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

A loud cry of "Waaaaah!" echoed through the Rissei-den Hall.

Li Chengqian's eyes gleamed as he watched the little one emerge from behind the screen, wrapped in a soft wool blanket, after the palace servants had cleaned him up.

Newborn babies generally look like that, covered in bluish-purple hues.

However, it can give a general indication of the baby's health.

It must be said that the little girl who was personally raised and educated by her father in history died young in that era of poor sanitation due to her weak health.

However, now, because of the appearance of this person who shouldn't exist.

As both parents had consumed the precious herb, the Dragon Essence Fruit, their baby, Xiao Sizi, displayed a significantly stronger spirit and vitality than ordinary infants from the moment he was born.

"Haha, good, good, this little girl has quite the energy..."

Despite his constant anticipation for the birth of the prince, Li Er ultimately couldn't escape the "true fragrance" law (a Chinese internet slang term for something initially disliked but later found to be appealing). He carefully held the little prince, his smile stretching from ear to ear.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian smiled and nodded, then leaned forward and reached out to touch his youngest sister.

He dodged Li Shimin's fierce glare.

"You're so clumsy! Children have delicate skin. Don't let your calloused hands hurt my precious princess!"

Li Chengqian: "......"

It's highly unlikely that a man can treat his daughter and son equally.

Seeing his emperor father swaying back and forth, making funny noises and teasing the little ox that hadn't even opened its eyes yet, he couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

It was not the right time to bring up the painful fact that the other person had lost the bet, when they were at their happiest.

“Father, my sister is in very good health. If you ask me, how about we name her Sizi?” he said at the opportune moment.

Li Shimin was about to instinctively refute, but then he thought about it.

"兕" is an ancient auspicious beast, resembling a rhinoceros, symbolizing strength and resilience. As a nickname, it implies that the little girl will be healthy and free from illness and disaster.

The words that were on the tip of his tongue were ultimately swallowed back silently.

Behind the screen, Empress Zhangsun, having finished cleaning herself after giving birth, was in such good spirits that even the imperial physicians who took her pulse couldn't help but marvel.

With that kind of physique, in an ordinary farming family, they'd probably be back in the fields right after giving birth...

However, as the Empress, no matter how good her health was, she still needed to take care of herself.

On the other side, she could hear her husband and several sons and daughters arguing noisily.

Sometimes it's "Let me hug you, let me hug you," sometimes it's "Little Sizi, call me sister, sister will give you candy," or sometimes it's an exclamation, "Hey hey hey, Qingque, you brat, watch out!"

A smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

Fortunately, Li Er had not forgotten his first wife, the Empress. After a while, after the palace servants left, he came to Empress Zhangsun's bedside with a silly smile, carrying the little girl.

“Guanyinbi, look, our daughter, hahaha... she’s really strong, she just kicked that rascal Li Chengqian.”

At this point, Emperor Li Shimin's face was filled with pride again.

It was as if the little ox's unconscious kick just now was a kick made on behalf of his extremely aggrieved father.

Empress Zhangsun had long since grown accustomed to her emperor husband. When the eldest prince, the crown prince, was mentioned, she would gently reach out and lightly touch the baby in his swaddling clothes, displaying his unreliable manner.

Her face was filled with deep maternal love.

Upon seeing this, Li Shimin hesitated again. After deliberating for a long time, he finally gritted his teeth and made a decision.

"I will delay my departure by another month, until after the baby's one-month celebration..."

At this point, Li Er was filled with reluctance.

Empress Zhangsun smiled gently.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, Xiao Sizi won't blame you. She will understand in the future that her father carries the well-being of millions of people in the Tang Dynasty on his shoulders... Moreover, once the railway from Chengdu to Chang'an is completed, it will be easy for Your Majesty to return, won't it?"

Li Shimin knew, of course, that it was his empress who was comforting him. The construction of the railway from Taiyuan Prefecture to Shizhou (the area around Shijiazhuang in later years) was fraught with difficulties.

