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

Chapter 91 I Never Thought of Making You the Crown Prince (Fifth Update)

The night is deep and the palace is quiet.

Red lanterns were hung everywhere in the palace, but the entire palace seemed particularly cold and even deserted.

Daji Hall is located between Lizheng Hall and Wude Hall.

Countless guards inside and outside were on guard with spears.

Lanterns were hung high in the hall, and a cold wind blew. Occasionally, miserable screams could be heard from deep within the hall, but they soon died down.

Calm footsteps were heard outside the hall, and Li Shimin, wearing a black robe with a gold-threaded dragon robe and a black unbleached hat, appeared outside the hall.

The guards on both sides immediately bowed their heads and saluted solemnly.

The emperor ignored them and walked straight into the Daji Hall.

Zhang Ananda went ahead, and when the emperor reached the depths of Daji Hall, the only person in the hall was Prince Wei Li Tai, who was lying on the bed and wailing softly.

Princess Yan Wan of Wei and Prince Li Xin of Wei have all disappeared.

Li Tai was lying on the bed alone, with a clean cloth wrapped around his back. The whip marks were faintly visible underneath, and the scent of herbs could be clearly smelled.

The pain continued to torture him, so much so that he didn't even notice the emperor standing beside his bed.

……

Li Shimin looked at Li Tai, his face full of disappointment. Finally, he sighed softly and said, "Qingque."

When Li Tai heard the sound, he subconsciously turned sideways, and then he let out a "hiss". He didn't know where the wound was touched, and he couldn't help but scream in pain.

"If you can't move, then don't move." Li Shimin stretched out his hand with some concern, but retracted it halfway.

He finally sighed and shook his head, looking at his son, but he did not sit down by the bed after all.

"Father." Li Tai responded, and stopped moving. Instead, he turned his head with a look of pity on his face.

Li Shimin sighed softly, his eyes fell on Li Tai's face, and asked, "Qingque, do you know your mistake?"

Li Tai did not hesitate and quickly said, "I know I was wrong."

"It's good that you know your mistake." Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Ananda had already moved a short couch over behind him.

Li Shimin then sat down opposite Li Tai and asked directly, "Where did you go wrong?"

"Ah?" Li Tai was slightly stunned. His mind was in a mess for a moment and he couldn't say anything.

"Hmph!" Li Shimin snorted coldly and said, "It's not uncommon for royal family members to sharpen each other's swords. I went through the same thing in my time, but the premise is that you can't go too far."

"Your Majesty, I didn't go too far." Li Tai couldn't help but retort, his face full of grievance.

"Then how did Zhou Cang and Xie Jiqing die?" Li Shimin's eyes suddenly became sharp and his body leaned forward slightly.

In an instant, Li Tai felt as if an extremely ferocious tiger was staring at him. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a word at all. His body even began to tremble.

"Don't think that you can hide the things you did from others. If Hou Junji can find out, I can find out too. Especially the two people caught by Hou Junji. Let me ask them, who of them dares to deceive the emperor?" Li Shimin stared at Li Tai coldly.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong." Li Tai finally raised his head pitifully.

"Hmph!" Li Shimin snorted coldly and said, "It was only when you knew that it was Zhinu who left the city that day that you decisively withdrew your attack. Otherwise, I would have beheaded you long ago."

Li Tai was not a bad person at all, and this was the real reason why Li Shimin could tolerate him.

Li Tai forced a pitiful smile on his face.

The emperor took a look and said calmly, "In this regard, your brother is better than you. Although he knows that you have done a lot of things, he has always maintained your dignity. But Qingque, what you have done is getting worse and worse."

Li Tai raised his head and looked at the emperor under the dim light. The firelight shone on his face, half dark and half bright.

Two words instantly appeared in Li Tai's mind.

Hundreds of riders.

Baiqisi.

According to rumors, these elite guards were selected by the emperor from among the Imperial Guards, Qianniu Guards, Jinwu Guards, and other elite guards. They were absolutely loyal to the emperor and were there to guard the palace, gather intelligence, execute the emperor's secret orders, eliminate forces that threatened the imperial power, and so on.

Li Tai immediately understood that this force was always watching him and also watching Li Chengqian.

Everything they have is in the emperor's hands.

"As long as you don't cross the line, I won't interfere. Royal brothers, a little tempering will help each other grow. As long as you don't cross the line, I can tolerate it." Li Shimin looked at Li Tai and couldn't help but shake his head slightly. The emperor had clearly observed Li Tai and Li Chengqian's winter fight, but the fight between the two sides remained within a certain range, so Li Shimin did not intervene.

"However, the Tibetans secretly used you, but you didn't notice it at all, and even almost hurt Zhinu." The emperor couldn't help but raised his hand to slap her.

Li Tai subconsciously shrank back.

"Hmph!" the emperor snorted coldly.

