Chapter 21: New Worries and Old Resentments (Part 1)

  In winter, the trees are already withered, leaving only a few sparse branches. Pruning is easy, even for a group of clumsy eunuchs, who can finish the task quickly. The original three-branched tree has been transformed into a sleek and smooth main trunk, pointing straight up to the sky, giving off a sharp and piercing feeling, like a sword cutting through the air. It stands out awkwardly from its surroundings, making it particularly eye-catching and conspicuous.

  "Can the seventh brother understand gardening?" After a group of eunuchs finished their work and dispersed, Li Hong, who had been silent all along, turned his head to glance at Li Xian's wooden face and suddenly asked with a smile.

  "My younger brother is dull-witted, please instruct me, Your Highness." Li Xian didn't understand gardening, but he appreciated the sincerity of Li Hong's intention to let him observe "gardening". Of course, he understood, but pretending to be stupid was necessary, so he shook his head slightly in confusion and replied sincerely.

  "I'm not qualified to teach, and I'm also an outsider in this matter. However, there's one thing that I do know: a tree will not grow into a fine timber if it is not pruned, just like jade cannot be made into a vessel if it is not carved. What do you think, Seventh Brother?" Li Hong said with a hint of a smile as he gazed at the tall tree in the garden, his tone calm and measured.

  "The Crown Prince's teachings are that his younger brother should remember them well and not dare to forget." Upon hearing this, Li Xian's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't dare show it on his face. He could only bow his head in response.

  "There's no need for such formality, Seventh Brother. We're just brothers joking around. Let's not talk about this anymore. It's almost noon anyway. Why don't you stay and have lunch with me instead? We can chat about some trivial matters." Li Hong was clearly pleased with Li Xian's respectful attitude, so he smiled and waved his hand, saying something casually before walking back to the main seat in the pavilion and sitting down.

  "My younger brother was just about to ask the Crown Prince for guidance, but that would be too presumptuous." Li Xian made a face and responded with a smile, walking over to sit behind several of Li Hong's sons, his face full of smiles.

  "Haha, Seventh Brother is still so mischievous." Seeing Li Xian behave like this, Li Hong couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. Then he clapped his hands, and the eunuchs and palace maids who were waiting on the side quickly brought out all sorts of wine and food, filling the tables in front of the two brothers. The music and dance began, and the two brothers started chatting idly, now and then.

  Li Hong had always been physically weak and not good at drinking, Li Xian was quite good at it, but he didn't have much interest in the wine of this era. The atmosphere of drinking was not very lively, just casual chatting about flowers, snow and moon. Although they seemed to be talking happily, there was actually an invisible gap between them, no longer like the brothers' harmony in the past when they could talk about anything.

  His face was smiling, but his heart was aching. Facing Li Hong's words, which were filled with a hint of reconciliation, Li Xian could only pretend to be stupid again and again. However, deep down in his heart, he felt an unspeakable sadness. To outsiders, Li Hong was known for his benevolence and filial piety, and his personality was somewhat soft. But Li Xian knew that these were just appearances. In reality, Li Hong was not only well-versed in learning but also had great virtues and abilities that were not inferior to those of Li Xian. Moreover, he had a strong sense of justice and was able to balance flexibility with firmness. If one were to consider it carefully, Li Hong could be said to be the most suitable among the four brothers to inherit the throne. His only shortcoming was his slightly weaker physical health. If Li Hong were to inherit the throne, Li Xian would not have felt even a hint of resentment. In fact, if possible, Li Xian had wanted to help this elder brother who had always been kind to him. Unfortunately, in the face of harsh reality, this was just an extravagant hope.

  Can Li Hong become emperor? The answer is absolutely impossible, not because he was incompetent, but precisely because he was too capable, which blocked Wu Zetian's way. Li Hong became the crown prince at the age of three and had been regent eight times by now, with many achievements during his decade-long tenure as crown prince, deeply supported by officials and favored by Emperor Gaozong, being seen as the only choice for succession. If nothing unexpected happened, it was almost certain that Li Hong would succeed to the throne after Emperor Gaozong's death, no matter how hard Li Xian struggled. However, Wu Zetian could change this trend. With her ambition to dominate the court, she absolutely couldn't tolerate a strong crown prince like Li Hong, who was destined to die in her hands due to his personality.

  Can he turn the tide? It's a joke, Li Xian is very self-aware, even if he has long known the direction of history, but he absolutely does not think that he can be great enough to stop the car with his bare hands. After all, everything ultimately depends on strength, and accumulating strength takes time, which is exactly what Li Xian lacks most. He dare not and is unwilling to gamble his fate on Li Hong's body, otherwise it would likely lead to a situation where both sides are destroyed together. Therefore, facing Li Hong's eager expectations, Li Xian can only pretend to be stupid, even if he is deeply hurt in his heart, but there is nothing he can do about it.

  The two brothers were both intelligent, and some things didn't need to be said out loud for them to understand each other. As the saying goes, "A word to the wise is enough." Although they still maintained a harmonious facade, their hearts were drifting further apart with every passing moment. They hadn't reached the point of having nothing to say to each other, but the joy and closeness in their hearts had already disappeared. After about half an hour, Li Xian found an excuse to take his leave, and Li Hong didn't intend to keep him for a longer conversation either. The conversation between the two brothers came to an abrupt end.

