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

The entire official road within the Guannei Circuit of the Tang Dynasty underwent reconstruction and repair.

In the second month of the sixth year of the Zhenguan era, after inspection and acceptance by the Ministry of Works, it was declared a complete success.

At the same time, a convoy of carriages that had set out from Chang'an and were heading to Chengdu Prefecture in Jiannan Road also left Guannei Road and officially arrived on the official road of Jiannan Road, which was still under repair.

Compared to the construction of the Guannei Road official road, the construction of the Jiannan Road official road was much more difficult.

After all, expanding or rerouting and rebuilding the plank roads along some of the towering mountains is no small project. Moreover, the officials of the Ministry of Works and the professors of the engineering department of the Imperial University are responsible for the power of their entire families, so they have to be extremely careful and cautious in everything they do.

After traveling at a leisurely pace for more than half a month, the group finally arrived at Chengdu Prefecture, where the present-day Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty resided, at the Qing Shu Palace.

The eunuch who came to deliver the imperial edict was Sun Yi, who had once been Emperor Li Shimin's personal eunuch. Now, times had changed, and he was now representing His Highness the Crown Prince, his current master, to deliver the imperial edict to his former master, Emperor Zhenguan.

After the convoy entered Chengdu, Sun Yi couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

And at the same time.

At this moment, Li Shimin finally showed the demeanor of a wise emperor, and was discussing the submission of the Six Southern Zhao with Lu Shiming, the governor of Chengdu, and others.

"Hiss... Although Langqiong Zhao has submitted to the Great Tang and accepted our reforms, changing Langqiong Zhao to Langqiong Prefecture of our Great Tang, what about the other five Zhao?"

Li Shimin had a terrible headache.

Having been in Chengdu for more than half a year, the only thing that gave him some comfort was that Langqiong Zhao, one of the Six Zhao that had previously intended to submit to the Tang Dynasty, had officially accepted the Tang Dynasty's bestowal of titles.

From then on, they declared themselves citizens of the southern border of the Great Tang Dynasty, and changed their tribal territory to Langqiong Prefecture of the Great Tang Dynasty.

Lu Shiming pondered, “Your Majesty, although the Five Zhao have not yet explicitly submitted to us, our Tang merchants have never been harassed when they enter their territories to do business. In fact, sometimes when they are fighting among themselves, they will stop fighting when they see our Tang merchants passing by.”

"This shows that they still have expectations of us. They are probably either worried about their power being taken away, or they are watching to see what happens after Langqiong Prefecture submits to our Great Tang."

"His Majesty's benevolence has been fully demonstrated. What we should do now is to make them understand that our Great Tang has a way to bring them wealth and prosperity..."

He paused slightly, then cupped his hands to Li Shimin: "I have recently begun to recruit a group of people from the common people who are willing to go to Nan Liu Zhao to do business, in the name of the government, and will give them some investment, supplemented by the textile technology of our Great Tang."

"The textile technology of the Southern Six Zhao is low. If it can be improved with the help of our Great Tang, the effect will be more likely to attract attention."

Li Shimin's brows relaxed slightly; fortunately, there was a solution.

It was not in vain that Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty condescended to personally visit the Southern Six Zhao during this period.

This is a great start. If we can give them another two years, the Southern Six Zhao will surely be able to completely submit!

Li Shimin straightened his chest, his eyes gleaming.

"In ancient times, Zhuge Liang captured Meng Huo seven times. Now, I have personally led the six southern Zhao states out of poverty and back to submission. I do not believe that my Great Tang will ever face danger in the south again!"

Just then, Li Shimin, full of ambition, prepared to go to his study to review the day's documents, as he always had.

Suddenly, a eunuch rushed in to report.

"Your Majesty, Eunuch Sun Yi from Chang'an has arrived, saying he has brought a decree from His Highness the Crown Prince."

The Crown Prince's decree?

Li Shimin was initially delighted, thinking to himself that this brat still knew to contact his father.

Immediately afterward, realizing what he had just realized, his face darkened again.

Hey!

A decree from the Crown Prince to me?!

Only that unfilial son could do such a despicable thing!

