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

"Your Highness, I pay my respects. May Your Highness be well!"

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up slightly when he saw Hou Qianya, who had changed into a white robe, with a belt and jade pendant around her waist, her hair tied in a ponytail, and her face lightly made up.

Waved.

"You're back? Come, sit down. I'm finally free of official business today, so please don't be shy and make yourself at home..."

Hou Qianya smiled, cupped her hands in greeting, and sat down directly next to Li Chengqian.

This caused several female officials from the secretariat to frown slightly, and they scrutinized the man with their eyes.

"The Duke of Lu has also come to Taiyuan Prefecture, hasn't he?"

"Yes, Your Highness. My father has arranged things at Yanmen Pass and has gone to the New Policy Implementation Office to handle some official business. As Your Highness instructed, I will be spending this year's Reunion Festival in Taiyuan Prefecture," Hou Qianya said with a smile.

Then he glanced again and saw that on the stage, Li Chengqian, dressed in a dramatically altered "royal robe of the prefecture," was surrounded by actors representing etiquette and orthodoxy, who were talking to him.

They relentlessly attacked Li Chengqian, who was already in a dilemma.

"How laughable that my father, Xiao Chun, believed a jest and took it seriously. The elder brother got to meet the emperor, while the younger brother became a wedding dress for the emperor."

"His comrades in black armor are almost all dead; he is now alone and destitute, with no one to rely on."

"His wings have been scattered, his family is in turmoil, and he owes a debt of gratitude to his elder brother, the Crown Prince."

"Granted three acres of meager land, I kneel before my brother, who is in charge, and call out to my master, 'I am your humble servant!'"

On the stage, "Li Chengqian" tried to persuade him repeatedly to no avail. "Prince Qin" was poisoned and bedridden, yet he still refused to rebel. "Li Chengqian" was so angry that he cried out in despair. His anxious, angry, and unwilling voices echoed in the darkness as he sighed and struggled.

Hou Qianya opened her mouth, as if to say something.

Just then, the music from behind the stage suddenly became lighter and more cheerful.

The actors, known as "King of Anlu," "King of Hedong," "King of Wu'an," "King of Runan," and "King of Julu," appeared on the stage with light steps and a smug expression.

The Prince of Anlu laughed and sang: "But it is said that foolishly turning back to fight for nothing, yet he, without studying classical literature, still managed to become the eldest son and sit on the throne."

The "King of Hedong" smugly patted "Li Chengqian" on the head once or twice, then cupped his hands and pretended to bow to the side of the stage, symbolizing the "Lying-down King of Qin".

"Uncle still needs to rest and recuperate. Those Turkic barbarians still require the Heavenly Strategy General to repel them, so that my father can ascend the throne and reward you with a half-rank military or civil official position—a favor from Heaven."

The Prince of Wu'an sarcastically remarked, "I foresee that the civil and military officials of the Prince of Tiance and the Prince of Qin's mansions are nothing special. When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; a good bird chooses a better tree to perch on."

The "Prince of Runan" laughed wildly: "If you kneel down obediently, bind yourself, and become a slave with your face bowed, I might reward you with half an acre of barren land in Chang'an to live out your life. Don't deceive yourself and accept the punishment wine."

"King Julu" suddenly shoved "Li Chengqian" into his body.

You are doomed to die!!!

Hou Qianya only watched this part, watching the scene on the stage where she was forced and humiliated by these "cousins", and even suffered humiliation when the King of Qin was poisoned.

His eyes blazed with fury, and his fists clenched tightly.

"It's just a play, just actors; don't get angry over it..."

A hand gently covered Hou Qianya's delicate hand, and a gentle voice made Hou Qianya feel as if she had just woken up from a dream, and then her body suddenly stiffened.

She pursed her red lips nervously, suppressing her joy, and looked nervously at Li Chengqian to the side.

But the latter was looking quite content, shaking his head, humming a tune, and listening to the opera on stage.

However, the hand that had been gently comforting her did not withdraw; it remained gently covering one of Hou Qianya's hands.

Beside her, Wang Yuyan clenched her fists tightly.

