Datang: Just been appointed as the crown prince, the counterattack system is here

Chapter 185 No one knows how to pray for rain better than me! [Seeking monthly votes]

"His Majesty."

"I know, I was wrong again!"

Before Wei Zheng could finish his words, Li Shimin smiled wryly and shook his head. He then picked up his musket and muttered, "Self-knowledge leads to self-strength, while complacency leads to self-destruction. I thought I could surpass the retired emperor in educating my children, and even resented his favoritism. Little did I know that I had unknowingly embarked on this path."

As he spoke, tears could not stop flowing down his face and a terrible sound came out of his throat.

Fang Xuanling was afraid that Li Shimin might make a mistake, so he hurriedly asked Wushe to call the imperial physician. However, Li Shimin interrupted him with a wave of his hand and uttered a choked voice: "I am reflecting on myself. I am not as good as the prince!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, Fang Xuanling and others looked at each other, and their hearts also settled down.

Li Shimin's words were not as good as Li Chengqian's, but they more or less understood them.

After all, they all experienced the Xuanwu Gate incident.

If the positions of Li Chengqian and Li Shimin were swapped, the next plot might not be about sending muskets.

So, from this point of view alone, Li Chengqian is better than Li Shimin.

He didn't choose the most extreme approach.

However, he turned around and left with an attitude of disdain to follow Li Shimin's path.

This was the main reason why Li Shimin shed tears and reflected on himself.

He hoped that his son would not learn from him, but also hoped that his son would take him as an example. However, it was really heartbreaking to be taught by his son on the spot like this.

But he spoke with a tone filled with self-blame and shame, "I remember the first time I realized the pain of being oppressed by my father. Someone wanted to kill me with a horse. I just casually said, 'Life and death are determined by fate. How could he kill me?'"

"As a result, someone came to my father and slandered me, saying that I had claimed the Mandate of Heaven and was the ruler of the world, so how could I die in vain?"

"Then my father was furious and rebuked me to my face, saying, 'The Emperor's destiny is determined by heaven, not by intelligence. Why are you so anxious?'"

"At the time, I was very angry about this groundless accusation. I thought to myself, if I were not my father's biological son, but a meritorious official of a different surname, my father would have killed me long ago!"

"Later, Liu Wenjing's death made me even more terrified. The conflict between me and my eldest brother and the others became increasingly serious, and eventually reached a point of no return."

"Now it seems that if I had had a frank talk with my father, perhaps the outcome would have been different."

At this point, Li Shimin looked up at Fang Xuanling and the others, then sighed to the heavens, "Since I ascended the throne, I have examined myself three times a day, dared to accept advice, worked diligently to govern the country, fought against the Turks abroad, and expanded the territory. My achievements are beyond words. However, looking back today, I see that although I have made great military achievements, I still lack civil governance. My moral character is a mess, and I have failed this country and its people!"

"This"

Upon hearing this, the ministers looked at each other again, but no one interrupted Li Shimin when he was reviewing his gains and losses.

Because they were all smart people, they knew that if Li Shimin was not allowed to say these words, he would feel very depressed, and the relationship between the emperor and the prince would be difficult to improve.

After Li Shimin finished saying these words, he felt much better. He sat back on the throne and felt refreshed.

As expected, he issued several decrees as soon as he opened his mouth: "Minister of the Central Secretariat, convey my decree to appoint the Crown Prince as the Grand Commander of Jingzhou, supervising the military affairs of 28 states including Bashu, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Wu, and the provincial governors of each state, and supervising the military and political affairs of Jingzhou!"

"Convey my decree. Instruct the Ministry of Rites to prepare the Crown Prince's coronation ceremony, the Ministry of Works to build the coronation platform, and the Ministry of Rites to select an auspicious day for the coronation. Inform envoys from all countries to attend the Crown Prince's coronation ceremony."

"Convey my will."

"Report——!"

Before Li Shimin finished his third decree, a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Your Majesty, the Minister of Imperial Clan Affairs, Li Xiaogong, requests an audience."

"Announce him to come in!"

Li Shimin summoned Li Xiaogong in without any hesitation.

At this time, Li Xiaogong looked nervous.

Although he and Li Chengqian had reached an agreement that as long as Li Shimin agreed, he would arrange the best Prince's Mansion for Li Chengqian.

