Li Shimin, one emperor through the ages

Chapter 38
"Duke Lu said he was going to kill you." Li Yuanji met Pei Ji's gaze, and said straight to the point: "Yesterday, I went to the Zuixian Tower for a drink, and I saw Duke Lu and his younger brother, Tongzhi Sanqi's regular attendant Liu Wenqi. Drinking. I went and wanted to chat with them. As soon as I arrived at the window, I heard Lu Guogong say: "Pei Ji and I have helped the emperor raise his troops so far, and I have done more than Pei Ji. It is only because Pei Ji is good at welcoming people that I can do it." It is more important for the emperor. My heart is really not fair. One day, I will kill Pei Ji to relieve the hatred in my heart.' When I heard this, I didn't want to hear it anymore, so I came to the East Palace and told the prince about it. listen."

"The prince thinks that Duke Lu's words are not only aimed at the prime minister, but also at the emperor's father. The matter is of great importance. Therefore, he specially invited the prime minister to discuss it."

"What the prince sees is extremely correct. It's nothing that Duke Lu said that I am good at serving people. He just linked this with the emperor's importance. He is not scolding me, but blaming the emperor by scolding me. This is a heinous crime, prince. Why don't you go and report to the emperor and punish him?"

"I heard the king of Qi say this, and I thought so too." The prince said, "Just as I was about to see my father, I suddenly thought of Duke Lu, who is the most trusted person of the king of Qin! His relationship with the king of Qin surpassed King Qin and I are brothers."

"I'm afraid it's worse than worse." Li Wuji interjected, "In the Battle of Qianshuiyuan, Liu Wenjing fought rashly, causing the loss of more than half of our Tang army, and the generals Liu Hongji and Li Anyuan were captured. Such a serious crime should be punished according to the law. But, just because King Qin tried his best to protect him, he was not punished at all, and he was still his Duke of Lu. This shows the King Qin's preference for him."

"Because of this, I am worried that if I come forward to report this matter to my father, it may hurt the relationship between our brothers, so I invite the prime minister to come..."

After hearing this, Pei Ji understood everything in his heart.After thinking for a while, he nodded in agreement.Back at the prime minister's mansion, Li Yuan was about to go to see the emperor, but Li Yuan sent someone to call him into the palace first.

9
After listening to Pei Ji's detailed report, Li Yuan fell into deep thought.The question now is not what Liu Wenjing wants to do with Pei Ji.Pei Ji has seen this very clearly, and has given Li Yuan enough hints.As far as Pei Ji is concerned, Liu Wenjing is no longer in his eyes.The point is, the crown prince has already separated from the king of Qin, and the crown prince has already developed scruples about the king of Qin, so he wants to get Pei Ji's help, and kills Liu Wenjing who has a close relationship with the king of Qin first.At this level, even without Pei Ji's hint, Li Yuan could see it very clearly.He knew very well that Liu Wenjing and Pei Ji were at odds; he was also satisfied with Liu Wenjing's dedication and loyalty to the establishment of the Tang Dynasty.However, he doesn't like Liu Wenjing's aggressive character very much.More importantly, he wanted to use the life of a minister to see his Erlang's reaction.Therefore, he decided to hand over the matter to Qin Wang Li Shimin.

A wise king is always good at dealing with the most difficult problems.He can easily deal with things that seem to be very harmful to him, and they will become very beneficial.Today, there seems to be a crack in the relationship between the brothers.But how deep is the crack and can it be repaired?Also, how does his son implement his opinions?Li Yuan even thought of the metaphor that was rejected by Li Shimin.Yes, it turned out that the son was right.But can he be right?He dared to belittle the imperial power, how can there be any right reason?This time, let's take another look at how he treated his father's opinion.

Liu Wenjing should be killed!Of course it wasn't because of his drunken nonsense, but because his relationship with Li Shimin was indeed too close!In the past, in Li Yuan's view, this was not a bad thing.The problem is, now someone wants to get rid of Liu Wenjing.This person is none other than the prince.The purpose of the prince to get rid of Liu Wenjing is to cut off the power of Qin Wang Li Shimin.Of course, Pei Ji was also very happy about this.However, the one who really wants to get rid of Liu Wenjing is indeed the crown prince, or perhaps the king of Qi, Li Yuanji.

Li Yuan knew that on such a matter, Pei Ji's report could not be false; Li Yuan also knew that in such a public occasion, no matter how individualistic and bold Liu Wenjing was, she would never say anything to blame the emperor.If you can't even see this point, it is impossible for Li Yuan to sit on the throne of the emperor.

"The prince asked you to come because he was worried that it would hurt the feelings between their brothers?" Li Yuan was not in a hurry to express his opinion, because what he said was an imperial decree that could not be changed.So before that, he still wanted to talk about this with Pei Ji again, so he said softly, he was asking Pei Ji, and he seemed to be asking himself.

