How the Sixty Traitors Were Cultivated

  When Emperor Li II and old man Kong Yingda were exchanging opinions on the future of the Great Tang Empire, Su Ning was also having a heated exchange with Changsun Wuji... no, an exchange of fish soup.

  "Sanming! You're so unfair! How much is this?! I still have some here! This is too unfair! Can't do this! Your own cooking is so delicious, everyone's fighting to eat it, and I haven't even had a chance yet! Now you want to snatch mine?!" Changsun lowered his body, using his tiger-like physique to shield the delicious food on the table, with an appearance of a wronged young wife.

  Su Ning held a plate of fish stew, with only the soup left, and pointed at Zhangsun, furious: "Damn it! You're so stingy! You don't even want to share this one plate of fish stew with me?! What about our brotherly love?! Tell me, what's more important?! I've never asked you for anything since we met! And this isn't even asking for something! It's just exchanging my fish stew for yours! You won't even do that, it breaks my heart!"

  Su Ning covered his chest, imitating Dong Shi, with a painful expression on his face. Long Sun rolled his eyes, Li Chengqian coughed several times and spat out the fish stew he was eating, while the remaining students looked at this scene in disbelief, their eyes wide open as if they didn't recognize Su Ning who had just been worrying about the country and its people, exchanging an empty plate for a full one of fish stew. Was this the same Su Ning from earlier?

  Su Ning saw that Zhangsun Chong was unmoved, and knew that this guy had already figured out his own tricks. It seemed that the usual methods were no longer effective, and the only way to deal with him was to resort to force. Only by taking care of Zhangsun Chong could the fish stew truly belong to himself!

  Su Ning stretched his body, ready to destroy Chang Sun's army and snatch the fish stew. Just as he was about to make a move, he saw Chang Sun kneeling on the ground, singing a song of surrender. Suddenly, a gentle and soft voice that made people's imagination run wild came from behind: "Third Lord, are you not full? If so, this bowl of fish stew is for you to eat. You are the important minister often mentioned by Father, and the flavor of the hot pot is indeed very good."

  Su Ning involuntarily turned his head, and saw the source of the sound. A young girl dressed in a light yellow palace dress, looking as beautiful as a lotus flower, was standing aside, holding a plate full of fish stew, smiling at Su Ning... Suddenly discovered a wild loli, start flirting mode...

  Uh, wait a minute, I know your identity, okay, it's the emperor's daughter again, Li Er's dragon egg, forget it, this kind of chick is out of my league...

  Suning immediately turned off the Pa Niang mode, and with great courtesy and respect, he bowed: "Minister Suning has been polite, but I don't know, Your Highness, what is this? Is this Your Highness's fish stew, or is it for Your Highness to enjoy yourself? I dare not overstep my bounds, and I hope Your Highness will forgive me!"

  Who would have thought that as soon as Su Ning's words fell, the beautiful princess hadn't even opened her mouth, when Zhangsun Erhuo excitedly shouted out: "Cousin"

  Cousin? That's the Princess Chang Le? So beautiful, gentle and tender? Dammit, that Long Sun Er Gun has a deep blessing! But, this age seems to be a bit young, right? According to historical records, at this time, Princess Chang Le was only ten years old... Nowadays, kids are too precocious, they can already be compared with Egg Egg... Su Ning's helpless muttering...

  "Brother, I heard you're back in class, so I rushed over. I was ill recently and originally wanted to rest for a few more days." Princess Chang Le smiled at Zhangsun Wuji, seemingly having deep feelings for him since childhood, secretly harboring affection. Upon hearing that Emperor Li had betrothed her to Zhangsun Wuji, she became delighted. With good news lifting her spirits, she hurried over and arrived at the school just in time to see Su Ning and Zhangsun Wuji engaged in a fierce battle over fish stew. Having long heard of Su Ning's reputation, she immediately brought over another serving of fish stew.

  The beauty appeared, and Zhang Sun immediately gazed at Princess Chang Le with affectionate eyes, straightened his body, and no longer cared about the fish stew that he considered his life. He took hold of Princess Chang Le's hand, ignoring everyone's astonished, admiring, and jealous glances, and fell into a sweet love affair between young men and women. This sweetness made people very willing to believe that their married life would also be extremely happy...

  But as an existence that was completely ignored by the young couple, Suning felt very uncomfortable. Seeing Zhangsun's wife and husband openly dating in school, making people envy, reminded Suning of his own middle school days, when he had the same feelings, but what greeted him then was ruthless suppression and killing...

  Isn't it said that there was no free love in ancient times? Isn't it said that in ancient times, all marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers without happy marriages?!

  The marriages that were full of emotional ups and downs were the exceptions in ancient times, which is why they were often written about by bored literati. Normal marriages in ancient times were usually arranged before the couple even met, and it wasn't until after they got married that they actually fell in love. It was a matter of getting married first, then falling in love later - this was basically how it worked. As for whether this way of doing things is good or bad, everyone has their own opinion. However, divorce was extremely rare in ancient times, as morality and law locked marriage down tightly. So-called "free love" and "free marriage" - what exactly did people have the freedom to do? Compared to each other, which one is right and which one is wrong? Is this progress for society, or a decline in morals?

