Chapter 91: Recorded in the Genealogy

Li Tai knew that Li Chengqian was tempting him, and there must be a conspiracy in this, yet there was always a glimmer of wishful thinking in his heart.

What if? What if Li Chengqian was being sincere? What he wanted was the throne, not that he truly wanted Li Chengqian to die.

"Just one essay, it should be fine. If I write an essay on 'relatives concealing for one another,' Father might even value me more because of our brotherly bond."

No, no! Big Brother is too insidious; I cannot make a decision lightly. I must go back and discuss it with Xiao Yu.

But the opportunity must not be missed! If Big Brother changes his mind and cooperates with Zhinu, I will regret it endlessly."

Zhangsun Wuji seemed to see through the thoughts in Li Tai's heart and spoke with a smile:

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, why would the Prince of Wei need to take action for this essay? The study of the Prince of Jin is full of essays regarding filial piety and fraternal duty.

If Your Highness the Crown Prince needs one, why not let the Prince of Jin send one to Your Highness?"

"Really?"

Li Chengqian feigned an appearance of being overwhelmed with joy:

"Young and reckless, and also soft-hearted. Zhinu didn't contribute to the disaster area this time; as his big brother, I must help him.

After I go back, I will send word to the Eastern Palace Six Garrisons and have them say they are the Prince of Jin's men.

The families of the Bingzhou garrison soldiers should also have an official sent to offer condolences, to see what they need; the imperial court must do its utmost to help."

"That would be excellent! Your Highness the Crown Prince cares for your younger brother so much; the Emperor will surely be very gratified."

"What is so excellent about it?"

Li Tai hurriedly spoke to interrupt: "Zhinu's essays are just so-so; wouldn't putting it on a public proclamation be a loss of face for the imperial court?

Big Brother, I will write this essay, and I will even stamp it with my official seal, so that everyone in the world knows it was written by me."

"Then many thanks to Qingque!"

After saying this, Li Chengqian looked at Zhangsun Wuji with a face full of regret:

"Uncle, one must have self-knowledge. Zhinu doesn't have this heart either; let nature take its course!"

"Everything is still an unknown variable; is Your Highness the Crown Prince not afraid of regretting it in the future?"

"Then let us wait and see."

Watching the two sing in harmony and drag Li Tai into the water again, the corners of Fang Xuanling's mouth twitched slightly:

"Two insidious and cunning villains teaming up to pit a child; they really have no shame at all."

In order to completely dispel Li Tai's doubts, Li Chengqian took a roll of paper out of his boot:

"Big Brother knows you still have some doubts. This is Big Brother's goal for governing the country; it is also because of this that you are able to be valued by Father.

If you don't believe it, you can write a letter directly to ask Father; he will tell you everything."

Li Tai blankly took the paper, glanced at it casually, and then immediately threw the paper away:

"You, you are just a madman! Do you even understand what you have written?

Emperor Yang of Sui only wanted to destroy Goguryeo, but you—you want to destroy every country.

Dividing up Tianzhu, the Western Regions, and other countries as fiefs for others, letting the Imperial Princes and military generals go fight for them themselves, and whoever conquers it gets to keep it?

Is that how you use the enfeoffment of the Zhou Dynasty?"

"What do you know? This is called 'the meat is rotten but still in the pot.' There is such a vast land outside the Great Tang; what is wrong with giving some to my brothers and the military generals?"

"Is that yours? Is that the Great Tang's? One careless move and you'll have the whole world as your enemy. You think the Great Tang is invincible under heaven.

No wonder you are clearly so capable, yet Father is still bent on deposing you. You deserve it!"

"Sigh!"

Li Chengqian walked slowly toward the door, his back looking exceptionally lonely:

"Everyone is drunk while I alone am sober! You have all forgotten the lesson of the Five Barbarians' Uprising! You have also forgotten that the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods lasted for hundreds of years, yet they also allowed the living space of the Central Plains people to grow ever larger.

Qingque, to secure the country with martial force and govern the country with culture—one must never be biased."

Zhangsun Wuji glanced at Li Chengqian, then immediately picked it up and looked at it out of curiosity, unable to help but gasp:

"'Wherever the sun and moon shine, all is Tang soil.' To let the great sun shine forever upon the land of the Great Tang.

Does this mean you believe in the theory that the celestial sphere is like an egg? Has Your Highness the Crown Prince also studied Astronomy?"

Zhangsun Wuji only now knew why Li Shimin said those words; if the Crown Prince's ambitions were any smaller, he would have no chance at all.

