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

The armor plates clanged loudly.

Li Xiang followed behind the imperial guards leading the way, head held high and chest puffed out, showing no awareness whatsoever of being a prisoner and imperial grandson.

Seeing his appearance, even the general who was leading the way couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for him.

This prince... he's really got a big heart.

Being escorted to see His Majesty like this, even the Crown Prince felt that his trip would be dangerous.

He, however, appeared eager to try, seemingly disregarding His Majesty entirely...

Li Shimin was a highly decorated military leader with immense prestige in the army. The imperial guards in the palace practically worshipped this emperor who rose from the ashes as a god.

Naturally, they couldn't understand why Li Xiang, about to be reprimanded by the emperor, showed no tension or worry, but instead appeared elated...

Before long, a magnificent palace stood in front of them, with upturned eaves and a solemn atmosphere.

Above the lintel hangs three large characters: Liangyi Hall.

Outside the palace, guards stood in rows, their armor gleaming in the sun, the atmosphere so heavy it was almost palpable.

It was obvious at a glance that something momentous was being discussed inside.

As soon as Li Xiang reached the door, he heard Kong Yingda's aged and indignant voice coming from inside the hall:

"Your Majesty! Grandson Li Xiang has shown no respect for his elders, insulted his teacher, and acted arrogantly and rudely. This is a failure of the royal family's moral education! If he is not severely punished, how can we set an example for the world!"

Then came Yu Zhining's voice, filled with grief and indignation: "We ministers are not to be pitied for our deaths, but the Crown Prince has lost his virtue, and the Imperial Grandson is so unruly. I fear the nation will be in turmoil!"

Li Xiang sneered inwardly upon hearing this.

Oh, they're busy trying to put a bad eye on me.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Grandson Li Xiang has arrived," the palace guard general announced from afar.

Li Shimin was about to announce the summons.

But Li Xiang had already taken a step and, amidst a sea of ​​astonished gazes, strode in with his head held high.

Seeing his expression, Li Shimin immediately frowned, feeling a surge of anger rising within him.

"Entering without prior notice, is the imperial grandson plotting rebellion?"

Kong Yingda immediately seized on Li Xiang's mistake, pointed his halberd at Li Xiang, and questioned him sternly.

"Grandson, why don't you apologize to His Majesty? Your conduct has been disrespectful, your words rebellious and defiant—each and every one of these is a grave offense!"

Yu Zhining added insult to injury.

With Li Shimin and his ministers backing them in the palace, the two old men felt much more confident.

"It seems your verbal skills have declined considerably in the short time we've seen them," Li Xiang retorted sarcastically.

"If you can't get a name for yourself by selling your honesty, are you going to resort to cursing like the orchids in the West Market?"

"You…" Yu Zhining trembled with rage, "You brat! How dare you!"

"Oh? Is it as audacious as Yu Gong selling names directly?"

"That's really outrageous," Li Xiang said sarcastically without even blinking.

"you……"

Li Xiang's constant talk of "selling honesty for fame" made Yu Zhining feel dizzy and almost faint.

"You dare to argue when disaster strikes!" Seeing Yu Zhining back down, his good partner Kong Yingda quickly took over the blame and angrily rebuked him.

"Oh. My Eastern Palace is about to fall, and Kong Gong, the Crown Prince's tutor, is also facing disaster." Li Xiang casually picked at his ear.

"No wonder Confucius rushed to the Liangyi Hall to argue his case."

"But I don't know how Master Kong just now tried to argue his way out of front of His Majesty."

"Could it be that the blame is being placed entirely on my father and me? Confucius was well-versed in the classics, but I wonder which book taught him such treacherous and opportunistic ways of kicking someone when they're down and betraying his master for personal gain?"

"You...you...you..."

Kong Yingda's face turned pale, and he was immediately speechless.

Li Xiang got a double kill.

Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and others all looked at Li Xiang with utter astonishment.

