Chapter 79: Jumped In

After finishing, Li Tai looked at Zhangsun Wuji with a provocative gaze:

"Using your own spear to attack your own shield—Uncle, can you block this move of yours?"

Zhangsun Wuji opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but in the end, he said nothing; he merely let out a cold snort and flicked his sleeves as he left:

"Hmph!"

Li Chengqian did not show weakness either, a cold, grim smile hanging on his face:

"Fine, fine, fine! Qingque, so this is how you want to play! I'd like to see how long Scholar Su can stay in Anzhou."

Having said that, Li Chengqian turned and left with a gloomy face.

"Big Brother! I won't let you down."

Watching the figures of Zhangsun Wuji and Li Chengqian depart, Li Tai grinned; he had never felt so refreshed.

"Hehe! The Literature Pavilion truly has many great talents. Thanks to Yang Xian's reminder, otherwise I really would have forgotten whether the Emperor had issued a decree.

Hahaha, this way, Ma Zhou and Zhangsun Wuji will also have to break ties, and I will have another chance to win over Ma Zhou."

At the same time, outside Liangyi Hall, Zhangsun Wuji and Li Chengqian walked outward together.

"Crown Prince, now that the Prince of Wu is already on the edge of a cliff, are you planning to make a move against the Prince of Jin next?"

"Why? Is Uncle willing to help me?"

"Crown Prince should understand that no matter what you do, the Emperor will not let you ascend the throne, even if the Prince of Wu and the Prince of Jin both fail, he still will not let you ascend the throne."

"Sigh!"

Li Chengqian sighed lightly: "Why does Uncle not believe me? I have said before that I no longer care whether the Emperor has chosen me or not.

What I want most now is to preserve my life; if I can accomplish a few more things for the Grand Ancestor, that would be even better."

"Hehe!"

Zhangsun Wuji had thoroughly seen through Li Chengqian; he did not care whether Li Shimin had chosen him, but that did not mean he did not want to contend for the throne.

"Whatever the Crown Prince says, so be it. The deal between the two of us only leaves the Commandery Governor of Jiaozhi; when does the Crown Prince want to wait for?"

"No rush! Let's cure my nephew first, otherwise I would be too embarrassed to ask Uncle for help again."

Zhangsun Wuji looked deeply at Li Chengqian; he always felt that Li Chengqian was waiting for Sun Simiao—only when Sun Simiao came to Chang'an would he send people to Jiaozhi Commandery.

In this cooperation, both sides gained something; Zhangsun Wuji drove Su Xu out of Chang'an, and he would not be able to return for a short time.

Li Chengqian let Li Tai obtain the public announcement, and since everyone knew the reform of the public announcement was Li Tai's idea,

from now on, no matter who used the public announcement to strike at Buddhism, it would make the Buddhists think it was Li Tai who made the move.

"The first wave of counterattacks is the fiercest; with Zhinu helping on the side, Qingque, you must hold on."

Having achieved his goal, Li Chengqian felt refreshed and walked with light steps toward Qingfeng Pavilion; he wanted to go fishing!

"Whoosh... plop!"

Casting the fishing hook, Li Chengqian sat down with a beaming smile; he felt he would definitely catch a big fish over five catties today.

"Wang Qi, how many big fish over five catties do you think I can catch today?"

"..."

Wang Qi really did not want to lie, but the consequence of not lying was sitting by the lake fishing for the whole night.

For the sake of his own rest time, Wang Qi could only betray his conscience:

"With the Crown Prince's ability, it should be five!"

"Smart! If Qingque comes to find me later, just say I am in the study and not seeing anyone."

"Yes!"

Li Chengqian knew that, given Li Tai's nature, he would definitely come to show off, and he was too lazy to act with him again.

Just as Li Chengqian thought, Li Tai had finally made him suffer a setback, so how could he let go of such an opportunity to mock him?

Learning that Li Chengqian was hiding in the study and would not come out, Li Tai felt a bit regretful, but his mood was still wonderful.

Returning to the Literature Pavilion from the Eastern Palace, Li Tai was all smiles along the way.

