Li Shimin's actions left the ministers who were watching the spectacle dumbfounded.
If they remember correctly, it was the eldest grandson who contradicted His Majesty, so why did His Majesty take his anger out on the Prince of Wei?
Li Tai was even more frustrated. If he had known that the old man would come after him, he would never have said a word for that grandson!
Now look what happened! That bastard ran far away, and I got whipped for no reason!
Li Shimin continued to lash the arm more than a dozen times until his arm ached from exhaustion before he stopped.
"Summon the imperial physician!"
"promise!"
Before long, two imperial physicians rushed over and took off Li Tai's clothes to treat his injuries.
Li Shimin didn't go far; he simply ordered someone to bring over tables and chairs, and then had dinner with his ministers in the next room.
After eating only a few bites, Li Shimin asked Fang Xuanling a question with trepidation.
"Minister Fang, will that bastard's words today be recorded in the daily records?"
Fang Xuanling had no idea about this, and could only helplessly glance at the official in charge of recording the daily activities. When he saw the official nod, his heart sank.
However, he dared not tell the truth to His Majesty, for fear that His Majesty would have the idea of tampering with the daily records.
"Your Majesty, the historians will only record your words and will not record the eldest grandson's joking remarks."
Li Shimin casually gave an "oh" and then buried his head in his rice.
Li Jue woke up quickly, but when he returned to the Hall of Universal Love, the entrance was already blocked by the Hundred Cavalry.
"Get out of the way, I need to get in!"
"Your Highness, please don't go in. Let His Majesty have a peaceful meal!"
"I'm not going to upset him, I'm going to see my fourth uncle!"
"My fourth uncle took the beating for me, how could I not even glance at it?"
"I see..."
Seeing Li Jue's words, the guards at the gate parted to let him in. However, after Li Jue entered, the two guards couldn't help but remind him.
"Your Highness, please be careful to avoid His Majesty..."
"Okay!"
Li Tai was lying on the bed groaning when he suddenly saw Li Jue coming over, which made him so angry that he started cursing.
"You bastard, you're so unethical! I took the beating for you, and you just ran away!"
"I didn't run away, I was dragged away by Li Jing and the others!"
"Then why don't you come in and plead for me!"
"Yuchi Jingde knocked me unconscious, and I just woke up and came back here..."
"oh……"
Li Tai felt a pang of bitterness upon hearing this. Why hadn't he protected his old minister like this back then?
If he had had the support of Li Jing and Yuchi Jingde back then, he would have become the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty long ago!
"You're really lucky, kid. You actually managed to get Li Jing, who never meddles in other people's business, to lend a hand..."
"Yuchi Jingde is also a good person. You should listen to them more in the future..."
Li Jue nodded upon hearing this, then lifted his clothes to look at Li Tai's back.
"Does it hurt, Fourth Uncle?"
Upon hearing this, Li Tai glared at Li Jue.
What do you think?
"However, Fourth Uncle is still quite happy, after all, your grandfather has never hit me since I was a child..."
"I only got beaten up today because of you, hahaha!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jue frowned inwardly, wondering if his fourth uncle was out of his mind, how could he be so happy to be beaten?
"You brat, you don't understand..."
"What Fourth Uncle likes is not being beaten, but being beaten by your grandfather!"
"Your grandfather is so busy that we children are lucky if he can even scold us!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jue covered himself with his clothes again and then said jokingly.
"Fourth Uncle, you can enjoy your retirement now. I'm going to take care of other things!"
After saying this, Li Jue started to leave, but after only a few steps, he heard a burst of laughter coming from the side hall next door.
Upon hearing the commotion, Li Jue, filled with curiosity, immediately went over and eavesdropped from the doorway.
"The reason I am angry today is not only because Li Jue misinterpreted my meaning, but mainly because he is obsessed with strange and frivolous things..."
"Strange skills and tricks?"
"That old man dares to call my invention a strange and ingenious trick!"
"You just wait, wait until the day I bring cannons and storm into Taiji Palace, then let's see if you still dare to look down on me!"
Inside the side hall, Li Shimin, unaware that his rebellious grandson had already begun plotting a rebellion, continued explaining to himself.
"I have very high expectations for this child, hoping that he will inherit the family line and continue the dynasty!"
"However, he doesn't study hard and instead spends all his time worrying about these junks, which is really worrying!"
"Your Majesty, why not assign a strict tutor to assist the eldest grandson?"
"A strict master?"
Li Shimin was slightly tempted by these words, but when he thought of Li Chengqian's fate, he suppressed the idea.
I cannot raise another "Li Chengqian".
"Let's skip the skilled master; I'll take on the responsibility and discipline him strictly!"
"Although I don't like the strange and ingenious tricks this child has come up with, I am still very satisfied that he has managed to make Chang'an County so prosperous, hahaha!"
"My esteemed ministers, did you see it at the meat stalls in the West Market today?"
"Many ordinary people dressed in plain clothes are buying meat!"
"I never imagined that the people of Chang'an County were so wealthy that they could afford to eat meat! Hahaha!"
Li Shimin always remembered what he said when he first met Li Jue: "The people of the Tang Dynasty are so poor that they can't even afford meat. How can they be called a prosperous and peaceful era?"
That's why he was so excited to see people buying meat in the West Market, and even got out of his car to chat with them.
Fang Xuanling nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
"This humble subject never expected that the gap between Chang'an and Wannian County could widen so much in just one month!"
"Chang'an was a prosperous city with thriving industries and abundant resources. In contrast, Wannian County was a desolate place with few industries and deserted streets."
"This shows that the eldest grandson's methods of governing the people are more skillful!"
Changsun Wuji was displeased upon hearing this and immediately retorted in an annoyed manner.
"How did you come to see that it's more brilliant?"
"The streets of Wannian County are neat and clean, and the people don't pick up lost items on the road and leave their doors unlocked at night. Isn't that a political achievement?"
"Furthermore, what kind of unruly people are the people of Chang'an County that they would even try to deceive His Majesty!"
"Governing a county town requires not only looking at whether the treasury is full, but also whether the people are honest and kind-hearted!"
Li Shimin nodded upon hearing this, agreeing with Changsun Wuji's statement.
"The auxiliary machine operator is right!"
"Governing the country cannot be done by just looking at money; we must also pay attention to the customs, hearts, opinions, and sentiments of the people."
"In this respect, Zhinu clearly did a better job!"
"Do any of you ministers have any objections?"
Upon hearing this, everyone thought to themselves, "Since His Majesty has said so, how dare we voice our objections?"
Just because they don't dare to speak out doesn't mean others don't, like someone who's eavesdropping at the door.
"Your Majesty, I have an objection!"
Upon hearing this voice, Li Shimin's smile vanished instantly, and he thought to himself, "This grandson is never going to stop!"
Do I have to force him to give me a good beating before he'll behave?
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