Drunkard's note: This ending is a serious drama, readers are advised to make their own choices.
Li Shimin slowly walked up the steps of Lingyan Pavilion. Sweat rolled down his gray temples and soaked his sky-blue silk shirt. Changsun Wuji followed behind him, panting. His body was not as strong as Li Shimin's.
, I have to rest several times every time I climb this small building. However, the monarch and his ministers have always maintained a certain tacit understanding. As long as they climb the Lingyan Pavilion, they never bring any entourage or let anyone support them.
They didn't want the portraits in Lingyan Pavilion to see their old age. The portraits there were all painted as they were in their prime, with high spirits and high spirits. Seeing them, Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji were reminded of
When I was young, they had endless energy and no fear in their hearts. Even when facing an enemy force ten times their size, they could smile calmly and calmly. With a smile.
Defeat those enemies one by one and trample them underfoot one by one.
Nowadays, they can't find any opponents. They can't even find anyone who dares to cause trouble to the Tang Dynasty secretly. Such days are a bit lonely, just like a sword that is used to slashing enemies.
Without the nourishment of blood, it will inevitably slowly rust. Therefore, the monarch and his ministers came to Lingyan Pavilion more and more frequently, and their stay gradually became longer.
The portrait of Hu Gong Qin Shubao is ranked twenty-fourth, holding an iron spear and carrying his famous tile-covered gold mace behind his back. He was already forty-five years old when he joined Li Shimin's army, and he fought with Li Shimin in every battle thereafter.
Li Shimin rushed to the front. He suffered too many injuries to protect Li Shimin, so he died of illness more than ten years ago. In terms of his military exploits against the Tang Dynasty, Qin Shubao was far inferior to other honorable ministers listed in Lingyan Pavilion.
.But when it comes to the friendship between monarch and minister, he occupies an extremely important position in Li Shimin's heart. So much so that long after his death, Li Shimin still used to hang his portrait outside the palace to stay for himself. Everything seemed like two people competing for supremacy.
then.
Yinggong Li Ji is currently leading the army stationed in Yingzhou, guarding the border of Liaodong for the Tang Dynasty. Changsun Wuji repeatedly persuaded Li Shimin to transfer him back to his side to prevent him from getting sick after being in the bitter cold land for a long time, but Li Shimin always shook his head and refused.
. Being urged too hastily, he said sternly: "Mao Gong is a pure minister who was personally praised by the late emperor. He will never have the idea of supporting an army and respecting himself. Don't use your own petty thoughts to speculate on him. He and you can't wait.
Same, I believe in him, and I believe in my own judgment even more!"
Changsun Wuji couldn't talk to Li Shimin, so he had to keep silent. However, he never concealed his guard against the Yingzhou Governor's Mansion. Today, when he saw Li Shimin wandering in front of Li Ji's portrait again, he stepped forward and said with a smile:
"General Xu hasn't returned to Beijing for more than two years. I don't know if he has seen his age now. I don't know how he got his body bones, but now he is stronger than an ordinary young man. When he dances, he is as easy as others.
Can’t get closer!”
"I need such warriors to guard the four sides!" Li Shimin turned around and glanced at Changsun Wuji with a smile, "Wuji, since the late emperor gave him the surname Li, don't always call him General Xu. According to his age and seniority, I
You and I should call him big brother!"
"He and I have different careers in civil and military affairs, but I dare not recognize him as my brother!" Changsun Wuji said in a very shameless manner, "He has a sophisticated mind. Who can predict what he will do in the future?"
"No matter how exquisite he is, he can still be more exquisite than you!" Li Shimin smiled and pushed Changsun Wuji, not daring to use too much force, for fear of pushing him down and injuring him. Among the gentlemen in Lingyan Pavilion, there are not many who are still alive today.
So much. So even though he knew that Changsun Wuji’s evaluation of Xu Maogong was slanderous, he didn’t care much about it. He who is a king must listen and understand, and he must rely on his own judgment. In the military book sent to his desk, Xu Maogong also
He never said anything good about Changsun Wuji. He either sued the other party for withholding military pay, or complained that the military rations were shipped too late, causing complaints among his brothers.
These two pillars of the Tang Dynasty were almost born to be sworn enemies. They had been at each other's throats from the Wude period until now. It is indeed an anomaly that they could both be safe and sound. Li Shimin believed that he could tolerate them, so he changed his mind.
A trusting monarch can confiscate the other party's family and exterminate their clan based only on one party's slander.
After two attempts to slander were ineffective, Changsun Wuji was secretly happy, pretending to give up in anger, followed Li Shimin, and moved forward. Frankly speaking, he had no conflict with Xu Maogong. But a minister has the status of a minister.
