Drive to the Tang Dynasty, where supplies are refreshed daily!

Li Shimin genuinely liked Xiao Ran, who made significant contributions to the Tang Dynasty.

There is no doubt about this.

He was quite lenient with Xiao Ran and led him toward Xuanwu Gate.

"You rascal, you must have come here on other business, right?" Li Shimin asked.

"There's nothing much to say, we just came to see Uncle and give him a surprise. Sizi Wuniang and the others haven't been back for a long time either."

"Why don't I believe it?" Li Shimin looked at Xiao Ran. "Did the eldest son say something to you?"

Xiao Ran was not surprised at all; Li Shimin knew that Li Chengqian had gone to Kaolao Village late at night.

Li Shimin now attaches great importance to Kaolao Village and monitors it around the clock. Not only Li Chengqian, but Li Shimin also knows when others go to Kaolao Village.

Kaolao Village is safe now.

The former emperor Li Yuan and Empress Xiao were "symbols of the previous dynasty." Although they had no real power, they could still be targeted by people with ulterior motives.

If former officials of the previous dynasty or forces dissatisfied with Li Shimin were to exploit the situation, any mishap or coercion of the two men in Kaolao Village could easily trigger a public opinion storm that "questioned the legitimacy of the imperial power."

Li Lizhi, Princess Yuzhang, and others were Li Shimin's beloved daughters, especially the youngest princess who was still very young.

Having been raised in the palace for a long time, their sudden departure from the capital to live in Kaolao Village meant that, as their father and emperor, Li Shimin had to ensure their safety and prevent kidnapping, accidents, or other incidents that could jeopardize the royal family's reputation.

Xiao Ran was a "special resource" of the Tang Dynasty.

He possessed technologies that could transform people's lives, such as fine salt purification and potato and sweet potato cultivation. He also gathered around him sons of noble families like Cheng Chumo and great scholars like Yu Shinan, gradually forming a force that was "influential despite being non-partisan."

Li Shimin relied on Xiao Ran's technology to improve people's livelihoods during the Zhenguan era, but he also had to ensure that these technologies were not monopolized by any one power.

For example, if Li Chengqian or Li Tai were to win over Xiao Ran individually and use technology to build public support and political achievements, it would directly break the fragile balance in the struggle for the crown prince position.

At the same time, Xiao Ran's status as an "outsider" made him an "ideal collaborator," but it also made it impossible for Li Shimin to fully predict his stance.

By monitoring his interactions with princes and nobles, it is possible to keep track of the "flow of technology" and "connections," thus preventing this emerging force from slipping out of the control of the imperial power.

Kaolao Village, thanks to Xiao Ran's skills and the presence of Li Yuan and the great Confucian scholar, has gradually transformed from an "ordinary village" into a "special community".

This place has technologies that can influence people's livelihoods, intellectuals who can guide public opinion, and connections that can link nobles. If left to develop freely, it is very likely to become a "small circle outside the imperial power".

As an emperor, Li Shimin had an instinctive desire to control the "centralization of power".

He needed to know the movements of Kaolao Village to ensure that this emerging force always "served the Tang Dynasty" and did not become a threat to the imperial power or to split the court.

In short, Li Shimin's attention to Kaolao Village was a combination of "imperial responsibility" and "desire for power".

He needed to protect his family and utilize talented individuals, while also balancing the succession and consolidating imperial power. "Close monitoring" was the safest and most prudent "prevention" strategy he could think of, regardless of trust or distrust, as long as it concerned the stability of the Tang Dynasty.

"I went for a chat," Xiao Ran said, not stating it directly.

"Uncle, what are your thoughts on the Xuanwu Gate incident?" Xiao Ran asked.

He was silent for a moment, his voice deeper than when he was in the Lizheng Hall, carrying a sigh of having experienced many hardships:
"The blood that stained this door back then can still be smelled during the rainy season—it's not that I hold a grudge, it's that I dare not forget."

"Back then, it wasn't that I wanted to fight for anything; it was that Jiancheng and Yuanji were pushing me to the brink."

He turned to look at Xiao Ran, his eyes no longer filled with the fierceness of yesteryear, but only with a calm that had matured over time.

"The spies in Chang'an, the troops transferred from the Eastern Palace, and the actions taken against the former subordinates of the Prince of Qin's mansion. If I hadn't stood here, the Tang Dynasty would probably have fallen apart long ago."

"Since I became emperor, I have never dared to sleep soundly for a single day."

“Improving water conservancy, reducing taxes, and promoting new grains are not to prove that I am better than anyone else, but to let the world know.”

“When I stepped through this gate, it was not for the throne, but to spare them the suffering of ‘fratricide and displacement of the people’.”

Turning to look at Xiao Ran, the complex emotions in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by the composure of an emperor:

"You ask for my opinion? I only hope that from now on, this gate will only be used to guard Chang'an, and will no longer be used to hide knives."

