Li Shimin, one emperor through the ages

Chapter 63
17
In the hot midsummer, even the sand and stones underground are scorched hot by the sun.Li Shimin, Empress Changsun and his party left Chang'an and slowly went west to Jiucheng Palace in Linyou to escape the summer heat.It has been many days without wind and rain, and the weather is very hot and very uncomfortable.Empress Changsun has been very weak lately, she was sweating all the way to Jiucheng Palace, her face was pale and she couldn't even open her eyes.

"What, are you sick?" Li Shimin stretched out his hand and touched Empress Changsun's forehead, feeling as hot as a fire: "Imperial doctor, imperial doctor!" He called out loudly.

The imperial physician Zhang Chongren seemed to have arrived at the beck and call, and after looking around and asking about it, he looked at Tang Li Shimin nervously, knelt down on his knees, burst into tears, and said in a sobbing voice:

"Forgive me for being incompetent..."

"What?" Li Shimin's eyes almost popped out.

"I can prescribe a prescription to relieve the queen's pain, but..."

"Why don't you write a prescription soon?" Li Shimin roared.

After being seen by several imperial doctors, Li Shimin made up his mind to return to Chang'an as soon as possible.It was another day of ups and downs. After arriving in Chang'an, Empress Changsun didn't even have the strength to open her eyes.In the Lizheng Hall of the harem, Empress Changsun ate a bowl of medicine, and then she regained some energy.At this time, Prince Chengqian came to see her, and seeing that she was in unbearable pain, he suggested:
"The sons and ministers begged the father, the emperor and the mother to pardon the prisoners and save people into Taoism, and begged God to bless the mother and queen Kangtai."

Empress Changsun shook her head when she heard this, and said: "Amnesty is a major national event, and it must be done according to the law; Buddhism and Taoism have their own rules. If they are forced to pardon prisoners or save people into Taoism, it will definitely damage the country's political system." .Using one woman to disrupt the law of the world is something that your father and mother cannot do, nor do you want to do."

Li Shimin listened, his eyes were red.When the queen saw her, she said to the prince Chengqian: "Go out, the queen mother has something to say to your father." After Chengqian left, the queen said calmly: "The concubine's family doesn't have much meritorious deeds and virtues. Today, I am worth a hundred times, but it is the concubine who is destined to be married to the emperor. The concubine wants to maintain the family's reputation and prestige forever, and I implore your majesty not to let any relatives of the eldest grandson's family take up important positions in the court. The concubine has no merit for the country throughout her life. Later, I hope that there will be no heavy burial, neither a tomb nor a coffin, and the utensils required will be made of wood and tiles, so that they will die in a frugal manner. This is the hope of my concubines. Please give me your Majesty's permission for these, and my concubines will smile forever." Grandson The queen struggled to finish these words, looked at Li Shimin expectantly, saw him nodding repeatedly with tears streaming down his face, and then closed his eyes peacefully.

Li Shimin fell on the queen's body and cried bitterly.After a long time, ministers, imperial concubines, princes, princesses, and clan members arrived one after another, but Li Chengqian was not seen.

It turns out that in recent years, Chengqian has become more and more fond of playing with Turkic martial arts.After seeing his mother, he went back to the East Palace in a sullen mood, feeling very bored, so he couldn't help playing again.He selected dozens of Turkic-looking people from among his attendants, and asked them to wear sheep clothes and tie long braids, forming a tribe of five.In front of their yurts, hang the Turkic flag of five wolf heads.They each boiled mutton in a big pot in the yurt, and then drew out their sabers to cut up the meat and ate it.Soon, Chengqian pretended to be a Turkic Khan and died outside, and all the barbarians galloped up and wailed around the "corpse".At this time, Chengqian suddenly came back to life and said loudly:

"If I owned the world, I would definitely lead tens of thousands of cavalry to Jincheng, and then release my hair and devote myself to thinking about it. Wouldn't it be great!"

