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

Changan.

Ganlu Temple.

Li Yuan's hand, gripping the red writing brush, was trembling from the force of his grip.

He gritted his teeth, his gaze as if he wanted to devour the person in front of him alive.

however.

Faced with such gazes, Prince Li Tai of Wei, who was holding a teacup and enjoying his tea, was already used to it and gently used the lid of the bowl to skim off the floating tea leaves.

The aroma of tea lingers on the lips, teeth, and nose.

This caused a look of intense enjoyment to appear on Li Tai's face.

"Qingque, you are now the regent, the King of Wei!"

Li Yuan squeezed out these words through gritted teeth.

However, Li Tai only responded with a faint smile and waved to the historian surnamed Dou, who was also sitting at a small square table on one side of Ganlu Hall, with guards protecting him on both sides.

The latter wielded his brush with flourish.

It's as if there's no skill cast time or cooldown.

He began recounting: "In the spring of the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, Emperor Gaozu intended to build a magnificent palace to rival the Epang Palace of the Qin Dynasty, intending to use the spoils of his great victory in the western expedition for personal gain. At the time, the Prince of Wei was regent and, upon hearing this, was greatly alarmed and urgently advised against it. Emperor Gaozu was furious..."

"The victory in the western expedition was solely my achievement, and the beauties and jewels obtained should rightfully belong to me. You, as my son and grandson, have shown no loyalty or filial piety, yet you have repeatedly obstructed my wishes..."

Li Yuan's eyes widened, while the historian surnamed Dou seemed to have entered a state of excitement.

In a short while, he wrote several pages of "Daily Records of Emperor Gaozu of Tang".

Li Yuan trembled with anger and cold.

Li Tai listened with obvious enjoyment and pleasure, and then suddenly added a sentence at the end.

"My power to oversee the country has therefore been directly stripped away by the retired emperor..."

The historian immediately understood and started a new page.

"The King of Wei feared that he would fail His Majesty and the Crown Prince's trust, so he knelt outside the Wude Hall for three days to plead with Emperor Gaozu, thinking of the difficulties faced by the country and its people."

"Emperor Gaozu refused, but after further persuasion, he stripped the regent of his power..."

Li Yuan: "!!!"

"Alright! That's enough! I'm handling it, I'm already approving it!"

Li Yuan was so angry that he trembled all over.

Li Tai then turned to the two concubines of Li Yuan, whom he had arranged to stand on either side of Li Yuan. The two concubines dared not speak, and instead either massaged his shoulders and back from behind or patted his chest to help him breathe.

Five steps away, two imperial physicians were attending to him.

Five palace maids waited quietly, carrying ginseng soup, desserts, and qi-tonifying medicine.

The Grand Secretary Ma Zhou, who had come to deliver the document, felt his scalp tingle as he faced the Emperor Emeritus's gaze, which seemed to be both pleading for help and accusing him.

He could only lower his head and try to avoid eye contact with him.

He carefully placed a stack of more than a dozen documents on top of the stack of documents that Li Yuan had just finished reviewing.

"Your Majesty, these are the documents that the Cabinet has just reviewed and approved. Please take a look..."

Li Yuan did not respond.

Li Tai, however, smiled and praised him.

"Hehe, Scholar Ma did a great job. Go back and keep up the good work. From now on, just leave these errand-running tasks to the servants."

Ma Zhou gave an awkward laugh, bowed, and left.

Their hurried footsteps, as if fleeing, quickly disappeared from the Ganlu Palace.

Seeing that his grandfather had finally become obedient again, Li Tai smiled and nodded slightly to the historian.

The latter immediately threw the stack of "Daily Records" he had just written into the brazier next to him.

As the flames rose, the drifting black ash did not bring Li Yuan even the slightest comfort.

It was almost lunchtime.

After waiting for a while, the imperial physician immediately got up and came to Li Yuan's side to examine him.

After taking the pulse to confirm the diagnosis, they returned to their positions, scribbled on a piece of paper, and exchanged whispers with each other for a while. A "Dietary Recommendation for the Retired Emperor" was then sent to the Imperial Kitchen.

On the other hand, Prince Li Tai of Wei should have been having a meal.

They showed no sign of leaving, and several eunuchs carried in a small coal stove.

