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Li Yuanji felt a cold laugh in his heart. It wasn't that he didn't need rewards; it was just that this time, the reward from Father Emperor did not meet his expectations.
Thinking this way, he nodded in agreement on the surface, saying, "Second Brother is right. We three brothers should do more to relieve Father Emperor's worries. However, I feel ashamed that I couldn't assist you this time, Second Brother."
Li Shimin waved his hand dismissively. "Fourth Brother need not blame himself. Dealing with a petty thief like Yang Wengan is more than enough for me alone. There’s no need for you to step in. With your abilities, Fourth Brother, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future to help Father Emperor!"
"You're too kind, Second Brother! My skills are far inferior compared to yours. So when Father Emperor encounters difficulties, he first thinks of you and not me," Li Yuanji honestly admitted.
"After all, I am a few years older than you!" Li Shimin humbly remarked, pondering Li Yuanji's true intentions for coming over. If he claimed it was to congratulate him, no one would believe it! He was merely here to watch the spectacle; after all, he hadn’t become the crown prince, and perhaps Li Yuanji was secretly pleased about that!
In reality, Li Yuanji was not pleased at all; it was because Li Jiancheng had not been deposed from the position of crown prince that his feelings had nothing to do with whether Li Shimin became the crown prince.
"Second Brother, I heard that when Father Emperor summoned you to quell Yang Wengan, he promised you would become the crown prince upon your return. Is there any truth to this?" This matter had not been concealed by Li Yuan, so everyone knew about it, and Li Yuanji directly asked.
Li Shimin nodded. "Father Emperor indeed said so at that time. He probably worried that I would be unwilling to go! In fact, he was overthinking it! I have no desire to be crown prince; being a carefree prince is much better!"
Not wanting to be crown prince? Li Yuanji sneered inwardly but praised him outwardly: "If Second Brother can think this way, both Father Emperor and Elder Brother will surely be very pleased!"
"What else can I think? Aren't you the same?" Li Shimin replied with a smile. He had long seen through his Fourth Brother; he was not as simple as people imagined. Was Li Yuanji also eyeing the position of crown prince? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have incited Yu Wen Ying to stir up trouble in front of Yang Wengan.
"That’s true; I certainly must learn from Second Brother!" Li Yuanji had no choice but to laugh awkwardly in agreement.
"Fourth Brother will surely surpass me in the future!" Li Shimin flattered him again; after all, words cost nothing.
"How could that be? Second Brother will always be my role model!" Li Yuanji continued with the flattery before shifting the conversation back to business: "Second Brother, during your trip to Ningzhou to quell Yang Wengan's rebellion, did you meet Lord Yuwen?"
"Which Lord Yuwen?" Li Shimin instantly realized Li Yuanji's intent and pretended to be confused.
"The one Father Emperor sent to Gyeongju to summon Yang Wengan—Lord Yu Wen Ying!" Without caring whether Li Shimin was feigning ignorance or not, Li Yuanji directly mentioned the name.
Li Shimin shook his head. "I did not see him. However, before I returned, I had already sent someone to inquire about Lord Yuwen's whereabouts; news should arrive in a day or two."
Let’s see how anxious you get! Li Shimin thought.
He knew very well that Yu Wen Ying had a good relationship with Li Yuanji. Yu Wen Ying went to Gyeongju to summon Yang Wengan but failed to bring him back; instead, Yang Wengan immediately rebelled. This made Li Shimin suspect whether Li Yuanji had played a role in this.
Now that he was back and Li Yuanji came asking about Yu Wen Ying’s situation, it made Li Shimin realize that his suspicions were likely correct.
Li Shimin thought he could become crown prince immediately upon returning; therefore, he killed Yu Wen Ying. Had he known this would happen, he would have kept Yu Wen Ying alive—perhaps he could have extracted some information about Li Yuanji from him.
