Tang Dynasty: Taking the Empress Dowager to a brothel, Father Emperor, what a coincidence!

The next morning, at the Taiji Hall.

Li Shimin had just sat down on the dragon throne and hadn't even had a chance to speak when Cui Mingan, the Vice Minister of Revenue and the representative of the Cui clan in court, rushed out of the ranks, knelt on the ground with a thud, and burst into tears.

"Your Majesty! This old minister is innocent! This old minister wishes to impeach the Hundred Cavalry Commandery."

Li Shimin's brow twitched, and a sudden sense of foreboding rose in his heart.

Come again?

"Minister Cui, what are you doing, wailing so early in the morning? What did the Hundred Cavalry Commandery do to you?"

Li Shimin asked patiently.

Cui Mingan pointed outside the hall and said:

"Your Majesty! Last night, the Hundred Cavalry Division, under the pretext of investigating and confiscating the property of traitors, stormed into my Cui family's Qingfeng Garden outside the city."

Not only did they injure the guards, but they also looted the entire estate. They even left graffiti on the walls, saying things like, "This is royal land! This is blatant robbery!"

Cheng Yaojin nudged Yuchi Jingde beside him and asked:

"Old Hei, did I hear that right? The Hundred Cavalry went and robbed the Cui family's estate? When did that kid Li Junxian get so bold?"

Yuchi Jingde was also completely bewildered:

"How would I know? But you did a great job. I've had my eye on those bastards from the aristocratic families for a long time."

Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne, his mind buzzing.

The Hundred Cavalry went to rob someone?

Li Junxian was someone he had personally promoted; he wouldn't dare do such a thing even if he had ten times the courage.

Li Shimin suddenly turned his head to look at Li Chengqian standing below.

Li Chengqian was looking down, trying hard to suppress his laughter.

Case solved.

It was definitely that little bastard who did it.

Li Shimin gritted his teeth in anger and slammed his fist on the imperial desk:

"Where is Li Junxian? Get in here now!"

"Your Majesty! I am innocent!"

Li Junxian knelt down with a thud.

"I stayed in the Hundred Cavalry Commandery camp all night and didn't go anywhere. The brothers below were all sleeping in the camp and didn't leave Chang'an City at all."

Cui Mingan jumped up and down, cursing:

"Nonsense! The guards at my manor saw it clearly; it was definitely one of your Hundred Cavalrymen. They even showed their identification badges. You still dare to deny it?"

"Minister Cui, you are slandering me. Anyone can forge a waist badge!"

Li Junxian retorted, which was unusual for him.

Li Shimin sat on top, his head throbbing from the noise below.

Yesterday, Li Chengqian "borrowed" a batch of scrapped equipment from his private treasury, saying he wanted to melt it down to make iron pots.

A damn iron pot.

"Alright, stop arguing."

Li Shimin slammed his hand on the table, stunning everyone below.

He glanced at the row of military generals and immediately spotted Cheng Yaojin, who was picking his nose.

"Duke Lu, I'm entrusting this matter to you. You have three days to get to the bottom of it."

Cheng Yaojin flicked his snot and loudly accepted the order:

"Your Majesty, rest assured! When I, Old Cheng, investigate a case, I will never let an innocent person go unpunished, nor will I wrong a guilty person."

Cui Mingan's face turned green upon hearing this.

Let that old rogue investigate? He'd be searching for ages.

When the court session ended, Li Chengqian mingled in the crowd, head down, and slipped out of the hall.

Xiao Shunzi followed closely behind, and the master and servant walked faster than rabbits.

As soon as he stepped out of the palace gate, Wang De, with a beaming smile, blocked Li Chengqian's path:

"Your Highness, His Majesty invites you to have tea in the side hall."

Li Chengqian chuckled twice:

"Eunuch Wang, I haven't finished my homework for today. The Grand Tutor is waiting for me to explain the scriptures. Another day, another day."

"Your Highness, His Majesty said that if you dare to run away, he will break your legs."

Well, there's no escaping it now.

Side hall.

Li Chengqian had barely stepped halfway in when a teacup flew right past his forehead.

Li Shimin stood behind the imperial desk, holding an inkstone in his hand:

"You unfilial son! Get your ass in here!"

Li Chengqian quickly rolled inside, slammed the door shut behind him, and then knelt down with a thud, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Father! Your son is innocent! Your son stayed up all night studying in the Eastern Palace, without even stepping out of the gate."

