I am Li Shen and Li Shimin, the free kings of the Tang Dynasty

What Li Chengqian said is reasonable and logical, and no matter from which angle you analyze it, it is highly possible.

The Western Turks and Tubo had jointly launched an attack on important cities in Qinghai, and also sent a large army to ambush and kill Li Shimin along the way.

The assassination of the emperor has already torn apart the relationship.

The Western Turks had good reasons to do this.

After Li Chengqian finished speaking, he looked at Li Shimin with a very serious expression.

Li Shimin pondered for a moment and then said:

"Well, what you said makes sense. I will send someone to investigate the matter. You can just focus on the government affairs.

Also, don't overwork yourself and visit your mother more often when you have time.

Yesterday your mother said that you hadn't paid her respects for a long time."

"Yes, I am an unfilial son. I haven't visited my mother for a while."

Li Chengqian lowered his head and apologized.

However, Li Shimin did not notice that there was some inexplicable meaning in Li Chengqian's eyes.

"As for Lao Shi, you can rest assured that he is a smart man and he will not do anything he shouldn't do.

I also believe in my judgment. You don't have to be too wary of him. Just be careful not to let him get into big trouble.

He is of great use to you, and to me, the Li Tang Dynasty."

Li Shimin warned.

"Yes, I will remember Aye's teachings and treat my tenth brother well."

Li Chengqian nodded.

"Gao Ming, you may not understand what the benefits I am talking about are, but you will know in the future."

"Aye, I have experienced some things over the years."

Li Chengqian said.

"Oh? Tell me, are you talking about the money he gave you?"

Li Shimin asked in surprise.

Li Chengqian sorted out his thoughts and said:

"My dear father, money is only part of the story. I feel comfortable managing the government these past few years.

Moreover, some of the talents trained by Er successfully entered the court, and aristocratic families and princes and nobles all strongly supported Er.

At first I didn’t understand why, but later I slowly thought about it and realized it was all because of my tenth brother.”

Hearing Li Chengqian's words, Li Shimin burst into laughter:

“Hahahaha, you’re right, it’s all because of that bastard Old Ten.

I am glad that you can see through this.

At first, I was worried that you couldn't intimidate the officials and suppress the aristocratic families.

Although you have a strong character, you are not ruthless enough. To be an emperor, it is not enough to be kind and generous, you also have to be able to kill people.

I am very worried about you."

"So Aye used his tenth brother to restrain the officials." Li Chengqian added.

"It's not a distraction." Li Shimin shook his head: "The Tenth Master is not in the court, so he can't help you with political affairs.

So it is not about containment, but deterrence.

The tenth brother is as rich as a country, has strong financial resources, has businesses all over the Tang Dynasty, and has some talent.

He has both financial resources and talent, and I have always been very fond of him.

So those people were afraid. They were afraid that I would pass the throne to the tenth prince.

The Tenth Brother is a bastard, treacherous and cunning. He does things by any means necessary and has swindled countless wealth from princes and nobles over the years.

Especially the noble families who have suffered many losses at his hands, and now their power is not as strong as before.

They assassinated Lao more than a dozen times, and this hatred could not be resolved.

These people understood that if the Tenth Prince were allowed to sit on the throne, given the hatred between them, he would definitely uproot them.

That's why they will come closer to you, and fully supporting you is always better than letting the tenth one take the position.

When faced with two evils, they choose the lesser one. They naturally understand the pros and cons involved.

And this... is exactly what I want."

Li Chengqian was shocked. He didn't expect that what his father said about Li Shen being useful actually had such a deep meaning.

His father was so far-sighted that he had made this move so early.

Originally, he thought that Li Shen was used to restrain all officials, so Li Shen offended all the officials.

I didn't expect that it was not a restraint, but a deterrent.

To put it bluntly, Prince Ji is a common enemy, and no one wants Prince Ji to be emperor, so they all choose the crown prince.

"Aye, you are very far-sighted, and I admire you very much.

But it has been a bit hard for my tenth brother, as he has made countless enemies and is often plotted against by villains."

Li Chengqian bowed and thought of Li Shen who had just left him, and felt a little pity.

Li Shimin waved his hand and laughed, saying indifferently:

"Haha, you don't have to worry, do you think that rebellious son doesn't know this?

When he mocked the ministers in front of me, he was telling me that he had no intention of competing for the throne.

For this reason, he insulted the ministers several times in the court and even beat the court officials.

I know what he means. He wants to tell me that he wants to be a lone minister.

You may not know that the Duke of Shen, Gao Shilian, was angered to death by this rebellious son. "

"What? Duke Shen was..."

Li Chengqian was shocked when he heard this, his eyes widened with a look of disbelief.

He knew that his brother was infuriating and had strong fighting abilities, but wasn't he a little too strong?

He actually angered the Duke of Shen, Gao Shilian, to death. Although Gao Shilian was old and in poor health at the time, he shouldn't have been angry to death, right?

Seeing Li Chengqian's surprised expression, Li Shimin also knew that this matter was indeed unbelievable.

"Okay, just keep this to yourself, don't tell anyone else.

I tell you this so you know that Lao Shi is very smart and he knows what he should do.

In Lao Shi's words, it means putting yourself in the right position.

As long as he does nothing wrong, you should be kind to him. "

"Don't worry, Father. I will definitely treat my tenth brother well like you did. He is a treasure of our Li family."

Li Chengqian smiled and made a joke.

But I saw Li Shimin's face turned serious:

"Then you must always be on your guard against him, especially after you take over the treasury. Don't believe anything he says.

What I am most worried about is that he will cheat all the treasury in your hands.

This rebellious son has been coveting the treasury for a long time, and has been thinking about cheating me of my money all the time, so you should be more careful."

"Uh..." Li Chengqian looked speechless.

He thought he had to be on guard against something, but it turned out he was on guard against being cheated of his money by Li Shen.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. I will be careful. Besides, my tenth brother has never cheated me over the years. He has given me a lot of money."

Li Chengqian didn't care.

"Humph, that's because you're poor and have nothing worth him deceiving you."

Li Shimin snorted and gave his eldest son a critical hit, causing Li Chengqian to almost vomit blood.

There's no need to be so direct, right?

You are my biological father. As a father, you actually hit your own son like this.

"Ahem... Ahem... Father, I still have some government affairs to attend to. If you have nothing else, I will take my leave first."

Li Chengqian stood up. He had suffered a blow from his father and he had to go back to recuperate.

"Well, go ahead and concentrate on running the government, consult the three ministers, and go visit your mother."

Li Shimin nodded and gave some instructions.

"Son, take your leave." Li Chengqian bowed deeply and walked out.

After leaving the Dragon Palace, Li Chengqian frowned and murmured:

"It is true that even a tiger won't eat its own cubs."

As he said this, he went towards Lizheng Hall.