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

Chapter 297 Before the age of eighteen, I will never touch a woman.

Li Shimin's face suddenly darkened, and a barely perceptible anger surged in his eyes: "Do you know what marriage I have promised Wen He?"

Although no official decree was issued regarding Wen He's marriage to the Fifth Princess, it was an open secret among the upper-class circles of Chang'an.

Zheng Yuanzhu had naturally heard the rumors as well. He lowered his head even further, his voice tinged with barely concealed unease: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty knows that it is Princess Shangwu."

"If you already know this, why are you making such unreasonable demands?"

Li Shimin's tone became more stern, and his fingertips tapped lightly on the imperial desk, producing a dull sound.

"If word gets out that the future prince consort will take a concubine, won't the whole world laugh at the royal family for their indiscretion?"

Not to mention that if Guanyinbi found out about this, she would have to plead with the emperor again.

If Lizhi finds out in the future, won't she resent him?
Zheng Yuanzhu knelt down with a thud, his forehead pressed tightly against the cold gold brick, his voice trembling with despair: "Your Majesty, I have no choice but to do this. There are undercurrents in Chang'an. Former Sui officials hate me for betraying the Sui, and the remnants of the Cui clan resent my involvement. My ninth son is only five years old, innocent and ignorant. If no one protects him, I'm afraid... I'm afraid he won't survive this winter!"

Li Shimin was well aware of his concerns.

The powerful and wealthy have always been engaged in an exchange of interests; there is never any favor given without a reason.

Zheng Yuanzhu intends to use his daughter as a hostage to bind Wen He with a title, so that he can take care of his young son out of consideration for their relationship, and his daughter can take care of him in the mansion.

This scheme, though blatant, was the only thing they could do when they had no other options.

But this undoubtedly crossed Li Shimin's bottom line.

Wen He was his preferred choice for a consort; how could he allow the daughter of a disgraced official to ruin the royal family's reputation?
"Zheng Qing, you're confused."

Li Shimin spoke slowly, his tone tinged with sarcasm.

"Even if I agree, that brat Wen He might not agree."

"He seems easygoing, but he's actually very stubborn. Once he's made up his mind, nothing can change it. Besides, he's not very old and doesn't know anything about love between men and women. Your actions will probably only make him dislike you even more."

Zheng Yuanzhu's shoulders suddenly slumped, and all the color drained from his face, leaving only a deathly pale complexion.

Seeing his distraught appearance, Li Shimin pondered for a moment and said, "How about this, Wen He's younger sister Wenrou is in need of a confidante, so let Zheng Wuniang serve her. This way, she can stay close to the Wen family without breaking the rules."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the falling snowflakes outside the hall, his voice deepening: "As for Zheng Jiulang, he shouldn't go to the Wen residence. Having another child out of nowhere will inevitably arouse suspicion and bring trouble."

"I will settle him in a secluded estate on the outskirts of the city, far from the strife and the safest place."

Zheng Yuanzhu was stunned, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

But in truth, there seems to be no difference between a concubine and a maid.

Wen He was only ten years old and wouldn't do anything beastly, which is why he had previously thought of making Zheng Wu Niang his concubine.

Now it seems more appropriate for her to be a maid; who knows if Wen He is a wolf in sheep's clothing?

He kowtowed heavily, his forehead throbbing from the impact with the gold brick: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace!"

Outside the Lizheng Hall, the cold wind swept across the eaves with snowflakes, making a mournful sound.

Wen He was leaning against a pillar, breathing on her hands to warm them, when she suddenly sneezed twice, making her nose red and her eyes sore.

"The wind and snow have been fierce these past few days, Wenxianzi should wear an extra layer of clothing."

Gao Yue, carrying a gilded brazier, passed by and, seeing him like this, quickly stopped and asked with concern. The intertwined vine patterns on the brazier shimmered in the snow.

Wen He smiled and tightened her sable brocade robe, the fur at the collar tickling her chin: "I'm not cold, maybe someone's been talking about me."

Shortly afterward, the heavy vermilion doors of the Rijō-den were pushed open with a creak.

From inside came the sound of Li Shimin summoning Wen He.

