Li Shimin never expected that Li Jue's casual question would stump him.

Just as he was racking his brains trying to figure it out, Li Jue across from him spoke up again.

"May I ask Your Majesty, to whom does the Tang Dynasty belong?"

"Is there even a need to ask such a question? Of course, the Tang Dynasty belongs to me!"

"Yeah?"

"Then let me ask Your Majesty again, to whom does China belong?"

"To whom do the people belong?"

"To whom does the imperial court belong?"

"this……"

Li Shimin was completely bewildered by Li Jue's series of questions. He wanted to say that everything belonged to him, but he also knew that the answer was definitely wrong.

"You've been away these past few days thinking about these issues?"

Li Jue nodded upon hearing this.

"yes!"

“I previously asked Cheng Aweng why the Tang army did not enter the towns.”

“Uncle Cheng told me that he was afraid the army would cause trouble in the town and harm the local people.”

"And that's when my grandson had this thought!"

"The army comes from the people, so why would it harm the people?"

"this……"

Li Shimin was stunned again upon hearing this. He had never considered this issue before, only knowing that water and fire are merciless, and war is even more merciless.

Therefore, he always emphasized military discipline and did not allow soldiers to enter towns without permission.

"Grandson, why do you always think about these useless things?"

"You should think about how to be a qualified crown prince!"

Li Jue smiled dismissively upon hearing this, already immune to the empty promises made by Li Shimin.

"Grandpa, this isn't a useless question. Understanding these things is extremely useful and crucial!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin paused for a moment, then ordered his men to summon the accompanying ministers into the main tent.

Before long, he invited Cheng Yaojin, Liu Ji, Yang Shidao, Ma Zhou, Chu Suiliang, and even Changsun Wuji, who had been "seriously ill," to join him.

The group entered the main tent, looking at each other in bewilderment, utterly unable to understand why His Majesty had summoned them together.

Li Jue was also a little stunned, thinking that he was just letting his thoughts wander, so why did Li Er call so many people to watch?

Once everyone had arrived, Li Shimin immediately brought up the question Li Jue had just asked.

"Just now, my grandson asked me, to whom does the Tang army belong, to whom does the Tang Dynasty belong, and to whom do the people of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang court, and the entire Chinese nation belong?"

"I truly do not know how to answer, therefore I have summoned you all here to discuss this together!"

Upon hearing this question, Changsun Wuji's eyes immediately lit up with excitement.

He presided over the revision of the Tang Dynasty Code, so he had the most authority to speak on laws and regulations.

Although Your Majesty's question is somewhat obscure, it is clearly a matter of law. With a little thought, I am confident I can answer Your Majesty's doubts.

What puzzled him was that Li Jue's grandson was only a few years old, yet he could think of such profound questions.

Cheng Yaojin was a rough and uncultured man, and upon hearing this kind of question, he immediately flattered Cheng Yaojin.

"Your Majesty, is there even a need to ask such a question? Of course, all of these belong to Your Majesty!"

Li Shimin ignored Cheng Yaojin's flattery and instead turned his attention to Ma Zhou, Chu Suiliang, and others.

These two men were both prime ministers he had cultivated for future emperors, so he figured they wouldn't disappoint him.

Relatively speaking, Liu Ji is also quite good. He is a capable administrator, and many troublesome problems can be effectively resolved by him.

As for Yang Shidao...

Well, if it weren't for the family ties and the fact that he was a descendant of Emperor Yang of Sui, he probably wouldn't have been able to reach his current high position.

Fortunately, this person was loyal to the Tang Dynasty and could be considered a rare virtuous man.

"Gentlemen, don't be like Cheng Yaojin; think carefully before you answer!"

When Cheng Yaojin realized that he had been used as a negative example by His Majesty, he could only grin awkwardly.

In fact, he knew his answer was wrong.

But in his view, being right or wrong was not important; what mattered was making His Majesty happy!

Therefore, he was not annoyed, but simply stepped aside and winked at Li Jue.

This kid really dares to ask!

Such a question is best left unsaid; how dare he come and ask His Majesty? He must have a death wish!

Just as everyone was pondering, Changsun Wuji, who had been seriously ill, suddenly spoke up.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the saying 'All land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people within the realm are his subjects' perfectly explains the question Your Majesty just raised!"

"The world naturally belongs to Your Majesty. The name of the country is determined by the emperor, the court is established by the emperor, the army is recruited by the emperor, and the people are gathered by the emperor..."

"All of this arose because of the emperor, and therefore rightfully belongs to the emperor!"

Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this, then gave Li Jue a provocative look.

"Grandson, are you satisfied with this answer?"

Li Jue shook his head upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, I think this answer is utterly absurd!"

Li Shimin had already guessed that this would be the case, so he wasn't annoyed. He simply asked with a smile.

"So where do you think the problem lies?"

"Your Majesty, the people were born before the emperor, and the army is drawn from the people, so it naturally came before the emperor. The court is a tool for managing the people, so naturally the people came before the court."

"Since the common people come before the army and the court, then the emperor naturally comes after the common people. So how can it be said that the common people belong to the emperor?"

"If I had to put it that way, then the emperor belongs to the people and is there to serve them!"

When Li Jue said this, everyone in the tent was moved, even Changsun Wuji, who had always secretly looked down on Li Jue, looked puzzled.

What exactly is this bastard trying to do?

It is common knowledge in the court and among the people that His Majesty now favors him.

As long as this grandson serves His Majesty well, the world will naturally be his; there's no need to create any unnecessary complications.

While Changsun Wuji was puzzled, Ma Zhou and Liu Ji's eyes lit up.

Both were Confucian scholars who believed in the principle of "the world belongs to all," a concept known as the Great Harmony.

These were things that could only be thought in one's mind; no one dared to say them aloud in front of the emperor.

After all, this slogan has been chanted for thousands of years, yet people still habitually follow the principle that "all land under heaven belongs to the king, and all people within the borders are subjects of the king."

However, to their surprise, this idea of ​​public ownership of the world actually took root in the heart of their eldest grandson!

However, the two of them were unsure of His Majesty's temperament and did not know whether His Majesty was satisfied with the eldest grandson's answer.

Li Shimin was stunned for a long time after hearing this. He basically agreed with Li Jue's words, but he was very disgusted by his last sentence.

Why should he, as an emperor, serve the people? Shouldn't he, as an emperor, rule the people and make them serve him?

"Li Jue, how dare you!"

"Such treasonous words are not something you should utter?"

"I am the ruler of the world, and all the foreign tribes and vassal states submit to me. The people of the world regard me as their sovereign and father. Even if there is any service, it should be the people of the world serving me, not me serving the people of the world."

Faced with Li Er's unreasonable arguing, Li Jue retorted with just one sentence.

"Your Majesty, I remember you once said something like, 'Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it...'"