The rebellious grandson of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty: Please, Your Majesty, be called Cro

Chapter 175 Li Xiang's outrageous remarks rebuke the emperor and his ministers!

Cui Dunli's smile had frozen, his fingertips trembled slightly, and as he looked at Li Xiang's undisguised mockery, his eyes were filled with shame, anger, and resentment.

But—the Five Clans and Seven Views Cliff are too proud to be openly discussed, especially since this is before the Emperor.

He roused himself and said, "Your Highness is joking. How can matters of state be compared like that?"

"As I have said, the matter of marriage alliances concerns the very stability of our Great Tang Dynasty. It is not only related to the security of our borders, but also to the dignity of our Great Tang."

"Could it be that the imperial grandson intends for our Great Tang to break its promise to the surrounding barbarians?"

"A person cannot stand without integrity, let alone a country. If our Great Tang loses its credibility with its neighbors, then the barbarians will be terrified and the border will be in dire need of help."

"Is the grandson of the emperor capable of shouldering such a responsibility?"

Every word was politicized and every sentence was imbued with a grand principle; it was clearly a combination of soft and hard tactics, an attempt to force him to submit under the weight of the nation's fate.

Li Xiang sneered inwardly, thinking this man was cunning and treacherous. He raised an eyebrow and chuckled, not bothering with empty talk with Cui Dunli. Instead, he abruptly turned to the already apprehensive Tulishe and said with a half-smile, "This envoy, judging from Minister Cui's words, if our Great Tang is unwilling to make peace through marriage, your Xueyantuo tribe will harass our Great Tang's borders. Is this true?"

"Absolutely not! Absolutely not!" Upon hearing this, Tulisa's legs went weak with fear.

He was covered in sweat and quickly waved his hand.

"Our tribe admires the rule of the Tang Dynasty, but has absolutely no such ambition!"

At the height of the Tang Dynasty's military might, and now in front of the Tang Emperor and His Majesty the Heavenly Khan, how dare he say that if the marriage alliance was not agreed to, the Xueyantuo tribe would invade the Tang border?

"Oh. In that case." Li Xiang then turned to Cui Dunli. "Does Vice Minister Cui believe what this envoy said?"

Cui Dunli's forehead vein throbbed, and he said, "Why must the imperial grandson be so unreasonable?"

"Moreover, what I am referring to is not just the Xueyantuo tribe."

"Very good. At least Minister Cui knows that empty words cannot be trusted," Li Xiang said, clapping his hands in approval.

Then, he changed the subject, his eyes sharp: "However, the dignity of the nation, the affairs of the country, and the safety of the borders are matters of utmost importance."

"So, one can entrust everything to a woman and a piece of paper?"

"The Ministry of War's responsibility is to train and strengthen the army, to forge a strong defense, to draw its sword when barbarians dare to invade, and to quell any bandits on the borders!"

"It is to let the ironclad armor of the Tang Dynasty stand firm in the northern deserts, so that the barbarians tremble at the mere sound of our army! It is to let the people of the Tang Dynasty live and work in peace and contentment without any worries, and to ensure that women of the world will no longer be humiliated by foreign tribes!"

"This is the Ministry of War's responsibility to the nation! This is your duty as an official, receiving the emperor's salary!"

"Instead of placing the responsibility of ensuring the stability of the nation and the peace of the borders—these duties that should belong to your Ministry of War—on the shoulders of a young girl!"

After speaking, Li Xiang's mocking gaze swept over Tu Lishe, who was already stunned and standing there dumbfounded, then over all the civil and military officials in the hall, and finally landed on Cui Dunli, whose face was ashen and who was speechless.

He pointed directly at Cui Dunli and said, "If we follow your logic, the court might as well go directly to Pingkang Ward, find a group of prostitutes, and appoint them as Vice Ministers and other officials in the Ministry of War."

"If the border situation becomes critical, send one person away for a marriage alliance. Send one here, send one there, and the border will naturally be at peace!"

"What use are people like Cui Dunli? They're useless!"

"You—" Cui Dunli's eyes were bloodshot as he was compared to a woman of the night.

Li Xiang's skill in mockery was truly remarkable. Even though Cui Dunli was confident in his composure, he could not withstand Li Xiang's humiliation.

