Tiantang Splendid

Forgiveness does not kill
Hearing what Fang Jun said, Cui Xin breathed a sigh of relief...

Since it is coercing these tens of thousands of Shandong children as hostages and forcing the Shandong family to cooperate in measuring the acres, it means that His Majesty has no intention of sending these Shandong children to the frontier to "guard the border".

Although the land of Shandong is vast, as long as you cooperate with the court as much as possible, it will be enough to measure it within three to two years. At that time, His Majesty will naturally have no excuse to detain these Shandong children. As long as these people return to Shandong, the Shandong family will be able to quickly recover within ten years.

Once the emperor and the courtiers, if the emperor changes in the future, the Shandong family may not have no hope of revival.

But he still asked: "Then how does His Majesty plan to deal with these Shandong children?"

It is not an easy task to detain tens of thousands of people. Not only do we need to send enough troops to detain them, but we also need to provide food. Can’t they all starve to death?
Fang Jun paused, and said: "Guanzhong suffered two mutinies, the population dropped sharply, and the city defenses were damaged. A lot of manpower was needed to restore farmland, build cities, and repair roads. These tens of thousands of Shandong private troops just came in handy. But there is no need to worry. Your Majesty has ordered the navy to purchase a large amount of rice from Nanyang and transport it to Guanzhong for consumption. It's beautiful."

Cui Xin was silent.

In fact, he had already expected this possibility, and now he heard it from Fang Jun, and he knew that this matter was almost inseparable.

As for what Fang Jun said "there will be no cruelty to the soldiers", just listen to it, tens of thousands of Shandong children are still "captives", how can they be treated well?The best outcome is "not starving to death". As for how many people can return to their original places, they can only resign themselves to fate...

However, he couldn't say a word of dissatisfaction, and he didn't dare to say that he was the first anyway, and the Shandong private army under his command could only be counted as a surrender, not a prisoner.

*****
In the evening, the rain that had stopped for a long time began to fall again. After Li Chengqian hurriedly finished his dinner, he stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back and looked at the rain outside the window, concentrating for a long time without moving.

Queen Su came from behind, put a cloak on Li Chengqian, and said softly: "Your Highness is worried about the flood in Guanzhong?"

Li Chengqian hummed, and sighed, "At this time of the past years, it has been frozen and snowed, but this year's weather is very different. The rivers in Guanzhong have surged. If it hadn't been for last year's Jingzhao government to organize manpower to dredge the rivers and strengthen the dams, I am afraid that it would have become a swamp country now... Could it be that I really am not destined for it, and even if I steal the throne, I will also be punished by heaven?"

"How can Your Majesty be so arrogant?"

Empress Su uttered a word of anger, took half a step forward and leaned her tender body slightly against Li Chengqian's body, hugged an arm with both hands, and the scent of orchids and musk deer filled Li Chengqian's nose, admonishing him: "The fate belongs to it, it is mysterious and unpredictable, who can really see the secrets of heaven? Since your majesty sits on the throne and rules the world, at least it means that the people of this world support you, and man will conquer the sky. As long as everyone is united, the destiny will also be subdued."

"Hehe, the queen is very eloquent, but why does it sound like Fang Jun? Well, the heart of heaven is the heart of the people, and the heart of the people, and the will of the people, man will conquer heaven... there is some truth in it."

Patting the back of Su's hand, Li Chengqian took off his cloak, and said, "It's time for me to see the pheasant slave, and tell him the truth about people's support."

……

East Palace.

Arriving at the gate of the Lizheng Hall, Li Chengqian stopped and looked up at this small and delicate palace, which was not grand and regal, feeling mixed feelings for a moment.After the change of Xuanwumen that year, Emperor Taizong was conferred the title of prince by Emperor Gaozu, and lived here for a short time, and then moved to Taiji Palace from here, ascended the throne as emperor, ruled the world, and created the Zhenguan Dynasty.

But now things have changed, the queen mother and the queen father died one after another, the pheasant slave even tried to change his fate against the sky, and he was defeated and captured, and imprisoned here...

"I have seen Your Majesty!"

The soldiers of the Hundred Cavalry Division guarding here saw His Majesty approaching and rushed to greet him.

Li Chengqian hummed and asked, "How is King Jin?"

The soldier said: "The spirit is a bit decadent, and he looks very frightened, and he has not eaten or touched any rice today."

Li Chengqian frowned: "But the food is not good, did you treat King Jin too slowly?"

The soldier was taken aback, he could not bear the charge, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, the meals are all prepared by the imperial dining room, and all the meals are the highest standard of the prince, and they are sent to the palace after being tested to be non-poisonous. We dare not treat His Royal Highness Jin Wang badly."

"Okay, I'll go in to visit the King of Jin, and you'll be the guards. If you make a mistake, don't blame me for severely punishing you."

"Here!"

The soldiers retreated, and Li Chengqian left only one Wang De, who accompanied him up the steps, opened the door and entered the Lizheng Hall.

