Chapter 89

【Achievement 4: Culturally, compiling history and establishing education.

He established the Hongwen Hall, ordered people to compile the "Book of Jin," "Book of Liang," "Book of Chen," "Book of Northern Qi," "Book of Zhou," and "Book of Sui," and personally wrote comments for the biographies of Emperor Xuan and Emperor Wu in the "Book of Jin"】

Sima Yi was pretending to be sick, and when he saw this, a mouthful of old blood almost sprayed out.

"Compiling the 'Book of Jin'? Biography of Emperor Xuan? Biography of Emperor Wu? This, this..."

He trembled and pointed at the sky screen.

"What kind of 'Book of Jin' did this Li Shimin compile? My Great Jin hasn't been established yet!"

Sima Shi and Sima Zhao were also confused.

Sima Zhao: "Father, what the sky screen said, it seems... my Sima family will usurp the Wei and establish the Jin in the future?"

Sima Yi's face sank.

"Don't talk nonsense, my Sima family has received the grace of Wei for generations, how could we commit usurpation!"

After speaking, he looked left and right guiltily.

Fortunately, there was no one around.

But that thought in his heart grew like wild grass.

【Achievement 5: Diplomatically, he was jointly honored as "Heavenly Khan" by foreign tribes in the Western Regions!

In the fourth year of Zhenguan, Li Jing raided Yinshan at night and destroyed the Eastern Turks.

The monarchs of the four barbarians honored Li Shimin as "Heavenly Khan."

From then on, the Great Tang ruled the world with a "dual identity"—emperor to the inside, Khan to the outside】

The picture showed a spectacular scene:

On the northern grasslands, Li Jing led the cavalry to raid at night, the Turkic Khan Jieli fled in panic, and was captured alive.

Outside Chang'an City, envoys from various countries gathered, bowing: "Heavenly Khan!"

Li Shimin sat high on the throne, raising his hand: "Rise."

He said loudly, his voice spreading in all directions:

"Since ancient times, people have valued the Central Plains and despised the barbarians, but I love them equally!"

Boom—

This sentence exploded in various dynasties.

Han Wudi period.

Liu Che slapped the table: "Bastard! Barbarians are beasts, how can they be equal to Huaxia?! This Li Shimin, unworthy of being the emperor of the Han people!"

Wei Qing and Huo Qubing also frowned.

Huo Qubing: "Your Majesty, this is too much, barbarians fear power but do not cherish virtue, only by wiping them out can we be safe, how can we love them equally?"

Wei Qing pondered: "However... looking at his destruction of the Eastern Turks, his prestige throughout the four seas, perhaps this is a strategy of appeasement? Beat them into submission first, then appease them?"

Liu Che sneered: "Those who are not of my race must have different hearts! Appeasement? Appease until the end, and it will be the Five Barbarians causing chaos!"

He looked at the sky screen, his eyes cold.

"This Li Shimin, although his military achievements are prosperous, I do not agree with this sentence!"

Tang Taizong period.

Li Shimin himself was also watching the sky screen in the Zhenguan court.

Hearing that sentence of his, he smiled slightly and looked at the ministers.

"What do you think of my words?"

Wei Zheng was the first to stand up.

"Your Majesty, barbarians are human-faced beasts, they ask for submission when weak, and rebel when strong."

"Your Majesty loves them equally, I fear it will raise a tiger that will cause trouble."

Li Jing also said: "Your Majesty, although the Turks have been destroyed, Xueyantuo, Tubo, and Goguryeo still exist, so we must be on guard."

Li Shimin shook his head.

"You only know one thing. My so-called loving them equally is not indulgence, but education."

"Barbarians are also human, if treated with sincerity and transformed with virtue, why worry that they won't return their hearts?"

He stood up, walked slowly to the front of the hall, looking into the distance.

"What I want is not a Great Wall, but a world, a world where whether Hu or Han, they are all subjects of the Great Tang."

The ministers were moved and bowed: "Your Majesty is wise!"

The sky screen image switched, and the music became soft.

【Empress Zhangsun: The departure of a virtuous empress... Married Li Shimin at 13, from Princess of Qin to Empress, accompanied him through Xuanwu Gate, accompanied him to govern the world.

She is Li Shimin's "virtuous helper" + "firewall"】

The picture showed the bits and pieces of Empress Zhangsun and Li Shimin:

In her youth, she tidied his clothes and crown.

The night before Xuanwu Gate, she silently put on his battle robe.

When Wei Zheng remonstrated, she changed into court dress to congratulate him.

Before she died, she held his hand.

"I have no benefit to the time when I live, and I should not be buried thickly when I die, please bury me in the mountain, do not build a tomb, do not use a coffin."

In 636 AD, Empress Zhangsun died in the Lizheng Hall at the age of only thirty-six.

The last scene:

In the Lizheng Hall, Li Shimin held Empress Zhangsun's already cold hand, tears streaming down his face.