The monthly investment is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the amount of manpower and various materials is countless.

The journey from Chang'an to Chengdu Prefecture... would take five or six years to complete, as it would involve crossing the Qinling and Daba Mountains.

I have decided to postpone my departure from Chang'an once again.

The Ministry of Rites immediately made adjustments to the arrangements for the Mount Tai sacrificial ceremony.

Li Shimin also showed a rare sense of responsibility after the birth of his son, Xiao Sizi, which was typical of a newlywed man having his first child.

For the next period of time, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the matters related to the sacrificial ceremony at Mount Tai.

Besides that, it's about preparing all sorts of gifts for Xiao Sizi.

"Tsk tsk tsk, even when Lizhi was born, Father didn't make such a grand spectacle. Look at him, it's like he wanted to spend all the imperial treasury before he passed away..."

Li Zhi was a little jealous. His father, in order to please his future daughter, had actually extorted several shares of the merchant guild under his Prince Jin's control from him before she was even a month old.

Although it wasn't much, this act of using someone else's flowers to present to the Buddha was something he really couldn't help but protest against.

During this time, while Emperor Li Er was busy with his departure to Chengdu, he also summoned many skilled craftsmen from the Ministry of Works in Chang'an to build a palace for his daughter and prepare an amusement park for her to play in.

Li Chengqian rolled his eyes: "Heaven knows what he's thinking. Oh well, it's not the money from the Eastern Palace anyway, so let him build it if he wants. Do you think Little Sizi will grow up to be old enough to play in the amusement park first, or will Father Emperor come back from Chengdu first?"

"Even if it's built, in the end it'll still be just a few little girls playing with it, right?"

One sentence from Crown Prince Li Chengqian made the eyes of the young princesses Gaoyang and Chengyang, who were originally a little jealous, light up.

Gao Yang blinked her bright eyes twice, her eyes darting around, and then she chuckled softly.

Holding up her little hand, she said, "I think Si Zi will definitely like big dogs in the future. Father should prepare a big garden for Si Zi, like the Garden of Ten Thousand Beasts."

Li Chengqian: "......"

As expected of Gao Yang, you've found the right way to use the term "pampered little sister who can't speak yet."

.......

At the summit of Mount Tai, shrouded in mist, Li Shimin, dressed in a dragon robe, stood solemnly before the altar. All around, civil and military officials, guards, and soldiers held their breath, awaiting His Majesty the Emperor's ceremony of offering sacrifices to Heaven.

"The sky is vast and the earth is boundless. I, in the name of the Emperor of the Great Tang, proclaim this to heaven and earth." Li Shimin's voice was loud and clear, resounding through the sky.

"Since ancient times, emperors have always put the people first. My intention to tour Chengdu in the south is not for hunting, but for the prosperity of the southern border of the Tang Dynasty and the well-being of its people. I vow to ensure that the people of the southern border are well-fed and clothed, that every family lives in peace and happiness, and that the government is efficient and the people are harmonious."

"I will personally go to Chengdu to establish a secondary capital, develop the Jiannan, Huainan, and Lingnan regions, promote agriculture and sericulture, and open up trade routes so that the southern region can prosper and be on par with the northern region."

"I am willing to dedicate myself to the country and my heart to the people. If I break this oath, may Heaven punish me."

After speaking, Li Shimin bowed and kowtowed three times and nine times. After the ceremony, he stood up and looked at the assembled officials with piercing eyes.

"My journey is not something that can be accomplished in a day or a year. I will personally oversee the project and comfort the people, in order to bring great order to the southern border."

"After I leave, the administration of Chang'an will be overseen by Crown Prince Li Chengqian. All my beloved ministers should do their utmost to assist him and not fail my expectations."

Li Shimin's words struck like a heavy hammer into everyone's heart. The oath he made was not only a promise to Heaven and Earth, but also a promise to the people of the Tang Dynasty.

Standing before his ministers and officials, Li Chengqian looked up at his father, who, under the sunlight, finally exuded an imperial aura and resembled Emperor Taizong of Tang.

