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

Kim Seung-man never expected this.

Everything was planned perfectly. On the way to the Tang Dynasty and at the Sifang Pavilion in Chang'an, I even inquired about the Tang court and the royal family.

She especially remembered that Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty was fond of a good reputation.

Furthermore, his long-standing contact with the Central Plains dynasties allowed Kim Seung-man to immediately confirm that today's performance was a charade of begging for sympathy and pity from the other party.

Who would have thought that Li Tai, the Prince of Wei, would suddenly appear out of nowhere!

Looking at Li Tai's face, Jin Shengman still gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

On the surface, however, tears flowed out even more freely, like a burst dam.

However......

"Stop putting on an act in front of me! I can see right through you and know exactly what you're thinking!"

Li Tai let out a cold snort.

Such a brutal treatment of a woman made Li Shimin, who was sitting on the throne, think about a problem that was even more alarming and serious than whether or not the eastern expedition could be carried out...

"Your Highness, why do you speak of me like this? Silla is a small country with barren land, surrounded by two neighboring kingdoms, Goguryeo and Baekje. The people of Silla struggle to survive, and we have come to Chang'an at the risk of our lives..."

Li Ke stood with his arms crossed beside Li Chengqian, watching his younger brother Qingque, who remained unmoved even in the face of such a beautiful woman weeping.

He couldn't help but let out a series of exclamations of admiration.

"Your Majesty, it seems that Mother should be more worried about Qingque than about my marriage... Tsk tsk tsk, brilliant, truly brilliant!"

Li Chengqian couldn't help but smile.

"Unmoved by women, my Emperor Qingque possesses the bearing of a great emperor!"

Unaware that his two elder brothers were gossiping about him behind his back, Li Tai saw that Jin Shengman was still trying to argue her way out of trouble.

The natural disdain that a top student has for a struggling student shines through his eyes.

A sarcastic laugh made Jin Shengman's tear-streaked face tremble again.

"Have you cried enough? If not, I'll have someone throw you out of the palace and make you cry at the palace gate. Who knows, some extraordinary person might be unable to bear seeing such a beauty shed tears and follow you to save Silla!"

Kim Seung-man was immediately furious.

"you......"

Her gaze shifted to Li Shimin, who was now on the throne, clutching his forehead in pain. Her voice was shrill and sorrowful.

"Your Majesty, do you truly have no pity for the people of Silla? They are waiting day and night for you to lead the heavenly army to save them, Your Majesty!"

Li Shimin was even more troubled.

I have soldiers, but no money!

His gaze involuntarily fell upon his own crown prince, only to find that the boy showed no sign of pity or hesitation, and was instead being harassed by Qingque in the face of such a beauty.

He looked excitedly watching a show.

All that's missing is someone to prepare a handful of sunflower seeds for him... Wait a minute!

Seeing that his younger brother was about to start the second round of attacks, Li Ke rummaged in the sleeve of his prince's robe and suddenly pulled out a handful of melon seeds.

He nudged his elder brother, the Crown Prince, who was standing to the side...

Li Chengqian: "Snap, plop~"

Li Ke: "Snap, pfft~"

Li Shimin: "......"

The crisp sound of cracking sunflower seeds was jarring in the otherwise silent Taiji Hall.

Even Kim Seung-man, who had been preparing to retaliate, couldn't help but turn her head to look over. She saw that, according to her investigation, his power in the Tang Dynasty court even surpassed that of the current emperor's crown prince.

They actually looked like they were watching a good show.

My initial confidence suddenly sank.

Li Tai ignored all of that and suddenly flicked his sleeve.

He exuded the aura of the Prince of Wei of the Tang Dynasty.

"Even if I set aside for the moment how much Silla has slighted my Great Tang, and temporarily regard you as a vassal state of my Great Tang, then I would like to ask you something!"

Li Tai narrowed his eyes. Despite his young age, he possessed a remarkable killing intent due to his experience on numerous battlefields.

"You keep saying that Baekje and Goguryeo have joined forces to kill you all!"

"Do you have any proof?!"

Kim Seung-man was taken aback by Lee Tae's question.

"Proof? They have already seized vast swathes of Silla's land and plundered our people... they..."

Li Tai shook his head and let out another disdainful sneer.

"From the Tang Dynasty to Silla, the distance is vast, so you can't just say whatever you want. Besides, even if your Silla territory has indeed been occupied, why can't I suspect that the three kingdoms have set a trap for each other, just to lure the Tang Dynasty into it?"

Before Kim Seung-man, whose expression had changed drastically, could offer her explanation.

Li Tai let out another cold snort.

"They disagree with the establishment of Busan Port by our Great Tang, which means they don't want our Great Tang to station a large army in Silla. However, they are clearly preoccupied with their own problems, and even when they come to ask for help, they still refuse to budge... Tsk tsk tsk."

"Do you Silla royal family think that all the officials of my Great Tang Dynasty, and even my father, are stupid?!"

Kim Seung-man was so shocked that her mouth dropped open.

I never expected that this Prince Wei of the Tang Dynasty could be so adept at shifting blame, and that he could even make it sound so reasonable.

Upon seeing the Tang Dynasty civil and military officials around her, their gazes towards her were filled with scrutiny.

Kim Seung-man quickly turned her head and looked at Emperor Li Shimin, who was sitting on the throne.

