Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 296 This Father-Son Game
Lizheng Hall.

Li Chengqian stood in front of his mother's dressing room, breathing in the increasingly faint scent of powder, his face showing some struggle and distortion.

He really didn't want to be here.

Although he lived in Lizheng Hall, he usually avoided this place.

However, Li Ming is now pressing forward step by step, and the Tang Dynasty is in turmoil.

This forced Li Chengqian to come here again.

Huh... Li Chengqian exhaled a breath and pushed the door open.

There was a person sitting in the room.

It was the retired emperor Li Shimin.

Li Shimin was half lying on the couch with his back to Li Chengqian at the door, looking exactly the same as the last time Li Chengqian saw him here.

The palace maids and eunuchs served him, taking turns rubbing the numb right half of his body.

Since returning to Beijing, Li Shimin has been sitting in this room whenever he has nothing to do.

I don’t know if he is thinking about life or just daydreaming.

"His Majesty!"

The sharp-eyed palace maid saw the emperor outside the door and bowed hurriedly.

Li Chengqian waved his hand impatiently:

"Get out first."

The palace servants did not dare to ask any more questions and filed out.

In this former dressing room of Empress Changsun and former study of Li Ming, only the emperor and his son were left.

Li Shimin seemed to have just woken up from his sleep, mumbling incoherently:

"Huh? Why don't you rub it? My right hand is really sore..."

Li Chengqian looked at the old man's back and a trace of disgust flashed in his eyes.

Ever since I asked Li Shimin for advice last time and received the advice to "maintain good relations with my brothers".

Li Chengqian never had any communication with his father again.

It’s not because Li Shimin’s idea was bad.

As long as my father is not unconscious, his mind is still quite clear.

Li Chengqian refused to see his father simply because he hated this incompetent father.

What's more, I hate myself for having to rely on such a father.

When they were wandering together on the grassland, Li Chengqian was still able to suppress the disgust in his heart.

However, after returning to Chang'an and Taiji Palace, memories of the past continued to haunt him, and hatred grew in his heart.

However, Li Chengqian was able to hold back and did not express his hatred openly.

He bowed respectfully with the standard etiquette of a filial son:

"Father, I greet you."

Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, but did not turn his head, as if his mind was still in a confused state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness:
"Cheng Qian? Why are you here? Are you here to accompany your mother as well?"

Just a few words made Li Chengqian burst into tears.

However, Old Li's next words made Li Chengqian's tears flow back:

"This is outrageous! You don't learn how to govern the country during this good time, but instead you are indulging in the sorrow of the past and crying. What do you think you can achieve?"

Li Chengqian's face suddenly turned cold as ice.

Even though this man is old and confused, he is still as strict and inhuman as he was in the past.

But this time, Li Chengqian felt that he didn't have to endure it any longer.

"Father, I am already the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty." His voice was as cold as ice:
"Please address me as Your Majesty, Father!"

"Your Majesty? You?" Li Shimin seemed very surprised and finally turned his head. His two eyes, one big and one small, stared suspiciously at his eldest son who was wearing a dragon robe and a crown.

After a long time, he finally understood, as if he had just woken up from a long dream.

"Oh, it's Emperor Yongqing. What's the matter?"

Li Chengqian was annoyed by Lao Li's neglect and decided to give him a warning before asking him for help.

"Father, the Lizheng Palace is too small. Please move to the Ganlu Palace."

Before getting down to business, he first mentioned an unimportant matter.

This is also what Li Chengqian decided to do.

There was a reason to drive Dad out. After all, there could not be two suns in the sky, and now the emperor and the emperor emeritus both lived in Lizheng Palace, and the small palace could not accommodate two suns.

If this matter gets out, the barbarians next door will think that the Tang Dynasty cannot afford to live in a house.

The Ganlu Palace is far away in the harem, with beautiful scenery and away from the hustle and bustle, making it an ideal place for retirement.

Anyway, Li Chengqian is of no use in the harem, so let him accompany his beauties in the harem.

"The Ganlu Palace is inside the Ganlu Gate, and outsiders are not allowed to enter. Are you going to lock me up in the harem and cut off my connection with the ministers?"

Li Shimin dragged out the last syllable, and his voice sounded a little harsh.

Although his brain is not as sharp as it was in his heyday, as a natural power machine, he still has some sensitivity.

Li Chengqian shook his head: "No. If Father is willing, the guards of Ganlu Gate can be removed and foreign officials can come and go as they please."

If I want to deal with you, I have plenty of ways to do it... Li Chengqian said in his heart.

"Oh." Li Shimin nodded:
"So you hate me and don't want to live in the same palace with me?"

