173 Chapter 173
◎Brother.◎
Li Shimin took his eldest son to his study and sent someone to get some exquisite snacks.
"You've been busy for a while, Cheng Qian, you must be hungry too, right?" Li Shimin said as he sat down. Just as he was about to signal his eldest son to sit down, he saw that he had already ordered someone to bring a chair.
Li Shimin paused and said, "Bring another chair."
"Do you prefer sitting on a chair?" Li Shimin asked with a smile.
Li Chengqian didn't answer this. He simply walked over to his desk and began grinding ink, saying, "Making gunpowder isn't difficult, and the raw materials are easy to find. However, there are some precautions you must keep in mind. Otherwise, mistakes could cost lives."
Li Shimin nodded and said, "Gunpowder is extremely powerful, and there is no room for error."
After grinding the ink, Li Chengqian picked up his brush and wrote. He then casually placed a paperweight on it and stood up, saying, "I'm leaving."
"Cheng Qian." Li Shimin hurriedly stopped him, "Father, you still have something to do..."
"If you ask me where gunpowder came from, I can only give you one answer..." Li Chengqian raised his head and smiled, "A ghost taught me."
Hearing the word "ghost" from his eldest son again, Li Shimin sighed. The root of the problem was still why Cheng Qian's temperament suddenly changed.
Li Shimin already knew that this matter could not be rushed, so he said, "I am not asking you about this. Aye, I have something else to tell you."
Li Chengqian crossed his legs and rested his chin on his hand as he said, "You please."
The child's actions were rather comical. Li Shimin coughed to the side to hide his smile before speaking seriously, "Since the time of Yanhuang, China has a long history, with much to learn from. Cheng Qian, remember the past and learn from it. We should learn from history and avoid repeating their mistakes."
Li Chengqian understood what he meant. This was a refutation of what he said about Emperor Xuan of Han and Emperor Yuan of Han. Since there was this precedent, by learning from history, they would not repeat the ending of the Western Han Dynasty.
"Aye." Li Chengqian looked into Tian Khan's bright eyes. "How do you know if you and I won't be a warning to others?"
Li Shimin said firmly: "Absolutely not!"
The young Li Shimin, who had not yet become the Heavenly Khan, was still dazzling. He had great confidence in his future and he absolutely believed that he could make the Tang Dynasty even stronger.
He was confident in everything, including his eldest son.
Unfortunately, Li Chengqian thought, the Khan’s confidence is destined to be shattered by me.
"Very good. I wish you success." Li Chengqian said perfunctorily and stood up. "Let's go."
This reaction was beyond Li Shimin's expectations. He thought that his eldest son would be moved at least, after all, he had expressed his determination.
Why didn't he react at all?
Li Shimin looked at his eldest son in confusion, feeling that his own authority as the crown prince and his father was truly shaky.
But the eldest son was soft-hearted and not hard-hearted. Li Shimin was an expert in fighting, so he certainly wouldn't knowingly commit a crime. So he sighed deeply and said, "Cheng Qian, do you know that Aye is very worried about you?"
Li Chengqian paused, rubbed his arm, and said, "Your Highness, can you please do me a favor?"
"This is not an idol drama, and you are not the heroine. Can you speak in a normal tone?" Li Chengqian asked sincerely.
Li Shimin probably didn't understand most of these words, but he did understand the last sentence: "Cheng Qian, my father is so worried about you, how can he care about anything else?"
Li Chengqian: "..."
Li Chengqian dry-heaved twice and thought to himself, no wonder you love Li Tai and Li Zhi so much, it's because you both love this disgusting tune.
Li Shimin: “…”
Li Shimin thought about it and felt that there was nothing wrong with his tone. What was wrong with the tone of a loving father who loved and worried about his son?
Li Chengqian patted his chest and said, "My mother has suffered so much."
Li Shimin: “…”
"Cheng Qian..." Li Shimin wiped his face, "I mean, you... your gunpowder experiment is so dangerous. You're still young, how could you do it alone?"
"Oh, I won't do it alone." Li Chengqian said with a forced smile, "Your Highness, I wonder if any of your wise ministers and generals are proficient in making gunpowder?"
Li Shimin said patiently, "What I mean is that you should let the adults know, otherwise your mother and I will be very worried."
Li Chengqian immediately became alert and said, "Don't let my mother know!"
Li Shimin sighed and said, "Look, Cheng Qian, you know your mother will be worried, but how can you hide something like this from her?"
Li Chengqian was stuck: "I..."
When he blew up the wall, he just wanted to have fun and only thought that A Niang was not in Hongyi Palace, so he could take the opportunity to scare people. However, he forgot that the monk can escape but the temple cannot, and he still had to give A Niang an explanation for the wall that was damaged.
"Just say it was you who blew it up." Li Chengqian looked at him.
Li Shimin froze: "Me?"
Li Chengqian nodded and said confidently, "I gave you this powerful weapon, gunpowder. Shouldn't you give me some reward?"
"Yes, I will give it, but..." Li Shimin forced a smile, "But usually the reward should be decided by me."
"Now the rules have changed, I'll decide." Li Chengqian said with a smile, "For A Niang, who would worry more if her eight-year-old eldest son blew up the wall, or if her invincible husband blew up the wall?"
