The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

"Your Highness...you didn't ask either," Chen Huai'an said innocently.

Previously, Li Shimin only asked himself what the disadvantages were, but did not ask himself if there were any solutions.

Li Shimin's face darkened; he realized he had spoken too soon.

Now it's great, one can be both loyal to the country and filial to the people.

This is worse than having no way out at all.

"...Tell me, tell me, what's the solution?" In the end, Li Shimin decided to listen.

If possible, he didn't want his relationship with Li Yuan to continue to deteriorate.

If there's really no other way... cough cough, then there's nothing we can do.

Chen Huai'an beat his chest and stamped his feet: "Because of the mischief of a few纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families), the Duke of Wei was found to have committed such a serious crime as embezzlement. After much hesitation, the Duke of Su decided to report it to the court."

"The civil and military officials were in uproar when they learned of this. His Highness was absolutely unwilling to believe that the pure and upright Duke of Wei could do such an outrageous thing, but in the end, he had no choice but to accept it after the evidence presented by Duke Cheng Yaojin."

"Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui advised Your Majesty to deal with the matter seriously and punish the Duke of Wei. However, Wei Zheng was adamant and said that such a black sheep should not be allowed to live. He insisted that Your Highness should be beheaded immediately."

"His Highness resolutely refused, stating that although the Duke of Wei had made mistakes, he also had merits and should be treated leniently, allowing him to retire to his hometown."

"Who would have thought that Your Highness's move would be met with a joint opposition from countless officials, especially Wei Zheng and Yuchi Gong, who even threatened to kill themselves, insisting that Your Majesty behead the Duke of Wei and display his head to the public."

"While Your Highness hesitates, Wei Zheng and Yuchi Gong actually intend to commit suicide on the spot! It proves that Heaven is blind, treacherous officials are in power, the world is in chaos, and justice has been lost!"

"Amidst the outrage of the court officials, Your Highness had no choice but to consult His Majesty."

"In the end, His Majesty, being a man of great principle, also advised Your Highness to behead the Duke of Wei and display his head to the public. Although Your Highness was extremely unwilling, he could not disobey his father's orders and had no choice but to order the Duke of Wei to be beheaded."

After speaking, Chen Huai'an coughed lightly: "What does Your Highness think?"

Li Shimin was stunned.

At this time, he was not yet the powerful and influential Emperor of the Ages; he was currently only the Crown Prince, and his understanding of imperial strategy was incomplete.

After hearing Chen Huai'an's words, Li Shimin felt as if a new world had been opened up for him.

How is it?

That's fucking brilliant!

Li Shimin's smile was harder to suppress than an AK-47, as he looked at Chen Huai'an and asked, "Sir, is this really going to work?"

"Whether it works or not, we'll find out by trying. There's no harm in losing anything anyway." Chen Huai'an met his gaze.

"Is Father Emperor truly so righteous?" Li Shimin asked.

Chen Huai'an could barely contain his laughter: "Isn't His Majesty inherently a man of great principle?"

"Yeah?"

"yes!"

Li Shimin tilted his head slightly, said nothing, but couldn't control the smile on his lips, and stared intently at Chen Huai'an.

Chen Huai'an, however, broke his composure, his mouth slightly open, looking as if he wanted to laugh but was trying his best to control it.

(Please refer to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu for specific expressions)

"...If that's what you say, then it must be." Li Shimin tried his best to remain calm.

In fact, he understood perfectly well that if such a situation were to occur, Li Yuan would have to be mindful of the greater good.

Because Pei Ji was someone he personally promoted.

If he didn't want to be condemned by history books, he had no choice but to be righteous!

"It seems Your Highness has already made up your mind." Chen Huai'an smiled faintly.

"Hmm?" Li Shimin suddenly realized something was wrong. After carefully considering everything Chen Huai'an had said, he discovered an interesting point.

Chen Huai'an never told him what to do, but instead gave him various options and analyzed the pros and cons of each option.

Then tell him all the solutions.

That's...quite interesting.

Li Shimin's expression became intriguing.

Chen Huai'an never interfered with his decisions or tried to influence his thoughts. He simply offered a few suggestions and then let him choose for himself...

"Huai'an".

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I see the makings of a duke in your eyes!"

"Your Highness flatters me. If others were to hear these words, they would gossip. I myself feel that I do not currently possess the qualities of a Duke, but I do possess the qualities of a County Duke."

"...Heh." Li Shimin shook his head and chuckled, understanding that Chen Huai'an was reminding him that a county duke was enough; if it were a state duke, some people would feel resentful, which would only cause more trouble.

For now, the title of Duke is enough, and he is satisfied with it.

The more Li Shimin looked at Chen Huai'an, the more satisfied he became.

But when he thought of Wei Zheng, who had been staring at him lately, his face darkened again.

I was just saying it casually back then, why did you take it so seriously?

.......

After everything was over, Li Shimin secretly moved the supplies with his men and went to Pei Ji's house to look for the remaining items.

Chen Huai'an then had someone take He Ming's remains away and instructed them to take them to a good place outside the city to bury them.

After making these arrangements, Chen Huai'an arrived at a remote, dilapidated courtyard in the West Market and knocked on the door.

The girl who opened the door was about eight or nine years old. She had a pretty and charming appearance, and it was clear that her mother was quite good-looking.

"Young master, who are you looking for?"

The little girl timidly asked a question to the distinguished young man in fine clothes.

Chen Huai'an glanced at her twice: "You're He Jing, and you have an older brother named He Ning, right?"

"Huh?" He Jing looked up at him curiously. "Does young master know me?"

"I know him. Your dad told me." Chen Huai'an squatted down and looked gently at the plainly dressed child in front of him who seemed a little timid.

"My father?" He Jing opened her mouth slightly, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Does Young Master know my father? Where is he? Jingjing can already write two hundred characters, why hasn't he come to see me yet?"

Chen Huai'an remained silent for a moment before saying, "He went to a very far place and entrusted you to me."

"Let me help you move. You can live right next to me. I'm a teacher, and you're learning to read and write, right? I can teach you from now on."

He Jing was somewhat bewildered, seemingly at a loss for what to do after receiving this sudden news.

After a while, she hesitated and said, "Sir, I need to ask my brother and mother about this."

"No."

At this moment, a gentle woman walked out from behind her, holding the hand of a little boy who was about the same age as He Jing.

She is the mother of two children, and her name is Wen Hui.

"Sir, we'll go with you. Are you moving now?"

She said this calmly, as if she had expected this scene long ago.

His face was expressionless, and he didn't ask where He Ming had gone, as if he didn't care about anything.

However, Chen Huai'an still noticed that her other hand, which wasn't holding the child's hand, unconsciously clenched, her fingers turning white, and her eyes held a very deep, very deep... sadness.

"......"