Chapter 28 Father and Son's Face Breaks
In the spring and summer of the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, the Tang Dynasty was bathed in an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. The northern borders were tranquil, and all nations came to pay tribute. Li Shimin's reputation as the "Heavenly Khan" was at its zenith. However, beneath this prosperous scene, the Da'an Palace was like a forgotten island, permeated with an ever-decreasing resentment and unwillingness to accept its fate.
Li Yuan's chronic headaches, compounded by age and emotional distress, became increasingly frequent and severe. The best imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital were helpless, and the pills prepared by alchemists only worsened his condition. The only thing that seemed to offer relief was the "Heart-Clearing and Pain-Relieving Powder" formula left by Wang Yi, along with her method of combining acupressure and psychological counseling. However, Li Yuan's hatred for Wang Yi had already seeped into his very bones. He would rather groan in agony on his bed, banging his head against the wall for relief, than touch anything related to Wang Yi—including the medicine prepared according to her old formula, even if it was indeed effective.
Li Shimin was not unaware of his father's illness and had personally delivered medicine or sent trusted imperial physicians to him several times. He even subtly suggested that the "Master with some medical knowledge" at Qixia Garden take a look (he naturally dared not mention Wang Yi's name, referring to him only as "Master"). Each time, it was like adding fuel to the fire. Li Yuan would either smash the medicine bowl on the ground or point at the person who delivered the medicine and hurl insults at them, his language always revolving around "wicked woman," "bitch," and "fox spirit who bewitched the emperor and father."
"Get her out! Let her die! Even if it hurts me to death, I won't let that vile woman defile my mouth!" Li Yuan's hoarse roars often pierced the tightly closed doors of the Da'an Palace. His hatred for Li Shimin burned fiercely because of the loss of his imperial power and his confinement there; while his hatred for Wang Yi was mixed with the humiliation of being "betrayed" (he always believed that Wang Yi should have belonged to him, that Li Shimin had seduced his woman), resentment at his son "stealing someone else's love," and an inexplicable, twisted obsession born of unrequited desire. Wang Yi became the most concrete and hateful projection of all his failures and pain.
Li Shimin initially managed to endure it. He understood his father's resentment and felt guilty towards him for failing his father in the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Each time he went to the Da'an Palace to pay his respects (mostly as a formality), he faced Li Yuan's veiled and sarcastic insults, especially the vile words that slandered Wang Yi. He forcibly suppressed his anger, responding with silence or changing the subject. He constantly told himself that this was the filial duty a son should fulfill, and also a necessary price to pay for stabilizing the court and maintaining his image of "benevolence and filial piety."
However, patience has its limits, especially given his current success and deep affection for Wang Yi. Each of Li Yuan's insults felt like a poisoned needle, piercing his most vulnerable spot. He could not tolerate anyone slandering Wang Yi in this way, not even his own father.
The conflict was sparked by a "family banquet" that Li Shimin attempted to use to ease tensions. It was the Dragon Boat Festival, and Li Shimin thought that perhaps by taking advantage of the festival, the retired emperor could see his grandchildren (mainly the princes and princesses born to Empress Zhangsun) and alleviate his frustration. He specifically ordered that the banquet be held in a side hall of the Da'an Palace, at a very high standard, and that the princes and princesses all bow respectfully.
At the beginning of the banquet, the atmosphere was barely maintained. Li Yuan looked at his children and grandchildren, but his eyes showed little warmth, only a cold indifference. After a few rounds of drinks, whether it was the torment of illness or the effects of the alcohol, Li Yuan's gaze swept across the hall and suddenly settled on a young eunuch standing not far behind Li Shimin—the eunuch's features bore a resemblance to the aloof temperament of Wang Yi when he first entered the palace.
Li Yuan's cloudy old eyes flashed with venomous resentment. He slammed the golden cup in his hand to the ground with a jarring sound. The entire hall fell silent, and the singing and dancing abruptly stopped.
"Ha... What a fine display of filial piety and family bliss." Li Yuan laughed hoarsely, his voice like that of an owl. "My good son, you killed your own brother and imprisoned your own father, and now you put on this act of filial piety. Who are you putting on this show for?"
Li Shimin's face darkened: "Father, today is a festive day. Your son has brought his children and grandchildren to reunite with you. Why do you say such a thing?"
"Reunion?" Li Yuan scoffed, his finger trembling as he pointed at Li Shimin. "You're here to show off, aren't you? Show off that you've secured your throne, show off your many descendants? Oh, right, you also show off that you stole my woman, keeping her as a precious treasure in some lousy Taoist temple! What, you didn't bring that 'Guardian of the Nation'—bah! That vixen—today, so I could test her skills in bed and see how she bewitched my wise and mighty emperor son, making him abandon all moral principles!"