Wen He and Gao Yue entered the hall almost one after the other. The charcoal fire in the brazier inside was burning brightly, which dispelled most of the chill from their bodies.

"Zheng Qing has already agreed."

Li Shimin's tone was somewhat light, and his fingertips tapped lightly on the imperial desk.

He had now changed his address to "Zheng Qing" and Wen He knew immediately that Li Shimin had completely persuaded him.

"Congratulations, Lord Zheng! You will surely become the greatest contributor to the Tang Dynasty's conquest of Goguryeo in the future. This is truly a cause for celebration."

Wen He turned to Zheng Yuanzhu beside her, her face smiling gently, but her eyes held a hint of mischief.

Zheng Yuanzhu was seething with anger, but he had to force a smile and say, "I dare not accept such praise. I will need to rely on your help in the future."

He knew in his heart that this half-grown boy would become his official superior in the future, and that his two children were in his hands.

"I will entrust this matter to you, Wen He, to handle personally." Li Shimin looked at Wen He, his tone solemn.

"I don't know the specifics of the arrangements, so I won't interfere. Just write a report and submit it after you've done it."

In the past, such matters of arranging spies were mostly handled by Changsun Wuji. Li Shimin always only cared about the results and never investigated the process in detail.

Wen He had no intention of slacking off, after all, this matter concerned the Liaodong war situation, and could not be taken lightly in the slightest.

"The minister obeys the order."

He bowed and accepted the order, responding decisively and promptly.

Seeing his straightforwardness, Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction: "In that case, let's send Minister Zheng back to the Dali Temple first. Wen He, stay here. I still have some questions for you."

Gao Yue quickly stepped forward and personally led Zheng Yuanzhu away.

When the two left the Lizheng Hall, Gao Yue deliberately closed the hall door gently, completely isolating the conversation inside from the outside world.

Only Li Shimin and Wen He remained in the hall. The crackling charcoal fire cast intermittent light and shadow on Li Shimin's face on the dragon throne.

After a moment, Li Shimin slowly spoke: "I intend to make Zheng Yuanzhu's daughter your concubine. What do you think?"

"what?"

Wen He looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with astonishment.

He had thought Li Shimin was going to ask about Goguryeo's future plans, but he hadn't expected him to ask such a sensational question right away, which shocked him so much that he almost bit his tongue.

"Your Majesty, I am still young."

He composed himself and spoke earnestly.

"I will never touch a woman until I am at least eighteen years old."

"Eighteen years old?"

Li Shimin silently calculated in his mind that it would be eight years later.

By then, Lizhi would be thirteen years old, just the right age to get married.

However, Wen He's words seemed to have a different meaning.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of inquiry in them: "You mean, one can take a concubine after the age of eighteen?" "Your Majesty must not misinterpret my words!"

Wen He quickly waved his hand, a look of urgency on his face.

"If the princess hears this, it may not matter for now, but she will surely be jealous in the future."

He took a deep breath, and his tone suddenly became extremely solemn: "Moreover, my loyalty to the princess is as clear as the sun and moon!"

Even I felt nauseous listening to that.

But Wen He knew that she had to speak sincerely at this moment in order to dispel Li Shimin's doubts.

He strongly suspected that Li Shimin was testing him; otherwise, why would he deliberately send Zheng Yuanzhu away?
Sure enough, after hearing his explanation, Li Shimin smiled with satisfaction and nodded, "Then so be it."

"However, let Zheng Wuniang go to your residence to serve your sister Wenrou."

He then changed the subject, adding a deeper meaning to his tone: "Therefore, you can appropriately reveal some information to her. If Zheng Yuanzhu's actions in Liaodong go smoothly in the future, you can recruit her into the Hundred Cavalry and train her."

Training female secret agents?
Wen He had never dared to imagine this before.

I never expected that Li Er would have such thoughts.

It was more avant-garde than what he, a time traveler, had imagined.

"Alright, it's getting late, let's go."

Wen He was still pondering the "female agent" when she suddenly heard Li Shimin's voice. When she looked up, her eyes were still somewhat blank: "Huh? Where to?"

"It's already this late, so it's time for a meal."

Li Shimin walked over with a smile, raised his hand and patted his shoulder. The warmth of his palm seeped through the brocade robe, carrying a rare touch of gentleness.

