Chapter 28 The twenty-eighth chapter of Gao Changguo's Gradually Born Crippled Empress's Illness Work "Female Rules"

When Li Shimin learned that the Tubo soldiers had retreated, he couldn't help being very surprised. He said to Tang Jian who came to play the role: "What kind of mystery is this abandoning the sect to praise? For a woman, he went to war and swept Tuyuhun and Dangxiang. He invaded our country again. Hou Junji led the troops to seek it out, but before he even met him, he reined in his troops and retreated, which saved Hou Junji a lot of hands and feet." Tang Jiandao: "Abandoning the Zong to praise the envoys sent several times, sincerely expressing the intention of repairing. I heard He Jiluo said that the most urgent thing is to abandon the Zong and praise Princess Shang. This time he heard that it was Nuo Hebo Hou Junji led the army to seek it, but he withdrew his army on his own initiative, guessing from my ministers, perhaps he was determined to ask for a marriage, and he did not want to break face with our country because of this move."

Li Shimin sighed: "It seems that this person is young after all, and out of selfish anger, he actually sent troops in a large scale. But he finally took the initiative to stop the troops, and he seems to have calmed down." "Your Majesty's words are very true. I will pay attention to Tubo's movement in every possible way during this period of time. If there is any change, I will report it immediately." Li Shimin nodded and put aside the topic. What Tang Jian said was that Gaochang had recently begun to plunder the tributes of the countries in the Western Regions, and the passage to the Western Regions was gradually blocked.Envoys from various countries came to Beijing with complaints and demanded that Gaochang should be punished.

At that time, Datang had frequent trade with Siyi, and these countries often established friendly relations with Datang in the name of tribute, and then carried out extensive trade.Countries in the Western Regions often imported spices, sheep, horses, furs, etc., and then purchased silk, porcelain, copper and iron wares from the Tang Dynasty, and the trade was extremely busy.In this way, the passage from Yangguan to Gaochang and then to the Western Regions became a golden shortcut.If Gaochang State sets up obstacles from now on, or robs the goods of trade, it will indeed affect the interests of Datang.

Li Shimin frowned and asked: "Gaochang Kingdom has always been friendly to our country, why has it changed its attitude now? In the fourth year of Zhenguan, King Qu Wentai of Gaochang entered the court, and I named his wife Yuwen as Princess Changle, and bestowed the surname Li. Grace?" Tang Jian replied: "Qu Wentai gradually changed his mind, but it started when our court agreed to Yiwu's attachment. His Majesty decided to change the name of West Yizhou to Yizhou last year, which made Qu Wentai even more suspicious. From that time on, Qu Wentai took the initiative to communicate with Khan Bhippala Siyehu.”

Hearing this, Li Shimin asked with concern: "Is there any movement of Siyehu Khan?" "Currently Nishi Khan is powerful, and with the help of Yanqi and Qiuci countries, Siyehu Khan can't do it for a while, so he has to live in the western corner. But Gaochang is now taking the initiative to throw himself into his arms, no doubt he will get a strong help. Minister I heard that Siyehu Khan is about to make a move and wants to make his power invade eastward." Li Shimin sighed: "The situation in the Western Regions looks like a mess, but in fact, it is the Western Turks who are there to control their forces. If the Western Turks are not in chaos and their internal unity is sincere, the situation in the Western Regions will be monolithic, and the countries in the Western Regions will also look forward to surrender. Now the two factions are fighting, and if one side gains the upper hand, the situation there will change."

In fact, the fundamental reason for Gaochang Kingdom's growing renunciation of the Tang Dynasty was the Tang Dynasty's orientation towards the Western Turkic faction. When the two tribes of Western Turks were fighting, Datang initially adopted a neutral attitude, not taking sides with them.At this time, the countries in the Western Regions that used to be subject to the Western Turks broke away from the control of the Western Turks and maintained relative independence.For example, Gaochang State bordered on the Tang Dynasty, and adopted a pro-Tang attitude, gradually becoming a school of its own in the Western Regions. It had a backing by relying on the Tang Dynasty, and obtained many economic benefits from doing business with the Tang Dynasty, which made other small countries follow suit.In this way, Gaochang State became a relative economic center in the Western Regions, which was of great benefit to enhancing its national status and economic strength.

However, since Datang decided to support Nish Khan, the situation in the Western Regions has changed.Nishi Khan won the support of Datang, and his power gradually became stronger, and neighboring countries such as Kucha and Yanqi came and returned one after another.Because Nishi Khan has the support of Datang behind him, all countries get close to Nishi Khan, which not only avoids being invaded by the Western Turks, but also has goodwill with Datang, which is really a good deal.In recent years, Gaochang Kingdom has been respected by the countries of the Western Regions. Now they go to Nishi Khan, and they are friendly with Datang. Qu Wentai suddenly feels lost, and it is difficult to distinguish the feeling in his heart.At this time, Yanqi State asked Li Shimin for permission to open up a new road, which made Qu Wentai even more annoyed.

Before the rebellion at the end of the Sui Dynasty, when Yanqi and other countries entered Chang'an, they could not only enter Beijing through Gaochang, but also go south through the desert to Shazhou.In the chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, no one maintained this road, and there were bandits passing through it, so it was blocked.Yanqi King Tuqizhi sent envoys to pay tribute this time, asking for the help of the Tang Dynasty to open this road.Li Shimin believed that there was only one passage to the Western Regions, which was easily restricted by Gaochang, so he agreed to Tuqizhi's request, and then allocated money and food, and asked Li Daliang to urge it to be repaired.After Lucheng, merchants had the option to choose their path when passing through the Western Regions, so Gaochang's dominance was greatly weakened, which aroused Qu Wentai's great dissatisfaction.

