Ji Tang

Chapter 1443

Chang'an, Wanmin Palace, all the princes and princesses in Beijing came here today. It's not that it's a big event. No, in Li Shimin's eyes, this is a big event. There is nothing bigger than the completion of Wanmin Palace.

When all the princes and princesses came to the Wanmin Palace, they were all shocked by the majestic atmosphere and the wonderland in front of them.

The main building of white marble is tall and majestic, with extraordinary momentum. It is also decorated with gardens from the north and south of the Tang Dynasty. It has both the rough and sacred feeling of the West and the unique humanistic atmosphere of the Central Plains of the Tang Dynasty. It can be said to be a blend of the best of China and the West. , which brings together the great achievements of architecture in the world.

The buildings are surrounded by running water, and there are sweet and delicious springs from the mountains.

The twelve zodiac signs are lifelike, with five mythical beasts roaring in all directions, a real dragon roaring up to the sky, a phoenix soaring into the sky, a white tiger roaring, a basalt protruding its head, and a unicorn sitting in the center.

The rockery and flowing water make you feel as if you are in a fairyland on earth, which is so shocking that you won’t want to leave.

"Congratulations to my father, congratulations to my father!"

When the prince and princess offered their congratulations, Li Shimin couldn't help but laugh happily. After he abdicated, he concentrated on the Wanmin Palace. It can be said that this was his hard work. Now it has been completed and built, and it has become what he imagined. Who can understand the joy in his heart?

No, maybe only the eldest grandson can understand his thoughts.

It is cruel for an emperor to go from being a powerful emperor to being an idle emperor. Is it possible for ordinary people to understand the entanglement and suffering involved?
Only by diverting attention to the things that these foreign ministers think are boring, can the impetuousness in the heart gradually calm down, otherwise, who knows what unspeakable things will happen.

"I called you here today just to see how my Wanmin Palace is doing. If you have any opinions, you don't have to hide them. If anyone can put forward good suggestions, I will reward you greatly!"

As soon as Li Shimin finished speaking, Li Tai, who couldn't hold himself any longer, was about to step forward, but was pulled back by Li Ke, who slowly shook his head at him and signaled him not to say anything.

"Third brother, why are you pulling me?" Li Tai said angrily.

Now Li Tai looks like a real old scholar. He has lost a lot of weight, has some gray hair, has a beautiful goatee, and his hair is meticulously combed. He wears round glasses with a yellow strip to prevent them from falling off.

Li Ke glanced at the many brothers and sisters who were courting his father and motioned to follow him.

Soon the two came outside the main hall. Li Ke sat casually on a round stone and motioned for Li Tai to sit too. Li Tai sat down angrily and stared at the third brother. If the other party didn't give him an explanation, he wouldn't accept it.

"Do you really think this is a bad thing?" Li Ke said directly.

"Otherwise? A lot of manpower and material resources were spent just to build this flashy palace. If the money was put elsewhere, the strength of the Tang Dynasty would inevitably be improved to a higher level. How could it be so wasteful?" Li Tai asked angrily.

"You!" Li Ke pointed at his younger brother in a dumbfounded voice and really didn't know what to say.

He used to be quite smart and was loved by his father and mother because of it, but now he has completely immersed himself in his own research world. He never cares about the affairs of the court. Even the fiefdom is entrusted to the court. He only needs the annual food. The city is used for research.

In this way, he was praised by most of the courtiers in the court, and made his father, the emperor, his mother, the queen and his eldest brother very fond of him. After a while, he would receive a large number of rewards, which made all his brothers and sisters envious.

"Do you imagine how proud my father is? He has been the emperor who has dominated the world for half his life. Although he has abdicated now, do you know the suffering in his heart? If Ziyi hadn't guided my father to the construction of this palace, who knows what would have happened? What happened?"

"In short, just pretend you didn't see this. If you can't speak, don't say anything. If you make your father unhappy, you won't get any good results!" Li Ke said bitterly.

Li Tai: "."

Li Tai opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't know how to refute. He was not a fool. When the third brother said this, he immediately understood Ziyi's good intentions.

"Jisong, you are a bastard!"

Li Tai, who had nowhere to vent, could only curse in the southeast direction, "Good guy, I arranged things properly by myself, and then ran away. I heard that he was now adventuring around the South China Sea, searching for secrets, and he was so happy."

And he also took a beautiful concubine in Xuanzhou? The old guy wasn't greedy for beauty when he was young, but now that he's old, he's just messing around with women, and there's no one left.

Of course, there is no need to express the envy in your heart.