I copied the Analects three times as assigned by the Grand Tutor, and my hands are sore from it.

You mustn't listen to the rumors and wrong your son.

Li Shimin slammed the inkstone down on the table, pointed at Li Chengqian's nose, and began to curse:

"Stop pretending in front of me. Do you really think I'm blind? Where did the Hundred Cavalry Guard's uniforms come from? Where did their waist badges come from?"

Not only did you steal my money, but you also dared to leave a provocative note? Are you determined to create a huge mess in this world before you're satisfied?

Li Chengqian asked innocently:

"Father, what are you saying? I don't understand."

What Hundred Cavalry Commandery? What kind of clothes? Your subject truly has no idea.

You can't doubt your own son just because of a few words from outsiders.

"Are you still pretending?"

Li Shimin walked up to Li Chengqian.

"Do you think I don't know you've been keeping a private army? I covered for you last time when the Wang family estate was in trouble."

This time, the Cui family lost over a million strings of cash. That was the lifeblood of a powerful family.

Let me tell you, I will absolutely not take the blame for this.

You've created this trouble yourself, so you'll have to deal with it. If you don't handle it well, you might as well resign as crown prince.

Li Shimin was truly anxious.

If the powerful families were to join forces to launch an attack, he would have no choice but to back down.

Seeing Li Shimin's appearance, Li Chengqian put away his aggrieved expression, patted his knees, and stood up.

"Father, you're being too polite. What do you mean I caused this trouble? I did it all for the sake of the Tang Dynasty."

The powerful families have amassed wealth beyond measure, leaving the national treasury empty. Your Majesty, I am merely acting on behalf of Heaven to uphold justice.

"You!" Li Shimin was so angry that he didn't know what to say.

"Father, rest assured, I will take responsibility for my actions. I will never implicate you."

Li Chengqian cupped his hands in greeting, then turned and left.

As he reached the door, he turned back and added:

"By the way, Father, you mentioned last time that the Imperial Treasury was short of money, and I originally planned to give you 20% of it."

Since you dislike it so much, then I will entrust it all to Your Majesty for safekeeping.

After saying that, he ran away in a flash.

Li Shimin stood there, stunned for a long time, before suddenly realizing what was happening:

"You little bastard! Get back here right now. What's 20%?"

The Eastern Palace, an underground secret chamber.

Li Chengqian recounted the events that had occurred in the side hall in detail.

After listening, Qin Qiong frowned and said:

"Your Highness, His Majesty is determined to ignore this matter this time."

If the powerful families join forces with the Duke of Qi to launch an attack in the court, our situation will be in danger.

"Or perhaps I should order the Shadow Guards to temporarily withdraw from Chang'an to avoid trouble?"

Li Chengqian didn't speak, but turned to look at Du Ruhui, who had been resting with his eyes closed.

Du Ruhui opened his eyes and said with a smile:

"General Qin, there is no need to panic. His Majesty's indifference is actually a good thing for us."

Qin Qiong asked, puzzled:

"What do you mean by that, Prime Minister Du? Without His Majesty's protection, wouldn't the powerful families tear His Highness apart?"

Du Ruhui shook his head:

"The reason why the powerful families and the Duke of Qi want to depose the crown prince is simply because they think His Highness is weak and easy to bully."

But they forgot that there were more than just these two forces in the imperial court.

Since they want to muddy the waters, let's just throw a big rock into it and make it boil over.

At that time, no one will be able to escape unscathed.

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up, and he leaned closer to ask:

"Prime Minister Du, are you plotting something again... cough, good idea?"

Du Ruhui chuckled lightly: "Your Highness, I heard that Grand Tutor Li Gang suffered an injustice in the Taiji Hall last night, resigned on the spot, and even fainted?"

"yes."

Li Chengqian nodded.

"The old man has a terrible temper; he was so angry that he vomited blood after just a few words from me."

The Emperor readily approved his resignation. "What, does Prime Minister Du want me to apologize to him?"

"No." Du Ruhui waved his hand. "Your Highness must go to Li Gang's residence now, not only to apologize, but also to ask him to come out of seclusion."

Qin Qiong was stunned:

"Prime Minister Du, are you confused? That old man is notorious for bringing misfortune to the Crown Prince; every one he teaches dies."

"Your Highness went through so much trouble to get him away, and you're bringing him back?"

