The Fierce Teacher of Zhenguan: Starting with Teaching the Crown Prince to Make a Comeback

Chapter 3 Please, Your Majesty, address me as Crown Prince

Li Chengqian raised his head, looked at Li Shimin, and then looked away.

He saw Zhang Xuansu standing to the side, and his lips tightened.

"Do you know why I summoned you?" Li Shimin asked.

"Your subject does not know," Li Chengqian replied.

Li Shimin stopped tapping, leaned forward, and cast his shadow over Li Chengqian.

“Minister Zhang,” Li Shimin began, his voice low but penetrating the hall, “tell me what has happened in the Eastern Palace.”

Zhang Xuansu's body trembled slightly, but she didn't raise her head. Her voice rose from the ground, choked with sobs.

"Your Majesty... this old minister... this old minister is incompetent... this old minister has failed Your Majesty's trust... this old minister... can no longer fulfill the responsibility of educating the Crown Prince... I beg Your Majesty to grant this old minister... permission to retire and return to his hometown..."

Li Shimin narrowed his eyes: "The reason."

Zhang Xuansu took a breath and shrugged.

"This old minister... today lectured on the Classic of Filial Piety in the Eastern Palace, discussing the saying, 'Our bodies, hair, and skin are received from our parents; we dare not damage them, this is the beginning of filial piety'... This old minister... this old minister merely advised Your Highness to cherish your body and not to injure any affected areas while playing..."

He raised his head slightly, his eyes quickly scanning Li Chengqian before immediately lowering them again.

"Your Highness... Your Highness said... that this old minister is pedantic."

Zhang Xuansu bowed again.

"It is not that I am disheartened by Your Highness's rebuke, but rather that I am deeply aware of my own inadequacy in talent and virtue, and my inability to guide Your Highness to understand the principles of things... This is my fault, this is my sin... I beg Your Majesty to choose another virtuous and capable person..."

After the words were spoken, the hall fell even quieter.

Li Shimin's gaze shifted to Li Chengqian's face, his eyes as cold as ice.

“You unfilial son,” Li Shimin uttered two words, “look at the mess you’ve made.”

Li Chengqian's body trembled, remembering Li Yichen's words, and he dug his fingers into the ground.

He felt anger burning within him, but another emotion was also rising within him.

He took a breath and looked up at Li Shimin.

“Your Majesty,” Li Chengqian began, his voice slightly hoarse, but he tried to remain composed, “please address me as Your Majesty…Crown Prince.”

In an instant, the hall seemed to freeze.

Zhang Xuansu suddenly looked at Li Chengqian with utter shock on his face. He even forgot his manners and stared straight at Li Chengqian as if he didn't recognize him.

Li Shimin's calm expression shattered; his eyebrows rose, his lips parted, and his body froze, as if he hadn't understood.

"What did you say?" Li Shimin's voice lowered, carrying a dangerous signal.

Li Chengqian felt his heart pounding and blood rushing to his head.

He looked at Li Shimin's shocked face, the fear overshadowed by a strange sense of excitement.

He repeated, raising his voice slightly, "Please address me as Crown Prince, Your Majesty."

"You brat!" Li Shimin slammed his fist on the imperial desk, his voice booming!

He stood up, leaned forward, and pointed at Li Chengqian: "Are you trying to teach me how to do things? You drove your teacher away! You spout nonsense! And now you dare to ask me for a title here, in this very hall? Where is your filial piety? Where is your manners? Have you fed them all to the dogs?"

Spit almost landed on Li Chengqian's face, and the emperor's anger felt like a tangible pressure.

Zhang Xuansu immediately kowtowed, his voice urgent: "Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down! It is all my fault! I have failed to properly guide His Highness the Crown Prince and have not made him understand the proper relationship between ruler and subject, father and son! His Highness is young and impetuous and has no intention of contradicting Your Majesty... It is my incompetence, I deserve to die!"

His words sounded like an apology, but every word confirmed the Crown Prince's "lack of virtue" and "disrespect." Li Chengqian's anger was reignited.

He looked at Zhang Xuansu, then at Li Shimin, Li Yichen's words echoing in his mind.

