Chapter 59: Li Er Strongly Supports Li Chengqian

After turning around, Li Chengqian saw the scene he least wanted to face, yet had no choice but to confront.

It was none other than the reckless and perpetually provocative Li Tai who had spoken. To this day, Li Tai remained unrepentant, always seeking to test Li Chengqian’s bottom line.

A cold sneer hung in Li Chengqian’s heart. Ignorance limited their imagination; even with Li Tai’s mastery of so-called literature, in the face of the steam engine and the locomotive, one could only describe him with two words: " absolute idiot."

Aside from those two words, Li Chengqian could find no better description.

To be ignorant was one thing, but to feign understanding while pointing fingers and barking orders was something Li Chengqian simply could not tolerate. He had to teach this fellow a lesson, or else this Prince of Wei would truly think he could fly straight to the heavens.

It seemed the previous lesson had not been profound enough. Merely driving him out of the Wude Hall had not made him restrain himself; he still wanted to seize the opportunity to stir up trouble. To Li Chengqian, this was a grave challenge, and this time he resolved that he could not and would not continue to pamper him.

This wretch was utterly repulsive. On the surface, he was Li Chengqian’s brother, but in his bones, he wished to destroy him utterly.

Having a brother like this left Li Chengqian utterly speechless.

People often said there was no true familial affection in the imperial palace, and seeing it today, that proved to be entirely true.

By this point, Li Chengqian had made up his mind. Since Li Tai was courting death, he could not blame Li Chengqian for showing no mercy.

"Could it be that Your Highness the Prince of Wei has actually laid eyes on this locomotive, that you are so certain it cannot be done?" Li Chengqian suddenly straightened his posture, gazing coldly at Li Tai with a frosty hum. "If I succeed, what will you say then? Earlier, I wished to avoid a wager with you, yet you stubbornly refused to yield. Can the Wude Hall no longer hold you now?"

At this moment, Li Chengqian met him head-on with tit-for-tat intensity. The other imperial princes were one thing, but this Li Tai was someone Li Chengqian absolutely refused to tolerate—nor could he bear him a moment longer.

Originally, Zhang Xuansu and the others were discussing with Li Chengqian the necessity of laying railway tracks and manufacturing locomotives. First Li Ke, and later Li Tai, had successively joined the discussion.

Li Tai had not expected Li Chengqian to suddenly erupt, let alone fix him with such an icy glare, leaving him momentarily bewildered and utterly unaccustomed to the shift.

It was only right that he was unaccustomed to it. At this juncture, Li Chengqian’s position as Crown Prince was already rock solid.

From the very moment he invented the steam engine, Li Chengqian had begun leaving these younger brothers far behind in the dust. It was simply that Li Tai and the others remained oblivious, still indulging in pipe dreams.

This was hardly a good thing. Ambition and ideals were virtues in times of chaos; even if one could not grasp the reins of the realm, there was still a strong possibility of carving out one's own domain.

Yet during the Zhenguan era, under the reign of Emperor Taizong, harboring excessive ambition would inevitably exact a heavy price.

Li Tai had been sternly rebuking Li Chengqian, never anticipating that his counterattack would arrive so swiftly, delivered in a tone of supreme hostility—one that even carried a hint of something that chilled him to the bone.

Still, Li Tai was not easily frightened. No matter what, his imperial father still favored him overall; otherwise, for an offense like attempting to assassinate Li Chengqian, he would not merely have been chased out of the Wude Hall—he would not even have been permitted to attend court.

Composing his emotions, Li Tai ignored Li Chengqian, turned instead to Emperor Taizong, bowed respectfully, and said with an earnest expression, "Imperial Father, this son previously spent a great deal of time compiling the *Treatise on Geography of the Realm*, revising it repeatedly before finally completing it. Now, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wishes to undertake a project as colossal as a locomotive—is this not the height of absurdity?"

"And what is your view, Qingque?" Emperor Taizong asked unhurriedly, gazing quietly at Li Tai as if he cared not a whit.

"Reporting to Imperial Father, this son believes that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is gambling with the national destiny of the Great Tang Empire, all for the sake of his own future," Li Tai stated ruthlessly, hitting the nail on the head.

In truth, Li Tai was right about one thing: Li Chengqian was indeed capitalizing on the wealth of the Great Tang Empire. If this were the twilight years of the dynasty, his vision of a locomotive would be nothing more than a fleeting flash in the pan.

Yet Li Tai was only half right. The man seated before him was the Heavenly Khagan—how could he fail to understand these things?

And yet, Emperor Taizong was still willing to support it. Did Li Tai truly fail to understand the profound reasoning behind this?

Li Tai still grasped none of the profound implications, blindly rubbing shoulders with his own demise on the road to self-destruction.

Standing upon the moral high ground, Li Tai gestured grandly, completely failing to hold Li Chengqian in any regard.

"For his own future? Is it not for the future of the Great Tang Empire? Is it not for My future?" Emperor Taizong’s voice rose sharply as he suddenly beckoned to Wang De. "Wang De, read aloud to the Prince of Wei the earth-shattering changes the Crown Prince’s recent invention of the steam engine has brought to the textile industry."

"Understood, Your Majesty. This servant obeys," the eunuch Wang De hurriedly bowed to receive the decree, pulled a memorial from his robes, and began to read.

"From ten thousand commoners in the capital of the Great Tang:

The steam engines developed by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince number only two in total, yet they are fully capable of matching eight thousand ordinary spinning wheels. Now, many textile workers no longer need to exhaust themselves staring at spinning wheels; instead, they have redirected their efforts to managing the yarn spun by the steam engines. We, the common folk, earnestly implore Your Majesty to allocate more steam engines, preferably promoting them throughout the land to thoroughly resolve the spinning woes of the populace."

