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

Empress Zhangsun's belly grew bigger every day.

With the due date mentioned by the doctor drawing ever closer, Crown Princess Qian Yingying was also showing obvious signs of pregnancy.

"No, I can't go to Chengdu before I've even seen my own child born! Absolutely not!"

Li Shimin clenched his teeth.

At this point, he actually began to act like a husband, even though every extra day he stayed in Chang'an meant he was forced to handle many government affairs that were not his responsibility.

In the Lizheng Hall, looking at her husband who held the nation and a place in history in his heart, Empress Zhangsun pursed her lips. As he gently wiped the soup from her mouth, she sighed helplessly.

"Second brother, you really don't need to be like this. When Qingque and Lizhi were born, weren't you also fighting on the front lines? I was fine, wasn't I?"

Before she could finish speaking, Li Shimin interrupted her abruptly.

"How can they be the same?!"

Li Shimin scooped a spoonful of nourishing soup with a spoon, blew on it, and then brought it to Empress Zhangsun's lips.

"At that time, the world was not yet at peace. For the sake of the people, and also in the name of my father, I had no choice but to go on expeditions. Now that the world is at peace, even if I go to Chengdu a few days later, Lu Shiming and the others are keeping an eye on things there..."

Empress Zhangsun couldn't do anything about him, but she felt a warm and happy feeling in her heart.

Li Shimin finished speaking, then his lips twitched twice, and he let out a soft hum.

"If I, as the Emperor, don't even get to see my child's first day after birth, when I return next time, this child will probably be just like Qingque and Lizhi, seeing only that elder brother and no one else as their father!"

Empress Zhangsun couldn't help but smile.

She touched her belly, and her beautiful face radiated even more maternal glow after becoming pregnant.

"Hehe, this time I can't speak up for Your Majesty. Yingying's situation is estimated to be less than three months behind mine. By then, Your Majesty won't be here, and Chengqian, the eldest son, will be holding his sister in one arm and his own children in the other..."

Li Shimin smacked his lips, and seeing that Empress Zhangsun had drunk enough, he handed the bowl in his hand to a palace maid beside him.

He snorted softly.

"We can't be sure if it's a boy or a girl. I'm sure it's a boy! I refuse to believe that I, the eldest son, can handle all my children. I'll show Li Chengqian that even his elder brother can't get hard!"

Li Shimin spoke in such a childish manner, and after he finished speaking, he chuckled and moved closer to his empress's belly, beginning his usual muttering.

"My little shrew, you'd better be careful then. When Father isn't around, you should listen to your mother, but absolutely not your brother... When you come out, the boy you'll see who's always frowning, acting strangely, and only has three-tenths of Father's good looks, that's your brother..."

"My little shrewd one, you must be smarter and more intelligent than your elder brother, and not be led astray by him. Be filial to your parents, especially to your father, the Emperor..."

"puff"

Empress Zhangsun was amused by her husband and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

That's a clever name choice...

"His Majesty's resentment towards Chengqian is truly considerable..."

"Resentment?" Li Shimin raised his head, his eyes widened, and he stood up, immediately adopting an exaggeratedly serious expression.

"Resentment? Guanyinbi, you underestimate your precious son. My feelings for him are far more than just resentment!"

"If this kid had been a little more lazy, I wouldn't be in such a rush to prepare for Jiannan Road. He never lets me have a moment's peace. It's only been five years since the beginning of the Zhenguan era, and Goguryeo has already been conquered again."

"Just you wait and see. When that old bastard Lu Zhaojing kicks the bucket next year, and the officials and army of the Tang Dynasty officially enter Goguryeo and completely take it over, that kid will definitely not be quiet!"

"It's either Japan or Linyi!"

"Just you wait and see. I understand this kid's thoughts more and more clearly now. I'm like a tapeworm in his stomach..."

They got a little carried away with their complaints, and by the end, even Li Shimin couldn't help but look annoyed.

Empress Zhangsun was so amused by his appearance of being under immense pressure as a father that she laughed uproariously.

Li Shimin gave a soft snort.

"If I don't work harder, then in the future, my reign title of Zhenguan in the history books will probably become the crown prince's reign title. My father can at least get the title of the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty, the Martial Virtue Emperor, but what about me?"

Li Shimin spread his hands, his face showing frustration and disgust.

"The number one emperor under the Crown Prince during the Zhenguan era?"

"Pfft!"

Empress Zhangsun couldn't hold back any longer. If it were in the past, her emperor husband would probably have caused all sorts of trouble and tormented the crown prince, making their relationship irreconcilable.

Now, it seems as if they have been tamed by the Crown Prince.

"Guanyinbi, just you wait and see, I am determined to develop Jiannan Road into the number one road in my Great Tang!" As he spoke, he lowered his body again, leaned close to his empress's belly, and whispered to the unborn child inside.

"You clever little devil, you'll give your elder brother a good beating later, and I'll give you Jiannan Circuit as your fiefdom in the future..."

That evening, Li Shimin and his family were having dinner together.

Li Shimin brought up the matter again.

"I am certain that the Empress will give birth to a prince this time. I have even thought of a name for him: shrewd and clever!"

Li Tai, who had just picked up the empty bowl to ask for another bowl of rice, paused. Then, he turned his head to look at his elder brother with a strange expression, his lips twitching and then suppressing their urges.

"cough......."

Consort Yang, Consort Yin, Consort Wei, and Consort Yan, all of Li Shimin's consorts, were speechless.

