Chapter 487 Rebellion?
Soon, Li Yuan and Li Shimin learned that Li Chengqian had been thoroughly exasperated by the stupidity of Li Chengzong and Li Yuanji.
Literally, it means "stupid crying," and the little face turned red from crying.
Li Yuan was so embarrassed to face his beloved grandson that he took out a bunch of good things and sent them back to Chengqian.
Li Shimin had a friendly interaction with Li Yuanji, who had come to him by imperial decree to exchange skills. In the following days, Li Shimin, along with Yuchi Jingde, Qin Shubao, and others, visited Li Yuanji to extend their warm greetings.
As for Li Chengzong, who was frightened by Li Chengqian's actions, he was given a loving lesson by his own father, Li Jiancheng, and was confined to the East Palace while being punished by copying texts.
From then on, Li Chengzong and Li Yuanji would stay as far away from Li Chengqian as possible, and Li Jiancheng would also avoid him if he could, but if he couldn't avoid him, he would speak very gently, for fear that Li Chengqian would cry again in front of him.
Li Chengqian was extremely satisfied. He felt that the sky was bluer, the water was clearer, the monsters no longer respawned, and even the value of his bruised toe had increased.
Time flies, and it's already the seventh year of the Wude era.
Li Yuan went to Renzhi Palace to escape the summer heat, accompanied by his beloved grandson Li Chengqian, as well as Prince Qin Li Shimin and Prince Qi Li Yuanji, while Crown Prince Li Jiancheng stayed in the capital.
Inside the palace, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. Li Chengqian knelt before the table, the gold-threaded clouds embroidered on the cuffs of his pale yellow robe swaying gently with his wrist.
Holding a purple-tipped brush, he carefully wrote the two characters "Great Tang" on the gold-flecked Xuan paper, his tender fingertips stained black with ink.
Li Yuan leaned against a bright yellow cushion, watching his grandson wield the brush with his elbow suspended, and his smile deepened: "This stroke is even more steady than the day before yesterday."
Before he finished speaking, the old eunuch strode in carrying a vermilion tray, the sealing wax on the secret report still glowing dark red.
When Li Yuan received the letter, the jade belt with dragon patterns on his wrist made a soft sound.
The words on the secret letter were like a thunderclap. He suddenly stood up, and the gilded teacup smashed on the blue bricks. The shards seemed to hit everyone's hearts, and the servants in the hall immediately knelt down.
"Grandpa?" Li Chengqian looked up, his dark eyes reflecting Li Yuan's flushed face.
Li Yuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he glared angrily at the word "treason" on the secret report, his fingernails almost digging into the Xuan paper.
Meeting his grandson's concerned gaze, he took a deep breath, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists, and managed a weak smile: "Chengqian, go back first, I'll come again tomorrow."
“Alright,” Li Chengqian nodded obediently, placed the brush into the celadon brush washer, and as he stood up, the silver bell at his waist jingled softly: “Grandpa, don’t get upset.”
Once he was out of sight, Li Yuan's face darkened completely, and his suppressed anger erupted. "Summon the Crown Prince! Come before me immediately!"
As dusk stained the palace walls like blood, Li Jiancheng, exhausted from his journey, stumbled into Renzhi Palace, his black brocade robe already soaked with sweat.
The bronze crane lamp under the eaves cast his distorted shadow onto the gold bricks, like a trapped beast struggling in its death throes.
"Father!"
He staggered and collapsed before the dragon-patterned cushion, his jade belt striking the ground with a crisp sound. His hair ornament was askew, a few strands of hair clung to his pale face, and his forehead slammed heavily against the cold blue bricks. "Your subject swears to Heaven that I have never harbored any rebellious intentions!"
The impacts grew louder with each thud, and drops of blood dripped from their brow bones onto the ground.
Li Yuan leaned back on the couch, his jade thumb ring spinning rapidly in his hand. The candlelight cast flickering shadows in his eyes as he looked at his eldest son, on whom so much hope had been placed, and a cold laugh escaped his throat: "Are the weapons of Qingzhou meant for heavenly soldiers and generals?"
