Chapter 322: Respect for the Elders
Chang'an, a hot summer day.

Even though his house arrest period had ended, Prince of Jin Li Xuanqing still stayed in the palace with no plans to go out.

Firstly, the weather was hot, and secondly, it was also intended to spite Emperor Li Yuan.

However, he did not do nothing at home. Li Xuanqing liked music and opera, so he had many musical instrument troupes and actors in his mansion.

Wearing a white lining, he leaned on the couch, listening to the music with his eyes closed, one hand half raised as if he was clapping the beat.

There were more than a dozen musicians sitting on the periphery, playing various musical instruments.

Suddenly, the sound of music stopped, and Li Xuanqing stopped clapping.

He seemed to know what was going on. He sat up helplessly, opened his eyes, and saw that it was his father.

The Tang Emperor Li Yuan, wearing a bright yellow round-necked robe, stood in the hall and looked at him unfriendlyly. The musicians all knelt on the ground nervously.

Li Xuanqing stood up from the couch and bowed, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Then he waved to the crowd, and all the musicians quietly retreated.

Li Yuan came and sat on Li Xuanji's couch. Li Xuanqing turned around and said, "Father, how come you have time to come to my house today?"

"Why don't you go to the palace now that your house arrest is over? Do I have to come to see you?" Li Yuan said unhappily.

Li Xuanqing asked, "Has the house arrest ended? I've been in the mansion every day and have long forgotten the time. Father, you came today, but has there been any result in the war in Hebei?"

Li Yuan sighed and said, "Silang ordered Liu Wenhui to lead the army to station in Liyang and Chaoge, and ordered Li Xiaocha to station in Dangyin to confront the Yan army outside Yecheng. He himself is still in Luoyang."

Li Xuanqing nodded upon hearing this, and then said, "This arrangement is his usual fighting method. He first makes himself invincible, and then waits for the enemy to be defeated. He always puts himself in an invincible position when deploying troops, and looks for opportunities to fight in a long-term confrontation. Father should also know that Liu Xuanji is not a simple person. Even if the second brother is allowed to lead the troops, there will not be many ways to take back Hebei. There is no rush."

After hearing this, Li Yuan's anger subsided. "Originally, there was no rush, but the ministers in the court said that Si Lang was afraid of the Yan army in Luoyang, so they asked for an imperial edict to urge him."

Li Xuanqing laughed and said, "I'm afraid it's not just that Silang is afraid of the Yan army. There must be people who say that Silang is self-reliant, right?"

Li Yuan said: "They are not without reason to worry. They wanted you to take charge this time, but you kept refusing."

Li Xuanqing spread his hands and said, "Father, those ministers don't know who Si Lang is, but you don't know? This time, we should let the second brother lead the army. After Hebei is pacified, the second brother will be the crown prince. I don't understand why you are still hesitating? Could it be that you really want Cheng'an to be the crown prince?"

Li Yuan said angrily again: "These are not things you should consider. Shouldn't I be the one to decide on the succession?"

Li Xuanqing said calmly: "Father, if you think I shouldn't consider these things, then what do other things in the Tang Dynasty have to do with me? Why don't you just give an order to confine me in the mansion? I can just write lyrics and compose music and have some free time."

"You" Li Yuan stood up from the couch angrily and pointed at Li Xuanji.

Li Xuanqing tilted his head, looking as if he was ready to let you do whatever you want.

At this time, a child of five or six years old ran in and ran directly to Li Yuan's thigh, "Ah Weng, Ah Weng."

When Li Yuan saw Li Xuanqing's eldest son Li Chengxun, he immediately smiled, picked up the child and sat on the couch.

"Aunt, why did you come just now? I haven't seen you for a long time."

Li Yuan said, "Hahaha, Aung missed you too." At this time, Princess Xue of Jin came up to the hall and greeted him, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Li Yuan smiled and said, "No need to be polite, we are all family, just treat it like you do at home."

