Chapter 45 Defending Imperial Dignity

Normally, Li Shen would not even bother attending a princess's wedding. He would simply have a generous gift sent over. However, Li Shen recalled a specific television drama scene where Princess Nanping was married to the son of Wang Gui.

Wang Gui had declared, "Now that the Emperor is wise and benevolent, all actions and manners must conform strictly to ritual. When I accept the Princess's bow, it is not for my own glory, but to display the supreme virtue of the imperial court." He and his wife had then sat high upon their seats, making the Princess bow to them.

Ever since that precedent, whenever a princess married, if her parents-in-law were still alive, she was required to perform the traditional bows of an ordinary daughter-in-law. If Li Shen were just an ordinary person, he might have found this reasonable.

Yet people view things differently depending on their status and position, and Li Shen was now a member of the imperial family and a Prince of the First Rank. To be honest, even if someone asked Li Shen to champion absolute equality, his heart would refuse. Having finally climbed to a position above others, why would he ever want to pull back down? Besides, true equality did not exist even in later generations—every era had its social classes.

Since ancient times, princesses marrying into a family had never been required to perform kneeling bows. Wang Gui's lofty talk of virtue was merely a pretentious display of his own power. He wanted to show off that even a princess had to kneel before him. Therefore, Li Shen had come today precisely to prevent this from happening; otherwise, officials in the future would cease to hold the imperial family in any regard.

In the early Tang Dynasty, weddings were traditionally held in the afternoon close to dusk; it was not until the Later Tang that the custom shifted to the morning. Li Shen intended to accompany the wedding procession all the way. He had no intention of letting this man Wang Gui diminish the noble status of an imperial prince. Only a fool like Li Tai would bow and humble himself to become Wang Gui's student just to curry favor. In Li Shen's view, simply allowing Wang Gui to tutor Li Tai was already a massive condescension, especially given how many great Confucian scholars filled the court.

People are inherently selfish, and this has been true throughout history. If you are an ordinary person, you naturally advocate for equality and resent special privileges. But if you are a wealthy merchant, a high official, or a celebrity, you harbor no such thoughts. Thus, most people vent their frustrations online whenever they catch a glimpse of privileged individuals. In his past life, Li Shen had been an ordinary man with no lofty moral sentiments. Now that he had managed to transmigrate into someone standing above the masses, he could never accept anyone forcing him back down to the level of a commoner.

Li Shen had come alongside Li Mengjiang, who was close friends with Princess Nanping and had thus joined the bridal procession. Li Mengjiang’s status within the princesses' quarters was rising steadily because Li Shen was wealthy and possessed the ear of Emperor Li Shimin and the Crown Prince.

Whenever Li Shen left the palace, he would often purchase a variety of delicious treats to bring back to Li Mengjiang, who readily shared them with her sisters. Consequently, all the princesses held Li Mengjiang in high regard, and Li Mengjiang knew full well that she possessed an exceptional younger brother. She knew she would never be bullied when the time came for her to marry. Furthermore, Li Shen had stated on multiple occasions that he was steadily accumulating a lavish dowry for her, filling Li Mengjiang's heart with sweet delight.

The auspicious hour arrived, and the newlyweds prepared to pay homage to heaven and earth. True to Li Shen's expectations, Wang Gui began stirring up trouble. The wedding escort was led by Li Xiaogong, the Prince of Hejian. Wang Gui showed extreme reluctance to bow to the Princess as an elder, insisting instead that the Princess must kneel before her parents-in-law just like any commoner in the streets.

Speaking first as a senior member of the imperial clan, Li Xiaogong declared, "The Princess is, after all, of imperial lineage and supreme status. If she were to kneel before a subject, it would violate the proper bounds between ruler and subject. Should neighboring vassal states catch wind of this, they would mock our Great Tang for abandoning the rites."

Wang Gui retorted smoothly, "Our Great Tang is a land of ceremonial propriety. Even commoners observe these fundamental rites; why should the imperial court reverse them? Are we not afraid of becoming the laughingstock of outsiders? The current sovereign is supremely wise. If the Princess initiates the kowtow to her parents-in-law, it will only serve to further highlight the profound virtue of our Great Tang."

Wang Gui's tongue was as sharp as a blade, leaving everyone else momentarily speechless. Seeing this scene unfold, Li Shen realized he had no choice but to step into the fray. He strode forward and said,

"Minister Wang, your words are profoundly mistaken. The Princess is the ruler, and you are the subject. Yet you now attempt to place the ruler on equal footing with the common folk. Are you implying that my Li family is unworthy of being rulers? Furthermore, I fail to see what virtue lies in a ruler bowing to a subject; it is nothing less than a subversion of the moral order and a blatant display of a subject's ignorance of ritual. A ruler is a ruler, and a subject is a subject. If this were to spread to neighboring states, our imperial house would become a permanent joke. Since ancient times, no such principle as a ruler bowing to a subject has ever existed. I can only wonder if Your Excellency, serving as the Minister of Rites, is truly so ignorant of even these basic proprieties, or if you are simply using this occasion to flaunt your own status and earn a reputation for defying imperial authority and forcing the throne to bow its head."

