Chapter 21 The twenty-first chapter Si Yi Yao Zun Tian Khan Searching for Xi Zhimo from all directions

When Datang first wanted to plot the Eastern Turks, he adopted the strategy of "distance from distance and close attack".In the third year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin sent envoys to confer the title of Khan on Yinan, the chief of Xue Yantuo, which is a beautiful and powerful move.Shortly thereafter, the Eastern Turks perished, and the thirteen tribes in Mobei, including Huihe, Pugu, and Tongluo, returned one after another.Every year before the New Year's Day, these princes and elders compete to send envoys to Chang'an to offer gifts. They gather in the capital, and there are nearly a thousand people.In those days, Honglu Temple was the busiest in central Beijing. From Tang Jian down, everyone was extremely busy and exhausted, and they had to try their best to entertain these guests from all over the world.

There are no rare things in the land of Mobei, and the offerings of various tribes are mostly horses, sheep, camels, mink furs and so on.When they returned, the Tang court rewarded them with some silk, porcelain, gold and silverware, tea, iron and so on.If measured in terms of value, what the Tang Dynasty bestowed was higher than what they paid tribute to.However, when the four barbarians came to pay tribute, what the Tang Dynasty pictured was the reputation of the barbarians' guest clothes, and they didn't pay much attention to the amount of money and goods. On the first day of the eighth year of Zhenguan, the meeting ceremony was even more solemn because Xue Yantuo chief Yi Nan and Huihe chief Bodhisattva came to Beijing to congratulate them.

At the time of the day, Tongshi Sheren stood on the steps in front of the Taiji Hall and shouted: "The emperor has a decree, Xuan Zhenzhu Pijia Khan and other Fan Kingdom princes have an audience." Before his words fell, Tang Jian, who had been waiting in front of the hall, came He led more than 20 people including barbarians and Bodhisattvas into the hall. After everyone entered the hall, they paid homage to Li Shimin. After the salutation, Li Shimin made everyone flattened. He personally held a suit of scarlet brocade and a collared robe, and gave them to Yi Nan and others.Yi Nan and the others took it with both hands, and thanked them again.After Li Shimin gave the gift, he returned to the throne, and two rows of chairs were arranged below, and Yi Nan and others sat down according to the order.

After taking his seat, Yi Nan got up again, and bowed to Li Shimin: "Your Majesty, I have been entrusted by you, and now I will recite a eulogy." translation. Li Shimin smiled and said: "Since it is a eulogy, don't say it. You have come all the way to Beijing to see me. This kind of friendship is better than any beautiful words, and I am more grateful." Yi Nan refused and insisted on reciting the eulogy, Li Shimin nodded in agreement.Yi Nan's eulogy seems to have been prepared before the departure, it is not as harsh as Chinese diction, and its sentences are simple, more like spoken language.It's just that the content is unavoidably stale, nothing more than praising Li Shimin's kindness and so on.

After reading the eulogy, Yi Nan bowed and said: "Your Majesty, the ministers have discussed it. The ministers think that addressing the emperor's majesty is not enough to express their respect, and the title of the emperor's majesty is still acceptable in China. In the four directions, there is less of the aura of Vega at home, because the emperor is asked to be titled Tian Khan." "God Khan?" Li Shimin asked. The Uighur Chief Bodhisattva stood up, bowed and said, "Your Majesty the Emperor canonized the Quartet Khan. It is difficult for the Heavenly Khan to do so. From now on, His Majesty the Emperor is invited to join the sea with the Heavenly Khan to show God's will."

Other tribal chiefs and envoys stood up one after another, asking Li Shimin to use the title of Tian Khan from now on. Li Shimin understood the meaning of the crowd, motioned them to return to their seats, then shook his head and said, "I am the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and I have never left the middle land, so how can I act on Khan's behalf? Your kindness, I appreciate it, but don't deviate from it." Yi Nan stood up again and said: "Your Majesty, the titles proposed by the ministers are not designed to praise His Majesty. Please put yourself in the shoes of the ministers and think about it. If the ministers and others know that His Majesty accepts the title of Tian Khan, they will be closer to you." Meaning. His Majesty has said many times that Huayi is one, why is he not willing to accept even a simple honorary title, if so, it will hurt the mood of the officials."

At this time, Tang Jian, who had been standing by the side, stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, I think what Zhenzhu Khan said is very reasonable. Now that the land of Tang is growing, there are many prefectures and states, and there are many vassal states. The subjects of the Middle Earth They are familiar with the title of His Majesty the Emperor, but the remote places in the four directions only know the Khan and do not know the Emperor. If His Majesty accepts the title of Tian Khan, the subjects of the four directions will know that above their Khan there is the Emperor Tian Khan, and they will know that the capital is heaven and earth Central, Your Majesty is here to exercise the power of the Son of Heaven; secondly, I am sincerely convinced, and from now on the Huayi family."

Li Shimin thought for a moment, and then said slowly: "Forget it, I will follow Qing's advice, and from now on, I will use the seals for the emperors and chiefs of the Northwest, and they will all use the words of Emperor Tian Khan. Tang Qing, please convey my words to the general supervisor and let them Find good jade, and immediately engrave it into a seal." Tang Jian bowed to receive the order.Seeing that Li Shimin had accepted the title of Tian Khan, the barbarians, the Bodhisattva and others couldn't help being overjoyed, they got up and knelt down to Li Shimin, shouting long live three times.

From then on, all the tribes in Mobei called Li Shimin Emperor Tiankhan.Later, this appellation gradually spread, and the four kingdoms came to the capital to pay homage, and they all called Li Shimin Tian Khan. The Bodhisattva struck while the iron was hot, and got up again to play to Li Shimin: "Since your Majesty is the Khan who is waiting for you, from now on, you will come to Beijing to worship more frequently. It's just that the road to Beijing is dangerous and difficult, but when you cross the border of other countries, there is no trouble." Young master, please ask Tian Khan to refrain from making appointments with other countries, so that the ministers can enter the capital smoothly."

