Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 406: Three Refusal and Three Refusals, My Son is in Great Pain (First Update)
In the Taiji Hall, Li Chengqian, who was standing on the steps, was stunned.

The emperor wants to abdicate.

Abdicate and become the emperor emeritus.

Not to the point.

Although he did some tricks, it was not to the extent that the emperor was forced to abdicate!
At least we have to wait a while...

"Your Majesty!" Fang Xuanling was the first to step forward and said, "Your Majesty may be a little unwell, but it's not necessary for you to abdicate. I beg Your Majesty to revoke your order."

"I beg Your Majesty to revoke your order." Chu Suiliang, Ma Zhou, Li Ji, Yu Zhining, Tang Jian, Yan Lide, Liu Dewei, and almost all the court officials knelt down.

Only two people were still standing.

Li Chengqian.

Changsun Wuji.

Li Chengqian came to his senses, then stepped down from the steps and walked to the center of the hall. He kowtowed solemnly and said, "Father, I am young and unfamiliar with the affairs of state. The barbarians in all directions are full of ambition and constantly threaten the Tang Dynasty. I lack prestige and am far from being able to subdue the vassal states. There are also the provincial governors..."

"Alright." The emperor smiled and shook his head, saying, "You know my health. For the past three years, I have been recuperating most of the time, and you have been handling state affairs.

I have personally watched you mature in your administration step by step. Even if there are some flaws, you have the assistance of the ministers.

Even if the world is truly in turmoil, I will emerge from the palace and clean up the world's ambitious people."

The emperor's last words were full of murderous intent.

The ministers suddenly felt nervous.

"Father!" Li Chengqian trembled slightly and looked at the emperor with pleading eyes.

Li Shimin sighed lightly. He could see that when the real power came to his head, the look in Li Chengqian's eyes was not greed and joy, but fear from the bottom of his heart.

Because he knows how heavy the world is.

As heavy as Mount Tai.

However, as a ruler, one must have the strength to withstand the pressure of the whole world; one must have the courage to remain calm even when Mount Tai collapses in front of him.

"I understand the weight of the empire better than you do." The emperor raised his head, looked outside the palace, and sighed, "But I am old. Although I have some achievements and experience, my thinking is inevitably dull, which is not good for the empire. Therefore, I have decided to follow the example of Emperor Gaozu and voluntarily abdicate in my old age to protect myself, the empire, and for eternity."

Emperor Gaozu.

When the emperor mentioned Emperor Gaozu, the ministers couldn't help but flicker their eyes with confusion.

Did Emperor Gaozu abdicate voluntarily?
no.

After the bloody battle at Xuanwu Gate, Crown Prince Yin and Prince of Qi Li Yuanji both died, and the emperor took control of the world, which forced Emperor Gaozu to abdicate. How come the emperor now says that it was Emperor Gaozu who abdicated voluntarily?

Many people were confused, but many people also understood.

The emperor took this opportunity to make a conclusion on the incident that happened that year. Emperor Gaozu abdicated and made way for wise men, and he also followed Emperor Gaozu's example and abdicated, which made him a good name.

A reputation that has never been achieved in three generations.

Li Chengqian finally understood.

The emperor did have the idea of ​​abdicating, but what really determined him was his reputation.

The Xuanwu Gate incident has always been a huge stone hanging over the emperor's heart. If he could take advantage of this opportunity to completely cover up the Xuanwu Gate incident, it would be the greatest benefit to the emperor.

It even completely covered up the truth about the Xuanwu Gate incident.

Then tell future generations that his succession was the most orthodox.

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up, and he kowtowed solemnly, saying, "Father's wisdom and wisdom are unmatched in the past three generations. I, your son, also wish to follow in your footsteps and abdicate before I grow old.

But Father, the world is truly too difficult right now. I beg you to hold on for a few more years."

Most of the officials in the court were intelligent people. When Li Chengqian said this, he actually accepted the idea of ​​ascending the throne after the emperor abdicated. However, he still had to abide by the court rules and the tradition of refusing three times.

Moreover, he gave an answer that made the emperor extremely satisfied.

In the future, he will follow the example of Emperor Gaozu and abdicate early.

If three generations of grandparents and grandchildren all abdicate early and hand over power to the younger generation who are younger and more capable.

Then even if future generations cannot emulate it, people all over the world and countless descendants will admire the three generations of the Tang Dynasty.

If future generations could inherit this tradition, the stability of the Tang Dynasty would be unmatched by any other dynasty.