But during the period after Li Chengqian left, he thought about it over and over again, tossing and turning, always feeling that this matter was too dangerous. If Li Chengqian displeased Li Shimin because of the affairs of the Prince's Mansion, he might also suffer.

After all, Li Chengqian came to him first before going to the palace to find Li Shimin.

What if Li Shimin becomes suspicious and thinks that he was the one who instigated Li Chengqian to establish the Prince's Mansion? Wouldn't that be the end of it?

Therefore, even though Li Chengqian promised him a lot of benefits, he resolutely came to prove his innocence to Li Shimin.

As soon as he came in, he bowed respectfully to Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you!"

"Ok?"

Li Shimin was slightly taken aback, then said with a smile: "Xiaogong, you came at the right time. I was just about to issue an edict to you!"

Issue an order?

What's the meaning? !

Li Xiaogong's heart skipped a beat. "No way! Your Majesty has decided to punish me so quickly? I haven't even proven my innocence yet!"
"No, Your Majesty, please listen to me. The incident with the Crown Prince has nothing to do with me. I am wrongly accused!"

Li Xiaogong was terrified and immediately knelt down before Li Shimin, trying to defend himself: "I did not agree to the Crown Prince. It was the Crown Prince who said he would give me a winery. I also did not say I wanted to go to the club he opened and look at the black silk short skirt. Your Majesty, you know me well. I am loyal to you. I usually like to drink and watch dances. I have no other hobbies. You must understand this!"

Li Shimin: "."

Fang Xuanling and other ministers: “.”

A group of people looked at each other with strange expressions.

Especially Li Shimin, he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Damn it!

It's rare for my Li Tang royal family to produce a general who can stand on his own, so how could it be this kind of person?
Is your brain filled with mush?!

Have you forgotten how you were accused of treason when you were building a stone city in Bashu for fun, and how the emperor summoned you back and reprimanded you? And now you're getting yourself killed again?!
"puff"

Although the ministers tried their best to control their emotions, they couldn't help but burst into laughter in the end.

"Hahaha--"

"Uh,"

Hearing the laughter of the ministers, Li Xiaogong was confused and could not help but look at Li Shimin's face cautiously.

Li Shimin's face turned pale, and he couldn't help but raise his hand to his forehead, shaking his head and sighing.

No, what is going on?

Why did the ministers laugh?
I'm just stating the facts for Your Majesty to understand. Is there a problem with that?!

Just when Li Xiaogong was full of doubts, Li Shimin glared at him unhappily, and then said in a deep voice:
"I am not very smart, and I owe it to the ancestral temple to bestow upon me all of you, my beloved ministers. However, the country is currently facing a time of great turmoil. I wish to work together with you, my beloved ministers, to maintain peace both within and without, and to build a prosperous era together."

As soon as these words were spoken, the ministers immediately stopped laughing and bowed in agreement: "We are willing to assist Your Majesty and build a prosperous era together."

Li Shimin nodded, then turned his gaze to Li Xiaogong and said solemnly:
"Minister Zongzheng, listen to my order. I wish to transform the former Prince Qin's Palace into the Crown Prince's Palace. You will oversee this matter and there must be no mistakes!"

"what?"

Li Xiaogong was stunned.

He never imagined that Li Shimin would actually agree to Li Chengqian's establishment of the Prince's Mansion, and even change the Prince of Qin's Mansion into the Prince's Mansion.

What is the Qin Palace? It's the birthplace of the dragon!
It seems that His Majesty favors the Crown Prince far more than other princes. Didn’t my actions just now mean selling out the Crown Prince?
No wonder the ministers made fun of me. It turned out that I did something very stupid!
Thinking of this, Li Xiaogong's face turned red quickly, just like a drunk monkey's butt.

Li Shimin glanced at him, then at Fang Xuanling and the others, frowned and said, "Let's put the newspaper matter aside for now. Let's talk about this matter after the Crown Prince prays for rain!"

The ministers looked at each other, thinking that His Majesty had finally repented, and said in unison: "We obey your command!"

"Okay, let's all get down!"

"promise!"

The ministers responded and quickly left the hall.

After watching them leave, Li Shimin's eyes fell on the broken pieces of teacup in the hall, staring at them in a daze.

After a long pause, he finally uttered Li Yuan's lament: "This boy has been in command of the army for a long time, and he is a tyrant outside. He has been taught by scholars and is no longer my son!"

