Chapter 39: True and Heartfelt Affection

It must be said that Li Kuan’s words were exceptionally well-crafted.

On one hand, he rebuked the imperial historian for failing to advise Li Yuan against his various absurd behaviors; on the other, he offered a pointed reminder: "You must learn from your predecessors. Even if it costs you your head, you must record the Grand Emperor’s erratic conduct with absolute fidelity. Otherwise, how can you justify your professional integrity?"

In the eras before the Tang Dynasty, historians were known for their unyielding moral backbone. As for why that is no longer the case in the Tang... well, let’s just say that Li Er—the current Emperor—has a penchant for peeking at things other than just his own son’s revenge notes.

Returning to the matter at hand: in the courtyard, the poor historian had been so thoroughly manipulated by Li Kuan that his brain was practically fried.

"Your Highness’s instruction... I, Yan Shu, shall take it to heart..." As the attendant responsible for recording Li Yuan’s daily life, Yan Shu had always found his position difficult. To be lectured now by Li Kuan, widely regarded as the least scholarly of all the princes, gave him a sudden, overwhelming urge to rush home, kowtow to his ancestors, and quit his post immediately.

It was simply... too humiliating!

"Your surname is Yan?" Li Kuan paused, his expression shifting upon hearing the reply.

The surname Yan, combined with the profession of a historian—there could only be one answer. Their ancestor was Yan Hui, the disciple of Confucius, one of the seventy-two sages of the Bamboo Grove, and a Confucian gentleman who advocated for a life of simple, austere virtue. Yan Zhenqing, the author of the *Requiem for a Nephew*—hailed as the second greatest piece of calligraphy in history—was a descendant of this very family.

This was a family that had sacrificed everything for the Great Tang.

"Oh my, so you are of the Yan clan!" Li Kuan, who had originally intended to make an example of the man to warn others, suddenly acted like a clown. With a few strides, he helped the bowing Yan Shu to his feet. "To meet you is far better than hearing of you. Since you are responsible for recording my grandfather’s daily records, I trust you will fulfill your duties with utmost loyalty. Alas... it was I who wronged you!"

Li Kuan shook his head, casting a look of "disappointed frustration" toward the stunned Li Yuan, before continuing to the utterly bewildered Yan Shu: "I understand. It must be that my grandfather has grown muddled and failed to heed your counsel. This is not your fault..."

"Your Highness, Prince of Chu..." Yan Shu’s voice choked with emotion.

Li Kuan’s words had undeniably touched a raw nerve. As one of the most promising descendants of the Yan family, who wouldn't want to be an exemplary historian like his ancestors? But the reality was that he was assigned to a Grand Emperor who had long since passed his prime and wished only to drown his days in the comforts of the inner chambers.

Counsel? That might work on a reigning emperor, but for an abdicated Grand Emperor, his advice was worth less than the scrap paper in a latrine. After countless instances of being ignored or fobbed off with excuses, Yan Shu had fallen into despair. *Fine,* he had thought, *play however you wish. I shall merely fulfill my duty to record it.*

Having succumbed to a state of apathy, Yan Shu would often weep in the dead of night when no one was around, wondering if he was destined to spend his life in such a hollow, muddled state.

"Hey!" In the courtyard, Li Yuan, wearing nothing but a thin robe that left his hairy chest exposed, could no longer stomach the scene. "Are you two finished yet? Do you think I don't exist?"

It was one thing for that rascal Kuan to put on a show—the boy seemed born with a flair for drama—but what on earth was Yan Shu doing? Crying his eyes out while refusing to let go of Kuan’s wrist? What was this? Were they acting like they couldn't survive? Did he intend to chop the man into a thousand pieces?

Li Ke, who had been an outsider to this exchange, stood beside his grandfather. Watching his second brother move the historian to tears in the blink of an eye, he was truly impressed. *It really has to be you, my good second brother.*

They had come to visit their grandfather, but... Li Ke glanced at the red-faced, panting, and furious Li Yuan, thinking to himself: *Is Second Brother planning to start a funeral feast?*

"Grandfather!" Just as Li Yuan finished roaring, he was met with the booming voice that Li Kuan seemed to have been born with: "You were an emperor of great achievements! Why have you let yourself go so completely in your old age?"

These words silenced Li Yuan instantly.

"Heh... hehehe..." The man who had acted like a lion a moment ago suddenly transformed into a desolate old man. "My great achievements... where are they now?"

"Grandfather!" Li Ke hurried forward to steady the swaying Li Yuan, then shouted at the stunned Li Kuan, "Second Brother, stop! Help me take Grandfather inside first!"

"Right." Li Kuan, who had originally intended to pick a fight with his grandfather for the sake of his grandmother, saw that the old man was genuinely heartbroken. Realizing he had spoken too harshly, he waved for Yan Shu to leave, then stepped in to help Li Ke guide their grandfather into the main hall.

Once inside, the two brothers were struck dumb by the chaos of the room. Seeing several pink undergarments hanging from the bronze chime, Li Kuan’s habit of running his mouth kicked in again: "Grandfather, you really do know how to have fun..."

