Chapter 42 2. Curve Struggle: Mad Pillow Wind

When the undercurrent of political struggle gradually emerged, the battle-tested King Li Shimin of Qin was unaware of the dangerous environment he was in.He just felt that Li Yuan's favor towards him seemed to be getting less and less, more often, the crown prince and King Qi were by Li Yuan's side, and unless there was something special, Li Yuan would think of summoning Li Shimin.Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji were very satisfied with the emergence of this situation. They felt Li Yuan's alienation from Li Shimin. However, these alone are not enough.Because in Li Yuan's mind, Li Shimin is the most talented among all the scholars.Therefore, when Zhao Hongzhi and others suggested that Li Jiancheng should further alienate Li Yuan and Li Shimin, the prince chose the two most beloved people around Li Yuan at that time as his alliance partners.

In Li Yuan's harem, most concubines were very dissatisfied with Li Shimin, because the prince would always bring some gifts or spoils to the concubines in the harem from time to time.But Li Shimin is a person who upholds principles, he never visits those concubines, let alone send them gifts.Even once, when the seized jewels from King Xia's palace were sent to Chang'an, and the concubines rushed to take them for themselves, Li Shimin abruptly handed them back from their hands.Among them, Concubine Yin De and Zhang Jieyu, who are most loved by Li Yuan, dislike Li Shimin the most.

Zhang Jieyu was born in Zhong Ding's family and was proficient in poetry and prose, so she won the favor of Li Yuan.Once, when Li Shimin returned from an expedition, he thought that his general Li Shentong was brave in battle, so he gave him a piece of fertile land outside Chang'an City.However, as soon as Li Shentong arrived, Zhang Jieyu's father took a fancy to that piece of land. He secretly informed his daughter that he hoped that the emperor would issue an order to give him that piece of land so that he could build a garden.After Zhang Jieyu acted like a baby, Li Yuan decreed to give the land to Zhang's father.But Zhang Jieyu was overjoyed for a long time, so she came to Li Yuan again, claiming that King Qin had seized the fief.

Li Yuan summoned Li Shimin and asked about the whole story.Li Shimin said: "Li Shentong went on an expedition with the army and went through life and death to stabilize the country of the Tang Dynasty. He deserves that land. He has built a mansion there now. But Zhang Jieyu's father took it for his own selfish desires. Is Your Majesty going to let the warrior who shed blood for the country live without a fixed place for a concubine?" This sentence made Li Yuan speechless, so he could only send him away, and quietly said to Pei Ji: "This kid has been leading soldiers in battle for a long time, and he doesn't even listen to my words. He is no longer the obedient son he used to be. But Pei Ji said: "The king of Qin gave Li supernatural powers to comfort the soldiers, which is actually a good thing." But Li Yuan shook his head and said: "My edicts are not as good as his orders. It was instilled by a group of Confucian scholars!"

Under Pei Ji's reassurance, and because of the tense battle with Liu Wuzhou at that time, Li Yuan did not blame Li Shimin too much for this, and let the land go his own way.But Zhang Jieyu hated Li Shimin from then on, thinking that King Qin was against her. Another favored concubine of Li Yuan, Concubine Yin De, whose father was an opportunistic villain, just because his daughter was favored, he swaggered around in the city of Chang'an, very arrogant.Once Du Ruhui rode past Yin's house on horseback. Father Yin felt that he was so arrogant that he didn't get off his horse.Only after Father Yin finished the fight did he realize that this man was the most favored staff member in Prince Qin's residence.

Although Yin's father was arrogant, he was also afraid of King Qin's prestige, so the villain filed a complaint first and asked Concubine Yin De to cry to Li Yuan, saying that Du Ruhui from the Qin Palace led people to beat her father.When Li Yuan was furious, he summoned Li Shimin urgently and asked him: "Father of my favorite concubine, you dare to beat me at will, let alone ordinary people! I think you are going to run rampant in Chang'an City!" Li Yuan No matter how Li Shimin argued, he would not listen.With this holiday, Concubine Yin De became more hostile towards Li Shimin.

Li Jiancheng saw that both Concubine Yin De and Zhang Jieyu did not like Li Shimin, but these two were the most favored among the concubines, so he asked someone to bring jewelry and treasures, visited them quietly, and said to them: "Today, both of you are The emperor's favorite person, although I am the crown prince, I need two good words for me in front of the emperor, so that I can keep the position of the master of the East Palace!" Concubine Yin and Concubine Zhang were very proud of the compliments. Concubine Yin De said: "The crown prince is too humble. I am just a servant serving the emperor. How dare I compare with you! It is true that we need the support of the crown prince."

