Chapter 27: Li Chengqian: Aye

"Mother Empress, look at him......"

Princess Gao Yang, upon hearing Chen Yan's words, was quite angry.

Recalling earlier in the palace, Chen Yan's remark, "You can't even keep your own man, what gives you the right to be arrogant," she felt a block of frustration in her chest and wanted to smash something.

Empress Changsun raised her hand in a feigned press, signaling Princess Gao Yang to keep silent.

Compared to Princess Gao Yang's matter, she was more curious about Li Chengqian and Chen Yan.

She wanted to know what Li Chengqian and Chen Yan would say next.

Princess Gao Yang clearly guessed Empress Changsun's intention and thought, "Chen Yan's rescue of Xiao Sizi was meritorious; Xiao Sizi will still need his aid, so Father Emperor and Mother Empress could not punish him for going to a pleasure venue."

"However... from the earlier conversation, it seems Chen Yan not only went himself, but may have taken the Crown Prince to the pleasure venue as well."

"Fine, I'll just sit properly and listen to what they say; if Chen Yan really took the Crown Prince out to fool around, I doubt Mother Empress could stay seated!"

Thinking of this, Princess Gao Yang's mood lifted again, and she quietly sat back down.

Princess Changle watched Li Chengqian and Chen Yan with some worry, repeatedly wanting to speak to stop them, but upon seeing Empress Changsun's calm face, she swallowed her words.

She silently prayed in her heart that the two could stay a bit sober and not say everything.

As for Xiao Sizi, the child is still too young to understand anything.

Seeing Empress Changsun not feeding him meat, he grabbed a piece himself and gnawed, ignoring whatever was happening.

"......"

Li Chengqian burped, laughing foolishly: "Zi Anxiong is right; after drinking too much, it really does delay matters, ha!"

"That's for sure." Chen Yan slipped his arm around Li Chengqian's shoulder, chuckling, "Brother Cheng Qian, let me tell you, Cheng Chu Mo came looking for me today. Do you know what he said to me?"

"What did he say?"

"Pingkang Lane just got a batch of new girls; their looks, tsk tsk, are really cute~"

"I don't believe it..." Li Chengqian squinted, his head leaning against Chen Yan's, slurring, "Given Cheng Chu Mo's nature, if Pingkang Lane had new girls, where would he tell us?"

"Hehe~ Brother Cheng Qian, this time you really guessed wrong; Cheng Chu Mo definitely didn't lie to me."

"Why?"

"What else? Because Cheng Chu Mo has no money~"

Li Chengqian was slightly stunned, then, realizing, grinned and laughed, "hahaha, I knew it, it's because he has no money."

Hearing Li Chengqian laugh, Chen Yan couldn't help but laugh too.

The two brothers laughed loudly as if no one were there, paying no heed to Empress Changsun and Li Shimin's increasingly grim expressions.

Li Shimin's tolerance for alcohol was already high; after drinking so much, though his head felt a bit fuzzy, he remained basically sober.

Hearing that his prized Crown Prince Li Chengqian seemed to be fooling around outside with Chen Yan and Cheng Chu Mo, the anger in his heart was almost uncontrollable.

However, just as he was about to erupt, Chen Yan's next words made him suppress his fury again.

"Cheng Qian... I'm telling you, you're at least a Crown Prince. Listen, I heard the Crown Princess is as beautiful as a celestial fairy; why do you keep... keep sneaking out... to go with us to Pingkang Lane to see the girls?"

Empress Changsun and Li Shimin stared at Li Chengqian, evidently also eager to know the answer.

Su Shi being chosen as Crown Princess, her looks need no further description; calling her 'as beautiful as a celestial fairy' is no exaggeration.

Even more remarkable is her virtuous character: respectful and courteous to elders, generous and kind to servants; anyone who sees her would praise her as 'virtuous and gentle.'

Li Shimin and his wife truly could not understand why Li Chengqian would neglect such a Crown Princess and insist on running off to mingle with Chen Yan and the others.

Li Chengqian heard this, shook his head, and with self‑mocking laughter said, "Zi Anxiong, don'... don't mock me."

"I'm a Crown Prince… still not as good as an idle prince."

Immediately after, Li Chengqian seemed to let loose completely, hugging Chen Yan's neck and beginning to pour out his grievances.

"Zi Anxiong, let me tell you, Aye is biased... I have to get up at dawn every day to study; any slackness and the Grand Tutor points his nose at me, calling me 'unfit for a ruler.' Qingque gets a jade belt for misreciting the Zuo Zhuan, while I recite the entire Shang Shu and only get a lukewarm 'acceptable'!"

"Last year Qingque wrote a poem, and Aye actually awarded him the palace's treasured Bosi glass cup! I stayed up all night assisting Aye with state affairs, doing my best to settle disaster‑stricken regions, yet Aye only said, 'The Crown Prince must be tempered,' without a single word of encouragement…"

Li Chengqian, his drunken eyes hazy, murmured, "I know… I am Li Chengqian, the Crown Prince, the heir, so I endure all this."

"But I clearly have worked so hard, and Aye is always dissatisfied, never giving me any acknowledgment."

"Yet Aye dotes on Qingque, causing many ministers in the court to suspect Aye wants to replace the Crown Prince, and they all shift their support to Qingque."

"Tell me... what meaning does my role as Crown Prince still have?"

As soon as the words fell, the main hall fell eerily silent.

Princess Changle clenched her chopsticks, her knuckles turning white; the usually haughty Princess Gao Yang now hunched her shoulders, breathing very lightly.

Empress Changsun's expression was exceedingly complex as she looked at Li Chengqian.

Only today did she realize that her proud son harbored so much grievance and bore such heavy pressure.

No wonder Cheng Qian followed Chen Yan and the others out to mingle.

Perhaps Cheng Qian didn't really want to see the girls; he just wanted to relax, to release the long‑built pressure.

Those seemingly absurd actions may be the only breathing space this young heir could find under heavy pressure.

Li Shimin took a deep breath, his gaze and demeanor calm; no one knew what the Heavenly Strategy General was thinking.

Chen Yan suddenly chuckled, patting Li Chengqian's chest, and leaning close to his ear said, "Brother Cheng Qian, don't worry, I'll help you."

"Help me?" Li Chengqian's eyes glazed, he replied casually, "Aren't you the one who refused to take office, saying… you can't stand those idle parasites?"

"Who, who says you must take office to help you?" Chen Yan pulled Li Chengqian's neck, chuckling, "I can make you earn money."

"Earn… earn money?"

The topic shifted so fast that Li Chengqian didn't react immediately.

Chen Yan's head was heavily drowsy; his head pressed against Li Chengqian's, and he slapped the table, "Look at me, how's my hot pot?"

"Good… delicious!" Li Chengqian nodded instinctively.

"Then take another look, how's my wine?"

"Wine? … does wine need to be described? I've never in my life tasted such fine wine; compared to it, that so‑called 'burning knife' is just horse urine."

Chen Yan, upon hearing, was extremely delighted, eyebrows flying and face aglow, he said: "Then you say, can my hot pot and wine make money?"

As soon as those words were spoken, Li Chengqian had not yet reacted, but Li Shimin's expression changed first.

"......"