Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 482: Xuanwu Sect
After saying this, Li Jiancheng felt much more relaxed, as if he had released all his inner resentment.

There was a hint of solemnity in his brow, and he looked extremely stern.

"Dispatch private soldiers and send them to Xuanwu Gate!"

"Li Shimin has bullied me too much and imprisoned our father. How unfilial this is! As the eldest son of his father and son, I should protect my father's safety!"

"This is the greatest truth between heaven and earth. No other truth can be greater than human ethics and filial piety."

After Li Jiancheng's anger, what quickly came to his mind were "reason" and "intelligence". He very cleverly came up with a very reasonable excuse and reason.

He wanted to use human ethics and filial piety to attack Li Shimin in order to achieve his goal of treason and to give his treason a suitable cover.

After all, is there anything more grandiose in this world than filial piety?

Even the words loyalty and righteousness are below "filial piety" - of course, this is only limited to this era. In certain eras, it is advocated that one can give up everything for loyalty and dedication. Some people insist on working at their jobs even when their mothers or fathers have died of illness. These things are worthy of praise.

Even if such behavior is simply against human ethics and human nature.

Even if this behavior is nothing more than the upper rulers' desire to better exploit the lower class people so that they forget the most important thing they should do in life.

But at this time, these so-called ignorant, feudal, brutal, and superior feudal ruling classes all felt that doing such things that deprived people of their humanity and violated human ethics was really too much, too low and too inhuman.

The customs of the world also developed in the direction that the rulers saw, and filial piety became the most important thing in the world.

Now that Li Jiancheng has regained his sanity, he uses the "rumors" circulating among the people as a basis to attack Xuanwu Gate and rescue his imprisoned father. No one can say that this is wrong.

"I will take your orders!"

The heavy rain continued to fall, almost like pearls falling on the ground, and then quietly exploded into pieces.

In Wuji Palace
Li Yuan slowly woke up from his coma. He sat there with a dazed look on his face. But as the clear sound of rain fell in his ears and as some clear sounds came from the air, he gradually regained his former wisdom and rationality.

At this moment, he seemed to have returned to his youth.

At that time, he had no children and was still a very intelligent gentleman. He studied under the Chen family, and his teacher was Chen Zhan - not Li Yuan, who later struggled in the world, inherited the title of Duke, and became obsessed with power.

Li Yuan felt that his mind had never been as clear as it was today.

It was so clear that he began to recall the stupid things he had done over the years - as well as the suspicion and paranoia he had felt during this time.

He sighed.

Suddenly he got down from the bed, and the maids beside him changed his clothes as usual, but he did not lose his temper as usual, but stood there waiting silently.

He had an unknown premonition.

Outside Wuji Palace
Li Yuan stood at the door, his clothes fluttering in the wind brought by the heavy rain.

He is waiting.

He had seen such heavy rain three times before.

One time was when Yang Jian was trying to usurp power and kill the Wansui Emperor on such a rainy day - of course, after the Wansui Emperor's essays and talks were circulated later, he knew that it was a trap set by the Wansui Emperor.

Once when Yang Yong forced the prince to abdicate, it was also a trap. The final winner, Yang Guang, stood on the city wall and watched the crazy prince go to his doom step by step.

Another time was when Yu Wenzhi was plotting rebellion.

Li Yuan stretched out his hand and caught the heavy rain with his palm. His thoughts seemed to flow slowly along with the rain.

He saw some kind of inheritance from these four heavy rains.

"Has the Emperor already thought of today's situation?"

Li Yuan's voice was a little hoarse, but he was so frightened by his own guess that the sound coming out of his throat seemed to come from depression.

From the death of Emperor Wansui, to the chaotic world, to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty and the rise of Li Shimin as emperor.

A question suddenly occurred to him.

A very serious problem.

Zhang Annian said in his essay that he hoped his successors would be able to fulfill his unfulfilled wishes and make the land of Kyushu a prosperous place.

This sentence has always been a way for "Yang Jian" to brag about himself, but what if this successor is not the next emperor of the dynasty, but the successor of Zhang Annian's "thoughts"?

