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

It seems that the failed rebellion in the Eastern Palace, the deposition of the Crown Prince, and his imprisonment in Longqing Ward are the most talked-about topics in Chang'an these past few days.

A group of women sat together in the alley, first chattering away, freely criticizing the deposed crown prince for his absurd behavior and short-sightedness, then gossiping about the trivial matters of the neighborhood, their idle chatter never ceasing.

Li Xiangli stood to the side, listening with great interest.

Indeed, gossiping and spreading rumors are ingrained in human nature. But who would have thought that such village intelligence stations, composed of middle-aged women, already existed as far back as the Tang Dynasty!

It was quite lively and vibrant.

"Eh? Whose young master are you? You look unfamiliar."

"Why are you eavesdropping on our conversation?"

It must be said that the Li family bloodline is quite impressive. After all, they are a prestigious family with a history of over a hundred years, and all the women they have married throughout the generations have been exceptionally beautiful. Now, as royalty, it is difficult for any of their offspring to be ugly.

Even with his limp, Li Chengqian was still a handsome middle-aged man in terms of appearance alone.

Coupled with his sinister and cold aura, and the occasional obsessive and manic look in his eyes, if he were placed in a female-oriented online novel world, he would definitely be a crazy prince who would make countless brainless fans scream. He's incredibly handsome.

Although Li Xiang was still young, he was already quite handsome, with a face like jade, red lips, and white teeth. His appearance was only slightly less striking than that of any of you stunningly handsome readers. Standing under this locust tree, he was as dazzling as a morning star in the night; how could anyone not notice him?

The women who had been gossiping earlier quickly noticed him. One of the plump women's eyes lit up and she struck up a conversation with him.

"What you ladies are saying is so interesting. I was just passing by and listened, and I got so engrossed that I stopped here without thinking. Please continue, and don't mind me..."

Li Xiang thought to himself, "Don't stop! We're just talking about how Wang Erlang next door is going to steal Pan the widow in the middle of the night. We're at the crucial part, why did you stop?"

"Oh my, this young man is handsome and has such a sweet tongue."

When had any of these women ever heard such a gentle and considerate compliment? They were overjoyed by the word "elder sister," their smiles brightening and even the wrinkles around their eyes appearing smoother.

They moved to the sides with great enthusiasm, making sure to clear the best spot under the locust tree, and invited Li Xiang to sit down with them. They then resumed their chatter.

Li Xiang simply mingled among these village informants, becoming a full-time bystander. Occasionally, he would ask a few questions or crack a joke, prompting the women of the streets to speak freely and without reservation, sharing all sorts of secrets and trivial matters.

It wasn't just rumors like Widow Pan's affair that Li Xiang heard. The sources of information from these village informants were extremely diverse. Although many of the reports were exaggerated, Li Xiang still managed to sift through them and find out a lot about the aftermath of the deposed crown prince.

Since Li Chengqian was deposed as crown prince, the emperor has suspended court for five days and has not attended court since.

Although the deposed crown prince Li Chengqian and Hou Junji, who was beheaded under the lone willow tree in the West Market, are still talked about by the common people, they are already forgotten by the court officials as former nobles and dignitaries.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; when the people leave, the tea grows cold—this has always been the case.

People strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill; humanity has always been driven by self-interest and a desire to climb the social ladder. Officials throughout Chang'an were busy with the same thing: betting on the new crown prince, hoping to gain favor and secure their place in the imperial court.

Prince Wei, Li Tai, was undoubtedly the most popular candidate for crown prince. After all, in the eyes of everyone in Chang'an, Prince Wei's faction had been fighting with Crown Prince Li Chengqian's faction for years and already possessed considerable power.

Crown Prince Chengqian has already lost, and the Wei Prince's faction is now dominant and at the height of its power. The outcome of their struggle for the throne is largely decided, and the victor is already clear. Furthermore, Wei Prince Tai has long been favored by His Majesty; who else but Wei Prince could be the heir apparent?

Once His Majesty has recovered from his illness and resumed court, he will surely appoint the Prince of Wei as the new Crown Prince.

