Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 187 Father, You Are Too Cruel (First Update)
The night is dark and the lights are bright.

Inside the Yi Qiu Palace of the Eastern Palace, miserable and painful cries kept coming out.

The autumn wind was so strong that even the red lights inside and outside began to shake.

Li Chengqian sat in a wheelchair outside the palace with an anxious look on his face, but a calm voice came from the side: "Prince, what does the elephant mean?"

Li Chengqian took a deep breath, then turned and bowed to the emperor beside him, saying, "Your Majesty, the Laozi says: 'In the hazy and vague, there are images.' The Emperor's House Manual says: 'It encompasses all things, and raises a thousand.' Therefore, images are called all things, heaven and earth, the universe."

"The universe, the earth, the sun, the moon, the stars, everything in the universe." Li Shimin hugged Li Xiang and Li Jue who stood in front of him, nodded gently, glanced at Su Shu who stood behind Li Chengqian, and continued to ask, "What about Jue?"

"Xunzi said: The He Bi is a jade from the well. It was carved by a jade craftsman and is now a treasure of the emperor." Li Chengqian's expression gradually calmed down and he attacked and defended seriously.

"The human heart is dangerous, the heart of Tao is subtle, only the essence and the unity can truly hold the middle ground." Li Shimin glanced at Li Chengqian and said softly, "You must remember this!"

This is a passage from the Book of Documents: The Instructions of Yu the Great. It is the heart sutra that Emperor Yao used to warn Emperor Shun about the way to govern the world when he passed the throne to him.

People's hearts are turbulent and the heart of Tao is obscure and difficult to understand. Only by being sincere and dedicated can we truly practice the path of moderation.

Emperor Shun later passed these words on to Emperor Yu.

Now what Li Shimin said to Li Chengqian also contained a strong warning.

Li Chengqian took note of it carefully and said, "Your Majesty, I will follow your instructions."

……

Li Shimin nodded and looked towards Yi Qiu Palace.

Crown Prince Liangti Zheng was in labor. Although her screams were shrill, Li Shimin, who already had more than 30 children, could hear the strength in them and knew that there would be no problem with this child.

Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian and said, "If it's a son, have you thought of a name?"

"I am confused and can't think of a good name for the moment. Please give it to me, Your Majesty!" Li Chengqian bowed with a nervous look.

Li Shimin glanced at Li Chengqian, then looked towards the hall and said, "Wait until the baby is born..."

A clear cry of "Wow" suddenly came from the Wude Hall, and Li Shimin, who was about to speak, was stunned.

He subconsciously looked at Li Chengqian beside him. Li Chengqian also had a confused look on his face. Then Li Chengqian's face was full of surprise. However, suddenly he looked towards the hall with trepidation.

Li Shimin knew in his heart that although he had just proposed a son, it was okay to think about it before the birth. Once the child was born, he would immediately face the question of whether it was a boy or a girl. There was a big difference between royal boys and girls, especially when they were not the children of the first wife.

Soon, Gao, the secretary of the East Palace, ran out of the palace with a happy look on her face, holding the swaddling clothes.

Arriving before Li Shimin and Li Chengqian, Gao excitedly bowed and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, congratulations, Crown Prince, it's a grandson of the Emperor."

Li Shimin subconsciously looked at Li Chengqian. Li Chengqian's face was already filled with joy, and his body involuntarily looked towards the swaddling clothes.

A wrinkled baby suddenly appeared in front of Li Chengqian and Li Shimin, with squinting eyes and a red body.

It's not good looking.

But, it's a boy.

"Your Majesty!" Li Chengqian turned around, looked at Li Shimin excitedly, and said with a cupped hand, "Your Majesty, please give me a name."

The name bestowed by the emperor is of great significance.

Apart from anything else, once the emperor gave the name, the news that the prince had a third son would immediately spread throughout Chang'an City.

The prince has many children, and the royal heritage continues.

Li Shimin couldn't help but smile, then he looked down at the baby and said softly, "The Book of Rites says: 'The chief of the Nine Provinces, who enters the kingdom of the Son of Heaven, is called Mu.' So let's call him Li Jiu. The poem says, 'Yi wo Pei Jiu,' where 'Yi' should be pronounced as 'Yi'. It fits perfectly."

"Thank you, father, for the name." Li Chengqian bowed seriously.

Su Shu stood behind Li Chengqian and bowed slightly.

Jiu is the second highest stone among all the jade-black stones.

The prince's illegitimate son is indeed just the right fit.

