LFHYB -Chapter 227 Li Xiao Wu Nicknamed “Blue Sky”

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba were not really bullying Xiao Wu.

What Li Xuanba was doing was extremely important, and it needed to strike before the Shandong clans could react. Only Li Shimin could trust his brother with such matters.

After running around outside for so long, Li Xuanba needed to rest at home, so another brother had to take over.

As for the first month’s Lantern Festival… cough, didn’t you and your princess still celebrate it yourselves?

Li Zhiyun stomped angrily. Could that be the same? Could it?!

But he still packed his bag and set off, grumbling. After all, his two elder brothers were right: if Third Brother rested, no one else could replace him.

Princess Liu listened to Li Zhiyun grumbling all the way and couldn’t help but laugh.

Alright, the emperor and the Prince of Jin really did trust her husband… but they were also clearly bullying him!

Yet this was the kind of bullying between brothers. Her husband endured it willingly; she… she felt a little envious. She had heard that ordinary brothers interact like this, but in the Liu family, a prominent household, she had never seen it.

In the even “higher-ranking” imperial family, she actually witnessed it.

Princess Liu had yet to get close with her sisters-in-law. Seeing how Li Zhiyun interacted with his brothers, she wondered if she should also become closer to her sisters-in-law.

If the royal brothers treated each other like commoners, and she felt out of place, it might not suit her.

Cautiously, Princess Liu asked Li Zhiyun for advice.

Li Zhiyun smiled, “What’s difficult about it? Third Sister-in-law is a famous physician. Ask her about health and wellness often. Gradually, you’ll become familiar. Third Brother prepared all sorts of strange things for Third Sister-in-law, letting her and Second Sister-in-law and the ladies play together. Once you are familiar with Third Sister-in-law, join in the fun—you’ll soon be as close as a family.”

Li Zhiyun had originally been indifferent to the princess.

He only met her when they married. His mild feelings stemmed from her genuine beauty.

It wasn’t until he was “kicked” out of the capital and comforted by the princess that he began to feel something different for her.

Hearing Princess Liu admire his closeness with his brothers and want to become as close with the sisters-in-law, Li Zhiyun was very happy.

He told her many stories, especially the lively moments when the elder brothers married their wives, laughing and slapping his leg as he recounted them.

Princess Liu was initially too surprised to close her mouth, then she couldn’t hide her envy.

Whether it was singing around the fire or climbing to the roof to watch the stars, it all seemed so delightful.

Li Zhiyun laughed until tears appeared, spring sunlight falling on his face, his eyes sparkling like countless tiny stars. “You like it too? I thought, coming from a great Hedong family, you might dislike these unorthodox activities.”

Princess Liu lowered her head, twisting her handkerchief in her hands as she said, “Back home… when I was with my parents, I certainly didn’t like it. The daughters of noble families could ride through the streets wearing mìlí, and if my father were still alive, maybe I could have… Actually, I was lucky. My marriage was arranged before my husband rose to power—otherwise, with so many in the Liu clan of Hedong… sniff sniff…”

Li Zhiyun covered the princess’s self-pitying mouth.

Startled, Princess Liu looked up.

Li Zhiyun held her mouth with one hand while mischievously ruffling her hair with the other, messing up his own wife’s hairdo.

“Before my second brother became emperor, you were my fiancée, so you could be considered my ‘wife of humble beginnings.’ Why talk about those women who pined after me once I became wealthy? It just brings bad luck.” Li Zhiyun released his hold.

Princess Liu held her tousled hair, unsure whether to be happy or angry, and gave Li Zhiyun what she thought was a fierce glare.

Li Zhiyun laughed and went to ruffle her hair again.

Princess Liu quickly dodged.

Li Zhiyun laughed so hard he could barely straighten his back.

Princess Liu, emboldened, pinched the back of his hand, then, as if frightened by her own audacity, quickly pulled her hand back.

Li Zhiyun patted the reddened hand and said, “Second Sister-in-law and Third Sister-in-law are both outstanding women. Spend more time with them to broaden your horizons. In the future, whether you ride through the streets with a mìlí or ride freely across the plains without one, I’ll take you. Don’t listen to those gossipy women in your family giving advice from the inner court; our household is different.”

Princess Liu nodded. “I’ll listen to you, my husband.”

Li Zhiyun chuckled, knowing that someone had likely guided her words, but he felt happy nonetheless.

He helped straighten the hairpin that had been disarranged: “By the way, do you have a given name?”

Princess Liu replied, “When I was young, my parents called me ‘Xiuying.’”

