LFHYB -Chapter 224 Pairing a Foolish Emperor with Treacherous Ministers

The court was planning a grand debate on Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, and by the time the ministers learned of it, news had already spread widely among the people.

Not only ministers accompanying Li Shimin to the summer palace, but even those staying behind in Chang’an were completely baffled.

A grand Confucian-Buddhist-Daoist debate? Such a major event, and we hadn’t heard a word?

Thus, in Chang’an, it was assumed the emperor had made the decision from the summer palace, while at the summer palace, they thought it was a contingency left by the emperor in Chang’an.

The ministers in Chang’an muttered: “His Majesty must have feared our opposition, hence issuing the decree from the summer palace. Damn, it worked!”

The ministers at the summer palace: “His Majesty took us away from Chang’an to catch us off guard. Damn, it worked!”

Only a few who understood Li Shimin and Li Xuanba whispered among themselves.

“Was it that Li San who did this?”

“Who else but Li Sanlang would be so bold?”

“The posthumous name the retired emperor gave Prince Jin is perfect—just what was needed.”

They looked at Wei Zheng, who had rushed to the summer palace to deliver the letter in person, and, unusually, nodded in agreement at his typically sarcastic remarks.

Xue Shou gave a wry smile. “Rumor has it that this is His Majesty’s contingency plan, probably deliberately leaked. Don’t let it slip: if Prince Jin made such a major decision on his own, he could face impeachment.”

Du Ruhui half-joked, “Perhaps he wants to be impeached, so he won’t have to hold office.”

Fang Qiao seemed relaxed. “Dade has always dared to act for the realm. If he hadn’t, I would have petitioned to curb Buddhism and Daoism myself. Reestablishing Confucian orthodoxy is urgently needed. His Majesty taking responsibility, while the retired emperor and Prince Jin preside over the debate, is also a protection for us ministers.”

Wei Zheng sneered, “Yes, when Prince Jin Lang was idle at home, ministers complained day and night yet produced no policy to resolve Tang’s difficulties. They weren’t incapable—they hesitated because responsibility is heavy. So why oppose my invitation for Prince Jin Lang to take office? Look, the moment he became chancellor, he took all the ‘wrongdoing’ on himself. Aren’t the ministers much more at ease now?”

The words left Wei Zheng’s mouth, and several present instantly scowled.

Xue Shou, being most familiar with Wei Zheng, was the only one protecting him in the group.

He hurried to smooth things over. “Dade has a special status; naturally he can act on his thoughts. Other ministers must be cautious. How can they compare? Even if Dade hadn’t acted, Minister Fang was already drafting the petition. Dade’s health is poor—what could be more important than his body?”

Wei Zheng mocked, “Poor health? Have you not visited him? He sleeps until late morning, his complexion rosy, showing no sign of illness—just laziness.”

Fang Qiao replied, “And what if he’s lazy? Do you know all the hardships Li Sanlang endured? Earlier you mocked me for not fulfilling my ministerial duties, and now you rely on Li Sanlang? Have you considered offering your own advice? Besides finding faults, what else can you do? I may be slow building the stage, but I am building it. You only know how to tear it down. Not only are your talents mediocre, your intentions are corrupt!”

Wei Zheng chuckled. “Corrupt? Holding the chancellor’s position, monopolizing court power for half a year, what else have you done besides scrutinize officials to satisfy your lust for power? The treasury is empty—would you dare measure the lands again? Dare intervene in Buddhism and Daoism like Sanlang?”

Du Ruhui frowned. “Wei Xuancheng, how do you know we weren’t preparing to measure the lands again and intervene in Buddhism and Daoism? I already have a nearly finished draft petition—what do you have?”

Wei Zheng swung his sleeve and lifted his chin. “I’ve sent Third Lord out of the Jin Wang Mansion gate.”

Everyone: “……”

Xue Shou grabbed Wei Zheng, and Du Ruhui held back Fang Qiao, preventing what could have become the scandal of high-ranking ministers fighting each other in secret.

