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

"You must marry Feng Jinsi, the second young lady of the Duke of Yue's mansion!"

Li Chengqian finished speaking.

King Li You of Chu, who was kneeling on the ground, widened his eyes instantly.

Before he could ask why, Li Chengqian snorted coldly.

"I plan to start implementing the new policies of Lingnan Circuit this year, and I need the support of Feng Ang of the Yue State Duke's Mansion. He doesn't mind helping, but he is worried that if the merit is too great, it will bring trouble to the Feng family's descendants in the future. Therefore, he put forward a condition that I select a prince to be enfeoffed in Lingnan Circuit. At present, the most suitable prince who does not have a fiefdom is you."

Upon hearing this, Li You immediately became anxious.

"No, Your Majesty, I... I don't want to get married. Even Third Brother and the others aren't engaged yet, so why is it my turn? I'm not going!"

Li You, with his neck stiff, remained kneeling upright, but without hesitation chose to refuse.

Li Chengqian sighed.

再劝

"Lingnan has a warm climate and is like spring all year round, which is most suitable for agricultural research and development. Moreover, once you go there, you won't have to worry about the specifics of the new policy implementation; you'll only need to know the general progress."

"I will transfer the relevant personnel there, so you can continue to focus on your agricultural research. The credit for the new policies that bring harmony and prosperity to Lingnan will all fall on you..."

Li Youyi tilted his head, his expression still displeased: "I'm not going!"

Li Chengqian smacked his lips. If he hadn't promised his younger siblings that he wouldn't force them into marriage, he really would have wanted to beat them up.

“Feng Jinsi is also a lady from a prestigious family. She is the daughter of Feng Ang and Madam Feng. Even if she is not good, she will definitely be a virtuous and capable princess. Moreover, she is also excellent in appearance.”

"Since she's so wonderful, why don't you marry her, Your Majesty?" Li You sneered.

Li Chengqian immediately clenched his fists.

Seeing that the two brothers were not giving in to each other, Qian Yingying quickly spoke up and helped Li You up.

"My lord, the King of Chu is right. We didn't wait several years before we finally got married, did we? The King of Chu is indeed not old enough yet, so marriage is still premature..."

"Perhaps we can let the King of Chu and Miss Feng get to know each other for a while. If they can see each other as compatible, then we can set the date for marriage. Feelings always need time to develop."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian took a deep breath and glared at Li You.

"Your sister-in-law's suggestion is my last line. If you still don't agree, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Li You was still somewhat unwilling, but he noticed the dangerous expression on his elder brother's face.

In the end, all he could do was mumble a few words, looking dejected, and nod slightly.

That counts as an agreement.

Seeing his pathetic state, Li Chengqian couldn't help but get angry again: "You think you're being wronged like this! I told you to study what you like, but look at the mess you've all made of!"

"You, the King of Chu, are busy in the fields all day long, and you haven't even thought about your own marriage."

"Old Eight is the same. What kind of good person chats with a girl about murder case files?!"

"The third and fourth brothers are the same. I'm already married, but those two haven't seen a single woman around them!"

Qian Yingying gave Chu Wang Li You a wink, and the latter hurriedly fled from the Xiande Hall of the East Palace as if he were escaping.

After his marriage, his elder brother, the emperor, began to resemble his father and mother more and more.

King Li You of Chu was forced to accept the "matchmaking schedule" personally arranged by his elder brother, the emperor. After a few days, he had a free day to accompany Feng Jinsi on her travels.

They seemed to be afraid of following in Li You's footsteps.

Recently, the other princes have also been deliberately avoiding their elder brother, the emperor, as if by some strange twist of fate.

A few days after Li Chengqian's wedding, King Liang, Li Yin, and King Han, Li Ke, finally proposed to return to Silla and Dengzhou.

Prince Yan, Li Yun, also came to take his leave early, saying that he was going to Shizhou in Hedong Province to work on the railway construction. At present, the railway line from Taiyuan Prefecture to Shizhou has been planned, and construction has even begun on many sections of the road.

The mountains that need to be blasted should be blasted, and the bridges that need to be built should be built.

For a moment, Li Chengqian even felt somewhat neglected.

"Have I gone too far? These guys are all avoiding me like the plague, as if ensuring the continuation of the royal family's lineage is solely my responsibility..."

Li Chengqian came to Ganlu Hall again that day and kept talking.

While sitting in front of the palace gate, the Prince of Wei drank tea, occasionally glancing back at the retired Emperor Li Yuan and Emperor Li Shimin, who were diligently handling state affairs inside the palace.

Seeing that the two were working diligently, he turned his head back.

"Ah, Qingque, of all my younger brothers, you're the most considerate. The third brother has already run off with the sixth..."

Li Tai: "......."

If I had a choice, I would have run away too.

Noticing that his elder brother's expression was somewhat strange, as if he was about to say something, Li Tai quickly interrupted the spellcasting.

