After about a cup of tea, Changsun Wuji felt a little uncomfortable when he saw the father and son standing there. Even though he was the elder of the father and son, some of his words were a bit too much. After all, one was the prince and the other was the grandson of the emperor.
Fortunately, there is no one else here. If the news really gets out, Changsun Wuji is lucky now, so naturally no one dares to cause trouble for him. But if he is unlucky one day, do you know how big a crime you have committed by teaching the prince and the crown prince a lesson like this?
"Everyone, sit down. There's no need to stand like this. I'm saying this for your own good. Right now, it seems you're in control of the situation, but you can't always be in control. If you go downhill, or if someone catches you, everything that happened today will be your death warrant."
What Changsun Wuji said was good advice, and Li Xiang understood this very well. Since ancient times, honest advice is unpleasant to the ear. How can someone who only says things you want to hear every day be a good person? He can do nothing but flatter others, so Li Xiang still needs people like Changsun Wuji to constantly spur himself on, so that he can recognize his mistakes.
"Uncle, what you said is all right, but some things can't just be blamed on us two. Take those 3,000 people from Tibet, for example. They're all ready to meet the emperor. This is a serious matter, right? But the emperor has been postponing it for several days. If it were in the past, he would have let these people into the palace long ago."
Li Chengqian recalled another incident. During the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo, Tubo had dispatched 3,000 troops. They were to accompany the army. This was supposed to be the treatment afforded to a Tang vassal state, but they hadn't mentioned it yet. And yet, they had already sent their troops. Wasn't this a matter of honor for the Tang? In the past, Li Shimin would have undoubtedly issued an imperial edict, publicly announcing the incident. However, because it was linked to Li Xiang, Li Shimin had suppressed the matter, preparing to handle it coldly.
Li Xiang was filled with indignation when he spoke of this matter. It was true that he had done it, but besides himself, there were many other talented people under him. He didn't need the credit, so didn't they need it too? Li Shimin suppressed this matter to tell these people that they should not expect any credit from following Li Xiang in the future.
A fight or two is fine, but what if it lasts longer? Why didn't the King of Wei want to give the jade pendant to Li Xiang? It was because it was a symbol of the Wei Palace. Giving it to Li Xiang would mean that his power would fall to someone else, so the King of Wei was determined to keep it at all costs.
Now the same thing happened. This was about giving confidence to the people below. If the emperor kept suppressing them, who would be willing to follow Li Xiang? Including the generals who had already stood up, they would also look for other places.
Li Xiang realized from what Li Chengqian said that there were some things that his father could ignore and even generously give up to others, but there were some things that he had to take into account. This matter concerned the face of the Eastern Palace and whether anyone would be willing to follow Li Xiang in the future. So Li Chengqian said it here, hoping that Changsun Wuji could understand this matter.
"What did I tell you earlier? You have to keep your composure. An army of 3,000 men has arrived outside Chang'an City. There are more than 3,000 people just watching them, and they are all troops mobilized from the capital. What is there to worry about? Can the emperor suppress the situation for one day or two days? Can he suppress it for two days or a month?"
Changsun Wuji stroked his beard and said, the father and son looked at each other, no wonder Changsun Wuji was not in a hurry about this matter, this was Li Xiang's greatest achievement this time, he made Tubo half dead, but no one saw it, Tubo sent people to join the army, this was a real achievement, if Li Shimin had been suppressing it, rumors in the court might have arisen.
"Uncle, is there any news?"
Li Xiang was also a little impatient. You know, letting the Tubo Kingdom join the army to fight was something that no one had ever done before. Now that Li Xiang had done it, it was a great achievement, and the reward from Li Shimin would not be small. Otherwise, outsiders would say that he was stingy.
"Of course there is news. The reward given to you this time must be substantial and cannot be given lightly. However, you are already the crown prince at such a young age, so it is difficult to confer a title on you. Therefore, the emperor is also thinking about whether he can find a balance that can satisfy both you and him."
As soon as Changsun Wuji said this, Li Xiang immediately became dispirited. If he wanted to satisfy Li Shimin, he would have wanted to be demoted to the lowest position, or just be an idle young man in Chang'an City. In the past, Li Shimin was worried that his descendants would not be capable, but now this descendant is so capable that he already feels dangerous.
"You two are like this. You get discouraged over the smallest things. This is all set in stone. There's no need to dwell on it. There will definitely be a result before we go out. Go back when it's time to go back. Don't stay here with me. I get annoyed seeing you like this."
Changsun Wuji said unhappily. The father and son were sighing one by one. Changsun Wuji also felt uncomfortable, but the situation in Chang'an City was already like this. Even if Changsun Wuji was the most powerful minister, he could not gain too much benefit for Li Xiang. If Changsun Wuji stood up, Li Shimin's suspicion would be even greater.
Now Changsun Wuji can only give advice to Li Xiang in secret, so that he can save face in front of Li Shimin. If he makes it clear directly, some things will be hard to say. Li Shimin may weaken the power of the Changsun family, or he may use other methods to teach Changsun Wuji a lesson and let him know who is the emperor of the Tang Dynasty. No matter what the situation is, this is not what Changsun Wuji wants to happen.
The two masters left Changsun Mansion one after another. Li Chengqian was going back to the Eastern Palace, while Li Xiang saw that it was still early and decided to go to his father-in-law's house.
Li Xiang's arrival surprised Cheng Yaojin a little. After all, he had known that Li Xiang was going to find Sun Wuji. He thought he would not be able to come today and should come tomorrow. He did not expect Li Xiang to come like this. Of course, they were not outsiders. If the son-in-law went to his father-in-law's house to drink, did he have to make an appointment in advance?
Cheng Yaojin's home was also well-equipped with everything. After seeing Li Xiang coming, the old father-in-law became more and more pleased with his son-in-law and quickly asked the family chef to start cooking. No matter what time it was, let's drink and chat...