Everyone in the seat, except Yi Nan, agreed with the Bodhisattva's proposal.It turns out that Xue Yantuo's land borders on the territory of the Tang Dynasty. When the tribes came to Beijing, if they wanted to take a shortcut, they would have to pass through the land under Xue Yantuo's jurisdiction.In these years, Xue Yantuo was self-confident and powerful. When the envoys of various ministries passed through his territory, he was often made things difficult by various parties, and sometimes the tribute he brought was also taken away. The envoys from various tribes once told Tang Jian about being made things difficult by Xue Yantuo, and Tang Jian reported the matter to Li Shimin, intending to let Li Shimin warn the barbarian, let him restrain his subordinates, and restrain his behavior.After Bodhisattva brought up the matter in court today, everyone's eyes shot at Yi Nan.

Li Shimin asked: "Zhenzhu Khan, I heard that when the envoys of the tribes passed through your territory, many unpleasant things happened. Is it true?" Yi Nan stood up and replied: "I also heard about this incident. It was done by some reckless people without telling me. Your Majesty, your land is very vast, and there are good and bad people. It is inevitable that some indecent things happened before. After all, it’s because I can’t strictly restrain myself. I have issued a strict order before I came to Beijing, and if anyone dares to act recklessly in the future, they will be punished by five horses.” Li Shimin raised his head and thought for a moment, then said: "If you have such a strict criminal law, your subordinates will definitely restrain themselves a lot. It's just that Mobei is sparsely populated, and when traveling, it is often difficult to see people. They come and go suddenly, and specialize in robbing the envoys of their gifts, which is too difficult to capture. Zhenzhu Khan, in order to ensure the safety of the envoys’ travel, there must be a perfect plan.” The Bodhisattva interrupted at this time and said: "Your Majesty, after I entered the middle land, I saw that there are post stations on all the roads. This will not only make it convenient for the envoy to travel, but the post stations are connected end to end, and they can support each other to ensure safety. Setting up post roads is a surefire solution." Li Shimin thought to himself, if a post road is set up in Mobei, it will not cost much, but it can connect the tribes and deepen their connection with the middle land.He nodded in agreement and said: "This is a good idea. I agree with the establishment. Before the establishment of the post road, I asked the household department to send personnel to survey along the line to determine the orientation of the road and the establishment of the post station. After the post road is completed, I can ask the household department to call Give money and food, and pay for it. Only the maintenance of the post road and the people at the post station must be managed by various ministries. Zhenzhu Khan, you are familiar with the geography of the various tribes in Mobei, and this post road is the longest in your territory. It's all handled by you, what do you think?" "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Households can send personnel to survey the route. As for the money and food spent after the post station is completed, it is not necessary to collect it from the Ministry of Households. I think that the personnel and expenses of the post road are in whose territory the Ministry is responsible. Take responsibility and save yourself a lot of trouble.” "Okay, you are thinking for my sake, so let's do this." The Bodhisattva cupped his hands again and said: "Your Majesty, after the establishment of the post road, it will be convenient for the ministers to come to Beijing to have an audience. I have another unfeeling request. If the post road is built flat and straight, I hope that your majesty will visit the north of the fortress with his body, so that all the subjects of the world I can see the majesty of Tian Khan." This sentence aroused Li Shimin's interest, and his face suddenly had a look of eagerness to try. He smiled heartily: "Well, I have this intention for a long time. Shi Danai has long described the beautiful scenery of the grassland to me, which made my heart ache. I have admired it for a long time. It’s just that there are too many state affairs, and there has been no time to fulfill this wish. When this road is completed, I will gallop away without a luan, just like you, to fulfill my wish.” Yi Nan, Bodhisattva and others knelt down again and said in unison: "When the post road is completed, I will welcome you every day." When Li Shimin received the congratulations from the various tribes in Mobei, he added another content in recent years, that is, to personally resolve the disputes among the tribes.Just after it was agreed to set up a post road, the envoy from Tong Luo immediately got up and complained to Li Shimin. "Your Majesty, that servant invaded Bibu's ranch several times. His Majesty had already reprimanded him last year, but after he restrained himself a little, he returned to his old state. Please Your Majesty be the master of Bibu." This is an old case from last year.Tongluobu is located on both sides of the Tongle River, a branch of the Tula River, where the water and grass are abundant and it is a good natural pasture.The Pugu tribe lived just north of the Tongluo tribe, along the banks of the Aldan River, where there were also lush pastures.Just because of the climate, at the end of autumn, the pastures in Pugubu gradually dry up, while the pastures in Tongluobu are still green.Relying on the large number of people, Pugubu drove the animals across the border to graze along the Tongle River. This naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of Tongluobu, and there were several fights between the two sides for the pasture.When the lawsuit came to