Long live Emperor Wu!

The day before Changsun Wuji's eldest son, Changsun Chong, was exiled to Lingnan, Princess Changle, dressed in plain clothes and wearing a hairpin, brought the imperial decree, fishing talisman and gold seal symbolizing the princess's identity into the Tai Chi Palace, like an emperor. Please resign.

Li Shan looked at his sister's miserable appearance, his eyes flinched, and then he said hoarsely:

"Eldest sister must be like this, does it make me feel bad?"

Princess Changle slowly placed the tray containing these things on the ground, raised her face, still with a gentle and loving expression, and said:

"I don't mean to make things difficult for you, but you have decisions you must make, and I have things I must do.

I have a very close relationship with my consort, and he and the children are going to suffer. How can I stay in Chang'an and enjoy happiness alone? "

She looked seriously into Li Shan's eyes and saw that he looked in pain, so she said sincerely:

"You are the emperor, and you have no choice but to do so. Sister, I don't blame you. Really...you should be selfish as the eldest sister and want to be with your children and husband. Once you leave, I'm afraid I won't be able to see you again in this life. You are too much." Take care of yourself."

After she finished speaking, she lifted up her dress and slowly stood up from the ground. In Li Shan's painful eyes, she looked at him carefully again, as if she was reluctant to part with him, and as if she wanted to remember his appearance in his memory. heart.

Then he lowered his head, turned around, and walked away decisively.

Li Shan looked at her leaving back and wanted to call her loudly, but he couldn't. His voice was stuck in his throat and between his teeth. Gradually, he turned into tears and poured out of his already red eyes. .

He suddenly turned around and looked at the plaque inscribed by Emperor Taizong above the Wude Hall, forcing himself to be cold and hard-hearted and not react.

Just tears streaming down his face, the tears quickly blurred his vision and he couldn't see anything clearly.

……

……

On the day Changsun Wuji left Chang'an, Pu Wang Li Tai died.

For no reason, he suddenly had a nosebleed and soon fell into a coma. The doctors extended his life for three days, but he still died.

The one who came to report the details was the old housekeeper who followed King Pu.

The old housekeeper cried with snot and tears, and told the emperor everything that happened before Li Tai died.

With his own feelings.

Li Shan listened as if he had seen his fourth brother suddenly turn from a living person into a corpse.

He leaned on the desk, his eyebrows lowered, and did not respond for a long time.

He suddenly felt that Princess Changle's farewell to him and Li Tai's death were all signals, a signal that he really wanted to be a loner for the sake of the stability of the imperial power.

From the beginning of this tragedy, his soul drifted aside, watching himself sitting here blankly, watching himself become numb in pain, and finally resigned to his fate.

The tears seemed to be cold.

Wu Rou heard the news and came in from the outside. She saw Li Shan sitting behind the desk with his face turned sideways, his eyes half closed, like a statue without a soul.

She walked to the housekeeper's side and stood there, asking:

"How could it be such a coincidence that His Highness Prince Pu was about to come to the court to testify against Changsun Wuji, and something suddenly happened? Isn't there anything abnormal in the palace?"

When the old housekeeper heard this, he stopped crying immediately, raised his eyes and looked at Wu Rou, as if he was thinking and recalling, and said:

"There is nothing unusual. The people following His Royal Highness Prince Pu are all old people in the mansion. The imperial doctor has checked it and there is no poison in the food they have eaten..."

When Li Shan heard this, his eyes finally moved. He remembered that Changsun Wuji was kneeling in the court, and when he heard that Li Tai could not come, there was a faint look of pride in his figure.

In an instant, he stood up and asked the chamberlain beside him:

"Where is Changsun Wuji now?"

The waiter on duty was a little flustered. He thought about it carefully and said:

"Your Majesty, according to the rules, Chenshi set off from Dali Temple. It's less than three quarters ago, so he probably hasn't left Chang'an City yet..."

After hearing this, Li Shan strode down from behind the desk. When he passed by Wu Rou, he whispered:

"I'm going to chase Changsun Wuji. I have some things to ask him. Wait until I come back." After saying that, he asked his chamberlain to prepare the clothes and horses for leaving the palace. He called Yan Wei and his people and left in a hurry.

……

……

Outside Chang'an City, Changsun Wuji was escorted by officials alone, and was escorted by two teams of government soldiers. He had just left the Suzaku Gate in Chang'an City.

He was shackled and wearing a white linen prison uniform. He turned his head and glanced back. On the towering city gate, there were several large characters about half a person's height called "Suzaku Gate", thick and majestic. Further inside, there were neighbors and rooftops. , all the way to the skyline.

The place where it intersects with the skyline is the eaves and tile roof of Taiji Hall.

That was the center and the highest place of power in the entire Tang Dynasty. In the past, when he stood there, it seemed as if the whole world was related to him. But what about now?

...Oh, an old man in white is about to die in an unknown remote place in a remote country.

Changsun Wuji felt infinite sadness in his heart. Thinking of his glorious life, but ended up like this, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

Suddenly, a group of people came to the street, a group of palace guards.

He was riding a horse, galloping towards him.

At that moment, his pupils dilated, and hope suddenly rose in his heart. Perhaps the young emperor finally understood his good intentions and couldn't live without him, so he regretted asking him to go back?

Sure enough, under his shining eyes, the guards stopped beside him and lined up on both sides. Li Shan appeared in front of him on horseback.

He was wearing a round-necked robe that was the official uniform of the palace. It was a gem-like blue with the unique luster of silk. There were no dragon patterns, and there were only patterns unique to the emperor swirling around the sleeves, which were not too conspicuous.

It was like the clothes he wore when he was held in his arms when he was the King of Jin when he was a child.

But the child who used to be kind and cute, and who called him uncle obediently, is now sitting on a horse with a frosty look on his face.

Li Shan grabbed the reins and reached out to lift the hood of the cloak on his head, revealing his entire face. The hair tie at the back of his head was quickly blown to the front, flapping gently with the wind. his cheek.

He looked at Changsun Wuji without dismounting.

Because Changsun Wuji looked at him with surprise and hope, and he didn't want him to misunderstand.

Sure enough, Changsun Wuji raised his face, and the light in his eyes gradually went out.

He did not kneel down, but smiled bitterly and said:

"Once we go, we probably won't see each other again in this life. How about we not be kings and ministers when we meet for the last time, but just talk about family ties?"

Li Shan looked at him, his eyes obviously flinching, and he pursed his lips.

He raised his eyes, looked at the official road in the distance, looked at the horizon where the official road led, and said:

"it is good."

After saying that, he climbed down from his horse in a dignified manner and stood in front of Changsun Wuji.

Changsun Wuji asked the questions in his heart:

"Your Majesty is not here to save me, so why?"

Li Shan looked him straight in the eyes and said:

"Fourth brother passed away suddenly. I thought maybe uncle knew what was going on."

At this time in history, Princess Changle had long been dead. Another princess, after the consort was exiled, really resigned from the status of a princess and went into exile with her. The two had a good relationship, but they had met each other and forgotten.