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

Curious eyes turned to the bamboo tube that Li Chengqian had accepted.

This matter was only known to Li Chengqian, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Hundred Cavalry Division; even the Crown Princess Qian Yingying and Empress Zhangsun were completely unaware of it.

"Brilliant! What is this?"

Empress Zhangsun asked in confusion.

"Hehe... This is a fine piece of art. It's probably a piece of calligraphy that Father Emperor gave to his son."

Upon hearing that it was something sent back by Emperor Li Er, Consort Yang and Consort Yin, who were having their meal while teasing the little ox with a finger, couldn't help but look over curiously.

"His Majesty gave the Crown Prince your calligraphy? When did he develop this hobby? Hasn't His Majesty always been ashamed to display his calligraphy in front of the Crown Prince?"

Consort Wei gently patted her sister, Consort Yin, who was becoming increasingly audacious in her speech.

Li Chengqian smiled and opened it directly in front of everyone.

Wow! That's quite a lot...

A roll of paper wrapped in kraft paper. Judging from its thickness alone, Li Chengqian estimated that the article must be quite long.

Sure enough, in front of everyone, he tore open the sealing wax and took out a thick stack of papers, which looked like dozens of sheets of paper.

The elegant and unrestrained line of words that caught his eye made him let out a sneer.

"Heh... As expected of my father, he remembers it very clearly."

He immediately handed the contents of the first page to Empress Zhangsun, who was standing to the side, and Consort Yin, Consort Yang, and the others all crowded around.

Upon seeing the first line of text, the group was momentarily stunned before revealing strange expressions.

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

Empress Zhangsun: "......"

Consort Yin, Consort Yang, and Consort Wei: "..."

As Emperor Taizong's bedmates, these people looked at the familiar opening lines and couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.

Looking at the elegant and confident flying white script on the paper, which was much more impressive than His Majesty's previous works, the group seemed to have already pictured His Majesty's triumphant face as he wrote this article, his face beaming with satisfaction at having avenged his great grudge.

Has His Majesty gone mad?

Even the bold Consort Yin couldn't help but turn her head and mouth a question to Consort Yang with a face full of shock and confusion.

Consort Yang frowned slightly, looking at Empress Zhangsun with some worry.

The terrifying scene of His Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince meeting was still vivid in his mind, lingering there. It was when His Majesty acted recklessly in Taiyuan Prefecture, provoking the Crown Prince to resort to force.

These people even felt that the Tang Dynasty was about to perish on that day...

Seeing that Consort Yang had not given an answer, Consort Yin turned her head and mouthed a question to Consort Wei.

Why is Your Majesty so fierce?

Consort Wei shook her head, finding it equally unbelievable.

She also looked at Empress Zhangsun with a worried expression, but fortunately, Empress Zhangsun only glanced at her eldest son's expression and was able to basically figure out what was going on.

It seems that this time things haven't reached the level of the terrifying situation seen before.

This time, her own emperor husband has completely fallen into the hands of her own crown prince.

really.

Then everyone watched as Li Chengqian paced back and forth, holding several pages of "Admonitions to His Son".

He recited it loudly in an extremely exaggerated tone.

"When I was young, at the end of the Daye era, the Sui emperor was trapped at Yanmen. I mobilized 300,000 troops, and the Sui army was in a state of defeat. At that time, Qu Tutong, the Duke of Mi, was the commander. He also called on the soldiers to fight to the death for the country and to express their grief. No one dared to say that they would win. I led the army to victory!"

"Their army numbers over five thousand, less than a single Turkic unit, and far less formidable than the current Xuanjia warriors."

"The banners and flags covered more than ten miles, and the enemy was repelled by the feigned troops."

"Everyone in the army speaks highly of my youthful bravery and wisdom. I lack my son's firearms prowess and the talent of my hundred valiant generals, yet I have earned a great reputation for bravery and heroism throughout the land. However, now that I am the sovereign of the nation, I am also expending much effort and worry in this remote and desolate place in Jiannan. Why is that?"

"My son possesses the qualities of a wise and virtuous ruler destined for greatness throughout history. How can I allow my efforts to waste his potential and let his lofty ambitions be confined to the troughs of a worn-out horse?"

Li Chengqian shook his head as he read this.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Mother, listen to this! How could Father, with such literary talent, really be unable to write a quatrain expressing his love for you and all the ladies?"

"Well, he's been the Prince of Qin of the Tang Dynasty for so many years, and now he's the ruler of a country... But look at him! He still keeps bringing up the story of saving Emperor Yang of Sui back then, and he's even dragging the Duke of Mi into it, ha..."

"He dares to say that, but he doesn't even ask if General Qu dares to agree!"

"Is my father the emperor? No, no. I think he considers himself the number one general of the Sui Dynasty. Yuwen Chengdu's position is rightfully mine!"

Empress Zhangsun and the others exchanged bewildered glances. Empress Zhangsun, in particular, was reflecting on the article her eldest son had just read aloud. Although the article's content was clearly expressed at the end, it was obviously a letter of admonition to her son.

But what everyone present heard for the vast majority of the text was His Majesty the Emperor boasting about his achievements in his youth.

In other words.

