The Legacy of the First Auxiliary House of the Tang Dynasty

128

Fang Yiai works seriously in the frontier, and it looks like he is doing well, and he can even be promoted once in a few months, that is, the Shangguan was asked to "pay attention" to this former son-in-law who came from the lower part of the capital. , but several generals and generals also had to pinch their noses and carefully promote each other.

They tried once or twice, and they didn't intend to reprimand. Instead, there were slight hints and care from the East Palace, so they lived a good life.

——There is actually a trend of becoming more and more comfortable and comfortable.

Fang Yiai lived a very happy life in this small town. He was capable and talented, but he was regarded as "cannon fodder" at the beginning, but none of them died.

Promotion is naturally a normal situation, everyone is watching.Not rewarding meritorious service is a taboo in the army.

In fact, Fang Yiai doesn't care if he gets promoted or not. If he is promoted again, his official and noble titles are as high as his previous ones, but he is just living a "distribution life".

He is open-minded and has various "military merits" of various sizes, and he actually has the credit for farming, which is beyond the expectations of most people in Chang'an City, including His Majesty the Emperor who is in a semi-cultivated state in Taiji Palace.

Li Shimin read a few reports, Fang Jun seemed honest for the time being, he didn't bother to pay attention to him.

It's just that the prince still occasionally communicates with Fang Yiai, although because of the distance, it has something to do with his recent decentralization of power and gradually handing over the government affairs to the prince. Li Chengqian is too busy and tends to lose weight.

His Royal Highness the Crown Prince matured day by day, and his face became stern. Li Shimin's usual unfathomable and aristocratic appearance appeared six to seven times.

The courtiers murmured in their hearts, and they dared not underestimate His Highness the Crown Prince.

Now that King Wei's party has fallen, King Jin looks limp, and his temperament is too cowardly and easy-going, not like the image of a king. In addition, he has made a choice now. With the power of the prince growing, even the blind can see it. If there is no accident, the choice of a monarch must be His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

His Royal Highness King Jin has been eliminated from the competition without knowing it.

In fact, many neutral courtiers breathed a sigh of relief at this time.

It is great that Datang doesn't need another Xuanwu Gate change, they can sit back and relax, and don't have to worry about their family having to get involved, so as not to accidentally fall into the situation of seizing the family and beheading.

Most of the courtiers are very happy, except for a very few people who are not happy.

The eldest grandson Wuji endured very well in front of Li Shimin, tried it a few times, hinted at the relationship between the prince and Fang Yiai, and all kinds of "bad things" from His Royal Highness, which made Li Shimin look suspiciously and probing sharply. , This made him feel a sudden.

Li Shimin and Gaozu Li Yuan were the founding emperors of the country, but Li Shimin was much more powerful than Gaozu, and the level of Dingding Kai's skill and cruelty was not comparable to Gaozu.

Changsun Wuji went home and couldn't sleep at night, so he finally smiled bitterly to suppress his emotions.

He should have nothing to discuss with Zhu Suiliang and the others, and then their future future.

However, since the reserve position has been decided, King Jin can't support him under the strength of the prince, so he can't force it.After all, no matter how much the crown prince has opinions on him and their eldest grandson's family, as the prince's own uncle, eldest grandson Wuji is not worried about the "future" of the eldest grandson's family, it's just the difference between prosperity and decline.

That's all, that's all!

Go and see.

Changsun Wuji narrowed his eyes, thinking to himself that sometimes the emperor had to consider other factors.

"Although your Uncle Wuji loves power, he has no intention of usurping the throne or has other intentions—but, don't indulge." Li Shimin coughed, and Li Chengqian reached out and patted him on the back.

Li Shimin looked at the solemn prince's face, and he let out a long sigh.

Ever since the distribution of Yiai went to the frontier to "make meritorious service", the prince has no smile on his face.The concubines and concubines in the East Palace also had no chance to get close again, and the prince didn't even bother to cover up.

That's right, his father knows the truth, so naturally the crown prince doesn't have to pretend to favor the palace servants.

