Chapter 2: Li Er, an Incompetent Father

Chapter 2: Li Er, an Unfit Father

“Could it be… could it really be that I am the one who ruined Chengqian?” Li Shimin fell into self-doubt. To be fair, he might not be the best father, but his love for his sons was genuine—granted, only for those born of Empress Zhangsun.

Just look: when Li Chengqian rebelled, Li Er, risking his own dignity, still begged the ministers to spare the unruly child’s life. Try swapping him for Liu Che—if Liu Ju rebelled, or even if he didn’t, it would have ended with the chopping block.

“Let’s talk about those pests you surrounded him with,” Li Qing sucked his teeth, finding the system’s information rather distasteful. “Li Chengqian merely tried to build a house, and Yu Zhining submitted a memorial criticizing his extravagance; Chengqian played with eunuchs, Yu Zhining criticized him again, even comparing him to the Second Emperor of Qin.”

“And this one’s even heavier: whenever Kong Yingda sensed Chengqian was out of line, he would immediately admonish him. The Crown Prince’s wet nurse, Lady Suian, once advised Kong Yingda that the Prince was already grown, and it wasn’t appropriate to constantly chastise him in person, but Kong Yingda declared, ‘I have no regrets if I die for this,’ which only made his admonitions harsher, and Chengqian couldn’t accept them…”

“But he is the Crown Prince! The future emperor of the Tang! He should be open-minded and receptive to advice!” Li Shimin tried to defend his own dignity.

“Brother Li, sigh… Think back to when Wei Zheng pointed at your nose and cursed you—what did you say to the Empress?” Li Qing sighed, seeing clearly how Li Er’s thinking mirrored that of a typical parent.

“I must kill that old rustic!” Li Shimin, recalling Wei Zheng’s manner, answered through clenched teeth.

“There you have it,” Li Qing slapped his thigh. “You’re already at your age and can barely bear it, let alone Chengqian, who isn’t even twenty yet? At the height of adolescence and rebellion, it’s only natural for his mind to warp after such treatment…”

“With these pests around, how could the Crown Prince’s education possibly go well?” Li Qing added.

Li Shimin wasn’t a fool; he merely lacked awareness of Chengqian’s specific situation and psychological pressures. Now, with Li Qing’s guidance, he finally began to understand.

“No more hesitation. I must strike hard!” Li Shimin snarled, already marking circles around the Crown Prince’s tutors in his mind.

“That’s more like it!” Li Qing agreed, then shifted the topic, “Actually, those three are only half the problem; the real force that crushed Prince Chengqian was you, my brother Li…”

“Me?” Li Shimin’s brows shot up, but before he could react, Li Qing placed the sword blade against his own neck again.

This nearly gave Li Shimin internal injuries from suppressed anger.

*Gained 1000 emotion points*

“I know you’re anxious, but don’t be,” Li Qing lowered his hand, gazing sincerely at Li Shimin, his eyes as innocent as a snow leopard. “The truth is, you are at fault. You’re a good emperor, but not a good father.”

“How am I not a good father?” Li Shimin growled, furious at Li Qing’s outrageous claims.

“You practiced balancing even on your sons. Tell me, is that being a good father?” Li Qing looked at him with contempt. “You gave Chengqian the position of Crown Prince, then fed Li Tai wild fantasies, even showed greater favoritism to Li Tai, allowing him to stay in the capital without holding office. How could Chengqian not overthink it?”

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“I can’t even favor my own sons?” Li Shimin snorted coldly.

“Your father must’ve enjoyed playing you and your eldest brother against each other…”

A loud slap, and in a flash, Li Shimin shot up, shouting, “Guards!”

A squad of armored soldiers rushed in, their swords and spears gleaming, all pointed at Li Qing.

“Seize this traitor! Distur—” Li Shimin stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing that, though Li Qing’s words were frustrating, they made sense. He waved his hand, “Take him away, put him in the Imperial Prison.”

“Wait!” Li Qing panicked; he had no wish to languish in such a filthy place—the system only guaranteed his survival, not his comfort or freedom from rats. “Don’t you want to know what happens next?”