Who is the successor of Zhang Annian's spirit and thoughts? Who is the successor of his firm belief?
The heavy rain continued to fall, as if it had been falling for decades, continuously falling and cleaning the dirty earth.

The rain was heavy.

Li Yuan swallowed and then smiled.

He seemed to know who the successor was.

"Your Majesty the Emperor—"

The waiter from Taiji Hall stood in the heavy rain, holding an umbrella, and hurried to Wuji Hall. What he saw was Li Yuanhao standing in front of Wuji Hall, staring blankly into the distance.

"Your Majesty invites you."

His Majesty?

Li Yuan glanced at the waiter who lowered his head immediately after speaking. The premonition in his heart was getting closer and closer, but he no longer cared because he seemed to know what he was going to face.

If that’s the case, just face it.

"Let's go."

Li Yuan looked calm and took one last look at the Wuji Palace behind him.

I just don’t know if I’ll have the chance to come back after today.

Taiji Hall
As the "bad news" came one after another, Li Shimin's expression became more and more sad, and the historian behind the curtain became more and more "excited". He felt that he was participating in a huge event that would be recorded in the history books of future generations!

The Duke of Jin is plotting treason!
"His Majesty--"

Yu Wenzhi hurried in with a solemn look on his face: "I have received news that the Duke of Jin has led his private soldiers to the Xuanwu Gate, intending to enter the palace from the Xuanwu Gate."

"If I remember correctly, the guards of Xuanwu Gate seemed to be back then..."

He hesitated, as if he was embarrassed to say it, but finally said: "It seems that he is an old subordinate of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty trusted the Emperor and the Duke of Jin in the past, so he also trusts this guard."

Yu Wenzhi sighed: "But this man has failed your majesty's trust!"

Li Shimin's expression became even sadder.

At this moment, footsteps were heard not far away, and Emperor Li Yuan came out from outside the hall with a calm look on his face.

When Li Shimin saw Li Yuan like this, he was a little surprised, because this was not like the "false emperor of Southern Tang" Li Yuan in recent years, but more like the Duke of Tang Li Yuan who loved him very much when he was young. So he was silent for a moment.

But the charm of a good actor lies in the fact that in this brief silence, no matter how sad he is, his expression does not change and he still cannot believe your sadness.

He looked at Li Yuan and asked, "Father——"

Li Shimin's voice choked with sobs: "At this moment, you and I are not royal father and son, but just the most ordinary father and son in this world."

He looked at Li Yuan and said, "Father, have I ever let you down?"

After Li Yuan regained his senses, he felt helpless and amused looking at Li Shimin who was acting so hypocritically. But when he remembered that it was he who forced Li Shimin, who was a little spoiled but still a good boy, into this, he sighed slowly in his heart.

Then he looked at Li Shimin with the same attitude as before and said cunningly: "What does the emperor mean by this?"

There was a guilty look on his face, as if he had done something wrong and was afraid that the emperor would find out. His attempt to cover up his mistake but not acting very well was immediately seen through by everyone present.

The only two people who felt something was not right were Chen Ruohan and Li Shimin.

But Chen Ruohan didn't want to get involved in this matter, and Li Shimin deliberately ignored that emotion in silence.

He has long passed the age of longing for fatherly love. Now the stage has been set up. If he suddenly stops singing in this play, it will not be good for him or the Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, Li Shimin could only ignore the complicated emotions in his heart and said with an extremely sad look: "Then why did father collude with my eldest brother to attack Xuanwu Gate and plot rebellion?"

When this question was asked, it was like the drum beats of a drama suddenly became agitated and reached its climax.

This wonderful show has almost reached its first climax.

Li Yuan's expression suddenly changed, as if something was revealed, and he looked at Li Shimin with a dull and angry expression. He did not say that Li Shimin was unfilial, nor did he say that Li Shimin "imprisoned" him, but just said words that seemed to have no effect.

"Rebel!"

"You are my son, this world should belong to me!"

"You took the world from me in the first place, and now your elder brother and I are just taking it back. How can this be called treason?!"

He looked grumpy, like a rabbit whose tail was stepped on.

"Since you have discovered it, I will no longer hide it."

