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

At this moment, Xu Hui got off the bed and dressed herself neatly: "Your Majesty, tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. Your Majesty, Empress Zhangsun and I organized the concubines in the harem to make a lot of glutinous rice balls and then pack them into boxes."

Li Shimin smiled slightly upon hearing this: "I didn't expect you to have done so much."

"Please, Your Majesty, have a taste."

Xu Hui took out a brocade box of moderate size, which was very exquisite. Then, she took out a glutinous rice ball from the box and put it into Li Shimin's mouth.

Li Shimin chewed it and felt that the taste was wonderful, sweet but not cloying, and the texture was silky smooth: "Mmm, it tastes really good, is there any more?"

Li Shimin had just exhausted a lot of energy and was quite hungry at this moment.

"There's plenty, enough to fill you up!" Xu Hui smiled.

Li Shimin ate a whole box of glutinous rice balls in one go.

"Your Majesty, please eat slowly. Here, have some water!"

As she spoke, Xu Hui poured Li Shimin another cup of green tea.

Li Shimin took the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.

Xu Hui gently stroked her temples: "Rewarding those officials by simply giving them silver doesn't seem to mean much."

Therefore, I was thinking that it would be nice to give some benefits to those officials who have performed well during the Lantern Festival, such as a few boxes of glutinous rice balls to each of them.

It didn't cost much, but it showed His Majesty's care and affection for them.

It's worth noting that Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan each had their own unique methods of employing people during the Three Kingdoms period. Sun Quan's secret weapon lay in winning people over with emotion.

He didn't shower officials with money; instead, he sincerely befriended them.

For example, at a banquet in Ruxukou on one occasion, Zhu Ran, Xu Sheng, and others felt resentful that Zhou Tai held a higher official position than them.

Sun Quan did not blame them, but instead made Zhou Tai take off his clothes in public.

Only then did everyone notice that Zhou Tai had more than twenty wounds on his body.

Sun Quan inquired about each wound in turn, such as the one he sustained while rescuing his lord at Xuancheng, and the other wound he sustained while blocking Cao Cao at Ruxu, and so on.

Sun Quan was moved to tears, and thus publicly praised Zhou Tai's achievements, which convinced the other generals as well.

Upon hearing Xu Hui's words, Li Shimin's expression softened slightly.

He thought Xu Hui's idea was quite good.

As an emperor, Li Shimin naturally understood that recognizing and employing talent has always been of paramount importance. The methods of employing people used by Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan during the Three Kingdoms period were all commendable. Sun Quan's approach of using people based on emotion was low-cost and high-return.

"Your ideas are all good; they will save the imperial court a lot of money."

Xu Hui smiled and said, "In addition, we have prepared some riddles. Tomorrow night, His Majesty can host a banquet for all civil and military officials, and we can hold a riddle-guessing activity during the banquet."

This was to demonstrate the joy and harmony between the emperor and his officials, and the peace and prosperity of the nation.

Li Shimin nodded and smiled, "I grant your permission."

"Your Majesty, tomorrow is both the Lantern Festival and the day of the martial arts examination."

This martial arts examination is unprecedented in scale and is a grand event of the Tang Dynasty. We must make this examination a success!

Li Shimin sat at the table, lightly tapping the surface with his right index finger: "Recently, Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, Qin Qiong, and others have offered suggestions and plans, and the examination venue for the martial arts exam has been arranged quite well."

It is both simple and elegant, yet dignified; even barbarians would feel awe upon seeing it.

"Your Majesty, I think Su Wan's suggestion to hold a martial arts examination is excellent. Our Tang Dynasty is relatively new, and some of the surrounding countries may appear compliant on the surface, but their hearts may not be truly subservient to the Tang Dynasty, such as Baekje."

They are eyeing our Great Tang Dynasty covetously, and are eager to make a move.

The saying goes, "An army is raised for a thousand days to be used for one." Only by selecting capable and skilled generals in peacetime can we prevent the court from panicking when war breaks out.

During the reign of Emperor Jing of Han, the Rebellion of the Seven States broke out, and the rebels raised the banner of "punishing Chao Cuo and purging the emperor's inner circle."

Because the incident happened so suddenly and Emperor Jing of Han lacked capable generals, he panicked and actually believed it to be true, and actually killed his teacher Chao Cuo in the hope of withdrawing his troops.

Wasn't Liu Bang's "Song of the Great Wind" quite well-written? "Where can I find brave warriors to guard the four corners of the land?"