Qu Wentai didn't dare to openly quarrel with the Tang Dynasty and other countries in the Western Regions at this time, he secretly sent Xiaoqi to pretend to be bandits, kill people and rob goods on this road, in order to vent his anger. When Li Shimin changed Xiyizhou to Yizhou and officially became the prefecture and county of Datang, Qu Wentai was even more frightened.Now, there are soldiers guarding the borders of the Tang Dynasty in the east, and Nishi Khan and the kingdoms of Kucha in the west, making it feel oppressed by the East and West.He was helpless and refused to be angry, so he took the initiative to contact Khan Siyehu.

Seeing Li Shimin sighing there, Tang Jian suggested: "Your Majesty, our country is now powerful, and Gaochang has always been a territory of the Middle Earth. Qu Wentai harbored evil intentions and made trouble there secretly. If he is left to his own devices, he will surely become a disaster in the long run. I think it is better to send a It is the best policy for the admiral to levy them, thus clearing the roads in the Western Regions." Li Shimin shook his head and refused, and said: "Wei Zheng's 'Ten Graduation', I think you should also study it. Now that the country has just stabilized, if you use troops abroad at every turn, it will violate the original intention of 'pacifying the people to calm'. At the beginning, I made friendly exchanges with our country. If I take the initiative to conscript them, people in the world will definitely say that I am militaristic. Well, let’s put this matter aside. If there is any change in the future, it will not be too late to conscript.”

"However, Qu Wentai colluded with Siyehu Khan, and soon he will definitely become an enemy of Nishu Khan. Siyehu Khan is now weak and unable to invade the east. With the help of Gaochang, if his power grows stronger, he will inevitably make the Western Regions fight endlessly. In this way, business travelers will be blocked in the Western Regions, and if not done well, the war will spread to our country. If Siyehu Khan becomes the climate and then goes east, it will be very easy to join forces with Tubo, which will be too troublesome." Li Shimin praised: "Tang Qing, you are Honglu Qing, but you are able to think far and wide, and you are worthy of the position. As for the consequences you said, in my opinion, they are not necessarily true. At the beginning of Zhenguan, some people advised me to "shine soldiers and strengthen martial arts, To deter the barbarians', Du Weizheng advised me to 'give up the revolution and prosper the culture, spread virtue and benefit, China will be safe, and people from afar will submit themselves'. After listening to Wei Zheng's words, I have not easily used troops against the barbarians these years, but to sue them Yide. You are Hongluqing. These years, you have been coming from all over the world, and you have been busy. This is the power of virtue. I think that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty spent more than 30 years in poverty, and the result was that the national strength was exhausted, and the gains There are not many, where is the power of virtue? Tang Qing, Honglu Temple receives envoys from all directions, and the virtue must be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Like a few days ago, you sent Gao Biaoren as an envoy to Japan, but Gao Biaoren could not complete the mission. He should be severely punished." But it is said that in the sea southeast of Silla, there is a country that lives on a mountain island. Its residence is a city wall, with wooden fences and grass houses.His surname is Ah Mi, and he governs more than 50 countries in the surrounding islands.It has always been in communication with Silla, so its clothing system is quite similar to Silla.On this day, his king Ameishi heard that the Great Tang Dynasty in China was prosperous, so he sent an envoy to pay tribute to Fangwu and asked the Great Tang Dynasty to communicate with him.Li Shimin thought that he had a long way to go, and asked him not to pay tribute in the future, and sent Gao Biaoren to the Japanese country to pay the ceremony.Unexpectedly, Gao Biaoren, relying on the special envoy of the Shang Kingdom, arrived in the Wa Kingdom, arguing with the king about etiquette endlessly, then turned around and left, and returned home without declaring Li Shimin's intentions.Since then, the Wa Kingdom has not come to send envoys, and it was only after twenty years that they communicated with Silla Fengbiao again. Tang Jian replied: "I follow the emperor's decree, and I know that Gao Biaoren will resign and return to his house, and he will be fined two years' salary as a punishment." "That's right. You should use Gao Biaoren's example as an example for the Honglu Temple staff. These people are the first to approach foreign envoys. Their words and deeds are related to the dignity of the country, so they must not be ignored. Gao Biaoren is really ridiculous. , since you are the special envoy of the Shang Kingdom, behind you is the endless majesty of our dynasty. Who dares to underestimate you? Is it prestige to turn your eyes up and let outsiders come to worship when you come to another country? You must know that the stronger the stronger Being humble and courteous, makes outsiders respect you more. Gao Biaoren doesn't even understand this, so how can he do it?" "I will bear in mind your majesty's hadith, and make a promise to my subordinates when I go back." "Okay. You can pay close attention to the situation of Gaochang Kingdom, and I will pay