Li Shimin, Li Shimin asked Pu Gubu to withdraw from the cross-border area. If he wanted to pasture grass, he had to exchange things like sheep and horses.At that time, the servant bone department agreed, but at the end of autumn last year, they still drove the animals across the border to graze, thinking that the sky was high and the emperor was far away.Tong Luo had no choice but to continue to complain to Li Shimin. Li Shimin frowned after hearing the envoy's complaint from the Tong Luo Department, and called out the envoy of the Pu Gu Department to ask: "What Tong Luo Department said, is it really what you did?" The envoy of the Bone Ministry seemed to be calm and unhurried, as if he had prepared in advance, but he couldn't hide a trace of fear between his brows, and argued: "It is true that the Ministry crossed the border to herd animals, but there are reasons for it. The Ministry obeys His Majesty's will , wanting to exchange sheep and horses for his pastures, but he refused. Your Majesty, the sheep and horses live after water and grass, and wherever their hoofs go, they naturally want to eat grass to survive, but it is not my subordinate who took the initiative to drive away." Li Shimin heard that there was a rascal in the envoy's words, so he became angry and reprimanded: "I asked you to exchange sheep and horses for pasture, but not for pasture. You don't listen to my words, don't you? Do you want to bully the Tongluo tribe because you have a large number of people?" The envoy lowered his head and didn't dare to argue any more, and said in a low voice: "I think it's because I misunderstood what His Majesty meant, that's true. Before the villain left for the capital this time, My Lord earnestly warned me to follow His Majesty's will. As long as your Majesty has an order, I dare not refuse to listen to it." Li Shimin changed his color and said: "That's right. I don't take a thing or a gift from the tribes in Mobei, so I am willing to accept your congratulations. I just want to live in harmony. If you have something to come to me for adjudication, I am impartial I will treat you fairly. I do this for your own good. If a tribe relies on a large number of people and provokes provocations at every turn, it will easily lead to disaster. You must know the truth of "killing 10,000 enemies and injuring 8,000 yourself". Well, it’s not a good thing for others or yourself. Messenger of the Pu Gu Department, I have made it clear this time that if you want the pasture of the Tong Luo Department, you must exchange it with sheep and cattle. You won’t get it wrong this time, right? " "The villain will keep it in mind, and dare not make mistakes." Li Shimin said to Yi Nan again: "Zhenzhu Khan, I am too far away from them to be close to them, you can go to inspect them on my behalf. At the end of autumn, it is the most important, and no more disputes are allowed." When Yi Nan heard that Li Shimin asked him to inspect on his behalf, he undoubtedly valued him. He felt a little proud and a little proud, so he bowed and replied: "I obey the order. If there is another dispute like this between the two departments next year , I ask His Majesty to ask the minister for the crime." After talking about these things, it was almost noon, Li Shimin got up and said, "Let's go, it's time to eat. Tang Qing has already prepared delicious food, you can go with me." Everyone was excited, they knew that there are many kinds of delicacies in the Middle Earth, not to mention the imperial dishes in the palace, which are extremely delicious, and it is hard to taste them once in a while. The tribes in Mobei surrendered to the Tang Dynasty, reflecting the ebb and flow of the minority nationalities and the power of the Tang Dynasty.When Li Shimin was feasting in the palace, Jieli, who lived in the same city, stayed at home and faced his family in silence.Undoubtedly, Xieli received preferential treatment in the capital, but the great loss of his soul cannot be made up for with fine clothes and fine food.When he was a great Khan in the past, he was majestic and high-spirited; although he is awarded the title of General now, he is only a prisoner of the Tang Dynasty in the final analysis, and there are many restrictions on traveling abroad, so he is actually a special hostage.Generally, a person's character is too stubborn and strong, lacks flexibility, and when encountering important changes, it is extremely difficult to turn the corner and go with the situation.Xieli is like this, he lives in the capital, he feels strange about what he sees and sees, he is out of place, he is extremely depressed, and his body is getting thinner day by day.At the pre-holiday banquet, Li Yuan ordered him to dance with a sword. He was in a good mood after drinking at that time, and danced once according to the order, which won applause from all the audience.Jieli fell asleep soundly that night, woke up the next day, opened his eyes and remembered the sword dance last night. He couldn't help but feel ashamed, and murmured: "I never imagined that the former officials of the Khanate would order me to dance the sword. What on earth did I do?" Are you begging for the rest of your life by dancing your sword so cheerfully to flatter them?" He couldn't get rid of this thought in his mind, and he was so depressed that he couldn't get up on the couch. Since then, Jie Li never got up again, he ate less day by day, his body became weaker and weaker, and before the first month, he died. Li Shimin allowed his family to burn his body for burial according to Turkic customs. On the day of his burial, all the Turkic people in Chang'an mourned and sent Jieli to the cemetery. Tuli was also in the queue.I saw the fire ignited, and the last sweat of the formerly powerful Eastern Turkic Khan died with the fire, and a trace of Jieli's soul wandered away, looking for his ancestors. Datang's northern border has been secured, and its attention to