210 Chapter 210
◎Uneasy. ◎
"It's not that I'm deliberately concealing something," Li Shimin said seriously. "I'm the emperor. Who dares to object when I say this?"
Li Chengqian immediately answered: "Wei Zheng and Chu Suiliang."
Li Shimin: “…”
Changsun covered her lips and chuckled twice, "Erlang, not only does Cheng Qian want to hear it, we want to hear it too. Please tell us what's going on quickly."
Li Shimin sighed and said, "What else can I do? I will debate with the scholars and convince them all."
Li Chengqian led the applause: "Aye, that's great!"
Li Lizhi and Li Yuxiu didn't quite understand what was going on, but they also followed their elder brother in clapping: "Aye, so great!"
Only Li Tai asked reluctantly, "Father, you want to teach my elder brother yourself, but doesn't he have a teacher?"
Li Shimin smiled, rubbed his head, and said in a gentle but unyielding voice, "Qingque, your elder brother is the crown prince. He will shoulder the responsibility of governing the Tang Dynasty. Other teachers can only teach him to read, but he needs his father to teach him how to govern the country."
"Oh," Li Tai muttered, then recalled something from the past and said hurriedly, "Father said he would teach me archery, but he hasn't taught me yet!"
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then said, "Oh! I forgot. This is my fault, Father. Tomorrow I will choose a teacher for you and also select a good bow for you."
Li Tai still wanted to fight for a chance to be taught by his father himself, but Changsun smiled at him and said, "Qingque, your father is busy and can't spare that much time. Although he can't teach you personally, he will definitely test you. You must learn from your master diligently."
"I will definitely go to take the test someday. Qingque, study hard and don't let your father down." Li Shimin said with a smile.
There is a world of difference between the crown prince and the prince. No matter how well Li Tai was treated, he would immediately feel depressed when compared with Li Chengqian.
But Li Tai had no other choice, because his greatest support was his father and mother who made all this happen.
Li Tai could only say, "Aye, I will study hard."
Li Shimin pinched his face and went to talk to Li Chengqian again: "Chengqian, you should thank me now, right?"
Li Chengqian stood up and bowed: "Thank you, Father."
"Good boy." Li Shimin took the opportunity to rub his eldest son's head and let him sit next to him.
Having just owed someone a favor, Li Chengqian couldn't avoid it. He touched his stomach and asked, "I'm hungry, mother. When are we going to eat?"
Li Lizhi and Li Yuxiu also said they were hungry, so Changsun ordered someone to serve them food.
…
The next morning, when Li Chengqian came to greet him, he saw Li Shimin leaving the house. He was surprised and said, "I didn't oversleep today. Father, why are you leaving so early?"
Li Shimin stopped and straightened his sleeves, saying, "There's something urgent going on up ahead. I'm in a hurry to check it out and have dinner with your mother. I'm afraid I won't be able to make it back in time."
Li Chengqian stepped aside and asked him to go first. Li Shimin said, "I still have the habit. I am doing it now."
Li Chengqian was stunned. When he realized what habit meant, Li Shimin was no longer there.
Let his courtiers get used to an imperfect prince...
"Brother, why are you standing here?" Li Tai's voice suddenly came to his ears, interrupting Li Chengqian's thoughts.
Li Chengqian looked up and said casually, "It's okay... Aye left first."
Li Tai also showed a surprised expression: "Aye left so early?"
"It's urgent." As he said this, Li Chengqian stepped over the threshold.
"Brother, don't you know what the urgent matter is?" Li Tai followed and asked. It turned out that Aye didn't tell his brother everything.
Li Chengqian said, "I don't know...what are you happy about?"
Li Tai didn't even realize he was laughing. He touched his face, the corners of his mouth still raised: "I'm not... uh, nothing's wrong."
Li Chengqian was still puzzled when he heard him say this, but he really had no interest in asking. To distance himself from the matter, he said, "If you have anything to say, go talk to Aye."
"What did you say to Aye?" Changsun held the female official's hand and turned around the screen, just in time to hear this sentence.
Li Chengqian said, "Qingque said it was nothing, I just gave him a word of advice in vain."
Chang Sun smiled and said, "Your father is busy. If you have anything to say, you can talk to your mother first."
Early in the morning all the princes and princesses came to pay their respects to the Emperor and the Empress. While they were talking, a few people arrived, and Changsun asked someone to invite them in.
Only after those who came to pay their respects had left did Mrs. Changsun have the meal served.
The days were long and hot in summer, so Changsun stayed in the house with the children and stopped Li Chengqian from going to the Eastern Palace to see his cotton fields.
"There are people to take care of her. It's not necessary for you to do it. It's so hot, I'm afraid you can't bear it. It won't be worth it if you really get sick." Changsun said.
Seeing his mother's serious expression, Li Chengqian quickly responded, "I'll listen to you, mother. From now on, I will only go to see it in the evening after the sun sets, and never go there in the scorching sun."
Only then did Changsun smile and nodded.
