Qin Mubai didn't quite remember how he left Hongwen Hall and returned home with a crowd of people watching. He was a little tired and in a daze. I should be happy, but I can't be happy.
This time, he really experienced what it means to be surrounded by danger and murderous intent. A group of people sitting in a meeting can decide the life and death of millions of people. Although there are no swords, armor or staffs, it is better than the melee of thousands of armies. ,
On the surface, Li Shimin stepped in at the last moment and turned the tide or Qiankun's arbitrary decision, turning the balance that had been completely tilted completely.
In fact, with a little effort, you can figure out that Li Shimin's move was extremely helpless!
This cabinet meeting was full of twists and turns. On the surface, it seemed to be about the Lanzhou war, but the actual core was a struggle for power and a contest of positions. Changsun Wuji was the stronger one. No matter how complicated the process was, he won in the end.
This also means that the main war faction has been completely defeated, and the party struggle in the court has completely fallen into a one-sided situation.
Of course, this is what Li Shimin least wants to see!
Especially when he saw that the prince Wei Wang Li Tai, whom he always valued very much, had become a loser and stood in Changsun Wuji's camp, he was so angry that he immediately expelled him from Hongwen Hall. .
It is said that the king's heart is unpredictable, but in fact it is simple to put it bluntly. Li Shimin wanted to cultivate a strong group to assist his successor to ensure a safe and stable transition of the Tang Dynasty after a hundred years. However, he would never allow a powerful official to appear in the court.
This is paradoxical, but easy to understand.
Where there is a court, there is party struggle. Only when the two parties are equally matched can the emperor control them. If one party is completely defeated and annexed, it means that there is only one faction left in the court. If this group of people unite, even the emperor will not be able to control it.
Li Shimin still had such worries, and he did not believe that any of his sons could deal with a tightly united court official. Therefore, he very much hoped that Li Tai, whom he always valued, could show some courage and courage at this juncture, dare to be the enemy of Changsun Wuji, and dare to stand firmly on the side of the weak main war faction. However, Li Tai broke his promise with Qin Mubai and stood in Changsun Wuji's queue as wretchedly as grass on the wall.
Therefore, when Li Tai walked out of Hongwen Hall, everyone could clearly feel Li Shimin's disappointment, even despair!
If he is a hundred years later, no matter whether the throne is passed to Li Tai or Li Zhi, these two people will not be able to suppress Changsun Wuji!
If so, what can I do
Li Shimin's sadness is beyond words!
He needs Changsun Wuji, but he also has to be wary of Changsun Wuji; he trusts Changsun Wuji, but he can't do it without any reservations. This is not because of a lack of personality, but because of his status as an emperor, he must do this.
Perhaps, Li Shimin's helplessness was the root cause of his illness this time. He wanted to stay away from the court for a while and see what the Tang Dynasty would be like if he left it. The current results are likely to disappoint him - Changsun Wuji is fully capable of "unifying the world." The King of Wei, whom he always valued, had done nothing at all. Not only was he inferior to old men like Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng, he was even inferior to roughnecks like Yuchi Jingde and Cheng Zhijie, and underachievers like Qin Mubai!
Be tactful and tactful, and be considerate, but on key issues, you must have your own stance and attitude. This is the most basic foundation of an emperor!
…
Li Shimin, who had a grayish complexion and was wearing a thick fur, stood at the edge of the window on the top floor of Wude Hall, blowing the breeze over Chang'an, squinting his eyes slightly and looking into the distance.
Behind him, there were only Chu Suiliang and a eunuch serving daily life.
"Suiliang... tell me the truth. Is it true that none of my sons will be successful?" Li Shimin said softly.
Chu Suiliang was startled for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I have written this sentence in your Majesty's notes."
"It's up to you." Li Shimin said indifferently and said calmly, "You don't need to write the following words. I just want to chat with you privately."
"Now the minister is no longer the servant beside His Majesty, but an ordinary court official." Chu Suiliang said.