Seeing Li Tai yelling at Ji Song, Li Ke also felt that he was right. It was a good trick to trick himself and Li Tai, the two most competitive people for the throne, into the academy, and then the eldest brother's position was unshakable.

Sometimes I wonder what if I had fought for the reserve in the first place? But when I think of brothers turning against each other, father and son killing each other, and the Xuanwu Sect happening again, I feel shuddering, and every time at this time I am extremely grateful to Ziyi.

Now that the brothers are in harmony, the eldest brother, the emperor, is doing well. Even if he is in power, he may not be as good as his eldest brother. At this time in the Tang Dynasty, all the people were in peace and harmony, and there was pressure in all directions. All nations came to court, which was rare in ancient times and modern times.

"What are you two brothers talking about? Everyone else is giving me advice. It would be better for you to run here and hide for a while?"

At this moment, Li Shimin came over, and Changsun supported him and walked slowly. Li Shimin said as he walked, he was very dissatisfied!
"Father!"

"Mother!"

The two of them saluted quickly, and finally Li Ke glared at his brother and told him not to talk nonsense.

"Father and Queen, we really have no objections. This Wanmin Palace combines the essence of Chinese and Western architecture. It is unique in history. And it was designed by my father himself, so it will be passed down through the ages."

Li Ke just said something nice, which made Li Shimin burst into laughter.

"That's right, don't look who did it!" Li Shimin said proudly.

The eldest grandson gave the father and son a blank look and said angrily: "You father and son are so good, and you even flatter each other? It seems that you are the only one who can do this?"

The father and son looked at each other, and Li Shimin's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly smiled and said, "Of course, they can't do it without you making suggestions behind me."

When the eldest grandson heard this, his face lit up a little, and the three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief. Now the eldest grandson has a very bad temper. Not to mention the sons, even the eldest brother and father are like a mouse meeting a cat sometimes.

Although the people of the Tang Dynasty now worship and respect their father to the utmost, when it comes to love, the true support of the mother and empress is the mother who worships the world. A female guide has become a book that women all over the world are eager to learn from, and they are almost said to be jealous. She is a contemporary female guru and a role model for women.

Of course, the queen mother also deserves such a high reputation, assisting her father in ruling the world and laying a solid foundation for the prosperous Tang Dynasty. The legitimate sons are brothers and respectful brothers, setting an example for all people.

When the eldest son was the prince, he was courteous to the virtuous and corporal, and was supported by all officials. Now that he has become the emperor, he has done an even better job. In this way, how can the eldest grandson not be respected by the world? "What a pity," Li Shimin sighed as he looked at the dreamlike Wanmin Palace.

Everyone was stunned, and Li Tai asked in confusion: "What do you regret about my father? Is there any dissatisfaction with Wanmin Palace?"

Then he confirmed: "Although my father said it bluntly, although my son has very little knowledge of architecture, there are many people in the academy who are in this field. I will keep it to my father's satisfaction!"

"If it's about money, it would be easier. Although my son has spent a lot over the years, he still has some wealth. If my father needs it, feel free to take it."

When Li Ke heard this, he quickly said: "Yes, Father, just tell me if you have anything to do. Our brothers will definitely not let Father down!"

Looking at the two most outstanding sons besides Cheng Qian, Li Shimin smiled, patted them both on the shoulders and said: "That's not the case. The current father of Wanmin Palace is very satisfied. You are interested!"

"But the joy of being alone is not as good as the joy of everyone. That bastard Ji Song promised me back then to hold a grand ceremony for the palace that will be built in the future that will attract the world's attention. Now that the palace is built, that bastard has gone to the sea. , even I can’t contact you now.”

Li Shimin was very upset when he mentioned this matter. This bastard was careless and cautious. The last news he got from him was from the Nanhai Dudu Mansion, saying that he accidentally encountered that bastard fleet south of the strait. He was actually with the assigned Ji Ze and his wife.

Huh, you know this bastard is not worry-free. He is probably going to clear a way for his son. In that land of ten thousand islands, if you want to find someone, you don't have to spend decades to find someone. You just need to find a way out. I don’t know how much effort it will take to build the channel and how many people will die.

"Hey, isn't this simple? Father, don't worry. Let us leave this matter to our brothers. We will take care of it and get that guy back. If he doesn't come back, we will tie him back even if he is kidnapped."

"Just take a look!"

Li Shimin was stunned and asked in confusion: "Are you hiding something from me? Now I don't even know where he is, do you know?"

Li Tai chuckled and said, "I won't hide it from my father. My son still has some connections at sea. As long as he is still in that sea area, he can't hide it from us."

