Chapter Fifteen: Unable to Dance with Lions but Capable of Fighting Without Worries

  East Palace!

  "Bang!"

  The medicine bowl was smashed heavily on the ground and shattered into pieces.

  The crown princess stood by in shock and fear.

  "Get out!" Li Chengqian's face was twisted in a fierce scowl as he bellowed, his hair standing on end. Ever since he found out that Li Shimin intended to let Li Tai take over his position and receive foreign envoys, his heart had not been calm for even a moment, filled with fear of losing the crown prince's position.

  He was a captive of his own power and influence, and the faint loss of that power was enough to make him wish he were dead.

  "Ah, you..." The Empress Dowager Longsun strode into the bedroom, seeing this scene also secretly seething with anger, but upon seeing Li Chengqian's current miserable state, she couldn't bring herself to scold him.

  After all, Li Chengqian has a thousand reasons for not being good, but he is still her flesh and blood!

  She motioned for the crown prince's consort to withdraw and walked slowly over to the bedside.

  "Empress Dowager!" Li Chengqian wailed loudly as he saw Empress Longsun arrive, "Father... Father has not responded to me for 23 days."

  Empress Changsun silently nodded in agreement, and sighed: "This time your actions have really hurt the Emperor's heart. When you've recovered a bit, go apologize to him! Don't do it again in the future, or even I won't be able to protect you!"

  Family matters, family knows.

  Empress Changsun knew that her husband was an extraordinary figure, a good emperor who put the interests of the Tang Dynasty above all else. Such a person would be a wise and virtuous ruler, but it would be difficult for him to be a good father.

  Although Li Chengqian was his eldest son and beloved child, for the sake of the Tang Dynasty, he would ruthlessly remove Li Chengqian from his position as crown prince when necessary.

  He gained the emperor's favor and was able to protect Li Chengqian for a while, but he would never be able to protect him forever. If Li Chengqian did not change his ways, his fate would be sealed. This was also what Empress Zhangsun feared most, as historically, deposed crown princes rarely had good endings.

  She didn't want her son to end up like Crown Prince Li Jiancheng.

  Li Chengqian was extremely unwilling in his heart, but he did not dare to express it in front of Empress Longsun. He repeatedly explained that he was wrong, with a sincere attitude and showed his sincerity.

  Empress Changsun could not determine whether Li Chengqian's words were sincere or not, but as a mother, she had no choice but to believe him.

  "Not only must you apologize to your father the Emperor, but also go and apologize to Duhe!" Empress Changsun gently patted Li Chengqian's back as she slowly spoke.

  "What! Mother wants me to apologize to Du He?" Li Chengqian exclaimed as if he had been touched by a reverse scale.

  All of this is because of Du He, if it weren't for Du He, he absolutely wouldn't have fallen to such a state.

  He hated nothing more than to tear Du He into a million pieces, but Empress Changsun forced him to put aside his dignity as the crown prince and apologize to Du He. How could he bear it?

  "Why?" he cried out in discontent.

  "Why?" Empress Longsun scolded in a low, angry tone: "Because you are not qualified to be the crown prince of this country! A ruler can lack talent and virtue, but cannot lack magnanimity and the ability to use people. Du He may be young, but he has been favored by your father the emperor, praised by Chamberlain Fang, and admired by Duke Li Jing and Duke Li Ji. Such a person will surely become a cornerstone of our great Tang dynasty in the future. If you do not get along with him, it would be like digging your own foundation and destroying your own pillars. Moreover, he has a father who is already a cornerstone of our great Tang!"

  "Child, I know you resent him for speaking out against you in front of your father the Emperor. But in fact, you shouldn't resent him - instead, you should be grateful! Only someone who is upright and unafraid to speak truth to power is truly worthy of reliance, truly thinking of the greater good of the Tang Dynasty. So it's not just your father the Emperor, but also me, your mother the Empress, who can only offer praise for Du He's actions, without any dissatisfaction. Someone who dares to point out your mistakes is a hundred times more valuable than someone who flatters you. If you can't understand this, then even I, your mother, will be powerless to help!"

