The film and television world begins with the battle for the throne in Kowloon

Chapter 965 Li Ke Meets the King
Zhangsun Wugou's words made everyone feel relieved, and Wu Wang Li Ke was particularly happy. Chai Zhewei, Sun Fujia, and Xue Wanche from Wu Wang's family were also happy. Although Wu Wang was not a legitimate son, he was the eldest among the princes after Li Chengqian's death.

The Emperor has also made some comments similar to Yingguo's, so how can we be sure that the throne will not fall to the eldest son?

Under the jealous or envious gazes of Li Tai, Li You and Li Zhi, Li Ke followed Wang De into the bedroom where Li Shimin was resting.

After passing through the imperial study and coming to the inner room, he saw Li Shimin leaning on the couch, closing his eyes and resting, breathing slightly. Li Ke hurriedly stepped forward and knelt respectfully, saying, "Your son Li Ke, I pay my respects to the emperor. I wish the emperor good health and longevity."

"Forget it, get up and sit down!" Li Shimin opened his eyes and pointed to the brocade cushion in front of the imperial couch.

Li Ke thanked him again in fear, then carefully sat down on the stool and looked up at Li Shimin. Seeing that the old man looked like he was dying at any time, he felt sad for some reason.

Li Ke took advantage of the situation to stir up the sadness in his heart, his eyes streaming down, and he sobbed, "Father, Father, wuwu. wuwu"

"It's only been a few days since we last met, and Father has become so haggard due to illness. I feel so sad. Woo. Woo."

Before Li Ke could finish his words, he knelt on the edge of the bed, grabbed Li Shimin's arm and burst into tears. His sadness was so heartfelt that one could feel its sincerity. Li Shimin sighed silently and reached out to stroke the back of Li Ke's head.

"Ke'er, don't cry. Birth, aging, illness and death are common to all people. Everyone will have such a day. Father just came a little early."

When Li Ke heard this, he felt even more heartbroken. It had been twenty years since he heard his father call him "Ke'er".

Li Ke raised his head and said with tears in his eyes: "But father is in the prime of his life, less than fifty years old. I would rather give my life to father so that he can recover and let me bear the pain of illness for him."

This was the first time that Li Shimin had met his son alone since he fell ill.

Li Ke's crying aroused the feeling of blasphemy in Li Shimin's heart, reminding him that he was not only an emperor but also a father.

The two of them sighed for a while, and then Li Shimin asked: "Ke'er, your father is gone, but the Tang Dynasty must be passed on. You are the oldest among the princes. Who do you think is the most suitable to take over the country I leave behind?"

'Well'

Only then did Li Ke break away from the father-son relationship and think of the purpose of his visit.

Hearing Li Shimin ask this, a feeling of grievance welled up in his heart, mixed with uncontrollable resentment.

Do you also know that I am the eldest son now?

Don’t you understand that the eldest should not be the youngest?

My mother is a princess of the previous dynasty, and her mother's family is from the royal family. Among all the noble families in the whole world, is there any family more prominent than the Yang family?
Compared with Changsun and Yang, she is not even worthy of carrying my shoes.

In terms of nobility and seniority, who else could be the new crown prince but me? But Li Shimin asked me this at this time, which was clearly making things difficult for me.

If I recommend myself, it would seem that I am not humble at all, which would be unworthy of a crown prince. If Li Shimin's default candidate is not me, he would be afraid of my ambition and suppress me to make way for the new crown prince.

If you recommend others out of caution and modesty.

Li Shimin used this as an excuse to deprive himself of the opportunity of inheritance, and announced to all officials that he was unwilling to be the crown prince. So he could only support others, otherwise he would become a villain who went back on his word. How could he gain a foothold in the court?
You are like catching a donkey in a narrow alley, blocking both ends?
Li Ke was in a dilemma and didn't know how to respond. He couldn't recommend himself, and he was not willing to recommend anyone else.

Li Shimin in front of him stared at him with sparkling eyes, so Li Ke had to answer vaguely: "Father, the issue of establishing a crown prince concerns the future of the Tang Dynasty. The Turks in the north are eyeing us covetously, and the newly acquired territory in the west needs to be stabilized and digested."

"The new crown prince must be as skilled in both civil and military affairs as his father, able to kill enemies on horseback and govern the world on foot. He must also have enough prestige to convince the people of the world."

Having said that, Li Ke looked at him carefully. Li Shimin's expression was natural, and it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry, but his eyes seemed to be able to look directly into people's hearts. An invisible pressure rose in his heart, and Li Ke's heart skipped a beat.

He said immediately: "Father is the supreme ruler and I will obey your orders."

Li Shimin looked at Li Ke silently and did not speak for a long time.

He felt somewhat disappointed. It was true that it was difficult to change one's nature. Li Ke's words were ambiguous and he almost said directly, "Father, please make me the emperor!"

Li Zhi's little thoughts, not to mention himself, any official can see that after so many years, he is almost thirty years old, but he is still so shallow and impetuous. It seems that the surface maturity and stability is just because he is old and dare not act recklessly anymore.

