Chapter

Li Chengqian had helped Zhangsun Wuji in the hope that, in return, the latter would assist him in his quest to be reinstated as the Crown Prince. After all, given how highly Li Shimin regarded Zhangsun Wuji, the latter’s words carried significant weight.

However, after gaining a single chance to use his mind-reading ability, Li Chengqian had learned Li Shimin’s true intentions. His father did indeed intend to reinstate him as Crown Prince, but not immediately; he wanted to wait and observe Li Chengqian for a period of time. Yet, Li Chengqian could not afford to wait, nor did he know how long this period would last. Unwilling to gamble, he changed his strategy to win over the Retired Emperor, Li Yuan.

At this point in time, Li Yuan had not yet been completely sidelined by Li Shimin. He still held considerable influence within the court, and this influence compelled Li Shimin to consider his opinions. This was precisely why Li Shimin had taken the initiative to consult him regarding the reduction of rewards. It was for this reason that Li Chengqian believed persuading Li Yuan to advocate for his reinstatement would be more reliable than having Zhangsun Wuji whisper in Li Shimin’s ear.

Little did he dream, however, that Zhangsun Wuji would sell him out just to secure the position of Right Chancellor. Although this was not entirely a bad thing for Li Chengqian—after all, Zhangsun Wuji had made his stance clear. Even if it did not mean much now, what about the future? What about after he became Crown Prince? One must realize that in the middle and later years of the Zhenguan reign, Zhangsun Wuji’s influence over Li Shimin would more than double.

Only Li Chengqian knew this; no one else, including Empress Zhangsun or the little fatty Li Tai, could understand it. As Zhangsun Wuji declared his intent to help Li Chengqian return to his position as Crown Prince, the atmosphere in the outer hall fell into a heavy silence. It was not until the sound of the night watchman’s bell drifted from outside the palace that Empress Zhangsun recovered from her shock. Looking at Zhangsun Wuji with complex eyes, she asked, "Can you tell me how Chengqian helped you?"

"My dear sister, it is not that I do not wish to tell you, but doing so would be deceiving the Emperor. I cannot do that," Zhangsun Wuji replied with a bitter smile.

Empress Zhangsun frowned and fell silent once more. She knew her eldest son was no longer the same as he used to be, and she knew he had more and more ideas of his own. As a mother, these changes left her feeling both gratified and anxious—gratified that he had become sensible, yet anxious that he might get into trouble. After all, the more ideas one had, the greater the chance of making a mistake.

"Sister, you must have noticed it too—Chengqian has changed. I feel as if I see the young Emperor in him: not only does he have ideas and ability, but he is also daring. Must we really give up on such a child?" Seeing Empress Zhangsun’s brow furrow ever tighter, Zhangsun Wuji sighed. "As elders, are we truly less insightful than a child?"

"This..." Hearing this, Empress Zhangsun suddenly remembered the 'three types of filial piety' that Li Chengqian had spoken of. If he could distinguish 'filial piety' so clearly, it showed he was a person of refined thought. He should be aware of the disastrous consequences of interference by maternal relatives. Perhaps by secretly helping Wuji, he was betting that Wuji would not follow the same old path of history? After all, if he were to become Emperor, the negative consequences of such interference would affect him as well!

With this thought, Empress Zhangsun suddenly felt that it might be worth a try. If Wuji could truly, as he promised, assist the Emperor in governing the world and later assist Chengqian, then why should she stop him from becoming Right Chancellor? Besides, taking a step back: if Wuji truly had the intention to interfere, she was younger than him and would surely outlive him; she could stop him then!

"Brother, I agree to you becoming Right Chancellor, but once Chengqian becomes Crown Prince, you must step down and yield the position to someone else!" This was Empress Zhangsun’s bottom line, a small piece of selfishness for the sake of her son. After all, she was a mother; she could not ignore her son for the sake of some grand moral principle.

"Yes, yes, yes, I promise you, sister!" Zhangsun Wuji agreed readily, thinking to himself that he had no intention of being Right Chancellor forever anyway. His nephew had told him he would rank among the Three Ducal Ministers; what was a mere Right Chancellor compared to that?

"You..." Empress Zhangsun had not expected such a quick agreement, leaving her momentarily stunned. She heard Zhangsun Wuji laughingly reassure her: "Sister, don't overthink it. We depended on each other for all those years, and haven't I always listened to you? Do you still not trust me?"

