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

"Hahaha, Tenth Brother is indeed far-sighted, I admire you. Our victory this time is all thanks to you, Tenth Brother."

Let me offer you another cup, brother.

Upon hearing Li Shen's words, Li Chengqian burst into laughter.

This younger brother really never forgets to suppress the aristocratic families, but that's fine, it's exactly what he needs.

The two brothers raised their teacups in celebration.

This was a moment of victory for them, and it was worth celebrating. If they hadn't been unprepared, Li Chengqian would have planned to drink a few cups with Li Shen.

"Brother, please don't say that. I didn't mean it. There's no merit involved."

Li Shen was modest, but inwardly he was very happy.

Just as the two brothers were having a good time, a eunuch entered from outside and reported:

"Your Highness, Chief Steward Wang is outside requesting an audience."

"Manager Wang?" Li Shen was taken aback.

"Let him in quickly," Li Chengqian hurriedly ordered.

Wang De must have come on behalf of his father.

A moment later, Wang De entered and first bowed to Li Chengqian and Li Shen:

"This old servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness Prince Ji."

"No need for formalities. Is there anything your father needs from Steward Wang?"

Li Chengqian nodded and asked.

"Your Highness, this old servant has come to convey His Majesty's decree, summoning Your Highness and Prince Ji to the palace for an audience."

Wang De straightened his back and shouted loudly.

"Summon us to the palace?" Li Chengqian was somewhat puzzled. What could possibly be the reason at this point?

Li Shen immediately stood up:

"Old Wang, could you tell my father that my stomach hurts and I need to go home to poop?"

He doesn't want to see his father; nothing good ever comes of it.

Wang De was amused by Li Shen's antics; this young prince was never so obedient.

"Hehe, Your Highness, please don't make things difficult for this old servant. His Majesty summons me, and even if I have an accident, I cannot delay."

"Holy crap, that's ruthless." Li Shen paused in his tracks. This old bastard, did he have to say it so disgustingly?

I'm not paralyzed, how could I possibly pull my pants?

"Old Wang, what are you saying? Are you cursing me?" Li Shen's face darkened.

"Oh dear, how could this old servant dare? This old servant is merely reminding Your Highness Prince Ji that you must not disobey His Majesty's will."

Otherwise, His Highness Prince Ji will be punished again. Wang De had a smile on his face.

"Hmph." Li Shen understood the threat in Wang De's words, but dared not retort. Otherwise, it would be terrible if it reached his father's ears.

"Alright, since Father has summoned us, let's go now, and don't keep him waiting."

"Tenth brother, let's go."

Seeing Li Shen's reluctant expression, Li Chengqian pulled Li Shen and walked outside.

Li Shen had an unwilling expression the whole way, practically wearing his reluctance on his face.

Li Chengqian was also puzzled. His other brothers and sisters were all happy to be summoned by His Majesty, which proved that he had caught His Majesty's eye.

But Li Shen did the opposite, always appearing very reluctant to see His Majesty.

The two were taken to Yajing Residence. Wang De went to report to them, and Li Chengqian took the opportunity to advise them:

"Tenth brother, Father must have something to say about summoning you. Don't talk nonsense and make Father angry, or you'll be punished again."

"Brother, I only came here today because of your kindness. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come."

Aye summoned you for a good reason, but what good reason could he possibly have for bringing me along?

Perhaps Father has taken a fancy to something in Prince Ji's mansion again.

Li Shen's face was cold, and his expression was extremely unpleasant.

This worried Li Chengqian; he wondered if his father would punish him if he saw this.

"Your Highnesses, you may enter now," Wang De announced as he came down from his seat.

The two brothers followed Wang De up to the second floor. Upon seeing the platform leading outside, Li Shen muttered something sarcastic:

"Summoning us outside in this freezing weather, isn't that just making us suffer?"

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Shen, shook his head, and sighed:

"Tenth Brother, please keep your mouth shut and don't say anything out of line later."

As the two spoke, they stepped onto the large outdoor terrace, where they saw Li Shimin, along with Empress Zhangsun, Consort Wei, and several other concubines, sitting on the balcony drinking tea.

A large furnace was burning fiercely in the middle.

“Son…” Li Chengqian stepped forward to bow.

But after uttering only one word, he felt a figure flash beside him, followed by Li Shen's voice:

"Your son greets Father, Mother, and Consort. May Father live as long as Heaven, may Mother live ten thousand years, and may Father and Mother be blessed with boundless fortune. Long live, long live, long live~~~."

At this moment, Li Shen stood in front of Li Shimin and the other two, kneeling on both knees, raising his hands and bowing his head in worship. His usually sour face had long since become extremely obsequious.

This bow was so sincere, so smooth, without the slightest burden.

Li Chengqian was dumbfounded by the scene. He turned around and looked behind him, only to find that no one was there. Then he looked at Li Shen kneeling on the ground in front of him.

Is this the same person who was just following me? My god, what happened to him? He was just looking resentful, saying it was because of me...

In the blink of an eye, you're kneeling in front of someone. Where did your arrogance go?

Who are you trying to impress?

Li Chengqian was standing there in a very awkward position. He was wondering if he should kneel down too, otherwise he would seem out of place.

He didn't know that kneeling and bowing had become fashionable in the Tang Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian's knees buckled, and he slowly bent down, cursing Li Shen's shamelessness in his heart.

"Alright, stop imitating him and learn something good."

At this moment, Li Shimin finally spoke.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian immediately straightened up and bowed respectfully.

"Your son greets Father, Mother, and the Imperial Concubine."

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince." Consort Wei and several other concubines quickly rose and bowed to Li Chengqian.

I was just shocked by what Li Shen did.

Li Shen was still kneeling on the ground, his face pressed against the ground as he waited.

"Raise your head," Li Shimin said calmly.

Li Shen raised his head after hearing this, but they didn't tell him to get up; he had to stay kneeling.

"Father, a day apart feels like three autumns. Father, Mother, how are you? I miss you day and night, tossing and turning, unable to eat or drink, and unable to sleep."

"Father, I miss you so much." Li Shen crawled on his knees a few steps to Li Shimin, trying his best to be sincere.

Li Shimin moved back a little, looking at the situation with suspicion, and said:

"Is that so? But I've heard that you sleep until noon every day and can eat a whole leg of lamb in one meal. Is that what you call losing your appetite and being unable to sleep at night?"

"This... Father, who told you this? I truly miss you, Father." Li Shen's expression froze. How could they know how much food he ate?

I've been saying I feel weak these past few days, so I'm eating some mutton to replenish myself.

Li Shimin then looked at Li Shen with a half-smile and said:

"I heard you want to be my adopted son, is that right?"

"What?"

(I attended the leadership transition of the Municipal Online Writers Association yesterday. It was very formal, the kind where they started by singing the national anthem.)

Another piece of news I'd like to share is that I inexplicably became the vice chairman of the Online Writers Association.

Congratulations to me!

By the way, I've never heard of that writer you guys were talking about yesterday. What's the story behind that? Could you explain it to me?