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

"Is it that brat?"

Upon hearing the name "Imperial Grandson Li Xiang," Li Shimin immediately recalled that rebellious figure and subconsciously frowned.

Lai Ji immediately stepped forward and relayed to Li Shimin what he had heard from the junior officer about Li Xiang.

The hall was already quiet, and although Lai Ji had lowered his voice, a few words such as "selling one's integrity for fame" and "rude and immoral" could still be faintly heard.

Kong Yingda and Yu Zhining's expressions grew increasingly grim.

"You need not worry about it. No one will believe that brat's nonsense." After hearing Lai Ji's account, Li Shimin understood why Kong and Yu were trying to kill themselves.

That brat's sharp tongue is truly vicious. With accusations of "selling one's integrity for fame" and "being rude and immoral," how could these two ministers, who cherish their reputations, not be furious?

It was himself... Recalling Li Xiang's rebellious words, Li Shimin's face stiffened slightly.

"Your Majesty!" Seeing the emperor's stiff expression, how could Kong and Yu possibly give up?

They assumed Li Shimin had taken Li Xiang's words to heart, which explained his unusual expression, and thus became even more agitated. Yu Zhining said solemnly, "Your Majesty, the Analects says: 'The virtue of a gentleman is like the wind, the virtue of a petty person is like grass; the grass must bend when the wind blows.'"

"Since Your Majesty has placed your trust in me, I should naturally live up to your virtue. How could I cherish my life? In the past, Qu Yuan advised King Huai, but was not heeded, and threw himself into the river, thus gaining a good reputation; Bigan died loyal to his ruler, leaving behind a glorious name in history for all eternity."

"Imperial grandson Li Xiang is young and ignorant, and speaks arrogantly. It is a small matter that he has tarnished my reputation with his vile words, but a great matter that he has disrupted the order of our Great Tang and destroyed the way of the gentleman! Although I am not talented, I know that 'a scholar can be killed, but not humiliated'!"

"Today, I am willing to offer my blood to prove my loyalty: my heart is as clear as the sun, moon, heaven, and earth, and I have absolutely no intention of 'selling my integrity'! I beg Your Majesty to preserve my reputation and uphold the moral order of our Great Tang!"

After saying this, Kong and Yu knelt down on the ground, as if they would not get up until Li Shimin agreed.

How could Li Shimin execute ministers without reason? The two even mentioned Qu Yuan and Bigan.

If Li Shimin were to truly grant their wishes, wouldn't he become a foolish ruler like King Huai of Chu or King Zhou of Shang?

"You..." Li Shimin was already exhausted because of the unresolved matter of the crown prince. Now, with Kong and Yu suddenly acting like this, Li Shimin vaguely felt a strange sense of being morally blackmailed.

Even so, his self-control as a monarch compelled him to suppress the strange feelings within him. After taking a deep breath, he patiently said, "I am aware of your integrity. You two need not be so formal."

"That brat is spouting nonsense; I will punish him severely in the future!"

"You two may leave now." He had no intention of involving the two in the meeting.

However, Kong Yingda and Yu Zhining did not move.

"I beg Your Majesty to clear my name!" Yu Zhining gritted his teeth and continued to kowtow, forcing himself to be brave.

How could he not know that the emperor was discussing the crown prince's plot to rebel?

If the Crown Prince is convicted, none of these officials under the Eastern Palace will escape punishment.

It was all too late then.

Why did I, along with Master Kong, force our way into the Right Commander's residence early this morning to see the Crown Prince?

Moreover, if the phrase "selling one's integrity for fame" cannot be clarified immediately, it may be remembered by the emperor...

Then, all is lost!

Yu Zhining was right. In the original history, he successfully severed ties with Li Chengqian by speaking frankly to the Crown Prince, and thus escaped unscathed from the Crown Prince's rebellion.

Li Shimin comforted him, saying, "Chengqian did not listen to the emperor, hence this situation." He did not punish Yu Zhining, making him one of the few officials in the Eastern Palace who was not implicated by Li Chengqian.

Kong Yingda, too, was not implicated in the Crown Prince's rebellion and retired gracefully, continuing to be a renowned Confucian scholar of his time, leaving his name in history.

