xymnovel Chapter 19 Li Shimin: Old Master Wei, do you think I have done a good job in educating my son?
Chapter 19 Li Shimin: Old Master Wei, do you think I have done a good job in educating my son?
Gu Yin shook his head and continued, "Cao Cao during the Three Kingdoms period originally did nothing in the capital. In the end, he returned to his hometown to stockpile grain and recruit soldiers and horses to build his own army. Then, he returned to fight his way back."
Think about it, if Cao Cao had stayed in the capital and hadn't gone back to his hometown to build his own army, would he have achieved his later glory?
Therefore, Your Majesty, leaving Chang'an is not necessarily a bad thing.
Everyone agreed.
"Your Majesty, once you arrive in Yangzhou, you must firmly grasp military power."
"That's natural. But compiling the 'Kuodi Zhi' is extremely important, and you must not slack off," Li Tai said.
"We understand!"
"Any of you who are willing to follow me to Yangzhou can sign up."
Furthermore, the person who went to report this should be...
Li Tai and the others plotted until late at night before finally concluding their plan.
Three days later, Li Tai indeed bid farewell to his father and mother and headed to Yangzhou.
As Li Shimin watched Li Tai's carriage and entourage gradually disappear into the distance, he said to Empress Zhangsun, "You always said that Tai'er would stay in Chang'an and refuse to leave, but now he's gone, hasn't he? Tai'er is quite resilient; I'm a little reluctant to let him go."
Although Empress Zhangsun was also worried about her son's departure, she remained more rational.
She glanced at Li Shimin: "Don't you think his departure this time was a bit suspicious?"
"What's strange about it?"
"I hadn't heard anything about him leaving Chang'an until now, and he's just leaving like that. Isn't that a little strange?"
Li Shimin thought for a moment and said, "It seems you are right."
"I don't know why, but I have a feeling that he won't stay in Yangzhou for long and will be back soon."
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin smiled and said, "Is that so? Then let's wait and see."
The Eastern Palace.
Li Chengqian was so engrossed in reviewing the memorials that he became dizzy and lightheaded.
So he got up and started jumping rope.
Although jumping rope on one leg is a bit strenuous, he's already used to it.
Just as he was getting into the swing of things, Kong Yingda walked in from outside.
This old Mr. Confucius had a very serious expression on his face, as if he never smiled.
He was horrified to see Li Chengqian jumping rope in the Eastern Palace: "Stop! Stop right now! Chengqian, what are you doing?"
Kong Yingda always considered himself the Crown Prince's teacher and began teaching Li Chengqian to read when he was very young. Therefore, he did not call him "Your Highness" but addressed him by his given name.
When Li Chengqian saw that it was him, his heart skipped a beat, and he felt a little annoyed.
Li Chengqian put away the jump rope, then bowed to Kong Yingda: "I was unaware of your arrival, Master. Please forgive my lack of hospitality!"
Kong Yingda merely snorted and began to ramble on: "Chengqian, several years ago, I was entrusted by your father, the Emperor, to teach you your studies together with Lu Deming."
As the Crown Prince, you should behave with composure. What kind of behavior is it for you to be jumping around in the Eastern Palace?
You must understand that the Crown Prince's palace isn't just for you; there are so many palace maids, eunuchs, and guards. By doing this, aren't you undermining the Crown Prince's dignity?"
"Teacher, I was feeling dizzy and weak from reviewing memorials, so I got up to stretch," Li Chengqian explained patiently.
Kong Yingda strode off with his feet turned outwards, swaying his body: "That won't do either. The Crown Prince has his own code of conduct. Even when he walks, the Crown Prince is different from ordinary people. His posture and movements are all very particular."
You can't walk too fast, nor too slow, and you can't stagger. You can't take big steps, nor small steps, and you can't walk with your feet turned outwards.
It's not like you can just go whichever way you want...
Li Chengqian watched his steps and movements, his head buzzing with confusion.
Li Chengqian thought to himself, "I'm just jumping rope, do you really need to say so much to me?"
Li Chengqian patiently continued listening.
"As an honest man, I can tell you frankly that I must submit a memorial to the Emperor regarding your absurd behavior!" Kong Yingda was very angry and disappointed.
Li Chengqian thought to himself, "If you want to submit a memorial, then go ahead and do it. It's up to you."
"I've come today to tell you that I heard Li Tai left today to take up his post in Yangzhou. Did you know that?"
"I have heard about it."
"Li Tai is a good person. Look how humble he was and how beautiful his words were when you were coming of age."
From now on, you two brothers must live in harmony. You will guard Chang'an, and he will guard Yangzhou. One in the west and the other in the east, this will help stabilize the situation in the land.