They placed down several portions of the ingredients that King Wei, Li Tai, had specifically requested, lit the charcoal fire, and set the stove ablaze.

The eunuchs respectfully stepped aside.

The glowing embers in the stove made the iron pot simmer and bubble.

Under the influence of heat, the aroma of the pickled vegetables in the pot quickly filled the entire Ganlu Palace.

Li Tai put down the teacup in his cup, took out a dagger from his waist with a whalebone hilt and inlaid with rubies.

He picked up a piece of tender white tofu from the plate beside him, skillfully cut it into pieces, and put it directly into the pot.

While the tofu was still simmering in the pickled vegetable broth.

Li Tai then casually picked up the wine pot next to him and poured himself a small bowl of low-alcohol rice wine that was slightly milky white, without needing anyone to serve him.

I took a small sip; it had a subtle sweet and sour taste, with a hint of alcohol.

The taste lingered on his lips and teeth for only a moment before Li Tai picked up his chopsticks, picked up a piece of piping hot tofu, and put it in his mouth.

"Ugh... Hiss... Hah..."

Li Yuan watched this scene, his eyes twitching with anger.

The two concubines beside him were so frightened that they quickly began to comfort him in even softer and gentler voices.

However, it seems to have been of no use...

Li Tai seemed oblivious to the grumpy face of his grandfather, who was practically exploding with rage, and let out a comfortable groan of enjoyment.

He ate the hot tofu in his mouth and then took a delicious sip of rice wine.

Only then did he speak to the historian surnamed Dou who was sitting at the small table.

"Lord Dou, you'd better remember every single word you say!"

"These few thin sheets of paper may not weigh much, but they are heavier than my head, the King of Wei!"

"If you misremember even a single word, causing my great grandfather, such a wise and mighty hero, the founding emperor of our Tang Dynasty, to suffer an unjust accusation, then I, as his grandson, will be in grave danger."

The historian surnamed Dou hurriedly bowed and said, "Your Highness, rest assured. I have studied diligently for decades, compiled and edited historical records for several years, and I would never make any mistakes!"

As he said this, he could clearly feel a murderous gaze that was almost tangible.

But he lowered his head and dared not look in that direction.

Li Tai chuckled lightly: "Being careful in everything is never wrong. In the future, people of the world will be able to understand from these daily records what kind of peerless hero my grandfather, the founding emperor of our Great Tang Dynasty, was, with both literary and martial talents."

As he spoke, he smiled and looked at his furious grandfather.

"Hehe, how many emperors of my grandfather's age can still fight on horseback and govern the country on foot? How many are there in the great land of China?"

"You agree, right, Grandpa?"

Li Yuan took a deep breath, and angrily stabbed the red-inked brush in his hand onto the document.

"Snapped!"

Wasted!

However, the next second, a eunuch standing to the side immediately took a brand new vermilion pen from the tray in the hands of his companion and respectfully replaced it for the retired emperor.

李渊：“哼！”

Li Tai's smile grew increasingly unrestrained and smug as he watched the tofu bubbling and thrashing in the pot.

I couldn't help but think back to when my elder brother and I first went to Taiyuan Prefecture, and we often ate this kind of food back then.

He couldn't help but shake his head contentedly and hum a tune.

"Eating pickled vegetables and tofu—even the emperor can't compare to me!"

And at the same time.

Li Chengqian, who had returned to Taiyuan Prefecture a few days ago aboard the Zhenguan ship, had just finished his lunch.

He was flipping through an account book sent by the Tibetan Zanmusamaga.

Having gone completely mad and broken ties with other forces on the plateau, Songtsen Gampo's efficiency in getting things done was absolutely top-notch.

The two major businesses were the slave trade and the spice trade.

With his full output, he could bring terrifying profits to the Tang Dynasty every one or two months.

Take this year for example.

The first batch of slaves from the fourth year of the Zhenguan era were brought over by the Tubo Kingdom in March of this year.

The Tibetan Empire alone captured a terrifying 85,000 slaves, more than the combined number sent by Nepal, Zhangzhung, Yangtong, and other kingdoms.

In addition, there's the revenue from the Samaga spice caravan.

Li Chengqian nodded repeatedly in satisfaction.

