Li Shimin always used his own father as a reference point. Li Yuan caused so much trouble in the harem, yet he still lived to be sixty-nine. As long as he was careful and avoided women, he could surely live past seventy.
However, Li Jue's words directly caused him to become depressed. He was only forty-five years old this year, and he didn't have many years left to live?
Doesn't that mean I won't even live past fifty?
This terrified Li Shimin. He still had many things left to accomplish, such as personally leading the campaign against Goguryeo to avenge the humiliations suffered by the Sui and Tang dynasties; personally leading the campaign against the Xueyantuo to strangle this treacherous and unreliable ruler; personally leading the campaign against Tibet to bring back Li Daozong's daughter; and personally leading the campaign against...
However, what worried Li Shimin the most was the successor of the Tang Dynasty. Although he was very fond of his eldest grandson Li Jue, if he only had a few years left to live, would he still have time to cultivate him, teach him, and pass on his skills in governing the country to him?
If not, who should I choose?
Li Shimin became increasingly agitated as he thought about it. The thing he regretted most was that he had personally pushed Li Chengqian into the abyss of rebellion!
If Li Chengqian hadn't been deposed and hadn't died in exile, I wouldn't be too worried even if I closed my eyes now!
However, there are no "what ifs" in this world, only bitter consequences and terrible outcomes...
The next day was the opening ceremony of Qujiang Pool. Normally, Li Shimin would not have missed such a lively event, but because he had something on his mind, he had no interest in going to watch the excitement.
But he didn't stay idle; instead, he led the Hundred Cavalry to the home of Wang, the wet nurse of the Prince of Jin.
The Wang family consisted of only one widower, Wu Da, and two sons, the eldest, Wu Ye, and the youngest, Wu Zhang, both of whom were teenagers and worked as farmers with their father, Wu Da, for a living.
Just by looking at the thatched hut the family lived in from outside the courtyard, Li Shimin knew how impoverished their life was. This also confirmed that Li Zhi, as the crown prince, had never cared for the wet nurse's family, nor shown any kindness to his two wet nurse brothers.
Although his suspicions had been confirmed, Li Shimin still ordered someone to knock on the door and invite the family out.
The Wu father and son had no idea who Li Shimin was. They only knew that this man was accompanied by attendants and guards, and that he was obviously a high-ranking official.
"This humble one, Wu Da, greets your esteemed presence. May I ask what your instructions are?"
"I've heard that your wife was a wet nurse in the palace?"
"yes……"
"The wife of this scoundrel once breastfed the Crown Prince!"
How did she die?
"Died from illness..."
"What's wrong? Have you seen a doctor?"
"I saw a doctor... but he said the treatment would cost a lot of money. The family was poor, and his two sons were still unmarried. Wang's wife was worried about them and insisted on not selling the house or land. She died of illness..."
"well!"
Li Shimin sighed inwardly upon hearing this, and then asked one last question.
"Have you gone to plead with the Crown Prince?"
"Please let me pass!"
"But I couldn't even get through the gates of the East Palace. I was kicked out by the guards as soon as I reached the entrance!"
"oh oh……"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that it was just a servant's prejudice against people, and had little to do with the child Zhinu.
Just as he was thinking this, Wu Da's youngest son, who was kneeling beside him, suddenly spoke up.
"What?!"
"Last year, I stopped the Crown Prince's carriage in the street and clearly told him who I was, but he ignored me..."
Upon hearing this, Wu Da immediately rebuked him angrily.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
"Your mother only breastfed the Crown Prince for a few days, and you really think you're related to him?!"
"My esteemed son is young and ignorant; please forgive him if he says anything wrong!"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin nodded and then ordered that the Wu family be rewarded with fifty bolts of brocade as compensation.
When the Wu father and son received fifty bolts of brocade, their eyes were red with excitement.
That's a huge sum of money!
With these items as betrothal gifts, both sons can get married!
"Thank you so much, sir!"
"I don't know your name, but if I could repay your kindness in the future, I would have a reason to do so!"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin waved his hand and left Wu Dajia's courtyard without saying a word, returning to Taiji Palace.
This time, he summoned the palace maids and eunuchs of the Lizheng Hall and asked them about Li Zhi's childhood.
None of the palace maids and eunuchs dared to gossip in front of Li Shimin until he offered them a generous reward, at which point they gradually began to speak.
What does Your Majesty wish to know?
"Anything is fine, as long as it's something that happened when Zhi Nu was a child. But there's one thing: it must be true, and you can't make it up!"
"As long as you name one, you will be rewarded with a bolt of brocade!"
"This servant thanks Your Majesty!"
"This servant remembers that the Crown Prince especially loved puppies when he was little. He would even lie on the ground and play with them. But not long after, the puppy died. The Crown Prince held the puppy and cried for a while, and then buried it..."
Li Shimin nodded upon hearing this. It was indeed something a normal child could do, and there was nothing outrageous about it.
"Your Majesty, when the Crown Prince was little, he especially loved watching fish and often squatted by the lake to play. I've tried to persuade him to stop several times, but he won't listen..."
After hearing this, Li Shimin thought for a moment and decided that it wasn't a big problem; he could only say that the child was a little stubborn.
However, the next words of an old palace maid made his eyelids twitch.
“Your Majesty, I am old and cannot remember many things. I only know some of the Crown Prince’s habits when he was a child.”
"The Crown Prince loves new clothes. Every time he gets new clothes, he throws away his old ones and never looks at them again. The Crown Prince is also timid. Once, when he was passing through a bamboo forest, a fox jumped out and scared him so much that he never walked near the bamboo forest again. When the Crown Prince was young, he was very close to Li Xin, the son of the Prince of Wei. But after Li Xin broke his toys, the Crown Prince never spoke to Li Xin again..."
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