"General Qin misunderstands. I didn't send him back to teach His Highness, but to teach Prince Yue, Li Tai."

Li Chengqian was taken aback at first, then suddenly slapped his thigh.

"Wonderful! Absolutely amazing!"

Qin Qiong still didn't understand: "Your Highness, what exactly is so wonderful about this?"

Li Chengqian patiently explained:

"Uncle Qin, think about it. Why did Changsun Wuji want to depose me? Wasn't it because he felt I couldn't control him, which is why he secretly supported Qingque?"

Qingque is currently riding high on his success. Although Li Gang is rigid, he enjoys a very high reputation and is the leader of all scholars in the land.

"If I were to ask Father to appoint Li Gang as Qingque's teacher, Father would certainly be pleased, as it would bring honor to Qingque."

Du Ruhui continued:

"That's right. But what do the Duke of Qi and the King of Yue think? Li Gang taught Yang Yong, and Yang Yong died. He taught Li Jiancheng, and Li Jiancheng also died."

He carries the bad luck of the Crown Prince on his shoulders. If Your Highness pushes such a jinx onto the King of Yue, would the King dare refuse?

"Accepting it would make me feel uneasy. Refusing it would be disrespectful to teachers and offend scholars everywhere."

Li Chengqian became more and more excited as he listened.

"Most importantly, that old man Li Gang has a terrible temper and is intolerant of any wrongdoing."

Qingque is usually spoiled and pampered; she bursts into tears after being scolded by her mother. If she falls into Li Gang's hands, she'll be lucky to escape with her life.

"By then, my uncle and the aristocratic families will be having enough of a headache just cleaning up Qingque's messes. They won't have time to worry about whether the orphan has raised a private army."

Du Ruhui nodded slightly.

"That's exactly right. The Duke of Qi wanted to use the powerful families to kill His Highness, so His Highness borrowed Li Gang's sword to kill the King of Yue."

This is called diverting the trouble eastward, cutting off the fuel supply at the root. As long as the court is in chaos, His Highness can take advantage of the situation and remain unscathed.

Qin Qiong suddenly realized what was going on, and when he looked at Du Ruhui, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

When these scholars get into a game of cunning, they can kill without shedding blood.

Li Chengqian stood up and walked out impatiently.

"Xiao Shunzi! Prepare the carriage. I'm going to the Li residence to visit the Grand Tutor."

Xiao Shunzi quickly ran over and asked:

"Your Highness, what gifts should we bring? How about picking a few items from the Cui family's treasures that we just brought back?"

Li Chengqian slapped Xiao Shunzi on the back of the head:

"Are you stupid? Li Gang, that kind of pedantic scholar, hates gold, silver and money the most."

Go to the storeroom and take a set of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones that Grand Tutor Kong Yingda had smuggled.

"Oh, right, and that rare copy of the *Spring and Autumn Annals* that Uncle gave to the old man last time—didn't our people take it back? Find it, and we'll return it to him."

Xiao Shunzi covered his head and said, "Your Highness is wise. This servant will go and do it right away."

Half an hour later, the Crown Prince's carriage stopped in front of Li Gang's residence.

The gates of the Li residence were tightly shut, and there wasn't even a servant sweeping the floor, giving off a desolate atmosphere.

Li Chengqian jumped off the carriage and told Xiao Shunzi to go up and knock on the door.

After knocking for a long time, the door finally opened a crack.

An old steward peeked out, and upon seeing that it was the Crown Prince, he was so frightened that he almost closed the door again.

"Your Highness... my master is seriously ill and will not receive guests..."

Li Chengqian pushed open the door and strode inside.

"Seriously ill? Then I must come and see him. The Grand Tutor is a pillar of the nation; if anything were to happen to him, I would feel terrible."

The old butler couldn't stop him and could only stumble along behind.

In the bedroom in the backyard, Li Gang was lying on the bed, groaning softly.

He was so disheartened during this period that he couldn't even eat.

Hearing footsteps outside, Li Gang opened his eyes. Just as he was about to ask who it was, he saw Li Chengqian's face appear in front of the bed.

Li Gang couldn't catch his breath and almost fainted again.

"You...you wretched creature! You dare to come here again?"

Li Chengqian quickly stepped forward, grabbed Li Gang's hand, and called out sincerely:

"Grand Tutor, I know I was wrong."