Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 4752 Inexplicable
Apart from teaching horse riding, archery and martial arts, Fang Jun never forced Li Xiang to learn any classics, history, or literature. This was why Li Xiang was willing to stay with Fang Jun. He felt that he could learn a lot of principles from Fang Jun, rather than those dogmas in books, which made it easier for him to understand and accept. They did not learn anything that day. They wore straw raincoats in the drizzle and followed Fang Jun in the rice fields, catching river crabs and removing weeds. Li Xiang enjoyed this ordinary farm life very much.

It was not until the evening that Fang Jun sent Li Xiang to the gate of the East Palace. Only then did Li Xiang reluctantly walk into the Jiafu Gate...

Although it was midsummer, it was rainy today and they had played in the paddy fields for most of the day, so when Li Xiang returned to the East Palace, he took a hot bath with the help of a female official and drank ginger tea to dispel the dampness and coldness in his body. Then he asked a palace maid to comb his hair and change into clean and refreshing clothes before returning to the bedroom for dinner.

But he found that his father and mother had come over at some point and were sitting in the hall drinking tea, while his younger brother Li Jue, who was two years younger, was walking barefoot on the floor, looking around...

"Your son pays homage to his father, the emperor, and to his mother, the queen."

Li Xiang hurried forward and saluted.

Li Chengqian waved his hand: "There's no need for family members to be so formal in private. Forget it."

"Thank you, Father."

Then Li Jue stepped forward and saluted Li Xiang: "Greetings, my brother."

"Haha, Juer is so polite? Coming to the East Palace is like your own bedroom. You can walk around and play as you like. Take whatever you want."

The two children were just over ten years old and had not yet understood the conflict of personal interests, so they were usually very friendly and respectful to each other.

This made Li Chengqian very pleased, but also slightly worried.

He appointed Li Xiang as the crown prince, but Li Xiang was not born to Queen Su. Although he was now raised under the Queen's name and was a legitimate son, Li Jue was the Queen's eldest legitimate son after all. There might be some hidden dangers in the succession to the throne in the future.

This was also the original intention of his appointing Fang Jun as the Prince's Guardian to protect the Prince's status and teach him knowledge. As long as Fang Jun could support Li Xiang as he supported him back then, Li Xiang's throne would be as stable as Mount Tai.

Li Jue saw no chance to compete for the throne, so he would naturally be content to be a prince in peace and wealth...

Li Jue took Li Xiang's hand and asked curiously, "Did my brother leave the palace to practice martial arts with Duke Yue today?"

His parents were listening nearby, so Li Xiang did not dare to hide the truth: "I did not learn martial arts. Today, the Duke of Yue took me to play in the paddy fields of Mount Li. They caught river crabs, helped weed, and steamed the crabs to eat. However, the crabs are very thin now and do not have much meat. They are not tasty. It will take another month for the roe to be available. Then it will be tasty. I will take you there."

"Really?" Li Jue was very happy, his eyes curved with a smile.

Queen Su couldn't help but complain: "Xiang'er is now learning something, and he should develop good habits of being diligent and steady. Duke Yue, as the crown prince's assistant, actually took Xiang'er to play, which is not right. Especially letting Xiang'er catch crabs and weed in the paddy field is simply inappropriate."

Hearing the Queen complaining about Fang Jun's dissatisfaction, Li Chengqian felt better and spoke up for Fang Jun: "How can a man always hide in the deep palace and associate with women and eunuchs? That would be too much of a feminine smell, and would inevitably lose the dignity of a man. It's not a bad thing to go out for a walk while ensuring safety, see what farmers do, and be surrounded by nature."

The queen's eyes widened and she said angrily, "What's wrong with a woman? I am also well-versed in classics and history, and I can compose poems and articles. Many men may not be better than a woman like me!"

"Haha, the queen is beautiful and intelligent, and she is a heroine. I made a mistake in my words. I apologize to you."

"Hmph, that's pretty much it."

The couple flirted with each other, and the past rift between them was gradually bridged.

Li Jue ran to Li Chengqian, blinking his big eyes and asking curiously, "Father, I heard that Duke Yue was the leader of the 'Four Pests of Chang'an'. Is he a pest? They also said that Father and Duke Yue were very close and that he went to brothels with his third and fourth uncles. Is Father also a pest?"

"Puchi!" The queen couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Children speak without restraint, so there is no need to argue with his son. Li Chengqian didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Thinking of those years, he felt nostalgic. He smiled and said, "Don't wrongly accuse father. Father doesn't mess with them. Most of the time, it's your uncle Wei and Duke Yue who cause trouble everywhere. Duke Yue is famous for not having any connection with brothels. Every time he goes there, something goes wrong. Every time something goes wrong, a fight breaks out. Every time there's a fight, he gets beaten up by your grandfather... Later, all the brothels in Chang'an didn't welcome Duke Yue. They were afraid that he would get into a fight and have the brothels demolished."

Li Jue's eyes widened and he yelled, "Wow, is the Duke of Yue so powerful? I want to be like him in the future!"