They kowtowed repeatedly.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty the Emperor! We in Silla would never dare to harbor such thoughts! We truly need the Tang Dynasty's aid; the people of Silla are suffering from war and devastation..."

She started crying again...

Li Chengqian shook his head speechlessly.

Perhaps if it had happened earlier, he wouldn't have finalized the plan to launch a northern expedition against the Western Turks this year.

His father, who didn't want to stay in Chang'an and hoped to achieve great feats again and be remembered in history, would surely slam his fist on the table and, faced with Silla's plea, immediately launch an eastern expedition.

But nowadays...

After a long silence, Li Chengqian slowly stepped forward.

"Father, I have some matters to attend to at the Crown Prince's Palace, so I will take my leave now..."

As the crown prince, his early departure from the grand court assembly was naturally not in accordance with etiquette. In fact, if it were the crown prince of another dynasty, it would probably immediately attract a large number of impeachments.

However, nowadays... Tang Jian, the head of the Ministry of Rites, is a hands-off manager, while the second-in-command is Zheng Jiang of the Zheng family in Xingyang, one of his future fathers-in-law.

Whether it's proper etiquette or not, someone will naturally explain it to him...

Li Shimin waved his hand, looking at Jin Shengman who was now in despair, and couldn't help but sigh.

I do want to send troops, but alas... my word doesn't count.

Li Chengqian left work early, and Prince Li Ke of Han also made up an excuse to leave early. Then, Prince Li Tai of Wei, who was laughing heartily, also left.

"Hahaha! Little Silla, they don't know the might of Heaven. They make excuses and refuse to give us a piece of land. Since they are so shameless, that's perfect. Once Yeon Taejo and the King of Baekje have destroyed them, our Great Tang can take the opportunity to launch an eastern expedition!"

Li Tai had already planned out his future arrangements.

Li Chengqian smiled and strolled towards his Eastern Palace, his eyes gleaming as he looked at the clouds in the sky.

"They're just a tiny, insignificant country. Since they've brought this upon themselves, let them go... Third Brother."

Li Chengqian tilted his head to the side, and Li Ke, who was standing next to him, quickly came over.

"Send a letter to Liu Rengui, suspending the construction and preparation work of Busan Port, and sending all the current resources and manpower to Tsushima Island and Fukuoka!"

Li Ke immediately nodded.

"The Soga clan in Japan is getting restless. Since Silla has Yeon Taejo and Baekje as its weapons, it would be wise for us to observe for the time being and instead focus our attention on Japan."

Li Chengqian smiled and, as soon as he returned to the East Palace, he had Wang De summon a carriage.

"Let them fight it out on the peninsula. Give Gao Jianwu more weapons support. We can't let Yuan Taizuo and the remnants of the Five Clans and Seven Noble Families have it easy. Also, speed up the shipyards in Dengzhou, and invest more in private shipyards..."

"Even if they are not suitable for future naval battles, those ships are still very good for transporting supplies and slaves."

Li Chengqian is gone.

While his own father was still in the imperial court, facing the congratulations and various requests from the countries surrounding the Tang Dynasty.

Li Chengqian's carriage had already arrived at the Jiangxia Prince's Mansion.

"Welcome, Your Highness!"

Princess Jiangxia and Li Xueyan came out to greet them with some surprise.

Even though Li Chengqian had said before that he would come to visit today, today was a grand court assembly, and even Li Daozong was prepared to not return until the evening.

However, His Highness the Crown Prince actually came.

"Hehe, Aunt, you're too kind. Chengqian is not visiting today as the Crown Prince, but simply as Xueyan's cousin... I am very interested in Xueyan's design drafts."

Li Chengqian's sincere expression and acknowledgment delighted Princess Jiangxia, who had initially thought he only had a slight fondness for her daughter.

Could it be that the things Xueyan concocted were actually useful to His Highness the Crown Prince?

Although the two are now considered to be engaged.

However, Li Chengqian was not allowed to enter the boudoir.

In Li Xueyan's courtyard, Li Chengqian sat in a pavilion. Princess Jiangxia immediately sent someone to bring over a lot of snacks and food, and also brought out the King of Jiangxia's fine tea, giving him a warm welcome.

Li Chengqian, however, was looking at the sketches in his hands, some hastily drawn and some meticulously detailed.

A look of shock.

The Tang Dynasty, which inherited the Sui Dynasty—a product of the fusion and unification of the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties—was undoubtedly the most diverse and splendid chapter in the history of Chinese culture.

In the early Tang Dynasty, the country was in decline, and the main focus of the country was on developing productive forces.

Historically, the Zhenguan era of his father, the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, and the Wu Zhou era of Empress Wu Zetian were all periods of explosive growth for Tang culture.

Tang suits, a product of the Han Dynasty, Wei, Jin and Northern and Southern Dynasties, with women's high-waisted shirts and skirts, cross-collar ruqun, and men's Tang round-necked robes, are all synonymous with the culture of East Asia and even Asia at that time.

However.....

Li Chengqian looked at the clothes in his hand, which even had a front opening and straight collar style that had only become popular in the Song Dynasty.

And the short-sleeved jackets and long skirts that were popular during the Ming Dynasty...

And those imaginative textile patterns imbued with the spirit of Chinese culture...

Li Chengqian: "Xueyan, Imperial Jade Liquor, what's the next line?"