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

Li Shimin understood this principle, but as a perfectionist emperor, he still felt uneasy. And would his ministers accept it? How would history record it?

Wei Zu seemed to see through Li Shimin's thoughts, smiled slightly and continued, "I have heard that Your Majesty has always taken Emperor Taizong of Han as your role model. When Emperor Jing of Han had a foot ailment, Emperor Taizong never had the thought of changing the heir apparent."

"Facts have proven that Emperor Taizong Wen was right. Emperor Jing of Han continued his prosperous reign and laid a solid resource foundation for the reign of Emperor Wu of Han."

"If Emperor Wen of Han had deposed the crown prince because of his foot ailment, would the Han Dynasty have achieved its later glory?"

"In this way, Emperor Taizong of Han would have been morally deficient."

Li Shimin nodded in agreement. Emperor Taizong of Han was his idol, and hearing this made Li Shimin feel that he was one step closer to his idol.

"I understand."

Li Shimin nodded and said that he already knew Wei Zu's attitude.

With the support of the Wei family, even if Li Shimin was crippled, he could still maintain his position as the Crown Prince.

The news that the Great Xia Empire had been destroyed by the Great Tang Dynasty was like a thunderclap, shocking the world.

Throughout the land, those nations with ulterior motives suppressed their inner thoughts and once again submitted to the Tang Dynasty, acknowledging its status as the suzerain state of China.

Almost every day, Li Shimin received documents from various countries pledging allegiance, which greatly relieved his anger over Li Shimin's misfortune.

Once Li Chengqian's leg pain subsided, he summoned Li Chengqian to the Taihe Palace to study government affairs under his guidance.

Since Li Chengqian is lame, if they don't want this to become a major stain on his reputation in the future, they can only improve Li Chengqian's abilities, just as Wei Zu said, to cover it all up with achievements.

But Li Shimin was a strict father and wouldn't say these things to his face; he would only make strict demands on Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian was already lame and had always been afraid of his position. Now, Li Shimin had become so stern without explanation, which made the dark thoughts in Li Chengqian's heart grow bigger and bigger.

Li Shimin held a deep-seated sway over Li Chengqian, and Li Chengqian dared not confide in Li Shimin, causing the resentment between the two to deepen.

Upon hearing that Li Chengqian's leg was lame, Li Tai couldn't help but harbor some ulterior motives.

Although he remained in his fiefdom for many years, he never stopped writing letters to Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.

He was also fully aware of all the news from the imperial court.

He knew his chance had come.

However, he needed a powerful ally in the court, someone with immense influence who could affect Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.

Without a doubt, the only person who could be this was Changsun Wuji, who had just made a great contribution.

So Li Tai asked someone to write a letter to Changsun Wuji and sent various gifts, in which he expressed his nephew's longing for his uncle.

Li Tai was an excellent writer, and he had gathered a number of skilled writers under his command. With their help, the letter was written with great emotional impact, and Changsun Wuji was moved to tears after reading it.

Living in a foreign land, Wei Lai missed this land and his family very much.

As soon as Li Tai sent this letter, Changsun Wuji immediately went to the palace and asked Li Shimin to allow Li Tai to return to the capital so that his family could be reunited.

However, Li Shimin did not consider Li Chengqian's psychological issues and did not agree. If Li Tai were summoned to the palace again during this sensitive period, what would Empress Zhangsun think? What would Li Chengqian think? What would the ministers in the court think?

The nation would be thrown into turmoil by this.

Li Shimin not only refused to allow Li Tai to enter the palace, but also rejected Changsun Wuji's request to visit Li Tai in his fiefdom, and ordered Changsun Wuji to have less contact with Li Tai during this period.

Changsun Wuji was not a fool; he was merely momentarily swayed by his emotions. After being reminded of this, he quickly realized the immense impact it would have on Li Tai's entry into the capital at this time.

Even though he was a relative of the emperor and had made great contributions, he dared not take the blame and voluntarily reduced his communication with Li Tai.

Li Tai didn't expect to be able to return to the capital directly. He just wanted Changsun Wuji to know that he had a nephew who cared about him in another place.

With consistent effort, like water dripping on a stone, his accumulated knowledge will eventually come into play when the time is right.

As time passed, the sixteenth year of the Zhenguan era gradually arrived.

The Tang Dynasty reached its zenith, with a thriving economy and the tributary states of all nations paying tribute.

Because of Li Shimin's strict requirements and frequent reprimands of Li Chengqian, the court officials had the wrong impression that Li Chengqian was no longer favored.

As a result, some "smart people" began to take sides, hoping to gain merit by following the leader.

Li Tai, the legitimate son of Empress Zhangsun, and the young Li Zhi came into the view of this group of people.

Compared to the young Li Zhi, the already adult Li Tai was more popular with them.

Li Tai, being in his fiefdom, also needed these people to advocate for him, and the two sides quickly reached an agreement.

King Li Tai of Yue became increasingly prominent in the court, and was even given the title of "Wise King".

Before Empress Zhangsun's birthday banquet, in order to give her a surprise, Li Shimin secretly issued an imperial edict to Li Tai, ordering him to return to the capital to celebrate Empress Zhangsun's birthday.

The opportunity that Li Tai had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Because Li Shimin issued the decree in secret, even Crown Prince Li Chengqian was unaware of it.

On Empress Zhangsun's birthday, Empress Zhangsun and Li Chengqian learned that Li Tai had entered the palace.

Empress Zhangsun's face first lit up with joy, then turned deathly pale.

He glanced at Li Shimin with displeasure, thinking to himself that Li Shimin was foolish to allow Qingque to enter the capital.

Li Chengqian's face was gloomy, and he glanced at Li Shimin with displeasure.

Princes are not allowed to enter the capital without an imperial edict, so Li Tai's return to the capital must have been ordered by Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin).

If he hadn't been constantly influenced by Wei Zu, he probably would have turned to the dark side and rebelled long ago, just like in history.

"Qingque, when did you get back? Why didn't you tell your brother? He could have sent someone to pick you up."

Li Chengqian greeted Li Tai.

"Greetings, elder brother."

Li Tai gave a perfunctory bow, his words a sarcastic jab at Li Chengqian's heart.

"Brother, you have difficulty walking, so I won't trouble you."

Li Chengqian's face darkened. Li Tai was really bringing up the very thing he didn't want to talk about. He hated it when people brought up his legs.

"It's alright. Even if your brother has difficulty walking, he is still your brother, and it is only right that he takes care of his younger brother."

After Li Chengqian finished speaking, it was Li Tai's turn, and his face darkened.

From childhood to adulthood, what he hated most was Li Chengqian bringing up his age in front of him.

If he weren't so young, the position of crown prince should have been his!

Otherwise, he wouldn't have offended the King of Wei and ended up having to go to his fiefdom so early.

During his years in his fiefdom, he had come to realize the power of the King of Wei, and could only blame all the mistakes on Li Chengqian.

When he learned that Li Chengqian's leg could never be healed, he was so excited that he ate several extra bowls of rice for several days in a row.

This allowed him to gain another two pounds, reaching a terrifying weight of 210 pounds.