The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

The ninth year of the Wude era, the eighth day of the eighth month, sunny!

The abdication ceremony was solemnly held inside the Wude Hall of Taiji Palace.

Li Yuan, dressed in a black imperial robe, personally handed the Imperial Seal of the State to Li Shimin.

His short two-month tenure as crown prince came to an end, and from that day on, the power of the Tang Dynasty was completely handed over to the twenty-eight-year-old Li Shimin.

Bells and drums sounded in unison, and all the officials knelt in worship.

Chen Huai'an stood at the end of the court officials' ranks, looking at Li Shimin in his imperial robes on the imperial steps, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

The wheels of history keep turning forward. Even if this little butterfly flaps its wings a lot, the major milestones will eventually come to a steady stop.

The Xuanwu Gate Incident, the Crown Prince's regency, Li Yuan's abdication... everything proceeded along the predetermined path, except that this time, Li Shimin had a much better hand than the historical records suggest.

At least, unlike in the original history, he didn't have to face the Turkic army at the Wei River right after ascending the throne, and had to resort to a futile stratagem and sign the humiliating Treaty of Wei River.

With five thousand Mo Dao soldiers at our disposal and with prior preparations, even if we have to retreat from the enemy, we can do so with more dignity.

The following day, August 9th, Li Shimin officially ascended the throne in the Xiande Hall of the Eastern Palace and granted a general amnesty.

However, a problem arises.

That evening, Li Shimin summoned his ministers: "Since ancient times, the reign title has always been of utmost importance when a new emperor ascends the throne."

"When the Emperor Emeritus ascended the throne, he designated the reign title as 'Wu De'!"

"At that time, the world had not been completely pacified, and the term 'martial virtue' came from the Book of Documents, Chapter 'Lü Xing': 'There are those who respectfully carry out the punishments of Heaven and accomplish martial virtue.'"

"It refers to a monarch using force to quell chaos and establish order, while also possessing a benevolent heart."

"At the same time, it contrasts with the great achievements of the Sui Dynasty, telling the world that the Tang Dynasty was founded on military strength and governed by virtue."

"Next, it is my turn to govern the world."

"Furthermore, the rebellions in various parts of the country have been almost completely quelled. What I advocate is benevolence, recuperation, and letting the world enter an era of peace."

"The reign title 'Wu De' is clearly no longer applicable."

Changsun Wuji spoke first: "What does Your Majesty think of Tianyou?"

"No, no!" Before Li Shimin could speak, Fang Xuanling shook his head and said, "The emphasis of the words 'Heaven's Blessing' is too much on Heaven."

"A new era name signifies a new beginning, and at the same time, it allows the people to directly feel Your Majesty's intentions in governing the country."

"While divine favor is desirable, it is not very suitable for His Majesty."

Changsun Wuji wasn't angry or annoyed by the rebuttal; after all, controversy is normal in the imperial court.

If you think I'm not good enough, then you can suggest someone better.

However, he did not give up, but instead said something like, "This God is not that God."

Li Shimin pondered for a moment and said, "Heaven's blessing, right?"

"According to the auxiliary machine's words, it is indeed good and usable, but I always feel that something is missing, and it cannot fully reflect my thoughts."

Du Ruhui spoke up, "The reign title is the best way to reflect the new policies, and it cannot be decided hastily. Since Your Majesty feels that Brother Fuji's suggestion of Tianyou is somewhat lacking, why don't we all offer our opinions, and Your Majesty listens first? What do you say?"

"Good." Li Shimin agreed with these words. "Kemin's words make sense."

"Today, let's have a good discussion between the ruler and his subjects. Everyone is welcome to offer any good suggestions."

"Then I'll propose one first," Du Ruhui looked up, "Chongwen, what do you say?"

"These two characters come from the Zuo Zhuan, and they signify reverence for literature and virtue!"

"Focus on selecting talented individuals and govern the country with virtue."

Du Ruhui did not give a long speech, but his words caused a strange look to appear in Li Shimin's eyes.

The phrase "selecting talented people" resonated deeply with Li Shimin.

Selecting candidates from humble backgrounds through the imperial examination system was something he had decided on before ascending the throne.

Chongwen is not bad.

"no."

To everyone's surprise, Wei Zheng actually voiced his opposition at this moment.

Li Shimin raised his chin: "Xuancheng, do you have a different opinion on this reign title?"

Wei Zheng bluntly stated: "While valuing literature is good, it is too much about literature. Emphasizing the suppression of military affairs and the promotion of literature gives people the feeling of prioritizing literature over military affairs."

"Furthermore, it also appears somewhat weak; therefore, I believe this title should not be used!"

He emphasized the last word.

Du Ruhui and Li Shimin immediately realized what was happening.

Using such a name that emphasizes both military strength and civil administration might discourage military officers and is indeed too weak, making it unsuitable for practical use.

Du Ruhui nodded without saying anything.

Feng Deyi then spoke up: "Your Majesty, what do you think of the name Xiandao?"

Before he could explain the origin of the term "Xiandao," Wei Zheng retorted, "No, that's even more unacceptable."

"The phrase 'manifesting the Way' overemphasizes the Way of Heaven, stresses obedience to Heaven's will, overemphasizes imperial power, and neglects the people's livelihood."

"If Your Majesty wishes to implement benevolent governance, you should focus on human affairs, not on the will of Heaven."

"Then, what about 'manifesting virtue'?" Fang Xuanling suddenly asked. "This phrase comes from 'The Great Learning'. The way of the Great Learning lies in manifesting one's bright virtue. It can not only demonstrate Your Majesty's self-cultivation, but also advocate the education of the people. It is very much in line with Your Majesty's strategy of implementing benevolent governance."

However, no sooner had Fang Xuanling finished speaking than some people stood up to object.

In short, everyone has their own opinion, and no one can convince anyone else.

One after another, seemingly reasonable reign titles were proposed, and Li Shimin listened silently without interrupting.

In fact, he himself was also struggling with this.

The reign titles proposed by these ministers were all good, but he wanted one that combined civil and military considerations and emphasized the principle of governing the military with virtue.

The reign titles they proposed focused too much on one aspect, so they always felt somewhat lacking.

While Li Shimin was pondering, he suddenly saw Chen Huai'an enjoying pastries again, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.

I felt a little amused, but also a little helpless.

"Huai'an, we're discussing the new era name. Do you have any suggestions?"

As soon as Li Shimin spoke, everyone stopped arguing and looked at Chen Huai'an.

This included Wei Zheng.

He also wanted to hear Chen Huai'an's opinion.

Chen Huai'an was already used to this situation and didn't react in any particular way. He put down the pastries and asked a question.

"Does Your Majesty know about the bronze crossbows of the Qin state?"

"Of course I know, but what does that have to do with the era name?"

Chen Huai'an explained calmly, "One of the achievements of the First Emperor was the standardization of writing and cart axles."

"At the same time, he also created standardization."

"Among them, the most representative are bronze crossbows from the Qin Dynasty and horse-drawn carriages used by ordinary people."

"The parts of these things are all standardized."

"For example, if a part of a bronze crossbow breaks, before Qin Shi Huang standardized it, the crossbow would be rendered useless."

"..."