The "fierce warriors" here refer to generals who are skilled in battle.

When Li Shimin heard Xu Hui mention the "Song of the Great Wind," he was deeply moved: "That is a joyful song."

Liu Bang rose from a minor official to the throne of the emperor. When he returned to his hometown, it was a triumphant return, bringing glory to his ancestors.

Filled with joy and excitement, Liu Bang wrote the "Song of the Great Wind," which has been passed down through the ages.

Upon hearing this, Xu Hui frowned: "Your Majesty, I have a different opinion on this matter."

"Oh, what's your opinion? Tell me about it."

Li Shimin felt that only when he was with Xu Hui could he discuss more refined topics, which was one of the main reasons why he frequently visited Chongsheng Palace.

If you were to discuss these matters with Consort Yan, you probably wouldn't get any meaningful conclusions.

Xu Hui placed her hands in front of her abdomen and paced back and forth in the hall, slowly saying, "I believe that the 'Song of the Great Wind' is not a joyous song, but a tragic one."

"Oh, why do you say that?" Li Shimin was somewhat surprised.

"First of all, when Liu Bang returned to his hometown, it was very close to his death, and he must have known that his health was failing by then."

Liu Bang, as the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, was also an emperor who rose to power through military conquest.

He frequently led troops into battle and was wounded by arrows twice.

Firstly, during the standoff with Xiang Yu at the Honggou Canal, he provoked Xiang Yu with his words.

However, he never expected that there was such a wide chasm between him and Xiang Yu, and that Xiang Yu would actually shoot an arrow into his chest.

Secondly, seeing that meritorious officials such as Han Xin and Peng Yue had been killed one after another, Ying Bu also became terrified. Later, someone accused him of treason, so he simply rebelled.

At that time, Liu Bang did not intend to lead the expedition himself; he wanted his crown prince, Liu Ying, to do so.

However, Empress Lü was worried about her son's safety, so she desperately tried to stop Liu Ying from going on the expedition.

Liu Bang was a man deeply attached to his children and loved ones.

Ultimately, Liu Bang had no choice but to personally lead the campaign to quell Ying Bu's rebellion. During one battle, Liu Bang went to the front lines but was struck by a stray arrow.

Liu Bang suffered two arrow wounds, and his health completely collapsed.

Otherwise, he could have lived a few more years.

Therefore, Liu Bang was already very weak when he returned to his hometown.

However, the Han Dynasty had just been established, and everything needed to be rebuilt. The Xiongnu in the north had once besieged him for seven days and seven nights at Baideng Mountain.

Finally, Liu Bang adopted Chen Ping's plan and bribed Modu Chanyu's wife, thus escaping the encirclement.

After Liu Bang returned to Chang'an, he was never able to eliminate the threat from the Xiongnu.

This was a deep worry for Liu Bang;

After Zhao Tuo arrived in Nanyue, he declared himself king and did not take the Han Dynasty seriously.

The kingdoms of the Western Regions were also restless.

Therefore, Liu Bang was worried that other countries would attack the Han Dynasty.

This is why Liu Bang deeply felt the lack of capable generals to guard the borders; he felt that he still had many things to accomplish.

However, he didn't have much time left.

That's why he sang "The Song of the Great Wind".

Therefore, "The Song of the Great Wind" is not a joyous song, but a tragic song expressing concern for the country and its people, as well as worry about one's own fate.

Li Shimin found Xu Hui's insight quite novel, because, before this,

He has always believed that "The Song of the Great Wind" is a celebratory song written by Liu Bang as a victor.

However, after hearing Xu Hui's interpretation, Li Shimin suddenly felt that he didn't seem to understand Liu Bang as thoroughly as he thought.

Xu Hui, on the other hand, understood Liu Bang's thoughts better.

The same song can have different meanings depending on how different people interpret it.

Just as Li Shimin and Xu Hui were talking, He Lian rushed in from outside and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, a little eunuch just came to say that Li Jing and Cheng Yaojin have come to see Your Majesty."

Li Shimin frowned and asked, "What is it? Can't we talk about it tomorrow?"

"They say the situation is urgent and cannot wait. Please come to the Zichen Palace immediately, Your Majesty. They are waiting for you there."

"I'm not going. Let them go back first, we'll talk about it tomorrow," Li Shimin said, still angry.

Upon hearing this, Xu Hui quickly advised, "Your Majesty, you mustn't. It's so late. Li Jing and Cheng Yaojin have come to see you; they must have important matters to discuss."