The light in the hall was dim, and no candles were lit. Seeing Li Chengqian entering, the two maids hurried forward to salute him. Li Chengqian waved his hand to let him step down, and walked to the window.

There was a mat on the floor in front of the window. Li Zhi was wearing a silk uniform and sitting on his knees. He was staring at the rain outside the window and the gradually dimming twilight.

The slightly thin body looks a little thin...

Li Chengqian stood behind him, looking at the lifeless Li Zhi, the anger accumulated in his heart due to the mutiny dissipated instantly, and the words that were originally full of reprimands turned into a sigh...

"Hey, tell me about you, why bother?"

Li Zhi remained motionless.

Li Chengqian took two steps forward, raised his clothes and knelt on the other side, and waved his hand at Wang De. Wang De hurriedly found the candlestick, picked up the torch on the side and lit the candle. Orange candlelight rose in the hall. The floor was clean and bright, the hall was empty and deep, and the twilight outside the window became darker and deeper...

Li Chengqian saw that Li Zhi was silent, so he said to himself: "Later, I will send someone to bring the concubine Jin over, and the prince of Jin will also bring it with me. Don't worry, although you are disloyal to me, the empire, The people are unrighteous, but I am not as decisive as my father, so I will not give you to death. From now on, you will live in this Lizheng Hall."

Both public and private, the pheasant slaves cannot be killed, they can only be imprisoned within this palace wall for this lifetime.

Li Zhi, who was kneeling like a rock, finally couldn't help shaking his shoulders, and then slowly turned his head, with both surprise and astonishment in his eyes, his lips twitched twice, and asked in a harsh voice: "Your Majesty... really don't kill me?"

Cutting the weeds and rooting out the roots is an iron law in political struggles. Emperor Taizong had already defeated Prince Li Jiancheng's forces after the "Xuanwu Gate Change", but he still wanted to send troops into the East Palace and kill all the top and bottom of the Qi Palace. Otherwise, how could Zhenguan have been stable for more than ten years?
This defeat, from the moment he raised the flag of rebellion, it was doomed that the only relationship between him and Li Chengqian was life and death.

But I don't want to be forgiven by Li Chengqian when I am in jail now...

Li Chengqian raised his head slightly, his eyes wandered in the candle-drenched hall, his eyes were full of memories and nostalgia: "Gengyin day and night in June of the second year of Wude, in this hall, you, the ninth brother, just fell to the ground, and I was only ten years old at that time. Qing Que and the third brother rushed into the hall together and saw the queen sitting on the couch, holding you in her arms. Brother, please take care of me and love me..."

Among Taizong's sons, Li Chengqian, Li Kuan, and Li Ke were the same age, Li Tai was one year younger, and Li Kuan's mother was a court lady who was succeeded by Taizong's younger brother, Chuai King Li Zhiyun, who died young.So Li Chengqian, Li Ke, and Li Tai grew up together since they were young, and they have the closest relationship.

To this day, Li Chengqian can still clearly remember the furnishings in the Lizheng Hall back then. Time flies, and the voice and smile of Empress Wende are still fresh in his memory, and he can also clearly remember every word he said to him back then.

If it wasn't for the early death of his mother, he, the crown prince, would naturally sit securely. Why would there be so many fights for the crown later on?
Li Chengqian recalled the past, thinking of his mother's warmth and brotherly love, smiled, and said with a sigh: "They all said that I am not the king who governs the country. I refused to accept it before. I think I can do what my father can do. It is nothing more than speaking out and accepting advice with an open mind. As long as I am not self-willed and perverse, the emperor will naturally continue to do it. But now, I realize that I am very wrong. In fact, I am not as good as my father. At least my father treats brothers and sisters. Decisive, I can't do it no matter what."

It is easy to kill Li Zhi, a cup of poisoned wine and three feet of white silk are enough. Li Zhi is guilty of treason, and the whole world will not be able to say a word about him as an emperor. Even if there are some small public opinions, they will disappear after the passage of time.

But he couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart.

Raising the butcher's knife to exterminate the grass and roots of his brother is easier said than done, as long as he thinks that he may spend the rest of his life in self-blame and guilt, he will not do it...

He raised his hand and patted Li Zhi's shoulder, and said with a smile, "Well, let's live here. All supplies will be treated as a super prince. If you have any requirements, you can let me know at any time, and I will satisfy you. Your eldest son will also live here, and I will find them the best teachers to teach them. When the world is peaceful and the world is peaceful, I will let them go out to be officials, and the title of King Jin will not be deprived. Your descendants will enjoy the title of King Jin, wealth and glory for generations Hua, rest with the country."

Doesn't he know that as long as King Jin is alive, it will be a huge hidden danger?
He naturally knows it well, but he is willing to take this risk, just to preserve this brotherhood, so that he won't be ashamed to meet his father, queen and queen in the future...

I have already sat on the throne of the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, ruled the world, and ruled the Kyushu, so why should I bear the infamy of the murderer and endure the torture of conscience for the rest of my life?

Fang Er's words are good: take a step back, the sea and the sky will be bright...

(End of this chapter)