Chapter One: The Mischievous Prince Li Yun

In the tenth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, at the Liang Prince's residence in Chang'an, Prince Li Yin, the sixth son of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin, fell from his horse and lost consciousness. The residence was thrown into chaos, urgently calling for imperial physicians to provide treatment. Emperor Taizong also accompanied the prince's mother, Consort Yang, to visit him. However, as the prince had sustained a head injury, the physicians were at a loss. Consort Yang was so frightened that she fainted on the spot. Emperor Taizong ordered Prince Li Ke of Shu to stay behind to look after the prince and took Consort Yang back to the palace to recuperate.

In fact, this is the truth of the matter: Prince Liang, Li Yin, was not injured from falling off his horse, but rather was injured by the young man kneeling on the ground. The incident was too disgraceful for the royal family, which is why it was publicly declared that Prince Liang had fallen from his horse

At that moment, a young attendant rushed into the grand hall and knelt to report: "Your Majesty, the Duke of Song has come with his son, Xiao Cuo, to seek an audience!"

The white-bearded imperial physician, upon hearing that the Prince of Liang had awakened, first displayed a look of joy, but then sighed, thinking to himself that while both the Prince of Shu and the Prince of Liang were born of the same mother, the Prince of Shu was valiant and courageous, and treated the worthy with respect, earning the favor of His Majesty the Emperor Taizong. In contrast, the Prince of Liang was quite the opposite; he was known for his penchant for fighting, bullying the common people, and had long been infamous in the city of Chang'an, being one of the Emperor Taizong's most disliked sons, often mentioned alongside the Fifth Prince, the Prince of Yan, Li You, as the two great failures of the royal family.

The imperial physician, seeing that his scheme had been uncovered, wore a face full of embarrassment. At the same time, he was cursing the obstinate Prince Liang in his heart. Why did you have to injure yourself in such a way? Of all places, it had to be the head, and moreover, an internal injury. As far as I know, apart from the legendary Hua Tuo, no one has ever been said to be able to treat such an injury.

In fact, the matter is quite simple. This morning, Cheng Huailiang rode out of the city. Upon returning after his ride, he discovered that King Liang, Li Yin, was surrounding a carriage with his men, preventing those inside from leaving. The coachman had already been knocked to the ground. Now, only two women remained in the carriage, a mistress and a maid. Cheng Huailiang recognized one of them; she was actually the youngest granddaughter of Duke Xiao Yu of the Song state. Her name was Xiao Wenxin, and she was only fourteen years old this year. Although she was born of a concubine, her beauty was unparalleled, making her one of the most beautiful women in Chang'an. Cheng Huailiang had the fortune of meeting her once.

"Ouch! Why are you poking me with a needle?" At that moment, a voice coming from the bedroom saved the physician.

On the 22nd day of the 3rd month in the 10th year of the Zhenguan era, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict, citing the excessive unruliness of Prince Liang as the reason, and ordered him to be confined for three months. The daughter of Xiao Cuo, the second son of Duke Song, Xiao Wenxin, who is virtuous and gentle, was granted in marriage to Prince Liang, with a date for the wedding to be chosen.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin immediately felt an overwhelming headache. Now it was a problem at his doorstep; as a father, he had to clean up after his son. Xiao Cuo should be the father of Xiao Wenxin. Although he was a son of a concubine, it was said that he was quite favored by Xiao Yu, which made things troublesome. The father and son of Cheng Yaojin, standing by the prince, exchanged smiles; they had nothing to do with the matter now and could simply enjoy the show.

Your Majesty, this old minister has failed in teaching his son, resulting in this rebellious child injuring Prince Liang. I have now brought him bound before you, please punish him as you see fit, " said the formidable old minister

"Yes!" Cheng Huailiang responded, and then recounted the events of how he had injured King Liang.

Your Highness, the King of Shu!" An elderly physician with a white beard bowed before speaking, "The King of Liang has sustained a head injury, but the other minor injuries are not serious. The royal physician is currently administering acupuncture to stimulate the acupoints throughout His Highness's body, hoping to awaken him. As long as His Highness regains consciousness, there will be no major issues.