Simo is a chief of the Turkic Ashina tribe. He entered the Tang Dynasty during the Wude period and was given the surname Li.Chengqian, as the prince of the Tang Dynasty, was willing to live under Simo's command as a general. It was extremely absurd. Hearing this, the attendants were all shocked, thinking that he was bewitched.Regardless of the surprise of his attendants, Chengqian asked them to make armor with folded felt, hang up flags, and divide the troops into formations. He and his chief officer were all in the same branch, shouting loudly to kill each other.Because his mother was seriously ill and rejected his proposal, Chengqian was very unhappy today, so the kills were extremely crazy, until he almost killed a "team" of Sujun, and then fell to the ground tiredly.

Li Shimin was very unhappy when he saw Chengqian coming for a long time.Chengqian is the son of Empress Changsun and the best candidate for the heir to the throne.When he was a child, Chengqian was smart and intelligent, and Li Shimin liked him very much.When he was a teenager, Li Shimin went on tour, and he was relieved to let him act as an agent of state affairs.It's a pity that in recent years, as he grew up, he became more and more stubborn.At a young age, when you see a beautiful woman, you have to try to stay by your side.Once Li Chengqian took a fancy to a girl with a very good looks and manners in the palace, and Li Shimin knew about it and asked someone to send the girl away.The prince was resentful, but he didn't dare to speak out, so he painted a portrait of the girl, built a sacrificial room, made a tomb in the garden, and worshiped in the morning and evening.It's hard to be peaceful in such a mood, and he didn't even go to court for a few days.The prince became more and more playful. Some people advised him, and he got tired of hearing it. The prince even said: "One day I will become the emperor, and I must enjoy myself. If anyone persuades me again, I will kill him. I believe it and insist on killing it." After 500 people, no one will dare to persuade me anymore."

After Li Shimin knew this, he became more and more dissatisfied with the prince. Now that the queen died of illness, he came late, and his heart was even more troubled.Li Shimin glanced at the prince angrily because of the empress' affairs to be done, and ordered Duan Zhixuan to guard the Lizheng Hall in the harem.Li Shimin went back to his study room. At midnight, he couldn't study. He missed Empress Changsun, and quietly went to Lizheng Hall in the harem.When they came to the door, the soldiers did not open the door. Li Shimin stepped forward and said, "The emperor's order is here, open the door quickly."

But Duan Zhixuan's voice came from inside the palace: "It's hard to tell the truth from the fake at night, let alone disturb the Queen's sleep."

Li Shimin was not angry when he heard the report from his entourage, but instead praised Duan Zhixuan, saying: "This is the real general before me, Zhou Yafu was nothing more than this."

In November of this year, Empress Changsun was buried in Zhaoling.Duan Zhixuan was renamed the Duke of Baoguo. In 12 years, worshiped the right guard general. In 14 years, he was a general of the Jiazhen Army. He died of illness in 16 years, presented as a gift to the general of Fuguo and the governor of Yangzhou, and was buried with Zhaoling. In 17, Baogong Duan Zhixuan's picture was in Lingyan Pavilion, ranking tenth, this is a later story.


17
In the Taiji Hall, Li Shimin stands tall.Today, in addition to the ministers, many princes have been added, even if they are entrusted thousands of miles away, they all rushed over.Seeing that everyone was present, Li Shimin said slowly:

"Zhen, I want to announce a major event today. I will readjust the entrustment of the seventeen princes. Prime Minister Fang Xuanling will read out the entrustment edict."

After Fang Xuanling read out the entrustment of the kings one by one, Li Shimin solemnly issued an edict: "Except for the five princes, Li Jian, King Zhao, Li Fu, King Cao, and Li Ming, the king of Cao, who will not move to the prefecture for the time being because they are too young, the other twelve kings will all be appointed as princes. The imperial edict was moved to be the governor of the states. Li Tai, the king of Wei, stayed in the capital, and Zhang Liang acted as the governor of the state.

After the dynasty was dispersed, Prince Chengqian called his confidant Han Wang Yuanchang and Zuotunwei Zhonglang Li Anyan to the East Palace and said: "Father sent all the kings to go to the fiefdom, leaving Wei Wang Li Tai alone in the capital and making him the son of the prince. My heart is clearly determined. Abolishing the crown prince may only be a matter of time. Please give me an idea, how should the crown prince deal with it?"

"According to the opinion of the last general, if an assassin is sent to kill the king of Wei, the position of the crown prince can be preserved." Zhonglang General Li Anyan said.