attention to it. You can step back." After Tang Jian left, Li Shimin fell in front of the case and wrote an imperial edict by himself, which was called "Answer Fang Xuanling, please explain Shangshu Zuopu Shezhao". It turned out that a few days ago, Li Shimin added Fang Xuanling as the prince's young teacher, intending to let him care more about the prince's growth, which is really common.Unexpectedly, Fang Xuanling was very worried because of this matter. He thought to himself in private that he had been in the position for more than ten years. The weight of his own authority and the special favor of the emperor cannot be compared with any courtier.There is an old saying that "fullness is easy to cause damage". Fang Xuanling deeply believed that, so he submitted a petition to ask for a dismissal. Fang Xuanling was in his sixties at this time, and as he grew older, his worries about gains and losses became more and more serious.He accompanied Li Shimin all day long, and he also discovered that Li Shimin's personality has changed a lot from the beginning of Zhenguan.For example, Li Shimin kept saying that he wanted to promote Qingming politics, and that the monarch and his subjects would not be suspicious of each other, but when it comes to his treatment of Li Jing, it can be seen that he is quite suspicious.Since ancient times, when emperors ruled the world, the biggest taboo was that they were afraid that others would take over the world, because they were very careful.Li Shimin relies on his literary and martial arts, and other idlers dare not think of him.However, as an emperor, Li Shimin was also very guarded against this matter, and it was normal for him to become increasingly suspicious.Fang Xuanling's worries were actually a little overdone.But Fang Xuanling has always acted cautiously, the older he gets, the more he wants to protect himself wisely, and he is afraid that if he disagrees with him, all his wealth will be wiped out.When he saw Li Shimin now, he only knew how to act faithfully and did not dare to raise any objections. If Li Shimin was a little strict, he would just be obedient and kowtow to apologize.Seeing that Li Shimin became more suspicious, he and Wei Zheng revealed their differences.He was afraid that Li Shimin would doubt him, so he wanted to retire after success and protect himself wisely; Wei Zheng was not the case, and he scolded Li Shimin directly: "He loves the good and doesn't choose people very much, and he hates the evil but can't be far away. He also speaks without hiding his words. The evil is too deep, and the goodness of others may not be fully believed, and the evil of others is regarded as inevitable." The fundamental difference between the two can be seen. Li Shimin didn't know that Fang Xuanling was so thoughtful. After reading Fang Xuanling's form, he resolutely disagreed to resign. He wrote: "The righteousness of a husband's selection of talents is based on selflessness; the way to serve him is to be kind and precious." The dynasties are so grand, and the virtuous are so virtuous. The public is loyal, respectful, vindictive, sincere, ignorant and domineering, and prepares for the emperor's way. Yi Ze Huang Pavilion, common government and peaceful, auxiliary wings of the erotic palace, is written by Shi Wangsi. But forgetting the general idea, and neglecting the details, although respecting the post of teaching and instruction, it is a matter of resigning from the task of balance, how can it be said that if you give it to one person, you can share the peace of the world?" In Li Shimin's edict, he affirmed Fang Xuanling's contribution to helping him obtain the throne and rule the world, and pointed out that it was very inappropriate for him to ask to be relieved of his position as Shangshu Zuo Pushe.After Li Shimin finished writing this edict, he asked someone to send it to Fang Xuanling immediately. According to Fang Xuanling's attitude in the past, when he received this edict and saw that Li Shimin sincerely wanted to keep him, he should abandon this thought and continue to perform the duties of Shangshu Zuo Pushe.However, Fang Xuanling insisted on retiring at this time, and submitted another form, which contained thousands of words and sincere words, asking Li Shimin to remember his old age, so that he could retire as soon as possible. Li Shimin finished reading this form, thinking what happened to Fang Xuanling?Why are you so stubborn?I was a little impatient in my heart, so I patiently wrote another edict, which said: "Xuan Lingde is a beautiful man of the time, and he is in the right. Thinking about governance, ignoring oneself and emphasizing the virtuous, Fang's resources are enlightened, and the prosperity of the common people. How can we affirm its elegance and use it at the expense of Yi's classics. You can break the table and order the post." The words of this edict are obviously stricter than the previous one, which makes Fang Xuanling put aside distracting thoughts and took office immediately. Unexpectedly, after Fang Xuanling received the edict, he still submitted a form to ask for resignation.This aroused Li Shimin's anger, and people announced Fang Xuanling into the palace. After Fang Xuanling's kowtow was over, Li Shimin suppressed his anger and said softly, "Xuanling, you have submitted your petition so many times and asked to resign. Could it be that I have treated you badly?" "My minister was able to meet the Lord of England, and he came to the phase in the body of a commoner. It can be said that he has been blessed by the emperor's