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

Comrade Li Er looked at the battle report from Yanmen Pass in his hand.

When he saw the inscription that his own crown prince, along with his fourth son, Prince Yue Li Tai, had personally led the charge against Jieli's 20,000 cavalry, even as a father, his hand trembled slightly.

Even if she knew there was no bad news, it would surely be her two sons.

There are no problems.

But thinking about this still makes me feel worried.

Upon hearing Du Ruhui's suggestion, Li Shimin narrowed his eyes.

He pondered for a moment.

He has now mobilized troops from Hedong Province, preparing to exterminate the Lu family of Fanyang.

Li Daozong also needs troops to defend Lingzhou against the possible southward advance of Turkic cavalry.

There were no extra troops around Chang'an to be transferred to their own crown prince.

Then.

As Du Ruhui suggested, the only option was to give that kid more control over his troops.

"Hmph! You got off easy, kid."

With a cold snort in his heart, Li Shimin immediately gave the order.

"By imperial decree, the Crown Prince is permitted to command no more than 15,000 troops, excluding the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace. These troops are not to leave Yanmen Pass without an imperial edict!"

"hiss!"

The audience gasped in shock.

Even Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were surprised and couldn't help but look up.

They originally thought that it would be quite remarkable if His Majesty would even agree to give His Highness the Crown Prince more military power.

After all, throughout history, if the crown prince is powerful and also controls the military, he will not have a good ending.

According to their estimates.

Even if Li Shimin agreed to give the crown prince more military power, at most he could only count the six guards of the Eastern Palace, making a total of 10,000 men.

Unexpectedly, he was given command of 15,000 troops.

Including the absurdly high six thousand elite troops of the Eastern Palace...

Zheng Jiang immediately bowed and proclaimed, "Your Majesty is wise!!!"

Li Shimin glanced at the other party sideways and waved his hand dismissively.

"The eight elders of the Zheng clan of Xingyang sacrificed their lives for the country and were buried in the Turkic lands. This is truly a testament to their loyalty and righteousness. The Ministry of Rites has drafted a plan for their funeral and reward, which I have personally approved."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"

As the court officials left the court.

Li Shimin hurried back to the inner palace. As soon as he reached the Lizheng Hall, he saw eunuchs and palace maids unloading goods from a carriage.

Li Shimin was taken aback.

"What's going on? Is Lizhi's candy shop making money again?"

Emperor Taizong's lips curled into a wicked smile, and his eyes gleamed with a sharp light, which drew a disapproving glare from Empress Zhangsun, who had just come out of the Lizheng Hall.

"Your Majesty, please stop thinking about Lizhi's money. Ever since you tricked her out of 30,000 strings of cash by using a piece of land in Chang'an that rightfully belonged to the royal family, she hasn't come to my palace for several days."

Hear the words.

Li Er blushed slightly, noticing the palace maids and eunuchs around him whose movements had suddenly become stiff, and waved his hand impatiently.

"All of you, get out of my way! A bunch of clueless idiots..."

Eunuch Gao hurriedly dismissed the servants.

"If this wasn't sent by Lizhi, then it could be... Hiss!"

As Li Shimin spoke, he reached out and lifted a wooden box. The dazzling golden light shining in the sunlight made Li Er swallow back the words he was about to say.

He gasped, his expression changing instantly.

Even Empress Zhangsun, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but freeze for a moment.

"This...this Chengqian actually sent so much gold?"

Empress Zhangsun hurriedly entered the Lizheng Hall and took out a list of goods from the caravan that came from Taiyuan Prefecture.

Ginseng, cordyceps, angelica, cornus officinalis, and other precious Chinese medicinal herbs are recorded on it according to their year of origin.

however.

However, the "amount of gold" and "amount of various gemstones" that were mixed in and even ignored by Empress Zhangsun were now a heavy blow to Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."

He opened each of the wooden crates.

Five large boxes of gold, completely melted down into gold bars, were quietly stacked inside.

Its neat appearance gave Li Er a strange sense of cheapness.

It looks like... a box of golden bricks.

He pointed blankly at everything in front of him, staring at his empress in disbelief, and opened his mouth.

In the end, he could only manage to squeeze out a sentence.

"Why is my crown prince sending you so much gold?"

Empress Zhangsun handed over a letter.

Li Er received the letter. The contents were heartwarming; it was just an ordinary family letter, in which Li Chengqian told Empress Zhangsun about the things he was working hard on in Bingzhou, reporting only good news and not bad.

In short, everything is very pleasing.

And then.....

"Although Mother Empress has eaten that red fruit, her health will certainly be better than before, but every childbirth is a great drain on a woman's vitality. We should still try to minimize contact with Father Emperor, and let the other concubines in the palace bear the brunt..."