However, what he did not expect was that Prince Liang, Li Yin, was nothing but a fool. Not only did he refuse to heed Cheng Huailiang's advice, but he also verbally abused him and even instructed his subordinates to beat Cheng Huailiang. As the second son of the Duke of Lu, Cheng Huailiang had never endured such humiliation. Despite the fact that his opponent was a prince, Cheng Huailiang had inherited his father's temperament. When his temper flared, he acted recklessly, unleashing his fury and severely injuring several guards. Even Li Yin could not escape; he was sent flying by a single punch, his head striking the stone ground, rendering him unconscious. This is how the events unfolded.

Inside the Tai Chi Palace's Two Instruments Hall, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Taizong Li Shimin, is seated in the hall. This year, Li Shimin has just turned 37 years old, which is the prime of a man's life. Perhaps due to his years of military campaigns in his youth, his complexion appears somewhat rough. He has a square face, sharp eyebrows, and eyes that shine like lightning, presenting a remarkably masculine and heroic appearance

Xiao Yu, styled Shiweng, was the grandson of Emperor Xuan of the Later Liang, Xiao Cha, and the great-grandson of Crown Prince Zhao Ming, Xiao Tong. The Empress of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, of the Xiao clan, was his elder sister. Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan, and Xiao Yu's wife were cousins by marriage, which means that Li Shimin would have to address him as a distant uncle by marriage. Moreover, Xiao Yu was known for his strict and rigid demeanor, having repeatedly gone against the will of the emperor, resulting in his dismissal as chancellor three times. Yet, his temperament remained unchanged. Usually, Li Shimin would give him some leeway, but unexpectedly, his unruly son dared to provoke his granddaughter

"If you wake up, there will be no problem; but what if you cannot wake up?" Li Ke was astute and perceptive, not easily deceived like ordinary people, and immediately discerned the underlying meaning in the physician's words.

"Dissociative Disorder?" Li Ke was taken aback, "When will it be possible to recover?"

"Huai Liang, please elaborate on the details of the matter!" Li Shimin said, glancing at Cheng Huai Liang, who resembled his father. Cheng Huai Liang was already engaged to Princess Qinghe, but since the princess was only thirteen years old, the marriage had not yet taken place.

"Your Majesty, the King of Shu, the Prince of Liang has sustained a head injury, and the impact was severe, which may lead to a condition known as 'loss of soul.'" The chief physician Wang immediately stood up and said. Li Yin, awakening with a dazed expression, began to speak incoherently, prompting the experienced chief physician Wang to quickly determine that it was indeed a case of 'loss of soul,' which essentially refers to amnesia.

"Sixth brother, you have finally awakened. Mother has been so worried about you that she fell ill. Now, this is good news!" Li Ke said with a face full of joy. Although the sixth brother had just regained consciousness, judging by his complexion and demeanor, his injuries were certainly not severe, and Mother should recover immediately upon hearing this.

Although Xiao Yu and his father Cheng Yaojin are at odds, since this matter has come to Cheng Huailiang's attention, he cannot ignore it. Moreover, Li Yin's notorious reputation for mischief is well-known throughout the city. Now, blocking Xiao Wenxin's carriage and refusing to let it pass, while also injuring the coachman, clearly indicates ill intentions.

Brother? What kind of address is this? What play is being filmed? I have only heard of the Hundred Plays. King Li Ke of Shu was utterly confused, not understanding what his mischievous younger brother was talking about. Could it be that he is still unwell? With this thought, Li Ke's gaze turned to the royal physician Wang beside him

In the grand hall, an old man and a young man are kneeling on the ground. The young man is tightly bound with ropes, while the elderly man, with graying hair, possesses a remarkably strong physique. His loose ceremonial robe cannot conceal the muscles bulging beneath it. He has large, bell-like eyes, broom-like eyebrows, and broad ears with a wide mouth, exuding a formidable presence.