In Li Kuan’s view, even if Li Er were here, he would say the same. After all, the joy of a father was something Li Shimin, who strove to be the greatest emperor in history, could never imagine.

"Hmph!" Stung by the remark and feeling a bitter ache in his heart, Li Yuan shook off Li Kuan’s arm. He kicked a wine pot out of his way, climbed the steps to his seat, and sat down in stony silence.

Seeing their grandfather so despondent, the two grandsons exchanged a look. Finally, Li Kuan broke the deadlock: "Grandfather, there’s no need for this. I only came here to cheer you up, sigh..."

"Stop sighing, you little brat!" Knowing the fault didn't lie with the children, Li Yuan didn't truly hold it against them. He glared at Li Kuan, putting on a show of fury: "I’d be much happier if you rascal didn't come here at all!"

"Look at you, talking nonsense again!" Li Kuan shook his head and deliberately said to Li Ke: "Little Ke, do you remember yesterday? When I was unconscious and Grandfather came to see me, the moment he entered the room, he grabbed my hand and wept bitterly, saying that if anything happened to me, he wouldn't want to live either... Ah, his love for me is deeper than the mountains and wider than the seas!"

"You little brat, can you have some shame?" Li Yuan, feeling his dignity slip, couldn't help but snap back: "I didn't even weep like that when your eldest uncle died!"

*Well...* Once Li Yuan said that, Li Kuan knew the conversation was over. There was simply no way to respond to that.

As time ticked away, silence filled the hall. Li Yuan glanced at his two awkward grandsons and sighed internally. "Fine. You two came to visit, and I am pleased... If there is nothing else, you may go."

His tone was weary, as if he were being abandoned by the entire world.

"Then please take care of your health, Grandfather. We shall take our leave." Li Ke, who had been thoroughly rattled by the day’s events, saw that his grandfather was in no mood for company and bowed to leave.

But for Li Kuan, things were different.

"Who said there was nothing else?" As he spoke, Li Kuan gave his foolish younger brother a swift kick in the leg. "Don't you see Grandfather is unhappy? Where do you think you're going?"

"..." Li Ke rubbed his backside, feeling aggrieved but remaining silent. *Second Brother, is there any possibility that Grandfather is unhappy primarily because your earlier behavior was so outrageous?*

"Grandfather," Li Kuan said, walking toward Li Yuan with his hands behind his back, swaying as he went, "I have something to discuss with you."

"Hiccup... stand up straight first!" Li Yuan set down his wine pot, let out a belch, and said with a pained expression: "I won't even mention royal etiquette; even by the standards of a common family, you haven't mastered a single thing! I truly wonder... sigh..."

"You want to say you wonder how Grandmother taught me?" Li Kuan tilted his head, finishing the thought for him.

"..." Li Yuan stared at his grandson for a long time before offering a bitter smile. "No, your grandmother taught you very well... very well indeed."

Having experienced so many ups and downs, Li Yuan had long since developed a discerning eye. How could he not see through Li Kuan’s intentions? The boy was angry because, after abdicating, Li Yuan had become despondent, wallowing in decadence, drowning his days in wine and women. He was angry on behalf of Wan-niang.

But the boy was also angry because he stopped caring for his own health and reputation. Beneath this annoyance lay a deeper, heartfelt concern.

"Kuan-er," Li Yuan suddenly took a deep breath, blinked hard, and said in a hoarse voice, "Tell me, when I reach the underworld, how am I to face your grandmother?"

Li Kuan was silent. How could he answer? How could he explain his failure to manage the relations between his three sons, ultimately leading to the tragic fratricide?

"Grandfather," Li Kuan said softly after a long pause, having carefully weighed his words, "Some things are beyond my control due to my position. The 'fair' words you wish to hear—who was right and who was wrong—will never cross my lips in this lifetime. Right now, I only know that as a child of the Li family, I naturally shoulder the responsibility of maintaining the empire our ancestors worked so hard to build. I also know that in these turbulent times, this is no moment for me to indulge in pleasure. Of course, this reason is not why I was pestering you earlier."

Li Kuan pursed his lips, and seeing a smile tugging at the corner of Li Yuan’s mouth, he sighed. "Grandfather, you really don't need to be in such a hurry to give my father more siblings. Sometimes I wonder, what are you even trying to achieve? Walking around with that potbelly and working yourself to the bone—is it all just to get back at my father?"

"You little brat, what do you mean by that?" Seeing his grandson’s spirit, a genuine smile appeared on Li Yuan’s face.

"You’re trying to have my uncles and aunts eat my father into poverty," Li Kuan said, acting as if it were obvious. Facing his grandfather, whose eyes had begun to glow with a spark of life, he added fuel to the fire: "I think you should put your life on the line and give it another go. Would you like me to go call all those ladies over for you right now?"

This time, even Li Ke, who seemed born without a sense of humor, understood his second brother’s mockery.

"Pfft..." Seeing both pairs of eyes turn toward him, Li Ke instinctively covered his mouth and coughed awkwardly. "My... my throat was a bit itchy just now..."