Chapter 5

Li Kuan's words were like a wake-up call, leaving the few people present, whether it was Changsun, or the Chang family, or even Li Yuan, stunned.

No one had expected that a minor conflict between children, when analyzed by this young boy, would reveal so much, and it was even terrifying.

"This shows that the Crown Prince is incapable of educating his own children. As the saying goes: If a child is not taught, it is the father's fault. The Crown Prince bears the majority of the responsibility in this matter. A prince who cannot even manage his own small family, how can he manage the Tang Dynasty? Cultivating oneself, managing one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world are not empty words. How can the Tang Dynasty be secure with such an heir?" Li Kuan continued to speak recklessly.

"You are talking nonsense. Isn't this criticizing your elders behind their backs? Isn't attacking your cousin also unjust?" The Chang family woman, who had managed to become the Crown Princess, seized on the weakness in Li Kuan's words and directly turned his own tactics against him.

"Why be angry, Sister? The Emperor is here, and everything should be decided by him. How can we women meddle in such matters?" Changsun calmly interjected, cutting off the Chang family woman's next words.

Li Yuan did not speak, but he stared at Li Kuan for a long time.

"Speak, did you think of these words yourself, or did someone teach you?" Li Yuan's voice was low and heavy with fatigue. He couldn't help but think deeply. After all, the Tang Dynasty was facing internal and external troubles. Rebellions were rampant in Guanzhong, and although most of the thirty-six rebel kings and seventy-two rebel leaders had been defeated, the Central Plains were still in turmoil, with bandits everywhere. The border with Tuyuhun was also restless, and although Chai Shao had been sent to suppress them, the Turkic Khan Jiali was also restless, ready to invade at any moment. If there were any more waves in the court, it would be a disaster for the newly established Tang Dynasty.

"All of this was thought of by your grandson." Li Kuan answered honestly, without much thought.

But how could Li Yuan believe him? If there wasn't his invincible second son behind all this, it would be strange! A minor conflict had become a weapon to strike at the Crown Prince, even rising to the level of the state. Could this be the work of a child? If a child could think so deeply, he would be a demon. But Li Kuan, who had lived under his watch for six years, had only shown himself to be a sickly child before today. How could he have thought of these things?

Thinking of this, Li Yuan unconsciously shifted his gaze to Changsun, who was standing to the side, her face already pale.

As soon as Changsun saw Li Yuan turn to look at her, she immediately knew that the emperor, who sat at the pinnacle of power, was suspecting that she had taught Li Kuan. But what could she say? Could she admit it? But she had never shown any signs to Li Kuan. If she said Li Kuan had thought of it himself, it would be even less credible. So she remained silent, letting Li Yuan speculate.

"Enough, let this matter end here. All of you, leave!" Seeing that Changsun was silent, Li Yuan became even more suspicious and dismissed everyone present.

After everyone had left, Li Yuan turned to leave, but as he walked, he said, "This matter must be investigated thoroughly. See if there are any shadows of the Tiance Mansion behind it, and see if anyone has ulterior motives. Also, have the Crown Prince and Prince Qin return to the capital. They have been away for too long, only concerned with power struggles, and none of them can even manage their own family affairs. How can I entrust the empire to them?"

"Understood, I will take care of it immediately!" A black figure flashed behind Li Yuan and disappeared.

As the doors of the Taiji Palace closed, Li Yuan stepped onto the highest throne that everyone hoped to sit on: "Haha... Is this the price of conquering the world? The world is not yet pacified, and yet such petty schemes are already being hatched! My good sons, hahaha..." Everyone only saw the supreme power and glory, but who knew the loneliness of being at the top? When no one could be trusted, not even one's own children!

That night, the Taiji Palace remained lit all night!

Li Kuan didn't care about these matters; he was still thinking about the wish Li Yuan had promised him!

Returning to the Qin Wang Palace in the imperial city, Changsun, as soon as she entered the gate, sat down unceremoniously! Cold sweat trickled down her beautiful face. If anything had gone wrong today, it could have turned into a palace coup.

After a long while, she turned around and looked at the innocent-looking Li Tai and the Li Kuan leaning against the door: "Qingque, go back to your room! Chunlan, help Qingque get cleaned up! Er Lang, come with me!"

