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

Qin Qiong heard the commotion outside and was terrified, not knowing what had happened.

Just then, Qin Huaiyu rushed in from outside in a panic.

After he entered the room, he found that there was another person besides his father, Qin Qiong.

He looked closely, recognized him, and quickly knelt down: "Greetings, Uncle!"

Luo Cheng walked up to Qin Huaiyu and helped him up with both hands: "No need for formalities!"

"Uncle, what are you doing here?"

"It's a long story," Luo Cheng then briefly recounted his journey to Chang'an.

Qin Qiong then asked, "What happened outside?"

"I just saw Gongsun Wuda arrive with about 300 Imperial Guards through the side gate. Moreover, they are carrying new crossbows on their shoulders and newly designed long Japanese swords at their waists. They look very menacing and seem to have ill intentions."

"Gongsun Wuda has arrived?"

"Yes."

Qin Qiong gasped. He knew that Gongsun Wuda and he were at odds, but he couldn't figure out the specific reason.

Gongsun Wuda also participated in the Xuanwu Gate Incident. Later, Qin Qiong was enfeoffed as the Duke of Yi, but he did not receive the same title, so he held a grudge.

In fact, whether or not Qin Qiong was granted the title of Duke was not up to him, but rather decided by Li Shimin.

However, Gongsun Wuda dared not hold a grudge against the emperor, so he vented his resentment on Qin Qiong.

Luo Cheng's eyebrows shot up: "Cousin, you don't need to worry, I'll go out and meet them."

Qin Qiong grabbed his hand: "No, these people might be after you. You should escape through the tunnel as soon as possible."

"I'm not leaving. I haven't done anything illegal, so why should I run away?"

"Oh dear, cousin, where can you go to reason these days?"

Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best; whether it's a big deal or a small matter, running away will solve everything.

If they arrest you and take you to the Dali Temple, who doesn't know Dai Zhou? His dark face will darken, and he can say you're innocent or guilty, and even if he cuts off your head, there's nothing you can do.

Throughout history, have there been few wrongful convictions?

Qin Huaiyu also chimed in, "Uncle, we know that you are not only innocent, but you have also made great contributions to the court."

But this is not the time to reason.

"Don't be stubborn. They outnumber us and have the upper hand. It's not worth fighting them head-on. As long as we're alive, we can always make a comeback. You should leave now!"

Luo Cheng wasn't afraid of Gongsun Wuda; he was worried that he would cause trouble for Qin Qiong.

"Alright, cousin, take care. I'll take my leave now and come see you again another day."

"good!"

Due to the time crunch, in the chaos, there was only one "click" sound.

Luo Cheng felt as if something had fallen to the ground.

Luo Cheng looked around but found nothing.

"Cousin, stop looking and go now. I'll return it to you after I find it," Qin Qiong said, opening the tunnel entrance.

At this moment, the banging on the door outside grew even louder, as if the door was about to be forced open.

Luo Cheng leaped down into the tunnel.

Qin Qiong then placed the floor tile back in its original position and covered it with a red carpet.

Everything is arranged.

Qin Huaiyu steadied himself before going to open the door.

The people outside the door were indeed Gongsun Wuda and his imperial guards.

Those men were dressed in armor, wielding long spears, each one swaggering and arrogant.

Qin Huaiyu clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Who do we have here? It's General Gongsun Wuda."

Gongsun Wuda's face was grim. He sized up Qin Huaiyu for a long time before asking, "Prince Consort, why did it take you so long to open the door?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I was just in the outhouse," Qin Huaiyu said, making it up on the spot.

"You've been in the outhouse for so long?"

As Gongsun Wuda spoke, he stepped in, and his soldiers rushed in as well.

Gongsun Wuda looked around the courtyard and asked, "Could it be that you're harboring rebels?"

"Oh dear, General Gongsun, you must watch your words! This is the Duke's mansion; how could there possibly be any rebels here?"

Upon hearing the words "Duke," Gongsun Wuda's sensitive nerves were touched again: "To tell you the truth, we were just chasing the rebel Luo Cheng, and someone saw him enter your house. You'd better hand him over quickly."

At this moment, a short Imperial Guard soldier jumped out and said, "I saw Luo Cheng enter your house just now. I saw it very clearly."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huaiyu's head was buzzing. He thought to himself, "What I feared most has come to pass. They really are after Luo Cheng."

He forced himself to remain calm: "I think you may have made a mistake."

Firstly, Luo Cheng was the Duke of Yue, a meritorious official of the court, so how could he be a rebel?