"My Zhenguan reign can make the people forget the bloodshed of this family in the past, and only remember the peace that this family has protected—that is enough."

A breeze stirred, causing the hem of his dragon robe to sway gently. He gazed at the distant eaves of the Taiji Hall, his voice soft yet firm:
"As for what future generations will say, I don't care."

"All I care about is that the rice bins of the Great Tang are full and the people's lives are stable—that is the best way to give back to what I did back then."

As an emperor, he had to prove to himself, to the court, and to future generations that his choice back then was not driven by ambition to "kill his brother and seize the throne."

Rather, it was a helpless act to "protect oneself, protect one's followers, and safeguard the stability of the Tang Dynasty."

If he were to admit that "taking action to seize power" would shake the very foundation of the legitimacy of the imperial power, and might even lead future princes to follow suit by "seizing the throne by force," something he could not tolerate.

Therefore, the expression "forced into a corner" was a "legitimacy defense line" he built for himself and for the Tang Dynasty imperial power.

Li Shimin personally experienced the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, witnessed the tragic scene of "people being displaced and starving to death everywhere," and deeply understood that "unstable public sentiment is the root of national ruin."

After ascending the throne, he "repaired water conservancy projects, reduced taxes, and promoted new grain production." These were not merely "political achievements projects," but rather an attempt to erase the bloody memory of Xuanwu Gate with "real peace."

Xiao Ran smiled but didn't reply.

Li Shimin stopped in his tracks. "What do you think future generations will say about me?"

Facing the wind, Xiao Ran said calmly, "Uncle, what future generations say doesn't really matter!"

"Across thousands of years, they can only see the three words 'Xuanwu Gate,' but they cannot see the markets in Chang'an that were never in chaos, nor the Qin Prince's soldiers that never disturbed a single household."

He turned to look at Li Shimin, his eyes showing no evasion, only sincerity:

"Ordinary people live their lives not by looking at the 'past events' of the royal family, but by looking at how much millet and wheat they harvested this year, whether they have enough charcoal for winter, and whether their children can study in peace."

"Back then, it happened as fast as a thunderstorm. It didn't flood the people's fields or cut off their food supply. The shops in Chang'an City opened as usual the next day, and the old people in the neighborhoods played chess under the trees as usual."

"They may not even know what happened, so how could they say anything bad about you?"

"Say it again!"

Xiao Ran smiled, his tone becoming even softer, "That was a dispute that you resolved behind closed doors. You didn't drag outsiders down with you, and you didn't implicate innocent people. It's much cleaner than the chaos of the previous dynasty where cities were burned and villages were massacred in the struggle for the throne."

"Even if future generations have their own opinions, they will only look at the Zhenguan era under your rule, see how fine salt entered ordinary people's homes, see how many people were supported by sweet potatoes and rhinoceros beans during the Zhenguan era, and see if there were any homeless beggars on the streets of Chang'an."

“These real and tangible peace are the foundation that overshadows all other claims.”

“Right now, the grain shops in the West Market should still be selling new rice, and the weavers in the South Ward should still be spinning cloth.” “What the people remember is the ‘Emperor Zhenguan’ who allowed them to live in peace, not a mere evaluation on paper a thousand years later.”

"As for what future generations say, that's their business. You have no right to interfere."

"Hahaha!" Li Shimin let out a hearty laugh.

Xiao Ran's words struck a chord with Li Shimin.

"You little rascal, if you can talk, then say more."

It's quite a distance from Lizheng Hall to Xuanwu Gate, so Zhang Anan brought over two horses.

Let Li Shimin and Xiao Ran ride horses around.

The two strolled to Xuanwu Gate, chatting and laughing.

Because of Li Shimin and his brothers, Xuanwu Gate has become quite a hot topic.

"Uncle, do you hate the old man?"

Li Shimin's hand stroked the horse's mane, his fingertips unconsciously applying more pressure. After a long silence, he slowly spoke, his voice lacking its previous cheerfulness, replaced by a complex tone worn down by time:

"Having hated, how can I not hate?"

"Back then, the people from the Eastern Palace ambushed and killed the generals of the Prince of Qin's mansion on the streets of Chang'an. The secret agents found evidence, and I submitted the memorial to them. My father-in-law only said, 'Brothers should not be suspicious of each other.'"

"Later, when Jiancheng wanted to transfer Yuchi Gong and Qin Shubao from my command, I went to see them, but they hid in a side hall of the Taiji Hall and refused to show their faces."

He looked up at the Xuanwu Gate tower, a faint hint of bitterness flashing across his eyes:

"What I hated at that time was that he could clearly see the conflict burning, but he insisted on covering his eyes and pretending not to see it."

"He is a father, and should protect his sons from killing each other; he is the emperor, and should be able to distinguish between the importance of the crown prince position and meritorious service."

"But he hesitated, wanting to protect Jiancheng's position as heir apparent, yet unwilling to relinquish the military power and merits in my hands, and in the end, he handed the knife to us brothers."

