Chapter 7: A Kind Mother Often Raises Good Sons
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“Your Majesty, I believe the Crown Prince must have learned of the Weishui Pact!” Fang Xuanling suddenly said with a smile.
Li Shimin raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”
Fang Xuanling acknowledged him, glanced at Li Tai, who was listening with his head tilted back, and continued, “At present, the greatest danger facing our Great Tang is not internal affairs, but threats from beyond our borders. Although Your Majesty signed a pact with Jieli Khan and a war that was about to erupt was averted, we all know the nature of the Turks. It will not be long before they return in force. The danger facing the Great Tang has not been removed—only postponed...”
“You mean that boy is actually worrying about the fate of the realm and its people?” Li Shimin asked, his expression somewhat peculiar.
Fang Xuanling glanced at Changsun Wuji and pondered. “Although I do not know the Prince of Zhongshan well, if he truly means to save the nation, that does seem to be the only explanation...”
Li Shimin smiled. Clearly, he did not believe that an eight-year-old child could save the country. With a sweep of his sleeve, he said, “Whatever his intentions, I have already done as he wished and stripped him of his position as Crown Prince. For the next ten years, I will not appoint another Crown Prince!”
Crash!
At those words, the little fatty was struck as though by lightning.
How could this happen? How could this possibly happen?!
............
Elsewhere, at the Palace of Beautiful Rectitude.
The residence of Empress Changsun.
Although the brothers Li Chengqian had long since been enfeoffed as princes, they were still too young to leave for their fiefs or move into separate residences.
They continued to eat and sleep at the Palace of Beautiful Rectitude.
After receiving a long succession of greetings—“Greetings, Your Highness, Prince of Zhongshan”—Li Chengqian finally reached the palace gates.
To be honest, he felt rather uneasy.
It was not because he had crossed into this world and feared that Empress Changsun might see through him.
Rather, it was because of the expectations she placed upon him. He did not know how to face her.
Although Empress Changsun and Li Shimin shared a deep affection, even the finest relationship could not withstand Li Shimin’s indiscretions outside the palace.
People said that an emperor having three palaces, six courts, seventy-two consorts, and three thousand beauties in his harem was perfectly normal. But as a woman, who would truly wish to share her husband with other women?
Empress Changsun was one of the rare virtuous empresses in all of history, but she was still a woman.
She could tolerate Li Shimin’s infatuation with women, but she would never yield when it came to the position of Crown Prince.
In her heart, she was the empress, her husband was the emperor, and her son had to be the Crown Prince.
Only then would they be a complete family.
Yet now, the position of Crown Prince that had been within his grasp had been thrown away by Li Chengqian.
He had no idea what sort of “storm” awaited him, and so he was deeply apprehensive, unable to bring himself to enter the palace.
But just as he hesitated, a voice filled with boundless affection suddenly rang out from within.
“Is Chengqian outside? Is that Chengqian outside?”
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“Mother, it’s me...” Li Chengqian answered instinctively.
A palace-clad woman of about twenty years of age appeared before him. She was beautiful, kind, and gazed at him with tender affection.
Though somewhat nervous, Li Chengqian still knelt and bowed respectfully.
“Your son pays his respects to Mother.”
“Chengqian, get up quickly. We are about to eat. Don’t dirty your hands...”
As she spoke, Empress Changsun summoned the palace maids to prepare dinner. Then she walked to the cushioned couch, took out a small garment, and handed it to Li Chengqian.
“Here, this is the new garment I made for you. Put it on and see whether it fits...”
“Ah?”
Li Chengqian stared blankly, utterly at a loss.
The “storm” he had imagined had not come. Instead, he was faced with a tender scene of maternal love and filial devotion.
“Mother, about what Qingque said...”
“Oh, that’s right. Didn’t I tell Qingque to bring you back for dinner? Where is he?”
Before Li Chengqian could finish, Empress Changsun gave a little exclamation and began looking left and right toward the palace entrance.
“Er...”