……

Li Chengqian kowtowed to the ground. Compared with the matter of inheriting the throne, what moved Li Chengqian was to completely eliminate the hidden dangers of the struggle for the throne in the future.

Throughout history, there have been a few emperors whom people have said would have been better off had they died earlier.

If Emperor Wu of Han had died ten years earlier, the things that brought discredit to his reputation in his later years would not have happened.

If Yang Guang had died ten years earlier, before the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo, his victories in foreign wars would have been enough to make him a famous ruler in history.

If Li Longji had died twenty years earlier, the Anshi Rebellion might not have been so tragic. Even if he had died thirty years earlier, at the end of the Kaiyuan period, without the Tianbao period, he would have been a natural saint, the greatest emperor within three generations, and even Emperor Wen of Han would have found it difficult to match him.

If Qianlong had died thirty years earlier, perhaps his Qing Dynasty would not have been helpless when invaded by other countries, and he would have been as wise as his father Yongzheng.

Of course, it is also possible that the Qing Dynasty would have perished earlier and China would not have suffered a century of suffering.

Throughout the ages, there has been only one person who, with the mercy of God, passed away at the most appropriate time.

It was his father who was now sitting on the imperial couch.

Li Chengqian closed his eyes slightly. What he just said was somewhat sincere.

When people reach the age of sixty, their energy declines and they become greedy for pleasure, especially the emperor.

This is detrimental to the government, to the world, and to the entire dynasty.

Therefore, timely abdication is also a good thing for the emperor.

At least Li Chengqian really thinks so now. After all, he is only in his twenties and there are still more than thirty years before he turns sixty.

As for what he will think when he is old, it depends on whether the court officials and the prince can "persuade" him to abdicate.

It would be fine if he could be "persuaded" to abdicate, after all, he was not as stubborn as Li Longji.

"The world is in a difficult situation, and I, a son, cannot bear the heavy responsibility. Please revoke your order for the sake of the sincere hearts of the people." Li Chengqian kowtowed again.

Li Shimin sat on the imperial couch, looking at the ministers kneeling in the hall, his eyes fell on Li Chengqian. He sighed softly in his heart.

He could see that at first, the prince was indeed shocked by his abdication. Then, he accurately captured the information he gave and responded. But once this sentence came out, it was equivalent to the prince accepting his abdication. In other words, the prince still had the idea of ​​sitting on the throne in his heart.

For a moment, Li Shimin's heart was filled with extremely complicated emotions.

But from the moment the prince finished speaking, everything began to go according to procedure.

"I have made up my mind, there is no need for you to say anything more, Prince." Li Shimin shook his head calmly and looked at the sitting Changsun Wuji.

Zhang Sun Wuji was the only one standing among the ministers. He turned around, bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I believe the Crown Prince's words are reasonable. Please revoke your order."

"I am in a difficult situation myself, which is not good for state affairs." Li Shimin shook his head again.

The ministers fell silent.

Finally, Li Daozong, the Minister of Rites, stood up and bowed to the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, hundreds of millions of people throughout the world admire your benevolence. If you abdicate, it will be like others losing their parents. I beg Your Majesty to revoke your order."

"Your Majesty, please revoke your order." Although the ministers followed suit, their hearts were already sinking to the extreme.

Because at this point, the emperor's abdication was a foregone conclusion, and they were filled with confusion.

The emperor abdicated and the person sitting on the throne became the crown prince, although over the years they had become accustomed to the crown prince acting on behalf of the emperor in handling state affairs.

But that was because they had the emperor above them, so they could feel at ease. Now that the emperor is gone, the prince...

Will the prince still be the same as before?

"No need to persuade me, I have made up my mind." Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian and asked, "Prince, Chengqian, you have been the Crown Prince since the first year of the Zhenguan era, and it has been twenty years now.

From the tenth year on, you began to oversee the country.

Especially in the past five years, I have been fighting foreign wars and recuperating from illness, and you have been handling all the affairs of the country.

The upper and lower parts are in harmony, the inside and the outside are in sync, and I believe you can shoulder the responsibility of governing the world."

Li Chengqian paused for a moment, then kowtowed again, saying firmly, "Your Majesty, your words are truly humiliating to me. Your Majesty is the sovereign, and I am your subject. Everything I do is my duty as a subject.

I have no intention of peeking in.

If I have done anything wrong, please remove me from the position of Crown Prince immediately, lest I lose the reputation of being loyal and filial."

Li Chengqian's decisive words echoed throughout the hall.

While the ministers looked solemn, they couldn't help but sigh in their hearts.

This taste finally got on track.

The emperor sat on the imperial couch and looked sideways at Changsun Wuji.