"Su Guzhang, you didn't see Big Brother's expression; he was simply furious.

Haha, he never would have thought that the Emperor had left a backup plan to deal with him."

Su Xu also revealed a smile: "This time, thanks to Yang Xian's reminder; the Crown Prince should give him a reward in time."

"Naturally! This time, when Guzhang goes to Anzhou, you still need to be careful of the Third Brother; he has held a grudge for a long time over the matter of Quan Wanji."

Su Xu nodded slightly: "Anzhou is not for the Prince of Wu to decide, the Crown Prince can rest assured.

Compared to the Prince of Wu, I am more worried about the Prince of Qi and Du He; are they really going to treat the epidemic?"

"I have sent people to check! The Prince of Qi has been following the Medicine King to treat patients, while Du He takes the Commoners up the mountain to dig for herbs; there are no other actions.

The Emperor let the Prince of Qi and Du He go to atone for their crimes; presumably, they also know this, so they dare not be anything but diligent.

Although the Emperor denied the matter of treason, he inevitably has a knot in his heart and must punish them."

In the eyes of others, this was a punishment, but in Li You's eyes, this was simply the life he dreamed of.

"Teacher is truly worthy of being the Medicine King, having saved another person; I want to follow you and learn medicine."

"Don't! You must not call me teacher; I am afraid of being beaten to death."

"Teacher, my heart is so narrow-minded, you should teach me even more, so as to avoid making others vomit blood from anger in the future."

Sun Simiao held the medicinal herbs in both hands and walked around Li You:

"Prince of Qi, this poor Daoist has already promised you to go to Chang'an to see the Crown Prince; one cannot be too greedy."

"I am not greedy; I just want to follow Teacher and cultivate the Dao."

"You are the Prince of Qi; the Emperor will not agree. Instead of learning to heal people from an old man like me, you might as well go and learn how to govern the country."

Watching Sun Simiao put the medicinal herbs into the medicine furnace bit by bit, Li You sighed aloud:

"Governing the country is too tiring, and if you are not careful, you will be forced to rebel; if it weren't for being saved by Big Brother, how could I still be here talking to you."

"I want to learn from Zhuangzi right now and become a free and unfettered person."

"This poor Daoist is also a worldly person; learning from me will only lead you astray."

"No! I see that your heart is beyond the red dust. The Crown Prince once said that there is only one way to achieve true freedom: the heart must transcend the world, while the body must remain within it."

"When someone dies, though you may feel sorrow, you do not become immersed in it; when you save someone, though you may feel glad, you do not remain in a state of constant joy."

"This must be the state of harmony mentioned in the Doctrine of the Mean, where joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure have not yet been stirred, and when they are, they all attain due measure."

"Among the ministers in Chang'an City, not one can achieve what you have."

Sun Simiao held a cattail fan and gently fanned the furnace fire:

"Since the Crown Prince understands all this, why does Prince of Qi not ask the Crown Prince for guidance?"

"The Crown Prince said he cannot do it, nor does he wish to; there are gains and losses in everything, and while entering the Dao is good, it is not his path."

"I am different; my path is to cultivate the Dao!"

"You are wrong!"

Sun Simiao put down the cattail fan in his hand and looked at Li You with a grave expression:

"You do not want to cultivate the Dao; you only want to escape the strife of the imperial court, or rather, you are afraid of being dragged into it again, leading to the destruction of your body and the dissipation of your Dao."

"The so-called cultivation of the self lies in rectifying the heart; if the body is affected by anger, it cannot be upright, and if it is affected by fear, it cannot be upright."

"If your heart is not upright, whatever you wish to do is merely deceiving yourself; no matter what you learn or do, you will be unable to persevere."

"Furthermore, the Crown Prince sent you here not because he wanted you to learn medicine from me, but because he wanted you to find your own path."

"Impossible!"

Li You shook his head repeatedly: "If the Crown Prince wants me to do something, he can just tell me directly; how could I not repay the debt of saving my life?"

"Enough! Follow me for now; when the time comes, you will know what you ought to do."

"Thank you, Teacher!"