consolidating the frontier has shifted to the west. When the Tang Dynasty focused its attention on the Eastern Turks, it adopted a relatively loose strategy for Tuyuhun and other countries in the west.For example, when Tuyuhun captured Tao and Die prefectures, the Tang army only took them back without further investigation, and the border between the two countries traded as usual.When the Eastern Turks were destroyed, the Ministry of War ordered to move the soldiers from the north to the west, and Tuyuhun immediately felt heavy pressure, which aroused the dissatisfaction of Tuyuhun Lord Murong Fuyun. Murong Fuyun is sixty-nine years old and has ruled Tuyuhun for many years. He has fought with the Sui and Tang armies many times and has rich combat experience.He knew that his national power could not be compared with that of the Tang Dynasty, and if he accepted it, he would only be reduced to the status of a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, so he had to take the initiative to fight.When the Tang army Chen Bing was facing east, Fu Yun ordered the cancellation of the mutual market, and personally led the troops to go northward. He suddenly plundered the two states of Shan and Kuo in the Tang Dynasty, and cut off the road from the Tang Dynasty to the Western Regions.At that time, Zhao Dekai, Honglu Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty, happened to be stationed in Kuozhou during his envoy to the Western Regions, and was detained by Fu Yun.Fu Yun did this to tell Li Shimin: Don't try to fight Tuyuhun. If the Tang Dynasty does not take the initiative to withdraw its heavy troops, Tuyuhun will turn its back on the Western Turks and completely block the road to the Western Regions, and the Tang Dynasty will not be allowed to pass by alone. When the news reached Chang'an, Li Shimin sneered at Fu Yun's provocation: "Overestimate one's abilities!"The military officers in Beijing and China have called for the fight, among which Yuchi Jingde, Zhi Shili, Ashinasheer and Xue Wanche are the most eager. Whenever Li Shimin was in a major battle and appointed others as commanders, he valued Li Jing and Li Shi the most.After the war with the Eastern Turks, Li Shi stationed troops in Dingxiang, and later moved to Bingzhou.Of course the Turkic people there needed appeasement, and Xue Yantuo in the north also had to be on guard. With Li Shizhi's reputation, it could act as a deterrent, so they should not be moved lightly.And now that Li Shiding is worrying at home and is keeping his father's filial piety, Li Shimin is unwilling to take advantage of him to take up his post.As for Li Jing, at the end of last year he made several appearances and insisted on resigning from the post of Shangshu Youpushe on the grounds of old age and sickness.Seeing that Li Jing was determined, Li Shimin tried to persuade him to stay several times, but in the end he had no choice but to agree to his resignation.In addition, an edict was issued to appoint Li Jing as a Tejin (the first grade of Wensanguan), and his title and salary were the same as before. When his illness improved, he would come to his door every three or two days to write a book about political affairs.The so-called Pingzhang political affairs is to participate in the government affairs as a prime minister, which is another new trick invented by Li Shimin.Li Shimin did this because he valued Li Jing and let him play a role in the government.In this way, it is obviously impossible to send Li Jing to be the commander-in-chief again. It is said that Chai Shao is also a suitable candidate for the conquest of Tuyuhun.Chai Shao devised a trick to defeat Fu Yun, which was quite a deterrent to Tuyuhun.It's just that Chai Shao happened to be sick on the bed recently and couldn't go out. Li Shimin thought it over and over again, and finally chose Duan Zhixuan as the commander of the expedition.In May of the eighth year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin issued an imperial edict to appoint Duan Zhixuan as the chief of the Xihaidao march, and he was to lead the soldiers from the western frontier to conquer Tuyuhun.After Duan Zhixuan received the order, he quickly made preparations and led the crowd to Longxi. This year is another year of good weather. In the early spring, rain falls all over the world, and the spring seedlings grow vigorously, indicating that it will be another bumper year.In summer, the rain fell properly and did not cause floods. The crops in the fields began to head and fill the grains. The farmers were very happy, knowing that this year's harvest was already expected. Chen Junbin has been helping the people under Tuli's jurisdiction to cultivate in the Hetao area. He first planted corn successfully, and in May, he introduced rice from the south of the Yangtze River.He first taught the Turkic people how to raise seedlings, and then led the river to irrigate the fields to become rice fields. He rolled up his trousers to demonstrate how to transplant seedlings.After planting seedlings all over the fields, he stayed here for half a month to closely observe the survival of the seedlings.Sure enough, under the nourishment of the river water, those seedlings grew lush and green, which is very gratifying.Chen Junbin was overjoyed when he saw this, so he bid farewell to Tuli and returned to Chang'an to report to Li Shimin. When Li Shimin learned that rice could be planted in the Fortress, he didn't believe it at first, but he praised it after verifying it was true: "The difficulty of growing rice in the Fortress is no less than that of a fortified battle. Chen Qing, I originally wanted you to teach the Turkic people how to farm. But, unexpectedly, you can infer other things from one instance, and I will reward you. The stability of the world requires that the people have enough food and clothing. Like the current harvest, the people live and work in peace and contentment, which is the well-being