Chapter 38 The Thirty-eighth Chapter of Xiande Hall

When Li Shimin heard that Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were unwilling to come, he said angrily: "When I didn't want to make a fuss, you surrounded me to persuade them, and they were the most enthusiastic. Now I need them, but I can't excuse it. Jingde, you go and call them again." Yuchi Jingde took the order to go, and when he came back, he was still alone, he spread his hands and said: "King Qin, they are determined not to come, saying that the emperor has an order, if they come, they will sit and die." Li Shimin was furious when he heard this, he pulled out his sword and handed it to Yuchi Jingde, saying: "Go ahead with this sword, if they still can't speak, you can cut off their head and go back."

Yuchi Jingde wondered: "Heizi is stupid, he has already made two trips in vain. Why don't you let Wuji go with me, so that we can persuade them together, even threatening them with a sword, thinking that maybe they can come." Li Shimin waved his hand, Yuchi Jingde and Changsun Wuji left the house together.When the two arrived at Fang Xuanling's house, the four of them smiled at each other. Du Ruhui said, "King Qin used the sword to force us. It seems that he is serious this time. Brother Xuanling, you have used this strategy well." It turned out that when Yuchi Jingde came to call them for the first time, Fang Xuanling disagreed and left immediately, saying that the King of Qin had always been secretive about this matter and was unwilling to talk about it, so it would be better to go back to him when he was most impatient. Add a fire to him.Yuchi Jingde followed the plan, and he quietly told Changsun Wuji about the plan.

Changsun Wuji said: "I think the heat is almost ready, and the two gentlemen can enter the government to discuss matters. For this matter, Erlang has been discussing with us for a long time, and we have a general idea, and the specific details need to be negotiated." Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui looked at each other, and Du Ruhui said: "We've been thinking these days, it's time to do something. Now that the court is carrying out Fu Yi's proposal, the world is in turmoil, and all attention is focused on outside the capital. All right , let's go now." Fang Xuanling thought carefully, and said: "We will leave when the sky darkens. Although the world is in turmoil now, the eagles and dogs placed around the Tiance Mansion by the Crown Prince and King Qi are still very diligent. If we see us entering the mansion, it will definitely cause trouble." end."

"That's right, the more it comes to this time, the more you have to be cautious. Jingde and Wuji go first, and report to the King of Qin, saying that we will be there soon. When you go out, you have to go one by one, and finally It's better to separate them so that they don't attract attention." Du Ruhui felt that it was reasonable and added. After dusk, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui stepped out of the door. They wore square scarves and moon white Taoist robes, dressed like wandering Taoist priests.They walk unobtrusively along the shadows of the street.When they arrived at Tiance Mansion, they saw that the gate was ajar, they pushed it lightly, and the two of them slipped in.

Li Shimin is waiting anxiously in the Renwen Hall.Gao Shilian, Changsun Wuji, Hou Junji, Yuchi Jingde and Zhang Gongjin were also sitting in the hall, none of them said a word, the hall seemed very quiet. Seeing Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui walking into the hall door, Li Shimin was still angry, and said in a low voice: "You guys are so arrogant, I invited you three times in a row, do you want me to call you in person? Hmph, just now How many days have you been out of the house?" After hearing this, Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui didn't dare to be negligent, their faces were filled with fear, they bowed to the ground and said, "This subordinate deserves to die, making His Highness angry. Our original intention is to strengthen His Highness's will, and we really dare not deceive each other."

Li Shimin looked stern, and said coldly: "If I don't want to do something, do you think you can do it if you are so excited? Well, get up." At this time, Elder Sun Jiamin came over, supported a person with one hand, and said, "It is a last resort for the two gentlemen to come here in disguise. Come, sit here, I have already made tea for you." Li Shimin looked slightly calm, and said: "Xuanling, Ruhui, come and take a seat with me. Tonight, you are the protagonists here, and many things have to be planned by you." The eldest grandson Jiamin put the teacup on the table in front of Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui, and then quietly returned to Dongbian Pavilion.

Seeing that everyone was sitting still and looking at him, Li Shimin turned to Fang Xuanling and said, "Xuanling, I don't want to fail my sister's dying order, but today Dalang and Shiro are pressing each other, there is no room for retreat, I have made up my mind, We must fight back with thunderous means, and dare not delay any longer." Fang Xuanling nodded in agreement, secretly thinking how long we have been waiting for King Qin's words. Li Shimin looked at Du Ruhui and said: "Ruhui, you are right. To do great things, you must take into account the fundamentals and the rest, so that you can do it once and for all. In this operation, we must not only attack Dalang, but also try to control Father Emperor and make the whole world come to an end. Soldiers and horses must not move rashly. I have already thought about the location of the incident, which is the Xuanwu Gate."

Du Ruhui smiled and praised: "This location is good. I have discussed it with Brother Xuanling many times. This gate is not only the place where the crown prince and King Qi go to court, but it is also not far from the emperor's bedroom. If you control this gate, you will be able to control both of them." You can take care of it. King Qin, please take a look, I have prepared a complete map of the palace." After speaking, he reached out and took out a roll of paper from his Taoist robe, and then slowly unfolded it, and it turned out to be a detailed map of the palace city.

Li Shimin praised casually: "You are still careful." Then he pointed to the picture and said, "Come on, everyone. The Xuanwu Gate has a unique location, and the guard Chang He is willing to follow me. I choose this gate as the starting point of this incident." , is also the key to the overall situation.” Everyone raised their ears and listened quietly to Li Shimin talking about his plan. Li Shimin said: "First, I personally brought 600 people into the Xuanwu Gate to ambush. One hundred of them stood by the gate and captured Dalang and Silang on the spot when they entered the court; the other 500 people tried to quietly surround the emperor. The sleeping palace. There is a difficult thing here, that is, there are more than ten thousand guards in the palace. We can only control the guards of Xuanwu Gate and Jiayou Gate, and our strength is too weak. We must not cause conflicts with the guards in the palace. It is difficult to achieve great things.