Now, before the dust settles on the succession, this is the last chance for the officials to show their loyalty and curry favor with the King of Wei.

As a result, in the past few days, the Wei Prince's residence in Yankangfang has been so crowded with officials from Chang'an that they have practically worn down the threshold.

However, Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Li Ji, and others remained indifferent and offered no response to the blatant attempts by Prince Wei, Li Tai, to win them over.

They neither attached themselves to anyone nor expressed any opinion. This unusual behavior became a major source of puzzlement for the people of Chang'an when they talked about everything.

But in Li Xiang's eyes, it was perfectly normal.

Changsun Wuji, Li Ji, and other veteran officials were essentially members of the imperial faction, deeply rooted in imperial power. They were the core tools for Li Shimin to control the court and consolidate his power.

Their status as members of the Imperial Party prevented them from easily aligning themselves with any particular prince's faction. After all, while the emperor was nominally supreme, in reality, the princes were one of the greatest threats to the emperor's power, and the only ones who could legitimately usurp the throne.

Li Shimin ascended the throne by killing his own brothers and placing his father under house arrest through the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Even if something unexpected happened, Li Shimin himself did not think about guarding against his son. His closest imperial ministers would certainly have worried that getting too close to the prince would arouse the emperor's suspicion and apprehension.

Therefore, as members of the Emperor's faction, Changsun Wuji and others would never express their inclination towards the prince in public.

Of course, there's another reason that only Li Xiang, the time traveler, knows: Changsun Wuji actually favored Prince Li Zhi of Jin. Therefore, he naturally wouldn't accept Prince Li Tai of Wei's offer of recruitment.

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Li Xiang was enjoying a melon under the big locust tree when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a soldier from the Right Guard Army, dressed in a scarlet shirt with a sword across his waist, slowly walking towards him from the street corner, seemingly searching for something.

Li Xiang immediately jumped up and greeted the village intelligence officers, saying, "Ladies, I suddenly remembered I have something important to attend to, so I'll have to go now. See you later!"

"Please make yourself at home, young man! Come and visit again whenever you have time."

The women were very friendly, smiling and waving goodbye without the slightest bit of resentment.

Li Xiang waved goodbye to them and ran off. Meanwhile, the soldier from the Right Army Commander's Office happened to look up and saw Li Xiang trying to slip away.

Seeing Li Xiang sway and turn into a secluded alley, the soldiers immediately quickened their pace and followed him in.

Watching the boy's retreating figure running quickly ahead, the soldier hurriedly shouted:

"Your Highness...Young Master! You, you mustn't run away!"

"You told me not to run, so why don't you just stop chasing me!" Li Xiang muttered, turning back as he ran, amidst the chaos.

The soldiers chasing behind looked helpless. But they were on duty, ordered to find someone, so how could they give up halfway? They could only grit their teeth and continue to pursue relentlessly.

Li Xiang deliberately chose to traverse winding, secluded, and narrow alleys, intending to emulate Jackie Chan. Along the way, he knocked over bamboo poles and overturned awnings, causing chaos and confusion, using the debris to hinder his pursuers.

But the soldier behind him was quite agile. Even though he was being tormented and made to look flustered, the soldier kept up close and the distance between them never increased.

Li Xiang was so focused on creating obstacles for the pursuers that he didn't pay attention to the path ahead. As he ran, he suddenly realized that the light ahead was dim and dark.

Looking up, I realized I had run into a dead-end alley.

The soldier who had been chasing after them was covered in sweat, his turban soaked through, and he panted as he said, "Your Highness, we've finally caught you."

He reached out and brushed off the straw and dust that had settled on him along the way, then slowly walked towards Li Xiang, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes:

"Your Highness, please forgive us. It is our duty. If Your Highness were to escape from confinement, our lives would be in grave danger."

"Your Highness, please come back with me. If you are unwilling, I have no choice but to knock you unconscious with the hilt of my sword and take you back."

"Wait...wait!" Li Xiangzheng was holding his knees, his chest heaving like a bellows.

After finally calming down a bit, she raised her hand to stop the person from getting any closer.

"Let's make a deal first... Is your knife sharp?"

"Is it alright to just bring back the heads?"