In the 17th year of Zhenguan, the morning court session at the Daming Palace in Chang'an
Hundreds of ministers stood there in obedience. The ambitious Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, was angrily scolding the Crown Prince Li Chengqian. He really couldn't tolerate this son. In the past, he kept male favorites and killed his teachers and brothers. Today, the Goguryeo army invaded the border, and Li Chengqian, who had been regent for several years, could not come up with a solution. What was the use of this crown prince?
"As the Crown Prince, you are unable to share your father's worries, nor can you contribute to the country. You have also made the entire Eastern Palace a mess. I will depose you today..."
In the end, Li Shimin found that he could not confess many of his sins and was so angry that he was shaking all over. People say that a hero's son will be a hero, but this son is worse than a bear and not at all like me. He wanted to depose the prince immediately. Suddenly, a man flashed out from behind the prince. Who is this kid?
"Wait, why did you destroy my father?"
The person who spoke was the emperor's eldest grandson Li Xiang, who was only thirteen years old, a child who had never been seen by everyone.
The entire court had long known that the Crown Prince would be deposed today, so no one was surprised. However, the words of the Emperor's eldest grandson left everyone stunned. "What gives you the right to speak?" And you sounded questioning?
Including Li Shimin, everyone looked at this thirteen-year-old child in shock. If the crown prince had not been deposed today, he would not even be qualified to enter the palace. How could he dare to say so shamelessly...
Li Xiang was also extremely nervous at this moment. He certainly knew that openly holding the emperor accountable was a capital crime in feudal society, but he had to do so because he had no choice.
Fifteen minutes ago, he had traveled through time and space to this person's body. Upon learning his true identity, he nearly peed himself. This should have been his last chance. If he didn't seize it, his father, Li Chengqian, would be demoted to a commoner, and he too would be exiled to Qianzhou, becoming a commoner at the mercy of others. What would his uncles, Li Tai, Li Ke, and Li Zhi, do? Of course, strangle them both to death as soon as possible.
With the status of an emperor's grandson, he could enjoy all the splendor and wealth, bully men and women on the street, and marry ten or eight wives. But if the crown prince was deposed, where would the emperor's grandson come from? Furthermore, eight minutes ago, the system activated, and that fateful mission... He had to protect Li Chengqian's position as crown prince.
System task: Prevent the Crown Prince Li Chengqian from being deposed. Success will reward you with three thousand Snow Dragon Riders. Failure will result in death and reduction to ashes.
Li Xiang never expected that other people's tasks were progressing slowly, but his own task was so fierce and dangerous, a matter of life and death, so he had no room for choice. Even if he risked being beheaded, he had to bite the bullet and do it. He was betting that Li Shimin still had a deep affection for him, after all, he was his first grandson, right?
In this body's memories, he was Taizong's eldest grandson. When he was born, Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun held a grand banquet for all the officials in Linhua Palace. All the civil and military officials above the third rank of the imperial court were present. What a scene...
His childhood memories are also filled with Li Shimin's favor for him, but unfortunately, this prince father was too capable and gradually lost favor, and even he, the eldest grandson of the emperor, fell out of favor.
“Bold…”
"Of course I wouldn't have dared to scold the emperor's son and grandson like this before," the eunuch Wang De said in a hoarse voice. "But your father will soon cease to be the crown prince, so how can you still be the emperor's grandson?" Besides, the emperor just frowned, so this was an opportunity to avenge Li Chengqian's whipping of him at the Meridian Gate. He would never forget it.
"Get out of my way, who do you think you are? The Tang Dynasty still has the surname Li. Do you think you have a say? Even if I am demoted to a commoner, I am still far more noble than you. I have royal blood. My ancestors were from the Longxi Li clan. My great-grandfather started an army in Jinyang, my grandfather conquered the world, and my father took over the government at the age of fourteen. What do you think?"
Although he was only thirteen years old, when Li Xiang spoke, he exuded a domineering aura from inside out, as if he was about to give orders to the world.
The entire court was shocked. Wang De was a favorite of the emperor, and even the empress had to win him over. You are so arrogant, don’t you want to get rid of this trouble?
But after a closer look, there was nothing wrong with what Li Xiang said. How could a eunuch have the guts to scold the emperor's grandson? Fang Xuanling and the others focused their attention on him, their eyes flickering.
Li Shimin's expression changed instantly, the corners of his mouth curled up. "My descendants are indeed much more noble than others. The Longxi Li family is a prominent family with a thousand-year-old heritage. They have no relationship with Li Shimin. Li Shimin claimed it himself. Don't we, a time traveler, know how to tickle the emperor's itch?" By the way, mentioning the merits of the ancestors, and being so righteous, especially when Li Shimin conquered the world and the prince was in his teens attending court, not only made Li Shimin happy, but also gave him some fond memories of Li Chengqian.
Looks like, so much like...
Emperor Taizong on the throne seemed to be sleepwalking at this moment. The boy in front of him was so similar to himself back then, brave and daring to do anything.
When I look at Li Chengqian, I don't hate him so much anymore. My son has good intentions, but he was led astray by the people around him. When I think about it, eunuchs are the worst...
Snap…
The eunuch chief Wang De was beaten!
The sword-wielding guard beside Li Shimin slapped him!
Wang De is the most useful person to the Emperor. How could the guards with swords dare to attack without the Emperor's approval? This blow made the corner of his mouth bleed. Full force!
