Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"You beast! You beast!!!"

"..."

Hearing Li Yuan's almost roaring curses as he was blocked by Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde at the palace gate behind him, Li Shimin couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

He quickly lowered the carriage curtain and urged Fan Qi, who was in front of the carriage, to hurry up.

"Hurry up and get the convoy out of the city immediately. Don't stop; take the official road and head straight for Taiyuan Prefecture at full speed..."

"Hahaha, I'm out! I'm finally out! It wasn't for nothing that I spent these past few days getting completely drunk with that old Bi Deng! Hahaha!"

When people are nervous, they tend to talk a lot.

Even though Li Shimin killed his brother and imprisoned his father during the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he did take action against Li Yuan, but that was all for survival and the necessary cruelty for the succession of the throne.

However, now, this old man, who has lost all power, is nothing more than a little old man wearing a dragon robe, posing no threat whatsoever.

This was the first time Li Shimin had ever schemed against his own father in this way.

"Hahaha, Guanyinbi, you'll soon meet my Chengqian!"

Empress Zhangsun looked at her husband helplessly and speechlessly. She lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at the direction from which the angry curses were coming from, which was getting farther and farther away and becoming somewhat blurry.

She let out a soft sigh.

"I can only apologize to Father Emperor. When I return this time, I will personally apologize to Father Emperor."

Li Shimin, however, held his empress's hand, like a student who, as the mastermind and participant, skipped class for the first time to go online, and after the initial excitement, the consequences were completely forgotten.

There was only one thought in my mind.

"Guanyinbi, I didn't even inform Chengqian beforehand this time, hahaha, just imagine how happy that kid would be if he saw me, his father, and you suddenly appear before him!"

"Taiyuan is now more prosperous than my own Chang'an. I've only ever heard about it from the newspapers; I've never seen it for myself."

"And the winter wheat, it's time to sow it again."

"And then there are the ironworks and forging plants that are re-equipping my army. That brat Chengqian has actually accomplished so much without us even realizing it..."

"Many merchants in Chang'an say that apart from Bingzhou cuisine, which is from Bingzhou Road, none of the cuisines of our Great Tang are presentable. I'd like to see what's so special about Bingzhou cuisine..."

......

Looking in the direction where even the shadow of the carriage could no longer be seen, Li Yuan trembled with anger.

A pair of murderous eyes stared intently at the people in front of him.

"Well, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong... you've teamed up with that dog emperor Li Shimin to bully this old man, haven't you?"

"Do you have no integrity whatsoever as subjects? Do you have no ability to distinguish right from wrong?!"

"You, you..."

Li Yuan looked around at the palace guards who were clearly being watched by him and wanted to snatch a knife.

Everyone was on guard against him from the very beginning.

He became even angrier.

Fang Xuanling was also helpless at this moment. He was saddened that he had ended up with Li Shimin's family, but as the Left Minister, he could only step forward and bow.

"Your Majesty, perhaps we should go to court? There are still many matters awaiting us..."

"Attend court? What court? Why should I attend court? I am the retired emperor, not Li Shimin! If you want to attend court, go and bring that rebellious son back to me. He is your emperor!"

Li Yuan snorted angrily and glared resentfully in the direction where Li Shimin's convoy had left through the palace gate.

He took a step straight back to his own Wude Hall.

Du Ruhui hurriedly followed.

"Your Majesty, you're mistaken. His Majesty hasn't attended court for over half a month, and he's not managing affairs at all... "

Li Yuan paused, then pointed at Du Ruhui and launched into a tirade of curses.

"That's his problem. What are you telling me? That I should oversee the country for him? Du Ruhui, you also come from the prestigious Du family of Jingzhao. Let me ask you, in this world, is there ever a case of a father overseeing the country for his son?"

"Fang Xuanling, have you ever heard of him?!"

Li Yuan grew angrier the more he cursed, and Fang Xuanling, having been singled out, could only manage a forced smile.

He thought to himself, "Those retired emperors may want to oversee the country, but they have to live alongside the emperor."

The title of Qin Shi Huang's father, King Zhuangxiang of Qin, was bestowed upon him later.

And then there's Liu Bang's father, Liu Tuan, who never became emperor but was directly promoted to retired emperor.

Even if Liu Bang gave him the power to oversee the country, would he dare to do so? Would he be capable of doing so?

"He stole this empire from me, and now, after only a year, he's discarding it like trash? He's even skipping morning court sessions. Does he not want to serve anymore? He's just packing his bags and going to find Chengqian. Dream on!"

Li Yuan pointed in the direction of the palace gate, furious.

"I'm making this clear today: whoever wants to attend the morning court can do so. If you want to attend, go and bring your emperor back! He's the one who led you into Xuanwu Gate, so he should be in charge of this morning court!"

Li Yuan's eyes seemed to be burning with fire, and he ignored the reactions of the ministers at the palace gate.

He was so angry that he decided to head straight for the Hall of Martial Virtue.

