"I've noticed you've been under a lot of pressure lately. There are so many women in the capital, and even more in the royal family. If you keep worrying about this, it's likely to drain your energy. Your world is outside, not in the capital."
No one knows a son better than his father. Although Li Chengqian took the wrong path, it does not mean that he is a stupid person. After observing for a period of time, he can also see that Li Xiang is very disgusted with these things, but as the grandson of Li Shimin and the son of Li Chengqian, these things are inevitable.
"If in the future, I don't have a strong son, but only sons like you and Second Uncle, am I going to watch you fight?"
Li Xiang hesitated for a moment, but finally said this. The struggle within the royal family has always existed. Li Xiang was able to end this struggle because of his own strength, but it does not mean that he can make his sons do the same.
"I used to fight with your second and third uncles until we were practically bloodied. In the end, it was you who showed up and ended it all. If it weren't for you, who knows what the situation would be like now. There might not be anyone left alive in our Eastern Palace. The fights between princes were extremely brutal. You don't have to overthink it; it's always been like this throughout the dynasties."
Li Chengqian really couldn't give an answer to this matter. After all, he was also involved in the game. Moreover, if Li Xiang had not appeared in time, Li Chengqian would most likely have been deposed in the court that day. Once Li Chengqian was deposed, there would be more evildoers around him, and he would not even know how he died.
"Forget it, I don't want to think too much about it. I just want to control the number of children I have. I don't want to have too many children."
Li Xiang had no way to interfere with his sons' fight, so he compromised and decided to have fewer sons. However, after Li Xiang said this, Li Chengqian immediately threw his chopsticks down.
"Just shut up! I'll be fine if I hear something like that again. But if I hear something like that again in the future, don't blame me for not thinking about our father-son relationship. I'll personally beat you with a big stick."
This was the first time Li Xiang had heard Li Chengqian was about to resort to violence. Because of Li Xiang's dominance, Li Chengqian had generally given in to him. This was a very different father and son. But when he heard Li Xiang was trying to control his offspring, he immediately became unhappy. No matter what era, everyone wanted to have many descendants. Why did you think you were trying to control them? Are you kidding me?
Are you deliberately reducing your descendants because you're afraid of family disputes? If this really got to Li Shimin, I'm afraid he would immediately start beating you. How could you have such a grandson? If Li Shimin had controlled the number of his descendants earlier, would you still be around?
When Li Xiang saw Li Chengqian's angry look at this time, he quickly understood that even if he was not born in the royal family, even if he was born in an ordinary family, having children and how many children to have would cause intense disputes with his father.
"Father, calm down. I just had a couple of extra drinks. I was just saying that casually."
Li Xiang quickly brought a new pair of chopsticks to Li Chengqian. Seeing Li Xiang's expression, Li Chengqian felt a little relieved. If Li Xiang really did that, no matter how big the mess was, Li Chengqian would have to beat Li Xiang up. Our Li family doesn't have such an unfilial descendant as you.
"You have to think about things this way. You have five capable sons, and when five fight, one of them is bound to win. But if you don't have any sons, you won't be able to see such a fight. As parents, although we want everyone to be well, there is no such thing as perfection in the world. Since we can't interfere, we can only do what we should do. You can't give up children because you are afraid of fighting. Who will inherit the country in the future?"
When Li Chengqian said this, Li Xiang suddenly realized that it was because he didn't have a son. If he had several sons, Li Chengqian probably wouldn't say this.
Think about it, there's nothing wrong with it. You don't even have a son, not even a legal heir. If you tell your father now that you want to control the number of children, who will be scolded if not you?
But if you already have five or six sons, then in order to reduce future troubles, it is normal to have fewer sons. Li Xiang just said something he shouldn't have said at the wrong time, so it is normal to be scolded.
After this incident, Li Xiang became a little cautious in his words. Although Li Chengqian tried several times to make the atmosphere more harmonious, because of what he had just said, Li Chengqian didn't know what to do. This gathering between father and son ended with both sides unhappy.
"Remember this, the meal just now is rotten in your stomach, especially some of the words in it, you can't say them in front of anyone, otherwise you will have a hard time living like this."
Before leaving, Li Chengqian pulled Li Xiang over. When Li Chengqian was speaking, he stared at Li Xiang intently, wanting to see if he had just said it casually.
"Don't worry, father. I'm not stupid. There are so many guests at home today. Please forgive me for not seeing you off."
Seeing Li Xiang's clear eyes, he thought that he must have been blinded by greed just now, otherwise he would not have said such treasonous words. If Li Shimin knew about it, both father and son would be in trouble.
For them, father and son, they now have great power in the court, but there are some things that cannot be said. If they were to say them, not only would Li Shimin be furious, but some of the great scholars of the time would probably not agree.
There are three types of unfilial behavior, and the worst is to have no descendants.
If Li Xiang's remarks were to become public, they might give some people in society an excuse. Li Xiang had many followers throughout the Tang Dynasty. If those people accepted his ideas, wouldn't the empire's population decline? You have to know that in today's agricultural era, population is also a sign of an empire's strength. If you don't have enough people, even if you have millions of acres of land, won't you still be poor in the end?
After seeing Li Chengqian off, Li Xiang was faced with another difficult problem: whose house should he rest in?
