If I let you stay in Lingnan, how could you become the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty?

Chapter 4: This is treating his father as a fool

Thinking of this, Li Shimin could hardly suppress his inner anger. He almost drew the sword at his waist and rushed into the street with Yuchi Gong and others to kill the villains.

At this time, the young man laughed and said:
"Feng Lang, get these two guys out of here, so they don't get in the way!"

"Yes!"

A burly man in black armor next to him agreed, jumped off his horse, stretched out a hand as big as a palm-leaf fan, and grabbed Yuchi Gong.

Yuchi Gong snorted coldly and kicked Feng Lang in the abdomen.

Feng Lang's face froze, as if he had not expected that Yuchi Gong was so good at kung fu. He raised his knee to block Yuchi Gong's toes and at the same time, he punched Yuchi Gong in the face with a straight punch.

Yuchi Gong immediately blocked with a horizontal punch.

bang bang...

Fists and kicks collided, making muffled sounds. The two men took a few steps back at the same time, showing that their strength was equal!

"Feng Lang, you haven't followed me on a campaign for a long time, so your skills have become a little slack!"

The young man immediately smiled and said:

"Look at your left and right hands in slow motion, but there is no power, and you actually made the opponent retreat a few steps. It really makes me, the King of Zhennan, lose face!"

When they heard the young man call himself the King of Zhennan, Li Shimin and Yuchi Gong were both shocked.

It turns out that this dandy young man who rode a horse and committed a crime in broad daylight was actually the Sixth Prince who had not been seen for three years:

Li An!

Li Shimin looked at the young man with some doubt and surprise.

But I saw a young man sitting upright on the horse. Although his face was full of cynical smile, his face was handsome and extraordinary, quite similar to himself when he was young.

Yes.

This is exactly the seed of his old Li family.
His sixth son, King of Lingnan Li An!

It was also because he was busy with government affairs at that time, and Li An and his mother were not favored, so the father and son rarely met each other.

In addition, Li An was granted the fiefdom of Lingnan at the age of fourteen, and his appearance has changed a little in the past three years.

So much so that the father and son didn't even recognize each other when they met each other!

But when Li An was in Chang'an, he was timid when he went to pay his respects to Li Shimin, and he didn't even dare to raise his head. He looked extremely gentle and cowardly.

How come after three years in Lingnan, he became so arrogant and domineering?

He is just like a lawless devil!

At this time, Li An smiled:
"Brother, although I am handsome and popular, there is no need for you to stare at me all the time."

"It's fair to say that we didn't know each other until we fought. Your guarding skills are pretty good. Just name your price and I'll buy it!"

Hearing this, Li Shimin and Yuchi Gong both became furious and almost couldn't hold it in again.

Asshole!
The supreme pillar of the current dynasty, the Duke of E, the first of the twenty-four heroes in the Lingyan Pavilion!

You're actually going to offer a price for it?
This kid really deserves a beating!

If he hadn't known that the other person was the Sixth Prince Li An, and his father Li Shimin was right beside him,
If it were someone else, Yuchi Gong, who had fought in wars all his life and had a hot temper, would probably draw his sword and kill the guy on the spot.

Li Shimin also took a deep breath, barely suppressed the urge to beat Li An up, and said in a deep voice:

"This man has been with me for decades and has made countless contributions and efforts. Even if you give Lingnan City to me, I will not sell it!"

"We heard that there are rare things in Lingnan, so we came all the way from Chang'an to do business here. Why do you want to buy me right after we get here?"

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Gong was naturally deeply moved.

After hearing what Li Shimin said, Li An was suddenly overjoyed:
"So you are merchants from Chang'an. I love making friends with heroes from all over the world. Since we have a chance today, I will have a few drinks with you."

After saying that, he jumped off his horse, grabbed Li Shimin's hand, and walked towards the hotel on the street.

Li Shimin felt his son holding his hand suddenly, and he couldn't help but feel warm in his heart. The anger he had just felt instantly reduced a little.

