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

Chapter 74 Don't Let Me Be the Emperor Taizu of Han
"King Qin!"

Li Yi's brows furrowed instantly, and he gripped the knife at his waist with one hand.

He never expected that when he returned to Chang'an, the first person he would see was not Li Jiancheng, but Li Shimin.

Moreover, it's a bit too quiet around here.

"The Prince of Yan seems quite surprised to see me." Li Shimin got off the carriage and greeted him with a smile, but stopped when he was less than ten steps away from Li Yi.

Li Yi's right hand was already on the hilt of the knife.

Why did the King of Qin stop me?

Although he was the Prince of Yan, he was only a county prince, while Li Shimin was the Prince of Qin and the General of the Heavenly Strategy. He had no choice but to bow down to him.

"How dare you! The Crown Prince is here, yet you dismount and pay your respects!"

Yuchi Gong drew his sword and roared angrily, his leopard eyes wide open.

Li Yi was taken aback!
Only then did he realize that Li Shimin had just referred to himself as "I" instead of "this king".

He looked around; the streets were quiet, and there wasn't a single person in sight.

He heard a series of neat and rapid footsteps behind him. He didn't even need to turn around to know that it must be the Imperial Guards from Chang'an.

The guards behind Li Yi immediately tensed up and placed their hands on the hilts of their swords.

They charged out at Li Yi's command.

"Li Yi! Are you still a subject of the Tang Dynasty?!"

Yuchi Gong rode closer on horseback.

The dozens of Xuanjia guards behind him immediately shouted in unison, "Great Wind!"

This is a demonstration.

Li Yi took a deep breath and looked at Li Shimin, who was calmly watching him.

Their gazes met in mid-air.

He understood everything at that moment.

Why would His Majesty summon him back to Chang'an at this time?

Why does the imperial edict state that it assists the crown prince in ascending the throne, without specifying who the crown prince is?

Li Yi gritted her teeth, looking at the heavy encirclement around her.

Arrows, gleaming coldly, were already aimed at them from the crossbows not far away.

Even if he wanted to fight his way out, I'm afraid none of his dozen or so men would make it.

The fleeting hesitation in his expression was noticed by Li Shimin, who smiled calmly.

"Ziting, if you dismount, you will still be the Prince of Yan. I will find you a mansion in Chang'an so you can stay and enjoy wealth and honor there in the future."

"The pharmacist has already gone to Jingzhou. You don't need to worry about the defense of Jingzhou. Just stay in Chang'an. Your wife, children and elderly parents will return soon."

"Don't let me become the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty."

He spoke earnestly and then sighed deeply.

The meaning behind these words was already clearly conveyed to Li Yi.

If he surrenders, he can preserve his current wealth and status; if he resists, not only him, but his family will also be doomed.

Li Yi gripped the reins tightly, suppressing the anger and fear in his heart.

At this moment, he knew very well that from the moment he left Jingzhou, he had no choice.

"dismount!"

With a shout, Li Yi was the first to dismount.

The dozen or so guards behind him exchanged glances and then dismounted helplessly.

"Your subject Li Yi pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

He knelt on one knee, clasped his hands and bowed his head.

His bodyguards behind him instinctively followed his gaze and knelt down with their hands clasped in a gesture of respect.

"Why must you do this, my lord? I also wish to maintain harmony between you and your subject."

Li Shimin personally went forward to help him up, and Yuchi Gong dismounted and was behind him in the blink of an eye.

When Li Yi was helped up by Li Shimin, he clearly saw that Yuchi Gong was holding a horizontal sword and staring intently at him.

He believed that if he made the slightest move, Yuchi Gong would immediately cut off his head.

"I am frightened!"

"The Prince of Yan is a meritorious official of our Great Tang Dynasty. He has guarded the border for many years, making the foreign tribes tremble with fear. I can see that your hair is already turning gray. I really can't bear to let you suffer on the frontier. How about you stay in Chang'an from now on and become my advisor?"

Li Shimin took his hand and asked with a smile. But only he and Li Yi knew how much murderous intent was hidden in that smile.

Historically, Li Yi rebelled because he was terrified that Li Shimin would kill him one day, and he lived in constant fear.

Now that he has fallen into Li Shimin's hands, he only has one choice left.

Even though he is only thirty-eight years old this year, Li Shimin said he was old, so he could only be old.

"Your Highness, I am willing to obey your command."

“Very well, I am very pleased with the Prince of Yan. I will certainly report to my father in the future and have the Prince of Yan be granted the title of Grand Protector.”

Taibao was one of the Three Departments, a first-rank official position.

However, in the Tang Dynasty, this was merely a nominal title, bestowed when there were no more titles to bestow, or when a prime minister retired, passed away, or was posthumously honored.

He was also telling Li Yi that she should stay in Chang'an from now on.

"Your Highness, I thank you."

Li Yi was unwilling to accept this, but the sword was already pressed against his neck.

Dissatisfied? Then let blood splatter on the spot!
He could only bow again, and Li Shimin helped him up, smiling:

"Your Highness, there's no need for such formalities. By the way, I'm going to a young scoundrel's housewarming banquet today. If Your Highness is free, would you mind coming along?"

"Your subject dares not disobey."

"Then I will ride with you in the same carriage."

Li Shimin didn't wait for Li Yi to refuse, grabbed his wrist and headed towards his carriage. Yuchi Gong followed closely behind them with his eyes narrowed and no word in sight.

He also personally removed Li Yi's sword.

Li Yi looked at him and said in a deep voice, "Thank you."

Li Yi boarded the carriage and watched helplessly as his personal guards were forced to remove their armor and swords, surrendering to the Xuanjia Guards' blades.

at the same time.

Inside the Wen family residence.

Wen He knelt before the table, resting her chin on her hand, watching the group of people in front of her with a bored expression, each one of them acting like a smiling tiger.

Not long ago, Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui arrived together in a carriage.

Then Wei Zheng and Xue Wanche arrived almost one after the other.

There were also some people he had met before at the Prince of Qin's residence, but who were not familiar with him, such as Xu Jingzong, Liu Shili, and Lü Shiheng.

However, these people are all minor figures. Yuwen Shiji, the newly arrived Crown Prince's Chamberlain, Grand Chamberlain, and Duke of Ying, is the one with the highest status among them.

His arrival forced Wen He, the host, to sit in the lower right seat.

The way those people fawned over them made it seem like this was the Yuwen family's residence.

But it's strange, really.

Why did Li Shimin suddenly gather all these people at his home?

It should be noted that the people present here tonight are practically the key figures in Li Shimin's future.

Didn't they see Duan Zhixuan, who was only a fourth-rank official, and could they only stand in the courtyard?
If Wen He were not the host, he probably wouldn't be qualified to enter the main hall.

"Brother, is this still our home?" Wenrou blinked and asked blankly.

Wen He chuckled helplessly, then turned her head and saw the little girl eating a sugar figurine.

Seemingly noticing his gaze, Wenrou quickly stuffed the sugar figurine into her mouth, covered her mouth with her hand, and struck a pose as if she would defend it to the death.

Just as Wen He was about to reach out, she suddenly saw Wen Zhong run in from outside.

"Reporting to distinguished guests, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"

"Wow!"

In an instant, everyone stood up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, and led by Yuwen Shiji, they quickly walked outside.

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(End of this chapter)