Li Zhiyun said, “‘There is a virtuous man, filling the ear with brilliance, adorned like stars’? Your father had high expectations for his future son-in-law, huh?”

…

“Are you relieved now?” Li Xuanba half-joked. “I never expected that the first time you asked me for advice, it would be about this.”

Liu Heng sighed, “Her mother passed away early, and I am a man, so I cannot properly guide her. I used to think that since she would be raised by her clan, given the family tradition of the Liu clan in Hedong, it would be easy for her to become a princess. But seeing how Your Majesty and your wife interact… alas, if she keeps holding to the noblewoman’s airs, Prince Chu might not like it.”

When Li Xuanba and Li Shimin went to Jinyang to marry, Liu Heng had already aligned himself with them and arranged his niece’s marriage to Li Zhiyun. As a relative of Li Shimin and friend of Li Xuanba, he spoke plainly, without beating around the bush.

Li Xuanba smiled but did not comment on his brother’s household.

He wouldn’t interfere in a young couple’s matters. However, since Liu Heng asked, he gave a few pointers about the type of woman his brother might like.

In fact, as long as his sister-in-law could be a little freer, it would be fine. Behind closed doors, with the family alone, even if she were a bit blunt, his brother would be happy.

He also understood the Liu family’s approach to raising daughters.

His household was exceptional, so his requirements for his wife were special. If she married into an ordinary family, a woman needed to observe propriety and virtue, managing her role as mistress, in order to live well.

Liu Heng felt uneasy. He didn’t know whether advising his niece was right or wrong. Seeing how the Empress and Princess Jin interacted so freely, and noticing his niece’s mixed expression of loneliness and envy, he softened. He didn’t want his niece overly restricted by family.

The Liu clan of Hedong had their own officials, and their nephews were capable men. They didn’t need to pin all their hopes on their niece.

Moreover, Prince Chu was personally raised by His Majesty and the Prince of Jin. Though called brothers, their relationship was like that of father and son. Even if the Liu clan tried to exert influence as the Prince’s in-laws, Prince Chu would see through it and feel nothing but disdain.

Princess Liu had severed contact with her female relatives in the Liu clan and had grown close to the Empress and Princess Jin. This sent a clear signal: in the future, Princess Liu belonged to the Li family, not the Liu family.

Of course, this did not mean she completely cut ties with her natal family, only that she was declaring her “stance.”

Li Zhiyun wrote to Li Xuanba, noting that his wife’s name was taken from the Book of Songs line: “There is a virtuous man, filling the ear with brilliance, adorned like stars.” He wondered if he could be considered a “virtuous man” in the eyes of his deceased father-in-law.

Seeing Li Zhiyun’s long sighs in the letter, Li Xuanba realized that he had begun opening his heart to his wife. Liu Heng also sighed in relief.

But while relieved, he also felt fortunate that he had come to his senses quickly.

Prince Chu, however, had only now asked for his niece’s name… sigh. The Liu family’s teachings before her marriage had still made the king displeased.

The Liu clan hadn’t really intended to gain anything from Li Zhiyun through their female relatives; it was just ordinary upbringing. Yet because Changsun Kangning and Yuwen Zhu were not ordinary noblewomen, Liu Xiuying appeared somewhat awkward.

With no more worries about his niece, Liu Heng could finally enjoy mocking the “dowry money” of Shandong noble families.

“They would never have dreamed that the ones criticizing their dowry money would be the ‘Wang of Langya’ and the ‘Xie of Chen Commandery,’” Liu Heng said with admiration. “Those two families really deserve to be scolded.”

Li Xuanba chuckled.

Liu Heng was puzzled: “What’s His Highness the Prince of Jin laughing at?”

Li Xuanba said, “Nothing. Really, they are very deserving. Just don’t say this to anyone in those families, or you’ll get beaten.”

Liu Heng still didn’t understand, and Li Xuanba didn’t explain. As Liu Heng left, he kept thinking about this, mulling it over for a long time.

When Xue Yuanjing learned of Liu Heng’s frustration, he said bluntly that he deserved it. Everyone knew that the Prince of Jin liked to tease his friends, often leaving conversations half-finished, just to make people flustered. Liu Heng had brought it upon himself.

This made Liu Heng even more frustrated.

The matter reached Li Shimin, who was also curious about what Li Xuanba was laughing at.

Li Xuanba sighed helplessly: “Can’t I just be naturally cheerful?”