Secondly, Luo Cheng has never come here; you must have mistaken him for someone else.

"I couldn't be mistaken, I saw him come in with my own eyes," the short soldier said again.

Gongsun Wuda scanned his surroundings, trying to find some clue, and asked, "Where is your father? I want to see the Duke of Yi."

"My father is sick and is resting in his study."

"Sick? Then I need to see him even more." Qin Huaiyu could tell from Gongsun Wuda's tone that he didn't believe Qin Qiong was sick.

"Here, even if I'm not the emperor's son-in-law, my father is still a duke. If you want to search the palace, you need the emperor's decree."

"It's not a search; I just want to see your father."

We've been through thick and thin together for years, facing life and death together. Now that I'm here, and your father is sick, how can I not go see him?"

"However, my father is very ill now, and his disease is contagious. It would be bad if he infected you, General."

"It's okay, I don't care about that."

Seeing that Gongsun Wuda insisted on seeing his father, Qin Huaiyu had no choice but to lead him into the study.

Gongsun Wuda was also taken aback when he entered the study.

He hadn't seen Qin Qiong for some time, and he'd heard that Qin Qiong was ill, but he hadn't expected Qin Qiong to be so ill.

Qin Qiong was lying diagonally on a chair behind his desk, his face sallow, his hair disheveled, his eyes lifeless, as if he was only breathing in but not out. Tears streamed down his face, and drool was dripping from the corners of his mouth. He didn't even realize that his chest was wet.

Qin Huaiyu said to Qin Qiong, "Father, General Gongsun has come to see you."

Qin Qiong opened his eyes wide and asked, "Who did you say came to see me? Is it Cheng Yaojin?"

"No, it's General Gongsun."

"Oh, it's Yuchi Gong. Old Hei is still so sentimental, he hasn't forgotten me." Qin Qiong replied, seemingly unrelated to the question.

Gongsun Wuda frowned upon seeing it. He examined it carefully for a long time but couldn't find anything wrong with it.

Gongsun Wuda stepped forward and bowed: "Duke of Yi, it is I, Gongsun Wuda."

"Oh, so you're You Junda! Oh my, it's been so long since I've seen you. I thought you were dead. I didn't expect you to still be alive."

Gongsun Wuda realized that they couldn't communicate.

He wandered around the room with his hands behind his back.

Suddenly, he felt a hollow under his feet. He stepped on it a couple more times and realized the sound was off, so he looked down to check.

Qin Huaiyu took one look and thought to himself, "Oh no, this Gongsun Wuda is very shrewd. It seems he has already discovered the underground passage."

Qin Huaiyu was secretly anxious, and his palms were sweating.

At this moment, Qin Qiong coughed incessantly, leaning on the desk, and then, with a "pfft," vomited tea all over Gongsun Wuda.

Gongsun Wuda thought to himself that he was really unlucky. He happened to be there when Qin Qiong was having an attack of his illness. Seeing that Qin Qiong was about to vomit again, he was so scared that he quickly ran outside.

However, in that instant, Gongsun Wuda picked up a jade pendant from the ground. He didn't make a fuss about it, but instead put the jade pendant in his pocket.

Qin Huaiyu followed Gongsun Wuda into the courtyard: "General Gongsun, as you can see, Luo Cheng is not in our residence."

Gongsun Wuda was also puzzled. He thought to himself that the short soldier clearly saw Luo Cheng come in, but he never saw Luo Cheng go out. Now, why has he disappeared?

Who cares? We've already been here. If we really want to thoroughly search the Duke of Yi's mansion, we'll have to ask the Emperor for permission, which is a very troublesome matter. The Emperor is busy right now.

Why not go back and report to Chang He, and have Chang He order the sealing of all the city gates of Chang'an? Even if Luo Cheng had wings, he wouldn't be able to escape.

Upon realizing this, Gongsun Wuda clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your Highness, please don't take offense. We are only acting under orders. We hope you can understand."

Qin Huaiyu waved his hand: "How could that be?"

He instructed his steward to take out a thousand taels of silver from the accounting office and gave it to Gongsun Wuda.

"How can I accept your money? I've spent your family's money quite a bit over time," Gongsun Wuda declined.

"Oh, brothers, you've worked so hard. It's a big holiday, let them use the money to buy a pair of shoes."

Gongsun Wuda accepted the money, and Qin Huaiyu didn't need to ask whether he bought shoes for his men.

Gongsun Wuda smiled broadly: "Your precious son Qin Ying is quite something. We hit it off immediately and get along very well."