Suddenly, sparks flew from the ambergris in the gilded incense burner, startling Li Jiancheng.
"Someone must have framed me!"
Li Jiancheng crawled half a step on his knees, his trembling hand grasping the bright yellow tassel hanging from the side of the bed. "Your subject has absolutely no connection with Yang Wengan. I am willing to lay my heart bare to prove my innocence!"
Blood trickled down from the wound on his forehead, spreading into a dark red flower on his clothes.
"He is your bodyguard!" Li Yuan stared intently at his son, his suspicions still lingering. "Drag him away!"
Watching his son being dragged away, Li Yuan clenched the jade thumb ring on his hand, closed his eyes, and ordered in a deep voice, "Summon Yang Wengan!"
He was willing to give the Crown Prince a chance, and to give Yang Wengan a chance, as long as they could explain themselves clearly.
However, Yang Wengan clearly failed to live up to his expectations. Upon receiving Li Yuan's summons and news of the Crown Prince's "failure," Yang Wengan immediately raised an army in rebellion.
The atmosphere in the palace suddenly became tense. Even Li Jiancheng, who was locked up and not allowed to contact the outside world, realized that something was wrong, but he could not receive any news and could only wait anxiously in the dark room.
"Squeak—" The heavy wooden door was slowly pushed open, and a hot breeze rushed into the room.
Li Jiancheng turned around abruptly, only to see a small figure standing against the light. The moment he recognized the person, his pupils contracted, and he blurted out, "Chengqian?"
Li Chengqian, with his short legs, slowly stepped across the threshold.
Li Jiancheng stared at him, then suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly, his laughter full of bitterness: "Father really dotes on you, his grandson, letting you go everywhere."
"I thought what my uncle cared about right now wasn't fatherly love, right?"
Li Chengqian's voice was clear and crisp, yet it was like a sharp blade, piercing straight into the most sensitive part of Li Jiancheng's heart.
Li Jiancheng's face instantly darkened: "Did Li Shimin send you?"
Li Chengqian shook his head. "Grandfather is summoning Father, so I came by myself."
What are you doing here?
Li Chengqian slowly sat down on a wooden stool, propped his chin up, tilted his head and looked at Li Jiancheng with a puzzled look in his eyes: "I just don't understand. I thought I had already reminded my uncle that if you can't sweep your own house, how can you sweep the world?"
"What exactly do you want to say?" Li Jiancheng had little patience to communicate with a child, even if the child was intelligent.
Li Chengqian glanced at the bowl of brown rice on the table, which had long since gone cold and smelled faintly of mold, and gestured with his chin at it: "I thought Uncle should have figured it out by now, under what circumstances your treatment would be reduced again and again."
Before Li Jiancheng could answer, Li Chengqian spoke calmly, yet with a thunderous roar: "Yang Wengan has rebelled."
When his guess came true, Li Jiancheng's heart sank. He looked at Li Chengqian with a complicated expression: "Why did you tell me?"
Li Chengqian sighed helplessly, his eyes full of disdain, as if looking at a hopeless idiot: "My uncle's subordinates are all stupid people. It's embarrassing for me to say that out loud."
Unaware of Li Chengqian's grand ambition to become the number one playboy of the Tang Dynasty, Li Jiancheng was stunned when he heard his words. Was Chengqian's aversion to stupidity really that serious?
Li Chengqian, unaware of what he was thinking, finally encouraged him, hoping that he could strengthen his control over his subordinates in the future and not embarrass the Li family in public.
After saying that, regardless of his reaction, Li Chengqian strolled back and was then lifted up by the excited Li Shimin.
"Chengqian, your grandfather said that once I quell the war, he will depose Li Jiancheng and make me the crown prince!"
Li Shimin was beaming with joy, eager to share the good news with his son. Holding him close, he spoke confidently about the future: "Chengqian, when your father becomes the crown prince, I'll give you the Prince of Qin's mansion..."
Li Chengqian, who had been unable to get a word in edgewise, opened his mouth but ultimately only managed to say, "Father, whatever makes you happy."
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