Li Xiang was also pursing his lips in envy, thinking that a real man could drink wine and eat meat with big gulps and take revenge with pleasure, what kind of heroic spirit is that?

The queen pulled her son over and held him in her arms, smiling at Li Chengqian, "At that time, my son had just been born not long ago. I also heard in the palace that Erlang from Prime Minister Fang's family was naive, stupid, violent, and kept getting into trouble. However, later on, it was said that he had a brain injury and almost died. After he recovered, he seemed to be a different person. Not only was he good at poetry and martial arts, but he also turned over a new leaf. Emperor Taizong was gnashing his teeth at first for trying to break off the engagement, but later on, he liked him very much and personally praised him for his 'talent as a prime minister'. He is truly an example of a prodigal son returning home."

"Who says it's not true? At the beginning, the engagement between Erlang and Gaoyang caused a lot of controversy. Father repeatedly threatened to break Erlang's legs, and Gaoyang also took the opportunity to cry and beg Father to cancel the engagement... Who would have thought that after they got married, they actually lived together and loved each other so much? It was really surprising."

Li Chengqian smiled and told some interesting stories from the past, then asked Li Xiang to sit next to him and asked gently, "What did the Duke of Yue tell you? Tell your father in detail."

Li Xiang sat obediently: "Mr. Fang taught me how to enjoy life and how to balance work and rest. It is good to be diligent in government and love the people, but there is no need to do everything personally. He said that no matter how energetic a person is, it is impossible to take charge of all the affairs of a country. Not only will he die of exhaustion, but he will also make wrong judgments and make big mistakes when he is not energetic enough. We must learn to delegate power and not take everything in our hands. Leave professional matters to professionals. Being an emperor only requires knowing how to use people..."

Li Chengqian and the queen looked at each other and sighed, "Erlang is here to see me by teaching Xiang'er, but as an emperor, I am rich and powerful. I am responsible not only for the people of the world but also for the royal family. Ministers can delegate power and focus on employing people, but how can a king do that? It is easy to delegate power, but it is difficult to take it back. If the imperial power falls into someone else's hands, it will be too late to regret it."

The Queen frowned slightly and patiently advised: "Erlang's words actually make sense. I see that Your Majesty is buried in documents and handling state affairs all day long to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep, so I often worry about your health. I am a woman and don't understand state affairs. I only know that whether you are ambitious or a great man, you still need to have a good body."

These words are undoubtedly from the heart. Others may judge whether you are a man of great talent and whether you will go down in history, but only the people closest to you care about your health.

But when Li Chengqian heard this, he became suspicious. Could it be that he was mocking my poor physique?
The recent heavy government affairs and the undercurrents within the royal family have almost drained all of Li Chengqian's energy, making it inevitable that he is unable to do what he wants in bed, and his performance is not so satisfactory. When you have a flaw in a certain area, even if others mention it casually, you will be sensitive to whether the other party is targeting you...

The most serious thing is that Fang Jun, another person who was entangled in a scandal with the queen, has surprisingly good physical fitness, which makes Li Chengqian even more restless and angry.

However, he did not lose his temper in front of the child. He snorted with an unpleasant expression and did not comment on the Queen's words.

The queen glanced at Li Chengqian and sensed his dissatisfaction. Although she didn't know where his anger came from, she wisely kept her mouth shut.

Li Chengqian was no longer in the mood to teach a child. He patted Li Xiang on the shoulder and told him, "Duke Yue is a great man of the time, both civil and military. It is your honor to be his student. Don't act like a crown prince in front of him. Otherwise, if you anger him and get beaten, don't come back and complain, because I will beat you up again... Be obedient and sensible. As for what you learn, don't be too demanding. You are the crown prince and you should know more, but that's all."

Being an emperor is both difficult and easy. The most important thing is to know how to identify and employ people. As for riding, archery, music, chess, calligraphy and painting, they are only for cultivating one's sentiments. In prosperous times, an emperor does not need to lead troops to fight, but he cannot just bury himself in books. If he is really proficient in poetry, calligraphy and painting, he may not be a good emperor...

Then he stood up and left with his hands behind his back.

The Queen looked a little unhappy, but more confused. After thinking carefully, she didn't know what she had said wrong to make the Emperor unhappy.

Fang Jun advised you through the crown prince to take care of your health. Isn't this what a loyal minister should do? What's wrong with you following Fang Jun's advice and combining work and rest?
It's just baffling.

The emperor has become more and more moody recently, and it is impossible to figure out what he is thinking. This makes the queen, who is determined to restore harmony, feel exhausted. Since she doesn't know what the emperor is angry about, she simply doesn't think about it or ask, and prefers to ignore it.

Pulling the two children to her side, she forced a smile and said softly, "You are all good children. You must believe in love, brotherly love and respect for each other, and set an example for the royal family. Don't listen to the instigation and persuasion of others. If anyone dares to say such nonsense, tell mother, and mother will not forgive you easily!"

The two princes nodded in agreement.

Although he was young, he was born into the Tang Dynasty royal family and knew the bloody storms that had occurred during the succession of the throne...