"Alright, take the child back." Li Shimin glanced down at Li Xiang and Li Jue, letting them go. Then he looked at Li Chengqian with emotion and said, "You can also go in and see Concubine Zheng. I'll go back first."

"Your son respectfully bids farewell to your father!" Li Chengqian immediately bowed.

Everyone inside and outside the palace bowed and said, "Farewell, Your Majesty."

"Tomorrow morning, remember to go to the Taimiao and register the family tree with the Minister of Zongzheng Temple." Li Shimin gave a special instruction, and when he saw Li Chengqian nod, he turned and left.

As Li Anyan escorted the emperor out of Cheng'en Gate, Li Chengqian looked at Li Xiang and Li Jue, then said to Su Shu with emotion: "Father is thinking of mother."

Su Shu was slightly stunned, then whispered, "It's the King of Wei."

"Yes, the governors of the world serve the king. Qingque, his thoughts..." Li Chengqian shook his head. Everyone could see through Li Tai's thoughts, but he thought that no one could see through him.

"This is actually better." Su Shu took the two sons and looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness, please visit Concubine Zheng today. I will not go in."

"Ok!"

……

With a "bang", four or five thick books were pushed directly to the ground.

"The leader of Jiuzhou is named Li Jiu. Father is really good at naming." Li Tai slammed his fist on the table with a ferocious look on his face.

Li Jiu is Li Chengqian's third son. The prince's third son will be the governor of the country and the governor of the country in the future, which means that the prince will inevitably become the emperor in the future.

The implication here is too obvious.

It was so obvious that anyone who paid attention could hear that Li Tai was being targeted here.

Li Tai is now the governor of Xiangzhou, but he is staying in Luoyang and not guarding Xiangzhou for the emperor.

This is not something a prince should do.

This clearly tells the world that Li Tai no longer has any chance of becoming the crown prince.

Thinking of this, Li Tai's clenched fists couldn't help but relax, and he slowly sat down on the short couch, looking powerless.

This kind of thing has happened more than once.

Li Tai stayed in Luoyang for nearly half a year, but the emperor never visited him once.

The emperor returned to Chang'an without taking Li Tai with him.

Yu Zhining's appointment as Imperial Secretary was nothing special, but Li Tai keenly sensed the danger in Yan Xuansui's appointment as Minister of Agriculture. The Crown Prince's achievements in farming this year had been widely circulated throughout the court and the public.

Especially this year, there was a plague in Guannei and the five states of Henan, and the prince's achievements in farming were even regarded as a good omen by some people.

At this time, the eldest son of the Yan family joined the Sinong Temple, obviously to add icing on the cake.

At the same time, this is also a very strong signal.

The Yan family has begun to move closer to the Eastern Palace, which also means that their hopes for Li Tai to become the crown prince are rapidly declining.

Those who knew the inside story of the Yan family had always known that although Yan Lide was the father of Princess Wei, he had always kept his distance from the affairs of the Prince of Wei's Mansion.

Now, the Yan family has shown signs of getting closer to the Eastern Palace. Now, I wonder how many people will stay away from Li Tai.

Father!

The emperor's figure suddenly appeared in Li Tai's mind, and his face was filled with anger again, but soon, his expression relaxed.

Li Tai took out a secret letter from under the table.

Some people don't like him, but some people like him.

Someone informed him of the news from Chang'an every day.

The key is that no one knows.

Li Tai tapped the table lightly, his expression gradually becoming serious.

The facts are cruel, but clear.

His father had given up on him and no longer considered him as an option to become the crown prince.

Instead, it was the prince who gradually won back the emperor's favor.

A prince with intact legs and feet, who is cautious and difficult to be caught, is very difficult to be deposed.

"Father, you are too ruthless." Li Tai looked at the letters on the table. He knew clearly that all this originated from the balance of power within the emperor.

The prince used to be unruly, so the emperor felt hurt and approached Li Tai. But now, the prince has been worn down and become weak. Although he has made various achievements, the threat he poses to the emperor is getting smaller and smaller.

The emperor no longer needs him.

"Hmph!" Li Tai snorted coldly. He didn't need him, and he didn't need him anymore.

Li Tai looked up and thought, everyone is the second son, and everyone is a great general.

Unconsciously, Li Tai's eyes narrowed slightly, and he whispered to himself: "Zhang Liang, Chai Lingwu, Hou Junji, Li You!"

A burst of hurried footsteps sounded outside the palace. The housekeeper stood outside the door and said with a bow, "Your Highness, the prince consort is here."

"please!"

……

Chai Lingwu stood in the study and bowed to Li Tai, saying, "Your Highness, the news that the Crown Prince has given birth has spread throughout Luoyang. Would you like to write a congratulatory letter?"

