Chapter 47: Uncle, Take Me With You

Chapter 47: Uncle, Take Me With You

In the first year of Shaosheng, Chang'an.

The very first thing Li Xian did upon ascending the throne was to move the political center back from Luoyang to Chang'an.

The capital of the Great Tang was Chang'an; what sense did it make to constantly linger in Luoyang?

Deeply scarred, Li Xian was determined to make a clean break with Empress Wu. Knowing full well that one must eradicate the roots when pulling up weeds, he had the entire Wu clan slaughtered, leaving them no chance of a comeback.

However, for those officials who had previously attached themselves to the Wu clan, Li Xian only purged those of the fifth rank and above. As for those below the fifth rank, he let bygones be bygones.

Resistance was out of the question. Before Li Shimin and Li Zhi's departure, the Twelve Guards had already been firmly secured in his hands. Besides, who knew if Emperor Taizong Wen might manifest himself again? Consequently, Li Xian felt no pressure at all.

After more than a month of consolidation, aided by loyal and famous ministers such as Di Renjie and Zhang Jianzhi, Li Xian had completely taken control of the imperial court.

Crown Princess Fang, who had shared his wanderings and hardships, was named Empress after Li Xian's ascent to the throne; their eldest son Li Guangshun—whom history recorded as having been utterly exterminated by Wu Zhetian—was also made Crown Prince.

When it came to ruthlessness, Wu Zhetian had practically no equal in history, as evidenced by the fate of Li Xian's second son, Li Shouli.

In actual history, after Li Xian's death, Li Shouli and the sons of Emperor Ruizong Li Dan were confined together within the palace. Because their father was deemed "guilty," they were subjected to unprovoked beatings with staves year after year.

Fortunately, the arrival had been timely, altering the destiny of Li Xian's entire family.

When Li Qing brought Li Shimin and his son over from the sixth year of Yonghui, Li Xian was in the middle of receiving Prince Yue, Li Zhen.

The very moment he laid eyes on Li Shimin, Li Zhen's lips trembled slightly, and he stood stunned for a long while, unable to utter a single word.

"Uncle Yue."

It was only when Li Xian prompted him from the side that Li Zhen regained his wits and dropped heavily to his knees with a thud.

"Your unfilial son Li Zhen warmly welcomes Your Majesty the Father!"

Looking at this son kneeling before him, whose age surpassed his own, Li Shimin recalled the fate Li Qing had described for him and could not help but let out a sigh.

"Rise."

Hearing this, Li Zhen stood up and respectfully waited to the side.

"Take a seat. You are no longer young."

Li Shimin motioned for him to sit nearby, and looking at Li Zhen's white hair, he said with emotion, "Back when I came from, you were only about this tall, much the same height as Lizhi."

He reached out and gestured around the level of his chest.

"Even after fifty fleeting years, this son still remembers being with the lat—"

At this point, Li Zhen felt it inappropriate. With both Li Shimin and Li Zhi standing beside him, calling that deceased ghost Li Zhi the late emperor was truly unsuitable.

"We are all family; just call him Lizhi, like before."

Li Shimin promptly relieved Li Zhen of his awkward predicament.

"That's right, Eighth Older Brother. I still prefer it when you call me Lizhi; it feels much more affectionate."

Li Zhi immediately seized the opportunity. With his living father giving the order, how could he dare disobey?

Besides, given Eighth Brother's advanced age in this era and the tireless service he had rendered to the Li family, calling him Lizhi was nothing at all.

Still, it was far better than calling him the late emperor. After all, he wasn't dead yet.

Unable to withstand the insistence of Li Shimin and Li Zhi, Li Zhen had no choice but to accept their demand.

As for Li Zhen, Li Shimin was relatively satisfied. Although this son was not exceptionally capable, his loyalty to the Li Tang imperial house was more than sufficient.

Come to think of it, a vassal prince did not need to possess great capability; unwavering loyalty was the single most important trait.

Li Shimin offered comforting words to Li Zhen, and Li Xian, striking while the iron was hot, petitioned Li Shimin to elevate his imperial uncle Li Zhen to Prince of Anguo and Yue, placing him at the head of all the princes.