"Secondly, Chang He led the guards of the Xuanwu Gate. Zhang Gongjin led 200 people to guard the Xuanwu Gate, in case the soldiers from the East Palace and the Qi Mansion came to help, and kept them out of the gate. In addition, An Yuanshou and others were ready to rush to help. .” At this time, Gao Shilian interjected: "I am in charge of the prison affairs in Yongzhou, and there are about 300 prisoners. At that time, I will lead the prison guards to release the prisoners. There may be 500 prisoners in total, and they will also come to reinforce them." Li Shimin nodded, and continued: "Thirdly, Qin Shubao, Cheng Yaojin, and Duan Zhixuan will try to gather 5,000 people near Tongguan. If the big event is promising, they will come to Beijing to help; Zhang Liang in Luoyang will join forces, and then Xu Tu will develop."

After everyone heard this, they felt that Li Shimin's distribution of the troops in his hands was very appropriate, and the chain was intertwined, and the context was clear. It was obviously the result of his long-term deliberation.Fang Xuanling nodded and said: "This is a great plan. If you can capture the prince and King Qi with lightning speed and control the emperor, then you can get twice the result with half the effort and fight big with small things. But what is the most important thing here? He can't be obedient to the King of Qin, but go all the way with the prince; secondly, if he sincerely follows the king of Qin, he can't let the prince have the slightest suspicion, otherwise it will be difficult to grasp." Li Shimin pondered: "Well, Chang He is the key to this incident. Until today, there is no abnormality in the East Palace, there should be no problem, I have this confidence. Wuji, you saw Chang He yesterday, he told you what?" Changsun Wuji said: "Why didn't Chang know that we were going to make trouble at Xuanwu Gate, and thought we were going to use his soldiers. He said that he had already made an agreement with his subordinates, and he would obey the command at that time." Li Shimin raised his head to the sky, and then said decisively: "It is up to God to make things happen, and it is up to people to plan things. If Chang He is duplicity, I can only blame my life." Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui had been figuring out all the details of the incident, and they were overwhelmed by Li Shimin's choice of Xuanwu Gate as the starting point.If you choose Xuanwumen, Chang He's loyalty is very important.Chang He has received a lot of favor from the prince, if he can be recruited by the prince without his knowing, the prince will definitely not be on guard, and he will be able to receive the effect of a surprise soldier.Thinking of this, Fang Xuanling asked Li Shimin: "Chang He's attitude is very important. Your Highness said that there is nothing abnormal in the East Palace. What does this matter have to do with Chang He?" Changsun Wuji glanced at Li Shimin, seeing that there was tacit approval in his eyes, so he explained the trick to test Chang He.After hearing this, Fang Xuanling murmured, "The prince didn't say anything to Yu Bao, which means that Chang He didn't leak anything. But, if this is the prince's play hard to get, wouldn't it be more dangerous?" Li Shimin shook his head and said: "No. I know Dalang's temperament, but his scheming is not so deep. If he has something on his mind, it will definitely be shown in his colors. Didn't the father praise him many times for distinguishing between likes and hates? What's more , I asked the people around Dalang to observe Dalang's movements, so there is nothing wrong with that. Well, this person is the Gengcheng Prince of Donggong, who was introduced to me by the Three Treasures, and he is still loyal to me." Speaking of Wang Yan's name, a taciturn old man appeared in Fang Xuanling's mind.Wang Yan has been working in the East Palace for many years, and he is quiet and doesn't like to socialize with others on weekdays. Unexpectedly, he has become Li Shimin's eyeliner around the prince. Du Ruhui remained silent for a long time, then interjected: "The crown prince didn't take any action against Yu Bao, which shows that the king of Qin has a good vision and should trust Chang He. But just to be on the safe side, we have to test Chang He once more before committing an incident, so that we can completely feel at ease." "How to test?" Li Shimin looked at Du Ruhui and asked. "We can first make an agreement with Chang He that he go to ambush in a certain place at a certain time on a certain day to capture the crown prince, and then observe the movement in the East Palace. If Chang He is really loyal, we will tell him the details and start the incident." "Okay, let's test Chang He again. However, this matter should be done without any traces. The so-called employing people without suspicion, treating Chang He like this has greatly violated my previous nature." Du Ruhui said: "The strategy His Highness discussed just now, the allocation of personnel is very appropriate, and they are intertwined and integrated into one. However, there is one difficulty in this, that is, our military strength is too small, and it is inevitable that we will be stretched. I just meditated for two I want to use it as an auxiliary method for this plan." Li Shimin nodded slightly, and everyone looked at Du Ruhui quietly. "Now there are more