He took another breath, suppressing the urge to argue back, and lowered his head, but not in submission, but as a tactic.

“Your Majesty, please calm down,” Li Chengqian’s voice became calm, and he even slightly adjusted his kneeling posture. “Your subject… Your subject did not mean to disobey, much less to disrespect your teacher.”

Li Shimin, panting, glared at him, his chest heaving, but said nothing.

Li Chengqian continued, his tone becoming sincere, even tinged with a hint of confusion.

“I have recently reread the Book of Documents and the Analects, and there are indeed many things I do not understand. Today, I had a heated debate with Master Zhang about filial piety, and my words may have been offensive. This was my fault.”

His change in attitude surprised both Li Shimin and Zhang Xuansu, and their anger seemed to pause for a moment.

"What is it that you don't understand?" Li Shimin's voice remained cold, but he had already sat back on his throne.

Li Chengqian raised his head and looked directly at Li Shimin.

There was no provocation in that gaze, only a serious inquiry, which made Li Shimin feel a little strange.

"I have read the Book of Documents, which records the story of Shun. His father, Gu Sou, and his brother, Xiang, repeatedly tried to harm him, but Shun always avoided them, ultimately earning a reputation for filial piety, preserving himself, and inheriting the throne." Li Chengqian spoke calmly. "I am foolish and confused. If Shun had not avoided them at that time, would he have been unfilial?"

"Is the ultimate expression of filial piety to preserve oneself in order to serve one's parents and carry on their legacy in the future? Even if the parents are not aware of it at the moment, or have any misunderstandings?"

Zhang Xuansu's expression changed slightly; he sensed that the conversation was going in the wrong direction.

Li Shimin stared at Li Chengqian: "Hmph! Emperor Shun was a sage king, and his actions were full of profound meaning. Avoiding harm and fulfilling filial piety was a wise expedient, and naturally it was filial piety."

"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty," Li Chengqian nodded, then changed the subject slightly, still using that sincere tone of seeking advice.

"Then I would like to ask Your Majesty, if the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qi did not truly intend to harm Your Majesty back then, but perhaps it was merely a misunderstanding due to a rift between brothers... Should Your Majesty have considered, like Emperor Shun, stepping aside to preserve your reputation for filial piety and brotherly love, so as to avoid any criticism in future historical records?"

Zhang Xuansu's face turned deathly pale, devoid of any color, and her body began to tremble violently.

He suddenly looked at Li Shimin!

Li Shimin's face instantly changed from a furious crimson to an ashen blue, his eyes widened to their limit, and his pupils contracted.

He felt as if he had been struck by an invisible giant hammer, and his body even swayed backward.

His hands gripped the edge of the imperial desk, his knuckles turning white from the force, making a cracking sound!
He couldn't believe his ears!

His son, his crown prince, actually dared to use the words of a sage and the story of Emperor Shun to question the legitimacy of his Xuanwu Gate Incident and to interrogate the pain of his life and the foundation of his throne!

"You...you unfilial son..." Li Shimin's lips trembled, his voice squeezed out from between his teeth, hissing and breathy, "What did you say? Say it again?"

A terrifying pressure descended, almost suffocating everyone.

Li Chengqian looked at Li Shimin's furious face, its ashen color, its distorted expression, and its eyes that seemed to spit fire.

His fear surged like a tide, but then another, stronger emotion—excitement, an extreme thrill of breaking taboos and defying authority—suddenly suppressed his fear.

His heart was pounding faster, his blood was burning, and he even felt a sliver of pleasure!
Following Li Yichen's instructions, he did not back down, but instead became even more sincere, even showing a kind of academic dedication.

He raised his voice slightly to make sure every word was crystal clear.

"Your Majesty, I am but a fool. I have only read history and have been pondering this question, yet I cannot understand it. Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty's guidance. If Your Majesty had chosen to yield and show weakness to your brothers in order to uphold the name of filial piety and brotherly love, what would the Tang Dynasty be like today? Can Your Majesty enlighten me?"

"This is the study of the crown prince, which concerns the way of the world. Your subject sincerely seeks your guidance."

(End of this chapter)