No taboos in the world

Chapter 540 Taiyi Dao Fruit, Seven Seven Perfection

Hong Chen didn't take action in the end.

From a moral perspective, this is a very bad thing.

However, if we step out of the moral framework and look at Li Qingchen's personal and political stance, this is undoubtedly a good thing.

Even though the elders in the family were disrespectful, some things are never good once they are exposed.

Besides, Li Qingchen would not be like Li Zhi’s other sons, who would watch him make mistakes but dare not or could not do anything.

After Li Shimin passed away and Li Zhi ascended the throne, he would do anything to Wu Meiniang or bring her into the palace.

Then Li Qingchen could turn around and use this as an excuse to make him the emperor emeritus or make the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty disappear in the water.

The bottom line is: it is easier to get things done if you have a background.

After a year of seclusion in the Red Dust Palace, Garuda finally refined the essence of Dapeng's flesh and blood, and his own bloodline evolved greatly as a result. Now his feathers have completely transformed into golden color, and his body size has expanded more than ten times.

Standing behind Garuda, Hong Chen smiled and said, "Great, now this wide back can be used as a bed."

Garuda sings loudly in the wind and leaps for joy.

After taking a spin, Hong Chen took out the soul of Dapeng from the Xuanling Beiyin Banner and injected it into Garuda's body.

"When you refine the soul of the Great Peng, the name 'Garuda' that I named you on impulse will be worthy of its name."

Garuda transformed into a human form, bowed and said, "Thank you, Master!"

But he was wearing a golden bellyband, which made him look not serious at all, but rather adorable.

Hong Chen stretched out his hands and gently rubbed his face, and said with a smile: "Although you need to work hard to practice, you don't have to feel too burdened. Even if you can't become a golden-winged Peng bird, you are still my Garuda. Go!"

Garuda laughed playfully, turned around, and skipped away happily.

Not long after, Yang Chan returned.

Before I entered the door, I heard her cheerful voice coming from outside.

"Brother! Are you there?!"

"Not here?"

Yang Chan came in and wrinkled her nose: "Brother, why are you still teasing me?" But in the blink of an eye, she started laughing, picked up the food box in her hand, and said proudly: "Brother, my second brother hunted some game, and I made a few dishes for you to taste."

Hong Chen smelled the fragrance and smiled, "It smells good."

"Right? By the way, my second brother also likes the Dapeng Feast you asked me to bring back last time. In fact, I know that he went hunting on purpose to thank you, otherwise he wouldn't care what he eats."

"I understand. Your second brother is very arrogant."

"Hmm? Tsundere?"

"Tsundere is..."

The two of them chatted and ate at the same time, looking quite relaxed and happy.

After finishing the meal, Yang Chan took out another token, one side of which had "Qingyuan Miaodao" written on it, and the other side had a majestic heavenly eye.

"This is what my second brother asked me to give you. He said that if you need help, you can contact him at any time through this token."

Hong Chen took it and said, "Okay, I'll take it. Please thank your second brother for me."

Yang Chan waved her hand and said, "It's okay, it's okay. Senior Brother, you helped me so much, you can say you saved my life, what's this little reward? Senior Brother, are you free recently? I feel like my sword practice seems to have hit a bottleneck, I hope you can give me some pointers."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Hong Chen lives a fulfilling life in heaven, and Li Qingchen on earth is not bored either.

As time went by, Li Qingchen's performance made his status in Li Shimin's mind gradually surpass that of Crown Prince Li Zhi.

While Li Shimin was very satisfied and relieved about this, he was also worried about Li Qingchen's future.

Although it may not sound good, Li Shimin did think of himself back then.

He was indeed on guard against the prince.

Because he seized the throne by means of "rebellion", this is an indisputable fact that cannot be erased no matter how the history books use the Spring and Autumn style to beautify the records.

Li Shimin certainly would not regret what he had done.

But once people change their positions, it is always difficult to return to their original positions.

This can be called double standards, but that's human nature.

If he were to be honest, Li Shimin did not think that his good son Li Zhi would completely tolerate and indulge such an intelligent and sharp person like Li Qingchen.

But what made him feel even more uncomfortable was that he seemed to be unable to do anything.

In other words, no matter what you do, it could be wrong.

Emperor Taizong, who was gradually entering his later years, once again felt the helplessness in life.

He didn't know what Li Qingchen's future would be like.

So he could only try his best to teach him more.