Deep down in his heart, he is still that brave but reckless man.

As soon as Li Shimin fell silent, an invisible pressure rose in the room. Li Ke lowered his head, his eyes flickering, and he felt uneasy.

"Then where do you think the biggest threat to our Tang Dynasty will come from in the future?" Li Shimin asked the second question.

Li Ke perked up immediately after hearing this. He had his own unique views on this topic, so he straightened his chest and raised his head, and said loudly: "Father, under your leadership, our Tang Dynasty unified the Central Plains and conquered Liaodong, the Snow Region and the Western Regions." "The size of the territory is unprecedented."

"It can be said that throughout the dynasties, in terms of achievements, even the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the Qin Emperor and the Han Emperor could not compare to my father."

"Now our Tang Dynasty is rich, the four barbarians are loyal, the people live in peace, and the country is strong. The only hidden danger is the Turkic Khanate in the north. I think our Tang Dynasty should send troops to the grassland, eliminate the Turks, and incorporate the entire grassland into our territory."

"Then, our Tang Dynasty will become the greatest country in the history of the world."

Li Ke praised and commended others, and also expressed his own views. His words came out very smoothly, and his eyes were sincere, warm and contagious, which made people know at a glance that this was what he thought in his heart.

Sure enough, it still doesn’t work, even if given more chances?
There is nothing new about Li Ke's views, they are just old clichés, and he does not see the core problem of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin was extremely disappointed, but he showed a satisfied smile on his face: "Ke'er's ambitions make me happy. If one day the Tang Dynasty sends troops to the Turks, Ke'er will be able to lead the army and create unprecedented achievements for the Tang Dynasty."

When Li Ke heard Li Shimin's undisguised praise, he was ecstatic and began to smile unconsciously, but he did not hear the true meaning of Li Shimin's words.

Li Shimin sighed silently and made a conclusion in his heart: "He has no ambition and shallow knowledge. He can only be a general, not an emperor."

"Ke'er, get out!"

Li Shimin ordered: "Let Prince Wei Li Tai come here."

"Yes, Father."

Li Ke withdrew with great confidence. He followed the path of Li Shimin and imitated Li Shimin everywhere. However, in today's world, there are powerful enemies outside. Li Ke believes that the Tang Dynasty still needs a monarch who is good at fighting to continue the glory of the dynasty.

Coupled with Li Shimin's praise just now, he felt that he had great hope.

When Li Ke came out of the door, the joy on his face made many court officials feel a little nervous. It seemed that the King of Wu and the Emperor had a very pleasant conversation. Could it be that the Emperor was interested in the King of Cheng and had already hinted to him? Some officials began to speculate secretly.

Li Ke walked up to a fat young man dressed as a prince and said, "Fourth brother, the emperor wants you to come to the emperor alone."

"Third brother, you are my brother, we usually have a good relationship."

Li Tai's round face was full of flattery. He took Li Ke's hand and said, "What did the emperor talk about? Don't hide it from me. Reveal some of it so that I can be prepared and not be too hasty."

The ministers around him also quietly moved closer and pricked up their ears to listen.

Li Ke suppressed his disgust for Li Tai, thinking that his father would soon pass on the throne. As the eldest brother, he should behave like an elder brother. If his father knew that he could not tolerate his brothers, he would probably dislike him.

So he patted Li Tai's shoulder in a friendly manner and said, "Fourth brother, the questions that father is testing are all for the crown prince. As for the specific questions, you will know when you go in later. It would be disrespectful to father to ask in advance."

"You just need to answer honestly based on your own heart."

Li Ke seemed to have said everything, but also seemed to have said nothing. He was also veiled, secretly accusing Li Tai of cheating and being dishonest. Li Tai's smile became awkward, and he secretly greeted the three generations of Li Ke's maternal family.

"Third brother's teachings, I will keep them in mind."

In front of all the ministers, Li Tai showed his usual magnanimity and tolerance. He then straightened his sleeves and walked in.

As soon as he entered the inner room and saw Li Shimin, Li Tai released all the emotions that had been brewing on the way. He rolled over and crawled to Li Shimin's bed, crying bitterly, "Father, Father, I haven't seen you for just a few days, how come you have become like this?"

"My son's heart is broken, as if it were being stabbed by a knife, day and night."

"Okay, okay!"

When doing something for the first time, Li Shimin would feel the same way and be drawn by the blood relationship. But after Li Ke's touching expression, Li Shimin's father-son bond had been released.

In addition, he found himself in poor health and lack of energy. Just meeting with Li Ke made him feel heavy-headed and wanted to rest.

After hearing Li Tai's quarrel, which was even more affectionate than Li Ke's, he suddenly felt dizzy and a feeling of extreme irritability surged in his heart.

"Yes, father, I am guilty and have disturbed your rest." Seeing the fatigue and impatience on Li Shimin's face, Li Tai hurriedly comforted him.

After a brief thought, Li Tai knew that Li Ke must have used this trick just now. He cursed in his heart and sent special greetings to Concubine Yang in Ningxin Palace, who was of noble birth, extremely beautiful and still charming.

(End of this chapter)