Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

Sometimes you have to admit that Li Chengqian, that scoundrel, did have some wisdom in him.

It would be even better if they didn't make any foolish mistakes.

The place Li Yu chose was called Futian Temple, originally named Lingjue Temple, which had been abandoned in the early years of the Wude era. As for why it was abandoned, Li Yu didn't know the reason, nor did he care to think about it.

Because it hadn't been abandoned for very long, the temple buildings were still intact. However, looking at the large Buddha statue staring directly at him, Li Yu felt a chill run down his spine.

So when he was repairing it, he had the Buddha statue moved out. As for where to take it, he originally thought he would just throw it into the moat outside the city, but he was persuaded to stop by the monk Daoyue who happened to be passing by.

The old monk strongly opposed Li Yu's actions, but he couldn't do anything about it. So he resorted to playing the emotional card, saying that they had known each other before and that he was doing it for Yang Xi's sake. Li Yu was annoyed by his words and finally let the old monk get his way.

However, Li Yu did not come away empty-handed. He never expected that Dao Yue, an old monk, would be so rich, giving away a thousand strings of cash with a wave of his hand.

Looking at the place where the Buddha statue used to stand, but is now empty, Li Yu thought to himself, "No wonder Xuanzang refused the money I gave him. It turns out they are all incredibly wealthy bald thieves!"

So Li Yu came up with a plan and ordered his assistants to collect everything related to Buddhism from the temple, pack it up, and sell it to Dao Yue.

After all, although Emperor Li Er allowed him to officially register the school, he didn't allocate a single penny for its construction, so he had to pay for it himself. Now, things are much better; the money for repairs is finally available!

.........

Dugu Jin had no idea what her eldest son was so happy about. Ever since Li Yu publicly ridiculed the old gentleman Kong Yingda so badly, her family had suddenly gained a group of enemies, and they were all civil officials who had honed their verbal skills to perfection.

This made her very worried about Li Yu. After all, Li Yu was still so young. How could he possibly handle a group of people full of ulterior motives?

But she didn't know what to do. She asked her husband, but that rascal kept her in suspense, saying that she was a woman and shouldn't ask about such things, lest she accidentally ruin her son's good intentions...

"My son, why don't you stay home for a few days and lay low? I'll cook for you myself every day!"

Seeing his mother's worried face, Li Yu knew what she was concerned about, so he comforted her, "Mother, it's alright. I only offended a few civil officials, not all of them."

Do you want to listen to what you're saying?

Dugu Jin stared wide-eyed for a long time before finally speaking: "My son! It's not that I'm being nosy, but there are only so many civil officials in the court, and you've offended half of them all at once. We're just trying to run a school, why make such a fuss?"

"Mother! I don't want this either." Li Yu glanced at the closed door, his face instantly clouded with worry: "But, this is not up to me."

Seeing Dugu Jin's puzzled look, Li Yu glanced at the closed door and sighed heavily: "Uncle Cheng told me before that from the moment my second uncle ascended the throne, our family no longer truly belonged to the royal family. Originally, I didn't understand what that meant, but after His Majesty bestowed upon me the title of Prince of Wu, I understood everything."

"How is that possible? Your father's surname is Li, and yours is Li too. Our family are the closest to His Majesty, so how could we not belong to the royal family?" Dugu Jin said in disbelief.

Upon hearing this, Li Yu shook his head: "My dear mother, the emperor is not someone we can get close to. Even if he were Father's own brother, it wouldn't be good. That's why we have to desperately try to get into the ranks of the military generals."

"His Majesty is willing to bear the infamy of the ages for the sake of this throne, so how could he tolerate anything that threatens his throne? But Father and His Majesty have such a deep relationship, which is why he bestowed upon me the title of Prince and assigned me to work in the Ministry of Works. It was all to prevent our family from having any connection with the succession to the throne."

Dugu Jin was somewhat confused by Li Yu's words and asked, puzzled, "What does this have to do with you offending the civil officials?"

"Think about it, throughout history, there have been instances of brothers succeeding brothers. Now that Father has broken his leg, it means that the possibility of him inheriting the throne has also been cut off. As for me, all I need to do is offend all those civil officials. Even if one day I really have the ability to threaten the imperial power, those civil officials will stop me from taking the throne. So I am doing this to put Your Majesty at ease."

"Moreover, the current situation in the court is one of military strength and civil weakness. However, because the Turks and Xueyantuo are eyeing us covetously, the power of the military generals cannot be weakened for the time being. I am the pawn that Your Majesty uses to break this awkward situation."

Dugu Jin was completely bewildered by what was being said and could only look at Li Yu with a puzzled expression.

Looking at his mother's expression, Li Yu couldn't help but want to laugh, but he held it back: "His Majesty's decision to have our family join the military faction seems to be an enhancement of their strength, but in reality, it's a covert weakening."

"Our family has neither military power nor any usable talent on the battlefield. By placing us in the ranks of military officers, His Majesty not only avoids increasing the power of military officers, but also has a reason to weaken the military power of some of them."

"Really?" Dugu Jin didn't understand, but she still asked subconsciously.

"If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself at the Qin family. Uncle Qin is now retired and has had all his power stripped away by His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Jin sighed, "Alright, alright. As a woman, I don't understand the reasons behind this. Just do what you think is right. Whether you do it well or badly, I'll stay by your side."

.........

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and Li Yu's plan was proceeding in an orderly manner.

Cheng Chumo and Changsun Chong, relying on their connections, recruited a group of纨绔 (spoiled brats) to Li Yu's school.

From the beginning, Li Yu planned to select some highly malleable individuals, and these young playboys were just right. Those who could become playboys were generally not the eldest sons in their families, so Li Yu didn't need to worry about them being called away by adults while they were learning.

Wen Yu also joined the group, becoming the oldest among these spoiled brats.

"If you come here to learn, who will do your job as the registrar?" Li Yu was very curious about this.

"Sir, I am now free from official duties and carefree!" Wen Yu said with a smile.

Li Yu stared wide-eyed in surprise: "No way! You'd rather give up your good official position and come here to slack off? Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up by your father?"

Feeling wronged by Li Yu's words, Wen Yu said, "I'm not here to just coast along; I'm genuinely interested in these things..."

.........