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

"Guanyinbi, how many emperors throughout history have been able to die peacefully in their sleep?"

"Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, only lived to be fifty-four, and Liu Chan, the last emperor of Shu Han, died of a miscarriage at the age of sixty-five. These are considered high."

"Sun Hao, the last emperor of Eastern Wu, was only forty-five, and Cao Huan, the last emperor of Cao Wei, was only fifty-eight... Waaah!"

"I am already sixty-four years old this year! I don't have many years left to live..."

Lizheng Hall.

Empress Zhangsun and all of Li Shimin's concubines looked at each other with embarrassed expressions.

Looking at the retired Emperor Li Yuan, who was crying with snot and tears streaming down his face, saying one moment that he missed Empress Dowager Dou so much that he might as well just die, and the next that he just wanted to enjoy a few more years of glory and carefree life.

"Ahem, Your Majesty the Retired Emperor, you are the founding emperor of our Great Tang Dynasty, a wise ruler who restored order to the world. How can you compare yourself to some Shu emperor? You will surely live to be a hundred years old..."

Consort Yang spoke softly to comfort her.

however.

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because the moment he did, Li Yuan's crying grew even louder.

"Waaah! What good are the founding emperors? They're all short-lived ghosts. The First Emperor talked about immortality all the time, but he died at the age of fifty. Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, was one of the few who actually lived, right?"

"Fifty-three! The person is gone!"

"Guanyinbi, I am already sixty-four, sixty-four years old. I may return to the Wude Hall tonight, and tomorrow I will be moved to the imperial mausoleum..."

Outside the Lizheng Hall, Prince Wei, Li Tai, curled his lip.

"It can't be that quick. The Ministry of Rites still has many things to handle, and the state funeral will take several more days..."

Snapped!

An orange flew out of the hall and hit Li Tai squarely on the head.

This prompted the latter to cry out in pain.

Empress Zhangsun gracefully withdrew her movement and smiled to comfort the retired Emperor Li Yuan.

"Father, you're overthinking it. Don't tell me that the First Emperor was concocting some kind of elixir and killing himself. Liu Bang did so many foolish things in his old age, and the old injuries he sustained in his youth also contributed to his demise..."

however.

Empress Zhangsun's words of comfort caused Li Yuan to suddenly stand up abruptly.

He was so excited that he tugged at the hem of his shirt around his neck.

"I also have hidden injuries. When I was young, I fought against the Turks and the rebels, and I was wounded. Here, here, and here..."

It looked like His Majesty was about to take off his clothes in front of his son, concubine, and empress.

The eunuch Wang De, who was standing nearby, quickly ran up and stopped him.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please calm down. The Empress did not mean that. May you enjoy good health and longevity, and may our Great Tang Dynasty be blessed with peace and prosperity..."

"To hell with divine protection! I'm sixty-four! At my age, I can just die any minute now..."

Empress Zhangsun gently touched her forehead.

He smiled wryly and helplessly as he looked at his eldest son, who was standing to one side of the hall.

"Chengqian, perhaps we should just forget about it..."

She watched as her father-in-law, completely unrefined, sobbed and cried, expressing her desire to help her son and persuade him to share the burden of government affairs.

It's too late to bring it up now.

With tears streaming down his face, Li Yuan turned to look at Crown Prince Li Chengqian with hopeful eyes.

But then Li Chengqian coughed lightly.

He uttered a sentence that made Li Yuan feel as if the sky had fallen.

"The Tang imperial family does not tolerate idlers... Either go to Xizhou Prefecture to preside over the new policies, or stay in Chang'an to oversee the country."

"Aaaaah! I can't live like this anymore! I can't take it anymore! Someone, prepare a carriage for me. I'm moving to the imperial mausoleum today. Waaah, I even brought you back so many gifts, and I even brought back that Sassanid Persian princess for you. You... you're just like your father, both heartless!"

"Waaaaah, heavens above, why am I so unlucky...?"

Li Yuan resorted to crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide.

Outside the Lizheng Hall, the princes and princesses, including the Prince of Wei, who had been ordered by the Empress to stand as punishment, all lowered their heads and suppressed their laughter.

Li Chengqian stood there quietly, hands tucked in his pockets, eyes downcast.

They showed no sign of backing down.

Upon seeing this, even Empress Zhangsun felt utterly overwhelmed.

Seeing this, Consort Wei couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, can't you send some ministers to Xizhou County? Didn't you send Wei Zheng to Nabaikal County before? It's said that things are developing very well there."

Li Chengqian didn't even blink: "There's no one in the court. Moreover, the situation in Xizhou County is different from that in Baikal County. Further north in Baikal County is an extremely cold wilderness, so there's no need to worry about any trouble. But in Xizhou County, there are still the Sassanid Persians and the powerful Arabs."

Li Yuan immediately said, "Xiao Yu and Pei Ji can go!"

What kind of betrayal of a best buddy?

As the saying goes, "It's better to die for your friend than for yourself," and Li Yuan, as a descendant of Lao Tzu, was very clear about this distinction.

Li Chengqian's attitude was firm, and he gently shook his head: "There must be someone from the royal family in charge."

Li Yuan immediately said, "Then let Zhinu go!"

outside the temple.

Li Zhi, who was enjoying the lively atmosphere and occasionally pulling out a handful of roasted peanuts from his pocket, never expected that he would suddenly become the subject of gossip.

He looked anxious, but then he heard his elder brother, the emperor, refuse from inside the hall.

"The young servant is too young. Although his abilities surpass those of his peers, his knowledge is still somewhat limited, and he can't hold his own in the situation!"

Li Yuan snorted angrily: "Then let Li Zhen go!"

