A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

"For his meritorious service in instigating the Great Xia, Changsun Wuji is rewarded with one hundred bolts of Shu brocade, ten thousand taels of gold, and Changsun Chong is granted the position of tutor to the Crown Prince at the Imperial Academy."

Despite being isolated abroad, Changsun Wuji made great contributions to the country and instigated the division of the Great Xia. Regardless of whether the Tang Dynasty chose to send troops, Changsun Wuji's contributions could not be erased.

Li Shimin naturally had to make a gesture, otherwise why would others be willing to serve him wholeheartedly?

Upon hearing Li Shimin's bestowal of honors, a subtle unease flickered across the minds of the court officials.

The first two items are one thing, but as for money, grain, and cloth, those who can stand here are the core of the court. Officials below the third rank are not qualified to discuss these matters here, let alone know Changsun Wuji's identity.

What also excited them was the opportunity to study alongside the Crown Prince at the Imperial Academy.

They could obtain places at the Imperial Academy given their status and position, but the key was the place to be the Crown Prince's study companion.

The Crown Prince is the heir apparent and will undoubtedly become the future emperor. The Crown Prince's study companion, who has been with him since childhood and has a close relationship with him, will naturally become the Crown Prince's trusted minister in the future, ensuring the family's wealth and prosperity for decades to come.

This is a blessing that even they long for.

At this time, although Li Shimin liked Li Tai, he valued Li Chengqian even more.

Li Shimin's ascension to the throne was indeed not a glorious one; in any case, the deaths of his fourth and fifth sons were related to him.

If Li Shimin wanted the imperial throne to be passed down in an orderly manner and for future generations not to have members of the Li family whose blood was stained with the blood of the Li family, he would have allowed Li Chengqian to ascend the throne smoothly and established the concept of primogeniture.

If a succession struggle were to occur in Li Chengqian's generation, and another prince succeeded in seizing the throne, Li Chengqian would be deposed and he would ascend the throne.

In the future, the succession of the throne in the Li family will be filled with bloodshed. No one will give up the throne, and no one will dare to give up the throne.

They were all afraid that once their other brothers ascended the throne, they would eliminate these threats one by one.

Therefore, they must fight, and the fight will determine life and death. The victor will become increasingly suspicious of his other brothers and will try every means to kill them.

The Li family will never have a peaceful day for generations to come.

If Li Shimin wasn't stupid, he would never allow this to happen.

Therefore, in the eyes of the ministers, Li Chengqian's position was extremely secure, and as long as he did not do anything reckless, he would definitely be able to inherit the throne.

Investing in Li Chengqian could be considered a sure-fire way to make money, but Li Chengqian was well protected by Li Shimin, and no minister could find a way to defect to him.

Being the Crown Prince's study companion is a lucrative path to currying favor with him. Some court officials are even jealous of the rewards Changsun Wuji has received, and if a similar opportunity arises again, they will certainly seize it.

This was exactly the effect Li Shimin wanted. He was using the reward given to Changsun Wuji to tell his ministers that as long as they were willing to serve the court, the court would never treat them unfairly.

"Now that the world is at peace, it is necessary to compile history. The Ministry of Rites should come up with a plan for this."

After putting this matter aside, Li Shimin continued to arrange state affairs.

The next day, at the Imperial Academy, during Wei Zu's class.

Li Chengqian excitedly brought Changsun Chong to the classroom. He was a lively person by nature, and in the past, he had been taught by those pedantic scholars in the Eastern Palace, who always said that this was no good and that was no good, which made him feel extremely depressed.

Therefore, he was extremely interested in the Wei family's individualized teaching methods.

In addition, the Wei family has produced so many famous generals throughout history, each of whom was brave and unparalleled in the army, making them an unstoppable force.

He was also very interested in this, thinking that he could learn a few tricks from Wei Zu and become a general who could charge into battle.

Not long after Li Chengqian arrived, Li Tai also showed up, his face bruised and swollen.

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Tai and snorted coldly.

Li Taiping and he didn't get along well. He always felt that Li Taiping was too fake, extremely hypocritical, saying one thing to his face and another behind his back.

A few days ago, Li Tai's attempt to be clever had caused his failure to become an apprentice, so naturally he didn't have a good attitude towards Li Tai.

Li Tai also disliked Li Chengqian very much. In his opinion, he was much more capable than Li Chengqian, but just because he was born a few years later, everything belonged to Li Chengqian.

Why should I?!

However, knowing the importance of his public image, he suppressed his resentment and bowed to Li Chengqian, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness, elder brother."

No need for formalities.

Li Chengqian said slowly.

He casually cupped his hands in return, considering it a gesture of gratitude.

Changsun Chong, standing behind him, also bowed to Li Tai, but did not show any sign of intimacy.

Students arrived one after another. Although Li Chengqian and Li Tai were very famous in Luoyang, not many people had actually seen them.

Only a handful of people in the Imperial Academy knew their identities.

Judging from their age, the fact that they were able to enter the Imperial Academy suggests that they were of extremely high status.

These students, who gained admission through their own abilities, held a great deal of disdain for those who were admitted to the Imperial Academy based on their family background.

They were determined to enter the imperial court through their own abilities and govern a region.

Once everyone had arrived, Wei Zu also stood on the platform. When he lectured at the Imperial Academy, he would always give a lecture and then let the students ask questions freely for the rest of the time. The questions were not limited to the content of the lecture; anyone who had doubts could ask for guidance.

After all the students had raised their questions, Wei Zu answered them one by one.

These questions came from all walks of life, a wide variety of topics, including even emotional ones. Wei Zu answered them one by one, demonstrating an astonishing breadth of knowledge.

Finally, just as Li Chengqian was about to step forward, Li Tai bypassed him and jogged to the front of the stage.

"Sir, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have shown off my cleverness in front of you. Please punish me."

Li Tai bowed to Wei Zu without turning around, waiting for Wei Zu to forgive him.

He believed that in front of so many people, Wei Zu would be magnanimous and forgive him. He couldn't possibly hold a grudge against a little kid like him, could he?

That would be unbecoming of the heir apparent of the Prince of Yan.

Once Wei Zu says he forgives him, he will seize the opportunity and ask to become his disciple.

If Wei Zu does not agree, then it means he has not forgiven him.

This would greatly increase his chances of successfully becoming an apprentice.

Li Tai raised his head with a smug look and glanced at Wei Zu.

Just as Li Tai met Wei Zu's all-seeing gaze, he felt as if he were naked, as if Wei Zu had seen through everything.

Including his filthy heart.

"No need for an apology; to err is human, to forgive divine."

"Get up."

Li Tai did not get up; instead, he bent over even more deeply.

"I know that I am dull-witted and have gone astray in the past. I beg you, sir, to accept me as your student. I will certainly follow your teachings, study diligently, and reform myself."

"There's no need for that. I have no intention of taking on any disciples. Please rise."

Wei Zu smiled faintly, his gaze deep and devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

"Sir, are you still blaming the student?"

Li Tai looked up and asked.

"Yes."

Wei Zu nodded.

Wei Zu's answer left Li Tai completely bewildered.

Yes?!