At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

"Since this cannot be mentioned, then tell me about Emperor Taizu."

After a long silence in the hall, Chu Ling finally spoke to Li Zhong, "Telling you about his deeds, is that too much trouble for you?"

Ok?

Li Zhongxin became suspicious, clearly not quite keeping up with the successor emperor's unconventional thinking.

"What? You can't even talk about this?"

Chu Ling slowly stood up and looked down at Li Zhongdao.

"I can...I can speak."

Li Zhong hesitated for a moment, then made up his mind.

How could he not know that the succeeding emperor was testing him, trying to understand the inner court through him, and even letting the eyes and ears outside the palace see and hear through him?

But an idea arose in his mind that changed his initial decision!

"Get up."

Chu Ling turned and walked towards the throne. Since the inner court was currently unable to provide information, he decided to discuss matters that would not be taboo.

Chu Ling wanted to know what kind of person this founder of the Yu Dynasty really was.

In Chu Ling's memory, there was no impression of Emperor Taizu Gao.

The year Chu Ling was born, Emperor Taizu Gao passed away shortly after her birth.

The difference was only one day.

According to some rumors circulating within the inner court, Emperor Taizong disliked this illegitimate son, not because his mother was of humble birth, but because the birth of Chu Ling brought Emperor Taizong a lifetime of pain.

The father-son relationship between Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong was truly exceptional.

Emperor Taizu was strong-willed, while Emperor Taizong was gentle.

Of all the sons, Emperor Taizu favored only Emperor Taizong!

When Emperor Taizu ascended the throne and founded the Yu Dynasty, he appointed Emperor Taizong as the crown prince. During his more than 30 years on the throne, Emperor Taizu continuously delegated power to Emperor Taizong. The father and son often quarreled over state affairs and military matters. In some heated arguments, Emperor Taizu even hit Emperor Taizong. However, the result was that Emperor Taizong's position as crown prince became more and more secure.

Deposing the heir apparent? Forget mentioning it, anyone who even dared to think about it would be killed if the Emperor Taizu found out!

"What stories about Emperor Taizu Gaozu would you like to hear about?"

Li Zhong walked over with his head down and bowed to Chu Ling.

"Tell me how Emperor Taizu became emperor."

Chu Ling answered without hesitation.

"Emperor Taizu Gao was a border guard of the previous dynasty. At that time, the previous emperor was incompetent and obsessed with women. He did not attend court for more than 20 years. Powerful ministers controlled the government, the social order collapsed, and the people suffered unspeakably."

Li Zhong thought for a moment, organizing his thoughts in his mind, and carefully said: "The corrupt officials in the court and local governments are rampant. In order to make a profit, they will do everything they can to exploit the people. Various levies are constantly being introduced, and the people are suffering unspeakably. In order to make money, the army's food and pay are never fully paid. More than half of the food and pay is deducted, and even arrears are common occurrences."

"At that time, foreign forces on the frontier frequently invaded, but those who won the battles all died in the end, while those who lost the battles were promoted."

"What does this have to do with the founding emperor?"

Chu Ling frowned.

Yes.

There are many reasons for the change of dynasties, but that's not what he wants to hear now. Which dynasty didn't end up like that?

"Emperor Taizu Gao was in this situation because he led his troops to fight against the invading enemy and made great achievements. However, he did not bribe his superiors. Instead, he sold the spoils of war and distributed them to the families of his fallen soldiers. Therefore, he was falsely accused of colluding with the enemy by villains and was arrested by the people sent by the court."

Li Zhong hurriedly said, "Although Emperor Taizu Gao came from a humble background, he was a generous and unpretentious man. Before joining the army to guard the border, he even had a title. But because he couldn't stand foreign enemies invading the border, he abandoned his pen and joined the army, wanting to kill more foreign tribes on the frontier."

It's not like you start with just a bowl.

Chu Ling narrowed his eyes slightly.

