Chapter 26

Time does not pause for anyone, and it quietly slips away. The next day, as dawn broke, Changsun attended to Li Er as he prepared to go to court.

At the gate of the mansion, they bid a lingering farewell for a moment. Li Er mounted his horse, clamped his legs around the horse's belly to steady himself. Then, after taking a deep look at the courtyard behind him, he turned and spurred his horse away.

Along the way, the generals who had left the previous day gradually gathered behind Li Er. This was his capital in opposing the Crown Prince's faction. Changsun Wujì was closest to Li Er, and the two walked at the forefront. Next was Qin Qiong, who originally did not want to take this position, but who could blame him for having a brother who could throw a tantrum!

"If my brother Qin Qiong doesn't take this position, then no one else can! Otherwise, ask if my spear can pierce through anyone!" This was the original words of that simpleton. In his heart, Li Er naturally walked first, and Changsun Wujì, being the emperor's brother-in-law, he did not dare to say anything. But for the others, they could not walk ahead of his brother Qin Qiong, because even the emperor Li Er privately called him "Sir Qin." So this guy helped to throw a tantrum to secure the fourth position.

Li Er was not very concerned about these matters, as he was very clear in his heart about who had contributed what and who was not entirely on his side. He had a clear understanding of all this, and as for the surface-level rankings, what did it matter? It had no practical impact!

Moreover, Qin Qiong walking in the third position was actually in line with his status and position. Although he had only joined from Wang Shichong halfway through, he had proven his strength in one battle after another. His golden maces were wielded with incredible skill, and he always led from the front in every battle. It could be said that Qin Qiong had shed more blood on the battlefield than any of his subordinates, and his contributions were among the highest. However, the person behind him, Cheng Yaojin, was a simpleton, very good at throwing tantrums. Although he was also a skilled military commander, his personality was quite frustrating.

Li Er led his trusted generals to the Zhuque Gate, the main entrance to the palace. This time they were summoned, and after the army's triumphant return, they had to enter the palace through this gate. They were originally supposed to go to the imperial temple to partake in the ancestral victory banquet, which was said to have only four dishes, none of which were particularly delicious.

Li Er had also wanted such treatment, but this time, although they had won, the injury to Princess Pingyang overshadowed all their achievements. In Li Yuan's eyes, although they had repelled the ten thousand archers of Tuli, how could it compare to his beloved daughter, Princess Pingyang? Therefore, Li Er and his men were neither rewarded nor punished. After Li Yuan personally visited the imperial hospital to see Li Xiuning's injuries the day before, he harshly reprimanded Li Er and ordered the imperial physicians to do everything possible to save her, or else they would have to answer with their heads.

Li Yuan had always felt a sense of guilt towards Li Xiuning, because he had once lost her, and only discovered after the uprising in Taiyuan that his daughter was still in the Sui capital, Daxing. This made him feel he had wronged her. Later, when Li Xiuning formed the Women's Army and fought for the Tang Dynasty, a girl had achieved unparalleled feats. This made Li Yuan both proud and guilty, and over time, their relationship became very complex.

At the hour of Chen, the palace gates opened on time, signaling the start of the court session. Li Er dismounted first, handing his horse to a eunuch waiting nearby, and then walked towards the palace gate. A large group followed him, and the horses were taken care of by others.

At the palace gate, they had to remove their swords. No one except the guards was allowed to carry swords inside the palace, not even the emperor's own son, the Prince. This was stipulated in the "Wude Regulations" by Li Yuan.

As they approached the Taiji Palace, where Li Yuan held his meetings, it was already filled with other ministers waiting for the court session. When they saw Li Er leading a large group marching in, their expressions varied: some were greatly alarmed, their eyes flashing with hostility towards Li Er and his men; some were calm, as if they hadn't seen Li Er and his group at all; and some were excited, looking eagerly at the young man walking at the forefront with a dragon-like gait.

The scene revealed the power dynamics of the current court: those hostile to Li Er were certainly part of the Crown Prince's faction! The neutral ones were either Li Yuan's confidants or representatives of the aristocratic families, such as the Qinghe Cui and Fan Yang Lu. Although the Li family of Longxi was also part of the aristocracy, this branch only supported Emperor Li Yuan and the future emperor, so their attitude towards Li Er was lukewarm. As for the small group that was excited, they were Li Er's supporters, but most of them held minor positions, often scattered roles.

As the eunuch announced, "Court is in session, ministers present yourselves!" the court session began.

