Long live Emperor Wu!

He paused and added:
"I am very happy to see my father become the emperor."

Wu Rou heard this and turned around and asked:

"How do you know he is happy? Maybe he is crying secretly behind his back?"

Li Shan looked up at her speechlessly and said helplessly:

"Father, why does he need to cry behind his back? He always cries in front of others, [-]% true and [-]% false. In short... you don't understand him."

Wu Rou raised her chin, then raised her eyes to look at the sky, clasped her hands together and said:

"His Majesty Taizong...telling this to your own son certainly does not constitute breach of promise and leaking secrets. Please forgive me."

Seeing her chattering like this, Li Shan couldn't help but laugh out loud and said:

"What are you going to say...what is there about my father that I don't know?"

Wu Rou put down her hand directly and said:
"Of course, you don't follow him every day, and there are times when you are away. Do you remember that year, after your eldest brother passed away, Emperor Taizong was sad for several days, and then ran to Tianfu Temple without anyone else? Offer incense to Queen Wende.”

Li Shan thought for a while and then nodded. When he was left in the palace to handle government affairs, he did not take any of the ceremonial maids and court servant Chu Suiliang with him.

Wu Rou then said:

"At that time, Emperor Taizong knelt down alone in front of Queen Wende's memorial tablet and cried miserably. He asked whether he should not seize the throne or kill his brothers, so he had done evil and deserved retribution. Otherwise, how could he have lost one after another? Wife and children..."

When Li Shan heard this, his eyes swayed violently, his mouth opened slightly, and he looked at Wu Rou without speaking for a long time, obviously not believing it.

After a while he said:
"Although my father is gone, we can't arrange it at will. Those two prayers you just prayed were just to avoid being punished for lying, right?"

Wu Rou tugged her eyebrows and said anxiously:
"Why did I lie to you? It's true."

Li Shan shook his head and said with a smile:
"My father... I know that when he mentioned the Xuanwu Sect Incident in the past, he was always confident and confident. He was not afraid of history writing or what people said about him. If he regrets at all, he cannot be so magnanimous."

Wu Rou thought for a while and said:
"After Emperor Taizong came out, he did say that he had never regretted it, and that what he had just said was all nonsense and did not count. He also told Chu Suiliang not to record it. If he wrote a word in it, he would be killed.

I think he definitely doesn’t regret it, but he must have wavered. People are not dead things. How can they not worry and think too much? They just adjust themselves.

Your Majesty, there is no need to be too harsh on yourself. You feel that Emperor Taizong is the perfect emperor and you are not as good as him, so you feel worried.

He may not necessarily tell you where he is suffering in his heart. "

Wu Rou was afraid that she was not lenient enough, so she pushed him with her elbow again and said:

"Even when His Majesty can't bear it, don't you still have me? Sister, I will make up my mind for you."

Li Shanqian was still smiling. When he heard her calling herself sister, he rolled his eyes at her impatiently and said:
"Shut up!... I'm not saying I want to help. Just finish reading and go to bed."

……

……

It was just an early morning meeting the next day. Gao Jifu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, appeared in Wude Hall in response to the imperial edict.

Li Shan ordered tea to be given, and Gao Jifu sat on a small stool, holding the tea bowl tremblingly, and drank sip after sip.

Li Shan held the unfolded memorial in his hand and glanced at him unbearably.

Gao Jifu is 58 years old, puffy and has some unhealthy flushing on his cheeks.

That was only possible on foot. When they arrived at the gate of Taiji Palace, all the officials got off their horses and walked here.

Let him come to Wude Hall without having to step on the 99 steps leading to Tai Chi Hall, which is somewhat easier.

But even so, the veteran of the Three Dynasties was so exhausted that he sat there with his chest panting, and the hands holding the tea were trembling. Li Shan pursed his lips, finally leaned forward, and asked warmly:
"Gao Aiqing, are you feeling better recently?"

Gao Jifu heard this and quickly went to put the tea bowl, but his arms were trembling and he couldn't move faster even if he wanted to. He looked very pitiful.

Li Shan quickly stretched out his hand to stop him and said:

"You drink slowly, I'm just chatting, don't be nervous."

Gao Jifu calmed down a little and looked straight at the young emperor with his slightly cloudy old eyes.

After a while, he lowered his head slightly, as if thinking about something, sighed and said:

"I am old, and I have been sick recently. I always delay political affairs. In fact, I should have stepped down and let the young people do it. Does your Majesty have a suitable candidate in mind to take my place?"

Li Shan knew that he already knew what he was going to say.

Serving an official career when you are old is not the same thing as being dismissed from office and returning home. Especially for veterans who have worked hard all their lives and have gained reputation and prestige for many years, no one wants to be buried soon and be stained with infamy.

Li Shan was originally hesitant about what to say, but now he said that he would take the initiative to resign. For a moment... Li Shan didn't know whether he should follow his words and replace the responsibility of dismissal with resignation instead of taking the initiative to resign.

He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then said aloud:
"Now that the boss knows, I will say a few words to you sincerely.

Your Excellency also knows that I am very concerned about the affairs of Muzhou. Whether it is from the people or the court, someone needs to take responsibility, so as to appease the people externally and set an example internally.

To be honest with you, my uncle Changsun Wuji, although he is a Taiwei, is in charge of the affairs of Shangshu and Zhongshu. I had hoped that he would take the initiative to stand up and take responsibility, and I would give him a lighter sentence. "

Li Shan sighed deeply and said:

"I am somewhat disappointed... He is unwilling and unwilling to punish anyone, as if this matter is no big deal.

He is my uncle, and he is also the auxiliary minister entrusted by the late emperor..."

Li Shan seemed to have a headache, and then he suddenly realized something and said to Gao Jifu:

"My lord, please do not say these words to Changsun Wuji."

When Gao Jifu heard this, his eyes sparkled, he was somewhat flattered and moved, and he raised his hands and said:
"Old minister knows."

Li Shan took another breath, looked at him for a while with calm and calm eyebrows, and said:

"After much thought, I can only aggrieve your lord, take responsibility and resign, and retire from the position of Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Just as the old master said, the master himself has to retreat due to physical reasons, so he just has an excuse and feels better.

For others, if I really quit my job, I would really be a little intolerable. "

Gao Jifu had long understood these principles at home, so when he arrived, he did not plead for mercy or defend himself. He lowered his head and looked at the tea bowl next to him, sighed again, and said:

"I know that His Majesty can say this with all his heart, and I don't have any grievances in my heart... It would be an honor for me if I could share some of His Majesty's worries before I retire."

When Li Shan heard this, he frowned slightly, as if he was filled with a faint mist of sadness, and he couldn't bear to feel any more.

However, what needs to be done is still done.

He continued what he had said at the beginning, and asked in a gentle and calm voice:

"As for the candidate to replace your Excellency, does your Excellency have anyone to recommend?"

When Gao Jifu heard this, he hesitated for a moment, lowered his eyes and cupped his hands and said:
"The Ministry of Personnel controls the selection and promotion of officials, which is very important. I think... Chu Suiliang is more suitable."

After listening to his words, Li Shan's originally unbearable pain suddenly became much colder, and he looked at him steadily with a pair of clear eyes...