177 Chapter 177
◎Shocked.◎
That evening, when Li Shimin returned to his bedroom, Li Tai threw himself into his arms. He cried and acted coquettishly to his father, saying that his arms and legs hurt, and his whole body hurt.
Changsun smiled and explained the reason, then said, "I told Qingque not to do it tomorrow, but he refused. You should comfort him and don't make the child too tired."
Li Shimin laughed after hearing this and said, "Cheng Qian really knows how to have fun. Alright, Qingque, if you can't handle it, don't go tomorrow."
Li Tai pouted and said, "But my mother and sister are going, and I don't want to be alone."
"It's all fun anyway, just try a different way of playing." Li Shimin said with a nonchalant smile, "Guanyinbi, are you tired too?"
"It was a bit tiring at first, but after Cheng Qian had the palace maids massage us according to our acupoints, I felt much more refreshed." Chang Sun smiled. "Whether they have fun or not, I'm definitely going to do it again with Cheng Qian tomorrow."
Since his wife was happy with it, Li Shimin certainly wouldn't stop her, so he said, "Then... Qingque will play with Lizhi and Yuxiu tomorrow. Wait until your mother and eldest brother are done, then you can talk."
Li Tai hesitated and said, "But mother..."
"No, no!" Li Tai hadn't finished speaking when Li Lizhi said anxiously, "Father, we want to go with Mother and Brother too, right, Yuxiu?"
Li Yuxiu nodded along with her sister: "We are not tired anymore!"
"Hmm?" Li Shimin looked down at his fourth son. "Why is it that Qingque feels pain?"
Li Lizhi pouted and said, "Fourth Brother refused to let anyone massage him, so of course it hurts."
Li Yuxiu laughed and said, "My eldest brother said that a short pain is worse than a long one, but my fourth brother didn't listen."
Chang Sun smiled and said, "It was a little painful when I first started massaging you, so it's no wonder Qingque didn't want to. But after the massage, my body really feels good, and I can sleep more soundly during my nap."
"Really?" His wife said yes twice in a row. Li Shimin couldn't help but become curious. "Then how is sex done? Why is it so wonderful?"
Li Lizhi smiled and said, "Aye, will you play with us tomorrow?"
Li Shimin hesitated for a moment. He was very busy and had little free time, but he was indeed very curious.
Li Tai, who was ignored, pulled Aye's sleeve: "Yeye, I still feel pain..."
Li Shimin patted his back and said to his wife, "Qingque is in so much pain, there's no way to stop him. Let someone massage him."
Zhang Sun looked at the fourth son helplessly: "Qingque, are you still afraid of pain?"
Li Tai pouted and said, "No...I'm not afraid anymore."
So, when Li Chengqian came over with the bamboo paper and printing method he had written, he saw Li Tai sobbing and acting coquettishly to his father while someone massaged his arms and legs, and Li Shimin was almost heartbroken.
Li Chengqian: "..."
Li Chengqian was about to quietly retreat and get away from this suffocating scene, but was stopped by his mother's personal maid.
"King Zhongshan, the Crown Princess has been waiting for you for a long time."
Li Chengqian had no choice but to go inside to pay his respects to his mother. As for the prince who was immersed in the father-son love, he was ignored by him.
"What's the matter, mother?" Li Chengqian asked first in case his mother had any urgent matters.
Chang Sun smiled and said, "Your father is curious about what we did. You can talk to him later."
"oh."
If it weren't for his mother, Li Chengqian wouldn't even want to give him bamboo paper and printing technology.
After Li Tai finished the massage, washed and changed his clothes, and Li Shimin washed his face, the father and son came over and sat down, but Li Tai still stayed in his father's arms.
Li Shimin smiled and said, "This massage is indeed effective. Qingque no longer feels any pain."
Chang Sun smiled and said, "That's right. Li Zhi, Yu Xiu and I also think it's good."
Li Chengqian remained silent.
Li Shimin: “…” Was my hint not obvious enough?
Li Shimin could only laugh again and said, "I've been sitting all day and I'm very tired. I wonder if this will be of any use?"
Li Chengqian was concentrating on eating snacks, as if he didn't hear any hint.
The smile on Li Shimin's face was a little forced. Changsun Shi noticed something was wrong. She looked at her eldest son in confusion. This child has always been considerate, what happened today?
However, Changsunshi still came to the eldest son's rescue: "Chengqian, are you hungry? Your father didn't hear what he said to you."
Li Chengqian looked up and asked blankly, "What did Aye say?"
Zhang Sunshi didn't suspect anything and said with a smile, "You asked someone to give me a massage to relieve my fatigue. Can your father use it too?"
"Yes, anyone can use it." Li Chengqian said with a smile, "Father can use it too."
He started to be sarcastic again. Li Shimin thought to himself that Cheng Qian was really moody.
Li Shimin was worried about the education of his eldest son. After dinner, when Changsun Shi was talking to her two younger daughters, Li Chengqian handed him what he had written. Li Shimin, who was already worried, felt mixed emotions.
With the gunpowder in front of him, he didn't doubt that these two things were children's toys.