"Is that what he said?"

"You think that's true too?"

Pei Ji shook his head.

"However, if I deal with Liu Wenjing, in the end, King Qin will still know who told the secret."

"How about...invite King Qin to come, and I'll tell him about this." Pei Ji said.After following Li Yuan for so many years, he has always been like this, always able to say what Li Yuan wanted in his heart.

"It's a good idea. Listen to King Qin's opinion before making a conclusion." Li Yuan was very happy in his heart, but nodded calmly.Then he ordered to invite Qin Wang Li Shimin.Not long after, Li Shimin came, and Li Yuan asked Pei Ji to tell Liu Wenjing again, then looked at him and asked:
"King Qin, how do you deal with such a thing?"

"My son believes that there must be something strange about this matter." Li Shimin said: "Duke Lu may speak disrespectfully to the prime minister, but he will never blame his father." "Do you not believe what King Qi said?" Li Yuan asked.

"Perhaps King Qi misheard."

"What if King Qi insists that he heard it with his own ears?"

"It's absolutely impossible. Duke Lu wouldn't say something to blame his father." Li Shimin insisted.

This Erlang, he would rather trust Liu Wenjing than his own brother, which made Li Yuan a little sad and a little scared.It seems that there is really a gap between the brothers!Li Yuan shouted in his heart.He deeply knows what it will mean if there is a gap between the princes in an emperor's family like him.In the end, there may be a battle in the court; at that time, the court may be splashed with blood!Even, the world is in chaos! !Thinking of this, Li Yuan couldn't help being startled.After pondering for a while, he said to Li Shimin:
"You go, don't say anything, let me ask more questions, and then make a decision. Between you brothers, don't be suspicious and hurt each other's feelings." Watching King Qin walk out of the palace, Li Yuan suddenly went straight to the ground Ask Pei Ji:

"Tell me again, Prince and King Qi, why do you want to sue Liu Wenjing for imperial court?"

"This……"

"No, no, I'll tell you clearly, I don't blame you for this, I just want to understand, you have to answer me truthfully, and answer me plainly."

"In Yichen's opinion, King Qin's influence in the court is too strong."

The King of Qin was too powerful, the prince was worried, and then he wanted to use his own hands to weaken the King of Qin's power in the court... Li Yuan felt a chill in his heart when he thought of this. Unexpectedly, my sons, each other... he Not wanting to think about it anymore, he asked Pei Ji loudly:

"The king of Qin is too powerful, why is the crown prince unhappy? The power of the king of Qin is the strength of my Tang Dynasty, the strength of Zhen, and the strength of his prince."

"However, in the eyes of the prince...he also saw..."

"Tell me, what else did he see?"

"He also saw that there are more supporters of King Qin in the court than him, King Qin's prestige among the army and the people exceeds him, and there are more counselors and generals in King Qin's mansion than in his Prince's mansion, so he feels a kind of threat, and he is a little afraid."

"Are you sure, the prince really feels the threat from King Qin and is a little scared?"

Pei Ji nodded solemnly, and said: "Exactly, I think this is the case, and I have seen it very accurately."

That being the case, there is a reason for the prince's concerns, and the prince's actions are understandable.What's more, under such circumstances, if I don't come forward to help him, maybe the two brothers will really make a big fuss.Li Yuan thought so in his heart, but said to Pei Ji:

"No matter how much the King of Qin surpasses the Prince, he is still the King of Qin. The Prince is always the Prince."

Pei Ji listened and remained silent.

"It seems that you disagree with me and want me to help the prince?"

"Your Majesty has a long-term vision and sees everything clearly. I dare not judge this matter in vain."

"Okay, I'll help the prince for a while." Li Yuan shouted loudly at this point:
"It is said that Li Yuan, the minister of punishment, will come to see me quickly!"

Seeing Li Yuan approaching steadily, and after paying the respectful ceremony, Li Yuan covered his eyes and ordered:
"Liu Wenjing insisted on her meritorious deeds, uttered wild words, even killed the prime minister, and used this to defile me. He should be punished for his crime. You should go and handle this matter quickly."

9
After repeated thinking, Li Yuan made up his mind to kill Liu Wenjing.After ordering Li Yuan, the servant of the punishment department, to carry out the execution, he felt very tired, so he leaned on the dragon chair, closed his eyes and rested his mind.Seeing him, Pei Ji raised his hands and said, "Since this matter has been dealt with, please rest in the emperor's bedroom. I will take my leave here."

Li Yuan frowned slightly, half-opened his eyes, squinted at Pei Ji and said, "The prime minister thinks that this matter has been resolved, so I can rest in peace?"

