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

"Father..." As His Majesty Li II's voice fell, Li Chengqian slowly walked out from behind the screen: "Your Highness...Your Highness heard everything."

"Tell me, what do you think?" His Majesty Li II glanced at his eldest son, and seeing that he still had an expression on his face that showed he didn't know how to start, he shook his head helplessly, and then sat down at the desk leisurely: "Do you think I went too far this time?"

"Your son..." Li Chengqian knew that he could not avoid this question, so after hesitating for a moment, he slowly said: "Your son dare not judge the right and wrong of your father..."

"Heh..." His Majesty Li Er sneered at the words: "You answered my question in a roundabout way..."

"..." This time, Li Chengqian remained silent.

"..." His Majesty Li Er was also embarrassed now: Indeed, this person, sometimes he shouldn't make himself uncomfortable: "Okay, you are now almost the same as your brother..."

“Father…” Li Chengqian saw that his brother was about to take the blame for him, so he quickly said, “Brother Kuan…”

"That's enough!" Seeing that his honest eldest son was not getting the better of him, Emperor Li II simply brought up the subject himself: "Let me ask you, what do you think of this incident?"

"The Five Surnames and Seven Families must have secretly connected with some ministers in the court." Li Chengqian saw that his father seemed to be testing him, and his expression gradually became solemn: "Yin Hongzhi and Dou Fengjie, they don't remember the emperor's grace, don't think about serving the country, and spend their days in debauchery. Not only did they team up to set a trap for Brother Kuan. Father, I think that transferring Yin Hongzhi to Lingnan this time cannot be considered exile. And Dou Fengjie, he should not be the general of the Sixteen Guards."

"You kid... have you learned to play tricks on me now?" Emperor Li II looked at his eldest son, who was timid and stammering before, but immediately became eloquent and talkative when he mentioned "revenge" for his brother. He felt that the world had really changed: "Is this what I'm asking about?"

"Father, I think this matter is more important." This was probably the first time that Li Chengqian stood firm in front of his father: "The punishment you gave is too light. Yin Hongzhi and Dou Fengjie will definitely not remember this lesson. More importantly, this move may not scare the gang hiding in the dark."

"Yin Hongzhi is my brother-in-law after all." Upon hearing this, His Majesty Li II looked at Li Chengqian in surprise, and felt that the sun had really risen from the west today. "Besides, Dou Fengjie is your grandmother's nephew and my distant cousin. What's more, he has now married your aunt..."

"Father..." Li Chengqian was really angry now: "After all... you are afraid that Concubine Yin will be angry, and secondly, that Grandfather will be angry... but aren't you afraid that Brother Kuan will be angry? That boy holds a grudge... Besides, if you are worried that Grandfather will be angry because of this, why don't you tell him that Dou Fengjie offended Brother Kuan... Isn't it clear at a glance who is right and who is wrong, and how close they are..."

"Cheng Qian, I have discovered..." His Majesty Li II saw that he, as a dignified emperor, was forced into a corner by his usually honest son one day. This experience was quite novel to him: "Whenever it comes to your brother, the stubbornness that you never normally have really comes out all at once..."

"Father, I don't deny that I have selfish motives in this matter." Li Chengqian knelt down on the ground after hearing this: "But the premise of this selfish motive is that someone is trying to plot against my brother!"

"You two brothers... could it be that you really made an appointment in your last life to come together to collect debts from me in this life?" His Majesty Li II looked at the prince who was more skilled in kneeling and bowing than a barbarian, and he couldn't help but feel a little funny in his heart: "It's not that I don't want to settle this matter, but in the current situation, there is no way to settle it openly.

The Five Surnames and Seven Families have deep roots. Their clansmen, students, and old friends are all over the Tang Dynasty. From officials in the court to peddlers and hawkers, no one can say that they have completely cut off ties with them. "When His Majesty Li II said this, he suddenly looked deeply at his son who was silent at the moment: "If I want to solve these problems, I am afraid it will be difficult for me to do so. As for you... it depends on whether you can fight for it..."

"Father...Father?" Li Chengqian never expected that his father would actually...

"Do you think that I allowed your good brother to go out and fool around, and then leaked the news to Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng and others, because I had already thought about changing the crown prince and wanted to see their reactions?" His Majesty Li Er said as he stood up from his seat and slowly walked to Li Chengqian: "Chengqian, think about it again, is this really my plan?"

Emperor Li II's words made Li Chengqian ponder for a long time.

After a long while, he spoke tentatively: "Father, did this... so that I can see Brother Kuan's feelings? But I... have never..."

"If you have never had the slightest bit of insecurity and doubt, it would seem that you are not a qualified crown prince." Emperor Li II interrupted his son before he could finish his words: "Cheng Qian, sometimes people have all kinds of thoughts in their hearts, some of which seem very dark, but that doesn't matter. What really matters is your final choice."

"I have never thought of changing the crown prince," Li Chengqian thought seriously for a moment after hearing his father's words, and then said calmly, "If the person to be changed to the crown prince is someone else, I will naturally have objections, but if it is Brother Kuan... I have no objection."

"Why?" His Majesty Li Er, who once slaughtered the Xuanwu Gate with blood, couldn't believe it now. The third generation of the Li family could be so loving and affectionate. "You think that brat can wait until I am gone before passing the throne to you, right?! Or did that brat find out that I want to change the crown prince, and he turned around and helped you raise the flag of rebellion?!"

“No, father… I have absolutely no such idea… Besides, how could Brother Kuan be like this… Um… Father… Brother Kuan shouldn’t be like this… Never mind… I don’t know what to say…” No matter how honest Li Chengqian was, he realized that his father was angry, but… considering the current situation of himself and Brother Kuan, he still explained with a stiff upper lip: “What I mean is that as long as Brother Kuan is here, none of us, his brothers and sisters, will have to worry about our present and future—because Brother Kuan will never let any of his brothers and sisters be bullied, unless, of course, he is the one who bullies others, and that bastard will only bully us brothers. But… the reason why that bastard is like this is that he just doesn’t know how to express his love for his brothers…”

"The content of your description... is not only rigorous, but also quite comprehensive, huh?" His Majesty Li II was really amused: "Good, good, good... It turns out that His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu is so popular in the palace..."