Hearing his words, everyone felt a wave of nausea wash over them…
This is what you call not knowing how to compliment someone? Your words have made them feel like they're on cloud nine...
The most shameless one was Li Zhu, who actually nodded and said...
"Lord Tian Can's straightforward character is truly a model for us all. To receive a word of praise from Lord Tian Can is an immense honor for this junior..."
"Haha... His Highness the Crown Prince is truly genuine; we mortals can only look up to him in awe..."
Tian Can quickly replied politely!
The atmosphere in the court suddenly became rather strange, especially with the Second Prince acting as if he had eaten shit—it was utterly disgusting…
He felt as if the whole world had turned upside down. After suffering losses at Li Zhu's hands for several days in a row, he couldn't help but wonder if he was the one who was not favored by his father!
"Both of you give me a feeling of meeting you for the first time, yet also of welcoming back old friends..."
"His Highness the Crown Prince speaks eloquently and fluently; he is truly learned and talented..."
Yelü Ti praised again!
"Cough cough..."
Even the emperor couldn't stand it anymore. He felt there was something wrong with the two envoys; they seemed to be after Li Zhu, but he didn't understand why this was happening...
Upon hearing the emperor's dry cough, the three stopped their mutual flattery. Even Li Zhu himself found the two's enthusiasm a bit overwhelming...
It's not good for someone to be too outstanding; they're more likely to be noticed...
The three men looked at the emperor, wanting to see what he would say next…
But before the emperor could speak, Grand Tutor Jiang spoke again.
"I suppose the two envoys are unaware that our New Tang Dynasty is a land of outstanding people and abundant resources, with countless talented young men. The Crown Prince is but a drop in the ocean. There are countless people here who are more outstanding than the Crown Prince. Yet the two envoys only have eyes for the Crown Prince. It is hard not to suspect the purpose of your visit. Do you intend to use the Crown Prince to humiliate our New Tang Dynasty?"
"Oh? Is that so? So the new Tang Dynasty is so outstanding. This makes me wonder, who could be more outstanding than the Crown Prince?"
"Of the three princes who have come to court, the second prince is resolute and decisive, and is proficient in military strategy and tactics. The third prince is humble, and no one can surpass him in the Six Arts of Confucianism. Only the crown prince is bloodthirsty and has been neither good at literature nor martial arts. Yet you praise him as a dragon among men. I say that you have come to humiliate the new Tang Dynasty. Are you wrong?"
Grand Tutor Jiang's words were very reasonable. If it were Li Zhu before he time-traveled, he would indeed be inferior to the other two princes. However, Li Zhu has now returned with knowledge that surpasses that of this era by more than a thousand years. How could he still be the good-for-nothing he was described as...
It's no exaggeration to say that even elementary school students before the time travel could be considered Confucian scholars...
"Does Grand Tutor Jiang think that because he's old, he can speak his mind freely?"
Li Zhu wanted to say something about taking advantage of one's age, but he wasn't the kind of person who didn't respect the elderly and care for the young. Considering the other person's age, he didn't say anything too harsh; he just wanted to say a few words in his own defense!
"The New Tang Dynasty is indeed a land of outstanding people and resources. Why don't we have the two princes and the crown prince have a competition?"
Although Yelü Ti's words were praising the new Tang Dynasty, they also instantly pitted the three princes against each other...
This subconsciously filled the assembled officials with vigilance, yet no one dared to speak out in protest…
These past few days, Li Zhu has been suppressing me so much that I want to make him suffer a little and regain some face...
The two envoys proposed a contest, which suited their wishes perfectly!
"I have no problem with that, but I'm afraid it might embarrass my two younger brothers. After all, I'm an upright and pure person, how could I show off by stepping on my own brothers' honor? I simply can't bear to do that..."
Li Zhu's words infuriated the two princes, who thought to themselves, "You're so good at playing the good guy, talking like you're guaranteed to win..."
I find Li Zhu's self-important and condescending attitude, claiming to be acting in their best interests but actually just trying to elevate himself, utterly despicable...
"Your Majesty, you are mistaken. We, as your younger brothers, had no intention of overshadowing you. However, the envoys from Liao and Baiyue wish to witness the young talents of our New Tang Dynasty. Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will hold back and will not allow you to lose face too badly..."
The Second Prince's words placed him above Li Zhu, as if to say, "I've only been letting you off easy these past few days. Don't be ungrateful; if we really compete, you'll be the one who loses face..."
The Third Prince also took the opportunity to speak.
"The Crown Prince is the face of the nation. I never expected that my humble and low-key approach would be seen as useless by my elder brother. This truly saddens me. In order to prove the excellence of the young talents of our new Tang Dynasty to foreign nations, I have no choice but to make some changes today. If this offends my elder brother, please do not blame me..."
Both of them seemed to be speaking for Li Zhu's sake, but their words were practically saying, "Since you're so ungrateful, I'm going to slap you in the face today..."
Li Zhu hadn't expected that the visits from the Liao and Baiyue kingdoms would force the three brothers to confront each other directly. This was both a good thing and a bad thing. The good thing was that it would let the civil and military officials know that they might have chosen the wrong side. The bad thing was that Li Zhu would have to expose more things, which would significantly increase his risk level.
"Good... This is the kind of indomitable spirit that men of New Tang should embody. With three such outstanding sons, how can New Tang not become powerful..."
The emperor then spoke up, praising the three men as family in a single sentence. He implied that even their competition was merely a friendly exchange between brothers and would not affect the stability of the new Tang Dynasty, thus indicating that it had nothing to do with the struggle for the throne…
"Since Father Emperor doesn't object, I'm willing to have a martial arts match with the Crown Prince..."
The second prince stepped forward and said with a smile, which made everyone look at him with disdain. Anyone could see that Li Zhu had no talent for martial arts, and this was clearly an attempt to embarrass him...
"Then I'll have a poetry contest with my elder brother, and see who can compose the best verses in the shortest amount of time..."
The Third Prince immediately expressed his thoughts after the Second Prince finished speaking, clearly not wanting to give Li Zhu any chance to back out!
"I have no problem with that. Since my two younger brothers have already shared their thoughts, I'll reluctantly pose a question to liven things up a bit..."
Li Zhu chuckled, not taking his two younger brothers' desire to show off seriously. Having ideas is a good thing, but if it exceeds one's capabilities, it's just wishful thinking. He felt that his two adopted brothers were indeed daydreaming...
"Well then, in that case, let's start with a martial arts contest, then a literary contest, and finally the Crown Prince will set the questions..."
The emperor then spoke up, explaining that if Li Zhu lost the first two matches, there would be no point in having to compete in the third…
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