Li Shimin felt powerless for a while, but he also had a hidden expectation - time will always kill all emotions... The prince is also a man, just like although he is grateful for the Guanyin maidservant, it does not prevent him from doting on the beauties in the harem.

Be it emotionally or physically.

Li Shimin believed in his judgment, so he didn't want to force the prince too much at this time, and just pretended that there was no Fang Yiai between the father and son.

……

Three years passed quickly.

The position of the crown prince is stable, and His Majesty the emperor's body has reached the point where the oil is exhausted.

Li Shimin has survived until now only because he has completely delegated power to the prince in the past three years, except for the imperial guards in his hands and the military power in Chang'an City. The emperor must be powerless to resist and can only wait for death.

However, no one thought that the prince would rebel.

Isn't this rebelling against oneself, the prince is stupid.In that case, the prince's act of "usurping the throne" is very likely to cause instability in the Tang Dynasty in the future.

Maybe when Li Chengqian succeeds to the throne, princes from other fiefdoms or ambitious generals will rebel in the name of the "faint emperor" of the Qing Dynasty.

It just depends on whether His Royal Highness is so concerned about his reputation.

Li Shimin on the sickbed occasionally felt worried late at night, because the prince's eyes were more obscure and gloomy, or as deep as the sea.

Sometimes Li Shimin couldn't figure out what Li Chengqian was thinking. The other party had lived a life of asceticism for the past three years, comparable to a Buddhist ascetic.

——It's really not close to female sex, or male sex.

Li Shimin sometimes even thinks that the crown prince just favors another palace man, it doesn't matter whether he is a eunuch or an outside actor, as long as he is not difficult to "sincerely love".

He always believed that, as an emperor, one should not have too much affection for a certain person.In the past few dynasties, there were not one or two kings who harmed the country and the people because of their "beauty".

Thinking about the hero of that generation, Fu Jian, the country was subjugated because of Murong Chong.The typical country is subjugated because of masculinity.

But Fang Yiai's appearance - although Li Shimin thinks that the other party is very good-looking sometimes, he thought in his heart, sometimes Fang Jun looks very good-looking, but most of the time, in the impression of Li Shimin's mind , Fang Yiai is still that inconspicuous and dishonest dude.

I don't know what the prince likes about each other.

Li Shimin couldn't figure it out all the time. He thought that time would fade away, but the prince's actions and actions told him that this hope was very slim.

This made the emperor still worry about this matter before his trip——

"Prince, you promise me—" Li Shimin had just completed the entrustment of the great cause of the country, and met all kinds of ministers in a breath, including Li Zhi, the son of the feudal clan. head off.

What's more, Li Shimin didn't want to see each other for a long time, but there was some father-son relationship left, so he couldn't argue with him.The main reason is that Li Tai's temperament is becoming more and more violent and unsightly, which made Li Shimin care from the beginning, then get used to it, and now gradually ignore him.

Li Zhi was outside with his sisters at this time, but there was no concubine in the palace. At the critical moment, the emperor didn't want to let some unimportant people know that he was going to die, so as not to indirectly cause some trouble for the crown prince's succession.

There will always be some people who will take the opportunity to pass on the secrets of the palace privately. It is best to avoid the act of disrupting the prince for the benefit of the family. This is also one of the things that should be vigilant and guarded against when the imperial power changes.

Now, Li Shimin finally wants to get a promise from the prince before he dies.

"Prince, Chengqian——Li Chengqian—" he panted, and slowly took hold of the prince's hand, gripping it harder and harder, staring into Li Chengqian's eyes and saying: "Promise me, after you succeed to the throne—don't— —Don't be with Fang Yiai..."

Hearing that Li Chengqian's slightly sad face suddenly changed - he looked back at his wise father.

The other party has achieved great achievements for a lifetime, or it can be said that he is the emperor of a dynasty. In the history books, there is no emperor who can compare with his father, Li Shimin, since the first emperor.

Li Shimin made mistakes, but more of them were merits and contributions to the people and the country.