On the urgent ride back to Chang’an, Li Shimin held two impeachment petitions on horseback, the ink still wet, his face full of anguish.

Li Shimin turned his head. “Xuanling, Xuancheng, since your names both have ‘Xuan,’ can you stop quarreling all the time?”

At this, Fang Qiao and Wei Zheng wore exactly the same expression, making Li Shimin want to kick them both.

Li Shimin sighed. “I… sigh, I know that all of you care deeply for the Tang and the people of the realm, it’s just that your opinions differ. When opinions differ, you seek common ground and tolerate differences. Look, A-Xuan has caused such a big matter—handling the assets of the Buddhist temples and Daoist monasteries, Xuanling must be busy; overseeing officials to ensure they don’t pocket funds or increase the people’s burden, Xuancheng has to run around with the Censors. You all have much to do, and I can’t do without any of you. Temporarily set aside your conflicts, and handle this matter first. Can we do that?”

Hearing the emperor gently coaxing them—and with so much work ahead—Fang Qiao and Wei Zheng bowed slightly on horseback. “Everything will follow Your Majesty’s instructions.”

Xue Shou breathed a sigh of relief.

Du Ruhui said, “Your Majesty, please rest assured. The national treasury is indeed very empty, and the household registry is insufficient. Even if His Highness the Jin Wang does not take action now, Xuanling and I are prepared to submit petitions.”

Li Shimin smiled. “I am thinking about it as well. Sigh, the Retired Emperor also shouts every day that he wants to demolish all the temples; I’m troubled thinking about how to stop him. However, Kemin, you should continue calling A-Xuan ‘Third Lord’ or ‘Li San.’ With his personality, if he hears you calling him Jin Wang outside court, who knows what schemes he might concoct to trouble you. Whenever he feels embarrassed, he will try to mess with people.”

Wei Zheng’s face showed obvious disdain.

Xue Shou chuckled. “He felt embarrassed just by us calling him Jin Wang?”

Li Shimin said, “No one can predict all the strange things that embarrass him. Just indulge him on small matters to prevent him from going too far.”

Du Ruhui raised an eyebrow. “Then shouldn’t we call him Jin Wang more often? Even indulged, he won’t let us off when the mood strikes him.”

Fang Qiao said, “I agree; he’s hardly someone who behaves just because you indulge him.”

Wei Zheng surprisingly agreed this time. “Your Majesty might as well tell us what bothers Jin Wang most. If he makes us troubled, we’ll make him troubled too. Once he’s troubled, he’ll behave.”

Xue Shou smiled wryly. “Isn’t that a bit… risky?”

Li Shimin was seriously considering it.

He turned to the quiet companion who was with his sister and had not been dispatched elsewhere: “Changsun Wuji, what do you think?”

Changsun Wuji said, “I have no opinion. With Li San as chancellor, I’d better go to the grasslands to see my father in advance. I dare not share the court with him.”

On the way back to Chang’an, Li Shimin summoned his confidants to discuss how to trouble Li Xuanba. Yet, Li Xuanba was already troubling Li Shimin in return.

As soon as Wei Zheng left, Li Xuanba immediately summoned the Censors.

The chancellor could not control the Censors, except Li Xuanba.

The edict Li Shimin gave Li Xuanba granted him authority similar to what he had when overseeing the state—essentially, Li Xuanba could even command troops if he wished.

However, Li Xuanba knew his own limits; except when “cut off” from his brother, he rarely exercised that authority.

Under Wei Zheng’s leadership, the Censorate were like roosters with red eyes, pecking at anyone they saw.

Ordinarily, with Wei Zheng at the front absorbing the fire, the Censors could enjoy relative peace and be bold.

Now that the Jin Wang summoned them and the top leader was absent, the Censors were timid.

They decided that if the Jin Wang criticized them, they would admit their faults. After all, admitting faults would not cost them anything; they could wait for Minister Wei to return before making further plans.

