Chapter 19 Chapter Seventeen Winning Hearts

After Li Yuan read out the last imperial edict on his throne, he looked at the officials and his own son Li Shimin, without saying a word, he winked at Concubine Zhang and Concubine Yin beside him, asking them to support him, and went back to the palace go.Seeing his father stepping down from the throne like this, down the six-step staircase that ministers could never walk up in their lifetime, walking beside him, and leaving the hall just like that, although Li Shimin felt a little pity for his father, he felt a little regretful. However, he still suddenly felt a kind of pleasure gushing out from the depths of his heart, and felt relaxed all over his body, so he let out a long breath.

This prince, no... I finally became the emperor!Under the admiring and fearful eyes of the crowd, Li Shimin stood up and walked up the six-step ladder between the monarch and his ministers.He sat on his father's old dragon chair with great excitement, holding the two mighty dragon heads tightly with both hands, and his eyes shone with brilliance.He was high above the ground, and all the officials knelt at his feet, blessing him in unison: Long live my emperor!Long live!Long live! He looked down at them from high above, and what he saw were the tops of their heads with strange shapes, and some of them could even see the backs with protruding spines.He felt a little funny in his heart, but his expression was still very serious.

"Everyone loves you in peace!" Li Shimin spoke it very skillfully, his voice was full of vigor, stronger and more powerful than his father, the current Supreme Emperor.He has just turned twenty-seven years old this year, and if he was in an ordinary family, he has just begun to step into society.But he—Li Shimin, became the emperor who controlled the officials and ruled hundreds of millions of people.For some reason, Li Shimin suddenly thought of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, and his series of great works: the Great Wall, the Grand Canal, and the battle of Goryeo.Emperor Yangdi was tired and defeated by these things.However, who dares not to admire from the heart that an emperor can accomplish such great things for the benefit of future generations in a short period of thirteen years in power?Yang Jian, the father of Emperor Sui Yang, left a wealthy royal family for his son. Coupled with Emperor Yang's own courage and will, he did what he wanted to do, and he also finished himself.But now, what I, Li Shimin, have to face is a royal family that is in distress, whose hearts are still floating and rumors are still raging.He thought of his elder brother again, and the situation when his elder brother taught him how to learn archery when he was a child.well!If it wasn't for me, he would be sitting in this position.However, I didn't kill my father like Yang Guang did, but I can understand why he couldn't wait to do earth-shattering events after ascending to the throne.A person, as long as he has regrets in his heart, he will always try to make up for it.I, there are many great things I want to do now, but what I have to do now is to go further and conquer people's hearts...

All the ministers in the hall heard the new emperor's decree, and they have been "flat" for a long time, but they saw that the emperor was wandering between his mind and thoughts, and finally stopped issuing imperial decrees.None of them dared to stand up and ask, they just stood there dumbfounded, waiting for the emperor's next imperial edict.The whole hall was as quiet as if there was no one there.As for Wei Zheng, who had just returned from Xuanwei in Shandong and Hebei, he couldn't bear it anymore and winked at Wang Gui.The new emperor came to the throne, as Wei Zheng and Wang Gui, who are deeply loved but have little experience and little credit, both want to have a good suggestion to the emperor.After thinking about it again and again, the two of them came up with a good plan together and decided to jointly submit a table to the new emperor in front of the palace today.Wei Zheng himself had one more important matter to discuss, and decided to sort it out according to the priority, and first to discuss what he and Wang Gui agreed with.Wang Gui is a senior official, and the watch is in his hands, so Wei Zheng winked at him.When Wang Gui saw him, he glanced at Li Shimin, who was aloof and lost in thought, and then shook his head at Wei Zheng.Wei Zheng was in a hurry, snatched the watch from Wang Guili, stepped forward, looked up at Li Shimin and said:

"Your Majesty, I have a table to play." After hearing this, Li Shimin woke up from his contemplation and said, "Take a look." The eunuch came down and took the watch from Wei Zheng, and handed it to Li Shimin with both hands.After seeing Wei Zheng and Wang Gui's joint name on the list, Li Shimin's heart suddenly became clear.This is a good idea, to re-appoint and bury the late prince and king of Qi, and it requires a very high standard.What a great way to kill two birds with one stone!It can not only conquer people's hearts, but also demonstrate the generosity and benevolence of the new emperor of the Tang Dynasty, showing how unwilling the emperor was to kill them; and how correct and imperative the emperor's politics are.For those who have died, no matter how grand and high-standard the burial is, it is in vain, but for those who are alive and still care about him, it has absolute meaning.

"Good! Good! Good!" After reading the above list, Li Shimin said repeatedly: "What the two lovers think is exactly what I want. As for the funeral, I will ask you two to preside over it, and it must be grand." "Obey!" Wang Gui and Wei Zheng ordered to thank you. "As for the posthumous title, I ordered Shangshu's left and right servants Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui to discuss together, and then heard about it." Wei Zheng was overjoyed when he heard this, and was about to play another important matter of his own. He only heard the emperor was already talking about the appointment of a queen and prince, so he shut his mouth and looked at the emperor, but he was thinking about what he was going to play. matter.And Li Shimin, who is aloof, is also thinking about what happened to him yesterday.

