Chapter 486 A Trivial Matter

The vermilion pillars cast dappled shadows in the sunlight. Li Chengqian leaned against one of the pillars, listlessly tossing fish food into the pond outside the pavilion.

This is the amount of exercise he gets when he comes to the Imperial Garden.

"Isn't this my cousin Chengqian?"

With a slightly hoarse, boyish voice carrying a light, mocking laugh, Li Chengqian turned around and saw twelve-year-old Li Chengzong standing outside the pavilion, surrounded by four study companions and followed by a group of servants.

Troublesome. Li Chengqian threw down all the fish food in his hand, clapped his hands, stood up and called out "Cousin" before preparing to leave, but was stopped by Li Chengzong's outstretched arm.

"So eager to leave? It's rare to see you, don't you want to chat with me a little longer?"

Li Chengqian raised his head slightly, stepped back onto the steps, looked Li Chengzong in the eye, and answered bluntly: "It's rare for us to meet, which means we don't see each other often, and not seeing each other often means we don't have anything to talk about."

Li Chengzong choked. When had anyone in the palace spoken so directly as Li Chengqian? But then he thought that even as the eldest son of the Crown Prince, he couldn't compare to Li Chengqian in front of his grandfather. Only Li Chengqian could call him "Grandpa," while all the other grandsons could only call him "Grandpa Emperor." The royal rules only bound them.

The more he thought about it, the more indignant he became. A hint of malice flashed across Li Chengzong's brows. He sneered and said, "That's right. It's only natural that my cousin Chengqian, who is so highly regarded by the Emperor, would look down on me."

Li Chengzong's rejection was obvious, so before Li Chengqian could reply, the slender companion dressed in brocade stepped forward from behind Li Chengzong.

His face, which could barely be considered three-tenths handsome, appeared exceptionally ugly and ferocious due to his mocking expression.

"The Prince of Qin is so highly regarded by the Emperor, he must have some outstanding qualities. Why don't you show them to us so we can learn from him?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other three companions also moved forward and surrounded Li Chengqian in the small pavilion.

Li Chengzong clearly had no intention of speaking, and simply watched as his companions threatened Li Chengqian.

But Li Chengqian showed no fear. He coldly surveyed the crowd. The small child exuded a terrifying aura, which silenced everyone.

"You still know I'm the Crown Prince of Qin?"

Li Chengqian suddenly raised his foot, and his soft-soled shoe embroidered with gold thread precisely kicked the knee of the first student to speak.

The sharp sound startled everyone, causing them to take a half-step back. The tutor fell to his knees with a thud, his knees hitting the bluestone slab with a dull thud.

“Brother Chengqian, isn’t this going too far?” Li Chengzong finally spoke, frowning.

Li Chengqian impatiently patted the hem of his clothes, "He kicked you, but not you, right?"

Her gaze shifted from the kneeling companion to the one who was backing away. "One thing is true: I am indeed valued by Grandpa. So, if you have any opinions, keep them to yourself. I mean everyone."

As he spoke, Li Chengqian's gaze fell directly on Li Chengzong. Seeing him suppressing his anger and clenching his fists, he added with a hint of disappointment, "Cousin Chengzong, if I remember correctly, you're already twelve. In the palace, you still use such methods to bully people... You should reflect on yourself."

After saying that, Li Chengqian pushed the group aside without ceremony and left the scene with an air of nonchalance.

Only after Li Chengqian's figure disappeared at the end of the winding corridor did Li Chengzong suddenly kick the pavilion pillar beside him.

"He's just a greenhorn!"

He tore off the jade pendant from his waist, the mutton-fat jade shattering on the blue bricks. The flying shards scratched his companion's cheek, but no one dared to respond.

"Oh, isn't this my nephew Chengqian?"

After turning through the corridor, Li Chengqian was blocked by Li Yuanji.

He took a deep breath, feeling that nothing was auspicious for him today. Had he come to the palace to fight monsters? How come he had just seen off Li Chengzong and now he had run into Li Yuanji?

Li Chengqian forced a smile, his voice revealing a childlike naiveté: "Chengqian greets Fourth Uncle. Since there's nothing urgent, I'll take my leave..."

"What's the rush?" Li Yuanji suddenly moved closer. "Rushing to your father's knees to ask for a reward? You're so young, yet you already know how to act cute."

Li Chengqian retorted sarcastically, "Uncle, you're not as good as me. You can't even walk without your uncle."

