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

"Hoohoohoo..."

A fierce gust of wind whistled as Li Chengqian twisted and turned.

He easily dodged the attacks from his four younger brothers, Li You, Li Yin, Li Yun, and Li Zhen, using the Bagua Swimming Dragon Steps on his feet in conjunction with the powerful attack called "Brother's Painful Love" in his hand.

The slaps made the guys grimace.

After another round of what seemed like an ordinary ordeal, the morning martial arts practice came to an end.

Li Chengqian showed no signs of fatigue, but the princes who were on their way to the First Official Academy were all exhausted, looking like dead dogs.

Qian Yingying handed over a towel.

Wang De handed over a document form from the side.

"Your Highness, this is your schedule for today..."

Wang De smiled. Because of the Crown Prince's words a few days ago, everyone in Yangcheng Palace was extra cautious. Even Empress Zhangsun had to ask the Crown Prince about his daily life, actions, and mood three times a day.

Li Chengqian glanced at it.

As usual, it was densely packed.

At this time last year, in addition to being busy with the promotion and assessment of officials, education reform, and regular inspections of winter wheat, he also had a lot of other miscellaneous things to handle.

Now, a year has passed since the new policy was implemented.

The number of issues related to this has not decreased at all.

In addition to the daily task of reviewing documents.

Today's inspection also included progress checks on the urban redevelopment of the area surrounding Taiyuan Prefecture, visits to military factories, and the recent inspection of the Taiyuan Fenhewan Inland Shipyard, among others.

Li Chengqian casually placed the towel aside.

"Is the carriage ready?"

Wang De nodded hurriedly: "I'll wait outside!"

Li Chengqian nodded and immediately walked out of the palace, with Qian Yingying quickly following behind.

Wang De personally drove the carriage, with the eunuch Sun Yi sitting beside him.

The carriage slowly walked out of Yangcheng Palace, and Wang De couldn't help but ask cautiously.

"Your Highness, where shall we go first?"

Li Chengqian gazed wistfully out the window at Taiyuan Prefecture, which was far more prosperous than Chang'an, and suddenly spoke.

"Let's go to a brothel!"

"Alright! Please sit down. We're going to Qing... Your Highness, where do you want to go?!"

Wang De had just given a shout and was about to swivel the reins when his expression suddenly changed, and he wondered if there was something wrong with his ears.

Sun Yi, who was sitting to the side, also widened his eyes instantly.

Li Chengqian propped his head up, his body in an extremely relaxed posture, sitting on the soft seat in the carriage. Beside him was Qian Yingying, whom he had almost already decided would be the Crown Princess.

Her beautiful eyes were also wide open.

I also suspect that I'm hearing things.

Li Chengqian spoke again in a low voice.

"A brothel! Find me the biggest brothel in Taiyuan!"

Wang De: "......."

Sun Yi: "..."

Both of them trembled violently, exchanged a glance, and dared not make a move for a long time.

Qian Yingying carefully considered her words before gently inquiring.

"Is Your Highness in a bad mood? If you wish to see song and dance, there are dancers in the palace..."

Li Chengqian's gaze remained fixed on the view outside the window. What he had once found endlessly fascinating about his "political achievements" now seemed utterly dull and uninteresting.

"I have never been to a brothel in my life. I heard from Cheng Chumo and the others that among the second generation of Chang'an, I am quite an oddity."

Qian Yingying gritted her teeth secretly.

Fortunately, the two Cheng brothers had already set off for Dengzhou some time ago.

If they were in Taiyuan Prefecture now, Qian Yingying would definitely not mind letting her father take the Embroidered Uniform Guard to settle a personal score.

"Your Highness, a place like a brothel is inappropriate for you, as the Crown Prince..."

"If Emperor Li Shimin can go, why can't I?"

Qian Yingying: "..."

"I am only fourteen years old this year, but the documents and memorials I have to deal with every day are piled up higher than me."

"I get up earlier than the rooster and go to bed later than the dog every day. Even when I'm so tired that I'm dizzy and seeing stars, I can still comfort and admonish myself, after all, it's for the sake of the world..."

Li Chengqian sighed and lay back in his seat with a bored expression.

They look like they're just giving up.

"In the end, I am nothing more than a crown prince. This vast Tang Dynasty has only one master, and that is me, the emperor who spends his days traveling and enjoying himself to the fullest!"

Wang De and the others stared, mouths agape, at the dejected Crown Prince, wanting to offer comfort but utterly at a loss for words.

The Crown Prince of the past gave them the impression of someone who never knew fatigue, never made mistakes, and was never negative, and who was always full of endless ideas and energy.

The difference between them and the person in front of him was like heaven and earth.

The group felt a great sense of foreboding.

Wang De looked to "Crown Princess" Qian Yingying for help, wanting her to make a decision.

Qian Yingying looked at the Crown Prince, whose spirits seemed to have waned considerably, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.

"Eunuch Wang, let's go to a brothel!"

Wang De was startled: "This..."

Seeing that Qian Yingying shook her head almost imperceptibly, he could only sigh and shout.

He cracked his whip.

Meanwhile, Sun Yi, who had been sitting with him outside the carriage, was already rushing hurriedly towards the palace.

His panicked and bewildered appearance, as if he had seen a ghost, attracted frequent glances from eunuchs, palace maids, and imperial guards.

"Something terrible has happened... Your Majesty, something terrible has happened..."

This was clearly the first time Sun Yi had dealt with something like this.

The prince frequented brothels, and he did so without any attempt to conceal it.