of the officials and the people. If you don’t change, you will be the source of disaster. You led them to cultivate successfully in the fortress, and you will get rid of a piece of heart disease for me.” So he rewarded Chen Junbin ten catties of red gold and one thousand horses of silk. Li Shimin saw that the world was in good harvest, and the barbarians were stable. Although Tuyuhun was in chaos, there was not much movement. Duan Zhixuan led troops to fight for it, and it was stable, so he decided to go to Jiucheng Palace to escape the summer heat.Before leaving, he remembered Ma Zhouzhi's remonstrance, and set off to Da'an Palace to meet Li Yuan, intending to let Li Yuan go to Jiucheng Palace together to escape the summer heat. Unexpectedly, when Li Yuan heard that he wanted to go to Jiucheng Palace to escape the summer heat, he waved his hands again and again, resolutely refusing to go.Li Shimin asked again and again, but Li Yuan's heart was as hard as iron, and he resigned on the grounds that he was not in good health recently, and said: "You are old and you should not go out lightly. Didn't Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty finally become a palace?" Li Shimin listened It was only now that Li Yuan suddenly realized that because Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty died in Jiucheng Palace, he had taboos in his heart. The two were both founding emperors, and they also passed the year of knowing their destiny, so they went to Jiucheng Palace to escape the summer heat.Li Shimin understood this festival, so he stopped asking Li Yuan for permission, but looked around the hall and said, "Father lives here. The hall looks narrow, and the terrain is low and damp. It should be for the father to build Yong'an Palace." It's time. Father, the general supervisor has already drawn the drawing of Yong'an Palace a few years ago, now we only need to choose a good date to start building." Li Yuan sighed, and said: "Erlang, it may be because of my old age that I feel that my mental strength is not as good as before. Alas, these days, I see that it is getting worse day by day. I feel that it is very good to live here, there is no need to spend another time. Building a new palace, what's more, when the new palace is built, how can I know if I will be blessed to live in it? Besides, you have been practicing extravagance and saving money over the years. If you build a new palace on a large scale, the admonishing officials will write a letter, and you will lose the hearts of the people. " Li Shimin's eyes turned red, and he choked up with sobs and said, "Father, you must not say such ominous words. Father, the dragon is in good health, and the good days are still to come. Father, the queen mother has been separated from her son for many years. If you say this, do you want my son to live in the world?" Become a lonely person who has lost love? The son wants to build a new palace because he wants to be filial to his father. As for the admonishing officials, the son will persuade them." Seeing that Li Yuan insisted on not going to Jiucheng Palace to escape the summer heat, Li Shimin bid farewell and withdrew. When Li Shimin returned to Liangyi Hall, he ordered Wei Zheng, Wang Gui, Ma Zhou and an officer to respond to his admonishment to be summoned, and at the same time he also summoned an officer who would serve as a supervisor.Everyone came to the Suli Palace one after another, Li Shimin said: "I just came out of Da'an Palace, the terrain is low, the palace is humid, and it is very stuffy in midsummer, allowing the Supreme Emperor to continue living there is extremely unfavorable to his health. I have made up my mind, and immediately started to build a new palace for the use of the Supreme Emperor." Wei Zheng said: "Your Majesty wants to serve the Supreme Emperor, and I have no objection. It's just that I have seen the picture of the new palace. It is huge in scale and cost too much. Now that the world has settled down soon, and there are still conquests on the border, I think it should not be extravagant." Too much." Li Shimin said: "The Emperor Taishang won the world and worked hard all his life. It is not an exaggeration to build a new palace for him. Wei Qing, people put filial piety first, and building a new palace for the Supreme Emperor is my filial piety to the Supreme Emperor. Since I came to the throne, I have devoted myself to it. Yu went to spend extravagance and save money, and dared not build a new palace. Today, if it is not for the sake of the Supreme Emperor, I still dare not break the ground. I called you here just to affirm this intention, and don't write a letter on this matter. Ma Qing, remember You once wrote a letter saying that the Da'an Palace is humble and small, and there is a saying in it, "I would like to camp at the gate of the pheasant, and I should follow the high-level, so as to be known as the hope of all directions, and the great filial piety will be manifested." The new palace that I am camping is exactly what you advised. .” Ma Zhou had also seen the pattern of the new palace, and knew that the construction project of this palace was huge, almost comparable to Taiji Palace.When he first wrote the letter, he felt that the Da'an Palace was too humble and small, and it would be sufficient to build a palace of the same size in another location.Unexpectedly, the scale of the drawings drawn by the prison is so large, which is contrary to my original intention.At this point, he had nothing to say, so he had no choice but to answer: "Your Majesty has a heart of filial piety and righteousness, and I am grateful for your grace. It's just that the scale of this palace is too large, can it be reduced to reduce the investment of money and materials?" ?” Li Shimin shook his head and said sadly: "Is it possible to draw such a huge picture in a day? I have seen the Supreme Emperor just now, and saw that his dragon body is getting