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

Outside the Taiji Palace, Li Er and his wife were waiting there with a group of officials, their lips chapped and their faces sunburned.

If someone who didn't know the situation saw this, they might think it was a group of people being punished by standing in the corner.

"Why are you so late?! You almost made me faint from the sun while accompanying His Highness!"

As soon as the palace gates were opened, Cheng Yaojin began to berate Li Yu in a very unreasonable manner. This was because he had always been outspoken and unrestrained in front of Li Er.

After being scolded by Lao Cheng, Li Yu felt very aggrieved: "There are so many trees here, you could have easily found some shade under them! Why are you complaining about your nephew?"

"Alright, alright!" Li Er waved his hand, completely unconcerned about the matter. "Tell me, what did His Majesty say to you?"

"He didn't say anything..." Li Yu scratched his head, "He just asked the boy to tell you that whatever you want, he'll give it to you..."

"Is that really so?" Li Er excitedly grabbed Li Yu's shoulders and shook him.

Li Yu felt as if the melon he had just eaten was about to be shaken out by Li Er, so he struggled a couple of times and said, "You'll have to ask His Majesty! I'm just a messenger..."

Upon hearing this, Li Er gradually calmed down. After a while, he narrowed his eyes and stared at Li Yu, asking, "I heard that His Majesty rewarded you. What was the reward? Let your second uncle see!"

"..."

Under Li Er's persistent questioning, Li Yu reluctantly took out the small golden fish from his arms.

"This is a goldfish charm!?"

Li Er stared wide-eyed in astonishment as he took the small golden fish from Li Yu. Not only that, but everyone else was also dumbfounded.

"What is a goldfish talisman?" Li Yu asked curiously. "Grandpa only said that with this, I can freely enter and leave the Taiji Palace..."

Li Er did not immediately answer Li Yu's question. Instead, he held the gold fish tally in his hand and examined it for a long time before explaining, "This item is reserved for princes and high-ranking officials of the third rank or above. Your Majesty has bestowed it upon you so easily?"

Li Yu nodded in agreement, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel puzzled.

There are many kinds of tokens used to enter and leave the palace, so why did Li Yuan specifically bestow this one upon himself?

After pondering for a while, Li Er seemed to have guessed something, so he smiled helplessly and returned the goldfish talisman to Li Yu, saying, "That's enough! Keep this safe. Losing it would be a crime of 'losing the talisman,' and you would be punished with a beating."

"Um."

Li Yu nodded emphatically after taking it, but inwardly rolled his eyes.

He was already immune to Li Er's warning. After all, since he transmigrated, he had only been flogged once by Crown Prince Li Jiancheng, and that was because his eldest son had been beaten into a pig's head...

.........

After waiting for three days, Li Er finally received the imperial edict of investiture from Li Yuan.

Upon officially becoming the crown prince, he held a grand banquet at the Eastern Palace that very night.

At the banquet, he not only pardoned most of the Crown Prince's former subordinates, but also preserved their titles and official positions, including Xue Wanjun's younger brother Xue Wanche, and the Crown Prince's tutor Wei Zheng.

However, Wei Zheng's position as the Crown Prince's tutor, which was originally a fifth-rank official, was changed to the position of the Grand Secretary, which was originally a seventh-rank official. As a result, both positions as Crown Prince's tutors were left vacant.

In addition, all the original members of the Qin King's faction were promoted, and even eleven-year-old Li Yu was given the honorary title of "General of the Cloud Banner," a third-rank military officer.

For a time, the banquet was filled with clinking glasses and joyful laughter. In Li Yu's eyes, there was no other way to describe it except with the disgusting adjective "celebrating with newfound power."

It was all because Xue Wanche, that disgusting guy, shamelessly boasted about himself in an attempt to apologize to him.

Saying things like "The King of Songshan is exceptionally brave and skilled; this humble general is no match for Your Highness" is obviously nonsense.

Therefore, everyone's initial praise for Li Yu gradually turned into mockery, making him extremely embarrassed. He could only hide in a corner and complain to Li Chengqian.

"Can't you be a little more magnanimous? This guy is obviously the kind of person who's all muscle and no brains. He can't even flatter properly. Why bother arguing with him?"

Li Chengqian looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, took a sip of the grape wine on the table when no one was looking, and then comforted Li Yu.

His words, however, failed to alleviate Li Yu's frustration. He then followed Li Chengqian's example, secretly taking a sip of grape wine before complaining, "We're born of the same parents, why can't he learn from his older brother? He has terrible taste in choosing masters, and he can't even flatter properly!"

"Your Highness, you are mistaken. General Xue may be a rough man, but you cannot drag me into this because of him!"

Li Yu looked up and saw that the speaker was Wei Zheng. Even after being pardoned by Emperor Taizong, this old fellow still spoke without any restraint.

"Registration Officer Wei, you misunderstand. What's past is past. I had no intention of belittling you in the slightest," Li Yu quickly said with a smile.

He didn't want this old guy to criticize Li Er in the future and then include him in it too; he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to resist beating him up then...

After finally getting rid of Wei Zheng, someone else came over.

"Your Highness, I wonder about my horse..."

Although Xu Jingzong, this seemingly refined scoundrel, was unable to participate in the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he was still appointed by Li Er as the Crown Prince's Attendant, and thus even his humble address became "this humble official".

"Old Xu! Your horse... ptooey! I tied your horse to the gate of Taiji Palace, but when it came out again, someone had taken it away. Why don't you go look for it there? If you can't find it, I'll buy you another one." Li Yu was so annoyed that he decided to play a trick on him.

Clearly, Xu Jingzong became the unlucky one.

Should we send him to Taiji Palace?

I'm afraid I'd be hacked to pieces by the Imperial Guards before I even got into Xuanwu Gate...

So he could only awkwardly force a smile and say, "No, no, absolutely not! I only hope Your Highness will take good care of me in the future; I will be eternally grateful..."

"..."

The banquet lasted very late, and in Li Yu's opinion, these drunkards were determined to drink all night long.

He was so sleepy at the moment, but he couldn't leave, so he found a secluded corner to take a long nap.

Before he could even lie down, Li Er, who was quite drunk, suddenly stood on the table, rolled up his sleeves, and began to recite: "The Qin River is the majestic residence of the emperor, the Hangu Pass is the magnificent palace of the king. The magnificent palace rises a thousand fathoms high, the detached palaces are more than a hundred walls high. The continuous eaves reach the Han River in the distance, the flying pavilions soar into the void. Clouds and sun hide the layered palaces, wind and smoke emerge from the embroidered curtains."

After reciting the five-character quatrain, Li Er took a big gulp of wine, his whole demeanor exuding a sense of pride and exhilaration.

"Your Highness, your literary talent rivals that of Emperor Gaozu of Han, and your martial prowess is no less than that of Cao Cao! We are utterly humbled!"

Once that was started, the entire banquet was filled with flattery.

The drunken Li Er seemed to enjoy the praise, so he looked around and suggested, "Is there anyone among you with poetic talent who has no opportunity to display it? I'll give you this chance!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the room.

At this moment, the usually composed Niu Jinda suddenly jumped out and recommended, "Li Yu, the young man from the Xuanba family, is quite talented in poetry. Why don't we have him compose a poem?"

.........