The corner of Li Chengqian’s mouth twitched. The little fatty had tricked him again.
Still, some things were better explained clearly. Otherwise, a knot would remain in both their hearts.
“Mother, I’ll try on the new garment later. Could we talk first?” Li Chengqian asked, as though summoning all his courage.
Empress Changsun paused. Then she gently stroked his head and asked with a smile, “My son wants to talk about having the Crown Prince position abolished, does he not?”
Li Chengqian blinked.
Why was she smiling?
Unable to resist, he pressed her. “Mother, you aren’t angry?”
“Of course I’m angry! But what can I do, when you are my son? You take after your imperial father—always insisting that you were not firmly chosen. The men of your Li family simply love taking the road less traveled...”
“Er...”
Li Chengqian’s face flushed with embarrassment, and for a moment he was speechless.
At last, he understood why His Majesty Li Er loved Empress Changsun so dearly. She was an adorable woman who could be both sharp and sweet.
“But, my son, were those three questions truly something you thought of yourself?”
“Ah? You know about that too, Mother?”
Empress Changsun smiled again. “Although the harem is forbidden from interfering in state affairs, how could such a major matter possibly be kept from me?”
Li Chengqian thought that made sense. His mind began turning rapidly.
His unusual behavior could not be too outrageous, or he might expose himself. He needed to find a reason for it.
In the blink of an eye, he found one.
With a smile, he said, “Mother may not believe me, but on the night I was unconscious, I had a very long dream. In it, there was an old man with a white beard who called himself the Star Lord of Venus. He said he had a special connection with the Li family and wished to teach me a few things...”
“The Star Lord of Venus? A connection with the Li family?”
Empress Changsun blinked, her curiosity piqued. “Who is that?”
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“He said his name was Li Changgeng...” Li Chengqian replied, as though recalling the dream.
It was said that, for the sake of establishing the legitimacy of the Li dynasty, His Majesty Li Er had even managed to claim Laozi, Li Er, as an ancestor. If Li Chengqian invented a connection to the Star Lord of Venus, Li Changgeng, that hardly seemed unreasonable.
When Empress Changsun heard the name Li Changgeng, she grew thoughtful, then smiled with a sigh of wonder.
“No wonder my son is different from before. So you encountered an immortal.”
“An immortal? I thought he was a monster...”
“Do not speak nonsense, my son!”
Empress Changsun shot him a reproachful glance and said, “The Book of Songs says: ‘In the east, the Morning Star; in the west, the Long-Geng Star.’ The Long-Geng Star is the Star Lord of Venus you speak of. For him to bear that name and enter your dreams, he must surely be an immortal!”
After saying this, she looked at Li Chengqian, who understood only half of what she had said, and smiled as she helped him change his clothes.
Although the imperial palace had departments devoted to making garments for the emperor, empress, and princes, all the clothing worn by Li Er and Empress Changsun’s children was made by Empress Changsun herself.
That alone showed how virtuous she was.
Before long, Li Chengqian had changed into a handsome new outfit, and he looked much more spirited.
“Hmm... Mother’s handiwork is truly exquisite...”
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Li Chengqian offered a heartfelt compliment.
Empress Changsun only smiled.
Mother and son fell into a brief silence.
Whether the knot in his heart had been undone or he simply felt relieved, Li Chengqian then comforted her.
“Mother, I don’t want what others give me. I will rely on my own efforts and prove to everyone that the throne can belong only to your son!”
At these words, the hands with which Empress Changsun was straightening his clothes trembled faintly.
An indescribable emotion surged through her, and tears of joy filled her eyes.
“Ah...”
Feeling the warm tears that fell upon his forehead, Li Chengqian sighed inwardly.
If Empress Changsun did not die, how could the brothers later turn against one another? How could the Crown Prince ever be deposed?
It was a pity that Empress Changsun would die in the tenth year of the Zhenguan reign.
At that thought, an idea suddenly flashed through Li Chengqian’s mind.
The Supreme Profound Life-Nourishing Scripture awarded by the system!
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