Chapter 40 True Power and Responsibility

"Y-You... are you certain?" Hou Junji's voice warped, his hoarse tone trembling with a sob-like vibration. "Are you sure it was the Crown Prince? Are you certain he is unharmed?!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Hou Jiu by the shoulders, his fingernails digging deep into the flesh, as if needing to verify this was not some dying, hallucinatory dream.

"It is absolute truth, Grand Marshal!" Hou Jiu endured the pain, swearing a solemn oath. "Though the Crown Prince's entourage was sparse, his guards were all veterans of the Eastern Palace, and the Xuanjia Cavalry showed no sign of escorting a prisoner whatsoever!"

"The moment the Crown Prince emerged, he headed straight east, passing through the Anshangmen Avenue."

"Judging by the direction, he was clearly returning to the Eastern Palace, and by no means heading toward the Court of Judicial Review or the Celestial Prison!"

The Court of Judicial Review lay to the south, while the Celestial Prison lay to the north!

Having plotted rebellion for a long time, Hou Junji was intimately familiar with the locations of Chang'an's major government offices. The moment he heard this, he knew Hou Jiu was entirely correct!

"Heaven has not forsaken me... Heaven has not forsaken Hou Junji..." he muttered to himself, his voice low and complex, laden with the immense relief of having cheated death, as wild ecstasy surged through him like boiling magma!

Yet, it was suddenly mingled with a fatigue born of being toyed with by fate, and a profound, lingering incomprehension.

No!

This was far too abnormal!

It defied all reason!

"Storming the palace in the dead of night is a crime equivalent to treason, so how on earth did the Crown Prince..." Hou Junji froze in place, the wild ecstasy on his face vanishing in an instant, replaced by a gaze brimming with deep bewilderment. "...how could he possibly emerge from the palace safe and sound in the blink of an eye?"

As a veteran of the battlefield, amidst his instinctive surge of joy, his martial intuition told him something was terribly wrong with the entire situation!

Yet what he did not know was that just an hour prior...

Inside the Ganlu Temple, the candlelight burned steadily once more.

The heavy palace doors shut out all prying eyes from the outside world.

With a scar on his temple, Li Chengqian stood with hands clasped respectfully, yet his eyes were exceptionally bright and calm, his entire demeanor seemingly reborn...

Li Shihong—Li Shimin sat upright upon the imperial throne, though he had reined in his imperial majesty. His deep gaze fell upon his son, a trace of lingering scrutiny still present, but replaced for the most part by a brand-new expectation.

Looking at that wound, which symbolized a profound transformation, a myriad of emotions churned within his heart.

Between a father and son who had just weathered a tempest of the soul, the air hung heavy with a quiet and subtle sense of release.

"Does it still hurt?" Li Shimin's voice was low and gentle.

Li Chengqian's voice was steady and composed: "Thank you for your concern, Father Emperor. It is merely a superficial wound and of no consequence."

"Superficial wounds heal easily; wounds of the heart are hard to soothe." Li Shimin sighed softly. "Chengqian, tonight... you and I, father and son, have lanced an abscess that festered for years."

"Painful though it was, it may yet prove to be a blessing."

Li Chengqian raised his head, meeting his father's gaze. That gaze no longer held cold scrutiny and disappointment, but candor and reflection. His throat bobbed, and a sudden smile broke across his face: "Father Emperor, they say 'deep love brings stern reproach.' In any case, this son would rather be disciplined personally by you every single day than match wits and engage in endless stratagems with you like monarch and minister..."

Hearing this, Li Shimin was momentarily stunned, then shook his head with a chuckle. His expression turning somewhat solemn, he said, "Over the years, I always thought to use setbacks and pressure to 'temper' you, forgetting that things too rigid easily snap."

"I used the wrong method, which allowed too much grievance and fear to fester in your heart, nearly bringing about a catastrophic disaster." By the end, Li Shimin's tone carried the self-reproach of a father.

Li Chengqian's heart trembled. Hearing his father's personal admission was far more touching than any placation.

"Father Emperor... This son was also at fault." Taking a deep breath, Li Chengqian spoke with utmost sincerity. "This son should not have listened to slander and believed that Father Emperor had cast me aside, nor should I have allowed fear to blind me."

"And above all, I should not have violated the palace forbidden grounds in such a violent manner, alarming the imperial countenance!"

"This son... has failed Father Emperor's expectations." With these words, Li Chengqian bowed deeply.

"Expectations..." Li Shimin was momentarily taken aback, repeating the word to himself. After a long silence, he slowly rose, stepped lightly down the imperial dais to stand before Li Chengqian, and once again reached out to pat his son's slightly slender shoulder. This time, however, the weight of his hand seemed to carry a heavy entrustment. "Chengqian, my expectations for you have never changed."

"I still look forward to you becoming a worthy Crown Prince of the Great Tang!"

"But I have come to understand," Li Shimin said, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, his presence grand and magnificent. "A true eagle is not forged by whip-lashes inside a cage!"

"What a true eagle needs is the sky, the wind and waves, and the opportunity to battle the vast firmament on its own!"

Hearing this, Li Chengqian vaguely sensed that his father was about to...

Suddenly, a light of incredulous brilliance erupted in his eyes!

Sure enough, the very next second, Li Shimin declared firmly: "Therefore, from this day forth!"

"I will no longer impose restrictions everywhere nor pick faults in everything as I did before!"

"I will not use so-called tempering to blunt your edge!"

"I shall grant you genuine trials!"

With a blazing gaze, Li Shimin continued: "I will gradually hand over tangible state affairs and government administration for you to handle independently. This is not to have you sit in and observe, nor to give you a hollow title!"

"Instead, it is to truly let you make decisions and bear the responsibility!"

"For instance, the allocation of funds and grain in the Ministry of Revenue, the engineering works of the Ministry of Works, and the evaluation and promotion of middle- and lower-ranking officials in the Ministry of Personnel... These practical matters, I will let you practice department by department!"

"Do well, and it is your earned merit; do poorly, and you shall bear the responsibility!"

"And during this time, I will only watch how you handle things, without interfering!"

Hearing this, Li Chengqian's heart was already beating at a frantically unbeseeming pace, his complexion flushing as if a blazing fire had been ignited beneath his skin!

Handling state affairs independently!

True power and responsibility!

An overwhelming sense of mission and elation surged into his mind all at once!

"Snap!" Li Chengqian brought his fists together in a heavy salute. It was not a gesture of refusal, nor of false modesty, but a resolute and unhesitating acceptance: "Father Emperor, this son... shall do his utmost and not fail your trust!"

His voice trembled slightly with excitement, but his gaze was exceptionally steadfast.

"Mm..." Li Shimin's gaze swept across his son's composed yet sharp visage, and he nodded in great satisfaction. Yet, a flurry of thoughts raced through his mind!

He knew precisely where all these changes in his son originated!

Furthermore, he was well aware that his son's actions tonight were largely influenced by that man!

No matter what, however... the result was the best possible outcome!

Take the last court session, for instance, where he had allowed Chengqian to present a strategy that shone brilliantly and showcased his talent as heir.

And this time, leveraging the affair of Hou Junji to let Chengqian take a dangerously unconventional path...

Not to mention those earth-shaking, wildly audacious words he had heard with his own ears that day!

Pondering it carefully, this Zhao Mu was not only possessed of world-governing talent... he was truly a fascinating individual!

He must have seen through Chengqian at a glance, realizing that what the boy lacked was not filial piety, but backbone.

And so, he simply incited him to stage a confrontation with his father?

That level of insight into the human heart and the daring to take unorthodox risks was a rare treasure indeed.