Chapter 7: Life Is Just Enough

They say that a gentle place is the grave of heroes; what if Father sees Consort Yang and loses all reason in lust?

“Second Brother,” suddenly, Li Tai called out to Li Kuan from beside him. When Li Kuan looked his way, he saw the foolish, chubby younger brother stretch out both hands under the table, making a gesture as if tying up a sack: “A gentleman’s revenge is never late if taken within three days!”

Once you’ve healed, we’ll strike when they least expect it!

Li Kuan gave Li Tai a silent glance, his eyes filled with sorrow: if there are injuries, three days won’t be nearly enough.

Unbeknownst to them, Li Chengqian, who had been silent all along, had quietly taken a seat beside Li Tai. He glanced at the two brothers and sighed before nodding slightly.

His attitude was unmistakable: with the eldest brother here, you two have nothing to worry about.

See, this is what loyalty beyond the clouds looks like!

Li Kuan looked at his elder brother with deep emotion, then straightened his posture. What was there to fear? If a fight broke out later, the elder brother would surely throw himself into the fray, so all he had to do was follow his lead and cooperate.

The subtle exchanges between the brothers—their expressions, glances, and gestures—occurred in the blink of an eye, leaving Princess Changle, who sat nearby holding a large shrimp in each hand, utterly baffled.

She had seen everything clearly, yet she couldn’t make sense of it at all.

At such a young age, Princess Changle was filled with great bewilderment.

Had Second Brother and the others spoken just now?

Why did everyone seem to understand each other so tacitly?

As Changle was about to speak and join this secretive exchange, a stunning palace lady, no older than a young blossom, entered holding the hand of a handsome little boy whose face was etched with fear.

“Your Majesty, Empress.” Consort Yang, born into nobility, naturally mastered court etiquette flawlessly.

“Father, Mother.” Li Ke, who had not lifted his head since entering the hall, quietly greeted Li Er and the Empress beside his mother.

“Sister, Ke’er,” the Empress smiled gently at Consort Yang and her son. “You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Sit down and join us.” She then ordered a palace attendant to bring two more sets of bowls and chopsticks.

“Thank you, Sister. Ke’er and I have already eaten,” Consort Yang replied softly, gently pushing her son forward with a slightly stern tone: “What did Mother teach you before coming here? Have you forgotten?”

Hearing his mother’s words, Li Ke took a deep breath and first bowed to Li Er and the Empress. His voice carried a hint of grievance: “Father, Mother, earlier I bullied the palace servants and was reprimanded by Second Brother. It was my fault. Second Brother…”

As Li Ke spoke, he glanced cautiously at the stern Li Kuan, “Second Brother was right to scold me! I shouldn’t treat life so lightly. I promise I will never make such a mistake again…”

Li Er listened quietly to his son’s confession, then glanced lightly at Consort Yang before suddenly chuckling: “Very well, since you two brothers have recognized your faults, you should get along from now on and avoid causing trouble.”

As a ruler, Li Er often regarded the palace servants with natural indifference. In the emperor’s eyes, neither palace maids nor consorts were anything more than possessions. Li Ke’s unfortunate bullying happened to be caught by Li Kuan, so as the mediator, Li Er could not show favoritism. To him, this was just a messy affair. Once both brothers acknowledged their faults, it was best to let it go lightly.

Neither the Empress nor Consort Yang spoke further, evidently accepting Li Er’s stance.

But one person clearly disapproved of this half-hearted reconciliation.

“Li Ke!” The Second Prince, who had earlier tried to slip away, now sat upright with a solemn expression, staring at the timid younger brother: “I ask you, if you weren’t born into the imperial family but were an ordinary commoner, would you accept your fate being decided by someone else’s word? Is it so hard to treat people as human beings? Today, your apology is accepted by Father, Mother, and even Consort Yang because of their noble status—they never thought you owed a genuine apology to the real victims.

“Of course, those lowly palace servants can’t bear your apology either.” Li Kuan’s words struck a chord. Li Er’s face darkened sharply, while the Empress and Consort Yang wore expressions of awkwardness.