worse and worse. If the Supreme Emperor can move it for a day soon, it will benefit his dragon body, so that's all." In my heart, there is no need to waste any more time and effort on this matter. The new palace will be built immediately from now on. Well, the original name of the new palace is Yong'an Palace. It is difficult to show my intention of honoring the Supreme Emperor, so a new name needs to be chosen. Wang Qing, the name of this palace is to be discussed and proposed by you and Wei Qing, and it should show the meaning of being noble and bright." Wang Gui bowed and agreed. Wei Zheng and others saw that Li Shimin built a new palace under the banner of being filial to Li Yuan, and he was not picky about his feelings and reason. Although he was unwilling, he could no longer express his objection.Three days later, Longshouyuan was full of people, and thousands of craftsmen began to dig the foundation.At that time, Wang Gui was ordered to propose the name of the new palace, called Daming Palace, and Li Shimin heard it and approved it. Ten days later, Li Shimin ordered Prince Li Chengqian to supervise the country, and Fang Xuanling, Wang Gui, Wen Yanbo and others stayed in Beijing to assist him.He led a group of courtiers to Jiucheng Palace to escape the summer heat.In order to show his kindness, Li Shimin specially asked Li Jing to accompany him, and allowed him to abandon his horse and take a ride. Jiucheng Palace is located in Tiantai Mountain. In summer, the climate in the mountains is cool and the palace is beautiful. It is a summer resort for the royal family.After Li Shimin ascended the throne, because he didn't dare to build a new palace and didn't like Renzhi Palace in Fangzhou, he took Jiucheng Palace as his first choice for summer vacation.Every summer, I have to live in Jiucheng Palace for a period of time.In his spare time during the summer, he discusses political affairs with his ministers or goes out hunting. He lives a very comfortable life. After all, the Jiucheng Palace has been built for a long time, and many palace rooms appear to be simple, and now they have been eroded by wind and rain for several years, making it even more unbearable.When Li Shimin first entered Jiucheng Palace, he said to his officials: "I can't bear the heat, so I came here to escape the summer heat. Although the palace here is dilapidated, it can still be lived in, and I don't want to be exquisite." After that, the general prisoner felt that this place was really out of shape. Please build a new hall every year.This year, Li Shimin may feel that his financial resources allow it, so he approves his request.At this time, Yan Lide was a master craftsman, so he immediately drew the pattern and went to Tiantai Mountain to supervise the construction in person. In March, a large new hall was about to be built. The inside of the hall was brightly lit, spacious and clean.When Li Shimin left, he asked people to bring all the calligraphy in his collection, intending to appreciate it with his officials. Li Shimin loves calligraphy, and he has spared no effort in searching for ink left by the ancients.When he was the King of Qin, he asked Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and others to search for ancient ink posts on his behalf during the battle. There is a way to acquire this ink.Later, when he was met with cold reception by Li Yuan, all the scholars in the Fuzhong dispersed, and it seemed to be his only pleasure to seek the relics of ancient masters.Of course, his greatest effort is still to seek the position of prince, and he can't be unobstructed like Qiu Mo. Among the calligraphers of the previous generation, Li Shimin valued Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi the most. Among the ink marks he obtained, these two were the most.Among them, he highly admired Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, and promoted him to the status of a calligraphy sage, claiming that "he is the only one who admires and pursues".Over the years, after spending a lot of money to search and purchase Wang Xizhi's old posts, he has obtained 150 volumes of his authentic works, basically including the old posts left by Wang Xizhi in the palace. But it is said that after Li Shimin entered the Jiucheng Palace, he asked people to put the ink posts they brought in the new hall for him to observe day and night.Among the courtiers who came with him, Yu Shinan and Ouyang Xun are already famous calligraphers all over the world. Chu Suiliang learned from Yu Shinan, and his fame has been catching up with them recently.When they learned that the emperor had brought many calligraphy treasures, they were extremely envious, and tried their best to stay in the palace to observe the calligraphy.Li Shimin understood their intentions, and said to the three of them with a hearty smile: "I brought these old posts and asked you to follow them on purpose, just to discuss them together. You don't need to report when you enter this hall from now on. Come and watch as you go, and have a good time." Feast your eyes." The three were overjoyed and hurriedly thanked each other. The three of them became obsessed with calligraphy.When Ouyang Xun was young, he first learned Wang Xizhi's regular script. He once saw a copy of Wang Xianzhi's finger painting, so he bought it for three hundred pieces and returned it. He played with it for several months, and was so happy that he couldn't sleep at night.Once, when he was on a business trip, he encountered an ancient stele written by Suo Jing, a native of Jin Dynasty, standing beside the road.After the horse had gone a few steps, Ouyang Xun pulled the horse's head to the front of the stele, and then got off the horse to observe it.He either stood in front of the stele and observed quietly, or approached the stele for close inspection. Unknowingly, Ouyang Xun became obsessed with this stele.At night, he actually slept next to the stele, and only