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

Chapter 202 Wen County Prince Disregards Court Etiquette and Offends the Emperor
Changsun Wuji and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

Fang Xuanling glanced at Wen He, then at Changsun Wuji.

He thought it was too much of a coincidence.

The former had just finished talking about the King of Zhongshan when the latter said he wanted to go to the palace to see the Queen.

Gao Yue then brought His Majesty the Emperor's oral decree.

It feels like this was done on purpose.

They were made to listen to Wen He's words here before being summoned.

"Everyone please."

Gao Yue smiled and gestured for him to proceed.

"Since His Majesty has summoned us, let us travel together."

Xiao Yu stroked his beard and walked forward on his own.

Upon seeing this, Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling exchanged a glance and then followed behind Xiao Yu.

Seeing that there was nothing for him to do, Wen He went to find the Xuanjia Guard who had brought him and left the palace.

Wen He had no idea what Li Shimin and Xiao Yu said.

However, at the court meeting the next day, Xiao Yu was appointed as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.

Wen He was standing in the last row, half asleep, when she heard the imperial decree and immediately woke up.

'Has Xiao Yu already become the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor?'

Wen He remembered that in history, Xiao Yu was first demoted and then became the Crown Prince's tutor.

This person has received mixed reviews throughout history.

Some say he was an upright official, while others say he was petty and narrow-minded.

Wen He recalled that, according to historical records, Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda had a dispute, which escalated into a physical altercation during a court meeting, resulting in Xiao Yu being dismissed from his post as prime minister by Li Shimin.

Wen He couldn't remember why there was controversy.

But he was dismissed from his post as prime minister over such a trivial matter. He didn't believe that Li Er (Emperor Taizong of Tang) didn't want to establish his authority.

This incident also marked the beginning of Xiao Yu's dismissal as prime minister.

Not long after being dismissed, Xiao Yu was reinstated and appointed as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.

Later, when Feng Lun, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, died, Li Shimin reappointed him as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, making him the prime minister for the second time.

And this is precisely the beginning of his path to being dismissed.

He was dismissed and reinstated six times, which can be described as a legend in the Tang Dynasty.

The last time, historical records say that he was jealous of Fang Xuanling's power surpassing his own, so he slandered the latter for rebellion, and was then reprimanded by Li Shimin.

However, Li Shimin did indeed admire him.

The line "A strong wind reveals the strength of the grass, and turbulent times reveal the loyalty of the minister" was a poem he wrote for Xiao Yu.

Wen He, who was still puzzled, did not realize that his expression was being observed by Li Shimin.

However, the latter did not make a fuss about it.

After finishing speaking about Xiao Yu's appointment, Li Er began to recount the events of the previous day.

The news of Li Chengqian being forced to kneel as punishment had already spread far and wide.

In just one night, rumors began to circulate in Chang'an.

Many people are even saying that Li Shimin is very likely to make Li Tai the crown prince.

In other words, only a few people knew that Li Tai was staying at Wen He's house.

Otherwise, his house would definitely be bustling with people.

A group of people went to see Li Tai to test him.

It must be said that Li Shimin's decision to send Li Tai to Wen He's house was indeed prescient.

However, this was not a good thing for Wen He.

"What happened to the Prince of Zhongshan yesterday was my fault. I deeply agree that the law of the land is serious and should not be taken lightly, but I did not act accordingly. It was thanks to the Prince of Zhongshan's reminder that I did not make a big mistake."

Li Shimin's words caused a strange expression on everyone's face in the hall.

What he said, though not an official decree, was not a self-reproach edict.

But since he said it himself, it was meant to be recorded in his daily life.

Therefore, it is no different from an edict of self-reproach.

Everyone was puzzled, wondering why Li Shimin had spoken so solemnly in court.

"Your Majesty!"

at this time.

Xiao Yu stepped forward.

Having just been appointed as the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince and concurrently serving as the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, he had, at least in name, surpassed Fang Xuanling and others.

When he suddenly stood up, many people couldn't help but become solemn.

They assumed that Xiao Yu and Li Shimin had made some kind of deal.

Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling, who were summoned together yesterday, all looked as if they had expected it.

"I have heard Zengzi say: 'As for kindness, respect, comforting one's parents, and bringing honor to one's name, I have already heard of these principles. May I ask, is a son's obedience to his father's commands considered filial piety?'"

The Master said, “What kind of talk is this! What kind of talk is this! In the past, the Son of Heaven had seven remonstrating ministers, and even though he was immoral, he did not lose his empire; the feudal lords had five remonstrating ministers, and even though they were immoral, they did not lose their states; the high officials had three remonstrating ministers, and even though they were immoral, they did not lose their families; a scholar has a remonstrating friend, and he will not lose his good reputation; a father has a remonstrating son, and he will not fall into injustice.”

“Therefore, when injustice occurs, a son cannot but remonstrate with his father, and a subject cannot but remonstrate with his ruler; therefore, when injustice occurs, one must remonstrate. How can obeying one's father's orders be considered filial piety?”

This passage means what later generations summarized as, "A ruler with loyal ministers will not perish; a father with loyal sons will not perish."

In other words, the ancients liked to cite classical texts when discussing important matters.

When Xiao Yu told this story, many people present couldn't help but hold their breath.

Wen He also had a vague feeling that something big was about to happen.

“The Prince of Zhongshan kneels before his mother, which is filial piety; he speaks to his sovereign and father, which is loyalty. Such a person who embodies both loyalty and filial piety is Your Majesty’s unicorn. Now that Your Majesty has ascended to the throne, the Eastern Palace is empty. I am the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.”

Xiao Yu paused for a moment, then bowed deeply to Li Shimin.

