Chapter 32: The Gift

"Brother Kuan..."

Just as Li Kuan was rubbing his temples, trying to figure out how to stop his eldest brother from getting into the messy business of "fencing," Li Chengqian suddenly asked him a question: "Do you... really dislike Minister Pei?"

"Why do you ask?" Li Kuan looked up at his brother, his eyes showing a touch of surprise.

"You..." Li Chengqian hesitated, wanting to say more but holding back. He still had to leave the palace later to smooth things over and retrieve that jar of precious tiger-bone wine from Minister Pei...

"Sigh... it's not like there's some deep-seated hatred." Seeing his brother look torn and unsure of how to continue, Li Kuan simply gave him the most honest reason: "Because Grandmother didn't like him, so I don't like him either."

Back in the day, the relationship between Li Yuan and Pei Ji could be summed up in one sentence: "We are the best of friends in the world."

The two had known each other since childhood. When Li Yuan served as the Garrison Commander of Taiyuan and the Supervisor of the Jinyang Palace, Pei Ji was the Deputy Supervisor. At that time, Li Yuan could still be considered a man in his prime, ambitious and promising.

The story that followed was, to others, a stirring tale of heroism.

To lull the suspicious Yang Guang—who suspected Li Yuan of harboring rebellious intentions—into a false sense of security, Li Yuan and Pei Ji would spend their days loitering in brothels and taverns, drinking and making merry. No matter where they went, they were inseparable, perpetually reeking of alcohol.

Perhaps it was from that time on that Grandmother grew disappointed with her husband, who had turned a charade into a way of life.

Li Kuan sat in the small courtyard, gazing at the white clouds in the sky, longing for his departed grandmother. The old woman had treated him so kindly; how could he ever let her down?

"Brother Kuan..." Li Chengqian could never have imagined that the younger brother who spoke so candidly and showed such budding brilliance before him today would give him such an answer.

"I'm warning you, don't use that tone with me again." Li Kuan, having snapped out of his reverie, glared at his brother, huffing, "You're making it sound like I'm so heartbroken."

"So, you aren't heartbroken?" Li Chengqian, feeling inexplicably cheerful, decided to tease his brother.

"A little," Li Kuan admitted, nodding without denial. "But thinking that I can do things to make Grandmother happy makes me feel better eventually."

"Brother Kuan," Li Chengqian suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Li Kuan.

"What are you doing?" Li Kuan glanced at him sideways, worried that his brother was about to try and "recruit" him into his service. No way, no how! He was the Prince of Chu; how could he accept recruitment by the mere Crown Prince? Li Kuan, lost in his own wild thoughts, didn't really hear what Li Chengqian said next.

"Brother Kuan, I have benefited greatly from our heart-to-heart talk today. Rest assured, I will take your words to heart, reflect on them often, and I will certainly not disappoint your painstaking efforts." The young Li Chengqian, now sporting a fuzz of facial hair on his chin, looked entirely earnest. It seemed he truly valued what Li Kuan had said.

"Sigh..." Li Kuan helplessly set down his chopsticks. Half his meal remained, and it wouldn't taste good once cold. Oh well, he would just wait for the Old Superintendent of the Imperial Clan to give him a late-night snack.

"Eldest Brother," Li Kuan also stood up and bowed to Li Chengqian. The two brothers were being absurdly formal today. "Don't find me annoying, but honestly, we don't need to overthink things right now. After all, the imperial court is filled with old foxes in human skin. Given our level of experience, believe me, if we go head-to-head with them, we are destined to lose. The only way is to do what I did with Linghu Defen—if you can settle it with action, try not to argue. Only then might you pull off a 'lucky punch' against a master and gain some advantage."

Li Kuan's words couldn't help but make Li Chengqian laugh.

"Haha, Brother Kuan," Li Chengqian shook his head, smiling. "Do you want me to learn from you and start beating up the Emperor's officials?"

"Stupid!" Li Kuan flicked his brother's forehead. As the other looked on in surprise, he said with absolute seriousness, "When it comes to beating up old officials, especially the civil ones, Eldest Brother, you can call for backup. Just give me a heads-up, and leave it to me..."

***

Li Chengqian smiled and remained silent. The greatest gain from his talk with Brother Kuan today wasn't reaching a conclusion on the development of the court situation, but rather that he, as the elder brother, had come to understand his younger brother's heart.

That was enough. Li Chengqian felt a surge of motivation in his heart: He had to work hard and act like a proper big brother; otherwise, he would be ashamed to face Li Kuan in the future.

Furthermore...

What Li Chengqian feared most was that, given Li Kuan's loyal and righteous nature, if he were ever locked up again when the younger siblings grew older, he probably wouldn't even be the one tasked with bringing him food.

For the first time, Li Chengqian felt a sense of urgency. This tension didn't stem from his position as Crown Prince being shaken, but from the realization that, as an elder brother, his standing in the hearts of his siblings was plummeting. Li Kuan had already surged ahead; if he didn't catch up, he would truly be in trouble.

After discussing the serious matters, Li Chengqian sat back down at the stone table, silently waiting for Li Kuan to finish his meal while thinking about how to approach Pei Ji.