Since Li Er was summoned back to the capital, he did not enter with the resident officials but waited outside the Taiji Palace for Li Yuan to summon him.

Fortunately, it didn't take long before the call to summon the Prince of Qin was heard. Li Er quickly entered the Taiji Palace, keeping his eyes fixed ahead, and when he reached the center of the hall, he knelt down with a dramatic gesture: "Your son Li Shimin, pays respects to His Majesty! Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!"

This threefold "long live" had been a tradition since the establishment of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Yuan looked at his second son, who was dressed in ceremonial armor, which accentuated his remarkable appearance. The helmet's face mask was removed, revealing his rough skin, weathered by the desert winds, and the short beard he had grown as a father.

"Rise!" Li Yuan said.

"Thank you, Father!" Li Er responded as he stood up.

"I hear that you repelled Tuli's ten thousand archers in the desert, killed fifteen thousand, and pursued Tuli for three hundred miles, a great victory! What reward do you want?" Li Yuan said calmly.

The ministers in the court, upon hearing this, all frowned: Was the emperor planning to reward or punish the Prince of Qin? If it was a reward, his tone was cold and authoritative, suggesting there was more to it. If it was a punishment, he was asking the Prince of Qin to suggest it himself, which was truly... perplexing!

Li Er knew the real game was on. This was a way for him to forgo the reward, allowing Li Yuan to avoid the bad reputation of not rewarding the victorious soldiers and to indirectly vent his anger over Li Xiuning's injury. However, in the current situation, Li Er had to follow Li Yuan's script, because if he did not comply, Li Yuan would first reward them and then use Li Xiuning's injury as a pretext to punish them, possibly even more harshly than if he had given up the reward voluntarily.

"Although I repelled Tuli this time, I failed to capture him, so I do not feel worthy of the credit. I only hope that Your Majesty will not punish me for my lack of effectiveness in battle," Li Er bowed his head to Li Yuan, feeling very helpless, as Li Yuan was extremely unreasonable!

"Very well, victory does not make one arrogant, and defeat does not make one discouraged! You may now step down," Li Yuan said, seeing his goal achieved.

Li Yuan's unwillingness to say more did not mean others were willing to let Li Er off so easily. Just as Li Er was about to thank the emperor and leave, a hoarse voice spoke up: "Father, I believe that my second brother not only failed to achieve any merit but also committed a fault, and should be punished!"

A disfigured man stepped out from among the ministers, wearing a dragon robe with a four-clawed dragon, the Prince of Qi, Li Yuanji.

"Oh! What is your opinion, Yuanji?" Li Yuan asked calmly. Normally, he might have simply said, "The emperor's decision is final," but today, although he had vented his anger, Li Xiuning's injury still troubled him, so he did not stop Li Yuanji's challenge.

"Second brother, this time you acted rashly and put yourself in danger. Fortunately, Third Sister, Princess Pingyang, came to your rescue, allowing you to escape and defeat Tuli. However, this led to Princess Li Xiuning being seriously injured, and she is still being treated at the imperial hospital. Her wounds are infected, and it is uncertain whether she can be saved! If she is saved, it will be fine, but if anything happens, you will have to give an account!" Li Yuanji looked at Li Er with a disdainful expression. He was not naive; he knew that infected wounds could only be treated by cutting out the affected area, but Li Xiuning's wound was in a position that could not be removed. This almost guaranteed that she would not survive, so he wanted to take advantage of the situation to get Li Er into trouble.

"Of course! Not only does Third Brother care about Xiuning, but since she was injured because of me, I will definitely give an account! There is no need for you to worry about it," Li Er responded calmly, though he wanted to leave in a huff, he could not do so.

"Then, what will you use to give an account? Third Sister risked her life for you! If anything happens, you will have to give an account to Father, Brother-in-law Chai Shao, the Crown Prince, and me!" Li Yuanji enjoyed the feeling of suppressing Li Er. He had never won against Li Er and had grown up in his shadow, which had caused his psychological issues. He had a deep-seated resentment towards his excellent second brother!

"If anything happens to Third Sister, I will personally go to the desert and bring back Tuli's head to honor her. As for Father, he will make his own decision. I will also take care of Brother-in-law Chai Shao and our nephew Chai Lingwu. As for you and the Crown Prince, whatever account you want, I will accept it!" Li Er stood in the center of the Taiji Hall, facing Li Yuanji's challenge, without a hint of panic, almost as if he were ignoring it.

Only Li Yuanji, standing face to face with him, could feel this, which made him extremely frustrated, wishing he could tear the person in front of him into pieces!

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