“Your Highness, you are quite remarkable, but I was no less so when I was your age. Now, I am not ashamed that you have surpassed me, but instead I am striving to improve myself and implement new policies in Jiannan Circuit. On the contrary, why are you, my Crown Prince, slacking off in Chang'an?”

Everyone: "......"

Li Chengqian, however, wore an exaggerated expression of disgust.

Waving the "Admonition to My Son" in my hand, I felt that what I saw today was so absurd.

"As expected of my father, Mother Empress, listen to this... How could I let my son's lofty ambitions be confined to the trough of a worn-out horse? Listen to this, look to this, my father has even become more pleasant to speak now that he has been to Jiannan Road."

"This is the first time I've ever heard my father call me a thoroughbred and himself a nag. Tsk tsk tsk, I'm flattered, truly flattered!"

"Mother, have you ever heard Father say such pleasing words? I certainly haven't. No, I must keep this article safe..."

Li Chengqian looked around and then suddenly called out to Wang De outside the hall.

"Go, prepare the carriage for the Ganlu Palace. Even if I don't sleep tonight, I will make sure to carefully copy my father's 'Letter of Admonition to His Son,' stroke by stroke!"

"Prepare a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone for me!"

"In the future, this piece of writing will definitely be sent to the Imperial Academy and the Chang'an Official School, so that the students there can also appreciate the literary talent of their father, the Emperor!"

"If the grandson is to begin learning calligraphy in the future, he should also use this article to practice!"

"Great article! What a great article!"

Crown Prince Li Chengqian left in a flurry, but he kept letting out a sarcastic laugh.

"Such a fine article, eight million strings of cash... My father is so thoughtful. I, as his son, gave him eight million strings of cash, and he was still worried that I would be taken advantage of, so he even gave me an article. How wonderful! Excellent!"

"what!"

The sound gradually disappeared from the direction of Ganlu Palace.

Empress Zhangsun glanced at the empty seat next to Li Chengqian at the dining table and sighed deeply.

".......Why"

This father and son...

The Ganlu Palace was brightly lit that night.

Prince Li Zhi of Jin, who was reviewing documents in the Taiji Hall, heard about the commotion and rushed over out of curiosity. He wondered why his elder brother still had the energy to practice calligraphy so late at night.

Why don't you come with me to the Taiji Hall to review the documents?

Immediately afterwards, he saw his elder brother through the window, wielding a writing brush as if it were a sword, grinning maliciously as he "chopped" at a roll of Xuan paper on the table under the trembling gazes of Wang De and the other palace maids and eunuchs.

It occasionally let out a series of chilling low laughs.

Li Zhi: "!!!"

Well... never mind, there aren't many documents left anyway, let the Emperor rest well.

The next day.

Li Chengqian did not sleep all night.

Even Wang De couldn't help but be amazed at how much temper the emperor and the crown prince could have against each other during the Zhenguan era.

He didn't even glance at the pile of discarded copybooks.

Li Chengqian had someone summon Qianlou and handed him the bamboo tube, which had been resealed with sealing wax, along with the wrapped "Admonition to My Son".

"Go and return it to Sun Yi."

Qian Lou accepted the order and left, but a short while later, a trembling Li Junxian was brought back by the Embroidered Uniform Guard once again.

Seeing the expression on Crown Prince Li Chengqian's face, even a fool could tell that what His Majesty had ordered them to retrieve was definitely not a good thing.

"This humble general, Li Junxian, greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Um......"

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, but under the other party's tense gaze, he stared at him for a long time before slowly speaking.

"From now on, any matters concerning my father, the Emperor, must be handled by the Hundred Cavalry Division and then handed over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard... Commander Li, do you have any questions?"

Li Junxian shuddered.

"I will obey your orders!"

"Hmm... I've already had the Embroidered Uniform Guards return the items to Sun Yi. You just need to follow the original plan and intercept the items from Sun Yi."

Li Junxian accepted the order once again.

After waving for him to leave, Li Chengqian took a deep breath and leaned back in his study chair, still feeling somewhat displeased.

Eight million strings of cash!

Although the Tang Dynasty's finances are currently generating a lot of revenue.

Commercial taxes, Tibetan indemnities, industries managed by the imperial court, and the vast farms and mineral outputs of Xizhou County in Hexi Circuit.

However, there is still a lot of follow-up investment to be made, not to mention that Li Chengqian has also promised at least 80 million guan of financial investment to the Yuejiang Economic Development Zone in Lingnan Province within three years.

Even so, Li Chengqian managed to squeeze out eight million strings of cash for Jiannan Circuit to ease the pressure on his father, the Emperor.

"Hehe...who said Father Emperor is a coward? Father Emperor is far too brave!"

"Summon Zheng Jiang, the Minister of Personnel, and tell him to come see me immediately!"

Soon, Zheng Jiang, who had just sat down in the Ministry of Personnel early that morning and hadn't even warmed his seat yet, hurriedly went to the palace.

After exchanging greetings, Li Chengqian got straight to the point.

"Notify the officials in Chengdu Prefecture that, starting from the sixth year of Zhenguan, their future performance evaluations will be based on the assessment standards of officials in Taiyuan Prefecture and Chang'an, and will not follow the local official assessment list."

Zheng Jiang was startled.

What has Your Majesty done to offend the Crown Prince this time?