Chapter 150: The Curtain Rises, Storms Are About to Brew (Begging for Monthly Tickets)

This campaign, at last, had thoroughly drawn to a close.

Li Shimin had never once deployed a great many troops from beginning to end, and this had driven the prestige of the entire Li Tang to its absolute peak.

—The realm submitted in awe!

Whether it was Yuwen Huaji's forces or Liang Shidu's forces.

Toward this Great Tang's Qin Wang.

They all felt a heartfelt gratitude and respect.

Li Shimin's actions could be said to have displayed his benevolence to the fullest, and this drove his prestige to the point that it had even surpassed that of Li Yuan, this so-called Emperor.

And this news was still spreading without cease!

By now, although Li Tang still had not completely unified the entire realm.

It was already no different from having unified the realm.

Chang'an City.

Li Yuan was naturally the first to receive the news, and a surge of intense elation welled up within him at once.

—Sovereign of All Under Heaven!

He, Li Yuan, had become the Sovereign of All Under Heaven!

By now, there was no longer any suspense about any of this!

The entire Tang Ting instantly stirred into a frenzy, and the cries of "Ten Thousand Years" from the ministers toward Li Yuan nearly echoed throughout all of Chang'an City.

Excitement, agitation, and a thousand other emotions surged within the hearts of the assembled ministers.

They had bet right!

Li Tang had at last come out on top, standing once more above the entire Nine Provinces.

But often, beneath the surface fervor, storms inevitably lie hidden.

"Your Majesty, the Qin Wang has dared to negotiate with the Turks on behalf of our Great Tang — this is an act of defiance!"

Once this remark was raised, an invisible storm instantly swept through the entire court of Great Tang.

With the external threats utterly eradicated.

The internal contradictions were about to be brought out into the open!

By now, who among them could fail to see that Li Shimin's prestige had grown too high!

This prestige — not to mention Crown Prince Li Jiancheng compared with him — even Li Yuan, this so-called Emperor, appeared somewhat dim and lackluster against Li Shimin's radiance!

Whether it was the bestowal of favors or the renown of his might.

Li Shimin had thoroughly reached the very pinnacle of the Nine Provinces, with none able to stand beside him.

No matter how magnanimous Li Yuan might be.

When he heard of the myriad deeds of the realm's common folk singing Li Shimin's virtues, thoughts still inevitably arose within his heart.

Such is the common nature of man.

Although nothing had been made fully explicit, an invisible clash still unfolded within Great Tang, revolving around the "Ten Directions Conquest Commissioner."

The crux was this: "Father as sovereign, son as Ten Directions Conquest Commissioner" — would it encroach upon the imperial authority?

In truth, Li Yuan had not paid much heed to these matters at first.

But when Pei Ji raised yet another question, this time Li Yuan was finally affected.

"With the Qin Wang's prestige, if he serves as Ten Directions Conquest Commissioner, even if he cannot encroach upon Your Majesty, should Your Majesty one day pass to the immortals, will the sovereigns of later generations still hold imperial power?"

A single, simple sentence — yet it struck straight at the heart of the matter.

Li Yuan could, in the capacity of a father, place all manner of restrictions upon Li Shimin.

But the sovereigns of later generations?

Whether comparing prestige or the hearts of the soldiers, in what single regard did Crown Prince Li Jiancheng now surpass Li Shimin?

Li Shimin's position was far too sensitive.

He was not of the Gu clan — he too was a legitimate second son.

This status afforded Li Shimin far, far too many possibilities, and the most critical point was this: if Li Shimin, in the days to come, did not emulate Gu Chen in abolishing the Ten Directions Conquest Commissioner, but instead chose to pass the title down through his line.

Then, with no one left to restrain him, the Emperor of Great Tang was destined to become a mere figurehead.

Once this question had been raised.

Li Yuan was finally swayed.

An invisible crisis, under these circumstances, gradually took shape within the entire Tang Ting.

Li Shimin did not return to court directly.

The purpose of this campaign of his was to sweep the entire realm clean once and for all.

In truth, for Li Shimin, having reached this point, he no longer even needed to raise troops.

The lords of the four directions who could still offer Li Tang any opposition had long since been wiped out.

As for those who remained.

To the current Great Tang, they could hardly be counted as any threat at all.

But for Li Shimin, he still intended to sweep everything clean; he wished to swiftly settle every trouble, so as to grant the common folk of the realm a longer period of rest.

Perhaps it was because he had truly come to possess an invincible heart.

Facing the lords of the four directions who still clung to their last resistance, he did not even bother to march troops against them, but merely sent envoys to meet with them.

Friend or foe;

Under the present circumstances, this was not a difficult choice.

The power in one's hands was indeed worth clinging to — but how could it compare to one's own life?

—The lords of the four directions surrendered one after another.

