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

The question, "Do you want to be emperor?" suddenly echoed in Li Ke's mind, like a death warrant thrown to the ground on the execution ground.

Almost instantly, his face turned deathly pale.

He knelt down directly in front of Li Chengqian's desk with a thud.

"Your Highness, I, your humble brother, would never have, nor would I dare to, have such a thought!"

Standing to the side, Li Tai, though he had grown accustomed to his elder brother's outrageous remarks over the years, was equally taken aback by Li Chengqian's audacity.

He quickly turned around and looked around the Xiande Hall.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief upon noticing that only Yingying, the lady-in-waiting whom his elder brother trusted, was present.

Li Chengqian chuckled.

The advantages of having a younger brother are thus revealed.

The humiliation they suffered at the hands of their own emperor could be vented on Li Tai and Li Ke in various ways.

He waved his hand as he looked at Li Ke, who was so frightened that he knelt on the ground.

"Alright, alright, I was just joking with you. You really don't know how to laugh. I called you here because I have serious business..."

Seeing that Li Chengqian seemed to be making a joke that sounded like it could get him killed, Li Ke wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and shakily got up from the ground.

"Your Majesty, please tell me what you need. As long as it is within my power, I will do my best to help."

It seems that he felt that what he said was somewhat lacking.

Li Ke hurriedly added, "If it's impossible, your humble brother will do everything in his power to make it happen!"

Li Chengqian: "...Third brother, you seem to have a deep misunderstanding of me. Do you think that because I killed Fourth Uncle, I will also turn on you brothers?"

"Your Majesty, I would never have such thoughts. I don't care how others see you, but in my heart, you are the best elder brother in the world! And the best crown prince!"

Li Chengqian: "......"

Sigh, I'm so tired.

If you had just concealed the fear on your face when you said those words, I might have been able to believe you.

However, he was too lazy to argue about this matter any further.

"Alright, let's skip that topic. The reason I sent Qingque to find you today is to ask you if you would be willing to go to Bingzhou with me to develop your career."

Li Ke was somewhat unsure of what kind of person his elder brother, the emperor, was.

"Well, my brother is a prince, and it's not so easy for a prince to leave the capital..."

Li Chengqian waved his hand: "Don't talk nonsense with me. Just tell me if you are willing or not. I will take care of these trivial matters for you."

"When I went to Bingzhou, what I did was so great that it would not be an exaggeration to say that it would change the very heavens and earth. Although my father has arranged a lot of manpower for me, the ones I can truly trust are my own brothers."

Seeing that Li Ke was still somewhat hesitant.

Li Chengqian took a deep breath.

"Third brother, do you know what the future holds if you stay in Chang'an?"

Li Ke looked up.

Li Chengqian said calmly, "You know very well what kind of person your mother, Consort Yang, is. We are brothers and once lived together under the same roof of the Prince of Qin's mansion. I know very well as well as your mother."

"She will not support your claim to my position as crown prince, and I can tell you openly today that as long as I live and as long as I do not rebel, this position of crown prince will always belong to me. Even if you have the support of the emperor, you will not be able to win!"

Li Ke lowered his head: "Your subject wouldn't dare..."

Li Chengqian shook his head.

"I am not belittling you today. On the contrary, Third Brother, are you really content to live out your life as a Prince of Taiping in obscurity? Consort Yang was also a member of the royal family of the previous dynasty. You carry the blood of two dynasties. Even if you have no chance to compete for the throne, don't you want to leave your mark on history?"

Li Ke stared wide-eyed at his elder brother, Li Chengqian, whose expression was solemn and whose eyes were full of sincerity.

He suddenly realized that his elder brother, the emperor, seemed to genuinely want to groom him for his own use.

Can't help but.

His heart, which he and Consort Yang had been deliberately suppressing all along, suddenly began to pound at this moment.

The hands hidden beneath the long sleeves clenched tightly involuntarily.

"Your Majesty, but... but what can I do to help you? I am inferior to Qingque in both literature and martial arts..."

Li Tai chuckled softly, "Third Brother is quite confident. I think your martial arts are no match for mine now."

