Li Shimin sat at the very back, so in principle he couldn't see the subtle actions of Li Jue and Li Tai, the uncle and nephew, but Wu Meiniang was sitting on the side.

Actually, Li Shimin initially wanted her to sit next to him, but Wu Meiniang had learned her lesson after experiencing life in the cold palace.

With several concubines of higher rank than herself present, how could she dare to overstep her bounds and sit next to Li Shimin?

However, she dared not openly sow discord, so she could only use the excuse of admiring the lanterns to invite His Majesty to come to the window of Ziyun Tower.

Li Shimin also really wanted to see the night view of Qujiang Pool, but as soon as he stood in front of the window, he saw the uncle and nephew chatting idly at the door.

Kneel down!

"You two unfilial sons and grandsons, how dare you disobey even my words!"

Upon hearing this, Li Jue and Li Tai exchanged bewildered glances, then turned around in unison. Seeing Li Er staring at them with wide eyes, they could only obediently kneel at the doorway.

Even so, the two didn't stop whispering, only their voices became quieter, so that only the two of them could hear them.

What's wrong with your dad?

"Why are you talking so rudely, child? Don't call me 'my father,' he's your grandfather!"

"I don't have an old man like that!"

While Li Jue and Li Tai were bickering quietly, Li Shimin was embracing Wu Meiniang and enjoying the classic performance at Qujiang Pool—the Kongming Lanterns!

In fact, Kongming lanterns are just a money-making scheme.

Kongming lanterns that cost three coins to produce are sold for three hundred coins at Qujiang Pool, and only three hundred are sold per day!

Of course, the essential stories are also indispensable.

Li Jue, using Sun Simiao's name, claimed that Kongming lanterns could carry people's wishes to heaven, and the Three Pure Ones would grant them if they saw them.

With the added benefit of religious faith, the money was quickly earned back.

No one knows that the actual number of the 300 limited-edition lamps produced each day may have long exceeded 500, or even 1,000!

The number of Kongming lanterns today is a bit excessive. Even someone like Li Shimin, who is not good at math, could tell that there must be at least a thousand Kongming lanterns filling the sky!

Upon seeing this, Li Shimin noticed Li Jue kneeling at the door and spoke in a muffled voice.

"You unfilial grandson!"

"I've heard that only three hundred Kongming lanterns can be released each day, right?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jue looked at the sky full of Kongming lanterns and cursed the workers in his heart for being idiots. Couldn't they release these things in batches?

"Your Majesty, it is indeed three hundred lamps!"

"But Chang'an has just gone through an epidemic, and many people have lost their loved ones. Therefore, in order to fulfill their wish to pray for their loved ones, I specially ordered people to make more."

"Oh oh oh..."

Li Shimin seemed thoughtful upon hearing this answer, and then he thought of Guanyinbi, who had left him and her children at a young age, and felt a pang of sadness.

Prepare one for me too!

"ah?"

When Li Jue heard this, he almost doubted that he was hallucinating. The mighty Heavenly Khan actually liked this kind of childish stuff?

"Does Your Majesty wish to pray for blessings?"

Li Shimin ignored him, staring blankly at the Kongming lanterns in the sky.

If Guanyinbi were alive today, she would probably be standing in the sky right now, smiling and looking at me.

As Li Shimin thought of this, he suddenly felt a small hand wrap around him. He instinctively grabbed it and then forcefully flung it to the side.

This is the crucial moment for him to meet Guanyinbi; how could he allow these lowly women to interfere?

Wu Meiniang was inexplicably thrown to the ground, but she dared not make a sound. She could only look at Li Shimin's back with a wronged expression and then reflect on her behavior.

Did I do anything wrong?

Why did His Majesty suddenly get angry at me again?

Although Wu Zetian was very clever, even if she racked her brains, she probably couldn't have imagined that she was thrown down simply because Li Shimin didn't want Guanyinbi's spirit in heaven to see it!

After thinking for a while, Wu Meiniang realized she couldn't come up with a reason, so she could only blame Li Jue.

Hmph!

I'll kill this little brat sooner or later!

The process of making Kongming lanterns is not complicated, and with readily available bamboo strips and paper at Qujiang Pool, a huge Kongming lantern was made for Li Shimin in no time.

Li Shimin was very pleased to see the Kongming lantern, which was about ten feet tall. He immediately ordered someone to bring paper and pen and wrote a poem on the paper in remembrance of his deceased wife.

After finishing the poem, Li Shimin examined it closely and felt something was amiss. He felt the poem failed to express his desolate and lonely feelings.

Thinking of this, Li Shimin saw Li Tai kneeling at the door and immediately waved to him.

"Bluebird, come here!"

Li Tai had been kneeling for at least half an hour, and his legs were almost numb from kneeling. Upon hearing this, he quickly got up from the ground.

"What are your orders, Father?"

Li Shimin looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back and sighed inwardly.

"I want to write a poem for your mother, but I can't seem to write it well. Could you write one for me and take it to heaven so that your mother will know how much I miss her?"

"oh!"

"Simple, just give me half an hour!"

Li Shimin nodded upon hearing this, and then, seeing Li Zhi standing to the side, immediately assigned Li Zhi a task as well.

"You should also write a poem in memory of your mother!"

"promise!"

"Alright, each of you write one. There will be a reward for a good one!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in Ziyun Tower racked their brains and pondered deeply. Even Li Erya, who had been dragged along by Sizi to make a cameo appearance, began to create with great interest.

Li Xiang was no exception. He desperately wanted to take this opportunity to gain the favor of his grandfather, the Emperor, and then give him a small reward, enough for him to marry a wife.

However, he was not good at poetry from a young age. He was not as good as Li Tai, and he might not even be as good as Li Zhi!

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!