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

Shameless old thief!

A white-haired old man!

A disgrace to the literati...

The officials in the Taiji Hall looked at this old man in his seventies or eighties who shamelessly begged the Regent Prince Wei for the position of Minister of Revenue and stood there preventing younger people from taking the stage.

He scoffed with disdain.

Roll it up! Roll it up!

Let us see the day you, old scoundrel, die suddenly from coughing up blood on your desk!

Feng Deyi's reputation is absolutely the worst among all the officials in the Taiji Hall today.

This fellow's fondness for sensual pleasures and his love of power and officialdom far surpasses that of the former rebellious Duke of Lu, Hou Junji.

However, the more Li Chengqian looked at this unassuming old minister of the Wude era, the more pleasing he became.

A satisfied nod of encouragement.

"Minister Feng is too modest. The Tang Dynasty's current prosperity is the result of the concerted efforts of everyone present, and even more so of Minister Feng's selflessness and dedication to the people."

Feng Deyi's white beard trembled, his face, which was full of wrinkles and resembled an old chrysanthemum, twisted involuntarily with restraint.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty is terrified!"

"What I have done is merely to spread Your Highness's wise and benevolent policies to the people. If Your Highness did not have the reputation of loving the people like your own children, how could an old man like me be able to move the nation and its people?"

"Your Highness's praise is too much for me to bear!"

As he spoke, the old scoundrel knelt down in the main hall with a thud.

He had the appearance of a humble and loyal dog. It seemed that Wang De and Sun Hai, these eunuchs, had more of a manly air about them than this old man.

The officials felt ashamed.

Although everyone fawns over the Crown Prince, at least they won't do it so obviously. Scholars should still maintain their integrity and attitude. But this Feng Deyi is, after all, from a prestigious family.

Moreover, he was a veteran of the Tang Dynasty's Martial Virtue Era and held the title of Duke of Mi.

He occupies the position of Minister of Revenue all day long, vying for credit with younger officials...

Li Chengqian was quite satisfied with this guy.

Being a careerist is great!

Anyway, with the Embroidered Uniform Guard keeping an eye on things, there's no need to worry about this guy trying to do anything improper. What I'm most worried about is that one day this old scoundrel won't even be able to absorb the medicinal effects of that wine.

It stood upright, just like a grass carp dying from lack of oxygen, its mouth opening and closing, before snapping and dying.

This caused His Highness Crown Prince Li Chengqian to lose a trusted minister...

Li Chengqian smiled and told him to rise, then gave him a generous reward, bestowing upon him gold, silver, and silk fabrics that the Duke of Mi's mansion had no shortage of. He then bowed and humbly addressed this lackey of his imperial grandfather.

I felt incredibly relieved.

He glanced at his ninth brother, who had been deep in thought since the start of court, seemingly lost in thought.

This kid has now grown into a promising young man.

"The glorious era of the Tang Dynasty is about to arrive. All of you gentlemen present have made great contributions to the country. I will certainly not let you down. The glory of this prosperous era should be shared and witnessed by all of you!"

"Your Highness, we thank you for your wise and sagacious wisdom!"

The sycophantic pleasantries stirred up by that old scoundrel Feng Deyi have come to an end.

The next session in the Taiji Hall was the usual routine of the heads of the six ministries reporting their affairs.

The Ministry of Works reported on projects that could be completed before the end of the fifth year of the Zhenguan era, such as the construction of several mountain roads along the border of Guannei Road and Jiannan Road, and the dredging and clearing of the Grand Canal.

It was also pointed out that the construction of the official road from Chang'an northward, passing through Taiyuan Prefecture, exiting Bingzhou, entering Zhenbei Road, and extending all the way to Baikal County in the far north had encountered problems and required more time to be invested.

Li Chengqian nodded to show that he understood and allowed the Ministry of Works to propose a completion deadline.

Duan Lun, the Minister of Works, said it would be at the end of summer in the sixth year of the Zhenguan era.

Li Chengqian agreed.

He was promoted from the Jingzhao Prefecture to the Imperial Censorate, where he succeeded Dai Zhou, who had previously held the position of Wei Zheng, in impeaching officials.

It was reported that a wicked act of Buddhist monks harvesting and breaking branches had occurred in Huaizhou, Hebei Province, but the prefect of Huaizhou had done nothing, and the matter was brought to the attention of the Censorate.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian, Prince Wei Li Tai, and even Prince Jin Li Zhi, who was lost in thought, all had their expressions turn cold instantly.

When Qian Lou, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, entered the palace, Li Chengqian launched into another tirade of abuse.

The authorities ordered the other party, along with personnel from the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice, to immediately proceed to Huaizhou in Hebei Province to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring the mastermind and his accomplices to justice.

In the imperial court, officials involved in Hebei Province were filled with trepidation and decided to write back immediately after court to inquire whether any foolish or brainless relatives were involved.

after that.

The Ministry of Rites has just finished reporting on the evaluation of the local governance of candidates who achieved outstanding results in this year's imperial examinations and have been serving as local administrators for more than half a year.

Dai Zhou then stepped forward again, intending to impeach him once more.

This time, the charges were directed at the Ministry of Rites, alleging that someone within the Ministry had accepted bribes and opened a back door for a powerful family in Shannan Circuit, allowing a member of such a family who should have been eliminated to reappear on the list of successful candidates, and even arranging for him to serve as a county magistrate.

The local people suffered greatly from his oppressive rule, and so on...

The official from the Ministry of Rites who was impeached immediately knelt down, ruining Li Chengqian's good mood once again. He waved his hand, deciding not to go to the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice, and directly ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to take the man away.

They were taken to the imperial prison for interrogation...