Li Chengqian just asked himself, if he succeeds to the throne and becomes emperor, he may not be able to surpass Li Shimin's achievements.

He is his Aye. When they were young, the relationship between father and son was very good. Then what changed...

Maybe after the father succeeded in "seizing the throne", the gradual separation between the monarch and his ministers, as well as the strife and suspicion between the family relationship-gradually made the father and son drift away, and the family relationship was mixed. The more power and interests are exchanged.

However, no matter how much Li Chengqian's nostalgia and gratitude for Li Shimin's father and son still remain in his heart, he does not want to lose the sincere emotion between him and Fang Yi'ai.

Although they seldom say they like and love each other, they have already identified each other silently in their hearts, otherwise he would not stick to it for three years, even if the two of them have little communication and are separated by thousands of miles.

He thought, the same goes for Fang Yiai.

Li Chengqian looked directly into Li Shimin's eyes without avoiding the other's gaze, and said firmly: "No, Aye. I won't—"

"——You must!" Li Shimin was disappointed immediately, but he might have expected the situation at this time, and he said sharply: "Li Chengqian, I am still the emperor, your aye—

"Father!" Li Chengqian shouted in a low voice.

His eyes were dark, but the emotions inside gradually released and flowed out. At this time, the prince is not in a state of depression, and will be frank and straightforward.

He is firm and fearless.

Li Chengqian's eyes were burning. Although his eyes were deep, they were clear to the end. He could see and feel a kind of deep emotion that Li Shimin didn't understand, or that he didn't want to understand.

His virtuosity, his temperament has never been the same as that of his father.

Li Shimin was startled.

Then came a violent cough.

At this time, Li Zhi and the imperial physician hurriedly greeted him outside, and Li Shimin asked the eunuch beside him to go out and stop drinking. He only wanted to get an answer from the prince.

— an answer he had to ask for.

"...Prince, you know that I have a secret guard in my hand. I have never counted on the forbidden army in the palace now, and I have entrusted it to you just now. This is the world of the Tang Dynasty, and this is the property of the Li family—"

Li Shimin said with serious eyes.

Li Chengqian was silent.

"You know..." Li Shimin's eyes didn't fall on the prince at this time, he seemed to be looking at the void, and seemed to be looking at the voice and smile of his wife Guanyin's servant through Li Chengqian's face, and the corners of his lips curled up, but his mouth but uttered cruel words—

"——You must promise me! Must! Otherwise, his wife's life will be killed! Their house, including Xuanling's children... have to be given to me, to the Tang Dynasty...cough cough...cough cough...buried with him !"

"Did you hear me clearly?"

"Did you hear clearly?!"

... Li Shimin's eyes fell on Li Chengqian's face, and he kept looking at his eyes. Li Chengqian's eyes darkened, anger was suppressed in his dark eyes, and deep "hate" was gradually brewing, as if a storm was blowing on the sea, It seems that thunder and lightning are flashing, trying to tear the sky of the dark night and tear everything violently.

"—You promise me! You promise me, say it quickly! You promise—" Li Shimin almost roared. "Prince, Li Chengqian, you know...don't count on those men in your sister Mu Zhi's hands, you know the other hidden guards in my hands. They have this ability! They have the ability to kill 'damned people' .”

Li Shimin pressed on step by step.

He asked the prince to swear immediately.

Li Chengqian's lips seemed to move, and he made a choice—but Li Shimin suddenly said again, his voice was low, like the voice of the underworld.

——"You swear by Fang Yiai's life and soul! If you become the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, if you still want to be with him...he will have to die forever—"

——"It is necessary for him to be miserable life after life, to be reincarnated as a grasshopper, to be humble and miserable..."

——"It's just that he...will never be loved forever."

Li Shimin finally added a short oath, he asked the prince to swear these words, he knew what Li Chengqian cared about.

He fixed his eyes on the prince and waited.

Li Chengqian knew how cruel and decisive his father was. If Li Chengqian didn't swear at the next moment, Fang Yiai and those related to the Fang family would face extremely dangerous and tragic situations...