These people were truly boring—why did they have to ponder so long just because he laughed once? It was said that rumors of the “Prince of Jin’s laugh” were spreading in the capital—perhaps destined to become a peculiar anecdote in the future.

Li Shimin said, “Don’t I know you yet? You’re definitely laughing because something’s on your mind. Come on, tell me—what’s so funny?”

Li Xuanba rolled his eyes. “It’s not funny. I just thought of a later joke about the noble clans boasting of their purity, how even the emperor wouldn’t marry their daughters.”

Li Shimin thought about how even now, various noble families were still trying to get their daughters into his harem, even without official titles, and tilted his head in confusion. “Huh?”

Li Xuanba continued, “The most commonly cited example is when Hou Jing asked Emperor Wu of Liang to marry daughters from the Wang and Xie families. The emperor said, ‘The Wang and Xie clans are of high standing, not easily matched. Look to families below Zhu and Zhang instead.’”

The smile on Li Shimin’s face was exactly like the one Li Xuanba had worn a few days ago in front of Liu Heng: “Wow.”

Li Xuanba said, “Liu Jiali said he envied the Wang and Xie families for their pride in their noble standing, and I laughed. Just like how you’re laughing now.”

Li Shimin laughed: “Hahaha, if he had said that in front of the Wang and Xie families themselves, he’d have been beaten for sure.”

Li Xuanba and his older brother both grinned mischievously and continued to discuss other examples of noble daughters’ high status.

Emperor Wu of Liang said that the Wang and Xie families were of such high rank that he refused Hou Jing’s marriage proposal. When Hou Jing rebelled, both families were massacred, leaving only a few surviving kittens and puppies, and never recovered.

Now, the Wang family of Langya and the Xie family of Chen still had members in office, but in reality, the original noble lineages of these clans no longer existed.

So it was perfectly fitting to scold the noble families of Shandong for selling daughters for “marriage money.”

Look at the Wang of Langya and Xie of Chen—they would rather have their clans destroyed than lower themselves to marry off their daughters! o(*≧▽≦)ツ

“The second example is the ‘Three Regrets of Yuan Chao.’ Ah, Yuan Chao is Xue Shou’s son, who hasn’t been born yet.”

The “Three Regrets of Yuan Chao” were: not taking the imperial exams, not compiling national history, and not marrying a daughter from one of the five prominent noble clans of Shandong.

Because Xue Yuan Chao married a daughter of the Li Tang imperial clan but regretted not marrying a five-clan daughter, later generations used this as evidence that Tang dynasty princesses were not as noble as the five-clan daughters.

But Xue Yuan Chao’s wife wasn’t just any imperial clan daughter—she was Li Yuanji’s daughter, the Princess of Jing County.

Emperor Taizong had killed his nephews, but wasn’t harsh toward his nieces. After raising them for a while, he still married them off to suitable families and gave them titles.

Still, no matter how generous Emperor Taizong was… cough, Li Yuanji was, in later stories, the super-troublemaking younger brother of Taizong, who supposedly made Taizong laugh three times thinking about him. Even if Xue Yuan Chao didn’t care about the political implications of marrying Li Yuanji’s daughter, just having Li Yuanji as a father-in-law was enough to make him depressed.

As for the noble families, compiling national history was fine, but the imperial exams weren’t highly valued—they still believed that advancing through family connections was more prestigious. So Xue Yuan Chao’s actions were a subtle way to show loyalty to the emperor while indirectly signaling that he didn’t want Li Yuanji as a father-in-law, without openly complaining about the marriage.

By contrast, other Xue family princes all married princesses harmoniously, without a hint of dissatisfaction.

Li Shimin laughed until his stomach hurt.

“Hahaha, I gave Li Yuanji’s daughter to Xue Bopao’s son? Am I bullying Xue Bopao, who died too early? Hahaha, don’t believe it—make sure you tell Xue Bopao… no, no, you must tell him. Say that if he had died early, but Li Yuanji hadn’t yet, I’d have married Li Yuanji’s daughter to his son, making him Li Yuanji’s in-law.”

“Hahaha, my stomach hurts so much, hahaha, the me in another world is too much. How could I do this to Xue Bopao?”

Li Xuanba laughed so hard his cheeks hurt: “You’re crying in front of Xue Bopao’s portrait, lamenting that he didn’t die early, probably making you a prime minister, while still arranging for his son to become Li Yuanji’s in-law. If Xue Bopao knew in the afterlife, he’d surely punch you in your dreams.”

Li Shimin laughed heartily: “But he can’t beat me, so he has no choice but to accept Li Yuanji as his in-law.”