“But remember this,” Li Kuan slowly stood up and said, “When the Son of Heaven is angry, millions may fall; yet even a common man’s wrath can shake the world! How long ago did the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty pass? Whose bad habits have you learned from?” These were harsh words indeed. Since Consort Yang was the daughter of Emperor Yang of Sui, Li Kuan disregarded this fact and continued: “This empire was forged through the blood and sweat of Father and his generation. If we sons are truly filial, we should think about how to help stabilize the nation, not be prodigal sons who ruin the royal reputation and dishearten the people!”

Li Kuan knew how to control the temperature of his words perfectly.

At the last sentence, Emperor Li Er, who had been about to loosen his belt and grant Li Kuan a carefree childhood, furrowed his brows so deeply that they relaxed only moments later.

“Kuan’er, you’ve finally come to your senses…” Li Er murmured, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“That’s because my grandmother taught me well!” Li Kuan rolled his eyes with no patience. “Geez, my narcissistic, over-imaginative father.”

“Mother, Second Brother…” Li Ke found himself backed into a corner by Li Kuan’s words. His pleading eyes sought help from his mother, only to find her cheeks flushed and tears shimmering in her eyes as well.

This was the end—his last support had been moved to tears by Second Brother’s speech.

“All right!” Just as everyone was unsure how to end the awkward moment, Li Kuan waved his hand: “Now that we’ve spoken openly, let’s consider this matter settled. Ke, you know me well—I, Li Kuan, never hold grudges! As long as you don’t bully the powerless palace servants anymore, no matter how arrogant you get, even if you decide to tear down the Taiji Hall, Second Brother will be the first to lend you a ladder! A real man should ride the fiercest horse and stir up the biggest hornet’s nest! Rest assured, if anyone dares to bully you in the future, Second Brother will be the first to find them a fight!”

“Second Brother…” Li Ke stared in amazement at Li Kuan’s boastful speech. He never expected such words.

And truly, who else in the hall could have anticipated this?

Li Chengqian watched his boastful younger brother for the first time in his life and inwardly sighed, “I am far inferior to him.”

Li Tai and Princess Changle clearly could not yet understand Li Kuan’s shamelessness, but it did not stop them from admiring their Second Brother.

Didn’t they see how stunned Father, Mother, and Consort Yang all were?

Second Brother must be quite eloquent to shock everyone so deeply.

“Second Brother…” Suddenly, the somewhat slow-witted Li Tai stood up again: “If Third Brother refuses to make peace with you, we’ll tie him up in a sack!”

Hearing this, Li Kuan glanced at his brother quietly. He already noticed the displeasure darkening Li Er’s face and prepared to warn him but could only sigh inwardly: You really are something else!

“Second Brother, I make peace with you!” Whether by accident or not, after hearing Li Tai’s threat, Li Ke’s innate cleverness awakened: “I promise I won’t bully the palace servants anymore, but can you play with me from now on?”

Li Ke looked at Li Kuan with a certain yearning.

Li Kuan was clearly touched by his sincerity and patted his chest: “Don’t worry, Third Brother! From now on, we’ll be the best of brothers!”

Just as Li Tai, who was about to argue, opened his mouth, Li Kuan added: “If you don’t believe me, let’s swear it on a white horse!”

Oh dear, as the saying goes, misfortune comes from the mouth.

The reckless Second Prince’s careless words hit Emperor Li Er’s sore spot precisely.

Two years ago, on the Ba Bridge near the Wei River, Li Er had sworn an oath on a white horse with Khan Xieli. When he heard the rebellious words from his own son, he first froze, then erupted in fury.

Even the slow-to-react Crown Prince hesitated at his father’s violent outburst before choosing to stand aside.

Brother, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but in this situation, if I step forward, it would only add fuel to the fire and be impolite.

Li Chengqian watched as Li Er strode closer to Li Kuan, who was chatting intimately with Li Ke with backs turned to the others. He suddenly realized that brotherhood meant watching helplessly as your sibling fell into the emperor’s grasp while you stood at a distance, silently telling him: Run.

You know he can’t see you, and you know he can’t escape.

But as the eldest brother, that is the only thing you can do.