It was obvious that Li Chengqian's shot had dealt him a heavy blow.

He clearly realized the fact that the current Li Chengqian was no longer the original Li Chengqian.

Thinking of this, Li Shimin couldn't help feeling sad and shed tears alone.

Faced with this kind of political hidden danger and family crisis that has been difficult to avoid in all dynasties, even the wise and capable Khan could not find a suitable solution.

In addition, Li Chengqian's rapid growth also made Li Shimin feel extremely worried and panicked, causing him to ask himself: "What should I do? What should I do?!"

And the other side.

Li Chengqian, who had just left Ganlu Palace, was riding in a carriage heading to Taichang Temple.

Although Li Shimin only promised him verbally, just like last time, that he would crown him as long as he prayed for rain successfully.

But this time is obviously different from last time.

Last time, Li Chengqian and Li Yuan were secretly plotting against Li Shimin, but this time, Li Chengqian confronted him directly, leaving him no choice. It was like a conspiracy, one overt and one covert.

Conspiracies make people angry and embarrassed, while open conspiracies make people weigh the pros and cons.

As long as Li Shimin still had a bit of imperial rationality, he would never go back on his word.

Because he knows the consequences of going back on his word.

As for why Li Chengqian didn't just shoot Li Shimin to death and put an end to it.

Li Chengqian also thought about this issue carefully.

What would happen if he killed Li Shimin.

The first thing that is certain is that the Xuanwu Gate Inheritance Law has been thoroughly implemented.

Secondly, he threw away all his advantages. He played a hand that had a great start badly, and in the end he got nothing in return and ended up making things difficult for others.

Some people may wonder why this is happening?
To put it simply, what does Li Shimin mean to the Tang Dynasty or this era.

You should know that most of the territory of the Li Tang Dynasty was conquered by Li Shimin, and his strength was equivalent to that of an emperor who suppressed an era.

The aristocratic families that he suppressed were equivalent to the geniuses of the major clans.

If the emperor died, the geniuses would celebrate, and the path to becoming an emperor would appear.

Then, some people may wonder, after Li Shimin's death, why was Li Zhi able to ascend the throne smoothly? This depends on Li Shimin's various tricks during the "Zhenguan Reign".

The most important achievement was the system of separation of soldiers and generals.

What is the system of separation of soldiers and generals?

In the past, each aristocratic family had its own general with his own household troops, but after the implementation of the system of separation of generals and soldiers, generals were generals and soldiers were soldiers.

The Li family's soldiers were training in Hebei. If the Zhang family's generals wanted to attack Nanling, then the Li family's soldiers would have to be transferred to the south and commanded by the Zhang family's generals.

The generals of the Li family commanded the soldiers of the Wang family to assist the generals of the Zhang family in battle.

In this way, the military power of the aristocratic families was taken away.

Without military power, there is no strength to rebel.

As for the later Anshi Rebellion, it was another situation.

Let me first talk about the current situation.

The Li family brings the Li family's soldiers, the Zhang family brings the Zhang family's soldiers. If the Wang family becomes the commander-in-chief, they will command the soldiers of the Li and Zhang families, but their generals will still be the generals of the Li and Zhang families.

The military power is also in the hands of the aristocratic families.

Without Li Shimin, even kings, princes, generals and ministers would have no status.

But with Li Shimin, it means everyone is happy.

Isn’t there a saying that goes like this?

You have weapons in your hands, and I don't, so let's talk about the law, rules, and reason.

You have weapons in your hands, and I have weapons in my hands, so let's talk about fate.

The so-called laws, rules, and principles are nothing more than shackles for the weak and tools for the strong.

After all, this was a social form in which the emperor, royal family, gentry, nobles, and powerful people coexisted and governed together, and no one was willing to submit to anyone else.

The Li Tang Dynasty had only been in existence for a dozen years, and the national cohesion was not yet that strong.

Not everyone needs to be loyal to Li Tang to be considered orthodox.

Therefore, instead of killing Li Shimin and causing chaos in the world, it is better to keep Li Shimin, stabilize the current situation, and make use of the opportunity.

What's more, people will eventually grow old.

Li Chengqian was also afraid that his descendants would one day do the same as he did and kill him for the throne.

