Li Shimin, one emperor through the ages

Chapter 70
Na Luo Er Sa Bo Luo came in like a whirl, compared with the previous few days, he was already a different person, not only his clothes were bright, but also he became energetic, and he had the proud expression of a rich man who had picked up a lot of gold, without any concealment stay on the chubby face.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" After these few days of training, Naluosaopo was already familiar with the etiquette of the Tang Dynasty.He knelt down on the ground and performed the royal ceremony.

"The Great Monk, please." Li Shimin said politely.

"The minister has already written a formula, please send someone to gather the relevant medicinal materials." Na Luo Er Sa Po stood up, holding up the prescription with both hands.

Li Shimin took the prescription from the attendant and looked at it. He saw that there were golden dragon scales, white ape skull, fire crow lip tip, purple spirit stone, bear's foot armor and other strange items written on it. He couldn't help asking:

"Ordinary warlocks usually refine alchemy with saltpeter, sulfur, lead ore and other gold and stone medicines. Why are the medicinal materials that monks want so strange?"

"It's not that my medicine is weird, it's that my alchemy skills are superior to theirs." Naluoer Sapo said differently: "Ordinary warlocks only know ordinary alchemy items, and the elixirs they refine are very ordinary. The alchemy items I know It is extraordinary, the elixir that is refined can not only eliminate all kinds of diseases, but also prolong people's life and live a long life."

"It's just, are these items that the great monk needs for alchemy, can they be found in my territory of the Tang Dynasty?" Li Shimin asked.

"As long as you try your best, you can almost find it." Naluoer Sapo said.

"Okay, you go down first, I'll send someone to collect it right away." After Li Shimin finished speaking, he stared blankly at the pill formula he had seen for the first time on the desk.He knew in his heart that many of the items inside were extremely difficult to find.But this is not the key point, the key point is, with these items, can it be refined into a elixir that eliminates all diseases and prolongs life?If it is possible, no matter how difficult it is, I will let people collect all these items.Li Shimin said to himself in his heart: Maybe, maybe?There are so many wonders in this vast world, otherwise how could this monk live to be two hundred years old.Yes, no matter what, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, I will fight for it.My world, my world, my wives, concubines and beauties all need me.More importantly, I also need them, and I cannot do without them, and I cannot bear to part with them...

Thinking of this, Li Shimin raised his head and said in a low voice:

"Cui Dunli, Minister of the Xuanbing Department."

Not long after Cui Dunli came in, and after the emperor and his ministers saluted, Li Shimin beckoned him to come in front of him, and handed the alchemy formula of Luo Er Sa Po to him, saying:
"I want to send an envoy to the world to collect the items on the alchemy at all costs. From today onwards, I want you to be the host and director of the alchemy collection, and you must find ways to handle this matter well."

Cui Dunli took the order and hurried out.Li Shimin watched his back disappear completely, stretched his waist and stood up.Since the arrival of the Indian monks, Li Shimin has been devoted to the alchemy of the Indian monks. Recently, he has stopped taking the golden stone elixir given to him by the domestic warlocks.Due to Concubine Xu Xian's persuasion, Li Shimin continued to take the medicine given by the imperial doctor, and he seemed to be much better for a while.After arranging the collection of Dan Fang, Li Shimin was in a good mood and asked Concubine Xu Xian to accompany him. He also wanted to go to the front of the mountain to have a look at the "Beacon Tower". As soon as he left Cuiwei Palace, he met the prince who came in a hurry.Because Li Zhi didn't expect that his father would come outside the palace, and because he was thinking of Mei Niang who would meet soon, he almost bumped into Li Shimin.

Li Shimin looked at him quietly, worried if something happened in the palace again.

"Father!" Li Zhi called to his father.

"Chaozhong, is there anything wrong?" Li Shimin asked without taking his eyes off him for a moment.

"Nothing." The prince replied.

It's nothing, it's not the behavior of an emperor to be so out of his mind.Li Shimin thought so much of himself in his heart, he never dreamed that the reason why the crown prince was like this was because of Mei Niang, a talented woman whom he had once been lucky enough to stay in Cuiwei Palace.

"Come with me to the mountain ahead, where you can see the 'Beacon Tower'." Li Shimin said and walked forward.

