Chapter 658: Farewell to Your Majesty!
East Palace.
The moment Crown Prince Li Chengqian learned of the defeat of Shengfo, he became disheartened and showed a look of despair.
He knew that his time as the crown prince had come to an end.
Damn Holy Buddha, didn’t he say with certainty that he was sure of victory?
I heard that the Taoist sect has the art of searching souls. If that matter gets out, not only will Li Daoxuan not let me go, but even my father will not let me go.
He limped into the inner room and opened a secret compartment in a daze. Inside was a spirit tablet with four large characters on it.
Loving wife is content.
If other people saw it, they would find it incredible, because Crown Princess Su was still alive, and Li Chengqian's other concubines were not dead, so how could there be such a spirit tablet?
Li Chengqian sat in front of the memorial tablet with a dejected look on his face and sighed.
"Chengxin, it seems that I can't do what I promised you."
"What a pity! I was just one step away from becoming the emperor, clearing your name and even conferring upon you the title of my beloved consort—"
"You rebellious son!"
A loud shout was heard, and Li Shimin appeared behind him at some point, holding a sword in one hand and a deer head that was still dripping with blood in the other.
He threw Yujiao's head at Li Chengqian's feet with a plop. Looking at his frightened eyes, he angrily said, "As my eldest son, the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, you actually helped the evildoer, deceived the emperor and killed your mother. Do you really think I dare not kill you?"
Seeing his furious father, Li Chengqian, who had been a little scared just now, suddenly calmed down, and there was even a hint of pleasure in his eyes.
"Father, didn't you teach me that?"
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment.
"You said you wanted me to learn from you and become like you. Back then at Xuanwu Gate, didn't you also kill your brothers and imprison your father?"
"Is it wrong for me to imitate you?"
Boom!
Suddenly, there was lightning and thunder outside the house, illuminating the dark room and also illuminating the surprise and heartache in Li Shimin's eyes.
The Xuanwu Gate Incident was a permanent scar in his heart, and he had never imagined that one day it would be revealed to him in this way by his most beloved son.
He turned his gaze towards the spirit tablet and was immediately furious when he saw the words "My beloved wife is satisfied".
"It's all because of him. I didn't expect you'd still be obsessed with this traitor!"
It's him, not her.
Chengxin was a boy musician in the Taichang Temple. She had delicate features and fair skin. She often went in and out of the East Palace to sing for the prince. As time went by, the two of them developed a romantic relationship.
They travel in the same car, sit on the same seat, and even sleep together at night.
It was not until Li Shimin heard about this that he sent people to behead Chengxin on the spot!
Li Shimin stepped forward with his sword, ready to cut off the annoying spirit tablet, but a lame figure stood firmly in front of him, showing no fear even when facing the sword.
Li Shimin's hand holding the sword trembled slightly.
"Father, don't you realize it yet?"
Li Chengqian stared at his father, whom he once admired and feared, but now hated, and said word by word: "It was not Chengxin who caused all these bad consequences, but you yourself!"
The wind and rain were so heavy that they drowned out the horrifying sound coming from the inner chambers of the East Palace.
"Ever since I became lame, Father has summoned me less and less often, and has been summoning my second brother more and more often. Ask yourself, have you ever thought of changing the crown prince?"
The second brother he mentioned was Prince of Wei Li Tai, Li Shimin's second son and also his most beloved son.
Li Tai was talented, handsome, capable and decisive in his work. Li Shimin loved him very much and called him "Green Bird".
According to convention, when the princes came of age, they should go to their fiefdoms and were not allowed to stay in the capital for a long time. However, because Li Tai was favored by Emperor Taizong, he was granted special permission not to take up an official post. He was also allowed to set up a government office and set up a school, allowing him to summon scholars on his own.
You know, when Li Shimin was the King of Qin, he relied on this to recruit talents.
Li Shimin looked at him coldly and said, "I did have the idea of changing the crown prince, but that was because you were not ambitious, disrespectful to your teachers, greedy for pleasure, and self-destructive. But even so, I did not give up on you in the end!"