Your Majesty, please make the trip there and listen to what they have to say.

If it's something harmless, we can postpone it.

If it's something important, Your Majesty cannot be careless, especially since tomorrow is the day of the martial arts examination; absolutely no mistakes can be made.

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's expression softened slightly: "Alright then. My beloved consort, wait here for a moment, I'll be right back."

"Your Majesty should prioritize state affairs and need not worry about me."

……

Zichen Palace.

Cheng Yaojin, with his potbelly sticking out, paced back and forth in the hall, muttering, "Your Majesty, why isn't he here yet? What's he doing? Is he drunk again, lying in some woman's arms, and unwilling to leave?"

Li Jing stood there quietly, watching Cheng Yaojin walk back and forth, without saying a word.

Then Old Cheng continued, "I, Old Cheng, have noticed that His Majesty has changed; he has become addicted to wine and women."

Back when he pacified the world, it was nothing like it is now.

At that time, he only had his soldiers in his heart, and he often ate and lived with them.

If I, Lao Cheng, remember correctly, one night, he and I slept on the same tatami mat.

At that time, I, Lao Cheng, was too tired and exhausted, and I didn't think too much about it. I fell asleep on the couch and accidentally hit his nose with my leg.

He was afraid of waking up my old Cheng, so he supported my old Cheng's legs with both hands and stayed like that all night.

The next morning, when I, Lao Cheng, woke up, I discovered that my leg had landed on his face.

Li Jing laughed and said, "Zhijie, you should be satisfied. Since ancient times, which minister has ever dared to knock his stinky foot on the emperor's nose? Wouldn't that be asking for trouble?"

"I'm afraid you're the only one in the world who would dare to do something like that."

Old Cheng, supporting his belly with both hands, laughed heartily: "That's not just me, Old Cheng, bragging to you."

Back when we fought together, I, Lao Cheng, was not only highly skilled in martial arts and the bravest in the army, but also his strategist and advisor.

Whenever he encounters a tough battle or a difficult fight, he consults my opinion, Lao Cheng.

I, Lao Cheng, will tell him how to hit, and he'll hit exactly that.

It was precisely because of my old Cheng's strategic planning and advice that he was able to defeat Xue Ju, Xue Rengao and his son, Liu Wuzhou, Dou Jiande, and Wang Shichong.

Is this just bragging?

"Cough, cough." Li Jing coughed twice upon hearing this, but did not speak.

However, Cheng Yaojin wasn't stupid.

He could tell from Li Jing's expression that Li Jing didn't seem to believe what he was saying.

"What, you think I, Lao Cheng, am bragging? Let me tell you, everyone knows you are the military genius of the Tang Dynasty, winning battle after battle."

But I, Lao Cheng, am no fool either.

"Why do you say such things? Nobody called you a fool." Li Jing smiled slightly.

"Back in the day, when I, Lao Cheng, was in Wagangzhai..."

I, Lao Cheng, don't want to be some kind of virtuous emperor, but they insist on making me, Lao Cheng, do it.

Even if I, Lao Cheng, wanted to decline, I couldn't.

Upon hearing this, Li Jing coughed lightly twice, as if to say, "That's enough, stop bragging."

However, Cheng Yaojin got more and more excited as he spoke: "Speaking of which, the reason why the Wagang Army failed is also my fault, old Cheng."

Back then, I, Old Cheng, never cared about being some kind of virtuous emperor.

Later, I, Lao Cheng, thought Zhai Rang was a pretty good guy, quite righteous.

Back then, I, Old Cheng, had had enough of being called a great emperor; it was too annoying.

Where can you find a life as carefree as being a lowly soldier?

I, Lao Cheng, think that with Zhai Rang leading everyone, we should be able to accomplish something truly remarkable.

Therefore, I, Lao Cheng, relinquished the leadership of Wagang to Zhai Rang.

However, for some reason, Zhai Rang ceded the leadership of Wagang to Li Mi.

Zhai Rang may have felt that Li Mi, being of noble birth, would have more influence and be more strategic.

Li Mi and Yang Xuangan had a good relationship, and Yang Xuangan was also opposed to Emperor Yang of Sui.

however,

No one expected that Li Mi was a narrow-minded, short-sighted, and lustful man.

After seizing the position of leader of Wagang Village, he worried that Zhai Rang would regain the position, so he actually killed Zhai Rang.