Therefore, after keeping Li Qingchen by his side for about a year, he began to try to test and teach this grandson of the emperor how to govern the country in an inconspicuous way.

Of course, Li Zhi didn't know these things.

And every time Li Qingchen's reactions and answers always satisfied Li Shimin, he felt more and more anxious.

In a trance, he seemed to see himself again, wearing armor and pushing open the gate of Taiji Palace to inform his father that his two brothers had rebelled and were killed.

"What a sin, what a sin!"

Li Shimin sighed in his heart.

Because he had once visited the underworld, Li Shimin knew very well his own lifespan.

He still has seven or eight years left.

By then, a thirteen-year-old grandson of the emperor, even if he was the eldest son, would certainly not be able to compete with an upright and powerful emperor.

Looking at his eccentric grandson kneeling in front of the desk, his cute face full of seriousness, his long eyelashes flickering, and the brush in his hand as steady as a rock, Li Shimin's heart was filled with love.

Coincidentally, at this moment Li Qingchen seemed to notice his gaze, so he raised his pen slightly, turned around and gave him a bright and lovely smile.

Li Shimin couldn't help but smile.

At the same time, a sentence suddenly popped up in his mind: I have to do something for him.

So, the next day, Li Shimin selected important officials in the court who were in very good health to teach their respective strengths to the emperor's grandson.

This is a powerful political signal.

Because the emperor's grandson was well-behaved, sensible, polite, intelligent and studious, the ministers did not refuse.

Moreover, this imperial grandson is the crown prince's eldest son. When the crown prince ascends the throne in the future, he will be the crown prince.

Based on the current political situation, this future prince is very likely to become the fourth emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

How could they resist such a good thing that could ensure the family's prosperity for three generations?
Even though a few people would think of the rift between the future crown prince and the emperor, isn't it the same in every dynasty? This is the norm!
Li Qingchen and Li Zhi did not seem to be confused. Instead, they were both very smart, so they believed that there would be no problem in passing on the throne smoothly in the future.

In addition to civil officials, Li Shimin also arranged martial arts and military teachers for his grandson.

An emperor does not have to be proficient in everything, but he needs to know at least a little about everything.

Most importantly, the imperial power needed the support of military power, and Li Shimin understood this very well.

Li Shimin did not hide these things and could not conceal them from Li Zhi.

He probably wanted to tell Li Zhi and the people of the world in this way.

Li Qingchen is the grandson that Li Shimin favors and his most preferred future heir to the empire.

Perhaps doing so will exacerbate the conflict between Li Zhi and Li Qingchen in the future.

But if you want to be an emperor, how can you not take some risks?

Looking at his grandson who was laughing happily on a pony, and thinking of his son who never showed any emotion, Li Shimin put his hands behind his back and thought, "There is not much I can do. You will have to rely on yourself in the future."

After looking into the distance, Li Shimin suddenly thought of his royal brother.

So he asked, "How many years have passed since Xuanzang went west to seek Buddhist scriptures?"

The eunuch beside him quickly replied: "Your Majesty, it has been more than twelve years."

"Twelve years!" Li Shimin sighed.

Before Xuanzang set out on his journey, his soul entered the underworld and Cui Jue added twenty years to his life.

"I don't know where he is now, and how many years it will take for him to come back."

Li Shimin had seen Guanyin and knew that the gods and Buddhas in the sky really existed.

He did not expect to live forever, because from the moment he ascended the throne, he knew that the emperor could not live forever.

However, he still hoped that the scriptures Xuanzang brought back could extend his life for a few more years.

This wish is not for myself, but for my lovely grandson.

If he lives a few more years, Li Qingchen will have a greater chance of successfully succeeding to the throne in the future.

After a moment, Li Qingchen's face turned red and his hair stuck to his forehead which was wet with sweat.

Li Shimin's heart softened, and he said, "You are still young, and studying every day will hurt your health. I will take you out of the palace to walk around and play tomorrow, okay?"

Li Qingchen was still a child after all, and he immediately became excited when he heard the words: "Thank you, Grandpa Emperor! Long live Grandpa Emperor!!"

Li Shimin laughed heartily and personally took Li Qingchen to bathe and change clothes.

The next day.

The Emperor took his grandson Bai Longyufu out of the palace for a stroll, leaving only His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in the palace to handle government affairs.

Li Zhi seemed to be extremely envious and even deliberately expressed his dissatisfaction.