When Li Chengqian heard this, he laughed out loud, seeming to find it very ridiculous.
"You are disrespectful to teachers, you are greedy for pleasure, and you give up on yourself. Here you go again. You are always like this. From childhood to adulthood, you keep making various demands on me, but you have never asked me what I really want in my heart!"
"You like calligraphy, so you force me to practice calligraphy. You like reading, so you force me to read. You like riding horses, so you force me to learn horseback riding and archery. Why should I keep learning the things you like ?"
Li Shimin's answer was powerful.
"Because you are the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, and because you have to inherit and protect this prosperous era!"
Li Chengqian sneered and said, "But I'm not interested."
"Then why did you fight for it, even at the cost of killing your biological mother!"
When Li Shimin shouted this, his palm tightly gripped the hilt of the sword and his body was shaking slightly.
“Because I don’t have a choice.”
There was a hint of pain in Li Chengqian's eyes, but he immediately hid it.
"Father, I'm not stupid. Since ancient times, there has been no retreat in the struggle for the throne. Even if I hand over the position of crown prince to my second brother, with his ruthless and decisive character, will he let me go?"
Li Shimin remained silent.
He remembered what Li Tai once said when he threw himself into his arms. Li Tai said that if he became emperor, a hundred years later, he would definitely kill his son and pass the throne to his brother.
He said this to reassure himself, but inadvertently exposed his inner cruelty and violence.
Will someone who can say such things be good to his brothers after he comes to power?
This was also the reason why he ultimately did not choose Li Tai. Later, with Li Tai's unexpected death, he completely gave up the idea of changing the crown prince.
Li Chengqian looked at the satisfactory spirit tablet and smiled.
"No one has ever asked me what I like or what I care about, except Chengxin. I gave him this name because he is the only one who knows my heart among all the people."
In a trance, he recalled the good times when they sang together hand in hand under the dim firelight.
He could put on women's clothes, put on makeup, and fly together with Chengxin without any scruples, living in harmony with her.
That's what he really wanted.
Unfortunately, with the order from my father, the butcher knife was raised and Chengxin's head fell to the ground.
From then on, he never wore a costume or put on makeup again.
Li Shimin suddenly raised the sword in his hand and slashed at his son's neck.
Li Chengqian closed his eyes and a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
it's all over.
But the sword did not fall.
He heard footsteps moving away from him.
Li Shimin's back looked somewhat desolate, with his white hair fluttering. He sighed, "If I kill you, Wu Gou will be sad, so I will exile you. From now on, you will have to travel thousands of miles across the mountains and rivers, and never return to Chang'an."
A muffled groan was heard and Li Shimin's body stiffened. He turned around and saw Li Chengqian lying in a pool of blood with a dagger in his hand.
Blood splattered, staining his chin red, but he showed a bright smile.
"Father... from childhood to adulthood... whatever you tell me to do... I must do it..."
"This time... you let me live... but I... choose to die..."
He laughed loudly, his eyes filled with pleasure, and then his breath gradually died down and his pupils became more and more empty.
"Your Majesty, do you need me to save him?"
A person dressed in blue appeared in the dark room at some point.
Li Daoxuan stood at the window, took a sip of the wine in the gourd, lowered his eyes to look at Li Chengqian's increasingly cold body, and sighed softly in his heart.
Li Shimin let go of the sword in his hand and slowly walked towards his son.
He stretched out his old hand, the white-haired man closed his eyes for the black-haired man, and there was a hint of sadness in his heavy voice.
"Well, I was indeed wrong."
"Let Cheng Qian follow the path he chooses for once."
Li Daoxuan nodded slightly, looked up at the wind and rain outside the window, and Chang'an in the night. His figure gradually dissipated and disappeared without a trace.
…
A night of wind and rain washed Chang'an clean.
