The Eldest Grandson of the Great Tang!

In the eighteenth year of Zhenguan, Li Jue, who transmigrated and became the son of the废太子 (cancelled crown prince) Li Chengqian, secretly returned to the longed-for Chang'an from Qianzho...

Chapter 58 Do you think I am satisfied?

As soon as Li Shimin saw Yuchi Jingde's memorial, he knew that this guy must have taken elixirs again.

I just don't know if this time it was fifty pills or some other strange stuff.

However, he was very satisfied with Yuchi Jingde's overflowing praise of his eldest grandson, and forgave the old man's disrespect.

After reading Yuchi Jingde's memorial, Li Shimin casually tossed it aside. Just as he was about to attend to other official business, Zhang Anan walked in with a letter marked with plum blossoms.

"Your Majesty, Princess Jinyang has sent you a letter!"

"What!"

Upon hearing that it was a letter from Si Zi, Li Shimin immediately put aside his official duties and carefully read Si Zi's letter.

After reading it, Li Shimin gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"well!"

"Your Majesty, what's wrong? Is it Princess Jinyang's health?"

Li Shimin smiled and waved his hand.

"No, Si Zi is in good health recently. She just complained to me in a letter that her eldest nephew is too smart. Her knowledge is simply not enough. She can be stumped by her nephew in just a few words!"

Zhang Anan laughed upon hearing this.

"This servant really wants to see Princess Jinyang stumped by your question, hehehe!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily.

"You know what, I'm quite curious to see how this clever and mischievous girl, Si Zi, gets stumped by my eldest grandson, hahaha!"

After laughing, Li Shimin immediately began to think about who to send to teach his eldest grandson.

Originally, Si Zi was only temporarily filling in; Li Shimin never expected her to be able to teach his eldest grandson well.

"If Wei Zheng were still alive, sending him to teach Li Jue would surely make him very happy!"

Zhang Anan sighed upon hearing this.

"yes!"

"Among all the civil and military officials, only Wei Zheng consistently supported Chengqian..."

"well……"

Li Shimin sighed upon hearing this, thinking to himself that if Wei Zheng were alive, he would certainly not have allowed him to depose the crown prince, and so many things would not have happened later.

"Ananda, what do you think of Xiao Yu?"

"Xiao Yu?"

"Your Majesty, Xiao Yu speaks even more bluntly than Wei Zheng. By sending Xiao Yu to teach the eldest grandson, aren't you pushing this child into a fire pit?"

"Is there?"

Zhang Anan said helplessly upon hearing this.

"Your Majesty, have you forgotten how Chengqian was driven mad by those outspoken officials?"

"well!"

Li Shimin was very annoyed when he heard this.

"Where can I find him a teacher who is both knowledgeable and eloquent?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Anan's heart stirred. He did think of a suitable candidate, but he had never liked this person and even harbored some resentment towards him.

This person was none other than Li Jue's maternal uncle, Changsun Wuji!

Changsun Wuji's scholarship was undoubtedly excellent, and he was also eloquent. In his decades of service as an official, he had never disobeyed His Majesty.

This person has character issues. If he had just stepped forward as the uncle and mediated the relationship between Li Chengqian and Li Tai back then, the two brothers wouldn't have fallen out like oil and water!

Secondly, Fang Xuanling is also an option, but he previously supported the Prince of Wei, so there's a fear that he might not be able to wholeheartedly educate his eldest grandson.

Just as Zhang Anan was at his wit's end, he suddenly heard the eunuch outside the door announce that Duke Li Jing of Wei was requesting an audience.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Anan's heart stirred, and he looked intently at Li Shimin.

"Your Majesty, what do you think about having the Duke of Wei tutor his eldest grandson in literature?"

"he?"

"His scholarship is undoubtedly second to none among military officers, but it's not quite up to par among civil officials, is it?"

"Your Majesty, do you hope that your eldest grandson will write books and establish doctrines in the future, or do you hope that he will become an emperor who governs the country and brings peace to the nation?"

"this……"

"This old servant believes that His Highness the eldest grandson should not read too many books; it is enough for him to understand the profound meaning of the sage's words."

"The focus should still be on cultivating the eldest grandson's literary and military talents, as well as his ability to govern the country!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin was struck by a thought. He suddenly remembered that he hadn't read many books when he was young, yet he had still managed to achieve unprecedented feats.

When comparing the founding emperors of other dynasties, he made a startling discovery: neither Liu Bang nor the founding emperors of later dynasties seemed to have received much formal education...

Does reading too much of the classics really limit one's talent?

Thinking of this, Li Shimin had already considered asking Li Jing to tutor his eldest grandson.

"Announce!"

"Summon the Duke of Wei to the palace for an audience!"

Before long, Li Jing, holding a memorial to the throne, deliberately walked into the main hall as if he were walking with a stagger.

Li Jing came here to petition His Majesty for retirement. Of course, he knew that His Majesty would not allow him to return to his rural home. He just wanted to use this as a pretext to advance and strive for the same treatment as Yuchi Jingde, where he could just collect money without doing any work.

"Your Majesty, I am old and suffer from a leg ailment. I am truly unable to bear Your Majesty's service. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to return home and recuperate!"

Li Shimin was reluctant to let him go back, so he immediately threw his retirement petition aside.

"No!"

"Your Majesty, I am old and frail, and I don't know how many years I have left to live. Please let me go home and retire!"

Li Shimin chuckled upon hearing this.

"It's alright. Sima Zhongda was about your age, and he still worked hard in his old age, making great contributions to Cao Wei, didn't he?"

(Strive on, for Sima Zhongda was not immune to old age and illness, yet he was able to strengthen himself and establish merit for the Wei dynasty! This is from "Anecdotes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties")

Upon hearing this, Li Jing immediately cowered, wishing he could snatch back the resignation letter he had handed over and then tear it to shreds and eat it!

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