Traveling through the Gaowu Tang Dynasty, Li Kuan and Li Shimin became the second sons of the Prince

“Master Yu… I’m mainly worried about you guys doing this… my father…” When His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu said this, he saw that Master Yu’s face was still calm, and he couldn’t help but said unhappily: “Okay, okay… Anyway, I’ll have to take the beating later…”

"You brat..." Seeing his disciple being as "loyal" as he was back then, Yu Shinan sighed helplessly: "Don't you think it's more appropriate for you to do this yourself rather than for us old guys to do it for you?"

"Yes," His Royal Highness the King of Chu saw that Master Yu finally understood his intention, so he admitted generously: "My father knows me, and I have informed him in advance, so even if I..."

When His Royal Highness the King of Chu said this, he suddenly stopped talking.

"Why don't you say anything?" Seeing that his disciple finally got the idea, Yu Shinan immediately said with a smile: "Your Highness, Prince of Chu, do you know what the problem is now?"

"My father...is not..." His Royal Highness Prince Chu was sweating all over now: "He really can't...right?"

"Everyone is just speculating about this now." Yu Shinan spoke in a calm tone, "But many ministers in this court believe that your majesty intends to use this incident to observe the reactions of the officials. The fact that your majesty has such an intention alone shows that... he has indeed thought about changing the crown prince..."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" His Royal Highness the King of Chu was really furious. "My elder brother... forget it, let's not talk about it, but this king... this tyrant doesn't know what kind of person I am? Isn't he afraid that I will lead my elder brother to rebel in the future?"

“You brat, stop saying these nonsense!” Yu Shinan saw that his disciple was about to go crazy again. He shook his head first, and then slowly said, “You little brat, you are still as impetuous as ever…Okay, let’s not talk about this today. I want to tell you a story about my study when I was young.”

"Then Master Yu...you speak..." His Royal Highness the King of Chu was indeed honest at this moment.

"When I was young, I studied under the great scholar Gu Yewang with my elder brother. At that time, there was a very sturdy maple tree in the backyard of your master's house.

Every autumn when the wind blows, maple leaves will soon cover the entire courtyard.

Your master's master likes this beautiful scenery very much, but his wife, your master's wife, does not like it.

So, I took turns with my brother and several other classmates to clean the courtyard for the teacher. Sometimes, when we were unlucky, the wind would not stop blowing. Then I could only hold the broom in one hand and the book in the other. When the wind blew, I would read. When the wind stopped, I would sweep the floor. Over time, I was favored by your master and he thought I was a promising person. "

"Hmm... Master Yu..." His Royal Highness the King of Chu felt that compared with his teacher's qualifications, he was probably not a promising talent: "I don't understand..."

"Later, sir, you met your other master, Master Zhiyong." Yu Shinan also knew that his disciple's comprehension was very good, except for the art of war, so he didn't say much about it. He just continued, "One day, when I was talking about this with your master Zhiyong, he said something that benefited me a lot and was quite profound.

He said that everyone in the world can actually be seen as a tree.”

"Master Yu, I'm even more confused, really." His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu felt that 98% of his brain might be damaged again. "You have been arguing with me for so long, are you trying to buy time so that my father can step up the defense of the palace? That's unnecessary... I am reckless, but I'm not stupid..."

"I think you are quite stupid now." Yu Shinan sighed after hearing this, and then said: "Some people in this world are gifted, some are mediocre, just like the difference between good and bad tree species; some are born into noble families, some are born into poverty, just like the fertile or barren land that breeds tree species; and this person's fate is like whether there is a good year when the tree grows, whether it is a severe drought, continuous floods, or good weather, it is luck and also fate."

“Master Yu, are you praising me in a roundabout way?” His Royal Highness the King of Chu now understood - he was the towering tree that grew up in peace and prosperity under the protection of his grandmother.

With the Imperial Grandmother, Li Kuan's fate was the best.

"Heh..." Seeing his disciple showing off again, Yu Shinan said helplessly, "That's not what I want to tell you now. I want to ask you: if I was studying under your Master Gu, and there weren't students like us cleaning the courtyard for him, would his wife still have kept the maple tree?"

boom!

At this moment, there seemed to be thunder in the mind of His Royal Highness the King of Chu: "No... Master Yu... you..."

"Brat, I have only realized one truth in my life." Yu Shinan sometimes felt that he was not qualified to be Li Kuan's most valued student. But since he thought he was not qualified, he should try his best to teach his talented student: "Let's take a tree as an example. Some trees that can grow into towering trees are not necessarily due to the quality of the tree species, the fertility of the soil, or the good weather over the years. They rely on four words-" Yu Shinan stared at his student at this moment, and said almost word by word: "Have, what, collect, collect!"

"Master Yu..." His Royal Highness the King of Chu opened his mouth to argue when he heard this.

"When the years are good, you should try to spread your roots and branches to compete for sunlight and nutrients. But when the years are bad, you should learn to store these nutrients. In order to conserve your energy, you should learn to let some of your branches wither. Only in this way can you safely get through those not-so-good years." Yu Shinan said this and suddenly pointed in the direction of the palace: "There is a towering tree growing over there. Next to the towering tree is a tall and straight small tree that will take over in the future. And you, my Highness the King of Chu, what kind of tree do you think you are now?"

"Master Yu...I am truly a wise king..." His Royal Highness the King of Chu felt extremely wronged.

"The struggle for power is always ruthless." Yu Shinan put his hand on Li Kuan's shoulder and said earnestly: "Child, in the final analysis, it is because Empress Taimu protected you too well, making you too naive about some things. If you continue like this... you will eventually be burdened by friendship! A leaf blinds you, a leaf blinds you..."