Chapter 67: Father and Son

Since the passing of Empress Changsun, her legitimate sons had grown up wildly, much like weeds on a distorted path.

Compared with Zhu Biao, Li Chengqian was undoubtedly a tragic figure. First of all, he lacked a father who could lavish all his partiality upon him, nor did he have a mother capable of escorting him safely into his middle years.

Even in modern times, a slight carelessness in a child's upbringing can become a major issue, let alone within the royal court, which possessed the extreme power to warp human nature.

However, now that Li Qing was the boy's sworn godfather, for the very sake of that title, he could not simply leave him to sink.

Li Shimin's retreating figure appeared exceptionally desolate. The disappointing behavior of his eldest son, in whom he had always placed his highest expectations, had nearly shattered the once-solid inner defenses of this towering man.

Standing before him was a scholar tree scarred by countless sword marks.

The scholar tree: *You are noble, you are righteous, and you take your frustration out on me?*

"Brother Li?" Li Qing walked over and called out gently.

Li Shimin reached out his sleeve to wipe his eyes, quickly assuming an indifferent expression. "Ah, it is you, my virtuous brother. How is that rebellious lad?"

"He'll live. Nothing too serious."

Li Qing naturally saw right through Old Li's forced indifference; he knew that, in reality, Old Li was currently more concerned about Li Chengqian's health than anyone else.

He did not intend to harvest any more emotional value from Li Shimin, but rather prepared to console and guide him properly.

"Rest assured, there won't be any lingering sequelae. However, as a punishment, we won't let him recover too quickly. He'll have to endure the pain for at least a month to teach him a lesson he won't forget."

"It would serve him right if he hurt enough to learn!" Li Shimin let out a cold snort, yet his expression relaxed, no longer as taut as before.

Li Qing looked at him playfully. Brother Li was quite the tsundere.

"That rebellious son..." Li Shimin heaved a long sigh. "How could he... how could he pull off such a stunt? Disguising himself as a Tujue and going out to steal someone else's oxen—he is the Crown Prince of the Great Tang!"

"So what if he's the Crown Prince? Even a crown prince is just a child," Li Qing consoled. "When it comes to educating a child, you cannot rely entirely on corporal punishment and criticism; you must adopt other appropriate methods. Even in warfare, one emphasizes outflanking maneuvers, and educating a child works on the exact same principle."

"Actually, children at this age are all like this—full of rebellion. Just think about it, Brother Li, what were you doing when you were his age?"

"When I was his age? When I was his age, I was already commanding three armies and conquering the realm!"

It would have been better if he hadn't brought that up; the mere mention of it caused Li Shimin's anger to flare up once more.

*I, Li Shimin, have been a hero my entire life; how did I end up with the misfortune of a heroic father begetting a worthless dog of a son?*

Li Qing mentally flashed a string of ellipsis.

If you are going to talk like that, I simply have no way to respond.

"If you trace the root cause, the pressure you put on him was simply too great," Li Qing awkwardly tried to steer the conversation elsewhere. "Sometimes, having a father who is too outstanding is not necessarily a good thing for a child. Although the student is supposed to surpass the master, the Great Tang already has one of you; if you produce another one even more formidable than yourself, aren't you afraid of incurring heaven's wrath? Brother Li, you must learn to accept your child's mediocrity..."

"Mediocrity would actually be better! Look at the sort of thing he actually pulled off!" Li Shimin said angrily.

"To err is human, and to correct one's mistakes is the greatest virtue. Besides, he didn't cause any irreparable damage." Li Qing reached out and gave the scholar tree a kick, causing its leaves to rustle.

If the old scholar tree could speak, it would undoubtedly curse out loud: *What is wrong with the two of you, won't this ever end?*

"Do you remember what I mentioned to you earlier about 'adolescent rebellion'? In truth, he is currently in precisely that state of mind. The problem does not lie solely with him; you bear responsibility too, Brother Li."

"I do?" Li Shimin could not help being stunned. How could that disastrous fellow's ox-stealing have anything to do with him?

"To feed without teaching is the father's fault; to teach without rigor is the teacher's laziness." Li Qing cast a sidelong glance at Li Shimin. "Do you dare claim it has nothing to do with you?"

Seeing Li Shimin's dazed expression, Li Qing thought for a moment before speaking further. "Actually, this was not your original intention. With so many children, it is inevitable that there would be some lapses in your care, leading to negligence over time, causing you to fail to notice Gaoming's shifting mindset."

"Coupled with the fact that..." Li Qing hesitated, but ultimately pressed on, "Well, although you have never been able to balance this bowl of water evenly, the most crucial point is that the only person capable of balancing that bowl and bestowing genuine care upon Gaoming is no longer here."

"Just moments ago, Gaoming was telling me that he misses his mother..."

Hearing this, Li Shimin could no longer restrain himself. Two streams of tears rolled down his cheeks, grieving so deeply he looked like an old man whose potatoes had all been stolen.

"Guanyinbi..." he murmured, gazing toward the distant moon in the night sky, as if wishing to pierce through the sea of clouds and span time itself to catch one more glimpse of his beloved wife's face.

Taking advantage of the moment, Li Qing turned his head and nodded toward the Imperial Diary Keeper, his lip-movement clearly signaling: *Hurry up and write this down.*

This was a major event indeed! I, Li, used my glib tongue to talk Brother Li into tears, and furthermore have it recorded in the annals of history—this prestige could hardly be small!

Yet this was merely a single instance; compared to the hundreds of times Brother Li was recorded in history as weeping bitterly, it still seemed rather scarce.

"Tell me, if things continue to develop along this path, when you eventually meet Empress Changsun again one day in the future, what will she say to you?" Li Qing continued to torment Li Shimin's nerves. *'The wonderful child I left behind before my departure—how did you manage to ruin him?'*

"Say no more, say no more..." Li Shimin immediately cut Li Qing off. If this continued any longer, his psychological defenses would completely collapse. "Gaoming's affair... it is entirely my fault..."

"There, that's right." Li Qing felt a touch of satisfaction; it seemed the persuasion had worked. He struck while the iron was hot. "Go back and check on Gaoming again. Since he has already recognized his error, do not scold him further."

Seeing that Li Shimin offered no objection, Li Qing continued to paint a grand picture for him: "In a few days' time, when Empress Changsun returns and sees for herself that Gaoming has been well-taught by you, won't you have an account to give her?"

Li Shimin suddenly seized upon the crucial point. He grabbed Li Qing's arm and asked with burning intensity, "Virtuous brother! Did you just say that in a few days you will allow Guanyinbi to return? How many days? Exactly how many days will it take?"

"Brother Li, Brother Li, Gaoming! Pay attention to the order of priorities here!" Li Qing hurriedly said.

Yet who would have expected Li Shimin to be as stubborn as an iron anchor: "I don't care about Gaoming, I only want Guanyinbi!"

Good grief! Parents are true love, while children are purely accidental, is that it?

Well... the emperor and empress are deeply affectionate; the Crown Prince? Well, the Crown Prince is still breathing...

"Don't be impatient, don't be impatient. No matter what, this will take at least half a year," Li Qing quickly pressed Li Shimin down. "You have to at least give me time to recover my mystical powers first, don't you?"

"That is true. It is just that this elder brother of yours was too impatient."

Hearing him put it that way, Li Shimin had no choice but to let the matter rest; after all, Li Qing's cultivation took precedence.

"Tell me, virtuous brother, why don't you take me for a visit to the era of Li Longji's reign? Let me witness the Kaiyuan Prosperity you praised so highly, just to clear my mind."