Chapter 7: Winning People Over with Virtue

Du He couldn't help but complain in his heart: "Do you even hear what you're saying? He thinks about how to kill you every single day, and you still want him to protect you.

No wonder the Prince of Wei, who is always gentle and polite, couldn't help but curse; it's simply shameless."

"Repeating the same few words over and over, Qingque is truly worthy of being a gentleman.

Let's go! We shall go comfort Qingque, and while we're at it, ask him for a favor."

"Ask him for another favor?"

Du He looked at him in disbelief: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, are you sure you aren't joking?"

Li Chengqian did not reply and walked straight toward the front courtyard.

As soon as Li Chengqian appeared, Li Tai rushed toward him impatiently, grabbing Li Chengqian's collar with both hands:

"Do you take me for a fool? Can you act like a human being?"

"Sigh! Why must you be like this?"

Li Chengqian hung his head straight down, and a scroll of a book slid from his sleeve; the character 'De' could be faintly seen on it.

"Thwack!"

Li Chengqian held the 'De' Book and slammed it hard onto Li Tai's head:

"You never learn! You have no sense of propriety! At home, I am the elder brother; at court, I am the Crown Prince. Who taught you to lay a hand on me!"

"Ah! You hit me again!"

"I hit you for your own good; didn't you just thank me for it!"

"Ahhh... Li Chengqian, I'll fight you to the death!"

Li Tai was like an enraged bull, aiming his head at Li Chengqian's stomach and charging straight into him.

Before he could get close to Li Chengqian, Du He, who was standing to the side, stepped forward quickly and held him back:

"Prince of Wei, calm down! Calm down! You are a gentleman; a gentleman uses his words, not his hands."

"That's enough!"

Li Chengqian put away the De Book, his tone carrying a hint of mockery:

"Look at your pathetic state; it's clear you have no idea what the consequences would be if your plan were to succeed."

"The consequence is that you would be deposed and revert to being the Prince of Zhongshan."

"Naive!"

Li Chengqian shouted sternly: "Before you participated in the struggle for the Crown Prince position, did you never think about the consequences of failure?

The Xuanwu Gate is only a wall away from the Eastern Palace. Do you think Father didn't want to let Uncle and the Fourth Uncle go? Could he?"

"If you ascend the imperial throne one day, will you have to make arrangements for the noble clans that support you? Won't those noble clans worry about me, the legitimate eldest son, making a comeback?"

"This is a war of life and death; Father cannot protect you or me."

"You're sick!"

Li Tai nodded heavily, as if confirming his own statement:

"You must be sick! Since you know I want to fight for the position of Crown Prince, you still tell me these things. Tell me, is your brain broken?"

"Sigh! Why is talking to you so exhausting? Use that brain of yours filled with water to think: since one of us must die, would Father choose to make the other person Crown Prince to protect us?"

"Boom!"

A muffled thunderclap exploded in Li Tai's mind, and his complexion turned visibly pale:

"How could it be! How could it be like this!"

"Don't you see that Big Brother is doing this for your own good? As long as Big Brother remains in the position of Crown Prince, you still have a chance.

As long as you can protect Big Brother, Father will surely let you be the Crown Prince."

"That's not right! That's not right!"

Li Tai shook his head violently: "You are the legitimate eldest son. Even if Father were to stand against the whole world, he would not kill you, and no one would dare force Father to kill you."

"Then what about you? Do you have the resolve to stand against the whole world?"

"I..."

Li Chengqian sighed softly: "Qingque, I watched you grow up; how could Big Brother harm you?

Just speaking of the public proclamation, you gained fame, I kept my position as Crown Prince, the people of the world gained the opportunity to study, Father didn't have to kill the Fifth Brother with tears in his eyes, and the noble clans gained official posts in places like Qingzhou. This is what you call everyone being happy!"

"Look at the calligraphy behind me; do you not have any realization at all?"

"Governing by virtue?"

Li Tai looked at the wall, looking blank: "What does that mean? Isn't this the second chapter of the Analects?"