A pair of sharp eyes stared unabashedly at Hou Qianya, who was sitting next to Li Chengqian.

My heart is filled with resentment.

"Does Your Highness intend for these actors to perform this play during the Reunion Festival?"

Hou Qianya's pretty face was flushed, and the Crown Prince was gently stroking her hand, causing her body to tremble slightly with the touch.

Li Chengqian nodded.

"Yes, but it's not simply a festival for family reunions...hehe."

Li Chengqian chuckled softly, his gentle gaze fixed on the stage, on the artistically rendered "himself".

At this moment, the third act has begun on stage, which is the performance of Li Chengqian's younger brothers and sisters, namely "Li Tai," "Li Ke," and "Li Lizhi."

The younger brothers' panic, the younger sisters' bewilderment, and Qin King Li Shimin, who lay in bed still adhering to the so-called filial piety.

All of this, combined with the pressure from the Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and his descendants in the previous two episodes, will soon completely crush the shackles of filial piety and conscience in Li Chengqian's heart.

"As for the Imperial University's School of Art, I had them start preparing for this a long time ago. Some things are better kept secret from the public."

"It's more honest to show it off openly."

Hou Qianya was a little worried. She glanced at the people around her and then, under the almost murderous gazes of Wang Yuyan and the other female officials of the Eastern Palace Secretariat behind her, she moved closer to Crown Prince Li Chengqian's side.

Lower your voice.

"But shouldn't the events of that time be different in the play? In that play, you are clearly smearing yourself. Weren't the Emperor Emeritus and His Majesty also wrong?"

Li Chengqian chuckled and turned to look at Hou Qianya, who was so close to him, possessing both the heroic spirit of a Tang Dynasty woman and the gentleness of an Eastern woman.

"Who told me to be the son and grandson? Now that the die is cast, and I've secured my position, what's the harm in a little reputation? Let it be tainted if it wants to. It wouldn't be good for my grandfather and the others to leave this world with a tarnished reputation..."

As for the Black Shadow Prince?

So what if he's black? He's just a dead man. Why would I care?

Upon hearing this, Hou Qianya felt both heartache and admiration.

Suddenly, with courage she didn't know where it came from, the jade hand that Li Chengqian was holding suddenly opened and clasped together in return.

Wang Yuyan: "!!!"

Hou Qianya: "Your Highness, no matter what others say about you, no matter how the world views you, in my eyes, you will always be the most wise and sagacious crown prince in the world, and no one can compare to you!"

"If anyone objects, I will personally take up my sword and chop them down!"

"Hahahaha!"

Li Chengqian let out a burst of laughter, and behind him...

Led by Sun Yi, Li Chengqian's personal eunuch, Hou Junji arrived at the Pear Garden. As soon as he entered, he immediately saw his daughter being led by the Crown Prince's hand, and the Crown Prince seemed to be in a rather good mood.

A surge of joy immediately filled my heart.

He hurriedly grabbed Sun Yi, who was about to report, and stuffed a gold ingot into the other's hand.

"Hush, Eunuch Sun, do not disturb His Highness's enjoyment. I will wait here."

Hou Junji was beaming with joy, feeling that the pear trees around him, which were blooming twice even in the Mid-Autumn Festival due to poor management, were all incredibly beautiful.

"Excellent, truly excellent... Tsk tsk tsk, as expected of the Duke's daughter..."

Wang Ming, who had also arrived behind them, witnessed this scene.

Seeing his own daughter standing behind the Crown Prince, Hou Junji's daughter sat beside the Crown Prince, holding his hand as they watched the play together, glancing at the smug Hou Junji.

He subtly cupped his hands in a slight gesture.

Then, he walked directly to the Crown Prince's side.

"Your subject, Wang Ming, pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince..."

"Oh, Governor Wang is finally off duty? You've been quite busy lately, it's rare for me to find time to listen to a play. Come, Wang De, bring Governor Wang a chair... The Duke of Lu is here too, Wang De, please have a seat with him!"

Hou Junji glared at Wang Ming with resentment.