His next words have already been guessed by many people.

At least Wen He already knew what he was going to say next.

"Your Majesty, I request that you establish an heir!"

After he finished speaking, his words fell like a thunderclap in the Taiji Hall.

The Xuanwu Gate incident had only just passed.

Li Shimin had only recently ascended the throne.

Although many people know that Li Chengqian, as the eldest son of the legitimate wife, will undoubtedly become the crown prince in the future, no one dares to mention this matter in front of Li Shimin.

Even Changsun Wuji didn't step forward.

But Xiao Yu actually became the one to stick his neck out.

'Is it really necessary to make things so complicated just about establishing an heir?'

Wen He covered her mouth and yawned.

He didn't even need to guess to know that Xiao Yu was doing this at Li Shimin's behest.

That's why he became the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.

Li Er was probably worried that if the news of Li Chengqian being forced to kneel yesterday got out, it would cause trouble in Chang'an again.

Didn't you hear Xiao Yu twisting the truth?

Yesterday, Li Chengqian was clearly punished by being forced to kneel, but in his words, it became that he was kneeling for the sake of Empress Zhangsun.

This highlights Li Chengqian's filial piety.

"Gao Ming is still young; isn't it too early to discuss this matter now?"

Li Shimin smiled and glanced at all the civil and military officials in the hall, his last glance landing on Wen He, who was breathing heavily at the end.

'That brat, doesn't he care at all about advanced matters? He's just being lazy. This morning during martial arts practice, he looked like he hadn't woken up yet.'

He grumbled inwardly, but his smile remained unchanged.

Little did he know that while he was cursing Wen He in his heart, the latter was also looking down on him in her own mind.

"Xiao Yu just said he wanted you to establish an heir, not that he wanted you to establish Li Chengqian as crown prince. Isn't that just like protesting too much?"

Wen He definitely won't step forward today.

With so many high-ranking officials in front of him, it doesn't matter whether he speaks or not.

He had long since stopped wanting to attend court meetings.

'We need to find a way to avoid attending these court meetings in the future.'

Every day, before dawn, Li Shimin would drag him to practice martial arts, and then, without even having a meal, he would be taken to the Taiji Hall.

It greatly affects his development.

Just as Wen He was thinking about these things, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui left the class one after the other.

The two of them also quoted extensively from classical texts.

Wen He was completely confused, but their central idea was just one thing.

"Your Majesty, please establish an heir apparent. Prince Li Chengqian of Zhongshan is quite good; let him be the crown prince."

Finally, the heads of the three departments—the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of Works—all came forward to second the motion.

The six ministers of the six ministries and the twelve vice ministers also came out together.

"I second the proposal!"

After Wei Zheng led the people from the Censorate out of the ranks.

Li Shimin stroked his beard, suppressed the upturned corners of his mouth, and nodded after "deep consideration".

"Since all of you ministers praise Gaoming, I cannot go against your wishes. Very well, after the reign title is changed, I will have the Imperial Observatory choose an auspicious day to welcome the Prince of Zhongshan into the Eastern Palace."

There are two paths to becoming the crown prince in the Tang Dynasty.

One option is to be formally appointed as the crown prince and, after a series of complicated ceremonies, to enter the Eastern Palace.

Another, simpler approach, is to follow the path of Li Shimin.

'I need to find a way to get away for a while.'

Wen He pondered this in her heart.

When Li Chengqian was appointed Crown Prince, Li Chengqian, as his teacher, would certainly be given certain tasks.

And it's bound to be boring.

Just as he was thinking this, Li Shimin suddenly looked at him.

"Wen Jiaying".

"Yes, Your Majesty."

When Wen He stepped out of his post, all the officials in front of him turned around to look at him.

He was considered an anomaly in this Taiji Hall.

At the age of ten, I crossed that threshold.

You should know that many people spend their entire lives without ever being able to step into the Taiji Hall.

"You and Gao Ming are both teacher and friend. Now that Gao Ming will be the crown prince, I intend to..."

"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

Before Li Shimin could finish speaking, Wen He suddenly interrupted him.

"Be bold!"

An imperial censor immediately came out and reprimanded him.

“The magistrate of Wen County has disregarded the etiquette of court proceedings and offended the emperor. He shall be punished with a cane!” The censor had a full head of white hair and a beard that almost reached his chest.

He looked to be at least fifty or sixty, but he spoke with a strong voice.

Li Shimin frowned immediately, his eyes filled with anger.

"Um, Your Majesty, I didn't mean it. I'm still young, and it's understandable that I don't know much about etiquette."

Wen He gave a dry laugh.

Emperor Li Shimin, sitting on the throne, finally calmed down and laughed: "Jiaying is only ten years old, why be so harsh on her?"

He wasn't angry because of Wen He, but because he felt the old censor was making a mountain out of a molehill.

The imperial censor who stepped forward seemed a little embarrassed. He bowed to Li Shimin and then retreated.

"Alright, what do you want to say, you brat?"

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes as he looked at Wen He.

"Your Majesty, the paper mill in the Ministry of Works has been fully completed, and the first batch of paper is about to be finished. I am afraid that there may be any problems, so I would like to request permission to personally go and supervise it."

Wen He smiled.

Everyone was taken aback.

Is such a trivial matter really worth requesting permission from the emperor?

Isn't this ridiculous?
However, Li Shimin knew that Wen He had deliberately interrupted him and said those words, clearly with another meaning.

He sneered and pointed at Wen He, cursing, "You brat, don't think I don't know what you're thinking. What do you mean by personally overseeing papermaking? You just don't want to come to court and don't want to do your job!"

(End of this chapter)