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

Qiang Ben dared not meet Li Chengqian's gaze.

Despite being the most robust-looking among the Chengdu officials present, he lowered his head, trying his best to hide behind the crowd.

After learning from Lu Shiming how to pledge allegiance to His Highness the Crown Prince...

They didn't even dare to look Emperor Li Shimin in the eye.

Lu Shiming looked somewhat dazed, as if he was struggling with something.

"Minister Lu, Minister Lu?" Li Shimin called him several times before he finally came to his senses.

"Are you tired from the journey? Why don't I have someone take you to rest first?"

Li Shimin spoke words of sympathy, but his eyes clearly carried a warning.

Lu Shiming hurriedly apologized and offered his condolences.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am indeed somewhat tired and disoriented, but this will not prevent me from reporting to His Highness the Crown Prince..."

Li Shimin then nodded.

Lu Shiming nervously watched Crown Prince Li Chengqian, who was smiling at them, feeling a strong sense of tension similar to when he faced the examiners during the imperial examinations. He then looked at Fang Xuanling, who was standing to Li Chengqian's side.

The latter smiled and nodded.

At that moment, Lu Shiming finally gritted his teeth.

"I, Lu Shiming, am appointed as the Prefect of Chengdu Prefecture. I have been implementing new policies in Jiannan Circuit by His Majesty's decree for more than a year now. The land reform has been completed in the five prefectures of Chengdu Prefecture, Pengzhou, Chongzhou, Qiongzhou and Zizhou in Yizhou throughout Jiannan Circuit."

"All local residents aged sixteen and above, regardless of gender, have been allocated at least fifteen mu of land, of which at least eight mu are paddy fields."

"The remaining prefectures and counties have also largely achieved land equalization..."

Li Chengqian noticed the word "average".

"Does Lord Lu mean that some people in other prefectures and counties are still attempting to annex land?"

Lu Shiming nodded: "This humble official is incompetent. There are many powerful clans in Shu who resist the laws of the court. They use their local power to ostensibly distribute land, but in reality, they are annexing it in various ways... Because Your Highness's new policy of distributing land does not distinguish between men and women and everyone gets land, those powerful clans have taken advantage of this loophole to gather a lot of orphans or prostitutes from all over the place."

"They claim to be their own family members, but in reality... it's just a facade."

"However, Your Highness, rest assured, we have already made arrangements for all matters, and we will definitely wipe out those traitors before the end of this year!"

Li Shimin subtly raised his chin.

Next, it will be time for him, General Tian Ce, to make his appearance.

He took a sip of tea, trying to appear as calm as possible.

Li Chengqian nodded slightly.

He glanced at his father, who seemed lost in his own fantasy world, almost imperceptibly.

"So, Lord Lu, the five states you mentioned earlier, including Yizhou, no longer have this kind of double-dealing?"

Li Shimin raised his chin slightly again.

next second.

When asked the question, Lu Shiming struggled internally for a moment before answering.

In the end, I gritted my teeth and made a decision.

"That's right. In the Five Continents, because the suppression was timely and no remnants were left, all the new policies have been implemented very smoothly!"

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up: "Oh? Who's leading the troops?"

Li Shimin picked up his teacup again, leaning back slightly as he sat in his armchair.

"The greatest credit for suppressing the bandits belongs to Qiang Benqiang Sima!"

"Pfft! Cough cough cough..."

Li Shimin was so surprised that he spat out a mouthful of tea everywhere. He turned to look at Lu Shiming with shock and confusion, only to see that the latter had his head down and did not look at him at all.

An ominous premonition suddenly crept into my mind.

"hehe....."

A few faint chuckles made him turn his head instantly, only to see Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui standing behind their own crown prince, covering their mouths and chuckling.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize something, and his expression changed drastically.

"Father? What's wrong with you?"

Li Shimin's old face was gloomy. He ignored the Crown Prince's doubts and stared intently at Sima Qiangben, the Prefect of Chengdu, in the crowd.