“Brother, if we don’t bring up the matter of the Princess Consort, I can still chat with you here. But if you insist on urging me to find a woman, I’ll have no choice but to hide away.”

Li Chengqian: "...Hmph! They're all heartless!"

Inside the Ganlu Hall, Li Shimin and Li Yuan looked at the mountain of government affairs piled up before them, as well as the budget documents from the six ministries regarding various projects in Chengdu Prefecture and Xizhou County.

Their faces were ashen, and their teeth were chattering.

ungrateful?

Compared to you little brats, is there anyone in the world more heartless than you?!

Li Yuan gritted his teeth and rubbed his aching lower back.

Looking at Emperor Li Shimin, who was still engrossed in studying government affairs, he glanced around and suddenly reached out to tug at him.

"Second Prince, Second Prince, stop for a moment, I have something to tell you..."

Li Shimin, whose eyes were slightly dark, looked up at his father with a puzzled expression.

Li Yuan coughed twice.

“Erlang, the fourth year of Zhenguan is almost over. Chengqian said that you are planning to make a vow at Mount Tai at the end of the year. Good, you are better than your elder brother and the others.”

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

He looked at his father, the emperor, who seemed to be speaking frankly, but his expression was speechless. He pointed to the political affairs in front of him, which were almost half as many as Li Yuan's.

"Father, please save your breath. Even if you praise me to the skies today, I can't help you in the slightest... Do you see that rebellious son Chengqian? He's demanding that I finish all these government affairs within three days."

"There is still a large batch of planning documents waiting for my approval... Father, please hold on a little longer."

Li Yuan's expression was grim; the emotional appeal he had just prepared hadn't even had a chance to be played.

He was rebuffed by his own son.

His old face was grim, about to erupt in anger, when a light cough, accompanied by a somewhat stern voice, came from the direction of the main hall entrance.

"Ahem! Grandfather, it's almost noon, why are you still slacking off? Hmm?"

Li Tai's fierce shout made Li Yuan's face tremble and his breathing become rapid.

However, Dou, the court attendant who had received a signal from Li Tai, slowly spread out a sheet of white paper in front of him and dipped his brush in ink.

"Stop! I wasn't slacking off; I was just thinking! Approve it now, approve it now!"

Hey......

Li Shimin shook his head slightly, letting out a helpless sigh in his heart.

Consider the father and son: one was the retired emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and the other was the dignified Emperor Zhenguan.

Now, however, they are like oxen and donkeys tied to the throne, while Li Chengqian and Li Tai, the crown prince and grandson of the emperor, are leisurely and carefree.

He seemed to have noticed the displeasure in his father's eyes.

Li Chengqian, holding a teacup, chuckled softly.

"What are you looking at? Your Majesty Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty, are you not planning to return to Chengdu? Or do you not need the court's funding and just want to go to Chengdu and be self-sufficient?"

"If you don't want to do the budget and plan approval work, you can just quit and leave."

Li Shimin was furious and snorted coldly.

I will once again bow my head and serve the people like an ox...

Li Chengqian, however, was gazing at the garden outside Ganlu Palace, savoring the aroma of his tea, and pondering slightly.

"In that case, I could take the Crown Princess and the others on a honeymoon..."

A smile appeared on his face as he turned to look at the King of Wei beside him.

Li Tai rolled his eyes slightly.

“If Your Majesty has made arrangements for things in Taiyuan, you may go wherever you wish, but it is best not to stay for more than two months. After all… I do not believe that Your Majesty and the others can hold out for two months.”

"Once they've either gone to Xizhou Prefecture or Chengdu Prefecture, the matter of administrative cooperation between Chang'an and Taiyuan Prefecture will undoubtedly require your assistance, Your Majesty..."

Li Chengqian was overjoyed instantly.

"Haha, as expected of my most outstanding younger brother! Alright, it's a deal then. I'll go and inform Mother. From now on, I'll leave things in Chang'an to my Qingque."

Li Tai pursed his lips.

He was already used to his elder brother's dog-like personality, just like his father.

When he needed his younger brother, he was both Qingque and the most outstanding younger brother.

When you don't need something, that's heartless...

Tsk!

After watching his elder brother finish speaking, he immediately got up and left quickly. Li Tai looked at his brother's back and shouted out in concern.

"Brother, two months! Two months at most! You must come back!"

Li Chengqian waved his hand, and his figure disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Li Tai shook his head slightly, poured himself another cup of tea, and seemed to realize something. He turned around and his eyes met those of his father and grandfather.

"What are you looking at? You're a grown man with a family and a career, don't you know you should be focused on handling state affairs?!"

"Lord Dou, write this down for me! The emperors of the Zhenguan and Wude reigns were half-hearted. When it came to important matters of state and the well-being of the people, they were preoccupied with romance and lingering in brothels!"

Li Shimin, Li Yuan: "???"

No, have they been manipulated to this extent by now?!

Meanwhile, on the other side.

The Empress stood in the Zheng Hall.

"What?! A honeymoon? And to Lingnan Road?!"