My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 346 Prince, you don't want to go through Xuanwu Gate, right?

Tai Chi Hall.

That night.

Prince of Wei Li Tai and Prince of Jin Li Zhi arrived together.

But he was stopped outside the door by the eunuch Zhang Ananda.

"Please ask Eunuch Zhang to inform the emperor that my brothers and I have something urgent to deal with."

Li Tai said in a deep voice.

Even if Zhang Ananda had already said that His Majesty would not see him.

Seeing the King of Wei and the King of Jin like this, Zhang Ananda felt helpless: "King of Wei, King of Jin, Your Majesty has been too tired today and has already gone to bed. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

Li Tai was firm: "No, it won't work."

"If the emperor doesn't see us, the Tang Dynasty may be in danger of collapse! Eunuch Zhang has been with Your Majesty for many years, and he should know the priorities!"

Normally, Li Tai should be obedient.

But in today's situation, thinking about what happened on Zhuque Street, Su Dingfang was going to kill them on the spot, the shadow of death still looms.

It was so close, I confessed.

No matter what, Li Tai must see his father today.

Li Zhi was a little hesitant. He felt a lot of pressure facing his father.

After all, this time, they were the ones who ambushed the eldest brother first.

It's somewhat untenable logically.

But Li Tai was right, they could no longer deal with the prince, and persuading his father to forcefully suppress the prince was their only way out.

At this moment, Li Zhi was a little flustered and wanted to see Mei Niang very much.

Maybe Mei Niang can give him a good idea.

Unfortunately now is not the time.

Zhang Ananda could only go in and report again.

After all, these are His Majesty's two legitimate sons. If it were anyone else, he would have simply driven them away.

Li Tai and Li Zhi waited anxiously.

Not long after, Zhang Ananda came out again.

"Is the Emperor willing to see us?"

Li Tai asked quickly.

Zhang Ananda shook his head slightly: "Your Majesty said that the Crown Prince's regent is in accordance with the law. As for the dispute between the two princes and the Crown Prince..."

After a pause, he continued, "Your Majesty has his own judgment in his heart, and there is no need for others to say more."

Li Zhi's face turned pale in an instant.

Could it be that the emperor has given up on them?

The blame in these words is so obvious.

Li Tai was also a little panicked.

He never expected that his father would actually favor the crown prince at such a critical moment.

Normally, Li Tai and Li Zhi were about to leave.

Li Zhi thought to himself that he would go to Mei Niang for help later.

But how could Li Tai dare to leave?

He knelt down outside the palace and said loudly, "Father, Father!"

"Save the bluebird, save the bluebird."

As he spoke, Li Tai kowtowed.

It was a real knock, with a bang, and his forehead soon turned purple, which was particularly obvious in the quiet night.

inside the house.

Li Shimin naturally heard it.

I feel helpless.

A tired voice sounded.

"Okay, come in."

After all, it was his favorite Qingque, so he naturally couldn't bear it.

A hint of pride flashed in Li Tai's eyes.

He knew that his father would not ignore him.

Hearing His Majesty's words, Zhang Ananda had no choice but to open the palace door and welcome the King of Wei and the King of Jin in.

Li Tai and Li Zhi entered and saw their father, who looked very haggard, and they bowed hurriedly.

"Qingque pays respect to Father."

"Child slave greets father."

Li Shimin said in a dull voice: "Tell me, why do you want to see me so late at night?"

Upon hearing this, Li Tai knelt down again with a miserable voice.

"Father, I am asking for an audience because the Crown Prince's rebellious intentions are obvious. If we do not deal with him now, the Tang Dynasty will be in danger."

Li Shimin didn't respond.

"You know your sins."

"The attack on the prince's carriage on Suzaku Street is tantamount to treason."

Li Zhi shuddered when he heard this. This was what he feared the most.

Li Tai suddenly raised his head, tears streaming down his round face: "Father, please understand! My two brothers and I are only concerned about the country and the people of the Tang Dynasty, so we have no choice but to do this!"

"The prince had his own army in Luoyang and started a rebellion. He also used his artillery to attack Tongguan. When he broke through Tongguan, he even blasted the city wall into pieces."

"If it weren't for my father ambushing the Imperial Guards in advance on Zhuque Street today, Qingque and Zhinu would have been killed by Su Dingfang."

Li Shimin was unmoved and sneered, "You are allowed to ambush the crown prince, but he is not allowed to kill you? Those who kill will be killed, don't you understand this principle, Qingque?"

Li Tai quickly choked up and explained: "Qingque never thought of killing my elder brother, father is very clear."

"This ambush on my elder brother is just to remove his military power. My elder brother has artillery and it will be difficult to resist. If we can take advantage of this opportunity, we can prevent a crisis."

"Qingque and Zhinu only wanted to capture my eldest brother and hand him over to our father for punishment. They never thought of murdering my eldest brother."

