Chapter 44

Li You had no idea that Li Chengqian was on the verge of an outburst and was still muttering:

"Big Brother, why aren't you talking? You're making me look like a fool."

"You haven't told me what to do for three months yet. Big Brother, Big Brother!"

'The heart is like ice and clear; the sky collapses without surprise! The heart is like ice and clear; the sky collapses without surprise!'

Li Chengqian stopped, took three deep breaths, and then stared at Li You with burning eyes:

"Don't talk nonsense in front of me again. Next spring, Father will lead the army on a personal expedition, and I will be the regent. At that time, I will arrange for you to travel to various places. Understand?"

Li You's eyes lit up: "Really? Big Brother, don't lie to me."

"Don't cause trouble when you get to the Jiangzuojian, and don't let anything happen. I will come to see you often."

"I have already asked the Crown Princess to persuade Yin Fei, so you don't need to worry."

"Thank you, Big Brother!"

"If you really want to thank Big Brother, then hurry back and go fishing, and don't chatter in front of Big Brother."

"I'm rolling away now!"

Li You had been taken care of, and Li Chengqian was preparing to start the next step of his plan; relying on these things alone was not enough to seize the right to speak.

'The drawbacks of the Rent-Tax-Labor system are slowly emerging; I can plant some nails during this time as regent.'

'I wonder if the person recommended by my father-in-law has arrived yet; it's really uncomfortable not having anyone to use.'

'If they haven't arrived before I become regent, I can only find a way to let Qingque do it.'

Li Chengqian returned to the Eastern Palace, and an unexpected person appeared before him.

"Uncle?"

Looking at Zhangsun Wuji, who was sitting in the hall drinking tea, Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment:

"Uncle, are you here today because you have something to find me for?"

Zhangsun Wuji stood up and bowed:

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"There is no need for these empty formalities between us. As long as Uncle speaks up, I will definitely help if I can."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I heard that Consort Su came to the Eastern Palace to revise the book regulations; I wonder if this is true?"

"That's right!"

Li Chengqian admitted it generously, then walked to the main seat and sat down:

"I have already given it to him. As for what he is trading with me, I won't tell Uncle."

"That is natural! I would also like to have it; is that possible?"

"It is possible. I will have Wang Qi send a copy to Zhinu in a while."

A look of surprise appeared in Zhangsun Wuji's eyes:

"No need to trade with anything? I came with sincerity."

"No need!"

Li Chengqian waved his hand: "Zhinu is not Qingque; I will help if I can."

"Father's mind is made up; no matter how much I struggle, it's useless. Let it be!"

Speaking of this, Li Chengqian sighed long: "Uncle, if I hadn't reached out into the military back then, would everything be different now? Would you still support me?"

"Is the Crown Prince blaming me?"

Li Chengqian shook his head: "No! Uncle had no choice either. Once Qingque ascends, the decline of the Zhangsun family is destined."

"Forced by the situation, I will not blame Uncle; blame only me for not seeing Father clearly, and for being too confident."

"Now His Majesty is wavering; he fears the Prince of Jin lacks ability, and fears that choosing the Prince of Wei will harm the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin."

"And once the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Wei fight too much, it is inevitable that the previous situation will appear again; this is also the reason why I have always advised the Prince of Jin not to win over court officials."

"If the Crown Prince were the Prince of Jin, what would you do?"

Li Chengqian stared at Zhangsun Wuji with a half-smile:

"Uncle, although I don't hope for Qingque to ascend, it doesn't mean I will help Zhinu; my capacity is not that great yet."

"If you want me to help, that's fine; show some sincerity. Without sincerity, Uncle should go do whatever you need to do."

"What does Your Highness want? As long as the Zhao State Duke Mansion has it, the Crown Prince can take it."

"Jiaozhi Commandery! I will be regent next spring, and at that time I will arrange for someone to be the Jiaozhi Governor."

"Regent?"

Zhangsun Wuji's brow furrowed slightly: "How could the position of regent be the Crown Prince?"

"Besides me, who else could it be?"

Li Chengqian said irritably: "If I give the regency to Zhinu or Qingque, would you be willing?"

"Naturally not willing!"