“If he had been more decisive back then, he could have either told Jiancheng openly, ‘Shimin has made great contributions, you must tolerate him,’ or told me, ‘The heir apparent has been decided, you can focus on guarding the border.’ Even if he had only chosen one path, he would not have ended up at Xuanwu Gate.”

He sighed, loosened his grip on the horse's mane, and softened his tone, "Both sides are flesh and blood, and it hurts to choose one to cut. But I understand better that as an emperor, I must make a decision even if it hurts, because hesitation is the most harmful thing."

"But now."

He turned to look at Xiao Ran, the complexity in his eyes gradually fading, leaving only calm:

“The hatred has long faded. After he retired to Da'an Palace, I would occasionally visit him and see him staring blankly at the loquat trees in the courtyard. I remembered how he taught me to ride and shoot when I was a child, and I felt that the hatred was meaningless.”

"He made his mistakes, and I have my own path. No matter how much we dwell on the past, we can't go back."

The wind blew across the city wall again, the horse snorted softly, Li Shimin tightened the reins, and his tone completely relaxed:
"In the end, he is the father and I am the son; he is the former emperor and I am the current emperor."

"The grudges between fathers and sons, the mistakes between emperors, all vanished with the wind of Xuanwu Gate."

“There are no real winners in Xuanwu Sect. Having come this far, Uncle Shi has also lost!” Xiao Ran said.

Li Shimin nodded slowly, his gaze falling on the mottled brick marks on the Xuanwu Gate city wall:

"Yes, I survived, but the price of survival was that many things were left behind inside this door forever."

He paused, as if retrieving fragments from his memory, "When I was a child, Jiancheng and I would climb the old locust tree in the palace together, and he would always pick the top locust blossoms for me."

"Although Yuanji is mischievous, when he sees the prey I bring back, he will come over and try to help me take out the quiver."

"Later, as we grew up, one became the Crown Prince, the other became the Prince of Qi, and I became the Prince of Qin. But how did we end up in a life-or-death struggle?"

He chuckled self-deprecatingly, “Now, when I occasionally pass by the old site of the Eastern Palace and see the locust tree in the courtyard, I still remember the scent of locust blossoms from back then—but that scent can never be found again.”

“I won the throne, but I lost the most genuine intimacy between brothers. I won’t even have the chance to call him ‘eldest brother’ or ‘fourth brother’ anymore.”

“And Grandpa.” He turned to look in the direction of Da’an Palace, the light in his eyes dimming.

“Back then, he taught me to ride and shoot. The first time I shot a deer, he hugged me and laughed, saying, ‘Erlang looks just like me.’”

"But after the Xuanwu Gate Incident, he retired to the Da'an Palace. Every time I went to see him, we would sit for half a day and barely exchange a few words."

“When I told him about the harvest during the Zhenguan era, he just nodded and said ‘good.’”

“At that time, I knew that the warmth between father and son had been frozen by the blood at Xuanwu Gate. I had become his ‘Your Majesty’ and was no longer the Erlang who could rush into his arms to ask for rewards.”

"The most important thing is that I have lost the 'purity' in my heart."

Li Shimin tightened the reins, causing the horse to turn slightly in a circle, and his gaze returned to Xiao Ran:
"These losses are like small thorns stuck in my heart. They don't hurt, but they always pop up when I can't sleep at night."

“I know this is the path I have chosen—if I choose to ‘protect the Tang Dynasty,’ I will have to abandon ‘protecting my own flesh and blood.’”

“If you choose to be an emperor, you have to give up the freedom of being a son or an elder brother.”

“Uncle, you are also a victim, so why are you following in the footsteps of the old man?” Xiao Ran suddenly said.

Li Shimin frowned and looked at Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran continued, "You also hated the old man, and you know that his actions led to the tragedy that followed. Why didn't you realize that?"

"What do you mean by this, young man?" Li Shimin's smile faded. "Are you standing up for your eldest son?"

“I’m neither a member of the Yue King’s faction nor the Crown Prince’s faction. I just don’t want to see these things escalate. Si Zi and Wu Niang will be heartbroken,” Xiao Ran explained.

"What are you trying to say?" Li Shimin still didn't understand.

“The Xuanwu Gate Elder shot an arrow, which will strike His Majesty right between the eyebrows more than ten years later.”

Li Shimin looked at Xiao Ran and quickly understood, "You mean, the tragedy of Xuanwu Gate will repeat itself?"

"impossible"

“Nothing is impossible, Uncle, why can’t you feel it?” Xiao Ran looked at Li Shimin.

"Qingque and Dalang are at odds? Fighting for the throne? Impossible!" Li Shimin shook his head again.

"Uncle, aren't you being a little too nice to Sanlang?"

"Qingque is my son. He is intelligent, sensible, and filial. Is it wrong for me to like and love him?" Li Shimin continued, "I am an emperor, but I am also a father!" (End of Chapter)