Inside the hall, whispers broke out, and the entire banquet was thrown into chaos.

"That's enough!"

Seeing that the situation was out of control, the minister who had come out to defend him had been refuted by Li Xiang and looked like he was about to faint.

Li Shimin had no choice but to set aside his imperial pride and personally step in to stop him, saying, "You brat! I thought that no matter what, you still knew the majesty of the Tang Dynasty and understood the dignity of the nation."

"Now, even in front of foreign envoys, you still dare to cause trouble!"

"The reputation of the imperial court is the dignity of our Great Tang Dynasty."

"Do you really not care about anything at all?!"

"Heh, dignified?" Li Xiang chuckled and turned to Li Shimin.

Having dealt with the monsters that jumped out, is it finally Li Er's turn to take on the challenge shirtless?

He turned to Li Shimin again and said, "Does Your Majesty truly believe that they are bowing and scraping before us in this hall and showing such deference because they want our Great Tang to send a daughter for a marriage alliance?"

"Do they really think that by offering their women to us for our humiliation, they will be grateful to our Great Tang Dynasty and that this will demonstrate the dignity of a great power?"

'

"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"

"Disgusting, absolutely disgusting!"

Seeing Li Shimin's expression of both shock and anger, Li Xiang loudly proclaimed, "Your Majesty believes I have tarnished the dignity and prestige of the Tang Dynasty because Your Majesty has no relatives!"

"Your Majesty has no relatives in your heart, so please consider Your Majesty's so-called face, stay in this deep palace, accept the meager bribes from the barbarians, listen to your Qin King's Battle Song, and reminisce about your past glory!"

"But I believe that the majesty of the Tang Dynasty lies solely in the sharpness of the swords of our soldiers! Its dignity lies only in the reach of our Tang cavalry!"

"Since these barbarians intend to seize my family, I wish I could mount my horse, take up my sword, and fight them to the death! To protect my family and defend my country!"

"Moreover, speaking frankly in court!"

"Must one offer up one's closest relatives with both hands, like His Majesty, to maintain dignity?"

"!!"

Li Shimin was so angered by Li Xiang's words that he staggered back several steps, his chest heaving rapidly.

No relatives! This brat actually dared to say he had no relatives in the palace!

These two words were tantamount to reopening Li Shimin's increasingly serious wounds in court once again!

The hall fell into a deathly silence in an instant. The whispers that had been rising and falling just moments before were cut off as if by an invisible hand. Even the musicians in the corners of the hall held their instruments suspended in mid-air, not daring to make the slightest sound.

"Father! Take care of your health!" Li Zhi quickly supported Li Shimin and said urgently.

"How can the imperial grandson be so unfilial!" As if he had found a way to counterattack Li Xiang, Cui Dunli immediately spoke up and condemned Li Xiang.

Many others in the hall also stood up and denounced Li Xiang for violating human ethics and angering the emperor to the point of collapse.

Most of these people had explicitly expressed their support for the marriage alliance. Now that Li Xiang had said this, wasn't he including them in his insults as well?

If we do not take this opportunity to refute Li Xiang and force His Majesty to severely punish this son, we can put an end to this matter.

How will these people be able to establish themselves in the future?

Li Xiang, however, remained fearless. He held his head high and said, "I have another poem for you, who are cowardly and afraid of war, yet you send your women to barbarians."

"A golden hairpin fell to the ground, her hair piled high like clouds; since parting from Chaoyang, has the Emperor heard of it? He sent me alone to secure the nation; I know not where a general is needed!"

"You lot, a whole hall full of bearded men, utterly useless!"

Li Xiang, with an arrogant expression, cursed fiercely!

Another seven-character poem, worthy of being passed down through the ages, was produced in an instant!

The commotion in the hall suddenly ceased, and everyone's expression changed drastically.

Li Shimin stood frozen before the throne, his face ashen, his eyes swirling with a mixture of anger, shock, and embarrassment.

Cui Dunli clenched his fists, his face turning blue and purple, filled with shame and indignation.

No one in the entire hall, whether civil or military officials, dared to utter another word.

This grandson of the emperor clearly intends to nail the emperor in the palace, along with all the ministers, to the pillar of historical shame!

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