Chapter 29: The Gut-Wrenching Kick

After arranging for Li Ke to take Li Tai and Changle to the Ganlu Palace, the Prince of Chu, ready to flex his muscles, stormed toward the Taiji Palace in a fury.

Yun Shang, the eunuch guarding the entrance, knew the moment he saw the Prince of Chu enter the outer plaza that what was bound to happen had finally arrived.

"Father! Let me see which two-hundred-and-fifty-wit fool is spouting nonsense and trying to frame my elder brother!" The Prince of Chu, whose voice seemed naturally booming, marched toward the Taiji Palace with an imposing, majestic stride.

"Your Highness..." Yun Shang scurried over to Li Kuan, his face twisted in misery. "My dear Highness, please, do not lock horns with His Majesty today. He is already seething with rage inside, listening to Lord Linghu’s remonstrations."

"Remonstrations? What kind of remonstrations?" Li Kuan frowned instinctively before eyeing Yun Shang suspiciously. "Is it this old codger who is blaming the lightning strike on my brother?"

The "Lord Linghu" in question was Linghu Defen, the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices responsible for compiling the dynastic history. Li Kuan found it curious that a historian would involve himself in such matters.

"Your Highness..." As someone close to Li Er, Yun Shang knew how deep the bond was between Li Kuan and the Crown Prince. He dared not even mention the hare-brained scheme Linghu Defen had proposed to the Emperor: that the Crown Prince should fast for three days at the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pray for divine blessing to offset the "bad omen" of the lightning strike.

In truth, Linghu Defen held no malice toward the Crown Prince, Li Chengqian. In fact, he could be considered a supporter. His actions were merely a calculated attempt to stage a "bitter meat ruse," hoping to burnish the Prince’s reputation for filial piety.

The robust Emperor Li Er saw right through the old fox’s intentions, which led to his punishment of Li Chengqian: seven days of facing the wall in reflection and skipping the evening meal.

Why? It was simple. The Emperor was not yet thirty, a man with grand ambitions, ready to make the nations surrounding the Great Tang prostrate themselves and hail him as the "Heavenly Khan." Why would he need to push his son forward to boost his popularity so soon?

Damn it, the Emperor sitting on the dragon throne looked at Linghu Defen, who stood before him with a sanctimonious air, repeatedly accusing him of "spoiling the son to the point of ruining him," and felt his anger boil over.

"Your Majesty... please heed this old minister's advice and let the Crown Prince go to the Ancestral Temple to pray... The lightning strike at the Eastern Palace is a divine warning—the Crown Prince must have acted improperly to offend the heavens. If you do not allow him to go and repent, you are harming him..."

"..." Li Shimin, leaning against his throne, rubbed his throbbing temples with one hand while eyeing the old scoundrel with a dark gaze. Truly, this man was a loyal subject of the Retired Emperor.

"You ask the Crown Prince to go to the Ancestral Temple to repent before the heavens..." Li Er’s expression was inscrutable as he spoke. "I wish to know, in the eyes of the heavens and in yours, what does that make me, the Son of Heaven? Am I so incompetent that the heavens ignore my existence, choosing to send signs to my son instead of me? And am I so cowardly that even the act of praying for blessings must be delegated to my son?"

When the Emperor’s questioning rose to a roar, the entire hall echoed with the weight of his authority.

"Your Majesty, you have misinterpreted my meaning, I—" Linghu Defen, terrified by the Emperor’s fury, began to stammer, only to be interrupted by a brazen voice from behind: "Father, is that old dog Linghu still here? Damn him! The old bastard dares to frame my brother? I’m going to beat him to death today!"

Fists fear the young and strong. After Li Kuan displayed his sandbag-sized fists to Yun Shang, the eunuch, who was actually a skilled martial artist, suppressed the urge to laugh and told Li Kuan everything that had happened inside, wearing a pained expression. *Look, Your Majesty, don't blame me; the Prince of Chu was ready to use force, I had no choice but to yield...*

That was why Yun Shang was the Emperor’s trusted attendant; his colleague Jiang Qu could never master such agility.

Seeing his son, the Emperor’s desire to chasten Linghu Defen evaporated instantly. He knew his son’s temperament well; Linghu Defen was about to be "chastened" on a physical level.

And sure enough...

"Are you Linghu Defen?" Li Kuan glanced at the silent Emperor before turning his gaze to the man in the hall.

"Second Prince, I am indeed..." Despite having angered the Emperor, Linghu Defen felt little alarm. A veteran of the bureaucracy, he considered the previous tension mere theater. Surely the Emperor wouldn't actually kill him for his words? If that were the case, Wei Zheng would have been executed long ago.

Unfortunately, the old rogue Linghu Defen had vastly overestimated both Li Kuan’s moral standards and his intellectual floor.

Just as Linghu Defen stood up, his face cold, intending to ask why the Prince had come in such a rage to insult him, he saw the young man take a running leap and jump into the air, legs tucked together...

A kick that would leave even Li Er feeling a sharp pain in his own chest sent Linghu Defen flying across the room.

Li Er was stunned. Yun Shang, peeking through the doorway, was equally dumbfounded.

"Huff... huff..." But the heroic Prince of Chu, having landed on the floor, immediately sprang back to his feet and charged at the "writhing" Linghu Defen, who was still sprawled on the ground.

The Prince of Chu raised his massive fists again: "Old thing! Are you bored out of your mind? My brother’s palace was struck by lightning, and that means he has failed in his conduct? Then what about you, meeting with this sudden disaster of being beaten by me today? If you're going to play in this world, watch your mouth!"

"Kuan-er!" Seeing Linghu Defen wailing on the ground, the Emperor hurriedly stopped his "excellent son" from landing another blow: "You little brat, stop it!"

*That’s not right...* Li Kuan, who knew when to take advice, looked back at his father suspiciously. *Why did he call me 'Kuan-er'? Doesn't he usually call me 'that brat'?*

*Ugh...* At the thought, Li Kuan shuddered involuntarily. *That’s creepy.*

"Minister Linghu, are you alright?" The Emperor waved for Yun Shang to help the battered Linghu Defen up. He offered a word of concern before roaring toward the entrance: "Call the Imperial Physician at once!"

"Your Majesty!" Linghu Defen let out a miserable cry. In his daze, that kick had made him feel as if he had seen his own ancestors: "What a humiliation! What a humiliation! I request to retire! I request to retire! Wuwuwu..."

The old man, once as proud as an eagle, seemed unable to bear the blow and wailed, begging the Emperor to grant his request.

"Hmph!" Li Kuan, feeling no remorse, sat cross-legged on the floor with his arms crossed, looking arrogant: "For a muddled and incompetent official like you, retiring is for the best! Saves the court from wasting money and grain!"

"You!" Linghu Defen clutched his chest with one hand and pointed a trembling finger at Li Kuan: "How dare a brat like you insult me so!"

Forget it. Even if it cost him his old life, he would make this little bastard pay the price he deserved!