"Eldest Brother, here." Reluctant to waste food, Li Kuan had finished the meal, even though it had gone cold. As he handed the food box back to Li Chengqian, he suddenly winked at him: "Eldest Brother, in a few days, I'll prepare a surprise for you. I guarantee it will move you to tears. Just remember, you can't refuse it when the time comes."

"..." Li Chengqian looked at the grinning Li Kuan, holding back his refusal with great effort. Fine, he would start being a good big brother right now.

"Just try to cause less trouble," Li Chengqian said, taking a silk handkerchief out of his robe—one that Princess Changle had thoughtfully prepared. "This is from Changle. Wipe your mouth."

"Good sister, hehe." Seeing the handkerchief made of Shu brocade, Li Kuan carefully took it from Li Chengqian and tucked it into his robe. Then, he walked to the corridor, leaned out of the window, grabbed the indoor curtains, and wiped his mouth with them.

The action was uncannily similar to a certain someone from the past.

"..." The Crown Prince, having witnessed his brother's bizarre behavior, felt his eyelid twitch uncontrollably. What was he supposed to say? You rascal... forget it. I should just leave.

"Stay here and behave yourself. I'll come to see you when I have time." Li Chengqian had made up his mind: next time, he would just bring more handkerchiefs. Such uncouth behavior was something even rough generals like Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong wouldn't do anymore.

"Mm-hmm, go on, go on." Li Kuan didn't even turn his head after wiping his mouth, simply tumbling back into the room through the window; he wanted to take a nap.

"Oh, right," Li Chengqian, having reached the courtyard gate, suddenly remembered something. He turned back and shouted, "Huai-ren asked me to pass on a message: he held his ground this time, but whether he can hold it next time is no longer his business, but Lord Yama's. What does that mean?" Li Chengqian was curious. What exactly had his brother done? It sounded like the fact that Huai-ren had lost so much money that the whole of Chang'an knew about it was somehow related to Brother Kuan?

"Got it..." Li Kuan's lazy voice drifted from inside the house, sounding equally listless: "Next time for sure..."

Judging by his tone, he was truly sleepy.

"Sigh... that rascal..." Habitually muttering an insult, the Crown Prince shook his head helplessly, his figure disappearing outside the gate.

-------------------------------------

In the days that followed, Li Kuan continued his life as a slacker.

Perhaps to ease relations with his children, after Li Chengqian brought food to Li Kuan, the Emperor tacitly allowed the other princes and princesses to do the same. As a result, the Imperial Clan Court suddenly became a bustling place.

Although most of the princes and princesses still viewed Li Kuan as "easy to get along with but with a fiery temper," that didn't stop them from admiring this second brother who had used his own martial prowess to kickstart a political struggle.

Of course, most of them, like Princess Xiangcheng and Princess Gaoyang, would only see Li Kuan once, drop off some pastries, and hurry away. After all, if they did too much, those ministers—who didn't even feel they had "won"—would start making a fuss again. In the end, the one with the headache would be Li Er, and the unlucky one would be Li Kuan.

Everything was exactly as he and Li Chengqian had analyzed: Linghu Defen had resigned and gone home to write books. Following that, a series of old ministers left behind by Li Yuan began to resign one after another. At this rate, Li Kuan estimated he would be locked up for another half month.

After half a month, those who should leave would be mostly gone. The ones remaining would be the old, immovable tricksters; using reverse psychology on them would be useless.

Yes, amidst the storms outside, locking himself in the Imperial Clan Court was Li Er's way of openly protecting his son.

As for the visit from his eldest brother, Li Chengqian, aside from his own insistence, the fact that Li Er "reluctantly" allowed it was actually just adding fuel to the fire, hoping that more of those corrupt, do-nothing old ministers would take the bait.

"Second Brother, is this pressure okay?"

"Mm~~ not bad~~" Li Kuan, enjoying Princess Changle kneading his shoulders in the small courtyard, indicated that he was perfectly willing to be used by his old man.

"Second Brother, are you sure you'll be able to get out in another half month?" Li Ke and Li Tai sat around Li Kuan. Li Tai looked worried; it was Li Ke who asked the question.

"Just about," Li Kuan replied casually.

"Sigh, Second Brother, it's no fun in the palace without you." Li Tai looked miserable. This was probably the longest time the brothers had been separated since Li Kuan was brought to Chang'an, and Li Tai found it hard to get used to.

"Indeed, it's so boring without Second Brother," Li Ke agreed, nodding.

"What about Changle?"

Li Kuan took his sister's small hands off his shoulders and turned to look at her; she hadn't said much today.

"Brother..." The little girl, feeling guilty, saw her second brother take her hands and her mouth puckered, tears of grievance falling.

"Why are you crying?" Li Kuan chuckled, taking out the precious handkerchief from his robe to wipe her tears. "Changle, don't cry. Second Brother isn't suffering, and besides, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Wuu wuu wuu..." Hearing her brother's warm comfort, the little girl felt even more aggrieved. She reached out, wrapped her arms around his neck, and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Alright, alright..." Li Kuan affectionately rubbed the two soft buns of hair on his sister's head. "Changle, don't cry. Second Brother isn't blaming you, and look, I even prepared a gift for you."

As he spoke, Li Kuan took a long, thin silk box from his robe and placed it on the stone table in front of them.

"Changle," Li Kuan held his sister, heart aching as he continued to wipe her tears. "If you keep crying, Second Brother won't be able to give you this gift..."