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian thought to himself that he should be grateful that Li Tai did not rebel and seize the position of crown prince. How could he expect him to help stabilize the situation?
Of course, he thought this in his heart, but didn't say it aloud: "Teacher, you're right."
"You and Li Tai are brothers, you must be united."
Such an event has occurred in history. During the reign of Emperor Jing of Han, Liu Bi, the King of Wu, and Liu Wu, the King of Chu, allied with seven other vassal states and attacked Chang'an under the banner of "punishing Chao Cuo and purging the emperor's inner circle."
Emperor Jing of Han was at a loss.
Later, he followed Yuan Ang's advice and executed his teacher, Chao Cuo.
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian thought to himself that Emperor Jing of Han was truly a ruthless man, even killing his own teacher.
Emperor Jing of Han thought that if he killed Chao Cuo, the enemy army would retreat, but he was wrong.
After Chao Cuo died, the enemy troops not only did not retreat, but launched an even more ferocious attack.
This is because it is a sign of weakness on the part of the imperial court.
In this situation, who could Emperor Jing of Han rely on?
He could only rely on his younger brother, Liu Wu, the Prince of Liang.
The Liang Kingdom was located east of Chang'an. With the strong support of his generals Han Anguo and Zhang Yu, Liu Wu managed to withstand multiple attacks from the allied forces of the seven kingdoms.
It was precisely because Liu Wu contained the Seven Kingdoms Alliance east of Suiyang that Emperor Jing of Han was able to free up his resources to deploy troops, sending Grand Commandant Zhou Yafu and General Dou Ying to assist in the battle, ultimately quelling the Rebellion of the Seven Kingdoms.
Did you see that? In a pinch, your own brother is the most reliable.
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian felt a pang of sadness. He didn't know what he had done wrong or how he had offended Li Tai.
If something like the Rebellion of the Seven States were to happen in the future, would Li Tai come to my aid?
Li Chengqian shook his head and smiled bitterly.
"Brothers don't get bullied by outsiders, understand?"
"I will certainly keep in mind my teacher's teachings and get along well with Li Tai."
"You're right to think that way."
"You are the elder brother, so you should be more tolerant of him," Kong Yingda said, then sighed deeply. "As a descendant of Confucius, I study Confucian classics and never want the Xuanwu Gate Incident to happen again."
"Undeniably, your father was a man of great merit and wisdom, but the act of killing his brothers will forever be a stain on his reputation, indelibly etched on the pillar of history."
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian was deeply moved.
He stood up, poured Kong Yingda a cup of hot tea, and handed it to Kong Yingda with both hands.
Kong Yingda took the teacup, took a sip, and said, "What's most important for you now is to study diligently, especially Confucian classics such as the Analects, the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the Essentials of Governance from Various Books, which your father loved to read the most."
"Teacher, you're absolutely right, but now my father sends me so many memorials every day. Even if I work overtime and don't sleep, I still can't finish reviewing them all. Where am I supposed to find the time to study?"
"This—," Kong Yingda frowned as he looked at the mountain of memorials on the document. "Your father is training your ability to handle government affairs, which is not wrong in itself. However, now is the best time for you to study. You should focus on reading. If you don't read enough, how will you develop judgment and analytical skills?"
I'll talk to your father about this and ask him to reduce the number of memorials assigned to you.
"Teacher, please don't tell Father. If you do, he'll definitely think I'm trying to slack off."
"No, I have to make it clear to him that studying and handling government affairs must be balanced; neglecting either one is unacceptable."
If I fail to nurture you into a successful person in the future, wouldn't I, as your teacher, be committing a grave sin?
How can we live up to the expectations of the Tang Dynasty?
"No, I'll go find your father right now."
Kong Yingda, his beard bristling with anger, strode away from the East Palace.
This old Mr. Confucius was just that stubborn; whatever he said was the final word, and you couldn't stop him no matter what.
At this moment, the strategic simulator's voice rang in Li Chengqian's ears again: [Ding! Host, the opponent is detected to be on the verge of agitation, the opponent's defenses have been breached, and the opponent's emotional fluctuations are abnormal. Simulation options are now activated:]
First, quickly step forward and stop him from seeing your father, the Emperor;
Second, explain to him that you can handle the dual pressure of reading and reviewing memorials;
Third, let it go on its own;
Please select!
Li Chengqian thought to himself that this old man was more stubborn than a donkey. The more you tried to stop him, the more he would want to go. Therefore, the first option could not be chosen.
As for the second item, I really can't handle it. If I have to review so many memorials every day, I won't have time to read.