Li Yuan began to win over the ministers in the hall in a "clown" manner, promising them countless rewards - among which the rewards and temptations given to Chen were the greatest, as if he wanted to do the same thing as Emperor Muzong of Yu did in the past.

"Junior brother!"

There was a hint of sadness in Li Yuan's expression, and he looked at Chen Ruohan as if he wanted to play the emotional card.

"Junior brother, is the teacher going to give up on me?"

"If the teacher is willing to help me, if my junior fellow apprentice is willing to help me, and if the Chen family is willing to help me, I can confer upon the Chen family the title of King of a Different Surname! All of the land south of the Yangtze River can be assigned to the Chen family and let them govern it!"

"Even the Chen family can establish a kingdom south of the Yangtze River!"

He said in a very humble manner: "Junior brother, help me!"

Chen Ruohan lowered his eyes. He didn't want to get involved in the drama between the father and son, but the pleading look in Li Yuan's eyes made him feel helpless. They had studied together under Chen Zhan's tutelage, so how could there be no feelings between them?
It was only later that Li Yuan's actions became more and more biased, which caused them to become alienated.

And now.
He immediately saw the meaning in that look. He was just begging his "senior brother", the "next generation head of the Chen family", to rebuke him in the capacity of the Chen family, so that "Li Yuan", the man who attempted to rebel, would become a "clown" and be nailed to the pillar of shame.

Chen Ruohan didn't know why Li Yuan suddenly figured it out, but he couldn't bear it.
Everyone is like this.

In the past, let alone nailing Li Yuan to the pillar of shame, he would not have tolerated it even if Li Yuan was really killed - after all, the Li Yuan in the past was indeed a piece of shit.

But the person standing in front of him now is not the false emperor Li Yuan of Southern Tang, but his senior brother Li Yuan who studied with him back then!

"Junior brother! Help me!"

Li Yuan looked at Chen Ruohan and urged him. Others thought he was struggling to death, but Chen Ruohan and Li Shimin both heard the hidden meaning in his words.

Chen Ruohan closed his eyes, then opened them again, stood up, looked at Li Yuan and scolded him loudly.

"You traitor!"

"Your Majesty emerged from the chaotic world and established the Tang Dynasty with the abdication of the Duke of Chu! Now, under your Majesty's governance, the Tang Dynasty has slowly recovered its vitality, and the people of the world will soon be able to live a prosperous life."

"And you! You, a traitor, actually started a rebellion for your own selfish desires. This is truly despicable!"

"I, Chen, have never thought of becoming an emperor, nor do I want to establish a country!"

"If you, a thief, and the traitor outside Xuanwu Gate were allowed to gain control of the world, the lives of the common people would be miserable!"

Chen Ruohan gritted his teeth and said those words while looking at Li Yuan's somewhat relieved eyes.

"My father has already expelled you from the Chen family!"

"You are no longer a member of the Chen family!"

"Don't call me Junior Brother!"

"Such a hypocritical attitude is really disgusting!"

Li Yuan's face suddenly changed, as if he had a quarrel with Chen Ruohan, and he also yelled at him.

In the midst of this chaos, Li Shimin slowly closed his eyes.

Behind the curtain, the historian was smacking his lips in admiration.

This night was indeed bizarre and turbulent. Fortunately, I was the one on night watch today, otherwise I would have missed this absurd and bizarre night.

He really couldn't understand why Li Yuan colluded with the Duke of Jin?

Even if the Duke of Jin wins, isn't he still the emperor?

It can't be said that if the Duke of Jin wins, he will become the crown prince and let the retired emperor become the emperor, right?
The heavy rain fell, stirring up patches of gloom.

Li Jiancheng rode on horseback and had already reached the Xuanwu Gate. He looked up at "Xu Lin" standing on the Xuanwu Gate and chuckled, "General Xu! Why don't you open the gate quickly?"

Xu Lin on the city wall had already received the news that Li Jiancheng was coming, and had already opened the gate of the city wall.

This majestic and solemn "Xuanwu Gate" slowly opened a mysterious corner to Li Jiancheng.
"Tap tap tap——"

The horse's hooves hit the ground, stirring up waves.

The night scene under Xuanwu Gate was the same as in the original trajectory.
The same noise.

(End of this chapter)