Chapter 40 The Son of Heaven "Li Tianxia"

This tune was first created by Li Cunxu, and later generations renamed it according to "like a dream, like a dream". Li Cunxu, who is proficient in rhythm, has liked watching and acting since he was a child.When he was young, he was quite familiar with the opera troupe of Prince Jin's Mansion.Later, when the South and the North fought, they naturally couldn't put too much effort into it.After the great hatred has been avenged and the establishment of the Later Tang Dynasty, it is inevitable to have a sense of pleasure, not only watching plays, but also performing on stage by themselves.The Liu family he dotes on has a humble background, and in order to compete for the position of queen, he avoids taboos about his own background in every possible way.Just at this moment, her father who had been lost during the war came to her door, and Liu Shi, who was so popular that she would not admit her father, had someone beat her father severely at the gate of the palace and drove him out.Based on this, Li Cunxu made up "Liu Shanren Recognizes Women". He was dressed in rags, carrying a bag and a medicine bag, and asked his son Li Jiji to follow behind with a shabby hat, and walked straight away while Liu was taking a nap. Entering her bedroom, she shouted: "People from Liushan came to visit my daughter." Liu was awakened suddenly, thinking about her betrayal, she became angry from shame, and couldn't do anything about Li Cunxu, so she went to beat her son's successor with a board. Ji, chased him so that he ran around the palace, and everyone in the palace burst into laughter.

Li Cunxu not only loves acting, but also gave himself a stage name.Since he is the emperor and his surname is Li, he called his stage name "Li Tianxia" to include these two meanings.He was very proud of his stage name. Once when he was performing on stage, he couldn't help shouting twice: "Li Tianxia, ​​Li Tianxia." slapped him twice.Li Cunxu was stunned by the beating all of a sudden, and the other actors were very nervous, accusing Jing Xinmo of daring to beat the emperor.But Jing Xinmo said to Li Cunxu unhurriedly: "Li (Li) there can only be one emperor in the world. If you shout twice, who is the other one? Can there be two people to rule the world?" It also means respecting the emperor. Li Cunxu felt that it was very reasonable, so not only did he not get angry, but he also gave him a lot of rewards.

Jing Xinmo dared to fight the emperor, he was quite courageous, but he also relied on the emperor's love for him.Li Cunxu was originally from the Shatuo tribe, and most of his guards were Hu people from the Western Regions. They have high noses and deep eyes, which are different from those from the Central Plains.These people thought they were the emperor's bodyguards, and often used their power to humiliate all officials.Jing Xinmo didn't like their behavior, so he often mocked: "Now that the world has been settled, what do you need these people who can only draw bows and arrows? They have no other advantages, except that their nostrils are bigger than others and their eyes are deeper. " Those people were ridiculed by Jing Xinmo, and they complained to the emperor one after another.Li Cunxu was originally advertised as a descendant of Li Tang, but now someone talks about his background, naturally he is very unhappy, so he summoned Jing Xinmo and said to him: "I am from the Tibetan tribe, and everyone knows it. You don't hide it for me, but scold me. My subordinates, let them come to me to cry and complain, what's the matter." Jing Xinmo said: "Your Majesty, don't let them be deceived. If you think about it, the person's eye sockets are so deep, and the tears are pumped by a water truck. You don’t necessarily have to have it, why are you still crying?” Li Cunxu laughed unknowingly, but also a little annoyed that he still spoke sarcasm, at this time there were many dogs in the hall, so he asked a dog to bite Jing Xinmo.Jing Xinmo hid back and forth, finally climbed on the pillar, and shouted: "Your Majesty, don't allow your sons and daughters to bite people." At that time, people in the Central Plains often called Shatuo, Khitan and other ethnic minorities as "dogs, sheep and low breeds." ".When Li Cunxu heard that he compared the vicious dog to his own sons and daughters, he was of course ridiculed, so he was furious, drew his bow and set an arrow, and was about to shoot him to death.Jing Xinmo hurriedly shouted: "Your Majesty, please don't kill me! Although I am lowly, I am one body with Your Majesty. It is very unlucky to kill me." Li Cunxu was surprised and asked why.Jing Xinmo said solemnly: "Your Majesty ascended the throne and founded the country, and changed the year name to 'Tongguang'. The whole world calls your Majesty Tongguang Emperor. Tong is copper. The name of the minister is Jing Xinmo, and this respect is mirror. Mirror. The copper will be bright only if it is newly ground; if you kill Jing Xin, the 'tong' will lose its luster." After hearing his explanation, Li Cunxu admired his wit, so he laughed and let him go .

