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墨書 Inktalez
As for Li Jiancheng, his changes were actually not much related to the Yang Wengan Incident, as he was a modern person who had just crossed over and happened to change. However, others were unaware of this and felt that the Crown Prince had changed, believing it was a result of the Yang Wengan Incident.
In the court, Li Jiancheng also exhibited changes. The ministers believed he had become much more astute and capable than before, and he was more easygoing. However, he remained serious with a few ministers who were primarily supporters of Li Shimin.
In the Eastern Palace, Li Jiancheng was even more affable. The people in the Eastern Palace felt quite cheerful every day, as if there were no more difficult matters to contend with.
Wei Zheng's secret chamber was undergoing intense renovations. He did not build a new house but repurposed a storage room. Since that room was used for miscellaneous items, it had no windows and was well-sealed, making it suitable for a secret chamber. However, it certainly needed some refurbishment.
Li Jiancheng had visited this room and nodded in agreement regarding the renovations. The work on the secret chamber had been ongoing for nearly a month, and upon inspection, Li Jiancheng expressed his satisfaction.
At that moment, Niu Fu and Ma Qiang completed the task assigned by Li Jiancheng and brought back a person. This lifted his spirits significantly, and he immediately welcomed the three into the secret chamber. Niu Fu and Ma Qiang introduced the individual as Jia Jian, whom they found in Henan.
Upon seeing Jia Jian, Li Jiancheng was quite pleased because Jia Jian's height and appearance were very similar to his own, except for the prominent scar on his face. This scar was fake and could be removed.
In the secret chamber, Li Jiancheng instructed Jia Jian to take off the scar. Once removed, it became evident that Li Jiancheng and Jia Jian looked remarkably alike, though Jia Jian appeared slightly less healthy.
The secret task given to Niu Fu and Ma Qiang by Li Jiancheng was to search through various death row cells for someone who resembled him closely in order to execute his plan of substitution. To avoid drawing attention, after rescuing this person from prison, they needed to alter his appearance slightly. This explained why Jia Jian had to wear a large scar on his face; with it, people would not notice how much he resembled Li Jiancheng.
Li Jiancheng emphasized that the fact they looked alike should remain known only among the four of them in the secret chamber; absolutely no one else could know, including Consort Li and Zheng Guanyin.
Thus, if Jia Jian did not wear that large scar on his face, others would mistake him for Li Jiancheng. Of course, Li Jiancheng also needed Niu Fu and Ma Qiang to recognize the differences between him and Jia Jian so they could distinguish between them when Jia Jian impersonated him.
Li Jiancheng had a sword wound on his left upper arm which Jia Jian did not have; this served as a clear distinguishing mark. Niu Fu and Ma Qiang memorized the position and shape of Li Jiancheng's sword wound to prevent any malicious intent from Jia Jian while impersonating him.
In truth, without Li Jiancheng's permission, Jia Jian would not impersonate him at all. After all, he had been rescued from death row by Niu Fu and Ma Qiang using a token given by Li Jiancheng. Naturally grateful to Li Jiancheng for saving his life, Jia Jian would never harm his benefactor.
Li Jiancheng further stressed to Jia Jian that merely looking alike was not enough; he also needed to mimic his voice. Whenever there was free time, Li Jiancheng would bring Jia Jian into the secret chamber to practice imitating his voice.
In addition to this, it was essential for Jia Jian to familiarize himself with the environment and relevant individuals. With nearly two years until the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Jiancheng believed there would be ample time for Jia Jian to get accustomed.
Once everything was clarified in the secret chamber, Li Jiancheng instructed Jia Jian to return to his original appearance. Aside from wearing the large scar on his face, his hairstyle, clothing, and demeanor were also quite different from those of Li Jiancheng. This way, no one would notice how similar Jia Jian looked to him.
After leaving the secret chamber, Li Jiancheng introduced Jia Jian as his new bodyguard to others in the residence and arranged for him to live with Niu Fu and Ma Qiang.
It seemed strange that after sending Niu Fu and Ma Qiang out for so long, His Highness only returned with one person as a bodyguard! However, people in the Eastern Palace were becoming accustomed to such oddities lately! The Crown Prince had been acting unusually in many ways: drinking plain water instead of wine, being overly fond of cleanliness, disregarding etiquette, and being exceptionally easygoing compared to before. Recently, he had also introduced two new items called Toothbrush and Soap.
To those in the Tang Dynasty, Toothbrush and Soap were certainly unfamiliar; they did not know how to use them at all. Li Jiancheng personally instructed those in the Eastern Palace on their usage and mandated that everyone brush their teeth morning and night.
At first, Li Jiancheng wouldn't make too many toothbrushes and soaps; it was enough for the people in the Eastern Palace. Of course, even though his father was not in Chang'an at the moment, Li Jiancheng still sent toothbrushes and soaps to him. Naturally, these items were also indispensable for Yin De Fei and Zhang Jieyu.
These two consorts spared no effort in protecting their son’s position as the crown prince, and Li Jiancheng certainly could not forget them. As for the others, they could wait for now. Li Jiancheng did not have modern factories, so producing a toothbrush and a bar of soap was not an easy task!
Upon learning about the uses of these two items, Li Yuan was both surprised and delighted. The fact that the crown prince could create such things showed his intelligence. Toothbrushes and soaps improved the quality of life, and he had also heard that he mandated the Eastern Palace to drink boiled water. This indicated that the crown prince valued quality of life and health!
Li Jiancheng was quite easygoing with the servants. A person like him ascending to the throne would be a blessing for the common people. Li Yuan felt increasingly satisfied with Li Jiancheng! He no longer entertained thoughts of replacing him as crown prince.
However, when he thought of Li Shimin, Li Yuan felt troubled again. He knew that his second son must be eyeing the throne beneath him. The key was that Li Shimin had abilities and merits; he held significant influence in the military. Given this situation, how could he not have ambitions for the throne?
As long as he was alive, he could keep him in check. But what about after his death? Could Li Jiancheng manage to suppress him? Clearly, it seemed unlikely!
What should be done about this young man? After the Yang Wengan Incident, Li Yuan had been contemplating this issue.
Li Yuan was completely unaware that he was overthinking it; although he sensed changes in Li Jiancheng, he could never have imagined that Li Jiancheng had already transformed. All of Li Jiancheng's peculiarities were preparations to deal with Li Shimin.
A month of peaceful days finally came to an end. In August of the seventh year of Wu De, the Turkic tribes invaded Yuanzhou.
The news sent shockwaves through Guanzhong. Li Yuan hurriedly ended his summer retreat and returned to Chang'an Taiji Palace. Li Shimin and Li Yuanji also returned to Chang'an.
Thus began the direct confrontation between the transformed Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin, along with Li Yuanji after his time travel.
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