"When Emperor Taizu Gao was captured and was to be escorted back to the capital, thirteen men abandoned their posts and followed him all the way. Despite the danger of being hunted down, they risked their lives to rescue Emperor Taizu Gao."

Li Zhong continued, "These thirteen people were the earliest to follow Emperor Taizu Gao, but only two of them survived and accompanied Emperor Taizu Gao on his campaigns."

"The Duke of Baoguo Zongchuan, the Duke of Anguo Changli?"

Chu Ling raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Exactly."

Li Zhong nodded.

With the passing of the late emperor and the subsequent turmoil within the inner court, these two individuals were invited into the inner court.

Chu Ling has grasped a crucial piece of information!

"and then?"

"Because of their interception of imperial soldiers, Emperor Taizu and his entourage were wanted by the imperial court."

Li Zhong continued, "For this reason, Emperor Taizu Gao went into hiding and lived a life of hiding. However, the Six Doors of the previous dynasty had been constantly searching for Emperor Taizu Gao."

"why?"

Chu Ling frowned.

"Among those who were intercepted and killed, there was a son of a powerful and wealthy family."

Li Zhong lowered his head and said, "The purpose of this trip to the border was to find a rare treasure to present to a powerful minister of the court. His father, in order to avoid attracting attention, had him take on this mission. This son of a powerful official was very careful and cautious. He found the treasure, but in the end, he died."

That's really unlucky.

Chu Ling wanted to laugh; how could two people who had never crossed paths end up interacting in this way?

"go on."

Chu Ling became interested.

"In the following three years, Emperor Taizu Gao was in dire straits seven times, but without exception he escaped capture each time."

Li Zhongdao said: "Although Emperor Taizu Gao was always wanted by the Six Doors, he made many friends among the outlaws as he traveled to various places. The most dangerous time was when Emperor Taizu Gao was surrounded by layers of enemies. Of his thirteen old brothers, seven died in that battle. In the desperate situation, it was Duke Xun who led people to rescue him."

"General Li Jin, the Conqueror of the West?"

Chu Ling narrowed his eyes slightly.

Li Zhong nodded.

Be nice.

Although Li Zhong did not elaborate, Chu Ling could sense the danger involved, and the three people he mentioned had all become top figures in the Yu Dynasty.

They are all dukes!

To date, the Yu Dynasty has had twelve dukes, all of whom inherited their positions.

The key point is that these three are somewhat different; they all received the title of Pillar of State, and there were a total of nine people in the Yu Dynasty who received this title.

This alone shows how much Emperor Taizu Gao was loyal and affectionate.

No wonder Chu Hong was so confident.

Thinking of all this, Chu Ling recalled how Chu Honghui, the eldest son of a concubine, had saved someone's biological grandfather before he entered the palace!

Not to mention that although Li Jin is old, he is currently the General Who Conquers the West, guarding the important western Liang region, defending the border for the Yu Dynasty, and guarding against the powerful enemy in Xichuan!

With real military power in his hands, how could Chu Hong not be confident?

"Also in that year, many areas under the jurisdiction of the previous dynasty suffered severe disasters, the number of affected people surged, and eventually several rebel armies emerged." Li Zhong pondered for a moment, then continued.

"After learning about this, Emperor Taizu Gao chose to raise the banner of righteousness and overthrow this tyrannical rule. However, another major event occurred that year."

"what's up?"

Chu Ling leaned forward.

"A powerful minister of the previous dynasty poisoned the incompetent emperor of the previous dynasty and established a false dynasty, named Wei."

Li Zhong lowered his head and said, "When this matter spread, the whole world was shocked. Because of this, all the tribes in Guanzhong rose up to attack Wei. In the same year, Emperor Taizu Gao joined the Guanzhong army. The leader of the Guanzhong army was adopted as a son by Emperor Taizu Gao during the campaign against Wei because Emperor Taizu Gao had killed countless enemies."

Chu Ling: "..."