"Ahem!" Li Chengqian started coughing violently. He did not comment on his father's guess and changed the subject abruptly:

"Father, there are some things about governing a country that I don't quite understand. For the sake of the people of the world, I hope you can give me some advice."

Li Shimin laughed when he heard it:

"You haven't come to see me for so many days, and now you're in trouble you come to me for help?
"Tell me, what difficulties have you encountered? Have you ever fought against Daming?"

Li Chengqian couldn't laugh at all when being laughed at by a patient with cerebral infarction.

This old man has a really sharp political sense. He immediately saw through the embellishment of words and grasped the implied truth.

But what do you mean when you, the Emperor Emeritus of the Tang Dynasty, call the rebels "Ming Dynasty"?
Huh... Li Chengqian suppressed his desire to complain.

"Father, this is it."

He knew that his imperial mentality was totally incomparable to his father's, so he had to recount the whole story of what had happened during this period.

This included the fact that he was slapped in the face in the currency war with the Pseudo-Ming Dynasty, and that he sent the New Turks to steal a chicken from the rear, which resulted in the Turkic tribes being defeated and the commander Qibi Heli being captured, etc. He concealed nothing and told everything.

Li Shimin listened quietly, his eyes gradually became clear and his brows slowly wrinkled.

Until the end, when Li Chengqian talked about how the barbarians on the grassland had lost their fighting spirit due to a strange religious frenzy.

Li Shimin could no longer bear it and asked suddenly:
"The one in charge of Ming Dynasty is Li Ming? Li Ming is not dead?!"

It is not difficult to blame Li Shimin for being too sensitive.

Anyone with a little common sense knows that who else in the world except Li Ming could come up with such a crooked way that is so evil and yet so useful?
"..." Li Chengqian paused, feeling that he could no longer keep the lid on, and he stammered:

"Shisi Langying, he should not be dead. There may have been some misunderstandings before..."

"Did Li Zhi deliberately spread the false news? In order to make his regent legitimate? Oh, Zhinu is quite scheming!"

Li Shimin interrupted Li Chengqian, speaking quickly with light in his eyes.

That is the purest joy.

The old father was so happy as if his beloved son had come back to life.

"It's good that Li Ming is alive, it's good that he is alive!" I just feel strange, Li Ming is a very tough guy, how could he be killed by Qingque?
"Qingque... But Qingque is probably dead."

As soon as Li Tai was mentioned, the light in Li Shimin's eyes quickly dimmed.

Li Ming can be "resurrected", but Li Tai is already dead. He was beheaded right in front of him, and there is no room for reversal.

Li Tai was killed by Li Jing, and Li Jing was under the Ming Dynasty, which was the empire founded by Li Ming...

"Father is right. Li Tai died because of a quarrel between brothers." Li Chengqian interrupted without losing any time.
"If my father had always insisted on having his son or eldest son inherit, Li Tai would not have..."

All of this is your own fault. Your father, Li Chengqian, doesn't mind rubbing salt into Li Shimin's wounds in return for the "abuse" his father inflicted on him in his childhood.

Li Shimin was silent for a while, wiped his eyes, sighed and shook his head:
"Alas, it's all past.

"Everyone has his own destiny. Qingque colluded with foreigners to bring disaster to the Tang Dynasty. It was his own fault. Let's not talk about him."

He quickly recovered from his grief.

Since his cerebral blood vessel was blocked, his thinking has become more open-minded, and he is not as easily indulged in negative emotions as before.

"Hey, but...hiss! Li Ming does have some ideas! He actually thought of using religion...

“It’s cheap, but it really works!”

Li Shimin was once again filled with joy at learning that Li Ming had "come back to life". He became more and more excited as he spoke, and he slapped the armrest of the couch and actually stood up.

"Father?" Li Chengqian took a step back, his eyes filled with vigilance.

Li Shimin seemed unaware of his eldest son's abnormality. He was still immersed in excitement and his speech speed was getting faster and faster.

"Religion is such a good weapon! It's much better than conquering with force, once and for all!
"From now on, the barbarians will no longer be able to invade China!"

He became more and more excited, and his cheeks became redder and redder. In the end, he actually paced around the room, dragging his stiff right half of his body.

"Li Ming is a natural born emperor!"

"..." As soon as these words came out, Li Chengqian's face suddenly turned pale, and he took a step back without saying a word.

Father, what does this mean?
Did he change his mind and want to pass the throne back to Li Ming?

Although the throne of the emperor is a matter of great importance, it is not a trivial matter that the emperor can change by just saying "Sorry, I made a mistake, hahaha".

Li Chengqian has now ascended the throne and announced to the world that he has officially become the Son of Heaven and controls the Tang army. It is impossible to reload the game and start over.