The beauty of autumn lies in its maturity. Whether it is the bright autumn moon, the green forest, the pine nuts in the mountains, or the golden chrysanthemums all over the city, there is a kind of maturity everywhere.The twenty-seven-year-old emperor Li Shimin is still in the summer of his life, but he is walking in the beautiful maturity of autumn.The golden fruit of life is coming.After he became emperor, he immediately enjoyed the supreme power of the emperor.He changed his father's reign name of Wude to Zhenguan.The eighth year of Wude became the first year of Zhenguan, and the thirteenth year of Daye was also the first year of Wude.People who become emperors do not allow others to have the same characters as their names, so Li Shiji, who was originally Xu Shiji, had to be changed to Li Ji.

Although he never put much thought into chasing women, after he became emperor, there were more and more women around him.So many that he couldn't even count them.This is his fault, but not his fault, because this is what the imperial power stipulates to do.However, if the power of the emperor is taken away, the emperor is just an ordinary person.The same is true for lust. Although there are countless women, there are only two or three women who really feel good.In addition to Changsun's family, it is Concubine Yang. Concubine Yang was once the jewel in the palm of Emperor Yangdi, born with beauty and noble temperament.Coupled with being smart, docile, and understanding, she is really a woman that men like.Although Li Shimin's new emperor was very happy, the pressure from the emperor was also very tiring. At this time, the Changsun family was just pregnant with the later emperor Li Zhi, and Li Shimin came to rest at Concubine Yang after he left the court.

"Now, the former subordinates of the Eastern Palace and the Qi Mansion have all been appeased, and the old ministers of the court and my former bureaucrats have all been promoted one by one. It should be for these women's titles." In my arms, I still think about the big things of the country. "Look, what kind of title will I give you?" Li Shimin suddenly turned around, leaned on Concubine Yang's breast, and asked while looking into her bright eyes. Concubine Yang experienced the tragic death of her famous father, so she is naturally very indifferent to fame and fortune, and she is also aware of her situation. Hearing Li Shimin's sudden question, she smiled slightly and said:

"You should delete the eldest grandson sister as the queen, and make Chengqian the prince." "You really think so?" "When did the concubine deceive the emperor?" "Okay, it's up to you. I will make Changsun the queen, make Chengqian the prince, and you, Wei, Yan, and Wang will be wives, and I will also make your son Li Ke who was born for me. King Wu..." Li Shimin wanted to continue talking one by one, but Concubine Yang hugged him gently, and put her small red mouth on his.After kissing for a while, Concubine Yang said sincerely: "The concubine hopes that the emperor should tell the eldest grandson sister about the important affairs of the country. The concubine only hopes that he can concentrate on serving the emperor."

Li Shimin listened, his eyes tightly covered her, and he remained silent.He likes her body more than her heart.He thought of Chengqian and Li Tai, who were born for him by the Changsun family. Both of them were excellent under the Changsun family's teaching.Chengqian has just turned eight years old this year, and he is already very alert and intelligent, and he is reasonable in handling some ordinary trivial matters.Li Tai is even more talented in writing and extremely smart. He is not yet seven years old, and he can already write neat poems and prose.Alas, a child is taught by his mother, and half of choosing a wife is to teach the child.This Concubine Yang, isn't it the same?Li Ke, whom she gave birth to for me, was only seven years old. He was dignified, bold and open-minded, benevolent and honest, and really resembled his mother when he mentioned his own childhood... Thinking of this, Li Shimin was complacent and blurted out: "My sons are all upright men." "If their father is like this, the emperor's children will naturally be like this." Concubine Yang opened her beautiful eyes and looked at Li Shimin affectionately. "In this case, I will be another son with you!" Li Shimin said, and he went deep into it. Naturally, the emperor's speech should count. What he said to Concubine Yang yesterday needs to be fulfilled today.Li Shimin discussed with Fang Xuanling for a few words, and immediately announced his canonization of the royal women and children.The whole court agreed over and over again, Changsun and Li Chengqian, one became the queen and the other became the prince, and both of them received the congratulatory speech of a thousand years.Li Shimin was about to announce the disbandment of the dynasty, but Wei Zheng played again. It turned out that Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, the left and right servants of the Shangshu, came to the emperor yesterday and said: "The national treasury is short of food, and it is difficult to calculate. If the tax and grain of the two granaries in Shandong and Hebei are really