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

After pretending to be Da Boyi, Li Xiang slept exceptionally well and soundly last night.

He slept until the sun was high in the sky, then got up, washed and dressed. He felt refreshed and clear-headed.

After the commotion in front of the Imperial Academy yesterday, he finally figured it out and figured out the way to truly court death in the Tang Dynasty palace and make Li Shimin suffer internal injuries.

I used to think about confronting him directly, clinging to the old story of Xuanwu Gate, and reopening Li Shimin's embarrassing wounds. But now I realize that I was overestimating Li Er (Li Shimin's father).

The Xuanwu Gate Incident, involving the murder of brothers and the forced abdication of the father, is a shameful event, but it has long been settled and is now a thing of the past.

Once Li Er was firmly seated on the dragon throne and held absolute power, as time went on, no matter how much others brought up past grievances, they couldn't shake him in the slightest. At most, they would just feel uncomfortable.

As for the struggles for the throne among princes, the suspicion between fathers and sons, and the infighting among brothers? In ordinary families, these would be tragic family dramas, but in the cold-blooded and ruthless imperial family, they were merely the norm in court power struggles. Li Er was used to the infighting in the palace, the scheming among his sons, and the constant turmoil over the succession. In the eyes of this cold-blooded feudal emperor, they were at most troublesome, not a fatal taboo.

What was the purpose of Deng Xiaoping's lifelong dedication to accepting advice, striving for good governance, and prioritizing both civil and military affairs?

Reputation!

He wanted to use the halo of being a "wise and benevolent ruler throughout the ages" to cover up the bloodshed at Xuanwu Gate, the filthy dealings of his illegitimate accession to the throne, and all the shady and corrupt aspects of imperial power politics.

The reputation of a wise ruler is what Li Er (Emperor Taizong of Tang) values ​​most and cannot afford to lose in his life.

Then I won't need to dwell on old cases anymore. I just need to point out Li Er's incompetence and tyranny, one by one, and shake his carefully cultivated reputation as a wise ruler. If his reputation is damaged and his wisdom is flawed, that will truly strike at the heart of the problem, allowing me to ride on his neck and sluggish my own turmoil!

At that time, this Heavenly Khan, Emperor Taizong of Tang, will surely regard him as a major threat, and even if he is his own grandson, he will surely eliminate him as soon as possible.

Turn Emperor Taizong of Tang into Emperor Lizong of Tang! I refuse to believe that old Deng won't kill me.

And all of this begins today with exposing the evils of the imperial examination system!

Li Xiang hummed a song, full of confidence.

Because he had secretly climbed over the wall to go to the Imperial Academy again yesterday, when he returned at night, Su scolded and admonished him, telling him to behave himself and not cause any more trouble. But Li Xiang's mind was made up, so how could he back down?

Today, I'm determined to leave the city and go to the Ministry of Rites to formally accuse the Imperial Academy of unfairness in its examinations and the abuses of powerful clans monopolizing the selection of officials.

Fearing he might run into people again if he went out through the peach tree, he deliberately went around to a quiet back alley behind the courtyard, found a low wall, and prepared to climb over it to sneak out.

After finally finding something to stand on to climb onto the top of the wall, and straightening his clothes, he was about to gather his strength to jump down when, unexpectedly, a figure was already standing at the base of the wall outside, arms crossed, with a helpless expression that said, "I knew you were going to do this."

It was Liu Zhi.

Li Xiang stopped abruptly, nearly twisting his ankle, and asked speechlessly, "What are you doing here?"

Liu Zhi sighed resignedly, "Whenever the young master tries to sneak out, nine times out of ten he'll have to climb over the wall. I just need to patrol the low walls around the place, and I'll be able to catch you."

Li Xiang coughed twice.

Liu Zhi earnestly advised, "Young master, do you really intend to go to the Ministry of Rites to seek revenge?"

"The Ministry of Rites is also located within the imperial city, guarded by imperial guards. How can a young master, being a criminal, be allowed to enter?"

"Furthermore, His Majesty has decreed that anyone who flees without permission will have their imperial lineage revoked. Young master, are you truly not afraid of being stripped of your imperial lineage?"

Li Xiang squatted on the wall, looking down at Liu Zhi without paying any attention to his advice, instead acting as if it were perfectly natural.

"Clan registration? Let it be abolished then." He curled his lip. He secretly hoped that Li Er would truly disregard family ties.

"If I were to be timid and hesitant in everything, afraid of this and that, I might as well shut myself in Longqingfang and live a mediocre and idle life. But now that the poor and humble have been wronged and the literati are suffering from deep-seated problems, how can I pretend not to see them when I have witnessed them with my own eyes?"

Liu Zhi was completely exasperated and quickly bowed, earnestly advising, "Young Master! These court regulations and the Imperial Academy's simplified examinations are all established practices of the court. How can you alone change them? You are already in a precarious position; a slight misstep could backfire. Why risk your own future to stand up for someone else?"