As a result, the soldiers of Wagang became disloyal and disorganized.

From a certain perspective, it was I, Lao Cheng, who harmed Zhai Rang; I, Lao Cheng, have wronged him.

If I, Lao Cheng, hadn't relinquished the position of chieftain to Zhai Rang, how could Zhai Rang have died?

Even worse,

Li Mi was fond of Empress Xiao.

"What did you say? Li Mi likes Empress Xiao?"

"Yes, he loved Empress Xiao to the point of obsession."

He was a typical man who loved beauty more than power.

I, Lao Cheng, am so disappointed.

Of course, in terms of cunning, he couldn't compare to Li Yuan.

When Li Yuan raised his army, he felt that his strength was still somewhat weak and he could not make too many enemies.

So Li Yuan wrote a letter to Li Mi.

Li Yuan only said a few nice words in the letter, praising Li Mi, and he lost his bearings.

Because the Sui army was fighting on two fronts and couldn't attend to both, Li Yuan was able to seize the opportunity and capture Chang'an.

Otherwise, the world might have belonged to Li Mi.

"Don't say any more. Those are all old, trivial matters. Why are you still bringing them up?"

In fact, Li Jing was reminding him that he shouldn't speak carelessly. If he took Cheng Yaojin's words seriously, it would be considered a grave offense.

Besides, whether there was anything between Li Mi and Empress Xiao is just a legend.

Some even say that Empress Xiao first married Emperor Yang of Sui, and after Emperor Yang was killed by Yuwen Huaji in Jiangdu, Empress Xiao went to Yuwen Huaji.

Later, Yuwen Huaji was killed by Dou Jiande, and Empress Xiao was taken by Dou Jiande.

Dou Jiande was defeated by Li Shimin and taken to Chang'an. Li Yuan ordered Dou Jiande to be executed. Empress Xiao fled to the Turks and was then given to the Turkic Khan.

Some people say that the Turks were subjugated by Li Shimin, and Empress Xiao returned to Li Shimin.

However, considering their ages, Empress Xiao was much older than Li Shimin. Would Li Shimin really be interested in her? This seems a bit far-fetched.

How exactly did Li Mi fail? There were many reasons, but the key was that he was ambitious but lacked talent and made poor choices in personnel.

When he decided to kill Zhai Rang, it was already destined that the Wagang Army would be completely defeated.

As I said before, external enemies are not scary; what's truly terrifying is internal strife.

"General, you're absolutely right," Old Cheng paused, "There's something I'd like to ask you."

"What is it? Ask away."

"It is said that you, the Bearded Stranger, and the Red-Robed Woman, the three of you are known as the Three Heroes of the Wind and Dust, and that your martial arts skills have reached their pinnacle."

I, Lao Cheng, have heard that Hong Fu Nu and Qiu Ran Ke Zhang Zhongjian have an ambiguous relationship, and that Hong Fu Nu's true love is Zhang Zhongjian.

What exactly happened?

Upon hearing this, Li Jing blushed slightly. Isn't there a saying? Don't expose someone's shortcomings.

But Cheng Yaojin especially liked doing this.

"Those are just rumors, you don't need to take them seriously."

Hong Fu Nu is my wife, and we have a very good relationship.

"So, Li Tianjiao, or Qiu Tianjiao, is she your child, or Qiu Ran Ke's child?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing thought to himself, "This Cheng Yaojin is really something. He's such a grown man, yet he still likes to pry into things."

"Li Tianjiao is naturally my child, is there any doubt about that?"

"Okay, fine, I'll take what you said as true. I'll ask you again."

How do you discipline your children?

Why do some people say that Li Tianjiao and Fang Yi'ai are together?

Don't you know that Fang Yi'ai is Princess Gaoyang's husband?

Are you suggesting that you make your daughter a concubine?

In fact, this matter had always been a major thorn in Li Jing's side.

However, Li Tianjiao grew up and became very rebellious.

She might be in a developmental stage, and she won't listen to anything you say.

If pushed too far, she'll threaten to kill herself.

Therefore, Li Jing and Hong Fu Nu had no choice but to let the child go.

Sometimes, when Li Jing calmed down and thought about it, he wondered what he had gained from his life of fighting.

If this child becomes Fang Yi'ai's concubine someday, then so be it.

but,

What worried Li Jing even more was that he had heard that Fang Yi'ai was impotent and not a normal man.

Wouldn't that ruin the child's life?