He's a father now, yet he's still so irresponsible...

Emperor Li Shimin sneered inwardly, adopting an air of magnanimity, and waved his hand dismissively: "Let him in. I want to see what decrees my Crown Prince has to offer."

Lu Shiming, the prefect of Chengdu, rose to take his leave, trembling with fear.

He was glared at by Li Shimin.

"Sit still and behave yourself!"

Before long, Sun Yi was led into the Qing Shu Palace. Upon entering the hall, he immediately bowed respectfully to His Majesty the Emperor.

"This servant, Sun Yi, greets Your Majesty..."

Li Shimin curled his lip, his gaze falling on the imperial edict in his hand, and let out a soft snort.

"Is there any need for him to kowtow to my imperial edict?"

Upon hearing this, cold sweat broke out on Sun Yi's forehead, and he quickly apologized with an awkward smile.

"Your Majesty's words have truly caused me great distress. I am merely a messenger."

Li Shimin sneered and snorted, then reached out his hand, and the latter hurriedly handed the imperial decree to His Majesty the Emperor.

Li Shimin opened it and took a look.

One eye and ten lines.

"Ha, I thought your Crown Prince would have some brilliant ideas, but I didn't expect it to be just these same old opinions."

"Isn't I aware of developing agriculture, planting rice, wheat, millet, and beans? Haven't I done it? Do I really need him to remotely direct me like he does in Chang'an?"

"Ha, developing animal husbandry? I should really send some of my Jiannan Road cattle and sheep back to that rebellious son, so that he'll know that I, the emperor, conquered half of the Tang Dynasty! When I was ruling this region, he was still nursing the empress!"

Li Shimin spoke in a sarcastic tone, glancing at the contents of the imperial edict in his hand while making mocking tsk-tsk sounds.

Lu Shiming and Sun Yi, who were around them, wished they could plug their ears.

Your Majesty, you really don't treat us like outsiders. How can we possibly listen to such words?

Lu Shiming looked distressed, and could only silently repeat to himself, "I am at home now, not in the palace..."

"Develop handicrafts, leather and pottery... develop fishing and canning industries... Ha, that's it? That's it?"

Emperor Li Shimin waved the imperial edict in his hand, a strange look of joy appearing on his face, as if seeing the Crown Prince make a mistake was something that pleased him greatly.

"I thought he sent you all the way to Chengdu because he had some brilliant idea. Is this all you have to offer?"

"Do I need him to tell me these things? My Governor Lu, my trusted ministers in Chengdu Prefecture, don't they know? Don't I know?!"

"We still need this crown prince in the Chang'an palace to ramble on..."

Li Shimin became more and more excited as he spoke, and suddenly stood up and walked quickly toward his desk.

"Grind the ink for me! Today I'm going to write a severe letter of divorce to teach this rebellious son who's neglecting state affairs a lesson!"

Li Shimin didn't even need any preparation; the personal emotions that welled up in his mind were inspired by the content of his "Letter to His Father" in which he wrote, "Father, are you asleep? Your son cannot sleep."

It instantly came to mind.

He picked up his brush and began to write.

Today's Feibai style seems even more elegant and graceful.

"Chengqian, are you asleep? I can't sleep..."

"Hehe..." Li Shimin shook his head, looking at the words written in the Feibai style, feeling a sense of exhilaration as if he had finally avenged a great grudge.

He pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

The brush in his hand landed on the paper.

"Since I have been in Shu for several months, I have had little contact with Chang'an. Although I think of your mother, brothers and sisters, I have thought it over and over again, fearing that it will interfere with the affairs of state for the Crown Prince. I have been thinking about this very much, so I have bowed my head to my desk and long for the early return of the southern border so that the whole family can be reunited."

"Now that I have ceased my duties in court, consolidated the people's rule, and cleared up past grievances, I am alone and at peace until midnight..."

Upon catching sight of this, Lu Zhaojing's expression stiffened. She glanced at the bright sun outside the hall, and when she turned to look at the emperor, who was engrossed in his thoughts, her gaze became unusually strange.

Sun Yi, who was standing to the side, seemed to realize something and opened his mouth as if to speak.