"You're mistaken." Li Xiang immediately straightened his expression, adopting a righteous and awe-inspiring demeanor, and began to lecture from atop the wall:

"Heaven and earth possess righteous energy, and a virtuous person knows what to do and what not to do. Seeing the injustice of the court and the favoritism of the emperor, where poor students study for ten years but have no way to advance, while mediocre people from noble families rise to prominence, if we remain silent and stand idly by, wouldn't we be ashamed of the teachings of the sages and of the righteous energy in our hearts?"

Liu Zhi's lips twitched violently, and he cursed inwardly: Holding a dagger to his neck every day and bullying honest people, is this what the sages teach?

The way he's perched on the wall doesn't really give off any sense of righteousness.

But he dared not expose him directly, and could only shake his head repeatedly with a bitter face, still stubbornly blocking the wall, refusing to back down in the slightest, determined not to let Li Xiang go out and cause trouble today no matter what.

He was about to offer further words of advice when he heard a joyful shout from the alleyway behind him: "Found it!"

Liu Zhi was startled and turned to look in the direction of the voice. He saw a student from the Imperial Academy, dressed in a faded blue scholar's robe, lean out and gaze at Li Xiang on the wall with delight. The student then turned back and called out towards the depths of the alley, "Fellow students, His Highness the Imperial Grandson is here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a crowd of people appeared at the alley entrance. To Liu Zhi and Li Xiang's astonishment, a group of scholars gradually squeezed into the alley, quickly filling the already narrow lane to capacity.

"Why is Your Highness on the wall?"

"Foolish! The front gate is guarded by imperial guards, so Your Highness can only climb over the wall..."

"Your Highness, even scaling the wall to seek justice for us, is truly..."

"Quickly, come on, lend a hand and help His Highness down..."

Before Liu Zhi could say anything, he was pushed aside by a group of students. The students hurriedly helped Li Xiang down from the courtyard wall.

"You... what are you doing...?"

Li Xiang was still a little dazed when his feet touched solid ground.

A group of scholars surrounded him, each with a respectful expression, their eyes filled with admiration and earnestness, no longer showing the timidity and avoidance they had displayed in front of the Confucius Temple the day before.

Song Shenzhi stepped out from the crowd, bowed deeply to Li Xiang, and said solemnly, "Yesterday, Your Highness spoke up for us poor scholars in front of the Confucius Temple, reciting the 'Ode to Righteousness,' which awakened us from our slumber. Last night under the moon, we tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and made a pact with each other to never be cowardly again."

"We knew that Your Highness intended to go to the Ministry of Rites to petition on the unfairness of the Imperial Academy's examinations and the monopoly of aristocratic families in selecting officials, so we went together to Longqing Lane and finally found Your Highness in the back alley."

Dong Jiming followed closely behind, cupped his hands and said loudly, "We have studied hard for more than ten years and our talents are no less than those of noble families. However, just because we come from humble backgrounds, we are blocked from the list of examiners, with no way to serve our country and no way to advance our careers."

"In the past, we were afraid of the powerful and dared not speak out. Now, inspired by Your Highness's righteousness, we have seen through the gains and losses. Even if we offend Chancellor Kong, offend noble families, or are even expelled from the Imperial Academy, we are willing to go to the Ministry of Rites and present our case truthfully!"

The surrounding scholars bowed respectfully and echoed, "It is Your Highness who has shown us that righteousness exists in the world! We are unwilling to live mediocre lives! Even if the road ahead is arduous, we are willing to give it our all!"

The voices in the alley, though not loud, were firm and resolute, conveying a sense of unwavering determination.

Liu Zhi, standing to the side, was already stunned. Originally, it was just the imperial grandson who was being restless and eager to cause trouble at the Ministry of Rites, and Liu Zhi could still try to stop him. But now, for no apparent reason, dozens of students from the Imperial Academy had gathered, determined to join in the trouble.

This is hardly a trespass on the Ministry of Rites; this is clearly a mob storming the Imperial City!

Liu Zhi hurriedly stepped forward, trying to squeeze through: "Young Master, you mustn't! If you lead this group of scholars to forcibly enter the imperial city, the crime will be..."

Forcibly entering the imperial city? Li Xiang's eyes lit up. This charge... it sounds very tempting!

But… a glint flashed in his eyes—it was one thing for him to court death, but what if he dragged these uninvited scholars from humble backgrounds into his lap? Wouldn't that implicate them as well?

With that thought in mind, Li Xiang put aside his ulterior motives, stepped forward, and raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

"I appreciate the sentiments of my fellow students." He spoke sincerely and solemnly, unlike his usual pretentious manner, which revealed a genuine sincerity.

"I know that you all feel aggrieved and are unwilling to be suppressed by your social status. You are willing to sacrifice yourselves to plead your case. This integrity and moral character surpasses that of countless corrupt officials and scions of noble families."

"But the capital is not like the streets. I am already a criminal, and I went to the Ministry of Rites alone to plead my case, so they couldn't do anything to me."