As he spoke, while Li Shimin lowered his head in thought, Qingque tilted his head slightly and glared at Li Zhi fiercely.

You are such a childish slave, you are just watching the show from the sidelines, and it’s all up to me to act?
You should at least cooperate with me.

Li Zhi was a little stunned.

I was amazed by Li Tai's acting skills.

She was clearly crying bitterly, but she could suddenly change and glare at me.

And the next moment everything returns to the past.

I even felt that the glance just now was like an illusion.

But Li Zhi also understood that he could not remain indifferent.

He quickly agreed, "Yes, Father, Zhinu and Fourth Brother never thought of harming Big Brother from the beginning."

"I just don't want you to make the same mistake again. I want to persuade you to change your ways."

"Big brother, you really want to kill Zhinu and Fourth Brother."

Li Shimin felt a little sympathy.

It was not because of what the two said, but because if Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Yaojin had not arrived in time, Qingque and Zhinu would have been killed on the spot by the prince.

Li Shimin did not blame the prince too much for his behavior.

Brothers killing each other? It's just you kill me and I kill you.

That's how he got here back then.

But these are my own flesh and blood.

They are all his children with Guanyinbi.

The palms and backs of your hands are all made of flesh, how can you not feel pain?

Li Tai carefully observed the changes in his father's expression and thought that his father was moved by the crown prince's killing of his brother, so he added again: "Father, my eldest brother secretly hid three cannons under the carriage. What is his intention?"

"It's clear that they want to take advantage of this opportunity to make a big difference."

"Fortunately, my son and the young slave figured it out, otherwise it would have caused a disaster if it had entered the palace."

"If my elder brother enters the East Palace, which is only separated from the Taiji Palace by a wall, the artillery can bombard an area several miles away."

Li Shimin waved his hand to interrupt: "That's enough."

"I'm tired, please retreat."

Li Shimin didn't want to argue with his two sons anymore. He knew exactly what Qingque and Zhinu were thinking.

But is the prince so easy to deal with?

"But Father."

"That's enough." Li Shimin shouted, "Back off."

Li Tai and Li Zhi saw that their father was really angry, so they dared not say anything.

They could only bow together and say, "Yes, Father."

Li Shimin pondered for a moment, then said to Li Zhi: "Since your elder brother has dismissed you from the post of General of the Right Jinwu Guard, then you should do so."

Li Zhi couldn't believe that his father would treat him like this at this point.

Could it be that my father has no feelings for me at all?

Myself and my fourth brother, the eldest brother.

To be so different.

But Li Zhi did not dare to refute, he could only bow his head and said: "Yes, father."

Looking at the two people's backs as they left, Li Shimin's eyes gradually calmed down.

These two second sons are really bad.

Without comparison, there is no harm.

Previously, Li Shimin wanted to balance the power of the crown prince through Li Tai and Li Zhi.

But what the two of them did did not have any effect at all, but instead made the prince more powerful.

The reason why he followed the Crown Prince's wishes and dismissed Prince Jin from his post as General of the Right Jinwu Guard was because of favoritism.

No, I'm saving him.

Could it be that with the position of general, Li Zhi would be able to win?
Li Tai and Li Zhi didn't even think about it.

Since Li Shimin had woken up long ago and had arranged an ambush on Zhuque Street.

Could it be that he didn't know about the actions of Li Tai and Li Zhi?

The guards of the Prince of Wei's Palace, the Five Surnames and Seven Aristocrats, and the Jinwu Guards were mobilized. How could Li Shimin be completely unaware of such a big move?

No, on the contrary, Li Shimin knew everything and even deliberately turned a blind eye to it.

Having said that, if Li Tai and Li Zhi really defeated the prince, then the matter would be over.

But Qingque and Zhinu are too useless.

Although Li Shimin had long guessed that the prince must have a backup plan if he dared to enter the city, the alliance between Qingque and Zhinu would be in vain.

But such a complete defeat still made Li Shimin somewhat disappointed with Qingque Zhinu.

"Your Majesty, is the Crown Prince's side?"

The eunuch Zhang Ananda asked in a low voice.

Li Shimin shook his head gently: "No, let's leave it like this for now. I am not feeling well, so the court will be temporarily placed in Beiyuan, and Prince Xu will be the regent."

As a horse emperor, Li Shimin knew this very well.

The matter of being the regent could hardly shake the real power in the hands of the emperor.

Although he did not know the saying that political power comes from the barrel of a gun, he knew that the emperor's power did not come from heaven or earth, nor from his subjects, but from military power.

For Li Shimin now, the most important thing is not to fight with the crown prince, nor how to take him down, but to take care of his own health first.

If your health cannot recover, then what's the point of fighting? You should just abdicate the throne to the crown prince as soon as possible and move to Daming Palace to cultivate your body and mind.

