Chapter 157: Women of the Great Tang Are Not to Be Provoked

"Husband, what should we do?"

Su tried to stay calm, but that ever‑present worry was still felt by Li Chengqian.

Come to think of it, strictly speaking, the Crown Prince and the Emperor are not separate.

Because the Crown Prince will inherit the throne in the future, the whole world will one day belong to the Crown Prince, so granting a fief makes no sense.

Only those imperial princes receive fiefs, after all they cannot inherit the throne and need a fief to support themselves and their princely households.

But now, with an edict from Li Shimin, Li Chengqian was unexpectedly granted a fief.

Even though it is only a small county, it is enough to make Su frightened.

Upon closer thought, the Crown Prince, who originally could not have a fief, suddenly receiving one is a matter worth deep contemplation.

It is hard not to think about Li Shimin's desire to depose the Crown Prince.

Li Chengqian fell silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, I haven't committed any major fault; Aye was strict with me before, but I doubt he ever considered replacing the Crown Prince."

"Moreover, with the Mother Empress present, such a thing will never happen."

Li Chengqian is confident in Empress Changsun, because after the Xuanwu Gate coup, Empress Changsun personally told him, "You will become the Crown Prince in the future; that is an unchangeable fact."

Without mentioning Chen Yan, Empress Changsun is always the person he trusts most.

Because Li Chengqian knows that as long as Empress Changsun lives even one more day, she will forever protect him.

"Then why did His Majesty suddenly grant Weinan County to you as a fief?"

Su still feels a bit uneasy.

"Aye's thoughts are always hard to guess; I don't know either." Li Chengqian thought for a moment, then said, "Surely Aye's move must have a deeper meaning, and I simply haven't grasped it."

He lifted his eyes and said, "It's hard to say whether this is good or bad, but with this edict issued, many schemers will surely turn their attention to the Eastern Palace to see my reaction."

"Moreover, this edict breaks precedent; at this moment Aye must be maneuvering with numerous officials."

"I'd like you to write a letter to Lord Father‑in‑law, secretly send it through the palace to help me probe external news."

"Fine." Su answered without any hesitation.

At such a time, as Crown Princess she naturally cannot just stand by; she must do everything she can, otherwise if Li Chengqian's Crown Prince position truly becomes unstable, she will have no good fate either.

Moreover, Li Chengqian's unhesitant request for her help at this moment obviously shows his trust; she was so pleased she hadn't even had time to speak.

How could she refuse?

Li Chengqian, while directing Su in writing the letter, speculated about Li Shimin's intention.

Unfortunately the edict arrived too suddenly; he had received no prior information, leaving him with too little intelligence to guess.

If it were earlier, he might by now be anxious, immediately seeking Empress Changsun for answers, or even going straight to Li Shimin.

It must be said, after last month's conversation at Chen Yan's house and the release of inner pressure, Li Chengqian has grown a lot.

At least when the incident occurred, he didn't panic, understanding he must think and make arrangements first.

After Su finished the letter and arranged for a secret delivery, Li Chengqian stood before the Hall of Reverent Teaching, hands behind his back, murmuring, "Weinan County…."

"Lord, what do His Majesty mean by this?"

Inside Cai Duke's residence, Xiao, holding the edict, found Du Ruhui sipping tea calmly in a pavilion and complained, "Du Gou was originally the Crown Prince's attendant, a proper trusted aide of the Crown Prince, a sixth‑rank official; now look, what has he become… a clerk?"

"What kind of logic is that?" Xiao snapped.

Du Gou remained relatively calm, softly comforting, "Mother, don't worry; actually I think this isn't a bad thing at all."

Du Ruhui at first paid no attention to Xiao's words, even showing little reaction to her complaints, until Du Gou's remark sparked a slight interest.

"Oh? What makes you say that, Du Gou?"

Xiao looked at her son, equally puzzled.

Du Gou understood his father was testing him, and said freely, "The reason I say this isn't a bad thing, first of all, is that you just mentioned the Crown Prince's trusted aide."

"In the Court, anyone with eyes can see that the Prince of Yue, relying on His Majesty's favor, has already entertained thoughts he shouldn't have. This Crown Prince's trusted aide may appear glorious, but who can say what will happen in the succession struggle?"

"Perhaps disaster could strike at any moment."

"Now that His Majesty's edict has come, even though it lowers my rank, it also frees me from that vortex."

"Moreover, a tiny clerk may seem insignificant, yet he can most directly contact the common folk and understand their needs."

"Father has taught me since childhood that an official's rank, big or small, is all to ease His Majesty's worries and consider the people."

"My high birth makes it no problem to go down and gain experience."

With that, Du Gou spoke reasonably and clearly expressed his intention.

In fact, that is indeed what he thought.

Du Ruhui said contentedly, "Du Gou has grown up; my strict upbringing wasn't in vain."

Xiao fell into thought.

She wasn't foolish, so she naturally understood her son's meaning.

That alone already left her unable to refute.

When it comes to the succession struggle, staying out of it is the best choice.

But Xiao still felt a bit dissatisfied, "So there's no need to go to Weinan County to be a clerk, right?"

"There are plenty of posts in the Court; can't I take another office?"

"A woman's opinion!" Du Ruhui retorted, "Didn't you just hear Du Gou's words?"

"The rank isn't important; what matters is what this office can do and what it yields."

"With me here, can Du Gou continue to be a clerk forever?"

Du Gou silently gave his father a thumbs‑up and then nodded quietly.

Indeed, with Du Ruhui around, could he remain a clerk forever?

Just thinking about it shows it's impossible.

But… Dad, your road has gotten narrow.

Sure enough, just as he expected, the Xiao family glared at the remark, "Du, do you think I've been giving you too much face lately?"

"My woman's opinion?"

"Tell me, after all these years of marriage, when have you ever not been busy? Who said at the start that you handle the outside while I handle the inside, and then handed the huge Du Residence over to me?"

"Oh, now I'm being called a woman's opinion again?"

"When you first let me manage the household, why didn't you call me a woman's opinion? When you made me worry about this and that, why didn't you call me a woman's opinion?"

"You old corpse, are you trying to spar with me?"

Du Ruhui: "......"

That combo left his head completely stunned.

What is this?

It was just a single 'woman's opinion' remark, right?

Was such a reaction really necessary?

He tilted his head slightly, saw his own son give him a helpless look, and his mouth twitched.

Although he wasn't as fearful of women as Fang Xuanling, he still felt a bit uneasy when the Xiao family flared up.

Women of the Tang Dynasty are not to be trifled with.

"......"