"Yes, if you really can't find him, then mobilize the territories of those aristocratic families to look for him together. Do you believe that you can't find him yet?"

Li Shimin was very pleased, nodded and said: "Then leave this matter to..."

"Your Majesty, urgent report from Mingzhou!"

At this moment, Chen Shou ran towards this side in a panic, holding a note in his hand.

Li Shimin was stunned and frowned: "What's going on? What happened in Mingzhou?"

Li Tai and Li Ke were also very curious, where is Mingzhou? It was the wealth center of the Tang Dynasty, and the newly formed Donghai Navy was stationed there. In addition, there were tens of thousands of elite troops on land to suppress the enemy. What big things could happen?
Chen Shou gave a wry smile and said, "It's Duke Xi, he's back!"

The four of them looked at each other. Are they really saying that Cao Cao has arrived? He just said that he was going to look for him, and now he is back?
"He's back right now. What's your expression? Could he still be rebelling?"

"Your Majesty, the rebellion is not over, but now it is anchored outside the port of Mingzhou with dozens of ships. According to the governor of Mingzhou, the ships are full of gifts for your Majesty and the empress. Now Duke Xi wants to enter the inland river, Mingzhou The governor of the state didn't know how to deal with it, so he asked the court for instructions."

"What? Gifts from dozens of ships? Which country did he robbed?" Li Shimin couldn't sit still when he heard this. Good guy, is this a surprise for himself? But is the surprise a little too big?

The thing that Ji Song can say is a gift must not be a simple thing, that bastard's eyes are really big!

"That's not true. It is said that the Duke of Nan led Ji's fleet to search for secrets on the sea. It is said that they found a lot of good things. In the end, they couldn't fit it in, so they borrowed the ships of the Nanhai Navy Fleet."

Li Tai rolled his eyes when he heard this, stepped on Li Ke's instep, and winked at him. The two brothers had been inseparable for so many years, and Li Ke immediately understood what he meant.

"Father, this matter is of great importance. How about we go with the three of you? Even if something happens, it won't be a big deal if we are here." Li Tai said solemnly.

"Yes, Father, Mingzhou is the capital of the imperial court. If there is a misunderstanding, it may not end well. Qingque and I will go and watch and promise to bring everything back intact!"

Li Shimin looked at the two brothers who suddenly became active suspiciously. He always felt that they were hiding something from him, but he couldn't figure it out after much thought, so he waved his hand and said, "Okay, then you guys go and take a look."

"By the way, go tell your elder brother that there must be a reason for the vassal king to leave the capital. Don't let those ministers cause trouble for you!"

"Hey, my son, let's go now!"

After Li Tai said that, he pulled Li Ke and ran out quickly, for fear that his father's hand would kill him!
After the two of them walked away, Li Shimin said to his eldest grandson: "Do you think these brothers are hiding something from me? I haven't seen them so active in normal times, but now they are rushing to go?"

The eldest grandson rolled his eyes and said angrily: "Your son still doesn't understand? He has been trapped in the academy for these years. It sounds like he is studying knowledge, but what is the difference between being trapped in the academy?"

"You're wild, crawl out and play!"

Li Shimin: "."
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The two brothers didn't know that their mother had seen their trick. When they ran out of the palace, they looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter!

"Grandma, I can finally go out in a legitimate manner. I don't want to stay in Chang'an for a moment anymore."

As a vassal king, he had to go to the fiefdom if he didn't want to, but in order to avoid trouble, he refused to go and went directly to the academy to hide out.

"Did you say we forgot something?" The two of them hurriedly ran towards home, then packed up some things and ran towards the city gate with more than a hundred guards, for fear of being stopped.

Walking to the city gate, Li Ke said thoughtfully: "Do you think we have forgotten something?"

"No, let's go, let's go, hurry up, don't waste time!"

Li Tai was stunned, thinking for a long time without thinking that he had forgotten something, and then waved his hand.

So, two to three hundred fully armed guards led two carriages and galloped eastward. The captain of the city gate was dumbfounded.

"Damn, something big is going to happen!"

The scalp of the captain at the city gate was numb, and the two princes led hundreds of fully-armed cavalry out of the city. You must know that in Chang'an, if more than 50 fully-armored soldiers are dispatched, you need His Majesty's Tiger Talisman, otherwise it will be evil. The good thing about these two is that they have no rules at all.

"You guys stand guard, I'll tell the general immediately!" After saying that, he mounted his horse and galloped away.
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(End of this chapter)