However, although this Jing Xinmo relied on the emperor's favor and was "neither big nor small", he was an upright person with a strong sense of right and wrong.Once, Li Cunxu took a group of guards to Zhongmou County to hunt.At this time, it was the autumn harvest, and the hunting team called the eagle and the dog, and trampled the farmers' fields into a mess.The county magistrate of Zhongmu County couldn't see it, so he pulled Li Cunxu's horse rein to dissuade him.Li Cunxu was very excited about hunting, and when he saw such a small county magistrate, he was very angry and asked the people around him to pull the county magistrate away.The county magistrate was very stubborn, and he continued to persuade him, saying that an emperor should put state affairs first, love the people like a child, and trample on the people's seedlings for a moment of entertainment, which is really inappropriate.Li Cunxu was furious and planned to kill him.At this time, Jing Xinmo brought dozens of actors to go forward, grabbed the county magistrate, and sternly accused: "As the head of a county, don't you know that my emperor likes hunting? If you know it, you should let the people know The land is free for the emperor to hunt. How can you allow the people to farm the land, pay taxes to the country, and hinder the emperor from flying eagles and running dogs. Now that you have not confessed your crime, you dare to come here to chatter. The crime is heinous and deserves to be executed! After finishing speaking, he turned around, knelt down to Li Cunxu, and said in a tone of voice: "Your Majesty, please quickly order the execution!" More than a dozen actors also responded in unison: "Please, Your Majesty, quickly order the execution!" Li Cunxu found it very interesting and laughed out loud, but he also understood his remonstrance, let go of the magistrate of Zhongmu County, and ordered his subordinates to walk around the fields.

If Li Cunxu just likes to watch and act in plays, and fights with actors and officials, although it is not very solemn, it is harmless.However, because he loves actors and officials, he actually appoints them as officials to take care of state affairs, which is a big problem.After the destruction of Liang, the actor Zhou Za, who had been captured by the Liang army, saw him and told him that Chen Jun, the envoy of Houliang Jiaofang, and Chu Deyuan, the envoy of Neiyuan planting, had rescued him, and hoped to make them county magistrates.At this time, the general Guo Chongtao advised him: "The new dynasty has just been established, and the soldiers who have experienced many battles with your majesty have not yet been rewarded. Instead, let an actor be the governor. I'm afraid everyone will not accept it." Hearing what Guo Chongtao said, he agreed immediately without even looking at the two people recommended by Zhou Za.However, it is impossible for all the actors and actresses he loves to be as upright as Jing Xinmo.Among them, there is a man named Jing Jin, who is a flatterer.Li Cunxu established his capital in Luoyang, and lived in an old palace in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, there were not many concubines. Jing Jin told the eunuchs that there were ghosts in the palace at night, and people were afraid of people. When Li Cunxu asked how to get rid of ghosts, he said that the number of people in the harem There are many, but now there are few people, monsters will come out and move, so it is necessary to expand the palace ladies.Li Cunxu was naturally happy when he heard this, so he sent Jing Jin to Yedu to collect beauties.When Jing Jin went there, he searched wantonly, even the wives and daughters of the local sergeants. The wives and daughters of the local sergeants were not spared. The women's wagons they snatched were not enough to fit them, so they used bullock carts.The local people were afraid of being caught and fled in large numbers, thousands of them.Li Cunxu thought he was capable, so he was awarded the title of doctor Yinqing Guanglu, regular attendant of the inspector You Sanqi, and doctor Shi guarding the imperial court.Sometimes he is sent to the local area, given special missions, interviewing officialdom and folk affairs, and secretly reporting himself.So when Jing Jinjin met to talk about something, all the people present withdrew one after another so that they could talk in secret.

Jing Jin's power is so great, those unscrupulous officials naturally attached themselves to him, bribed and flattered him.Corrupt official Kong Qian wants to be a mediocre envoy, but Guo Chongtao thinks that he lives up to expectations and refuses to let him do it.Kong Qian flattered Jing Jin and respected him as "myna". Jing Jin recommended him in front of Li Cunxu, and finally promoted him to be a renter.Jing Jin also slandered and framed innocent officials. Li Cunxu's younger brother Li Cunyi and general Zhu Youqian all died under his slander.Since then, all the ministers in the court have been afraid when they saw Jing Jin.However, Li Cunxu condoned the misbehavior of the actors and officials, but he would have to pay a heavy price for it in the future.