Pei Ji shook his head and said, "Someone may come to intercede for Liu Wenjing."

"Who do you think it might be?"

"Qin King Li Shimin."

"Since we all know, why leave?"

"I'm here, I'm afraid..."

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Since I have a holy metaphor, no matter who comes to intercede, it won't help. I keep you here only to make an analysis for me after the incident." Li Yuan was just saying this, when a servant's voice came from outside the hall:

"King Qin is here!"

As soon as the words fell, Li Shimin, the king of Qin, came in hastily. After kneeling down, he got up and said:

"Father, my son heard that the Duke of Lu was going to be beheaded, so he thought it was absolutely impossible."

"Tell me why."

"Duke Lu is the founding minister of the Tang Dynasty. If he kills the ministers, I'm afraid it will chill the hearts of the ministers. Moreover, Duke Lu said that he wanted to kill the prime minister. It was just a joke after drinking. There is really no disrespect for the father."

"Who did you hear this from?"

"My minister questioned Lu Guogong face to face, and went to the restaurant to verify."

"Jokes after drinking? But people say that telling the truth after drinking, with the intention of killing the prime minister, isn't it a serious crime?"

Seeing that his father was pressing so hard, Li Shimin seemed determined to kill Liu Wenjing.Although he was anxious in his heart, he didn't dare to forcefully continue to distinguish with his father, so he took a step back and said: "Duke Lu is guilty, and he will not die in the end. I also ask Father to spare his life."

"But, I have made an order, you see..."

"Although the decree has been issued, human life is at stake, so please take back the imperial decree."

Li Yuan was furious when he heard this.He remembered again: when Li Shimin attacked Luoyang for a long time, he ordered him to be a teacher, but Li Shimin ignored it.Now, for the sake of Liu Wenjing, he came to ask me to take back the imperial decree.Could it be that my imperial decree is not as good as Liu Wenjing's life?If so, where is my authority in the eyes of King Qin?Li Yuan thought angrily, but a smile gradually appeared on his face, he opened his mouth slowly, and asked Pei Ji:

"How does the prime minister think this matter should be dealt with?"

"The minister believes that since the emperor has made an order, he should implement it. The emperor's authority is far greater than the life of any subject."

After Li Yuan heard this, the anger in his heart gradually subsided.Pei Ji, Pei Ji!Compared with many ministers, you do not have any outstanding achievements, but in this regard, you are a hundred times better than others. It is precisely because of this that I want to use you highly.My Erlang, Qin Wang Li Shimin, if you can do what Pei Ji does to maintain my authority, regardless of the rest, I will be the luckiest father in the world.Thinking of this, Li Yuan looked at his Erlang and his son with a smile, his eyes clearly asked:
"Do you think the prime minister's words make sense?"

Qin Wang knew the question in his father's eyes, he also knew what kind of answer his father needed, and he knew that he could not do what his father wanted.As a result, his heart was extremely heavy, which made him unable to lift his noble head.

Yesterday, King Qin still felt that he had a great reputation; but now, it is difficult to say what he wants to say!Li Shimin lowered his head, silently thinking: Imperial power, this imperial power is so powerful that anyone can only sacrifice for him, and can only kneel obediently in front of it!Li Shimin suddenly felt that in the depths of his heart, although he was disgusted with imperial power, he yearned so strongly for imperial power.If I were the emperor, Liu Wenjing would not ask to beheaded; if I were the emperor, I would not let this kind of innocent killing happen!He was amazed by his own idea, and also excited by his own idea.At this time, deep in his heart, he already had a very clear wish: I want to be the emperor!Perhaps, this wish has been hidden for a long time, but it has never been as clear as it is now.

Li Yuan looked at Li Shimin quietly, hoping that he could speak and agree with Pei Ji's opinion.However, he was finally disappointed.At this moment, although Li Yuan still couldn't see the terrible thought in Erlang's heart, from his long silence, he could clearly see that King Qin didn't respect his imperial power as much as Pei Ji did, and even intentionally or unintentionally offered to his imperial power. Imperial challenge.This is absolutely intolerable to him.For this alone, he had to kill Liu Wenjing.

The next day, Liu Wenjing, Duke of the State of Lu, was beheaded at the Meridian Gate.His younger brother Liu Wenqi died with him.Nevertheless, comparatively speaking, Li Yuan was still a benevolent emperor. He did not kill the nine clans of the Liu family like other emperors did.Qin Wang Li Shimin heard the sound of the murderous drum in Fudi, and then an attendant came to report that Liu Wenjing had been beheaded at the Meridian Gate.He has been standing quietly in front of the window, watching the violent wind and rain outside the window, for a long time, he sighed, and uttered four words:
"Imperial power is ruthless!?"

(End of this chapter)