Li Shimin's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

He pointed to the contents of the document, looking at his empress with disbelief.

"This...this kid is already starting to interfere in my affairs?"

Empress Zhangsun smiled slightly, pursing her lips.

Then Li Er saw that his crown prince, whom he had just granted the power to command 15,000 troops, was actually doing this for the reason of "making some jewelry for the Empress Dowager".

At that moment, someone delivered five large boxes of gold bricks and three or four boxes of gems.

Suddenly, I felt a sour taste in my mouth.

"Hmph! He still owes me half a mountain of gold! To this day, not a single grain of gold has been sent from my imperial treasury..."

Li Shimin snorted and seemed somewhat unhappy.

He had originally wanted to share with his Empress the joy of his good Crown Prince, who had brought him great success in expanding his territory. But now, he was faced with boxes of gold and jewels that the Empress was carrying into the treasury.

It became so dull and tasteless.

"Gao Hai!"

Eunuch Gao hurriedly bowed respectfully: "This old servant is here..."

Li Shimin gritted his teeth and let out a cold snort.

"Go to Bingzhou yourself and ask my Crown Prince! Where is my half of the gold mine?! Huh? Ask him if he even knows what the crime of deceiving the emperor is!"

"Go now! Set off for me today! If you don't bring Jinshan back, don't bother coming back!"

Grandpa Gao was instantly stunned: "Huh?"

Chang'an, the Zheng family residence.

As the messenger from the Zheng family returned with the letter, the entire mansion was soon draped in white mourning clothes.

Every household wears white silk.

In front of the Zheng Clan Ancestral Hall, members of the Zheng clan, whose children had perished at the hands of the Turks, wept uncontrollably, their bodies trembling, holding the memorial tablets of their husbands or sons in their arms.

The procession slowly walked into the ancestral hall.

They placed it beneath the ancestral portraits of the Zheng family of Xingyang, where incense was burning brightly.

Zheng Jiang looked very serious.

As the head of the family, he personally placed the memorial tablets representing the eight elders of the Zheng family of Xingyang in the center of the incense burner with a sorrowful yet solemn expression.

"Rest assured, my esteemed uncles, as long as I, Zheng Jiang, am alive, the Zheng family of Xingyang will certainly not perish!"

"I will do everything in my power to lead my people safely through this calamity, and be recognized as an ancestor by my ancestors of the Zheng clan..."

Following a series of prostrations.

When Zheng Jiang looked up again, the previously empty space on the high platform was now filled with eight hundred memorial tablets, scattered like stars across the altars around the Zheng Clan Ancestral Hall.

Zheng Jiang stood up.

The Zheng clan members behind them, all dressed in white mourning clothes, also got up from the ground.

Zheng Jiang solemnly opened a scroll.

Subsequently.

"Pass down the order! The entire clan must repeat it!"

Immediately, Zheng Jiang's order, relayed by the servants outside the ancestral hall, spread throughout the entire Zheng family mansion.

The ancestral hall, with its wafting incense smoke, began to spread outwards. Based on factors such as seniority, genealogical ranking, and family status, the solemn Zheng family members, both direct and illegitimate, standing outside were all invigorated.

Inside the ancestral hall.

Zheng Jiang took a deep breath and suddenly raised his voice.

"The Crown Prince offered these words of praise as a sign of commendation!"

Everyone was taken aback for a moment, and then, with the servants relaying the order, they all responded in unison.

"The Crown Prince offered these words as a sign of commendation!"

The sound carried across the streets surrounding the mansion and to other adult residences.

Fang Xuanling, who was in his own courtyard, frowning as he discussed with Du Ruhui which policies to select from the new policies of Bingzhou to be implemented locally in the spring, suddenly paused in surprise.

"This is...the commotion from the Zheng family..."

Du Ruhui was also taken aback: "The Crown Prince's words of advice?"

Some officials from the central government who also lived nearby heard this sound and came out of their homes in surprise and uncertainty.

Subsequently.

"Jiang Cheng Zi - A Gift to the Legacy of Eight Elders of the Zheng Clan in Xingyang"

Zheng Jiang's voice trembled as he recalled the letters sent back by his own Zheng family members, which described the ferocity of the battle that day.

The voice carried an unmistakable sadness that moved the listener deeply.

"This old man, in a moment of youthful exuberance, is suddenly feeling quite dashing!"

"Leading a yellow dog on the left, holding a falcon on the right, adorned in brocade hats and sable furs, a thousand horsemen sweep across the plains."

The Zheng clansmen chanted in unison, their voices carrying far beyond the mansion.

The entire household, from the heads of each branch of the family to the female relatives and servants, all wore sorrowful expressions and wept uncontrollably.

"To repay the city's loyalty to the governor, I will personally shoot a tiger, just like Sun Quan!"

