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"Father, your humble son is wronged! How could I possibly arrange for General Du to have General Er and General Qiao frame my elder brother? Besides, General Er and General Qiao are from the Eastern Palace; how would they follow the orders of a general from Prince Qin's mansion?" Li Shimin argued.
"Enough, Shiming. Now that you mention it, I have a general idea of what happened. General Du used your name to instruct General Er and General Qiao to frame your brother. The reason those two generals were willing to listen to you must be that you promised them some benefits," Li Yuan concluded, piecing together the situation.
"That..." Li Shimin was at a loss for words. His father's reasoning was clearly incorrect, yet he found it difficult to refute.
Li Yuan continued without waiting for his response, "In that case, I must deal with you properly!" He pointed at Du Yan, Er Zhu Huan, and Qiao Gong Shan.
The three exchanged wry smiles and nodded in agreement, "We await Your Majesty's punishment!"
"Very well! Du Yan, Wang Gui, and Wei Ting are to be punished by being exiled to Xizhou for instigating discord between Crown Prince Li Jiancheng and Prince Qin Li Shimin. As for Er Zhu Huan and Qiao Gong Shan, they were misled by slander but realized their mistake in time and reported it. They will be spared exile but will each receive twenty lashes and be reassigned to serve in Prince Qi's Residence," Li Yuan decreed.
"We thank Your Majesty for your grace!" Du Yan, Er Zhu Huan, and Qiao Gong Shan felt bitter inside but had no choice as subjects; they had to express gratitude even after being punished by the emperor.
Afterward, Du Yan, Er Zhu Huan, and Qiao Gong Shan were escorted out by the palace guards to receive their respective punishments. Naturally, someone had to return to Chang'an with the decree since Wang Gui and Wei Ting were also to be exiled!
With punishment comes reward. While Li Yuan could not fulfill his promise of the crown prince position for Li Shimin, there had to be other rewards for his suppression of the Yang Wengan Rebellion.
Li Shimin was already Prince Qin; aside from the crown prince title, what further rewards could he receive? This question had already been answered by Feng Deyi on behalf of Li Yuan.
At that moment, Li Yuan did not press further but said to Li Shimin, "Shiming, you have made contributions in quelling the Yang Wengan Rebellion. I hereby promote you to General of Heavenly Strategy and grant you the title of Shan Dong Dao Da Xing Tai, placing you above Lord Wang. You will also receive an additional twenty thousand households in fiefdoms, a golden carriage, a set of robes and crown like those of Lord Wang, a pair of jade discs, and sixty pounds of gold."
"Your humble son thanks Father!" Though Li Shimin felt dissatisfied inside, he could only express gratitude outwardly.
In truth, Li Yuan's rewards for Li Shimin were quite generous. Aside from lacking the right of succession to the throne, he was not at all inferior to the crown prince in other aspects.
However, for Li Shimin, these rewards meant little. What he desired was the throne! He needed the throne! Because once his elder brother ascended to power, a grim fate awaited him. All of Li Yuan's rewards would eventually be stripped away by Li Jiancheng! He might even lose his life!
Indeed, when it comes to the throne, even among brothers or between father and son, it becomes a life-and-death struggle!
Returning to his residence, Li Shimin was in a foul mood! His father had gone back on his promise regarding the crown prince position! What had happened these past few days? He quickly sent someone to gather information.
Soon enough, Li Shimin's people uncovered the news. It turned out that two of Li Yuan's consorts had conspired with Zhongshu Ling Feng Deyi and spread slanderous words that led his father to change his mind.
Damn it! Li Shimin thought angrily. He could understand why Zhang Jieyu and Yin De Fei feared him becoming emperor; however, why did Feng Deyi also vehemently oppose him? This old man was trying to go against him—fine! He would not let him have an easy time!
Li Shimin kept this grudge close to his heart. Historically, Feng Deyi quickly "fell ill" after Li Shimin ascended; it was less than a year later—this incident must be related.
By the way, what about Fourth Brother Li Yuanji? Why hadn’t he made any moves these past few days?
Li Shimin wondered what Prince Qi Li Yuanji was doing. In truth, he was sulking in his room! Not only had he failed to pull his elder brother down from the crown prince position this time but now Li Shimin had received generous rewards as well.
Li Yuanji had not left Ren Zhi Palace; he naturally knew that Li Yuan had released Li Jiancheng. However, he felt powerless. Since Li Yuan had characterized the Yang Wengan Rebellion as a disturbance caused by discord between the crown prince and Prince Qin, even if Father did not depose Li Jiancheng from his position as crown prince, there should still be some punishment for him! And as for Li Shimin—he should also face consequences!
However, with Er Zhu Huan and Qiao Gong Shan being sent to him, Li Yuanji also learned of his father's handling of the Yang Wengan Incident. The Crown Prince Li Jiancheng faced no punishment at all! Only two advisors from the Eastern Palace, Wang Gui and Wei Ting, were penalized. These two were truly unfortunate; they had no connection to the Yang Wengan Rebellion but were inexplicably exiled by their father.
Another unfortunate soul was Du Yan, the Minister of Military Affairs from Prince Qin's mansion! He was clearly suffering in place of his second brother. Li Yuanji thought this way because his second brother, Li Shimin, also received no punishment but rather a reward.
Although he seemed to have no relation to the Yang Wengan Incident, his father assigned these two individuals to him. However, Li Yuanji held no fondness for Er Zhu Huan and Qiao Gong Shan. As advisors from the Eastern Palace, they had actually reported the Crown Prince for treason, claiming they were afraid. In reality, it was entirely possible that they had been bribed by Li Shimin!
Yet this scheme ultimately failed, and Li Shimin would surely vent his anger on Er Zhu Huan and Qiao Gong Shan. Thus, these two had nowhere else to go, which was why their father sent them to serve under him.
Li Yuanji was certainly pleased to see them report the Crown Prince, but he was displeased at the thought of having such disloyal individuals as his subordinates. Who would want to harbor those unfaithful to their master? However, since it was his father's decree, Li Yuanji could not openly defy it. He made a plan in his heart to find an opportunity to eliminate these two.
After feeling frustrated for a while, Li Yuanji decided to visit his second brother Li Shimin to gauge his mood and inquire about Yu Wen Ying's situation. This time when Li Shimin returned, he hadn’t mentioned Yu Wen Ying in front of their father, and Emperor Li Yuan hadn’t asked about her either; it seemed he had forgotten about her entirely.
But Li Yuanji could not forget! If there was any connection he had with the Yang Wengan Incident, it was Yu Wen Ying. What if she betrayed him? That would be troublesome! Therefore, Li Yuanji needed to clarify Yu Wen Ying's current status.
Upon hearing that Li Yuanji had arrived, Li Shimin quickly concealed his thoughts and stood up with a smile to greet him. “Fourth Brother, I just got back and you’re already here!”
“Second Brother, you’ve achieved merit and received a reward; Fourth Brother should come over to congratulate you!” Li Yuanji replied with a smile, appearing in good spirits.
“Sit down!” Li Shimin gestured towards a chair.
Once they were both seated, Li Shimin said, “This time in quelling the Yang Wengan Rebellion didn’t take much effort; it hardly counts as any merit. Father insisted on giving me some rewards. In truth, alleviating Father’s worries is our duty as brothers; there’s really no need for rewards.”
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