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

"Father, I deliberately let Jieli escape!"

Li Chengqian's words.

Just as he was about to give his son a good laugh, who was becoming too independent and almost impossible to control, he suddenly heard Li Chengqian say this.

He had already prepared his speech in advance, ready to give the other party a good lecture.

Emperor Li Shimin, who was trying to save face, was completely stunned.

Even Empress Zhangsun couldn't help but open her mouth wide in confusion.

"What did you say?"

Li Chengqian looked up at Li Shimin, who seemed to doubt that he had misheard, and took a deep breath.

“Father, I say that I intentionally let the Turkic Khan, Jieli, escape. Otherwise, even if his warhorse was a rare and precious steed, he would never have been able to escape my pursuit.”

Li Shimin fell silent.

He frowned slightly, pointed at Li Chengqian, and then his brows furrowed even deeper.

Since the last time, when he, the crown prince, publicly criticized him for being too impulsive and easily angered.

Li Shimin learned to be smart.

Despite feeling bewildered and angry at times, she was faced with all the misdeeds her son had committed.

But I will try my best to control myself and let it all out immediately.

"Jieli is the Khan of the Turks. If you let him go today, it's tantamount to releasing a tiger back into the mountains..."

Li Chengqian nodded, but then a smile appeared on his lips that inexplicably made Li Shimin feel sorry for the Turks.

"Father, you yourself said that if Jieli is the Turkic Khan, then letting him return to the grasslands would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains. But if he isn't, or rather..."

"Besides him, why did the Turks suddenly have several more khans?"

Empress Zhangsun dismissed everyone around her and quietly went to prepare a late-night snack for the father and son.

Given the current situation, this father and son are likely to have a long talk tonight.

"You brat, explain yourself clearly. Why have several more Khans suddenly appeared in the Turkic Khaganate? Do you think that Jieli's recent defeat will cause him to become disloyal and alienated from the Turks?"

"If that's the case, then I can only say you're too naive."

"Although Jieli used some underhanded methods to become the Great Khan of the Turks, his ability to rule the Turks was not lacking."

"This great victory of our Tang Dynasty over the Turkic cavalry may shake the position of the Turkic Khan to some extent, but to say it will completely overthrow him..."

Li Shimin shook his head, picked up the teapot on the table beside him, and poured himself a cup.

Li Chengqian's nose twitched.

The familiar, faint scent of chrysanthemums mingled with the aroma of hawthorn.

Isn't that the chrysanthemum tea I drank in the Eastern Palace?

Unexpectedly, this also happened in the harem.

He smiled.

"If I dared to utter such words simply because of this great victory, I wouldn't dare to call myself the son of General Tian Ce again..."

A perfectly timed compliment made a clear look of satisfaction flash in Comrade Li's eyes.

then.

"The reason I let Jieli return to the grasslands is because, given the current situation of our Great Tang, it is better to let him return to the grasslands than to keep him imprisoned in Chang'an."

"Jieli's position is now precarious, and the casualties caused by my gunpowder will surely spread throughout the Turkic steppe from the mouths of those Turkic cavalrymen."

Li Chengqian's smile grew increasingly deep and sinister.

"Jieli broke the alliance with our Great Tang Dynasty and was disliked by the Eternal Heaven. The Turkic Khaganate will become the most fertile ground for such rumors."

"If at this moment, Father... suddenly the Eternal Heaven bestows divine will upon the leaders of several of the largest Turkic tribes, it would be similar to the situation when the Qin dynasty lost its deer, and the whole world scrambled for it."

Li Shimin frowned even more deeply.

He understood some of it, but not all of it.

Just as he was hesitating whether to ask, a soft voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, Miss Qian Yingying said she has brought what you requested..."

Li Chengqian responded immediately.

"Let her come over, and remember to be careful when she's moving things."

soon.

With a series of rustling footsteps, several eunuchs carefully carried three wooden boxes into the Lizheng Hall, and then slowly put them down at Qian Yingying's prompting.

"This is....."

Li Shimin strode over and looked at the three large wooden boxes in front of him, each large enough to easily hold two or three adult men.

Some people were unsure what Li Chengqian was really up to.

Li Chengqian smiled and waved for the eunuchs to leave.

Then he asked Qian Yingying to close the door.

"Hehe, Father, don't embarrass yourself later. Keep an eye on your image; after all, you are now the Emperor..."

Li Chengqian smiled.

Li Shimin glared at him immediately: "You still know I am the emperor! I don't think you've ever treated me as the emperor!"

Seeing that the other party was about to grab a whip, Li Chengqian didn't dare to continue poking at Comrade Li Er's lungs.

He suddenly lifted the lid of a wooden box in front of him.

Subsequently.

"hiss!!!"

It shone brightly, as if a crystal creation with shimmering light was dancing on it, which made Li Er, who was originally going to nag and lecture Li Chengqian, turn into a long inhale.

Li Er suddenly looked as if he had seen some incredible treasure.

He hurriedly took two steps forward, his hands trembling as he looked at the contents of the box.

"A divine object! This is truly a divine object!"

Li Shimin's eyes instantly turned red, and his face, which had been pale from anger at Li Chengqian, now flushed red.

I saw.

Inside that huge wooden box was a crystal-clear, iridescent glass eagle.

"Where did you get this?!"

Li Shimin excitedly pressed for more information.

However, Li Chengqian smiled but did not answer. Instead, under Li Shimin's incredulous gaze, he opened yet another wooden box.

"hiss!"

A dark purple, glass-like wolf, its head raised in a ferocious manner as if howling at the moon, once again caused Li Shimin's expression to break down.

It looked as if saliva was flowing from the corner of his mouth at that moment.

His hands trembled as he stepped forward and carefully stroked it.