"But you are all registered students of the Imperial Academy, burdened with your studies and future prospects, and your families have high hopes for you. If you follow me and storm into the capital in a group, you will be accused of gathering a crowd to criticize the imperial system and disturbing the gates. At best, you will be expelled from school and banned from taking the imperial examinations for life; at worst, your families and hometowns will be implicated."

Li Xiang looked at the crowd, his tone becoming increasingly earnest: "You are all righteous and courageous, why must you accompany me on this perilous journey? I can take responsibility for this matter alone."

"I will go to the Ministry of Rites alone to submit a petition, exposing the abuses of the Imperial Academy's monopoly on the simplified examinations and its unfair selection of officials. You all only need to return to the academy and wait for news. There is no need for you to accompany me and risk your lives and careers."

His words were sincere and heartfelt, every sentence showing concern for their future and families, without any selfish motive of using them to create momentum.

The scholars were stunned on the spot, and then their eyes lit up with passion.

Song Shenzhi stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said with a mixture of emotion and stubbornness, "Your Highness is compassionate towards us poor students and cannot bear to jeopardize our future and families. How could we not know of such benevolence and righteousness?"

"Just yesterday, in front of the Confucius Temple, Your Highness confronted all the Confucian scholars and aristocratic students, speaking out alone for us poor scholars, disobeying the Chancellor and unafraid of the Emperor's wrath. Your Highness is willing to risk your life for us, how can we be cowards and hide behind you, letting Your Highness bear all the storms alone?"

His eyes were already red-rimmed. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said in a trembling voice, "In the past, we were cowardly and timid, only knowing how to endure and retreat in the face of trouble, daring not to step forward. It was Your Highness's 'Ode to Righteousness' that awakened the integrity in the hearts of us scholars. Now that danger is before us, if we stand idly by and let Your Highness go to the Ministry of Rites alone to face the danger, how can we face the classics and the truth of our own hearts in the future?"

Dong Jiming, with a resolute expression, clasped his hands and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, there is no need to persuade us further. When we made our pact under the moon last night, we had already planned our escape route and had already disregarded gains and losses and our future prospects."

At this point, he paused slightly, looked at Li Xiang, and said with a hint of apology and determination, "To be honest, we had already made our own arrangements before we found Your Highness."

Li Xiang was taken aback upon hearing this: "...What?"

Dong Jiming continued, "Most of us classmates have already set off. We're probably already outside the palace gates by now."

"We left this group behind only to find Your Highness and stop you from taking risks for us."

Song Shenzhi solemnly replied, "Please wait here for a while, Your Highness. Your Highness has treated us with great righteousness, and we can only repay you with our utmost sincerity."

"What we are doing today is not just Your Highness's business, but the business of all the poor scholars in the world. Even if we are expelled from school, banned from taking the imperial examinations, or even severely punished by the court, we will accept it willingly and will never regret it."

"We absolutely cannot let His Highness bear all the blame and criticism for our humble family!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the scholars bowed in unison: "Please wait here, Your Highness. We will not stand idly by!"

"I……"

Li Xiang stared in disbelief at the group of righteous and upright students. What should have been an exciting scene turned into a feeling of utter turmoil for Li Xiang, as if a thousand curses were stampeding through his mind.

...These scholars actually abandoned me and went off to commit suicide?

day!

-----------------

"...The power of the Song of Righteousness is still too great."

"It's rare for me to pretend to be a wise and upright person, but I never expected it would provoke someone to try and steal my prize..."

Li Xiang, of course, wouldn't sit idly by and watch this desperate opportunity he'd fought so hard for be snatched away by this group of poor students. Filled with resentment, he resolutely ran out of Longqingfang. The other students and Liu Zhi couldn't stop him and could only follow behind.

When he led a large group of people through the city, he arrived at Zhuque Avenue at the foot of the imperial city.

Looking from afar, one could indeed see twenty or thirty poor students from the Imperial Academy standing in front of the gate, each with an upright posture, unwilling to back down.

Several guards stood at the gate, holding spears, their faces stern, repeatedly trying to dissuade the scholar. A fifth-rank official from the Ministry of Rites stood on the steps, reprimanding the leading scholar with a tone of authority.

"You've blocked the palace gates just to spout such nonsense?"

"The imperial examinations have always been handled by the Assistant Minister of Personnel. My Ministry of Rites has no authority to adjudicate cases, so why are you seeking my services?"

"Although the imperial examinations are the responsibility of the Ministry of Personnel, the Imperial Academy is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Rites..." a student said. "We truly have a grievance, and we beg Your Excellency to come inside and inform the Vice Minister..."

The official, looking impatient, said, "The Vice Minister is busy with countless affairs of state; how could he possibly have time to deal with you all?"

"You are all registered students of the Imperial Academy. Instead of focusing on your studies in the academy, you are gathering to block the palace gates. This is utterly disrespectful!"

The students erupted in uproar and continued to plead, but the official, growing extremely impatient, roared, "Enough!"

"The regulations of the imperial court and the old practices of the Imperial Academy's simplified examinations were all approved by His Majesty. How dare you presume to comment on them?"

"Disperse immediately, or you will be treated as causing a public disturbance and expelled from school!"