When the first rays of morning light rose, the whole city of Chang'an seemed to have ushered in a new life. The air was filled with the fragrance of hanging flowers and crabapple flowers, which was refreshing.
Birds land on branches and flowers bloom in Chang'an.
News is spreading around the world at the fastest speed.
The national teacher Li Daoxuan conquered Chang'an alone, subdued the golden-haired beast, broke into Xingshan Temple alone, broke through the four sacred tripods, and killed the holy Buddha with a crushing force!
The invincible Qingyi from twelve years ago came to the world again and wrote another myth of his own.
Crown Prince Li Chengqian was poisoned by an evil monk and eventually died.
With the help of the national teacher, His Majesty finally regained his former wisdom and bravery. He abolished the Demon-Extermination Order, put the Bad People back under the control of the Dormant Dragon, and dismissed all the alchemists he recruited.
The atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty suddenly changed.
The whole government was shocked and the people were celebrating. The haze that had been covering the Tang Dynasty was finally washed away by the heavy rain last night and no longer existed.
Taiji Palace, Imperial Garden.
Li Daoxuan and Li Shimin were playing chess in the pavilion. Once upon a time, they often played chess in this pavilion. The two bad chess players always met their worthy opponents and the game would last for a long time.
The place hasn’t changed, the people haven’t changed, but the state of mind has changed.
"Taichong, I am no longer your opponent."
Li Shimin admitted defeat, shook his head and sighed.
For some reason, after the big changes last night, he seemed quite calm, and even asked Li Daoxuan to come here to play chess early this morning.
"It's mainly because your Majesty is old."
Li Daoxuan took a sip of wine, and every word he said touched his heart.
Li Shimin was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and smiled: "You... but only you dare to talk to me like this."
After a pause, he suddenly said, "In April, the pharmacist passed away. Before he died, he held my hand and said that since ancient times, emperors who have sought immortals and medicine have gained nothing, and instead have damaged their wisdom. Now it seems that he was right."
Li Daoxuan thought of the resolute figure who led three thousand cavalrymen to crush the Turkic royal court, and sighed softly.
Old friends are dying one after another, like leaves in the wind.
"Taichong, I didn't ask anyone to draw you in the Lingyan Pavilion's painting of the twenty-four heroes. Don't blame me."
Li Shimin smiled at him and said, "Because in my eyes, you have never been a subject, but a friend, a mentor and helpful friend given to me by God."
Li Daoxuan smiled slightly and said, "What a coincidence. In my eyes, Your Majesty has never been a king, but also a friend."
These words were extremely treasonous, but Li Shimin was particularly happy to hear them.
"Since we are good friends, there is something I would like to ask Taichong for help."
Li Daoxuan's eyes flashed, and he said, "Your Majesty, please speak."
Li Shimin said in a serious tone: "Chengqian and Qingque are both gone, only Li Zhi can be the successor, but he grew up in the deep palace since he was young, and his personality is weak, so Taichong is requested to help him."
When he heard that Prince Wei Li Tai had also passed away, Li Daoxuan frowned slightly.
He remembered that in history, Li Tai should not have died. Could it be the butterfly effect again?
"I have drunk your majesty's wine, so I will not break my promise of three hundred years."
After hearing this, Li Shimin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He stood up, his eyes shining, and his whole body exuded a strange vitality.
"Taichong, come for a walk with me."
"Okay, where to?"
"Luoyang, Hulao Pass."
Li Daoxuan was slightly stunned.
Li Shimin sighed, "When I was young, I loved riding a horse and galloping across the battlefield, leading the troops and traveling all over the country. But I didn't expect that after becoming an emperor, I would be trapped in the palace for many years."
"Maybe Cheng Qian is right. Sometimes, people have to do what they like, so that they won't regret it."
Li Daoxuan casually plucked two green grasses and flicked his finger. The grasses immediately turned into two majestic dragon horses, with their hooves stepping on the wind and their roars like thunder.
"Your Majesty, please."
