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

Chai Shao's stroke of genius left Yuchi Gong completely dumbfounded.

He stared blankly to his left and right, and finally looked at Crown Prince Li Chengqian on the dragon throne with a pitiful expression.

"Your Highness, Your Highness the Crown Prince, you must investigate this thoroughly. You know me well; how could I possibly plot a rebellion?"

"The soldiers were only a few days late. I was eager to return to the capital and see Your Highness, which is why I was late..."

Beside him, Zheng Jiangyin gave a sinister, cold smile.

"So eager to see His Highness, and even brought armor and weapons? Duke E's loyalty is truly rare indeed!"

Yuchi Jingde glared angrily: "You old dog Zheng! I have no grudge against you in the past or any recent grievances, so why are you framing and attacking me like this?! Do you really think I, Yuchi Gong, am easy to bully?!"

Zheng Jiang sneered.

He shook his head and remained silent.

You haven't offended me? That's not necessarily true!

Who wouldn't want a good reputation, especially one bestowed upon the current Crown Prince, who is destined to become a sage ruler for all time?!

But this scoundrel shamelessly begged His Highness for a few words.

It is estimated that he also brought up the camaraderie between the previous generation and His Majesty, and finally managed to obtain a poem from His Highness the Crown Prince.

Sure enough, someone in the crowd let out a sneer and a low curse.

"To be called the number one soldier in the world, if it weren't for His Highness's consideration for your past as a general of the Prince of Qin's mansion, would he have praised you so highly? Yet you still have no self-awareness!"

"It's ridiculous!"

Yuchi Gong knew perfectly well that these bastards were just jealous that the Crown Prince had given him a poem.

But even he hadn't expected that these people would collectively impeach him out of jealousy...

On the dragon throne, Crown Prince Li Chengqian finally cleared his throat.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing!"

Silence returned to the scene, and the officials straightened their clothes and returned to their previous positions.

Li Chengqian glanced at Yuchi Gong: "Duke of E has neglected court affairs and delayed the military affairs of the Ministry of War. Considering his merits, he will be fined one month's salary. At the latest, he must register the personal guards and family soldiers in his mansion in the warehouse by tomorrow!"

Yuchi Gongyi obediently agreed, but his gaze turned fiercely towards Chai Shao beside him.

Silently, she mouthed a greeting that was used by a very high number of people to call her "Mom".

Chai Shao smiled, and at this moment, Li Daliang, the Duke of Wuyang County, who usually had a good relationship with Chai Shao, suddenly looked curious and asked a question.

"Hey? Since the Duke of E said that the Duke of Huo was also presented with a poem by the Crown Prince, why don't the Duke of Huo read it aloud so that everyone can hear it? That way, we can all appreciate the Crown Prince's poetic talent. What do you gentlemen think?"

Kong Yingda secretly curled his lip; Li Daliang and Chai Shao were always in cahoots.

Saying this now is just giving Chai Shao a chance to show off.

As expected, upon hearing this, Chai Shao immediately waved his hands repeatedly and bowed to Li Chengqian on the stage.

"Your Highness has bestowed upon me this poem as a compliment, but I am truly unworthy of it. My meager contribution is hardly worthy of tarnishing Your Highness's literary talent. It is best not to read the poem; I will present it to Your Highness and the Tang Dynasty in a few years when I have secured greater benefits for you..."

He put on a humble and nervous act, seemingly unworthy of the honor, and his acting was spot-on, but everyone present knew perfectly well what was going on.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui shook their heads inwardly.

It is truly despicable.

On stage, Li Chengqian chuckled to himself, but still spoke up to stop these old ministers from being so awkward with each other over a poem praising his name.

"Alright, Duke Huo, there's no need for modesty. Baikal County is of great use to our Great Tang Dynasty, rich in resources, and a treasure trove for our future northern border. Duke Huo's contribution deserves a poem from me. Since everyone wants to hear it, let's bring it out..."

Li Daliang then hurriedly echoed this sentiment.

Chai Shao, looking both embarrassed and grateful for the Crown Prince's favor, had a framed calligraphy piece, which he had clearly brought in before going to court, carried in.

The officials could only sneer in silence.

