I inherited my grandfather's Tang Dynasty assets.

Chapter 25 What does your lameness have to do with being emperor?

His words greatly disappointed Li Chengqian.

Du He suddenly clapped his hands in praise.

"Sir, you just said that what people should seek is not endless lifespan, but immortal virtue and deeds. This is truly a profound truth. Please accept my bow."

After saying that, he actually stood up and bowed to Chen Yue.

"I was just saying it casually, Prince Consort Du, there's no need for that. By the way, is there anything else you two have to discuss today?"

The conversation between the two parties is going well so far, and Chen Yue feels that this is good and doesn't want to continue, lest something unexpected happen.

Li Chengqian stared intently at Chen Yue, then suddenly leaned closer, his eyes filled with trepidation and hope.

"Sir, when I was twelve years old, I fell off my horse and have had this leg ailment ever since. My father has searched for doctors everywhere but no one can cure it. I wonder if you have any solutions?"

This has become my greatest worry over the years. If you, sir, have a way to cure it, I hope you will lend a helping hand. I would be eternally grateful.

The Li Chengqian of the past was not like the one now. He was outstanding in both character and other aspects, and was Li Shimin's most satisfactory successor.

Everything changed after he became lame.

As the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty, the successor to the throne is a cripple, which will surely be criticized by the people.

It was precisely because of this that Li Shimin's attitude towards him gradually became less than before, and he even shared his care and rewards with Prince Wei, Li Tai.

Li Chengqian was already depressed, and his inability to change the situation made him increasingly extreme and sensitive. He favored his male favorite Chengxin and was extremely fascinated by Turkic culture, which made him act more and more eccentric and crazy.

The root cause lies in this lame leg.

Chen Yue remained expressionless, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and thought to himself that what was bound to happen was inevitable.

Now that Li Chengqian says it was caused by falling from a horse, it means it was acquired, and he doesn't know if modern medicine can completely cure it.

But given the conditions of the Tang Dynasty, it was impossible, and so much time had passed that even the major hospitals wouldn't dare to make a guarantee.

It's a pipe dream to think that you can cure it completely with just a few medications.

Seeing that Chen Yue remained silent for a long time, Li Chengqian's eyes gradually turned gray and revealed a strong sense of hostility.

"Oh no, I'm going crazy."

Du He repeatedly tried to signal Li Chengqian with her eyes, but he ignored her completely. Suddenly, Chen Yue let out two soft laughs, which startled both of them, and they looked over in confusion.

"Why are you laughing, sir? Are you perhaps mocking me for being a cripple?"

Li Chengqian gripped the mahjong quiver tightly in his hand, his eyes filled with malice, as if he were about to smash it into Chen Yue's face at any moment.

"Your Highness, why do you need treatment for your leg?"

"Wh-what?"

Li Chengqian thought he had misheard, and Du He also had a strange expression. Was there even a need to ask? No normal person would want to become a cripple, let alone the Crown Prince.

Chen Yue suddenly stood up and began to speak to himself.

"It's just a minor leg ailment, why bother treating it? Your Highness's concerns are nothing more than two points."

Firstly, the current emperor dislikes this and his favoritism towards you is gradually decreasing, and you worry that one day you will lose your position as crown prince because of this.

Secondly, there has never been a cripple who became emperor. You are afraid of being ridiculed by the people, and the ministers in the court also have many complaints about this.

Oh, right, there's one more thing. Is it that Your Highness yourself can't accept the fact that you're lame?

There's no way to cure oneself; the only option right now is to resort to deception.

According to the deductions of most scholars in later generations, if Li Chengqian had not rebelled later, he would most likely still have been the successor of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin's sudden favoritism towards Prince Wei even gave the impression that he intended to depose the crown prince and install Li Tai in his place.

The main reason is that Li Chengqian is too incompetent. The outrageous things he did were not what a crown prince should do. Praising the Prince of Wei was meant to make the crown prince feel a sense of crisis and work harder.

He never imagined that the Xuanwu Gate inheritance method he created would ultimately become a boomerang that struck him, leading to Li Chengqian's rebellion.

Besides, Li Shimin seized the throne by killing the murderer and forcing his father to sit on the throne. He would never allow his sons to follow in his footsteps. Li Chengqian was the legitimate eldest son.

Before Empress Zhangsun passed away, he personally promised at her bedside that Li Chengqian would become the future emperor.

If the eldest son is forcibly deposed and a second son established, he will surely be condemned by the people of the world, as this would violate the orthodoxy of Confucianism.

If Li Chengqian hadn't rebelled, none of the events that followed with Emperor Gaozong (Li Zhi) would have occurred, unless he committed an unforgivable error that angered both Heaven and the people, forcing him to be deposed.

So what Chen Yue needs to do now is to make Li Chengqian ignore his lameness.

Du He looked at Li Chengqian with some nervousness; he knew the Crown Prince all too well.

The word "cripple" was his greatest pain; no one dared to say it to his face, or they would surely die without a burial place.

Chen Yue, however, repeatedly called him a cripple, which was an overreaction.

Li Chengqian's face turned bright red, filled with murderous intent. Fortunately, he did not lose his temper and did not immediately lash out.

Her gaze was fixed on Chen Yue, and her voice became somewhat hoarse.

"What you say is exactly what I have been thinking."

Chen Yue hummed in agreement.

"That's why Your Highness felt increasingly depressed, and even had a self-destructive thought. Anyway, I'm a cripple, my father doesn't like me, and he'll definitely depose me in the future. The civil and military officials and the people of the world will also laugh at me because of this."

"Then let's just go all out and do whatever we want. Whatever you forbid me from doing, whatever you don't like, I'll do anyway, just to make you unhappy too. Am I wrong?"

Li Chengqian did not answer, but his expression gave Chen Yue the answer.

Li Chengqian has been thoroughly studied in later generations. To put it bluntly, Chen Yue, who has consulted a large amount of information, probably understands him better than Li Chengqian himself.

"Bang!"

Chen Yue slammed his hand on the table, sending the mahjong tiles flying and startling Du He and Li Chengqian.

Chen Yue calmly put his hands behind his back and rubbed them together lightly.

"Mom, it hurts so much, I used too much force."

Li Chengqian didn't know what he was thinking, but he felt confused. If anyone should be slamming the table, it should be me. Why are you so angry?

"Wrong! Utterly wrong! Darius said that cowardice will not be tolerated! Your Highness, what you are doing now is a cowardly act of giving up on yourself."

You must always remember one thing: you are Li Chengqian. This name was given to you by Emperor Gaozu. You are the eldest son of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the crown prince at the age of eight, and the future emperor recognized by Confucian orthodoxy!

So what if he's lame? Does that mean he can't be a good emperor?

I ask you, do the people of the world care whether the emperor is lame? No, they don't care at all. What they care about is whether this emperor can bring them a peaceful, stable, and happy life.

Do the officials care if you are lame? What they care about is whether the court is politically clean and honest, whether the emperor is a wise and virtuous ruler, whether their talents can be put to use, whether they can be promoted, whether they can realize their ambitions and leave their mark on history.

You changed your personality drastically just because of a limp, promoted Turkic culture in the Eastern Palace, became increasingly unorthodox, and were suspicious all day long. Ask yourself, is this the behavior of a qualified Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty?

Li Chengqian felt a booming sound in his head, as if his heart had been squeezed hard by a hand. An indescribable emotion was growing wildly in his heart.