Zhenguan Xiaoxian Wang Li Shen Li Shimin

"Learn etiquette? Don't want to? Aye, I'm already an adult."

When Li Shen heard that he had to learn etiquette, his face immediately turned bitter.

Learning etiquette was the most boring thing Li Shen had ever encountered, more boring than any subject in his previous life.

And it's tiring.

The Ministry of Rites will teach you etiquette, and you have to practice it repeatedly until you reach the standard position.

Li Shen had suffered such a punishment once when he got married.

"Aye, I have recently purchased a lot of carpets from the Western Regions. I will redecorate your carriage when I get back.

The carpets were all replaced with new ones, and the carriages were upgraded and remodeled to pretend to be the latest inventions.

Aye, do you think it's ok?"

Li Shen was also desperate. As long as he didn't have to learn the ritual, he would rather spend some money to avoid disaster.

After a month of learning etiquette, Li Shen would either die of exhaustion or become the Minister of Rites.

"You said this yourself. I didn't force you."

Li Shimin said lightly.

"Yes, yes, I did it all willingly. My elder brother is busy with state affairs, and I am the only son left by his side.

Of course, I must fulfill my filial duties on behalf of my brothers and be filial to my father."

Li Shimin glanced at Li Shen and he could hear the sarcasm in Li Shen's words.

Speaking of filial piety, among his dozen sons, none was as filial as the tenth one. Some of the other sons died young, and some were sent to other fiefdoms.

There are five sons left in Chang'an City. The eldest is the regent, the fourth and the ninth now hold official positions, and the tenth is an idler, but the strongest.

The only one left is the youngest son, Li Ming, who is too young and has not yet left the palace.

Among them, only the Tenth Brother met him often. The Tenth Brother gave him many good things, including wealth and companionship.

"Alas~~~ I know you are the most filial, you are more filial than your brothers,

Will you blame me for keeping you by my side and not letting you go to your own country?

You should also know that the governor of your fiefdom has been replaced because you have not been in office for a long time, and problems will arise without a chief official to take charge of your fiefdom.

So Xiangzhou was taken back."

Li Shimin suddenly became sad after hearing Li Shen's sarcastic remarks.

This made Li Shen a little confused about how to respond.

What he actually wanted to say was, you still have two sons in Chang'an, so don't ask me for everything.

“Um… Um, Aye, I’ve known about the closure of the country for a long time, and I was a little angry at first.

My son doesn't care about the tax revenue in Xiangzhou, so my Ji Wangfu doesn't need to pay for it.

The things that my son cares about are different from the meaning of the fiefdom. I am also a prince. If my fiefdom is taken back, people who don’t know me would think that I am not Aye’s biological son.”

Li Shen expressed his thoughts without any hesitation.

"Asshole, what are you talking about?"

Li Shimin scolded him, but he also understood what Li Shen meant. The fiefdom was still a symbol of status.

Just listen to Li Shen continue to say:

“As for Aye not letting me go to my fiefdom and stay in Chang’an City, I don’t have any complaints.

Who said I had no talent? I stopped studying at the age of nine, and I only knew the ways of business, and knew nothing about the affairs of the court.

Learn literary and martial arts and sell them to the imperial family.

If a son is neither good at literature nor martial arts, he should not go out and embarrass himself. He should stay with his parents and be filial to them.

If you are outstanding, you will contribute to the country; if you are mediocre, you will be favored by your parents.

That’s good.”

"If you are outstanding, you will be rewarded to the state; if you are mediocre, you will be treated as a concubine."

Li Shimin savored Li Shen's words for a long time and then cheered loudly.

"Okay, good point."

As he said this, he picked up the bottle and poured half a glass of wine for Li Shen and himself.

"Old Ten, what you said is right. Publish it in your Tang Daily tomorrow and distribute it to the whole country.

Let all the people of the Tang Dynasty know this sentence.

As long as they are talented, regardless of their background, as long as they can serve the court wholeheartedly, I will definitely make use of them.

But if you are mediocre, you can still be loved by your parents, fulfill your filial duties, and take care of yourself in your old age and see to your death.

Good, very good. ”

After Li Shimin finished speaking, he drank it all in one gulp, and Li Shen followed suit.

Li Shimin was very happy. After drinking it, he gestured for another glass. Shitou did not dare to delay and quickly poured him another glass.

Wang De stood aside, watching the father and son with a smile on his face.

Li Shimin was rarely so happy with outsiders, or truly happy.

"Thank you for your praise, Aye. Don't worry, I will have someone do it tomorrow.

There are now many more educated people in our Tang Dynasty than ten years ago, and there are also many more people available.

There are some really talented people out there who just haven’t had the opportunity.”

Li Shen quickly nodded in agreement.

Li Shimin was very satisfied with Li Shen's attitude. This son was indeed a talent and could always come up with a golden sentence.

Even the three ministers couldn't come up with such good advice.

It's like something that has settled down after experiencing dozens or hundreds of years of vicissitudes.

He kept wondering whether Li Shen would mind if he left him in Chang'an City.

Because Li Shen said he wanted to go to his fiefdom, but he did not agree.

However, Li Shen's recent words made him very happy. Li Shen used filial piety as an excuse to say that he was willing to stay in Chang'an.

Li Shimin felt very comfortable with these words.

Neither of them mentioned the real reason.

Some things don't need to be said. Being honest is not necessarily a good thing and may even damage relationships.

Even Wang De couldn't help nodding secretly. Prince Ji was indeed smart. What he said was not only not false but also sincere.

You can doubt any reason he says, but you cannot doubt his statement that it is out of filial piety.

Prince Ji's filial piety to Concubine Wei and His Majesty the Queen is obvious to all.

As for other reasons...there's no need to mention them.

At this moment, the wine was almost sober, and the fruits and stones had been eaten one by one. Li Shen and his father began to toast each other.

Looking at the beautiful scenery outside, drinking fine wine, eating sweet fruits, and chatting about various topics.

The atmosphere is harmonious, with a loving father and filial son.

"Old Ten, do you understand my concerns?"

Li Shimin squinted his eyes and leaned on the couch. He and Li Shen had already drunk a bottle of red wine.

Along the way, he told Li Shen about his concerns.

It’s still the same topic. The prince is alone and has no trustworthy people to help him.

Originally, he was planning to count on Zhangsun Wuji's Changsun family to help the prince.

But now it is discovered that Zhangsun Wuji is too greedy for power and is forming a clique in private.

He placed his own cronies around the crown prince, and now he is just holding back until the day when Li Shimin is gone.

The prince was surrounded by Zhangsun Wuji's people, so at that time he was able to monopolize power and become a powerful official.

Even powerful officials could influence Li Chengqian's decisions.

This was something Li Shimin would not allow.

He had to admit that he had been wrong. If it weren't for his trouble-making son who had interfered a few times, he really would not have been able to see it.