Li Shen’s words were razor-sharp, striking directly at the root of the matter. For a moment, Wang Gui was left utterly speechless. Yet Li Shen had no intention of letting him off so easily.

"Minister Wang, you hold the exalted position of Minister of Rites. Can it be that you genuinely do not understand the protocol governing ruler and subject? From the Qin Dynasty down to the present day, have you ever witnessed a sovereign kneeling to a commoner? You invent countless excuses purely to fish for undesirably hollow fame. If you are so eager to emulate the common folk, why do you not also emulate the common folk by paying agricultural taxes? Have you perhaps forgotten that you enjoy a standard of living far surpassing that of the common people? Surely someone as talented as yourself cannot be ignorant of the maxim: 'A ruler employs his subjects with ritual, and subjects serve their ruler with loyalty.' First, you submitted memorials arguing that officials need not bow to the Prince of Han, and then you compelled the Prince of Wei to perform the full kowtow of a student. Now, you attempt to force a Princess to kneel. As a subject, you repeatedly erode the dignity of the imperial house. Is this how you demonstrate loyalty to your sovereign? Or perhaps you believe that my father, the sovereign, treats a subject like you with insufficient courtesy, making him unworthy of your loyalty—or do you harbor some other ulterior motive behind this systematic weakening of imperial authority?"

Every single sentence uttered by Li Shen struck like a honed blade, each stroke slashing directly at Wang Gui's neck. Wang Gui felt as though this Prince of Ji was actively plotting his execution. If these accusations were allowed to stick, his entire household would face execution down to the nine familial generations.

"Your Highness... Your Highness the Prince of Ji, this subject harbors no such intentions whatsoever!" Wang Gui stammered, his face pale. "This subject is fiercely loyal to the Great Tang and fiercely loyal to His Majesty, utterly devoted to the Emperor! This subject... this subject merely thought that if we were to emulate the common folk in bowing to parents-in-law, the populace would surely take the imperial house as their exemplar. Since ancient times, the realm has been governed through filial piety."

"Ah, you speak with such sound logic. You wish to emulate the common people and set an example for them," Li Shen replied smoothly. "Very well, since that is your stance, you are entirely correct. Tomorrow, I shall submit a formal memorial to the court, stating that Minister Wang has advised us to follow popular customs by compelling princes and nobles to pay grain and land taxes, while abolishing the tax-exempt privileges enjoyed by the aristocratic clans, thereby setting an exemplary standard for the common folk. I shall also request that my father issue an imperial edict broadcasting Minister Wang's supreme righteousness across the empire. Now, Royal Uncle, please continue with the ceremony. Today, our imperial family shall gladly set this fine example for him."

With these words, Li Shen stepped back into the crowd.

Wang Gui was terrified out of his wits. If such a proposal were genuinely brought before the court, every single prince, noble, and powerful aristocratic clan across the entire nation would grow to despise him to the marrow of their bones. Within three days, he would be impeached and stripped of his official post. And if Emperor Li Shimin were to actually adopt the suggestion, his entire family—young and old alike—would meet mysterious and untimely ends before long. These influential aristocrats certainly would not bother reasoning with him; this was nothing less than an attempt to ruin their livelihoods.

Li Xiaogong gave Li Shen a subtle nod of approval, his look clearly conveying: *You truly are ruthless.* Then, with a voice full of righteous solemnity, Li Xiaogong called out, "Let the Princess kneel..."

Before he could finish shouting out the instruction to bow to the high hall, Wang Gui shrieked,

"Wait! Prince of Hejian, this old minister believes that His Highness the Prince of Ji is entirely correct! A ruler is a ruler, and a subject is a subject. It was this old minister whose judgment erred. Since ancient times, the boundary between ruler and subject is distinct and should not mirror the common folk. We shall omit this part of the ritual!" Wang Gui said, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became, for he too valued his life. If he stubbornly forced the issue through, he would not only offend Emperor Li Shimin, but far worse, he would incur the wrath of every single noble family and aristocratic clan in the realm. Those powerful families were quite capable of digging up his ancestors' graves.

"Since that is the case, let us proceed directly to paying homage to heaven and earth," Li Xiaogong said, sensing that the proceedings had already dragged on too long and wishing to avoid further delays. "First bow to heaven... second bow to earth... bow to one another as husband and wife."

With all remaining formalities swiftly completed, the bride was escorted into the nuptial chamber. The guests then began to take their seats at the banquet, with the bride's and groom's families mingling accordingly. As a Prince of the First Rank, Li Shen was seated at the head table alongside Li Xiaogong, while Li Mengjiang and her fellow princesses were naturally accompanied by the female guests in their own quarters.