“Not bad, not bad, I have always highly regarded your brother’s abilities…” He seemed to have thought of something.

Li Chengqian added a sentence.

"You're very capable too!"

Samaga had spent a year in the Central Plains, and her face, now radiating exquisite beauty, revealed a happy smile.

With bright eyes and white teeth, she looked at Li Chengqian with affection.

"Thank you, Your Highness. It is all thanks to Your Highness's support that your concubine and brother dare not take credit."

"Your Majesty, this lowly servant girl from the plateau dares to refer to herself as 'your concubine' in front of His Highness the Crown Prince again!"

Wang Yuyan and Zheng Lizhen unconsciously clenched their handkerchiefs tightly under the table.

Zheng Lizhen subtly met Wang Yuyan's gaze.

Eyes twinkling.

Wang Yuyan understood her meaning, but knowing the awkward situation of the Taiyuan Wang family, she pursed her lips slightly, somewhat hesitant to make a move at this moment.

however.

Just as the two were in the throes of passion, hesitating whether or not to make a move.

Li Chengqian seemed to have suddenly thought of something.

"Wang De, shouldn't Samaga also have a quota for the Crown Prince's harem at the Ministry of Rites?"

Wang Yuyan and the other woman's pupils contracted instantly, and Samaga's breathing quickened involuntarily, his eyes filled with even stronger longing.

Wang De smiled, naturally understanding his prince's meaning.

"Your Highness, there is a quota for Samaga Tsering from the Crown Prince's Palace, but you were too busy that day, so the exact rank of Samaga Tsering has not yet been determined..."

What's busy, what's been overlooked?

From the very beginning, the crown prince had no intention of taking the Tibetan princess into his harem.

However, the Wang family of Taiyuan and the Zheng family of Xingyang seem to be showing signs of a resurgence of their aristocratic ambitions, which finally led the prince to make a change on this matter.

See through, don’t say through.

Wang De's ability to go from being a favorite of Emperor Zhenguan to now being a favorite of the Crown Prince demonstrates his skill in reading people and situations.

Li Chengqian slapped his forehead and gave a wry smile.

"Alas, I was indeed negligent..."

Samaga hurriedly said she dared not, and Li Chengqian looked at her with admiration. After a moment of contemplation, his gaze lingered on Wang Yuyan and Zheng Lizhen for a while.

Suddenly, he spoke up: "Then I will bestow upon you the title of a fourth-rank concubine. Do you feel neglected?"

Wang Yuyan and Zheng Lizhen were shocked!

This lowly servant girl from the plateau is on the same level as them?!

Samaga's beautiful eyes immediately welled up with tears of joy, and she respectfully bowed deeply to Li Chengqian.

In addition to one principal wife and one secondary wife, the Crown Prince's harem of the Tang Dynasty could also include two Liangdi (rank three), six Liangyuan (rank four), ten Chenghui (rank five), sixteen Zhaoxun (rank seven), and twenty-four Fengyi (rank nine).

On this day, Wang Yuyan returned to the Wang family mansion in Taiyuan from Yangcheng Palace. She remained silent, her face gloomy, and a terrifyingly low atmosphere surrounded her.

Wang Ming, who already felt guilty, didn't dare to step forward at all.

Meanwhile, the Zheng family mansion in Xingyang suffered a complete disaster.

Zheng Jiang, his face ashen, ran frantically through the mansion, followed by Zheng Lizhen, who was holding a long sword and looked like a madwoman.

"Don't run! Take this sword! You old bastard, His Highness the Crown Prince finally showed me some affection, and now you've ruined it all!"

"Stop!"

"Ahhh, stop her! Someone, stop her! Wu Ling, quick, stop your sister!"

In the mansion.

Zheng De, the head of the second branch of the Zheng family in Xingyang, watched this scene with his hands in his pockets, showing no intention of stepping forward to stop it.

She let out a soft sigh.

"Brother, oh brother, the clan elders risked their lives to save Rong En, and I risked my life to go to the Tibetan Plateau to earn merit. Now, you've ruined it all because of your impatience..."

"Alas, the Zheng family of Xingyang has probably become a laughing stock of the whole world."

"Hahaha!"

Chengdu Prefecture, Qingshu Palace.

Li Er looked at the letter in his hand and burst into unrestrained laughter.