Chapter Fifty-Four: Secret Rendezvous

This banquet was utterly dull.

If Changsun Chong were still here, perhaps there might have been some amusement, but he had been placed under house arrest by Li Shimin and stripped of his title as heir. Such a person was essentially ruined, unless Li Shimin might someday show leniency and restore him. Yet, if Changsun Wuji were to have another son within the next couple of years, passing the title directly to the younger child, then Changsun Chong would be truly beyond rescue.

Thus, someone like him would no longer draw Li Kong’s attention.

As for Du He and that other boy whose name Li Kong couldn’t recall, without their ringleader, the pair didn’t even utter a word throughout the evening. In fact, under Li Kong’s lingering authority, they didn’t even seek out others to drink with; instead, they sat quietly at their seats, looking for all the world like fools.

The banquet lasted nearly an hour; eventually, the children, worn out from their play, began to grow tired. The palace attendants, worried that Li Chengqian’s health might not withstand the festivities, gently reminded him that the banquet could now conclude.

Li Chengqian glanced at Li Kong and saw that he had long since lost interest, his cheeks tinged faintly with color. He realized that, absorbed in playing with his peers, he had altogether forgotten his trusted elder brother—a grave oversight for which he deserved chastisement.

So, with a wave of his small hand, he declared, “Let us disperse. Have someone escort the young gentlemen home, lest any mishap occur!”

“Yes, Your Highness!” the attendant replied, beginning to make arrangements.

The children, mimicking adult decorum, bid Li Chengqian farewell and filed out of the Purple Cloud Hall.

“Finally, it’s over! Your Highness, don’t ever invite me to such a banquet again—it’s far too boring!” Li Kong cried out inwardly, though he wore a relaxed smile as he rose and said, “I’ll take my leave now. I’ll come visit you in a few days.”

Li Chengqian, apologetic, replied, “It’s my fault today—I neglected you, Brother Kong. Tomorrow morning, I’ll come to find you and make amends!”

Li Kong rolled his eyes and turned to leave the hall. Just as he stepped across the threshold, a petite figure crashed into his arms with a thud, followed by a plaintive cry, “Ouch! That hurts!”

Looking down at Li Lizhi, who had collided with him, Li Kong was left speechless—such a little scatterbrain! He reached out to gently rub her head, doting as he asked, “You mustn’t do this again, understand? Did it hurt much?”

Li Lizhi stuck out her tongue, cocked her head, and asked, “I know. Are you heading home now?”

“It’s already late,” Li Kong replied with a smile, “but I’ll stay with you for a little while longer. Soon, though, I must leave.”

Li Lizhi froze for a moment, then beamed with delight, her eyes narrowing into the cutest expression. She called out “Brother Crown Prince!” to the dumbfounded Li Chengqian inside, then turned and chased after Li Kong, leaving Li Chengqian bewildered and—somewhat—jealous.

“Is she really my sister? Surely I’ve seen a false Changle today—no doubt about it!” Li Chengqian muttered, patting his chest for reassurance.

While Li Chengqian announced the end of the banquet, every incident that had occurred was swiftly relayed to Li Shimin.

Li Shimin chose to overlook the episode in which the children ignored Li Chengqian and toasted Li Kong first. He himself had done the same in his youth. Children do not understand rank and power, but they all admire heroes. Back then, Li Shimin had most revered Yu Wen, his peer, and had similarly neglected Crown Prince Yang You at an Eastern Palace banquet.

What concerned him was the conduct of Du He and Hou Chong—sons of Duke Du Ruhui of Lai and Duke Hou Junji of Chen, respectively. Their lackluster performance left Li Shimin disappointed.

Talented men are scarce, and the machinery of dynasties relies on the succession of official heirs. As one who considered himself a monarch for the ages, Li Shimin did not wish to leave his son surrounded by incompetents.

Fortunately, Li Kong remained worthy of great responsibility, perhaps even of entrusting his legacy. However, when the secret guard reported that Li Lizhi had sought out Li Kong for a private meeting, Li Shimin’s previous intentions vanished entirely. He slapped the table in anger and ordered, “Bring that rascal to me at once!”

The palace guards could only smile wryly upon hearing this command.

Not far away, in the garden, Li Lizhi walked ahead bashfully, her hands tugging at her skirt’s hem, her coquettish manner enough to make one want to bite her.

But goodness, she was only eight years old—a little girl, precocious beyond her years.

Indeed, Li Kong admitted he intended to marry Changle, yet his goal was to raise her carefully; any marriage would have to wait until Li Lizhi was sixteen, perhaps even eighteen.

A decade or so was not long for Li Kong, who had crossed over from another world. By then, he would be only twenty-four or twenty-five, a perfectly normal age to wed. Yet, seeing the present situation, he felt something was amiss.

He recalled that Empress Changsun married Li Shimin at thirteen, and Wu Zhao likewise entered Li Shimin’s harem at thirteen—an unsettling thought. To marry a girl of thirteen? In his previous life, that would have been a ten-year prison sentence, perhaps even capital punishment.

And at thirteen... he truly could not bring himself to act.

Yet, in history, it seemed Li Lizhi was married off to Changsun Chong at thirteen or fourteen. Thinking of this, Li Kong felt fortunate—thank goodness Changsun Chong had been ruined; otherwise, this lovely girl before him would have been lost.

“Brother Kong, do you... do you have anything you want to say to Lizhi?” Li Lizhi suddenly stopped, turned, and gazed at Li Kong with hopeful eyes.

“You’re truly beautiful!” Li Kong replied, deciding that flattery was the safest course.

Li Lizhi smiled with delight, her eyes narrowing. “And? I want to hear a secret!”

A secret? What sort of secret could he share with an eight-year-old girl? If they were of similar age, perhaps Li Kong would employ tricks learned from his previous life, methods guaranteed to deepen Lizhi’s affection for him and ensure she’d never marry another.

But now... Li Kong thought it better to simply go home and rest. It wasn’t that he didn’t wish to keep Lizhi company, but the weather was too cold, and he feared she might not endure it.

Of course, he would never say such things aloud. Seeing Lizhi’s expectant gaze, Li Kong sighed, “Princess, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but—”

Before he could finish, a commotion erupted behind them, accompanied by a low shout, “Quickly, they’re over there—take him to the Palace of Sweet Dew!”

The sudden appearance of the armored guards left Li Lizhi indignant—she mentally grumbled that Li Shimin was being unreasonable, oblivious to the fact that they were having a secret rendezvous.

Li Kong, on the other hand, secretly breathed a heavy sigh of relief; the timing was perfect, sparing him from having to fabricate a lie. For the first time, he felt grateful to Li Shimin for disrupting his rendezvous—truly, from the bottom of his heart!