The two brothers laughed mischievously again.

Changsun Kangning had originally come to ask if they wanted to play badminton together, but hearing their laughter from afar, she grabbed Yuwen Zhu and turned away.

“They’re definitely talking badly about someone again. Don’t listen, or you’ll end up chanting sutras in front of the Buddhas for peace of mind.”

“Well, it’s not like listening would make me repent in front of the Buddhas, but I also don’t want to hear it.”

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba had no idea they were being shunned. Li Shimin pressed Li Xuanba to tell the third “example.”

“Emperor Wenzong of Tang wanted the crown prince to marry a daughter of the Zheng family of Xingyang, but Prime Minister Zheng Tan quickly married his daughter to a Cuis’ son who only held a seventh-rank official post. So Emperor Wenzong lamented, ‘For two hundred years, our emperors cared little for the Cuis and Lus.’”

When Li Xuanba finished, Li Shimin’s smile froze.

His mouth drooped, then curled upward again: “The Zheng family of Xingyang is so unyielding that they wouldn’t even consider the crown princess position? I don’t see it that way.”

Li Xuanba said, “Because by Emperor Wenzong’s time it was the late Tang, and military and political power was entirely in the eunuchs’ hands…”

“Stop, stop, let me catch my breath first,” Li Shimin rubbed his forehead, then weakly said, “Continue.”

Li Xuanba’s mouth curved into a smile: “By Emperor Wenzong’s time, eunuchs could freely influence the emperor’s decisions on deposing or appointing heirs, and many imperial sons died prematurely. Emperor Wenzong tried to reclaim power from the eunuchs, but they staged the ‘Ganlu Incident’ and imprisoned him. Emperor Wenzong died at thirty-three from depression.”

“If a daughter married the crown prince, wouldn’t her whole family be implicated when the eunuchs deposed him? During the ‘Ganlu Incident,’ Zheng Tan stayed neutral and avoided eunuch retribution. When Emperor Wenzong tried to arrange a marriage with the Zheng family afterward, Zheng Tan, knowing his daughter was chosen as crown princess, had no choice but to marry her off quickly.”

Li Shimin sighed: “Neutrality, huh.”

Li Xuanba said, “Emperor Wenzong probably knew this perfectly well. His complaint that the emperors of the two hundred-year Tang dynasty didn’t care for noble families? Haha. A hundred years earlier, which emperor didn’t have noble daughters in his harem? It’s just that the Tang emperors themselves couldn’t even ensure their own safety, so others didn’t want to get on that ship.”

In history, among Emperor Taizong of Tang’s harem, there were consorts like Zheng Xianfei and Cui Cairen who were childless and thus not favored, as well as women surnamed Wang who gave birth to sons but still held low positions.

Li Shimin had been happily enjoying himself when, unexpectedly, his younger brother ambushed him, leaving him sullen. Even the candy in his mouth lost its sweetness.

Li Shimin gloomily said, “A-Xuan, can’t the Tang Dynasty last a few hundred more years?”

Li Xuanba replied, “I really can’t promise that your future descendants won’t be reincarnations of Li Yuanji.”

In a fit of rage, Li Shimin kicked over Li Xuanba, confiscated all the candy jars in his house, and stormed back to the palace.

Li Xuanba retaliated by gathering a hundred patients with rotten teeth and diabetes and sending them to the palace to petition.

He even bolstered his authority by bringing out the retired emperor, who was writing Buddhist scriptures, and the retired empress, who was considering reforms of the harem system, pressuring his elder brother to witness tooth extractions for the patients.

“It’s said that Cao Cao died of a toothache, and Cao Pi from diabetes. The Cao Wei, who worked so hard for years, were ultimately overtaken by the Sima family.”

“Eating too much sugar causes both tooth decay and diabetes. Father! Mother! You must seriously supervise Second Brother!”

One could ignore a father’s words, but when the mother removed her jewelry, even Emperor Li Shimin felt a chill up his spine.

After all, the Tang emperor now had both parents alive—not quite supreme, since there was still a mother who could call him by name.

If Empress Changsun couldn’t curb Li Shimin’s sweet tooth, and Li Xuanba couldn’t either, what could the emperor do when facing Empress Dowager Dou Huiming?

Li Shimin had all his candy jars confiscated and was no longer allowed to brush extra honey on his roast meat.

He thought: being an emperor like this—unable to eat extra sugar—is truly miserable.

Li Shimin tried to persuade Li Xuanba to give up sugar with him, but Li Xuanba remained fearless; he didn’t even like sweets.

