Qian Song

...

After the crown prince candidates were in place, Li Cun arranged for them to practice in new positions based on their respective shortcomings.

For example, Li Di had no military experience, so Li Cun asked Li Di to serve as the governor of the Nanjing Military Region.

For example, Li Chu had no political experience, so Li Cun asked Li Chu to serve as the governor of Yingtian.

For another example, Li Qi had neither military experience nor political experience, so Li Cun arranged for him to serve as the prime minister of the state.

What many people didn't expect was that many of Li Cun's outstanding sons seemed to be strong contenders for the crown prince, but ended up giving up their status as candidates within a few days.

The most typical examples are Li Chu, Li Qi and Li Mian.

Li Chu only served as the governor of Yingtian for three days before he came to Li Cun and said bluntly:

"Father, I am not destined to be an emperor. I am good at fighting, but I may not be able to govern the country. In fact, I have never wanted to be an emperor. I just want to be a general for the rest of my life. I am coming back this time. , the main reason is to meet my father and have a drink with him, why don’t you go back to the northeast and continue to guard this place for your father and me?”

Li Cun did not force Li Chu, because Li Cun, who knew Li Chu better from the beginning, felt that Li Chu was not suitable to be the crown prince.

However, Li Chu was elected by Li Cun's descendants after all. In order to be fair and just, Li Cun must treat Li Chu equally.

Now, Li Chu himself voluntarily gave up being a candidate for the crown prince. Not only was Li Cun not unhappy, but he was very pleased, because Li Chu, a child, knew what he was more suitable for. In this way, his life would definitely not go wrong.

Li Cun, who had not had a drink for several years, had a drink with Li Chu for the first time, but was overdrinked by Li Chu, who drank a lot.

When Li Cun sobered up the next day, Li Chu came to say goodbye and then returned to the Northeast Military Region.

Li Chu left so freely and without any nostalgia.

Li Qi is in a similar situation to Li Qi.

Unlike the child who cried before going to war, Li Qi, who has been in charge of the world economy for many years, has already become bold and decisive.

Not long after Li Qi boarded the train to Central Asia, Li Qi's men drove to chase Li Qi, and then asked Li Qi to come up with a big idea on an international financial issue, not too big or too small.

Li Qi perfectly solved this problem by dividing three times, five times, and two times.

Li Qi didn't think that kind of satisfaction could be given to him after he became emperor.

Li Qi asked himself again: "Am I really suitable to be an emperor? Do I have the political wisdom and decisiveness of my father and brother? Isn't it good for me to just be my envoy?"

So, Li Qi ignored the dissuasion of all his staff, got off the train at the next stop, and then returned to Jinling City.

After returning to Jinling City, Li Qi went into the palace to meet Li Cun, and then carefully said to Li Cun:

"Father, sons and ministers... sons and ministers are good at arithmetic, but not good at governing the country. If my father has no other sons and grandsons who are suitable to take over my affairs, the sons and ministers will be obliged to do so. But now, the number of outstanding sons and grandsons of my father is as great as the crucian carp crossing the river. Among the sons, brothers, and nephews of my sons and ministers, there are not only one thousand but also eight hundred who are suitable to be emperor. There is no shortage of sons and ministers. How about I continue to manage the economy for my father and the emperor?"

Just like when Li Cun didn't force Li Qi to join the army, Li Cun rubbed the head of Li Qi, who had grown taller than Li Cun, and said with a smile: "My son has grown up and knows how to choose. I am very happy, although You don’t want to take charge of me, but I’m still proud of you.”

Li Qi, who had not cried for many years, unconsciously shed tears again after hearing Li Cun's words. He knew that his father had seen all the efforts he had made over the years. , he did not pay in vain.

Li Qi wiped his tears with his sleeve and said, "Thank you, father!"

Li Cun did not just send Li Qi away. Instead, he had a lot of chats with Li Qi, including his views on economics and finance, as well as his inquiries about Li Qi's family affairs. The father and son chatted for a long time, and they were still talking. Had a meal together.

The third person who came to Li Cun to withdraw from the crown prince campaign was Li Mian.

Li Mian told Li Cun: "Father, I am committed to promoting the Chinese language, promoting Chinese characters, and promoting Chinese culture, so as to truly unify the world. I think this is the only way to achieve my great plan for thousands of years, and it is better than doing it." As emperor, my sons and ministers want to continue to move westward to develop education."

Li Cun said: "My son is right. Qin Shihuang unified the six countries with the same writing, the same track, the same system, the same practice, and the same land. This is how China was created. What my son has done now is similar in purpose and purpose." "

Li Cun not only highly praised Li Mian's ideas verbally, but also provided Li Mian with one billion yuan in funds to strongly support Li Mian's educational undertakings.

Li Mian did not refuse, and took his team on the train to Europe the next day...

After that, several candidates successively chose to withdraw from the selection of the crown prince.

However, even so, there are still 23 Li Cun's sons working hard to win the crown prince position according to the test Li Cun gave them.