Instead of going to the cotton fields, he still had to go to school. However, Li Chengqian could ride in a sedan chair, and someone would hold an umbrella for him. Although he still couldn't avoid the heat, it was better than being exposed to the sun.
In the East Palace study, Lu Yuanlang was already waiting for Li Chengqian.
"I'm late and kept you waiting for a long time." Li Chengqian wiped the sweat from his forehead and apologized.
Lu Yuanlang smiled and said, "I arrived early today. Your Highness, you have had a hard journey."
"Sir, you have come a longer way than me. I hope you are not too hot." Li Chengqian walked straight to the ice jar and sat down, then tried to open it.
Lu Yuanlang advised, "Both hot and cold are bad. Your Highness should stay away from them, and especially avoid touching the ice. It would be even worse if you catch a cold later."
Li Chengqian laughed and said, "It would be really funny to be freezing in the middle of summer."
The two chatted for a while, and then Lu Yuanlang bowed and said, "I forgot to congratulate Your Highness. I heard that the Saint will personally teach Your Highness."
Li Chengqian's face fell, and he said worriedly, "Sir, I don't think this is a happy event. If the saint wants to hit me on the hand, who can stop him?"
Lu Yuanlang smiled and said, "Your Highness, please do not worry too much. You are intelligent, and the sage loves his son dearly. How could he punish you?"
Li Chengqian rubbed his face and asked, "Sir, do you know why the saint wanted to teach me personally?"
"I have heard from the Saint," Lu Yuanlang said, "The Prime Minister and others believe that Your Highness is lacking in etiquette and want to recruit more teachers for Your Highness. This is the Saint protecting Your Highness."
"Sir..." Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment, then continued, "If everyone thinks I'm bad, will the Saint still protect me?"
Lu Yuanlang asked in surprise, "Why do you say that, Your Highness?"
"Your Highness is young, and his behavior may be a bit casual, but it's fine to be casual in private. Your Highness has never been rude at palace banquets. The Prime Minister and his men are just nitpicking. Your Highness, please don't worry too much."
Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "Sir, I'll be honest with you. The reason the saints came to teach me is because I don't intend to change according to their demands. If I listen to them this time, they'll push their buttons next time. If this continues, they'll scrutinize my every word and action. No matter how well I do, they'll find fault to prove themselves. I'll... never have a peaceful day again."
It turns out that the Saint's protection of His Highness goes deeper than anyone imagined.
Lu Yuanlang has been the prince's teacher for several years and has a deep understanding of him. The prince is smart and intelligent, and has many brilliant ideas, but occasionally he will get stuck in a rut and express some shocking opinions on many things.
But overall, Lu Yuanlang did not think that the prince had any intolerable shortcomings, and he did not think that the prince needed the prime minister and others to treat him as a major enemy, and he did not need to add a few more teachers to teach him well.
Lu Yuanlang thought that they were putting the cart before the horse. It was obvious that the prince was capable and had a good character. He was a rare crown prince, but they just kept harping on the prince's harmless little problems.
After all, why would they make such a fuss about the prince who had never even set foot in the court?
Lu Yuanlang really didn't understand.
However, the most urgent task was to appease the Crown Prince. Lu Yuanlang thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, please do not worry too much. You have made great contributions, and the Saint is still protecting you. They will never dare to make any further advances."
Li Chengqian still shook his head: "They will, sir, I know they will."
Lu Yuanlang didn't understand why the Crown Prince was so certain, so he changed the subject, "Since Your Highness says so, I also make this assumption. No one is perfect, and Your Highness certainly can't be without faults. If this happens again, how will Your Highness respond?"
This question reminded Li Chengqian of something. When he had just returned to the ninth year of Wude, he had made up his mind to make everyone unhappy.
Then am I not making them unhappy now?
The matter of Teacher Jia was blocked by Tian Khan. Lu Yuanlang said that this was the saint protecting the prince. Those people must have thought so too. Therefore, they must be extremely aggrieved now because the saint once again chose to spoil the prince.
To be honest, Li Chengqian did not have full confidence that he could serve as the crown prince for decades and then succeed to the throne smoothly. After all, there was still Li Tai who was eyeing him covetously.
Judging from his experience in his previous life, Tian Khan would never be cruel to him and his wife's sons, so it is still unknown how far Li Tai will go in the future.
Compared to his previous life, Tian Khan has really changed a lot. He protects Li Chengqian more, but... that's only now.
When Li Chengqian was young in his previous life, the Khan also loved his prince very much, but what happened later?
Therefore, Li Chengqian could not convince himself that Tian Khan would always protect him.
Li Chengqian thought, maybe I am so conscienceless and hard-hearted, but I can't fall into the same pit twice. In my previous life, I also firmly trusted Tian Khan, but what was the result?
This is what it’s like for us princes. Life and death, honor and disgrace all depend on the emperor’s decision.
Li Chengqian raised his head and smiled, saying, "It's never my decision. The choice is never in my hands."
But Li Chengqian was not completely powerless, just like everything he had done before and now. Maybe he could not control the future thoughts and actions of Tian Khan, but at least he could do what he wanted to do.
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