But now, Li Xiang's "rebellious words" have laid their methods bare.

If one cannot rebuild their public image in front of the emperor, even if they are not implicated in the crown prince's rebellion, it will be a disastrous outcome.

They would inevitably bear a bad reputation and have their official careers cut off.

Looking at the stubborn Yu Zhining and Kong Yingda, Li Shimin rubbed his temples in exasperation.

"In your opinion, what should I do?"

"Do you really want me to execute you two? Are you trying to put me in an unjust position?"

"Father," Li Tai, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke.

"Why not summon that boy Li Xiang, punish him severely in person, and then order him to apologize to the two gentlemen in person?"

Li Tai was already extremely anxious about how to try Li Chengqian today.

Having finally managed to sneak into the hall, the scene inexplicably turned into seeking justice for the two old men, Kong and Yu.

It would be better to quickly seek justice for these two so that we can continue discussing the Crown Prince's rebellion.

Moreover... these two seem to have a grudge against Chengqian and Li Xiang. If I plead for them, I might be able to win them over as well, and they could join me in making things easier for Chengqian's trial.

Li Shimin frowned.

That brat's words are absurd and his behavior is rude; he is far superior to his father.

Summon him, in case he's like yesterday, constantly bringing up Xuanwu Gate...

"Your Majesty," Changsun Wuji also spoke up.

"The King of Wei is right. Humiliating a minister deserves punishment."

"Now that the court is in turmoil, it is even more necessary to stabilize people's hearts. We must not allow loyal ministers to suffer such disgrace, otherwise there will be no more loyal ministers to offer advice."

Changsun Wuji said solemnly.

Seeing that Changsun Wuji actually agreed with what he was saying, King Li Tai of Wei was pleasantly surprised and stole a glance at Changsun Wuji.

However, he did not notice the strange look in his younger brother Li Zhi's eyes.

"That's enough." Li Shimin closed his eyes, feeling only a wave of exhaustion.

"Then you can wait."

None of these ministers were willing to do as they pleased. Since that's the case, let them argue with that brat and see what his sharp tongue is like.

Ideally, the matter of dealing with Chengqian could be diverted in this way, and the longer it could be delayed, the better.

The diligent Emperor Taizong was exhausted and now all he wanted to do was go on strike...

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Meanwhile, Li Xiang, who had just scolded the two old men away, was painfully going to the outhouse under the guard of the Right Army's soldiers...

The reason I feel pain isn't because of an upset stomach or anything like that, but because...

In the Tang Dynasty, toilet paper did not exist. Even ordinary paper was not widely available because papermaking technology was far from being perfected.

Even in the Eastern Palace and the Imperial Academy, a small number of books were still written on bamboo slips or silk.

Although paper is lightweight, it is still expensive to produce. It's not even enough for writing, let alone for using in the toilet.

Even the emperor, if he dared to wipe himself with paper, would be criticized by his ministers as arrogant, extravagant, licentious, and incompetent...

"Damn it, the protagonists in those time-travel novels are always overjoyed and full of ambition after they find out they've traveled through time..."

Li Xiang used the bamboo strips very carefully, and with each scrape, he couldn't help but gasp. He was practically venting his frustration.

"I've only been here a few days, but I'm already almost as good as the third brother next door who uses his hands!"

"And then there are those authors, each one of them taking it for granted. They write about protagonists who, after only a couple of days, are completely immersed in ancient times, speaking and acting without a hint of awkwardness, as if they were born that way. Not a single one of them writes about how terrible the conditions in ancient times really were..."

"Bullshit! It's all utter nonsense! They're just spouting empty rhetoric! The so-called glorious Tang Dynasty? They didn't even have toilet paper! The palace latrines stank so badly you could die..."

He angrily threw the bamboo strips into the chamber pot, ran out of the latrine as if fleeing, washed his hands dozens of times with clean water, but still felt unclean.

"...This damn Tang Dynasty, let whoever wants to stay stay here, stay if they want. I don't want to stay here even for a day longer!"

Li Xiang looked up at the sky and sighed deeply.