Li Xuanba said, “The Censorate today is too lenient, almost a mere formality.”

The Censors: “Your Highness is right, we indeed… ah?”

Li Xuanba glanced at the Censors, his surprise barely hidden. Once they calmed down, he continued deliberately: “Petty, groundless impeachments are like cheating at a gambling game. You haven’t addressed real issues, wasting the court’s limited energy, and harming your own reputation. Yet I understand Wei Xuancheng; coming from a humble family, he dares to remonstrate to the emperor but lacks the courage to target the court and respected figures among the people.”

One Censor stiffly protested, “Minister Wei even dared to impeach Chancellor Fang!”

Li Xuanba asked, “Did the impeachment of Chancellor Fang succeed?”

The Censor: “Well… he couldn’t say that Your Majesty favors Chancellor Fang, could he?”

Li Xuanba said, “Your Majesty established the Censorate so you could truly supervise officials and eliminate corruption among them. Like birds eating worms—if the bird only squawks but catches no worms, what’s the use? I don’t believe that when you monitored Chancellor Fang, you didn’t know his faults were trivial. The emperor would not act on your guesses without evidence. That’s why I say your loud complaints are mere showmanship, wasting time and the emperor’s expectations.”

Li Xuanba took out a stack of papers from his chest. “Look how empty the treasury is, how tight the unfinished southern military affairs are. Where has Tang’s money gone? Ministers are so busy they have no time to rest, even sick me is forced to return to court. Yet why do some residences in Chang’an still have music and festivities every day? Where do they find time for singing and dancing?”

He slammed the papers on the table and said coldly, “A few days ago, there was a religious ceremony in the city, and nobles threw gold, silver, and silk into the pond to pray. The guest list is here, and I’m glad you are not on it. But such an extravagant display—you can’t see it? Tang is recovering from ruin. Even the emperor, suffering from old war wounds and unable to bear the summer heat, must stay in the old Sui palace to escape the heat, and cannot build a new palace. When Emperor Wen of Sui first ascended, he was already planning the construction of Daxing City! If the emperor himself is this frugal, shouldn’t these people be the targets of your impeachment?”

“Then there are the so-called noble families who pride themselves on their refinement—now they’re out of money, and they’re publicly declaring that they’ll sell their daughters, calling it a ‘dowry supplement.’ Are you aware of this? These so-called noble families have built their reputation on Confucian teachings and proper family conduct; that’s why they’ve been so respected among the common people. Now, as long as you have enough money, you can take a noble daughter home. What kind of ‘refined family values’ is this? How is this supposed to correct the moral atmosphere of society? Haven’t you heard about this?”

“And then there’s the Prince of Chu going on an inspection tour but not going directly to his post—he went hunting instead! Neglecting duties, letting a hunt interfere with official business… I already know about this, so how could the Censorate not know? Why haven’t I seen you impeach the Prince Chu?!”

Li Xuanba raised his voice, narrowing his eyes: “Does your Censorate actually do anything? Or do you deliberately pick issues without evidence to impeach, while pretending not to see the wrongdoing when there is proof? That way, you can look like you’re doing your job, but you’ll never actually succeed in impeaching and risk offending the powerful?”

The censors flushed red at Li Xuanba’s words, each ready to swear an oath that he would not insult their integrity.

Li Xuanba sneered: “Integrity? You can choose between having no talent and having no integrity. I think the problem lies with your leader, Wei Xuancheng. Wei Xuancheng is far too smooth, better suited to a post outside the capital, like a superintendent. He’s not fit to be a chief censor.”

After a round of sharp sarcasm, Li Xuanba left behind a pile of materials with a flick of his sleeve, leaving the censors clutching their heads in anger.

Even being scolded directly by court officials hadn’t made them this furious.

“Outrageous! Outrageous! His Highness, the Prince of Jin, is outrageous!”

“Yet the prince does have a point—we really haven’t accomplished anything.”