She glanced at her daughter's hand as she parted from the crown prince's, and her dissatisfaction with the old man grew even stronger.

"Hehe, Your Highness, this old minister has only been away from Taiyuan Prefecture for a few months, and I almost didn't recognize it. The places in the city were hardly any different when I last came to Taiyuan Prefecture to report on my duties."

"It's already completed! Things are changing so fast!"

As soon as Hou Junji finished speaking, Wang Ming nodded with a smile.

"It is all thanks to Your Highness's diligence and love for the people, working tirelessly day and night. Without Your Highness's diligence and conscientiousness, these new policies would never have been able to be implemented. As the governor of Bingzhou, I am truly ashamed that I need Your Highness's guidance and instruction in so many matters."

"If only I had the ability of the Duke of Lu to stabilize a region, so that Your Highness would not have to worry about military affairs and the people's hearts."

Hou Junji's eyes twitched.

That old bastard, the Wang family of Taiyuan really has nothing of value!

How dare they try to sow discord between His Highness and the Duke?!

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded: "The Duke of Lu is indeed very capable. After all, he is an old man who fought alongside my father to conquer the world. He has no shortage of strength and courage."

Hou Junji: "!!!"

Hou Qianya's pretty face changed slightly, while Wang Yuyan, standing next to Li Chengqian, had a fleeting look of joy in her eyes.

His Highness praised Hou Junji's strength and courage, and even mentioned his seniority, but he did not praise Hou Junji's character.

Whether it was intentional or unintentional.

The people present couldn't help but start to have their own thoughts.

Hou Qianya noticed her father's anxious expression and subtly glared at him.

Then, she pursed her lips and suddenly cupped her hands in a gesture of respect to Li Chengqian.

"Your Highness, besides reporting for duty, I have another request to make..."

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow, glanced at the nervous Hou Junji beside him with a half-smile, and then looked back at Hou Qianya, whom he still had a good impression of: "What is it?"

"I heard that Your Highness was recently raising funds for the construction of several seaports and shipyards in Dengzhou through national bonds. You don't have to do anything for a year and you can still get 30% interest. I lost my mother early, and my father has never remarried, so there is no one to manage the family business."

"Seeing that we were already running a deficit, we originally wanted to buy some government bonds to alleviate the pressure on our household, but unexpectedly, His Highness's benevolence has benefited all people, and the common people and merchants flocked to support us. The 30 million strings of cash in government bonds were sold out in just one day..."

Hou Qianya lowered her eyes and bowed respectfully.

"Your Highness, I beg you to grant the Duke of Lu's mansion the right to issue more national bonds?"

Wang Ming and his daughter exchanged a glance, and when they looked at Hou Qianya again, their expressions were now quite serious.

On the stage, the performers moved with agility, still fully immersed in the play, their singing resounding, while the music behind the stage was stirring.

Not far away, Li You, Li Yin, and several other princes, who had just returned from the First Official School, were watching the performance on stage intently.

"Heh, Duke of Lu, has your household fallen into such dire straits?"

Hou Junji opened his mouth, but then noticed the glare from his daughter. As if realizing something, he could only nod awkwardly despite his reluctance.

"This...this old minister is not good at management, and has been on duty at Yanmen Pass for many years. I hope Your Highness will forgive my shortcomings..."

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, without mentioning that he had privately given the other party 10% of the profits from the textile factory and wool processing plant in the entire Yanmen Pass breeding area.

"Since you've spoken, Qianya, I'll have the Duke of Ying handle it..."

"Your Highness, I thank you!"

"Haha, why be so polite over such a small matter? Come, come, Qianya, please sit and keep me company while I watch the show..." Li Chengqian laughed and took Hou Qianya's hand again.

Hou Junji sat quietly to the side, serving as a backdrop.

Despite the immense resentment in his heart for the profits of at least a million strings of cash that year, he could only remain silent at this moment.

But it's Wang Ming.

At this moment, his gaze was fixed intently on Hou Qianya, whom the Crown Prince openly expressed his affection for.

Take a deep breath.

Hou Junji, that old scoundrel, is quite the lucky fellow!