"Even when drunk, my heart remains open and bold; my temples are slightly frosted, but what does it matter?"

"When will Feng Tang be sent to Yunzhong to serve as the imperial envoy?"

The people on the surrounding streets watched with curiosity, and when they heard the words being recited, the ministers in the surrounding mansions all shook their heads and sighed.

Du Ruhui: "Your Highness has a fine literary talent, but... every time this talent is displayed, it is stained with blood."

Fang Xuanling looked up at the direction of the Zheng family mansion with a complicated expression.

"This Zheng family has turned misfortune into blessing, averting a life-or-death crisis. If they understand the importance of obedience and loyalty in the future, the Zheng family's reputation will at least not collapse anytime soon... With Your Highness's poem, the Zheng family can rest easy for now!"

Inside the official residence.

Zheng Jiang's face was flushed red, as if he had entered the era when his clan elders, all over sixty years old, fought bravely to the death.

He gripped the scroll tightly in his hand.

It was as if he were wielding a sharp sword, his face contorted with rage, his killing intent palpable.

"He can draw his bow as full as the moon!"

"Look northwest!"

"Shoot the Sky Wolf!"

royal palace.

Li Shimin, who was already in a bad mood, listened to the report from Li Junxian, the commander of the Hundred Cavalry, who had suddenly rushed over, and listened to the prince reciting the poem he had written.

His expression became even more sour.

With a forced smile, he swung the club into the pool again while muttering to himself.

"Nonsense! Offering a poem? Ha, trying to imitate others by offering poems..."

"Heh, when people in ancient times exchanged poems, it was to ease their feelings. But Li Chengqian is giving poems to others, ha!"

"Because of a poem about going beyond the Great Wall, the eldest branch of the Wang family of Taiyuan lost over a hundred members to the Turks, the second branch was even more severely punished by the eldest branch's entire family being executed, and the third and fourth branches lived in constant fear..."

"Now nearly a thousand members of the Zheng family in Xingyang have died, and my crown prince has given them a poem... Li Junxian, tell me, how could I have such a hypocritical son?"

Li Junxian: "......"

He lowered his head and looked down.

We don't know if His Majesty was angry because of the Air Force.

It was because His Highness the Crown Prince had not yet delivered the half mountain of gold he had promised, which angered His Majesty.

Or perhaps His Majesty is angry because His Highness the Crown Prince, despite his exceptional poetic talent, has never written a single poem for him.

Interrupting this kind of topic is a recipe for disaster; you'll end up feeding the fish.

silence!

Only silence can save your life.

Li Junxian silently acted as his wooden puppet.

Emperor Taizong fell silent, his eyes fixed on the spot where the fishing rod had fallen. The veins on the back of his hand, which was gripping the rod, throbbed, making the atmosphere around him heavy.

The newly arrived eunuch, who was replacing Gao Hai, was sweating profusely despite it being winter. He stared at the fishing rod, which had remained motionless for over ten minutes.

He was practically ready to jump into the water and hook a fish for Emperor Taizong of Tang...

"Crack!"

The sound of a fishing rod snapping suddenly rang out, and Emperor Taizong of Tang rose abruptly in a rage, startling Li Junxian and the newly arrived eunuch, who both knelt on the ground with a thud.

Li Shimin muttered a curse, "What bad luck!"

He dropped his fishing rod and kicked over the empty fish basket.

"Prepare the carriage! To the Ganlu Palace!"

That night.

When Empress Zhangsun heard that His Majesty had not even eaten dinner and had locked himself in Ganlu Palace, she wondered what he was busy with.

He immediately ordered someone to prepare soup.

however.

As Empress Zhangsun stepped into Ganlu Palace, the scene of utter chaos that greeted her eyes caused her to freeze in shock.

"His Majesty?"

She gently gestured to the palace maid behind her to place the soup on the table beside her, and then stepped into a side hall.

The sound of paper being crumpled made Empress Zhangsun's delicate eyebrows furrow slightly.

Upon seeing the papers scattered all over the study floor by Li Shimin, he was immediately puzzled.

"Second brother, what are you doing?"

"Oh? Guanyinbi, you've arrived?" Li Shimin was taken aback when he saw Empress Zhangsun suddenly appear. Then, with a hint of pride on his face, he pulled her to his side.

"Hahaha, that rebellious son Li Chengqian has presented poems to the Wang family of Taiyuan and the Zheng family of Xingyang. Now, Fu Ji and his men are already preparing to take action in Hedong and Henan provinces. I am also preparing to present a poem to each of the Lu families of Fanyang..."

Empress Zhangsun parted her lips slightly, pointing to the "poem" written in beautiful flying white script in front of her.

He was momentarily stunned.

"The Cui family of Boling has toads; poke one and it jumps..."