…
Luoyang, Hulao Pass.
At dusk, the two men rode their dragon horses to this majestic pass.
"When Wang Shichong occupied Luoyang, I led my army to attack him and besieged him for several months. At this time, Dou Jiande from Hebei led an army of 100,000 to respond to Wang Shichong and attack our army."
Li Shimin rode on a white horse, gazing at the majestic pass, and seemed to recall the glorious days of war and iron cavalry again.
"The situation was extremely urgent at the time, and everyone advised me to withdraw my troops. However, if I did so, all my efforts of several months would be wasted. So I made a decision."
A smile appeared on his face.
"I have decided to continue the siege of Luoyang, and then personally lead 3,500 elite cavalry out of Hulao Pass to conduct guerrilla warfare, set ambushes, and surround and kill. Finally, I have each cavalryman carry a battle flag. With 3,500 people, we will charge down the 100,000-strong army from a high position!"
His old face was glowing with an intimidating look, shining brightly in the setting sun.
"That day, flags covered the sky, sweeping across the heavens and the earth. Dou Jiande's 100,000-man army was terrified and fled. I personally captured Dou Jiande and presented him to my father. At the same time, Luoyang was captured and Wang Shichong surrendered."
Capture two kings in one day, and decide the outcome in one battle!
That was the battle that Li Shimin was most proud of, and it was the scene of war and battle that he had heard about countless times in his dreams at midnight.
From then on, he became the Tiance General of the Tang Dynasty!
Li Daoxuan sighed in his heart, no wonder the great men of later generations once said that among all the Chinese emperors, Li Shimin was the best fighter.
"Today, I finally came back here again."
Li Shimin was filled with emotion. The majestic pass was still there, but the once heroic General Tiance was now gray-haired.
He rode his horse into a river, but instead of crossing it, he went upstream against the current.
The robe fluttered, the white hair flew, and the water surface under the horse's hooves reflected the sun, the moon, the mountains and rivers, and the sunset.
"During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, I killed my brother and imprisoned my father, which was truly a violation of filial piety and human ethics!"
He suddenly laughed out loud, shouting out words that he had never dared to think of before, and he felt relaxed and happy both physically and mentally.
"But I also quelled wars, spread my power across the world, created a prosperous era, and ensured that the people no longer died of famine and horse hooves."
"So the right and wrong, merits and demerits, will be left to future generations to judge."
He pulled the reins and continued walking forward.
"His Majesty."
Li Daoxuan's voice sounded behind him.
"Your Majesty's life was indeed tainted, but he was still a wise and powerful emperor. Thousands of years later, he will be remembered by people."
"Taichong, how do you see that?"
Li Daoxuan thought of those volumes of painted history books, the praise and yearning for the Zhenguan Reign by countless people in later generations, and the sound of children reading aloud in the classroom.
"Emperor Taizong's strategy is truly long-term, and it has made all the heroes grow old."
He smiled slightly and said to Li Shimin: "Because I have seen it with my own eyes."
Li Shimin paused slightly, and then smiled.
The white horse walks on the water, upstream, as if walking on the majestic rivers and mountains of the Tang Dynasty.
"In my life, I have been here, seen, walked, fought, and been confused. Now, it is time for me to leave."
He didn't turn around, but waved his hands in the setting sun, his voice sounding relieved.
"Taichong, let's go!"
…
Li Daoxuan's eyes became slightly moist, and in a trance, he seemed to have returned to the moment when he first entered Chang'an and was trapped in the Qinglong Temple by the evil Buddha Maha.
Just as he was about to fight to the death, he heard the sound of iron hooves, crushing the mountains and rivers and breaking down the high walls.
The heroic emperor, wearing golden armor and holding a long sword, rode up to him on horseback, his red cloak fluttering in the wind.
"Taichong, I'm here."
…
Li Daoxuan took a deep breath to calm the waves in his heart, and bowed deeply to the figure slowly lying on the white horse.
"Farewell, Your Majesty!"
