Chapter 60: Education in Love

Chapter 60: A Lesson in Tough Love

Regarding Li Chongjun's utterly unprofessional behavior, Li Shimin expressed his deepest grief and indignation.

Damn it, they always say a heroic father begets brave sons, and a rebellious father begets scoundrels. How on earth did I, a seasoned veteran of palace coups, end up with such an amateur descendant?

The primary objective of a palace coup is to seize control of the emperor! What the hell is the use of chasing a middle-aged woman all over the palace? Go control Li Xian! Once you have the emperor in your grip, you can do whatever you damn well please!

Thank goodness we arrived in time; otherwise, once Li Xian came to his senses and barked a single order, there is no telling who would have emerged victorious.

Gazing at the Xuanwu Gate before him, Li Shimin felt his eyes moistening.

The last time he staged a coup at the Xuanwu Gate, it had been a matter of settling some minor friction among brothers.

As for guilt, he certainly felt a touch of it, though not much. As for regret? Absolutely none.

Back then, he and建成 (Jiancheng) and元吉 (Yuanji) had been at each other's throats like fire and water—it was strictly a matter of you die or I live. The coup was not just for his own survival, but for the safety of the ministers who followed him.

In contrast, Li Chongjun's current hesitation was a blatant betrayal of his loyal followers, such as Li Duozuo.

With this thought, Li Shimin reached out and slapped the back of Li Chongjun's head, sending the latter spinning around like a top.

"G-Great-Grandfather..." Li Chongjun rubbed his head, looking quite aggrieved. Why did he just eat a vicious slap out of nowhere?

"Foolish!" Li Shimin scolded, his tone full of disappointment in iron failing to become steel. "Since you chose to storm the palace, you burned your bridges behind you! No matter how you spin it, this is treason—why didn't you go control the emperor first?"

"Ah..." Li Chongjun opened his mouth, completely at a loss for words.

What could he possibly say? I honestly didn't expect His Majesty to have so few guards left by his side?

Meanwhile, the skirmish upstairs had drawn to a close, and Li Duozuo respectfully escorted Li Xian down.

As for Empress Wei, Princess Anle, and Shangguan Wan'er, Li Duozuo had wisely refrained from acting rashly. After all, Emperor Taizhou was watching right there; executing members of the imperial family without authorization was a capital crime, and Li Duozuo was a cunning fox.

Trembling all over, Li Xian shuffled forward. Striving to maintain a facade of composure, he looked at Li Chongjun and said, "Crown Prince, what is the meaning of this?!"

"His Majesty has been frightened. Your subject's only aim today is to purge the state of traitors; I harbor no ill intentions toward Your Majesty," Li Chongjun replied respectfully, his etiquette impeccable.

Then, his tone shifted, becoming rather peculiar—it was hard to tell whether it held malicious glee or sheer pity. "However, you have a few old acquaintances who would like to have a proper chat with you."

"Huh?" Following the direction Li Chongjun gestured, Li Xian saw Li Zhi and Li Xian (the Crown Prince) stretching out their leather belts.

His legs turned to jelly, and he collapsed onto the ground with a dull thud.

"F... Father? Second Brother?! Y-You're alive?!"

Upon hearing Li Xian's words, both Empress Wei and Princess Anle wore expressions of utter disbelief.

How could people whose graves had trees big enough to shade a chariot suddenly spring back to life?

"Well, well, I certainly wouldn't dare claim to be *your* father," Li Zhi said with a sarcastic sneer. "I heard you wanted to hand the entire empire over to Wu Xuanzhen? Oh, and you even let your empress rule the roost?"

"B... But didn't you also let Mother—"

Before Li Xian could finish, a furious Li Zhi lashed out with his leather belt, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"You still dare talk back?!" Li Zhi struck him with the belt once more. After delivering the blow, he turned to Li Chongjun. "Good grandson, go take Li Duozuo and take charge of the overall situation. Leave this scumbag to me!"

"Huh? Leave him to do what?" Li Chongjun asked blankly.

"You blockhead! Naturally, you go announce that your father is feeling unwell and that you are taking over the regency!" Li Shimin gave Li Chongjun a harsh kick in the backside, exasperated.

