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

As Li Shimin's most beloved son, Li Tai was always adept at pleading and begging. In the past, whenever he pleaded with tears streaming down his face, Li Shimin would either not immediately stand up for him, or he would definitely offer a few words of comfort and protect him to some extent.

But today, Li Shimin ignored him completely, as if his heart-wrenching pleas were nothing more than irrelevant noise.

Even in the gaze that swept over Li Tai, there was not a trace of fatherly affection, only alienation and scrutiny, like a cold blade scraping against his skin, making Li Tai stiffen all over.

"...Father?"

Li Tai stood frozen in place, his sobs abruptly ceasing. The grievances and anxiety in his heart were instantly replaced by a sense of unease. He subconsciously took a few steps forward, moved closer to Li Shimin, and continued to plead softly.

But he had barely taken a step when his clothes were grabbed tightly, with such force that they almost pulled him down.

Li Tai turned around abruptly and saw Wei Ting. Wei Ting was now deathly pale, his head bowed low, his lips pressed into a straight line, and his words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, his voice barely audible:

"Your Highness...you must not break your promise! You absolutely must not go forward again!"

His neck was already covered in cold sweat, which trickled down his collar. His back was taut and his whole body was trembling slightly—the fear of facing the emperor's oppressive power.

Pulled by Wei Ting, Li Tai, who was still immersed in grievance and panic, finally came to his senses. His eyes swept around Li Shimin in a flustered manner, and his heart sank instantly.

The emperor was not wearing court robes, nor was he dressed in his usual court attire. Instead, he wore a plain robe and did not bring any ceremonial regalia, indicating that he had not come with a special procession.

Moreover, judging from the direction they came from, they didn't enter through the main gate of Furong Garden; instead, it seemed they emerged from some hidden corner within the garden.

"Could it be... that Father has been hiding in this Hibiscus Garden all along?"

This thought exploded in Li Tai's mind like a thunderclap, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and his blood seemed to freeze.

Why did my father hide here incognito? What did he want to see? What did he want to investigate? Did he already suspect my intentions and wonder if I was using this late spring gathering to curry favor with court officials, form cliques, and plot to seize the throne?

Did he already know that he was secretly trying to win over Kong Yingda and Yu Zhining, hoping to use their reputation to pave the way for himself?

Were his supposedly secret schemes already seen through by his father?

No wonder Wang De was able to arrive just as Li Xiang uttered those rebellious words to deliver the imperial decree. No wonder the Emperor was able to arrive so quickly just as Li Xiang was about to incite unrest…

At this moment, Li Tai was incredibly envious of Kong Yingda, who had just fainted. He wished he could roll his eyes and faint immediately, so he could at least avoid this suffocating pressure.

He lowered his head in fear!

Not only Li Tai, but everyone in Furong Garden seemed to have shrunk in stature, bowing their heads to worship the emperor as if they were worshipping a living god.

Only Li Xiang remained standing tall in the crowd, his expression even carrying a hint of resentment.

He spent half a day busy preparing and finally managed to turn Furong Garden upside down, gaining all the attention he had.

Li Er's sudden arrival stole the spotlight, diminishing even my most glorious moment of courting death.

"However... Li Er actually came to the Hibiscus Garden to pay his respects to me..."

Damn, if I could travel back in time, I could brag about this for the rest of my life!

...if anyone believes that.

Li Xiang's indignant expression, in Li Shimin's eyes, became reckless courage, arrogance, and unwavering determination to die without hesitation. Li Shimin looked directly into Li Xiang's eyes, and he now believed that his seemingly useless eldest son had indeed fathered a grandson who was not afraid of death.

"You...do you think I'm being unfair?" Li Shimin asked slowly.

Whether it's fair or not isn't important; what matters is that it provokes you to kill your own grandson. Li Xiang thought to himself, but he couldn't say it directly.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "That is indeed the case. You have naively trusted such treacherous ministers who sell their integrity for fame, which is tantamount to lightly deposing the crown prince."

"With unclear rewards and punishments, and a lack of distinction between right and wrong, do you still consider yourself fair?"

"I don't need you to think it's fair," Li Shimin said.

He turned around, faced the crowd watching in Furong Garden, took a deep breath, and spoke in a deep, resonant voice.

"The world has been in chaos for nearly four hundred years."

"Now the people yearn for stability, and the whole world longs for peace. As the Son of Heaven, I cannot only consider the personal feelings of the royal family, but must also remember the heavy responsibility I bear to bring peace and stability to the country."

"Since we bear the heavy responsibility of protecting the people, we must act with utmost caution. The lessons of the Sui Dynasty's downfall are still fresh in our minds, and the succession of the imperial heir requires even greater care."

Li Shimin's voice was like a booming bell, each word heavy and resonant, so powerful that a pin drop could be heard throughout the garden.

His gaze slowly swept over the kneeling civil and military officials, as well as the guests from aristocratic families, before finally settling back on Li Xiang. His phoenix eyes were as deep as a cold abyss, devoid of all personal emotions, revealing only the indifference, composure, and majesty of an emperor looking down upon the common people.

"Do you think that my deposition of Chengqian was due to my momentary whim or my biased listening to a few words of advice from Kong Yingda and Yu Shen?" Li Shimin's tone was calm, but every word carried immense weight and resounded with conviction.

"You only see the Crown Prince being deposed, you only see Kong Yingda and Yu Zhining offering their honest advice, you only know that you are filled with indignation and want to cry out for your father's injustice. But you grew up deep within the palace, have you ever seen the white bones by the roadside? Have you ever seen people exchanging children to eat each other? Have you ever seen rivers of blood flowing?"

"The Sui Dynasty fell only a few decades ago. Princes vied for the throne, the world was filled with infighting, war raged across thousands of miles, the people were displaced, and bones lay exposed in the wilderness! I personally experienced the chaos of that era and personally restored our shattered land. How can I allow the Tang Dynasty to repeat the same mistakes?"

He took a slow step forward, his imperial majesty growing ever more imposing: "Chengqian is also my son. Do you think it doesn't hurt me to depose the crown prince?"

"But Chengqian is capricious and acts impulsively. He privately keeps armor and weapons and associates with bandits. He has already lost the qualities of a crown prince!"

"I have repeatedly shown him leniency and offered him advice, hoping that he would repent and start anew, but he has repeatedly failed to change his ways and has even harbored rebellious intentions."

"What else can I do? This is all I can do!!"

The emperor's low growl seemed to truly carry the hardships of half a lifetime of chaos and the loneliness that no one could understand; every word and phrase was filled with heart-wrenching helplessness.

"If I show favoritism and allow an incompetent ruler to ascend the throne, the world will surely fall into war again!"

"By then, countless civilians will have died or been injured, and the Tang Dynasty will have been overthrown!"

"You keep talking about justice, about the will of Heaven and the people." Li Shimin suddenly turned his head, his gaze towards Li Xiang as sharp as a hawk's. "Now, I'll tell you—"

"You act out of personal grudges between father and son, while I act for the peace and tranquility of all people!"

"I reign supreme; my heart is the will of Heaven! My will is the will of the people!"