"Chief of the Wall... Did you hear what Governor Lu just said?"

Don't you want to say anything?

Sensing the emperor's wrath, Qiang Ben and Lu Shiming, along with the other Chengdu officials, lowered their heads and remained silent, trembling with fear.

Li Chengqian frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

"Chief of the Wall? His Majesty is asking you a question."

Qiang Ben trembled again, his burly body exuding resistance, but he was subtly pushed out of the crowd by several officials from Chengdu Prefecture.

"Your subject, your subject, your subject..."

Qiangben is about to cry; they didn't even discuss it properly!

Damn Lu Shiming, I haven't even made up my mind yet!

Noticing Li Chengqian's increasingly dissatisfied look, Lu Shiming quickly spoke again.

"Your Highness, please don't be offended. I, the Commander of the Wall, have heard of Your Highness's bravery in your youth and your great victory over the Turks, which opened up new territories for the country. I have been looking forward to meeting Your Highness ever since I came here... Now I realize that I was too excited and lost my composure for a moment."

As Lu Shiming spoke, he tilted his head slightly.

With a warning smile on his face, he forced out a seemingly meaningful sentence through gritted teeth towards the wall.

"Sir Qiang, although His Highness the Crown Prince is wise and will surely be the emperor of our Great Tang for all eternity, it is harmless for you to admire the Crown Prince. However, when the Crown Prince asks you a question, shouldn't you at least show some basic etiquette?"

The wall shuddered, and then seemed to regain some of its normal human color.

"Yes, Your Highness, the matter of suppressing the rebels of the Five Continents... was indeed under my jurisdiction."

"boom!"

Li Shimin slammed the teacup on the table.

"Say that again! Wall Run, do you want your head?!"

Seeing that Qiang Ben and the others were all so frightened that they knelt down, Li Chengqian frowned.

"Father, to me, it sounds like you're making a veiled attack... Does the fact that Commander Qiang has some respect for me make you so displeased?"

Li Chengqian slowly put down his teacup.

The tone of his voice startled Li Shimin, who was in a fit of rage.

He immediately snapped out of his daze and looked at Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui behind Li Chengqian, who were looking at him with undisguised cunning expressions. His face turned ashen.

"Traitor!"

Li Shimin was sullen. Being proud, he couldn't very well compete for credit with Qiang Ben, a minister, in front of the Crown Prince.

After all, he was the one who previously said that "minor contributions need not be mentioned again."

He took a deep breath and looked at yet another official in the crowd.

"Minister Liang, the Crown Prince has always valued talent cultivation, and the new policies in Bingzhou involve both land and official reforms. Tell the Crown Prince what the current state of officialdom in Jiannan Circuit is like."

The official named Liang Shuyu, who was in charge of the administration and education reform in Jiannan Circuit, looked distressed.

Unexpectedly, the emperor specifically named him.

He stepped out of the ranks with small steps, looking at the Crown Prince with an expectant and curious expression, and his old face showed a hint of flattery that made Li Shimin feel uneasy.

"Your Highness, I am Liang Shuyu. By order of His Majesty, I am responsible for implementing the new policies and reforms for the administration established by Your Highness. Currently, I am in charge of the publication of the Shu Di Xin Bao, the Jiannan Road branch of the Royal Printing Bureau, and the printing of the examination materials for officials."

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up immediately.

"Lord Liang must be under a lot of pressure. This is a crucial matter of establishing moral principles for the world and continuing the lost learning of the sages. Lord Liang deserves a great contribution!"

He nodded with approval and satisfaction, and his praise instantly excited the Chengdu officials who had been tense.

"I will die for His Highness the Crown Prince, I will die for the glorious Tang Dynasty! If my old and frail body is fortunate enough to witness the arrival of the glorious Tang Dynasty, then even my death will be worthwhile!"

