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

"Young slave... are you asking for a beating again?"

Li Chengqian watched as the carp thrashed about, giving Sun Yi no chance to intervene, before escaping back into the lake with a splash.

As he slowly turned his head, his eyes suddenly turned hostile.

however.

Li Zhi showed no sign of panic when faced with his elder brother Li Chengqian's appearance.

She grabbed him anxiously.

"Brother, you, you have to help me! I'm going crazy!"

Li Zhi's conflicted and flustered expression startled Li Chengqian, who then wondered what had happened.

"What? You didn't end up like Zheng Wuhe and his gang, getting someone else's girl pregnant, did you?"

As he spoke, Li Chengqian's already unfriendly gaze instantly turned stern and icy.

Just as he was about to beckon Sun Yi to fetch the rattan whip.

Li Zhi hurriedly shook his head.

"No, no, no, Your Majesty, but it seems similar to this matter..."

Li Zhi's face was full of difficulty and bitterness.

"That...that's...me..."

"Stop being so wishy-washy! Get to the point! If there's nothing else, I'm going to have a go at you about how you kicked over the fish basket!"

Seeing his elder brother stand up, he exuded the imposing aura of the second-generation General Tian Ce.

Li Zhi then dared not hesitate.

"Um, Your Majesty, Murong Yu and Wu Zetian... they're fighting!"

"what?"

The first official school in Taiyuan Prefecture.

Class A of rural schools.

"Murong Yu! You are no longer a student of the First Official Academy, so why are you here?! Have you forgotten the lessons you learned before?"

"Hmph! What business is it of yours, you gossipy woman, for me to come see Brother Zhinu? As for you... I said that you made things difficult for me in class, but after I left, you ended up sitting next to Brother Zhinu. Wu Er, don't you take a good look at yourself? Do you even deserve Brother Zhinu?!"

"How dare you! I don't care about such things, and you, a princess at that, spewing vulgarities, you've truly disgraced the Crown Prince of Tuyuhun... Bah!"

"You dare to insult me, you concubine's daughter?!"

"So what if I curse you? I am Wu Zetian, the second young lady of the Duke of Yingguo's mansion in the Great Tang Dynasty! If you dare, bring your Tuyuhun troops and try to touch me!"

"Aaaaah! How dare you speak to this princess like that? I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Shougong Hall.

When Li Chengqian finished learning everything from Li Zhi, he walked from the back of Shougong Hall to the front of the hall.

They could already see two groups of people kneeling neatly inside the hall.

"I have failed in my duty to educate my daughter, which has damaged the reputation of His Highness Prince Jin. I humbly request His Highness the Crown Prince to punish me!"

Duke Ying, Wu Shiyue, pressed down on the head of his second daughter, Wu Zhao, and knelt down to beg for forgiveness.

Beside them, Wu Shun, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Ying's mansion who was already engaged to Li Chengqian, knelt there with a helpless expression.

As for the other side...

"Your Majesty, I have failed to properly educate my daughter, resulting in her being so spoiled and rude. Not only did she offend His Highness Prince Jin, but she also injured the Second Miss of the Duke of Ying. I... I am willing to bear all the consequences and humbly beg Your Highness to punish me!"

Murong Shun, who looked obviously travel-worn, had a face full of sorrow and fear.

On the contrary, Murong Yu, who was standing next to him, was also having her head pressed down by her father, just like Wu Zetian, but her fierce eyes were fixed on Wu Zetian, who was also glaring at her.

Li Chengqian: ".......tsk"

He tilted his head and looked at his younger brother.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

Both families wanted to be related to the royal family by marriage.

Li Chengqian did not believe it.

Let's not even talk about the fact that Samurai Go was intelligent.

Now that Wu Shun is already one of the future Crown Prince's favorite concubines, Wu Shiyue, a duke who already knows the head of the Royal Bank, has no need to add his second daughter to the existing relationship with the Crown Prince.

That would only be superfluous, turning good fortune into misfortune.

Even Murong Shun, whose daughter had been warned by Li Chengqian that there was absolutely no possibility of him marrying into the royal family.

He certainly wouldn't dare to do anything that disobeyed Li Chengqian's wishes.

So, these two families, now considered top-tier aristocratic families in the Tang Dynasty, are now feuding because of Li Zhi. The only explanation is...

"Tsk..."

Li Chengqian shook his head speechlessly.

That eerie gaze made Li Zhi, who was standing to the side, feel inexplicably insulted.

"Brother, why are you looking at me like that?"

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly, ignoring him.

He took a deep breath. Now that his mother and father were both in Chang'an, only he, the eldest brother and crown prince, could handle this matter.

"Alright, all of you, stop kneeling. What's the big deal? Duke Ying, you're getting on in years. The ground is cold. Your Majesty..."

Wang De and several eunuchs quickly stepped forward to help everyone up.

They even brought over a chair.

Li Chengqian sat in his main seat, while the three members of the Wu family and the two members of the Murong family sat on either side of the hall.

"Where do you think you're going to stand!"

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Zhi and pointed to the center of the main hall.

Li Zhi was taken aback, but Li Chengqian had already made a stepping motion, and the latter dared not say anything, standing awkwardly in the middle.

He was being stared at strangely by Wu Shiyue and Murong Shun.

Li Zhi: "...Ahem, you, you all drink tea, drink tea, hehe..."

No one spoke, and an awkward and strange atmosphere filled the hall.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Chengqian, after some contemplation, finally took a deep breath and slowly spoke.

"Um, Brother Murong, about this matter... Didn't your daughter already transfer to the Second Official School? How come she's still..."

