My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 102 Li Shimin's Self-Motivation
Li Tai himself had some talent and was good in all aspects except for his bid for the throne.

Historically, Li Tai left behind twenty volumes of collected works after his death, but these volumes have been lost in later generations.

"Yes, Qingque has not slacked off in his studies these days."

Li Shimin had his own ability to appreciate poetry, and the level of this poem was considered upper-middle in the Tang Dynasty.

"Why don't you write a poem too, brother?"

"I haven't heard you write poetry for many years."

Li Tai looked at Li Chengqian very directly and asked, with a provocative look in his eyes.

When it comes to poetry, he was very confident that he could surpass the prince.

Li Shimin didn't say anything. He wanted to see how the prince would answer.

"Poetry, Little Doyle."

"Qingque has put all his thoughts on these things. Does he really regard himself as a poet and forget his responsibilities as the King of Wei?"

Li Chengqian scolded directly.

Li Tai sneered and said, "Brother, you are wrong. Poetry is a minor art, but it can express one's aspirations and show one's talent."

"I cultivate my character through poetry, so how could I forget my duty as the King of Wei? But you, my elder brother, keep belittling poetry. Is it because you are ignorant and dare not respond?"

In Li Tai's view, the prince was angry and humiliated because he could not write a better poem.

Seeing that the two were about to quarrel again, Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "Okay, both of you shut up."

"As brothers, you should live in harmony, not argue over poetry."

Then he said to Li Tai: "Qingque, your literary talent is known to everyone, and your elder brother's talent is even more obvious to all. There is no need to compare them."

Li Tai said helplessly: "Yes, Father."

Then he glanced at the prince on horseback and said, "Brother used to like writing poetry, but I didn't expect that you don't like it now."

"It's Qingque's fault."

Li Shimin frowned slightly but didn't say anything.

Li Chengqian knew that Li Tai wanted to surpass him in poetry.

After a brief pause, he said, "Snow is flying over the Yulong River, and the ice for thousands of miles reflects the cold light."

"The mountains are covered with snow and the silver dragon is angry. The vast plains are covered with the white python."

Li Shimin couldn't help but look at the prince in surprise. The land was frozen, the silver dragon was angry, and the white python was mad. What a fierce momentum.

When Li Tai heard these two sentences, he suddenly felt something was wrong.

Poetry is all about the intention. Under such a majestic momentum, Li Tai's beautiful artistic conception seems a bit artificial.

Li Chengqian ignored him and continued, "The king is so majestic when hunting, and he is so high-spirited when he draws his bow and chases the beast."

"Heroes gather to shoot eagles and draw their bows, their arrows pierce the frosty sky and shake the eight directions."

Hearing this, Li Shimin was even more satisfied.

Li Tai's expression also darkened.

How come the Crown Prince is better at flattering my father than I am? This is his area of ​​expertise. Being defeated in his area of ​​expertise makes Li Tai feel embarrassed.

Li Chengqian ignored Li Tai and said the last sentence aloud: "All the saints and wise men in ancient times have faded into obscurity, only our prosperous Tang Dynasty is unparalleled in the world."

"it is good!"

Hearing the last sentence, Li Shimin's eyes lit up and he cheered immediately.

In Li Shimin's heart, he always felt that he had made great achievements. Although he won the throne by seizing the throne, isn't the current prosperous Tang Dynasty enough to prove that he is more outstanding than his elder brother?

The Xuanwu Gate Incident was a pain in his heart and an indelible stain, so Li Shimin wanted to demonstrate his abilities even more.

As for this last sentence, all the saints and wise men in ancient times have been dimmed, only our prosperous Tang Dynasty is unparalleled.

It is the recognition of Li Shimin's achievements.

It implies that all saints and wise men from ancient times to the present will become dim under the glory of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.

Ending with this sentence not only praises the glory of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, but also cleverly caters to Li Shimin's psychology, bringing the artistic conception of the whole poem to a climax.

"Qingque, you still need to learn a lot from your elder brother."

Li Shimin made a final judgment right away. After all, the prince's last sentence was too brilliant. In comparison, Li Tai's poem seemed a bit like whining.

"Yes, Father."

Li Tai felt very regretful. Who could have thought that the prince had such profound attainments in poetry.

This is like shooting oneself in the foot. If I had known this would happen, I would rather not write poetry.

Li Chengqian looked calm and had nothing to be proud of.

The original body had a high level of literary attainments, and poetry and songs were naturally no problem for him. He was able to compose quatrains because he was standing on the shoulders of giants.

After all, it was a trick he stole from Li Bai.

The hunt begins, this is Li Chengqian's home court.

Although Li Tai's archery skills were not bad, they were not on the same level as Li Chengqian and Li Shimin.

Li Shimin's mind was focused on that line of poetry.

He kept repeating to himself that all the saints and wise men in ancient times have faded into obscurity, leaving only our Tang Dynasty unrivaled in the world.

He really likes this sentence.
-
The Eastern Palace rear residence.

