The pavilion in the backyard of Qin Mansion.
Li Yuan and Li Shimin sat opposite each other, with Fang Xuanling accompanying them, refilling their cups of tea from time to time.
Li Shimin put down the tea cup, hesitated for a moment, and said:
"Father, you have been out for a while, isn't it time to return to Da'an Palace?"
Li Yuan raised his eyebrows when he heard this and placed the tea cup heavily on the stone table.
"I can live wherever I want. If you are worried, you can send someone to kidnap me back!"
When Li Shimin heard this, he knew that his father had misunderstood, and he couldn't help but look bitter.
"My son, I don't mean anything else. It's just that recently many members of the clan went to Da'an Palace to see my father, but they were stopped by my son because you were unwell."
"In addition, my father did not show up at the spring plowing ceremony a few days ago, so there was a lot of gossip in the court."
Li Yuan snorted coldly when he heard this and said:
"Stop annoying me with such nonsense? If you can't solve such a trivial matter, just give up that position to Cheng Qian as soon as possible!"
Fang Xuanling on the side heard this, reached out and touched the sweat on his forehead, stood up and cupped his hands and said:
"Old minister, go get some tea."
After speaking, without waiting for the two to answer, Fang Xuanling picked up the teapot on the table and left the pavilion.
Seeing that Li Yuan had no intention of returning to the palace, Li Shimin couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.
I remember that when he first took the throne, he was often worried that his father would contact the old ministers in the court to oust him from that position if he stayed in Da'an Palace.
Deep down in my heart, I even hoped that my father could retreat to the mountains and forests, away from Chang'an!
Unexpectedly, times have changed!
What a twist of fate!
When Li Yuan saw that Li Shimin was silent, he couldn't help but snorted coldly, stood up and was about to leave.
Upon seeing this, Li Shimin quickly stood up and pulled Li Yuan back to his seat.
"Father, please don't leave. Isn't it okay if I don't force you to go back?"
Li Yuan was in a good mood after hearing this. He picked up the tea cup and took a sip, and said:
"Tell me, is there anything else?"
Li Shimin sneered.
"Father, I can't hide anything from you."
Li Yuan glared at Li Shimin and said angrily:
"Stop flattering me and talk about things when you have something to say. It's no better than before. I'm very busy."
Hearing this, Li Shimin hesitated and asked:
"Father, I heard that that boy Qin Ming is building a dock and preparing to build a merchant ship? And he appointed you as the commander of the fleet?"
Li Yuan rolled his eyes, stared at Li Shimin and said:
"do you have any opinion?"
When Li Shimin heard this, he felt a little stuffy in his heart.
"I don't dare. I'm just a little confused. Why did Qin Ming, that lazy boy, suddenly set up a merchant ship?"
Li Yuan curled his lips when he heard this.
"Which of your eyes saw that he was tired? Mr. Qin is very busy every day, and sometimes he doesn't even bother to eat."
"If he is lazy, will there be anyone idle in this world?"
Facing Li Yuan's successive angry attacks, Li Shimin's blood surged for a moment and he retorted:
"He occupies an important position and doesn't even attend court meetings. What else is it if he isn't lazy?"
Li Yuan sneered when he heard this and said:
"Then let me ask you, did he delay the official business of the court? Did he delay the construction of Changlan Cement Road?"
Like a deflated rubber ball, Li Shimin said reluctantly:
"No."
Like a victorious general, Li Yuan said proudly:
"Does it matter whether you go to court or not?"
Li Shimin was furious when he heard this.
"But with his ability, if he joins the court, he might be able to help the court solve more problems and make the people of Tang Dynasty live a better life."
Li Yuan glanced sideways at Li Shimin and said angrily:
"Isn't he always helping you solve your troubles? Let's not talk about anything else. I just want to talk about today's Zhenguan plow. Wasn't it Qin Ming who made it to benefit the people?"