grace. I secretly think that the only person in the world who can have this opportunity is the minister." "Well, do you think that now that the world is in great order, it's time for us monarchs and ministers to breathe a sigh of relief?" "The last time His Majesty reposted Wei Zheng's above book, it is certainly to persuade His Majesty, but it is actually admonishing ministers and so on. Governing the world is like walking on thin ice, and I dare not slack off." "Hey, it seems that you understand everything. Xuanling, although you are over sixty now, you are healthy and think clearly, and you can still serve the court. You are the most important person in the court, only you One person, don’t you know what I’m thinking? Thinking of Ruhui’s years of hard work for the country, he became sick from exhaustion and even died. If you are like Ruhui now, I will take the initiative to persuade you to go home and rest.” Li Shimin said here, Presumably Du Ruhui's words were brought up again, the circles of his eyes turned red, and his words choked up a little. Knowing Li Shimin's feelings for Du Ruhui and himself, Fang Xuanling responded tremblingly, and was silent there for a while. Li Shimin went on to ask: "Xuanling, remembering that dark day, should you do this right?" Fang Xuanling was silent for a moment, then suddenly knelt on the ground, and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I have been thinking about it for a long time because I have submitted petitions for resignation one after another. I have been in Duankui for more than ten years, and during this time I have worked hard and made many mistakes. It all depends on Your Majesty's trust." I am thankful, but I feel deeply guilty. In recent years, thinking that I am old and weak, this feeling of guilt has become stronger. Seeing that there are a large number of talents in the court, I think the waves behind the river will push the waves ahead. Of course, I have the trust of your Majesty, but for the sake of the court, I should take the initiative to resign. Your Majesty, I am not as good as Ru Hui, and if your majesty can understand my painstaking efforts to innovate, I will grant my request." Finished speaking , he wept and kowtowed. Li Shimin was furious when he saw this, and walked back and forth in front of him, angrily saying in his heart: "Xuan Ling, who has always been obedient, what medicine did he take wrong today? You are so stubborn, you are really a elm head." He suppressed his anger, and asked in a low voice Said: "Xuanling, are you really obsessed with obsession?" Fang Xuanling didn't dare to raise his head, and put his head on the ground, he could hear his soft weeping. This aroused Li Shimin's anger even more, he stopped and shouted loudly: "Fang Xuanling, you want to leave me and go for leisure. Okay, I want to let you have enough leisure. Come here." The two eunuchs came to Li Shimin and knelt down to obey. Li Shimin pointed to Xuanling, the house, and said loudly: "You take him out, tell Chang He, let him send someone to enclose this ignorant person in the mansion, and not allow him to leave the mansion. Fang Xuanling, when do you think?" It's clear, see me again." Two eunuchs hurriedly dragged Fang Xuanling out of the palace. Just at this time, Changsun Wuji asked to see Li Shimin.After he entered the hall, he saw Fang Xuanling being dragged out, and Li Shimin's angry face. He couldn't figure out what happened for a while, and he didn't dare to ask Li Shimin. In fact, before Changsun Wuji could ask, the furious Li Shimin pointed to the outside of the hall angrily, and said, "Wuji, why did the always sensible Xuanling become such a person?" Ling's three-way table pushed to Changsun Wuji, and scolded: "Look, this old man doesn't know my good words even after counting the table. Oh, Wuji, does it mean that people will change their minds when they get old?" ?” Changsun Wuji laughed secretly in his heart when he heard this, thinking that this pair of monarchs and ministers who had always cooperated tacitly would perform this scene again.It's really funny that one of them is overbearing and the other is stubborn.He was silent for a moment, feeling that he couldn't follow what Li Shimin wanted to say, but he still wanted to intercede for Fang Xuanling in his heart, so he chose his words carefully and said: "I think Xuanling's words are reasonable, like the important ministers in the court now, most of them are Gaozu The old ministers at that time and the subordinates of Qin Wangfu who have followed His Majesty for many years have worked hard for our dynasty for more than 20 years. There is a saying called "letting out the old and accepting the new". In order to ensure that the court always has a new atmosphere, some young talents are gradually selected In fact, the position should be. Your Majesty, if there are old faces in the court, they will stick to the rules when governing, and this will not be beneficial to the overall plan of the world." Li Shimin nodded slowly and agreed: "It is indeed necessary to let go of the old and bring in the new. In recent years, I have gradually promoted the positions of Ma Zhou, Chu Suiliang, Cen Wenwen, Du Zhenglun, Hou Junji, Liu Ji, etc. Hou Junji became the commander-in-chief on his own, just thinking about it. But ah, there must be no slight deviation in the world's plans. It is necessary to let those experienced courtiers perform their duties, so that there will be no failure. There is no rush to change courtiers. Like Xuanling, who has been in the phase for more than ten