Prince Chengqian listened and went to see Han Wang Yuanchang.Yuan Chang thought for a while, and said: "Father is a strong character, since he has the intention to abolish Li Tai, it may be difficult to keep the crown prince if he does not kill Wei Wang Li Tai."

"Since this is the case, the crown prince can't wait any longer. Everything will be handled by General Li."

"The last general obeys the order!" Li An, the general of Zhonglang, complied, and led the order out of the East Palace.

"General Li can handle this matter?" Han Wang Yuanchang asked worriedly.

"No problem." Chengqian said, "Hegan and Chengqi under him are all famous warriors."

"That's good. Just killed the king of Wei. Many things still need to be taken care of. Uncle Wang thinks that the prince can contact the Ministry of War Shangshu Hou Junji now."

"Hou Junji?" Prince Chengqian looked at Han Wang Yuanchang in amazement and said, "He is a close confidant of the father's emperor. When the father ascended the throne, he has always held military power, and his rewards are second only to Fang, Du, and his uncle and eldest grandson. Forbidden, above the generals. In the fourth year of Zhenguan, he was entrusted with the Ministry of War as Minister of the Jin Dynasty to participate in the government and became a minister. Ping Gaochang returned, and was named Chen Guogong. He has always been loyal to his father, how can he be biased towards me?"

"One moment, another moment." Yuan Chang said with a smile: "Hou Junji was originally a rough man, but later he also read a lot. The battle of Ping Gaochang showed his literary talent and military strategy even more. The admonisher Wei Zheng not long ago He recommended Hou Junji to Li Shimin, and said, "The country should be prepared for danger in peace, and it is not possible to live without a general. It is most appropriate for Junji to serve as a servant and entrust the guards and horses." The emperor heard this, but he did not accept it. Said, "Although Junji has the special ability to destroy the fierce and conquer the enemy, but he has the merits of being favored, and his precision is not to be picked up, so it is difficult to take on the big responsibility." Hou Junji heard that he and the emperor have already separated from each other, and they will not repeat the past!"

It turned out that Hou Junji had been relying on his very ordinary relationship with Li Shimin to show his arrogance to others, and he had a violent personality and a very corrupt life, and his family even raised a woman for him to drink human milk.Because Li Shimin had been with him in times of trouble, he didn't punish him too much, and only said a few words about him occasionally.Not only did Hou Junji not reflect on himself, but he intensified his efforts. After coming to Gaochang, he privately plundered a large number of rare treasures and women, and his soldiers also competed to steal.A minister impeached him for this, and Li Shimin said with emotion: "Hou Junji abandons his previous achievements and suffers future troubles. Greed and foolishness will be clear."Cen, the servant of Zhongshu, pleaded for him in the text, saying: "Junji and others may be assistants, or they may only be minions, and they are promoted and appointed by generals. They cannot be righteous in order to repay your majesty's kindness."?Li Shimin listened, thinking about his old love, he released Hou Junji after a short while.

Hou Junji made two expeditions to the Western Regions with outstanding military exploits. He thought he would only be rewarded, but he was imprisoned for corruption. Although he was released now, his heart was still restless. He was unhappy all day long and gradually developed a rebellious heart.Now being invited to the East Palace, after listening to the dissatisfaction of the crown prince and Han Wang Yuanchang towards Li Shimin, he pretended to say solemnly: "Disrespect to the emperor is a serious crime of beheading."

The prince was shocked when he heard this, but the king of Han understood his thoughts and said:
"The emperor is dissatisfied with Shangshu. Although he will not punish him for the time being, he just wants to tell other courtiers that the emperor has benevolence and righteousness in his heart. As time goes by, Shangshu will definitely go to prison again. Shangshu must understand this kind of thing."

After hearing this, Hou Junji bowed his head in thought without saying a word.He remembered the scene of Li Shimin killing his brother and brother more than ten years ago.My own brother can still be killed, let alone a confidant like me.He can become the emperor, owning all the beauties, gold and silver. I just took some spoils and let me go to jail.Such an emperor, no matter... Hou Junji looked at Cheng Qian who was dazed, and couldn't help but have an idea in his heart, saying:

"If Prince Meng and the King of Han think highly of it, Junji is willing to work with you to accomplish a great event."

"What's the big deal?" Li Chengqian asked.

