Gaoyang hurried forward to support him, quietly advising, “Your Majesty, please be careful not to harm your health with anger!”
By this delay, Li Shimin had already disappeared from sight. Li Yuan said resentfully, “With such a rebellious son, how can you expect me not to be angry?!”
Gaoyang sighed, “The situation has already come to this. No matter how angry Your Majesty becomes, it’s useless. Taking care of your health is what matters most. As for the deposed Crown Prince and Prince of Qi… this servant observes that the Crown Prince is not a cruel and merciless person. He should not pursue them to the bitter end!”
“I hope so, otherwise…” Li Yuan shook his head without finishing. After a while, he said sadly, “To be an emperor to this extent – it’s truly tragic!”
Gaoyang didn’t know how to comfort him, so he could only say, “Your Majesty, please don’t think about these things.”
Li Yuan stared intently in the direction Li Shimin had departed, saying word by word in a voice only he and Gaoyang could hear, “If things continue like this, so be it. Otherwise, I will never forgive him!”
Li Shimin didn’t know that Li Yuan had developed murderous intent toward him. After leaving Liangyi Hall, he departed from Taiji Palace, but he still didn’t return to the Eastern Palace. The place he rode his horse to was – the Ministry of Justice prison!
This was the first time Li Shimin had entered the prison since Li Jiancheng and the others had been imprisoned. Ever since the Xuanwu Gate incident, he had originally intended to spare Li Jiancheng and his brother, but in the days that followed, almost everyone who mentioned Li Jiancheng and his brother to him advised him to kill them to eliminate future troubles – even Yunyi had given the same answer.
But Li Jiancheng was still his brother, and he had also promised Li Yuan that unless absolutely necessary, he really didn’t want to pursue them to the bitter end… even though this brotherly affection had already disappointed him to the extreme!
So when he stepped out of Liangyi Hall, he decided to come see Li Jiancheng. If the latter showed signs of repentance, then all matters would end there, with no further investigation.
Gloomy and damp – these four words could never be separated from any dungeon. Though it was bright daylight outside, inside they had to rely on oil lamps for illumination.
Li Jiancheng and his brother were separately imprisoned in the innermost cells. Except for jailers who came twice daily to deliver food and clean up, no one else set foot in this place.
The jailer pointed to the innermost cell, saying respectfully, “Your Highness Crown Prince, His Highness the First Prince is inside.” Li Jiancheng had already been stripped of his Crown Prince title, so naturally the title “Crown Prince” could not be used.
Before Li Shimin could speak, the person in the cell across suddenly rushed to the bars, shouting loudly, “Li Shimin! Li Shimin, is that you?”
This person was Li Yuanji. The jailer sternly shouted, “How dare you directly call His Highness the Crown Prince by name!”
“No matter.” After gesturing for the jailer to step back, Li Shimin walked to the cell and stared at the disheveled Li Yuanji, “What do you want to say?”
He thought Li Yuanji would curse him as before, calling him a despicable and treacherous villain, but unexpectedly Li Yuanji said nervously, “Save big brother, I beg you, save big brother!”
Li Yuanji’s words caught Li Shimin completely off guard. He frowned, “What’s wrong?”
Li Yuanji pointed at Li Jiancheng’s cell, saying urgently, “Big brother has been running a high fever since last night, saying he feels terrible. He hasn’t eaten anything all day today. I’ve told the jailers several times to get a doctor to examine him, but they absolutely refuse!” Then he said anxiously, “I know it was us two who plotted against you first, we were wrong, but he’s still big brother. I beg you to save him, please!”
Li Shimin turned to look and indeed saw Li Jiancheng curled up on the simple wooden bed, his back to them, completely motionless. The situation truly didn’t look right.
“Open the door!” At Li Shimin’s sharp command, the jailer quickly took out the key to open the cell door. As soon as the door opened, Li Shimin quickly walked in, taking three steps as two to reach Li Jiancheng’s side. By the weak oil lamp light, he could see Li Jiancheng’s eyes tightly closed, his face flushed red, with no response to his calls.
Li Shimin reached out to feel his forehead – it was shockingly hot. He immediately said, “Zhihong, quickly go get Imperial Physician Li!”
After Duan Zhihong left, Li Shimin stared at the jailer with an unfriendly expression, “Why didn’t you call for a doctor?”
The jailer lowered his head and said quietly, “This humble one thought it was just a minor illness that would get better with some water, so didn’t call for a doctor.”
Li Yuanji had sharp ears and heard his words, cursing angrily, “Now you speak nicely, but what about before? You said we were dead men anyway, and it would be better to die of illness than be beheaded – at least we’d keep our whole bodies!” Then he sneered, “We’re still considered lucky. Do you know about the other prisoners in the cells? Sometimes when they groan a few times from illness and pain, these jailers find it annoying and arbitrarily refuse to give them food or water. They’ll starve them for a day or two before giving them food again. This person especially has the most vicious heart.”
The jailer, exposed to his face, became panicked and frightened, hurriedly saying, “No, there’s no such thing. Your Highness, don’t listen to his nonsense.”
“Is it really nonsense? Answer me honestly!” Li Shimin’s voice was as calm as ever, without a trace of anger, yet it made the jailer feel tremendous pressure. After struggling for a while, he finally couldn’t withstand the pressure and knelt down, “This humble one won’t dare again. Please forgive me, Your Highness!”
Li Shimin looked down at him for a moment, then said coldly, “Go receive twenty strokes of the rod yourself. Remember, although those imprisoned here are all criminals, those who decide their life and death and their crimes are the Ministry of Justice and the Great Tang’s legal code, not you. Do you understand?”
“This humble one understands. Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!” Although he would suffer some physical pain, at least he had saved his job and his head.
After the jailer left to receive his punishment, Li Shimin brought a bucket of water, soaked a cloth and placed it on Li Jiancheng’s forehead. The latter kept talking deliriously, speaking in broken fragments that were unclear. The only thing Li Shimin could make out clearly was the name “Jirong” – it seemed he already knew about the deaths of Jirong and her three children.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, footsteps echoed in the narrow corridor. Then Duan Zhihong brought Imperial Physician Li into the cell. After taking the pulse, he said, “Your Highness need not worry. His Highness the First Prince has a fever caused by wind and cold entering the body. It’s not serious. Taking medicine according to prescription should cure it, but…”
Seeing his hesitation, Li Shimin said, “Imperial Physician Li, please speak freely.”
“The prison cell is dark, damp, and the air is foul – it’s really not a place for recuperation. Moreover, His Highness the First Prince is currently weak. This subject worries that before the old illness is cured, new illness will arise, and then… it would be troublesome.”
Li Shimin nodded, “I understand. Imperial Physician Li, please return first. I’ll have someone come get the medicine shortly.”
After seeing Imperial Physician Li off, Li Shimin said to Duan Zhihong, who was waiting nearby, “Go find a carriage.”
Although Li Shimin didn’t say it explicitly, Duan Zhihong had followed him for so many years – how could he not understand? He wanted to take Li Jiancheng out of the prison for treatment. If it were just for treatment, that would be fine, but the fear was that once taken out, he would never return.
Seeing him hesitate without moving, Li Shimin urged, “Why aren’t you going?”