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

Inside the Shougong Hall, Wei Zheng looked embarrassed and awkward.

If someone else were to speak to him so openly, even the emperor would dare to use a series of unique ancient and modern allusions, or the teachings of Confucian sages, to make the other party admit their mistake.

But facing this crown prince...

Wang De, Sun Yi, and Gao Hai, three former close eunuchs who had served the emperor, were clearly mocking him.

Wei Zheng could only pretend he hadn't seen it.

He held the imperial edict in his hands.

His face was full of bitterness.

"Your Highness, Bingzhou is now so prosperous that it is rare in our Great Tang. Since you are a wise and benevolent ruler who cares for the people, why not move your capital to Chang'an so that all the people of our Great Tang can feel your wisdom and blessings?"

"Your Highness!"

Wei Zheng was visibly excited, tears welling in his eyes. He knelt down with the imperial edict in his hands.

"Your Highness, please ascend the throne in Chang'an!"

Li Chengqian shook his head, and even in front of Wei Zheng, the remonstrating official, he put his feet up on the table in front of him, acting nonchalant and cynical, just like a younger version of Emperor Li Er in his leisure time in Ganlu Palace.

"Lord Wei, please don't say that. I'm nowhere near as good as you make me out to be. I'm lazy and rude, to be honest."

"If I were to become emperor, wouldn't I drive all of you censors and officials crazy?"

Li Chengqian shook his head and waved his hands repeatedly: "I won't go! I won't go! What throne, what Chang'an, I don't need them! And I won't go back!"

Li Gang and Yu Shinan noticed the pleading look in Wei Zheng's eyes.

They all coughed twice and, without prior arrangement, picked up a document from the table and began to read it in a pretentious manner.

joke!

They knew all too well how disrespectful the Crown Prince was to himself and his subjects when he worked.

What Master Li and Master Yu?

If it were truly a backlog of government affairs, they would absolutely believe it.

This Crown Prince will surely utter such outrageous remarks as, "To die of old age is death, to die for the country is also death, so is it acceptable to die for the country?"

Return to Chang'an?

His Highness the Crown Prince is going back to inherit the throne, but those two old fogies are going back to have their coffins ready!

"Swish, swish, swish..." The brush in his hand immediately made comments on the document.

It seems that with Wei Zheng kneeling here, the efficiency of the two old fellows, Li Gang and Yu Shinan, in handling matters has increased significantly.

Wei Zheng was truly exhausted.

He had thought of a thousand ways to solve the problem, but now, when he actually faced the crown prince, he was helpless to find that none of his so-called methods were actually feasible.

"Your Highness, what exactly would it take for you to return and inherit the throne?"

Wei Zheng had no choice but to bow.

Li Chengqian chuckled, but then suddenly remembered: "Why did my father suddenly stop wanting to be emperor?"

"The second year of the Zhenguan era hasn't even ended yet, and he couldn't even last two years as emperor? What rebellion did he stage back then?"

Li Gang and Yu Shinan lowered their heads even further.

As if his eyesight was failing, he seemed to want to press his head against the document.

Wei Zheng: "...So, His Majesty thinks the Crown Prince is more suitable for the throne?"

Li Chengqian shook his head, as if his eyes had seen through everything.

"Tell me, what does my father intend to do after he abdicates? Is he going to lead troops into war?"

Wei Zheng: "..."

"Ha, I knew it!"

Li Chengqian waved his hand and refused again without hesitation: "Go back and tell him that once he sits on the throne, he should stick his ass to the dragon throne and die. He has no need for anything, such as leading troops into battle or expanding territory!"

"If he truly wants to do something for the Tang Dynasty, then he should handle the affairs of Chang'an well. If he still has the energy, then he should go to the harem and have some babies... to encourage the people of our Tang Dynasty to have more children."

Wei Zheng: "..."

He wanted to say something else.

Li Chengqian suddenly gave instructions to Sun Yi, who was standing to the side.