However, at this critical juncture when the Tang Dynasty is being unilaterally defeated by Li Ming, all the civil and military officials in the court have lost their confidence.

If the emperor, whose prestige still remains, made such erroneous remarks at this time that "boost others' ambitions and destroy his own prestige", it would probably make the people in Chang'an even more uneasy.

Once the people's hearts are lost, the court will collapse.

Or maybe Father wanted Chang'an to collapse and open the city gates to welcome the Ming army...

Just when Li Chengqian was daydreaming.

Then, he saw Li Shimin suddenly stop where he was, staring at him with a pair of excited eyes, his half-drooped right eye still flushed red.

"Cheng Qian, you want to deal with Li Ming, right?
"I'll help you!"

Eh? No... Didn't you say that Li Ming was born to be an emperor? !
The emperor's sudden change of direction really shocked Li Chengqian, and he didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Li Shimin looked at him expectantly, like a naughty boy waiting for a gift.

Everyone knows that Li Ming is very strong.

But how strong is Li Ming? Can he be stronger than his father?
As a cavalry emperor with a strong competitive spirit, Li Shimin had long wanted to compete.

Let’s see how good the younger son is.

As I said - if you want to take over the world, step over your father and take it!
"Uh, that..."

After a while, Li Chengqian finally gathered his thoughts and said humbly:
"This is exactly the question I came to ask you today."

Well, my father must have realized Li Ming's rebellious nature, and out of a sense of responsibility for the Tang Dynasty, he angrily helped him.

It must not be because Li Ming stirred up his father's fighting spirit, making this old man with a brainless mind simply want to fight with his youngest son...

"Although I promised to help you, but..." Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian with a smirk:
"But I have two conditions."

Looking at this old naughty boy with a problem in his brain, Li Chengqian suddenly felt a headache.

This nasty feeling is so damn familiar...

"Father, please give your orders."

"Cheng Qian, when we were in the grassland, you always called me 'Father'. Why did you call me 'Emperor Father' when you returned to Chang'an? It seems a bit strange."

Li Shimin crossed his arms, looking very dissatisfied:
"The first condition is that you have to call me back and continue to call me 'father'."

Li Chengqian's mouth twitched.

Ah~ I finally understand why this headache feeling is so familiar.

Although it’s a bit inappropriate to say this, but——

Li Shimin, a man with a simple mind, is very similar to Li Ming in character.

Quirky and hard to understand.

The parent class belongs to the child.

"Yes, father." Li Chengqian agreed reluctantly.

Li Shimin stroked his goatee with satisfaction, his eyes narrowed, flashing with cunning.

"The second condition is that I can lead the troops to the front line and face Li Ming and Li Jing's armies directly."

Li Chengqian's eyes fixed, and alarm bells rang in his heart.

General Tian Ce asked for military power, what does this mean? !

This signal is very dangerous!
"You don't have to be so vigilant. I gave you the military power. Are you afraid that I might do something bad to you?" There was a hint of mockery in Old Li's tone, as if he was coaxing a mentally retarded child.

No one knows a son better than his father. How could he not notice Li Chengqian's little thoughts?

"No, father... Father, swords and guns are blind and the front line is dangerous! And your health is not convenient, but my Tang Dynasty has enough people, and we actually let the emperor lead the army in person..." Li Chengqian said a lot of big truths.

Li Shimin waved his hand and interrupted:

"Li Shiji is still slightly inferior to Li Jing. In addition, he is eager to make meritorious deeds and atone for his sins, which makes it easier for the shrewd Li Jing to seize the opportunity.

"I have to do it."

The emperor had said so much, so Li Chengqian just agreed verbally:

"Since my father asked...

"Then father, how should we deal with Li Ming?"

"A blacksmith must be strong himself." Li Shimin changed his frivolous attitude and became serious:

"First stabilize the people's livelihood at home. Fighting wars is about logistics, especially wars of annihilation between major powers.

"What's the point of fighting a war when there's chaos before the war?"

He faced the fact that the Ming Dynasty was a country, a great power, and a political entity on par with the Tang Dynasty.

This is the respect that should be given to a strong enemy.

Li Chengqian looked solemn, listened attentively to his father's instructions, and asked:
"Father, under the harassment of the pseudo-Ming, money is cheap and food is expensive in the country. This is an urgent matter that needs to be resolved right now.

"How should we deal with this?"

Li Shimin said confidently:

"What's so difficult about this? Money is cheap and food is expensive. It's nothing more than more money and less food.

"Then let's have less money and more food, wouldn't that solve the problem?"

Li Chengqian's mouth twitched.

Listening to the Lord's words is like listening to the words.

(End of this chapter)