Lakeside Hall was Li Yuan's temporary residence.
Behind the Lakeside Hall was a large man-made lake. There were pavilions in the lake, and the surrounding scenery was excellent. That was how the Lakeside Hall got its name.
Ever since the abdication position was given to Li Shimin, Li Yuan had become the Retired Emperor and had never left the palace.
The weather was excellent today, and the sun was shining brightly.
Li Yuan stood in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, looking at the green lake in a daze. No one knew what he was thinking.
The eunuchs and serving girls around him did not dare to disturb him and stood by his side with their heads lowered.
There was lunch on the table, but there was no trace of it being touched.
An old eunuch could not help but say,""Your Majesty, the dishes have already been heated up three times.”
Hearing the old eunuch's words, Li Yuan came back to his senses.
However, he shook his head and said,"Withdraw, I have no appetite.”
The old eunuch had no choice but to order the food to be removed. However, at this moment, a voice suddenly sounded.
"Father, do you think these dishes are not to your liking? If that's the case, I'll immediately order the imperial kitchen to make another table.”
The old eunuch raised his head and was shocked.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Everyone in the pavilion except Li Yuan knelt down and kowtowed.
The person who walked into the pavilion was Li Shiming!
Li Shimin first greeted Li Yuan, then said with concern,"Imperial Father, you should eat some food. You have to prioritize your dragon body.”
His words were sincere and filled with deep concern.
However, when he heard Li Shiming's words, Li Yuan only coldly glanced at him and said,""Zhen doesn't need your concern!"
His tone was cold and piercing.
Li Shiming didn't care about Li Yuan's attitude, and his expression didn't change.
"It's my duty as a son to care about my father's health. Why is my father angry?" he asked with a faint smile.”
Hearing this, Li Yuan acted as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
"Care about me? You can't wait for me to die, right? Why are you pretending here?”
Li Yuan's aged face was full of mockery, but his words were extremely cold.
"Our father-son relationship has already been severed ten years ago!”
This sentence exploded like thunder in the clear sky.
The atmosphere in the pavilion in the middle of the lake suddenly became extremely stiff. The palace maids and eunuchs were so scared that they prostrated on the ground, trembling.
Despite saying such shocking words, Li Yuan had no intention of stopping.
His eyes were filled with pain and hatred."Ten years ago, right here, today.”
"Yuchi Gong came to me with a bloody iron whip, and my two sons died outside the palace! He died in your hands!"
"It's been ten years, a whole ten years! You didn't even go to their graves to pay your respects!”
"Enough!"
Li Shi Min suddenly shouted and raised his head to look at Li Yuan with a ferocious expression.
"I killed them, so what? I don't regret it!
How can I be inferior to Li Jiancheng? Ever since I ascended the throne, I have not dared to slack off at all. The Great Tang's national strength is growing day by day, and the people praise me as the eternal sage! A hundred times stronger than you!
And you can't see all of this. You only know how to blame me, but you forget that you forced me to that step!
All of this is because you are indecisive!
Either you abolish my eldest brother's position as Crown Prince, or you completely cut off my thoughts.
But you gave me hope, and you kept breaking this hope with your own hands.
Half of the Great Tang was conquered by me!
He, Li Jiancheng, can sit in this position, so why can't I? I'm not inferior to Li Jiancheng at all!"
Li Shi Min's eyes were like lightning as he stared at Li Yuan and roared.
This was his suppressed inner voice!
All these years, he had felt that the souls of Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were watching him, making him not dare to slack off at all!
Facing Li Shiming's questioning words, the disappointment in Li Yuan's eyes became more and more intense. He shouted,"I was wrong, but you shouldn't be so cruel!”
"You killed Jiancheng, Yuanji, and all their descendants. Are you still human?”
"Those are your blood brothers, relatives, and nephews!”
Li Shi Min's eyes were cold and his tone was sharp."A soft-hearted person will never be in power!”
"If I don't kill them, I will die!”
Li Yuan's face was pale and his lips were trembling. He pointed at Li Shiming and said,"You bastard! Why don't you just kill me too!”
Li Shi Min narrowed his eyes and calmed down.
"Father, you have to live well. I will show you how I single-handedly built this prosperous Great Tang!" he sneered.”
After saying that, Li Shi Min turned around and left without hesitation.
The pen-wielding eunuch was already trembling in fear. He forced himself to raise his weak legs and followed.
Li Yuan sat alone in the pavilion in the middle of the lake, tears streaming down his face.
.......
After leaving Lakeside Hall, a eunuch came to report to Li Shimin,""Your Majesty, the sacrificial items have been prepared. Take a look."
"Throw them all away! In the future, whoever dared to mention worshipping those two traitors would be killed without mercy!”
Li Shi Min's eyes flashed with killing intent as he strode away.
Leaving behind a frightened little eunuch who was at a loss.
.........
At the residence of the hidden crown prince.
The manor was deserted, and there were only a few doors. Faint cries could be heard coming from the manor.
In the main hall of the residence, a woman dressed in plain clothes knelt in front of the memorial tablet in the mourning hall and cried.
This memorial tablet was the memorial tablet of "Hidden Crown Prince Li Jiancheng"!
This woman was the widow of the Hidden Crown Prince, Zheng Guanyin.
During the incident at Li Shimin's Xuanwu Gate, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were both killed. All of his sons were killed, and only the womenfolk survived.
"It's been ten years, Your Highness."
Zheng Guanyin's eyes were red, and tears fell like broken beads.
This day ten years ago was the nightmare of her life.
Her husband had been killed, and all of her children had died. Only she and a young girl had survived.
"Mother, when is second brother coming back?”
Beside the woman, a little loli in her teens tugged at Zheng Guanyin's clothes and asked curiously.
Ever since she was young, her mother had told her that she had a second brother, but she had never seen him.
Hearing this, Zheng Guanyin felt sad. She touched the top of her head and said softly,"Soon, your second brother will be back soon.”
Ten years ago, her second son, Li Chengdao, led his troops out of Chang 'an and escaped Li Shimin's pursuit.
However, there had been no news about him in the past ten years. She had gone from hope to despair.
However, she didn't want to believe it without any concrete news.
"Your Highness, please bless Chengdao's safety."
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]