The remaining 23 candidates for the crown prince are not only strong-willed, but also outstanding in various abilities.

It is no exaggeration to say that even if Li Cun randomly chooses one of them to inherit his throne, he will be fine.

This is the advantage of having more sons, and it is also the inevitable result of Li Cun letting all his sons out for training early and letting them work from the grassroots up.

Li Yunwen competed with these 23 crown prince candidates for less than half a year, and it was obvious that Li Yunwen was completely defeated.

This is because Li Yunwen has a strong think tank team behind him. Otherwise, Li Yunqi would have been outperformed by these 23 candidates for the crown prince.

Of course, behind every candidate for crown prince, there is also a strong think tank team.

By the way, Li Cun's selection of the crown prince this time may not mean that he has no intention of selecting the team that will govern the Daqian Dynasty in the future.

Therefore, Li Cun is not opposed to a group of crown prince candidates seeking a think tank team to help them.

After all, employing people is also an ability that an emperor must master. No, it should be said that employing people is the most important ability of an emperor.

but--

There was one thing that Li Cun didn't expect.

That is, when Li Yunwen showed far different abilities, knowledge and performance than the candidate, under Chen Miaozhen's care, Fang Baihua, whose condition had already improved, suddenly fell ill.

In those days, Li Cun went to Fang Baihua almost every day, and sometimes he no longer even maintained the habit of controlling three or five women every day.

In a blink of an eye, it’s time for peonies to bloom again.

I don’t know why, but the peonies that have always been blooming very beautifully and dignifiedly in the Royal Garden in previous years are sparsely blooming this year, and there are no signs of life at all.

This situation has never happened before.

Li Cun's concubines, female officials, and palace maids were all chattering privately, saying that this was not a good sign.

Li Cun didn't believe it and went to see it himself. He saw that the peonies in the imperial garden were indeed sparsely blooming, which made people feel very melancholy and sad.

Fang Baihua followed Li Cun when she was less than 20 years old. Before the two got married, she was deceived by Li Cun, and then they had a secret pregnancy.

After that, Fang Baihua accompanied Li Cun to conquer the country and helped Li Cun stabilize the country.

To be honest, Fang Baihua could have become a very good female general like in history, galloping on the battlefield heroically and finally being shrouded in horse leather.

That would be a wonderful life.

But Fang Baihua helped Li Cun manage the harem for nearly 40 years for Li Cun, and her hard work was very fruitful.

Moreover, Fang Baihua gave birth to five sons and four daughters for Li Cun throughout her life, second only to Concubine Qian, and was the woman who gave birth to the second most children for Li Cun.

The key is that Fang Baihua made Li Cun, who had already disbelieved in love in his previous life, slowly believe in love again.The key point is that Fang Baihua tolerated all Li Cun's faults, including those that would hurt Fang Baihua.

Undoubtedly, it was Fang Baihua who cured Li Cun.

In Li Cun's opinion, if there is an angel in this world, it must be Fang Baihua.

However, Li Cun was romantic and flirtatious all his life, and failed Fang Baihua's love for him.

Although Li Cun has never blamed himself for this and still goes his own way, this does not mean that deep down in his heart, Li Cun does not feel guilty towards Fang Baihua, who loves him wholeheartedly.

It was precisely because of this guilt that Li Cun spent a lot of time with Fang Baihua every day during Fang Baihua's last days.

At noon that day, a solar eclipse suddenly occurred over Nanjing.

The bright white sun gradually turned black and dull, and the center of the sun seemed to be a piece of gold melted, and the golden solution was constantly boiling and surging.The surroundings of the solution were dense and green, as if a vast water wave was spinning.

The eclipse lasted until the evening before the sky returned to normal.

It is also "Ri Youyi" which represents disaster and suffering.

This was the first solar eclipse since Li Cun became emperor.

This cast a shadow over Li Cun's heart.

In the eyes of the ancients, a solar eclipse in the sky meant that the emperor acted inappropriately. This was a warning from God to the emperor.

Although Li Cun can explain this solar eclipse in a scientific way.

However, Li Cun, who had already passed the age of having no taboos, still followed the usual practice and issued the "Edict of Sin": "The ruler is immoral and the government is uneven, so that... the world is not good enough. I admire the three lights, but I can't do it. I have done something wrong when it comes to managing and educating all living beings. I am willing to promote virtuous and upright people and speak out and give my best advice to correct my mistakes."

Li Cun hoped to use the "Edict of Sin" to eliminate the doubts and uneasiness in people's hearts, as well as the misfortunes that might happen.
Unfortunately, although Li Cun was already very pious, a misfortune still befell Li Cun.

One night, Fang Baihua suddenly felt hot and shivering all over.

Li Cun urgently summoned Chen Miaozhen to treat Fang Baihua, and he also went to visit Fang Baihua immediately.

When Li Cun arrived at Kunning Palace, he saw Fang Baihua lying quietly on the bed with his eyes closed, his face pale and his breathing weak.