“Go to the treasury and double the 15 strings of cash that Fan Qi withdrew! Tell him to tell my father, the Emperor, that he will receive 30 strings of cash every month from now on, and that he should work diligently in his post as Emperor.”

"Don't think about leading troops into battle; it's unrealistic."

Wei Zheng: "..."

If he were to return to Chang'an with such a reply, he could almost imagine that the emperor would be so angry that he would turn the entire city upside down.

There was also his own son, Wei Shuyu, who had been taken hostage, and the Wei family's relatives.

They were bound to be targeted by the enraged Emperor.

His face was full of pleading as he held in his hands an imperial edict that, in any other dynasty, would have instigated fierce competition among the princes and destabilized the country.

"Your Highness, please reconsider. Our Great Tang Dynasty is not just half a country. The people in the south also need your benevolent rule and want to live a good life under your leadership."

"Your Highness!!!"

"Take him out, take him out! It's not like I haven't written development strategies for Chang'an. If development in the south can't keep up, shouldn't you be going to your Emperor? Why are you coming to me, the Crown Prince?!"

Li Chengqian waved his hand repeatedly, looking at Wei Zheng, who was being dragged out of the Shougong Hall by Wang De and Sun Yi.

And he didn't forget to give a loud reminder.

"Go back and tell the Emperor that the position of Crown Prince will remain his until his death! Make him give up any thought of personally leading the army into battle!"

Such an absurd scene unfolded in the Shougong Hall.

Li Gang and Yu Shinan finally cautiously raised their heads.

Seeing that the Crown Prince was acting as if nothing had happened, picking up a document and starting to review it just like them, they couldn't help but exchange a glance.

"Your Highness... are you really not planning to go back and succeed to the throne? His Majesty's decision to send Wei Zheng here this time is surely no joke."

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes: "Master Li, although my father is sometimes a bit reckless, how could he joke about something as trivial as the throne, especially since he is the emperor!"

Yu Shinan asked anxiously, "Then Your Highness, aren't you tempted?"

Li Chengqian stared at the other party speechlessly, making Yu Shinan feel extremely uncomfortable, before finally speaking softly.

"Master Yu, how about I have someone bestow upon you a coffin made of golden nanmu wood? After much thought, if you, Master Yu, are too burdened by official duties to enjoy your family and grandchildren, then besides bestowing some posthumous honors, this is the most practical thing to do."

"Speaking of which, Master Yu, you are in much better health than Master Li, after all, you are more than ten years younger..."

"Cough cough cough, oh dear, I'm getting old. Even this little bit of government work makes my back ache... Lord Yu can definitely continue for a few more years, but it will be difficult for me." Li Gang suddenly coughed repeatedly.

The way he rubbed his waist and shoulders, and occasionally grimaced, made Yu Shinan, who was standing next to him, look completely speechless.

"Alright, Lord Li, there's no need to act anymore. This morning when you were playing shuttlecock with me, you were incredibly agile!"

Li Chengqian chuckled lightly, but Yu Shinan remained puzzled.

"When does Your Highness plan to inherit the throne?"

Li Chengqian remained silent.

After a long pause, she spoke softly, "It will have to wait until my father is as old as my grandfather is now. Look at my grandfather, he's over sixty, but he's still young and fearless!"

"I believe that Father Emperor can dedicate at least another thirty to fifty years of his youth to the Tang Dynasty!"

The gate of Yangcheng Palace.

Wei Zheng, who had been invited out, was still carefully holding the imperial edict in his arms. However, Fan Qi, who was holding 30 strings of cash from the Royal Bank, looked even more aggrieved and bewildered than Wei Zheng at that moment.

"Eunuch Fan, we had agreed that when you came this month, we would treat you to a few drinks. But now it seems that the official business you have on hand needs to be reported to Chang'an urgently."

Wang De shook his head regretfully. As soon as he finished speaking, the bitterness on Fan Qi's face deepened.

He glanced at the anxious Wei Zheng beside him and sighed deeply.

"Lord Wei, let's go."