Li Shimin then had no choice but to issue an edict to Li Zhiyun, who was blowing the wind by the Yellow River, forbidding him from eating sugar.

Li Zhiyun said to Liu Xiuying, “Is this brother of mine… adopted?”

Liu Xiuying replied earnestly, “It’s precisely because the prince is close to His Majesty that he issued such an edict.”

Li Zhiyun knew she was right but couldn’t laugh.

Why, when Second and Third Brothers were dueling in the capital, would he get implicated from so far away? Life had become unbearable!

Thus, Li Zhiyun was determined to stir up trouble too.

After months of deliberation, Wang Hongzhi finally gritted his teeth and decided to make a move.

Although he might not be able to restore the Langya Wang family to the pinnacle of the noble clans, he could gain the emperor’s trust and, thereby, enter the court.

Wang Hongzhi also had a secret ambition.

After returning to the north, the Langya Wang family had lost its “commandery prestige.” If the Shandong clans also lost theirs, he would gain great fame.

As for whether it would affect the Taiyuan Wang family, Wang Hongzhi trusted that they would follow their ancestors’ teachings and act with integrity, never seizing commoners’ land.

When Li Xuanba returned to the capital, Wang Hongzhi found Li Zhiyun and became friends with the Prince of Chu.

He actively advised the Prince of Chu and helped him manage the matter before the Prince of Jin returned.

“His Majesty and Prince Jin both favor Prince Chu. Prince Chu is nearly of age and should help relieve his elder brothers’ worries.”

So Li Zhiyun and Wang Hongzhi quickly agreed and officially challenged the noble families.

They secretly instructed servants to impersonate commoners and block carriages with petitions. After receiving the petitions, Wang Hongzhi, the governor of Weizhou, removed his official uniform, hung up his seal, and, as a private citizen, blocked Prince Chu Li Zhiyun’s carriage, willing to stake his life for the people’s justice.

Seeing Wang Hongzhi with disheveled hair and a plain robe, bystanders couldn’t help but weep.

Prince Chu Li Zhiyun choked back tears, drew the precious sword given by the emperor, and trusted Wang Hongzhi, remeasuring the Weizhou land and returning a just and clear world to the people.

“Ah? The people blocked Wang Hongzhi’s carriage?”

“What? Wang Hongzhi blocked Xiao Wu’s carriage?”

“Who did this?! They even faced assassination?!”

Li Shimin and Li Xuanba looked at each other in disbelief.

Li Shimin said, “If Xiao Wu staged this himself, I’ll beat his butt till it’s raw!”

Li Xuanba said, “Let’s deal with Xiao Wu’s butt later. Right now, uprisings have erupted along the middle and lower Yellow River, with spontaneous rebels mixing with noble-backed rebels—what shall we do?”

Li Shimin lowered his gaze and sighed after a long pause: “What else can we do? Suppress the rebellion.”

Li Xuanba: “You said that in the first year of Zhenguan, not a single peasant rebellion would happen, and now your oath is broken.”

Li Shimin: “Shut up… Ugh, this Xiao Wu is hopeless. It’s all your fault!”

Li Xuanba: “Nonsense! I think three steps ahead; only you act rashly!”

While Li Shimin and Li Xuanba scolded each other and cleaned up Li Zhiyun’s mess, Li Zhiyun cheerfully reported that he had already quelled the uprisings. Wherever he went, the people knelt and called him “Great Sage Prince of Justice,” refusing to resist.

Second Brother “righteous beyond the clouds,” Third Brother “virtuous and benevolent”?

I, Li Zhiyun, the Li family’s Xiao Wu, am the “Great Sage of Justice”! Even more impressive than Second and Third Brothers’ titles!

Li Xuanba rubbed his temples: “I won’t stop you—wait until Xiao Wu comes back, then I’ll beat his butt.”

Li Shimin hurriedly wrote an imperial edict himself, summoning Li Zhiyun back for a beating.

Zhai Rang and Wei Zheng, two renowned “former generals” of Shandong and Hebei, set off hastily to continue managing the mess in Li Zhiyun’s stead.

On the way back, Wang Hongzhi trembled: “Prince Chu, will I be okay? Will I be exiled?”

Li Zhiyun comforted him: “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Only I’ll get hurt. I’ll probably be beaten alternately by Second and Third Brothers for a month and won’t be able to get out of bed.”

Wang Hongzhi almost cried: “If you knew, why pretend to be the rogue general?”

Li Zhiyun whistled.