His Majesty the Emperor, though unable to control the Crown Prince on important matters, was able to fully express his dissatisfaction through these trivial matters.

Li Chengqian's hand, which was holding a chopstick, paused involuntarily.

Seeing his father's winking and gesturing, he couldn't help but find it amusing, and then his eyes lit up.

"Brilliant! What a great name!"

He gently put down his chopsticks, a faint smile on his lips.

"Things that can be spoken of are the coarse things; things that can be understood are the refined things. The refined are those without flaws!"

"One who is wise in dealing with others knows what comes first and what comes last. A wise person is fearless!"

"The small characters prepared by Father are quite good... however..."

Li Shimin's smug expression froze instantly: "But what?"

Li Chengqian chuckled lightly: "Your Majesty, I think this time I should have an extra little sister!"

Upon hearing this, the princesses Chang Le, Cheng Yang, Gao Yang, and the others present all raised their heads in delight. They didn't want any younger brothers at all; in the end, they were all tricked by their own elder brother into handling state affairs.

My sister is the best; we can all be together every day...

"Oh? How so? The imperial physicians are keeping quiet even to me..." Li Shimin said, then suddenly realized something.

His expression immediately turned sour, and Li Chengqian knew that his father had misunderstood.

"Father, the imperial physicians are keeping quiet about it to me. Moreover... I think it's a good idea whether it's a younger brother or sister. When my child is born and goes to school, I'll have a younger uncle or aunt to take care of him."

"Your Majesty, I am at ease."

Li Shimin's expression softened somewhat, and a smile returned to his face.

"How about we make a bet? I have a divine intuition that the Empress will give birth to a prince this time!"

Li Tai's expression faltered almost imperceptibly, and the smile in his eyes, which had been watching the spectacle, immediately faded.

Li Chengqian didn't see it.

He clapped his hands: "Your Majesty, I believe it must be my younger sister! How does Father intend to gamble?"

Li Shimin's eyes lit up immediately: "If I win, of the officials who have performed exceptionally well in the promotion assessments this year in Taiyuan Prefecture and Chang'an, my Jiannan Circuit will take 30%!"

Seemingly worried that his crown prince would refuse outright, Li Shimin quickly added.

“Thirty percent is not excessive. Now, whether it’s Taiyuan Prefecture or Chang’an, these newly promoted officials will eventually be sent to various surrounding areas. It doesn’t matter where they are sent. Jiannan Circuit is short of manpower.”

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, acknowledging his agreement: "What if Father Emperor loses?"

"You tell me!" Li Shimin waved his hand.

He looked very confident.

Li Chengqian stroked his chin, pondering for a few seconds.

"If Father Emperor loses, then he cannot find a new lover on this trip to Jiannan Road, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, the concubines of Li Shimin's harem, who had initially been merely watching the spectacle, all looked at this emperor, whose lustful desires remained undiminished, with ambiguous smiles.

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

"What? Is Father afraid of losing, or... simply unwilling?"

Empress Zhangsun said nothing, but when she saw her emperor husband looking at her, she smiled and showed no intention of stopping him.

Consort Yin was a bold woman.

Seeing his own emperor stammering, he chuckled softly.

"Your Highness, that's not right. How can you think of His Majesty as such a lecherous person? Weren't the sisters His Majesty brought back from Chengdu Prefecture to consolidate his power?"

"Your Majesty's trip to Chengdu will inevitably involve a marriage alliance for the sake of the country."

"You agree, Your Majesty."

Li Shimin's true nature was exposed by his own concubine in front of so many children, and his old face instantly turned bright red.

He glared at Consort Yin.

"A little fruit wine, yet you've become so incoherent, spouting utterly ridiculous nonsense! I am the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, how could I possibly engage in any marriage alliance, let alone personally send myself there for such an occasion?!"

He dared not look into the increasingly amused eyes of his empress beside him, and slammed his hand on the table, his face flushed.

He then shouted loudly at Li Chengqian.

"Alright! It's a deal then! I'll take the bet!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhen, the eighth prince, who was sitting with the ninth prince Li Zhi, immediately brightened up and looked at his elder brother, the emperor.

This falls right into His Highness King Yue's area of ​​expertise.

"Your Majesty, shall we draw up a written agreement?"

.......

The Empress's due date was almost exactly as predicted by the imperial physicians.

A month later, the Chang'an Imperial Palace was well-prepared, with a delivery room equipped with disinfection and various instruments.

Several midwives who served in the palace year-round, along with palace maids who had been rigorously trained in the relevant knowledge.

There were also female medical officers busy at work.

"Your Majesty, the Empress is in excellent health. Your Majesty and the imperial physicians have all examined her pulse, and the female physicians there all have extensive clinical experience..."

Sun Simiao watched as the Zhenguan Emperor paced back and forth outside the palace.

Thinking the other party was concerned about the Empress's safety, he sighed inwardly at the deep affection between the Emperor and Empress and couldn't help but comfort them.

Unexpectedly, Li Shimin glanced at the Crown Prince not far away and then pulled Sun Simiao aside.

"Sun Simiao, let me ask you, is the Empress carrying a boy or a girl?"

"If you answer, I will allocate double the funding to your Royal Medical Academy!"

however.

Before Sun Simiao could give a reply, a loud and clear cry of a baby came from inside the hall, and soon after.

A palace maid ran out, her face beaming with delight.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has given birth! It's a princess!"

Li Chengqian, who was playing chess with Li Tai not far away, crossed the river with a pawn, blocking the last escape route of the opponent's general.

"The general is about to die!"