Compared to Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling was calm; he had long since learned part of Li Chengqian's plan from Li Shimin.

'Wherever the sun and moon shine, all is Tang soil' was indeed Li Chengqian's goal, but this goal was one Li Chengqian had set for the future monarchs of the Great Tang.

Compared to the plan Li Shimin had told him, conquering the surrounding countries was not even worth mentioning.

Stating this goal now was merely to dispel Li Tai's doubts.

Li Tai was indeed, just as Li Chengqian had thought, immediately dispelling all his doubts.

After the Prince of Qi rebelled, the ability Li Chengqian displayed made him feel alarmed; he sometimes also wondered if he was the whetstone Li Shimin had given to Li Chengqian.

Now that he knew Li Chengqian's ambitions, all his doubts vanished like smoke; Li Shimin truly wanted to replace the Crown Prince.

Since it was certain that Li Shimin sincerely wanted to push him to the throne, his going to Longxi to offer sacrifices to ancestors and Xiao Yu becoming the Crown Prince Grand Tutor—all of this was perfectly normal.

Li Tai's actions were swift; as soon as he returned, he set about writing the essay, and for this, he even specifically found people to discuss it with.

Regarding Li Tai's thoughts, Fang Xuanling also knew he couldn't dissuade him, so he could only secretly send a message to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin, far away in Yingzhou, almost cried from Li Tai's stupidity after receiving the news:

"Utterly foolish! Utterly foolish! Not even knowing what happened during the Wude Era, truly stupid.

Xiao Yu is also stupid, his devotion to Buddha has gone to the dogs. Can't Chu Suiliang, Dou Dan, and Qingque see what the Crown Prince is trying to do?

Hopeless! Hopeless!"

Li Daozong, who was to the side, was completely confused: "Your Majesty, has something happened in Chang'an?"

"That's not it, it's just that someone is jumping into a pit on their own, and no matter how you pull them, you can't stop them."

After saying this, Li Shimin looked at the messenger: "How is the disaster situation in the Shannan Circuit? Did the Crown Prince handle it in time?"

"The Memorial was processed the moment it was received; the Crown Prince, fearing it would affect the grain supply for the eastern expedition, is even holding a fundraiser in Chang'an City.

The specific details are written on the paper; the Emperor can see them by turning it over.

However, there is one matter I do not know if the Liang State Duke has noticed, and I do not know if it is appropriate for me to speak of it."

"Speak!"

"The imperial court ordered the Xuancheng Department's gazette to promote the Emperor taking the lead in fundraising for the disaster area, but before this, the Crown Princess had taken the Princesses to Hongfu Temple to urge the commoners to donate, and even shed tears for the commoners on the spot!"

Li Shimin stood stunned in place, and Li Daozong and the others also looked at the messenger with faces full of astonishment.

Li Daozong glanced at Li Shimin's expression, then swallowed hard:

"Who proposed this? Did the Crown Prince try to stop it?"

"It was the Scholar Xiao Deyan, and most of the officials in the court agreed. The Crown Prince only said one sentence: 'The Prince of Wei is truly filial, a laughingstock of filial piety.'

Now, the Xuancheng Department's gazette has already spread throughout Chang'an, and a copy has been sent to Shannan Circuit; calculating the time, it should have already begun distribution."

Li Shimin's face turned from green to white, looking quite colorful.

Seeing this scene, everyone shrank their heads like quails, trying their best to minimize their presence.

"Heh! Heh heh heh heh..."

Li Shimin threw his head back and laughed: "Gaoming said it very well, it truly is a laughingstock of filial piety!

Pass the order, break camp and return to Chang'an!"

"Emperor!"

Li Daozong was extremely anxious; seeing that they were about to finish off Goguryeo, how could they return at this time:

"You absolutely cannot return at this moment. If the Emperor is too angry to bear it, I will go on the Emperor's behalf and bring the Prince of Wei and Zhangsun Wuji here in bonds."

"Don't stop me!"

Li Shimin patted his own cheeks and roared:

"My face has been completely lost by them! How will I have the face to see the Crown Princess and Lizhi and the others in the future?"

As he spoke, Li Shimin threw the horse whip on the table to the messenger:

"You go back, give the Crown Prince and the Prince of Wei ten lashes each, then go tell Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling that if they do not retrieve my face, I will record all their shameful deeds in the Zushu of the Zhangsun and Fang families.

If I am to be humiliated, they need not think they will have it easy either!

And Xiao Yu and Xiao Deyan, count every single one of them in the court and record them all in the Zushu."