At this moment, the old man broke out in a cold sweat and immediately knelt down. His Royal Highness the Emperor was right. The Tang Dynasty belonged to the Li family. If the Emperor disliked what he had just done, then this head...
Fortunately, Li Shimin's attention was not on him, otherwise he would have been beheaded by now. Changsun Wuji and others frowned. Has the wind direction changed?
Even Wang De, that old dog, got beaten.
Crown Prince Li Chengqian was so frightened that he almost lost his soul. His son was usually timid, so had he become so bold today?
Although he was not Li Chengqian's legitimate son, he was his first son, so he was naturally extremely doted on. Now he was so scared that his whole body was shaking.
I, your father, wouldn't even dare to raise my head when I saw your grandfather, and you actually dared to ask him why he deposed me as the Crown Prince? Son! Did you drink before going to court? How much did you drink? How many dishes did you have?
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty. Xiang'er is still young and doesn't understand the etiquette of court. I failed to teach him well, and I accept all the blame..."
Li Chengqian was about to be deposed anyway. One more crime or one less crime would not matter, but his son must not be in danger. He was only thirteen years old.
This is a little different from history. In history, Li Chengqian was deposed after rebelling, but here he was discovered just as he was about to rebel, so the rift between father and son was not that big.
But Li Shimin didn't look at him. In Li Shimin's opinion, this son was useless, but this grandson...
"What did you just say? Why did I depose your father? Why do you say so?"
Li Shimin was not displeased by Li Xiang's rudeness. Instead, a door opened in his heart. He was already troubled by the issue of succession. This kid was very much like himself back then. He was a promising young man and he had to be carefully tested. If he really had great talent, he would be only one character away from being the eldest grandson of the royal family.
When Li Xiang heard Li Shimin's question, he was confused for a moment. He had just traveled through time for more than ten minutes, so how could he know what had happened inside?
"Your Majesty, my eldest brother has been busy selecting beautiful women and men lately. The officials of the Eastern Palace haven't seen you for three days. I guess you haven't reported the situation of the Goguryeo war to them. That's why I didn't respond. I hope your Majesty will forgive me."
Prince Li Tai of Wei said insidiously that although the two were brothers from the same father and mother, they had already torn their faces apart for the throne. It seemed that he was pleading for Li Chengqian, but in fact he was kicking him when he was down. As the second son of Li Shimin, once Li Chengqian was deposed, the position of Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty would be his. He must not let Li Shimin change his mind about Li Chengqian. The sin that Li Shimin had not mentioned just now should be mentioned. Playing with women is not a big deal for royal children, but you and men... hehe...
Li Xiang then understood that Li Shimin's eastern expedition to Goguryeo had failed this year, and the Goguryeo army had recently caused trouble on the border. Li Shimin asked his sons in the court. Although the answers of his other sons were not satisfactory, they were better than Li Chengqian who remained silent and trembling.
In addition, evidence of Li Chengqian's rebellion was recently discovered. With all the bad things happening, Li Shimin was furious and wanted to depose the prince. Unexpectedly, Li Xiang boldly contradicted him.
"Your second uncle's answer is my answer. Your father is immoral and incompetent, unable to help me share my worries. How can he be qualified to stay in the Eastern Palace for a long time?"
Anyone could see that, although Li Shimin's words still had a hint of sharpness, his tone had softened considerably. However, looking at Li Tai, he almost wanted to punch him. "I can't even bring myself to speak of your brother's affairs with other men, and you're saying it out loud in front of the entire court. Don't you have any shame? I'll settle the score with you later."
Prince Wei Li Tai's heart skipped a beat when he saw his father's look. He'd thought he could bring down his eldest brother today, but had things changed? This brat? No way, my father always dotes on me. The crown prince must be mine, mine...
After hearing this, Li Xiang felt relieved. If it was something else, he might not be able to get a say, but when it comes to this matter, he can handle it easily.
"My father has recently caught a cold, and coupled with the injustices he has suffered from certain ill-intentioned individuals, it's only natural that he has forgotten his plans for dealing with border threats in his anxiety. In fact, my father already had a good plan for pacifying Goguryeo."
Seeing that Li Xiang was not afraid of danger, Li Shimin's eyes showed admiration. Regardless of whether this plan works or not, this kind of composure is not something that ordinary people have. He is truly worthy of being my, Li Shimin's grandson.
"Li Xiang, do not speak nonsense in the court. No one in the court has a plan to pacify Goguryeo. If you try to gain popularity, beware that your grandfather will punish you for disrespect. I understand wanting to save your father's heart, but lying is a crime. If you don't have a good plan, you and your son will be guilty of deceiving the emperor and will be beheaded in public. Why don't you apologize and kneel down to the side, and don't let the court officials laugh at you."
Li Tai instantly pushed the father and son to the edge of the cliff. The meaning of his words was clear. If you don't tell the truth, you and your son will both be sentenced to death. If you tell the truth, no one in the court is better than you. Even if you have a good plan, you will offend the ministers and dig a good trap. Are you saying that I have ulterior motives? I will kill you, kid.
Li Xiang looked at his second uncle with disgust. It’s not your turn even if my father is deposed. You have no sophistication at all. You are an idiot and can’t understand which way the wind is blowing.
Li Xiang looked up and saw Li Shimin's murderous yet smiling face. Li Xiang also felt that this was no joke. In the hall of hundreds of square meters, hundreds of civil and military officials were waiting! The lives of father and son hung by a thread.