"Father!" Li Shimin abruptly stood up, his face ashen. "Please watch your words! Master Wang is a hermit who has rendered meritorious service to the country, and moreover..."
"And she's your precious darling, isn't she?" Li Yuan interrupted him, his eyes filled with malicious mockery. "What kind of hermit is she? She's nothing but a vixen of unknown origin! If it weren't for Jiancheng and Yuanji's meddling back then, sending her to my side, she would have been mine long ago! You? You're nothing but someone who picked up your brother's and my old man's leftovers..."
"Enough!!!" A thunderous roar echoed through the hall. Li Shimin's eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead. The anger he had suppressed for days, the heartache over Wang Yi's humiliation, and the indignation at his father's unreasonable behavior erupted like a volcano. He no longer cared about filial piety or the dignity of the imperial family.
"Li Jiancheng? Li Yuanji?" Li Shimin's voice trembled with extreme anger, yet it was icy cold. "They don't even deserve it! From beginning to end, the person Wang Yi was looking for was me, Li Shimin! It was she who gave me the map of the world, it was she who saved me in my time of need! It was Li Jiancheng, it was his jealousy, it was those two scoundrels, Li Yuanji, who used such despicable means to force her into the harem in order to hurt me! They are the real culprits! They ruined her reputation, forcing her...forcing her..." He recalled the tragic state of Wang Yi's "miscarriage," his heart aching, his voice even more stern, "As for you, Father—"
He took a step closer, his gaze sharp as a knife, staring directly into Li Yuan's shocked and resentful eyes: "You keep saying that Wang Yi should be yours? When you brought her into the harem, was it really because of some kind of 'divine destiny'? Or was it because you had other intentions? A woman old enough to be your granddaughter (well, that's a beautiful misunderstanding; Wang Yi looks young, and no one ever asked her actual age, so everyone assumed she was in her early twenties.), you forcibly kept her by your side, giving her the title of concubine—isn't that coveting her? Isn't that a disgrace to the Li family?!"
These words completely tore away the last veil of pretense between father and son. Li Yuan, trembling with rage at his son's blunt rebuke and exposure of his hidden thoughts, pointed at Li Shimin and cried out, "You...you rebellious son! You murdered your brothers, forced your father to abdicate, and now you dare to be so disobedient! Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?!"
"Struck by lightning?" Li Shimin sneered, his smile filled with grief and resolute determination. "My actions, Li Shimin, are without shame before Heaven and man! Everything I have done is for the sake of this Tang Dynasty, for the sake of the people! As for the 'retribution' you speak of—" He paused, his tone becoming unusually sharp, "If there truly is retribution, then it should fall upon those who, for their own selfish gain, disrupt the court and persecute the innocent! You now enjoy your honor and luxury here, yet you spend your days cursing, cursing your own son, cursing those who have rendered meritorious service to the Tang Dynasty. Is this the way of a ruler and a father?!"
"You...you..." Li Yuan's blood rushed to his head, his head throbbed with pain, his vision blurred, and he could barely breathe. He could only hoarsely curse, "Fine! Very well! Li Shimin, remember what you said today! You will be punished! You will end up like me, desolate in your old age, abandoned by all! Your sons will fight to the death for this throne, their blood flowing like rivers! That woman you cherish now, haha, just wait and see, your own sons might one day covet her just like you coveted your father's woman! This is your retribution! The Li family's retribution!!"
This vicious curse, like the coldest venom, was splashed across the magnificent palace. All the princes, princesses, palace servants, and eunuchs were terrified, their faces ashen, kneeling on the ground, trembling. Empress Zhangsun, pale-faced, wanted to step forward to dissuade them, but didn't know how to begin.
Li Shimin stood there, his chest heaving violently, listening to his father's curse that seemed to come from hell. A chill ran through him, yet an unnamed fire burned within him. He knew that after this day, the already meager bond between him and his father was completely severed. All that remained was naked resentment and confrontation.
He glanced one last time at Li Yuan, who was almost collapsed on the throne. His eyes were filled with complex emotions: anger, determination, and an indescribable sorrow. Then, he turned abruptly, flicked his sleeves, and left without looking back.
"Return to the palace!" A cold voice echoed outside the hall.
That meticulously prepared family banquet ended in discord, becoming a deep and menacing rift in the once-prosperous Zhenguan era. Li Yuan's vicious curse, like an ominous shadow, loomed over Li Shimin's heart, seemingly foreshadowing the inescapable bloody cycle within the highest echelons of this glorious empire for decades to come. Wang Yi, at the center of this storm of public opinion, upon hearing the news at Qixia Garden, remained silent for a long time, gazing in the direction of Da'an Palace, and sighed softly. The inertia of history is indeed terrifyingly powerful. What was destined to happen, had finally arrived.
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