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

Chapter 147 "Just because I'm no longer the emperor, does that mean you'll treat me poorly?"

In front of Da'an Palace.

As soon as it was light, a palace attendant came to wait outside the door.

Last night, before the Emperor Emeritus went to bed, he specifically instructed that if the magistrate of Gaoyang County came, he should immediately inform him.

The sun had already risen high, and it was almost noon, but there was still no carriage coming.

"The magistrate of Gaoyang County has arrived, and the Emperor Emeritus has inquired again."

A palace attendant rushed in from behind the door and asked anxiously.

The waiting eunuch shook his head with a bitter face: "Not yet. This Gaoyang County magistrate is too audacious. The Emperor Emeritus summoned him, and he dares to delay."

"What should we do now? What if the Emperor Emeritus gets angry..."

The two eunuchs shuddered at the thought of Li Yuan's temper.

Since moving into the Da'an Palace, Li Yuan's temper has become increasingly volatile, and he would beat and kill eunuchs at the slightest disagreement.

This month alone, five people have been flogged.

"Here it comes, here it comes, a carriage is coming, but which carriage is it?"

Suddenly, one of the eunuchs pointed into the distance.

Two horse-drawn carriages slowly approached.

The eunuch couldn't help but find it strange.

"Why are there two carriages?"

Both of them found it strange, since they had been told that only Wen He would be coming today.
When the carriage behind them drew near, the two were both taken aback.

"Yes, it's the carriage from the Prince of Qin's residence!"

These two had been in the palace for quite some time, and had been by Li Yuan's side for several years, so they naturally recognized each other at a glance.

Their legs suddenly went weak.

The King of Qin back then is now His Majesty.

The two men did not hesitate and quickly stepped forward to greet them.

The two carriages came to a smooth stop. The eunuch was about to bow when he saw that it was not Li Shimin who stepped out of the carriage behind, but the three little ones of the Li family.

"This servant greets the Crown Prince, the Prince of Wei, and the Prince of Hanzhong."

The three little ones ignored them and silently stood behind Wen He. Only then did the two eunuchs realize that they had overlooked someone more important.

Everyone in the palace knows that Wen He will become the teacher of the next crown prince.

"I have met the magistrate of Gaoyang County."

"No need for formalities. We have come to pay our respects to the Emperor Emeritus. Please go and inform him."

Although Wen He was not used to these formalities, he had no choice but to try to accept them.

Upon hearing this, the two eunuchs immediately stood up.

"Please wait a moment, sir of Gaoyang County."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two hurriedly ran towards the Da'an Palace, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Li Yuan, who was inside the bedchamber, had long been impatient.

Upon seeing the eunuch enter, he shouted, "Hasn't that brat Wen He arrived yet? Does he think that just because I'm no longer the emperor, he can treat me with disrespect?"

His words startled everyone present, who quickly lowered their heads even further, wishing they didn't have ears.

Upon entering, the eunuch immediately reported, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Gaoyang has already arrived outside, but..."

Li Yuan's anger had subsided somewhat after hearing Wen He's words, but upon hearing "but not," his eyes widened immediately: "But what? You insolent servant, speak up now!"

"However, the magistrate of Wenhe County also brought three princes," the eunuch said in a panic.

Li Yuan didn't react for a moment and didn't understand what the eunuch meant by the three princes.

Having just become the retired emperor, he had not yet adapted to his new identity.

He thought the prince the eunuch was referring to was his son.

But after standing there stunned for a few moments, he suddenly remembered...
"You mean Gao Ming and the others?"

Li Yuan's face lit up with a smile. Although he resented Li Shimin, he still loved his three grandsons very much.

Trapped inside the Da'an Palace, with nothing to do, he found it like a blissful family reunion.

"Then what are you standing there for? Go and invite them in. Also, immediately tell the Imperial Kitchen to prepare some of their favorite dishes and send them over right away."

He used the word "immediately" twice in one sentence, which speaks volumes about his joy at that moment.

He probably hasn't seen his grandson in a long time.

Not long after, Wen He brought the three little ones in.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects..."

He had just bowed and hadn't even finished speaking when he saw a figure suddenly rush towards him, grabbing Li Chengqian and Li Tai.

"Oh dear, my two darling grandsons, why haven't you come to see your grandfather for so long?" Li Yuan seemed to be scolding him, but the wrinkles on his face were almost squeezed together by his smile.

Wen He subconsciously turned around and glanced at Li Ke.

Seeing his calm expression, standing there with his hands behind his back, as if everything in front of him had nothing to do with him.

Although he was a prince, he was still a son of a concubine.

"Greetings, Imperial Grandfather." Li Ke bowed respectfully, which finally caught Li Yuan's attention.

"Ah, Ke'er is here too. You come too, let your father take a good look at you."

Li Yuan then waved to him.

The reason he ignored Li Ke before was not because he disliked him, but because he still harbored some resentment.

However, he understood that this person still had the blood of the Li family flowing through his veins.

"Who is this little girl?" Li Yuan asked in surprise when he saw Wenrou.

He remembered that his second son didn't seem to have this daughter.

Those born out of wedlock will not come here.

"Grandpa, my name is Wenrou."

The little girl grinned, revealing a pair of tiny tiger teeth.

"Oh, so it's you. Good, good, you look nice."

Li Yuan had previously worried that a girl from the mountains might not be good-looking.

But now it seems they're doing quite well.

Li Yuan's gaze finally fell on Wen He, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

"Take them all down first, and that little Wenrou too. Your grandfather will have a good talk with you all later."

When Li Yuan faced the child, his face was full of kindness, completely different from the cold and stern look he had given Wen He earlier.

Wen He didn't care; he knew Li Yuan must have summoned him for a reason.

If he really wanted to see fireworks, he could have just called someone from the Ministry of Works; why did he have to call himself?

The three little ones hesitated for a moment, but still followed the person.

She glanced at Wen He with gentle concern, her small hand lightly clutching his sleeve, as if she didn't want to leave.

Wen He smiled and patted her little head: "It's alright. This kind old man just wants to ask your brother some questions. Xiao Rou, don't worry, there will definitely be lots of delicious food over there."

Wenrou shook her head; she had no appetite at all.

Since her brother had said so, she nodded and reluctantly followed Li Chengqian and the others.

"Everyone else, get out too!" Li Yuan shouted, shooing away the eunuchs in the hall.

Got it!
Seeing his actions, Wen He guessed his intentions.

"Wait first!"

Wen He suddenly spoke up to stop him, and under Li Yuan's displeased gaze, he cupped his hands and smiled, "Your Majesty, I have prepared a gift for you, a little game. Why don't we play and talk at the same time?"

He finished speaking and slightly raised an eyebrow.

(End of this chapter)