Chapter 25: Breaking the Deadlock

"Brother Zhao, do you truly believe that His Majesty still... regards me as the Crown Prince?" Li Chengqian asked, his voice catching like a drowning man grasping at a straw after hearing Zhao Mu’s analysis.

"Nonsense!" Zhao Mu straightened his wine cup and poured more fine liquor into it. "With the Emperor's authority, if he truly wanted to dispose of you, would he need to use someone else's hands? He could simply seal off your Eastern Palace as tight as an iron barrel; whether he chose to imprison you or execute you, it would be entirely at his whim."

"Uh..." Li Chengqian’s face fell. Zhao Mu’s words reminded him that his own grandfather had been an emperor, and hadn't his fate been exactly as Brother Zhao described? Besides, he was merely the Crown Prince. But if this was indeed a trial, then how was he to break the deadlock? Li Chengqian fell into deep thought, racking his brain but finding no solution. He had no choice but to turn his pleading gaze toward Zhao Mu once more.

"Brother Zhao..." Li Chengqian’s fear began to dissipate, his expression returning to normal. He leaned in closer and said, "I know you must have a way for me to pass this trial set by my father..."

"I don't!" Zhao Mu feigned arrogance, picking up his cup and looking up at the ornately carved ceiling.

"Brother Zhao..." Li Chengqian began to smile ingratiatingly. "Stop teasing me. You mentioned being a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow, a dragon soaring through the clouds, or an ostrich hiding its head in the sand. Which of these three approaches do you think I should take?" As he spoke, he diligently refilled Zhao Mu’s empty cup.

Zhao Mu felt a bit helpless, as if he were being latched onto by a persistent guest. He drained his cup and said with a playful smirk, "Why must Your Highness choose from only those three methods?"

"Oh?" Li Chengqian’s eyes lit up, and he hurried to pour more wine. "Do you have a better plan, Brother Zhao?"

"I have a method. But I wonder if Your Highness has the courage to use it!" Zhao Mu set down his cup and asked with a mischievous grin.

"Pray, tell me," Li Chengqian said, setting down the flagon with an expectant look. *Is there truly a method that even I, the Crown Prince, would fear to use?*

***

Brother Zhao must have seen me being overly cautious in the past and truly thinks I lack spine! Today, I shall show him! I will demonstrate just how much courage the Crown Prince of the Great Tang truly possesses. Li Chengqian had already decided that no matter what method Zhao Mu proposed, he would adopt it to prove him wrong.

"Hmph!" Li Chengqian thought proudly.

Zhao Mu said nonchalantly, "Before I tell you this method, I must ask you a few questions, and you must answer them truthfully."

"Ask away, Brother Zhao. I shall tell you everything without reservation!"

"Good!" Zhao Mu nodded. "The Emperor has been extremely strict with you since childhood, punishing and scolding you at every turn. Do you hold any resentment in your heart?"

Li Chengqian hadn't expected the first question to be so difficult. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded. "I have, and the resentment is deep."

"Hmm... then the second question: As the Crown Prince of the Great Tang, how do you feel about the Emperor bestowing such favor upon the Prince of Wei—not only refusing to let the adult Prince of Wei take his own fief but even wanting him to move into the Wude Palace? Do you harbor any hatred?"

"I do!" Li Chengqian answered decisively, adding through gritted teeth, "I don't just harbor hatred; at times, I wish I could get rid of the Prince of Wei once and for all!"

"That is your own brother. Could you really bring yourself to do it?" Zhao Mu narrowed his eyes.

Li Chengqian replied frankly, "The struggle for power in the imperial family has always been this way; it is nothing unusual. If anyone else asked, I would never admit it. But you are different, Brother Zhao. I hide nothing from you—not even the vile thought of wanting to kill my own brother."

Zhao Mu was surprised by Li Chengqian’s candor. The boy was worthy of being a Crown Prince; he clearly understood that the essence of imperial power struggles was siblings turning swords against one another. This answer satisfied Zhao Mu greatly. He had been worried the boy might be a coward after all. Since that was the case... heh!

***

Zhao Mu curled his lips into a wicked smile. "Since Your Highness has such guts, why have you been afraid to resist when the Emperor mistreats you in the name of 'tempering' you? Why haven't you dared to argue or even have a row with him?"

"What? Resist my father and argue with him?" Li Chengqian was stunned. It took a long time for him to react, and he said with a trembling voice, "Brother Zhao, he is my father. I am his son, but also his subject. He teaches me personally, often saying he is my teacher, my father, and my sovereign—all three in one. One must remember that Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parent, and Teacher are the foundations of humanity! How could I possibly resist?"

"But Your Highness is the Crown Prince!" Zhao Mu suddenly barked. "You will one day ascend the throne, lead the government, and protect the people! The concept of 'Heaven, Earth, Sovereign, Parent, and Teacher' may be a way of life, but fundamentally, it is a way for a subject! What does it have to do with you, the heir to the Great Tang? Have your brains been rotted by those corrupt scholars?"

"Uh..." Li Chengqian, who thought his answer was flawless, was left dazed by Zhao Mu’s sudden outburst. He asked timidly, "Do you mean that I should break free from these shackles and not base my conduct on Confucian benevolence and filial piety?"

"Benevolence and filial piety are not wrong in themselves! What is wrong is that you have misplaced your position! You are the Crown Prince, the future Son of Heaven! If you do not show the Emperor your firm resolve and merely display blind filial piety, how will he ever see your greatest strength?" Zhao Mu continued methodically, then retorted, "Can one be a good emperor just by clinging to benevolence and filial piety? Do not forget how the current Emperor ascended the throne!"

Li Chengqian stood frozen. He reflected on the education he had received since childhood and combined it with what Zhao Mu had said—it seemed fundamentally wrong! Indeed, his father had killed his brothers, purged his enemies, imprisoned his own father, and even taken his sister-in-law as a consort. From the perspective of private morality, he was a man who had committed every sin, yet he was still the "Heavenly Qaghan"!

Li Chengqian suddenly realized the truth and bowed deeply to Zhao Mu. "Brother Zhao, I understand!"

Zhao Mu smiled again. "It is good that you understand. Then, surely you know how to handle this trial from the Emperor?"

"Naturally!" Li Chengqian held his head high. "Tomorrow, I shall go to the palace and cause a scene before the throne! I will make my father see that I, his Crown Prince, am no coward!"