If all the time is spent reading, then there will be no time to finish reviewing all the memorials to the emperor; this contradiction is irreconcilable.
"I've chosen the third option!"
[Incorrect answer! The consequences are very serious! Do you need to change your answer?]
"No need to change it!"
Zichen Palace.
Li Shimin is reading "Essentials of Governance from Various Books".
He delegated many memorials to Li Chengqian, which made his life much easier.
Wei Zheng stood by.
Li Shimin was in a good mood. He looked up at Wei Zheng and asked, "Recently, Chengqian has undergone his coming-of-age ceremony, and Li Tai has gone to Yangzhou to take up his post. What are your thoughts on this?"
"Your humble servant congratulates the Great Tang! Congratulations to Your Majesty! Your Majesty is the Emperor, Chengqian is the Crown Prince, and Li Tai is the Prince of Yue, each in his proper place."
This is like a tree with a strong trunk and weak branches;
It's like a person whose brain and limbs are perfectly coordinated, and whose blood flows smoothly.
Li Shimin was beaming, because he knew it was truly remarkable to hear such words from this old man.
"With Li Tai stationed in Yangzhou, I have nothing to worry about east of Chang'an."
"Your Majesty, I believe that Your Majesty's worries lie not in foreign invasion, but in internal strife."
Li Shimin was about to praise Wei Zheng after hearing a couple of pleasant words from him, but then this old Taoist priest came to cause trouble again.
Li Shimin frowned: "What do you mean by that?"
"Your Majesty, you are such a forgetful person."
A few days ago, you had Chang He lead a thousand imperial guards to surround the Eastern Palace, and then you turned the Eastern Palace upside down, saying you wanted to search for some kind of wooden figurine.
Regardless of whether the Tongmu Man is found during the search, wouldn't this cast a shadow over your relationship with the Crown Prince?
This shows that you, as a father, don't trust your son.
Besides, is the relationship between the Crown Prince and the King of Yue really that friendly?
Your Majesty believes that this matter is inextricably linked to Li Tai. What a coincidence that he came to the Lizheng Hall right after the incident. Could it be that he really came to protect Your Majesty?
In my humble opinion, he's here to gather information, isn't he?
"Your Majesty is a wise man; do I really need to spell it out so clearly?"
Li Shimin touched his forehead with his hand, lowered his head and remained silent, because he also felt that what the old Taoist priest said seemed to make some sense.
Just then, a guard came in and reported, "Your Majesty, the man who came to report that the Eastern Palace had buried a wooden figurine has committed suicide in prison."
Both Li Shimin and Wei Zheng were taken aback upon hearing this.
Li Shimin waved his hand, and the guard withdrew again.
"Your Majesty, do you see? With this person dead, there is no way to verify the facts."
Mutual suspicion between father and son, discord among brothers—is this not more worrying than an invasion by a foreign enemy?
"Some time ago, Chengqian fell ill, and Tai'er ordered someone to pick two ginseng roots from Changbai Mountain and personally delivered them to the East Palace."
Therefore, I believe that the relationship between the brothers is quite harmonious, and it's probably not as serious as you say.
Li Shimin still wanted to persuade Wei Zheng with facts.
Wei Zheng stroked his beard and laughed heartily: "Your Majesty, please stop deceiving yourself. Back then, Your Majesty said you wanted the Prince of Yue to live in the Wude Hall, but I objected, and Your Majesty gave up on the idea."
Your Majesty is quite good at accepting advice.
However, Your Majesty approved the establishment of the Literary Academy by the King of Yue and allowed him to recruit talents according to his own preferences. So, I would like to ask, do you know what kind of people he recruited?
Are these people reliable in terms of character and knowledge?
Li Shimin shook his head and said, "I have too many things to attend to, how can I possibly manage all of these?"
"Your Majesty, as far as I know, these people are using the guise of compiling the 'Kuodi Zhi' to secretly plot in the Literary Academy all day long. I'm afraid it won't be anything good."
The King of Yue was originally a decent person, but if he spends too much time with these people, he probably won't end up with anything good.
"I've also heard that the King of Yue went on a private visit outside the palace. Do you know where he went?"
Li Shimin genuinely knew nothing about this and couldn't help but ask, "Oh, traveling incognito? Where did he go?"
"He went to Pingkangfang Beili."
"What?! That unfilial son! He's so young, yet he went to a place like that!" Upon hearing this, Li Shimin abruptly stood up, furious. "Luckily, that brat ran fast. If he were in Chang'an, I would have skinned him alive!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down. That's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that he was tricked by someone else. I heard that he was taught a lesson by a mysterious woman in black, and then she released him."
After he returned, he left Chang'an.