Of course Li Shimin wanted to know, but he caught another meaning in Li Qing’s words—the man wasn’t afraid of death, but certainly didn’t want to go to the Imperial Prison.

With that thought, he sat back on the dragon throne, leisurely saying, “Suddenly, I don’t want to know anymore… Take him away!”

Guards moved to escort Li Qing. Li Qing gave Li Shimin a venomous look, then turned to leave.

Well, I won’t serve you anymore.

Now it was Li Shimin’s turn to be stunned. He had only intended to scare Li Qing into learning some restraint, but hadn’t expected the young man to be so unafraid.

Watching Li Qing approach the door, he called out, “Enough, leave him here, the rest of you go.”

“Yes!” The guards released Li Qing and left the hall.

“If, as you say, Chengqian was demoted to commoner, who became the next Crown Prince? Was it Qingque?” Li Shimin asked.

Li Qing sat back down, grinning at Li Shimin. “Guess?”

“Besides Chengqian, the son I favor most is Qingque. If I had to choose, it would surely be him.” Li Shimin sighed.

“In fact, it wasn’t him. If I remember correctly, you initially thought so too, but one remark from Li Tai made you abandon that idea,” Li Qing said leisurely.

“What remark?”

“After Chengqian was deposed, Li Tai told you that if he ascended the throne, after a hundred years he would kill his own son and pass the crown to Li Zhi…” Li Qing shook his head, sighing, “What puzzles me most is that you actually believed him, and moved by his words, promised to make him Crown Prince. If it weren’t for Chu Suiliang exposing his lie, you would have named Li Tai.”

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“I would actually believe that?” Li Shimin was incredulous. He didn’t think himself a simpleton, so how could he have been so easily deceived?

“Those involved can’t see clearly. Now I’m narrating from another perspective, and you’re observing from outside the situation—it’s natural to think it’s foolish.” Li Qing was blunt. “Imagine it: if your chubby son cuddled up to you, pleading to kill his own child and pass the throne to his brother, wouldn’t you be moved?”

“Then tell me, if I didn’t choose Gaoming or Qingque, who would inherit the throne?” Li Shimin’s hawk-like gaze locked onto Li Qing as he threw out a curveball. “Could it be Li Ke? Hmm… That child does resemble me.”

Li Qing easily detected the trap in Li Shimin’s words and scoffed, “Forget it, brother Li. Your choice for Crown Prince could only be among your three legitimate sons. To protect Chengqian and Li Tai, you ultimately chose the gentler Li Zhi.”

“Zhinu?” Li Shimin’s brows furrowed, recalling the snot-nosed boy who used to cry for his mother. He began to doubt everything: “You mean Zhinu ended up on the throne?”

“Of course. Li Zhi actually did quite well; he mastered both inner virtue and outer rulership. But there were things… well, best left unsaid. Brother Li, with your high blood pressure, I might send you off if I speak too much.” Li Qing looked at Li Er with sympathy. Then again, as the saying goes: thin horse, long hair, fat hooves. A son stealing from his father isn’t really theft—it’s just keeping wealth within the family…

“Go on, I can handle it.” Li Shimin took a deep breath.

“Let’s not, brother Li—your health isn’t good. What if you get angry and something happens?” Li Qing thought: if you hear too much at once, it won’t hit as hard—I need to up the intensity!

“I’ll take you to see the court of Emperor Gaozong in a decade or so, and you’ll understand.” Seeing Li Er’s confusion, Li Qing smiled and explained, “Gaozong is your son Li Zhi’s temple name.”

“You… you can take me through time?!” Li Shimin was dumbfounded, staring skeptically at the unremarkable, only somewhat handsome Li Qing… Could this young man really be an immortal?

When Li Qing nodded, anticipation burned in Li Shimin’s eyes. For a sovereign of such talent and vision, who had achieved nearly everything an emperor could, his only lingering anxiety was about what came after. Now, given the chance to witness the future glory of the Tang, how could he not be tempted?

“Let’s go.” Li Qing snapped his fingers, and the two vanished from the hall.

Outside the hall, a youthful voice rang out.

“Eunuch Wang, is my father inside?”

“Your Highness, His Majesty has ordered that none may enter without summons.”

“Very well. Then I shall wait here for my father.”

(End of chapter)