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

That night, Li Xiang took the initiative to do the kitchen work, laying out all sorts of ingredients and miscellaneous items that he had collected from the East Market during the day, and then rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

Since his arrival in the Tang Dynasty, this was the first time he had been so diligent—in short, he had been craving food for too long and couldn't resist making some delicious dishes to satisfy his cravings.

It should be noted that at this time, the method of stir-frying in the Tang Dynasty had not yet taken shape and would take hundreds of years to gradually evolve and improve; not to mention that most of the ingredients and auxiliary materials that are common in later generations are still only used as medicines and are rarely used in cooking.

The coarse and monotonous food of the Tang Dynasty was even more unpalatable than pig swill in the eyes of Li Xiang, who was used to the delicacies of later generations.

Once Li Xiang finished cooking and brought the dishes out of the oven, the aroma of the dishes was irresistible. The taste was completely different from the bland and coarse meals of the day. They were fresh, fragrant and rich, which amazed everyone.

Young Li Jue ate with shining eyes, his little hands tightly gripping the wooden chopsticks, burying his head in his food and shoveling it into his mouth, his cheeks bulging.

While eating, the little guy would occasionally look up at Li Xiang with delighted eyes, his childish voice muffled:

"Brother! It's delicious! Even better than what the cook makes!"

The little guy's gloom and fear from days of confinement were all swept away by this steaming hot and delicious meal.

As she held the wooden spoon, Su sipped slowly, feeling a warmth in her heart. The chilling, uncertain mood she had been experiencing for days finally found some comfort.

This former Crown Princess came from the Su family of Wugong in Jingzhao. She was a legitimate daughter of a prestigious family and had lived a life of luxury since childhood, never lifting a finger to do anything.

She was never favored by Li Chengqian, and usually stayed in the Eastern Palace, focusing on raising her two sons, Li Xiang and Li Jue, and rarely went out.

When the empire collapsed, she was reduced from the Crown Princess to a person under house arrest, living a life of simple meals and doing menial tasks, while remaining distant from her husband, Li Chengqian. Although she never spoke of it, her heart was filled with grievances and sorrow.

Now, seeing her stepson cook such a heartwarming meal, the bitterness of being neglected and mistreated surged up instantly, and tears silently streamed down her face.

She quickly wiped away her tears, smiled at Li Xiang, and said with genuine praise, "Eldest son, you are truly filial!"

These menial tasks were originally taken care of by her after she was imprisoned.

Today, however, Li Xiang snatched it away, and she only thought that Li Xiang was being filial to her.

Li Xiang's lips twitched slightly. That "elder brother"...

He always felt that Su would bring out a bowl of medicine at any moment.

He wasn't entirely satisfied with tonight's meal. The variety of supplies in the Tang Dynasty was even more limited than he had imagined. He wanted to eat something as simple as scrambled eggs with tomatoes, but there weren't even any tomatoes.

But even these simple dishes, which only resembled and tasted somewhat from later generations, still stirred in him the strongest homesickness he had felt since his transmigration.

He sat on the stool, head down, eating his rice without saying a word.

Li Chengqian held the utensils in his hands and chewed slowly.

He recalled his childhood, when he was often depressed and unhappy.

Whenever he was feeling down, his mother would personally roast meat for him.

The smoke curled upwards, the aroma of meat filled the air, and gentle whispers accompanied him, soothing all his anxiety.

Many years have passed, and his mother has long since passed away. He has gone from being the crown prince to a deposed and disgraced official, falling into such a state of destitution.

For some reason, the meal cooked by my son reminded me of the warmth of my mother's cooking from years ago.

"I'll go back to my room and rest first."

Fearing that his wife and children would see him lose his composure and shed tears, Li Chengqian hurriedly put down his chopsticks, dragged his limping leg, and turned to leave alone.

Both Su and her youngest son, Li Jue, were startled, their faces showing confusion.

Li Xiang immediately stood up, looked at Li Chengqian, and said in a deep voice, "I will go with you. There are other things I want to discuss with my father in private."

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The two arrived at the main house in the backyard. Li Xiang first helped the limping Li Chengqian into the house, then turned around, closed the door, and lit an oil lamp.

"What are you trying to say?"

Li Chengqian had composed himself and resumed his gloomy, unsmiling demeanor.

"Does Father know?" Li Xiang turned around, his expression serious. "Today I escaped from the hospital and learned a lot of news in the marketplace."

"Duke of Chen, Hou Junji, Duke of Xiangyang, Du He, and others have already been executed by that person, and even Prince of Han, Li Yuanchang, was also given death by that person."

"King Wei is now full of pride and ambition. Everyone in the city says that King Wei will soon be the crown prince. Even the women on the street know this."

Li Chengqian's expression froze. He closed his eyes and then took a deep breath.

"He... is still as ruthless as he was at Xuanwu Gate." Li Chengqian sneered.

"However, the bestowal of titles and honors in our Great Tang Dynasty has been excessive. He must have had some thoughts about this for a long time, and he has already suppressed those second-generation inheritors of the titles and honors."

"This time, I managed to ease his worries a little by using my excuse."

With his hands behind his back, Leng Yue stretched his sinister figure out in a long arc, and the chilling aura emanating from him even startled Li Xiang.

After all, he was the crown prince who had overseen the country for eighteen years; he was by no means an incompetent fool.

If it weren't for Li Er causing him to lose his composure...

"As for the King of Wei... having defeated me, he is naturally riding high."

"Isn't Father afraid that the Prince of Wei will inherit the throne?" Li Xiang interrupted Li Chengqian.

Although he knew that Li Zhi would inexplicably inherit the throne in the end, Li Tai was indeed at the height of his power at this time, and using Li Tai, his old rival, to urge Li Chengqian to cheer up would be the most effective way.

"When that person ordered the removal of the crown prince, he said that he was following the old precedent of the former Sui dynasty's deposed crown prince."

"I'm sure Father knows better than I what became of Crown Prince Yang Yong."

"As soon as Yang Guang ascended to the throne, he immediately ordered Yang Yong's execution!"

Li Chengqian frowned and hesitated before saying:

"You're worried about these things?"

He paced around the room a few times, seemingly deep in thought, then muttered to himself, "It can't be that bad..."

"That person...though devoid of humanity, he was kind to my mother..." Li Chengqian's tone softened noticeably when he spoke of his mother.

"...He does indeed have feelings for his mother."

"Since I have already gone to the trouble of my mother, she will surely not allow Li Tai to harm us for her sake."

"Given his motives, the most likely scenario is that he'll exile me to a remote, desolate place to live out my remaining years, so that I won't pose any threat to Chang'an..."

The calm Li Chengqian was a completely different person from the one who went mad. Li Xiang wanted to applaud him after hearing his deductions about Li Er.

To put it another way, the person who knows you best is often your enemy. In the Tang Dynasty, the crown prince was often the emperor's enemy.

The tradition of filial piety and parental love began as early as the time of Li Yuan.

Indeed, based on his limited understanding of history from the TV series, Li Chengqian was ultimately exiled to the remote Qianzhou.

As far as he knew, in the eyes of the Tang people, that place was a remote and mountainous region, shrouded in miasma, and inhabited by many southern barbarians.

The Tang court's control there was weak, barely qualifying as mere appeasement. Exiling Li Chengqian there was like throwing him into a cage. Even if he were willing to rebel and establish his own independent regime, those southwestern barbarians would not recognize him as the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

The successor ruler should be at ease, and there is no need for him to risk the wrath of the world by harming the ruler.

In particular, the crown prince that Li Shimin ultimately chose was actually the seemingly honest and kind-hearted Li Zhi.