Murong Shun, looking helpless and innocent, was about to stand up and offer his apologies.

Beside Li Chengqian, Sun Yi quickly whispered a reminder in his ear.

"Your Highness, Crown Prince Murong has returned to Tuyuhun recently. A rebellion broke out there because they couldn't raise the necessary funds for reparations, and he went to quell it..."

Murong Shun also cupped his hands in apology: "Your Highness, it is my fault for failing to properly educate my daughter. I had already told her not to go to the First Official School and disturb His Highness Prince Jin, but... I happen to be out of Taiyuan Prefecture recently, and I am unable to attend to her needs. In addition, I do not have a wife in my residence to keep an eye on her..."

Murong Shun is innocent.

Li Chengqian, however, showed a rare hint of embarrassment.

Ok!

Murong Shun, as the goodwill ambassador between the Tang Dynasty and Tuyuhun, returned to Tuyuhun in order to maintain peace between the two countries and ensure the smooth completion of the original indemnity treaty. He then launched a heavy attack on the "traitors" of Tuyuhun.

Even though he was the crown prince of Tuyuhun, his fervent patriotism was truly moving.

Now, they are risking their lives on the front lines for the Tang Dynasty, sacrificing their own families for the greater good, and spreading peace for the Tang Dynasty.

Looking back, his only daughter suffered injustice in Taiyuan Prefecture.

Li Chengqian: "......"

Li Zhi immediately noticed that the gazes that were originally focused on him had suddenly included his own elder brother.

An ominous premonition suddenly arose in his mind.

"Hehe, my dear brother, please sit down. There's no need to be nervous. I didn't mean to make trouble for you. Besides, this matter isn't your fault."

Li Chengqian waved his hand awkwardly and glared at his good-for-nothing younger brother.

His gaze shifted to one of his future fathers-in-law, Samurai Go.

"Your Highness, minister..."

"Alright! Duke Ying, there's no need to be nervous. Wu Zetian didn't do anything wrong either!"

joke!

This is the formidable man who has shouldered all the pressure in the early days of the entire banking and financial industry of the Tang Dynasty!

He had heard a couple of days ago that the other party had been overworked and sent to the Royal College of Physicians.

At the time of this incident, they were still holding a meeting at the bank to discuss setting up a branch in Gaochang...

"Child! You've gone too far!"

Li Chengqian's rebuke echoed throughout the entire hall.

"I told you to study diligently at the First Official Academy, and even arranged for Wu Zetian, a top student, to be by your side, and yet you still act so recklessly all day long?!"

Li Zhi looked up in astonishment: "This, no, Your Majesty, I..."

"Don't call me 'Brother Emperor'! You've disappointed me so much! If you hadn't taken the initiative to contact Murong Yu, I don't believe she would have gone to the First Official Academy to find you out of the blue!"

"It's one thing for you not to study properly, but you're also hindering others!"

Li Chengqian planned to have Wang De drag the other party out and give him a few lashes as a show.

Who would have thought that the next moment would bring such a dramatic turn of events?

A crisp sound instantly plunged the entire Shougong Hall back into deathly silence.

“Your Highness, Brother Zhinu didn’t contact me on his own initiative. Yes, I went to find him.”

Murong Yu was the type to say whatever came to mind; she seemed completely oblivious to the pleading look in her father's eyes.

His gaze was fixed on Li Zhi, who stood in the center of the hall.

"Brother Zhinu mentioned wanting a large cruise ship, so I bought it for him. I went to see him specifically that day..."

A giant cruise ship?!

Immediately, everyone, including Murong Shun, turned to look at Li Zhi, who also seemed completely unaware of everything.

"No? When did I ever tell you I liked boat trips?!" Li Zhi said anxiously.

Murong Yu blinked her big eyes and counted on her fingers.

"Thirty-five years ago, when I was still your deskmate, Brother Zhinu, on that outing to Fenhe Bay, didn't you say that the cruise ship was so exquisite that you wondered if it could withstand the wind and waves at sea?"

Li Zhi: "Well, I never said I wanted it! Besides, I clearly said the models in the counter at the office were exquisite, you..."

Li Chengqian shook his head repeatedly, no longer wanting to say anything.

The hand covering her forehead was also used to cover her eyes.

It seemed as if she could no longer bear to look at her younger brother.

Meanwhile, in the side hall, several princesses and princes who had rushed over upon hearing the news were enjoying the spectacle.

Princess Gaoyang tiptoed and looked through the window at Murong Yu inside the palace.

"Wow, that Tuyuhun princess is so rich!"

Princess Chengyang nodded repeatedly: "A large pleasure boat! I read in the newspaper that the price of a single pleasure boat has been inflated to 15 strings of cash these days. If it's even more exquisite, the price is terrifying..."

Li You let out a strange laugh.

"Hehehe... Old Ninth has really made something of himself. Tsk tsk tsk, look at him, the princess of Tuyuhun is so infatuated with him that if the moon in the sky had a price, she would buy it for him on the spot."

Among all the princes, Li Yun's appearance could only be described as upright and honest.

Looking at Li Zhi, who inherited the noble appearance of the current emperor and empress, and whose heroic temperament was honed by long-term medicinal baths and martial arts training.

He let out a long sigh, filled with envy.

"It seems that Murong Yu is the rich woman that my brother mentioned before."

Inside the palace.

Upon hearing Murong Yu's words, he immediately mentioned a large cruise ship.

Wu Zetian's pretty face, which had been filled with anger, suddenly froze.

Seeing Li Zhi's anxious gaze, he closed his eyes and let out a cold snort.

"Hmph~ (｀?′)Ψ"