The old emperor naturally granted every request and heaped high praise upon Li Xian's filial piety.

After Li Zhen took his leave, Li Qing produced a set of mahjong tiles and placed them on the table.

"Let's play a few rounds and talk as we play."

Through several months of getting along with Li Qing, the three generations of the Li family were already thoroughly familiar with how to play mahjong. Their proficiency in cutting and stacking the tiles was by no means inferior to Li Qing, a modern man.

"Let me give you a heads-up first. A little later, Brother Li and I are planning to make a trip to the Jinglong era, during Li Xian's reign as emperor... Three of Dots."

Li Zhi immediately snatched the tile: "Chow... Uncle, wasn't Li Xian deposed as the Prince of Luling by that poisonous woman and replaced by Li Dan as emperor? How did he become emperor again?"

"During the reign of Empress Wu, she hesitated over whether to pass the throne to her nephew or her son. When she was indecisive, she went to ask Di Renjie... Nine of Characters."

"Di Renjie said, 'Since ancient times, we have only heard of a son offering sacrifices to his mother, never of a nephew offering sacrifices to his aunt.' This single sentence made the Empress change her mind, so she secretly welcomed Li Xian back and reinstated him as Crown Prince."

Li Zhi silently committed the name Di Renjie to heart. He had previously heard that this man was a wise minister, but he had never expected him to be such a staunchly loyal one.

"During the twilight of her reign, five ministers, including Zhang Jianzhi, jointly forced a palace coup, compelling her to abdicate to the Crown Prince and return state power to the Li family—an event known in history as the 'Shenlong Coup'."

"It was against this backdrop that Li Xian became emperor once again," Li Qing concluded.

"Pure dumb luck!" Li Zhi cursed, completely oblivious to the fact that his own acquisition of the imperial throne had also relied entirely on dumb luck.

His eldest brother Li Chengqian and fourth brother Li Tai had fought tooth and nail, taking desperate gambles to rebel; his fourth brother Li Tai had been blinded by greed and uttered foolish words that Changsun Wuji seized upon, resulting in him picking up an imperial throne for free without doing a thing.

When it came to luck, he was far superior to Li Xian—at least he had never experienced those days of constant terror, never knowing when his own birth mother might do away with him.

"Oh, don't put it that way." Li Qing drew a tile and said with a sarcastic tone, "Speaking of this Li Xian, he truly lives up to being your biological son. When it comes to being henpecked, this fellow surpasses you by far."

"Why would Uncle say such a thing?" Li Zhi was utterly baffled, completely failing to grasp what Li Qing meant.

"If you ask me, your Li family must have burned high incense," Li Qing discarded a One of Bamboos tile. "In just two short generations, you managed to gather two peerless fools. One had his empire usurped by his wife after death, and the other went even further, actually getting poisoned to death by his wife and daughter combined. Looking through the annals of history, you two father and son truly are scorpion's dung—uniquely one of a kind."

Li Zhi: ......

Despite having a sufficiently thick skin, Li Zhi could not help blushing under Li Qing's teasing.

Li Shimin slammed a West Wind tile onto the table with great force, as if it were Li Zhi.

"Ah, thank you, Brother Li. Winning hand," Li Qing said with a smile as he pushed open his tiles. "All Honors, sixty-four fans, hee-hee."

He pulled out a handful of small paper slips and plastered them all over Li Shimin's face.

"A bet's a bet..."

Looking at the admiring faces of Li Zhi and Li Xian, Li Qing said, "...That's basically the situation. Do the two of you have any interest in coming along?"

Li Zhi neatly stacked his tiles and asked, "Uncle, I have a question."

"Speak."

"When Xian'er and I go to see that unfilial beast, can we beat him up?"

"Otherwise, what do you think I called the two of you for? To stand on the sidelines and watch a show?" Li Qing retorted with a toothpick between his teeth.

Li Zhi and Li Xian exchanged glances, and spoke in unison: "Uncle (Great Uncle), take me with you!"

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Another chapter coming up shortly.
(End of this chapter)