Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 144 Is that rebellious son going to kill me?!

"What is this sound?"

The wine cup slammed heavily onto the table, the amber liquid rippling in the gilded cup.

Li Yuan stared at the churning inky night sky outside the window, his question laced with the strong smell of alcohol.

The flickering candle on the desk cast an inconspicuous glow on his wrinkled face.

The air inside Da'an Palace seemed to freeze.

Li Yuan reached for the wine pot on the table, but his excessive force caused the fruit plate to tip over.

The sound of the celadon shattering, mixed with the sudden roar outside, startled him so much that he leaped up from the couch.

His robe swept across the table, spilling half a pot of wine onto the floor, soaking the carpet.

As he stumbled, his heel caught on the hem of his clothes, and he fell forward.

With a startled cry, he stumbled into the arms of the concubine beside him.

After Li Yuan got up in a disheveled state, he gripped the concubine's wrist tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

"Is that rebellious son going to kill me?!"

Pei Ji, who was accompanying him, hurriedly stood up, his robe sweeping across the low table and knocking over a cup of tea.

The scalding tea splashed onto his boots, but he was completely unaware, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, don't panic, this sound seems to come from the sky!"

As he turned around, the jade beads on his crown swayed, reflecting the cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Pei Ji's gaze swept over everyone in the hall, sharp as torches: "If any of you were to utter a single word of what the Emperor Emeritus just said, you would all be condemned to a death without a burial place!"

The eunuchs and palace maids all knelt down, their foreheads almost touching the cold blue bricks.

The hall was deathly silent, except for the crackling sound of candle wicks popping, which was particularly jarring in the stillness.

"Boom!" Several more booming sounds shook the window frames.

Li Yuan turned around abruptly and rushed to the sword rack in three quick steps.

He drew the topmost longsword, its cold light reflecting off his furrowed brows and wide-open eyes.

His sword pointed directly at the palace gate, and his voice trembled uncontrollably: "What exactly happened?"

Pei Ji was also filled with doubts.

Before ascending the throne, Li Shimin repeatedly assured that he would allow the retired emperor to enjoy his later years in Da'an Palace, and that no soldier should approach without his decree.

They couldn't even get through the gates of Da'an Palace.

But tonight's thunderous roar was clearly eerie.

No wonder the retired emperor was afraid.

After all, Yang Jian of the former Sui Dynasty died suddenly and mysteriously.

"Your Majesty, why don't you allow me to go out and take a look?"

He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone cautious.

Just as Li Yuan was about to speak, a dark shadow suddenly flashed past outside the hall.

His whole body was tense, the veins on his hand gripping the sword bulged, and the tip of the sword trembled slightly.

Footsteps approached from afar, and a palace attendant hurriedly ran up and knelt down at the foot of the steps: "Your Majesty, His Majesty has sent word that fireworks will be set off in the sky tonight, which will produce thunderous sounds, and we fear that this may disturb Your Majesty."

"Fireworks?" Li Yuan was stunned for a moment, and his long sword clattered to the ground.

The fear on his face gradually faded, replaced by a complex expression.

After a moment, he snorted coldly: "What haven't I seen and heard? Is the sound of mere thunder worth that rebellious son reminding me? You've disturbed my sword-wielding mood, so get out of here!"

After the eunuchs withdrew, Li Yuan straightened his clothes and coughed, "Let's go, you and I, ruler and subject, shall go and see what kind of flower it is."

Pei Ji bowed and agreed, but his heart was filled with bitterness.

Since Li Shimin ascended the throne, he has been transferred away from the center of power. Now he has been sent to accompany the retired emperor, which clearly shows that the new emperor does not trust him.

But in front of Li Yuan, he could only feign respect and dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction.

Outside the bedchamber, the night wind carried a chill.

Just as Li Yuan stepped out of the palace gate, a loud bang ripped through the night sky.

He instinctively took a step back, but in the next second, he was overwhelmed by the dazzling light that filled the sky.

Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple lights intertwined and bloomed in the night sky, as if a fairy had overturned a seven-colored glass cup.

"This, this is what they call fireworks?" Li Yuan pointed at the gradually darkening night sky, his voice rising unconsciously.

Another firework shot into the sky, exploding at the highest point and illuminating his shocked face.

Pei Ji was also stunned, until Li Yuan nudged him, which brought him back to his senses. He nodded stiffly, "It seems so."

"Go, send someone to ask Erlang how this thing was made!"

Li Yuan stared at the night sky, his eyes filled with both curiosity and a hint of resentment.

When he was emperor, he had never seen such a wonder. Now that Li Shimin had just ascended the throne, someone was presenting him with such a treasure. How could he not feel resentful?

The eunuchs of Da'an Palace jogged all the way to Daxing Palace.

At this time, the fireworks show in front of Daxing Palace was nearing its end.

The dazzling fireworks illuminated the obsequious faces of the courtiers, who vied to congratulate Li Shimin.

"Such an auspicious omen is a sign that our Great Tang Dynasty is about to rise!"

The white-haired old minister stepped forward shakily, his beard trembling as he spoke.

"That's exactly right. Only when Your Majesty is here can such a thing appear. Doesn't this just prove that the Tang Dynasty will usher in a golden age under Your Majesty's leadership?"

The other ministers echoed their sentiments, their flattery rising and falling. Wen He stood in the crowd, listening to these sycophantic words, and couldn't help but recall something someone had said in her previous life: "Only those with thick skin can climb higher and higher."

Looking at the scene before him, he sighed silently. What he said was absolutely true.

at this time.

The eunuch from Da'an Palace hurried over.

After Gao Yue noticed him, she gestured for him to go elsewhere with her eyes, and he bowed and retreated.

"I see."

Upon learning the reason for the eunuch's visit, Gao Yue nodded and then explained the situation to him.

The eunuch was extremely grateful and bowed to him before quickly turning and leaving.

When Gao Yue returned to Li Shimin's side, he looked straight ahead and asked in a seemingly indifferent manner, "What is it?"

"Your Majesty, the Emperor Emeritus has inquired about the fireworks."

"Ah."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin dropped the matter, pretending nothing had happened, and toasted with the officials who came to congratulate him.

at the same time.

Wen He had eaten and drunk her fill and was stretching, closing her eyes to rest for a while.

Suddenly, everything went black. He opened his eyes and saw two ugly faces appear before him.

Wen He was taken aback. Before he could speak, the little wild girl, with a face that looked more like a grimace than a smile, bowed to him.

"I am Ono no Umako, an envoy from Japan to Tang China. I have come to meet Wenxianzi."

Looking at him, Wen He made no attempt to hide her impatience.

"What are you doing here? Do you want a beating?"

"No, no, no, we Japanese are friends of the Tang Dynasty, no, we are students. We have come to learn from the Tang Dynasty, so we are definitely not your enemies. There was a slight misunderstanding before, and we hope that you, Mr. Wen, can forgive us. This is just a small token of our appreciation."

Little Wild Horse took out a wooden box from her sleeve. When she opened the box, she found a small lamb carved in gold inside.

"It's just a small token of my respect."

The little wild horse was all smiles.

Wen He glanced at Jinzi, then looked up at him, smiling exceptionally kindly.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Yema was overjoyed.

Thinking that Wen He had accepted their apology, they took the opportunity to ask, "We heard that you made those fireworks. We'd like to take such beautiful things back to Japan. Could you teach us how?"

"Want to learn how to make fireworks?"

Wen He smiled.

“Yes,” Little Wild Horse said excitedly.

But the next moment, Wen He's face suddenly turned cold.

(End of this chapter)