"As for the love between brothers, I understand." Li Tai sat behind the desk and nodded slightly to Chai Lingwu.

"Your Highness is wise!" Chai Lingwu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Cousin." Li Tai looked at Chai Lingwu, sighed softly, and said, "Although I am now staying in Luoyang, you can see that my father's attitude towards me has not changed."

"Your Highness, there's no need to worry. Before the princess gives birth, I'll ask for permission to allow her to return to Chang'an to recuperate." Chai Lingwu glanced at Li Tai cautiously, then said, "Besides, the end of the year is only two months away, and Your Highness will need to return to attend the New Year's Day court. Once you're back in Chang'an, everything will be easy."

"Yeah!" Li Tai nodded and chuckled, "Cousin still has a way."

"Your Highness praised me." Chai Lingwu suddenly felt a little alert.

"However, no matter what, the fundamentals cannot be changed, especially since I am now in Luoyang. Can I just sit there and watch the Eastern Palace grow stronger? If so, even if we return to Chang'an, I'm afraid we'll be driven out sooner or later." Li Tai looked at Chai Lingwu seriously and pleaded, "Cousin, you have to help Qingque."

Chai Lingwu slowly lowered his head, a look of shock flashing across his eyes, and then he raised his head and said, "Your Highness, please give your orders."

"After all, my brother needs to make a mistake first." Li Tai sighed softly, tapping the table with his left hand, and said carefully: "The Crown Prince is cautious. Normally, it is difficult to do anything about the Eastern Palace. So, I am thinking, can I find someone to marry into the Eastern Palace and stir up chaos in the backyard of the Eastern Palace? If the family affairs are not peaceful, how can the country be governed!"

Seeing Li Tai's growing hatred, Chai Lingwu bowed lightly and asked, "Your Highness, who will marry into the Eastern Palace, and how can the Eastern Palace accept it?"

"A woman from Jiangnan, preferably from an aristocratic Jiangnan family." Li Tai looked up and said thoughtfully, "I've heard that Jiangnan women are the most charming. If they could be sent to the Eastern Palace, chaos would surely ensue... Of course, that assumes the woman can be controlled."

"Your Highness, why must it be a girl from Jiangnan? There are many charming women in all parts of the world." Chai Lingwu frowned slightly.

"Because a woman from Jiangnan is the least likely to have any relationship with me." Li Tai shook his head calmly.

Chai Lingwu immediately understood that this woman from Jiangnan must not only be able to enter the Eastern Palace smoothly, but also cause a lot of trouble, so that the emperor would think that the prince was not able to manage the harem well.

"I'll think of a solution." Chai Lingwu thought about it and agreed with a bow.

Li Tai smiled and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your help, cousin. By the way, cousin, how is the matter with Duke Chen going?"

"I have a good relationship with Hou Zhiyi and have discovered that there is a big secret hidden in the Duke's Mansion, but I cannot enter the Duke's Mansion to investigate specifically." Chai Lingwu couldn't help but shook his head.

Even if it was not for Li Tai, Chai Lingwu wanted to investigate the matter of Hou Junji thoroughly, but Hou Zhiyi was very sensitive about this matter, and he would slide away as soon as he mentioned it.

"Cousin, hurry up. The end of this year might be our last chance." Li Tai leaned forward slightly, staring at Chai Lingwu and said, "After this year, if you and I still can't stay in Chang'an, then we might both go to Xiangzhou. The only time we'll have left is the half-month we have to return to the court at the end of each year."

"Your Highness!" Chai Lingwu couldn't help but raise his head and look at Li Tai. He heard a hint of threat in Li Tai's voice.

Li Tai smiled bitterly and said, "Cousin, Zhinu is already fourteen years old and will be fifteen soon. Even if he doesn't open a residence next year, he will open one the year after and get married. From then on, the emperor will focus all his attention on him."

Li Zhi, Prince of Jin Li Zhi.

In addition to Crown Prince Li Chengqian who was pressing down on him, Prince of Jin Li Zhi was also closely following behind.

Once Li Zhi starts to replace Li Tai's role, Li Tai will have no chance in the future.

"I understand." Chai Lingwu bowed and said, "I will find a way to return to Chang'an and make arrangements personally."

"Thank you for your trouble, cousin!"

……

Standing at the window, Li Tai watched Chai Lingwu leave with an indifferent expression, and said softly: "Zhang Liang, Duke Xun, you must do your best!"

　It snowed today. It was too cold to move in the morning, so I was late.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)