Li Jiancheng said: "You two have far-sighted plans. I am afraid that you have already planned. The emperor is old. If one day the dragon returns to the blue sea, who can protect you? Not to mention the pampering in this palace and the wealth of your natal family. It's all dangerous." Zhang Jieyu hurriedly said: "His Royal Highness is so kind, the concubines and concubines will have to rely on your protection in the future." Li Jiancheng said with a smile: "It's like wind and fire depend on each other. The wind makes the fire more fierce, and the fire also makes the wind more scorching."

The three looked at each other and smiled, and Li Jiancheng said to Concubine Yin De: "In the future, when I become emperor, I will definitely treat everyone well. As for my brothers and sisters, I will naturally not treat you badly." Concubine Yin De's son, Li Yuanheng, born to Li Yuan, is doing nothing among the princes, and this is what she is most anxious about.Li Jiancheng's promise hit her heart, so she promised that as long as the crown prince could protect Li Yuanheng, she would speak well of Jiancheng in front of Li Yuan. Under the constant lobbying of the two concubines, Li Yuan's impression of Li Shimin became worse and worse, and he didn't even summon him for a long time.With the help of Yuwen Shiji, Li Shimin also spoke well for himself through Yuwen Shiji's younger sister Yuwen Zhaoyi, but with little success.Although Li Shimin was melancholy, he was also helpless.

Not long after, it happened to be Li Yuan's birthday.After the national amnesty, all the officials gathered together, and the princes also tried their best to win Li Yuan's favor.In addition to presenting all kinds of rare treasures, there are also sweet words.When everyone was enjoying themselves, Li Jiancheng suddenly saw Li Shimin sitting in a corner crying secretly, so he deliberately asked loudly: "Today is the birthday of the father, why is the second brother so sad?" Li Shimin, who was originally wiping tears secretly, found that everyone looked at him when the prince asked him, and couldn't help being extremely embarrassed.He hurriedly picked up the wine glass and said: "I see that the Tang Dynasty has won the world now, and there is such a peaceful world. I am very happy. But I suddenly remembered my mother. She taught us since we were young. Now that the world is under the world, my mother is long gone. I can't share this feast of wine with us, so I shed tears."

Li Shimin's words made everyone fall silent, Xiao Yu and other senior officials said one after another: "Empress Dou is virtuous and blessed the world, King Qin should not be too sad!" Li Yuan, who was originally immersed in joy, became depressed because Li Shimin suddenly mentioned Dou Shi. Dou Shi helped him a lot, but now that he is the emperor, he can't share it with her, which is also his regret.After Li Yuan became the emperor, he did not set up a queen, and it was precisely to remember her, so he did not blame Li Shimin much. But as soon as they returned to the harem after the banquet, Concubine Yin De and Zhang Jieyu said to Li Yuan, "In such a happy occasion today, King Qin suddenly weeps. It's really frustrating." Li Yuan said: "King Qin is a filial child. It is understandable for him to miss his mother." Zhang Jieyu said: "It's true that King Qin is filial, but today is the emperor's birthday banquet. On such an occasion, he not only shed tears, but also said that he missed the deceased. I am afraid that this is not just filial piety to his mother. Take the emperor to heart, shall we?" After hearing this, Li Yuan couldn't help but start to ponder. Seeing that Li Yuan's attitude seemed to have changed, Yin and Zhang Erfei gave each other a smug wink.Zhang Jieyu went on to say: "Now my Tang Dynasty is prosperous, and the world is peaceful. Your Majesty is old, and it is time to enjoy the joy. The king of Qin will cry and miss his mother every now and then. I'm afraid he is dissatisfied with our concubines! " Concubine Yin De also sighed and said: "Yes, the King of Qin has always disliked us people, and always felt that we are not dedicated enough to serve His Majesty. I am really afraid that one day the King of Qin will gain power, and we may not have a good life." Li Yuan saw that the two of them were mourning and feeling sorry for themselves, so he said, "Don't worry, the King of Qin is a virtuous man, so how could it be against you?" Seeing this, Concubine Yin De continued to say: "In terms of virtuousness, I don't think anyone can compare with the Crown Prince of the East Palace. I heard that he often prays for His Majesty's well-being. And my son Yuan Heng has also said to me many times: His Royal Highness treats you well. The brothers are very gentle, have the style of the elders, and have a high prestige among the brothers, and everyone respects him!" Zhang Jieyu was not to be outdone: "In the court, no one praises the crown prince as a rare and wise prince. Everyone says that His Royal Highness is loyal and loving to the emperor, and is generous and kind to the officials. It is the blessing of the Tang Dynasty!" After a lot of praise and praise, Li Yuan also began to be proud of having such a good son.Compared with Li Shimin's ignorance, Li Jiancheng seems to be superior in both his conduct and word of mouth. From then on, although Li Shimin took the initiative to visit the palace, Li Yuan rarely met him, and always spoke coldly to him.However, Prince Jianjian was more and more favored, and Li Yuan entrusted him with more military and state affairs, hoping to exercise his ability to handle political affairs.