He refused to let go, the imperial physicians knelt on the ground, no one dared to persuade him.

After a long time, Li Shimin trembled and stood up, walking to the window, his back lonely.

He muttered in a low voice, his voice hoarse: "Empress... my Guanyinbi..."

The sky screen was silent.

The barrage area was also unusually quiet for a few seconds.

Ying Zheng thought of Afang, the early-deceased Chu princess, the only empress he ever established in his life, but she was a beauty with a short life.

Liu Bang: "That woman Lv Zhi is annoying, but if she left first, I guess I wouldn't be able to stand it."

Liu Bang said this, but quietly looked at Lv Zhi. Lv Zhi snorted coldly, turned her head, but her eye sockets were a little red.

Liu Che: "But fortunately, the immortal rewarded me with lifespan before, and Wei Zifu and I can both live thirty more years."

Yang Jian silently looked at Dugu Qieluo beside him: "Fortunately, my wife is still here."

Dugu Qieluo glared at Yang Jian: "Why? Think I live too long?"

Yang Jian quickly apologized with a smile.

"Dare not, dare not! I mean, the Empress and I must grow old together."

Dugu Qieluo hummed, but her hand quietly held Yang Jian's hand.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the sky screen, his eye sockets red: "Sister..."

Empress Ma held his hand: "Chongba, I'm here."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded heavily, holding her hand tightly.

Zhu Biao whispered: "Father, Mother has always been by your side, don't forget what's in front of you just because you watched the sky screen."

Zhu Di also said: "Yes, Father, don't be sad just because you watched the sky screen, Mother's health is fine."

Zhu Yuanzhang wiped his eyes.

"I know, I just... can't bear to see this."

The sky screen continued:

【Li Shimin later personally raised the young Princess Jinyang left by Empress Zhangsun, often holding her and crying.

He also built a high tower in the palace, looking up at Empress Zhangsun's tomb, Zhaoling, every day】

In the picture, Li Shimin held the little daughter Princess Jinyang, and the little daughter wiped his tears with her small hand: "Father don't cry."

Li Shimin smiled and cried.

"Father won't cry, Father won't cry."

Another scene, he stood on the tower, looking at Zhaoling, standing for a whole day.

Wei Zheng came to see him, Li Shimin pointed to the distance.

"Wei Zheng, did you see Zhaoling?"

Wei Zheng pretended to be confused: "I thought Your Majesty was looking at Xianling, so it was Zhaoling."

Li Shimin was stunned, then cried loudly, ordering the tower to be demolished.

"This Wei Zheng, really doesn't know how to speak." Liu Bang shook his head.

Liu Che: "But he was right, it's okay for an emperor to miss his empress, but he can't let the world think he only cares about private feelings and forgets filial piety."

Ying Zheng said lightly: "True feelings revealed, what's wrong with that? Demolishing the tower instead makes it look hypocritical."

Everyone was silent.

【Shadows of his later years: Son's rebellion and the disaster of elixirs】

The picture darkened.

【Crown Prince Chengqian rebelled... Li Chengqian developed a foot disease (limped), and his personality became more and more perverse.

He kept male favorites, played assassinations, and sent people to assassinate his teacher】

The sky screen played Li Chengqian's absurd things:

Dressing up as a Turkic Khan in the East Palace, making people dress up as Turkic soldiers to kill each other;

Favoring the male favorite Chengxin, sending people to assassinate the teacher Yu Zhining.

After Li Shimin found out, he only reprimanded him, still reluctant to depose the Crown Prince.

Then, Li Chengqian united with Prince of Han Li Yuanchang, Hou Junji, and others to rebel.

The matter was exposed, Li Shimin was heartbroken, and asked the ministers in the court.

"How to deal with Chengqian?"

No one dared to answer.

The attendant Lai Ji stepped out.

"Your Majesty does not lose the kindness of a father, and the Crown Prince can live out his life, then it is good."

Li Shimin shed tears, deposed Li Chengqian as a commoner, and exiled him to Qianzhou.

Two years later, Li Chengqian died of depression at the age of only twenty-seven.

Han Wudi period.

Liu Che saw this, his face gloomy.

He thought of his Crown Prince Liu Ju, the son who was framed by Jiang Chong and eventually rebelled and committed suicide.

"Chengqian... Ju'er..."

He muttered, suddenly coughing violently.

"Your Majesty!"

Wei Qing and Huo Qubing rushed forward.

Liu Che waved his hand, staring at the sky screen, his eyes full of pain.

"As a ruler, it is hard to be a father. As a father, it is hard to be a ruler."

He looked at Wei Qing: "Zhongqing, was I... too harsh on Ju'er?"

Wei Qing bowed his head: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's matter... was framed by villains, not Your Majesty's fault."

"No, it's my fault."

Liu Che smiled miserably, "If I had trusted him more, how could he have died?"

He looked at the weeping Li Shimin on the sky screen, as if he saw himself.