Once a person is dead, they cannot come back to life. Yu Wen Ying was already dead and could not return; this was actually what Li Yuanji wanted to see.
Li Shimin deliberately withheld this information from Li Yuanji simply to let him worry for a few days.
"Oh! If there’s news, Second Brother should let me know as soon as possible!" Upon hearing this, Li Yuanji felt disappointed. Seeing that he couldn’t obtain what he wanted, he stood up and prepared to take his leave.
"Of course!" Li Shimin replied. The news of Yu Wen Ying's death wouldn't be kept secret for long, nor was there any need to hide it for too long. When the time came, they would simply say that Yu Wen Ying had been killed by the chaotic troops.
"Fourth Brother, are you planning to leave? Why not stay and have a few drinks with Second Brother?" Li Shimin feigned politeness as he noticed Li Yuanji preparing to depart.
"Second Brother, you just returned, and there’s much to attend to. I’ll come back in a few days to drink with you!" Li Yuanji naturally wouldn’t stay.
"Alright then! Safe travels!" Li Shimin made no further attempts to keep him.
Upon returning to his residence, Li Yuanji immediately sent someone to Ningzhou to inquire about Yu Wen Ying's whereabouts. When nothing was learned there, he turned his attention to Gyeongju. In any case, he needed to see a living person or a corpse. For him, Yu Wen Ying was a significant threat. The fact that Yu Wen Ying had gone silent made Li Yuanji uneasy.
...
In Chang'an City, at the Eastern Palace, Emperor Li Yuan's decree arrived the next day. Wang Gui and Wei Ting were exiled to Xizhou for inciting discord between Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Qin, Li Shimin.
The others at the Eastern Palace were baffled, but the two directly involved, Wang Gui and Wei Ting, remained calm because Li Jiancheng had already smoothed things over with them.
Two days later, Li Shimin informed Li Yuanji that Yu Wen Ying had followed Yang Wengan to Ningzhou but was killed by the chaotic troops during the turmoil.
Li Yuanji breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this! For him, Yu Wen Ying's death was the most ideal outcome. Later, he sent out people to gather information and received confirmation of this result.
Li Shimin also reported Yu Wen Ying's death to Li Yuan. Since Li Yuan was unsure whether Yu Wen Ying had any connection with Yang Wengan's rebellion, he took a neutral stance on the matter—neither praising nor punishing Yu Wen Ying.
Thus, the Yang Wengan Incident came to a complete end.
Life seemed to settle down. Li Yuan continued to stay at Ren Zhi Palace for the summer while his two sons, Li Shimin and Li Yuanji, accompanied him, effectively ensuring his safety.
At night, two consorts, Yin De Fei and Zhang Jieyu, attended to him. The previously brought Yu Wen Zhao Yi was sent back home.
Feng Deyi naturally returned to Chang'an as well.
In Chang'an City, Crown Prince Li Jianguo governed in place of Li Yuan, handling some manageable affairs daily at Tai Chi Palace. Matters that required the Emperor’s direct decision were either postponed or swiftly sent to Ren Zhi Palace for Li Yuan’s judgment.
Everything returned to its previous state as if the Yang Wengan Incident had never occurred.
This was certainly an illusion. What Li Yuan did not know was that the Yang Wengan Incident had brought about significant psychological changes for his three sons.
First was Li Shimin; his mindset shifted as he realized it was unrealistic to rely on Li Yuan to help him ascend to the position of Crown Prince.
So what should he do? Li Shimin would undoubtedly seek other methods. He would not give up on his goal of claiming the throne. Even if he wanted to abandon it, his subordinates would dissuade him from doing so.
Next was Li Yuanji; he felt that eliminating Li Jiancheng would be somewhat challenging. He decided that his future strategy would be "forming an alliance against the common enemy," meaning he would join forces with Li Jiancheng against Li Shimin. First eliminate Li Shimin and then find a way to deal with Li Jiancheng—easier tasks first!
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