"Leave? I have not yet fulfilled the imperial mission, and my eldest son has been detained by His Majesty... How can I return to report if the imperial mission has not been fulfilled?"

Fan Qi: "Does Lord Wei intend to stay here and refuse to leave? I'm afraid His Majesty will be even angrier."

Wei Zheng remained silent, clutching the imperial edict in his arms even tighter.

“If Your Highness is unwilling to return to the capital to succeed to the throne, then this old man can only think of another way…” Wei Zheng gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and walked onto the carriage next to him.

"Let's go! To the Wang family in Taiyuan! I refuse to believe that His Highness isn't interested in the throne, and that these ministers of the Eastern Palace aren't anxious!"

When Wang Ming and his son Wang Qingyun returned home exhausted from their shift.

As soon as I entered, I heard the butler's report.

When Wei Zheng, the Grand Counselor of Chang'an, arrived at their residence, he waited for them there all afternoon, and they were all taken aback.

When Wang Ming appeared in the reception room with a belly full of questions, he met Wei Zheng.

I was just about to bow and say a few polite words.

Wei Zheng, however, was the first to stand up and got straight to the point.

"Prefect Wang, I have come here on the Emperor's orders. The matter is urgent, so let's get straight to the point... Prefect Wang, please take a look!"

Wei Zheng handed the imperial edict directly to Wang Ming.

This startled both the Wang father and son.

Seeing that Wei Zheng didn't seem to be trying to trick them, Wang Ming hesitated for a moment, but still respectfully accepted the imperial edict.

Expand it and take a look.

"His Majesty has summoned the Crown Prince back to the capital to ascend the throne?! This... why is this happening so suddenly?!"

Not to mention Wang Qingyun, who was stunned, even Wang Ming, who was considered mature, composed, and shrewd, was shocked by the contents of the imperial edict.

"Could it be that Your Majesty...?"

“Governor Wang, be careful what you say! We old folks will be buried in the ground, our bones will turn to dust, and His Majesty’s health is absolutely top-notch!” Wei Zheng interrupted with a low shout.

He took a deep breath and said, "You don't need to overthink it. His Majesty doesn't mean anything by it. He simply doesn't want to sit on the throne... He wants to be a general and lead troops into battle."

When he said the last sentence, Wei Zheng couldn't help but rub his forehead and his dizzy head.

Now, even Wang Ming and Wang Qingyun, father and son, looked at each other with blank and confused eyes, as if they were dreaming.

After an unknown amount of time, Wang Ming, having barely processed this information, hesitated before looking at Wei Zheng, who was pressing his temples in pain.

Lower your voice.

"Then why did Lord Wei summon me? Shouldn't he have gone directly to Yangcheng Palace? His Highness the Crown Prince happens to be returning to Taiyuan Prefecture today..."

Wei Zheng's head throbbed even more.

"If the Crown Prince might agree, would I still need to go through the trouble of making this trip here?" He shook his head and sighed.

His eyes held a helplessness that no minister, past or present, could empathize with or understand.

"His Highness the Crown Prince refused, and not only that... he also unprecedentedly doubled His Majesty's imperial salary."

Wei Zheng wanted to laugh, but without even looking, he knew that the smile on his face would be uglier than a cry.

“Prefect Wang, Head of the Wang family, if you can persuade His Highness the Crown Prince to return to the capital to ascend the throne... His Majesty will remember your kindness.”

Wang Ming, Wang Qingyun: "..."

That sounds really strange, as if His Majesty needs the Taiyuan Wang clan to come to his aid.

That evening, Wei Zheng, after leaving the Wang family mansion in Taiyuan, turned around and headed towards the Zheng family mansion in Xingyang.

Zheng Jiang, the head of the family, happened to be away from Taiyuan Prefecture and hadn't returned to the capital yet these past two days.

Wei Zheng then produced the imperial edict.

"Patriarch Zheng, I'm here to present your Xingyang Zheng family with a token of your merit in supporting the emperor!"