"My son is ignorant, you'll have to be more tolerant of him."

"Nothing more, nothing more, farewell." Gongsun Wuda led his imperial guards away from the Duke of Yi's mansion.

After Qin Huaiyu saw that Gongsun Wuda and the others had gone far away, he closed the gate of the mansion and went to the study.

His father looked rosy-cheeked and full of energy, a stark contrast to his earlier appearance.

"Dad, how did you do that?"

Qin Qiong waved his hand: "What is this? It's just a trivial skill."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huaiyu chuckled inwardly, thinking that he only knew his father was a brave and invincible warrior who fought on the battlefield all his life, but he never expected him to have such skills, which truly overturned his understanding of the world.

"Then why was your face so sallow just now?"

Qin Qiong took out a bag of wax and pepper spray from the document drawer and placed it on the document: "I usually prepare these things so they can be used at any time."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huaiyu thought to himself, "This cheapskate father of mine is quite the actor."

"From now on, you must be more careful in your words and actions."

It seems the Emperor has become suspicious of us.

"I understand."

"It would be best to bring Qin Ying back. Don't let him follow the Crown Prince around all day long. If he stays around like that for too long, he'll unknowingly offend everyone."

Soon, our Qin family will be in grave danger.

……

Lizheng Hall.

Empress Zhangsun paced back and forth in the hall with her hands in front of her abdomen, lost in thought.

She thought to herself that Consort Yin had come to her in the evening, begging her to save her brother, Yin Hongzhi.

Wait a minute, the Emperor is coming. How should I tell him about this?

To be honest, Empress Zhangsun also felt that Yin Hongzhi had gone too far. The fact that the Emperor Emeritus and the Emperor hadn't killed Yin Hongzhi and Consort Yin was already a lenient gesture.

Later, Li Shimin saw that Consort Yin was quite beautiful, so he brought her into the palace and made her a Noble Consort, one of the four Noble Consorts, and she was very favored.

During this period, Li Shimin also promoted Yin Hongzhi.

However, Yin Hongzhi was an oddball. Every time he was assigned a task, within a few days, he would inevitably do something illegal or unethical, causing his colleagues to complain. This happened repeatedly.

After thinking it over, Li Shimin decided to send him to the Yeting Palace.

Back then, Emperor Wu of Han favored Lady Li, who had a brother named Li Guangli.

Lady Li also hoped that Li Guangli would one day be ennobled like Wei Qing and become a great general.

However, Li Guangli wasn't cut out for it.

Emperor Wu of Han made a mistake in appointing Li Guangli, resulting in heavy losses for the Han army, which suffered frequent defeats. In the end, Li Guangli also died at the hands of the Xiongnu.

Some people are just hopeless; giving them a chance won't help.

Empress Zhangsun thought to herself that it was rare for Consort Yin to ask her for a favor, and the key point was that Consort Yin had a son, Yin Hongzhi. If something happened to him...

It seems that Consort Yin will also have a hard time surviving alone. If that happens, what will happen to Prince Li You?

Empress Zhangsun thought to herself that it was already quite an achievement that the inner palace could maintain a semblance of peace.

If Consort Yin were to meet with misfortune, it would be like one of the four pillars of a house collapsing, making it difficult for the other three to maintain balance.

These are truly turbulent times. The brother and sister Yin Hongzhi and Consort Yin De are even plotting to assassinate the Emperor. Who knows how many other people are also trying to harm him?

Empress Zhangsun began to worry about Li Shimin again. Sometimes, she would get angry thinking about it, feeling that Li Shimin had changed, becoming fond of wine and women.

If Li Shimin hadn't taken so many concubines, none of this would have happened.

However, Empress Zhangsun thought again and realized that Li Shimin couldn't be entirely blamed.

Since ancient times,

Which emperor didn't have many concubines?

Did Emperor Wu of Han have few women around him?

He first had a woman named Chen Ajiao, and the two of them left behind a beautiful story of keeping her in a golden house.

Later, Emperor Wu of Han fell in love with Wei Zifu.

Wei Zifu's transformation from a singing girl to the Empress of the Han Dynasty is truly unprecedented in history.

Not only that, the entire Wei family rose to prominence.

As Wei Zifu's beauty faded, Emperor Wu of Han took a liking to the younger Lady Wang, Lady Li, and Lady Gouyi, among others.

Cao Cao originally had a Lady Ding, and later, he also had a Lady Bian.

Cao Cao had a habit of taking the women of each city he conquered as his own.

Moreover, he had a very large appetite; he wanted all kinds of women, such as Zhang Xiu's aunt.

