Chapter 51: Yu Shinan's Intention

Faced with his son’s provocation, Emperor Li Er ultimately failed to hold back.

Just as he was about to rise from his seat and step down the dais to personally stage a scene of "Li Er Disciplining His Son" in full view of all civil and military officials, Wei Zheng stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, this minister believes that we ought to dispatch an official state letter to Goguryeo, demanding that they return the remains of our fallen soldiers from the previous dynasty."

This resonant and powerful statement caused Li Er to pause in his tracks.

Meanwhile, inside the grand hall, Li Kuan sensed that the situation was turning sour and quietly shuffled a few steps until he was in a direct line with the main exit—deciding that if any further abnormalities arose, he would bolt first and ask questions later.

"Minister Wei, are you serious?" Li Er reseated himself upon the dragon throne, casting a skeptical gaze at Wei Zheng. As a practitioner of wartime pragmatism, Li Er subscribed to only one absolute truth: war, as a continuation of politics, was meant to resolve problems that could not be solved with mere words.

Take the repatriation of the remains of the former dynasty's soldiers, for instance; in Li Er's view, that was precisely the kind of issue words could not fix.

Without employing military force, achieving this objective was utterly impossible.

"Your Majesty, regardless of whether Goguryeo complies with our demand or not, the Great Tang must display a firm and unyielding stance toward them. Even if we fail to achieve our immediate objective, should hostilities break out in the future, the Great Tang will not be acting without a righteous cause." Wei Zheng bowed to Li Er, laying bare his true intentions.

Either you send the remains back to me now, or I will personally lead an army to retrieve them later.

How to choose is a matter for Goguryeo to weigh very carefully.

"Your Majesty, this minister believes that Lord Wei speaks with reason." Xiao Yu, who had been silently observing the unfolding events, handed Pei Ji over to Chu Suiliang, stepped out of the ranks, and bowed to Li Er, expressing his agreement with Wei Zheng's proposal.

"Your Majesty, this minister seconds the motion." Du Ruhui, the capable statesman whom Li Kuan had metaphorically checkmated five times over, once again stood resolutely forward to support the side he deemed correct.

"Your Majesty, this minister also seconds the motion. This course of action is exceptionally sound and prudent." After deep deliberation, Fang Xuanling likewise expressed his support for Wei Zheng.

With the civil officials having stated their positions, the military generals naturally knew what to do.

Starting with Yuchi Gong, Liu Hongji, Qutu Tong, Yin Kaishan, Chai Shao, Zhangsun Shunde, Zhang Liang, Zhang Gongjin, Li Ji (Xu Maogong), and Qin Qiong stepped forward one after another to voice their assent.

For a moment, Wei Zheng, who had always been a solitary figure in the court, gave off the strange and illusory impression of having a vast faction of followers.

Of course, Wei Zheng, long accustomed to being a lone minister, thought nothing of it.

However, a certain someone could no longer sit still.

"Good grief... Who knew Wei Zheng was so popular... I miscalculated... I seriously miscalculated..." As Li Kuan hid behind Yu Shinan, he wrung his hands in regret, lamenting why he had gotten so carried away earlier and handed Wei Zheng so many allies all at once.

Hearing his muttering, Yu Shinan smiled. "Your Highness the Prince of Chu," the elderly man said kindly, looking at the frowning young prince with a warm tone, "A gentleman unites with others without forming a clique. These ministers are not Wei Zheng's partisans; they merely recognize the validity of his proposal.

However, in this old man's view, if we are to speak of the primary contributor who brought this about, it is none other than Your Highness the Prince of Chu, who scolded them awake and is truly deserving of the greatest credit..."

It truly pays to read more books.

Upon hearing Yu Shinan's words, Li Kuan began to giggle foolishly, feeling at that very moment a sudden sense of having found a kindred spirit.

"Ah, not at all! When it comes to the truly virtuous and wise in this court, Lord Yu stands peerless at the very top!" As the saying goes, people lift each other up in a game of mutual flattery. A delighted Prince Li Kuan began eagerly exchanging compliments with Yu Shinan.

"Your Highness is mistaken once again..." Hearing Li Kuan's flattery, Yu Shinan shook his head with a smile, then used his chin to signal toward Xiao Yu, who had already quietly returned to his rank. "If we speak of true virtue, it belongs first to Lord Xiao, who was the first to step forward and support Wei Zheng."

Hearing this, Li Kuan nodded thoughtfully. He gazed at Xiao Yu's back and remained silent.

In the end, Li Er accepted the ministers' proposal. The state letter to Goguryeo would be dispatched from Chang'an before the day was out, and the Great Tang cared little how Goguryeo might respond.

The Great Tang merely required a firm posture and a legitimate pretext to deal with Goguryeo in due course.

With the storm having settled, Li Er glanced at Li Kuan, who had earlier stolen the spotlight but was now cowering in a corner acting completely "fearless." This rascal's eyes kept darting toward the outside of the grand hall, his body maintaining a posture that suggested he was just waiting to bolt at any second.

Li Er felt a headache coming on.

This scene had not only caught his eye; the court ministers were doubtless casting sidelong glances at this newly minted thorn in their side, who had managed to turn everyone's lives upside down on his very first day at court.

They say dragons beget dragons and phoenixes beget phoenixes. Exactly how had His Majesty Li Er, possessed of a "dragon and phoenix bearing and the appearance of heavenly radiance," managed to produce such a mischievous little demon king?

This was likely a question lingering in everyone's minds amidst the official deliberations.

Meanwhile, Yu Shinan—who had previously "withdrawn into obscurity after accomplishing his deed, concealing his merit and fame"—now cradled his court tablet, closed his eyes slightly, and pondered in an unnoticed corner how he should approach the Emperor after the court dismissed to take the young prince on as his disciple.

Yes, while Li Kuan's earlier behavior might have seemed naturally rebellious and wildly arrogant in the eyes of others, Yu Shinan, experienced in the ways of the world and skilled at judging talent, believed that the Prince of Chu was a piece of uncarved jade. With careful guidance, the Great Tang would one day gain a truly remarkable and wise prince.

In that case, it could be considered the final contribution he, as a minister, could offer to His Majesty and the Great Tang in this lifetime...