Chapter 53: Erfeng Takes a Fancy to the Little Train

Inside the bedchamber, Emperor Li Shimin was extremely conflicted.

Li You was his biological son; he was reluctant to sentence him to death and wanted to spare his life, yet he lacked a justifiable reason, leaving him in a very difficult position.

A single remark from Li Chengqian awakened the spark of hope in Li Shimin's heart.

Li Chengqian finally understood his cheap father's true intentions at the moment. He knew Li Shimin did not genuinely wish to kill Li You, but merely had reservations, knowing full well that the court ministers would certainly not easily consent to leniency.

Thus, an exceptional idea was born. Since Li Chengqian was the Crown Prince, and Li Shimin had now directly consulted him, this was a once-in-a-lifetime golden opportunity. If he performed well this time, his position as Crown Prince would become even more secure, while also winning greater popular support.

At this thought, Li Chengqian raised his gaze and stated his proposal with absolute decisiveness, "Your Majesty, haven't we just tested the steam engine with results obvious to all? This is the paramount endeavor of the Great Tang Empire, highly beneficial to both the state and the people. You can entirely use this matter to silence the ministers."

Swish—

Li Shimin's heart gave a start. He had never imagined that Li Chengqian's mind could pivot with such astonishing speed, conceiving of this within such a brief moment. His train of thought was far too agile.

Li Shimin's worry turned into joy as he burst into a hearty laugh.

"Chengqian, you truly are something else! I know what to do now. First focus on recuperating, and in a few days when Li You is escorted to the capital, I will personally handle this matter." Li Shimin was somewhat excited, his words and facial expression appearing entirely relaxed.

"Your Majesty is wise, this subject understands." Li Chengqian hurriedly cupped his hands in a flattering gesture.

"Take your time walking around the room. This is a dragon-headed cane of mine; I give it to you to use for the time being." As Li Shimin spoke, he retrieved a dragon-headed walking stick from beneath the bed and handed it to Li Chengqian.

"Your Majesty, this subject dares not overstep. This dragon emblem is exclusively for Your Majesty's use; this subject would never dare to act presumptuously." Li Chengqian hurriedly declined with polite hesitation.

He understood his cheap father's temperament all too well. Once he overstepped boundaries, even having reason on his side would not make things clear.

"This... It is given to you by Your Majesty, how could it be considered overstepping?" Li Shimin said, preparing to forcefully thrust the cane into Li Chengqian's hands.

"Your Majesty, this subject can use the cane, but the dragon head upon it must be removed." Li Chengqian felt helpless, yet he voiced the thought nonetheless.

"This... Very well." The corners of Li Shimin's mouth twitched, forming a subtle expression. He then reached out beneath the dragon head of the cane, twisted it a few times, and directly unscrewed the dragon head before handing the cane to Li Chengqian.

Li Chengqian accepted the cane with a profound sense of relief, congratulating himself on his quick reflexes. Had he casually and carelessly accepted the cane, it would have been interpreted as harboring treacherous intentions, very likely prompting the ministers to submit memorials against him. By then, even with reason on his side, he would never be able to clear his name.

More seriously, it would have planted a seed of doubt in his imperial father's heart, fundamentally altering his perception of him.

His father would surely assume he was impatiently eyeing the throne—was a dragon head something just anyone could casually use?

Accepting it as it was would immediately arouse his father's suspicion, fracturing their father-son relationship forever.

In truth, Li Chengqian had guessed correctly. That was precisely what Li Shimin had been thinking; he was merely testing Li Chengqian to see whether he harbored any ambition of coveting the imperial throne.

Every single gesture and word from Li Shimin was never groundless, but carried profound meaning and intent.

Only by correctly comprehending this could one remain undefeated and continue serving as Li Shimin's Crown Prince.

"Many thanks, Your Majesty." Li Chengqian accepted the dragon-less cane and hurriedly bowed in salute.

"Rise quickly, Chengqian." Li Shimin stepped forward in a hurry to support Li Chengqian. "Did I not say that today you and I are merely father and son, not ruler and subject? This is my private bedchamber."

"This subject thanks Your Majesty, but you are my sovereign father; the rites between ruler and subject must never be neglected." Li Chengqian stood up, his attitude respectful and humble.

At that moment, Li Shimin was exceedingly pleased.

Inwardly, Li Shimin nodded, holding Li Chengqian in even higher regard. Originally, he had wondered if Li Chengqian would seize the convenient opportunity to accept the dragon-headed cane. He never expected Li Chengqian to be truly sensible; at least compared to his other imperial sons, the one who satisfied him most at present was this eldest son of his, his Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

With this thought, Li Shimin felt a great deal of comfort and inner joy. This was a rare gratifying event amidst the turmoil of Li You's rebellion.

"Very well, Chengqian, focus on recovering your health. I have matters to attend to outside." With that, Li Shimin turned and left the bedchamber.

Upon leaving, Li Shimin gave explicit instructions to the court maids and eunuchs to properly care for Li Chengqian and ensure no mishaps befell him, including the preparation of medicinal decoctions, which had to be handled with absolute safety.

Seven days later, Li Chengqian's illness was largely cured, and he hurriedly petitioned for permission to temporarily move into a small chamber within the Taiji Palace to research and develop a miniature train. Li Shimin naturally consented, specifically ordering various materials to be delivered so Li Chengqian could tinker with his contraption.