This scene was truly astonishing.

Under these circumstances, a new rumor gradually spread across the entire realm.

"When the Qin Wang sends a single envoy to the border, all vassals submit in fear, and the four seas fall within the empire's map."

Gu Yi could see clearly—

Compared to the original history, Li Shimin was now even more brilliant.

Although Li Shimin's battlefield achievements seemed unchanged, the reason was simply that his original achievements had already been astonishing.

How much further could he possibly rise?

This change came from his different reputation.

Because of just a few of his actions, he had added countless virtues of benevolence and righteousness to his already extraordinary fame.

The people of the Nine Provinces had suffered too long.

Li Shimin's reputation for "benevolence and righteousness" was one of his chief weapons in unifying the realm.

But Gu Yi also understood clearly: as Li Shimin grew more brilliant, the pressure on others would grow greater.

Even Li Yuan had begun to sense something amiss, let alone Li Jiancheng.

Some things were clearly unavoidable.

Yet Gu Yi now felt utterly at peace with all of this; his gaze had gradually turned to the entire Nine Provinces.

What he wanted to know more than anything was—

With the Gu clan already present, how glorious would the coming golden age become?

Gu Yu was still alive.

Though he had always remained in Julu, he had never been idle.

Gu Yi had personally witnessed him laying the foundation for the entire Tang dynasty's reforms—this would surely bring unprecedented change to the Tang!

He was merely waiting for the right moment!

—The four corners stirred.

Li Shimin paid no heed to the vassals, then turned his gaze toward Lingnan.

He intended to launch a campaign against Emperor Xiao Xi of Liang.

This was the last obstacle standing in the Tang's way.

Yet just before he was about to mobilize, Li Yuan's imperial edict arrived suddenly, summoning Li Shimin back to the capital under the pretext of "missing his son," and entrusting the Lingnan campaign to Li Jing.

Though everything seemed perfectly reasonable, this sudden edict made many realize something.

In Diaoyin City.

Li Shimin's core followers gathered here.

"Your Highness, I have a word I do not know whether I should speak."

Changsun Wujie looked earnestly at Li Shimin and bowed.

Li Shimin immediately turned to him and said with complete composure: "Fuji, speak plainly—what is there that cannot be said?"

All eyes turned to Changsun Wujie.

Changsun Wujie was not only the elder brother of Wang Fei, but had followed Li Shimin since Li Yuan's uprising; now he was Li Shimin's absolute confidant.

Precisely because of this, only he could say such things.

"Your Highness's prestige now shines brightly. Whether for the Tang dynasty's state or for the people of the realm, this campaign against Lingnan is your undisputed choice."

Changsun Wujie paused, drew a deep breath, "Yet the Emperor has suddenly issued an edict, urgently summoning Your Highness back to the capital."

"In my view…"

He scanned the hall, his gaze passing over those present—seeing all were Li Shimin's loyal inner circle—then lowered his voice: "There may already be unrest within the court!"

Though unspoken outright, the implication was clear to all.

The atmosphere in the hall froze instantly; the air seemed to thicken, with only the crisp crackle of the candle wick audible.

Gu Quan, Gu Yan, and other Gu clan disciples sat as still as pines, yet unconsciously gripped the hilts of their swords.

"Fuji," Li Shimin rose abruptly, "do not speculate recklessly. The road to Lingnan is perilous; our father fears for my safety, which is why he ordered me back."

His gaze swept over them like a hawk's, then suddenly broke into a smile—though his eyes hid sharp blades: "Perhaps upon returning, Father will appoint me Commander of the Ten Directions, to command all the empire's troops!"

Everyone remained silent.

Though Li Shimin still wore a smile, he no longer radiated his former calmness.

How could Li Shimin not feel it himself?

History had left too many precedents; it was hard not to entertain other thoughts.

Yet Li Yuan's old promise still left him a sliver of hope.

Everyone remained silent.

No one dared to lay everything bare.

The sensitivity of this matter was beyond what anyone could bear.

Perhaps Gu Quan could.

Given Li Shimin's high regard for Gu Quan, and the Gu clan's status, he might persuade Li Shimin—even if he laid everything bare, it might not cause major consequences.

But unfortunately, how could Gu Quan possibly agree to such things?

He was the eldest son of the Gu clan; his nature doomed him to never involve himself in matters concerning the foundation of the state.

The generals could only sigh helplessly.

The entire army's atmosphere grew increasingly complex.

A few days later, Li Shimin led his officers and several hundred Xuanjia troops back to Chang'an in haste.

Chang'an.

Li Yuan still held a grand celebration for Li Shimin, giving the impression that nothing had changed.

This indeed soothed many soldiers who saw only the surface issues.

After all, who isn't afraid of "the bow is put away after the birds are gone"?

