Li Jue chatted and laughed with the villagers of Sanglin Village for a while, then drew them a few big cakes before letting them leave.
But as he sat alone in the empty courtyard, looking at the food bowl that a little panda had used, he suddenly felt a sense of emptiness in his heart.
I'm afraid Old Li and his aunt will never return to this courtyard.
Just as Li Jue was thinking this, he suddenly saw Old Li carrying a stick as thick as a finger, storming in angrily.
Upon seeing this, Li Jue quickly stood up. He intended to greet him as before, but soon realized that Old Li was no longer the same Old Li, but Emperor Li Er of the Tang Dynasty.
However, he had no idea what etiquette to use to greet the emperor.
Kneeling down would be the simplest option, but he didn't want to.
After all, his father, Li Chengqian, and his mother both died in exile, and his only elder brother is currently observing mourning in Qianzhou.
Such deep-seated hatred made it difficult for him to treat Li Er calmly.
While Li Jue was still in a daze, Li Er roared angrily.
"Get down!"
"ah?"
"On what grounds?"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin had no chance to explain. He simply waved to the outside, and immediately two burly men from the Hundred Cavalry rushed in and pinned Li Jue down on a stool.
Li Shimin stepped forward, pulled down Li Jue's pants, and then proceeded to give him a good beating on the buttocks.
"ah!"
"Why did you hit me?"
Li Shimin remained silent in the face of Li Jue's questioning, because he had not yet come up with a reason to hit him.
But he had no choice but to hit him; otherwise, the rift between them would never be erased.
However, after fighting for a while, Li Shimin found himself in a difficult situation.
Because apart from the first blow that caught Li Jue off guard and made him cry out in pain, after being hit more than twenty times, this bastard just gritted his teeth and endured it without uttering a sound!
This was not the outcome Li Shimin wanted. He was thinking of giving the boy a good beating, then giving him some sweet treats to appease him, which would ease the tension between them.
Now that this grandson isn't even making a sound, weren't all those twenty-odd blows for nothing?
Just as Li Shimin's arms were aching from exhaustion, Zhang Anan couldn't bear to watch any longer and reminded him in a trembling voice.
"Your Majesty, the eldest grandson's buttocks are already bruised and bleeding; you can't hit him anymore!"
Li Shimin glared angrily at Zhang Anan upon hearing this.
"Get out of my way!"
"Today, I'm going to teach this rebellious grandson a lesson!"
Hearing the cracking sounds of whipping coming from the courtyard, Hu Delu and the others turned pale with fright. He wanted to go in and persuade them, but he was afraid of the Emperor's majesty, so he could only pace anxiously outside the courtyard.
"Grandpa, why did that old man hit the young master?"
"What old man? That's His Majesty the Emperor!"
"Then why did His Majesty the Emperor beat our Lord?"
"His Majesty the Emperor is our lord's grandfather. What reason does a grandfather need to beat his grandson..."
"Then why isn't our Lord making a sound? Isn't he afraid of pain?"
"well!"
"Our lord is at odds with his grandfather!"
"Are you angry?"
Although the little grandson wanted to ask more questions, Hu Delu decided not to answer.
The fact that Li Shimin deposed the crown prince and exiled his family to Qianzhou was known not only throughout the Tang Dynasty, but also to the people of Xianyang, which was only a few dozen miles from Chang'an.
The villagers of Sanglin Village had little impression of Li Chengqian, and he wasn't even as tall as Princess Changsha.
After all, Princess Changsha had estates and servants nearby, and often bullied ordinary people like them.
In comparison, His Highness the Crown Prince was much more low-key. They had heard that he liked actors, but he had never stolen their wives. They had heard that he enjoyed hunting, but they had never seen him trample on their crops. They had heard that His Highness was licentious and immoral, but they had never heard of him actually committing any licentious acts. Finally, they had heard that His Highness was plotting a rebellion, but they had never heard how many people in the palace and the Eastern Palace had died because of it…
In short, they had heard a lot about the Crown Prince's family, but the Crown Prince's family had never harmed them. In fact, the Crown Prince's eldest son became their nobleman, digging irrigation ditches and building reservoirs for them, and leading the whole village to open workshops to make money.
Therefore, Hu Delu knew about his lord's resentment towards His Majesty the Emperor, but he could not tell his grandson.
Firstly, the young grandson wouldn't understand, and secondly, saying such things would be taboo and could very well bring about his own death.
Although Hu Delu knew the reason for Li Jue's quarrel with the emperor, he was still very angry that the emperor had given him a severe beating right away.
No wonder people say that royalty are heartless. His little grandson is so pitiful, how could he, as the grandfather, bring himself to do it!
In fact, Li Shimin was also under great pressure. After beating his grandson fifty or sixty times, until his buttocks were swollen, he still couldn't make the grandson cry, leaving him in a difficult situation.
After all, he couldn't possibly kill his grandson, could he?
However, just as Li Shimin was about to give up, he suddenly heard his eldest grandson, who was lying on the stool, burst into tears.
Upon hearing the crying, Li Shimin secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and the stick in his hand stopped instantly.
Do you know why I hit you?
"I don't know, sob sob..."
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin slapped Li Jue on the buttocks with a stick.
"If you can't say anything, then keep hitting!"
"I said..."
"I shouldn't have run away to the Western Turks!"
Li Shimin's eyes lit up when he heard this, thinking that this could indeed be considered a crime, and then he gave his grandson's buttocks another "smack".
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