than 10,000 soldiers in Miyagi's guards. If you use the soldiers from Tiance's mansion together with soldiers from Xuanwumen and Jiayoumen, you can't fight against them. Therefore, you must use clever methods to disperse them. How to disperse them? Miyagi The guards seem to be tight, but there is a huge flaw in them, that is, they are scattered and led by various sects. They must strictly guard their sects and must not leave their posts without authorization. If they violate the rules, they will be beheaded. They are led by the Northern Army. They need to be dispatched by the generals of the Northern Army with a talisman. In this way, the various gates of Miyagi are in a situation of fighting on their own. If there is no general of the Northern Army to dispatch in the middle, their combat effectiveness will be greatly reduced. Qu Tutong can be the person in charge of the Northern Army. Try to stabilize them, prevent them from entering the palace to command, and the guards of other sects dare not move rashly, so we can come and go freely in the palace. In this way, the more than ten thousand guards in the city will become decorations." Yuchi Jingde was overjoyed, and said: "Mr. Du really has deep eyes, and he saw the key right away. I know those people in the Northern Army are all addicted to alcohol. If Qu Shangshu finds a wonderful place to invite They will drink until after dawn. This is a great plan." Li Shimin smiled and said: "Xuanling, Ruhui, it seems that the two of you have not been idle these days. Go on." "If you want to control the emperor nearby, you must transfer the emperor to a place far away from Xuanwu on the day of the incident." A place not far from the gate. Otherwise, if the emperor is in the deep part of the palace, we will walk through it again. Although the guards at each gate are in charge of their own sections, it will be a long-winded place. If something unexpected happens, the success will be ruined. It can make Yuwen Shi and Juzhong contact , and let Xiao Yu, Chen Shuda and others surround the emperor." Li Shimin frowned and said: "It's no problem to let Yuwen Shi and Juzhong contact me. But Xiao Yu and Chen Shuda, although they usually favor me with the father, they will tell the whole thing what they want to do, what is their attitude? I I really can't take it." Fang Xuanling said: "Your Highness is very worried. Like Xiao Yu, although he has a heart of integrity, he is usually unrepentant and behaves according to the rules. If you tell him something, it will involve the emperor after all—he will definitely block." Li Shimin nodded and said: "I've made a note of this matter. For Xiao Yu, Chen Shuda and others, I still need to use their strengths. As for how to use them, I'll be in charge. Ruhui is right, after the incident, they will be forced to leave the East Palace , the soldiers of the Qi Mansion, and then restrain the capital and even the world's soldiers and horses, you must use the imperial father's hand. This link is really important, and it cannot be delayed, Jingde, it is up to you to lead the troops into the palace." Yuchi Jingde showed a look of embarrassment, and said: "Your Highness, I was asked to ambush the side of the Xuanwu Gate just now, and now I am asked to lead the troops to rush inside. I am afraid that I may be caught off guard. If you let me tell you, you can kill Yaojin, Shubao, Zhixuan, etc. They are secretly transferred to the capital, and then divide the troops to control them, and they will be invincible. After all, their stay in Tongguan is far less useful than being here." Hou Junji interjected: "Brother Jingde is wrong. The King of Qin's arrangement is actually a forethought. Brother Shubao and the others seem to be idle in Tongguan, but it is actually a powerful last move. If you miss one, there will be no follow-up. Strength is defeat." Li Shimin cast a appreciative glance at Hou Junji, and praised: "Junji's ability to say such a thing is worthy of all these years of tempering. It seems that letting you learn some art of war with the pharmacist is still effective. Jingde , Jun Ji is right, this matter cannot be changed, and it is up to you to bear it. Let me say something later, in the future, you can't just rely on courage, you have to learn more strategies. Like you killed Shi Shi a few days ago Wanbao, it was too simple to think in advance." Yuchi Jingde immediately lowered his head. Li Shimin mentioned Li Jing's name just now, and he felt emotional again, and sighed: "It's a pity, if Li Jing and Li Shi can participate in this matter, we can be more confident." After speaking, there was a trace of displeasure on his face, But soon the peaceful colors returned. It's night, the starry sky is clear, and the moonlight melts.The lights in the Renwen Hall were kept on all night, and everyone had a long secret talk here.It wasn't until dawn that Fang Xuanling and the others resigned one by one, and walked out quietly through the corner door. When the crowd dispersed, Li Shimin made a gesture to go out for morning exercises with his sword again. The elder Sun Jiamin pulled his lapel distressedly, and said strangely: "Erlang, you are not made of iron, so don't do morning exercises today. Come on, take advantage of it." It’s still dark now, so hurry up and rest for a while.” Li Shimin stopped and turned around, and said softly: "My body is fine. It's