"This... I, your humble servant... cannot say for certain. It may take three to five days, or three to five years, or it may be that recovery is never possible." The royal physician Wang felt a slight sweat on his forehead. The condition known as 'loss of soul' is caused by severe trauma to the head or significant psychological stress, and throughout history, no physician has been able to ascertain its cause. Some patients with this condition recover their memories in just a few days, while others may never regain their memories. Therefore, Wang could not make a definitive judgment and could only muster the courage to convey the truth. After all, the King of Shu is magnanimous and would not be as unreasonable as the King of Liang.

This time, Li Ke was thoroughly frightened, and the court physicians hurriedly rushed forward in a flurry to provide aid. The servants of the Liang Wangfu were also sent in all directions, creating a scene of chaos throughout the Liang Wangfu

"Sixth brother!" Li Ke exclaimed with great surprise, rushing into the bedroom.

Li Shimin slammed the table in anger, his handsome face flushed with rage. He was fully aware of what kind of character his reckless son possessed; he would certainly resort to acts of force against women. However, he never expected that this time his son would be so bold as to dare to target Xiao Yu's granddaughter.

Li Shimin glanced at the two kneeling on the ground, sighed, and said: "Zhi Jie, please rise. This matter is primarily the fault of King Liang; Huai Liang is innocent. Quickly release him!"

Thank you, Your Majesty

"How is it? Has Sixth Brother woken up yet?" After a long wait for a physician to come out, Li Ke hurriedly grabbed him and asked.

The minister known as Zhi Jie is historically renowned as Cheng Yaojin, and the one bound is his second son, Cheng Huailiang. Upon hearing that Li Shimin pardoned his son, he immediately stood up to untie him. The son was innocent from the beginning; the reason he bound his son was merely to express a stance, as he knew that Li Shimin would certainly not punish his own son. Moreover, since Cheng Huailiang was also a son-in-law, Li Shimin would be even less likely to take action against him. This illustrates that although Cheng Yaojin appears to be loyal and honest on the surface, he is, in fact, extremely cunning inside. Otherwise, he would not have remained steadfast in the Tang Dynasty.

Uh, brother, are you filming?" Li Yun's gaze turned to Li Ke, observing him for a long time, then he glanced at the several imperial physicians around before finally uttering his first words after waking up

Li Ke rushed into the bedroom and saw his good younger brother sitting on the bed, with numerous silver needles stuck in his head, looking around in confusion.

Outside the chamber of King Liang, a tall and handsome young man dressed in royal attire is anxiously pacing back and forth. His face, resembling a jade crown, is filled with worry. This young man is Li Ke, the King of Shu. Li Ke and Li Yin are both sons of Consort Yang, who is the daughter of the former Emperor Yang of Sui. Therefore, these two princes are connected to the royal bloodlines of two dynasties, making them extraordinarily noble in terms of lineage.

Li Ke had also heard of the condition known as amnesia, but he asked the imperial physician with a glimmer of hope in his heart. However, the answer shattered his last hope. Losing one's memory is certainly better than losing one's life, Li Ke consoled himself. Yet, upon further reflection, he thought that perhaps this amnesia might not be a bad thing for his sixth brother, who had been unruly since childhood.

Just waking up, Li Yin had no time to listen to what the two were saying. He was in a state of panic, frantically feeling around his upper body. When he finally touched the long hair on his head, his face was filled with shock. He then tugged at his hair and realized it was definitely not a wig. Instantly, he fell into a daze, and after two or three minutes, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted again.

If the Prince of Liang had been directly killed in the fall, how much better would that be? Chang'an would also be rid of a major calamity! The old white-bearded physician thought to himself, but unfortunately, the Prince of Liang had already regained consciousness. His injuries were not too severe, and it was estimated that he would be able to get out of bed in a few days. However, the injuries on the Prince of Liang did not appear to be from a fall at all.

At this point, Cheng Huailiang stepped forward to persuade Li Yin to let Xiao Wenxin leave. Although Cheng Huailiang was three years older than Li Yin, his fiancée, Princess Qinghe, was actually Li Yin's younger sister, which meant he had to address Li Yin as "brother-in-law".