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

"Brother, these past few days, Father and Grandfather have been busy with something, we haven't seen them all day, even Mother and the others are complaining..."

East Palace.

Now, Li Chengqian no longer has to exhaust himself like he used to.

He had more and more capable people under his command, and they were doing things in a way that increasingly suited his needs.

Now that his sisters have come to visit, he can finally spend time chatting and playing with them.

Inside the palace next to the imperial kitchen.

Li Chengqian, the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, was actually making dumplings with his younger brothers and sisters in a lively atmosphere. At the other tables nearby, eunuchs and palace maids were also busy making dumplings.

According to Li Chengqian, these days everyone in the Eastern Palace is following him around, busy with various tasks.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, and as a way to reward everyone, the Crown Prince, in his dignified state, led the princesses and princes in making dumplings here.

Princess Chang Le's face had some flour stains on it.

Wheat flour, which used to be something only wealthy families could afford, is now available in large quantities thanks to the bumper harvests of winter wheat and the import of rice from Linyi.

Nowadays, not only in the imperial palace, but also in some ordinary people's homes, especially in Bingzhou Road, people are eating white flour.

Hearing his younger sister's complaints, Li Chengqian's smile was rather wicked.

"Haha, it's alright. Anyway, the end of the year is just around the corner, and the officials have done most of what they could. Even if there's anything else to do, they'll have to wait until after the New Year. Let them do whatever they want..."

Meanwhile, Li Tai was busy making dumpling wrappers.

She leaned slightly closer to Li Chengqian and spoke softly.

“Brother, these days Father and Grandfather have been busy visiting every household. I heard that... Grandfather has visited almost all the old ministers who followed him back then.”

"Pei Ji, Xiao Yu, and Wang Gui, those three old ministers who were closest to our Emperor, were also busy, sending letters back to their respective family territories..."

Li Chengqian looked at his fourth brother, Li Tai, with a smile. Li Tai looked serious and seemed to be replacing the Prince of Han, the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

chuckled.

"It's alright. Are you worried that my grandfather and father might harm me?"

Upon hearing this, Prince Li Ke of Han immediately let out a cold snort.

"If Father Emperor and Grandfather Emperor rebel, your younger brother will be the first to tie them up!"

Li Chengqian: "......"

Fortunately, Li Ke's voice wasn't loud enough to be heard by the eunuchs and maids at the other tables who were making dumplings. However, Wang De, Sun Yi, and Gao Hai, who were serving Li Chengqian, were not.

But his face was filled with a numb look of fear.

It must be said that the Li Tang dynasty was truly prosperous in terms of population. Not only was the emperor himself fathered, but the retired emperor Li Yuan also had many princesses and princes.

Furthermore, they were all around the same age as Li Yin and Li Zhi, who were of the same generation.

With nearly a hundred eunuchs and palace maids, plus twenty or thirty princes and princesses on Li Chengqian's side, and fillings made from the stuffing of three or four cows and sheep, Li Chengqian and his men were unharmed.

On the contrary, the eunuchs and palace maids were all exhausted.

However, after looking at the dumplings mixed together, everyone's face showed anticipation.

The princes and princesses included coins in the dumplings they made.

According to the Crown Prince, if a coin is found in the food, the person will receive a year-end bonus of ten strings of cash.

Considering the already high monthly salary of the Crown Prince's Palace, the palace maids and eunuchs in the Crown Prince's Palace could now live as wealthy people even after leaving the palace.

The Eastern Palace was filled with joy and happiness.

Back in Chang'an, the princes and princesses, free from their studies, began to have a great time.

The Empress was also holding a banquet, which was mainly for the wives of powerful nobles in Chang'an, or the wives of imperial relatives.

"The Crown Prince is already fifteen and will soon be coming of age. According to the Crown Prince, the marriage is not in a hurry for now, but things still need to be settled first..."

Lady Wang of the Wang family of Taiyuan, Lady Yang, the second wife of the Duke of Yingguo, and an elder relative of the Hou family whom Hou Junji had invited were sitting in a warm pavilion talking.

However, it was Qianlou, which Li Chengqian extracted from the simulated world.

She remains single and alone, to the point that no elders visit her now.