fine if I don't sleep for several days and nights during the battle. Sister Min, you have given birth to several children, and your body is not as good as before. Breathing is the only thing. I spent another night last night, and I can't do this again in the future." Elder Sun Jiamin was not forgiving, stepped forward and took the long sword from Li Shimin's hand, dragged him to the couch, undressed him and forced him to sit on the couch.Li Shimin said helplessly: "So, I will sleep in for a while today, but there is one condition." "What condition?" "You must accompany me." The corners of the elder Sun Jiamin's eyes suddenly became moist, and he lay down beside Li Shimin with his clothes on as he said. Li Shimin stroked his eldest Sun Jiamin's beautiful hair, and said softly: "These days my mind is in a daze, and I have neglected a major event." The eldest Sun Jiamin stared at him with big bright eyes. "A few days ago, Zhang Liang sent a letter saying that the peony garden in Luoyang had doubled in size, and it was time to bloom this year. The sun is shining these days, and the peony flowers should be in bloom. I think you and Jing'er will take their children to Luoyang Stay there for a while and watch the peonies. There are many interesting things in Luoyang. I think the children will be happy and forget to go back. You can stay there for a while. It is best to wait until autumn, and I will bring you back. " The eldest Sun Jiamin immediately understood Li Shimin's meaning, tears welled up in his eyes, and sobbed, "Erlang, don't you want our girls?" Li Shimin wiped away tears for her, and reprimanded softly: "Nonsense, why did you say that?" The eldest Sun Jiamin said with tears in his eyes: "Erlang, I understand your intentions, but I can't. These days, I will definitely be by your side. If the big things can be achieved, I will try to help you; if the big things are not harmonious——" His voice was choked up, and he couldn't continue speaking. Li Shimin murmured: "The big things are not in harmony? Alas, if the sky is not false, what can I do?" The eldest grandson Jiamin wiped away tears with his hands, and said, "If the big things are not in harmony, Erlang, how can I live alone without you?" After Li Shimin heard this, the corners of his eyes became moist, and he hugged his elder Sun Jiamin tightly in his arms, his eyes were bright, and he was not at all tired. Li Shimin was sharpening his sword here, and Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji did not let down their vigilance. The two originally wanted to toss Tiance Mansion so that the family members would be separated, and Li Shimin would become a dead worm. Unexpectedly, Shi Wanbao was killed. "Erlang must have done this." Li Yuanji said angrily. Li Jiancheng's expression fluctuated, and he paced back and forth in the hall, as if he was talking to himself: "What did Erlang do? What is his intention to kill Shi Wanbao? Is it to vent personal anger? Or is he trying to give us a warning?" "Of course it's a warning. However, he has reached the point where he is at the end of his rope." "The donkey is poor?" "Yeah, think about it, Erlang is good at keeping things quiet, and now he's doing such a ostentatious thing, which shows that he can't bear his temper anymore. If you want me to say, if you don't do one thing, don't stop, take advantage of the current Tiance In Kong'er, when the mansion is empty, let Xue Wanche find some people to go there in the dark, and kill Erlang the most cleanly." Li Jiancheng glared at Li Yuanji, and said, "How could you have such an idea? Now that Erlang is already a man in Fukong, it is enough for him to think about trouble, but he is powerless. After all, Shiro, he is ours." Brother, how could you come up with such a cruel idea?" Li Yuanji was very unhappy, and said in a daze, "Oh, brother is quite kind, one day, you will suffer." Li Yuanji seems simple, but his heart is actually very cruel.Over the years, as he grew older, and witnessed and participated in the fight between the eldest brother and the second brother, a lot of changes have gradually taken place in his heart.A very simple reason, if you Li Shimin dare to covet the crown prince, then I, Li Yuanji, are also the prince, why can't I?Once, Xue Shi, the guard who was good at flirting with Li Yuanji, complimented him: "The name of the king, combined to form the word 'Tang', the king will eventually be the priest of Tang." This flattery just hit Li Yuanji's heart , he immediately beamed with joy, and replied smugly: "Yes, I think so too. Now that King Qin has lost power, and the crown prince is too cowardly, the matter of governing the world will ultimately fall on my head." Since then From the very beginning, Li Yuanji secretly made up his mind to join hands with his eldest brother to get rid of his second brother first, and then try to take over the position of eldest brother. With this kind of thinking, Li Yuanji's desire to get rid of Li Shimin is much more urgent than Li Jiancheng's.In addition to blowing wind in Li Jiancheng's ear non-stop, he also made small moves in front of Li Yuan.When Li Shimin fell out of favor, Li Yuanji saw that his father was in the middle of his anger, and secretly saw Li Yuan and said: "Father, the second brother has the heart of disobedience, and he must be suppressed. If he can't control it for a long time, it