years, he does not seek to prepare for others, does not use his own strengths to find things, he collects them as he can, without separation or frivolity, he uses his wisdom, ability, and strength. From my perspective, Shangshu Zuo There is no one who can replace the position of Pu She. I am most assured that he can keep this position to the best of his ability, which is why I insist on not letting him go. Alas, everyone wants a high position, but if this high position I don’t have talent, how can I sit on it? This old man Xuanling doesn’t know what medicine he took wrongly? Outsiders say that he is the only one who can read my mind, this time it is really wrong.” Changsun Wuji smiled and said: "The minister will go to Xuanling's mansion after leaving the palace, and tell him what the emperor wants, maybe he will wake up." "No! Just let him meditate at home for a while, and let him come to his senses. This will be good for him." Changsun Wuji smiled and said nothing, thinking that Li Shimin still couldn't extinguish the fire in his heart until now. Li Shimin asked again: "You came to see me, what do you want to say?" Changsun Wuji's face darkened immediately, and he sighed: "Oh, I still want to talk about Jiamin when I come here." Hearing this, Li Shimin's mood also sank, and he sighed: "Yes, sister Min's disease is still caused by me. After she got sick, the Imperial Medical Office made various diagnoses and treatments. Why didn't she see any improvement, but instead became more serious?" Empress Changsun gave birth to her youngest daughter. During her confinement period, she contracted a gas disease for some reason and coughed all day long.After being diagnosed and treated by the Imperial Medical Office, there was a slight improvement.Seeing that his body was very weak, Li Shimin asked him to take care of his health and care about his diet and daily life.At the beginning of last year's midsummer, Li Shimin saw the sweltering heat in the harem, so he took Empress Changsun to Jiucheng Palace to escape the heat, hoping that the cool climate here would be good for his body.Unexpectedly, when Li Shimin entered the Jiucheng Palace, his body suddenly became hot all day and night, and he passed out from the fever.Regardless of her own frailty, Empress Changsun waited on her couch for two days and two nights.When Li Shimin recovered from his illness, Empress Changsun fell on the couch again.Afterwards, her condition worsened as a result.This year, she could only stay in the palace all day long, not daring to go out, her body became weaker and weaker, and it was difficult to stop her coughing, her face turned red and she was almost breathless. Changsun Wuji said: "That's right, the imperial medical office has tried everything, and Jiamin has tried all kinds of medicines, but nothing works. The prince is benevolent and filial. He wants to ask His Majesty to forgive the sinners, and at the same time let the monks open a Taoist place to save them. Unexpectedly, Jiamin insisted. No. The crown prince couldn’t do it, and he didn’t dare to ask His Majesty to play it directly, so he had to tell his ministers to play it on his behalf.” At that time, the people worshiped Buddha, and when they encountered difficulties, they often prayed for the blessing of the Buddha.Prince Li Chengqian came up with this policy after seeing that his mother had run out of medicines and her illness did not improve. Li Shimin asked: "The crown prince said that, how did Minmei answer?" "Jiamin replied at the time: 'If cultivating blessings can prolong the sickness, I have never done evil things, and I have always done good deeds. It seems that praying for blessings is useless. And forgiving the sinners of the world is a major matter for the country. How can one woman disrupt the world? Dafa?'” Li Shimin sighed: "Yes, Minmei, like me, has always attached importance to self-cultivation and prudence, and is unwilling to waste time in the illusory realm. The prince is doing this out of filial piety, because of this request. Wuji, do you think this matter Is it possible?" Changsun Wuji thought for a while and replied: "The prince is certainly filial, but seeing Jiamin like this, my heart is also on fire. There are customs among the people. If you encounter difficult things, you can often get results with happy events. I think, Jiamin's illness is hard to get better, if we deal with it, we may see results, so we might as well give it a try." Li Shimin closed his eyes and remained silent, obviously unable to make up his mind at the moment.He knew that, given his elder Sun Jiamin's current illness, even if he agreed to pardon the prisoners from all over the world, it might not help his illness.However, I have a deep relationship with her husband and wife, and now my son comes to beg for mercy and pray for her, if I don't allow it, I really can't bear it.He thought for a while, and finally said resolutely: "Okay, I will accept the prince's request. Wuji, you can send an order to the Ministry of Punishment to let them prepare to release the prisoners from all over the world. As for the matter of praying for blessings, you can ask the monks of Shaolin Temple to handle it." Changsun Wuji bowed and agreed, and then left in a hurry. On this day, Prince Li Chengqian's wet nurse Liu Liushi came to the palace to see Empress Changsun.Liu Liu has nurtured Li Chengqian since he was a child, and now he has been serving Li Chengqian in his palace. Empress Changsun is a generous person. When Liu Liushi entered the Lizheng Hall, he saw Empress Changsun leaning