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

Chapter 150 Then please, Father, teach your child.

"Cough cough."

Two coughs were heard from outside.

Li Yuan and Wen He had already noticed that there were people outside.

The eunuchs and palace maids were all silent with fear; they knew without even guessing who it was.

The three little ones froze instantly and quickly stood up straight.

"Your subject greets Your Majesty."

Wenrou looked at them strangely, turned her head and saw Li Shimin standing at the door. She pursed her lips, thinking of getting up, but was stopped by Li Yuan.

"Never mind him, Xiaorou. Your father is hungry and wants the pastries you just took."

"Well, good."

Wenrou nodded gently and took a piece from the plate beside her.

"If Father is hungry, how about having the Imperial Kitchen prepare a meal? I am hungry too."

Li Shimin walked in with a smile, glancing at Wen He out of the corner of his eye.

Upon seeing this, the latter hurriedly tried to get up, but heard a "smack" from the other side.

"Let's play another round. I refuse to believe I can't beat you today. As for who's hungry, let him go order his own food. What's with all the airs he's putting on here!"

Li Yuan snorted coldly and tapped the table a few times with his fingers.

Wen He sighed helplessly, turned to look at Li Shimin, and shrugged.

It's not that I'm being impolite, it's just that your father spoke up.

Li Shimin chuckled, knowing that Li Yuan was just being temperamental with him.

"Alright, Gao Yue, go and serve the meal."

"promise."

Gao Yue, who was behind, responded and bowed as she withdrew.

At this moment, Li Yuan suddenly snorted and slammed a cannon heavily onto the chessboard: "Central Cannon!"

These are terms that Wen He taught him before.

Seeing this, Wen He had just picked up a chess piece when she heard a cough beside her.

"These objects are quite novel. There are horses, generals, and strange characters. What characters are you holding, Father?"

Li Shimin deliberately bent over, like a curious child.

Upon seeing this, Wen He subtly withdrew her hand.

"This is a cannon. Didn't I just say it's the cannon opening? It's in the script of Wen He's hometown." Li Yuan replied impatiently. Seeing that Wen He didn't move, he urged, "Hurry up and place your piece. Are you afraid of my cannon opening?"

“Interesting, Father. Why don’t you let me have a turn?” Li Shimin asked with a smile.

Everyone was stunned when they heard this.

Wen He immediately stood up on her own.

If the other party wants to repair their father-son relationship, he shouldn't be getting in the way.

"You don't even know how to play, what are you doing causing trouble here?" Li Yuan retorted with dissatisfaction.

Li Shimin smiled broadly and said, "If you don't know how, you can learn, just like when Father taught me to read, right, Xiao Rou?"

He sat down in front of Li Yuan.

The latter paused for a moment, his eyes flickering, as if he were recalling something.

Before he knew it, he seemed to see a child sitting in front of him, about five or six years old, holding a book and asking him a question with a troubled expression.

Li Shimin was very intelligent from a young age, and he learned everything much faster than his elder brother Li Jiancheng.

So if he encounters a problem, he will ponder it for a long time until he gets home, and then he will secretly ask him about it.

"Yes, yes, you can learn it if you don't know how. If Xiaorou had her father, she would definitely ask him to teach her. But Xiaorou has her older brother, so he will teach me too."

Wenrou was unaware that Li Shimin was using her; the little girl genuinely thought he was pitiful.

"Hmph, don't use Xiao Rou as an example. Since you want to learn, then I will teach you. It will be a good opportunity for Wen He to see my strength."

He had been losing all afternoon, and just then, Li Shimin, a complete novice, was delivered right into his lap.

Besides, he also wanted to save face, so why not?

"Then please teach your child, Father."

Even though Wen He was right next to him, Li Shimin asked Li Yuan.

This is clearly an attempt to curry favor.

The latter pretended to be confused and began to explain the rules to him.

The rules of chess are not complicated. With Li Shimin's intelligence, he understood them the first time Li Yuan explained them to him.

But he pretended not to understand, pondering with a troubled expression. In Li Yuan's eyes, it was as if he saw his younger self.

"Enough talk, let's start. We can talk while we play chess."

Li Yuan impatiently picked up a chess piece and began playing against Li Shimin.

Wen He and the three little ones watched from the side.

Although the three little ones understood the rules, they only knew the basics because they had never played the game before.

Wen He saw it all clearly: several times Li Shimin deliberately let Li Yuan capture his pieces.

Before long, he was checkmated.

"Good!" Li Yuan laughed with satisfaction: "See? This chess game looks simple, but it is actually unpredictable. If you are not careful, you will lose the whole game in one wrong move."

"Just like doing things, no matter what it is, you must think carefully and not act impulsively, only seeing the immediate benefits and ignoring the overall situation."

"However, we cannot abandon the overall situation just to protect a particular piece. In other words, it's like sacrificing a pawn to save the king."

"Also, don't underestimate these pawns. Sometimes, it is precisely these small pieces that can influence the overall situation."

Li Yuan may have been talking about chess pieces, but he was actually telling Li Shimin how to govern.

The latter has always maintained a humble and cautious attitude.

"I have learned a lot."

"What are you teaching me? Keep going. I've been losing all afternoon, and that brat won't even let me take back my moves."

As he spoke, Li Yuan glared at Wen He.

The latter retorted indignantly, "Your Majesty, you've been taking back your moves all afternoon! If you don't believe me, ask Gao Ming and the others!"

"Ah, I didn't see it." Li Chengqian quickly shook his head.

Li Tai tilted his head: "I don't know."

Li Ke nodded with a smile: "Grandfather is right."

Hey, you three!

"Shut up! If the Emperor Emeritus says you're wrong, then you're wrong," Li Shimin snapped at him.

Seeing this, Wen He pretended to be aggrieved and said, "Yes, yes, your whole family is bullying me, an outsider."

“Brother, Father is getting old, it’s only right that you give way to him,” Xiao Wenrou said with a grin.

Wen He rolled her eyes: "It's just a few gold leaves, and you've already been bribed, little girl."

“Grandpa is a good man.” Gentle chuckled.

Everyone burst into laughter upon seeing this.

Li Yuan, even more excited, urged Li Shimin to play another game.

Wenrou secretly gave Wenhe a wink.

This little girl must have figured something out, so she deliberately tried to please Li Yuan and cooperated in the act.

Seeing this harmonious scene, Wen He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't a waste of his day off.

However, resolving the grudge between Li Yuan and Li Shimin was not so easy.

The game continued until it got dark.

Li Yuan dominated the battlefield, winning several rounds against Li Shimin before finally ending the game to his satisfaction.

Li Yuan made a rare exception by inviting Li Shimin to stay for a meal.

As night fell, Li Shimin led Wen He and the others away from Da'an Palace.

You did well today.

As soon as they stepped out of the palace gates, Li Shimin affirmed to Wen He.

The latter chuckled and said, "I suppose I haven't disappointed Your Majesty's high expectations."

The former smiled knowingly, but he knew that was far from enough.

The resentment his father harbored towards him would not be so easily resolved.

But today's achievements are enough.

He took a deep breath, put the thought out of his mind, and looked at Wen He seriously.

"The Ministry of War reported today that the Turks have made some unusual moves."

"Should we start?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin gave him a meaningful look, and then called Li Chengqian to his side.

He gently patted Li Chengqian's head, then said to Wen He, "He is now in your care. Tell him to go back to the palace tomorrow to see Guanyinbi. Two days later, you and he will set off for Jingzhou."

(End of this chapter)