If Li Chengqian knew what Li Shimin was thinking, he would definitely praise him highly.

Old Li has a very high level of ideological awareness. The body is the capital of revolution.

Zhang Ananda was still a little worried: "The crown prince is the regent, and I don't know if he will bring the methods from Luoyang here, which will cause chaos in Chang'an."

Li Shimin smiled and said, "I actually hope he will do so, so that he can experience it in advance. Being an emperor is not as arbitrary as he thinks. Does he really think that being an emperor means he can do whatever he wants? He is wrong."

Having been emperor for so many years, Li Shimin understood very clearly how difficult it was to be an emperor.

It doesn't mean that once you issue an edict, everyone below will do as you wish.

There are many people who secretly disobey.

Moreover, there are many imperial edicts that can be sent back to you.

Why not check.

Many people think that once an imperial edict is issued, that’s it.

The emperor only has a few things to do in a day.

In reality, the ministers below can give you ten thousand tasks every day.

If you really want to check this and that, you won't be able to finish even if you work nonstop for twelve hours.

Being an emperor is not a nine-to-five job, but a five-to-nine job.

A person's energy is limited, so the emperor can only rely on his ministers.

There are so many treacherous ministers in history. Did they all gain power by flattering others?

In fact, most of the treacherous ministers are capable ministers.

In the emperor's eyes, they can really get things done.

The most important thing is that the core point of the emperor's mind is balance.

Once the court officials become dominant, the first thing to be threatened is the imperial power.

The emperor never needs to distinguish between loyal and treacherous ministers.

Besides, there is no absolute loyalty or treachery in reality.

Standing in the emperor's position, whoever can safeguard the interests of imperial power is a loyal minister.

Do not use it because the water of the Yangtze River is clear, and do not abandon it because the water of the Yellow River is turbid.

"Your Majesty, but it's the King of Wei and the King of Jin."

"Will the prince?"

Zhang Ananda's voice sounded worried.

Li Shimin shook his head and said, "I am not dead yet, the prince dare not do this."

"If he wanted to deal with Qingque Zhinu, he would have done it long ago."

"Perhaps, he doesn't want to follow my old path either."

Li Shimin could vaguely guess Li Chengqian's thoughts.

After all, Li Chengqian also has two children.

The emperor's eldest grandson, Li Xiang, is not the biological son of the prince's mansion.

Xiao Li Jue is still young, so there are no conflicts between the two brothers.

But when we are teenagers, who isn’t a good kid?

When Li Chengqian was a teenager, he was smart, obedient, sensible, kind and filial.

Who would have thought it would be like this today.

Many things cannot be seen now.

Most of the time we have no choice but to do it because of the situation.

Even Li Shimin himself, when he was a teenager, rescued the emperor at Yanmen and was a loyal minister of the previous dynasty.

Who could have thought at that time that after the Sui Dynasty fell, it would be his Li family that would take over the world.

Who could have thought that the Li family, who were once harmonious brothers who conquered the world together, would eventually produce an emperor who killed his brothers and imprisoned his father.

Li Shimin went through Xuanwu Gate back then, and if Li Chengqian went through Xuanwu Gate again.

Will Li Xiang and Li Jue also have to go to Xuanwu Gate in the future?

Did all the emperors of the Tang Dynasty in later generations have to go through the Xuanwu Gate before they could be considered as legitimate successors to the throne?
Are the descendants of Li Tang going to love and hate each other for generations?

Li Shimin didn't want this.

Is this what Li Chengqian wants?

There seems to be an invisible bottom line between father and son, even though this bottom line is as fragile as window paper that can be broken with a poke.

Outside Tai Chi Hall.

Li Tai and Li Zhi looked pale.

"Fourth brother, what should we do? Father doesn't believe us at all..."

Li Zhi's voice trembled. Looking at the corner of his sleeve which was soaked with cold sweat, the courage he had just maintained in the hall disappeared in an instant.

He subconsciously reached for the jade pendant around his waist, which was given to him by Wu Meiniang herself, but it could not give him any peace of mind at the moment.

Li Tai's fat body rose and fell violently. He suddenly grabbed Li Zhi's collar and roared in a low voice: "It's all your fault! You were like a wooden stake in the palace just now. What were you doing earlier?"

"I...I panicked too!"

Li Zhi struggled to break free and staggered back two steps.

"Fourth brother, didn't you see the way our father looked at us? He doesn't care whether we live or die!"

Thinking of the look on his father's face when he coldly announced that he would be dismissed from his official position, his eyes instantly turned red.

He really didn't expect that at this time, when the prince was so powerful, his father would take away his only amulet.

But Li Zhi didn't know that the General of the Right Jinwu Guard was not his amulet, but more like his death warrant.

(End of this chapter)