left after three days.He was so obsessed with calligraphy that people at that time called him a "book addict".Na Yu Shinan learned from the monk Zhiyong since he was a child, and he has deeply learned the essence of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, and also absorbed the advantages of the northern stele. He is committed to blending the styles of calligraphy from the north and the south. During the middle school, he often draws his belly with his hands and practice calligraphy.Chu Suiliang studied under Yu Shinan, and also inherited his good deeds of hard work and continuous practice.The three of them also love old posts like fate.Right now, Li Shimin, as the emperor, has spent a lot of money to buy authentic old posts for many years, he can be said to be the master of the world today.Now that Shou Enyu came here to escape the summer heat, and the hall was full of old posts, the three of them naturally wished to linger in the hall every day to feast their eyes. On this day, Li Shimin invited his ministers to go hunting, the three of them naturally declined, saying that they prefer to be quiet and not to move, so they should stay in the palace with the old post.Li Shimin knew that the hearts of the three people had been bound by these old posts, so he smiled and relieved, without forcing them.After noon, Li Shimin came back from hunting. He had a good harvest and felt at ease. After returning to the palace, he took a bath with clean water, and then walked casually to the new hall. The sound of Li Shimin's footsteps startled the three of them, and they hurriedly pulled up their clothes and bowed down to him.Li Shimin smiled and said: "Let's get back on your feet. Ouyang Qing, Yu Qing, you two bury your heads in the pile of old posts and soak up the spirit of pedantry, that's all. But Suiliang is still very young. If he follows you, he will also become old-fashioned." , I will blame you." The three of them knew that Li Shimin was joking, but Ouyang Xun was funny and wise, so he said, "Your Majesty's subjects each have their own strengths, and the strengths of the ministers are that you can boast about your pedantry. I don't think this strength is enough." If it is lost, there must be someone to inherit it, so we have to make it difficult for Suiliang." After all, Li Shimin is the emperor, and the humorous words between him and his courtiers are generally enough.He stopped answering Ouyang Xun's topic, and asked: "The three of you stay behind closed doors these days, and observe here every day. Do you have any insights?" Yu Shinan said: "The authentic works of the old posts collected by Your Majesty really opened my eyes. Among them, the authentic works of Wang Yishao have 70 volumes in real running script and 80 volumes in cursive script. I have fully comprehended Wang Yishao's calligraphic art." Wang Xizhi's character was Yishao, and scholars at that time called him his character, not his name. Li Shimin's face suddenly showed a look of satisfaction, he spent a lot of time searching Wang Xizhi's old posts into the palace all these years, and got a lot of rewards, it was a joyous event.He cast his eyes on Chu Suiliang and said: "Well, I was able to bring these old posts of Yishao into the palace, thanks to Suiliang's ability to distinguish the authenticity, so that the ink I got from Yishao is worthy of the name. Ouyang Qing, Yu Qing, you all The art of calligraphy has a lot to do with Yi Shao, but Sui Liang compares you to the skill of distinguishing the authenticity of his works." Ouyang Xun and Yu Shinan nodded in agreement, sincerely convinced. Ouyang Xun first learned Wang Xizhi's regular script, and then made great efforts to attack Beibei. He also mastered the methods of Qinzhuan, Hanli, Weibei, and Suishu. "Fist" is a calligraphy art in European style known for its strong brushwork.Yu Shinan learned calligraphy from the monk Zhiyong since he was a child. This Zhiyong is the seventh grandson of Wang Xizhi, so he naturally taught it from his family. Yu Shinan really inherited the subtleties of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy.Since then, Yu Shinan has learned from the strengths of the Beibei Stele, and his writing is like a god, without slowness and slowness, blending the northern and southern calligraphy styles into one furnace, creating a new calligraphy style that is soft on the outside and strong on the inside.Chu Suiliang studied under Yu Shinan, and his calligraphy is graceful and gorgeous.After his high school number one scholar became an official, he devoted himself to participating in the Siku classics for a period of time. At that time, people all over the world were ordered by the court to donate ancient books, including a large number of predecessors' ink marks.Facing such a large number of ancient books, Chu Suiliang first had to distinguish their authenticity, and because he devoted a lot of effort to go deep into them, he got two unexpected gains.One is to be able to accurately distinguish the authenticity of the scriptures. He has a preference for the old posts of the ancients, and he has come into contact with many old posts by Wang Xizhi, so he has the experience of distinguishing the authenticity; , was able to subconsciously understand its beauty, and gained new insights, making its calligraphy like "Yaotai Qingsuo, Ruiying Chunlin, and beauty Chanjuan", practicing hard in beauty, with a beautiful and generous charm, unique Yu Shinan.It can be seen from this that the three calligraphy masters have become masters in different ways, and they all have a lot to do with Wang Xizhi. Li Shimin loves Wang Xizhi's old posts, and every time he gets a piece of paper, Chu Suiliang must verify the authenticity, because of today's words. Chu Suiliang heard the words and said: "Your Majesty spent a lot of money to buy Wang Yishao's posts, and it can be said that he did his best. The calligraphy of the officials and others