As the saying goes, it is easy to defeat a thief in the mountains, but difficult to defeat a thief in the heart.

Although he has a system with a long theoretical lifespan, given his advantage, there is really no need for him to make such a bad move.

After all, he is not the cripple, and he is not in a desperate situation where he has to gamble everything on it.

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian's mouth curled up slightly, thinking to himself that the shot just now was really cool, and it must have scared Emperor Li II and the others silly.

However, it is also gratifying to be able to successfully achieve one's goals.

"The next step is to see if the rain prayer goes smoothly!"

Li Chengqian muttered to himself with delight, then took out the memoirs he had written during this period and studied them carefully.

Because the modern knowledge in his head was scattered, Li Chengqian would write down every time he thought of something, an event, or a point of knowledge.

Over time, this memoir, similar to a private diary, was formed in his hands.

Although the recorded content was not organized, Li Chengqian was still very familiar with what he wrote.

For example, he has basically gathered some knowledge points about artificial rainfall through constant recollection.

In fact, artificial rainfall is very simple. As long as you find a suitable cloud and spray some catalysts into it, you can turn an ordinary cloud into a cloud that can produce rain.

The rain-praying method that Li Chengqian prepared was actually artificial rainfall.

"Your Highness, we're here!"

Just as Li Chengqian was getting familiar with the process of artificial rainfall, Lai Fu, who was outside the carriage, whispered a reminder to him.

He was stunned for a moment, then immediately put away his memoirs and got out of the carriage.

Minister of Rites Fu Yi came forward with a smile and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your Highness, you are finally here. I have been worried sick for a while now."

"Why do you say that, Minister Taichang?"

Li Chengqian blinked and asked in confusion.

But Fu Yi smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, you may not know that the recent disaster situation has become increasingly serious. Officials from all over the country have submitted memorials to the court, urging the court to pray for rain. Some even accused me of being a sycophant and doing nothing. I really, really..."

Although he didn't say it out loud, Li Chengqian already understood that he was blaming himself for delaying and making his work difficult.

However, seeing that he was devoted to the country, Li Chengqian was too lazy to argue with him. He waved his hand impatiently and said, "I don't care how others urge me. Anyway, His Majesty has already entrusted the matter of praying for rain to me. Now I have the final say on praying for rain!"

"Yes, yes, I promise to follow the orders of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Fu Yi nodded like a chick pecking at rice, then turned to Li Chengqian and said, "May I ask how Your Highness prays for rain? Is it with a Taoist priest, a wizard, or a sacrifice?"

"Neither. I have my own way of praying for rain!"

Before Fu Yi could finish his words, Li Chengqian interrupted him.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince wants to pray for rain himself?" Fu Yi asked in surprise again.

Li Chengqian frowned and asked, "Is there a problem?"

The problem is big!

Fu Yi rolled his eyes inwardly, but he trembled in fear as he advised Li Chengqian, "Your Highness, you may not know this, but praying for rain is extremely dangerous. I absolutely cannot allow you to make any mistakes. Please don't joke with me, Your Highness. If you haven't found a rain-praying mage, I have prepared a few for you. When the time comes, Your Highness will pretend to suffer on the altar, and I will arrange for the rain-praying mage to cooperate with you."

"What a mess! I don't need a rainmaker to help me!"

Li Chengqian said somewhat depressedly, "Just do as I say. Send someone to observe the clouds in the disaster area for me. The larger the cloud, the better. Record its detailed location and direction for me!"

"Also, go to the Ministry of Industry and lend me a few people. I want to make a 'magic tool' for praying for rain!"

"Ah? This"

Fu Yi was completely bewildered and asked in disbelief, "Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"

"What do you mean? Just do as I say!"

"But."

"Stop it!"

Li Chengqian waved his hand again to interrupt Fu Yi, and then said without question: "No one knows how to pray for rain better than me! Go and prepare!"

"Yes"

Although Fu Yi didn't believe that Li Chengqian would pray for rain, he dared not disobey the prince's order, so he went ahead and made preparations.

After watching him leave, Li Chengqian took out the memoir and studied it carefully.

After a while, he put away his memoirs and smiled confidently.

Tremble, people of the Tang Dynasty!
It's time for you to experience the power of science!
　[Please give me a monthly ticket, please give me a monthly ticket, please give me more when the number reaches 1000]

　　
　
(End of this chapter)