exempted, there will be a shortage of food in the coming year." Li Shimin listened. Staring at Fang Xuanling, he asked, "The situation is so serious, how should we deal with it?" Fang Xuanling said: "According to my opinion, this year we can only ask Shandong and Hebei to pay tribute as usual, and reduce their taxes and grains next year." Yes, at present Shandong and Hebei are the grain depots of the Great Tang Dynasty. If the tax and grain are reduced, it is really impossible to survive, and it seems that this is the only way to go.Li Shimin thought about it and nodded.When Fang Xuanling saw it, he was relieved.Said: "The minister will go to deal with this matter." After Fang Xuanling left for less than an hour, Wei Zheng knew about it, and prepared a note overnight: "Now the emperor exempts Shandong and Hebei from grain taxes for one year. I just heard that the court will re-issue the amnesty order, saying that this year will continue to pay tribute as usual, and next year the grain tax will be exempted. If there is such a thing, it must not be..." Li Shimin finished reading, pondered for a while, looked at Wei Zheng closely, and asked, "Does Wei Gong know how much grain we can supply in the Tang Kingdom's stockpile?" "I know." Wei Zheng replied calmly: "I founded the country in the Tang Dynasty, fought for years, and suffered a natural disaster last year. The country's grain stocks are running low?" "Since Aiqing is aware of this, she must think about the court and stop raising the matter of taxes and food. It's not that I don't want to do it, but I can't do it." "Your Majesty knows, please speak out what is in your heart." "Say it!" Li Shimin was a little unhappy. Wei Zheng could hear it naturally, but he still said calmly: "The minister's concern is only for the prestige of the court. Your Majesty has just ascended the Great Treasure, and hundreds of millions of people are watching His every word and deed. Now His Majesty has just sent a message to the people. The first decree will be withdrawn before it is executed. This will make the people doubt the credibility of the court. Without the trust of the court, the prestige will naturally be difficult to establish. Therefore, the minister thinks that for the court, the grain tax is a small profit , short-term benefits, prestige is the big and long-term benefits. Even if the court is extremely short of food, it is not possible to use the country's prestige in exchange for food. Besides, the food shortage can be solved by other means." This Wei Zheng!He has such a stubborn personality and such sharp words, but when he thinks about it carefully, he really has a reason.After listening to Wei Zheng's words, Li Shimin stared at him and thought.Food tax and prestige, which is more important, why didn't I think of it!Fang Xuanling never thought of it!If a wise man thinks a lot, he will definitely make a mistake!It seems that I need to listen to more people's suggestions, so that I can handle some big things correctly.Thinking of this, Li Shimin asked Wei Zheng: "If the grain tax in Shandong and Hebei is reduced today, and there will be a food shortage in the coming year, how should we deal with it?" "We can reduce other expenses, save money, and then send officials to Shandong and Hebei to buy grain. The people in these two places are loyal and have received the emperor's great favor. Knowing that the court is short of food, they will inevitably rush to sell it to meet the needs of the court. " "Shandong and Hebei, although there are a lot of talents, but my feelings for the Tang Dynasty may not be as good as those in Guanzhong. When buying grain at that time, they may not be able to compete to sell grain as you said." After hearing this, Wei Zheng knelt down and said: "I believe that the emperor should regard the whole world as his home, and he should kiss his subjects regardless of the east, west, north, and south. His Majesty believes that when the time comes for the ministers to go, if they cannot satisfy the court's rations, the ministers will voluntarily accept the crime." Li Shimin nodded frequently after hearing this, and said happily: "Aiqing is really a loyal minister. If I don't believe in loyal ministers, who else can I trust?" It avoided a bad decision and reminded me of an interesting story I experienced myself." When Li Shimin said this, he suddenly stopped talking, closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought.The whole hall was silent for a moment. "When I was very young, I liked bows and arrows very much," Li Shimin recalled. I have learned a lot of relevant knowledge through my research and collection, and I think I have understood the mysteries of bow and arrow. However, not long ago, my self-confidence was shattered." At this point, Li Shimin stopped and shook his head , sighed, and continued: "By chance, I took more than a dozen good bows that I liked very much that I had collected over the years, and showed them to the bowsmiths in the palace. I thought it would open their eyes, gain insight, and know what is going on in the world. They are good bows. Unexpectedly, I never dreamed of them! The bowmaker, after carefully looking at my dozen or so bows one by one, said: "The bows of Your Majesty