Li Kuan reluctantly followed Changsun to the study of the Qin Wang Palace. The room was very simple, with only a few books, a central table, and several chairs, which were called Hu stools. The Li family had a mixed heritage, and since they had only been on the throne for a few years and their rule was not yet stable, there were no strict rules about kneeling. Moreover, few of Li Er's subordinates, like Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, and Duan Zhixuan, cared about such formalities. They did whatever was comfortable, so the setup here felt very familiar to Li Kuan—like a conference table.

This room was usually used only by the Tiance Mansion's strategists and generals when discussing important matters. On ordinary days, even Changsun could only clean it every few days. No one else in the palace, not even the eldest son Li Chengqian, had ever entered it. Today, Changsun made an exception and brought Li Kuan in.

"Speak, who taught you to say those things today?" Changsun's face turned cold, and her usually beautiful face now had a hint of menace.

"What things?" Li Kuan still didn't understand. This didn't match what he had seen on TV. If this happened on TV, wouldn't a group of people bow and say, "Sir, your wisdom surpasses ours"? Why did it become a sinister plot in his case? It seemed that TV shows were misleading, and the ancients weren't as stupid as he thought!

"Still not admitting? This is your last chance. If you tell the truth to your mother, there is still a chance to make things right. If you wait for your father to return, there will be no room for negotiation!" Changsun saw Li Kuan's puzzled look and was extremely anxious. She remembered how her sister Shao Hua had asked her to take care of her child before leaving. But what could she do now?

"Mother, did I say something wrong?" Li Kuan, seeing Changsun's anxious expression, realized that things might be really serious!

"Are you afraid now? Weren't you talking confidently just now?" Changsun noticed that since the child asked, "Where are we, who are you?" yesterday, he seemed to have changed. Before, due to his age and health, he had never been involved in state affairs. The Tiance Mansion's discussions always took place in this study, which was far from where the children lived, and the confidentiality was managed by her brother Changsun Wujì. There was no way he could have eavesdropped! But how could Li Kuan, Li Er, have said such things, whether it was about the court's situation or the skillful way of attacking the enemy, it didn't seem like the work of a child.

"Mother! Let's wait for Father to return before we talk about this! It's hard to explain right now!" Li Kuan finally felt like the script had been mixed up. Things weren't developing as he had imagined, and it seemed to be getting out of hand! He couldn't find a good excuse to cover up, so he decided to stall and think of a plan. He could only shout in his heart: "The TV show 'Zhen Guan Chang Ge' has ruined me!"

"Alright!" Changsun was at a loss. As a woman, she couldn't make a decision.

Getting a reprieve, Li Kuan let out a long sigh and decided to think of a good excuse to explain!

Lying on the bed, looking at the dark ceiling, Li Kuan racked his brain to think of a reasonable excuse to explain how he had transformed from a sickly child into a demon. Should he claim to have a divine master? People in this era revered deities, but he couldn't perform miracles. A white-bearded old man teaching him in a dream? This seemed to be a common trick used by many time travelers, but if the master never showed up, and given what he knew about Changsun, the Chang family woman, and Li Yuan, none of them were fools, they might see through it at any time!

He thought all night, and when the street-clearing drum sounded, Li Kuan fell into a deep sleep.

In the blink of an eye, it was the third day since Li Kuan had traveled through time. In the morning, he stood in a horse stance for a while, and when he started sweating, he ended the stance. The maidservants were already waiting to help him wash his face and brush his teeth!

These two things were what Li Kuan was most dissatisfied with after traveling through time. Washing his face with silk, which was very slippery and not comfortable to use, and brushing his teeth with green salt, which tasted terrible. Life in the ancient landlord's house wasn't as good as he had imagined! In his own time, he had towels for washing his face and toothbrushes and toothpaste for brushing his teeth. But the Li family, one of the largest landlords in the Tang Dynasty, didn't have a life as comfortable as his.

Should he try to make toothbrushes and towels? Li Kuan thought about it! But remembering that he had already caused a mess without a reasonable excuse, he decided not to create more trouble for now.

However, getting some medicinal herbs to improve his health was a must. Even if it caused a big stir, it was more important than his life!

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