Chapter 488 The Spark

On June 24, Yang Wengan officially launched his rebellion;

On June 26, Li Yuan ordered Li Shimin to lead troops to besiege Yang Wengan, and promised that after returning to the capital in victory, he would depose the crown prince and install Li Shimin in his place.

On the fifth day of the seventh month, before the main army arrived, Yang Wengan was killed by his subordinates, suffering defeat without a fight.

The rebellion ended abruptly, with a promising start but a disappointing finish.

Subsequently, Li Yuan did not keep his promise. He ordered Crown Prince Li Jiancheng to return to the capital, issued an edict blaming Li Jiancheng for his discord with Li Shimin, blamed Wang Gui and Wei Ting of the Crown Prince's residence and Du Yan of the Prince of Qin's residence, and exiled them.

"The Crown Prince and the King of Qin are not on good terms..."

In the dimly lit study, Li Shimin sat alone in the shadows, his knuckles white from clenching his fists. He suddenly let out a cold laugh and slammed his fist on the table, trying to quell his anger with pain.

"Squeak—"

The study door was pushed open; at a time like this, only Chengqian would dare to disturb him.

As expected, Li Shimin looked up and saw his eldest son walking in carrying a carved food box.

“Father.”

"Why are you carrying the food box yourself? Where are the servants?"

Li Shimin subconsciously suppressed his anger, stood up, took the food box from Li Chengqian, and placed it on the table.

“Chengqian knows that Father is in a bad mood and definitely doesn’t want to see anyone else, but Chengqian doesn’t count as anyone else, so…”

Li Chengqian took a few steps closer and hugged Li Shimin's arm, saying, "If Father needs it, you can lean on Chengqian's shoulder."

“Chengqian…”

Li Shimin could no longer hold back. He hugged his eldest son, who cared for him deeply, tightly, buried his face in his young shoulder, and scalding tears streamed down his face.

"It's alright..." Li Chengqian patted Li Shimin's back gently while shedding tears. Seeing how heartbroken he was, he didn't mind that his father was affecting his tears. He just assumed that Li Shimin was very empathetic.

Li Chengqian was slightly distracted, and it was unclear whether this was because he had told too many lies or because he was acting too convincingly.

“It’s all my fault, Father…” Li Shimin buried his face in his son’s shoulder, his voice filled with an unprecedented despair. “We had a promise…” He remembered his father’s promise to change the crown prince at Renzhi Palace, a promise he had proudly shared with Chengqian. But now, he received an imperial edict to exile his confidants, and was even suspected of being the mastermind behind the rebellion.

If he really wanted to rebel, why would he only instigate a mere Yang Wengan?

Before Chengqian came along, it would be somewhat believable that he was trying to sow discord between the Crown Prince and the Emperor; but the Emperor knew Chengqian was extraordinary, and Li Jiancheng was already at a disadvantage, so why would he do something so thankless?

This is something that Li Jiancheng, Li Yuanji, and others are unaware of, but doesn't the Emperor himself know it?

But he still issued an edict, not only breaking his promise but also reprimanding him.

At this moment, Li Shimin suddenly realized that his father might be more wary of him, who held military power and was associated with Chengqian, than of Li Jiancheng.

The father and son are ultimately subordinate to the ruler and his subject.

"Chengqian, I will be a good father." Li Shimin raised his head, his eyes red, and promised that he would not let Chengqian become like him now.

“I believe in Father,” Li Chengqian opened the food box, took out a piece of osmanthus cake and handed it over, “Father, have a snack, eating something sweet will make you feel better.”

"good."

Li Shimin blinked, swallowed his tears, and gently wiped them away for his son. Not wanting him to be sad for him anymore, he forced a smile, took the osmanthus cake, and took a bite.

"..."

“Mother, Qingque, and Lizhi are all very worried about Father. This osmanthus cake was made especially for Father. Isn’t it delicious?” Li Chengqian looked completely innocent, as if he hadn’t noticed the change in Li Shimin’s expression at all.