"Yes, Father."

The arrival of his daughter-in-law and grandson made Li Yuan no longer angry with his son. He had lunch at the Prince of Jin's Mansion that day and drank some wine. Before leaving, he asked his son and daughter-in-law to take his grandson to see the palace more often.

After seeing off the emperor, Princess Xue of Jin heaved a sigh of relief. Then the couple returned to the hall, and the princess said, "I know your highness's plan is for the sake of the country and the brothers' flesh and blood relationship, but if your highness and His Majesty are deadlocked and the harmony between father and son is damaged, what is the point? When your highness advises, you might as well be tactful and say more. His Majesty treats you and the King of Qin and the King of Qi differently. As for Cheng'an, he is still young, just a child, and has no foundation. Can His Majesty bypass you brothers and let his grandson be the king?"

Li Xuanqing sat on the couch, looked at the princess beside him and said, "It's not impossible."

"Since the death of Emperor Zhaowu of the Yan Dynasty and the rise of the Liang commoner, our dynasty has successively seized Longyou, Liangzhou, and Guanzhong. My second brother played a great role in these battles, and my fourth brother defended Jianghuai to fight against the two Wei and Eastern Yan. If the Jianghuai army had not gone north last year, there would probably be no Yingchuan battle, and the establishment of our Tang Dynasty would have been greatly delayed. As for me, I followed my father out of Shu and also overcame all difficulties along the way. I worked day and night to win this world because of us brothers!"

"If my eldest brother were still alive, even if my second brother had his own ideas, I would support him. After all, there is a hierarchy of seniority. But my eldest brother is gone after all. In terms of seniority and merit, my second brother should be the heir. Although Cheng'an is my eldest brother's eldest son, it is right for the father to inherit the throne from his son."

"Cheng'an has always been brought up by Aye and raised by him personally. In my opinion, it is not just because he loves his father and cares about his younger generation. Aye is the emperor now. The emperor's favoritism is different from the grandfather's favoritism."

After Li Xuanqing finished speaking, Xue remained silent. After a while, she spoke up, "Then, Your Highness, have you ever thought about it?"

"Hahaha, how could I not have thought about it? I am the legitimate son of Empress Taimu, but there is an order of seniority, and the empire is still unsettled. Can a fifth-rank official still fight to the death with his brothers for the position of crown prince? Wouldn't that make our Li family a laughing stock for the world? What will the history books say in the future? Will the Li brothers fight against each other, just like Yuan Benchu's sons?"

"If it weren't for the fratricide among Emperor Zhaowu's sons, it's unclear whether the world would have fallen into the hands of our Li family."

Both Li Xuanqing and Li Yuanhui currently support Li Er to become the crown prince. This is also the consensus reached by the three brothers.

Old and young are in order.

The deeper reason is that the three brothers have a large number of supporters and control a large number of troops.

Once the brothers show any sign of discord, someone will definitely use it to make a fuss, which will cause a huge rift.

Once the struggle begins, it is beyond the control of the three brothers. It is driven by huge interest groups.

By then, even Li Yuan himself won’t be able to control it.

That was why Li Xuanqing insisted on letting his second brother lead the troops, because among the three brothers of the Li family, the second brother was the best at commanding troops.

Once my second brother conquers Hebei, the world will be unified soon.

Even if the brothers want to fight, they have to wait until the world is unified.

No matter what, the world must be ruled by the surname Li.

None of the three brothers wanted to let outsiders take advantage of the quarrel between them.

Therefore, he was very puzzled by Li Yuan's current behavior. The world had not yet been unified. The forces in Hebei and Hedong were always like a knife hanging over Guanzhong and the Central Plains. The Western Wei in Jingzhou and the Eastern Wei in Jiangdong looked as insignificant as local dogs. If there was a civil strife in the Li Tang Dynasty, they would all be wolves.

At this time, you started to be wary of these sons who have made great contributions?

But the battle is not over yet.
(End of this chapter)