"There is also the cement used to pave roads and the vast wheat fields outside. Which of them is not improving people's lives?"
"Besides, ask yourself, how much help did that boy invisibly help you! As an emperor, what have you given to others? Apart from a little county boy? Is there anything else?"
Li Shimin's face turned red. This was the first time that Li Yuan had taught him such a lesson since he came to the throne.
"I also promised my two daughters to him."
Li Yuan sighed and said in a rare sour tone:
"If he had been born ten years earlier, so what if I had given all my daughters to him?"
Li Shimin's eyes flickered when he heard this, and he didn't know how to answer the question for a moment.
Li Yuan felt relieved when he saw Li Shimin's dejected look.
[It’s cool, it’s cool for me to train my son! 】
After being silent for a while, Li Yuan couldn't help but remind him:
"You, you, you shouldn't have protected that brat from the Changsun family in the first place."
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, and an idea suddenly appeared in his mind, and he connected many things together at once.
"What do you mean, father?"
Li Yuan picked up the tea cup, took a sip, and said:
"You've already guessed it, why bother asking me again?"
"Besides, I have food and accommodation all with Brother Ming, so it's hard to say much."
Li Shimin nodded after hearing this.
After another long silence, Li Shimin asked:
"From my father's point of view, what is his purpose in building a fleet?"
Li Yuan was silent after hearing this.
After a while, Li Yuan sighed and said:
"It's just self-protection."
Li Shimin stood up, straightened his clothes, saluted Li Yuan and said:
"Thank you, Father, for your advice. My son, I have learned a lesson."
...
On the other side, Qin Ming took Queen Changsun and others to his office in the front yard.
Princess Changle looked around the office and was soon attracted by the treasure ship model on Qin Ming's desk.
"Brother Ming, did you make that ship?"
Qin Ming put down the teapot and nodded with a smile.
Sizi followed the fifth sister's gaze, and his eyes suddenly lit up. He pulled Qin Ming's wide sleeves and said with hope:
"Brother Ming."
Qin Ming knelt down, smiled and squeezed, Si Zi's plump face said softly:
"Wait here, brother Ming will get it for you."
After speaking, Qin Ming turned around and walked to the desk, picking up the model he had made a few days ago.
"Give."
Sizi held the model in his arms, and his round eyes instantly narrowed into slits.
Empress Changsun and the three princesses were sitting on the sofa. Their eyes couldn't help but fall on the exquisite treasure ship model in Si Zi's hand.
When they were far away, they couldn't see it very clearly. It wasn't until they got up close that they realized how ingenious this model was.
Princess Changle and the girls looked at Qin Ming with a hint of admiration in their eyes.
Si Zi also couldn't put it down for this model. With his fleshy palms, he carefully fiddled with the sails a few times.
After discovering that the sail could rotate, Sizi looked at the model and saw little stars in his eyes.
Seeing this, Qin Ming knelt down, touched Si Zi's head, and said with a smile:
"If Si Zi likes it, then this model will be given to you."
Si Zi raised his head, blinked his eyes, and said happily:
"Really?"
The voice was as soft and sweet as ever.
Qin Ming smiled and nodded, and said softly:
"real."
Empress Changsun could see at a glance how precious this model was, and she also heard from His Majesty yesterday that Qin Ming was going to build a ship.
I thought that this model would definitely be used in shipbuilding after Qin and Ming dynasties, so I walked up to Si Zi and said:
"Sizi, this boat is very important to your brother Ming. You can't take it away. Do you understand?"
When Si Zi heard this, although he felt very sad, he still nodded obediently.
"My son, I understand."
Qin Ming felt a little distressed when he saw Si Zi's aggrieved look.
Then he said to Queen Changsun:
"Aunt, since Si Zi likes it, let her hold it. My nephew will just find time to make another one. It'll be okay."
Queen Changsun was stunned for a moment when she heard this, looked at Qin Ming and said:
"You, you, you are so spoiled by her."
...