"Yes. Just think that you are my nephew." Li Shimin nodded and said, "Tell me why today, Qingque stands in Changsun Wuji's camp instead of joining forces with Fang Xuanling and Li Ji Are they standing together?"
"The King of Wei... he must have the same difficulties as the King of Wei!" Chu Suiliang said, "Prince, we can learn from the past."
Li Shimin frowned and a trace of anger appeared on his face. He coughed several times, slapped the window edge hard, and said angrily: "According to what you said, could it be that Cheng Qian was knocked down by Changsun Wuji?" ?”
"Wei Chen is punished by death!" Chu Suiliang was immediately horrified, "Wei Chen, this is absolutely not what you meant!"
"If that's not what you meant, why should you be punished with death?"
"..." Chu Suiliang was speechless for a moment and said after a long pause, "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, the death of lips and teeth is cold, and the death of rabbits and foxes will be sad. Although this is not the case, people's hearts are suspicious after all. It is hard to guarantee that the King of Wei did not have this thought in his heart! Therefore... he was forced to succumb to the situation. It is absolutely necessary to stand on the side of the Lord and the Faction.”
"Hmph..." Li Shimin snorted coldly and said, "Then he is quite versatile, and his ability to seek good fortune and avoid evil is really good. As we all know, he and Changsun Wuji have always been at odds. Currently, Changsun Wuji is mainly assisting Zhi. Slave prison country, his decision surprised me. The one who was hit the hardest at this time was Qingque, but he was begging for mercy! How sad! How could I, Li Shimin’s son, beg for mercy? You don’t have any of my character or blood?”
"Pah, pah, pah!"
With three consecutive slaps, Li Shimin slapped the window edge hard, causing the gray paint to shatter!
"Your Majesty is still ill, please calm down..." Chu Suiliang advised softly.
At this moment, perhaps only Chu Suiliang could understand why the emperor was so angry. At that time, Li Shimin gave up the dragon chair above the court on the pretext of recovering from illness. Firstly, it was to test the future of the court, and secondly, it was to force King Wei to "make peace" with Changsun Wuji.
As a result, what Li Shimin didn't expect was that Changsun Wuji unexpectedly brought Li Zhi out, who had never stepped onto the stage, and would rather risk violating the holy will than make peace with Li Tai. At this time, although Li Shimin was a little surprised and sullen, fundamentally speaking, he still admired Changsun Wuji's opinion. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been "sick" for so long. He just wanted to see if Changsun Wuji's choice was correct.
At this time, Li Shimin did not give up on Wei King Li Tai. Over the years, Li Tai is the most suitable successor in his eyes. He really wanted to see Li Tai stand up at this time, challenge Changsun Wuji to a fight, show off a bit of the emperor's demeanor and momentum, and show a bit of the pride of a prince and the courage to do great things!
Although party strife in the court is not a good thing, Li Shimin knows very well that these contradictions have already existed and are lurking under the water over time. If he wants to solve them, he might as well let him explode!
But in this war, the thunder is loud and the rain is light. Although the main war faction has the support of two big names, Li Ji and Li Daozong, and the unexpected joining of Fang Xuanling, it is ultimately insignificant compared to Changsun Wuji's party. At this time, Li Shimin was extremely looking forward to Li Tai standing up and saying no to Changsun Wuji. Even if he knew that he would lose in the end, he would lose with great vigor and hold his head high.
But Li Tai didn't. He chose to shrink his neck and get in the crowd, hiding his head and tail.
When Qin Mubai passed by him and taunted him, Li Shimin saw and heard it from a distance.
At that time, he really wanted to rush forward, pick Li Tai out, slap his ears hard several times, and give him some strength!
Deep love, deep responsibility!
Chu Suiliang can completely understand Li Shimin's anger and disappointment!
Originally, Li Shimin had already had a blueprint in his mind for whether Lanzhou would be at war or at peace, how to deal with diplomatic relations with Tubo, and how to manage the Western Regions. His hesitation was because he did not have a clear understanding of the balance of forces above the court.
