Chapter 88

Last time, we talked about how the incident at Xuanwu Gate had ended. However, Cheng Yaojin, in his anger, wanted to kill the captives to vent his frustration but was dissuaded by Qin Qiong. Afterwards, he questioned Li Kuan.

Li Kuan was at a loss for words. He didn't know what to say at that moment. The gruesome scene from earlier still lingered in his mind, refusing to fade. He could have used the anesthetic powder to knock out the Prince's side from the beginning and then capture them. However, due to some selfish thoughts, he was afraid that bringing live captives to Li Yuan would leave behind future troubles. Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were not people with broad minds; they would certainly seek revenge after the fact. Even if Li Yuan punished them, whether it was by deposing the Prince, making them idle princes, or demoting them to commoners and exiling them to the border, they would still have a chance to make a comeback. It was better to eliminate them directly at Xuanwu Gate, just as history had recorded. He didn't expect this to anger Cheng Yaojin.

But Li Kuan, after all, had some cunning. After a moment of quick thinking, he finally found a somewhat reasonable excuse.

"General Cheng, please forgive me for speaking frankly! I could have used the anesthetic powder earlier, but from the conversation between the Prince and Your Highness, I learned that Your Highness was here to carry out the Emperor's secret decree to execute the Prince and the Prince of Qi. Is that not so?" Li Kuan tried to remain calm, organizing his thoughts before asking.

"Yes, that is true! But I didn't dare to kill them, even though I have killed many people, I might not be able to kill my own brothers. But what does this have to do with you not using the anesthetic powder?" Li Er asked, finding it strange.

"Because of the conversation between Your Highness and the Prince, I felt that we should fight this battle rather than use the 'medicine' to knock them out and capture them. Not only because it's hard to disobey the Emperor's command, but also because of Your Highness." Li Kuan continued, though he himself didn't know how to continue the lie, he had to get through this.

"Hmm, Your Highness? Then please explain!" Li Er pondered.

"Your Highness, you value the bond between brothers too much. What would you do after capturing the Prince and the Prince of Qi? You would hand them over to the Emperor. But if the Emperor has already ordered you to execute them, would he want to see them again?" Li Kuan spoke slowly, thinking about what to say next, trying to make it reasonable and exonerate himself.

"Moreover, the Prince of Qi's hatred for Your Highness has probably seeped into his bones, and you are not unaware of this. But you can't let it go. The Emperor doesn't want to see them because, like you, he can't let go of the father-son bond. He dared not do it himself, so he ordered you to do it." Li Kuan continued.

"The imperial family has no kinship, how could the Emperor let it go?" Cheng Yaojin still couldn't accept it.

"Indeed, the imperial family has no kinship, but isn't Your Highness also unable to let it go? Moreover, this is not just a matter of the imperial family. It's also a show for the whole country. The aristocratic families, as Your Highness told me, have deep roots throughout the Tang Dynasty. This conflict between brothers, though partly because the Emperor couldn't bring himself to do it, is more about intimidating the aristocratic families. A ruler who shows no mercy to his own brothers will certainly be ruthless to those who dare to obstruct him, making them dare not use any tricks during the power transition." Li Kuan finally found a somewhat acceptable breakthrough after much hesitation. The aristocratic families have always been the enemies of the nobility and the royal family, each like a small independent kingdom, forming their own power bases within the Tang Dynasty. In name, the places they control belong to the empire, but in reality, they are controlled by them, and the appointment of local officials depends on their approval. If they are not satisfied, the imperial edict will be followed in name only.

"Are you saying that the Emperor actually wanted to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys? And the Prince and the Prince of Qi, because of the poisoning incident, just happened to be the chickens?" Li Er thought further than Li Kuan. He had already considered this, but still found it far-fetched. To intimidate the aristocratic families, it would be enough to use one family as an example. Why make the three brothers fight each other, like a monkey show for the peasants to see?

"Indeed, think about it, Your Highness. When the Emperor learned that the Prince and the Prince of Qi had secretly poisoned him, wasn't he very angry? He could have directly eliminated them, but why did he give the secret decree to Your Highness? At that time, his health was already very weak. If he had directly killed the Prince and the Prince of Qi, the older princes would only be Your Highness, but you were far away in Longyou. Chang'an would certainly be in turmoil, and the country would be unstable. So he urgently summoned you back. Since the Emperor had completely lost hope in the Prince and decided to abandon him, he would use him to the fullest, utilizing his last value. Dealing with an aristocratic family is not easy, so why not use these two princes who have already been abandoned as targets to achieve his goal?" Li Kuan felt more and more confident in his reasoning.

