Ten Gradual Advice," advising His Majesty against the decline of frugality into extravagance, favoring flatterers over virtuous officials, and abusing the people's labor, which was different from the early years of the Zhenguan era. However, His Majesty still did not heed his advice.

Now that Wei Xuancheng has passed away, ministers who dare to offer honest advice are becoming increasingly rare. It has been a very, very long time since Chu Suiliang has seen His Majesty suffer such a setback.

I've started to reflect on my own behavior.

The eunuch Wang De, observing Li Shimin's expression, noticed that Li Shimin's anger seemed to be subsiding, and whispered, "Your Majesty, these clothes on the ground—"

"Shall this old servant take it away now?"

"Take it away." Li Shimin waved his hand, preferring to ignore it. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw the black booklet.

"Bring that booklet forward."

Wang De hurriedly presented the book, and Li Shimin opened the inner pages. The familiar handwriting belonging to his eldest son made him tremble involuntarily.

He then quickly scanned the entries on the page: the inner pages were densely filled with writings about a group of Kanto gentry colluding for profit...

The entries include those concerning the annexation of farmland and the abuse of power for personal gain.

Among the names listed were not only commoners, but also many who held important positions in the imperial court.

Li Shimin's expression gradually became solemn, and his surging anger was mixed with a touch of melancholy.

"That brat," he frowned. "He's dumped a huge, unmanageable mess right in front of me."

He was aware of this booklet written by his eldest son, Li Chengqian.

In Li Shimin's view, Li Chengqian's attempt to divide the major clans using such underhanded methods was extremely naive.

The powerful clans, who held sway over the regions and possessed vast wealth and influence, inevitably had many shady dealings. The imperial court was well aware of this, but mostly turned a blind eye.

Those powerful families also knew their limits. Even if they committed illegal acts, they had usually already dealt with the aftermath. Even if threatened in this way, most of them were not afraid. At worst, a gecko would lose its tail, which would not harm its foundation.

In matters of the court, the most important thing is checks and balances. As long as these powerful families know their limits, even the emperor himself will not easily take action to disrupt the existing power structure.

Even if the emperor wanted to suppress the powerful families, he wouldn't bother with such trivial matters. Instead, he would first conceal his intentions and then plan for the long term, using his power to suppress them.

But that brat, during the Xia sacrifice banquet, directly threw this booklet at me, framing me and putting me in a dilemma:

If those powerful families are not dealt with, Xia Si's woman's dress and that poem will surely become an eternal stain on his record as emperor, making future generations know that he was an incompetent ruler.

However, dealing with these troublesome aristocratic families would inevitably stir up a massive upheaval in the court. The storm of the deposed crown prince case had barely subsided, and the court had only enjoyed a brief period of peace—

That brat, when did he develop such cunning?

As Li Shimin was pondering this, a series of light footsteps came from outside the palace, accompanied by an announcement from a palace attendant: "His Highness Prince Wei, please enter the palace."

Before long, Li Tai straightened his court robes and slowly stepped into the Liangyi Hall. He had just been ordered to see off the guests on behalf of his father, and had seen off all the members of the imperial family and the civil and military nobles out of the palace, handling everything properly and thoroughly.

As soon as he entered the hall, his gaze subconsciously swept across the imperial desk, and he caught a glimpse of the black-covered book in Li Shimin's hand.

Li Xiang had used this booklet to manipulate a group of younger members of noble families who had submitted to the Prince of Wei's household. Furthermore, given his years of open and covert struggles with Li Chengqian, how could he not guess that this booklet was a tool left behind by Li Chengqian?

The book must contain records of the gentry from Guandong and his trusted confidants in the court who were attached to his Wei Wang faction and worked for him!

Li Tai's mind raced, and he instantly grasped the pros and cons. He knew all too well the advantages and disadvantages; if his father were to truly investigate thoroughly according to the items in the register, digging deeper and deeper along the clues, it would inevitably implicate a large number of Prince Wei's followers and shake his current foundation.

It might even affect his impending position as crown prince!

Upon realizing this, Li Tai quickly composed himself, stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said, "Your subject has been ordered to see off the imperial family and officials, and all have been sent away. Everything in the palace has been settled, and I have come to report back."