But seeing how engrossed His Majesty was, they were also afraid of disturbing him and losing their lives...

Hesitant and filled with fear, he stood aside.

Li Shimin, however, did not notice any of this, his calligraphy in the flying white style moving like dragons and snakes.

"Just as I was about to retire for the night, I received a letter. I rose and rushed to the palace, my hands trembling and my heart pounding. My son is wise and intelligent, surely destined for greatness... I have read it carefully, but I am greatly disappointed."

"Haha!" Li Shimin picked up his brush and laughed twice.

Sun Yi hurriedly tried to step forward: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince..."

"Go away, go away, don't disturb me!"

Li Shimin waved his hand, dismissing him, and felt that his thoughts were flowing freely today, as if the sages had bestowed upon him literary wisdom.

"There have been many wise and virtuous rulers in ancient times, but few who were insightful about the great principles from a young age and remained virtuous rulers until their death."

"Duke Huan of Qi in the Spring and Autumn Period was a great ruler who respected the king and repelled the barbarians. He used torches in his courtyard to attract scholars, a rare occurrence among rulers in the Spring and Autumn Period. But why did he do this?"

"With Guan Zhong's death, the virtuous Duke Qi perished! His body was not recovered for three months; such a death of a ruler is rare indeed."

"The Sima family of Emperor Wu of Jin could be considered wise rulers for half a century. During the Taikang era, they encompassed the north and south, achieving the great feats of the First Emperor. However, with the imperial power in hand, they suddenly turned into debauched men, indulging in wine and women, leading to chaotic governance, decadent thoughts, and ultimately, their health deteriorated, and they died young."

"It was his own doing, not the fault of others."

Li Shimin wrote eloquently, and the eunuchs beside him changed the paper several times before the emperor finally picked up his pen and slowly exhaled.

"Your Majesty..." Sun Yi began softly, as if he wanted to say something.

But Li Shimin glared at him fiercely, instantly shutting him up. He could only watch silently as the emperor indulged in his fantasies.

His Majesty took another deep breath, and then began to write again on a piece of paper.

“My son is indeed a wise ruler even in his youth. He still dares not forget the admonitions he gave his father. Now, I rule the southern border, upholding my son’s great ambitions, to revitalize the court, govern diligently and care for the people, working tirelessly day and night, lest I leave a name of incompetence for future generations.”

"Whenever I am burdened by the complexities of governance and feel resentful, I always reflect on my experience as a person from Chang'an."

"However, I have heard that my own son also has the appearance of a half-wise man, a legacy of ancient calamities, and is uninterested in politics. Therefore, I have written this book to inform my Crown Prince."

Emperor Li Shimin wrote with great enthusiasm, wishing he could cram all the wise teachings his mother, Empress Dowager Dou, had imparted to him into this "Letter of Admonition to My Son."

Worried that his eldest son might become lazy and decadent, yet overjoyed at finally having a chance to outdo that rebellious son, Emperor Li Shimin's expression was incredibly exaggerated as he wielded his brush.

A long and detailed account.

He used up more than forty sheets of paper before finally letting out a satisfied sigh and putting down his pen.

"Governor Lu, what do you think of my actions?"

Li Shimin, beaming with pride, reached for a teacup that had gone cold and asked Lu Shiming, who was caught in a dilemma of whether to stay or leave, with a smile on his lips.

"This, this... Your Majesty is truly talented! I am no match for you!"

Lu Shiming lowered his head and bowed with his hands clasped.

"Hmph..." Li Shimin glanced at him sideways, said nothing more, and had someone blow the ink off the forty-plus pages of the article before looking at Sun Yi, who looked conflicted.

He snorted coldly.

"Alright! Since it's just a letter, let's leave it at that. I've received that rebellious son's letter. If there are similar matters in the future, you can have your rebellious son deliver it by golden eagle. I'm not like him, indulging in frivolous pursuits that lead to the loss of my ambition!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the stack of "Admonitions to My Son" that the eunuchs had neatly arranged, and gave a soft hum.

"Take this back to that unfilial son!"

Sun Yi: "..."