My father, Li Shimin, requests Your Majesty to become the Retired Emperor.

Wei Zheng stroked his beard and continued, "On the surface, the states of the East and West have formed an alliance..."

Actually,

They each had their own ulterior motives.

on the one hand,

We are sharpening our weapons and preparing for battle at any time;

On the other hand, we await good news from the Crown Prince.

Your humble servant believes that the Crown Prince and Songtsen Gampo will handle this matter well.

His Majesty is in his prime, and his prestige remains strong; they would not dare to act rashly.

"Since I raised my army, I have never been afraid of anyone."

Back then, Liu Wuzhou, Wang Shichong, Xue Ju, Dou Jiande, Liu Heita, and Xiao Xian each controlled a region and were all arrogant and domineering.

but,

So, what happened in the end?

Within a few years, they were all eliminated by me one by one.

What I am worried about is that, over the years,

Year after year of war brought immense suffering to the people of the land.

"I can't bear it,"

Li Shimin's expression turned serious at this point.

"Once war breaks out, the common people will suffer again."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zheng couldn't help but praise, "Your Majesty is truly a benevolent ruler!"

Throughout history, there have probably been very few emperors who truly cared about the people.

If Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Yang of Sui had acted like Your Majesty, the Qin and Sui dynasties would not have perished after only two generations.

At this point,

The Zhou and Han dynasties did a relatively good job.

The Great Zhou Dynasty lasted for eight hundred years.

The Han Dynasty lasted for four hundred years.

In comparison,

Your Majesty's sons are far superior to those of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wen of Sui.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian, in particular, was exceptionally outstanding.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin smiled and said, "Qin Shi Huang had many sons."

Among them, Fusu was the most outstanding.

He dared to contradict Qin Shi Huang, believing that the burning of books and burying of scholars alive was wrong.

to this end,

Qin Shi Huang was furious and sent him to Meng Tian's army near the Great Wall.

If Fusu were to gain control of the military from this point on, and work diligently, he could still achieve great things.

but,

Fusu's personality was too weak.

and,

He was also somewhat pedantic and not very bright; he couldn't even tell that the edict was a forgery by Zhao Gao and Li Si.

He committed suicide in a daze.

Isn't that foolish and pathetic?

His death was a small matter, but it led to the downfall of the Qin Dynasty.

If Fusu had been able to successfully ascend the throne, Qin probably wouldn't have perished so quickly.

Yang Yong's behavior was too unrestrained and unruly.

He was extremely extravagant.

He favored Yun Zhaoxun so much that he angered his own Crown Princess, Yuan Shi, to death.

This matter angered Empress Dugu.

Ultimately, Yang Yong was dismissed.

In comparison, Chenggan performed better than Fusu and Yang Yong in these aspects.

but,

The main stem also has problems.

Wei Zheng frowned and asked, "Your Majesty, what's wrong with the Crown Prince?"

"He doesn't follow the rules; he likes to act on his own when something happens."

They even made decisions without my permission.

What will happen if this continues?

If every prince were like him, wouldn't that create chaos?

Wei Zheng could tell that Li Shimin still held Li Chengqian in high regard.

only,

Because some of Li Chengqian's actions may have offended his authority, which annoyed him.

Wei Zheng smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, these are not the Crown Prince's shortcomings."

That's actually his strength.

When a general is in the field, he may disobey some of the emperor's orders!

If we have to ask for permission for everything, wouldn't the back-and-forth travel cause us to miss crucial opportunities?

Even so, he cannot recruit soldiers on his own.

This violates the laws of the imperial court.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zheng sensed that Li Shimin still harbored resentment towards Li Chengan for recruiting soldiers.

"The matter of recruiting soldiers cannot be generalized."

Your Majesty believes that we must find out the Crown Prince's original intention and motivation for recruiting soldiers.

"If he's doing this to defend against foreign invasion, then it's not a big deal," Wei Zheng paused,

Your Majesty, do you still remember Tian Qianqiu?

"Tian Qianqiu?

Wasn't he the prime minister during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, known as "Prime Minister Che"?

"Yes, Tian Qianqiu was originally just a minor official guarding the mausoleum of Emperor Gaozu."

Later, due to the witchcraft scandal, Liu Ju was forced to commit suicide, and Tian Qianqiu wrote a letter to plead Liu Ju's case.

He said Liu Ju led his troops into battle.

That's like the child playing with his father's things for a bit.

These armies originally belonged to the Han people, so what's the big deal?

Emperor Wu of Han was moved by this and promoted Tian Qianqiu to Grand Herald. Soon after, he promoted him to Chancellor and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Fumin.