However, they soon crowded around to carefully examine the poems on the paper.

Duke Huo, returning to the capital from his military post on the frontier, was moved by the sight of snow in Chang'an and composed this poem as a gift...

Upon hearing the poem's title, the officials clearly saw that Duke Huo, Chai Shao, was a treacherous dog, stroking his beard and chuckling smugly, and they all rolled their eyes.

The first few lines of the poem, which describe the snow scene and the prosperous life of the people of Chang'an, are fairly normal.

However, when the last line, "As long as the people are well-fed and clothed, what harm is there in serving them with my life even in old age," was uttered, everyone's gaze towards Duke Huo was clearly tinged with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

You fucking deserve to die!

Pei Ji and Xiao Yu, both quite old, watched as Chai Shao, who in the past would deliberately hide his white hair among his black hair when tidying his hair for court, to show that he was young, brave, and still able to fight for the country.

Today, he surprisingly showed off his white hair, looking like a veteran general of the nation and a pillar of the Tang Dynasty.

They all gritted their teeth in resentment.

"You've only been stationed on the frontier for a few years, at most you've been through some harsh winters. This kind of thing isn't something that veteran generals in the court haven't experienced, even old ministers like us have."

"What does the prosperous life of the people of Chang'an have to do with you, Chai Shao?"

"Is it you, Chai Shao, who provided the meat for the large number of cattle and sheep raised in Zhenbei Road, or the abundant wheat harvest in the fields of the Great Tang, and the grain sold from Tibet?"

"You're shameless! How dare you even attempt to respond to this poem?!"

Everyone was already cursing him in their hearts, but at this moment, Chai Shao was humbly and ashamedly bowing to the officials around him and the crown prince on the dragon throne.

"Your Highness is too kind; I am unworthy of such favor. I am truly unworthy of it..."

Everyone felt stifled and could only remain silent.

But this made Chai Shao extremely proud.

The events in Chang'an, and the Crown Prince's gift of another poem, quickly reached Chengdu Prefecture. With the year-end approaching, Chengdu was just beginning to think about how they had almost finished dealing with all the matters at hand this year.

I'm preparing to return to Chang'an for the New Year to see my little rhinoceros, Emperor Zhenguan.

Looking at the two poems on the table in front of me, I could feel the wind whistling through my nostrils.

He stood with his arms crossed in front of the desk, ink dripping from the brush he held in one hand, falling onto the desk and splattering onto his dragon robe, yet no one dared to step forward to remind him.

The atmosphere in Qing Shu Palace was eerily silent.

"The painters of Lingyan Pavilion were originally the greatest soldiers in the world... Haha, Jingde, my meritorious minister of Lingyan Pavilion, is now going to become the Crown Prince's soldier?"

He murmured a sentence through gritted teeth.

He reached out and held the pen above the paper in front of him, then froze for a moment before reluctantly putting the pen back.

"No, that's not appropriate..."

Overturning the half-line of poetry that had just been jogged into his mind, Emperor Zhenguan looked at the two poems in front of him, which were verses given to him by the Crown Prince by the capable ministers and generals under Li Shimin. For a moment, he was at a loss.

If I go back this year, the officials and I will ask for some rewards. I can't just give them money and silk, can I?

The Crown Prince's poem has bestowed a good reputation upon them; am I to offer only a few words of praise?

The thought of the court officials in the Taiji Hall eagerly awaiting his poem as a reward filled Li Shimin with a sense of panic, reminiscent of when he was still the young master of Taiyuan Prefecture, and his father had asked him to perform his talents in front of relatives during the New Year.

Hey!

I absolutely can't afford to make that kind of mess!

I have my pride too!

"Think about it, Emperor Wen! Think about it, Heavenly Khan! You're capable, that rebellious son is your offspring, there's no reason he would do it, but I wouldn't... Inspiration, inspiration..."

The personal eunuch He Ding's eyes twitched wildly. He quickly waved to the surrounding palace maids and eunuchs behind his back, and led everyone out of the study quietly.

Emperor Zhenguan was left alone there, behaving like a shaman, chanting "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!" while simultaneously praying for the spirit of Wenquxing to possess him...