Side Story Chapter 28 (1/2)
Side Story Chapter 28: Another Battle with the Turks!
Li Taiyi had been summoned to Taiji Palace for an audience with the Tang Emperor.
In the war against Ü-Tsang, though the thirty ballistae had served as the basis for the victory, intimidating the Tibetans, Li Taiyi knew that this was due to the element of surprise that came from the ballistae being used for the first time.
Moreover, in the following battle against the Tibetans, Li Taiyi had fully experienced the Great Tang’s shortcoming in its lack of soldiers.
Thus, the first thing Li Taiyi did upon his triumphant return was to submit a memorial advising that the generals train and recruit more soldiers so that this shortcoming could be filled in.
To his surprise, when this memorial was submitted to the Tang Emperor, the Tang Emperor placed a great deal of attention on it. He had come to Taiji Palace this time to discuss the matter.
Shouldn’t he have already left? Why did he only come out now? Li Taiyi puzzled, his brow furrowing.
Ever since he had learned that the First Prince was returning to the capital, he had been pondering what to do and had been intentionally avoiding him. He had calculated that First Prince Li Xuantu should have already had his audience with the Tang Emperor and departed.
Even though he had also received a summons, the two should have missed each other.
But for some reason, something had delayed the First Prince, putting off the time he emerged, leading to this situation.
Was it Li Chengyi and Li Longfan?
Li Taiyi’s heart suddenly thumped as he recalled seeing Li Chengyi and Li Longfan coming from the direction of the central gate. A dark cloud of worry flitted across his brow.
Those two could not have appeared there for anything good.
But there was no time for Li Taiyi to think, for the Crown Prince of the Great Tang was making his way toward him.
“Third Brother.”
Surprisingly, it was the First Prince, not Li Taiyi, who broke the silence first.
His expression was aloof and unreadable, but his sharp eyes carefully examined Li Taiyi as if they wanted to penetrate through his organs.
Li Taiyi instantly felt a faint hostility from the First Prince’s gaze, and he trembled as his danger alarms went off.
His performance at Longxi and the Second Prince and Fourth Prince adding fuel to the fire had probably already earned him the attention of his first brother.
“Paying respects to First Imperial Brother.”
Li Taiyi hastily bowed, his expression natural and not at all discourteous.
His wings were not fully mature, and his only subordinates were Wang Haibin and Wang Jiuling. In comparison, the First Prince was at his zenith. This was far from the right time to clash against the First Prince.
Li Taiyi didn’t notice anything, but on the steps, there was a flicker from Li Xuantu’s eyes.
This third brother of his had always been naughty and stubborn, and even his father had found it difficult to change his nature. When did he become so polite?
Was this still the same Prince Xuan who killed people on the street, assaulted women, and gambled?
Li Xuantu suddenly began to carefully examine Li Taiyi.
Li Taiyi was wearing a black imperial robe with narrow sleeves, the edges of the robe embroidered with cloud motifs. A piece of jade hung from his belt and he wore a violet crown atop his head. He had an intimidating and majestic aura that clearly made him stand out.
Though his face had not changed, he felt much steadier and less arrogant than before, like he had become a completely different person.
A dark cloud passed across Li Xuantu’s eyes.
He had initially cared little about the Longxi matter, since a Prince going to the border to get some military achievements was not at all unusual. The story was probably mostly falsehoods.
In his mind, Great General Guo Dingguo had simply been pushing his own achievements onto the Third Prince. But now, he felt that things were not that simple.
Li Xuantu said nothing, but Li Taiyi felt the danger threatening him increase. He could clearly tell that the First Prince was examining him.
In front of his legendary first brother, Li Taiyi felt like a mountain was on his shoulders.
Whether it was in cultivation, status, faction, supporters, or prestige, his first brother far surpassed him.
“Imperial Brother has been to see Imperial Father? From the Turkic border to the capital is a distance of several thousand li. Imperial Brother is worn from your travels, so your brother will not delay Imperial Brother’s rest,” Li Taiyi calmly said.
At a time like this, he was still unwilling to have too many interactions with his first brother.
“Mm.”
Li Xuantu nodded and quickly looked away.
“Go, then. Imperial Father is waiting for you inside.”
Li Xuantu waved his sleeve, apparently not caring much about Li Taiyi. He quickly walked down the steps.
As Li Xuantu walked past, Li Taiyi remained calm, but he internally sighed in relief.
Regardless, he had managed to pass this trial.
“Third Brother…” Suddenly, Li Xuantu’s voice came from behind him.
“In the future, don’t come so quickly to Taiji Palace. Military tactics and recruitment… are not things you should be involved in yet!”
Li Xuantu’s voice was flat and indifferent, like he was bringing up something unimportant, but Li Taiyi shivered and immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
The memorial in his hand!
Though he had already folded it up and tried his best to keep it hidden, First Prince Li Xuantu had seemingly already seen through everything.
Whoosh!
In a rush of air, Li Xuantu vanished, not giving Li Taiyi a chance to respond.
Li Taiyi stood at the base of the steps in a daze, unable to speak.
“Haaah…”
With a soft sigh and a grim look in his eyes, Li Taiyi stepped into Taiji Palace.
In the distance, a figure silently watched from the shadows. Once both Princes were gone, the man smugly smiled and headed toward the Second Prince’s residence.
……
A few moments later, in Winter Yang Palace, the residence of the Second Prince…
Fourth Prince Li Longfan pushed open the door and excitedly rushed inside. “Second Brother, we’ve just received word that First Brother has suddenly started moving. His subordinates are gathering information on Third Brother and sending all of it to the Eastern Palace.”
“Great!”
Li Chengyi suddenly stood up from behind his desk, a sharp light in his eyes.
“It seems like everything is going as we predicted. Imperial Brother is finally starting to take him seriously!”
When it came to power, none of the Princes could compare to the Crown Prince. So long as the Crown Prince took action, Li Taiyi would be forced into an extremely disadvantageous and defensive position.
While two tigers struggled, the bystander in Winter Yang Palace could naturally reap the benefits.
“But, Second Brother, First Brother has always been proud. Why is it that he was convinced by us to move against Third Brother this time?” Li Longfan suddenly asked.
First Prince Li Xuantu had sharp eyes and was not someone so easily manipulated. In truth, neither of them had believed in their success.
“Haha, a tree that stands out in a forest will inevitably be blown down. Third Brother wants to act clumsy forever, but how long can he keep up the act? As for First Imperial Brother, he cannot ignore anyone who threatens his status. We are considered as such, so how could Third Brother be excluded?
“We’re going to have a good show soon.”
Li Chengyi gave a sinister laugh.
……
Time slowly passed. After two consecutive victories, the capital was calm and peaceful, but Li Taiyi had not enjoyed much of it.