Now he knows better. The civil servant group headed by Changsun Wuji almost defeated the main war faction with an overwhelming advantage. In this matter, no one is right or wrong, only who wins and who loses. In Li Shimin's mind, his bottom line is not to allow the factional strife in the court to worsen further, and to have a second prince and the King of Han appear again, and he does not want a second pillar of the court like Hou Junji to be driven away.
In short, Li Shimin has already made up his mind. Whichever side loses, he will help, protect, and support whichever side he loses! Firstly, the dead people who cannot reproduce the catastrophe should leave the court, and secondly, the strength of the two parties must be evenly matched...
When the meeting at the Hongwen Hall ended and people returned home and thought for a while, anyone who wasn't particularly hard-headed understood the emperor's two-tiered intentions.
Therefore, Qin Mubai and a large number of others worked hard and fought with a desperate attitude. In the final analysis, they just played a game similar to "throwing sandbags" with Li Shimin.
As a result, the only unlucky guy who was hit turned out to be something no one expected - King Wei Li Tai!
"I want to see Qin Mubai alone. If I want to keep it secret, please make arrangements." Li Shimin said suddenly.
"Where?" Chu Suiliang asked superfluously.
Li Shimin was stunned for a long time, sighed, and said: "Let's get out of the palace, preferably out of Chang'an City... the top of Zhongnan Mountain."
After Qin Mubai returned home, he fell asleep and paid no attention to anyone. I woke up in the middle of the night, hungry and sweaty, as if I had just recovered from a serious illness. When he came out of the room to prepare the servants for bathing and meals, he saw his sister Shuang'er still chanting the lamp in her room and the door was not closed, so Qin Mubai walked over.
"Brother, you finally woke up. What, are you sick? Are you sleeping like this in broad daylight?" Shuang'er asked with concern, "Seeing that you are so tired, my mother was very concerned about you and was afraid of disturbing your rest, so she warned me We don't want to wake you up. By the way, there is a note here, left by Chu Suiliang. He waited for you for a long time and didn't let us wake you up. Then he left the note and left. "
"Chu Suiliang?" Qin Mubai was surprised and took it over. When he unfolded it, he saw that the beautiful handwriting was written by Chu Suiliang himself. The ink was still fresh and there were only eleven words on it: "Awaiting arrival at the top of Zhongnan Mountain tomorrow at midnight." ".
Qin Mubai frowned, chuckled again and burned the paper against the candle.
"Brother...what's going on? The emperor actually met you there?" Shuang'er asked curiously.
"What the hell, I'm too lazy to think about all the twists and turns. I'm so tired! We'll find out if we go tomorrow," Qin Mubai said, "I'm hungry, get me something to eat."
"Okay, it's been prepared a long time ago and it's all warm in the pot!"
At dawn the next day, Qin Mubai, who had stayed up all night and read for half the night, went out early, took a pipa with him, mounted his horse, left Chang'an and climbed Zhongnan Mountain, and came to the statue of Yao'er, which was half under construction.
It was still early in the sky at this time, and the top of the mountain was filled with rays of light and thousands of flowing clouds, just like a fairyland. The construction workers were still washing and cooking in the far shed, and it was still early to start the work. So Qin Mubai sat next to the statue and played a few pieces of pipa.
At this time, Li Shimin still didn't come.
"Yao'er, I'm here to say goodbye to you." Qin Mubai whispered to himself, "I'm leaving Chang'an for Lanzhou. I don't know when I will come back. However, I will bring your ashes with me. You should Will you stay with me? When you return from victory, I will play the pipa here for you."
So, another song "Lanzhou Hong" was played.
The construction workers probably guessed Qin Mubai's identity, so they consciously stood at a distance without anyone coming to disturb him.
At this time, Qin Mubai heard a series of steady and slow footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Li Shimin wearing a thick fur cloak.
"Keep playing!" Li Shimin hid his hands in his cloak and wrapped it tightly, smiling calmly.
