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

Chapter 149 So Father Has Such a Shameless Side

"Your Majesty, please don't scare me like that!"

Wen He was starting to panic.

Right now, it's just him and Li Yuan in this hall. If the latter dies, he won't be able to explain himself even if he has a hundred mouths.

Who would believe that Li Yuan would commit suicide?

He didn't think Li Yuan wanted to die, otherwise he wouldn't have willingly become the retired emperor.

But he didn't dare to gamble.

"Just say what you have to say, why talk about dying?" Wen He said with a dry laugh.

Li Yuan snorted coldly and asked, "I just want to know, did I die of old age?"

"Uh, is that all?"

"Speak! If you don't tell the truth, I'll smash my head against this chessboard and die!"

"Yes, yes, you died of old age. Don't worry, His Majesty was very filial to you. He even wanted to build a new palace for you, but you passed away halfway through construction. He never moved in."

According to later records, Daming Palace was originally built for Li Yuan and was originally named Yong'an Palace.

However, construction of the palace ceased after Li Yuan's death.

Repairs continued only after Li Zhi ascended the throne.

Li Yuan was stunned for a long time. Wen He saw that he hadn't spoken for a long time and thought something had happened to him, so she quickly waved her hand in front of his eyes.

Upon seeing this, Li Yuan slapped his hand away.

"I am perfectly fine."

He glared at Wen He with annoyance.

Hearing the news of his own death, Li Yuan still felt somewhat uneasy.

Wen He said that Li Shimin was very filial to him and even wanted to build a palace for him, which made him feel quite gratified.

However, having experienced the palace coups of the Northern Zhou and the Former Sui dynasties, he still had some concerns.

"Did I really die of illness?"

Wen He finally understood what Li Yuan was worried about.

He nodded seriously: "At least that's how it's recorded in history. In the tenth year of Zhenguan, you passed away. Empress Zhangsun was so heartbroken by your death that she fell ill and died the following year."

"The tenth year of Zhenguan, which is ten years later, right?"

Li Yuan was already seventy years old at that time, which was considered a long life.

But then he suddenly paused, "You just said that Guanyinbi also passed away after me?"

"Ah, yes."

Wen He nodded firmly.

Li Yuan was stunned. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

After a long while, he picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

"Shimin, he also suffered."

Empress Dou passed away not long after Li Yuan ascended the throne.

Therefore, he understood the feeling.

"Then let me ask you again, in the original history, who was the next emperor? Was it Gao Ming?" Li Yuan continued to ask.

Wen He shook her head.

He frowned and asked again, "Is it Qingque? Don't tell me it's Li Ke!"

If someone of the Yang family lineage from the former Sui Dynasty were to become the emperor of the Tang Dynasty...

Then the Li family would be a huge joke.

"He was His Majesty's original ninth son, named Li Zhi."

Seeing that Li Yuan was somewhat deranged, Wen He was genuinely worried that he might attack Li Ke.

"Why isn't it brilliant?"

"Well, this matter is quite complicated."

"Speak, or else I will..."

"Okay, okay, I say."

Wen He gritted his teeth. This old man knew he wasn't afraid of him, so he threatened him with death.

He could only recount the original historical events of Li Chengqian's rebellion and Li Tai's attempt to kill his son to seize the throne.

After he finished speaking, Li Yuan did not utter a single word.

After a long while, he suddenly burst into laughter: "Retribution! This is retribution!"

But as he laughed, he started to cry.

"Is this a curse of my Li family?"

"If that's really the case, I shouldn't have seized this damned throne in the first place!"

Wen He didn't know how to persuade her for a moment.

Actually, this kind of thing is not uncommon in Guanzhong.

Moreover, whether it was the Sui Dynasty, the Northern Zhou Dynasty, or the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the change of the throne was always bloody.

"Your Majesty, please don't be discouraged. In the history of the Tang Dynasty, there was one instance where the eldest son of the legitimate wife succeeded to the throne, so..."

"roll!"

"okay."

"Get back!"

Seeing that Wen He was about to leave, Li Yuan went up and grabbed his collar, pulling him back.

"Didn't you say you'd teach me how to play this chess game? Come on, let's play!" Li Yuan pressed Wen He down to sit opposite him and angrily shouted again, "Set up the chess pieces!"