are not good bows." I heard it. , Surprised!" Li Shimin stopped here again, looked at the officials, and saw that they were almost all surprised, so he continued proudly: "I hurriedly asked why, and the bowmaker said: 'These bows of your majesty are not made of high-quality materials.' Then he pointed to the back of the bow and told me, and said: 'Look, your majesty, the wooden hearts of these bows are all If the heart is not correct, the pulse and veins will be slanted. Although the bow with slanted veins is strong and powerful, but the arrow is not straight, it cannot be regarded as a good bow.' After hearing this, I opened my eyes and felt deeply: all these years, I have relied on force To pacify the four directions, the number of bows used is too numerous to count. I have also spent a lot of time studying bows, but in the end I still don’t know bows, and I can’t get a bow with a straight heart and a straight pulse. Now, I The enthronement time is still so short, if you want to get a righteous opinion, it is definitely not as good as bow. My views on bow are so inaccurate, let alone the principles of governing the world? Gong, the influence on me is only so great; if you don't get honest opinions, the influence on me is greater than the sky. Now that everything is being abandoned, as the emperor, I have many important decisions to make, once I make a decision If you make a mistake, the consequences will be unimaginable. These days, I have thought about this problem repeatedly, and finally came up with a solution, and I am here to tell all my loves here today, see if it is feasible?" When Li Shimin said this, he turned his eyes to the officials again, and seeing them listening with bated breath, waiting for the next sentence, they smiled with satisfaction, and then continued: "In order to avoid mistakes in my decision-making, I decided to hold a discussion on the 'gain and loss of governance since ancient times'. It is to let all the lovers summarize the experience of the gains and losses of governance since the Qin Dynasty, especially since the Sui Dynasty. For my Tang Dynasty Dynasty, find the best way to realize the 'Great Order of the World'. What do you think about this matter?" As soon as Li Shimin's voice fell, there was an uproar from below, voices of praise came and went, and everyone was unwilling to lag behind, vying to express their sincere praise for the emperor's move.Especially Wei Zheng, who was overjoyed after hearing this, fell to the ground excitedly, couldn't get up on his knees, and shouted loudly: "Your majesty is wise. When I meet such a hero, I will definitely try my best to prepare a speech for the discussion of 'government gains and losses since ancient times'." After hearing this, everyone knelt down to express their views, and some were even so moved that they couldn't make a sound.Although everyone uses words differently, their meanings are similar to what Wei Zheng said.Hearing this, Li Shimin was also very moved, and immediately announced the disbandment of the court, and asked the officials to go back and prepare for January. At that time, they will come to the court hall to express their opinions and find a way for the Tang Dynasty to rule the world. Since that day, Wei Zhengmao has not come out of his small study for three days.Every day, his wife, Wang Shi, will deliver two meals and a large pot of water according to his instructions.When he was hungry, Wei Zheng ate some food, when he was thirsty, he drank water, and when he was sleepy, he took a nap. The rest of the time, Wei Zheng was reading and writing.It was the first time that he was so energetic and came to offer some suggestions for the governance of a country. His wife, Wang, although she doesn't study much, loves her husband very much. Seeing Wei Zheng lose weight day by day, she can't help but ask him with tears on her face: "Husband, the emperor's errands must be done well, and my body must also be preserved." After hearing this, Wei Zheng put down the book in his hand, came to his wife, reached out to help her wipe the tears off her face, and said emotionally: "You don't know, what I have done for my husband is no longer just an errand, but also a mission. When my husband was young, his family was poor, and after several times he was turned into a horse for the former prince, and then he was appreciated by him and became a guest. However, since the former crown prince had been fighting secretly with the current emperor at that time, the suggestions for her husband were all intrigues and tricks." Speaking of this, Wei Zheng smiled lightly, sighed and said: "Of course the former prince was good to me, but now, the country is unified, the people's minds are settled, and the emperor conforms to the people's minds, and even asks his ministers to find a way for him to rule. Such a wise monarch, no matter how many counselors, it is rare to meet in a lifetime .Wei Zheng was lucky enough to meet him, and Wei Zheng can no longer take care of himself..." When he said this, Wei Zheng was already in tears.Seeing her, Mrs. Wang hurriedly reached out her hand to wipe away the tears on Wei Zheng's face, nodded understandingly and said, "You are busy with important matters, I will take care