"Fang Yiai is also an idiot. Just kill to silence the witness. He did it so clumsily. The body was already thrown away, but it was still discovered." The emperor snorted coldly and looked at Li Tai with disdain.

For a moment, Li Tai felt like a child with nothing on, completely exposed in front of the emperor.

Emperor, Emperor. At this time, Li Tai finally realized clearly that the emperor was as powerful as the mountains and the deep sea.

"A traitor colluding with Tibet, a fool trying to spy on palace secrets. I don't care if he's dead. What I care about is that you didn't realize the Tibetans were involved, and you had no other means to solve these problems besides killing people."

"Father!" Li Tai looked up in surprise.

Li Shimin looked at the bloodstains oozing from the bandage on Li Tai's back, shook his head slightly, and said to himself, "You know that Father has been deliberately training you in the past few years. In fact, you don't know that Father is actually preparing for the end of his life. When your royal brother ascends the throne, you will leave Chang'an and go to a distant place to serve."

"Father." Li Tai couldn't help but get excited.

Li Shimin waved his hand gently, then stood up, looked outside the hall, and said calmly, "It's not easy to take up a position in a local government. In Chang'an City, with the emperor around, everyone has to take care of you. But without him, when you go to the local government, you'll have to face those greedy local aristocrats and powerful families who want to rip a piece of flesh from you. They'll use both overt and covert tactics, using beauty traps and flattery tactics to kill you... Qingque, you're still far from being as good as you can be. How can you make the emperor feel at ease?"

Although the emperor ruled the world, it was a different story when it came to the local areas.

The saying that imperial power does not extend to the countryside sometimes means that if a royal prince dies in a local struggle, he is dead.

Li Shimin experienced all of these personally.

Back then, the person he admired most was his cousin Li Daoxuan.

Li Daoxuan followed Li Shimin in his military campaigns for many years and made many military achievements. He was then named General of the Right Thousand Oxen Guard and King of Huaiyang.

Because of his disagreement with his subordinate Shi Wanbao, he was left to die in the battle with Liu Heita at the age of nineteen.

……

Shaking his head, Li Shimin withdrew his thoughts and looked at Li Tai. He said, "Qingque, when you take up your post in the local government, you must first clarify the enemy and yourself. Then, recruit staff and assistants to help you handle government affairs properly. Then, understand the suffering of the people and dismantle the aristocratic families and powerful people. Only then can you govern the local government well and secure your position."

Li Tai lay on the bed, trembling uncontrollably, his expression filled with disbelief and confusion.

He didn't take a word of what the emperor taught him to heart. He only heard that the emperor never wanted him to be the crown prince.

Li Tai's greatest reliance in his pursuit of the throne had always been the emperor's extraordinary favor, but now, his father told him that he had no other expectations of him, but just wanted him to help the prince and be a good local governor.

Li Tai's heart almost collapsed completely at this moment.

"That's why father asked you to do so many things in Chang'an." Li Shimin looked at Li Tai. Strangely, at this time, Li Tai stopped trembling and lowered his head heavily.

"Remember the end of last year, when the weather in Chang'an suddenly turned cold? I gave you an order in advance, asking you to take care of the people's wintering needs. But you were so caught up in these struggles that you were taken advantage of and even forgot about your duties."

Li Shimin's voice gradually became harsher, and then he said in a cold voice: "Qingque, father gave you a chance, and also gave your brother a chance, but his performance was much better than yours."

"I am wrong." Li Tai lowered his head, his voice a little muffled, but still came out clearly.

Li Shimin nodded and said, "Father originally planned to let you stay in the palace for three to five months, but Yan Liben, Su Xu, and Liu Li all came to plead for mercy, so I will temporarily release you."

Li Tai looked up in surprise.

"Qingque, after you go back this time, you must reflect on your mistakes and handle the affairs at hand well in the future. Only in this way, when you go to the local area in the future, you will be able to survive the struggle with those local aristocratic families, and only in this way, you will be able to fulfill your duties as a local governor." Li Shimin said this very seriously.

Although it is a bit cruel and true, it is the truest thought in his heart.

"Alright, I won't disturb your rest." Li Shimin waved his hand slightly, looked at Li Tai deeply, and turned to leave. But just as he took a step, he looked back at Li Tai and said, "Qingque, Fang Erlang, I've exiled you to Songzhou. You must remember this mistake and don't let others fool you again."

Li Shimin was talking about the Tibetans here, but there was only one person in Li Tai's mind, and that was his brother, Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

Gradually, the emperor's figure also appeared in Li Tai's heart.

After waiting for the emperor's footsteps to fade away, Li Tai gritted his teeth and growled, "Why? Why? I have to obey you. Why? One of you is the emperor and the other is the crown prince?"

Why?
……

"What? Prince Ke of Wu accompanied his father to offer sacrifices to the heaven and earth in the north and south yesterday?" Li Tai, who had just returned to the Prince of Wei's Mansion, looked at Su Xu in surprise.

(End of this chapter)