Chen Miaozhen, who arrived before Li Cun, shook her head at Li Cun and signaled that Fang Baihua was dying, and asked Li Cun to tell Fang Baihua quickly if he had anything to say.

Li Cun quickly walked to the bed and gently held Fang Baihua's hand.

Fang Baihua felt the familiar big hand, and her face suddenly turned rosy. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled: "The official is here?"

Li Cun nodded.

Fang Baihua moved her body slightly, and held Li Cun's hand firmly, with affection and tears welling up in her eyes: "I am a humble concubine who was born in a humble family, but now I have met the divine grace. My wish is enough. Even if I die, I will have no regrets!"

Li Cun also cried silently.

"Although my concubine's bones are buried in nine springs, her soul is always around the official family. I hope that the official family will always remember the people of the world and put the ancestral temple and society as the most important thing. The concubine can't bear to leave, but the fate is here. The official family must take care of the holy body and don't miss it too much..."

Li Cunyi was still unfinished, but Fang Baihua's voice suddenly stopped.

Li Cun looked at Fang Baihua and saw that Fang Baihua's face was still rosy, his hands were warm, and his body was still soft.

Li Cun didn't believe that Fang Baihua just left like this. He hugged Fang Baihua's body and sobbed.

After hearing the news, the concubines and female officials who came over, as well as Fang Baihua's children, grandchildren, and granddaughters, stood nearby and all cried.

In this era, Fang Baihua passed away at the age of nearly 60 years old, which can be regarded as the end of life.

But Li Cun was still very sad!
After conquering Europe, Li Cun "invited" all the best sculptors in Europe to come back.

At that time, Li Cun had nothing to do, so he asked the sculptors to make two or three sculptures for each of his concubines. Even for the concubines of Li Cun who had passed away, Li Cun had their portraits and portraits made familiar to them. Their people found them and asked those sculptors to make sculptures for them.

After these sculptures were made, Li Cun had them all put into his imperial tomb.

correct.

Forgot to say.

Long before Li Cun left the homeland of the Daqian Dynasty and went on a western expedition, Li Cun asked Tian Zhuang to choose a mountain for himself and build an imperial mausoleum for him modeled on the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang and the Qianling Mausoleum.

Li Cun's requirements were that, firstly, it should be as secretive as possible, and secondly, it should be safe so that ordinary tomb robbers could not steal his imperial tomb.

In order to do this well, Tian Zhuang personally went to the Mohist Island (a small island gifted to the Mohist family by Li Cun), invited the contemporary giants of the Mohist family, and invited all the masters of the people to jointly build this island for Li Cun. An imperial mausoleum.

It can be said that in the twilight years of his life, Tian Zhuang did nothing else but focused on building this imperial mausoleum for Li Cun.

After ten years and countless manpower and material resources, Tian Zhuang finally built the imperial mausoleum for Li Cun before his death.

Before Tian Zhuang died, he secretly asked Li Cun if he wanted all the people who built the imperial mausoleum for Li Cun to be buried with him.

Tian Zhuang was quite compassionate. Before asking Li Cun this question, he guaranteed with the lives of 360 members of the Tian family that even if Li Cun didn't kill the people who built the imperial mausoleum for Li Cun, no one would be able to steal it. Li Cun's imperial mausoleum must be a hundred times stronger than Qian's mausoleum.

Li Cun's reply to Tian Zhuang was: "Forget it, let them make an oath and let them go. I don't expect that my imperial mausoleum will never be stolen. I just don't want my imperial mausoleum to be easily stolen by some villains." They just stole it."

After Li Cun's imperial mausoleum was built, Li Cun sent his confidants to put some things in it from time to time.

Like the coffins of his deceased concubines.

Like two sets of "Hongwu Dadian".

Like some important human cultural relics and documents that are easily buried in history.

It's also like the sculpture of one's own concubine.

It is worth mentioning that Li Cun specifically issued an imperial edict that gold, silver and jewelry were not allowed to be placed in his imperial mausoleum.

This can be regarded as a way for Li Cun to prevent theft.

Because Fang Baihua could not be forgotten, Li Cun asked his confidants to take out a sculpture of Fang Baihua from his imperial mausoleum and place it in his study. He also issued an edict that after his death, he would not need to bring anything else with him. However, , must take this sculpture of Fang Baihua back to the imperial mausoleum.

Fang Baihua's death hit Li Cun hard.

It took almost three months for Li Cun to slowly recover with the comfort of his concubines.

Three months later, Li Cun asked Li Yunwen to go to Prince Continent to succeed Li Pu as the king of Biaoguo.

At this point, Li Yunwen completely lost the possibility of becoming the crown prince.

The other 23 candidates have entered the second stage of selection, which is to take their respective think tank teams to visit various places in the Daqian Dynasty and lobby Li Cun's children and grandchildren who have been scattered around the world to support them. When the crown prince...

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