Victory in every battle... This was also flattery from his eldest son, but Li Shimin really couldn't feel happy from the bottom of his heart.
…
Until evening.
"Erlang is too impulsive. Gunpowder is no joke. You want to show Cheng Qian how powerful you are, but you can't blow up his courtyard wall. What if someone gets hurt?" Changsun frowned, her worry evident in her words.
Li Shimin nodded repeatedly: "Guanyinbi taught me that I was too reckless. Fortunately, although the gunpowder is powerful, as long as the amount is controlled, there will be no mistakes. Cheng Qian is fine, you have seen it, don't worry about it anymore."
As he spoke, Li Shimin held his wife's tender hand and squeezed it, which meant he was begging for mercy.
Chang Sun looked at the children beside her, nodded slightly and chuckled: "He is doing well, and Erlang has found a sharp weapon. Today is a happy occasion."
Her smile livened up the atmosphere among the children. Li Tai spoke up, "Aye, is that loud noise gunpowder? I want to see it too!"
Li Lizhi angrily said, "Brother said it was thunder, but it turns out you were lying to us!"
Li Yuxiu followed her sister and said, "Brother, you're lying. We want to go and see it too!"
Li Shimin glanced at his eldest son. The child was attentive and cared about his two younger sisters, but how could he forget Qingque?
Qingque is a boy after all, and only one year younger than Chengqian. It is understandable that he thought Qingque would not be scared.
Li Shimin thought so and nodded secretly.
However, whether it is Qingque or Lizhi, they are brothers from the same mother as Chengqian. It is not good to favor one over the other. It's just a matter of urinating now. Children don't have so many thoughts. Qingque won't feel that his elder brother treats him differently. But when they grow up, if such a thing happens again, I am afraid there will be conflicts between the brothers.
I still have to remind Cheng Qian a thing or two.
Cheng Qian asked me those questions before, but now I don’t know how I should treat my brothers as the eldest brother. After all, I am still a child.
For the sake of Chengqian and Qingque's love, Li Shimin thought that I, as their father, would have to take more care of them.
While Li Shimin was fantasizing about the harmonious relationship between father and son and brothers, Changsun was already arranging Li Chengqian's accommodation for the night.
There is no shortage of rooms in Hongyi Palace, and they will move to the East Palace tomorrow. Li Chengqian has no requirements as to where to sleep today.
Changsun ordered people to clean up a room in the main courtyard, put Li Chengqian's usual things in it, and let him rest there for the night.
Li Chengqian nodded obediently and comforted his mother again: "Don't worry, mother. I have always slept here and I am used to it. I will definitely sleep well at night."
Chang Sun smiled and touched his head: "It's better to sleep well. Sleep more and grow taller. Cheng Qian will definitely be taller than your father in the future!"
Li Chengqian smiled and said, "Yeah!"
Li Shimin chatted with Li Tai intermittently while looking at the mother and son. Li Lizhi and Li Yuxiu would say a few words to him from time to time, and would come over to whisper something to Li Tai.
Looking at the heart-warming scene, Li Shimin knew there was something special about it.
The difference is huge.
Cheng Qian is like two different people in front of his father and mother!
This was certainly not the first time Li Shimin had discovered this, but it did not prevent him from feeling a little jealous in addition to feeling strange and confused.
What was wrong with his treatment of his eldest son? Why did Cheng Qian treat his parents so differently?
The more Li Shimin thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt.
Li Shimin, feeling even more aggrieved, said, "Guanyin, I'll sleep with Cheng Qian tonight. If he's really frightened, having me by his side is better than having a wet nurse."
While speaking, Li Shimin looked at his eldest son, trying to convey to him the message that dad loves him very much.
Li Chengqian was terrified. He hurriedly said, "No need! Mother, my father is busy with government affairs and should sleep well at night. If I disturb your sleep, wouldn't that be unfilial?"
Li Shimin was very disappointed.
Changsun laughed and said, "Chengqian is becoming more and more intimidating. Studying is fine, but he shouldn't be pedantic. He's your father, so why would you judge him as unfilial over such a trivial matter?"
Li Shimin was about to respond when Li Tai spoke first: "Yeah, big brother doesn't want you to accompany him, Qingque wants to..."
"Good boy!" Before he could finish, Li Shimin held him in his arms and looked at his eldest son expectantly, "Cheng Qian, how about you, me, father and son, sleeping with our feet touching tonight?"
Li Chengqian: "..."
He was guilty, but hadn't he been deposed and exiled in his previous life? Why was he punished in this life?
Li Tai smiled cheerfully and said, "Okay, okay, big brother, let's sleep together... oh, with our feet touching!"
Li Lizhi and Li Yuxiu grabbed their mother's hands and said, "Mother, we want to sleep with you!"
"Mother, let's sleep together!"
The couple looked at each other. Facing his wife's look of "it's all her fault", Li Shimin smiled proudly. He felt that he had killed two birds with one stone.
Chang Sun smiled and said, "Okay!"
Facing his mother, Li Chengqian could only smile, but in his heart he deeply regretted his act of blowing up the wall during the day.
It's all my own fault!
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