"Did you hear that, Qingque?" Emperor Taizong asked, waving a hand after the reading to signal Wang De to put away the memorial of the ten thousand people, before fixing his heightened gaze upon Li Tai. "If you only know how to engage in internal strife, while remaining utterly ignorant of how to care for the common people of the realm and the future of the Great Tang Empire, then I ask you: where lies the future of the Great Tang Empire? Does it rely on your *Treatise on Geography of the Realm*? Can that spin thread? Can that bring about a tectonic shift in the economy?"

"Imperial Father..." Li Tai began, eager to interject.

"Rebellious son, hold your tongue!"

Emperor Taizong barked an order, cutting Li Tai off. By now, the emperor was rapidly losing his patience; Li Tai had challenged his bottom line time and time again.

Relying on paternal affection, he actually dared to openly defy his decree in the imperial court.

Of course, part of the blame lay with himself, as he had not yet made his stance clear, making Li Tai’s confusion somewhat understandable. Even so, that could never serve as capital for Li Tai to act so arrogant.

Emperor Taizong was thoroughly angered now. Li Chengqian was striving to forge the steam engine for the empire, while Li Tai was undermining him behind the scenes. This was something that could never be tolerated.

Gazing fiercely at Li Tai, Emperor Taizong continued, "The Crown Prince was personally conferred by Me. The imperial throne of the Great Tang Empire shall be handed over to him in the future. As his younger brother, you ought to support him. Yet you, instead, oppose him at every turn. I warn you: this is the very last time. If there is ever a next time, I will banish you directly from the capital of the Great Tang."

It was plain to see that Emperor Taizong was flying into a rage. He could truly bear this fellow no longer—capable of nothing yet adept at ruining everything. If things continued this way, how could the Great Tang Empire ever prosper and grow strong?

Moreover, Emperor Taizong cherished a small wish: he hoped to let Li You survive. And that very goal required Li Chengqian’s steam engine as a catalyst; only by finding a proper stepping stone could the matter proceed.

That was why Emperor Taizong was currently in such a towering rage. No matter how deeply he loved Li Tai, he had to cast him aside. The one he cherished and relied upon most heavily must be Li Chengqian; at this moment, only Li Chengqian constituted the backbone of the Great Tang Empire.

At least on this single point, Emperor Taizong still saw things with absolute clarity.

Li Tai was struck dumb with shock. He had never expected his imperial father’s countenance to change so drastically in the blink of an eye.

He now understood that he had fallen out of favor; his imperial father’s heart had begun to shift, and that shift was directed entirely toward Li Chengqian.

At this moment, not only Li Tai, but even Li Zhi, Li Ke, and the others standing nearby were utterly astounded. None of them had imagined that Emperor Taizong’s face could change faster than turning the pages of a book.

Li Tai’s head instantly drooped, not daring to utter another sound.

"Imperial Father speaks wisely; this son understands," Li Tai said with a trembling heart, not daring to raise his gaze to Emperor Taizong.

"You have argued for so long, and I have heard it all clearly. Your opposition stems from a lack of trust in the Crown Prince's locomotive."

"Manufacturing it will undoubtedly cost time and effort, just like any reform. Was the formerly impoverished and weak state of Qin not made powerful only after Shang Yang’s reforms?"

"Naturally, reforms carry side effects, and creating things like locomotives will likewise bring certain side effects. But the overall direction is correct, and the general path is sound. That is enough."

"You all heard the joint memorial read out by Wang De just now, did you not? That is the voice of the people. I did not even see officials behind it, because the steam engine driving the spinning wheels can vastly enhance spinning technology and capability, bringing earth-shattering changes to the textile industry."

"As for this locomotive, you simply have yet to witness the results. Once you see the outcome, I believe the shock it delivers will surpass even that of the steam-driven spinning wheels."

Emperor Taizong slowly raised his head, surveying the assembly with a stern expression and an earnest tone.

"Your Majesty is entirely correct! We have all witnessed the effects of the steam-driven spinning wheels—it is nothing short of miraculous. A single steam engine can spare thousands of spinning wheels, while also saving immense human labor. That labor can then be deployed to other tasks. This brings a hundred benefits to the Great Tang Empire with not a single harm," Zhangsun Wuji hurriedly stepped forward, offering flattery with an ingratiating expression.

In truth, everything Zhangsun Wuji said was the objective reality. The spinning wheel remained a spinning wheel, only slightly improved, but the force driving it had fundamentally changed.

Previously, it relied on human labor, treading with feet; now, it had become fully automated, replacing human strength with the steam engine, multiplying efficiency thousands of times over. It was an unimaginable feat.

The ministers present all lowered their heads as well. By now, they finally understood that His Majesty firmly supported the Crown Prince.

Yet, there were still those stubborn enough to court hardship.

Zhang Xuansu stepped forward once more, gazing at Emperor Taizong to press his argument, "Your Majesty, this minister believes that while steam-driven spinning wheels may be promoted nationwide, the plan to develop locomotives should be abandoned entirely. It consumes time and effort for no rewarding return!"

Gasps rippled through the hall.

There were many stubborn fools, but to be stubborn to this degree was something the ministers were witnessing for the first time.

Moreover, Emperor Taizong of Tang had always disliked executing loyal ministers, especially censors.

Right at that moment, as Emperor Taizong sat firmly upon the dragon throne, his voice suddenly turned piercingly cold. "Did you not hear clearly what I said? I solemnly declare: not only shall we develop the locomotive, but we shall develop it vigorously. Aside from that, I have one more major announcement to make."

Emperor Taizong’s expression was severe, his gaze sharp...