"Your father, Junji has followed him since before he raised his troops, and knows his personality well. Once he decides something, it is impossible to change it. If the prince wants to keep his position and inherit the throne, he has to learn from you. Father Emperor."

"Forcing him to give way?" Cheng Qian asked in panic.

"Yes, only in this way can the crown prince get the throne, just like your royal father back then." When Hou Junji said this, he looked straight at Yuanchang and asked, "King of Han, do you think so?"

"This king believes that this is the only way to be sure."

After hearing this, Li Chengqian gritted his teeth and nodded.

17
Just when the prince was gnashing his teeth and nodding to force Li Shimin to abdicate by force, Li Shimin was talking about the prince with Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng in the Hall of Eryi.Li Shimin said with emotion:

"I see that the heroes who quelled chaos in the past and present are all over 32 years old, but Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty is only 24 years old. As for me, I started the army at the age of 28, pacified the world at the age of [-], and became the emperor at the age of [-]. This is because my martial arts are better than the ancients. .I joined the army when I was young, and I didn't have much time to study. I deeply regret it. Therefore, since Zhenguan, I have never released the scrolls and devoted myself to borrowing classics. The world is in great order and customs are changed. Sons are filial and courtiers are loyal. This is because my civil rule is better than the ancients. In the past, when Zhou was prosperous and Qin was strong, he was still invaded by Rong Di, but now, Rong Di proclaims his ministers and bows down to the Tang Dynasty This is another place where I am far superior to the ancients. In these three aspects, I have established meritorious deeds, and now I only want an ideal person to inherit it. But the prince Chengqian, with such good conditions, does not like Wenzhi However, he likes Wuxi instead, and someone who advises him threatens to kill him. How can such a rebellious son continue?"

At this time, Wei Zheng was ordered to preside over the compilation of "History of the Five Dynasties", which was divided into five volumes: "Sui Shu", "Zhou Shu", "Liang Shu", "Shaan Shu" and "Qi Shu".Due to overwork, Wei Zheng suffered from an eye disease. Not long ago, he resigned from his post as a waiter and rested at home.Although Li Shimin accepted Wei Zhengzhi's request to change him to a "specially promoted" casual post, he still made him in charge of the provincial affairs under his family, and his salary, rewards, etc. were not reduced at all. When encountering difficulties, he was still the same as before. He came to discuss.Seeing that Fang Xuanling was also there, Wei Zheng wanted to hear his opinion before speaking, so he remained silent.Seeing him, Fang Xuanling knew what Wei Zheng was thinking, so he said:
"I think that the prince is fond of martial arts, but he is still young, so he can be guided slowly. In the past, Liu Ying, the eldest son of Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, was too loose, which made the emperor dissatisfied with him. Shan Sihao’s persuasion finally allowed Liu Ying to inherit his throne. After Liu Ying came to the throne, he implemented a benevolent government, the politics were clear, and the society was relatively stable.”

When Fang Xuanling spoke, Li Shimin's eyes focused on him, and he listened very carefully. When he finished, his expression was indifferent, and he looked at Wei Zheng in a blink of an eye.

"I believe that the prime minister's words are reasonable. Yin people value quality, and they have the righteousness of brothers and brothers. Since the Zhou Dynasty, the descendant has established a son as the elder, so the peeping of the misdeeds is eliminated, and the source of the disaster is blocked. For the country, it should be deeply Be cautious. For example, the love for a concubine should not exceed that of a concubine. This is the official form of the royal family and must be respected. If the emperor cannot clearly establish a distinction, he will make the relatives sparse and the respected inferior. They will take advantage of the opportunity, harm the public with personal favors, and confuse the country."

It turned out that in recent years, because Li Shimin has become more and more disappointed with the crown prince and has a desire to promote Wei Wang Li Tai, he not only loves Wei Wang Li Tai everywhere, but even the rewards of money and goods have increased year by year.The material given to King Wei is [-] pieces a year, which is more than the crown prince's Chengqian, so Wei Zheng said above.After hearing this, Li Shimin remained silent. The reason why he talked about his son with his two important ministers was to get their support to abolish the crown prince and replace him with Li Tai. Wei Zheng also accused himself of disrupting the order of rewards for the crown prince and vassal kings, favoring one over another, which violated the ancestral regulations.