They came to a clearing on the mountain and looked to the north, and there was indeed a stone pillar in the distance.

"Do you know what that is?" Li Shimin asked the prince.

"Beacon Tower."

Li Shimin nodded and said with emotion: "In the past, King You of Zhou used to light a beacon to tease the princes in order to win his beloved concubine Baosi. So it will perish." Li Shimin asked the prince at this point: "What do you think about this matter?"

"To be a king, you must never tease the ministers, otherwise the ministers will not be used by the king."

"Your understanding here is also right." Li Shimin looked at Li Zhi lovingly and said, "However, you must see that keeping your word is the foundation of a king's prestige. Yuchen is the foundation of a king's kindness. If a king wants to make the world submit, he must first make the subjects around him submit.

Li Shimin spoke slowly, and the prince stood beside him respectfully, listening very carefully.Tired of speaking, Li Shimin stopped, looked at the cowardly Li Zhi, smiled wryly and shook his head.

Wenchen, I have already arranged a team for him, and this team will be led by the eldest grandson Wuji, so nothing will happen.What about generals?Li Shimin asked himself in his heart.Now, although the world is peaceful, there will always be wars.An emperor always has many enemies.The emperor must be ready to go to war at any time, and he must win... Li Ji is a military genius.In the past few decades, when it comes to fighting, I am afraid that no one can compare with him except me.Yes, I will leave Li Ji to my emperor's son and make him the protector of Li Zhi.Li Shimin thought of this, let Li Zhi approach him, and said softly:

"Tomorrow, I will try to reprimand Li Ji."

Li Zhi couldn't help being surprised when he heard this.

19
After returning from the Eastern Expedition to Goguryeo, Li Ji was seriously ill because of being too tired. Li Shimin heard that he specially asked the imperial doctor to come to see him, and then sent a large amount of medicine.While taking the medicine sent by the emperor, Li Ji said to his family:

"I am just a farmer in Shandong Province. Thanks to the emperor's favor, I am able to live in wealth and rank in the top three places today. Now I only have a small illness, and I have been given medicine by the emperor. You must keep in mind such a generous kindness. Tell future generations to be loyal to the emperor."

After hearing this, the family members knelt down one after another, vowing to remember the emperor's kindness and allegiance to the death.After a few days, Li Ji's illness improved, and he wanted to thank the emperor himself, but the emperor had not been in court for a long time, so Li Ji had no chance to see the emperor Longyan again.When he was uneasy, Zhang Yang, a courtier from the palace, came to Li Ji's house and reported that the emperor wanted to invite him in the Ganlu Palace.Li Ji was overjoyed when he heard this, and he didn't dare to worry about it, so he followed suit and hurried to Ganlu Hall.

In front of Suzhang's gate, Li Ji stopped instinctively.Because he knew that after entering the Suzhang Gate, he was the inner court.This inner court is where the emperor and concubines live, and the ministers of the court are not allowed to enter it casually.While hesitating, Zhang Yang urged him to say:

"Please hurry, Prime Minister, His Majesty is waiting for you."

Without any hesitation, Li Ji followed Zhang Yang into the Suzhang Gate and walked towards the Ganlu Hall.When he arrived in front of the hall, Zhang Yang nodded to Li Ji and said:

"Prime Minister, please wait a moment, let Xiaochen go in and report."

Li Ji stood in front of the Ganlu Hall, waiting for Zhang Yang to come out and call him in.After waiting for half a day, Zhang Yang didn't come out, and he didn't dare to go in without authorization, so he had to walk back and forth slowly in front of the hall.At this moment, a patrol from the inner court came over and walked up to Li Ji.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" the team leader asked him.

"The veteran is Li Ji, here waiting for the emperor's summons."

"Catch it!" The team leader shouted, staring at him and said: "The emperor is in Cuiwei Palace, how could he summon you here in Ganlu Palace? What Li Ji, dare to break into the inner palace."