"Hmm..." Empress Zhangsun nodded hesitantly, recalling the years they had spent boarding at their uncle Gao Shilian’s home. Although Zhangsun Wuji was older, he had always listened to her, his younger sister, and later, after she married Emperor Li Shimin, he had listened to the Emperor. That had been the case for all these years. It was only today, due to the issue of maternal relatives interfering in government, that the two siblings had had a moment of unpleasantness.

"Since you have it all planned out, I, as your sister, should not say more. After all, the inner palace must not interfere in state affairs!" Empress Zhangsun looked up at the sky and added, "It is getting late. You should go back and rest, brother."

"Yes, you rest early as well, sister!" Zhangsun Wuji nodded with a smile and stood up. Just as he was about to head out of the hall, he caught a glimpse of a pair of resentful eyes and his smile vanished instantly. They were both his nephews, so why was there such a difference between them? He had been here for so long, and the boy wouldn't even call him 'Uncle'!

"Hmph!" Zhangsun Wuji let out a muffled snort and departed.

...

Meanwhile, after leaving the Lizheng Palace, Li Chengqian did not return to his room but headed toward the residence of the 'Young Consort Yang.' Truth be told, Li Chengqian did not have a deep memory of her, knowing only that she was the consort of Li Yuanji, and having met her a few times at family banquets hosted by Li Yuan. She was young, beautiful, and had a curvy, alluring figure. Plus, being a widow, it was no wonder Emperor Li Shimin sought her out immediately after quarreling with Empress Zhangsun.

"Sigh, I'm truly drunk on this. Why am I worrying about this? A husband and wife quarrel in bed and make up in bed; why am I coming here to join the fun?" he muttered to himself. "What woman Li Shimin chooses to be with, can I control him? I haven't even sorted out my own affairs!"

"Forget it, I’ll just go back..."

After talking to himself the whole way, Li Chengqian finally convinced himself not to meddle. But by then, he had already reached the outer walls of the 'Young Consort Yang’s' palace. Just as he was about to turn back, Li Shimin’s personal attendant, Wushe, hurried up to greet him. "This servant, Wushe, pays respects to the Prince of Zhongshan!"

"Hmm?" Li Chengqian paused and frowned. "Is there something you need, Eunuch?"

"Hehe, the Prince is visiting late at night—are you here to see the Emperor?" Wushe asked with a smile.

Li Chengqian denied it flatly. "No! I was just bored, out for a stroll, and about to head back to sleep!"

"Hehe..." Wushe smiled faintly, thinking, *I don't believe a word you say!* The Lizheng Palace and the Young Consort Yang's residence were several streets apart. Wandering this far at such a late hour—did he think he was an idiot?

"What, you don't believe me?" Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow.

Wushe maintained his faint smile. "Whatever the Prince says, this servant believes!" *But don't think you're getting past me to disturb the Emperor!* he thought, not daring to say it out loud. Everyone near the Emperor knew the temper of the 'shortest-lived Crown Prince in history'; whoever provoked him met with bad luck.

The Imperial Guard Commander, Yun Duan, had once tried to strike up a conversation and was scolded directly. Afterward, he was ordered to keep the Prince’s whereabouts secret. With hundreds of eyes watching outside the Xiande Palace, did he think they were blind? Wasn't that forcing him to commit the crime of deceiving the Emperor? Poor Yun Duan had been so terrified he was nearly distracted on duty. *Sigh! So young, yet so difficult to serve!*

Wushe prayed silently that there would be no scene like the one in the court that day, otherwise he would be the one to suffer. Silently, he blocked the path to the Young Consort Yang’s palace.

Li Chengqian’s small face darkened. *So you’re even guarding against a gentleman?* he thought. *Fine, fine. If that’s how you want to play, I’m not going back today. We’ll just wait it out right here and see who breaks first!*

Consequently, Li Chengqian abandoned the idea of returning to the Lizheng Palace and started a staring contest with Wushe outside the residence. Wushe was at his wit's end, not knowing what to do. At that moment, Li Chengqian seemed to remember something and said with a wink, "What are my Father the Emperor and the Young Consort doing inside?"

"Er..." Wushe’s mouth twitched. *You little brat, why are you asking this? Is this something you should be asking?* "This servant cannot speak of the Emperor’s affairs," Wushe replied, biting the bullet.

Li Chengqian scoffed and added, "I heard that when a man and a woman sleep together, they can have children. Do you have children?"

"Pfft..." Wushe felt as if he had been struck by ten thousand arrows; his shoulders slumped. *Your Highness! Do you know what you’re saying?! I don’t have that ability, okay?!*

Seeing Wushe’s resentful expression, Li Chengqian put on a look of feigned ignorance and lowered his gaze. Wushe was completely broken; he turned away, weeping, and left on his own. Shortly after Wushe left, several palace maids arrived, accompanied by a graceful woman clutching a pipa.