of Aman by myself." Aman is Wei Zheng's only son. He is seven years old this year, and his mother Wang taught him to read and write.Wei Zheng's eyes lit up when his wife mentioned Aman, and asked, "Aman's studies have improved in the past few days?" Mrs. Wang nodded and said, "He's so smart, he'll be able to teach him as soon as he's taught, and he'll almost finish reading Qianjia's poems. I'm afraid I won't be able to teach him by then." "Just hire him a teacher at that time." "You give me so much money, and my parents are always sick..." "Don't talk about it." Wei Zheng interrupted Wang's words: "No matter what, I will spend money to hire a teacher for Aman. You go, I..." Seeing Wang leaving with understanding, Wei Zheng calmed down, reached out and picked up the pen again, but at this moment, Wang came in again in a panic and said, "The Duke of Qi is here to invite you outside." After hearing this, Wei Zheng hurriedly put down the pen in his hand and wanted to go outside. When Li Shimin became the crown prince, he appointed Changsun Wuji as the prince Zuo Shuzi; when Li Shimin became the emperor, he promoted Changsun Wuji to be the Minister of the Ministry of Officials, and was granted the title of Duke of Qi.Wei Zheng was about to go out when Changsun Lieji came in after Wang.Seeing Wei Zheng, he looked at his tired face carefully, looked at the stack of open books piled up on his desk, and glanced at the stack of manuscripts he was writing on the desk, then turned his eyes away On a bowl of rice and a plate of green vegetables, after a long, long time, I raised my head, looked at the dilapidated roof, and shook my head sadly.After a short pause, Changsun Wuji said to Wei Zheng: "My lord, please go to see the emperor with me." Although Wei Zheng didn't know the purpose of Sun Wuji, Minister of the Ministry of Officials, at this time, he clearly felt that something must have happened to him, and the emperor might send him to investigate him.In addition, Wei Zheng also felt that Changsun Wuji was full of kindness towards him.Even so, Wei Zheng still had a lot of questions in his heart, but it was not convenient for him to open his mouth, so he could only silently follow behind Changsun Wuji.The two of them entered Taiji Palace from Chengtianmen, walked through the "former dynasty" and came to the "inner court". In front of Liangyi Hall, Changsun Wuji stopped, turned back and said to Wei Zheng: "Master Wei Zheng, please wait here, let me report to the emperor, and call you again." After that, he went in without waiting for Wei Zheng's reply. Li Shimin had been waiting in the hall for Zhangsun Wuji's reply, and when he saw him coming in, he only stared at him, urging him to speak quickly.It was the first time that Changsun Wuji saw Li Shimin being so anxious about a subject, he couldn't help but secretly praised Li Shimin's good eyesight in his heart.He smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, if Wei Zheng accepts bribes for personal gain, I'm afraid I'll be a suspect too." After going through so many ups and downs, Li Shimin already has many loyal and trustworthy people around him, but in the depths of Li Shimin's heart, there is no one who is more reliable than Changsun Wuji.This is not only because Changsun Wuji is the elder brother of Empress Changsun and his brother-in-law; more importantly, Changsun Wuji has spent the longest time with him, the friendship between them, and Changsun Wuji's courage, talent and respect for him. His loyalty has gone through many tests.Because of this, as soon as Changsun Wuji's words came out, Li Shimin was greatly relieved. It turned out that just now, a minister sued Wei Zheng for accepting bribes for personal gain.Based on his intuition, Li Shimin didn't believe it at all, but he still had to ask the Minister of the Ministry of Officials to go and ask in person. "I didn't ask Lord Wei, nor did I tell him that a minister had sued him." Changsun Wuji continued. "You didn't ask him?" Li Shimin's face became serious. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty." Changsun Wuji knelt down on both knees. "Get up, I didn't blame you, I just want you to explain the reason." "Master Wei's house is just four bungalows. Except for the utensils that ordinary people have in the house, there is nothing valuable. He uses the best one as a study, but the roof is dilapidated. He eats Yes, just a bowl of rice and a plate of green vegetables, books piled up on the desk, manuscripts being written..." Changsun Wuji couldn't help shaking his head when he said this, and said in a low voice: "Wait a minute, I bumped into it all of a sudden and saw it with my own eyes. Master Wei was originally in the East Palace, and he was also highly regarded. After all these years, if he is greedy for money, how can this be the case? Therefore, I will not ask." "Don't ask, okay! You don't need to ask." Li Shimin was moved by the truth when he heard this. He seemed to be telling his eldest grandson Wuji, and he seemed to be telling himself.After a short pause, he added: "He is working hard for my national policy, and I really want to see him now." "Want to see him?" Changsun Wuji asked. "Yes, I just can't bear to trouble you anymore today." "Don't bother, he's right outside the door." "You brought him?" Changsun Wuji nodded. "Quickly, let him come in and see me." When Wei Zheng came in, the first thing Li Shimin saw was a much thinner face. "Is Aiqing feeling unwell?" Li Shimin asked. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your care. Wei Zheng is in good health." Wei Zheng answered with vigor. "Sit down. There are no outsiders here. Aiqing doesn't need to be polite." After Wei Zheng sat down, Li Shimin said again: "Aiqing, do you know why I asked the Minister of the Ministry of Officials to see you?" "Wei Zheng is dull, Wei Zheng doesn't know, just guessing where Wei Zheng might have done something wrong?" "Then think about it carefully, what did you do wrong?" "I have thought about it carefully along the way, and I didn't do anything wrong." "Oh! Then I will tell you that someone sued you for accepting bribes for personal gain! Is there such a thing?" "I have never accepted bribes for personal gain, and a gentleman is always poor..." "Okay!" Li Shimin interrupted Wei Zheng and said, "No matter what you say, someone still accuses you of accepting bribes for personal gain. I have no choice but to ask the Minister of the Ministry of Officials to investigate in person, but the Minister of the Ministry of Officials..." Li Shimin said this He stopped and pointed at Changsun Wuji who was beside him, "He came to see you, didn't even ask, but came back and told me that he dared to vouch for you, that you didn't take bribes for personal gain, so I believed you." "Thank you, Majesty Long En, and thank you, Lord Shangshu, for your trust." Wei Zheng paid homage to Li Shimin, and then to Elder Sun Wuji. "Just, do you know why someone wants to sue you?" Li Shimin asked. "I don't know." "Then I'll tell you, it's because of your arrogance that some people can't stand it." "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your advice. However, I believe that people are different, and that people have different personalities. The emperor only chooses good ministers to use people, and personality should be ignored." Wei Zheng replied. "All the ministers advised me to use loyal ministers, but Duer advised me to choose good ministers. What is the difference between loyal ministers and good ministers?" "To gain a good name for oneself, to make the monarch become a wise ruler, to have succession of descendants, to have unlimited fortune, is to be a good minister; to let oneself be killed, to make the monarch to become a tyrant, to lose the family and country, to have a name in vain, to be a loyal minister. In that sense, the two are far apart.” Li Shimin listened to Wei Zheng's answer, nodded his head, and blurted out: "There are loyal ministers and treacherous ministers; there are wise rulers and foolish rulers. Aiqing, tell me, what is a wise ruler and what is a foolish ruler?" After Wei Zheng heard this, he also blurted out an answer: "If you listen to both sides, you will be wise, but if you believe in one side, you will be faint. A king who can listen to opinions from all sides is a wise king; on the contrary, if a king only believes what someone who pleases him says, he is a wise king." Faint emperor. In the past, Emperor Yao often consulted the opinions of his subordinates, so he could understand Miao's evil deeds; while Emperor Shun was good at listening to voices from all directions, so treacherous officials such as Gong, Gun, and Huandou could not deceive him. On the contrary Qin II only believed in Zhao Gao, which eventually led to the subjugation of the country; Liang Wudi appointed Zhu Yi alone, which caused Hou Jing's chaos; Sui Yang listened to Yu Shiji's words, and the world was in chaos without knowing it. These positive and negative examples show that: the king As long as you listen to Guangna at the same time, you can fully understand the situation in all aspects, without being deceived, and become a wise king." Li Shimin nodded frequently after listening.I thought to myself: "If it weren't for Wei Zheng, a courtier with such arrogance and personality, how could I have heard such heartfelt words?" The next day, Li Shimin was promoted to Wei Zheng as Shangshu Zuocheng. Wei Zheng was delighted to meet a confidant, and since then he has never taken life and death, gains and losses seriously, and wholeheartedly assisted Li Shimin, saying everything he knows, and talking endlessly. Li Shimin woke up and found himself pillowed on Concubine Yang's jade arm, he couldn't help smiling: "No wonder, I slept so comfortably." He sat up while talking.But she didn't see any movement from Concubine Yang. Looking back, Concubine Yang was using her other hand to lift the hand that was under the pillow. "It's like this, why... oh." Li Shimin turned around and raised her somewhat stiff arms: "Yu..." As soon as he yelled this word, Concubine Yang blocked his mouth with her hand. "You don't need to call the imperial doctor, you'll be fine in a while." Concubine Yang said with a smile, "I can't change your clothes for you, Your Majesty, please do it yourself." "I'll just sleep a little longer, and it won't be too late to get up when my concubine's hands can move." "Your Majesty, you must get up now." "No, the important things