“Look at these matters: at the Dharma assembly, no senior noble in the capital fails to attend; in Shandong, the rule that a high bride price supplements family status has been an unspoken precedent since the previous dynasty; and as for the Prince of Chu… sigh, who doesn’t know how much His Majesty values his two younger brothers?”

“In that case, the prince is certainly right. It is indeed because of our timidity that we turn a blind eye to wrongdoing even when we have evidence.”

Everyone turned to look at the young censor speaking with righteous authority.

Xu Jingzong’s left hand was clasped behind his back, his right hand slightly bent in front of his abdomen, fists tightly clenched.

His eyes held a complex mix: three parts shame, three parts anger, three parts self-mockery, and one part admiration. The intensity of his emotion made his colleagues stop breathing for a moment.

“I do not intend to question Minister Wei. As head of the Censorate, it is naturally his duty to advise His Majesty and supervise the ministers. Matters like these should have been handled by us—by an ordinary censor like me. Yet I was cowardly.” Xu Jingzong’s voice was low but firm. “I was cowardly.”

The colleagues remained silent for a long moment, then murmured in soft sighs.

“It’s not just you—it’s all of us. We were all cowardly, alas…”

Outside the Censorate, Li Xuanba turned back and smiled.

“Your Highness, Xu Jingzong is a man without integrity. His father refused to bow to Yuwen Huaji with dance and was killed, yet he submits to Yuwen Huaji with dance to save his life. Can he truly accomplish Your Highness’s tasks?” one of Li Xuanba’s subordinates could not help but ask.

Li Xuanba looked at his palace military officer, Zhang Liang, who had once served under General Xu Shiji. He smiled enigmatically, leaving Zhang Liang a bit puzzled.

Zhang Liang, thinking Li Xuanba doubted him, quickly said, “Xu Jingzong once served with me under General Xu, and I would never falsely accuse him.”

Li Xuanba smiled: “I know. When he submitted to Yuwen Huaji, my teacher Yu Yongxing was also present.”

Yu Shinan had been granted the title Duke of Yongxing County, and Li Xuanba respectfully referred to his teacher as Yu Yongxing.

Xu Jingzong’s father, Xu Shanxin, was a man of great integrity. He refused to flatter Yuwen Huaji and would not meet him behind closed doors. Yuwen Huaji seized him and then released him to show ‘mercy,’ but Xu Shanxin still refused to bow and dance for him, leaving with a flick of his sleeve. Yuwen Huaji then captured and executed Xu Shanxin, citing his refusal to perform the dance as justification.

Xu Jingzong inherited his father’s talent—Xu Shanxin was a scholar of the Chen dynasty, and Xu Jingzong, like Li Xuanba, had been a scholar during the Daye era.

But Xu Jingzong’s personality was completely opposite to his father’s. He was more cunning, selfish, and unscrupulous.

Perhaps he hadn’t always been this way. Li Xuanba and Xu Jingzong had both been scholars and had briefly interacted at a literary gathering in the Qi Prince’s mansion. At that time, Xu Jingzong had still been a proud youth, bold in his disdain for nobles he looked down upon. But after witnessing his father’s death over his integrity, his character changed drastically.

Perhaps when he performed the humiliating dance to survive, the original proud Xu Jingzong—the proud scholar—had already died.

“It doesn’t matter. Since he has chosen to join me, I will watch over him,” Li Xuanba said with a smile. “I will keep reminding him that if he doesn’t want people constantly mentioning his disgrace when his father died, he must make up for it with integrity multiplied a thousandfold.”

Zhang Liang looked at Li Xuanba’s gentle smile, and a chill ran down his spine.

Li Xuanba said, “By the way, I hear you believe in prophetic texts. Do you want me to read your fortune?”

Zhang Liang stepped back and shook his head vigorously.

Li Xuanba looked at this honest, simple man who should have become one of the twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion, yet now served as a palace officer, and asked curiously: “Why? Don’t you believe in this?”

