Li Xiang was not a Puritan. Of course, when facing Deji Yangzong, Li Xiang had his own ideas, but he was a modern man after all. He couldn't just casually slide into his bed like the nobles of this era!
What's more, the emperor has already arranged a marriage for Li Xiang, and that is Cheng Yaojin's youngest daughter. Li Xiang has a good relationship with Cheng Yaojin's family. If he has a concubine before his wife comes into the family, it will make Cheng Yaojin's family lose face.
Deji Yangzong is a noble lady on the plateau, and she cannot just assume an identity casually. Even if she sets up a government office in the future, Deji Yangzhong will definitely have her own status, which is related to Li Xiang's power on the plateau.
"What's going on? After returning from Tibet, are you not even going to greet your uncle?"
Just when Li Xiang was in trouble, a somewhat harsh voice came from the side. Usually, if Li Xiang saw Li Tai, he would want to slap him. This guy never did his job well. Instead, he made things worse every day. But hearing Li Tai's voice today really saved Li Xiang's life.
"Greetings, Uncle."
Li Tai inspected Tuyuhun on the orders of Li Shimin. Now the imperial court was going to attack Goguryeo in the north. According to Li Tai's idea, he should also go with the army and gain some merits. Even if he could not become the emperor in the future, he would still have merits. If Li Xiang wanted to deal with him, he would have to consider the impact.
Unexpectedly, the emperor sent him an imperial decree, ordering him to remain in Liangzhou City and continue his inspection of Tuyuhun. Tuyuhun was so small, and he had already been here for two months, traveling back and forth. Couldn't he see everything in two months? Moreover, the people here were completely subdued and had no intention of rebelling against the Tang Dynasty.
As they are both members of the royal family, no matter how much the emperor dislikes Li Xiang and does not want Li Xiang to take the credit, he still has to let Li Xiang go with the army, because Li Xiang is a capable person. If there is something on the battlefield that cannot be resolved, then Li Xiang must be asked to do it.
But Li Tai is different. This guy has no other skills except reciting poems and composing couplets. It makes no difference whether you bring him with you or not. If you bring him with you, you will have to find a way to share some of the credit with him in the end. But this guy can't lead troops in battle, so you will have to share some of the credit with others. Who will be willing to share it with him?
If Li Tai is the future crown prince, then there will be many people willing to share the credit. After all, you are the future crown prince. I am taking a loss now and giving the credit to you. You naturally have a place for me in your heart. In the future, as long as you become the emperor, can my loss be in vain?
But now Li Tai's position is increasingly distant from the Crown Prince. Judging from the current situation, if Li Xiang and his son are fine, then this guy will have no relationship with the Crown Prince at all. At best, he will be an idle prince in the future. Neither Li Chengqian nor Li Xiang have a good relationship with him. If the father and son become emperor, how can Li Tai have a good life? Only a fool would get close to him. Getting close to him means one's own destruction.
So when Li Tai was inspecting Tuyuhun, all the officials here just showed up, and no one wanted to get close. Everyone understood very well that the ship was leaking, and if you sank, at most you would drown. If we followed you on the ship, many more people would die.
“Wha…what…”
Li Tai could hardly believe his ears. Ever since Li Xiang rose to power in the court, he had never treated him well. Whether in the court or in private, this guy had never been so respectful to him. Could it be that he had learned all the etiquette after his trip to Tubo?
"Uncle has been in Tuyuhun for quite some time now. I should have come to pay my respects to you long ago, but I just haven't had the time. I've got a lot of things from the plateau, so I'll have someone send them to you."
Li Xiang dragged Li Tai out as he spoke. They had dodged this evening's incident. Li Tai hadn't understood what he was doing there from beginning to end. Was Li Xiang's brain completely gone? He had something so good he could give it to me?
"Let go, let go, let go of me..."
The two men walked out of the yard one after the other. Li Xiang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Li Tai also let go of Li Xiang's hand. He didn't have that kind of special fetish for two grown men to be pulling each other's feet.
Li Xiang also felt a little uncomfortable, so he took a step to the side and glanced at Li Tai with his eyes slanted. "You are a second-generation rich man who only eats, drinks and has fun. You can write a few poems and you want to become the crown prince. Aren't you dreaming?"
Li Tai was a little dumbfounded at this time. It had only been a cup of tea, how come Li Xiang's attitude changed so quickly? Just now in the yard, this kid was extremely respectful to him, why did he become like that after leaving the yard? Could it be that there was some formation in the yard that made him dizzy?
Two women?
Soon, Li Tai figured out what was going on. It must be that the two women were forcing Li Xiang, or making some promises. After all, Li Tai was a member of the royal family, and there were many women around him. He had experienced such things before. Perhaps it was just a coincidence that he appeared when this guy was in trouble and rescued him from the fire pit.
"Stop right there, what's with your attitude?"
Seeing that Li Xiang was about to leave, Li Tai was unhappy. If it were in the past, he would not have such courage. Li Xiang was a ruthless person. Even though you were his uncle, if you said something wrong, this guy might just punch you. In Li Tai's opinion, Li Xiang was a scoundrel and it was better to stay away from him. But now there was something that made Li Tai unhappy, so he wanted to see Li Xiang's lost look.
"If you have something to say, just say it. If you have something to fart, just fart. I have to go back to sleep."
Hearing Li Xiang's words, Li Tai almost fainted from anger. Although we two are enemies in the court, what have you learned about the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues? I am yours after all, your dear second uncle. Just look at the tone of your voice. If there is a third person here, they can punish you for disregarding the order of seniority at any time.
Unfortunately, there was no one else here except the uncle and nephew. Even if Li Tai ran out and told everyone about it, no one would believe him. If anyone was to blame, it was Li Xiang who had concealed it well.