will eventually become a disaster." Li Yuanji also cited Give an example of Yang Guang seeking to seize the crown prince.Li Yuan didn't take it seriously, and said: "I have done what you and Dalang wanted, scattered Erlang's family members and plucked his wings. Are you still not satisfied with this?" Li Yuanji said: "Second brother's wings have been formed. Although his family members are scattered, his heart will not be scattered. In order to prevent it from causing disasters, and for the sake of the country, I hope that the emperor will make up his mind and kill him as the best policy. " Li Yuan showed displeasure on his face, and scolded, "Erlang has the merits of ruling the world, but the crime has not been found, why do you say goodbye?" Li Yuanjijian asked: "When the second elder brother pacified the Eastern Capital, he did not pay back his hope and gave away money for personal favors. He also violated the imperial edict repeatedly, and his heart was already against him! Why did the emperor kill him? No excuses?" Li Yuan said: "It's my idea to ask Erlang to distribute money and silk to the meritorious soldiers. Shiro, Erlang is your elder brother after all, and he wants to kill him every now and then, so why doesn't he have any brotherhood?" Seeing that Li Yuan ignored his faults, Li Yuanji wanted to encourage Li Jiancheng to fulfill his wish.Unexpectedly, Li Jiancheng was kind and unwilling to do such an unrighteous thing, which made Li Yuanji upset.He suddenly frowned and said, "Brother, it is imperative to get rid of Erlang. You don't have to listen to my words, but Wei Zheng also has the same idea. You have always obeyed him, why don't you listen to his opinion?" ?” Li Jiancheng remembered that Wei Zheng had indeed said such words before, but he was very impatient at the time, which made Wei Zheng leave in a huff.I have been busy dismissing the subordinates of Tiance Mansion these days, and have to deal with the turmoil in the world, so I don't have many meetings with the officials of the East Palace, so I haven't seen Wei Zheng for more than ten days.Thinking of this, he sent someone to call Wei Zheng. After a long time, Wei Zheng walked slowly into the hall with square steps. Seeing his slow look, Li Jiancheng felt a little annoyed, and asked, "Wei Xima, are you suffering from some symptoms? Why? Are you walking so slowly?" Wei Zheng bowed his hands and saluted: "My subordinates are feeling chest tight these days, and the weather is getting hotter, and I feel more and more unwell, so I came late, I hope the prince will forgive me." In fact, what Wei Zheng said was not the truth, he was not sick, but his heart. Due to boredom.These days, he saw Li Jiancheng throwing punches repeatedly, driving most of the Tiance Mansion's family out of the mansion, and he thought he had hit Li Shimin's vitals, so he looked very proud.Seeing it in Wei Zheng's eyes, his heart sank slowly, and endless worries gushed out. Wei Zheng is a person who understands the general situation. He compares Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin in private, and feels that Li Jiancheng is at a disadvantage in all aspects.Now Li Jiancheng is relying on Li Yuan's power and taking the position of prince, it seems that he has the upper hand for the time being.But Li Shimin is not a person who speaks of failure lightly, and will not let it go. He seems to be quiet, but he can't see what tricks he is playing secretly, and this is where the danger lies.Wei Zheng suggested to Li Jiancheng to get rid of Li Shimin a long time ago, but he didn't take it seriously and ignored it. He mingled with the king of Qi in front of him all day long.Wei Zheng thought about it these days, and gradually became disappointed with Li Jiancheng. Li Jiancheng was not aware of Wei Zheng's emotional changes, believed it, and said warmly: "Maybe it's because of the hot weather, you can drink more sour plum soup to cool off the heat, and you will gradually get better." Wei Zheng bowed his hands in thanks, thinking that the prince is really kind . Li Jiancheng waved over a court lady and asked her to make a cup of sour plum soup.Li Yuanji over there has already started to get impatient, thinking about how big brother, mother-in-law and mother-in-law can achieve great things.He approached Wei Zheng and said bluntly: "Wei Xima, I just told my eldest brother that if you want to stabilize your position as the crown prince, you must get rid of Erlang himself. We know you are full of wisdom, please make a statement on this matter." Some big talk." Wei Zheng glanced at Li Yuanji's pimple-filled face, feeling a little annoyed in his heart, he really couldn't figure out why this ignorant brother had such an idea?At this time, the maid brought the sour plum soup into the hall, and Wei Zheng said, "Thank you, Prince, for the reward." He took the sour plum soup respectfully, and drank it down in one gulp. When he raised his head to drink the soup, a sense of pity suddenly arose in his heart.A cup of sour plum soup may seem ordinary, but Li Jiancheng's kindness and care are integrated into it. For this alone, it is worthwhile to follow him.Li Jiancheng is slightly weaker than Li Shimin, but he is outstanding after all.In the future, if he becomes a king, he must treat his subordinates and the people with generosity and benevolence, which is the blessing of the