Li Ji was taken aback when he heard this, and was about to explain, but the patrol soldiers didn't allow him to say any more, and escorted him to the death cell in the palace.At this time, it was almost noon, and Li Ji seemed to suddenly understand a little bit, but not completely, in the prison cell facing all the walls.When Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang killed the great hero Han Xin, it was because Han Xin had a large army in his hands, threatening his imperial power, but now I, Li Ji, have no money at home and have no soldiers in my hands. Why did the emperor treat me like this?Li Ji, who has always been superior to others in everything and is resourceful and decisive, fell into deep thought.The situation in front of him seemed to be more confusing than the most troublesome battle he had commanded in the past.

The next day, Zhang Liang, Shangshu of the Ministry of Justice, opened the heavy iron gate and came to Li Ji.

"Master Li!" Zhang Liang gave him a deep bow, and said regretfully, "Master Li, why are you so reckless and wanting to break into the inner palace uninvited?"

What a good one to come uninvited!Li Ji narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhang Liang.Looking at his solemn face, I wanted to ask myself, is this Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment working on an envoy, or is he conspiring with the emperor to harm himself?

After a night of thinking, Li Ji seems to have understood that someone is harming him. As for how to deal with him, he is not very clear. Hearing Zhang Liang's question now, and seeing that the Minister of the Ministry of Justice can come to see him , knowing in his heart that he would not be put to death, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief for his wife and children in his heart.Li Ji knew at this moment: no matter what he said at this moment, no one would listen; no matter how reasonable his explanation was, no one would believe it.That being the case, it is better to let it go and say nothing.So, he looked at Zhang Liang with a smile, and his eyes asked respectively: "Where do you want to take me?"

Seeing that Li Ji was silent and looking at him with a smile, Zhang Liang said with a bitter face, "My lord, the emperor was very angry when he heard this. The ministers broke into the forbidden palace without permission and should be executed according to the law. Your lord knows this better than me. However, the emperor thinks that you have made great contributions to the imperial court in the past, so you are extrajudicial." At this point, Zhang Liang stopped deliberately, hoping to hear what words of gratitude Li Ji would say.Unexpectedly, Li Ji closed his eyes at this time.Zhang Liang shook his head slightly, and suddenly raised his voice:
"Li Ji listens to the order!"

After Li Ji knelt down, Zhang Liang read out Li Shimin's imperial edict:

"Li Ji trespassed in the Forbidden Palace. He should have been sentenced to death. Thinking of his past meritorious service, he was relieved of all his previous posts and became the governor of Diezhou. He will take office immediately."

When it was over, Zhang Liang stepped forward to support Li Ji and said, "Please forgive me, Prime Minister."

Li Ji still didn't say a word, accepted the imperial decree, and walked out of the cell step by step.

19
Because there were some discussions in the court yesterday, the prince brought his eldest grandson Wuji to see Li Shimin today.Because the eldest grandson Wuji was watching from behind, the prince couldn't communicate with Meiniang as usual when he arrived in front of Cuiwei Palace. Seeing that Meiniang was coming over happily from a distance, he looked behind vigilantly.The clever Mei Niang saw the eldest grandson Wuji not far from the prince, so she had to stop and look at the prince from afar.

In front of the gate of Cuiwei Palace, the prince paused for a while, and waited for Changsun Wuji to come, and the two walked into the palace one after the other.Li Shimin's spirit has improved a lot during this time, and the soreness has never reappeared.At this moment, he was admiring a volume of ancient calligraphy in his study, when he saw the crown prince and eldest grandson Wuji come in, and after they had passed the royal ceremony, Li Shimin pointed to the calligraphy and asked with great interest:

"I don't know, is this really written by Wang Xizhi?"

Changsun Wuji and the prince rushed forward and looked at it carefully, but they were speechless.For calligraphy, they really don't even know how to get started.Seeing their bewildered looks, Li Shimin smiled:

"How can I ask you two about this kind of thing? Prince, let Chu Suiliang come tomorrow, and I want to talk to him about this calligraphy."

"My son obeys!"

"I heard that there were some disputes in the court yesterday?" Li Shimin suddenly turned around and asked the prince.

After hearing this, the prince turned his head to look at Changsun Wuji.

"Tell me, what's going on?" Li Shimin's eyes became serious, and he asked the prince closely.

"Some ministers commented that there must be a reason for Prime Minister Li Ji's trespassing into the Forbidden Palace." The crown prince murmured.

"What are your thoughts?"

"My son thinks that no matter what the reason is, since it is the emperor's will, it must be reasonable."