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Tai, who seemed to have suddenly found the source of his confidence from his own fall, and saw that the latter decisively shut up and stood obediently to the side.

Only then did he look at Li Ke again.

"What you've said is something that can be achieved with time, a willingness to learn, and a lack of fear of hardship. What I want to know now is whether you have the will to do so!"

"How many concubines does Father have in his harem, and how many more will be added in the future?"

"As long as I am alive, no one can shake the position of the Empress Dowager. But what about Consort Yang? With her unambitious nature, and you, as her son, now have a younger brother, Li Yin, who is not even five years old."

"If you don't achieve something, how difficult will it be for Consort Yang in the harem?"

As soon as these words came out.

Li Ke, who already had an idea in mind but was still wavering, gritted his teeth in an instant.

Suddenly looked up.

"If I were to accompany Your Majesty to Bingzhou, what would Your Majesty intend for me to do?"

Li Chengqian smiled slightly and pointed to Li Tai beside him.

"Qingque is good at literature and has a great interest and talent in studying some subjects and creations. He will accompany me to Bingzhou. At that time, I will build him a university, as well as some engineering machinery and other related research institutes."

"Although he needs to learn a lot in the early stages, I have great confidence in him. In just a few years, he will be able to become the representative of my new policies, in charge of national education reform and workers' reform."

Under Li Ke's shocked gaze, Li Tai proudly puffed out his chest.

"As for you, Third Brother..."

Li Chengqian paused slightly, then...

"I intend to put you in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

"What?! *2"

Two exclamations of surprise came from Li Tai and Li Ke in quick succession.

Li Ke couldn't believe it, and almost wondered if he had misheard.

However, Li Chengqian nodded solemnly and repeated it again.

"Third brother, you heard me right. I want you to take command of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! With Father's permission, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has the privilege of executing first and reporting later in Bingzhou. This privilege needs to be held by someone who truly belongs to the royal family."

"I need to be stationed in Taiyuan to oversee the various tasks of the new policies and reforms, and you, my third brother, are the most suitable person in my opinion!"

Li Ke swallowed hard: "..."

Li Chengqian didn't urge him and waved his hand.

"You don't need to rush to give me an answer. The Crown Prince's Palace has completed all preparations. I have already sent a group of people to Bingzhou and the Turks to carry out missions. You only need to give me an answer in two days."

"Go back and think it over carefully. If you decide to follow me to Bingzhou in two days, we can set off together."

Seeing that the other party seemed somewhat distracted, Li Chengqian calmly picked up the teacup in front of him.

I took a sip of tea.

"You don't need to overthink it. I have many important things to do, but I have no intention of dealing with you brothers. Even if you really want to live a peaceful life as a prince, I won't treat you and your mother badly."

After leaving immediately, Li Tai nervously approached Li Chengqian's desk.

"Brother, are you really going to put him in charge of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? He is..."

"Qingque!"

Before Li Tai could finish speaking, Li Chengqian, who had already seen through what he was going to say, raised his eyebrows and shouted a rebuke.

"You must remember this! Your third brother's surname is Li! He can only have the surname Li!"

Li Tai immediately stammered and fell silent.

After receiving Emperor Li Er's approval, the Ministry of War completed the allocation of warhorses for the Eastern Palace the very next day.

Everything was readily available.

The items were requested by the Crown Prince and approved by His Majesty the Emperor, so Xue Wanche and his men quickly completed the equipping of all their cavalry.

It is more than ten kilometers outside Chang'an City.

In the camp of the Six Commanders of the Eastern Palace.

Li Chengqian looked at the Crown Prince's cavalry training in front of him with satisfaction and nodded slightly.

"Although we cannot yet truly engage in cavalry warfare, we must proceed step by step, and I can afford to wait."

Beside him, Xue Wanche also looked quite dashing.

"Your Highness, please rest assured. The brothers are receiving more generous military pay than ever before, along with the benefits Your Highness has promised. Let alone just training cavalry, even if you asked them to attack the Turks right now, none of them would hesitate!"

Li Chengqian nodded.

"Have you told them everything you asked? If any of these people have family members who are willing to go to Bingzhou with you, they can join the group tomorrow."