However, Empress Zhangsun, who knew that her Crown Prince had a different opinion of Qian Yingying, would handle the matter herself.

however.

Today's banquet featured a few more guests.

Princess Jiangxia, wife of Zheng Jiang, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial from Xingyang, both received invitations from the Emperor Emeritus. Their presence here today speaks volumes.

Empress Zhangsun looked at the two of them with a smile.

"My ladies, there's no need to worry. Although that child is very opinionated, he's still willing to listen to his mother. Xueyan and Lizhen are a good match. Now that they're engaged, we can simply let the children get to know each other better before they get married..."

"I'll have to trouble Your Majesty to do more work. My daughter Lizhen met the Crown Prince at Yanmen Pass, but unfortunately, the war was too urgent at the time, so she didn't have the chance to meet him in person... Now that I've heard that the Crown Prince is about to get engaged, I can't eat or drink."

"Hehe, His Highness the Crown Prince is such a young man, he is bound to be the future ruler of the world. Not to mention that girl Lizhen, tell me, which woman in the world wouldn't want to marry him?"

Empress Zhangsun greeted the guests with a smile.

Li Chengqian was naturally aware of certain things.

However, having secured the position of Crown Princess for Qian Yingying and having several virtuous wives to assist him, he was willing to make some compromises on certain feudal matters.

After all, in order to ensure the continuation of the royal line, he, as the crown prince, had to make some concessions.

Empress Zhangsun oversaw and handled matters in the inner palace.

A few days later.

Tai Chi Hall.

Li Chengqian, dressed in the crown prince's robes, stood on one side of the main hall. At this moment, in the Taiji Hall, it was a rare occasion that the retired emperor Li Yuan and the emperor Li Shimin appeared together.

Emperor Emeritus Li Yuan did not compete with Li Shimin for the dragon throne, which he had been sitting on for more than half a year and was already feeling uncomfortable.

Instead, he stood beside his own crown prince and grandson.

"Gao Ming, you must support your grandfather later. Don't let his title of General of Heavenly Strategy fool you; there haven't been any wars these past few years. It's hard to say how genuine this title of General of Heavenly Strategy really is..."

In competition, belittling your opponent doesn't necessarily guarantee victory.

But at the very least, it must be able to increase the odds of winning.

Li Yuan muttered to himself.

Li Shimin, sitting on the throne, saw all this. However, he thought about his arrangements over the past few days and the support of the old ministers of the Prince of Qin's mansion.

Li Shimin was full of confidence.

This Northern Expedition can only be carried out by my first generation of Heavenly Strategy General, Li Shimin!

Father, for you to contend with me is no different from inviting humiliation!

"Speak if you have something to report; otherwise, the court may adjourn."

Fan Qi shouted loudly.

The courtiers didn't react much, but some ministers who already knew what was going to happen today glanced at the Crown Prince from the front, seemingly casually.

really.

"Ahem..." Li Chengqian cleared his throat.

Immediately, all the officials, and even Li Shimin sitting on the dragon throne, straightened their backs.

It's coming!

Li Shimin's eyes gleamed with a confident light, as he looked at his father, the emperor, who stood beside the crown prince, with a mocking gaze.

"The new policies in Bingzhou have been in effect for two years now, and the tax system and regulations in all aspects are nearing perfection. We are currently well-funded and our granaries are full... I am preparing to launch a war to gain more benefits and, at the same time, acquire more labor..."

When Li Chengqian spoke, the ministers present immediately became serious.

Li Daozong stood near the front of the officials, noticed the gaze of the retired Emperor Li Yuan, took a deep breath, and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Fang Xuanling, who had already received the news, immediately spoke up.

"Your Highness, which country are you planning to wage war against?"

Li Chengqian pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"I haven't decided yet. There are only a few countries around the Tang Dynasty. Now that the Eastern Turkic Khaganate has been destroyed, the only ones that can still pose a certain threat are the Western Turkic Khaganate and Goguryeo."

"Countries like Gaochang, Tuyuhun, and Tibet are simply not worth a major war..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shimin, sitting on the throne, couldn't help but smile.

"Then let's fight the Western Turks! Let's launch a northern expedition!"

As soon as Li Shimin spoke, several figures from among the officials immediately stepped forward.