Did Changsun Wuji teach this?After Li Shimin heard this, this idea flashed into his mind, and he turned to look at Changsun Wuji, only to see Changsun Wuji standing there respectfully with his eyes slightly closed.

"What do you think is the reason?" Li Shimin asked the prince again.

"My son doesn't know?"

"Changsun Wuji, what do you think?"

"I thought there was no reason, it just happened like this." Changsun Wuji opened his eyes and replied respectfully.

"Do you think his answer is correct?" Li Shimin asked the prince again.

"Yes!" The prince replied without hesitation.

It seems that the prince's initial answer was not taught by Changsun Wuji. The prince respects me from the bottom of his heart and will follow my will to do things without compromise.Li Shimin nodded in relief.Moreover, Changsun Wuji has also established prestige in the prince's heart and gained the prince's incomparable trust, which is also the result I need.If this is the case, the country of the Tang Dynasty can continue to prosper according to the strategy of governing the country formulated by me.Li Shimin thought so, with a slight smile on his face.

When Changsun Wuji saw him, he let go of his heart and said with a smile, "Your Majesty's health seems to be much better. If possible, I'd better go back to the court. There are many important matters that need to be dealt with by the Emperor."

"With your eldest grandson Wuji here, how can there be any major issues that cannot be handled?"

"It's really embarrassing." Changsun Wuji said: "Nowadays, the prince personally judges the important affairs in the court. If the emperor didn't teach the prince from time to time, I'm afraid many things in the court would not be handled so smoothly. Makes sense."

After hearing this, Li Shimin stopped talking, and just stared at the scroll of calligraphy unfolded on the desk in a daze.When Changsun Wuji saw him, he bowed his hands and said, "If the emperor has nothing else to do, please leave."

Li Shimin nodded, and after Changsun Wuji went out, he looked at the prince with gentle eyes, and asked, "I told you last time that I want to try to reprimand Li Ji, can I mention it to others?"

"No." The prince replied honestly.

"Okay! But, why didn't you think that Li Ji broke into the Forbidden Palace privately, and it was arranged by me?"

The prince looked at his father in panic: "I don't even think about it, my father will do this."

"why?"

"If the emperor wants to reprimand and demote Li Ji, he can just issue an imperial decree."

"Many things cannot be done simply." After Li Shimin finished speaking, he asked the prince again: "Do you know why I want to reprimand and demote Li Ji?"

"Children don't know."

"You should know!" Li Shimin said with emotion: "I ask you, what I said last time, what does a king rely on to convince his subjects?"

"Exercise both kindness and majesty."

"Okay, are you kind to Li Ji?"

"No."

"The reason I'm doing this now is to let you be kind to Li Ji in the future. Do you understand what I mean now?"

"understood."

"Tell me."

"Father wants the minister to use Li Ji again in the future."

"Yes, that's it, that's it." Li Shimin said happily: "In today's world, Li Ji is the only one who can lead the army. He is my founding father and a prime minister. I still want to leave him to you. Your patron saint. However, you have no kindness to him. After I die, I am afraid that it will be difficult to obey you. Therefore, I did this, demoted him to a small state official, and let him rest there. After my death Afterwards, you can use him again and be promoted to a servant. Remember, remember."

"Your servant must remember." The prince said, feeling Li Shimin's painstaking efforts, he knelt down at Li Shimin's feet and began to cry.

Seeing Li Shimin, he nodded in relief.

In the second year, Li Shimin died, and the prince succeeded him as Emperor Gaozong.According to Li Shimin's instructions before his death, the first thing Gaozong did after he ascended the throne was to promote Li Ji to be a minister.Later, in the battle to pacify Goguryeo, Li Ji went out again to command the Tang army, and wiped out Goguryeo in one fell swoop, clearing away the hidden dangers of the Tang Dynasty.When Li Ji returned from great achievements, not only did he not want to award him, but he also took the initiative to stay away from disputes in the court and live in peace at home.In order to warn his children and grandchildren to maintain a respectful attitude after his death, when Li Ji was dying, he asked his younger brother Li Bi to set up wine and feasts, so that his children and grandchildren stood in a row.When everyone was enjoying themselves, Li Ji said to them seriously:
(End of this chapter)