"I don't know if your Majesty came here to greet you, please forgive me." Qin Mubai stood up and saluted.
"No need to be polite." Li Shimin sighed, looked up at the prototype of the Yao'er statue, squinted his eyes to admire the clouds, and softly chanted: "The mist is blooming in the blue plains, and the rosy mountains are steep in the city." . The misty peaks are high and green, the waves are shallow and clear... It’s a great place!”
"Well..." Qin Mubai responded softly.
"I have heard of Miss Yao'er's name for a long time, but it's a pity that I have only been acquainted with her for a long time. It's a pity that I went to immortality first before I saw her." Li Shimin said, "Mu Bai, you are still young, and you should experience so much in this world. There are still many things to do, and we have to bear them one by one.”
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry, I know what I am doing." Qin Mubai said.
"I believe it." Li Shimin smiled and nodded, and said, "For people like you, your ambitions will not be buried by the love of your children. In fact, I asked you to come here for a private meeting today for two reasons. I want to tell you."
"Your Majesty, please give me your instructions." Qin Mubai cupped his hands and said.
"The first thing is about the grudge between you and the Fang family." Li Shimin looked at Qin Mubai with burning eyes and said.
Qin Mubai frowned slightly, nodded and said: "Wei Chen is indeed impulsive. If there is anything wrong, I am willing to be punished, and I am also willing to go to Mr. Fang and let him be dealt with."
"A man is a man who dares to act. You are good." Li Shimin nodded approvingly and smiled, "But if you do this, you are looking down on Fang Xuanling too much. His mind can accommodate mountains and seas. Can I not tolerate you, Qin Mubai? In fact, I admire him a little. At first, it was not you, not Gao Yang, but Fang Xuanling who came to expose the conspiracy between Li Yuanchang and Fang Yiai. "
Qin Mubai was speechless. Thinking of Fang Xuanling in Hongwen Hall, who was seriously ill but could speak every word resoundingly, he felt for the first time... ashamed!
"Fang Xuanling's righteous killing of relatives not only exposed his son's crimes, but also confessed to me the crime of neglecting his adopted son. He wanted to plead guilty or resign and return to his fields, but I refused him. So, he still performed the duties of a prime minister. He is loyal to the country and shares my worries. He has not changed his position and attitude on major issues at all because of his personal grudges with you. This is very rare." Li Shimin sighed deeply, "That's why I was in Hongwen Hall yesterday. Li said, I would rather die than have a loyal minister like Fang Xuanling in the Tang Dynasty."
"Wei Chen realizes his mistake... Wei Chen's actions brought too much harm to Fang Xuanling. But at the most critical moment, he repaid me with kindness in return, ugh..." Qin Mubai sighed.
"He treats the situation rather than the person, just like Wei Zheng." Li Shimin smiled, a little proudly, and said, "I have always been very lucky to have loyal and upright ministers like Fang Xuanling and Wei Zheng by my side. Mu Bai, you There is no need to blame yourself. Although you are overly aggressive, you are not wrong. On the contrary, I admire your courage and uprightness. I have also been frivolous when I was young. Let me ask you, if anyone hurts my relatives, friends or women, I will do it. It’s understandable that he won’t give up. Fang Xuanling, don’t underestimate his broadmindedness.”
"Um… "
"Mu Bai, I have something I want to ask you for help with..." Li Shimin said suddenly.
Qin Mubai was surprised and stunned for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Please give me your Majesty's instructions."
"In the future, if one day I leave before Fang Xuanling, then... I ask you to protect him." After Li Shimin finished speaking, he turned to look at Qin Mubai with serious eyes and said, "Can you agree? "
"Yes." Qin Mubai looked back into Li Shimin's eyes and said affirmatively.
