Chapter 35: The Royal Grandfather of Excellence

"Where is that brat?" Upon receiving news that Li Kuan had fallen and injured his head, Li Er, who had been discussing state affairs with several ministers in the Imperial Study, rose without a second thought and hurried toward the Ganlu Palace.

As soon as he entered the main hall, his voice rang out, and anyone could hear the deep anxiety in his tone.

"Er-lang..." Empress Zhangsun, her eyes brimming with tears, looked at her husband, whose forehead was still beaded with sweat, and felt a fresh pang of heartache. "The imperial physician says Kuan'er fell from a tree, and he fears he may have injured his head... Wuu-wuu..." The Empress could not go on; at these words, she covered her mouth and began to sob.

"Guanyin-bi..." Seeing this, Li Er stepped forward to pull her into his arms. As a husband, Li Er never forgot to attend to her emotions, no matter the circumstances. "Do not cry. This is not your fault. If there is blame to be laid, it rests entirely on me..."

As he spoke, Li Er’s own eyes turned red. "We have indeed owed this child a great deal."

At this very moment, the Li Kuan who was supposedly owed so much lay on the bed in the inner chamber, staring at the carved ceiling, feeling utterly speechless.

*I should be under the bed, not here... If you two keep talking like this, I suspect I’ll be gaining another younger brother or sister soon.*

"Your Majesty..." Physician Zhang, seeing Li Er’s arrival, waited for him to finish comforting the Empress before speaking up. "In my humble opinion, the injury to the Prince of Chu’s head is not critical. I shall prescribe a few decoctions to promote blood circulation and dispel stasis. Once the bruising dissipates, there will be no cause for concern."

"Is that the truth? The child’s injury is not serious?" Li Er, still holding the Empress, looked at the physician.

"I would not dare to speak falsely." Physician Zhang bowed quickly, feeling a sense of grievance in his heart. He had told the Empress exactly the same thing earlier, but she had said nothing then, only to dissolve into tears the moment she saw the Emperor. Perhaps she had been putting on a brave face as a mother, only to let her guard down once her husband arrived.

The physician, secretly grumbling, clearly did not yet realize what he would soon have to face.

"What I mean is, can you guarantee that there will be absolutely no mishaps?" Li Er asked sternly. "This child is already reckless enough; do not go and治 (treat) him into a fool!"

"This..." This was an impossible demand, and it left the physician completely at a loss. *His Majesty’s fatherly love is truly like a mountain...* Although he was confident in his prognosis, who would dare to make such a guarantee to the Emperor?

Showing off one's skills is fine for a moment, but who wants to risk the total destruction of their clan?

Seeing the physician's pained expression, Li Er’s face darkened. "I don't care what methods you use, you must heal the child and ensure there are no lasting effects. Otherwise, I—"

Just as he was about to issue a dire threat, he was interrupted by a powerful, resonant voice: "—Where is my Kuan'er? Where is my Kuan'er?!"

The three people in the hall were all stunned. They had not expected Li Kuan’s injury to alarm the Retired Emperor.

Physician Zhang, sensing the impending clash between father and son, bowed to the incoming Retired Emperor and took the opportunity to silently retreat. *You all talk; I’ll go find some medicinal plasters. The three of us might all need them later.*

"Father..." Li Er and the Empress bowed as Li Yuan entered, but Li Yuan paid them no heed.

"Kuan'er! Kuan'er!" Li Yuan walked straight to the inner chamber and saw Li Kuan lying on the bed with his eyes closed, his head wrapped in gauze. His heart ached.

"You brat... Your Imperial Grandfather hasn't even had the chance to scold you, and here you are, lying down already..." Looking at his grandson, Li Yuan’s face was filled with pity. Initially, because of the Linghu Defen incident, he had felt some resentment toward Li Kuan, but now, his heart was filled only with worry for the boy and guilt toward the late Empress Dou.

"Er-lang," Li Yuan said, looking at the Emperor and Empress. His voice was low, carrying a trace of suppressed fury. "Do you intend for me to have no face to see your mother when I die?!"

"Father!" Li Er immediately knelt, and Empress Zhangsun followed suit. "Father, please calm your anger..."

"Between us father and son, it will never be as it was in the past..." Li Yuan did not even look at the two kneeling on the ground. He turned his gaze to Li Kuan and, with a sigh, bent down to tuck the blanket around his grandson. "But this child does not actually hold your past neglect against you. You should know this. Although he has complained with his words, he has long since let it go in his heart. His grandmother deserves some credit for that, but had this child not been inherently kind, would he be without resentment or hatred?

Lastly, I want to remind you of one thing. This is the child your mother raised with her own hands. He nearly died as an infant, and it was your mother who painstakingly cared for him until he grew up." Li Yuan looked at Li Shimin, his expression calm, but in the next moment, it turned fierce!

"Do you want this child to join your mother prematurely?!" Li Yuan’s roar echoed through the Ganlu Palace.

Li Er’s jaw trembled, and he remained on the floor, head bowed in silence.

"Father... it is my fault," Empress Zhangsun sniffled, tears threatening to fall. "I should have realized Kuan'er was active and sent people to look after him at the Imperial Clan Court..."

"Hmph," Li Yuan snorted. She was his daughter-in-law, and it was improper for him to scold her too harshly. He turned his gaze back to Li Shimin. "When you were Kuan'er’s age, you were running around everywhere, even taking your friends to the front lines to provoke the enemy scouts. Do you really think you were invincible? That you could roam freely at such a young age? If I hadn't secretly sent people to follow you and warned them in advance, you would have been shot full of arrows, and no one would have been to blame but yourself!"

A story of paternal love, kept for years, was finally told, but the circumstances had long since changed. Li Yuan no longer cared for the other’s gratitude.

"You want to be a better emperor than I was," Li Yuan said, looking at the stunned Li Shimin with a long sigh. Seeing this, his most brilliant son, Li Yuan knew this was likely the last time he would ever teach him. "That is good. But before that, I ask you to first learn how to be, at the very least, a better father than I was! As it stands, you aren't even close!"

With that, Li Yuan flicked his sleeves and strode out of the Ganlu Palace. The shouts of "Long live" from behind only made him feel more irritated.

Back in the palace, Li Er slowly stood up with the Empress’s support. His heart was a chaotic mix of emotions, eventually settling into a dull, acidic ache.

"Guanyin-bi..." Two trails of tears ran down Li Er’s face. "So... so Father did once... once care about me that much..."

"Er-lang..." The Empress, her eyes red, reached out to wipe his tears. "You are also Father’s son; it is only natural..."

In the Ganlu Palace, the Emperor and Empress stood in tearful silence.

After a long while, Li Shimin looked toward his son on the bed. "Did the physician say when he might wake up?"

"After the medicine, he should sleep for a few more hours..." The Empress wiped her tears, walked to the bed, sat down, and gently touched her son's forehead.