Li Shimin swallowed hard. "I suspect that Qingque and Lizhi have become a little too involved?"

"Father, you guessed right." Li Chengqian smiled and pushed the whole plate of osmanthus cake over. "It's all from the heart, Father, don't be shy."

"..." Actually, being polite isn't a problem.

Li Shimin hesitated, but he couldn't bear to disappoint the children, so he could only eat them one by one under Li Chengqian's watchful eye.

At this moment, all the grievances and discomforts have vanished. If you can eat such sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and salty pastries, what obstacle in life can't you overcome!

Li Chengqian smiled. Not bad, he had finally managed to sell the osmanthus cake. He would tell Qingque and Lizhi that they had a new taster, and he wouldn't have to go himself anymore.

...

"Chengqian, does your father blame me?"

The door to the Taiji Hall was pushed open, and Li Chengqian slowly walked in. He saw Li Yuan sitting alone above, his figure slightly hunched, hidden in the shadows.

"Whether it's Chengqian's fault or not, I don't know, but Father cried very sadly."

Suddenly, the candlelight burst open, illuminating Li Yuan's furrowed brows.

"Were you crying very sadly?" Li Yuan murmured, more like he was talking to himself, his fingers unconsciously stroking the jade thumb ring.

Li Chengqian sat down next to him without ceremony, picked up some pastries from the table and tasted them, casually saying, "Grandpa, don't mind him. Father has always been so emotional, a real crybaby. He's just too proud to cry in public, he always cries secretly in private."

Li Chengqian spoke lightly, but Li Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed violently. He suddenly pulled Li Chengqian into his arms and asked in a deep voice, "Chengqian, do you think your grandfather is wrong? Both are my flesh and blood. Your grandfather just doesn't want to hurt anyone."

Li Chengqian adjusted himself comfortably in his arms and said casually, "Grandpa, you know, when I visited Uncle at the Imperial Palace, Uncle was very unhappy, but Father was very happy. Now Uncle is happy, but Father is not. It seems that neither of them can be happy at the same time."

Li Yuan was startled, and after a long while, he spoke with difficulty: "Then what should I do? Chengqian, who do you think is suitable to be the emperor?" He stared at his grandson's innocent face, as if trying to find the answer in those clear black and white eyes.

“Naturally, it’s my father.” Li Chengqian looked directly into Li Yuan’s eyes without the slightest hesitation.

"Why?" Li Yuan's question was tinged with hesitation and uncertainty. "But if your father becomes the crown prince, what will happen to your uncle? Deposed crown princes never have a good ending..."

Li Chengqian blinked his round eyes and suddenly reached out to poke Li Yuan's chest: "Actually, Father, you've also wavered, haven't you? If you were determined that your uncle should be the crown prince, how could you have imagined the fate of the deposed crown prince?"

Looking at Li Yuan's suddenly pale face, he continued, "Because you were not firm from the beginning, that's why your uncle and father started arguing."

Li Yuan's voice trembled almost as he asked, "What if I decide now that you should make your uncle the crown prince?"

"It's too late." Li Chengqian sighed, sounding helpless like a little adult. "Father is so heartbroken, he definitely won't back down, and Uncle won't let him back down either."

"Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. You're the one who taught me that saying, Grandpa."

Li Yuan never expected that a sentence he once used to teach his grandson archery would resonate with him so deeply after so long.

"You just want your father to become emperor?"

“Of course.” Li Chengqian didn’t shy away from the question. “Actually, I don’t quite understand. This is clearly a multiple-choice question.”

"What?"

Li Yuan was puzzled. Li Chengqian jumped off him and walked to the wall with the map of the Tang Dynasty's territory hanging on it. He turned to look at Li Yuan and said, "Although I am young, I know that the Tang Dynasty is not completely stable yet. Uncle is not mediocre. But chaotic times need hegemons. You understand that, Grandfather, right?"