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"Father, I have heard that Yang Wengan has rebelled. Your humble son has come to hope to relieve your worries," Li Shimin said, naturally stepping in before his younger brother Li Yuanji, and he made no mention of his elder brother Li Jiancheng.
"Yes, your humble son has also heard about Yang Wengan's rebellion and has come to hope to relieve your worries as well. At the same time, I hope Father will not blame my elder brother too harshly!" Li Yuanji continued. He was determined to mention Li Jiancheng. Yesterday he had already pleaded for Li Jiancheng in front of Li Yuan, so it was only natural for him to continue today.
"Hehe, with both of you here to relieve my worries, what do I have to be concerned about? Yang Wengan is not a threat; I have already dispatched General Qian Jiulong and Governor Yang Shidao with troops to suppress him! I believe it won't be long before peace is restored," Li Yuan said, his anger having subsided by this point.
"And what about elder brother?" Li Yuanji feigned concern and couldn't help but ask.
Li Yuan's smile faded as he waved his hand, stopping Li Yuanji from continuing. "I intend to spare his life but will strip Li Jiancheng of his title as Crown Prince. You no longer need to call him elder brother."
"What? Father, isn't that punishment too severe for elder brother?" Li Yuanji thought secretly delighted but appeared shocked on the surface.
"Too severe? He has instigated Yang Wengan's rebellion! How can stripping him of the Crown Prince title be too severe? If it weren't for someone advising me otherwise, and considering our father-son bond, I would have already killed him!" Li Yuan said angrily.
"Father, Yang Wengan's rebellion may not have been instigated by elder brother! If you strip him of his title as Crown Prince, wouldn't that be unjust?" Li Yuanji continued to speak on behalf of his elder brother.
Li Shimin remained silent; after all, he did not wish to plead for Li Jiancheng. Even if he did plead, Li Yuan would know it was insincere. He couldn't say anything that would fan the flames either, as that would only irritate Li Yuan.
It was acceptable for Li Yuanji to plead for their elder brother; although Li Shimin knew he was being insincere as well, their father did not. Moreover, it seemed that their elder brother regarded this fourth brother as an ally.
What should I do? Li Shimin pondered how he should respond. He couldn't remain silent forever!
At this moment, Li Yuan countered Li Yuanji's question: "Yang Wengan's rebellion—who else could have instigated it besides your elder brother? Could it be you?"
"Father, your humble son dares not! Your humble son does not have the ability to instigate Yang Wengan's rebellion!" Li Yuanji hurriedly replied in panic.
"Then that's settled! You dare not and do not have the ability; does your second brother possess such courage and capability? No, he does not either. Yang Wengan once served as a guard in the Eastern Palace; Li Jiancheng could command him. So there is nothing more to discuss—Li Jiancheng instigated Yang Wengan's rebellion," Li Yuan stated in an irrefutable tone.
Hearing his father say this, Li Yuanji naturally had nothing more to say. However, he felt secretly pleased and glanced at Li Shimin, thinking that he should also be happy about this.
Yet, Li Shimin frowned. While it certainly pleased him that Li Yuan was convinced of Li Jiancheng's involvement in instigating Yang Wengan's rebellion, he could not show it. He knew that their father was closely observing his expressions.
After a moment of thought, Li Shimin spoke up: "Father, let's set aside elder brother's matter for now! The urgent task is to quickly quell Yang Wengan's rebellion. Your humble son is worried that Generals Qian Jiulong and Yang Shidao may lack the capability to eliminate the rebels."
Li Shimin understood that Li Yuan had effectively shelved any punishment for Li Jiancheng; thus he suggested "setting it aside." After all, it was useless talk—merely a way to express concern for family ties. Internally, he hoped their father would execute punishment against their elder brother immediately. However, such words were clearly not something he could say.
The last statement of concern was not made lightly; it stemmed from careful analysis and judgment. By saying this, he cleverly redirected attention toward Li Jiancheng.
Sure enough, upon hearing this from Li Shimin, Li Yuan asked: "Shimin, do you think Generals Qian Jiulong and Yang Shidao are inadequate?"
Li Shimin shook his head: "It's not that Generals Qian Jiulong and Yang Shidao are inadequate; it's just that Yang Wengan is rallying support under the banner of advocating for the Crown Prince. There may be some who respond."
Li Yuan frowned: "Surely not? Does Li Jiancheng have such great influence?"
"Let us hope your humble son is merely overthinking!" Li Shimin concluded cautiously.
"If there was no prior collusion, no one should respond to Yang Wengan. But if there was an agreement beforehand, then it’s hard to say!" Li Yuanji, not one to miss an opportunity, added fuel to the fire.
Who exactly was involved in this collusion? Although Li Yuanji did not name anyone, both Li Yuan and Li Shimin could easily deduce that the person in question must be none other than the Crown Prince, Li Jiancheng.
Li Yuan was taken aback for a moment, then after a brief contemplation, he said, "Shimin, Yuanji, your considerations make sense. We should receive news about the situation in a couple of days; then it will be clearer!"
"Alright then, Your humble son will not disturb Father any longer and will take his leave!" Li Shimin understood that saying more at this point would be futile; reality would speak for itself. If things turned out as he suspected, their father would surely be determined to depose Li Jiancheng from his position as Crown Prince.
"Your humble son will also take his leave!" Li Yuanji naturally did not want to remain behind alone.
The two exited Li Yuan's room and parted ways to return to their respective quarters. Both Li Shimin and Li Yuanji were satisfied with their performances. After this clever maneuvering, they believed their father’s anger towards Li Jiancheng had intensified.
Indeed, at that moment, Li Yuan began to doubt Feng Deyi's earlier words and found his attitude towards Li Jiancheng wavering once again.
Li Jiancheng was naturally aware of Yang Wengan's rebellion. This news was like adding insult to injury for his current predicament.
He felt deeply anxious. Thankfully, he had listened to Wei Zheng’s advice and brought Feng Deyi and Yin De Fei along. Otherwise, he would have been in dire straits by now.
But with Yang Wengan’s uprising, would Li Yuan seek to eliminate him? Could Feng Deyi and Yin De Fei prevent Li Yuan from harboring murderous intentions? To be honest, Li Jiancheng felt uncertain. He could only pray that Wei Zheng’s words were not misguided!
Upon learning about Yang Wengan’s rebellion, Yin De Fei initially felt quite anxious. However, after hearing that Feng Deyi had managed to persuade the Emperor, her heart settled somewhat; she decided to wait for the right moment to act.
Compared to Feng Deyi, Yin De Fei was far more concerned about Crown Prince Li Jiancheng’s safety. For Feng Deyi, supporting Li Jiancheng was merely based on the fact that he was the legitimate eldest son and thus suited for the role of Crown Prince—nothing more! If it were Li Shimin or Li Yuanji as Crown Prince instead, it wouldn’t affect him much.
Yin De Fei was different; she knew that if Li Shimin became Emperor, her life would undoubtedly take a turn for the worse. Her fate was tied to Li Jiancheng’s. Therefore, she absolutely did not want to see Li Yuan strip away Li Jiancheng’s position as Crown Prince.
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