Li Jing heard that Sun Simiao was a highly skilled physician and could cure Fang Yi'ai's illness, but Sun Simiao refused to treat Fang Yi'ai.

Li Jing knew that Li Chengan and Sun Simiao had a good relationship, and that Sun Simiao was a renowned physician of his time, capable of curing any disease.

If Sun Simiao were willing to lend a helping hand, Fang Yi'ai should be able to recover.

Li Jing couldn't think about those things; just thinking about them made him very agitated.

"The children are all grown up now and have their own ideas."

We can't force them to follow the path we've paved for them; perhaps the path we've laid out for our children isn't even the right one.

Upon hearing this, Old Cheng slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "General, you're absolutely right! My son is disobedient too!"

For example, during this martial arts exam, I, Lao Cheng, told Cheng Tieniu and Cheng Wanniu not to participate, but they insisted on participating anyway.

"If those two want to participate in this martial arts exam, I, Old Cheng, will break both of their legs."

Upon hearing this, Li Jing's expression turned serious, and he slowly said, "Participating in the martial arts examination is a good thing, but this martial arts examination is different from the past, with a much larger scope."

Not only citizens of the Tang Dynasty could participate, but also martial artists from the Western Regions and Eastern countries, many of whom were masters.

Some people are very secretive.

Moreover, I heard that the Three Great Assassins also participated in this martial arts examination. Those people are all top-notch experts in the Tang Dynasty.

Besides, getting injured is inevitable once you step into the arena.

If you encounter a master, escaping unscathed won't be so easy.

"Isn't that right?"

But those two little rascals are disobedient.

As Li Jing and Cheng Yaojin were talking, Li Shimin strode in with his head held high.

When Li Jing and Cheng Yaojin saw Li Shimin arrive, they quickly knelt down on the ground.

Li Shimin waved his hand: "No need for formalities, rise."

Li Jing and Cheng Yaojin stood up and stood respectfully to one side.

Li Jing, observing Li Shimin's expression, noticed that Li Shimin's face was not looking good.

Cheng Yaojin, being quite oblivious, seemed not to notice those subtle changes.

Cheng Yaojin stepped forward and said in a loud voice, "Your Majesty, tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, which is also the day of the martial arts examination."

Has Your Majesty made any detailed arrangements?

Li Shimin sat on the dragon throne, his eyes fixed intently on Li Jing and Cheng Yaojin, and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Cheng Yaojin held his stomach with both hands: "I am honored by His Majesty's trust in appointing me, Cheng, as one of the examiners for this martial arts examination."

I, Lao Cheng, thought to myself, "Since I've taken on the role of examiner, I have to take responsibility, right?"

Li Shimin nodded slightly: "Just say what you have to say, there's no need to beat around the bush."

"That's right. The allied forces of Goguryeo and Baekje have already marched towards Silla, advancing by both land and sea. Silla's situation is extremely critical."

"What did you say?" Li Shimin exclaimed in surprise. "How is this possible?"

"Your Majesty, this is absolutely true. This time, they have directly attacked Silla. It seems they intend to divide Silla up."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin began to scold Li Chengan: "Speaking of which, this whole thing is Li Chengan's fault."

When he returned, everyone said he had rendered meritorious service by mediating relations between Japan, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla. Little did they know they had secretly formed an alliance; isn't this a hindrance?

Upon hearing this, Li Jing bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it is wrong of you to speak of the Crown Prince like that."

As far as I know,

Initially, Yanqi, Goguryeo, Baekje, and Wa (the ancient kingdom of Japan) were preparing to reach some seemingly fair agreements, but in reality, they were extremely detrimental to the Tang Dynasty and Silla.

It was the Crown Prince who intervened, thwarted their plot, and stabilized the situation in the east of the Tang Dynasty.

The fundamental reason for Baekje's alliance with Goguryeo this time was that the Tang army led by Yi Dojong had been besieging Buyeo Pungjang's 10,000 troops for a long time. Baekje's scouts had already learned of this and reported it to Buyeo Uija.

Buyeo Uija was furious, which is why he decided to join forces with Goguryeo to attack Silla.

"If that's the case, wouldn't that further prove that Fuyu Fengzhang is a treacherous and untrustworthy person?"

Previously, he promised me outside Xuanwu Gate that he would return to persuade his father to sever ties with Goguryeo. But now, not only has he failed to do so, he has also colluded with Goguryeo to attack Silla. This is intolerable!