I am Li Shen and Li Shimin, the free kings of the Tang Dynasty

As soon as Li Shen sat down, Li Chengqian laughed three times, clearly enjoying himself.

Li Shen, however, was somewhat confused. What did he mean by "beating the mountain to scare the tiger" and "pointing at the grass to insult the tree"? What had he just said?

"Brother, is there some misunderstanding? I don't quite understand what you mean."

Li Shen looked at Li Chengqian with a blank expression and asked.

"Heh, stop pretending. There are no outsiders here, just you and me. Why put on such an act?"

Seeing Li Shen's expression, Li Chengqian said with a smile.

"But...but I really don't understand what you're talking about, brother. I hope you can enlighten me." Li Shen looked puzzled. What was he pretending for?

Does this person misunderstand themselves?

Li Chengqian sighed inwardly. It seemed his tenth brother was testing him, going to great lengths to make him understand.

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian felt a little moved:

"Alright, since that's the case, then I'll speak. Just now you asked me to be the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat. At first, I thought that was your excuse to refuse me."

But what you said next made me suddenly realize that what you meant by forming cliques, monopolizing power, and having many disciples was actually a veiled reference to these high-ranking officials.

These people each had their own power, especially the Duke of Zhao, who, as the Minister of Works, actually held the position of Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, making him the head of all officials.

In his early years, he showed signs of forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices, which led to his punishment by Aye.

As you saw today, Xu Jingzong and Gao Jifu are both related to him. The tenth brother's move is to take this opportunity to warn them and serve as a deterrent.

Let them know that someone is watching them, so that they will not act too recklessly.

"Tenth Brother, your plan is truly ingenious; I admire it greatly."

After speaking, Li Chengqian cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Li Shen.

Li Shen stared blankly at Li Chengqian, completely dumbfounded. He felt like Li Chengqian wasn't talking about him.

When did I start thinking so much? What's with all this talk of warning and intimidation, and keeping an eye on them? I don't have time to keep an eye on them.

I don't have that many tricks up my sleeve. Isn't this the kind of cunning that only a sly old fox like Changsun Wuji would have?

Things like "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass" and "borrowing arrows with straw boats."

"What, is what I said not satisfactory, tenth brother?" Seeing Li Shen remain silent and sit there solemnly.

Li Chengqian wondered if he had said something wrong, and that Li Shen was cunning and perhaps had other intentions.

"No." Li Shen snapped out of his daze and looked at Li Chengqian. "Brother, are you talking about me?"

He had to confirm it, because what Li Chengqian said seemed to have nothing to do with him.

Seeing this, Li Chengqian shook his head helplessly and smiled:

"Hehe, tenth brother, there are no outsiders here, why put on airs with your elder brother? I'm not saying you can be anyone else."

"With your exceptional talent and wisdom, your profound foresight, your deep concern for the people, and your dedication to bringing blessings to all, the Li family is truly blessed to have you."

"Really? Am I that amazing? Hahaha, brother, you flatter me, you're too kind. But that's exactly what I meant."

It's just a matter of whether the older brother can see through the younger brother's intentions.

As a prince, I should be devoted to the Li Tang dynasty and no one should be allowed to touch it.

"I was just deliberately giving Changsun Wuji and his ilk a warning, to make them behave themselves and not act so recklessly."

Li Shen's expression went from surprise to astonishment, then to delight, and finally he grinned and laughed triumphantly.

At this moment, Li Shen really wanted to put his hands on his hips, stick out his nose, and loudly tell everyone, "Yes, you're talking about me, that's exactly what I think," and then laugh out loud.

I never expected that something so unintentional would turn out so well; I was just using an old excuse.

As a result, Li Chengqian imagined it to be like this.

But his father scolded him, which shows how big the difference is between people. Li Chengqian has surpassed his father and is much better than him.

They couldn't see the timing at all, and they didn't know how to assess the situation or take advantage of favorable conditions.

Suddenly, he really wanted to go up to Li Chengqian, pat him on the shoulder, and say, "Kid, you're pretty good, much better than your father."

But reason prevailed over evil thoughts. He dared not, for he was afraid that Li Chengqian would beat him. If it were Li Zhi or Li Tai, he would have dared to fight back.

But Li Chengqian was the crown prince, the future emperor, and neither he nor Li Chengqian could retaliate against him, either for personal or public reasons.

Of course, the main reason is that I can't beat them, and I'm afraid of getting beaten up.

Li Chengqian was very happy to see Li Shen finally admit it, which meant that he had guessed Li Shen's thoughts.

"Tenth Brother, why are you here today? Did you come here specifically to give them a warning?"

Li Chengqian inquired.

"Of course not, they are not worthy of my special assistance. It's almost New Year's Day, so I came here specifically to deliver some gifts to the palace, as well as to your Crown Prince's residence."

Li Shen spoke truthfully. At this moment, Wang Zhong had prepared tea.

Li Chengqian sat up and went to the tea table.

"So you've come to the Liangyi Hall to see your brother about something?" Li Chengqian picked up a cup and took a sip.

Li Shen took the teacup from Wang Zhong and replied:

"It's nothing, just letting you know that the gifts for the Crown Prince have been sent over, and also that I've added two more fireworks display locations this year."

"Just tell your elder brother to send some guards to maintain order and prevent a fire."

"Is that all? Couldn't you have just sent someone to inform me? Why did you have to come all the way here in person?"

Li Chengqian felt both helpless and amused upon hearing this.

"Brother, what are you saying? This just shows how much I value you and represents my respect for you."

Li Shen immediately spoke with righteous indignation.

"Really?" Li Chengqian asked with some doubt.

"Really. Really real, even more real than real gold." Li Shen immediately patted his chest to guarantee it.

However, Li Chengqian remained skeptical, quietly observing Li Shen.

Li Shen felt very uncomfortable being stared at, and finally raised his hand:

"Alright, stop looking at me like that. I do have some small matters to attend to."

"Hehe, go ahead and speak," Li Chengqian leaned back in his chair and asked with satisfaction.

"It's nothing really. I just heard that Aye has formed a team. I wonder if you've heard of it, brother?"

Li Shen finally got down to business, the purpose of his trip.

"I've heard a little about it, what's wrong?" Li Chengqian didn't seem very interested.

"It's nothing. I just feel that Father is getting old and shouldn't be working so hard. It would be so much more pleasant for him to plant flowers and grass in the palace."

I just don't understand why Aye went to participate in the ball game, and not only Aye himself, but he also brought along his old, frail ministers.

If it gets damaged, who can take responsibility?

If Aye gets injured, all the footballers will die. Does my brother really want to watch those poor people suffer this undeserved calamity?

As Li Shen spoke, his expression turned to one of concern for the country and its people.

(The geothermal heat isn't very hot.)