"To govern by virtue—virtue means to obtain. To obtain within oneself, to obtain from others; only in this way can one make the world return its heart to you.

Does what Big Brother did count as governing by virtue? Now you should understand how great Big Brother's virtue is!"

Li Tai opened his mouth wide, looking as if he had seen a ghost. After a long while, he slowly spat out two words:

"Shameless!"

Li Chengqian took out the De Book and revealed a gentle smile:

"Qingque, I will give you another chance to speak. Tell me, is Big Brother's virtue good or not? Does it have the style of an ancient gentleman?"

Li Tai looked at the De Book, then touched his own forehead, and gritted his teeth as he spat out a sentence:

"Yes! Big Brother's virtue is something even Kongzi cannot compare to!"

"Go! At the court assembly the day after tomorrow, I hope you can protect Big Brother well. Giving Big Brother a chance is giving yourself a chance."

"Hmph!"

Li Tai could no longer stay, and he flicked his sleeves and left directly.

Du He, standing to the side, watched this scene in a daze, and only regained his senses after Li Tai's figure had completely disappeared:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, wasn't the Prince of Wei here to settle scores with you? How is it that after being beaten, he still wants to help you?"

"Nonsense! This is Big Brother's education through love!"

Li Chengqian pointed behind him: "Governing by virtue; although he took a beating and still has to help me at the court assembly, he also gained the opportunity to vie for the throne."

"Didn't he already have that to begin with?"

"What does it have to do with me if he thinks so himself?"

Du He really couldn't help but say: "Shameless!"

Li Chengqian knew that Li Tai might not necessarily believe the conversation just now and would certainly go to verify it himself.

However, as long as Su Xu and Wu Shi were there, one night would be enough to make Li Tai believe, and also enough to make the noble clans within Chang'an City believe that Li Zhi was also involved.

Yet, what Li Chengqian did not expect was that Helan Chushi could not withstand the pressure; in just one day, he defected and came forward directly to testify against his father-in-law, Hou Junji.

At this moment, the nearly fifty-year-old Zhangsun Wuji was looking at Hou Junji with an expressionless face:

"Duke of Chen, are you still not going to speak at this point?"

"Speak about what?"

Hou Junji looked calm: "I beat him up a few days ago; he is settling a private grudge under the guise of public duty. Duke of Zhao, you must not be deceived."

"Helan Chushi's kinsman Su Zhuang is from the Wugong Su Family, of the same clan as the Crown Princess. Now you are telling me that he disregarded his clansmen, his wife, and his children to frame the Crown Prince and you just to settle a private grudge?"

"Yes! Even a monk can create a hell, so why is it impossible for him to settle a private grudge under the guise of public duty?"

Zhangsun Wuji took a deep breath; how had he never realized Hou Junji was this shameless:

"Duke of Chen, do you think the Emperor will believe these words?"

"I think the Emperor will believe them!"

Hou Junji looked earnest: "Look, I am still here in my manor drinking wine and eating meat; this shows that the Emperor still believes me."

"Then you must also be worthy of..."

"Enough!"

Hou Junji raised his hand to interrupt Zhangsun Wuji: "The Du family's second boy came to my place this evening; do you know what he said to me?"

"What did he say?"

"The Crown Prince told him that without physical evidence, all witness testimonies are fabrications, just like how Quan Wanji has been constantly framing the Prince of Qi.

If you have physical evidence, I will slit my throat and commit suicide right in front of you. Without evidence, don't waste your breath; even if the Emperor comes, I still haven't done it."

"Heh!"

Zhangsun Wuji sneered, then lowered his voice and spoke:

"Do you think I cannot produce evidence?"

"Then hurry up; the Prince of Qi enters Chang'an the day after tomorrow, you only have one day."

"The Prince of Qi's rebellion is already a nailed-down certainty; you are daydreaming if you want to use him to save yourself."

Hou Junji stopped talking and picked up the wine pot to pour it into his own mouth.

Seeing that Hou Junji was ignoring him, Zhangsun Wuji could only leave with a gloomy face; he decided to go before Li Shimin to sow discord, and this time, no matter what, he had to kill Hou Junji.