I have to do have been arranged, and it's time for me to sleep more." "No! Just now the queen came to report that the queen is giving birth." "Why didn't my concubine tell me earlier?" Li Shimin said and stood up.Concubine Yang's arm can also move at this time, helping him to dress and put on a hat. "Before giving birth, Your Majesty is fast asleep again, and this concubine..." Concubine Yang straightened the buttons on Li Shimin's chest, looking at him apologetically and said. "It's okay, I don't blame you." Li Shimin said and kissed Concubine Yang on the face. Li Shimin walked into the main palace, and almost bumped into Chanyuan who was rushing over.Chanyuan is the maidservant of the Changsun family. She suddenly saw a man standing in the way, she had already run a few steps, she turned her head and saw that it was Li Shimin, she knelt down and said: "Report to the emperor, the queen is born!" "Did you give birth?" Li Shimin glanced at Chanyuan: "Get up!" After speaking, he walked into the inner room with a few steps.Taking a chubby baby from Chanyuan, Li Shimin stared at this newborn and immature life for a long time, only hearing Changsun's weak voice, saying: "Your Majesty, give him a name." "Name?" Li Shimin nodded. He thought of Dazhi, which the Tang Dynasty needed most, and couldn't help blurting out: "Zhi, the name is Li Zhi." At this time, Li Shimin already had eight sons, and Li Zhi was the ninth son.As far as Empress Changsun is concerned, she has already given birth to Prince Li Chengqian and Wei Wang Li Tai. This Li Zhi is the third one, who is exactly ten years younger than his eldest brother Li Chengqian, just as Li Shimin is younger than Li Jiancheng.No one expected that the history is so similar. This Li Zhi, who is ten years younger than the prince Li Chengqian, will replace the prince and become the third king of the Tang Empire when he is twenty-two years old! Li Shimin named Li Zhi, comforted Changsun, came to the study, and opened "Wu Delu" again. As early as when Li Yuan raised his troops in Jinyang, he promulgated the "Order of Leniency". There were twelve articles in the law, one of which was to treat the people well, mainly to win more people's support.After Li Yuan invaded Chang'an and became the emperor, in order to win the hearts of the people, he immediately abolished the "Daye Law" that Emperor Yangdi punished and tortured.Li Yuan ordered Pei Ji and others to follow the principle of "be lenient and simple, and take advantage of the time". After years of repeated revisions, the "Wu De Law" was officially completed in the fifth year of Wu De.Now, three years have passed in the blink of an eye, the new emperor, Li Shimin, already has a lot of thoughts about this "Law of Martial Virtue".How to revise, the imperial court has always had two views: one is that the world should be ruled by force and punishment, and the other is that the world should be ruled by leniency.Where to go, Li Shimin thought that he should study "Wu De Law" first, and then make a decision.Therefore, this book has been on the desk for two months, as long as he can spare time, he will read a few pages. Li Shimin was reading "Wu Delu", and Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui asked to see each other for the prince's funeral.After much deliberation, they came to suggest that Li Shimin pursue the former prince Li Jian as Xiwang, with the posthumous title of "Yin"; and the former Qi Wang Li Yuanji as Hailing King, with the posthumous title of "Thorn".The two hated the prince too much, so they chose this posthumous title. Li Shimin naturally understood after hearing this, looked at the two of them with a smile, and asked, "Do you think this posthumous title is very good?" "Very good!" Fang Xuanling replied calmly, meeting Li Shimin's gaze. "Is there a source for 'hidden' and 'thorn'?" Li Shimin asked. "There is a saying in the Posthumous Posthumous Law: 'Hiddenness cannot be achieved, it is hidden. If you don't forget love, you are stabbed; if you are violent and have no relatives, you are stabbed.'" Fang Xuanling said. It's a bit mean, but it can represent the old people's heart in Qin Wang's mansion, it seems that it can only be so.Thinking of this, Li Shimin said: "Since that's the case, let's do it this way. Let Wang Gui and Wei Zheng handle the specific matters. The scene must be grand." On the second day, under the single-handed arrangement of Wang Gui and Wei Zheng, the former staff members of the former prince Li Jiancheng, the funeral was held in an unprecedented grand manner.The Yiqiu Gate on the west side of the Autumn Hall, since it was completed, has had such a lively scene for the first time. The new emperor Li Shimin came to the Yiqiu Gate on the west side of the Autumn Palace, and expressed his grief in pain.Those who were ordered to come to participate, the former officials of the Eastern Palace and the Qi Mansion, were all moved when they saw it.The new emperor Li Shimin finally dilutes the resentment left in the hearts of the two brothers and staff with his tears.From then on, from the outside to the inside, the rage caused by killing brothers and sisters gradually calmed down. As the later records said: "At the beginning, the Xiyin and Hailing