  "Your Highness."

  Outside the Chunhua Gate, Gao Miaomiao had just finished using dry rations and was laughing with a group of Zhou Wangfu guards when he suddenly caught sight of Li Xian emerging from the palace gate. He hastily ran up to him, calling out softly, though without asking any questions, his face full of puzzlement. This was because in the past, whenever Li Xian entered the Eastern Palace, he would always linger for a long time before leaving with satisfaction. But today, he had left early, which made Gao Miaomiao extremely suspicious.

  "Hmm." Although Li Xian had not openly quarreled with the Crown Prince since entering the Eastern Palace, they had actually drifted apart. Therefore, although Li Xian's expression was calm as usual, he was filled with sadness inside. At this moment, seeing Gao Mo welcoming him, he didn't feel like wasting his breath and simply looked at Gao Mo woodenly, responding with a noncommittal grunt, without stopping for a moment, striding towards the carriage. Gao Mo saw the situation and did not dare to ask more questions, hastily turning around to follow behind Li Xian.

  "Out of the city, go to Qingfeng Pavilion in the east of the city."

  Li Xian was in a bad mood and didn't want to return home just yet. He was thinking about where to go when he suddenly remembered Li Chunfeng, whom he had mentioned in passing with Gao Mo some days ago. He casually gave an order and then got into the carriage...

  The Qingfeng Observatory is located three miles east of Chang'an City. It's said to be a Taoist temple, but there are no incense guests, only because this observatory is the residence of Li Chunfeng, the current Taishi Commander. Li Chunfeng was a remarkable person in the Tang Dynasty. His father, Li Bo, had been a local official during the Sui Dynasty and later became a Taoist priest due to his humble position. Li Bo was quite literary and called himself "Huangguanzi". Li Chunfeng followed his father's studies from an early age, especially excelling in astronomy, geography, Taoism, and yin-yang studies. At the age of nine, he traveled to Nanxian Mountain in Henan to study under Master Ziyuan. He later became a close friend of Liu Wenjing, who introduced him to Emperor Taizong as an advisor. Li Chunfeng then studied under Yuan Tiangong and created the "Tui Bei Tu" calendar system. Throughout his life, he achieved great things; he was skilled in martial arts and sword fighting, participating in the "Xuanwu Gate Incident", where he personally killed several powerful men. He served as an official for 40 years, spanning three dynasties, eventually becoming Taishi Commander. Despite holding high positions, Li Chunfeng remained low-key and never socialized with other officials, earning him a reputation for being reclusive. His residence was also a Taoist temple, where he often wore Taoist robes, which people often criticized. However, all three emperors treated him favorably, making him an anomaly in the early Tang Dynasty's officialdom.

  "Your Highness, please wait a moment, I'll go and call the gate."

  The snowy road was slippery and difficult to walk, Li Xian and his entourage set out from the East Palace, and after walking for more than an hour, they finally arrived at "Qingfeng Temple". Gao Miao carefully helped Li Xian down from the carriage while cautiously suggesting.

  " Humph, I'll go myself then." Li Xian had been jostled about on this journey and his small body was already somewhat worn out, but he didn't want to lose face, so with a wave of his hand, he rejected Gao Min's proposal. He gestured for the guards to wait where they were, while he himself walked towards the tightly closed Qīng Fēng Guān, his legs numb from fatigue. Gao Min saw this and hastily followed behind Li Xian.

  "Vairocana Buddha, is there something you wish of me?"

  When they arrived at the gate, Gao Miaojie hastily walked a few steps ahead, grabbed the door ring and knocked heavily several times. Before long, the door creaked open a crack, and a young Daoist boy about 13 or 14 years old slipped out from the gap, looked at Li Xian and his servant with narrowed eyes, then looked at the Wangfu carriage in the distance, but did not show any panic, only bowed slightly and calmly asked.

  "Little Wang Li Xian, specially came to see Master Li Taishi, and also asked the young master to inform him of his arrival." Li Xian saw that this Taoist had an extraordinary air about him, and didn't dare look down on him. He smiled and introduced himself.

  "It turned out to be King Zhou, I, Yu Jizi, was rude. Please forgive me, Your Highness." The little Taoist boy bowed again and smiled: "My master said that there would definitely be a noble guest today, and instructed me that if the noble guest arrived, I should just let him in by himself, without needing to report it."

  No way, we came here on a whim, could Li Chunfeng have calculated even this? Upon hearing Yu Jizi's words, Li Xian was stunned, looking at the little Daoist boy with suspicion. After being dazed for a while, he nodded and said: "If that's the case, then I won't be polite. Please, Master Dao, lead the way."

  "Please, Your Highness." Yu Jizi didn't say another word, but just smiled and waved his hand, indicating for Li Xian to follow him.

  The Qingfeng Pavilion was not large, just a three-entrance courtyard. As they walked along the path, they soon arrived at the back garden. After turning around a screen wall, they saw an old man and a young man sitting silently in a small stone pavilion. The old man sat with his back to Li Xian, so he couldn't see his face for a while. However, the young man was facing the courtyard gate, and Li Xian took him in at a glance. But this one glance made Li Xian's face suddenly turn pale...