Three Kingdoms period

There have been instances of unauthorized recruitment of soldiers in the State of Wei.

then,

The State of Wei dispatched Sima Yi and his son Sima Zhao to garrison Yongzhou and Liangzhou to guard against the Shu army.

As a result, Zhuge Liang led the Shu army on a northern expedition.

Sima Yi predicted that Zhuge Liang would launch an attack from Xiegu to attack Yongliang.

However, the garrison in Yongliang was too small; they simply couldn't hold out.

Therefore, Sima Yi acted decisively, taking the initiative to recruit soldiers in Yong and Liang to fight against the Shu army.

As Sima Yi had predicted, Zhuge Liang indeed launched an attack from Xiegu not long after.

However, due to the strong and powerful armies of Sima Yi and his son Sima Zhao, Zhuge Liang was unable to conquer Yong and Liang.

At the beginning,

If Sima Yi sticks to the old ways and doesn't dare to recruit soldiers, wouldn't he lose the city?

After listening to Wei Zheng's words, Li Shimin felt that there was some truth to them: "Are you showing favoritism towards Li Chenggan?"

"Your Majesty, I had absolutely no intention of favoring him; I was merely stating the truth."

Even if what you said makes some sense, Li Chenggan has close ties with Du He, Hou Junji, and others.

They often get together to discuss something.

Are they plotting a rebellion?

Upon hearing this, Wei Zheng grinned, thinking to himself, "So all my talk has been for nothing: Your Majesty, how could you have such a thought?"

Do you want to repeat the mistakes of Emperor Wu of Han and his son Liu Ju, who fought each other to the death?

If Emperor Wu of Han wasn't so suspicious, how could he have forced Liu Ju to rebel?

How could Liu Ju possibly be dead?

Have all emperors been so suspicious throughout history?

Li Chengqian is already the crown prince; he will ascend the throne sooner or later.

His Majesty intends to pass the throne to him.

Why would he need to rebel?

If he really wanted to rebel,

Last time, when the allied forces of Zhang Zhongjian and Li Yuanli of the Buyeo Kingdom besieged Chang'an, he didn't need to come back to rescue us; he could have just left us to fend for ourselves.

He could easily maintain an independent army outside the capital, and after Chang'an falls, declare himself emperor. Wouldn't that be much better?

After hearing what Wei Zheng said, Li Shimin lowered his head and remained silent.

Wei Zheng bowed again: "Your humble servant believes that at this moment, the Crown Prince is in the Wa (Japanese) country, and his fate is unknown."

Your Majesty must find a way to ensure his safety.

"What? Is there danger in undertaking the task?" Li Shimin's expression was slightly tense.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zheng thought to himself that Li Shimin was truly audacious: "Nanbojin is like a dragon's den or a tiger's lair."

This time, the Crown Prince's journey will surely be fraught with danger.

How can you say there's no danger?

Just then, Bai Lu rushed in from outside in a panic and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, Consort Yan has a stomachache and wants you to go and see her immediately."

"Wasn't she perfectly fine during the day?" Li Shimin asked.

"This servant doesn't know either, Your Majesty. You'd better go and take a look quickly."

Li Shimin felt somewhat irritated upon hearing this, but outwardly he did not show it.

He said to Wei Zheng, "My dear minister, I'd like to go and take a look."

"Your Majesty, please make yourself at home."

Shortly after Li Shimin left the Zichen Palace, Cai Xiang arrived.

Upon seeing Wei Zheng there, Cai Xiang quickly bowed and asked, "Lord Wei, where is His Majesty?"

"He just left."

Do you know where he went?

"A maid came to say that Consort Yan was having stomach pains, and the Emperor went to Consort Yan's palace."

"What business do you have with His Majesty?"

"Oh, Lord Wei, here's what happened."

Cai Xiang then recounted how Consort Yan, drunk, had caused a scene at the Lizheng Palace.

"Is that so?"

Wei Zheng was also taken aback when he heard this.

He thought to himself that Consort Yan was not usually so bold, but now she was getting bolder and bolder, even daring to directly contradict Empress Zhangsun.

It even angered Empress Zhangsun so much that she vomited blood.

It seems she has someone backing her up.

Cai Xiang turned to leave: "Lord Wei, I'm going to Consort Yan's palace to find His Majesty."

Wei Zheng quickly stopped her: "Miss Caixiang, don't go yet, His Majesty will be back soon."

The bedroom of Consort Yan.

After Li Shimin arrived, he met Consort Yan.

Consort Yan was sitting in front of her dressing table, facing the bronze mirror, applying makeup. Her complexion was fair and rosy, showing no signs of illness whatsoever.

Upon seeing this, Li Shimin's face darkened: "My beloved concubine, didn't Bailu just say you were ill?"

What exactly happened?