After the court session, all the officials looked as if they had survived a calamity.

Everyone avoided Dai Zhou like the plague.

Li Chengqian had almost finished his work and went to play with his two children, but the two little ones had already fallen asleep.

So he went to find another of his toys.

"Little Sizi~ Call me Imperial Brother~ Come, call me Imperial Brother~"

Li Zhi couldn't bear to watch; he looked bitter and resentful, as he had to deal with the extra matters that had arisen after today's court assembly.

"Ahhh! Royal brother, I really can't hold on much longer!"

After an unknown amount of time, the little ox stopped laughing and fell into a deep sleep on the dragon throne. It was then carried to the Lizheng Hall by Empress Zhangsun's maid.

Li Zhi finally couldn't hold back any longer and started complaining loudly.

He looked like he was about to flip the table, so Li Chengqian quickly stepped forward to comfort him.

"Oh dear, Zhinu, you seem to be in high spirits. How about this, I'll approve some for you..."

Li Chengqian was halfway through his sentence when he saw his ninth brother staring at him with wide eyes, looking as if to say, "Are you even human?" He quickly coughed twice and changed his words.

"I mean, I'll approve some myself. You rest for a while... Wang De, go and tell the imperial kitchen to prepare some food for my ninth brother, and also prepare a bowl of sweet soup."

Wang De noticed Li Chengqian's gaze and instantly understood.

Go and do the job respectfully.

Li Zhi could no longer hold on. He grabbed Li Chengqian's arm, his eyes filled with longing for freedom and a vacation.

"Brother, it's been three months! Ever since Father went south, I've been tied up in the palace by you and haven't had a day off for three months! Three months!"

"You can't treat people like this! Back when you were ordering Fourth Brother around, you at least acted like a human being, but now..."

"Cough cough!" Li Tai coughed loudly twice.

"Zhi Nu, I can't pretend I didn't hear what you said. Did I get any rest days back then? Three months? You couldn't hold on after three months? I'm about to reach three years!"

Besides fearing Empress Zhangsun and Li Shimin, Li Zhi was also somewhat intimidated by his elder brother, Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

Facing his fourth brother, Li Tai, he was truly not afraid at all.

He stuck out his neck and shouted.

"Then you can work for another three years! Back when Third Brother, Fifth Brother, and Sixth Brother were around, didn't you always tell everyone that you were better than them and how much the Emperor relied on you? You were capable, weren't you?"

"Go ahead and do it!"

Li Tai's expression immediately changed as he noticed the familiar, ambiguous smile in his elder brother's eyes.

I couldn't help but shudder.

"What's your name? You brat, as a prince, don't forget, the title your elder brother requested for you is Prince Jin..."

Li Zhi jumped up: "I'll give you the Prince of Jin's robes! Come, come, I'll take them off right now. From now on, Fourth Brother, you will be the Prince of Jin!"

As she spoke, she immediately began to strip off her clothes under Li Tai's panicked gaze.

Fortunately, Li Chengqian quickly restrained him.

"Hey, hey, hey? Zhinu, Zhinu, what are you doing? Sit down! Your fourth brother was just joking with you, and you, Qingque, what kind of things are you saying..."

Li Chengqian hurriedly tried to mediate, and after much persuasion, he finally managed to get his youngest brother to snort and sit down again.

Wang De walked in carrying a tray with some of Li Zhi's favorite snacks on it.

And a small bowl of sweet fermented rice balls...

A rich, yet not intoxicating, aroma of wine wafted through the air along with the rising fragrance of the glutinous rice balls.

This made Li Zhi's nose twitch involuntarily.

Li Tai turned his eyes away and refused to look.

Li Chengqian, with a gentle expression and a warm smile that reflected the affection of an elder brother for his younger brother, reached out and took several books from the table in front of Li Zhi, and began to read them.

They offered the other person something to eat and a rest.

Li Zhi's expression finally softened a little. He picked up a spoon and began to savor the glutinous rice balls in the porcelain bowl.

"Hmm~"

The delicious and wonderful sensation in his mouth stimulated his taste buds, making him hum comfortably.

As the eyes savored the delicious taste, a double comfort from the physical to the spiritual level, the thoughts, tormented by the documents, seemed to clear and become peaceful at this moment.

"Hmm~ Your Majesty, Chu Dahai's cooking skills are getting better and better."

Li Chengqian smiled slightly and nodded, appearing to be intently studying the document, and casually replied, "Whatever you like."

Li Tai seemed to be drinking tea more frequently.

Every now and then, like a thief, he would peek through the documents at his ninth brother, who was still savoring the delicious food, and exchange a glance with his own elder brother.

They exchanged glances.

"Brother, is it that obvious today? Aren't you afraid he'll find out?"

"Don't worry, this food was specially developed by Chu Dahai at my request. Even if he goes to the imperial kitchen to ask for it later, it will taste exactly the same. He won't be able to tell the difference..."

Li Tai nodded slightly, thinking to himself that his elder brother, the Emperor, was the one with the best ideas.

Seeing that Li Zhi had finished his food and was looking refreshed again, Li Chengqian did not rush to speak. Instead, he waited until the other party began to fidget and seemed hesitant to speak.

He suddenly made the suggestion.

"My dear servant, there are indeed quite a few documents today. How about this... you help your brother finish reviewing these documents, and I will grant you a day off tomorrow..."

Full of energy, Li Zhi hesitated, then held up two fingers: "Two days!"

"make a deal!"

Looking at my ninth brother, who has regained his positive energy and is now working diligently.

Both Li Chengqian and Li Tai couldn't help but smile slightly.

It's good to have a younger brother.

There's no need to worry about the workload after court assemblies being three or four times that of normal days...