This was the first time they had ever realized that this unassuming young imperial grandson was so sharp-tongued.

They had only been in the hall for a short while when they were rendered speechless by the two learned scholars.

On the throne, Li Shimin glanced at Changsun Wuji, who was already dumbfounded.

Why did you insist that I summon him here...?

This brat is lawless and dares to insult even me.

Moreover, there were two senior officials, Kong and Yu.

"Someone come here," Li Shimin called out to the outside of the palace.

"Drag the imperial grandson Li Xiang down and give him forty strokes of the cane."

He had no intention of wasting words with Li Xiang.

If we talk too much with this brat, who knows what shocking things he might say later.

What Kong and Yu wanted was the emperor's attitude and an explanation.

Then let's punish Li Xiang and give them both an explanation.

"Wait!" Li Xiang ducked, dodging the large hands of the Imperial Guards who had entered the hall to capture him.

Then he shouted:

"What crime have I committed? Does Your Majesty intend to execute me without my knowledge?"

Li Shimin's face was ashen. Li Tai, the Prince of Wei, stepped forward and coldly snorted, "What a rebellious brat!"

"Entering without permission, showing disrespect to the emperor and father, insulting your teacher, and being arrogant and rude! For such crimes, forty strokes of the cane are already an act of leniency from the emperor, considering your youth!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Li Xiang leaped forward nimbly, dodging the capture of the Thousand Bull Guards once again, and then simply ran around the pillar.

As he ran, he laughed loudly, "I was wondering why the Tang Dynasty had so many treacherous officials who used the guise of remonstrance to humiliate the Crown Prince, and who used loyalty and integrity as a pretext to sell their honesty for personal gain."

"Now I understand, if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too. With such a foolish ruler who cannot distinguish right from wrong and leaves disaster for his descendants, there will naturally be many sycophantic ministers who flatter the emperor and distort the truth!"

Shocking!

These words were utterly merciless, and even Emperor Li Shimin and many important officials present were insulted.

Changsun Wuji and the others were so shocked that their mouths were agape, while Li Shimin's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

Even Prince Wei, Li Tai, and Prince Jin, Li Zhi, were shocked to death by these extremely rebellious and outrageous words!

"You... arrogant!" Li Tai shrieked, but secretly he was overjoyed.

Unexpectedly, Chengqian's son would be so reckless.

If he hurls a few more insults, wouldn't the Crown Prince be doomed?

"Oh, I almost forgot about you." Li Xiang said, while playing the game of "Qin King Circling the Pillar" with the armored soldiers who were already sweating profusely.

On one side, he opened his mouth and spat at Li Tai:

"This pretentious, useless fatso was actually treated like a treasure, and he even coveted the position of crown prince."

"What a tyrant who seized power by killing his brother and imprisoning his father!"

The entire hall erupted in uproar!

Even the little bit of smugness that Li Tai had been secretly pleased with vanished instantly, replaced by a single thought:

Has my nephew gone mad?

"Enough!!!!"

Li Shimin suddenly roared, which shook the entire roof of the Liangyi Hall.

Sweating profusely, the armored soldiers, chasing after Li Xiang around the pillar but unable to catch him, were so frightened that they knelt down with a thud. Even Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Xiao Yu, and others were so frightened that they quickly lowered their heads.

Looking at the Liangyi Hall, which was originally solemn and dignified but now resembled a farce, the veins on Li Shimin's forehead throbbed wildly.

He took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the throbbing headache and the murderous intent in his heart.

He then looked at Li Xiang with eyes as sharp as knives.

"I have waged wars in the south and north, reuniting the vast land, pacifying the Turks, destroying Gaochang, and conquering Tuyuhun..."

"I have laid down arms and focused on civil administration, comforted displaced people, encouraged agriculture and sericulture, and reduced taxes and levies..."

"I select virtuous and capable officials to stabilize the nation, to safeguard the ancestral temples above, and to bring peace to the common people below..."

"Now you're saying I'm a tyrannical ruler?"