ill on the couch, and a court lady was kneeling in front of the couch listening to the empress' lessons. Empress Changsun said: "I am in the palace and treat everyone as master and servant. However, I have said many times that the emperor is always in a bad mood when he manages everything. If he enters the harem, we must serve him carefully. But you, with no eyes and no color, finally caused such a disaster." The day before yesterday Li Shimin came to visit the Empress at the Lizheng Palace. When he was inquiring about his illness in a low voice, the maid came in with medicine. She obviously didn't see the emperor by her side, and her footsteps seemed a little hurried. When Li Shimin saw it, she was furious and shouted softly: "There are no rules and no rules. The queen suffers from a gas disease, and the most taboo is to walk in the wind. You dare to rush in. Someone, pull out this little hoof who doesn't know what to do, and beat him to death." The palace lady was stunned when she heard the words, the cup in her hand fell to the ground with a clang, and the debris and juice splashed everywhere. At this time, the queen stretched out her hand, gently pulled Li Shimin's skirt, and said: "Your Majesty, don't be angry. Your Majesty has said many times that the concubine is the master of the harem. This woman does not know what is good or bad, so let the concubine punish her." Li Shimin didn't want to go against the Queen's wishes at this time. He was irritable and easy to get angry. When he saw the Queen's begging eyes, his anger suddenly turned into tenderness, so he said to the two eunuchs who came to drag the maid: "According to the Queen What to do, pull her down first, and then listen to the queen." Empress Changsun saw that Li Shimin was angry and couldn't persuade him, and she didn't want to ignore human lives, so she thought of a plan to delay the attack.She decided to follow Li Shimin's temperament first, and imprison this maid of honor, so as not to punish him indiscriminately.After that, after Li Shimin calmed down, he slowly begged for forgiveness. The maid fell on the ground, not daring to speak.Li Shimin wanted to beat her to death with a stick. At that time, her soul was scattered like thunder, but later she got the queen's plea to save her life, and thus wandered around the life and death for a while. At this time, she could only thank the queen from the bottom of her heart. Empress Changsun continued: "Go down first, and meditate in the forbidden room for ten and a half months, and then I will assign you work." The maid kowtowed repeatedly, then got up and bowed her head to exit.I saw that his sallow face was covered with tears. Liu Liushi also knelt down and bowed when she saw the palace maid withdrawing, saying: "Your maidservant kowtows to the queen." "Get up, don't be too polite." Liu Liushi stood up and complimented: "The empress has a kind heart. As servants, we don't know what blessings we have cultivated in our previous life to meet such a good master as the empress." "Well, what do you have to say today?" "The servants came here, one is to see if the Queen's health is better, and the other is to obey the Prince's order, and wants to urge the Queen to grant the Prince's request to pardon the prisoner and cultivate blessings." The queen shook her hand and said: "This matter is not allowed to be mentioned again. Life and death are life and death, how can you prolong your life by cultivating blessings? You are always serving the prince around, and you are not allowed to teach him to believe in these false words." This is the queen's decree, and Liu Liushi hastily collected the decree. The queen said again: "Go back and tell the prince to worry more about state affairs. My body is like this. Don't worry too much, prince. You are not allowed to visit frequently in the future. If you have nothing else to do, go back to the East Palace, my lord." I'm a little tired too." Liu Liu hurriedly leaned down and bowed, intending to leave, and said to Ai Ai: "Queen, I have one more request. The prince is now the heir apparent, but there are often insufficient utensils in the palace. I beg the queen to give me some help." Empress Changsun said solemnly: "Do you think there are not enough utensils in the East Palace? Is this the prince's idea or yours?" Liu Liushi faltered and dared not answer. Empress Changsun took advantage of the opportunity to sit up, raised her finger and pointed: "Chengqian is now the prince, the trouble is that his virtue is not established, his reputation is not good, why is there a lack of utensils? If the prince said this, you can take my Tell him in the original words that the amount of utensils in the Eastern Palace are all equipped according to the imperial court system, so he is not allowed to focus on this. If you said this, Mrs. Liu Liu, you have done a great job in nurturing the crown prince. I saw that you were very close to the crown prince. I regard you as an outsider. However, it is wrong to say this. The prince is not a child in the past. How can you spoil him with rich clothes and jade food? You are certainly a woman, but you must understand that the prince’s ambition now lies in the world, not in the palace. between." Unexpectedly, Liu Liushi was reprimanded by the queen, so he had no choice but to be obedient and retreat in horror. After Liu Liushi left, Empress Changsun couldn't help coughing again because of the excitement just now.The maids beat her back for her and fed her juice, and then she slowly calmed down.She lay flat on the couch, closed