Chapter 62 Rumors Abound

Faced with his grandfather’s direct mockery, His Highness the Prince of Chu remained as steady and unflappable as ever.

"Imperial Grandfather, is there any possibility that your grandson is merely practicing filial piety? If your grandson were not 'outstanding' enough to keep you and my imperial father from being overshadowed, how terribly dull the historical records of the Wude and Zhenguan reigns would be..."

Upon hearing his grandson’s words, Li Yuan froze.

He had to admit that Li Kong’s angle of defense was a path he had never imagined possible.

After a brief silence, the Grand Emperor—who had been plagued first by a rebellious son and now by a rebellious grandson—could not help but look up to the sky and let out a long sigh. "Perhaps back then, I should never have raised the banner of revolt in Jinyang, marching our forces out of Longyou..."

Perhaps when he first entered Chang'an, the gears of fate had already begun to turn, ultimately reducing him to his present plight.

By now, he was fast becoming a truly "isolated man," yet the only grandson who could manage to amuse him was clearly destined to be a foolish ruler in the making...

The pitiful Grand Emperor even found himself temporarily at a loss as to where or to whom he could turn to seek justice.

"Imperial Grandfather," Li Kong said, listening to the Grand Emperor's lines which sounded remarkably like those of a neglected maiden in a secluded boudoir, and sighed softly. "You may regret many things in this lifetime, but the one thing you should never regret is this very matter. A true man born between heaven and earth—how could he willingly remain subordinate to others for long?"

Clearly, Li Kong possessed no natural talent for comforting others.

"What? Do you intend to emulate Lü Bu?" Li Yuan was once again amused by the outrageous statements of this rascal. "Erlang is certainly not your adoptive father."

"Ah! Grandfather, please do not make such strange jokes." Li Kong widened his eyes and glared at his thoroughly unrespectable imperial grandfather before continuing, "Imperial Grandfather, set your mind at ease. No matter what happens, your grandson will always stand by your side."

"Oh?" Hearing this, Li Yuan cast Li Kong a look that was half-smile, half-serious, then pointed to the teacup he had previously hurled onto the floor. "Is this how filial you are to your imperial grandfather? You wander over just to make me angry for no reason?"

"Your grandson was merely keeping you company so you could stretch your limbs!" Li Kong babbled, shaking his head. "I've noticed that my father's aim is far better than yours. When he threw dozens of candles at me earlier, not a single one missed."

"Humph!" Hearing his grandson praising his own son, Li Yuan immediately grew displeased. "Your father's archery was taught by me! Am I someone whose aim would be off? It was simply because I considered you still a child; otherwise, humph—"

As he spoke, Li Yuan picked up another teacup from the low table and casually tossed it.

"Clatter!"

With a crisp snap across a distance of twenty paces, Li Yuan's seemingly casual throw accurately struck the teacup that had previously rolled onto the ground.

The two teacups instantly shattered into a floor full of fragments.

"Grandfather! Brilliant!" This time, even Li Kong could not help but raise his thumb in genuine admiration toward Li Yuan.

His original purpose in coming was to ensure that no rift had formed between grandfather and grandson due to their earlier dispute, but at that moment, Li Kong seemed to realize a far more important matter: "Grandfather, teach me! Teach me!"

"Hoh, you want to learn?" Li Yuan tapped his fingers casually against the table while using his chin to motion for Li Kong to get up and head outside to the courtyard. "First, hold a horse stance for the duration of an incense stick. If you can manage that, your grandfather will teach you how to shoot an arrow!"

"Thank you, Grandfather!" Hearing this, Li Kong sprang up excitedly, strode toward the hall, and immediately began assuming a proper horse stance in the open plaza.

"Heh... This brat really doesn't pull his punches." Li Yuan chuckled as he took a sip of tea, then stood up, walked into the inner hall, and retrieved two treasured bows from a wall—bows he had cherished for many years, though they now served merely as decorations.

The Grand Emperor, unaware whether he was truly like Lü Bu’s veteran general who could still eat bowls of rice, gently wiped the dust from the bow limbs with his sleeve while sighing at how swiftly time flew. He wondered whether his current aged and ailing physique could still manage to train a peerless master archer.

Very soon, Li Yuan's sentimental reflections and doubts were thoroughly dispelled after Li Kong consecutively snapped two treasured bows and nearly injured a passing palace maid.

"Grandfather, this wasn't my fault..." The Grand Emperor looked at his innocent-looking grandson and let out a deep, heavy sigh.

"Couldn't you rascal hold back your brute strength?!" Li Yuan smacked his grandson over the head, his tone laced with exasperation and a hint of helplessness. "Get back to your horse stance!"

Despite the headache caused by his grandson's raw physical strength, Li Yuan knew full well that with proper guidance, this rascal even had the potential to become a legendary archer capable of shooting down eagles. Worthy of note was that the last person to hold this title happened to be Li Kong's maternal grandfather, the great Sui dynasty general Zhangsun Sheng. To some extent, Li Kong's bloodline—on both paternal and maternal sides—harbored the natural talent of a master archer, making him well worth key cultivation.

As for why Li Yuan made his grandson practice the horse stance, the reason was simple: archery fundamentally required a stable lower body. Therefore, forging a solid foundation of horse stance where waist and horse united was indeed essential.

In the days that followed, Li Kong was no longer permitted to touch a bow; instead, he dedicated himself entirely to practicing the horse stance.

From then on, His Highness the Prince of Chu arrived early every morning at Hongyi Palace and dragged his swollen legs back to Ganlu Palace late in the evening, never complaining of hardship or fatigue. Such astonishing perseverance genuinely startled Emperor Erlang and Empress Zhangsun, who had been secretly watching him—though, naturally, they felt far more relief than anything else.

Emperor Erlang, in particular, could finally tend to state affairs with peace of mind, no longer needing to fret constantly during his brief respites from the mountains of memorials that his inner court might be thrown into complete chaos by that particular rascal.

Yet precisely during this period when Li Kong was peacefully learning his craft under the Grand Emperor, a new wave of trouble was quietly brewing in the imperial court.

At some point, a certain rumor began circulating outside the palace.

The Third Prince, Li Ke, had been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, eager to learn, and—most importantly—humble and courteous in demeanor. Furthermore, his appearance was said to be "heroic and resolute, resembling his father," possessing the legendary physical traits of "dragon shoulders and phoenix neck."

Naturally, once such a brazenly shameless rumor spread, no one dared to step forward and claim authorship.

However, everyone seemed to tacitly cast their gazes toward a certain prince who had recently kept a low profile.

When His Highness the Prince of Chu finally caught wind of the news last, he was sent into a towering rage.

"They're talking nonsense! Those flattering descriptions are barely good enough for me to praise myself—how could I ever yield them to Xiao Ke?!" In the plaza of Hongyi Palace, facing Li Tai who had come to deliver the message, the Prince of Chu flew into a fury upon learning the details. "Which blind bastard has his eyes gouged out, failing to see a bright moon like this Prince, and instead setting his sights on a little shrimp like Xiao Ke?!"

"Second Brother..." Li Tai wore a bitter expression, feeling that the only reason he had matured so early was because he possessed an elder brother whose brain was ninety-nine percent fresh and unused. "This is no good thing. A few days ago when you weren't around, I saw Consort Yang run over to the Empress in tears, crying that someone was plotting to harm the Third Brother. I only caught a snippet of it at the time, and I didn't fully understand. That's why I went to find the Eldest Brother..."

"Why didn't you come find me?" Li Kong glared at his younger brother, sensing that things were indeed beginning to take a strange turn.