"If so, then the Prince and the Prince of Qi must not be captured alive. The Emperor's health is already poor, so he wants to use this opportunity to push the Prince of Qin to the throne. The one to establish authority must be the Prince of Qin!" Qin Qiong said. Although he had a secret identity, he only joined the secret guards because Li Yuan had once saved his mother from a serious illness in Licheng, Shandong, and he had agreed to do three things for Li Yuan. He had already completed two of them, and if he killed the Prince and the Prince of Qi, he would have repaid his debt to Li Yuan. But now that the Prince was captured, he had only completed half of the task, so he had to find a way to complete the rest, which is why he supported Li Kuan's words.

"In that case, the captured Prince cannot be spared? He must be executed?" Cheng Yaojin asked, his fists clenched. If Li Er nodded, he would certainly go down and beat Li Jiancheng to death.

"Well, I have thought about this. It's not just because of brotherly affection, but if I really did that, I would bear the stigma of killing my brother to seize power. It's a difficult choice for me!" Li Er was frustrated. This was a difficult situation, and Li Yuan had given him a tough problem. Carrying such a stigma would certainly affect him for life. No matter how many great achievements he made in the future, this incident would always be mentioned.

"..." Cheng Yaojin was speechless, as was Qin Qiong, who also fell silent. The old general now realized that this incident might tarnish Li Er's reputation. He had already killed Li Yuanji and was cleaning up the battlefield. News would soon come. With Li Er's intelligence, he would certainly guess that it was his doing. His position in the Prince of Qin's heart would become delicate.

Sure enough, the Xuanjia guards cleaning up the battlefield began to shout, "The Prince of Qi has been killed, dead in the gatehouse!"

Li Er's face changed. He had clearly ordered to capture them alive. How could Li Yuanji be killed? Was someone under his command disobeying his orders? Hearing that Li Yuanji was killed in the gatehouse, he turned to look at Qin Qiong. At that time, Qin Qiong had discovered Li Yuanji's escape and fought a battle in the gatehouse, which was out of his sight. After that, only he came out. What about the others? He had thought they were guarding Li Yuanji in the gatehouse, but now he realized they were probably all dead!

Li Er's face darkened, and he fell silent. Cheng Yaojin's expression also changed. He wasn't stupid and could sense a lot from the situation. Although he didn't know the exact reason, he knew that Li Er's immediate look at Qin Qiong meant that Qin Qiong was likely responsible, but it wasn't the right time to say so. He turned and left.

Qin Qiong didn't leave, but lowered his head, deep in thought. The wall fell silent. Li Kuan also guessed, but since the parties involved, Li Er and Qin Qiong, didn't speak, he didn't dare to say more and also turned to leave.

After leaving, Li Kuan went to Changsun. Although he disliked Li Chenggan's jealous eyes, compared to the impending storm from Li Er, a child's gaze was nothing. Moreover, Changsun was now pregnant and had been worried and scared all along. She must be uncomfortable now. Li Kuan felt he could do something for this strong woman, as she had been good to him.

If it were someone else, they might have already taken Li Kuan's assets through schemes. After all, Li Kuan had been focusing on physical training for the past few years and had not paid attention to those things. But Changsun had not done so. Although she favored her own son, she never crossed the line and always cared for Li Kuan. This was her strength. She treated the children who had lost their mothers almost equally, which was already rare. She had never tried to reduce Li Kuan's share in the Jiu Xianju taverns, no matter how many branches were opened in Chang'an, Li Kuan's share always remained half. Li Kuan didn't know this, but it didn't mean it didn't exist.

Perhaps when Li Kuan grew older and needed more money, he would find it inconvenient, but by then Changsun would no longer value these things, as she would soon take over the inner treasury of the most powerful empire in the world, which would be far more valuable than the small Jiu Xianju. So, before Li Er ascended the throne, she would certainly return these things to their rightful owner.

When Li Kuan came to Changsun, the strong woman looked exhausted. She had been awake all night, hoping for the dawn and the end of everything. Now it was over, but she felt that everything had been arranged by others. This made her, who knew Li Er well, worry. She knew that Li Er was a very principled man, and being pushed by Li Yuan to kill his own brothers would certainly make him furious. But as a woman, she couldn't get involved, so she waited on the side.

Seeing Changsun's exhausted face, Li Kuan made a decision to ask Sun Simiao to cure her asthma, even offering medical books like "Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases" and "Compendium of Materia Medica" as exchange. Because Li Kuan had a vague feeling that he and Li Chenggan would have a serious conflict in the future. Without this virtuous queen, he might kill Li Chenggan in a fit of anger, and Li Lizhi would certainly hate him forever.

PS: Thank you to Yuyu Maixiang for the two monthly votes, to Menglong de Shìyán for the two monthly votes, and to Yufu Shiwo for the two donations! I am very grateful!