The Crown Prince? I Quit!

Let me start by bragging. Having read this book up to this point, I'd say that the main character and the supporting characters are both intelligent. Is that an exaggeration? All the descriptions, except for the names... Are almost entirely consistent with historical facts, if not completely so. Enough with the boasting, let's get down to business.

The protagonist is Li Chengqian? The female lead is Chang Le? Holy crap, these two are actually siblings! Author, are you some kind of god or demon?

I finished reading it and thought it was alright, but two plot points were a bit off-putting. The first was the scene in court where the author confronts Li Er about his alleged fratricide and patricide, and mocks the lack of familial affection within the royal family, putting Li Er in an awkward position.

You can run away, you can even refuse to be the crown prince, but you absolutely cannot utter the words "there is no kinship in the royal family." You can't even say this to the emperor in private, let alone in front of the entire court. Do you think that's like stomping on Li Shimin's face in the latrine?! You want to go to the Western Regions? You want to hold power and lead troops?

I've given up. The Tang Dynasty was one of the most powerful dynasties in Chinese history, and Li Shimin was one of the most enlightened rulers. But what is this book portraying him as? He has no tolerance for others and can't even tolerate the achievements of his own son. Where is the image of a wise and virtuous ruler? I really can't be bothered to read it.

Reconstruction map of Daming Palace

It's quite absurd. China had four-wheeled carriages very early on, especially the powerful and wealthy, who were certainly familiar with them. However, considering the diverse terrain of our vast empire and the ease of turning, two-wheeled carriages were ultimately chosen. This was driven by practical considerations. Seeing the supporting characters reacting with such surprise is quite speechless.

We'll conquer the Western Regions directly. If Li Er causes trouble again, we'll fight him. Doesn't he say there's no father-son relationship before the throne? Then we'll march to Chang'an and capture Li Er alive. You think only what I give you is yours, and you can't take what I don't give you? I'll take it anyway, capture Li Er alive, and make him nurse children in the harem.

To be honest, the Ming Dynasty wouldn't become a vassal state of anyone. From the time Zhu Yuanzhang rose from humble beginnings to conquer the world, the Zhu family had never backed down. Perhaps there were a few fools, but since it's called the Ming Dynasty, it's simple: fight! Who wants to serve Li Er (Emperor Taizong of Tang)? The Ming Dynasty had no respect for Li Er.

The initial escape plot was reasonably plausible, and the character's bravado was well-executed. However, once Chang Le was taken away, the story immediately turned into mindless nonsense, completely lacking in historical accuracy, and became highly toxic. If Empress Changle had run away from her arranged marriage, we could at least accept it. At least it makes some sense.