"I have been emperor for nearly ten years, while Li Shimin has only been emperor for one year. Almost everything was handled by my Chengqian, and he still couldn't stand it?"

"Let whoever wants to sit in that seat sit; I've been sitting there for ten years, and I'm tired of it!!!"

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, let's talk this out. Everything can be discussed, right?" Fang Xuanling hurriedly followed, now appearing as humble as a eunuch despite his position as the dignified Left Minister.

Another wave of sorrow washed over me.

Du Ruhui followed closely behind.

"Your Majesty the Retired Emperor, His Majesty and the others have already left, but these official duties remain... this..."

"Then you should ride fast and catch up with him, and make him hold the court assembly in his carriage!"

Li Yuan, hands behind his back, quickened his pace angrily, showing no intention of giving any room for negotiation.

Fang Xuanling turned around and looked at the palace gate. As the time for court was getting closer, many officials had already arrived, and he became increasingly anxious.

"The Emperor Emeritus..."

Du Ruhui: "Your Majesty, the merchant caravans sent by His Highness the Crown Prince to collect grain in various parts of Linyi have arrived at the Luoyang granary. They are about to travel by the Wei River canal to Chang'an, and then by land to Bingzhou... Without proper procedures, such a large amount of grain cannot be transported."

Li Yuan's expression darkened, and his pace noticeably slowed down.

Immediately, Fang Xuanling's eyes lit up.

He exchanged a subtle glance with Du Ruhui beside him and coughed twice.

"Ahem... Your Majesty, we are not in a hurry, but now there is a large influx of manpower into Bingzhou, river construction, city building in Zhenbei Road, and even the concession area in Tuyuhun, His Highness the Crown Prince is speeding up construction, wanting our Great Tang to gain a foothold... His Highness is short of food."

Li Yuan's brows furrowed slightly.

"I heard that the Crown Prince has successfully cultivated high-yield crops in Bingzhou, with a very large output?"

Du Ruhui slapped his thigh, looking very troubled.

“Oh, Your Majesty, you are unaware of the current situation in Bingzhou. The population of Bingzhou has more than doubled compared to a year ago. There is a large influx of people from surrounding Hebei, Longyou, and even Chang'an.”

"The food shortage in Bingzhou will only get bigger and bigger."

"Furthermore, Your Highness is currently constructing waterways, which involves filling in hundreds of thousands of people at a time. Although the deaths of these people are insignificant, the daily consumption is still a considerable number."

"Your Highness has also organized and trained a new army in Bingzhou, with tens of thousands of soldiers who do not engage in production but spend their days training and preparing for war. The consumption of such troops is..."

“This year, almost every household in Bingzhou will have a baby, which will be another big problem in the future… Your Majesty, even if you are angry with His Majesty, it is His Majesty’s fault.”

"His Highness the Crown Prince is such a diligent and devoted person to the people, what wrong has he done? Waaah..."

Seeing Du Ruhui let out a sob and burst into tears, he collapsed to the ground.

No matter how angry Li Yuan was at this moment, just as Du Ruhui said, all his anger was directed at his rebellious son, Li Shimin.

"Alright, alright, stop crying, you're getting on my nerves!"

Li Yuan took a deep, sullen breath, glanced in the direction of the palace gate, and thought of his beloved grandson Chengqian, who was probably still waiting for this batch of grain to relieve the pressure on Bingzhou Road.

All I could do was snort coldly.

"...Attend court!"

"Alright~ The Emperor Emeritus is attending court~ All officials pay their respects!"

Fang Xuanling was as excited as if he had won another victory at Xuanwu Gate.

Tai Chi Hall.

Li Yuan had considered returning to this position, but when he finally sat in that familiar seat again, he felt none of the joy he had imagined.

instead......

"So many? Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, are you making fun of me?"

"When did the world become so full of political affairs that I have to deal with? These are your emperor's business. Take them away and bring me the important matters from Chengqian!"

The three stacks of documents and memorials infuriated Li Yuan, causing the veins on his forehead to throb violently.

I feel like I'm not sitting on a throne, but rather chained to a millstone, with these memorials being the whips lashing me.

Fang Xuanling looked nervous and cautious; he had made the position of Left Minister of Works seem utterly insignificant to him.

"Your Majesty, these are all matters awaiting approval from the Crown Prince..."

Li Yuan's eyes widened instantly: "???"

"I am the retired emperor! Not a beast of burden in the fields!"

Du Ruhui hurriedly advised, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is in a great hurry..."

"Waaaaah! Li Shimin, you dog emperor! You should just abdicate as soon as possible!"

"Achoo, achoo..." Inside the carriage, Li Shimin suddenly sneezed twice.

"Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell? Perhaps we could slow down the convoy?" Fan Qi asked, peering out from in front of the carriage.

"No slowing down, no slowing down, I'm fine! Don't slow down, my Chengqian must be missing his father terribly..."

Taiyuan Prefecture, Yangcheng Palace, Xiande Hall.

"Ayawn!"