After all, the qualifications and power in their hands were too heavy, to the point where they could be ruined if they were not careful. He understood this, and so did Xu Maogong.
Moving forward slowly, the eyes of the emperor and his ministers swept across the faces of a group of old people. Hou Junji and Zhang Liang were killed on suspicion of rebellion. They were demoted for corruption. Their eldest grandson, Shunde, died in his exile. He died of illness.
Honorable Duke Yin Qiao, Qiao Gong Chai Shao, and Wei Gong Li Jing who stayed behind closed doors and refused to be visited by anyone. The rights and wrongs of those years are now gone. All that remains are the memories intertwined with blood and fire.
Turning to the second in line, Prince Zhao Li Xiaogong, Li Shimin stopped again. After staring at the portrait for a long time, he asked in a low voice: "Have you settled the descendants of Prince Zhao? I heard that Hebei Province has recently
The harvest is not good. Before Xiaogong died of illness, he squandered all his family property. Please take care of me more and don't let his descendants suffer from cold and hunger!"
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. The descendants of Prince Zhao each have fifty hectares of fertile land in their name. Even if they do not rely on the salary provided by the court, they can still live a comfortable life. Moreover, the prosperity of the people in the six counties of Boling is far from that of other places. Even if they suffer disasters
, with the family background in the past, I can still survive!" Changsun Wuji shrugged his shoulders and agreed nonchalantly.
Li Xiaogong, the king of Zhaojun, was ordered to take charge of the entire Jiangnan during the Wude period, and he has always been close to the hidden prince Li Jiancheng. Although Li Shimin did not pursue these matters, since he was on the wrong team back then, he should pay the price for his blindness. According to
According to the public opinion of the old ministers of the Prince of Qin, there should be no portrait of Li Xiaogong in Lingyan Pavilion. It was only because of Li Shimin's insistence that everyone had to bite the bullet and recognize this man's achievements.
"Oh! The six counties of Boling!" Li Shimin did not continue to dwell on the issue of taking more care of Li Xiaogong's surviving family. His mind was taken elsewhere by Changsun Wuji's words. "The six counties of Boling!" He sighed, his mood waning. "
Are the six counties of Boling still so prosperous? And the people there still care about Li Zhongjian's benefits?"
"People's memories don't last that long. They will only remember who made them live a good life now!" Realizing that he had said something wrong, Changsun Wuji quickly took action to make amends. "Besides, Li Zhongjian was the one who made it happen when the late emperor was still alive."
He secretly moved the people of the six counties of Boling to the north. From the first year of Wude to the fourth year of Wude, he did so without interruption. The group of old people who followed him back then were almost deceived by him into leaving the country. Those who were left behind were descendants from various places.
The new person who went there will not miss his old relationship!"
"That's true!" Li Shimin smiled and nodded, and as if he had seen through Changsun Wuji's hypocrisy, he smiled and shook his head. "You, don't fool me with these words. Let the Ministry of Household Affairs deliver the money and food for disaster relief as soon as possible.
Otherwise, people will say that I, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, am so out of tune that I treat the people under my rule worse than a powerful minister who supports soldiers and respects himself. Isn't it a big joke?"
Without waiting for Changsun Wuji to respond, he asked with a smile: "What has the Lord of Bohai been doing recently? Is he stealing from my people again? What new tricks is he playing? Have you asked carefully?" (Note 1)
Changsun Wuji's face turned stern and he said angrily: "The Lord of Bohai took all the Mohe tribes under his account last year and is busy dealing with the aftermath. He hasn't had time to use any tricks on Your Majesty! In my opinion, you
We should have sent troops to destroy him a long time ago. No need to worry about this or that when doing things! We should also be on guard every day that he is causing trouble secretly!"
"That place is too cold and the road is too long!" Li Shimin smiled bitterly and shook his head. "We already suffered from the weather when we attacked Goguryeo last time. We cannot suffer the same loss again. Besides, the leader of the Bohai Kingdom has always had military morale.
Having experienced hundreds of battles, he will not be easier to deal with than the kings and ministers of Goguryeo. If I face him, I may not be able to win completely!"
"Your Majesty is only concerned about the friendship back then, and Zhang doesn't know how to praise him!" Changsun Wuji shook his head disdainfully and cursed in a low voice.
However, Li Shimin refused to accept this disguised flattery. He smiled and said calmly: "Am I someone who would delay state affairs for personal affairs? I don't want to fight with him. First, our soldiers and horses of the Tang Dynasty are really not suitable for the Bohai Kingdom.
Secondly, I thought that is where my clothes are in the Central Plains, so there is no need to worry too much. Thirdly, haha, I have gradually discovered over the years that if people have some scruples in doing things, they will make a lot less mistakes.
