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

"Dad, can you please speak in a simple and straightforward manner?" His Royal Highness the King of Chu always felt that this incompetent monarch drank too much tiger bone wine during the New Year, which caused him to be confused now: "I... Alas! Alas! Alas! That was a slip of the tongue just now! What I mean is, Dad, can you try to speak more simply and directly so that your son can understand..."

"They will not do such a thing as to make Shan Xiongxin childless. But it is their duty to be loyal to me. Isn't it true that 'loyalty and righteousness are difficult to achieve at the same time'?" His Majesty Li II said, slowly putting down the belt he had just untied in his hand: "If you continue to be so disrespectful, Dad will let you know what cruelty is!"

"Why are you suddenly..." His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu touched his nose when he heard this and didn't continue.

But then, he saw his elder brother looking at him for help, so His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu got excited again: "Dad, let me and my elder brother handle this matter, you really don't have to worry about it."

"Your elder brother cannot leave Chang'an." Upon hearing this, Emperor Li II glanced at his son and said, "Of course, neither can you."

"Father..." His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is a man of gentle temperament.

"You tyrant! What right do you have? I am imprisoned in Chang'an, right?!" In comparison, His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu seemed much more enthusiastic.

"You are just bored in Chang'an and want to go to Hebei Province to be a bandit! Can't you see that as a father?!" Upon hearing this, Emperor Li II glanced at his second son, and then said to his eldest son who was hesitant to speak: "Cheng Qian, you are the crown prince, and the foundation of the country cannot be shaken. Do you understand?"

"Your son understands..." As soon as His Majesty Li II said this, Li Chengqian knew that his wish to go to Hebei Province to suppress bandits was completely shattered.

"Dad, what are you talking about..." Unlike the despair of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, after hearing his father's flawed words, His Royal Highness the King of Chu felt that he had too much room to play: "First of all, I am not a bandit. Secondly, I am also one of the country's leaders. Finally, Dad, don't misunderstand me. I went to Hebei to wipe out the horse bandits in Taihang Mountain! Of course, in addition to this, I also want to take my eldest brother and Li Huairen to see the world, so that they can come in handy when we fight Goguryeo in the future."

"You plan to have your elder brother follow you to fight Goguryeo in the future?" His Majesty Li Er was completely shocked by his own eldest son: "Little bastard, why didn't you ask your royal grandfather to accompany you on the expedition to Silla?!"

“Ah… my royal grandfather and the Queen of Silla?! Ah… father, this is not allowed… it’s a joke about ethics… no… an accident… ah… that’s not right… it’s still a joke… anyway, father, this is not allowed, this is not allowed…” His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu obviously knew how to anger his own tyrant father.

"What did you say, little brat?" His Majesty Li Er had now "forgot what happened in the beginning" and "forgot what happened in the end... also what happened in the end" - but he only remembered one thing now: "Hong San! Close the door!"

"Yes!" Hong San actually felt a little guilty at the moment - because on the New Year's Day, His Royal Highness the King of Chu gave him a very generous "red envelope"...

As the palace door was slammed shut with a creaky sound, His Royal Highness the King of Chu finally met his end.

Ah... that's not right...

With big brother around, how could I be in a desperate situation?

"Brother!" His Royal Highness the King of Chu began to call for nearby support.

"Father!" After His Royal Highness the Crown Prince came to his senses, he slid down on his knees and rushed towards His Majesty Li II.

"Cheng Qian, you fool! Get out of my way!" Emperor Li II was restrained by the "filial son's entanglement" on the ground.

"Father... Brother Kuan is just harsh in his words... Actually... Actually, I think he is right. There is nothing wrong with Brother Kuan going to Hebei Province to suppress bandits this time. It is time for young generals like Li Huairen and Cheng Chumo to gain experience! As for you saying that your son cannot leave Chang'an... Then your son will not leave Chang'an! But Brother Kuan... He is an eagle soaring in the sky, a tiger traversing mountains and rivers, and a dragon rising from the great swamp. He should not be confined to Chang'an..."

"..." When Emperor Li II heard his eldest son's heartfelt words, he felt a mixture of emotions.

No... Why didn't I have such a considerate elder brother back then...

And that bastard... is he worthy of these metaphors from Cheng Qian's mouth? !

"Wow..." His Majesty Li Er was overwhelmed with emotions, while His Royal Highness the King of Chu... He was only shocked by his elder brother's literary talent: "Brother, it seems that following those three old men for all these years is not useless..."

Look at the parallelism used here, the antithesis is neat, the idioms are appropriate, I...well...I feel very comforted!

"Shut up!" His Majesty Li II and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince suddenly shouted at His Royal Highness the King of Chu in unison.

then……

The father and son looked at each other: What can I say... At this moment, the tacit understanding between the emperor and the crown prince on how to deal with His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu's "jokes"... is really mysterious...

"Do you really want to go to Hebei Province?" After a long while, Emperor Li II looked at his son and said, "Just to get some military merit for Li Huairen? To prepare for him to be appointed a general and be granted a title of nobility in the future?"

"Dad..." His Highness the Prince of Chu didn't like the feeling that his little thoughts were seen through by His Majesty Li II: "It's not just this... Mainly... I want the Five Surnames and Seven Families to figure out who is the boss of the Tang Dynasty."

"Hmm... the 'person in charge' that His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu mentioned should be me, right?" When Emperor Li II knew that his son wanted to take action against the Five Surnames and Seven Families, his mood immediately improved a lot.

"Dad, the token of our Li family's patriarch...isn't it a ring?" As the saying goes, when masters fight, they always emphasize the unexpected, so His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu naturally would not respond to his father's move with a clumsy answer.

"No...you..." His Majesty Li Er was sweating profusely. "The ring is in your hand now?! Your royal grandfather gave it to you?!"

"Ah..." His Royal Highness Prince Chu suddenly regretted his previous boasting: "Well... Dad, how about you guess?"

"Do you want to guess whether your father will guess or not?" After saying this, Emperor Li Er winked at Hong San who was guarding the door.

“……”Hong San is really in a difficult situation now.

"Hey! Dad, don't let Hong San come over!" When His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu didn't know that Hong San had left room for him before, he could push him to the ground without any psychological burden. But now, not to mention that he can easily crush his good retainer - just because of the other person's kindness back then, His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu thought that he could no longer be cruel to him: "If you do this again, I will complain to mother and say that you secretly kept the red jade pendant given to you by the Queen of Jingjue..."

"How do you know it's the Queen of Jingjue..." His Majesty Li Er was halfway through his words when he suddenly looked down at Li Chengqian who was still hugging his thigh...

His Majesty Li Er couldn't hold it anymore...

"Ahem... Father..." After all, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had been influenced by His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu, so...

"Father, don't worry, I didn't hear anything today."

"..." His Majesty Li II looked at his eldest son who had suddenly become "well-behaved and sensible", and then looked at his son who was still stiffening his neck and glaring at him threateningly not far away...

Hmm...how should I put it...His Majesty Li Er wants to beat both of them now...