Zhangsun Wuji looked deeply at the emperor, then turned to look at Li Chengqian, and said with a folded hand, "Your Highness, since the end of the Sui Dynasty, and until the founding of the Tang Dynasty, during the Wude and Zhenguan periods, Your Majesty has been engaged in many years of war, and your health has long been deteriorating.

In recent years, with the recovery of Liaodong and the eastern expedition to Goguryeo, Your Majesty's illness flared up. His health occasionally improved, but he would relapse again when he was busy with state affairs.

Only by completely unloading the burden can Your Majesty's health improve and even prolong your life.

I implore Your Highness to uphold loyalty and filial piety, obey the will of Heaven, consider the country and the people first, and take over the throne and rule the world."

Li Chengqian hesitated for a moment, but still kowtowed and said, "Your son can continue as before and manage the government affairs as the Crown Prince. Your Majesty can rest and recuperate to nourish your health. You must never think of abdicating."

The ministers could tell that although the prince was still refusing, his tone had actually softened.

The Minister of Rites, Jiangxia County Prince Li Daozong, bowed and said, "If the name is not right, then the words will not flow. Although Your Highness is handling state affairs, he is cautious in everything and lacks the spirit of grandeur and decisiveness.

The affairs of the world are now hindered. If this continues, the world will inevitably be in trouble. Now that the merits and positions have been determined, and the will of heaven and man has also responded, I ask Your Highness to take the proper title and inherit the throne, so as not to let the world suffer."

"Your Highness, I beg you to take the proper position and inherit the throne, so that the people of the world will not suffer." All the ministers kowtowed.

Li Chengqian stood up slightly and said with a pained expression, "Father, I am deeply distressed by the thoughts of all the nobles."

……

"We cannot go against the crowd, so let it be." Li Shimin breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Zhang Ananda.

Zhang Ananda bowed solemnly, then walked up to the emperor and reached out to take the imperial edict.

At this moment, Li Chengqian suddenly looked up at the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, you are forcing me to do this. I have no objection, but I am a shallow child, and I know too little about the empire. I beg Your Majesty to consider the affairs of the empire and guide me and the other ministers when we encounter difficult situations. I beg Your Majesty to grant this, or I will rather die than accept this throne."

Li Shimin looked at Li Chengqian deeply and nodded, "Okay."

Zhang Ananda stood in front of the emperor, paused, and looked up at the emperor.

The emperor sighed deeply, then nodded slightly.

Zhang Ananda bowed, then picked up the imperial edict and quickly put it into his sleeve. Then he took out a new imperial edict and turned to face the ministers.

Turning around, Zhang Ananda walked down the steps, walked quickly to Changsun Wuji, and handed the imperial edict in his hand to Changsun Wuji.

When Changsun Wuji took the imperial edict, he felt it was heavy for a moment.

He closed his eyes slightly, then opened them, his expression becoming extremely solemn.

Zhang Sun Wuji walked to the upper left of the ministers and then opened the imperial edict and said, "On the first day of the first lunar month of the 22nd year of Zhenguan, the Emperor said:

Yu Xi!

The Qian Dao governs the heavens, and civilization thus controls the calendar.

The great treasure is called the throne, which is why the emperor occupies the highest position.

In the past, his merits and achievements were not carried forward, so he bowed and abdicated, and sought other places for examinations.

Since the Three Dynasties, the world has been one family, with succession to the throne and descendants inheriting the legacy.

Therefore, he was able to offer filial respect to the ancestral temple, predict long-term prosperity, bring blessings to future generations, and continue the throne.

I have received the mandate and am given the power to carry out the plan. However, I am always worried about the consequences and have been working hard on various government affairs for the past twenty-two years.

Now my energy is exhausted, I am old and tired of work, I have been obsessed with material things for a long time, I want to let go of the burdens and dust, just like taking off my shoes, and seek leisure and leisure to maintain peace and tranquility.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian, a descendant of Xiangfu, has always been known for his extraordinary talent. He is gifted with supernatural powers, wise and resourceful, and is able to serve as a prime minister, hold high positions, be in charge of all ministers, and be equal to the three levels.

The land belongs to Yuanliang, with a solid foundation. All nations are righteous, and the people are happy to support it. The Chinese are waiting and singing praises for their return.

It is now announced that the Emperor is on the throne of Chengqian. The relevant officials are preparing the ceremonies and will confer the title of Emperor on him at the appointed time.
All the dukes and ministers, the governors and the chief officials, down to the common people, should all obey me respectfully to show my will..."

(End of this chapter)