originated from Wang Yishao. However, those who love Wang Yishao are really hard to compare with Your Majesty." What Chu Suiliang said is true. In these years, Li Shimin has become obsessed with Wang Xizhi's calligraphy to the extent that it can be said to be almost crazy.On the one hand, he carefully figured out the subtleties of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, and on the other hand, he searched for Wang Xizhi's old posts.The method of his search was mainly to buy with a lot of money. In addition, he also called Wang Xizhi's descendants and asked them to contribute the authentic works of Wang Xizhi in his home. Hearing Chu Suiliang's words of praise, Li Shimin's expression became gloomy, and he sighed: "Oh, I tried my best to search for Yishao's post, but the real post of "Lanting Preface" has not been found yet." Chu Suiliang thought for a moment, and said: "Your Majesty, I think Master Zhiyong once saw this post. It was not too far back then, and nine out of ten of this post still exist in the world. Yichen guessed that this post must have been written by now." The secret treasure of the eloquent monk." Zhiyong is the seventh grandson of Wang Xizhi. When Yu Shinan studied under him, Zhiyong once displayed the scriptures of "Lanting Preface" for his observation.When Li Shimin was looking for Wang Xizhi's old post, he asked Wang Xizhi's descendants to trace this post.Later generations said that when Zhiyong was dying, he solemnly handed over this post to his disciple Biancai.Li Shimin summoned Biancai several times, expressing that he would buy this post with a lot of money.The eloquent was already old, and his words were submissive, but he was not confused on this point, and he categorically denied that the "Lanting Preface" was in his hands.He only said that he had seen this object when his teacher was alive, and he didn't know where it was lost after his teacher passed away.When Li Shimin asked again, he put his palms together, closed his eyes slightly, and said nothing.Although Li Shimin didn't believe Biancai's words, he couldn't help being angry when he saw his resignation and resignation, but he had no choice but to wave his hand to let him quit. When Chu Suiliang mentioned the name of the debater, Li Shimin's face suddenly showed anger, and he said bitterly: "This old killer is begging for nothing, why don't I know? However, I am a king, and I can't let him down just to ask for a post." Let's torture in prison!" 欧阳询、虞世南、褚遂良听到李世民的口中说出“老杀才”之语，不禁暗暗好笑。心想皇上若不是爱极了《兰亭序》法帖，断不会说出这等恼火之语。 褚遂良微笑道：“陛下以万乘之躯，当然不能硬取一帖。只是此帖实在美妙，陛下若不能亲眼观之，实为极大的遗憾，臣以为辩才既然混赖，须用智取手段。臣有一计，不知陛下能采纳否？” 李世民大喜，连声道：“你有什么好计？快快说出。” “臣想派一人到辩才居处，想法与辩才接触，再与其热络起来，最终要看见《兰亭序》真帖，则大事成矣。只是所派人选太难寻找，此人要机智过人，又要懂琴棋书画，善诗赋。臣听说辩才和尚眼界奇高，又多才艺，寻常人难以接近。” 欧阳询接口道：“遂良，你说得这么难，我看此人远在天边，近在眼前——你最合适。” 褚遂良摇头道：“那辩才和尚一直居于越州，说的一口吴越之语，我连话都和他讲不通，又如何智取宝贝呢？” 李世民绝顶聪明，已经明白了褚遂良所献之计，他盘算了一下，沉吟道：“不错，遂良不懂吴越之语，让他充此任有些勉为其难。嗯，这倒让朕想起一人。朕曾听玄龄说过，新任监察御史萧翼为梁元帝之曾孙，其自幼生长在吴越之地，与辩才说话肯定无妨碍。此人又年轻机智，通诗书，善琴棋书画，定能与辩才相处得投机。好，遂良，就依你之计，派萧翼前去智取《兰亭序》法帖。你此次回京后，可传朕旨，让萧翼前去越州。” 李世民不直接召见萧翼，而让褚遂良间接传旨，自然是想避嫌疑。毕竟，此次名为智取，也是夺人所爱，与强索区别不大。褚遂良心里暗暗一笑，禀道：“臣遵旨。只是萧翼若出行，手头上须有逸少之真帖数幅，如此才能取得辩才信任。如今世上，逸少之真帖多由陛下购入宫中，很难找寻。臣请从陛下这里先借出数幅，待功成之日再归还。” 李世民笑道：“朕未见《兰亭序》法帖，反要先将这里的真帖借出数幅，萧翼若铩羽而归，朕岂不是要折本儿？好吧，朕借给你，遂良，你和萧翼若能将真帖取回，朕重重有赏；若取不回，朕会治你们的罪。” “臣定会小心翼翼，不敢有损。” 欧阳询接口道：“请陛下放心，若辩才果真存有《兰亭序》真帖，萧翼定会手到擒来，臣愿作保。只是真帖取来之后，陛下不能将之藏于深宫，也让臣等一饱眼福才好。” “卿等大可放心。朕若得此帖必觅来高手拓成多幅，分赐群臣。” 欧阳询等三人躬身谢道：“谢陛下。”爱书法之人，皆以得到此帖为最大乐事。《兰亭序》法帖只有真迹一幅，自然由皇帝收藏，他若据此觅高手成就拓本，自然最为逼真。 李世民见虞世南一直默默不语，问道：“虞卿，想你在智永处见到《兰亭序》真帖，算来也有六十年了。此帖若重见天日，你应该最为欣喜才是。” 虞世南心中暗道，辩才和尚爱此帖如命，若被萧翼智取成功，还不要了他的老命？他见李世民来问，不好将心中这番话直接说出，遂含糊答道：“臣追随陛下，又见如此多帖，实为幸甚。” 虞世南话音刚落，就听一阵脚步响，原来是李靖、魏征等一帮臣子走了过来。一名太监伏地禀道：“皇上，请移驾指示掘泉之地。” 李世民一拍脑门，对三人道：“我们在这里谈逸少之墨，却把这件事忘记了。”他面向李靖等人道：“药师兄，想你们在外面等得太久，就入殿来唤朕了。你们不要再入殿了，走，我们出外踏勘一回，李淳风和袁天纲此次未随行，我们只好勉为其难了。” 原来这里天干太久，汲水之溪流近日已干涸。宫人们为取水，需到五里以外的山下，极为不便。这种情景被李世民看在眼里，斥道：“九成宫周围阴凉，林木茂盛，若无水滋润，这些树木如何成活？你们可选一地势，凿而成泉，即有水可用。” 宫人们面面相觑，良久方才唯唯诺诺说，因九成宫太大，不知何处能掘出泉水。李世民今日狩猎之时，向众人说知此事，约定回宫后一同踏勘开凿位置。 君臣边说边走，李世民对李靖说道：“药师兄，你眼光奇准，这踏勘方位选定泉址由你来定夺如何？” 李靖连连摇手，说道：“臣对此节，委实一窍不通。” “记得诸葛孔明征讨孟获之时，其深入南方不毛之地，行军之时往往掘地见泉。由此来看，药师兄为兵法大家，岂能一窍不通？” 李靖见李世民心情甚好，知道他是出言调笑，遂答道：“陛下龙目所观，定然一举识泉所在。臣等跟随陛下，其实不用多说。” 李世民与李靖内心各有想法。李世民以其文才武功傲视当世之人，他做了皇帝，敢于觊觎其位置的人似乎没有。然人居于高位，不免有患得患失之感，李世民绝顶聪明，早将其臣下的习性都揣摩得透彻。他隐隐觉得，当今天下人能对自己皇位构成威胁者，唯李靖、李世两人。说到底，还是此两人才具出众，且玄武门之变前夕不肯向李世民效忠，因而种下祸因。所以多年来，李世民常对此两人保持警惕之心。李靖也明白李世民的这番心意，知道唯有自己不事张扬方为保全之道。李靖居官之时，明白祸由口出，因沉默寡言轻易不表态。此次主动提出辞去右仆射之职，实想早日归隐还家，免了在朝中的那一分战战兢兢。李世民也明白李靖的心意，稍作挽留后，即爽快答应。他仍许李靖以特进之身参与朝政，一来是不舍李靖之才，二来也想做出姿态让世人观看，以示自己不忘功臣之意。两人各自明白对方的心思，又互相客气退让，不捅破这张窗户纸。满朝文武见李世民称呼李靖为“药师兄”，皆知他们君臣亲密，不知他们心底里还有如此隐秘之处。 说话间，他们渐渐行到殿后的宫墙之处，这里的宫墙依山势而建，墙顶处即是生满青苔的峭壁。李世民此时手执一杖，拄地说道：“众爱卿，朕看这后山峭壁上生满绿苔，墙脚下土地润湿，想地下定然有水。朕意就从此地开凿，你们以为如何？” 群臣自然答应。 那边早已侍立着一帮开凿之人，他们待李世民及大臣们退出，即挥铲在李世民所示之处开凿。 李世民本意要返回殿内，他行了几步忽然改换了态度，对众人说道：“朕想此处见水定然不深，现在左右无事，我们就在这里等候片刻——等他们凿出水来。” 李世民带领群臣来此避暑，本来就有让大家休闲的意思。他们在这里感受山风阵阵，又闻树林之香，比日日呆在屋里面对文牍，自然要有趣许多。 当此间隙，李世民与李靖讨论起西方军事，他高兴地说道：“药师兄，看来那慕容伏允确实经不起一击；朕观报来的战事进程，段志玄挥兵势如破竹，已将慕容伏允逐出其盘踞日久的牙帐。” 是时，李承乾居长安监国，每日将各种重要奏报快马送往九成宫，供李世民阅批。眼下段志玄领兵出征，李世民最为关心其军情，每日最先看的就是这方面的奏报，阅批之后即派人送给李靖，让他也闻知此事。 李靖的面色沉重，缓缓说道：“段志玄行兵顺利，固然可贺，然也正是臣最担心的地方。陛下，吐谷浑以游牧为主，其最值钱的就是其人及牲口，不重视一城一地的得失。臣留心看了，段志玄至今未与伏允有过大的交手。臣有一种不祥的感觉，那伏允现在也许不是兵败逃跑，而是避我军锋芒，力图周旋。” 李世民点点头，说道：“不错，这伏允老奸巨猾，实乃百足之虫，死而不僵。他先与隋炀帝巧妙周旋，又与太上皇和朕虚与委蛇，不可小视。” 李世民思索片刻，嘱咐李靖道：“药师兄，今夜有劳你修书一封，将我们的忧心及对付伏允的方略详述一遍送与段志玄，让他不可大意。” “臣遵旨。陛下，臣以为吐谷浑必须收服才好，伏允所处地域，正是去西域的咽喉之处。段志玄领兵有方，只是其所将兵力不多，显得有些单薄，陛下不如再增些兵过去。” 李世民摇摇头，说道：“段志玄所将之兵不少了，药师兄不是多次说过兵不在多在乎用吗？就让段志玄完成此役吧。若事不济，权当一次投石问路。” 这时，那边掘水之人欢呼起来，喊道：“出水了，出水了。” 君臣急忙过去观看，只见他们当真挖到一个泉眼，一泓清泉汩汩流出，很快漫出了地面。 李世民观罢，面有得色。 欧阳询拱手颂道：“陛下果然圣明，随便以杖指地，果然就是泉眼。” “碰巧罢了。只是此泉随手掘出，不知能否饮用？” 一名掘泉之人俯身猛喝数口，起身喊道：“皇上，各位大人，这里的水甜得很呢。” 李世民一团高兴，想是因为《兰亭序》法帖有望到手的缘故，他将目光投向虞世南，说道：“虞卿，此泉顷刻掘成，水又甘甜，似为之命一名才好，你可拟出。” 虞世南微一思索脱口而出：“水既甘甜，可名为醴泉即可。” “好，就称其为醴泉。既有泉名，似有文配之更好。魏卿，这拟文之事，就由你领之。文成之后，可由欧阳卿精书一帖，制碑立于醴泉边。” 魏征、欧阳询躬身领旨。 数日后，石碑果然立起。魏征所撰之文近千字，其中详述了此泉的来历。欧阳询抖擞精神，淋漓尽致地展示了他那非凡的书艺。后人评价此帖前半遒劲，后半宽和，若深山主人，瘦硬清寒，而神气充腴，能令王公屈膝。此《九成宫醴泉铭》渐渐名扬天下，许多人来此拓印不绝，将石碑之字弄得模糊不清，可见欧阳询之书要优于魏征之文。