"Your Highness, the new policies cannot be implemented without your presence. In that case, I, Old Cheng, suggest that His Majesty personally lead the expedition! I, Old Cheng, am still willing to don armor and go into battle to expand the territory of our Great Tang!"

Yuchi Jingde chimed in, "That's right! Those Western Turkic barbarians interfered when we were dealing with the Eastern Turks. Now it's our turn to take care of them!"

Duan Zhixuan cupped his hands and bowed to Crown Prince Li Chengqian: "Your Highness, if Bingzhou Road provides the money and supplies, and Your Majesty, the former General of the Heavenly Strategy, is again in charge of this battle, even if the main force of the Western Turks were all on a westward expedition, they would still be nothing more than a bunch of chickens and dogs!"

Qu Tutong, Zhang Shigui, Chai Zhao, and other fierce generals and famous ministers who followed Li Shimin in conquering the world stepped forward one by one.

For a moment, Li Shimin still looked expectantly at his crown prince, waiting for his answer.

However, he couldn't help but stroke his beard with a smug satisfaction.

"Your Highness, what do you say? If I were to take action, the Western Turkic territory would be as easy as taking candy from a baby." Li Shimin said confidently.

However, the next moment.

Li Yuan spoke softly, his face full of surprise.

"Oh? The emperor is going to personally lead the expedition, does that mean he'll abandon Chang'an again after the spring?"

Li Yuan spread his hands and addressed the assembled officials: "Does that mean you intend to abdicate and let the Crown Prince succeed you?"

Li Shimin was immediately enraged.

"Father, haven't you handled things very well these past six months? Even if you were to regency for another six months..."

"Half a year? Last time you made me regent, you first got me drunk, then said it would be at most a month, but in the blink of an eye, more than half a year has passed and you haven't returned, indulging in debauchery in Taiyuan..."

"Where have I been indulging in debauchery?! Father, you are slandering me. I was helping the Crown Prince with state affairs over there. Where would I have time to indulge in debauchery?!" Among the officials, the strange looks in their eyes made Li Shimin feel extremely uneasy.

The idea of ​​an emperor indulging in debauchery in the territory of his crown prince is absurd just to hear about.

However, Xiao Yu suddenly stood out from the crowd.

"Your Majesty, as the saying goes, to err is human, to forgive divine, and this is especially true for a ruler. Heaven and earth..."

"Cough cough cough!" Li Shimin was so angry that his eyes widened, and he pointed at Xiao Yu, who was clearly siding with the retired emperor, and glared at him angrily.

"Duke of Song, you! You have disappointed me greatly! What have I done to displease you?!"

Xiao Yu bowed his head and clasped his hands: "What I have said is all based on justice..."

After saying this, he suddenly bowed to the crown prince beside him.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has been away from Chang'an for half a year. If he were to leave the central government any further, the people of Chang'an might become uneasy. Moreover, there are still many matters in the court that require His Majesty's personal attention. If Your Highness were to lead the northern expedition alone..."

"This old minister believes that the Emperor Emeritus is still as brave and valiant as ever! He is fit to lead the expedition in person!"

"Your subject, Pei Ji, second this proposal!"

"Your subject, Wang Gui, seconds this proposal!"

"Your Majesty, Zheng Jiang seconds this proposal!"

"minister......"

One by one, the veteran officials of the Wude clan stepped forward. Due to the variable of Li Chengqian, these veteran officials of the Wude clan, who should have been gradually marginalized or even squeezed out of the court according to history, were now facing a change in the political landscape.

Surprisingly, quite a few of them are still active in high positions.

As soon as Xiao Yu finished speaking, everyone stepped forward to stand in line with the Emperor Emeritus. In the blink of an eye, the entire Taiji Hall was clearly divided into two groups.

Li Chengqian blinked and looked at Li Shimin, whose face was extremely ugly as he saw his two cousins, Li Daozong and Li Xiaogong, among the old ministers of Wude.

"Um, what do the rest of the adults think? Why don't you speak freely?"

"Who do you think is qualified to serve as my General Who Conquers the North? Please cast your precious vote!"

Li Yuan, Li Shimin: "..."

Following the events of Xuanwu Gate Incident, a strong sense of tension once again filled the air between this father and son.