her eyes and rested quietly, and the hall seemed very quiet for a while. After a while, Empress Changsun ordered the maid to help her up again, calling out: "Rui'er, polish the ink for me." Since Empress Changsun got sick, the imperial physicians diagnosed and treated her one by one, and they used countless medicine stones, but these medicine stones seemed to sink into the sea, and her body did not see any improvement.At this time, she gradually became discouraged, thinking that her time was approaching.At this time, she was not sad because of her poor health. Instead, she looked around the harem, and felt that if she let go and left Erlang alone to manage the chaotic state affairs, and the harem had no master to rule, it would be exhausting. She thought of herself. Before he died, he would do one more thing for Erlang.After the spring, she asked Jing'er to accompany her to look through the books for her, and then wrote a book by herself, which was titled "Women's Rules". The original intention of Empress Changsun to write this book is to let the people in the harem act according to the rules of this book after she dies.So she retrieved ancient books, sorted out the gains and losses of women in history, and compiled them in a series. Among them, she compiled ten articles about the harem's emulation of ancient sages to improve herself; Twenty articles.The whole book is planned to be compiled into 30 chapters, and Empress Changsun has just written the 25th chapter. This article is about Queen Ma of the Eastern Han Dynasty.At the beginning of Zhenguan, Li Shimin wanted to grant his eldest grandson Wuji as the right servant of Shangshu.After hearing the news, Empress Changsun asked Changsun Wuji to seek Li Shimin's begging to be dismissed, and at the same time wrote an article "On Empress Ma" and presented it to Li Shimin for viewing.She believed that Empress Ma was known as a virtuous queen in history, but she could not suppress her relatives, so she set a precedent for future generations of relatives to monopolize power.Under the insistence of Empress Changsun, Li Shimin had no choice but to take back his order, and gave Du Ruhui the right servant shot of Shangshu. He was not only invited by Empress Changsun, but also achieved the reputation of Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui as "Fang, Du Xianxiang".Empress Changsun wrote the twenty-fifth article, which is based on "On the Empress Ma", praising the virtues of Empress Ma in detail, and analyzing the mistakes of Empress Ma, and asking the people in the harem to cultivate women's virtues, and not to aggravate them by nepotism. The power of the father and brother of the family. Empress Zhangsun finished writing this article, looking tired, Jing'er said with concern from the side: "The queen should not work so hard. In the next few articles, the slaves thought that they could find someone who could read and write in the palace, and let the queen dictate and let him write. It's a waste of time. I heard that the newcomer Xu Cairen is good at writing, why don't you let her help the queen." The eldest Sun Jiamin shook his head and said: "I wrote this book with a general idea in my heart, and others can't replace it. People like Xu Cairen are brilliant in writing, but she is young after all. How can we have followed the emperor for many years and watched everywhere?" The fate of the world's peril? There is no need to bother others. Besides, this book has been completed more than half, and there are only five unfinished chapters. Let's work harder." "Oh, that's the only way to go. Empress, writing this book is an upright matter. The slaves don't understand, why do you want to hide it from the emperor?" "Oh, Jinger, you have been with me for so many years in vain. I am so ill now. If the emperor finds out that I am sick and writing a book, he will feel sorry for my body. He is afraid that the disease will worsen and he will never let me write again. Book. In this way, this matter will be abandoned halfway, do you want me to die of regret? Jing'er, it is better to keep this matter from the emperor." Jing'er couldn't help shedding tears and said: "Queen, the emperor will know about this one day, won't it make him even more sad?" "Let's hide it for a while..." His voice didn't stop, when he suddenly heard a eunuch outside the hall shouting: "The emperor is here." Empress Changsun hurriedly told Jing'er: "Quick, quick, put these away quickly." She stood up to greet Li Shimin as she spoke. Li Shimin came into the palace and saw that Empress Changsun looked tired, so he blamed him: "Sister Min, you are not in good health, why are you here for these vain gifts? Come on, lie down on the couch quickly." He came to help Empress Changsun as he spoke, and the empress also He obediently followed him to the front of the couch, and then lay on his back. Jing'er came over to greet Li Shimin, and Li Shimin said: "Jing'er, the empress is not feeling well these days. After all, you have served her for many years and know her heart best, much better than these rough-handed court ladies. From now on, you Wait around, don't leave without permission." Jing'er bowed her head and agreed. Li Shimin's eyes wandered, and suddenly he saw the pen and ink on the case.Seeing that the inkstone was newly ground, she knew that Empress Changsun was using her pen and ink again, so she blamed her: "Sister Min, you'd better rest now, and want to practice calligraphy. You will have a long time to come, and it won't be too late to practice after you feel better." Eldest