  Who decides what is happiness and what is not? History books? Legendary stories? Storytelling?

  Suning thinks, as the saying goes, how can one know the joy of fish if he is not a fish?

  In ancient China, marriage was basically a strict monogamy, of course, due to the low social status of women and the power of patriarchy, concubines also existed. So overall, it can be considered as a system of one husband with multiple wives and concubines. However, concubines were not allowed to enter the family ancestral hall, their status was extremely low, similar to that of cattle, sheep, and horses. Basically, even if they died, it was only necessary to pay a fine, without any human dignity or personal safety. The status of the first wife in a household was also very high, other women had to bow when seeing her.

  The so-called three wives and four concubines were the words of a foolish king in the Qi state during the Spring and Autumn period, while the concept of one main wife and two secondary wives was basically not recognized. It only appeared in extremely rare cases, mostly as an imperial favor. Throughout history, no dynasty allowed the existence of so-called secondary wives, and concubines could never shake the status of the main wife because the law strictly prohibited promoting a concubine to main wife. Once discovered, both husband and wife would be imprisoned, and after release, the concubine would still have to obediently remain as a concubine.

  As for the emperor, he would also be bound by this clause. For a long time, especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties, if the emperor wanted to visit his concubines, he had to write it down in advance and send it to the empress. If the empress agreed, she would stamp her seal on it, and only then could the emperor go to the concubine's palace for a good time. If the empress did not stamp her seal, the emperor was powerless; The so-called bullying of the first wife by the second or third wives, etc., was something that occasionally happened after the Qing dynasty...

  Suning had no time to consider this serious social moral and ethical issue, brought over two plates of fish stew, on the one hand, extremely depressed looking at Zhangsun's second goods holding hands with Princess Chang Le, on the other hand, big mouthfuls swallowing fish stew and rice, turning sorrow into appetite, rushing towards the highest realm of Big Stomach King...

  "Are you envious? Chang Le's sister is one of the few gentle and virtuous sisters among my many sisters. Brother-in-law's luck isn't bad, how about you, do you want to as well?" Li Chengqian came over to Su Ning's seat with a frivolous tone, smiling at Su Ning who was eating hastily. Su Ning gave him a displeased glance and said: "What if I did? Can I still control my own marriage? Besides, I'm not even of age yet!"

  Li Chengqian knelt down and said, "What you just said is not right. You are an earl, without a father, only an elderly mother and an older brother. I heard that your brother is quite trusting of you, to the point where he doesn't even want his own mansion and wants to live with you instead. It's clear that he won't interfere with you. Your mother hasn't seen you in over ten years, she must be eager to see her son, do you think she would stop you? Without any obstacles from above, what are you still afraid of? With your current status, if you take a liking to someone's daughter, can't you just go and propose directly?"

  Although having a matching door and house is important, it's not necessary. Everyone can turn a blind eye, you're still young and already an earl, shocking the imperial court, your name is spreading throughout Chang'an, clearly your future is immeasurable. Even if you were to become a marquis or prince, you might have other thoughts on your mind. You look quite handsome too, don't worry about finding a wife? However, getting married now is still a bit early, you still have many things to do, otherwise consider taking a concubine?

  It's not possible, you're not even married yet and you're already taking a concubine, that will tarnish your reputation! Those officials will use their memorials to crush you to death, this is a matter of reputation, can't be ignored. You're only two years older than me, it's not like you're at an age where you can't control yourself. If you really can't bear it, just buy a maidservant, as long as you don't take a concubine, playing around is fine, if it gets too much, you can always go to the brothel!

  Li Chengqian said with a hint of mockery, but Su Ning understood the meaning behind his words. Taking a concubine before marrying a wife was absolutely a matter of personal integrity and would be looked down upon by many people, and might even lead to impeachment. Therefore, this matter must be carefully considered. In fact, since being provoked by Empress Xiao, Su Ning had been working hard to keep himself busy, constantly thinking about problems, making up for deficiencies, and recharging himself, gradually ignoring this matter.

  But looking at Zhangsun's appearance and the gentle appearance of Princess Chang Le, as well as the affectionate appearance of the young couple, Suning felt a sense of depression and said: "Alright, alright, you're still the crown prince and haven't considered these things, what am I, a mere earl? The Clear Cloud Tower is too expensive, I'm poor, can't afford it, alas! Poor brother! Zhangsun is indeed a class enemy hiding among the people!"

  Li Chengqian indeed felt very comfortable talking to Su Ning, without the feeling of being overly cautious or guarded like he did with others. He didn't feel any resentment towards himself even when he was wrong, and his tone didn't show any sign of him taking his prince identity seriously, as if it were just a normal thing. This was a first for Li Chengqian, who had never had a friend since childhood.