"Then that's it. Do you think I want to be regent? If I do well, there is no merit; if something goes wrong, everyone comes to blame me."

"Still the same words: help me get Jiaozhi Commandery, and I will help Zhinu find a path."

Zhangsun Wuji lowered his head in thought. Jiaozhi Commandery is a place where people rebel from time to time, and it is far away in Lingnan, with dense forests and mountains; it is inconvenient for large armies to enter and exit.

'Is this to find a way out for himself?'

Zhangsun Wuji couldn't figure out what use Li Chengqian had for this place; he could only think so.

"I can help!"

"Slap!"

Li Chengqian patted his own thigh: "As expected of Uncle, a Prime Minister's belly can indeed hold a boat; generous!"

"Since Uncle is so straightforward, I cannot be stingy. Does Uncle want to ask how to seize the position of Crown Prince, or how to get the right to revise the book?"

Zhangsun Wuji rolled his eyes silently. How crazy would I have to be to ask you, this loser, how to seize the Crown Prince position? Do you have no self-awareness at all?

"The right to revise the book! If Your Highness is willing to tell me everything, I would be extremely grateful."

"You cannot get the right to revise the book! Even with the regulations, you cannot get it!"

Zhangsun Wuji's expression remained unchanged: "Why? With the help of the Taiyuan Wang Clan, plus the support of Buddhism and Taoism, it is not without a chance of winning."

"After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Father was forced to temporarily suspend the reforms of Buddhism and Taoism initiated by Grand Ancestor."

"Since the Jin Dynasty, the three schools of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism have been in constant confrontation, from the 'Book of Laozi Transforming the Barbarians' to the 'Scripture of Pure Conduct'; especially the 'Scripture of Pure Conduct', which directly offended both Confucianism and Taoism."

"With the participation of court forces, it turned from initial debates into bloody events. If it weren't for the Three Teachings Debate presided over by Grand Ancestor, I fear it would still not be stable even now."

Speaking of this, Li Chengqian picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then continued:

"Despite the mediation of two generations, Grand Ancestor and Father, the disputes between the three schools have always been there."

"If Buddhism is pulled into the book revision, the Taiyuan Wang Clan will not agree, and the Confucian and Taoist officials in the court will not agree either."

"If Buddhism and Taoism are not won over, relying solely on the name of Wenzhongzi of the Taiyuan Wang Clan and the literati among the Guanlong aristocratic clans is not enough to compete with Qingque."

"Not to mention the Five Surnames and Seven Clans, the Lanling Xiao Clan, the Wugong Su Clan, the Jingzhao Du Clan, and the Jiangnan aristocratic clans are enough to defeat Zhinu."

"Rather than fighting for the right to revise the book, Zhinu would be better off taking another path."

"Since when did Your Highness become so knowledgeable about what Grand Ancestor did?"

Li Chengqian said indifferently: "Everyone in the world says that this Great Tang was conquered by Father."

"But I think that more than half of the credit for this Great Tang belongs to Grand Ancestor and Great Uncle."

"No matter how you deny Grand Ancestor and Great Uncle, the Equal-Field System and the Rent-Tax-Labor System were both founded by Grand Ancestor. The Great Tang's ability to be stable until now cannot be separated from these two systems."

Zhangsun Wuji laughed at himself: "Indeed, if Grand Ancestor hadn't been there to prepare grain and fodder, no matter how many strategies we had, and no matter how well His Majesty could fight, he would not have been able to defeat the others."

"The literati are inclined toward Qingque; this point cannot be changed, and you cannot compete with Qingque."

Zhangsun Wuji raised his brow: "Does Your Highness want the Prince of Jin to fight for the hearts of the military?"

"That's right!"

"Your Highness, you just asked me that, and you've forgotten it so quickly!"

Li Chengqian grinned: "Is Uncle really ignorant or pretending to be ignorant?"

"If Chu Suiliang, Ma Zhou, and others had supported me back then, would Qingque and Zhinu have had any hope for this Crown Prince position?"

"Zhinu has the support of Li Shiji, while I won over the Guanlong aristocratic clans; the difference here is more than just a little bit."

"Such a simple principle, I believe Uncle should understand."