The familiar coolness of the glass, and its smoother, more comfortable feel than any glass he had ever seen before, caused Li Shimin to lose his ability to think.

He could only stare blankly at his son, who then opened the last wooden box.

There is a warhorse inside.

With its forelegs raised high, the position of the horse's mane appears to be so precise that even the smallest detail is visible.

"Come, Father, lend a hand..."

As Li Chengqian spoke, under Li Shimin's anxious gaze, he squatted down and inserted his hand into the base of the glass artifact inside the wooden box, as if he were about to lift it out.

"You, how dare you! Don't move, what if you bump into something and break it..."

"Father, if you don't lend a hand soon, it will really break."

"Oh dear, you unfilial son! You, you hold on, I'll carry you this way..."

"Slow down, or you'll scratch the wooden box."

"Father, have you been spending too much time in the harem lately? You should really put in some effort."

"You are presumptuous!"

When the two people carefully lifted the glass horse statue out of the wooden box and placed it on the table.

Li Shimin was so excited that he was covered in sweat, like a big boy who had just received a rare collectible.

As for Li Chengqian...

"Father, take a look at what is written on this glass base."

Upon hearing Li Chengqian's words, Li Shimin, who was immersed in the beauty of the glass-encrusted horse before him, finally came to his senses. Looking down, he saw that the base was also made of glass.

It prominently features distorted Turkic script engraved in gold.

Although he didn't know many Turkic characters, he managed to recognize what was written on it in a moment.

"A divine treasure bestowed upon the ruler of all under heaven for eternal life..."

Then there was a long string of text, which should be something like a prayer.

Upon seeing this, Li Shimin seemed to suddenly realize something, and his eyes widened instantly.

He pointed at Li Chengqian, then at the precious glass vase on the table in front of him.

"You, this is you..."

Li Chengqian smiled and nodded.

"Father, this glass was prepared in advance by me, specifically for use in situations like today."

He wore a sinister smile that sent chills down Li Shimin's spine.

"Father, what do you think of these three items, compared to the Imperial Seal of the First Emperor of China, on the Turkic steppe?"

Li Shimin: "......"

He stared blankly at the table in front of him, completely unable to imagine that it was a precious glass vase that should exist in the world.

The passion that had been burning within me suddenly turned icy cold.

"Therefore, these three crystal artifacts are not divine artifacts at all..."

Li Chengqian nodded: "They were produced by the glass workshop established by your son, the Crown Prince. However, they are just ordinary and mundane things, like your teacups and writing implements."

"Actually, if the situation weren't urgent and it wasn't necessary to quickly throw the Turks into chaos, the glass artifacts could have been made even more exquisite."

Li Shimin: "......"

The two then took two more items out of the wooden box.

Li Shimin stared blankly at the three exquisite glass treasures before him.

On the base below, just like the previous glass horse, there were Turkic characters engraved in gold.

The content is different, but the meaning is almost the same.

Li Chengqian stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the three glass ornaments on the table in front of him.

In his eyes, however, he seemed to already see the carnage unfolding across the Turkic steppe.

"Hehe, all we need to do is send spies into the grasslands and let these three items fall into the hands of the three most powerful tribal leaders of the Turks, besides Jieli."

"Only the one who gathers all three treasures will be truly recognized by the Eternal Heaven, and his descendants will enjoy the blessings of the gods...tsk tsk tsk."

As Li Chengqian spoke, he couldn't help but make a series of expectant clicking sounds.

However, Emperor Li Shimin, who was standing next to him at this moment, looked at Li Chengqian as if he were a devil.

None of these three treasures were intended for Jieli.

In other words, the irreconcilable forces on the Turkic steppe will be divided into at least four factions.

Even though glass is of a much lower quality than these worthless glass beads, it was still an extremely rare Persian import in the Tang Dynasty.

No one would ever imagine that such a divine object could be made by human hands.

That must have been sent down by the Eternal Heaven.

"Inhale...exhale..."

Li Shimin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

But his gaze couldn't help but fall on his own crown prince. Why hadn't he paid much attention to this child when he was still the King of Qin?

Li Chengqian, however, did not notice that the way Li Er was looking at him was a little strange at this moment.

Thinking of the parts he was proud of, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

"Those Turkic barbarians, no matter what kind of magnificent horses, sharp eagles, or ferocious wolves they have... they'll all be useless against this troublemaker of mine!"

Li Shimin: "......"

Li Shimin, who originally wanted to revitalize his father's authority, was disrupted by Li Chengqian's meddling.

Suddenly, everything seemed to become dull and tasteless.

What's the point of sitting on the throne as emperor?

The imperial army was short of food and pay, and his own son directly brought out the sea salt and mineral salt refining method, as well as the improved papermaking technology, putting a knife directly to the throat of the aristocratic family.

The Turks have invaded?

I'm prepared to fight a direct battle, even if it results in mutual destruction.

His own son pulled out a gunpowder jar that he had never heard of before, yet which even ghosts and gods avoided.

With a wave of his hand, the enemy's ships and towers were reduced to ashes.

Afterwards, they worried about harassment from the Turks.

This kid pulled another stunt like that...

Li Shimin felt he was becoming depressed.

He should have asked his son how to make glass and made good use of this golden goose.

At this moment, he simply waved his hand with a desolate expression, signaling the Crown Prince to return to the East Palace to rest.

When Empress Zhangsun returned with the midnight snack, the first thing she saw was Li Shimin sitting blankly at the table, staring at the three radiant treasures on it.

The porcelain bowl in my hand fell to the ground with a clatter.

Empress Zhangsun was stunned, but Li Shimin was separated by several precious glass artifacts.

Suddenly, she seemed like a wronged child.

"Guanyinbi, tell me, am I a very useless emperor?"