Sun Jiamin smiled slightly, and said: "Your Majesty, my concubine is bored in the palace these days, and I feel a little irritable, so I want to practice calligraphy to relieve my depression. Look at you, I won't let me lie on the couch all day, Don't do anything?" A smile appeared on Li Shimin's face, and he said, "That's not necessary. However, you look tired now, and it will be bad after all if you force yourself to do things." The eldest Sun Jiamin said nothing more. Li Shimin held the hand of the eldest grandson Jiamin, and said softly: "Sister Min, it's rare for Chengqian to be so filial. He asked me to pardon the prisoner and cultivate blessings for you. I have already agreed. After this matter, your body will gradually recover. , not in vain for Chengqian's intention." Changsun Jiamin made a strong effort in his hands, sat up straight, and said anxiously: "Chengqian really told His Majesty what he said? When Chengqian came to persuade his ministers and concubines like this, the ministers and concubines never believed in falsehoods, let alone It is a matter of the country's great interests, so let him stop this ridiculous idea. Your Majesty, this is absolutely impossible." "Don't worry. Sister Min, you'd better lie down, let's talk slowly. What kind of national plan? As long as it can benefit your body in the slightest, I will agree to big things. Besides, I asked the Ministry of Criminal Justice and Dali Temple to be lenient and cautious. If this amnesty saves the lives of those sentenced to death, it is undoubtedly a good thing. Minmei, I have made up my mind, so don't stop me." The eldest grandson Jiamin choked up and said: "Your Majesty, the ministers and concubines dare not intervene in state affairs, but this time it is related to the concubine's body, so I have to say it. In fact, the law should be lenient and the punishment should be strict, but some heinous people escaped with their lives because of the concubine's status. It will definitely be said that Your Majesty does not distinguish between good and bad, and is prone to disappointment. Your Majesty, this matter must never be done. If Your Majesty insists on doing it, the ministers would rather die now." Li Shimin was greatly shocked by the resolute words of the always docile elder Sun Jiamin, who was also deeply moved by her admiration for her kindness.Looking into her earnest eyes, Li Shimin really couldn't bear to let her down, so he squeezed her little hand tightly and said heavily: "Okay, sister Min, I'll just listen to you, and that's all for the sake of pardoning the prisoner." The elder Sun Jiamin felt relieved for a while, and Li Shimin felt his hands softened a lot.Li Shimin saw that she became very angry because of the excitement, so he signaled her not to speak any more, and told her to close her eyes and rest. The eldest Sun Jiamin took a while to breathe, and then he breathed out smoothly.She opened her eyes and said softly: "It's hard for Cheng Qian to have such filial piety, and it's hard for His Majesty to care so much about my concubine. No matter what, even if this concubine is dead now, I'm really satisfied." Li Shimin blamed her softly for saying such ominous words. The eldest grandson Jiamin looked into Li Shimin's eyes and said softly: "Your Majesty, I heard that Xuanling was awarded as the prince's junior teacher again. Chengqian was originally taught by Yu Zhining, Li Baiyao, and Du Zhenglun.此良臣辅弼，他日定能成为一名明君。” 李世民刚把房玄龄撵回家，长孙嘉敏尚未知闻。 李世民哼了一声，不想说房玄龄已被自己圈禁在家，他不想增添她的心理负担。 长孙嘉敏察言观色，关切问道：“莫非承乾又惹陛下生气了？他此次请求赦囚修福，固然有些荒唐，然念其一片孝心，不可再责怪他。” 李世民摇摇头，心头晃过李承乾这些年办的事，感到有些厌恶。 李承乾八岁时被立为太子，他自小就感受到了父皇的雄才大略，身边的于志宁、李百药整日里向他灌输一些圣贤大道，让他从小以储君的要求来规范自己。随着年岁渐大，加上李世民出京时常常令他监国，他明白了为君者须勤政以及纳谏的道理。其在监国之时，每临朝视事，必言忠孝之道，处理庶务时，颇识大体。遇到于志宁、李百药举谏时，他危坐敛容，引咎自责，甚至会痛哭流涕。是时，李世民及群臣认为他举止有度，且性聪敏，觉得此子为可造之才。 然李承乾本性贪玩，没有治国大志，他的这些作为都是让李世民及群臣看的。其退朝之后，或者于志宁等人不在身边之时，就立刻恢复了本性。他亲近宫嫔、宠信宦官，在东宫内嬉戏无度。当于志宁等人一开始举谏的时候，他还能咬紧牙关装模作样听，到了后来，他不耐烦于志宁在眼前晃来晃去，竟然派人去暗杀于志宁。只是这两名刺客潜入于志宁家，见他正住在苦庐中为母守孝，不忍心杀了这名孝子，于志宁方才免了杀身之祸。 李百药一日见李承乾在宫内嬉戏，遂叩门请见，极力劝谏，惹得承乾大怒。他气哼哼地举起正敲着的鼓，摔在李百药的面前。他还不解气，第二日派人伏在李百药必经的路边，看李百药骑马经过，上前挥大棒猛击，将李百药击在马下，差一点要了李百药的性命。 李承乾的这些劣行慢慢传入了李世民的耳中，当然，像李承乾派人打杀于志宁、李百药的事并未传出来。李世民心头不免失望，望着李承乾那一瘸一拐的样子，心里更是生厌。但他对李承乾并未丧失信心，过了一段时间，又让孔颖达任东宫官属，想让孔颖达就近匡其失处。 然一波未平，一波又起，这日魏王李泰悄悄向李世民禀报，说李承乾近来宠上了一名男童，名叫称心。李世民闻言大怒，心想李承乾今年刚刚二十余岁，你日常爱与嫔妃游乐，也就罢了，现在却宠上一名男童，让他实在难忍。想想也是，李承乾现为储君，即是今后的国君。像宠爱男童的事，也只有隋炀帝这样的昏君才能为。高祖和自己历尽千辛万苦，方才创立了唐朝，若三世未出，将大唐交给这样一个嬉戏无度的人儿来打理，定会误国。 李世民说干就干，带领常何闯入东宫之中。事情也凑巧，李承乾此时正在显德殿里搂着称心，正一口一口地喂酒呢。李世民大步迈入显德殿，恰巧看到这种场面，脸色顿时变得铁青。李承乾看到父亲闯入殿来，脸色也顿时吓得煞白。 李世民大喝道：“常何，速将这名小贼拿下，当殿乱棒打死。” 常何带领数名如狼似虎的宿卫，上前从李承乾怀里扯过称心，将他按在显德殿地面上，几条大棒迅疾向其身上招呼。称心一开始还扯着尖厉嗓子大叫，挨了数棒之后，声音一下子戛然中止，就见棒落处其身上血肉横飞，眼见是活不成了。 李承乾魂飞魄散，连滚带爬伏在李世民的脚下，一味叩头，间或以留恋的眼光扫向称心那凄惨的身影。 李世民伸手掂起李承乾，让他立在自己面前，然后左右开弓在他那失神的面庞上各给了一记，厉声道：“孽子，你知道这是何处吗？” 李承乾的脸庞上顿时现出两个大手印，战战兢兢不知如何回答。 “这是显德殿！”李世民代其回答，接着说道，“这是太子理政的地方，可你呢？却将它变成了淫乐之所。这是太子的作为吗？” 李世民骂声不绝，既而把东宫属官都叫了进来，先责他们管束太子不严，再让他们借此机会训诫太子。 发生了这档子事，李世民才产生了授房玄龄为太子少师的念头，显然，他并未完全对李承乾失望，还想让明师将太子训练出来。孰料房玄龄不体会他的这份心情，反而执意要求逊职。 两件窝心的事连在一起，实在让李世民心烦。现在入宫又见皇后如此病恹恹的样儿，其心情愈发低落。 李世民与长孙嘉敏毕竟夫妻情深，他现在心里有难受事，也不愿向她说知，深恐由此加重了她的病情。想到这里，李世民微笑上脸，低声道：“我怎么会怪承乾呢？他一腔孝心，为图你病好转，可谓殚精竭虑，想了无数的法儿。有儿如此，夫复何求？敏妹，你只须静养，万事不可上心。” 长孙嘉敏见郎君出言诚恳，深信其言，就闭目微微点头。 眼见到了进晚膳的时候，李世民唤过菁儿，问道：“晚膳备好了吗？” 菁儿答道：“备好了。今晚还有陛下爱喝的粟米粥，却是皇后手把手教会臣妾做的。要不要上来？” “嗯，上来吧，先端来一盏。” 菁儿端来一盏热腾腾的粟米粥，轻轻地递到李世民手中。 李世民又唤道：“菁儿，把皇后扶坐起来，拿一高枕垫在其腰后。”他又微笑着对长孙嘉敏说：“敏妹，不知道菁儿的手艺如何？这一碗粥儿，就让我先喂你尝尝。若菁儿的手艺果然不差，你一定要赏她啊！” 李世民要亲手喂妻子喝粥，这是从未有的事。长孙嘉敏闻言，眼中顿时噙满泪花。她乖觉地在菁儿的搀扶下坐起身来，然后无语任李世民一匙儿一匙儿喂粥。 是时，殿内异常寂静，宫女们远远站定，默默地注视皇上为皇后喂粥。榻前的三人，温情无限，李世民和长孙嘉敏时相凝视，他们不用说话，皆知对方的深情蜜意。长孙嘉敏身后，菁儿一面扶着皇后的肩头，一面悄悄地低头，伸手揩去忍不住流出的眼泪。