Chapter Forty-Eight: Shifting the Blame
“Second brother, you jest—where did you get such an idea?” Li Jiancheng knew full well that Li Shimin must have already uncovered something. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be smiling so slyly.
“Elder brother, do you remember what our uncle once said?”
“Our uncle said so many things in his lifetime—weren’t most of them nonsense? How could I possibly remember all of it?” Li Shimin smiled faintly. “When he appointed me as Prince of Qin, he said, ‘Heaven sees all that man does. To act without others knowing, one must simply refrain from wrongdoing.’”
Li Jiancheng’s face darkened instantly. How could he have overheard what Yang Guang whispered to Li Shimin in private? And how could he remember such words? It was absurd.
His expression grew so gloomy it seemed almost to drip with shadow.
“Shimin, you speak in jest. If one has a clear conscience, why fear ghosts knocking at midnight?”
Li Shimin chuckled softly. “Indeed. Just as you, elder brother, are never afraid when General Luo Shixin comes knocking in the middle of the night, aren’t you?”
Li Jiancheng’s brow twitched. He understood perfectly—Li Shimin was calling him out. After all, it was he who had ordered Luo Shixin to guard Wang Junkuo’s city. Yet, despite Li Jiancheng’s grand efforts, Li Shimin’s three attempts at rescue all ended in failure, and the promising youth died alone in Luoshui City.
The memory alone stoked Li Shimin’s barely restrained anger.
But… he knew better than to confront Li Jiancheng directly now; if he did, their father would surely punish him, the second son.
So it had always been. “Enough, elder brother. Take your second son back and have him behave. Don’t forget, his mother is Lady Zheng Guanyin—if he keeps acting out, angering Lady Guanyin will only bring punishment.”
What anger Lady Guanyin’s divine wrath meant was a veiled threat to Li Jiancheng: if Li Shimin caught any more faults, he would seize the opportunity to vex Li Jiancheng thoroughly.
Li Jiancheng remembered all too well how Yang Yong was deposed—because Yang Guang had caught him in a web of faults that proved his lax governance and disorderly household, which then angered Empress Dugu, leading to his downfall.
Now, though the Tang Dynasty had no Empress Dugu, there were ladies Zhang and Yin, whose whispers behind the curtains could be deadly.
The power of such influence was fatal.
“Very well, second brother. I’ve made a note of it. I’ll go fetch that wretched son of yours immediately.”
Li Shimin smiled and stepped aside. “By the way, elder brother, he killed thirty-seven people. This matter cannot be concealed. In my humble opinion, we should publicly declare that tonight bandits attacked Chang’an, and those deaths were caused by them.”
“Excellent. We’ll say it was remnants of the Shan family causing trouble—after all, wasn’t Shan Xiongxin killed by you, second brother?”
Li Shimin frowned but said nothing further. Words were the least effective weapon in any conflict.
Li Jiancheng’s face was ashen as he arrived at the place where Li Chengzong was held. Yang Side Consort bowed to him. “Greetings, elder brother.”
Li Jiancheng nodded. “This child is hopeless and causes your worries, sister-in-law. You may leave now. I must teach him a lesson.”
“Elder brother, please don’t let anger harm your health.”
Yang Side Consort left, suppressing a smile as she walked away.
Li Chengzong, this useless wretch, had even been mocked by the Prince of Qin’s consort.
“Good-for-nothing! Why didn’t you just die when the imperial physician misdiagnosed you that time?”
“What kind of mess have you made? I struggled to pin this on the Prince of Qin’s household, and you went and silenced the witness overnight?”
“Are you so afraid no one would know you were the one who tried to murder your elder brother?”
Li Chengzong knelt hastily. “Father, I’m innocent! I tried to stop the guard last night, but he insisted that since he had orders from Cousin Chengqian, he must carry them out…”
Li Jiancheng frowned sharply. “You’re saying this poison was truly the doing of the Prince of Qin’s household?”
“Absolutely, Father. The servant admitted last night it was by order of Cousin Chengqian…”
Kneeling earnestly, Li Chengzong’s eyes were filled with sincerity.
He knew if he didn’t find a scapegoat soon, his father would whip him to death with willow branches.
He might even be locked in the water prison for weeks before the beating—murdering the Crown Prince was a grievous crime.
“Very well, Li Shimin. You cannot outmatch me, yet you dare lay hands on my Crown Prince? How ‘worthy’ you are of your title as Prince of Qin!”
Saying this, Li Jiancheng still struck Li Chengzong, though less severely than he had intended.
“This punishment is for you knowing others meant to harm your elder brother, yet you did nothing to stop it.”
“And also for your foolish attempt to cover for the Prince of Qin’s household afterward. Should such folly occur again, I will kill you myself!”
“Yes, yes, Father. I obey your command.”
Li Jiancheng then summoned two guards from the Prince of Qin’s household. “Please help me carry this useless son back to the Eastern Palace.”
The two guards barely suppressed their laughter as they stepped forward and lifted Li Chengzong away.
The entire affair at the Prince of Qin’s residence was reported the next day by Xue Rengui, who went straight to Su Qingyue.
Noting how quickly Li Chengche had feigned illness and seemed truly unwell, Su Qingyue disguised herself and went to the Crown Prince’s residence, where she informed Li Chengche of the incident.
“Your Highness, it’s quite amusing. The illustrious Crown Prince was beating his own son at the Prince of Qin’s residence, and just yesterday the Prince of Qin’s guards carried him back to the Eastern Palace.”
Su Qingyue expected Li Chengche to laugh at the absurdity, but instead, he regarded her gravely.
“Miss, don’t you notice something amiss?”
“What’s wrong?”
“My father clearly staged this for my second uncle to see. If he truly suspected my second brother of attacking me, last night he wouldn’t have merely beaten him—he’d have thrown him into the water prison directly.”
“Regardless of my standing, I remain the Crown Prince. Attempting to murder the Crown Prince is not a crime lightly forgiven.”
“And yet, last night my father only punished my second brother… Miss Su, what do you think happened here?”
Su Qingyue pondered briefly, then looked at Li Chengche earnestly. “Your Highness, could it be that Li Chengzong shifted the blame onto others?”
“Exactly. Considering my father believed it, he must have pinned the crime on someone in the Prince of Qin’s household.”
Hearing this, Su Qingyue cursed silently, “Prince Taiyuan is truly cunning and deceitful…”
Li Chengche chuckled lightly. “My mother bore six children, and none of them are simple folk.”