Wrong! Wei Zheng is my mirror, and Bohai Kingdom can be my mirror of the Tang Dynasty!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Changsun Wuji bowed to Li Shimin respectfully, expressing his admiration for his lord's mind.
"Go! Stop playing tricks with me!" Li Shimin was already familiar with this set of things. He spat at the other person and cursed with a smile.
"Don't you want to make your Majesty happy?" After the trick was exposed, Changsun Wuji didn't feel embarrassed. He laughed a few times and continued: "But after Bohai annexed Mohe, Goguryeo had some troubles. Now Bohai
The national boundary has reached the upper reaches of Mazhai River. In winter, you can enter Goguryeo directly from the ice! "
"Can General Boling still be so good at fighting?" Hearing that there was a conflict between Bohai Kingdom and Goguryeo, Li Shimin's interest was immediately aroused. After he ascended the throne, he also tried to conquer Goguryeo to bleed the shame of the Central Plains' defeat. But
Due to many reasons such as weather and terrain, an undefeated stalemate was barely maintained. The leader of Bohae had an sworn hatred with Goguryeo. Since his territory was bordering Goguryeo, he would definitely not let the kings and ministers of Goguryeo sleep peacefully.
Sleep.
According to our spies, in the last quarter alone, more than twenty groups of Bohai horse thieves entered Goguryeo territory. When encountering Goguryeo officials, they swarmed them and chopped them into pieces with knives. When the Goguryeo soldiers came out from the camp to rescue them, they roared away again.
As a result, now, except for a few big cities on the north side of Mazhai River, Goguryeo officials dare not take up their posts. The Goguryeo monarchs and ministers are determined to send troops to retaliate, but they are afraid that our Yingzhou garrison will take advantage of it!"
"Very happy!" Li Shimin clapped his hands and laughed, as if he was the one who tormented the kings and ministers of Goguryeo so much that they couldn't sleep at night. After laughing, he seemed to be more than ten years younger. He patted Sun Wuji on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Wuji
, you know, I originally wanted to draw twenty-eight people in Lingyan Pavilion to correspond to Guangwu's twenty-eight Yuntai generals! Unfortunately, he would rather go away than serve for me!"
"He is not lucky!" Changsun Wuji replied softly.
"You don't understand, you don't understand!" Li Shimin continued to smile and shook his head, "Wuji, you are my humerus and my good minister. Zhang Zhongjian is not. He cannot be my good minister, but you will never understand his thoughts.
!”
"A person who even wants to change his surname! Tsk!" Changsun Wuji was very unconvinced and sprayed cold air from his nostrils.
Li Shimin looked at his confidants with a smile and continued to shake his head, "Wuji, you will never understand. To be honest, even I didn't understand why Zhongjian did what he did back then! He could have not left, if he hadn't left
, there must be a place for him in Lingyan Pavilion..."
Sighing unwillingly, Li Shimin said with a smile: "You people don't understand him. You actually didn't record the story of me, him, Luo Yi, and Prince Yin fighting the enemy side by side. In fact, it would be difficult to record it."
So what? Now that he has left the country, will he come back again?"
"I am afraid that someone will cause trouble in his name, not that he will come back." Changsun Wuji bowed and explained to Li Shimin again. He has explained this issue many times, but Li Shimin has always been worried about it. "
Moreover, the Spring and Autumn Period brushwork is also a precedent for saints. Although Zhang Zhongjian contributed a lot to the fortress incident, it involved Prince Yin and Luo Yi after all, so it is difficult to record him alone in the history of the Tang Dynasty. Furthermore,
Although that battle was fought more severely, it did not threaten the safety of the Central Plains. It was not a major battle that must be recorded. Instead of making it unclear, it is better to let it fade away. If your Majesty feels that something is wrong, you can discuss it with the historians, everyone.
This is definitely the same attitude.”
"It's up to you!" Li Shimin waved his hands helplessly and gave up the topic. He knew that even if he convened a group of ministers to discuss it, the final result would be similar to what Changsun Wuji said. The credit of raising troops in Taiyuan and conquering Chang'an was attributed to everyone.
Li Shimin was very clear about the specific reasons for this. After all, he had taken his brother's position, and he needed some high-sounding reasons to stop the world from talking about it.
However, in the eyes of future generations, I am afraid that the price of being charged with interfering with the compilation of history would be too high! Thinking of this, Li Shimin felt somewhat reluctant, sighed, and murmured, "I
In fact, I don’t care at all. The things I have done are enough to make me famous forever. Why bother to modify it?!"
"His Majesty said back then that history must be written by us!" Changsun Wuji smiled and replied in a low voice.
"Have I ever said this?" Li Shimin no longer remembered it, and asked with a frown, "When, when have I ever been so arrogant!"
