Chapter 14: Getting Involved

Li Zhi's face revealed a look of contemplation, and only after a moment did he slowly speak:

"Big Brother said Father made use of Buddhism and Taoism; what is this all about?"

"After your Uncle died, a rift appeared in the Qin Prince Mansion; some wanted to purge the officials of the two palaces, while others opposed the purge.

The crime lay with the two culprits, and they have already met their punishment. If it extends to their partisans, that is not the way to seek peace! These were my original words, and I also issued an Imperial Edict to grant amnesty to the world.

However, at that time, everyone's eyes were red with killing; it was not something that could be stopped by a single Imperial Edict of mine.

In order to win the hearts of the people, I abolished the reform system of Buddhism and Taoism from the Wude Era and used the hundreds of thousands of monks and Taoists of Buddhism and Taoism to spread the legitimacy of my succession among the common people.

With the support of the people's hearts, one could then gradually release goodwill toward your Uncle's old officials, letting them believe that I am a person with the ability and magnanimity to be a good Emperor, letting them be used by me; in this way, the struggle between the two sides could be resolved."

"So that is why Big Brother said that even if he is unwilling, he must kill Fourth Brother.

Even if Fourth Brother wants to retreat, those people in the Lanling Xiao Clan who support Fourth Brother will not agree.

Once it reaches this point, one can only advance and not retreat; to retreat one step is to be doomed forever?"

"Yes!"

Li Shimin sighed softly: "No matter who wins, the other person must die, and the state will also be in turmoil."

"Why can winning over Buddhism and Taoism win the hearts of the people?"

"Because the millions of people of Great Tang either follow Taoism or believe in Buddha; sometimes, a word from them is more useful than a hundred words from the imperial court.

The army comes from the people, and wealth comes from the people; only by making the millions of people believe in you can you sit firmly on the imperial throne.

Buddhism and Taoism hold the power of discourse to guide the common people, and what your Big Brother wants is the power of discourse.

In his view, no matter how many court officials Qingque wins over, as long as he holds military power and the common people believe in him, then this world is his; even if he were deposed, he could enter and take control of Taiji Palace at any time."

Speaking of this, Li Shimin paused and looked deeply at Li Zhi:

"Zhinu, even if you are unwilling, in order to fulfill his ambitions, your Big Brother will definitely force you to participate.

Although I am not clear about his plan, one thing is certain: he will stop at nothing."

"Father!"

Li Zhi revealed a look of grievance: "How could Big Brother do this? I am only sixteen years old.

Father, please talk to Big Brother; I really never thought about fighting him for the position of Crown Prince."

"It is not a question of whether you want to or not now, but that he wants to use the struggle for the Crown Prince position to achieve his goal.

You have only one way: pull your Uncle to block Qingque, and your Big Brother will also help you in secret."

"I don't want to hurt Fourth Brother, nor do I want to be enemies with Fourth Brother; as long as I talk to Fourth Brother properly, he will definitely not make things difficult for me."

Li Shimin shook his head: "Too naive. The moment you snatched the horse whip, your Big Brother would not allow you to withdraw.

Why do you think your Big Brother said those things? That was asking for a beating.

Firstly, to see your reaction and test whether you really don't understand anything.

Secondly, he wanted to force me to beat him, to let me vent the pent-up frustration in my heart so as to avoid the rift between father and son growing deeper.

Thirdly, to test what I really think about using Qingque and you, and incidentally, through this beating, tell me that he is no longer affected by his leg ailment."

"When did Big Brother become so calculating?"

Li Shimin's expression was solemn: "He has always been like this; otherwise, he would not have received the unanimous approval of the civil and military officials when he was supervising the state.

Tomorrow, go find Zhangsun Wuji and tell him you want to participate in the succession struggle, and incidentally, tell him about Qingque's plan to make a move against Chu Suiliang."

"Ah!"

Li Zhi was greatly shocked: "Father, do you really want to watch brothers kill each other?"

"Just go do it; Father will not let anything happen to you!"

"Alright!"

After Li Zhi left, Li Shimin stood up and looked at the map of the whole country hanging on the wall, his eyes filled with cold killing intent:

'Gaoming was not wrong; the threat of Goguryeo is too great, it must be destroyed.