parties had hundreds of thousands of people who conspired to kill Li Shimin. They were at peace, and they were brought back to the left and right to serve as servants. Their minds were clear and there was no doubt." The Taiji Hall is the place where the emperor mainly listened to the government and watched the court. On weekdays, on the first and fifteenth day of each month, the emperor came to this hall to meet with his officials and watch the court and listen to the government.Or, important events such as the emperor's ascension to the throne, canonization of queens, princes, kings, and princesses, and banquets for tribute envoys were held in this hall.Today, it is not the first and fifteenth day of the lunar new year, nor the usual important events, but a big discussion on "the gains and losses of governance since ancient times" presided over by the emperor himself. As the courtiers of the Tang Dynasty, today is undoubtedly the happiest day.The emperor wants to discuss politics, and all the ministers think they are full of knowledge, and this time they have carefully prepared, they seem to think that only what they think is the most correct, and some even think that, As long as you speak your own words, you will be able to surprise everyone. Li Shimin was aloof, looking at his courtiers, seeing their excited expressions different from the past, he secretly applauded the discussion he had decided in his heart.A heart that was originally expecting could not help but get excited. When there was no sound below, Li Shimin's heart also calmed down. He glanced at the officials, and then said slowly: "My dearest friends here, everyone has seen the demise of the Sui Dynasty, and also seen the prosperity of the Sui Dynasty. No one can but admit that as long as you go back fifteen years, how powerful the Sui Dynasty was. Empire. At that time, the Sui Dynasty was not only powerful in military, but also powerful in economic strength. The food reserves alone were enough for fifty years, fifty years!" Li Shimin became excited when he spoke, and looked at the ministers with shining eyes. "At that time, when merchants from the Western Regions came, Emperor Sui Yang did not want to do business with them, but to show off the wealth of the Sui Dynasty to them. Emperor Sui Yang not only entertained them with the best wine, but also rewarded them with the best wine when he left.的商品多出十几倍价值的财物。当时的隋朝，曾是多么强大啊！可是，炀帝仅用了五年的时间，就将这个地域辽阔、实力雄厚的帝国，弄得分崩离析。他自己，也落得个悲惨下场。这是为什么？” 说到这里，李世民突然止住，静静地等待着他的爱卿们高论。 “隋朝的军事力量，在大业八年以前，都还是非常强大的。”萧瑀起身，首先发言：“大业元年，隋将韦云起大败契丹军，俘虏其男女四万余人，阻止拖延了契丹的崛起强大；大业三年，炀帝派军灭了吐谷浑，开拓了东起青海湖东岸，西至塔里木盆地，北起库鲁克塔格山脉，南至昆仑山脉数千里的疆域，还在这些疆域实行郡县制度管理，使之归入隋治之下；第二年，炀帝到达张掖，西域二十七国君主与史臣纷纷前来朝见，表示臣服。直到大业六年，炀帝因'高句丽本为箕子（商纣王叔父）所封之地，今又不遵臣礼'为由，动员全国现役、预备役士兵，首征高丽时，也是应该打赢的，可是终因用人不当输了。从此以后，到大业八年时，隋炀帝又不顾众人的反对，不顾国力已衰、民众穷困的现状，再征高丽，结果杨玄感起兵，各地相继起义。唉！从这以后，就再也无法收拾局面了。” 萧瑀说到这里，咳嗽不已，只得停了话头。杜如晦见了，抢过话头，紧接着说：“萧丞相认为隋炀帝争战过多，确也说到了点子上，臣非常赞成。同时，臣以为，除此以外，隋炀帝为满足一己之贪欲，到全国收集奇珍异宝、美女、特产，也是其败亡的原因之一。然而，最为主要的还是，炀帝为个人享受，大搞工程，运河、宫殿，为一己游玩居住。如此伤财劳民，既掏空了国库，又穷尽了百姓。”杜如晦说到此，连连摇头。 “右仆射之言，臣感同身受。”魏征接着说：“君依于国，国依于民。刻民以奉君，犹割肉以充腹，腹满而身毙，君富而国亡。昔炀帝初平京师，宫中美女珍玩无院不满。炀帝尚且意犹不足，还在征求无已，更加上他东西征讨，穷兵黩武，致使百姓痛苦不堪，遂至于亡灭……” 讨论会进行得空前热烈，群臣争相发言。你方唱罢我登场，整整的一个下午，一刻也不曾冷过场。最后经房玄龄整理出隋朝灭亡教训主要有三： 其一，奢华浪费，劳民伤财。其二，生活腐化堕落，荒淫无道。其三，战争太多，耗费国力。 廷议结果刚总结出来，李世民正要开口，有侍郎来报：“突厥颉利可汗，率二十万精兵来犯，前锋已破武功，意欲南下进逼长安！” 对于这次首议理政，李世民非常满意，已准备了许多的话要说，谁知突厥竟来捣乱。李世民的心里非常不舒服，鉴于房玄龄已为这次讨论作了总结，更不想再多说什么，平静地对群臣宣布： “突厥来犯之事，由兵部及有关人员专议，原定明日的讨论，继续！” 第二天，李世民首先训言：“朕之大唐王朝，自建立以来，太上皇帝励精图治，一改隋朝政治颓风。可是，大唐王朝初建时，国内尚未统一，太上皇帝主政八年，主要精力还得用于'削平区宇'，统一国家的各项战事之中。由于隋末战乱，狼烟四起，群雄割据，国家四分五裂，不仅耗光了本来很充裕的各项国家储备，还使得如今的大唐王朝，自伊洛之东，暨乎海岱，萑莽巨泽，茫茫然千里，人烟断绝，鸡犬不闻，道路萧条，进退艰阻，社会现状，异常严峻。” 说到这儿，李世民稍稍一停，然后提高声音，来谈自己，接着说道：“朕自继承大统以来，一直在想着这些事情。希望能找出一个好的方法，改变这些社会现状，使朕的大唐王朝，能够尽快走向昌盛繁荣。到时候，现在还猖狂地来向我大唐王朝挑衅的突厥，就只能乖乖地拜倒在这太极殿里了。”李世民说到这里，渐渐地激动起来，更加的提高了声音，大声说道： “昨天，我们讨论了隋朝灭亡的原因。今天，我们要大家讨论的问题是：而今百废待举，百乱待治，在此大乱之后，究竟可不可以举？能不能够治？” 李世民的话语刚落，朝殿中群臣，七嘴八舌，议论纷纷。房玄龄见了，也提高声音说： “皇上已将问题提出来了，大家可以就此发表高见，以报答浩荡皇恩于万一。”房玄龄话罢，魏征站出来说： “细观我大唐王朝，确实是一个'乱'字了得。只是如今要治这乱，是完全可以做到的。一是生乱之魁手，已然尽除。二是思定为人之本性，乱后治理，是非常容易教化的。因为久乱于人，犹如久饥，乱后教化人，犹如以食予饥人一般，他不但不会挑食，而且很容易吃饱。” 陈叔达听了，不以为然，说道：“魏左丞之言，看似比喻妥贴，实为大谬也。圣人尚有言曰，使人学好，百年不长；使人学坏，半年有余。如今乱时，已有多年，短时之内，何以能治？” 魏征听了，想起孔老夫子的典故来。当年夫子为了推行自己的政治主张，曾信誓旦旦地对各国君王说：“苟有用我者，期月而已可也，三年有成。”想到此，魏征微微一笑说：“仆射所言，是从平常人做事育人来说的，对于智慧非常高的圣贤之人，譬如我们的皇上，就不适合。智慧非常高的圣贤人做事育人，讲究的是以信立威。威立而能使下同上心，结果一呼百应，进展速度非常之快。我说三年成功，还是把时间说长了的。” 李世民听了，非常高兴，正想表一个态度，只见萧瑀一步上前，指责说：“魏征书生，不识时务，若信其虚言，必败乱国家也。”斥罢，萧瑀引经据典，从夏商周三代一直说到秦汉，最后问诘魏征：“秦任法律，汉杂霸道，皆欲理而不能，岂能理而不欲耶？” 萧瑀斥罢魏征，几个老臣表示符合，争相发言。房玄龄、杜如晦等则站在魏征一边，双方开始对抗舌辩。一时间，原本平和的气氛，变得相当激烈，平时儒雅清高的大臣，变得脸红脖子粗起来，有的甚至还对人身进行攻击。相比之下，魏征官微，资历尚浅，与皇上的交往，时间也很短。可是，他抱定不以一己之生死、得失为然，知无不言，言无不尽的宗旨，却也能毫无惧色。只见他援古而喻今，从三皇五帝说起，用一个个大乱后达到大治的典型事例，反复证明他的“行帝道则帝，行王道则王”的观点，最后总结说：“社会，其实就是在一乱一治、乱中求治中得到发展的。假如只在一旁说百姓们狡诈，不那么纯朴，以至于造成现在世道的混乱，还不如认认真真来教育他们，这才有效，你们说是吗？” 对于魏征最后的诘问，萧瑀等反对者也一时哑口无言。李世民见了，心中暗自称快，惊讶此举收获远胜于事先之料想。不但解决了“乱”可以速治的问题，还发现朝中官员竟然有明显的两派。一派是以魏征、房玄龄、杜如晦为首的少壮改革派，一派是以萧瑀、陈叔达、封德彝等为首的元老反对派。看来，今后朕在用人的问题上，又要动一番大的手脚了。李世民这么想着，对双方敢于直言的行为都进行了表扬，然后缓缓地说道： “人的看法，常常会有所不同。有所是非，本为公事。或有护己之短，忌闻其失，有是有非，衔以为怨。或有苟避私隙，相惜颜面，知非政事，遂即施行。难违一官之小情，顿为万人之大弊也。卿等特须灭私徇公，坚守直道，庶事相启沃，勿上下雷同，可以明了真理，使朕取之于国策，兴朕之大唐王朝也。细析众臣之言理，朕已经决定要大治天下，使朕华夏安宁，远戎宾服。何以为治，还望诸大臣认真考虑，明日再议。” 说到这里，李世民朝房玄龄一使眼色。 房玄龄自然心领神会，大声说到：“今日廷议，就止于此，明天继续廷议，议题是：何以为治。明日悉听诸位高论。” 太监待房玄龄言毕，大声吟唱：“散朝！”