Chapter 54: Why Does Father Always Look Down on Me?

"I am truly fine."

Surrounded by three elderly medical officers with white beards and hair, Wen He wore a wry expression.

One was checking his pulse, another was examining his tongue coating, and a third was pulling down his eyelids to inspect them.

After a thorough ordeal, the three physicians—whose combined ages totaled nearly one hundred and sixty years—reached a consensus.

"He merely suffers from mild asthenia, no sign of typhoid."

"His vital energy and blood are somewhat deficient; he ought to be nourished."

"Symptoms of infantile malnutrition; he should eat more eggs and meat."

Having spoken, the three healers exchanged glances and nodded solemnly.

Translated into modern terms, all their words boiled down to a single sentence:

He was somewhat malnourished.

How could he not be?

Having time-traveled to the Great Tang dynasty and stayed for so long, apart from the filling meals he had eaten after coming to the Prince of Qin's Mansion, there had not even been a bowl of thin gruel in the village. The brother and sister had survived entirely on wild vegetables.

Had Wen He not made the choice to pledge allegiance to Li Shimin, it would not have been long before the sibling pair became frozen corpses by the roadside.

Hearing this, the look Empress Zhangsun directed at the siblings carried a distinct trace of pity.

She took a few steps forward, gathered Wen Rou into her arms, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Taken aback by the sudden embrace, Wen Rou felt somewhat flustered and cast a nervous glance toward her older brother.

She saw Wen He give her a slight shake of his head, signaling her not to move rashly.

Judging by Empress Zhangsun's demeanor, she must have been stirred by the sight to recall her own past.

Back then, after their parents passed away, Zhangsun Wuji and she had also endured countless hardships.

Fortunately, their maternal uncle Gao Shilian had eventually taken them in, and from then on, Empress Zhangsun had lived a life relatively free from worries about food and clothing.

Thus, thinking of the little girl Wen Rou—who, had she not come to the Prince of Qin's Mansion, would certainly have been entirely alone in the world—and knowing she would otherwise be destined for a bitter existence in the days ahead, Empress Zhangsun felt an extraordinary surge of tenderness and sympathy.

Wen He pursed his lips and muttered silently to himself, "Actually, I'm quite pitiful too. Why don't you—cough, never mind, this isn't exactly a good thing anyway."

Noticing that her mother was acting rather strangely, Li Lizhi hurriedly ran over as well and threw herself into those warm arms.

"Mother, Lizhi will be a good girl and won't cause trouble anymore."

Her sudden declaration broke Empress Zhangsun's tears into a smile, and she gently stroked the little girl's head. "You little scamp, and little Rou as well—you are both young maidens. In the future, you must not run about wildly like those boys, do you understand?"

The two little girls looked up at her, their eyes filled with utter bewilderment.

They had no idea why Empress Zhangsun was telling them this.

Nor did Wen He understand, though he vaguely felt that there was a hidden meaning behind her words.

He pondered for a moment, just as he was about to ask, when the Empress suddenly turned her gaze toward him.

"Little Master Wen must enter the palace early tomorrow morning. How about letting little Rou keep Company with me and Lizhi today?"

Staring into those gentle eyes, Wen He nodded as if in a trance and murmured a soft, "Very well."

But soon, it dawned on him.

"I am to enter the palace tomorrow?"

He was greatly startled.

Wasn't tomorrow's morning court session dedicated to establishing the crown prince?

What business did he have entering the palace?

"Indeed. His Highness just sent down a decree instructing you to enter the palace tomorrow morning, and also asked me to prepare a set of garments for you. Since it was prepared in haste, I used some clothes from His Highness's childhood. I trust you will not disdain them."

Seeing his astonishment, Empress Zhangsun could not help but smile.

Hearing this, Wen He finally understood why Empress Zhangsun had happened to seek him out at this precise moment.

Yet he still could not fathom why Li Shimin wanted him to enter the palace tomorrow.

Surely Li Shimin could not have lost his mind to the point of publicly announcing his identity before all the ministers and having them acknowledge it?

No sooner had the thought arisen than Wen He dismissed it entirely.

That was utterly impossible.

