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Li Yuanji nodded, "Yes, Father. Brother is already the Crown Prince; he has no need to rebel!"
Li Yuan sighed, "That is true, but how do we explain your brother's collusion with Yang Wengan?"
Li Yuanji replied, "Father, Brother must be doing this to guard against Second Brother."
"This question will be clarified when Yang Wengan arrives; I will ask him directly," Li Yuan said. He knew that his second son, Li Shimin, had the most military achievements and had previously been promised that he would not covet the position of Crown Prince. It was only natural for him to have such ambitions!
The two who exposed Li Jiancheng's collusion with Yang Wengan were from the Eastern Palace; this had nothing to do with Li Shimin, right?
"Yes, Father wants to get to the bottom of this and clear Brother's name," Li Yuanji said, but in his heart, he thought: Yang Wengan may not make it!
"Father, may I visit Brother?" Li Yuanji asked. Since Li Jiancheng was accused of conspiracy, even as brothers, they could not visit him casually. He needed to seek Father's permission first; otherwise, he could be seen as an accomplice of Li Jiancheng, which would be disastrous. Li Yuanji was still very cautious.
At the same time, doing so would also show Father his "deep brotherly affection." Li Yuanji knew that Li Yuan hoped to see them in such a situation.
Li Yuan nodded and said, "Go ahead. Tell your brother that as long as he truly has no intention of rebellion, Father will not harm him."
Li Yuanji accepted the order and turned to leave the imperial study, heading towards the temporary prison where Li Jiancheng was held. He secretly chuckled: As Crown Prince and rightful heir to the throne, does Brother really need to rebel? We just need to make Father believe that Li Jiancheng is plotting rebellion! Father already has doubts about Brother's intentions regarding rebellion; but if Yang Wengan truly raises an army against us, Father will be convinced that Brother has rebellious intentions. At that time, he will surely be furious, and Brother's position as Crown Prince will be lost.
After his cold laugh, Li Yuanji concealed his thoughts and approached the temporary prison with a face full of appropriate concern.
The guard soldiers saw it was Prince Qi and hurriedly saluted and opened the prison door. Once inside, Li Yuanji exclaimed with a worried expression, "Brother, you have suffered! As soon as I heard you were imprisoned here, I was anxious and rushed over without delay. Rest assured; I will do my utmost to plead for you before Father!" As he spoke, he even squeezed out a few tears.
Li Jiancheng looked at Li Yuanji's appearance and pretended to be quite moved as well. According to historical records, Li Yuanji was an ally of Li Jiancheng; was it true? Li Jiancheng lightly patted Li Yuanji on the shoulder and said, "Fourth Brother, it’s rare for you to still think of me. This time I was framed; I only hope Father can uncover the truth soon and restore my name."
Li Yuanji nodded and feigned confusion as he asked, "Brother, how did you end up in such a careless situation? What happened with Yang Wengan?"
Hearing this question made Li Jiancheng wary. After all, he had just crossed over from modern times and found himself in such a passive situation; he could not let down his guard!
So he put on a helpless expression and replied, "Alas! I was only trying to strengthen the Eastern Palace against Li Shimin by having dealings with Yang Wengan. I never expected to be reported by those two traitors, Er Zhu Huan and Qiao Gong Shan. Fourth Brother, you must be careful of Li Shimin; he is ambitious and might turn against you one day."
Li Yuanji's heart tightened but quickly responded on the surface, "Brother need not worry; I will be cautious. However, now that you are imprisoned here... it seems your position as Crown Prince may..." He deliberately trailed off with a hint of barely concealed anticipation in his eyes.
Li Jiancheng understood what Li Yuanji was implying and pretended to hesitate before sighing deeply: "Fourth Brother, if I truly cannot retain my position as Crown Prince this time for the sake of our family's legacy and to avoid fratricide among us brothers, I am willing to step aside. As long as the Tang Dynasty remains stable, I can do anything."
Upon hearing this, Li Yuanji felt secretly delighted but quickly feigned shock: "Brother! What are you saying? The position of Crown Prince is rightfully yours; no one can take it away! I am only worried about your safety; there are no other thoughts."
The two exchanged some pleasantries before Li Yuanji took his leave: "Brother, take care of yourself here; I will come visit often. If you need anything, just let me know."
Li Jiancheng nodded and replied, "Alright. Thank you for your trouble, Fourth Brother."
Once Li Yuanji left, Li Jiancheng fell into deep thought. He wondered if this Li Yuanji also coveted the position of Crown Prince like Li Shimin? Although history did not record it, he had to be cautious and not let his guard down.
Meanwhile, upon learning that Li Yuanji had visited Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin felt a pang of anxiety for almost making a mistake. It was true that he was competing for the position of Crown Prince against Li Jiancheng; however, that was done in secret. On the surface, he was still brothers with Li Jiancheng; it would be unreasonable for him not to visit when his elder brother was imprisoned.
Without consulting Li Yuan first, he went with a worried expression towards the prison where he found Li Jiancheng sitting on a straw bed deep in thought. Hearing footsteps approach, Li Jiancheng looked up in surprise upon seeing it was Li Shimin: "Second Brother! Why are you here?"
Li Shimin spoke with a worried expression, "Elder Brother, I heard that you are imprisoned here, and I am deeply concerned. We are brothers; how could I not come?" With that, he walked over and sat beside Li Jiancheng, appearing as if he wanted to have a heart-to-heart conversation.
"Elder Brother, rest assured, I have already pleaded your case before Father. I believe he will uncover the truth and restore your reputation," Li Shimin said earnestly.
Li Jiancheng sneered inwardly but feigned gratitude as he replied, "Second Brother, thank you. I truly regret my past actions; I should not have been so gullible and trusted others, which led me to this predicament."
Li Shimin pretended to offer comfort, saying, "Elder Brother, let’s not dwell on the past. We need to think about what to do next. You should take this opportunity to reflect and be more cautious in your future dealings."
Li Jiancheng understood that Li Shimin was mocking him but still acted as if he accepted the advice humbly. "You are right, Second Brother. I will certainly be more careful in the future."
After chatting for a while longer and seeing that Li Jiancheng showed no signs of weakness, Li Shimin felt a twinge of disappointment. He sensed that Li Jiancheng had changed and was no longer as easy to manipulate as before. This worried him, as he feared his plans might not come to fruition.
Once Li Shimin left, Li Jiancheng continued to ponder his own strategies. He had resolved to use the remaining time to build up his strength and wait for the right moment to strike back.
On the second day of Li Jiancheng's imprisonment, Ren Zhi Palace appeared quite calm. Meanwhile, in Gyeongju, Yang Wengan, incited by Yu Wen Ying, finally decided to rebel. Under the pretense of seeking justice for the Crown Prince, he gathered his subordinates and quickly assembled a force heading towards Ren Zhi Palace.
By the third day, the news of Yang Wengan's rebellion reached Li Yuanji at Ren Zhi Palace.
This news struck like a bombshell in the hearts of Li Jiancheng and those concerned for him. Li Jiancheng realized that an even greater crisis was looming; his fate hung precariously in the balance once again.
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