Mentioning what happened back then, Changsun Wuji's eyes were immediately filled with enthusiasm and pride, "His Majesty told me, Liu Hongji, and my uncle back then. We were on the way back from visiting the second young lady. I always remember that Your Majesty said that back then.
His style has never been forgotten!"
"Did I say that?" Li Shimin asked blankly, looking through the screen window of Lingyan Pavilion to the north in the distance. In the evening sky, there was a faint cloud moving. Several huge meteors passed behind the clouds, lighting up the sky.
Dotted into a crimson color.
A dark red ball suddenly flew through the air and hit the screen window. Relying on the instinct developed from years of fighting, Li Shimin quickly dodged back, then stretched out his palm and neatly grabbed the red tassel on the ball.
"Who is messing around! Get it!" After doing this, he was panting from exhaustion, his face darkened instantly, and he was ready to teach the perpetrator a lesson.
The warriors who were on guard downstairs had already rushed out and caught the "assassin". Li Shimin angrily walked down the Lingyan Pavilion and saw a fifteen or six-year-old girl kneeling down at the foot of the steps, saying "Concubine".
Death penalty!" But there was no fear on his face!
Lingyan Pavilion was originally a small building inside the Royal Taoist Temple, and the surrounding area was very deserted. Very few people would approach it, and no palace maid would dare to sneak in and play. Therefore, the warriors were lax in their defenses, and a little girl was surprised.
When Li Shimin saw that the girl in front of him looked familiar, he was afraid that he would kill the wrong person in his anger, so he suppressed his anger and asked: "Which palace are you a wild girl? How can you be so bold? Is there no royal law in my palace?"
What?"
"I am your majesty's talented man Wu. Has your majesty already forgotten my concubine?" The girl asked with an aggrieved face and a pout on her lips.
"Wu family?" Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, and couldn't remember when he had sealed such a talented person. He was physically strong, so there were many women around him. Since the death of his eldest wife, Sun, the harem had been neglected, so he couldn't be named for a while.
The names of the concubines are quite normal.
"But, people have been listening, and I heard that His Majesty has a photographic memory!" The little girl was very aggrieved, lowered her head, and began to cry. It was not for the majesty of the monarch, but because she was ignored by others.
Li Shimin didn't appreciate such women. He always felt that the girl in front of him was a little too bold. Just when he was about to give the other party a severe punishment, Changsun Wuji quietly pulled his sleeve and whispered: "This girl is
The apple of Duke Ying's eye. Your Majesty, please be merciful!"
"Ying Guo Gong, which Ying Guo Gong?" Li Shimin turned around and asked Changsun Wuji. Guo Gong was the highest title granted to ministers with different surnames in the Tang Dynasty, and he did not remember that he had ever given such a title to him.
"It's the long-dead warrior General Qi who was granted the title Duke Ying by His Majesty the Late Emperor!"
"Oh!" Li Shimin suddenly realized, "It's the warrior Qi who followed Zhang Zhongjian and Liu Hongji back from Liaodong. I know it!"
Smiling and taking a few steps forward, he kindly helped Wu's talent stand up. "You, why are you acting like this!" The words in his mouth were still reproachful, and his tone already contained a bit of care and concern from the elders.
Warrior Qi's daughter is already so old. Li Shimin knows that his generation is really old. Holding the catkins in his palm, an unspeakable longing slowly wells up in his heart. It is nostalgia for youth and envy for youth.
, there is also a trace of regret and guilt for the past.
Wu Cairen let Li Shimin hold his arm like this, without hiding or being shy. His big eyes flickering were filled with fire.
This girl's future is limitless! Changsun Wuji's heart suddenly shuddered. He regretted that he had talked too much and should not have saved this fairy-like woman. But Wu's hand was already held in Li Shimin's palm. Even if he wanted to speak, he could not
The right opportunity was lost.
He will always pay the price for this mistake.
A few years later, the Wu family ascended the throne as emperor and named himself Zhao. With the support of his ministers, he redefined the family and completely broke the situation where wealthy families controlled the country.
The prosperous Tang Dynasty began from this.
Note 1: The Bohai Kingdom arose at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty. The specific time is not detailed. The region includes the northern parts of the three eastern provinces today, Vladivostok and Sakhalin Island. According to historical records, its domestic institutions and costumes are the same as those in the Central Plains. In the late Northern Song Dynasty, the country was destroyed
In the great integration of nationalities.
Note 2: Chorus (3) is actually the official ending of the book. The three epilogues are all added to satisfy readers who don’t like suspense. If you don’t like epilogue one, please choose epilogue two or three. If you don’t like them, please continue.
Read Drunkard's new book, "The Founding Thief". See you next Monday. Drunkard fan group: 31174986, you can chat.