"Um, you're not going to ask anymore?" Wen He asked tentatively.

Li Yuan snorted: "I won't ask anymore. I am now the retired emperor. I don't need to worry about those things. Besides, with you here, I think Erlang will do better, and Gaoming will do better too."

"So you'll teach me how to play chess!"

"Ok."

Wen He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

That old man must have come to terms with it.

Fortunately, he didn't ask who became emperor after Li Zhi.

Otherwise, Wen He was really worried that he would have a heart attack on the spot and die.

Just as Wen He and Li Yuan were playing chess.

The contents of their conversation were then sent to Li Shimin's desk.

He was mute; his tongue had been cut out long ago.

They were suicide soldiers who had long ago entrusted their lives to Li Shimin.

"Go to the Forbidden Garden. Someone has arranged land for you. You can spend the rest of your life there."

Li Shimin nodded.

The mute man bowed respectfully and withdrew.

As for where he went afterward, only a very few people know.

Li Shimin opened the letter, glanced at it, and then burned it on the candlestick.

"Does Father distrust me so much?"

Li Shimin smiled bitterly, let out a long sigh, and threw the remnants of the letter into the brush washer.

From the moment Li Yuan wanted to see Wen He, Li Shimin knew that the former would definitely ask about the future.

However, he did not expect that his father had asked Wen He because he was afraid that he would kill him.

"Gao Yue!"

"The servant is here."

"Go to the Imperial Household Department and instruct them not to neglect the Emperor Emeritus's meals. If the Emperor Emeritus experiences even the slightest discomfort, inform me immediately."

As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, Gao Yue was taken aback. After a few moments, she nodded in agreement: "Yes."

Not long after Gao Yue left, a palace attendant came to report.

Xiao Yu, Fang Xuanling, and others requested an audience.

Li Shimin had no choice but to put the matter of Da'an Palace aside and deal with government affairs first.

By the time he finished dealing with official business, it was almost dusk.

After inquiring about the Da'an Palace, it was learned that Li Yuan had spent the entire afternoon with Wen He.

He couldn't help but be curious.

What exactly were Wen He and her father doing?
"If Your Majesty takes back your move again, I'm not playing anymore. Your sportsmanship is terrible."

"Just once, just once, I promise it will be the last time."

"That's what you just said too. No, absolutely not. I'm checkingmate."

"Hey, you brat, what's wrong with letting me win? Fine, fine, you win, this round is yours."

Li Yuan, like a rogue, swept his hand across the chessboard, scattering the pieces.

The three little ones watching from the side looked at each other in bewilderment.

At first, they were all quite surprised.

But after watching it for a while, I seem to get used to it.

'So my grandfather had such a shameless side.'

“Grandpa can’t cheat, brother won.” Xiao Wenrou tugged at his sleeve, then picked up a piece of pastry and handed it to him: “But Grandpa was already very good, and he almost beat brother, so this is Xiao Rou’s reward for you.”

“Right? That’s right. Back when I was in Chang’an, no one could beat me in either leaf games or liubo.” Li Yuan was amused by her words.

Wen He scoffed, rolled up her sleeves, and held out her hand: "One string of cash."

"What do you mean, 'a string of cash'!"

"You promised one string of cash for every game you lost. Your word is your bond, Your Majesty!"

"Here, here, here. You're so stingy. But I won't give you this money. I'll give it to Xiaorou. Buy Xiaorou some snacks." Li Yuan laughed loudly, rubbing Wenrou's little head, and took a gold leaf from the side.

"Xiao Rou bought some and shared it with the old man."

"Alright, alright, from now on don't call me Grandpa, just call me Father, like those brats. Oh dear, why is Xiaorou crying?"

Seeing Wenrou's eyes redden, Li Yuan couldn't help but be surprised.

“Xiao Rou and her brother don’t have a grandfather or mother. They used to bully Xiao Rou. Waaah.”

As she spoke gently, tears welled in her eyes, her pitiful appearance tugging at Li Yuan's heart.

"Poor child."

He then took out two more gold leaves and placed them in Wenrou's hand.

Wen He stared, her eyes wide with amazement.

This single gold leaf is worth at least a string of cash.

At the same time, Li Shimin, who was standing outside the main hall, was stunned when he saw this scene.

He tugged at his beard to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

(End of this chapter)