But in fact?
In order to handle government affairs on behalf of Li Shimin, he needed to go to Taiji Palace.

Although he was in a side hall, he could still see Wu Meiniang, who was temporarily working as a maid in Taiji Palace.

Everybody is satisfied and everyone has a bright future.

In Chang'an City, Li Shimin and Li Qingchen, who were out for fun, discovered a young scholar and a young warrior arguing with each other.

The two of them watched out of curiosity and became interested in the scholar and the warrior. Li Shimin's eyes moved, and the guards following him cleverly notified people to investigate.

Not long after, it was learned that the scholar was already very talented and famous in his hometown, and the warrior was also a martial arts expert. The former went to Beijing to take the imperial examination, and the latter to join the army.

Li Shimin did not intervene, but he also kept it in mind:

The scholar's name was Xu Jia and the warrior's name was Hong Bu.

The emperor saw two young people with potential, and Li Qingchen himself also met someone he was interested in.

They were three little girls about his age. From their looks, one could tell they were triplets. They were traveling around the city under the close care of their parents and a group of maids.

These three porcelain dolls, which looked like exquisitely carved jade, also attracted the attention of passers-by on the street, and the parents also enjoyed the envious looks of others.

Seeing this, Li Shimin walked forward and took the initiative to greet him.

"It's really enviable that three daughters are so cute."

Looking at them, Li Shimin couldn't help but think of his daughter.

His favorite eldest daughter, Li Lizhi, unfortunately passed away, and his most beloved little Sizi also unfortunately died young.

As he read on, his eyes started to turn red.

Seeing that he had an extraordinary temperament and the servants around him were all dressed up, the parents thought that he must be a nobleman, so they said calmly: "Brother looks older than me, so I guess your family has many children. I got these three daughters when I was old. Although they are not sons, I really like them. However, your grandson is handsome and looks smart. Why should you and I envy each other?"

Hearing this, Li Shimin fondly patted Li Qingchen's head and said with a smile, "Haha, you are right. My grandson is indeed very smart. I think your daughter is almost the same."

An emperor and a commoner without official status just stood on the street and chatted happily for a long time.

At last, Li Shimin even said jokingly: "My grandson is about the same age as your daughter. Maybe they can have something good happen to each other in the future."

Hearing this, the other party hurriedly said, "I dare not, I dare not, how dare I marry into such a small family?"

"Hahaha, what you said is wrong. Judging from your words and actions, even if you are not from a wealthy family, you must be a scholarly family. Why do you belittle yourself?"

The other party didn't dare to argue anymore and could only smile bitterly and say that he didn't deserve it.

Fortunately, Li Shimin only said it casually and soon parted ways with him.

Li Qingchen's future partner will be the Crown Princess and also the Queen.

With such an identity and status, it is destined to be impossible to choose easily.

In order to consolidate Li Qingchen's future position, Li Shimin's ideal candidate should also come from an unusual family, so that he can help Li Qingchen.

There are already enough people from aristocratic families in the current court, and Li Qingchen’s biological mother is from the Wang family of Taiyuan.

Therefore, his spouse should be chosen as a military general in the court.

However, there are not many options for those who can provide support to Li Qingchen without threatening his military family, and even fewer who have women of marriageable age in their families.

Fortunately, Li Qingchen is only five years old now, so there is no need to rush.

Even if we ask those generals to go back now to supervise their juniors or create humans themselves, it is not too late.

Thinking of this, after Li Shimin returned to the palace after playing with Li Qingchen for a day, he immediately summoned the generals to attend the banquet.

At the banquet, Li Shimin also pulled Li Qingchen aside and gave him some hints.

So, that night, the generals and their descendants in Chang'an City were busy working in their own bedrooms. It can be predicted that there will be quite a few children born at this time next year.

Time flows on, rushing on.

On this day, golden light suddenly shone from the Xuanling Emperor's Palace, causing the Nine Heavens to shake.

Under the gaze of many immortals, an image of a flawless pure gold Taiyi Dao Fruit was projected above the Xuanling Imperial Palace.

After forty-nine days, the Tao fruit is complete.

At that time, a fairy rainbow descended from the sky and a golden lotus emerged from the ground.

The nine-colored fairy flowers in heaven bloomed brilliantly, countless strange phenomena emerged in the human world, and the six paths of the underworld congratulated together.

The next day, the threshold of the Xuanling Imperial Palace was almost broken down by the gods who came to give gifts.

(End of this chapter)