Li Chengqian shook his head again: "Li Zhenzhi is not here, and now is the crucial time for him to comprehend the way of law."

It seemed that Li Yuan had no room to refuse, and Li Chengqian continued speaking before the other party could say anything.

“Li Yun, the railway official, has a lot of things to do, so he can’t go to Xizhou County.”

“Li You specializes in agriculture, while Xizhou County mainly needs to control war and economy, and sending him to Xizhou County would be a waste of his talents.”

"Li Yin and Li Ke still have a lot of things to do in Silla and Japan. Li Ke is even more determined to reorganize the navy of our Great Tang and establish a second naval fleet."

"Grandfather... the Embroidered Uniform Guard knows exactly how you spent those year or so in Xizhou Prefecture..."

He noticed Li Chengqian's calm yet quite intimidating gaze.

Li Yuan couldn't help but swallow hard.

His overall aura also weakened.

"Initially, I didn't intend to conquer the Western Regions so quickly. After all, the lands of Tuyuhun and Zhenbeidao hadn't been fully digested yet, and there were still wars and diplomatic commitments to make with Goguryeo. It was you, my grandfather, who blocked my path every day after court sessions, and even gathered a group of troops early on, vowing to conquer the Western Regions..."

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes slightly.

His voice was also more forceful than before, and his sharp gaze made Li Yuan hesitate to meet his eyes for a moment.

"This...didn't I conquer it too?"

"Knock knock knock! Is this a question of whether we can conquer it or not?! With the heavily armed army of my Great Tang Dynasty, and the Duke of Ying as our deputy commander, I am very curious, who in this world cannot conquer the Western Regions?!"

Li Chengqian slammed his hand on the table.

They showed no consideration for the other party's feelings whatsoever.

"How many cannons and muskets from the Taiyuan Arsenal and Bingzhou were sent to the Western Expeditionary Army? Should I summon Yingying and have a word with the Retired Emperor about it?!"

Li Yuan was rendered speechless by the rebuttal.

An old face streaked with tears was filled with astonishment and shame, and he awkwardly waved his hand hastily.

"Humph!"

Li Chengqian put his hands back in his pockets, but he did not back down when facing his mother, who had a bitter smile on her face.

"Grandfather, even if you bring up my mother's name today, or even if you bring up the Empress Dowager's memorial tablet, I will still say the same thing!"

"Either oversee the country in Chang'an, or go to Xizhou County to fully implement the new policies!"

“There is no third way!”

"Even if you, my imperial grandfather, were to move into the imperial mausoleum tonight, I would still say the same thing! There is no room for discussion!"

"Even if I come, you still have to listen to me!"

Outside.

Seeing their elder brother, the Emperor, walk out of the palace with great momentum, Li Tai and the others were filled with admiration and shock.

Li Yin muttered to himself, "As expected of my elder brother... Even if I were here, he would still have to listen to me... Hiss, I've learned something new."

Li Chengqian left in a leisurely manner.

Only Empress Zhangsun, standing helplessly and awkwardly in the Hall of State, and the devastated Emperor Emeritus Li Yuan remained.

"Waaaaah, why is my life so miserable~"

Empress Zhangsun sighed softly.

"Father, please don't be too sad. After all, this is a good thing for the country and the people... Chengqian and the others didn't just prepare those policies and guidelines for you alone, the Retired Emperor. They also prepared them for His Majesty..."

.......

Late at night outside the Wude Hall.

Li Yuan stood alone and forlorn on a pavilion.

Feeling the desolation of the shop, coupled with the dark scene outside the hall, it suddenly seemed as if I was moved to write this.

"Silently I ascend the western tower alone, the moon like a hook, a lonely paulownia tree in the deep courtyard locks in the clear autumn..."

"A sorrow that cannot be severed, a tangled mess, is the pain of parting. A unique feeling stirs within my heart..."

"Hey......"

His eyes were filled with tears, but none of the eunuchs dared to step forward to comfort him.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Yuan suddenly seemed to have figured something out. He turned around and strode quickly into the hall, spread out a piece of white paper, and picked up a writing brush.

He took a deep breath and, after a long period of contemplation, began to spread ink across the paper.

"My son Shimin, if you receive this letter, remember not to return to the capital!"

"I am already trapped in Chengqian's trap and cannot escape... Remember not to listen to the letters from the Prince of Wei or the Crown Prince of Chang'an... You must also be discerning about Guanyinbi's words."

"Freedom is a hoax!"

"Pfft!" Li Chengqian spat out his tea as he looked at the letter delivered by the Imperial Guard in his hand.

Especially when he saw the poem recorded here, he couldn't help but show a look of shock.

"You...you mean to say that this poem was written by the Emperor Emeritus?!"

The personal eunuch in charge of Li Yuan's daily arrangements nodded hurriedly.

"Indeed, that night, the Emperor Emeritus stood in the pavilion of the Wude Hall, gazing at the night view outside the window, and was suddenly moved to write this..."

Li Chengqian took a breath and looked at the poem written by the last emperor of the Tang Dynasty, which was then written by Li Yuan, the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He felt that the world was full of absurdity and strangeness.

"Did I... really go too far?"

He murmured to himself, then gently shook his head.

"Grandfather still lacks a bit of magnanimity. As the saying goes, 'Be the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures,' only then can our Great Tang Dynasty last for ten thousand years!"

He casually burned the letter that the retired emperor had written to Emperor Taizong of Tang.

He gave an order to Qianlou, who was standing to the side.

"Have someone imitate the Emperor Emeritus's handwriting to write a letter and send it to Chengdu Prefecture, telling His Majesty that the Emperor Emeritus misses him and urges him to return to the capital to prepare for my wedding..."