Yuchi Jingde was completely stunned when he heard this. Was His Majesty getting into character and raising a fake eldest grandson as the real eldest grandson?

He, the dignified Right General of the Martial Marquis, the Commander-in-Chief of the Jingzhou Road Army, the Governor of Xiangzhou, the Prefect of Tongzhou, the Grand Pillar of State, the Duke of E, who was ranked seventh in the Lingyan Pavilion, became the teacher of some wild child who came from who-knows-where.

However, while he was in a daze, Li Shimin called out in displeasure.

"Old Yu, what are you standing there for!"

"Ahhh..."

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Jingde noticed that the young boy in front of him had already respectfully bowed to him!

"Student greets Master!"

"Oh dear... sigh!"

"Please rise, my disciple!"

Although Yuchi Jingde was full of questions, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept this disciple because he was intimidated by Emperor Taizong's (Li Er) imperial power.

However, he had already made up his mind that if His Majesty could not give him a satisfactory explanation, he would absolutely not teach the child any skills at all!

"Grandson, if your grandfather doesn't have time to teach you in the future, I'll have your Master Yu teach you horsemanship and riding skills!"

"good!"

“Uncle Yu, I left home in a hurry today and didn’t know that Uncle Li would introduce me to you, so I didn’t prepare any gifts.”

"I have a small pastry here, which I originally intended for my aunt, but I'll use it as a gift for her apprenticeship!"

After saying this, Li Jue opened the bamboo basket again and took out a delicate little cake, which he respectfully handed to Yuchi Jingde.

Yuchi Jingde accepted it blankly, then watched as the young man in front of him waved to the two of them.

"Uncle Li, Uncle Yu, you're busy, I'm going home now!"

As Yuchi Jingde watched the boy's departing figure, a sudden thought struck him. This child seemed quite promising, with a broad frame, a good prospect for martial arts. What was even more remarkable was the comfortable feeling he gave off, possessing a maturity and composure uncommon for his age.

Only after the boy had gone far away and disappeared from their sight did Yuchi Jingde speak softly.

"Your Majesty, who is this person? He looks somewhat familiar..."

"Call me Old Li...no, no, call me Your Majesty!"

"The person is gone, and you still call me Your Majesty? Do you have a death wish?!"

"Oh, right, Old Li... no, Your Majesty, this child looks quite like the eldest grandson of the legitimate wife..."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin looked somber.

"He is my eldest grandson!"

"What?"

When Yuchi Jingde heard this, it was as if a thunderbolt had struck him.

"Your Majesty, didn't the eldest grandson perish in the fire?"

"No!"

"Our eldest grandson actually escaped by sheer luck, but he doesn't remember anything from before. By some twist of fate, he ended up in Chang'an, where I happened to run into him..."

"I...do you know what this child was doing when I saw him?"

"He sells fried dough sticks on the street!"

Li Shimin could not reveal everything about Li Jue, because once he revealed that Li Jue had committed suicide by burning himself to escape, the boy would never be able to shake off the stigma of being a fugitive for the rest of his life.

Even though Li Shimin simplified the process, he still broke down in tears as he spoke.

"He is my eldest grandson, who should have lived a life of luxury with a large retinue of servants. But because of an accident, he has been reduced to selling things on the street. How can I bear this? Waaah!"

Yuchi Jingde was stunned when he heard this. He never expected that not only was the eldest grandson alive, but the emperor was also secretly raising him.

Seeing His Majesty speak so pitifully, he felt bad and started crying along with him.

Both of them were grandfathers and couldn't bear to see their children and grandchildren suffer, especially Li Jue, the child they had doted on since he was a child.

"Your Majesty, why don't you acknowledge your eldest grandson and bring him into the palace to raise him yourself?"

"I cannot..."

"First of all, the child is officially documented as dead. Secondly, I am about to lead a personal expedition. How can I leave him alone in the palace?"

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Jingde nodded secretly. His Majesty's concerns were not without reason. In recent years, quite a few children in the palace have died young, many of them dying before they could be included in the family register.

"Your Majesty, what do you intend to do with this child?"

"Let's keep him outside the palace for now and see how things go in a few years!"

"oh?"

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Jingde's heart skipped a beat; His Majesty's words had a hidden meaning.

Your Majesty has complained privately more than once that the Crown Prince is weak and does not resemble his father. Does Your Majesty intend to depose the Crown Prince and establish your eldest grandson as the heir?

"I'll have someone tell you his address later. When you have nothing to do, go and tutor this child for me!"

"However, there's one thing you absolutely must not reveal your identity!"

"Your Majesty, why is this?"

"I haven't figured out how to deal with him yet, and I don't want him to get involved in court infighting!"

"Oh, oh, oh, I understand!"

"Does Your Majesty intend to wait a few years and see how this child develops before deciding how to settle him?"

"right!"

Li Shimin cried for a while, then immediately summoned Yuchi Fan.

"Yuchi Fan, take these two cakes to Sizi. Sizi has loved sweets since she was little."

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Jingde immediately became displeased. What did he mean by "two cakes"? His Majesty only gets one.

"Your Majesty, please continue with your duties. This old minister will take his leave first!"

Yuchi Jingde grabbed the cake and was about to run away, but Li Shimin had already anticipated this and blocked his way in one swift step.

"Hand over the cake!"

"This is a gift from my eldest grandson to me as I formally become his disciple!"

"fart!"

"My eldest grandson made it very clear that this thing was intended for his little aunt!"

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