Volume One, Chapter Two: Address Me as Crown Prince!

Li Er took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the raging anger within. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, a trace of reluctance appeared on his face. After all, Li Chengqian was the Crown Prince of the realm.

In the heat of the moment, using the horsewhip was an act driven by anger. Now that Li Chengqian had suddenly turned away, wounding his dignity, Li Er had lost the desire to argue further.

Unexpectedly, Li Chengqian showed no intention of backing down.

“I declare, I do not submit!” Li Chengqian continued.

This single sentence rekindled the fire in Li Er’s heart, who had been ready to let the matter rest. He glared furiously at the Crown Prince before him, utterly surprised that even at this moment, he remained unrepentant.

The senior eunuch Wang De, standing nearby, was startled and hurried forward to restrain Li Chengqian.

“Your Highness, please stop,” he urged.

“The Emperor’s use of the horsewhip is borne of deep love and stern discipline. You are the Crown Prince, yet you keep male favorites privately and indulge in palace debauchery, acts that are utterly intolerable by both law and reason. Please do not provoke His Majesty’s wrath with reckless words.”

Wang De’s heart trembled; having served Li Shimin all his life, he knew full well the Emperor’s fury at this moment. Yet the Crown Prince stubbornly refused to yield. Was he truly willing to be deposed before he would relent?

Hearing this, Li Chengqian paid no heed.

“Force him? You are mistaken. I have never coerced anyone; it is His Majesty who has forced me!” Li Chengqian took a breath. Though aware that his words would anger the proud Emperor of the Tang, he felt a choking sense of urgency—something long unsaid needed to be spoken, for the sake of the original self, and for himself.

He looked directly into Li Er’s eyes.

Truly, this Emperor before him was a peerless ruler famed for both civil and military achievements, the illustrious sovereign of the Tang dynasty. Yet, as a father, he was utterly unqualified.

“Your Majesty, you are magnificent, radiant like the sun, the sovereign to whom all nations pay homage. Yet you have allowed Prince Wei to take residence in the Wude Hall, ignoring the heated debates within the court.”

“You have supported Qingque, extolling him before the assembled ministers for compiling the Gazetteer, and lavished him with great rewards.”

“In the fifth year of Zhenguan, when I fell gravely ill in February with a leg ailment that made travel impossible, you personally visited Zinu’s residence in March, pardoned prisoners, exempted taxes, and graciously bestowed upon Zinu the title of Prince Jin.”

“In the tenth year of Zhenguan...”

“May I ask, when you did all these things, did you ever consider that I am the Crown Prince, the heir to the Tang throne? Surely Your Majesty knows this places me upon the rack of fire and torture!”

Li Chengqian spoke each word carefully, fixing Li Er with steady eyes.

Li Er, gripping the horsewhip, suddenly found his breath quickening. He never imagined such accusations would come from his son’s mouth. Indeed, Li Er had intended these actions as a test for the Prince, but Li Chengqian’s boldness shocked him deeply.

How dared he?

Yet Li Chengqian no longer cared.

“I am weary and exhausted. I no longer wish for my brothers to remain fence-sitters and bear eternal infamy. Nor do I want Your Majesty to be accused of harming your own son.”

“If Your Majesty accuses me of privately keeping male favorites and corrupting the palace, then so be it—I accept your judgment! If you decree my execution by the rod, I will not complain!”

“If Your Majesty has no intention of favoring me as Crown Prince, then I earnestly request that you depose me. I will bear no grievances!”

His tone was resolute, his expression clearly indicating: here is my weakness; you may brand me as a corrupt prince indulging in palace debauchery. I, Li Chengqian, am unworthy of my position and unfit to inherit the Tang throne.

Yet Li Er was momentarily stunned.

He stared at his son’s fierce defiance, his heart skipping a beat. Li Chengqian spoke clearly and calmly, showing no anger over the whipping of his beloved favorite, Zhin, nor did he defend against the grave charge of palace debauchery.

But that phrase, “I am weary and exhausted,” caused Li Er’s body to tremble and stirred an inexplicable thought within him.

Could it be...?

No matter what Li Er thought, Li Chengqian felt a sense of relief. Whether Zhin lived or died was no longer his concern. Perhaps that favorite had been a vital spiritual solace to the original self, but Li Chengqian himself was a genuine man, not one to be swayed mysteriously; his Crown Princess had yet to be favored—how could he have suddenly turned?

Li Chengqian’s thoughts were simple.

He was the Crown Prince, second only to the Emperor. Even if he was currently crippled and looked down upon by Li Er, if he could not compete, then he would simply give up.

Even if Zinu ascended the throne in the end, knowing Li Zhi’s temperament, he would not be the type to betray and discard those who had served him. At worst, if Li Chengqian were not the Crown Prince and could not inherit the throne, he would still be a prince of Tang.

Ending as a noble prince with a peaceful fate would be the best possible outcome.

In short, he was giving up. He was no longer pretending.

“Chengqian...” Li Er’s lips moved slightly as he addressed him.

“Please address me as Crown Prince,” Li Chengqian replied.

“I await Your Majesty’s decree to depose me. I assure you, once the order arrives, I will immediately leave the Eastern Palace, making room for Qingque and Zinu without delay.”

Having said this, Li Chengqian shook his head, bowed respectfully, and without looking back, limped out of the Taihe Hall.

The whip had struck hard; Li Er had delivered it with all his might. If treatment were delayed and it left a scar, it would be a great loss.

Behind him, Li Er watched Li Chengqian limping out, showing no trace of lingering regret. A ripple stirred within his heart.

The earlier exchange echoed in Li Shimin’s mind.

As a sovereign whose single word commanded homage from all nations, the future eternal Emperor, Li Er clearly understood the Crown Prince’s meaning.

Years ago, his decision to install Qingque in the Wude Hall had stirred heated debate within the court. Li Er had barely been able to suppress the ministers’ questions with his imperial authority.

What was the Wude Hall?

It was once the place where Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, had deposed his Crown Prince. Later, the Gaozu Emperor had assigned Li Yuangi there to counterbalance Li Chengqian’s residence in the Chengqian Hall. The Wude Hall had thus acquired a different connotation, and Li Er was well aware that many officials regarded it as a sort of secondary Eastern Palace.

Could it be that he truly had pressured the Crown Prince too harshly?

“Wang De...” Li Er shook his head and turned to the senior eunuch beside him.

“Tell me honestly, in your view, how has the Crown Prince conducted himself these past years? I want the truth.”

At these words, Wang De shivered. He had not expected the Emperor to ask a eunuch such a question. Yet Wang De knew well that serving the Emperor was like handling a tiger—imperial temperament was inscrutable, and a single misstep could mean death with no remains left behind.