Zhang Liang gave a wry smile: “Your Highness is famous for only saying bad things and never praising. I’m afraid.”

Li Xuanba laughed.

He said, “Who says I never praise? I’ll tell you: take care of your wife. As long as she lives well, your career won’t decline. When you remarry, then it will be time to prepare your own coffin. But you needn’t worry—my brother is never cruel to old ministers. Even if your five hundred adopted sons are accused of treason, he would only execute you, confiscate your property, and spare your descendants.”

Zhang Liang could not cover his ears in time and nearly cried.

Ah no, this strong man’s tears were already flowing. He knelt on the ground, crying injustice: “Your Highness! You know me! I was born poor, just a farmer, and I value money! How could I spend it to raise adopted sons? And five hundred of them? I couldn’t bear it!”

Li Xuanba pulled the aggrieved Zhang Liang up from the ground and laughed loudly. “So, didn’t I say that your official fortune is still going strong?”

Seeing that Li Xuanba had no intention of driving him away, Zhang Liang finally relaxed.

He had truly been worried that he had done something wrong in Prince Jin’s prophecies and omens, and that the prince had grown tired of him.

If Prince Jin abandoned him, His Majesty certainly would not value him anymore either.

But… heavens, how had he ended up spending so much money raising five hundred adopted sons? He was even reluctant to spend money on his own biological son.

Zhang Liang then thought of his peasant wife, who had been timid and afraid to go out ever since coming to the capital, and his head began to ache.

After becoming an official, he had gradually come to look down on his wife, who could not even speak proper court language, and had wanted to replace her with a well-born lady to manage the household.

Li Xuanba seemed to see through his thoughts and said, “Do you know the great scholar Wang Yun?”

Zhang Liang replied, “He is an honored guest of Your Highness. How could I not know him?”

Li Xuanba said, “Wang Yun’s wife, Lady Sun, is also a talented female scholar. In marriage, there is the principle of the ‘Three Grounds for Not Divorcing,’ especially ‘do not abandon a wife who shared poverty before wealth.’ To correct the bad customs since the Wei and Jin periods, Second Brother is preparing to revise the Zhenguan Code. The ‘Three Grounds for Not Divorcing’ will be written into law. Anyone who divorces a wife in violation of this will receive one hundred lashes. You should set an example.”

“Many nobles in the capital come from humble backgrounds, and their first wives never studied. Since your wives feel shy when interacting with well-born ladies, I have invited Lady Sun to establish a women’s academy in the capital, to teach noblewomen how to read and manage household accounts.”

Zhang Liang said gratefully, “Your Highness even thought of this? Truly ‘leaving nothing uncalculated’! I was worrying that my wife would feel inferior and not dare go out. Now it’s solved.”

Li Xuanba smiled and shook his head. “This isn’t ‘leaving nothing uncalculated.’ I just understand human nature.”

Among the founding nobles of the Tang, many had once been leaders of peasant rebel armies. Their origins were humble, and so were their wives’. Now that pedigree was emphasized, it was easy to imagine how much discrimination these former peasant women suffered in Chang’an. They lacked the ability to manage household affairs, let alone social engagements.

Not only nobles like Zhang Liang, who harbored thoughts of remarrying—even those who kept their first wives respectfully at home while marrying concubines of better background to manage affairs often caused their wives to fall into depression and illness.

Abandoning one’s “wife of bitter days” had always been despised. But after despising it—how were those women supposed to live?

After diagnosing the health of noblewomen, Yuwen Zhu sighed to Li Xuanba at home. Some women only hoped to die quickly while still holding the position of main wife, leaving their sons a legitimate status. Others hoped to take some money, divorce, and remarry—living modestly elsewhere was better than suffocating to death in Chang’an.

Looking around, she had not seen a single noblewoman of humble birth who was truly happy.

Li Xuanba was surprised at first. In modern times, even newly rich families without cultural background lived happily. How could women who had risen from peasantry to nobility be driven to despair?