I couldn't help but feel a little happy.

With his father finally rising to prominence and becoming the strongest working-class family in the Tang Dynasty, and his younger brothers also striving to become wise kings, how far away is Li Chengqian's dream of becoming the president of the world?

A grand sacrificial ceremony at Mount Tai did not cause much of a stir among the Tang Dynasty's high-ranking officials.

After all, many of these matters were already open secret months ago.

The Taishan sacrificial ceremony was primarily a performance for the benefit of the people, aiming to win the hearts of the people, especially those in the southern region, for Emperor Zhenguan.

Many official newspapers, such as the Tang Daily, Tang News, Tang Business Daily, and Tang Official Gazette, published their prepared articles all at once.

Chengdu Prefecture.

"Newspapers for sale! Newspapers for sale! Chengdu has been established as a secondary capital of the Tang Dynasty, on par with Luoyang. His Majesty will soon be personally visiting Chengdu to oversee the new policies!"

"Great news! Merchants, horse racers, and shop owners absolutely cannot miss this! Chengdu will become the next Chang'an and Taiyuan!"

"Good days are coming for the people of Jiannan Road!"

At the governor's mansion, Lu Shiming, who had just finished a busy day and had taken a sip of tea to catch his breath, took another deep breath as he looked at the newspaper brought to him by a servant. Although his eyes were tired, they were still full of excitement.

"With His Majesty's personal visit, we have truly become close advisors to the Emperor! Heaven has eyes; my career, Lu Shiming's career, is finally about to blossom and bear fruit..."

Sima Qiangben of Chengdu Prefecture, standing to the side, didn't know whether to cry or laugh.

When Li Shimin, a superior who was generous with rewards and gifts, came to visit, they naturally wanted nothing more than to celebrate with great fanfare. But... to make matters worse, the woman he sent to the emperor, in his cleverness, was actually registered under the names of the Crown Prince and the Empress.

"Brother Lu, do you think His Majesty will still use me? I... I shouldn't be dismissed by His Majesty, right?"

Even the burly man with the wall showed a look of fear on his face.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Lu Shiming shook his head with a sly smile, stood up, and patted the other person on the shoulder.

“Sima Qiang, you’re not without a chance.”

"What do you mean?!" Qiang Ben clung to Lu Shiming as if he had grasped at the last straw.

Lu Shiming coughed twice, pretended to pick up his teacup and take a sip, before speaking in a low voice: "You sent beauties to His Majesty before. Although this made the Crown Prince somewhat dissatisfied, what's done is done, and there's no use thinking about it anymore."

"It would be better to take remedial measures..."

Qiang Ben didn't understand what he meant by that.

Lu Shiming chuckled twice more: "You have presented beauties to His Majesty, and now those few have been brought into the palace. Although you probably can't expect them to have any higher status in the future, can't you just use this as an excuse to prevent others from sending beauties to His Majesty?"

Qiang Ben seemed to be deep in thought, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

Lu Shiming chuckled twice: "Chief of the Wall, the Crown Prince is benevolent, and I suppose he is willing to give people a chance to reform."

Immediately, Qiang Ben had a plan in mind.

"Very well! For wealth and power, I, Sima, have already played the villain. Now I will play the good guy once again! From now on, I will definitely not let His Majesty be bothered by those sycophantic and treacherous officials in Chengdu!"

"This...none of you are coming with me?"

That night, Li Shimin looked around with a blank stare, as if he had swallowed a fly.

The concubines looked at each other, some sitting, some standing, and some kneeling, but without exception, they all remained silent.

"Consort Qiang Shun and Consort Qiang Bai, you were both born in Chengdu Prefecture. Why aren't you coming back to Chengdu Prefecture with me?"

When the emperor called out the names of the two twin concubines of the Qiang family, they could no longer hide behind the crowd.

She glanced weakly at Empress Zhangsun, who was sitting next to the emperor.

"I...I will obey Her Majesty the Empress's arrangements..."