Li Yuanji's expression changed, and he immediately raised his fist, threatening, "Do you really think I don't hit children?"

Li Chengqian was not afraid at all and calmly stepped on Li Yuanji's foot. "I don't like riddles, and you don't need to guess either, Fourth Uncle. I really will complain, it's just a matter of course."

After saying that, he walked over Li Yuanji's foot naturally, so confidently that Li Yuanji didn't even have time to react.

Only after Li Chengqian had walked far away did Li Yuanji look down at the footprints on his shoes and feel the belated pain. Li Yuanji was furious and wanted to complain! What right did Li Chengqian have to complain!

At such a young age, he's already learning bad habits and even dares to step on him!

So what if he's just tattling? He can do that too!

Li Yuanji turned and walked towards the Taiji Hall. Today, he was determined to teach Li Chengqian a lesson!

However, Li Chengqian was not in the Taiji Hall; only Li Yuan, who was waiting for his beloved grandson to return, was there.

Instead of his grandson, Li Yuan was met with his angry fourth son. Already somewhat displeased, Li Yuanji's attempt to complain about Chengqian only fueled his anger. He immediately reprimanded him, accusing him of lacking any compassion and sent him back to his quarters to reflect on his actions.

Furthermore, Li Yuan was worried and sent people to look for Chengqian, who had not returned, fearing that he had been frightened by Li Yuanji and was secretly crying in secret. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and Li Yuan issued another imperial edict, ordering Li Yuanji to personally go to the Prince of Qin's residence to have a friendly exchange with Li Shimin.

Li Chengqian, who was thought to be secretly hiding and crying, didn't want to keep fighting small monsters, so he went straight to the boss's base and arrived at the East Palace.

Upon returning from the meeting, Li Jiancheng stepped into the hall and saw his nephew, tears streaming down his face, waiting to file a complaint.

Li Jiancheng: "..."

In reality, it was because the threshold of the Eastern Palace was too high that Li Chengqian accidentally bumped his toe, causing him to burst into tears. He then decided to give up and faced Li Jiancheng in shock.

"Chengqian, you..."

Li Jiancheng was somewhat flustered. His first thought was whether this was a conspiracy by Li Shimin, deliberately making his son come here to cry and ruin his reputation!

"Uncle, do you have a problem with me?" Li Chengqian asked calmly while tears streamed down his face, a contrast so stark that Li Jiancheng was terrified.

He shook his head repeatedly in denial: "How could that be? You're just a child, what could your uncle possibly have against you?"

"Uncle, could you lend me a handkerchief?"

"Oh, oh." Li Jiancheng readily handed over a handkerchief, showing none of the princely demeanor he displayed when he first entered.

"Thank you," Li Chengqian said politely, wiping away his tears with a handkerchief. He found he still couldn't completely stop the tears, but it didn't matter. Looking at Li Jiancheng, he continued, "Uncle, you are the Crown Prince. How can you sweep the world if you can't even sweep your own house?"

Li Jiancheng was a little dazed. Was this person here to give him a lesson?

"Chengqian, what do you mean?"

"Whether it's a teenager or a person in their twenties, it's not something a smart person would think of to provoke a four-year-old child, right?"

Li Jiancheng finally understood what he meant. Seeing that he could no longer hold back his tears, he couldn't help but frown. "Did Chengzong and Yuanji bully you? Your uncle will teach them a lesson for you."

"No need, I already taught him a lesson on the spot." Li Chengqian's voice was choked with sobs, and his answer, delivered with a tearful tone, was hardly convincing.

At least Li Jiancheng thought the child was just being overly proud, and he continued, "Chengqian, don't be afraid. I'm telling you the truth. They made a mistake, and I'll make them apologize. Don't cry."

"I cried because I was bullied," Li Chengqian said with a look of disappointment. "Uncle, don't you feel ashamed that your cousin and fourth uncle did such a thing?"

Li Jiancheng hesitated, as if to say something, then asked, "So what?"

Then Li Chengqian's tears flowed even faster. "It's so shameful. I'm so ashamed to have such a cousin and fourth uncle that I'm crying."

"..." Li Jiancheng couldn't help but question his life. Was it really that embarrassing? Seeing Li Chengqian cry like that, he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild, and his face turned red with anger!

His own son and brother's thoughtless behavior made Li Shimin's son cry. Thinking about it this way, wasn't he just embarrassing himself in front of Li Shimin?

How embarrassing! So embarrassing! He was about to cry from anger!