Out of curiosity, he investigated and learned the reason.

It was still the obsession with pedigree.

Though they were noblewomen in name, they were scorned when going out, useless at home, constantly overshadowed by concubines, and grew more anxious by the day. How could they be happy?

He asked Sun Xuanya whether she could teach these former peasant women. Sun Xuanya said that as long as she was not restricted in her methods, it would be fine. So Li Xuanba decided to leave it to her.

When his mother and sister-in-law returned, he would ask them and Lady Zhu to oversee the matter. Those who wanted divorce should get as much money as possible before the Zhenguan Code was finalized. Those who wished to endure should become Sun Xuanya’s students and at least learn household management.

As for the disdain of aristocratic ladies, that was a problem of the times—he could not solve it.

This matter of noblewomen was something he handled only because Lady Zhu mentioned it. It was not a major concern.

After stirring up the fighting spirit of the censors, he sat back and waited for his second brother to return.

Li Shimin felt that the short journey back had lasted ten years.

When he reached Chang’an, the city had become a completely different world from when Wei Zheng had sent his letter.

Wei Zheng was furious, feeling he had fallen for Li Xuanba’s “lure the tiger away from the mountain” scheme.

Looking at the mountain of impeachment memorials on his desk, Li Shimin rubbed his eyes. “What is this supposed to be? Are they trying to wipe out every noble family in the capital? Wei Xuancheng, what on earth happened at the Censorate?!”

Hearing the emperor’s roar, Wei Zheng roared back, “Shouldn’t Your Majesty be asking what Prince Jin did to the Censorate?!”

Li Shimin: “……”

He took a deep breath. “Prepare the carriage—forget it. No carriage. All of you, come with me! Stop Mother. I’m going to drag A-Xuan out!”

So Li Shimin led his trusted ministers to visit the Empress Dowager. The ministers formed a human wall to block her, while Changsun Wuji helped Li Shimin seize Li Xuanba.

Li Shimin stuffed something into Li Xuanba’s mouth and tied him up tightly. “Done! Let’s go!”

Thus, the emperor and the imperial brother-in-law carried the bound Prince Jin out of the Empress Dowager’s palace, fleeing with their entourage.

Dou Huiming clutched her chest in fury and chased after them, shouting, “Li Daxiong, stop right there! How can you treat Sanlang like this?! Li Shimin!!!”

Li Yuan poked his head out, then immediately pulled it back.

He had been about to complain to Consort Wan about his second son, only to find that she had already slipped away, leaving him speechless.

How had he never noticed before that his wife had such a fiery temper, and that Consort Wan was so “lively”?

At least Daxiong and Dade were still exactly the same as before, unchanged at all. Sigh.

“Alright, alright, my dear. Daxiong is already the emperor now… Yes, yes, even so, he deserves a beating. Next time he comes, I’ll beat him for you.”

Left with no choice, Li Yuan dragged the furious Dou Huiming back inside himself.

After all, they couldn’t let rumors spread about the emperor kidnapping Prince Jin and the Empress Dowager beating the emperor.

“Second Brother, Mother is definitely going to beat you,” Li Xuanba said irritably after spitting out the loose handkerchief in his mouth. “Hurry up and untie me.”

Li Shimin crossed his arms and said, “If you don’t confess what good deeds you’ve done, you’ll just stay tied up.”

Li Xuanba squinted and smiled: “Of course I’ll confess. I’ve done a lot of things—stirring up conflict between Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. To prevent the ministers from interfering with my good deeds, I provoked the censors to criticize every court minister in the capital. Oh, and the Fifth Prince actually neglected state affairs, obsessed with hunting—he was impeached too. Look at it now—the capital’s buzzing. No one will oppose us holding a debate conference. And as for dismantling the temples later, I doubt anyone will object either.”

Li Xuanba tilted his head back and said: “Everyone knows the Tang Dynasty is crazily short on money.”

Li Shimin’s voice trembled: “Yes… truly crazy.”