Wait a little longer; wait until the treasury is full, wait for Goguryeo to give a reason; one must have a legitimate excuse to send troops.'

After looking at the map for a moment, Li Shimin reached out and pulled the rope next to the map. Before long, the map slowly rolled up, revealing a piece of paper covered in writing; it was none other than the Imperial Examination System.

Li Shimin gently stroked the words on it, murmuring to himself:

"Although the thing is good, it is not suitable right now. I hope Gaoming's plan can go smoothly."

'If one wants to execute it smoothly, the tax law must be changed; I wonder if Gaoming has thought of that.

I don't know what orders Du He, that kid, received; he has been a bit strange lately. I must provide him with cover.

Zhangsun Wuji has also changed. If Gaoming is really deposed this time, he will definitely push Zhinu to the top position. For the sake of Gaoming and Qingque, I would also agree.

By that time, if Li Shiji and Zhangsun Wuji unite, there is a high possibility that Zhinu will become a puppet.'

The more he thought about it, the uglier Li Shimin's expression became; he discovered that Zhangsun Wuji seemed to be able to see through his thoughts:

'Let's first see what he does next. Those people behind Qingque are not mediocre either; I can only do as Gaoming does and go do other things first.'

Li Chengqian's plan was to be the one behind the scenes, letting Li Tai and Li Zhi fight each other while he hid in the back to first secure military power and the power of discourse.

As for Li Shimin, he discovered that Zhangsun Wuji and Li Shiji might not be as loyal as they were originally; they had also begun to fight for power and profit.

Li Shiji could be ignored, but Zhangsun Wuji was already a Minister of Works, and with the Guanlong Aristocratic Group behind him, if he was still not satisfied, the future monarch would be in danger.

Meanwhile, Zhangsun Wuji was looking at Chu Suiliang with a solemn face:

"Did you leak it? Even the Prince of Jin doesn't know; why would the Prince of Wei think of it? Now, I fear even the Emperor knows our thoughts."

"No! I didn't! Don't wrong me!"

Chu Suiliang hurriedly shook his head to deny it: "When Xiao Yu stood up to oppose it, I was completely stunned.

I still haven't figured out until now how the Crown Prince could have known our plan."

"I want to know too!"

Zhangsun Wuji's face was gloomy: "He is now seeking survival through death; he was even able to speak of the Xuanwu Gate Succession System. The Emperor cannot possibly use the charge of treason to depose him again."

"Fortunately, the rift between him and the Emperor is growing deeper; he is only temporarily occupying the position of Crown Prince now. As long as there is an opportunity, the Emperor will depose him without hesitation."

"Then what should we do now? Play dumb, or make a move against the Prince of Wei?"

"I will enter the palace tomorrow to test the Prince of Jin's stance first. If he cannot be propped up, we will have no choice but to choose someone else!"

"Where would we find a candidate?"

Chu Suiliang revealed a look of confusion: "There are only three legitimate sons; you couldn't possibly be supporting someone else, could you?"

"The Prince of Wu is indeed favored by the Emperor, but he carries the bloodline of two dynasties; the entire civil and military officialdom would not agree to it."

"I didn't say it was him, and don't you go guessing wildly. We will discuss this matter after I have seen the Prince of Jin."

"The current situation is no longer something the Emperor can control. Regardless of whom we support, we must first defeat the Prince of Wei."

"Are we really going to ignore the Crown Prince? He..."

Before the words were finished, a knocking sound suddenly came from the doorway:

"Duke of Zhao, the Crown Prince was whipped by the Emperor at Taiji Palace; a physician has already headed to the Eastern Palace!"

"Understood!"

The corners of Zhangsun Wuji's mouth slowly curled up: "The matter of Xuanwu Gate is a great taboo for the Emperor. For him to bring up this matter again during the court assembly is to slap the Emperor in the face in public."

"Do you think the Emperor would still pass the throne to such an unbenevolent and unfilial son?"

"That's true! If I had such an unfilial son, I would wish to beat him to death directly; otherwise, I wouldn't know when I might be angered to death."

"Then let the Crown Prince be; we only need to deal with the Prince of Wei?"

"Su Xu! Start with him!"

"Wouldn't Fang Jun be better? This person has a fiery temper; wouldn't it be more certain to pull Lord Fang down?"