He and Yuchi Gong followed Li An into the hotel one after the other.

The shop assistant came over quickly and said with a big smile on his face:
"Your Majesty, we have some freshly slaughtered beef today. Would you like to try some?"

Li An nodded: "Okay, let's have boiled beef, braised beef, stir-fried beef loin, spicy beef tripe, and ten or eight other delicious dishes!"

When Li Shimin heard this, the warmth he had just felt in his chest from his son's hand turned cold again.

According to the Tang Dynasty law, oxen are the foundation of agriculture and slaughtering them is prohibited!

I didn’t expect that people in Lingnan would openly slaughter oxen and entertain guests in a dignified manner!

As a prince, Li An not only broke the law knowingly, but also was so extravagant and wasteful that he ordered more than a dozen dishes for one meal!
You have to know that when Li Shimin was in the palace, he only had three or four side dishes for his meals on weekdays!

This rebellious son...

Li An, however, sat down at the table with an indifferent look on his face, and smiled at Li Shimin and said:

"You two have come all the way from Chang'an to Lingnan. May I ask what you want to buy?"

Li Shimin suppressed his anger and said vaguely:
"I heard that Lingnan is very poor. We wanted to sell some local specialties here, but who knew it would be so rich."

After hearing this, Li An boasted with a smile:

"No wonder you don't know that Lingnan has only been prosperous for the past three years. This is all thanks to me!"

Li Shimin couldn't help but nodded:
"Before I came here, I heard that people in Lingnan were not well fed and clothed."

Li An shook his head:

"That's all old news. Under my rule, the people live and work in peace and contentment, their families have enough food, and their clothes are never patched!"

"I heard that there is fog and miasma all over Lingnan, and malaria and plague are rampant."

"Malaria has long been cured by my remedy!"

"I heard that the surrounding areas of Lingnan are inhabited by the Baiyue people, and chieftains often invade and rob the Han people."

"In the past three years, our Lingnan army has been fighting against all odds and has already beaten those natives so badly that they have fled and dare not invade."

"I heard that there were continuous heavy rains in Lingnan this year, the people's crops failed, and the government warehouses were empty..."

"I knew that typhoons in Lingnan would cause disasters, so I sent people to observe the sky all year round. I ordered the people to harvest before the typhoons came. The crops per acre are one bushel more than in previous years!"

Hearing this, Li Shimin was so angry that his stomach was about to explode.

It turns out that there has never been a single true word in the letters this kid has written home!
Why are the government warehouses empty and the people poor?

What with the rampant miasma, the frequent outbreaks of malaria and plague,

Why do the Baiyue natives often gather together to invade and plunder the people?

He is simply treating his father as a fool and fooling him!
After a while, Li Shimin took a deep breath again, suppressed the anger in his chest, and said:

"If Lingnan is so rich, why doesn't Chang'an know about it?"

Li An shook his head and said with a chuckle:

"You two don't know this. I feel like we've known each other for a long time, so I'll tell you the truth. I don't want Chang'an to know the truth about Lingnan."

Hearing this, Li Shimin was stunned:
"Why?"

Li An suddenly sighed and said:

"To be honest, the Tang Dynasty is not peaceful right now, and I don't want the people of Lingnan to get involved."

Li Shimin couldn't help but frowned after hearing this:

"The world is peaceful and harmonious nowadays. What is there to worry about?"

Li An glanced at him, smiled and said:

"You don't know this. Anyway, Lingnan is a thousand miles away from Chang'an, so it doesn't hurt to tell you."

"This year, my eldest brother, the former Crown Prince Cheng Qian, was demoted to a commoner by our father in a rage and was sent to Qianzhong as punishment!"

Hearing this, Li Shimin's eyelids couldn't help but jump.

How did this kid get involved with Crown Prince Cheng Qian?

Could it be...

When this guy saw the crown prince being deposed, he also began to have some rebellious thoughts!
(End of this chapter)