Li Shimin glanced at him, his expression indifferent, and said nothing.

Li Tai lowered his eyes, his gaze seemingly unintentionally sweeping over the black book on the imperial desk again. After a moment's hesitation, he spoke with feigned composure and earnestness, "Why should Father Emperor concern himself with this wretched book?"

"Father, Li Xiang just now uttered arrogant and reckless words, disrupting the ceremony and causing unnecessary trouble."

"Your subject has heard that that scoundrel has a black book, which he uses to fabricate charges, make up stories, exaggerate, and slander others to achieve his own ends."

"Your subject believes that these trivial items pieced together from common rumors are certainly not true."

His tone was sincere, and every word he uttered deliberately downplayed the significance of the booklet, attempting to dissuade Li Shimin from a thorough investigation: "This scoundrel is immoral and disregards the fate of the nation. If this precedent is set, everyone will lack concrete evidence and will resort to slander to accuse others in an attempt to eliminate dissidents. In that case, everyone in our Great Tang will live in fear."

Li Shimin remained outwardly calm, looking at Li Tai and simply saying, "Does Qingque mean that I should pretend I didn't hear about this and ignore it?"

Li Tai was overjoyed and quickly kowtowed, earnestly saying, "That is exactly what I meant! Minor matters need not interfere with major policies. Let bygones be bygones, which will also demonstrate the Emperor's benevolent rule and tolerance, and the court and the country will surely be more peaceful and prosperous."

Li Shimin remained silent, merely observing Li Tai kneeling on the ground. Fear began to rise in Li Tai's heart, and slowly, cold sweat began to seep from his back.

He wanted to step forward and throw himself into Li Shimin's arms, but he worried that doing so would only arouse Li Shimin's suspicion.

Moreover, ever since Li Xiang uttered the words "嘤嘤嘤嘤" that day, he felt that his father was scrutinizing him more and more often.

"I understand."

After a long, suffocating silence, Li Taifang heard Li Shimin's voice. He looked up and saw Li Shimin rubbing his forehead, seemingly suffering from a headache, but his face showed no other expression.

It seems the silence just now was because Father Emperor suddenly had a headache? Li Tai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Qingque, you may leave now. I have something to discuss with Dengshan."

Upon hearing this, Li Tai, who had been about to step forward, could only bow. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Li Shimin had already closed the black booklet, and he felt even more at ease.

When he left the palace, Li Shimin's eyes were bright and clear. The look of him rubbing his forehead and suffering from illness was completely gone.

The palace doors were closed again.

"The other day, a bluebird flew into my arms."

After another period of silence, Li Shimin suddenly spoke, seemingly to Chu Suiliang, yet also seemingly to himself.

"He said he was willing to be the crown prince, and if I felt uneasy, I could kill my son and pass the throne to my brother."

"Who doesn't love their child? I feel great pity for him when I see him like this."

Li Shimin said. Although he said he "pitied him greatly," there was no trace of affection on his face, only disappointment and coldness.

"Dengshan is well-versed in history. What do you think of Qingque's words?"

Chu Suiliang suddenly shuddered and raised his head.

He observed the expressions and gestures, pondered briefly, then leaned forward and said, "Your Majesty's words are greatly flawed. I beg you to consider them carefully! Who would willingly kill their own son to pass the throne to their younger brother!"

"It's not that he loves his brother, but that he loves his power!"

"Your Majesty previously established your eldest son as Crown Prince and then favored the Prince of Wei, granting him more privileges and honors than the eldest son, which led to today's disaster. This past event serves as a warning. Your Majesty's current appointment of the Prince of Wei suggests that what the Imperial Grandson previously foretold will soon come to pass!"

"Good." Li Shimin nodded, his fingers gripping the black book tightly, and said, word by word.

"The King of Wei should not be the crown prince."

Chu Suiliang lowered his head, his hand involuntarily tightening around the writing board that was already covered in characters.

By revealing these words to His Majesty himself, the historian, it is tantamount to admitting the mistake of deposing the Crown Prince earlier.

This also shows that His Majesty has made a decision.

King Wei is finished!

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