Chapter 1: Li Xiang's Attack

Twelve-year-old Li Xiang stood in front of Cheng'en Hall in the Eastern Palace, holding a long sword in his hand.

He took a deep breath, and looked towards Cheng'en Hall with an increasingly determined look, filled with a determination to die if he didn't succeed.

He is the eldest grandson of the current Tang Emperor Li Shimin, the eldest son of Crown Prince Li Chengqian, and also... a time traveler.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he became one of the three most powerful people in the Tang Dynasty. This should have been a happy thing. However, Li Xiang, who was familiar with the direction of history, was struck by lightning.

This year is September of the 16th year of Zhenguan. In the next ten months, many major events will happen. Wei Zheng died, Li You rebelled, and his adopted father Li Chengqian... failed in his rebellion, was deposed as the crown prince, and his family was demoted to Qianzhou. It also means that Li Xiang will lose everything he has now, including the opportunity to get involved in that position.

He wanted to stop all this, but Li Xiang was not favored and his relationship with Li Chengqian was not close, so he could not find any opportunity at all.

This is not the reason why he was born out of wedlock. In fact, even if Li Jue was the legitimate son of Crown Princess Su, Li Chengqian would not care much about him.

After all... this cheap daddy likes little boy girls.

After pondering for three days and three nights in the palace, seeing the first wave of trouble approaching, Li Xiang decided to take the risk.

The same result would come from hiding in the East Palace. At most, you would die if you fought hard. Rather than waiting to die, it was better to take the initiative.

If he remembered correctly, it was today that his adoptive father Li Chengqian lost his mind because of Zhang Xuansu's advice and ordered the assassins kept in the palace to assassinate the other party on the way back from the court.

We must stop this from happening! Li Xiang's eyes became more determined, and he walked into the hall with his sword in hand.

"Your Highness!" The eunuch standing at the door immediately stopped the emperor's grandson from entering.

At the same time, an angry voice was heard in the hall.

"The Crown Prince is extravagant and wasteful. Moreover, as the foundation of the country, he alienates upright people and gets close to evil villains. He is like Emperor Yang of Sui who has lost his country! If the Crown Prince cannot take back his order and correct his mistakes, I will resign from my post to the Saint, so as not to be labeled as an evildoer!"

"you……"

"Get out of my way!" Li Xiang's blood pressure shot up when he heard this.

If Zhang Xuansu was allowed to continue to attack, not to mention Li Chengqian, even Li Shimin would have to think about whether he should give him a lesson.

He kicked the eunuch away and slammed the door open.

Inside the hall, his adoptive father Li Chengqian was staring at Zhang Xuansu with resentment on his face, while Zhang Xuansu's face showed an expression of righteousness and willingness to sacrifice his life for justice.

When Li Chengqian saw Li Xiang rushing into the hall, a hint of blush flashed across his face.

Li Chengqian felt ashamed when his son saw him in such a miserable state, even though they were not very close.

Before Li Chengqian could open his mouth to scold Li Xiang, Li Xiang ran up to the two of them, first saluted to Li Chengqian, then raised his head and glared at Zhang Xuansu.

"Why did Zuo Shuzi insult my father?"

Li Xiang's voice was childish, but it couldn't conceal his anger at all.

"How can my frank advice be considered as insulting the prince?"

Zhang Xuansu flicked his sleeves, and the expression on his face clearly said "this boy is not worth talking to".

"The East Palace is located in a low-lying area, where moisture accumulates. The palace has long been rotten! My father just wanted to repair the palace, so what's wrong with that?"

Li Xiang argued. What he said was true. The Eastern Palace in his memory had long been in disrepair. Not only the room he lived in, but even the bedroom of his father, the prince, was not in good condition.

A warm feeling flowed through Li Chengqian's heart. Amid the almost insulting advice from the officials of the Eastern Palace, this was the first time that someone stood up to speak for him.

Xiang'er...has grown up.

Since the child insisted on defending him, Li Chengqian did not want to disappoint his filial piety. But he also understood that Li Xiang was only a twelve-year-old child, and he could not compare with Zhang Xuansu in terms of eloquence or other aspects. It was not easy for him to argue with reason based on his filial piety.

He watched from the side, intending to take action at the critical moment.

"The prince hasn't even ascended the throne yet, but he's already thinking about enjoying himself. I'm afraid that after he ascends the throne, he will be even worse than Jie and Zhou!" Zhang Xuansu cursed with both hands, showing no mercy to Li Chengqian, the prince of a country, not even in front of the children.

"If the prince insists on being extravagant, the Tang Dynasty will be destroyed one day!"

At the end, he sighed and said, "It's a pity that the saint has a great reputation, but his son is a tiger..."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian immediately straightened up and was about to stand up.

Old man, I have tolerated you for a long time!

Li Xiang just felt dizzy.

Damn it, you are exaggerating, aren’t you?
Okay, since you like to exaggerate, I will exaggerate with you too!
He took a deep breath, walked to the guard beside him, and pulled out the steel knife from his waist.

Seeing Li Xiang's actions, Li Chengqian slowly sat back down.

Under the astonished gaze of everyone in the hall, Li Xiang returned to his original position and threw the sword in his hand in front of Zhang Xuansu.

"If Zuo Shuzi is sincere in giving advice, then it's fine. But even a young boy like me can see that you are not sincere in giving advice, but are trying to use my father to gain a reputation for speaking out! As an official of the Eastern Palace, you don't want to share the worries of the Crown Prince, but instead take advantage of the monarch, repeatedly making excuses, and insulting him in the name of giving advice. This is intolerable! Could it be that Zuo Shuzi thinks that my father has no son!"

"The Book of Rites says, 'You cannot live under the same sky with your father's enemy!' Now, as a son, I, Li Xiang, cannot avenge my father, which is unfilial! Please, Zuo Shuzi, pick up the sword on the ground and fight to the death with Li Xiang!"

Li Xiang almost roared as he said the words "We will die together".

Despite his young age, he could not conceal his determination to risk his life.

You play the game of righteousness between ruler and subject, and I will play the game of father-son relationship with you to see who has the higher moral high ground.

Looking at the thin and weak yet unusually upright figure, Li Chengqian felt like crying.

How many years have passed... Ever since my mother passed away, no one has ever protected me like this...

Now that the child has grown up, he knows how to share his father's worries...

Li Chengqian's eyes looked at Li Xiang more and more warmly. He was secretly reflecting in his heart whether he had neglected the child too much over the years.
Zhang Xuansu on the opposite side was in a dilemma. He was in a dilemma whether to pick up the sword or not.

In terms of age, Li Xiang was a twelve-year-old child; in terms of status, even if Li Xiang was only the son of the crown prince, he was still a king. Even if Zhang Xuansu had ten thousand guts, he would not dare to brandish a sword or a gun against Li Xiang.

Seeing Zhang Xuansu's bewildered look, Li Chengqian felt as refreshed as if he had drunk ice water in the hottest days of summer.

Damn it, you bunch of teachers have been finding fault with me in the East Palace every day. Now you finally understand how uncomfortable this feeling is!
Li Xiang did not stop attacking Zhang Xuansu because of his retreat. He stepped forward, held the knife in front of him, and pursued him: "Could it be that Zuo Shuzi has the courage to insult someone else's father, but does not have the courage to face his son! If Zuo Shuzi still thinks he is a man of seven feet tall, then pick up the sword on the ground and fight Li Xiang to the death!"

(End of this chapter)