"You've worked hard these past few days, finding so much money for me. It's only right that I treat you to a meal."

Will you treat me to a meal?

Wen He smiled sheepishly and agreed, but inwardly he thought, 'You're so stingy! So much money, and you're only treating me to one meal?'

Soon after, Wen He followed Li Shimin's imperial carriage, passing through several palace walls, and the familiar plaque of Wanchun Hall came into view.

As soon as the palace doors opened, the sounds of children laughing and playing could be heard from inside.

It's obvious without even thinking that Li Chengqian and Li Lizhi are inside.

Sure enough, as soon as Wen He stepped across the threshold, a small figure rushed over.

"Wen He!" Li Lizhi looked up, her head styled in two buns, adorned with two pearl hairpins.

When she saw him, her eyes lit up like starlight. She didn't give Wen He a chance to bow to Empress Zhangsun at all and grabbed his sleeve directly.

"You haven't come to see me in a long time."

The little girl pouted, her long eyelashes drooping, and a hint of grievance and resentment floated in her eyes.

Wen He was speechless with astonishment.

This five-year-old child, where did she learn such a pitiful act?

"His Majesty has recently assigned me many tasks."

He shrugged helplessly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Li Shimin's lips twitching uncontrollably.

Sure enough, the next moment Li Lizhi turned her head, her brows furrowed, and looked at Li Shimin with dissatisfaction: "Father!"

Even Empress Zhangsun, who was peeling an orange for Li Chengqian, looked up and smiled, saying, "Jiaying is still growing, how can we let him work so hard?"

Li Shimin immediately glared at Wen He.

"What about tomorrow? Do you have anything planned for tomorrow?"

Li Lizhi tugged at Wen He's sleeve again, pressing him for more information, her eyes full of anticipation.

Upon seeing her expression, Wen He guessed most of what was going on: "You want to leave the palace?"

The little girl nodded vigorously, her pigtails swaying as she said, "Yes! It's so boring in the palace. The nannies always say I can't touch this or play with that."

She glanced at Empress Zhangsun furtively, lowering her voice slightly.

"Could you talk to Mother and Father and ask if I can go out and play with Xiaorou? Please?"

No wonder she was so eager for me to come; she must have been cooped up in the palace.

Wen He was about to reply when Changsun Wugou suddenly spoke up, her tone tinged with nostalgia: "She really hasn't seen Xiaorou in a long time. At this time of year, the plum blossoms at Qujiang Pool should be in bloom, right?"

"Your Majesty, it has been opened."

The chief eunuch standing at the corner of the hall quickly bowed and replied. He was an old servant of Wanchun Hall and was very good at reading people's expressions.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's gaze fell on Empress Zhangsun's face.

As she spoke, she gazed at the falling snow outside the window, a faint melancholy in her eyes that he hadn't seen in a long time.

Since ascending the throne, he has been engrossed in state affairs all day long, either reviewing endless memorials or discussing state matters with his ministers. He really hasn't accompanied her out of the palace for a long time.

His Guanyin maid was never a caged bird, yet she was trapped within these palace walls.

Thinking of this, Li Shimin couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

He pondered for a moment and said, "How about we go to Qujiang Pool to admire the plum blossoms together tomorrow?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in Wanchun Palace, from Empress Zhangsun to Li Chengqian and Li Lizhi, looked at him in surprise.

What's wrong with Your Majesty today?
Before Empress Zhangsun could think it through, Li Shimin had already taken her hand.

She immediately understood what her second son meant and couldn't help but nod with a smile.

Wen He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Li Shimin and his family went, he wouldn't have to go, right?

I can finally get a good night's sleep tomorrow.

Just as he was thinking this, Li Shimin suddenly pointed at him and said, "Let this brat keep you company."

what?
Wen He was immediately stunned.

"I heard there's a poetry gathering at Qujiang Pool tomorrow. There will surely be many talented people there," Li Chengqian blurted out happily.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized that he had let something slip.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp, piercing gaze fixed on him.

"So it was you, kid!" Wen He gritted his teeth, and Li Chengqian, seeing this, quickly shrank his neck.

(End of this chapter)