Fang Qiao, Du Ruhui, Xue Shou, Wei Zheng, and Changsun Wuji all looked grave—Wei Zheng himself didn’t even have the heart to scold anyone.

Indeed, it was crazy.

But this madman had spent months blocking the emperor’s remonstrances before finally begging to return to court. What could they do? Scold him?

Li Xuanba put away his smile. “I checked the treasury—rats would shake their heads in shame. Then I checked the household register—there are only about two million households. If we don’t urgently dig out more money, grain, and population, you won’t even be able to pay the salaries of officials.”

Two million households meant over ten million people. Even with unregistered households, the total population might be around twenty million. But only the population recorded in the registers could pay taxes, serve in the army—essentially, the state’s “usable human resources.”

The runaway citizens wouldn’t return to the register quickly. How could the state rapidly increase the registered population?

Noble families were a delicate matter—touch one, and it could shake everything. Provoking them would risk another nationwide chaos. Aside from Buddhism and Daoism, which were soft targets, who else could they manipulate?

“Since I’m being made Prime Minister, then things will be done my way—or relieve me of office,” Li Xuanba said unhappily. “Untie me! How much longer do I have to stay tied up?!”

Li Shimin sighed, silently untied his brother, then clenched his fist and bopped him hard on the head: “You’re taking revenge on me.”

Li Xuanba rubbed his head: “I’m just doing what needs to be done.”

Li Shimin said, “You could have just told me beforehand. Would I have stopped you?”

Li Xuanba nodded: “You’re right. I could have told you first, discussed it, and then acted. I am taking revenge—who told you to end my vacation first? You went off with the whole family to cool off while leaving me with Zhuniang! And the summer palace—remember, I secretly borrowed craftsmen from Father’s Tangquan Palace to fix it for you! And the palace I repaired—you didn’t even bring me?!”

Li Shimin cleared his throat: “Well… haha…”

The loyal ministers behind him exchanged glances.

Wei Zheng: That’s it?!

Fang Qiao: Sigh, I knew it.

Du Ruhui: Still hoping Li Erlang would really get angry?

Changsun Wuji: I knew it.

The four of them watched the brothers reach a silent understanding—“you take the first day, I’ll take the fifteenth”—and move on to business, utterly unamused.

They really thought today they’d see the Second Prince thrash the Third Prince.

Even Fang Qiao, who usually favored Li Xuanba, thought Li Xuanba deserved a beating this time.

“Leave the Confucian-Buddhist-Daoist debate to Father. Wei Xuancheng will continue with the censors to trouble the noble families. Fang Xuanling and Du Kemin will prepare new religious policies,” Li Shimin and Li Xuanba decided together. “Changsun, as for dismantling the temples, that’s your responsibility.”

After all, as the emperor’s brother-in-law, only an imperial relative could handle such a sensitive, offensive task. Changsun Wuji sighed, saying that if Li San became Prime Minister, he would have to flee: “Fine.”

Li Xuanba said: “Once the Fifth Prince is sent back to the capital, I’ll assign him the task.”

Changsun Wuji was speechless: “Do you really intend to punish the Prince of Chu?”

Before Li Xuanba could answer, Li Shimin shouted: “I’ve been holding back from hunting, and yet he dares neglect state affairs for endless hunting?!”

Changsun Wuji: “…Alright, he does deserve a punishment.”

Although the Prince of Chu had delayed things a bit, it wasn’t truly excessive hunting—at most, a warning would suffice. He realized that the king’s misfortune stemmed from the jealousy of the Second and Third Princes.

Do you know the Prince of Chu had just married?!

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba knew this, yet still felt the Fifth Prince needed disciplining.

Besides, with so many pressing state matters, it was time to add more responsibilities to the Fifth Prince.

“Brotherhood in tiger-hunting, father and son fighting together.”

“Agreed, A-Xuan!”

Wei Zheng confirmed once more: when the Second and Third Princes team up, it’s a pair of foolish, treacherous rulers!