Consort Yan had already seen Li Shimin in the bronze mirror.

She quickly stood up and turned to greet him.

She smiled broadly and said, "Your Majesty, if I didn't say that, would you come to me?"

At this moment, Li Shimin felt like he had been tricked and was extremely annoyed.

He put his hands behind his back and said, "I have other things to do. If you don't have anything else, I'll head back."

Consort Yan quickly stepped forward and grabbed Li Shimin's arm: "Your Majesty, why do this?"

Now that you're here, please have a seat.

"I have something to tell you."

After hearing what she said, Li Shimin patiently sat down in the chair at the table.

Consort Yan smiled sweetly.

Li Shimin observed by the lamplight and found that Consort Yan was as beautiful as a flower, as lovely as a fairy, and when she smiled, her teeth were white and her lips were red, just like a flower.

Seeing Li Shimin's gloomy expression, Consort Yan pretended not to notice.

She walked to the table and personally poured Li Shimin a cup of green tea: "Your Majesty, please have some tea!"

"I am not thirsty. Just say what you have to say." Li Shimin seemed a little impatient.

"Alright, then I'll tell you," Consort Yan said, gently stroking her hair. "It's like this, I just went to the Lizheng Palace."

Li Shimin frowned upon hearing this, because he had also heard about it.

Recently, there has been some unpleasantness between Consort Yan and Empress Zhangsun.

Empress Zhangsun is not in good health and needs to rest.

"What are you doing going to the Queen?"

"That Guanyinbi offended me, so I had a fight with her."

Unexpectedly, she fainted.

"Did you go and argue with the Empress?" Li Shimin suddenly stood up. "Aren't you just playing the zither haphazardly?"

You knew perfectly well that the Empress had just recovered and should not be mistreated for a hundred days. Why did you do this?

"Your Majesty, aren't you being a little biased in saying that?"

Not long ago, our Xiao'er was cursed to death by Guanyinbi and Xu Hui.

Our son is dead.

Does that mean I can't even go and reason with her?

Does being the empress mean she can do whatever she wants?

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin quickly waved his hand and said, "I am also very saddened by Xiao'er's death. However, I have already consulted the imperial physician about that matter."

Xiao'er died of illness, and it had nothing to do with the Empress or Consort Xu. This matter has been explained very clearly, so please don't dwell on it anymore.

Also, last time,

The imperial seal of the Imperial Clothing Bureau was stolen.

At last,

But the imperial seal was found here.

"Does that really mean you had absolutely nothing to do with it?"

Consort Yan's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.

She wondered if Li Shimin was going to hold her accountable for that incident.

Thinking of this, she felt a little flustered and just kept crying.

"I have considered that Xiao'er has passed away and you are grieving."

possible,

Without distinguishing right from wrong, they do some outrageous things.

So, I'll let it go, but don't push your luck any further.

Consort Yan wiped away her tears: "Your Majesty, I never imagined you could be so heartless."

Our little rascal was so lively and energetic, and they killed him all by that, yet you're still defending them.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin became even more furious: "How can you be so stubborn? How can I not explain things to you?"

I tell you,

This time,

If Empress Zhangsun is alright, then so be it.

If anything happens to her, I will not let you off lightly.

Tell me, who is backing you up, making you so audacious?

"No...no!" Consort Yan's eyes darted around.

"Has an alliance been formed between you and Consort Yang? Are you in close contact?"

"This—," Consort Yan was secretly alarmed. She wondered how Li Shimin knew about her relationship with Consort Yang, which was very secret.

Is someone monitoring my every move?

Has His Majesty already taken notice of me? "Your Majesty, you're overthinking it. My interactions with Consort Yang are normal; how could they be considered close?"

Is that really the case?

Clearly, Li Shimin did not believe what she said.

"Yes."

"I hope that you concubines can get along harmoniously."

But you must remember,

"Don't form cliques, and don't engage in underhanded tactics." Li Shimin's words carried an air of authority even without anger.

Consort Yan, seeing this, was also somewhat frightened: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, it won't happen."

However, I do have some concerns.

"Oh, what are you worried about?"

"Will Li Chengqian and Songtsen Gampo's trip to the Wa Kingdom have any adverse effects on our Great Tang and His Majesty?"

"What are the disadvantages?"

Songtsen Gampo was the king of Tibet.

Although he and Princess Wencheng were already engaged,

but,

He was, after all, a barbarian.

Can he be that loyal to our Great Tang Dynasty?

Perhaps his actions were ultimately for the benefit of Tibet.

Furthermore, I have heard that Li Chenggan intends to win over Prince Pungjang of Baekje and Queen Seondeok of Silla.

So, what kind of behavior is this?

Is he paving the way for his future rebellion?