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

As soon as Li Zhi finished speaking, Li Tai echoed him, then looked at Li Chengqian beside him and asked.

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Zhi and Li Tai, then looked at Li Shen with a smile and said earnestly:

"Tenth brother, why are you doing this? If you have any complaints, you might as well tell your brother directly."

Why would you do that?

If you have any objections to this, how about I, as your elder brother, relinquish the position of Crown Prince to you?"

Holy crap, Li Shen has gone mad. Li Chengqian's acting is obvious at a glance, especially with those smiling eyes. It's clear this guy is kicking someone when they're down.

It seems they're still holding a grudge about what happened yesterday.

Good grief, are you three putting on a show of brotherly love? Who are you trying to impress?

Li Shen looked up at his father. His father would definitely be able to see through such an obvious setup.

But what he saw was a pair of cold eyes and a gloomy, expressionless face.

“Father, don’t listen to their nonsense. How could I have such thoughts? They are deliberately framing me.”

"I have never complained about this, nor have I ever wanted to be the crown prince. I beg you, Father, to understand."

Li Shen clung to his father, the emperor, and began to wail and plead. At this point, he had no choice but to put on a good acting performance.

That damned Li Chengqian actually kicked me when I was down at this time. He's just watching the show and doesn't care about the power of others. I knew he was unreliable.

Li Chengqian's last sentence was the most lethal: anyone who dared to covet the position of crown prince was touching the emperor's sore spot.

"Hmph." Li Shimin snorted, pushed Li Shen aside, and returned to his seat. "You unfilial son, I can tolerate your usual misbehavior..."

But this time you actually had thoughts you shouldn't have. Have I been too lenient with you?

You've developed a spoiled and arrogant personality; it seems I'll have to teach you a lesson today.

Wang De, bring the family law.

"Father, no!!" Upon hearing about the family discipline, Li Shen burst into tears. It was wrong to beat a child during the New Year.

"Second Brother, I think Shen'er didn't mean it that way. It was just a momentary oversight. Today is New Year's Day, so please don't make things difficult for Shen'er."

Empress Zhangsun, who was standing to the side, held Li Xu and pleaded with Li Shimin for mercy.

She could also see that the two sons had deliberately framed Li Shen, while the eldest son was just watching the show.

She looked at her three sons and glared at them fiercely. The three of them quickly lowered their heads and dared not look directly at her.

"Your Majesty need not plead for him. His Majesty punished him because he made a mistake. Putting aside other matters..."

"In this freezing weather, to treat a young child like this—such a father should be punished."

Consort Wei glared at Li Shen beside the Empress. She didn't care about what Li Zhi and Li Tai said; they were just making false accusations on her, and she could tell that from their words.

Consort Wei was angry because Li Shen was so heartless and indifferent to her grandson. What if something unexpected happened?

"But..." The Empress felt a little reluctant to listen, after all, this matter was caused by her son, who deliberately framed her and kicked her when she was down in front of Consort Wei, which made her, as the mother, feel somewhat embarrassed.

"Sister, Shen'er is also young. She did not do it intentionally. It is understandable that she was careless for a moment. She can correct it in the future."

There's no need for such a fuss.

In the end, the Empress still pleaded for Li Shen.

Li Shen was completely bewildered; he never expected that forgetting his son would cause such a huge reaction.

Isn't this a bit much? Isn't it making a mountain out of a molehill?

At this moment, Wang De had already returned with a long box. Li Shimin opened it himself and took out a yellow ruler with a jade pendant attached to it, which looked very nice.

Normally, Li Shen would probably just say something like, "Oh, so the family rules have even led to separate rooms and renovations?"

But right now, Li Shen had no time for that.

Li Shimin stood up, took the family law, and came before Li Shen:

"As a son, one should be filial to one's parents and respect one's elders, be careful in one's words and deeds, be diligent and virtuous, live up to one's parents' expectations, cultivate one's character and virtue, be pragmatic and enterprising, and repay one's parents for their care with one's own achievements."

As a father, one should set an example, be strict yet kind, prioritize virtue, protect and nurture growth, love without spoiling, be strict without being harsh, and pass on the virtue of goodness.

As your father, I failed to properly educate you from a young age; that is my fault. I also acknowledge my mistake in spoiling you excessively.

Now that you are a father yourself, you have not acted like one, and this is my fault.

"It is the father's fault if the son is not taught properly. Today, I will teach you a lesson. Guards, prepare to carry out family discipline."

With each step Li Shimin took, he would give Li Shen a piece of advice, his words sincere and heartfelt, even repeatedly admitting that it was his own fault for not teaching Li Shen well.

Everyone in the hall, including the concubines, could sense that His Majesty was angry.

The princes each had a different expression as they watched the scene. Li Tai smiled, Li Zhi looked smug, and Li Chengqian had a look of pure amusement.

The atmosphere was somewhat tense. Li Shimin gave an order, and a eunuch brought over a long bench.

Looking at the bench, Li Shen felt bitter. He wondered if he hadn't checked the almanac before going out today, why was he so unlucky?

Isn't this making a mountain out of a molehill? I only made a small mistake, but my father's long-winded explanation makes it sound like I've committed some heinous crime.

"Mother~~~" Li Shen looked pitifully at Empress Zhangsun.

"Oh, you child, you always make your father angry," Empress Zhangsun sighed, then pleaded again:

"Erlang, it's just a small matter, why make such a fuss? Today is New Year's Day, and we still have to worship our ancestors later. Why not give them a small punishment as a warning?"

Empress Zhangsun didn't understand why His Majesty reacted so strongly. Was it really because of Li Tai's statement, "Emperor should be the eldest son, not the legitimate heir"?

Even she could tell that Li Tai was saying this on purpose.

“Guanyinbi, this is no small matter. If this unfilial son is not disciplined, who knows how much trouble he will cause in the future.”

Li Shimin ignored it.

"Mother~~~" Li Shen looked at his mother again, hoping that she could also plead for mercy.

As a result, his mother ignored him.

"Big brother~~~" Li Shen looked at Li Chengqian, his eyes carrying a different meaning, "Don't forget, I gave you so much money."

Li Chengqian also felt somewhat guilty.

"Um... Father, how about we forget about it? Tenth Brother is also..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Shimin waved his hand and said, "Stand aside."

“Yes.” Li Chengqian immediately quieted down.

"You unfilial son, it seems you have quite a few complaints about my teachings." Li Shimin looked down at Li Shen.

“Father, I have no complaints, but it’s not right to hit the child today, it’s New Year’s Day. What about tomorrow?”

"If you hurt my son during the ancestral worship ceremony later, he won't be able to attend."

Li Shen looked aggrieved and pitiful; he had never understood how things had turned out this way.