In the current imperial court, even if some held secret grievances in their hearts, none would be foolish enough to openly oppose Li Shimin during tomorrow's morning session.

Unless they no longer cared for their own lives and the lives of their families.

Then what on earth was the reason?

This fellow Li Er sent messengers to pass on messages without making things clear, always playing the riddler.

Little did Wen He know that at this very moment, the "riddler" Li Er was agonizing inside the Liangyi Hall.

"His Majesty is still unwilling to attend court tomorrow?"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Li Shimin stood just inside the doors of the Liangyi Hall.

Zhangsun Wuji and the others were all accompanying him there.

A eunuch stood bowed before them, his face etched with terror.

"Reporting to Your Highness, His Majesty says that the imperial edict has already been handed over to you, the punishments that ought to be inflicted have been dealt out, and those who ought to be executed have been put to death. The scent of blood in the Eastern Palace is far too heavy; it will only make him uncomfortable."

"He—he fears that if he attends court, his own grandchildren might reproach him in his dreams hereafter for failing to protect their lives."

With a heavy thud, the eunuch dropped to his knees.

When he had heard those words back in the Taiji Palace, cold sweat had broken out all over his body.

On his way back, he had slapped his own face hard several times.

He had originally thought this was a plum assignment, never expecting it to be a fatal errand.

No wonder the others had been desperate to avoid it while he alone had foolishly stepped forward to take the command.

Hearing this, Li Shimin involuntarily clenched his fists tight.

He knew his father blamed him for executing the offspring of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji.

Yet if he had not killed them, how could the future of the Great Tang find peace?

If those rebellious subjects and treacherous ministers were to use those descendants as hostages to contend against him,

the resulting chaos would devastate the Great Tang, and countless innocent subjects would die!

"Your Highness, if His Majesty does not arrive tomorrow, this..." Zhangsun Wuji fretted, worrying whether tomorrow's appointment of the crown prince would encounter setbacks.

With a calm expression, Li Shimin shook his head.

"Tomorrow, order Yuchi Gong and Qin Qiong to lead the Left and Right Martial Guards into the palace to stand guard. Send someone to summon Pei Ji; he knows what must be done tomorrow."

His words were laden with murderous intent.

If anyone dared to raise objections tomorrow, countless heads would likely roll to the ground.

Li Shimin had originally intended to hold the morning assembly in the Taiji Palace, but Li Yuanji—no, Li Yuan—had issued an order keeping its doors tightly shut, refusing to step out of the hall even a single step.

As for the Liangyi Hall where he now stood, its scale was far too small, inferior even to the side halls of the Eastern Palace.

If he were to discuss the establishment of the crown prince here, once the word spread, how could he claim righteousness and authority?

Du Ruhui and Fang Xuanling cupped their hands in succession, acknowledged the command, and withdrew to pass down the orders.

The eunuch also wisely retreated.

Within the vast Liangyi Hall, only Zhangsun Wuji and Li Shimin remained.

"Fuji, tell me, why does Father always look down upon me?"

Gazing out at the distant night sky, Li Shimin wore a desolate expression.

He did not refer to himself with the imperial title, using instead the humble "I."

At this moment, he seemed no different from a child of an ordinary family; how he longed to win his father's validation.

"Your Highness, do not dwell on this. His Majesty simply has not yet come to terms with it. Once he witnesses Your Highness's grand achievements in the days to come, he will naturally acknowledge Your Highness."

Zhangsun Wuji let out a helpless, inward sigh.

He understood Li Shimin's obsession.

Yet to him, it mattered little; even if the former emperor refused recognition, the current Prince of Qin was ultimately the greatest victor.

Still, looking at Li Shimin's expression, he thought with a pang that with the matter of the crown prince's succession drawing near, the Prince must not be allowed to let his mind wander into such melancholy.

Pondering for a moment, he abruptly changed the subject, bowing gravely toward Li Shimin.

"Your Highness, this subject has a remonstrance."

Still lost in reflections on their father-son relationship, Li Shimin was momentarily stunned.

Turning back to look at the dead-serious Zhangsun Wuji, he could not help but laugh ruefully. "Ah, Fuji... Very well, speak of whatever is on your mind."