For Li Chengqian, this was hardly unfamiliar territory. His ultimate goal was to build a train capable of carrying around a hundred tons at speeds exceeding fifty kilometers per hour, whereas this miniature train was merely a prototype.

Li Chengqian summoned Yang Jiguan and others, and in less than two days, they successfully cobbled together the miniature train, which basically met all of Li Chengqian's requirements.

This miniature train was quite remarkable, featuring iron tracks, a compact steam engine, and using charcoal—the residue of thoroughly burned superior timber—as fuel to drive the steam engine.

Upon testing, Li Chengqian was immensely satisfied; everything went according to plan and expectation.

Nine days later, Li Shimin visited the chamber where Li Chengqian was working on the miniature train.

"This subject pays respects to Your Majesty." Li Chengqian hastily bowed in greeting.

"Rise quickly, let me see your miniature train. I've been quite impatient." Li Shimin said with great excitement.

He understood that this was the moment to witness a miracle. Once this miniature train test succeeded, his grand locomotive plan could be put directly into execution.

"Yes, Your Majesty, this subject obeys." Li Chengqian replied, casting a glance at Yang Jiguan.

Yang Jiguan acknowledged the order and immediately ignited the charcoal. Within a short while, the miniature train began to run at an extremely fast speed, and what was even more magical was that the miniature train could even navigate curves.

Watching this scene, Li Shimin showered it with praise. He had never expected Li Chengqian to actually pull it off. Originally, he thought Li Chengqian would need considerably more time; he never imagined everything would materialize so swiftly—it was simply mind-boggling.

"Chengqian, is this what you call a miniature train? It requires neither horses to pull nor men to push, yet it can run entirely on its own?"

Gazing at the miniature train before him, Li Shimin felt as though he were dreaming, unable to believe his eyes as his mouth hung wide open.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The principle for the full-scale train is largely the same, except that the large train will be much bigger in size, carry vastly more cargo, travel faster, and naturally consume more, requiring a large amount of fuel." Li Chengqian explained confidently.

"There are even carriages attached here—can it still run when loaded with goods?" Li Shimin's interest was instantly piqued as he stared at Li Chengqian in astonishment.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, of course it can." Li Chengqian replied with total composure, then waved his hand.

Yang Jiguan promptly brought over several heavy iron blocks and placed them into the carriage trailing behind the miniature train.

Li Shimin watched with unblinking eyes, figuring that burdened with these iron blocks, the miniature train would surely fail to move.

Yet an unexpected scene unfolded before him: the speed of the miniature train remained completely unaffected. Full of raw power like a fierce warrior, it continued to speed along smoothly.

The heavy stone hanging in Li Shimin's chest finally settled.

At that moment, he realized how formidable Li Chengqian truly was, and recognized that Li Tai's clumsy imitation had ultimately resulted in him dropping a rock on his own foot.

Without genuine capability, attempting to develop steam engines and miniature trains amounted to nothing more than empty armchair strategy, utterly incapable of practical application.

"Well done, Chengqian! You have truly opened my eyes. I never imagined such a small contraption could unleash such immense power and run smoothly while pulling so much weight." Li Shimin exclaimed in shock, scarcely believing the scene before his eyes.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Because this miniature train is rather small, the load it can pull is limited. Once I develop a genuine, full-scale train, it will undoubtedly bring an immense boost to the economy of the Great Tang Empire." Li Chengqian nodded, offering a faint smile to Li Shimin. "Of course, this still requires Your Majesty's support, otherwise this subject would achieve nothing at all."

How clever Li Chengqian was! Even with such a monumental achievement, he knew better than to claim all the credit for himself, choosing instead to share a portion of the glory with the Heavenly Qaghan, Li Shimin.

Only by doing so could he dispel his father's suspicions and properly manage both their ruler-subject and father-son relationships.

"Haha..."

Li Shimin burst into a hearty laugh. A moment later, he turned back, gazing at Li Chengqian with a serious expression. "I will not contend for credit with you. In a couple of days, I will surely convince those stubborn old ministers to lend their full support to your locomotive development."

"Many thanks, Your Majesty. This is all due to Your Majesty's brilliant leadership; without your support, my train could not take a single step forward." Li Chengqian felt a modest embarrassment and continued to deflect the praise outward.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the Heavenly Qaghan Li Shimin became even happier.

This was the Crown Prince Li Chengqian he knew, and this was the qualified heir to the throne for the Heavenly Qaghan of the Great Tang Empire.

Only a Crown Prince who held the realm in his heart and understood the art of human relations could become Li Shimin's greatest driving force.

Had he constantly opposed him or even sought to undermine Li Shimin's power and challenge his authority, no matter how formidable the Crown Prince's abilities were, he would never have won Li Shimin's ultimate approval.

Sometimes, retreating in order to advance yields unexpected results.

Not contending is sometimes the ultimate contention; for instance, at this moment, Li Chengqian was already the Crown Prince—what else was there to contend for?

To continue contending would mean reaching for the imperial throne itself, something that was absolutely unacceptable and would never be tolerated by the Heavenly Qaghan.

"Oh, and Chengqian, at tomorrow's morning court assembly, I hope you will join me so that all the ministers can witness your miniature train firsthand. Moreover, there is another major matter I will announce at tomorrow's assembly..."

Li Shimin's expression suddenly grew complex...