That time, Cao Cao became so arrogant that he almost lost his head. Not only did Dian Wei die, but his nephew Cao Anmin also died, and even his eldest son Cao Ang died.

This is the price of lust.

Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, had so many women that it was impossible to count them all; some say he had tens of thousands of concubines in his harem.

It is said that Sima Yan would get headaches at night because he didn't know which concubine's palace he should stay in.

So they had him carried around the palace in a sheep cart.

He would stay overnight at the palace of whichever concubine the sheep-drawn carriage stopped at.

This shows that Sima Yan enjoyed boundless blessings.

Later, in order to attract the sheep pulling the cart and get Sima Yan to stay overnight in their palaces, the concubines all placed bamboo branches and sprinkled salt water at the entrances of their palaces.

Because everyone knew that the sheep loved to eat bamboo and salt, the entire harem was filled with a fishy smell.

Sima Yan set a very bad precedent, and his descendants followed suit.

If that's the case, then Li Shimin had relatively few concubines in his harem.

Who told him to be the emperor?

Empress Zhangsun then thought of Li Chenggan.

Objectively speaking, Li Chengqian was very filial and outstanding, no less so than any crown prince in history.

His literary talent, military command ability, governance skills, and personal martial arts skills are all top-notch.

This pleased Empress Zhangsun greatly.

However, perhaps because Li Chengqian was too outstanding, his relationship with his father, the emperor, became somewhat distant.

This might be a vicious cycle.

At that time, Fusu was very virtuous and filial.

On one occasion, when Qin Shi Huang wanted to burn books and bury scholars alive, Fusu advised against it.

In a fit of anger, Qin Shi Huang demoted Fusu to Meng Tian's army at the Great Wall.

If Fusu hadn't left Xianyang, perhaps Li Si and Zhao Gao's plot to tamper with the imperial edict wouldn't have succeeded. Then, if Fusu had ascended the throne, the Qin Dynasty might not have fallen.

History may be about to be rewritten.

Crown Prince Liu Ju was also a very wise and virtuous prince, and all the officials supported him.

However, in the end, Emperor Wu of Han and his son Liu Ju became suspicious of each other.

Even if Liu Ju wanted to see Emperor Wu of Han, it was very difficult.

This allowed a villain like Jiang Chong to exploit the situation and sow discord between the father and son.

Ultimately, the witchcraft scandal erupted, Liu Ju was defeated, and committed suicide.

Back then, Yang Zhao, the crown prince of the Sui Dynasty, was also very wise and enjoyed high prestige among civil and military officials.

Moreover, he was a man of both literary and martial talents.

The relationship between Emperor Yang of Sui and Yang Zhao was also quite delicate.

Emperor Yang of Sui always felt that Yang Zhao would compete with him for the throne, so he intentionally or unintentionally distanced himself from Yang Zhao.

On one occasion,

Upon arriving in Luoyang, Yang Zhao requested to remain there to serve Emperor Yang of Sui.

Emperor Yang of Sui vehemently disagreed.

Therefore, it might not be a good thing if both the emperor and the crown prince are too powerful.

Empress Zhangsun loved reading classics and history, and she knew that the inner palace was as deep and unpredictable as a deep sea.

As the empress, her most important task was to coordinate the relationships among the concubines in the harem, so as not to cause trouble for the emperor and allow him to focus wholeheartedly on managing state affairs.

The imperial harem, seemingly a haven of gentle comfort, is actually fraught with traps.

It appears calm on the surface, but undercurrents are surging; this is a battlefield without gunpowder.

Just as Empress Zhangsun was lost in thought, she suddenly heard a creak, the door opened, and Li Shimin walked in from outside.

When Empress Zhangsun saw Li Shimin arrive, she quickly forced a smile and went to greet him.

She took Li Shimin's hand and said softly, "Your Majesty, I just heard that someone tried to assassinate you. Are you alright?"

Li Shimin casually took off his outer garment: "No, fortunately Su Wan arrived in time and stabbed Yin Hongzhi in the buttocks with a dagger, which saved me."

"Really? I never realized Su Wan was so brave. You should reward her handsomely."

Li Shimin walked to the table and sat down, smiling, "Yes, I wanted to reward her with money, but she refused everything. I also promised to grant her a wish."

I will do my best to help her achieve anything that I can do.

She said she hadn't decided yet, and would tell me when she had.

"Really? That girl is quite clever." Empress Zhangsun hung Li Shimin's outer robe on the hanger, then personally poured him a cup of hot tea. "Has the banquet started at Jiucheng Palace?"