Ice making location.

According to the rules, two captains take turns to work together on each patrol here.

Bai Wucheng's face looked bitter. He had received a secret letter and was required to act today while the prince was out hunting.

In front of the ice making yard.

"I'm going to talk to your Captain Bai for a while. You guys go patrol other places first."

Another captain on duty came over and said.

The guards looked at Bai Wucheng.

After Bai Wucheng nodded, the guards lined up and left.

"Brother Bai, it's up to you."

Yu Bing was a captain of the same rank, so Bai Wucheng naturally knew him.

I didn't expect that he would be moved by what the aristocratic families said.

When I think about my own situation, it seems normal.

"How to act?"

"I'll knock on the door and trick them into opening it, and then you go in and interrogate me about how to make the ice. Be quick."

"After you succeed."

"Kill the man and leave the palace directly. There is someone waiting outside the Yeonghee Gate. Just give it to him."

After a brief silence, Bai Wucheng said, "Okay."

Yu Bing knocked on the door, and soon heard footsteps. He asked in confusion, "Who is it?"

"Captain Yu Bing, following the instructions of the Crown Prince, has conducted a special inspection and opened the gate immediately."

There was some hesitation inside, but he still opened the door a little, leaned out halfway and asked, "The prince said."

Before he finished speaking, the sword was already placed over his head.

"Captain Yu, please spare my life." Hua Guan knelt directly on the ground.

Yu Bing looked at Bai Wucheng and whispered, "Go in and interrogate him."

Bai Wucheng nodded, drew his knife, put it on Hua Guan's neck, dragged him in and closed the door.

"Tell me, what is the secret recipe for making ice?"

Bai Wucheng was very decisive. He wiped the knife on Hua Guan's neck, and blood was already flowing out. If he had cut a little deeper, he would have cut his throat.

Facing the death threat, Hua Guan was very straightforward and said quickly: "It's xiaoshi. As long as you add enough xiaoshi, you can turn water into ice."

Bai Wucheng said coldly: "How dare you lie to me."

Hua Guan cried and explained: "How dare I lie to you, it is like this, if you don't believe me, go inside and take a look."

Bai Wucheng glanced around the room, was silent for a moment, covered Hua Guan's mouth, and slit his throat.

He didn't have time to test it. There were still more than a dozen people inside. If he killed them one by one, he would be exposed.

Now I can only believe it.

Yu Bing pushed open the door, saw this scene and said, "Did you ask?" "Yes."

"I'll take care of the aftermath. You leave the palace immediately."

"it is good."
-
Fish dragon river.

A huge wild boar was carried to the camp.

Several arrows were stuck in the forelegs, head, and back.

The fatal arrow shot into the right eye.

It can be imagined that the wild boar was foraging at the time, and a sharp arrow flew over and directly pierced the weak point of its right eye.

The wild boar ran away in pain, but was shot in the front foot again, and then hit by several more arrows and died.

It was already known that the prince was a strong archer, but hunting a wild boar was surprising enough.

Wild boars are not so easy to hunt. This is an adult wild boar, huge and strong, weighing several hundred kilograms.

Although wild boars are large in size, they are very agile.

They can run and shuttle quickly in complex terrains such as mountains, forests, and grasslands, and their speed is not inferior to that of ordinary prey. Wild boars can also turn and jump flexibly to avoid being chased and attacked by hunters.

The key is to be highly vigilant, with a very keen sense of smell and hearing, and be able to detect approaching danger from a long distance.

"Yes, Cheng Qian really did not disappoint me."

Li Shimin said with a smile that his prey was not bad either, a red deer and a lone wolf.

Normally, being able to hunt a wolf is already considered a big prize, but it is far inferior to a wild boar.

Li Tai looked unhappy because his prey were only a few snow rabbits and a pheasant.

The guards had already built a bonfire, and Li Shimin asked them to cut off the wild boar skin as a tribute to the crown prince.

Because wild boar meat had not been castrated and would have a smell, it was given as a reward to the guards.

Li Tai consoled himself that at least his snow rabbits and young chickens were tastier than wild boars.

Li Shimin took the two brothers to chat about family matters

The original purpose of this winter hunt was to prevent the two brothers from being too confrontational.

After all, they are brothers. Even if our bones are broken, our tendons are still connected.

Although he knew the root of this, he didn't want to go to the point of life and death.

"I remember that Qingque used to like running behind Chengqian the most."

"Once, Qingque was naughty and broke my beloved luminous cup."

"I will call both of you over and ask who broke it."

"Cheng Qian, do you still remember that you defended your brother and stood up, saying that you broke it. Qing Que also stood up and admitted that he broke it."

"You two were arguing there, so I said, let's punish you both together."

"Even so, Cheng Qian, you still protect Qingque."

Li Shimin's tone was filled with sighs and memories. Qingque and Chengqian had always had a very close relationship when they were young.

The two brothers were born of the same mother and were only one year apart in age. They were brought up by Empress Changsun and were sensible, obedient and harmonious.