In any dynasty, this would inevitably lead to impeachment by officials, public discussion, and even, in serious cases, punishment by the emperor.

However, if a prince from another dynasty were to go to such a place, he might still be unable to suppress his restless desires, or perhaps he himself is morally flawed.

But how could His Highness the Crown Prince be that kind of person now?!

What's even more terrifying than the Crown Prince going to brothels is that he's given up on himself!

If such a wise and exceptionally talented prince, a rare find in recent years, becomes decadent and pessimistic because of the emperor's sordid deeds, what hope will the Tang Dynasty have for the future?

Think about this.

Ignoring his injuries from the fall, Sun Yi limped and crawled toward the Empress's palace.

Chengyi Hall is the palace where Emperor Li Shimin resides in Yangcheng Palace.

Its location is remote, much like the position a concubine in the cold palace should have in the harem.

Consort Wei looked at Li Shimin, who was sulking and barely paying attention to the breakfast sent from the imperial kitchen, and sighed softly.

"Is Your Majesty not prepared to apologize to the Crown Prince? Or does Your Majesty still believe that what you did that day was not wrong?"

Li Shimin glanced at her, then continued idly writing and drawing on a decree.

Consort Wei spoke again.

"Your Majesty, I know you are proud, but the Crown Prince has done nothing wrong. Moreover, if Your Highness had not arrived in time that day, Your Majesty would have truly lost your comrades-in-arms, and even the Duke of Lu and the Duke of E would have become estranged from Your Majesty."

"Although Your Highness's words were offensive and your actions were excessive, wasn't this also out of anger at Your Majesty's failure to act as a ruler?"

"Snapped!"

Li Shimin slammed the brush on the table, somewhat annoyed.

They didn't even look at the calligraphy copybook, which was ruined by ink stains.

"The entire Wei family of Jingzhao is still imprisoned in the Imperial Guard prison in Chang'an. Consort Wei, are you speaking up for the Crown Prince?"

Consort Wei rose and bowed once more.

Standing nearly two meters tall, Consort Wei, despite being remarried, retained her noble bearing and beautiful features, making her as charming as ever.

"Although my cousin was tricked by a villain, he wouldn't have fallen into this trap if he didn't have some wicked intentions. I feel sorry for those clansmen who are unaware of the truth, but according to the law, the Crown Prince is innocent!"

Li Shimin took a deep breath and looked at Consort Wei, whose eyes were lowered and who was still pleading for the Crown Prince.

For a moment, he pointed at the other person, but didn't know what to say.

Consort Wei's move left him, who already knew he was in the wrong, with no way to back down.

Consort Wei: "Your Majesty, discord between father and son, and between ruler and subject, has always been the beginning of the decline of a nation. Your Majesty is well-versed in history; you must not make a grave mistake because of these petty temper tantrums!"

Li Shimin snorted coldly again.

however.

Before he could say anything, the palace door was suddenly kicked open with a bang.

Empress Zhangsun, her face as cold as ice, strode closer.

"Does Your Majesty feel that the Crown Prince Chengqian is too brilliant, making you, the Emperor, appear incompetent? If so, Your Majesty can rest assured from today onwards."

Empress Zhangsun gripped her sleeves tightly with her delicate hands.

Gritting teeth.

"Just now, Chengqian abandoned his official duties for the day and went to a brothel!"

"what?!"

The same exclamation.

The sound also came from the Shougong Hall at that moment.

They were puzzled because in previous years when they arrived at the Shougong Hall, the Crown Prince had already finished reviewing a batch of documents. Today, not only was the Crown Prince nowhere to be seen, but even their personal maid, Qian Yingying, was nowhere to be seen.

I was wondering what had caused the delay.

Upon hearing the report from the eunuch Sun Yi, Li Gang felt a wave of dizziness.

Yu Shinan was stunned and furious.

"Your Highness has always been virtuous and self-disciplined. Even with beauties like Miss Qian and Miss Wang in front of you, you could remain unmoved. Why would you go to such a defiled place filled with rouge and powder?!"

"But which treacherous official said something to the Crown Prince?!"

As Yu Shinan spoke, he had already grabbed the Gentleman's Sword that he had taken off when he entered the hall.

Observe the fierce glint in his eyes.

If Sun Yi were to name an official now, the latter would likely be beheaded before tonight.

No one doubts whether renowned scholars like Yu Shinan would dare to kill someone if they were truly enraged.

Sun Yi looked miserable.

"How could His Highness the Crown Prince, a ruler of such great talent and wisdom, not be able to distinguish between treacherous officials and villains?"

"Let alone the fact that the Crown Prince would not be misled by these treacherous words, who would dare to entice the Crown Prince to go to such a place?"

Sitting in his seat, Li Gang, feeling weak, clenched his teeth.

"The Crown Prince has been in low spirits these past few days, and even his appetite has greatly decreased. If anyone could cause the Crown Prince to suddenly become so dejected..."

Li Gang and his companion exchanged a glance, immediately understanding the key to the matter.

Yunxian Tower.

If Heaven on Earth is the biggest money pit where merchants can conduct business while indulging in pleasure, then...

Yunxianlou was the largest brothel in Taiyuan Prefecture in the traditional sense.

After a night of heavy drinking, Cheng Yaojin was feeling particularly unwell and irritable. However, looking at the prince in front of him, he dared not show any temper.

"Your Highness, how could you come to a place like this? If His Majesty finds out, he'll skin us alive!"

At this moment, there is him, and behind him, Yuchi Jingde.

The hangover is finally over.