  When a group of scholars were competing with each other in composing essays and answering questions.

  The figure of Princess Changle appeared beside Li Shimin, dressed in a white outfit, holding a warm bag in her hand, wearing an ermine fur coat, and wearing a pure white cloak outside, which contrasted with the fiery red scenery around her, as if she were a fairy descending to the world.

  The people downstairs who witnessed this scene all showed a look of astonishment, and most of them were stunned.

  Even Luo, Fang, and the three Lis beside Du He couldn't help but stare blankly for a moment, admiringly saying: "All the good fortune in the world has been monopolized by Qinglian alone."

  Fang Yi'ai didn't quite understand at first, but after listening to Li Jingye's detailed explanation, he couldn't help but sigh in emotion, and deep down, he was also happy for Du He.

  Just then, a female figure appeared upstairs again, it was Li Xueyan.

  All I saw was her whole body wrapped in a peach-red cotton-padded jacket, her powdered face frozen bright red, showing off her delicate and lovely appearance, with an extra flavor.

  Du He waved goodbye from upstairs.

  The two women also caught sight of him and exchanged a smile.

  Princess Chang Le was a bit shy and just slightly nodded her head.

  Li Xueyan waved her hand generously.

  Just then, someone from the audience shouted: "Your Majesty Tian Kehan, this riddle is a strong point of the Great Tang. We can't compare to you, but we also have our own characteristics. Dali is willing to personally dance the lion and act as the lion's head to make Your Majesty and Princess Chang Le laugh!"

  Xue Yandu's eldest son, Dagu, suddenly let out a loud shout. He was nine feet tall and stood there, exuding an aura of intimidation that made him appear fierce and formidable.

  Du He's eyes widened in an instant when he heard the words coming out of Da Du's mouth: This guy has a big nerve to flirt with my woman right in front of me!

  Li Shimin hesitated for a moment, as if interested, and glanced at Du He, saying: "I also have the heart to understand the customs and people of your country, granted!"

  Not far away, there were acrobatic performers who happened to be preparing for a lion dance performance.

  A big drum was set up and borrowed a lion head, called an assistant, in the midst of the loud drumbeat, they started dancing.

  The lion dance, also known as the lion lantern or dancing lion, is said to have originated from the Western Regions. According to legend, the lion was the mount of Manjusri Bodhisattva and was introduced to China along with Buddhism. However, the technique of lion dancing actually came from the "masked play" of Hexi Corridor.

  But as it was passed down continuously, lion dance had become a popular activity in the imperial court, military and among civilians during the Tang Dynasty.

  Xue Yanduo is located in the north, has long admired Tang Dynasty culture, and lion dance has also been introduced to the territory. Because lions are fierce, they are most liked by their tribesmen, and every time there is a large-scale activity, this lion dance is indispensable.

  But what a magnificent sight, with the lion's head held high, dancing up and down, continuously pouncing, tumbling, flipping, rolling, and jumping, his tall and majestic figure, as he dances, exuding an aura of power and grandeur, fully displaying the majesty of the king of the forest.

  People all around applauded.

  Luo, Fang, and the three Lis were all on an equal footing, but friends' wives are not to be trifled with. Da Du's actions had infuriated them, and they secretly thought about teaching this arrogant guy a lesson, only to find that Du He was no longer there.

  "Where's Big Brother?" Fang Yi'ai looked around.

  "There!" Li Yexu was sharp-eyed and found Du He one step ahead in the crowd.

  But then Du He also carried a lion head and walked over.

  "Good brother, I knew you couldn't swallow this breath." He made a face as if he was afraid the world would not be chaotic, "How about it, are you going to play with this thing too?"

  "No!" Du He said bluntly, and then added, "But I can fight!"