"It should have already begun by now."

"Your Majesty, I and Consort Xu had some free time, so we made some Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls) ourselves. Are you aware of this?"

Li Shimin nodded: "Those glutinous rice balls are indeed very good. I have eaten quite a few. They have a smooth texture and a pure taste. I want to eat more after eating them."

"I still have quite a few stored here. I'll distribute them to the civil and military officials and the examinees tonight."

Li Shimin nodded: "This is a really good idea."

We'll spend the money we need to spend freely and without hesitation.

However, these Lantern Festival dumplings represent my love and care for them.

Empress Zhangsun summoned Caixiang and instructed her to lead several maids to deliver all the Lantern Festival dumplings to Jiucheng Palace for distribution to the ministers.

Cai Xiang accepted the order and left.

Li Shimin squatted down, put his ear to Empress Zhangsun's belly, listened for a while, and then said to Empress Zhangsun, "There seems to be movement inside. The little one is practicing his fists in there."

Empress Zhangsun smiled: "How could it be so fast? This is nothing!"

It must have been less than a month.

"I can't remember either, it must have been hard for you."

"What can you possibly remember?" Empress Zhangsun rolled her eyes at him. "Your Majesty, do you hope this child is a boy or a girl?"

Li Shimin smiled and said, "Boy or girl, I like them both. What about you?"

Empress Zhangsun sighed: "My three sons, Chenggan, Qingque, and Zhinu, are already enough of a headache for me."

Therefore, I wish to have another little princess.

Li Shimin nodded: "The little princess is very good too. She is a thoughtful girl. When we get old, we probably can't rely on our sons."

"I've heard that in many places these days, parents are suing their sons for not supporting them, but I've never heard of parents suing their daughters for being unfilial. It seems that daughters are more filial."

Li Shimin's expression changed slightly: "Oh, is that so? You should tell your elder brother Changsun Wuji about this and have him list filial impiety as one of the serious crimes under the Zhenguan Code."

Empress Zhangsun laughed and said, "Does my brother really need to write this crime into the laws of the Tang Dynasty?"

then,

Emperor Wen of Sui established the Sui Dynasty and enacted the Ten Unpardonable Crimes, which included treason, rebellion, and filial impiety.

After listening, Li Shimin nodded slightly: "So, it seems that Emperor Wen of Sui did attach great importance to the establishment of laws and regulations, which is quite remarkable."

"He not only revised the laws, but also created the imperial examination system, reformed the court institutions, and established the Three Departments and Six Ministries system. These are all remarkable achievements."

Li Shimin also agreed with this, noting that the Sui Dynasty had many advanced laws, including the imperial examination system and its court institutions.

Many aspects were adopted by the Tang Dynasty.

Of course, Li Shimin did not simply inherit the old ways; he also made some innovations.

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun chatted for a while about the events of the martial arts examination.

Empress Zhangsun changed the subject, looking at Li Shimin and asking, "Your Majesty, what are your plans regarding Yin Hongzhi?"

When Li Shimin heard Empress Zhangsun mention Yin Hongzhi, his face immediately darkened: "What's there to discuss? He dared to assassinate me. According to the laws of our Great Tang, his entire family should be executed and his nine generations exterminated."

Empress Zhangsun was also startled upon hearing this.

She sensed that this time, Li Shimin was truly enraged.

"Why bother? Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, there have been almost no prisoners in the prisons of Chang'an, which fully demonstrates the enlightened politics of our Great Tang Dynasty."

On one occasion, His Majesty released many death row inmates to visit their families, promising them that they would return to serve their sentences afterward.

Many ministers opposed the idea, arguing that if the death row inmates were released, they would never return.

His Majesty said no.

Sure enough, all the death row inmates returned on time after visiting their families, a feat unprecedented in history.

His Majesty is merciful and cannot bear to kill those prisoners.

Unless the circumstances were particularly egregious, all cases received a reduction in sentence to some extent.

Why should Your Majesty bother with Yin Hongzhi alone?

Yin Hongzhi's assassination attempt on His Majesty was indeed outrageous.

Your Majesty has already shown leniency, sparing their entire family. This is already extremely rare, considering that Yin Shishi killed your brother Li Zhiyun, destroyed the Li family's ancestral temple, and desecrated your family's ancestral graves. Anyone in your shoes would not have spared them.

However, His Majesty is magnanimous and did not take these things to heart.

His Majesty also took Consort Yin into the harem, favored her, and they even had a son, Prince Li You, together, isn't that right?