Moreover, both of them are very smart, so they never have to worry about their studies.

How could there be such a situation of brothers being so close to each other as now?

Thinking of Guanyinbi, Li Shimin couldn't help but burst into tears. Even though six years had passed, every time he thought of Guanyinbi, Li Shimin felt sad and reluctant.

Unfortunately, at this point, Li Shimin could only move himself.

Li Chengqian was also speechless. Wasn't your current situation caused by your own hands?

Li Tai said hypocritically: "Father, my mother's spirit in heaven would definitely not want to see you so sad."

What happened in the past might have touched Li Tai, but everyone knew that there was no way out now.

Li Shimin nodded, holding Li Chengqian with his left hand and Li Tai with his right hand.

Then he held the two brothers' hands together.

He said with deep affection: "Your mother is watching us from heaven, always watching us."

"If you have misunderstandings about each other, think more about your mother. She definitely doesn't want to see you brothers fighting."

Just as Li Shimin was being sentimental, the sound of horse hooves came from afar.

The guards immediately became alert and blocked the way.

I saw a group of Ti cavalrymen galloping towards me from a distance.

"Whoever comes, please tell me your name."

"Zheng Bian, the General of the Eastern Palace, has an urgent matter to report to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Shimin heard the noise and said, "Let him come over."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zheng Bian dismounted, walked over, clasped his fists and bowed: "I am Zheng Bian, the General of the Eastern Palace, and I pay my respects to your Majesty and your Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Chengqian asked: "What's the matter?"

Zheng Bian glanced at His Majesty, and then replied: "Reporting to His Royal Highness, Taoist Master Hua Guan was murdered in the Ice Making Courtyard. The murderer has been arrested. Please ask the Crown Prince to make a decision."

Li Chengqian stood up suddenly, took a deep look at Li Tai, and said to Li Shimin: "Father, I will go back first."

Li Shimin also knew that the situation was urgent, so he nodded and said, "Okay."

Li Chengqian immediately jumped on his horse, rode away on the Zhaoye Jade Lion.

Li Shimin looked at Li Tai and asked, "Does this matter have anything to do with you?"

Li Tai naturally couldn't admit it, and he argued: "How can this matter have anything to do with me? Can I open an ice shop if I take my elder brother's ice making method?"

When Li Shimin heard this, he also felt that it made sense.

After all, even if Qingque learned the ice-making method, he couldn't open an ice shop. Otherwise, everyone would know that Qingque sent people to steal the ice-making method, which would be completely disadvantageous to Qingque.

But he could not have imagined that Li Tai would rather the ice-making method flow into the hands of aristocratic families than see the prince profit from it.

He glanced at the prince's leaving back.

Li Tai sneered in his heart.

It's not just about the ice-making method, it's also about Su Dingfang.

Before setting off, Chai Lingwu had someone report to the Dali Temple to impeach Su Dingfang for corruption and bribery.

East Palace.

When Li Chengqian arrived, Bai Wucheng and Yu Bing had already been tied up and kneeling in the main hall.

After looking at the two people kneeling on the ground, Li Chengqian did not get angry or question them, but listened to the eunuch Wen Zhong's description of what happened.

After listening, Li Chengqian asked, "Bai Wucheng has already succeeded, how did you find out?"

After the incident, Yu Bing was arrested, but he did not confess anything about Bai Wucheng.

This time difference was enough for Bai Wucheng to leave the Eastern Palace, but he was caught.

The eunuch Wen Zhong said: "The credit goes to Di Renjie, the son of Di Zhixun."

"Bai Wucheng asked for leave, saying his father was seriously ill and he had to leave the palace to visit him. It happened that Di Zhixun returned with his son Di Renjie at that time. They ran into him at Jiafu Gate and saw something was wrong."

"Di Zhixun used a little trick to hold Bai Wucheng back."

Li Chengqian asked curiously, "How did Di Renjie figure out the clues?"

The eunuch Wen Zhong said, "When Di Renjie heard Bai Wucheng say that his father was seriously ill, his face showed only nervousness and anxiety, but no worry at all. This was unreasonable, so he felt that there was something fishy going on, so he informed his father Di Zhixun."

"After that, Di Zhixun asked several questions, but Bai Wucheng hesitated and made many mistakes."

Li Chengqian nodded. He originally thought that Di Renjie was too young and had not grown up yet, but he did not expect that he could be of such great help.

In fact, even if the ice-making method was leaked, it would not have a big impact on Li Chengqian.

The noble families only dared to open ice shops in their own territories, and the city of Chang'an had already been monopolized by them.

Whoever dares to open it is a thief and will be arrested and punished immediately.

As for the aristocratic family, opening an ice cream shop on their own territory would give Li Chengqian an excuse to cause trouble.

It may be troublesome now, but the situation will be different once you have military power.

"Close the palace gates and conduct a strict investigation and interrogation."

"As for these two people, don't they want to know how to make ice? Then go to the ice-making institute and make ice for me."

(End of this chapter)