  "What is meant by class enemies hiding within the people?" Li Chengqian asked, being particularly interested in Su Ning's endless stream of new and refreshing ideas and words.

  Su Ning let out a deep sigh and said solemnly, "It's people like Er Huo, Cheng Qian, you must remember that a man who has a woman is not to be mentioned in the same breath as us. We are alone and desolate in the long, dark night, sleeping on an icy bed with no one to care for us, no one to pity us, no one to think of us, no one to miss us. That's how lonely and desolate it is, everything can only be buried in our hearts."

  "Because of many things, we can only bear ourselves and cannot tell our parents, right? No one knows the taste of loneliness, only us who have no wife, no concubine, and are alone can understand. And here we savor loneliness and sorrow, while that good-for-nothing is being sweet with your sister over there! Xianqing, this feeling, you can endure, I already cannot endure! This feeling, you can also experience, right?"

  Su Ning's words struck a chord in Li Chengqian's heart. This historical record describes him as "intelligent and sensitive" "especially intelligent and wise" "with a majestic appearance, deeply kind and filial". As the eldest son of the Tang Dynasty, he was destined to be an extraordinary person from childhood, with an extraordinary father, mother, and grandfather, living in an extraordinary era, he was bound to not live like a normal child, nor experience the world's complexities.

  However, he also yearned, extremely yearned, to the point of madness, "I am the Son of Heaven, when I indulge in my desires, those who remonstrate with me, I kill them, killing five hundred people, wouldn't that be enough to bring stability?" Li Chengqian's words after growing up seemed extremely arrogant and ignorant, but Su Ning saw something different. Su Ning thought, what kind of desperation must Li Chengqian have been driven to by Emperor Taizong and those famous remonstrating officials to say such a thing?

  The chief culprit who ruined Li Chengqian, the originally wise and great Tang king, was Li Er, including Yu Zining, Li Baiyao, Du Zhenglun, Kong Yingda, Zhang Xuansu, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, Liu Ji, Cen Wenben and Ma Zhou.

  Li Chengqian was fine when he was young, but as he grew older, everyone knows that there is a process of juvenile delinquency. This so-called juvenile delinquency means that no matter what parents say, children will always go against the grain. The more they are forced, the more they resist; the less they obey. However, Li Er didn't know this, Empress Longsun didn't know this, Kong Yingda didn't know this, Wei Zheng didn't know this, and all the famous scholars didn't know this. They only knew how to speak directly and offer advice...

  However, these people ignored a very important point, that is, whether such an educational approach is suitable for Li Chengqian. Is it possible to correct the deviated behavior of Chengqian by simply advising him? Because from the advice of Zhi Ning, Kong Yingda, Zhang Xuansu and others, we can find a common point - these three people almost submitted memorials one after another, and their wording was more and more severe, their words were sharper and sharper, but in the end, they did not achieve the expected effect.

  In the 14th year of the Zhenguan era, Li Chengqian built a house that was too extravagant, and Yu Zining submitted a memorial criticizing him for it. When Li Chengqian indulged in pleasure with eunuchs, Yu Zining again submitted a memorial criticizing him, even comparing him to Qin Er Shi. In comparison, Kong Yingda was even more severe, and whenever he felt that Li Chengqian did something wrong, he would immediately remonstrate with him, regardless of the consequences. The wet nurse of the crown prince, Madame Su An, once advised Kong Yingda, thinking that since the crown prince was already grown up, it was not suitable to always criticize him in front of others. However, Kong Yingda said that he did this so that he could "die without regret". As a result, his remonstrations were too severe, and Li Chengqian could not accept them. As for Zhang Xuansu, he was even more extreme, constantly criticizing and urging Li Chengqian to listen to him immediately, with results that can be imagined.

  A wise and just emperor was surrounded by a group of wise and loyal ministers, a group of upright and honest officials. In the most beautiful time, they successfully destroyed the greatest hope for the future of the Tang Empire...

  Traitors are made this way...

  Su Ning suddenly thought, the current Li Chengqian is still that elegant and refined, kind and filial, pure and deep good child, has not yet entered puberty, has not been driven by Li Er and the wise ministers of Zhenguan to become abnormal. If at this time, he can slowly guide Li Chengqian onto a different path, will there be a different Li Chengqian, a different future? A different Great Tang Empire?

  Li Chengqian suddenly thought that being able to be friends with Suning and going out to see the world outside, listening to what he said about human nature, would be wonderful.

  "Hum! Brother Li, don't believe this guy's nonsense, he's a scoundrel! A rogue! He won't even spare a child!" A yellow-clad girl stood with her hands on her hips in front of Li Chengqian and Su Ning, pointing at Su Ning with a face full of malice.

  PS: The second update is complete, I'm so tired. Thanks for the hard work, please collect and thank small Ting, abccd5432, ffghjfjfjf, sunburst rain, k33102219, caohengde, crazy Benben, 030805683, qiao Jianyou, sfxiaozhi, zuì shǒu hóng chén and others for their generous rewards. Your support is my greatest motivation.