I have already established my power and prestige, so how did Li Shimin come back to life?

After a long time, the first person to break the dead silence was Li Shimin.

His voice was slightly hoarse and full of vicissitudes of life. He said slowly: "Cheng Qian, Aye really lost his composure just now. Aye apologizes to you."

When Li Chengqian heard this, he felt a lump in his nose and his eyes instantly became moist.

Li Shimin has always been an image of a majestic emperor. Although he is kind and amiable to his family on weekdays, on matters of principle, especially when it comes to governing philosophy and power rule, he is an extremely tough and self-respecting person who rarely bows to others.

But at this moment, facing the limitations of the times and his misunderstanding of his son's ideas, under the bond of family affection, he was the first to put down his imperial airs and chose to submit.

"Cheng Qian, what do you want to do? Aye is old and can no longer control you."

"Nowadays, the world depends entirely on you."

Li Shimin sighed slightly and continued, his tone full of helplessness, "Aye knows in your heart that you have endured too much hardship along the way."

"Every time you made a decision, Aye had trouble understanding it at first and couldn't follow your train of thought."

"Can you open your heart to Aye and tell me what you really think deep down?"

"It will also give Aye some peace of mind. Even as Jingyou's father-in-law, please ask him how he should deal with himself in the future."

Li Chengqian listened to Li Shimin's words and fell into a brief contemplation.

After a moment, he slowly spoke with a firm tone: "Aye, you don't have to worry. Jingyou will still be the emperor in the future."

He paused slightly, "Moreover, he will be a happy emperor, no longer having to toil day and night and worry about the country like you and me."

Hearing this, Li Shimin slowly closed his eyes and shook his head gently, his face full of worry: "Cheng Qian, my father is not a fool, he understands everything."

"Are you planning to select talents from among the common people to govern the world, and let the Tang Dynasty royal family become a symbol of the Tang Dynasty and hand over all the power in their hands?"

"Do you want Jingyou to become a puppet emperor in name only, Chengqian? Don't forget, he is your own flesh and blood!"

Li Chengqian quickly waved his hands and explained anxiously, "Father, that's absolutely not the case. Jingyou is not a puppet emperor."

"The emperor will still be the emperor, but this status will be transformed into an honorary title. As for his daily food and drink expenses, there will naturally be someone responsible for arranging them properly. What's wrong with this arrangement?"

At least, this model has been successfully verified in certain periods of history and in certain countries, and it is not just a fantasy.

Li Shimin stared at Li Chengqian. "Chengqian, do you really think this arrangement is foolproof? Once power slips out of your control and passes into the hands of others, can you truly rest assured?"

"Even if you carefully select representatives from among the people and have them govern the country, decentralizing power, the end result will probably be essentially the same as it is now. The so-called kings, princes, generals, and ministers are nothing more than a new bottle."

"On the contrary, when one person's power gradually becomes centralized, even if you set strict rules in advance, they are very likely to violate them and trample on them at will."

Li Shimin frowned slightly, staring at Li Chengqian intently. "I bet you're planning to establish a series of detailed rules to constrain those in power, right?"

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, agreeing with his father's guess.

Li Shimin continued, "Now let me ask you, if you establish a law requiring a change of ruler every three years, and someone attempts to consolidate all power in one person and tamper with your rules, who will be able to check and balance him?"

"He could have relied on the power in his hands to stay in that position until the end of his life."

"Even handing over power to his descendants."

In this case, what is the difference between him and the emperor? Isn't he just an emperor with a different title? "

"Silly child, no matter how drastically you reform the way things are governed in this world, it will always be difficult to break out of the established framework."

“No matter how hard you try to achieve your goal, you’ll probably end up repeating the same mistakes and ending up back where you started.”

Li Shimin's voice was filled with helplessness. "Just because I changed my name, do you naively think that everything has changed?"

"Have you ever thought that all the emperors in history were stupid?"

"They are not unaware of the principle of checks and balances, and I am aware of its pros and cons. However, some attempts are doomed to be futile and meaningless."

"Rather than handing over this hard-earned empire to others, it would be better for me, the descendants of the Li Tang Dynasty, to enjoy prosperity and wealth for several generations in peace and security. When the country changes hands in the future, we can feel at ease."

Li Shimin said earnestly, "Think carefully, Cheng Qian. As long as you can give me a reason that convinces me, I will not care about you."

Having said this, Li Shimin paused.

Then he said.

"Cheng Qian, you still don't understand what the way of an emperor is. You're too impatient and don't even want to discuss it with me. Don't you trust me? Are you afraid that I'll oppose you? Are you afraid that I'll scold you?"

"Governing the world doesn't depend on systems or reforms, but on people!"

“Even though they were all emperors, some provided their people with ample food and clothing, while others left them starving and freezing.”

"What determines the lives of the people is never some bullshit system or some reform, but the person sitting at the top!"

"That person is good, and no matter what kind of structure it is, the people can live a good life."

"If that person is bad, no matter how good the system is, no matter how much it's hyped up, people's lives will still be difficult."

"Do you understand what I'm telling you?"