"Ahem..." Seeing that they were ignoring him, Li Chengqian coughed twice.

The maids and the graceful woman then noticed his presence and hurried to bow. "This servant/concubine pays respects to the Prince of Zhongshan!"

"Hmm..." Li Chengqian stood with his hands behind his back, imitating the posture of a powerful prince. "You are traveling slowly in the dead of night—where are you headed?"

"Answering the Prince," the leading maid replied in a low voice, "we are under the Emperor’s orders to escort the musician Xiao to play the pipa in Consort Yang’s palace!"

Li Chengqian was surprised. *Is Li Shimin that romantic? He needs music before doing the deed?* But wait, wasn’t 'Young Consort Yang' pregnant? Was this really appropriate?

With a head full of questions, Li Chengqian scrutinized the musician Xiao. He had to admit, the palace was full of beauties; he hadn't seen an ugly woman there yet. This musician Xiao wasn't breathtakingly beautiful, but she had a fresh and refined aura. Even when bowing to him, she was not restrained; she was poised, neither servile nor overbearing. Such a person, he thought, must have real talent. Without talent, Li Shimin wouldn't have summoned her to play the pipa at such an hour.

"They say that one must have a specialized skill to make their way in the world," Li Chengqian asked, sounding like an old man. "May I ask, what is your specialized skill, Musician Xiao?"

"This..." Musician Xiao glanced at the leading maid, but seeing her head bowed in silence, she realized this young Prince of Zhongshan was not to be trifled with. She smiled and said, "This concubine doesn't know what the Prince means by 'specialized skill,' but I am quite proficient in playing the pipa behind my back."

"Behind your back? Does that mean you can play it while facing away?"

"Exactly!"

*Good heavens! She really does have talent!* Although Li Chengqian didn't know how impressive playing the pipa behind one's back was in this era, he suddenly remembered something. Previously, the Retired Emperor Li Yuan had talked to Li Shimin about the pipa, and from that conversation, Li Chengqian had learned an important piece of information: Li Yuan was a master of the pipa.

As the saying goes, heroes cherish each other—what about masters? Li Chengqian’s heart raced, and he immediately formed a plan. He feigned displeasure and snorted, "The standards in the palace are getting lower and lower; anyone dares to brag these days. You claim you can play the pipa behind your back—I don't believe it. Do you dare to prove it?"

"Ah?" Musician Xiao was bewildered.

The leading maid was flustered. "Your Highness, the Emperor is waiting..."

"Are you teaching me how to do my job?" Li Chengqian shot her a cold look, scaring her into kneeling. "This servant wouldn't dare!"

"Hmph!" Li Chengqian snorted and turned back to Musician Xiao. "Let’s go. I’ll take you to a place! We shall verify this properly!"

"But..." Musician Xiao hesitated.

Li Chengqian laughed reassuringly. "My father values filial piety above all else. The place we are going is the Da'an Palace of the Retired Emperor. It will be fine."

Upon hearing this, Musician Xiao’s concerns vanished, and she followed Li Chengqian.

"I must go report this to the Emperor!" The leading maid turned and ran toward the Young Consort Yang’s palace.

Meanwhile, Li Shimin was whispering sweet nothings to the Young Consort Yang.

"Are you well?"

"Everything is well!"

"Can you forget?"

"How could I not want to forget? Those things were truly terrifying to me. I don't even want to think that I was once with Yuanji..."

Hearing this, Li Shimin’s heart stirred. He lifted the Young Consort Yang’s chin and said with deep affection, "Are you willing to stay with me and forget all that?"

"I am willing..." The Young Consort Yang leaned into Li Shimin’s arms, pulling at the sash of her gown.

"Not now..." Li Shimin was about to stop her when the Young Consort Yang said shyly, "It’s okay, Your Majesty, it’s quite safe now..."

Li Shimin felt his mouth go dry. "Are you... more moist tonight than that night?"

"Why doesn't the Emperor try and see?"

"Hehe..." Li Shimin’s desires were fully aroused. Just as he was about to proceed, a frantic voice came from outside the door: "Your Majesty! The musician Xiao has been taken by the Prince of Zhongshan to the Retired Emperor!"

"What!?" Li Shimin felt as if he had been struck by lightning. The desire vanished instantly, replaced by sheer fury. *You rebellious son! How dare you gift a woman to your grandfather!?*