Bamboo grows quickly, so using it to make paper would certainly reduce paper costs, ultimately bringing down the price and making it more affordable. Printing, on the other hand, could help spread books faster and further, making them cheaper and more accessible to more people.
For the rulers of a dynasty, these two things are no less valuable than gunpowder.
But where did Cheng Qian get all this from? Was he born with this knowledge? Why did it only begin to manifest recently?
While Li Shimin was thinking, Li Tai was leaning against his chest and reading the paper on the table. However, he could only read and could not understand it at all, let alone the illustrations.
Li Tai then asked, "Brother, what did you give Ye Ye?"
"Don't ask questions that you shouldn't ask." Li Chengqian said.
Li Tai said dissatisfiedly: "Ye Ye didn't stop me from asking."
Li Chengqian said, "Then ask him."
Li Tai immediately grabbed his father's hand and asked, "Yeah, what's on it?"
Li Tai always responded to his father's requests, but he didn't expect this time to be an exception.
Li Shimin called over Li Tai's wet nurse and instructed her, "Keep an eye on Prince Wei." He then said to Li Chengqian, "Chengqian, come over here with me."
Li Tai was stunned. Before he could say anything, Li Shimin had already come over and said to Changsun, "Guanyin, Chengqian will start studying again tomorrow. I have some instructions for him."
Changsun knew that her husband always cared about his eldest son's education, so she just said, "Don't delay too long, don't be too strict, Cheng Qian will be asleep soon."
"I know." Li Shimin pressed her hand and said with a smile.
…
Li Shimin's inquiry was doomed to be fruitless. Li Chengqian simply said, "I told you about gunpowder back then. If you must have an answer, it was a ghost that taught me."
Li Shimin said tiredly, "Cheng Qian, Aye is worried about you. If you really know the secrets of heaven, or if you have other circumstances, will you have to pay the price for revealing them without permission?"
Li Chengqian paused and said, "Aweng will abdicate to you in August. After that, the Turkic Jieli Khan and Tuli Khan will invade Jingzhou. You should make preparations early."
Li Shimin took a while to react: "Cheng Qian, what did you say?"
"I won't pay any price." Li Chengqian said to himself, "I don't want much. As long as my mother is healthy and happy, I think this is also what you want."
"Of course..." Li Shimin said subconsciously, then he immediately shook his head, "Cheng Qian, you clearly know what I'm going to say, don't change the subject."
Li Chengqian said, "I have said what I need to say. If you ask again, I will have nothing more to say."
Li Shimin had experienced his eldest son's stubbornness. He rubbed his forehead and suddenly reached out to touch his eldest son's face.
Li Chengqian didn't avoid him like a snake this time. He said calmly, "I am Li Chengqian. If you have any doubts, you can find a way to confirm it."
Li Shimin smiled bitterly and said, "In front of your mother, I see that you are indeed the same as before."
All he got was Li Chengqian's silence.
Li Shimin sighed and asked, "Cheng Qian, you only said that your mother wanted to be healthy and happy. What about you? Are you happy?"
Li Chengqian thought carefully for a moment and answered sincerely: "When I was angry with Kong Yingda, I was still very happy."
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly again: "You hate him so much, does it mean Kong Yingda will do something evil in the future?"
"Not really. In fact, he's highly regarded in history books," Li Chengqian said. "His portrait is even hung in your Lingyan Pavilion, but he's not one of the Twenty-Four Heroes. Oh, and he's also buried with you in Zhaoling, your future imperial mausoleum. This was your idea, not your son's. I'm letting you know in advance so you don't have to find a place later."
Li Shimin: “…”
He achieved his goal and did get his eldest son to speak, but the hidden meaning in it made Li Shimin shudder.
"Cheng Qian, isn't the future ruler of the Tang Dynasty a descendant of you and me, father and son?"
Li Chengqian smiled and said, "They are your descendants. They will be your descendants until the end of the Tang Dynasty."
This sentence slowly entered Li Shimin's ears. He had never hoped so much that he had heard a sentence wrong.
Li Shimin closed his eyes and said, "Cheng Qian, is this why you've been so... so special lately?"
"If understanding it this way can comfort you, you can understand it this way." Li Chengqian still smiled.
Li Shimin said, "Yes...something happened? The First Emperor and Prince Fusu, or Emperor Wu of Han and Crown Prince Li? Or something else..."
Li Chengqian shrugged and said with a nonchalant smile, "You think too highly of me. I'm not as good as the eldest son and the crown prince."
Fusu received the imperial edict of succession from Qin Shihuang, and Liu Ju received his father's unique favor.
No matter how smart and far-sighted Li Shimin was, he couldn't imagine what the future would hold. Li Shimin pressed his forehead and said, "Why...I..."
"Don't worry," Li Chengqian said kindly. "The history books have already made the final conclusion. It's all my fault. You are not at fault. You are... the Heavenly Khan respected by everyone."
"You are the Emperor Taizong Wen of the Tang Dynasty that everyone remembers."
Li Chengqian finally smiled and said, "You're welcome. After all, not all emperors knew their temple and posthumous names during their lifetime."
But Li Shimin seemed not to hear this. He suddenly stared into Li Chengqian's eyes and asked, "Is it Qingque? Chengqian, is it you and Qingque?"
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