At this time, Li Shimin, because of his own experience, did not approve all the regulations of the ancestral system, such as the eldest son inheritance system, from his heart.The country establishes a crown prince to inherit the throne, and it should only be judged on his virtue and talents, not whether he is the eldest son. This is a point of view in Li Shimin's heart.But Li Shimin at this time has passed his forty years, and he knows the benefits of accepting advice.Seeing how unanimously insisted on by his two most valued ministers, after thinking about it, he felt that this matter was not so simple.If it is really a sudden abolition of the elders and the establishment of the younger ones, I am afraid that they will kill each other and the court will be in chaos. This is the last thing he wants to see.So, as an emperor, it is so difficult to arrange his heir?Li Shimin sighed in his heart, and said: "Since this is the case, I will give up the plan to make Wei Wang Li Tai the crown prince. However, I also invite Wei Gong to be the crown prince and grand teacher, which can promote his change."

Wei Zheng paused for a while, bowed to the ground, and accepted Li Shimin's offer.Watching Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng leave, Li Shimin shouted in his heart: "Chengqian and Li Tai are both my sons, and I am still willing to abolish the other and establish them. As long as they can get by, I will let them settle down. , and don’t cause any disturbance in the palace!” The next day, Li Shimin announced at court:

"'Liang Zuo' Wei Zheng, will be the prince and grand teacher." After finishing, he added: "There are many gossips about the prince's affairs, but now I reiterate that I will inherit the crown prince and will not change. Now all the officials are loyal and upright. Wei Zheng, I Hiring him as the crown prince's grand teacher and assisting the prince will eliminate the doubts of the people in the world."

Li Shimin's words quickly reached Prince Chengqian's ears. Facing the confidants who had just been recruited from various places, the prince hesitated for a long time and said: "Since father is like this, we may temporarily shelve the incident by force."

Li Yuanchang said: "No, the emperor's uncle has been with your father for a long time, and he knows that he is a human being. The reason why he is like this today must be the result of Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng's vigorous persuasion. Over time, it will inevitably change. It was originally the political opinion of the prince and the emperor. , and temperament are not compatible. It will only be a matter of time if you don’t accept it. If you don’t take advantage of this time to make trouble, it will be too late to regret.”

"In these kinds of matters, it is often the first to strike first. This is the case in the battle between your father and uncle for the throne in the past." Hou Junji went on to say: "If my uncle had started first, my father would not be where he is today."

After hearing this, Chengqian thought for a long time, then suddenly drew out his sword, cut off his arm, and said: "The prince has decided to start an incident, and I hope that all the accomplices will cut off their own arms, wipe the blood with silk, burn ashes and drink wine." , swear to live and die together, and conspire together to lead troops into the West Palace."

Han Wang Yuanchang, Minister of the Ministry of Officials Hou Junji, Zuotunwei Zhonglang General Li Anyan, Yangzhou Governor Zhao Jie, Prince Consort Du He and other prince's confidantes heard this. They each drew their swords and cut their arms, drinking blood wine and swore: "We will live and die together!" to find a position for the crown prince." At this moment, the warriors Hegan and Chengji rushed in, fell to the ground and bowed, saying in unison:

"The last general is incompetent, he failed to kill Li Tai, and it is a crime to beg for reward."

The crown prince was about to ask questions, when King Yuanchang of Han stepped forward and said, "Two warriors, please get up quickly. King Li Tai of Wei is surrounded by masters like a cloud. Once you miss, you can sum up experience. Everything should be discussed in the long run."

17
Li Shimin has always had a lot of things, and the carbuncle keeps recurring, which makes him very upset.As in the past, when encountering such a situation, he would go to Empress Changsun and chat with her about the past, and he would feel much happier.Since Empress Changsun left, for a year or two, when Li Shimin was bored, there was no beauty to accompany him to relieve his boredom.

According to the concubine system of the Tang Dynasty, as the emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, he can have: the empress, the third wife, nine concubines, 27 wives, 81 imperial daughters, and many maids in the harem. These women are available for the emperor at any time. fortunate".However, among so many women, it is rare that there is one who can confide in her heart like Empress Changsun. Until this spring, he met the virtuous concubine Xu Hui.

(End of this chapter)