world.At this time, Wei Zheng's original disappointment suddenly disappeared without a trace, and the pride in his heart suddenly arose, and he was determined to do his best for Li Jiancheng. Wei Zheng no longer wondered what Li Yuanji was thinking, but talked freely according to his own thoughts. "That's right, my subordinates agree with King Qi's intention. If the country is safe and the people are safe, the most important thing right now is to get rid of King Qin! Right now, King Qin is hiding his power and biding his time there, and there seems to be no trace to be found. Who knows what he is planning there?" Wei Zheng's words inevitably made the two of them very confused. Li Yuanji wanted to get rid of Li Shimin out of selfishness, and didn't realize that there was anything unusual about Li Shimin, so he asked disdainfully: "Wei Xima likes to scare people, Erlang is now Being an idler is really a useless person, what big waves can he make?" Li Jiancheng said, "Yes, the Tiance Mansion's wings are exhausted, and with Erlang alone, it's really hard to do anything." Wei Zheng smiled coldly, and said seriously: "It is precisely because His Highness removed his subordinates that the root of great changes was planted. According to what I know, the King of Qin is capable of planning and making decisions, and has a strong character. There must be some unforeseen illness. Your Highness has already angered King Qin by dispersing his subordinates. According to my subordinates, if the situation remains like this within half a year, King Qin will definitely not be able to bear it any longer, and he will definitely take action." Li Jiancheng still didn't think so, and said: "What will he do? Could it be that he will lead the soldiers in his mansion to attack me? Hmph, if I let Xue Wanche be the gate of the palace alone, it will be difficult for his five hundred people to enter my palace." Although Li Yuanji felt that Wei Zheng's words were too much, but after all, it was consistent with his own meaning, so he persuaded Li Jiancheng, "Brother, what Wei Xima said makes sense. Brother, you can't hesitate any longer, otherwise chaos will arise." Wei Zheng nodded and said, "That's right, I hope His Highness will make a decision soon." Wei Zheng's words really moved Li Jiancheng, and he said: "In this case, let's find a fault with him and ask Father to demote him to a remote place." Wei Zheng hurriedly said: "You must not! If your Highness does this, you will take advantage of King Qin's wishes. After all, King Qin is weak in the capital; if he goes out, if he raises his arms and shouts, his old officials will gather Xiao together." , maybe something will go wrong." Li Yuanji said impatiently: "Brother, you can't hesitate any longer. The matter is obvious. Only by killing Erlang with one knife can we get rid of endless disasters. You are kind and don't want to ruin your reputation. You can back off. This matter is up to me alone." Just take it." Li Jiancheng shook his head and said: "Forget it, you all step back first, let me think about it." For the next few days, Li Jiancheng often sat alone, and it was difficult for outsiders to understand what was going on in his mind. At that time, East Turkic Yu Sheshe led tens of thousands of cavalry to the south of Hetao.Yu Sheshe is the son of Chuluo Khan. He has recently had conflicts with Jieli Khan, so he is stationed alone, implicitly resisting Jieli Khan.Li Yuan is very guarded against Jieli Khan, but he is not too concerned about Yu Sheshe.However, Yu Sheshe suddenly took a fancy to Wucheng, and led his troops to fight fiercely around Wucheng this day, intending to win it and expand his territory.When the news reached Chang'an, Li Yuan discussed with his ministers how to rescue Wucheng. Li Yuan said angrily: "I originally thought that Yu Sheshe was different from Jieli and would not take precautions against him. I didn't expect that all Turkic people have a wolf's heart. I think Yu Sheshe saw the domestic turmoil and thought I had no time to take care of the border. Let's join in the fun. Hmph, soldiers come to block, water comes to cover, forgive him for not being able to get half of the benefits." Li Jiancheng said: "Father, my son thinks that Li Jing, Li Shi, and Li Yi are already in the northern border, and they can send troops to break the siege of Wucheng. Send someone to preside over it to coordinate their march." Li Yuan nodded and said, "That's right. I sent three people, Li Jing, to divide the northern territory to prevent the Turks from invading the south. I didn't expect it to be used so soon. Prince, who do you think will be the commander?" Li Jiancheng glanced at Li Shimin, and said: "In the past, whenever there was a war, the King of Qin was usually the commander in chief. But now the King of Qin is busy presiding over the affairs of the Zhongshu Province, so he has no skills at all. I would like to protect King Qi as the commander in chief." In order to prevent Li Shimin from holding military power again, Li Yuan specially transferred Li Jing and Li Shi from the south of the Yangtze River to the north.At this time, he had already made up his mind that Li Shimin could not be allowed to go out again. Li Jiancheng's memorial just touched his heart, so he said with a smile on his face: "Okay, Shiro often went out with Erlang in the past, so he should go out to practice alone. It's time. Shiro, what do you think?" Li Yuanji came out of the class and said loudly: "I am willing to take the order to go out. There are Li Jing and others there to help me. I will definitely live up to my father's expectations." Seeing that Li Yuanji has also learned to be humble now, Li Yuan was even more happy in his heart, and couldn't help but praised: "I am more at ease if you don't conceal the credit of Li Jing and others. Let's draw up an order, and give Shiro the title of Marshal of Zhengbei, and set off soon .Prince and Erlang, on the day Shiro sets out, you two will host a banquet at Kunming Pond on my behalf, as a farewell farewell for him." Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin agreed in unison. At this time Li Yuanji said again: "Father, in order to ensure the victory in this battle, I have one more request." "As long as you ask for something, I will grant it." "My son thought that the King of Qin had fought the most battles with the Turks in recent years, and his generals were able to fight and experienced. My son would like to ask the emperor for permission to allocate the army under King Qin's tent to fund the Northern Expedition, so that he can win a little bit more. grasp." "Okay, now that you have such an idea, I feel more at ease. Erlang, what do you think?" Li Shimin took a step forward and said: "It is beneficial to the country, and I will do my best to do it. It's just that people like Qin Shubao, Cheng Yaojin, Duan Zhixuan and others are now scattered to various places. If they are called suddenly, I'm afraid it will be too late." Li Yuan said: "It might as well, let them go straight to Lingzhou from Rensuo, and then join Shiro. After this battle is over, they will return to their respective duties. You can quickly draw up an order and send it out quickly." Li Yuanji said again: "Yuchi Jingde is now idle in the capital as a scapegoat, but he has a place to be used as a fierce general. My father and son want to take Yuchi Jingde away and let him go to the battle to perform his crimes and make meritorious service. " "You don't need to ask me about such trivial matters, you can do as you see." Li Shimin had already understood Li Yuanji's intentions, seeing that he would not let Yuchi Jingde go, he couldn't help being shocked.He understood that it was time to take decisive measures. Li Shimin ordered the eldest Sun Wuji to summon Gao Shilian, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Yuchi Jingde, Hou Junji, and Zhang Gongjin, and when they sat down in a circle, Li Shimin looked serious and said slowly: "Si Lang is going to send the soldiers Breaking the siege of Wucheng, I think you all know it.” Everyone nodded. "This time, Shiro not only led Jingde and others, but also allocated the elite soldiers under my tent to benefit his army. The reason seemed high-sounding, but in fact, there was a huge treacherous conspiracy hidden. Wang Jun told me that Dalang After returning to the mansion with Shiro, the two called Wei Zheng to discuss secretly there for a long time. It is said that Shiro and Wei Zheng insisted on killing me, Dalang was hesitant at first, but finally he agreed with those two people." Fang Xuanling said: "They must be harmful to Jingde and others." Li Shimin sneered and said, "Hmph, I really can't figure out that Dalang has such a heart of snakes and scorpions. He said to Shiro: "Now you have Erlang's elite soldiers, and you have tens of thousands of soldiers. Then Erlang and I will go to Kunming Lake to see you farewell. You can make a strong man kill him under the curtain. Then you hear about his father and say that he died suddenly, and his father will definitely believe it. Since Yuchi Jingde and others are in your hands, if you want to kill him, you have to cut him into pieces.'” Fang Xuanling said: "That's right, and then they lead the army back to the city, and then force the emperor to grant the crown prince state affairs, then the big thing will be done." Li Shimin said: "That's right, that's what Da Lang said." Du Ruhui said: "That is to say, we must act before them." Li Shimin sighed: "Mutual fratricide is a great evil in ancient and modern times. Since they think so, it is better to wait for it first, and then punish it with righteousness. In this way we They will be famous as teachers, and the world will definitely say they are wrong." When Yuchi Jingde heard this, he immediately became anxious, and said: "Now that the disaster is imminent, but His Highness still doesn't feel worried. Even if His Highness takes himself lightly, where will the Ancestral Temple of Sheji be placed? If Your Highness doesn't take it first If you fight, you will be slaughtered, and Jingde will flee to the grass, not daring to stay around the king." Changsun Wuji also persuaded: "That's right, if you don't use the words of respecting virtue, the matter will undoubtedly fail." Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were summoned today, and after hearing what they said just now, they knew that Li Shimin had to take action.Seeing Li Shimin evading again, they thought that this was not his intention, but they dared not tell the truth, so they looked at Gao Shilian, the meaning in their eyes was to let him speak first. Gao Shilian moved his body and persuaded him: "Erlang, Jingde and Wuji's words are correct. The matter is very urgent now, and there is no room for hesitation. Of course, if you act too hastily, you must be cautious. Fortunately, we used to The things discussed are already in place, and today we only need to finalize some details, and then choose a date, and then we can start." Li Shimin didn't insist anymore, but still left a tail, and said: "Since everyone said so, let's discuss everything again. But I hope you understand my difficulty. What I just said is not without reason. It is best to have A surefire solution." Li Shimin was thinking about long-term issues at this time, and fratricide is not a good thing, if a passive situation can be formed, it will be passed on to future generations, and he will not take responsibility.However, where in the world are there so many good things that can have both fish and bear's paw?Li Shimin understood very well in his heart that now it was nothing more than a show. At this time, Du Ruhui said: "Everything is ready, the only thing we need is Dongfeng. Please set a date for the event, Your Highness, and we can finish it quickly." Yuchi Jingde said: "The king of Qi has already selected the date of the expedition, and he wants to start on the sixth day of June. If there is an incident, it must be before this date." Everyone counted the days, today is May 30th, and there are not many days left until the day of the expedition. Li Shimin concentrated for a moment, and then said: "Well, the time is too early and I am in a hurry, and it is too late and I am afraid of rebirth. The fourth day of June is not the time for the court, so let's make a preliminary decision on this day." He looked around the crowd slowly,接着道：“你们今天开始，按原定计策分头准备，晚上还来这里，届时再各自叙说一遍，不能有一点漏洞。如晦，想叔宝他们已经得了朝廷的敕命，正率领人马向灵州赶去，你可派出快马，通知他们改道，到潼关之前集结。四郎这样做也有好处，不用他们再分头募兵了，倒省了我们一番工夫。” 众人脸上终于露出一丝笑容。 房玄龄道：“殿下，事发之前的那几件事儿，还要你谨慎操作。” 李世民点头道：“我知道。” 此后，众人分头散去。 第二日，李世民找到屈突通，邀他一同出城骑射。然屈突通作为兵部尚书，这些天为了压制各地的暴乱，加上郁射设兵围乌城需要增兵，正在那里忙得团团转，自然没有时间陪同李世民出城。李世民见他那忙乱的劲儿，也不忍心再邀，就向他招招手，说道：“屈公，你找个僻静的房间，我与你说上几句话儿就走。” 屈突通现在虽为兵部尚书，不归李世民节制，然其毕竟曾经被授为秦王府长史，两人的感情就不同一般。他依言将李世民领到一间耳房内，吩咐手下不许来打扰。 李世民开门见山，说道：“屈公，你与那几名北军将领定是相熟。” 屈突通点点头。 “后天晚上，我想办些事儿，不喜欢看见他们在那里啰嗦。你既与他们相熟，就找个理由邀其聚在一起，最好到第二日午时，再放他们回归。” 屈突通不细问李世民到底要办什么事儿，爽快地答应道：“为防郁射设来攻，皇上让加强京城戒备。等到后日，我可召集这些禁卫将领出城巡视，这样大约需要两日时间，可使他们不在京城。” 李世民摇头道：“不好，他们若从容离去，则诸事皆有安顿，须另寻别的法儿。” 屈突通此时隐约猜到了李世民的意图，就在那里苦苦筹思良策。这时，李世民提醒他道：“听说那几人善饮，屈公何不从这方面打些主意？” “若请他们饮酒，这事儿好办。只是朝中之人皆知我不善饮，突然间请了这几个低品官儿，未免惊世骇俗。对，有了，刘政会新近又筑了一处宅子，他好饮酒，我就拉着这几人前去祝贺，然后让他们陪政会饮酒，这样事儿就做得自然了。”刘政会即是李渊起兵时告王威、高君雅者，此时任刑部尚书，与屈突通也是多年老友。 李世民微笑上脸，说道：“这样最好，你再对刘公说，让他找几个善饮之人与这几人好好对饮一场，直饮个天昏地暗最好。他们若烂醉如泥，一觉定能睡到第二日午时。”屈突通连声答应，说定将此事办妥，然后恭恭敬敬将李世民送出门外。 天策府内上上下下开始忙乱起来，不觉就到了六月初三。这日傍晚，西面天上铺满红云，落日的余晖将长安城内的房舍罩成一片金黄。李世民单骑出了天策府门，很快就来到玄武门前，就见大门已经紧闭，仅留下一个角门供人出入。守门禁卫见秦王来到，神情顿时恭顺，一面让李世民少歇，一面去飞报常何。 常何很快来到，口称道：“皇上有旨，准秦王入宫。”原来宫城制度，入夜后即禁人入内，没有李渊口谕，禁卫不敢放任何人入城。此前，李世民让长孙无忌持自己亲笔书信传入宫中，言说自己有秘事相告请见李渊，已获准进宫。 常何陪同李世民走了一段，看到左右无人，常何悄悄说道：“奉殿下教令，小人已将诸事办妥，望秦王放心。” 李世民并不言语，仅拿眼睛定定注视常何，四目相对，两人都读懂了各人的意思。李世民伸手重重地捏了一下常何之臂膀，然后大步流星向宫内行去。 李渊刚刚用过晚膳，正独自坐在烛火之下默默沉思。李世民被准进入殿内，即伏地叩首道：“儿臣求见父皇，惊扰了父皇的安静，委实罪该万死。” 李渊说道：“罢了，起来吧，有什么话坐下来说。” 李世民起身道：“儿臣紧急来见父皇，实在因事关重大，不得不来。” 李渊哼了一声，说道：“你能有什么重要的事儿？是不是又与四郎闹别扭了？” “父皇圣明。儿臣今日来，正是想告大哥和四弟淫乱后宫、图谋害我的事儿。” 李渊大为震惊：“淫乱后宫？图谋害你？有这么严重吗？二郎，我知你一直对大郎和四郎耿耿于怀，你不可妄说啊！” “儿臣现有真实凭据，不敢欺瞒父皇半分。” “如此，你可慢慢讲来。” “大哥和四弟淫乱后宫，已非复一日。这两名贱妇即是尹德妃和张婕妤，她们私下里抱怨父皇又有新宠，就与大哥和四弟做同了一路。尹、张两人每每出宫，即与大哥和四弟厮混在一起。他们买通了其身旁的宫女、太监，独独瞒了父皇一人。” 李渊勃然大怒：“该死！” “儿臣现有人证物证。父皇给诸妃的月例，皆有定数，请父皇到尹、张两人房中搜上一搜，其中的金银器物，何止万金，这皆是大哥和四弟所奉。至于她们为家人广置田宅，儿臣这里有一份单子，请父皇核查。”李世民从身上掏出一张单子，起身递给李渊。 李渊不接单子，脸上颜色铁青，显然恼怒万分，沉声道：“人证呢？” “万贵妃为后宫之主，多闻她们劣行，已训诫多次。为顾父皇脸面，万贵妃隐忍至今，父皇一问便知。” 李渊大声向殿外喊道：“召万贵妃。” 很快，万贵妃轻步疾来，她此时五十五岁，虽平时修身养性，举止优雅，毕竟已现出了老态。她走到李渊面前拜道：“陛下召臣妾前来，不知有何事吩咐？” 李渊伸手掸落面前的那张单子，严厉说道：“二郎告说大郎、四郎淫乱后宫，那尹、张两人果然如此淫荡吗？你为后宫之首，可据实道来。” 万贵妃看了一眼李世民，然后跪下奏道：“臣妾该死，实不该瞒了皇上。臣妾曾规诫过她们多次，然其自恃曾助陛下夺了江山，将臣妾也不放在眼里，依旧我行我素。” 李渊脸如死灰，挥手让万贵妃退下，万贵妃寥寥数语，足证二女行为不轨，他不想再听细说。李渊见万贵妃退出了殿门，眼眶中忽然涌出泪花，哽咽道：“李门不幸，竟然出了此等龌龊兽行。二郎，你说他们要图谋你，到底是什么事儿？” “此次四弟将兵，将儿臣手下骁将精兵皆纳入其手下。大哥和四弟又悄悄商议，欲俟儿臣去昆明池为四弟饯行的时候，悄悄伏下猛士来刺杀儿臣，然后返兵入城，再逼父皇退位。” 李渊有点不相信，冷冷说道：“大郎为人忠厚宽仁，不是这样的性情。二郎，大郎和四郎悄悄说的话，又如何传入了你的耳中？” “儿臣不敢说半句假话。东宫率更丞王晊秉性正直，不忍看儿臣因此丧命，故秘密将此话告我。父皇，大哥和四弟说这些话的时候，还有东宫洗马魏征在场。父皇若不信，可将这两人召来询问，即知个中详细。” 李渊拍案立起，大怒道：“反了，反了。我生了你们这帮孽畜，若不把我气死，就难称了你们的心意。”这句话连带着将李世民也骂了进去。 李渊在殿内来回转悠，暴怒不已。李世民的眼珠子跟着他的脚步来回转动，不敢再发一声。过了一会儿，李渊走到李世民的身边停下，问道：“他们何至于对你有如此刻骨仇恨呢？我现在已经明确大郎为储君，正在逐步交权给他，你这段时间还算乖觉，到底为了什么？” 李世民伏地涕泣道：“父皇啊，儿臣自忖没有什么地方负于他们，然其坚执要杀儿臣，实在没有什么理由。儿这几日细细想来，他们似是想替王世充、窦建德报仇。儿今日若死，永违君亲，也就罢了。然魂归地下，实在耻见王、窦诸贼。”李世民的这番话实在有点牵强，李建成何至于要替王世充、窦建德报仇呢？不过李渊在盛怒之下，并未细究，倒是又想起了李世民的诸多功劳。 李渊沉思片刻，觉得李建成和李元吉实在可恨。又转念一想，他们兄弟之间前一段时间争斗不已，事情虚虚实实、难辨真假，还是要稳妥为上。想到这里，他召来通事舍人道：“传太子、齐王、裴监、萧郎、陈侍中明晨到两仪殿来见朕。”然后转向李世民柔声道，“二郎，你先回去，明晨也同时来见我。大郎和四郎若真有此劣行，定当鞫问。你们的事儿这次要彻底解决，今后不能再有反复。” 李世民见李渊的态度很坚决，心中大喜，遂谢恩退出。他出了宫城之门，并不直接回府，而是打马直奔开化坊，萧瑀的府第即在该坊的东南角。 萧瑀刚刚送走了通事舍人，正在让家人为他准备明日上朝之服饰。他愣在那里纳闷，明晨不是早朝之例日，皇上夜来传令去朝，定有非常事情。这时门房传言，说秦王来访，他急忙迎出门外。 两人到屋中坐定，李世民当头问道：“想是萧公已知道明日朝见的事儿？” “是呀，老臣正在这里纳闷，皇上到底有什么急事儿？” 李世民顿时垂下泪来，哽咽着将刚才的事儿说了一遍。 萧瑀大为震惊，颤声道：“太子和齐王越来越不像话了，他们怎么能这样做？二郎，你尽管放心，老臣我明日定当在皇上面前据理力争，好歹要让你有个安稳之地。我想皇上也不会太糊涂，怎能任由他们糟蹋我朝的有功之臣呢？” “世民来此正为萧公之言。我们兄弟之间的嫌隙已成，势不能弥合。我旧话重提，望萧公向父皇进言，容放我出京，只要有一处能够安身的地方，即使为一农夫，我心亦足矣。” “秦王不可。你有如此能耐，岂能去做一农夫？嗯，你放心，老臣定当努力争取。说句实在话，太子也就罢了，那齐王跋扈的样儿，老臣也实在看不惯，若他在朝中横行，会成什么样子？” “世民谨拜萧公高义。” 李世民见已经把话说到了位，遂起身告辞，萧瑀也起身送客。这时，李世民忽然想起一事，叮嘱道：“萧公，我现在去陈侍中府上一趟，明日你们可约往一起，共同上朝。要知道裴监和大郎他们素来交好，不可让他赶在前头。事不宜迟，届时请你们先行一步。” 萧瑀点头答应。 李世民到了陈叔达的府中，又是声泪俱下一番，让陈叔达陪同落泪。陈叔达誓言声声，说拼着今晚一夜不睡，要起草一道奏章，其中历数太子和齐王的不是之处，明晨进呈皇上。李世民又将让他与萧瑀一同上朝的话嘱咐一遍，陈叔达答应明日定早早入宫侍候。