"Thank you." Li Shimin smiled slightly, turned around and looked at the distant mountains with squinted eyes, and said leisurely, "This is also what Empress Changsun told me when she was dying... You must try your best to protect Fang Xuanling. "
Qin Mubai was stunned for a long time after hearing this, and sighed in his heart: How could the eldest grandson who passed away a few years ago have such foresight? Could it be that she had long realized that Fang Xuanling would one day be tolerated by his brother, eldest grandson Wuji and others
What kind of wise and intelligent woman was Queen Changsun, who was lying quietly in Zhaoling? No wonder Li Shimin still misses her!
"The second thing is, I want to show you something." Li Shimin took out a brochure and handed it to Qin Mubai.
Qin Mubai was slightly surprised when he got it. This kind of memorial was a special memorial for urgent military situations at the border. He was very familiar with it!
After unfolding it, it turned out that it was indeed an urgent military intelligence report from Lanzhou, and it was written in blood by his father, Qin Shubao!
Qin Mubai was stunned after reading it!
It turned out that as early as six days ago, Qin Shubao had already rebelled against the order and raised troops to counterattack the Tibetan troops and left Gaochang!
Before he raised the army, he wrote a bloody letter, willing to shoulder the crime of resisting the imperial decree, and personally led the army to go out. He left Xue Wanjun and Xue Wanche to guard the Lanzhou base camp. He mobilized 20,000 elite Yue cavalry and light soldiers to attack Gaochang, and only brought Xue Rengui and Yuwen Hongtai and two lieutenants!
Li Shimin looked into the distance and stood still, his expression a little tense.
"Your Majesty, this..." Qin Mubai didn't know what to say for a moment.
"Chu Suiliang brought this to me early yesterday morning. Even Zhang Sun Wuji doesn't know about it yet," Li Shimin said.
Qin Mubai suddenly broke into a cold sweat. What a disaster it would be if this military report appeared during the Hongwen Hall meeting! In this way, what is being discussed is not whether Lanzhou sends troops, but how to punish Qin Shubao and Lanzhou generals!
"Do you want to ask, since your father has already taken action, why did I send a marriage envoy to Lanzhou with Princess Wencheng?" Li Shimin said.
"Well..." Qin Mubai could only nodded.
"Hey..." Li Shimin sighed helplessly and said, "That's because the people who died on the front line are already dead; I don't want anyone else in the court to die in the hands of my own people."
"Wei Chen understands..." Qin Mubai nodded and said softly, "Your Majesty, you are actually the most difficult."
Li Shimin raised the corner of his mouth and smiled slightly, and said: "It is not easy to be a minister, and it is even more difficult to be a king. Since I have become the emperor, I must shoulder such responsibilities. There is nothing to say about the things within my duties. The same goes for you, Mu Bai Going to Lanzhou will put you under a lot of pressure. Your father must have had his reasons for going against the order, but now that he has done so, you have to deal with it. , how to find a way to solve this situation? In addition, it is not realistic to conquer Tubo and the Western Regions. Now that war has begun, "fighting for peace" is the only way out. You are not afraid of war. The soldiers are not afraid of war, but the Tang Dynasty is afraid!"
"Weichen, I understand..." Qin Mubai sighed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry. Weichen went to Lanzhou and will not disappoint or embarrass your Majesty."
"Okay. With these two words from you, I feel relieved." Li Shimin smiled knowingly and said, "There is one more little thing I want to tell you. I have decided to let Jiangxia King Li Daozong be the betrothed to his daughter. Envoy, I will go with you to Lanzhou to deal with the marriage. I have decided to temporarily transfer Li Ke back from Goguryeo to fill the vacant position of governor of Youzhou. Anyway, the Korean peninsula can be considered peaceful for the time being. There is no point in putting my prince in the palace of Goguryeo and keeping him captive like a hostage."
"Wei Chen understands." Qin Mubai cupped his hands and responded softly, but something moved in his heart: Li Ke, after taking such a long detour and taking such a big risk, he finally achieved his purpose of 'going out to avoid trouble' , and have a corner? ... The 'Acting Governor' of the Youzhou Governor's Mansion has an official position and power that is not small! …