This boy had truly been ruined by Empress Wei's scheming brainwashing!

It seemed that once this business was settled, he would have to keep this kid by his side for a strict course of remedial education.

"Oh, oh!" Only then did Li Chongjun snap back to his senses. He bowed respectfully to Li Shimin, Li Zhi, and Li Xian, and departed with his troops.

Aside from Shangguan Wan'er, who was executed on the spot, Li Xian's family of three, along with Wu Sansi, were escorted to the Lizheng Palace.

Upon learning that the stern-looking man was none other than Emperor Taizhou, Li Xian was struck speechless with terror.

The psychological impact was simply too overwhelming. Three generations had teamed up to discipline him—what an extraordinary blessing indeed.

"Wait!" Seeing the three ancestors about to start thrashing him indiscriminately, Li Qing immediately intervened and held them back.

He pulled a pill from his pocket and shoved it straight into Li Xian's mouth.

"The boy's health is delicate. What if something happens to him? Better cure his ailments before you start beating him."

"Look at that, just look at how thoughtful your grand-uncle is!" Li Zhi patted Li Xian's chubby face with his leather belt. "And look at you, what kind of creature have you become? Bah! Giving birth to a baked sesame flatbread would have been better than siring a scumbag like you!"

Li Shimin cast a blank glance at Li Zhi, and given the present atmosphere, he chose not to pursue copyright infringement.

"Pampering Wu Sansi, listening to slander and exiling loyal officials, allowing your Empress Wei to meddle in politics—very well, you've done a stellar job indeed!" Li Zhi snapped his leather belt, making sharp cracking sounds in the air.

"Heh, you know, Zhinu," Li Qing suddenly remarked, "if our little accident hadn't occurred, this fellow was planning to posthumously confer upon Wu Sansi the title of Prince of Liangxuan and Grand Commandant..."

"What?!" Li Zhi growled, grinding his teeth.

"Oh, and before long, he was going to elevate the Wei woman to the title of Empress Shuntian Yisheng, completely following in the footsteps of you and Wu Meiniang." Li Qing continued stoking the fire.

Seeing the bloodshot eyes of the grandfather, father, and son, accompanied by a skyrocketing surge of emotional energy, Li Qing silently offered half a second of sympathy for Li Xian.

May he survive this lesson in tough love.

"Get him!" Li Shimin roared, lifting his leather belt and bringing it down squarely on Li Xian's head.

Li Xian let out a muffled grunt, surprisingly managing not to scream.

Over all these years, taking beatings under Empress Wu had practically become second nature to him.

"Hah, who would have thought you actually had some backbone," Li Shimin said with genuine surprise, though his hand never stopped moving. He rained down blows while listing Li Xian's crimes.

"Condoning Empress Wei, plunging the court into chaos, murdering loyal officials, and employing treacherous sycophants... Just look at the Crown Prince, what have you turned him into? Wu Chongxun drags him out to play Cuju every single day—is this the teacher you found for him?"

"The Crown Prince is the heir to the nation, the very dignity of the state! How dare you indulge the princess and her husband in calling him a mere slave to his face?"

"That's *my* business, and it has nothing to do with Father!" Princess Anle suddenly found the courage from goodness knows where, throwing herself forward to shield Li Xian. "Stop it! Don't hit him anymore!"

The moment her voice trailed off, a crack of thunder rent the air, followed by a torrential downpour that poured straight down in sheets.

"We'll settle your accounts a bit later," Li Zhi kicked the outrageously pretty princess aside. "No rush, we'll take our time. Once we finish beating your father and mother, it will be your turn."

Li Xian sighed, gently pushing Princess Anle away. He dropped to his knees and kowtowed, saying, "Imperial Grandfather, please listen to your grandson's explanation. Ever since Your Majesty exiled me to Luling, I have lived in constant panic day and night. Several times, I wanted to end my own life, and each time Lian'er was the one who talked me out of it."

"Ever since then, I swore an oath to her: if I should ever ascend the throne again, I would let her do precisely as she pleased, without any restrictions whatsoever..."

Hearing this, Li Shimin drew a sharp, deep breath.