In truth, Gu Yi could see that Li Shimin still held high hopes for the position of "Ten Directions Crossing Envoy."

There was nothing wrong with that.

After all, Li Yuan had indeed made him that promise.

But under the current circumstances, that promise was destined to be in vain.

At the victory banquet.

Under Li Shimin's eyes full of expectation, Li Yuan ultimately granted him only three coin furnaces.

For anyone else, this would have been a generous reward, for the wealth it could bring was unimaginable.

But for Li Shimin, it was different!

All his ambitions shattered in an instant.

At this point, he still could not become the Ten Directions Crossing Envoy of Tang—then after the world was truly unified, would he have any other chance?

This was a question that required no thought to answer.

Of course, Li Yuan knew he needed to appease Li Shimin.

That very night, he summoned Li Shimin again and explained the reasons.

It was because Li Shimin had secretly formed an alliance with the Tujue, and the ministers accused him of having no loyalty to his sovereign or father; Li Yuan could only postpone the appointment of the Ten Directions Crossing Envoy.

As he spoke these words, Li Yuan's expression was utterly serious.

Just as in past years when he had patted Li Shimin on the shoulder and promised him he would surely make him "Ten Directions Crossing Envoy of Tang."

Li Shimin had believed him then, but this time he could no longer believe.

But what could he do?

Perhaps precisely because he had placed such great hope in this matter, when everything turned to ashes, Li Shimin suddenly felt lost.

But Li Jiancheng would not let this opportunity slip away.

He acted one after another, even winning over Prince Qi Li Yuanji, using various means to send his own men across the land to court the remaining rebel kings.

Even including the northern frontier.

The northern frontier was certainly a rich prize; since Gu Ye established the trade routes years ago, this land had effectively become fully integrated into the Nine Provinces.

Though its people still retained their unique tribes.

Their culture had already been completely absorbed into the Nine Provinces.

Though their influence was certainly not as seamless as Li Shimin's, under this overwhelming tide, things proceeded smoothly enough.

In addition, Li Jiancheng also began targeting the Qin Wang's mansion.

He wanted to win over Li Shimin's close aides!

Within days, the situation within Chang'an shifted constantly.

Almost everyone in the court could sense the growing tension between the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace and the Qin Wang's mansion.

But Li Shimin never reacted at all—not even when his own brothers came to see him did he open his doors.

It was hardly fair to blame Li Shimin.

Since childhood, his ambition had always been to become the second Gu Chen; the older he grew, the stronger this ambition became.

Now, watching his lifelong dream seem forever unattainable.

The blow to him was unimaginable.

After all, Li Shimin was only twenty-four years old.

——No man is perfect!

He had not yet matured enough to face everything with calm acceptance.

He still needed to transform.

Qin Wang's mansion.

Princess Changsun slowly walked into the courtyard, watching Li Shimin stand with his hands behind his back, gazing at the sky; she stepped forward and stood beside him, fell silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "Your Highness, how much longer do you plan to remain in silence?"

Li Shimin did not answer.

"Today, the Crown Prince submitted a memorial proposing the marriage between Princess Pingyang and the Left Guard General." Princess Changsun continued.

The Left Guard General was Gu Yan.

Li Jiancheng had urged Li Yuan to emulate Liu Xiu of old and marry a princess into the Gu family, aiming to win over the Gu clan.

Yes, he had set his sights on Gu Quan.

As the Gu family's eldest legitimate son;

If he could win over Gu Quan, he could indirectly influence the judgments of the entire Gu clan.

The Gu clan's influence in court was considerable.

With a host of Gu clan members skilled in civil administration emerging, though still far from their peak, the Gu clan now carried a meaning entirely different from other families.

Hearing this, Li Shimin finally showed a change in expression, frowning slightly at Princess Changsun.

"Your Highness, I wish to ask you a question."

Princess Changsun met Li Shimin's gaze without flinching, speaking softly: "Was your lifelong vow, since childhood, truly founded only on the empty title of 'Ten Directions Crossing Envoy'?"

Her voice was quiet, yet it left Li Shimin stunned.

In that instant, countless memories flashed through his mind.

Everything he had seen in Julu;

Everything he had witnessed in battle over these past two years;

The blood and tears of the common people;

The corpses of the soldiers;

In fact, for many people, sometimes all they need is a simple word of guidance.

——Li Shimin is now like this.

Gentle breezes continually brushed past.

Looking into the gentle eyes of Princess Changsun, Li Shimin remained silent for a long while, that confusion gradually dissolving amid countless thoughts.

Suddenly, he reached out sharply and seized Princess Changsun's wrist, his eyes bright once more, a long-absent sharpness curving his lips:

"Send word to all my brothers—I am hosting a feast and invite them to join me."

(End of Chapter)