Xue Wanche nodded, his eyes full of anticipation for the future.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I have already informed everyone of the matters you entrusted to me. Those with elderly parents at home have all received a settlement allowance in advance, as you instructed."

"Except for some brothers who had just gotten married, the rest of us were still rough men."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian immediately burst out laughing.

"Haha, that's perfect. I'll find them all women from Bingzhou. If they have any military merits, I'll reward them with Turkic women and Western Region women."

......

That night.

The next day at dawn, Li Chengqian would lead all his subordinates from the Eastern Palace, along with Hou Junji's troops, to Bingzhou.

This was the first family banquet since Li Shimin ascended the throne, where the entire family sat down together.

The ceremony officially began with the appearance of Li Shimin and his son Li Chengqian, amidst the curious gazes of the princes and princesses.

Although it was a family dinner, everyone still ate their own food.

However, whether it was Li Shimin's deliberate request or the eunuchs' carelessness in setting the table, the Crown Prince Li Chengqian's dining table was almost right next to that of Emperor Li Shimin.

The effects of the Dragon Fruit are not only to strengthen the body, but also to enhance the body's basic recovery ability.

The injuries on Emperor Li Er's face are now less noticeable.

The atmosphere at the family dinner was somewhat somber.

Li Lizhi sat beside the Empress, her big eyes blinking as she scanned her elder brother and father. Although she was just a little girl, she could clearly sense the strange atmosphere between the two.

He wanted to say something, but his mother, Empress Zhangsun, pulled him back to his seat and he fell silent.

"I heard you're taking your third brother with you to Bingzhou?"

Li Er broke the silence, and Consort Yang and Li Ke, who were sitting to one side, immediately became nervous.

But then they heard Li Chengqian, the crown prince, nod calmly.

"Yes, Father, I need a helper, and my third brother is the most suitable."

Li Er: "...Well, if that's the case, then let him go with you."

Li Ke hurriedly got up to attend.

"Thank you, Father!"

However, Li Shimin merely nodded slightly at him, his gaze once again turning to the Crown Prince, who was almost within arm's reach beside him.

"If the Embroidered Uniform Guard is short-handed, you can recruit them yourself. Just send me a list of their names."

At the scene, all of Li Shimin's concubines gasped inwardly.

At this moment, he dared not make any movement except to lower his head deeply.

Li Chengqian nodded.

"Thank you, Father. You have given me more than enough support. From now on, I will send all the lists and action reports of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to you secretly."

Li Shimin glared at him, as if to say that he meant that more people would be needed to protect him.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he only gave a faint "hmm".

After a while.

After Li Shimin finished his meal, he called out to the Crown Prince, and the two walked out of the main hall. Everyone present finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Consort Yang pulled her son Li Ke with some worry.

His gaze fell on the spot where Li Chengqian had disappeared.

The aura emanating from this crown prince is now no less powerful than that of Li Shimin, the true dragon of the Tang Dynasty.

The father and son were having a very calm conversation, but everyone present felt as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on them, making it difficult to even breathe.

As autumn deepened in the palace, the impending separation seemed to intensify Li Shimin's sense of desolation.

"Chengqian, how exactly did you obtain that Vermilion Fruit and that body-tempering method?"

"Is it really a divine being imparting knowledge?"

Li Shimin suddenly spoke.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment, but ultimately shook his head slightly.

"Father, I don't want to lie to you, but this matter is truly difficult to explain. I can only say that it was some kind of fortuitous encounter. As for the Vermilion Fruit, I don't know if I will be able to obtain it again in the future, so..."

Li Chengqian paused slightly: "Then the remaining one must belong to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager gave birth to me, Qingque, and Lizhi. Her body is severely weakened. Without that Vermilion Fruit, she probably won't live much longer."

Li Shimin paused slightly, then asked, "What about the Retired Emperor..."

"If you give it to him, I dare to lead my men back to Chang'an and send him to his death prematurely!" Li Chengqian snorted coldly.

Li Shimin, who was about to say something, was so angry that his old face instantly darkened.

"That is my father!"

"But not my father!"