"Waaah, Your Highness, we are not suffering. We are merely following in Your Highness's footsteps and have made only a small contribution. We dare not take credit for it."

"Your Highness, to receive your approval today would be a sweet reward, even if it meant returning to my capital and perishing with those traitors!"

Li Shimin's face was as black as the bottom of a pot.

At that moment, his fists were clenched tightly.

Seeing that these officials from Shu, who had been so respectful to him before leaving Shu and even on the way, had only spent the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when they met his crown prince, he was astonished.

They then changed their flags and banners one after another.

In front of this very Emperor Zhenguan, they "abandoned darkness and embraced light"...

What's even more infuriating is that the credit I earned by leading the Xuanjia Army and the Jiannan Road New Army across mountains and valleys to quell rebellions and bandits was completely stolen by these damned soldiers from Shu!

This is intolerable!

This is intolerable!

Li Shimin was about to get up and vent his anger when he suddenly heard Du Ruhui speak softly.

"Your Majesty, didn't you come to see the Crown Prince because you have something to ask of him?"

Li Shimin: "......."

You've really sold me for a high price!

Li Shimin was so angry that his teeth were chattering. He knew that those two old men, Fang Xuanling and Fang Xuanling, would not let this go easily.

But he thought, even if the two of them betrayed him, their boss.

They should have at least waited until their wives let them go, but unexpectedly...

Those two old scoundrels, their swordsmanship is indeed incredibly swift!

"Kemin, you truly are worthy of being my trusted confidant!"

He gritted his teeth and uttered these words, glancing at the group of traitors who were practically kneeling on the ground kissing the soles of their own prince's shoes, before waving his hand.

"Get out of here, all of you! I have important matters to discuss with the Crown Prince!"

Li Chengqian glanced at everyone and nodded slightly.

Lu Shiming and the others then bowed and left.

Before leaving, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui smiled and nodded slightly to Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian smiled knowingly.

When the hall fell silent again, leaving only Li Shimin and his son Li Chengqian, the scene became quiet.

Li Shimin breathed heavily for a while before gritting his teeth and cursing under his breath in resentment.

"Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, those two old scoundrels! They have absolutely no integrity as subjects!"

Li Chengqian chuckled softly and picked up his teacup again.

"Your Majesty, I was not bound to my post and then bound back. Please speak plainly, Father. You dare not even enter Chang'an City and come directly to your son... It seems that even Father has moments of fear."

Li Shimin's already angry face turned even redder.

"Outrageous! I am the supreme ruler! I am the Grand General of Heavenly Strategy! The King of Qin!"

"I'm afraid?!"

Li Chengqian gave a soft "oh" and got up as if to leave, which startled Li Shimin, who quickly reached out and grabbed him.

Faced with the reality that he dared not confront the Empress's rebuke, he had no choice but to compromise and back down.

"It's not that I'm afraid of her, it's that I love her! Chengqian, you wouldn't want things to get unpleasant between me and your mother, would you? Could you try to mediate..."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, breaking free from the other party's pull.

“Father, you said it yourself, that’s my mother. I’m a piece of her flesh. I carried her for ten months and went through the pain of childbirth… While you were out enjoying yourself, my mother still had to manage the harem for you and handle the affairs of the imperial treasury.”

"You abandoned Qingque to oversee the country, and ran off to Chengdu. How much effort did Mother Empress put in to prevent Qingque from making any mistakes?"

"Now that you've returned, seeking my mediation... don't you think you've gone too far?"

Li Shimin was filled with shame.

Just when he thought he was going to be turned away by his own crown prince and could only go back and leave it to fate.

Li Chengqian suddenly changed the subject.

"However, Father is still in his prime, and I can understand his needs in that regard. It's not impossible for me to persuade Mother to guarantee that we won't have any unpleasantness after you return to Chang'an..."

Li Chengqian chuckled softly, looking at Li Shimin's hopeful face.

"You have to pay more!"